Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places and/or titles related to Professor J. R. R. Tolkien. Though Serminol, Lirnowen and other unrecognizable characters, along with the plot are completely based on stories sprung form my imagination. Do not sue me o_O. Enjoy.
Summary: Running back to the cave with no frame of mind, Lirnowen's curiosity is certainly getting the best of her. What will the mysterious elf have to say?
Chapter Three - Feeling Threatened
Lirnowen's heart was pounding as she raced back to the cave. Was she just imagining things? Did her mind absently place elvish ears on him? 'No, it cannot be. My mind cannot play tricks on me now. Please let this be real...' she ran faster as she thought. All the stories she had ever read flooded her brain. How everyone said elves were the spawn of foolish folklore.
Excitement and adrenaline were all she felt as she entered the glade. Her eyes fell upon the gloom of the cave's intrusion. She moved ever so slowly, as not to make a leaf crackle or twig break under her leather boots. Watching her step, she entered the cave for the second time. As she went deeper she noticed that the fire was still going but the melancholy voice that wafted in the air with such beauty, had stopped. There was a makeshift pot simmering with water over the fire. She came to the back of the cave and realized no one was there.
"He's left," she said to herself.
"No, I haven't. What are you doing back here? Do you have a death wish?"
He startled her greatly and she fell to the floor. He moved passed her. He had a pouch in his hand and he set it down near the fire and unsheathed that long knife again. "Would you please stop pulling a knife on me?" she was trying to be sincere, but he wasn't having it.
"Do you not listen, human?" he said as he rounded the fire back towards her.
She put her hands up in defense. "I told you I meant you no harm! I came back here because I realized who...what you are." Her voice trailed off into amazement as she saw his ears. Instinctively, Lirnowen's hand reached up to touch the pointed tips of his pinkened ears. He moved back, almost in disgust and in what she sensed was fear.
"Do not touch me! You invade my home! You are to leave now! Never return or I shall slit your throat."
He moved closer to her so the blade was dangerously close to her throat again. Lirnowen could not believe this. She had read that the Elvish people were friendlier than this. She was now being treated as if she were foul, wretched creature that had soiled his place of worship. "Why are you so petulant? I was only intrigued, for your kind have not inhabited these lands in so long! Do you not know that you are a mere myth to the humans of today? I am the only one around for miles that believes in your kind and the other non-human races of Middle-Earth! I only wanted to learn from you, not steal from you! I am sorry I have bothered you and I never meant to be a burden. Good day." With that she ran from the cave sobbing furiously. The tears would not stop as she ran blindly through the woods.
Back in the cave the elf sat watching the fire once more. Angrily throwing the herbs he had retrieved from his pouch, into the simmering pot. He felt a pang of pity in his heart as he saw the girl run from him in tears. 'So what if she wasn't a threat, you can never trust anyone,' he told himself, 'she could be going back to her camp to bring a regiment of men to slaughter me for all I know.'
He fought with him self. Sitting there, watching the flames lick at the pot that was now over flowing on to the cavern's floor. 'She said she was lost though. She won't be able to bring anyone back. I of all people know how lost senseless humans can become in Mirkwood.' Something hit him then. It was mixed in with the pity that was building in his dark heart.
Was this the feeling of care?
No, it couldn't be. He stood, put the pot to the side and put out the flame. He resheathed his only blade and retreated out of the cave. He walked hastily out the glade into the trees. He didn't get very far until he heard soft sobs coming from just in front of him. He stealthily walked behind a tree and leaned his head around the corner. The human girl was sitting against a tree with her head in her hands. 'The sound of her crying is wretched,' he thought as he kneeled down, watching her. While kneeling down, he caused the distinct sound of a leaf breaking underneath the soul of a person's foot. This caused Lirnowen's head to rise ever so slightly from her tear stained hands and scan the tree trunks. A sigh was heard as the elf rounded the trunk of the tree he hid behind. Lirnowen gulped and stood up. All she felt from this elf now was fear and anger. He did not like her, she knew this now. She pressed her body and hands against the bark of the tree behind her and met his eyes.
"You are frightened of me?" he questioned, his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade. Her eyes drifted to the blade, and she swallowed. "Wouldn't you be? If someone has threatened to take your life several times in a row?" Her voice was wavering as she moved slightly from the tree. 'I have to run away, I have to get out of here.' But once again, her feet would not comply with the commands of her mind.
The elf released his hand from the hilt, realizing it wasn't helping her frightened state. "You are no longer a threat to me." He moved closer to where she was positioned. She moved her mouth to speak but nothing came out as she watched him move. There was something held within his gaze, that she could not comprehend. Was it solitude? "You live out here alone?" she blurted out. 'Could you find nothing else to say?' she asked herself. "Do not meddle in my business. You are lost are you not?" He stopped just 4 feet short of her. He looked her up and down. She wore a deep green skirt which was caked with mud at the hem. Her brown boots were also burdened by mud. His eyes traveled upwards. She wore a corseted top with long sleeves that matched her skirt. Her brown hair hung in her eyes and was an absolute mess. Finally his eyes met hers. For a split second he lost himself. 'Are her eyes made of amber?' he thought foolishly. He shook his head and shifted his stance.
