"I'm not dead...I'm not dead," Airesiwe chanted while opening her bleeding
eyes. She was aching all over, and had lost most of her armor in the fall.
It was a long fall, about halfway down the long cliff. She looked at her
surroundings with squinted eyes, and was happy with what she saw. For she
was in a tree, the same tree that she had saw while looking over the cliff.
More than anything, she was thankful, for it had saved her life. She
couldn't move, and it felt like her arm was broken yet again. It never
really healed, but it didn't hurt before. Now, the fall made it much worse,
to the point where it hurt so much she was willing to amputate it herself.
But she didn't, because she knew she would need it to get back up. 'Getting
back up...,' Airesiwe thought as she looked up towards the top of the cliff.
The hobbits were gone. 'I must have been unconscious for awhile,' she
thought again. She moved her legs, and they felt okay. Her head hurt the
most. Everything was double-vision, and she had a tremendous headache. She
groped around for her sword, and found it lying by her side. She balanced
on the branches, and tried with one hand to reach the top of the tree. She
looked down and saw that she would have been dead if not for the tree, for
there was still a long ways down that she could have fallen. Breathing
heavily, she made her way to the top of the tree.
It wasn't long before she reached the top. It was quite easy, but that was only because of her relation with Lothlorien. She would now have to climb up the sheer cliff. It went straight up, until you got near the top. At that point, it started to slope a bit. It was all made up of rock, besides the few patches of ground scattered about it. She had a plan, but because of her arm, she wouldn't be able to do it.
"Stop thinking that!" Airesiwe shouted to herself. "I don't care if my arm is in bad shape, I can still do this! I MUST do this! I have but one choice!" But dispite the positive thinking, she didn't think it was possible. Her arm just hurt too much. So she sat, and wished for a miracle. While sitting and wishing, she felt her eyes droop, and fell asleep in the top of the tree, with the thorny branches cradling her in her sleep.
~*~
For the first time in a year, Airesiwe awoke from a pleasant dream. She dreamed of a field, and with her was her trainer and Firnephel. She dreamed of racing Vanagaer on her horse, and winning every time. After that, she would run back home and greet Arwen. She would fascinate her by telling her the history of the elves and how they came to be. She would imagine that she was a warrior, and practice shooting arrows at random trees in the woods.
She smiled when she remembered where she really was. She now had confidence, and knew she could get up the cliff dispite her doubts. It would take her awhile, but she knew she could do it.
She started by stabbing a small patch of land with her sword. She made sure it was securely in place, and wouldn't move, then let go. She placed her foot on the handle of the sword and push upward. Grabbing a small piece of rock jutting out of the cliff with both hand, she held on. She then used both her feet to grab the sword and yank it out of the ground. She let go of the rock with one hand, and lifted her feet. She grabbed the sword from her two feet, and stabbed another small patch of land again. She looked up and saw that she had more than a long ways to go. Taking a deep breath, she did the procedure again. By the time she did it for the fifth time, she was out of breath and already tired. She longed for a place to sit or lay down, but she knew she couldn't give up just yet.
While heading upward at a steady pace, there came a time when there were no patches of grass or dirt, just sharp rocks bulging out of the face of the cliff. Holding the sword with her feet, she grabbed onto a nearby rock and decided to rock-climb her way up. She dragged her feet, in fear that she would drop her one and only weapon. This way quite painful, and her light armor was already stained with blood. Finally, she was only a quarter of a way from the top. It was already nightfall, and she was approaching the sloping part of the cliff. As soon as she got to it, she held her sword in her hand and crawled up. She could almost see the grass growing at the top of the cliff, and happiness arose in her. But she was too tired to enjoy the spark of satisfaction that arose in her, for she was so tired that she quickly fell asleep.
~*~
The sun awoke her this time, and bright and beautiful it was. She opened her eyes and remembered suddenly how close she was to the top.
"I should be there by afternoon," she said to herself with joy, "unless it already is."
She grabbed her sword and continued her crawling, still a little drowsy from her sleep. The slope was getting a little easier to climb by the hour, and her mood lightened constantly. Never in her life had she been so miserable one day and so happy the next. She was now only a couple meter from the top when she noticed a large arm extend from the cliff. No head could be seen at the moment, and it looked like there was only one person. Shocked by this quick action, Airesiwe crawled up a ways and stared at the hand. It was clothed in armor, so she couldn't quite tell who it could be. The hand could not be seen either, for a large glove covered it as well. Continuing her way, Airesiwe kept crawling until she was about a foot from the glove. Not knowing what else to do, she held out her hand. While doing this, she dropped her sword.