"Where did you enter in from the glade?"
Did he honestly think she'd remember? Surely he knew how confusing these woods were. But she didn't know how long he'd been living in these confusing woods.
"I...I do not remember," she looked him in the eyes, "I became turned around as soon as I entered."
His eyes were sternly set upon her face. She felt like a child under the scrutinizing glance of a parent. "You were foolish to step foot in a place you do not understand." He turned around and started to walk away. "How was I supposed to know I wouldn't be able to find my way back! I've been in forests before you know, I thought it'd be quite easy. I've never encountered a forest like this." Her gaze burnt a hole in his back making him turn around. "Well, what do you expect me to do about it. I am not the one who holds your hand. It was your mistake, you fix it." He turned on hot heels and walked away.
"So you will not help me out of here then? You will not lead a foolish girl who did not mean to stumble where she did not belong?" she called after him.
He stopped, closing his eyes, damning the piece of warmth he had left in his heart. "Where did you last see the humans you travel with?" He did not turn around, but waited for a reply. She walked over to him. "We made camp on the North-eastern border. The very outskirts, just under the cloak of the trees." He turned swiftly around, "You have wondered far then," there was silence and she realized he was thinking, "I will lead you close to the border. I will go no further and you will not ask anything more of me. Do you understand?" His voice was low and rumbled her to the core. She nodded her head as he brushed past her. She stood there, not actually grasping the fact that he was helping her. "If you continue to stand there, dumbfounded, I shall leave you there for a wolf's feast." She snapped out of her revelry and ran to his side. He gave her a side way glance and she lowered her head.
She fumbled with her hands. Biting a nail every so often. The silence between them was a smothering blanket. She felt the urge to break it. "My name is Lirnowen," she quickly spoke aloud, raising her head proudly. He said nothing and kept his stern glance fixated to what was before him. "What's your name?" Her curiosity was boiling again.
"Silence your tongue. You talk loudly and you are disturbing the trees. To your question, you do not need to know my name for I am no meaning to you. And I did not need to know your name for you are of no meaning to me."
His comments hit her heart like a hammer to glass. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Still, she could not understand what angered him so. She was no orc. No evil being, who were supposed to anger the elves. Remembering her beloved legends, she knew the elves hardly ever manifested such traits as this elf. Fighting the urge to speak and ask childish questions, that would lead her into deeper trouble, she kept her eyes fixated in front of her. Ever so often, letting her eyes wander over the mythical being beside her.
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Remember to please review! Whether positive or negative, all comments are appreciated!
Summary: Running back to the cave with no frame of mind, Lirnowen's curiosity is certainly getting the best of her. What will the mysterious elf have to say?
Chapter Three - Feeling Threatened
Lirnowen's heart was pounding as she raced back to the cave. Was she just imagining things? Did her mind absently place elvish ears on him? 'No, it cannot be. My mind cannot play tricks on me now. Please let this be real...' she ran faster as she thought. All the stories she had ever read flooded her brain. How everyone said elves were the spawn of foolish folklore.
Excitement and adrenaline were all she felt as she entered the glade. Her eyes fell upon the gloom of the cave's intrusion. She moved ever so slowly, as not to make a leaf crackle or twig break under her leather boots. Watching her step, she entered the cave for the second time. As she went deeper she noticed that the fire was still going but the melancholy voice that wafted in the air with such beauty, had stopped. There was a makeshift pot simmering with water over the fire. She came to the back of the cave and realized no one was there.
"He's left," she said to herself.
"No, I haven't. What are you doing back here? Do you have a death wish?"
He startled her greatly and she fell to the floor. He moved passed her. He had a pouch in his hand and he set it down near the fire and unsheathed that long knife again. "Would you please stop pulling a knife on me?" she was trying to be sincere, but he wasn't having it.
"Do you not listen, human?" he said as he rounded the fire back towards her.
She put her hands up in defense. "I told you I meant you no harm! I came back here because I realized who...what you are." Her voice trailed off into amazement as she saw his ears. Instinctively, Lirnowen's hand reached up to touch the pointed tips of his pinkened ears. He moved back, almost in disgust and in what she sensed was fear.
"Do not touch me! You invade my home! You are to leave now! Never return or I shall slit your throat."
He moved closer to her so the blade was dangerously close to her throat again. Lirnowen could not believe this. She had read that the Elvish people were friendlier than this. She was now being treated as if she were foul, wretched creature that had soiled his place of worship. "Why are you so petulant? I was only intrigued, for your kind have not inhabited these lands in so long! Do you not know that you are a mere myth to the humans of today? I am the only one around for miles that believes in your kind and the other non-human races of Middle-Earth! I only wanted to learn from you, not steal from you! I am sorry I have bothered you and I never meant to be a burden. Good day." With that she ran from the cave sobbing furiously. The tears would not stop as she ran blindly through the woods.