"NO!" she screamed while watching it tumble back down the cliff. "No..." she whispered. She looked back up at the glove and extended her hand towards it. As she grabbed it, she felt it close around her delicate hand in a tight grip and pulled her up the cliff, then thrashing her to the ground. She opened her eyes, then closed them, for she could not believe what she saw.
It wasn't long before she reached the top. It was quite easy, but that was only because of her relation with Lothlorien. She would now have to climb up the sheer cliff. It went straight up, until you got near the top. At that point, it started to slope a bit. It was all made up of rock, besides the few patches of ground scattered about it. She had a plan, but because of her arm, she wouldn't be able to do it.
"Stop thinking that!" Airesiwe shouted to herself. "I don't care if my arm is in bad shape, I can still do this! I MUST do this! I have but one choice!" But dispite the positive thinking, she didn't think it was possible. Her arm just hurt too much. So she sat, and wished for a miracle. While sitting and wishing, she felt her eyes droop, and fell asleep in the top of the tree, with the thorny branches cradling her in her sleep.
~*~
For the first time in a year, Airesiwe awoke from a pleasant dream. She dreamed of a field, and with her was her trainer and Firnephel. She dreamed of racing Vanagaer on her horse, and winning every time. After that, she would run back home and greet Arwen. She would fascinate her by telling her the history of the elves and how they came to be. She would imagine that she was a warrior, and practice shooting arrows at random trees in the woods.
She smiled when she remembered where she really was. She now had confidence, and knew she could get up the cliff dispite her doubts. It would take her awhile, but she knew she could do it.
She started by stabbing a small patch of land with her sword. She made sure it was securely in place, and wouldn't move, then let go. She placed her foot on the handle of the sword and push upward. Grabbing a small piece of rock jutting out of the cliff with both hand, she held on. She then used both her feet to grab the sword and yank it out of the ground. She let go of the rock with one hand, and lifted her feet. She grabbed the sword from her two feet, and stabbed another small patch of land again. She looked up and saw that she had more than a long ways to go. Taking a deep breath, she did the procedure again. By the time she did it for the fifth time, she was out of breath and already tired. She longed for a place to sit or lay down, but she knew she couldn't give up just yet.
While heading upward at a steady pace, there came a time when there were no patches of grass or dirt, just sharp rocks bulging out of the face of the cliff. Holding the sword with her feet, she grabbed onto a nearby rock and decided to rock-climb her way up. She dragged her feet, in fear that she would drop her one and only weapon. This way quite painful, and her light armor was already stained with blood. Finally, she was only a quarter of a way from the top. It was already nightfall, and she was approaching the sloping part of the cliff. As soon as she got to it, she held her sword in her hand and crawled up. She could almost see the grass growing at the top of the cliff, and happiness arose in her. But she was too tired to enjoy the spark of satisfaction that arose in her, for she was so tired that she quickly fell asleep.
~*~
The sun awoke her this time, and bright and beautiful it was. She opened her eyes and remembered suddenly how close she was to the top.
"I should be there by afternoon," she said to herself with joy, "unless it already is."
She grabbed her sword and continued her crawling, still a little drowsy from her sleep. The slope was getting a little easier to climb by the hour, and her mood lightened constantly. Never in her life had she been so miserable one day and so happy the next. She was now only a couple meter from the top when she noticed a large arm extend from the cliff. No head could be seen at the moment, and it looked like there was only one person. Shocked by this quick action, Airesiwe crawled up a ways and stared at the hand. It was clothed in armor, so she couldn't quite tell who it could be. The hand could not be seen either, for a large glove covered it as well. Continuing her way, Airesiwe kept crawling until she was about a foot from the glove. Not knowing what else to do, she held out her hand. While doing this, she dropped her sword.
"NO!" she screamed while watching it tumble back down the cliff. "No..." she whispered. She looked back up at the glove and extended her hand towards it. As she grabbed it, she felt it close around her delicate hand in a tight grip and pulled her up the cliff, then thrashing her to the ground. She opened her eyes, then closed them, for she could not believe what she saw.