Back in the cave the elf sat watching the fire once more. Angrily throwing the herbs he had retrieved from his pouch, into the simmering pot. He felt a pang of pity in his heart as he saw the girl run from him in tears. 'So what if she wasn't a threat, you can never trust anyone,' he told himself, 'she could be going back to her camp to bring a regiment of men to slaughter me for all I know.'
He fought with him self. Sitting there, watching the flames lick at the pot that was now over flowing on to the cavern's floor. 'She said she was lost though. She won't be able to bring anyone back. I of all people know how lost senseless humans can become in Mirkwood.' Something hit him then. It was mixed in with the pity that was building in his dark heart.
Was this the feeling of care?
No, it couldn't be. He stood, put the pot to the side and put out the flame. He resheathed his only blade and retreated out of the cave. He walked hastily out the glade into the trees. He didn't get very far until he heard soft sobs coming from just in front of him. He stealthily walked behind a tree and leaned his head around the corner. The human girl was sitting against a tree with her head in her hands. 'The sound of her crying is wretched,' he thought as he kneeled down, watching her. While kneeling down, he caused the distinct sound of a leaf breaking underneath the soul of a person's foot. This caused Lirnowen's head to rise ever so slightly from her tear stained hands and scan the tree trunks. A sigh was heard as the elf rounded the trunk of the tree he hid behind. Lirnowen gulped and stood up. All she felt from this elf now was fear and anger. He did not like her, she knew this now. She pressed her body and hands against the bark of the tree behind her and met his eyes.
"You are frightened of me?" he questioned, his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade. Her eyes drifted to the blade, and she swallowed. "Wouldn't you be? If someone has threatened to take your life several times in a row?" Her voice was wavering as she moved slightly from the tree. 'I have to run away, I have to get out of here.' But once again, her feet would not comply with the commands of her mind.
The elf released his hand from the hilt, realizing it wasn't helping her frightened state. "You are no longer a threat to me." He moved closer to where she was positioned. She moved her mouth to speak but nothing came out as she watched him move. There was something held within his gaze, that she could not comprehend. Was it solitude? "You live out here alone?" she blurted out. 'Could you find nothing else to say?' she asked herself. "Do not meddle in my business. You are lost are you not?" He stopped just 4 feet short of her. He looked her up and down. She wore a deep green skirt which was caked with mud at the hem. Her brown boots were also burdened by mud. His eyes traveled upwards. She wore a corseted top with long sleeves that matched her skirt. Her brown hair hung in her eyes and was an absolute mess. Finally his eyes met hers. For a split second he lost himself. 'Are her eyes made of amber?' he thought foolishly. He shook his head and shifted his stance.
"Where did you enter in from the glade?"
Did he honestly think she'd remember? Surely he knew how confusing these woods were. But she didn't know how long he'd been living in these confusing woods.
"I...I do not remember," she looked him in the eyes, "I became turned around as soon as I entered."
His eyes were sternly set upon her face. She felt like a child under the scrutinizing glance of a parent. "You were foolish to step foot in a place you do not understand." He turned around and started to walk away. "How was I supposed to know I wouldn't be able to find my way back! I've been in forests before you know, I thought it'd be quite easy. I've never encountered a forest like this." Her gaze burnt a hole in his back making him turn around. "Well, what do you expect me to do about it. I am not the one who holds your hand. It was your mistake, you fix it." He turned on hot heels and walked away.
"So you will not help me out of here then? You will not lead a foolish girl who did not mean to stumble where she did not belong?" she called after him.
He stopped, closing his eyes, damning the piece of warmth he had left in his heart. "Where did you last see the humans you travel with?" He did not turn around, but waited for a reply. She walked over to him. "We made camp on the North-eastern border. The very outskirts, just under the cloak of the trees." He turned swiftly around, "You have wondered far then," there was silence and she realized he was thinking, "I will lead you close to the border. I will go no further and you will not ask anything more of me. Do you understand?" His voice was low and rumbled her to the core. She nodded her head as he brushed past her. She stood there, not actually grasping the fact that he was helping her. "If you continue to stand there, dumbfounded, I shall leave you there for a wolf's feast." She snapped out of her revelry and ran to his side. He gave her a side way glance and she lowered her head.
She fumbled with her hands. Biting a nail every so often. The silence between them was a smothering blanket. She felt the urge to break it. "My name is Lirnowen," she quickly spoke aloud, raising her head proudly. He said nothing and kept his stern glance fixated to what was before him. "What's your name?" Her curiosity was boiling again.
"Silence your tongue. You talk loudly and you are disturbing the trees. To your question, you do not need to know my name for I am no meaning to you. And I did not need to know your name for you are of no meaning to me."
His comments hit her heart like a hammer to glass. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Still, she could not understand what angered him so. She was no orc. No evil being, who were supposed to anger the elves. Remembering her beloved legends, she knew the elves hardly ever manifested such traits as this elf. Fighting the urge to speak and ask childish questions, that would lead her into deeper trouble, she kept her eyes fixated in front of her. Ever so often, letting her eyes wander over the mythical being beside her.
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Remember to please review! Whether positive or negative, all comments are appreciated!