Note: Sorry for the long wait but I had a huge English essay that I had to
work on. Sadly this will be my last posted chapter for a while because I
can only use my school's computer and school is going to be over soon. I
will start typing again in August. Enjoy chapter 5.
Chapter 5
"Brother Elf"
The first thing Calithia saw when she woke up was the red sun that was low in the sky. She looked around to see if anyone else was up yet and to her dismay, it seemed that she was the only one up. Quietly she made her way to the small creek that was near their camp. She took some of the cool water in her hands and took a long drink. Then she washed up as best as she could. She heard a twig break from behind her and immediately placed her hand to where her knife was supposed to be, but she had left it at the camp. Instead she turned around and prepared to jump and attack whatever was coming at her. She took a deep breath and jumped on a tall figure. Next thing she knew, Calithia was looking into the face of Legolas, who was struggling to get his breath back.
"I'm so sorry. I thought you were an enemy. Are you okay?"
"Yes, just got the wind knocked out of me. Um...can you get off me please?"
"I thought I was the only one up." She told him, while he washed up.
"You were, but I saw you leave the camp and come here."
"Did you notice how red the sun was this morning?" She asked him, while looking up at the sky.
"Yes I did. It means that blood was spilled last night. By the way you did a great job yesterday; for your first battle I mean."
"Yeah I guess so." She said with a lack of enthusiasm.
"Why so glum? We won right?"
"Yes, but don't you think that it might happen again?" She asked,
"I mean a couple of Orcs did escape. How do we know if there isn't whole army of Orcs just waiting for us."
"There probably is, but with the Fellowship out to destroy the One Ring and with Saruman out to get it for Sauron there are bound to be more Orc and Ring-wraith attacks." He told her then gave her a reassuring smile.
"Yes I suppose your right. I guess I'm just a little nervous to go back on the road today, after what happened yesterday."
"So am I, but we have to move on. The farther we travel, the closer we get to Mount Doom and destroying the ring." He told her. She thought about what he said and then nodded in agreement.
"Come on Calithia, let's get back to the camp; I think everyone is up now." He said and then put an arm around her shoulders and led her back to camp. When they got back to camp a fire was going and everyone was gathered around it, but Aragorn and Gandalf were no where in sight.
Legolas and Calithia went to sit down by the fire and eat breakfast. They weren't up for conversation, so the eight ate in silence. About fifteen minutes later Gandalf and Aragorn emerged from the west side of the forest and walked to where the rest sat
"Aragorn and I have decided that we will stay here today to rest, recover, and clean and repair our weapons because of yesterdays battle. We will leave tomorrow at dawn and only stop for a short rest. Keep up the good work and remember we are here to protect Frodo and the ring." Gandalf finished triumphantly.
Everyone broke up and went to do their own things. Sam and Frodo took out their pipes and sat near the fire talking about yesterday. Boromir took Merry and Pippin to a small clearing near the camp and taught the two how to fight better. Aragorn took out his sword and started to clean it. Gandalf went to sit by Gimli and talked with him about what roads to take. Calithia saw that Legolas had his bow and arrows with him and went over to him to find out what he was doing.
"Come Calithia let's find a place to practice our shotting."
"Sure, though I think we both don't really need to practice."
"I agree, but it is always good to practice even if you are good at it." He said. Calithia went to go get her gear and then he led her into another small clearing near the camp. Legolas, with Calithias help, chose a tree that was to serve as their target. Legolas took a white rock and drew a target on the trunk of the tree.
"Now whoever can hit the bull's-eye the most out of five tries, is the winner." Legolas told her.
"I have an idea! The loser has to jump into the creek, near the camp, and stay there for two minutes." Calithia suggested.
"But that water is freezing!" He protested.
"Exactly." She said with a mischievous smile.
"Fine loser jumps into the creek." He agreed. They shook hands and then prepared to start the contest.
"We will each have of course five tries to hit the bull's-eye; since you're younger, Calithia, you get to go first."
"Fine! Hope you like cold water because I'm going to win." She said and then burst out laughing.
"I believe that you are going to lose and I'm going to win." He corrected her and then also burst out laughing.
When they were both done laughing, Claithia took out an arrow and prepared to shoot. She aimed at the tree and kept her eye on he on the middle of the target. She pulled the string back and let her arrow fly. All Legolas heard was a whistling sound and then he looked to where the arrow went, which was right in the middle of the target. He then looked back at Calithia, who had a smirk on her face.
"Nice shot, but can you do that four more times?"
"Watch and learn your highness." She said sarcastically. Calithia took out another arrow and attached it to her bow. Then she aimed, let it go and again it hit the bull's-eye. She repeated this process three more times, missing one arrow by an inch of the target.
"Four out of five. Not bad. Now get ready to see all five of my arrows on that bull's-eye." He told her and then turned to face the tree.
Legolas got out his first arrow and attached it to his bow. He aimed and then let his arrow go. The arrow hit the target right in the center. Legolas took out another arrow and reloaded his bow. He aimed yet again and let the string go. The arrow hit the bull's-eye again and did that two more times. On his last turn, though, the arrow was a little off and landed in the outer circle.
"I guess it's a tie. Now what do we do?" Calithia asked.
"I guess we both have to jump into the creek."
"Are you sure? How about a rematch?"
"Nope a deal is a deal; we both have to jump into the creek." He told her.
"Fine let's just go and get it over with." She said sadly. They collected their gear and headed back to camp. It was now midday and everyone was seated around the fire eating and talking. Calithia and Legolas left their gear by their packs and went to address the others.
"As you can tell, Calithia and I were practicing our shooting skills some ways from camp." Legolas began. "We sort of made a wager and it was..." Calithia hesitated. "The person who got the most arrows, out of five, on the bulls eye is the winner." He finished for her. "The loser had to jump into the creek and stay there for two minutes." She told them.
"So who won?" Asked Pippin.
"Well you see Calithia and I both got four out of five and that means it is a tie."
"We decided that both of us would jump into the creek." She said coldly. Everyone, except Calithia and Legolas (who stood there with expressionless faces), burst out laughing.
"So I guess you both better get it over with, before night comes because it does tend to get pretty chilly." Said Merry, who was trying to recover from too much laughing.
"Shall we lady Elf?"
"We shall...I guess." She replied. They walked to the creek and the two Elves prepared to go in by taking off their boots and Calithia put her long, blond hair in a braid. The rest of the Fellowship was right behind them and waiting for the two to go in.
"Well Ladies first." Legolas beckoned to the creek. "Oh no. You're older, so in other words, you go first." She also pointed to the creek. They walked to the edge of the creek and looked at the water. While Calithia was thinking on how to jump in, Legolas walked up behind her silently. Suddenly she felt herself lifted off the ground and she knew who it was.
"Legolas you brute! Put me down this instant!"
"I don't think so!"
"I said: Put! Me! Down!"
"What ever you say." He told her. Legolas put her down, but it was in the cold water. She let out a small scream when she hit the water, went under, and then resurfaced. She saw everyone laughing and Legolas had tears streaming down his face. 'Well you found that funny hunh? Let's see if you would like a nice swim.' She thought as she dove under water and made her way to where Legolas stood. He had his back turned and Calithia thought this was a good moment for revenge. She grabbed his ankles and before he could react, she pulled him in. He let out a shout and a muffled oath as he resurfaced.
"What was that for!?"
"Revenge. Also you lost as well and so you belong in here too." She told him and then sent him a sly smile.
He splashed her and she splashed him back. Soon there was water everywhere and everyone on shore was getting a little wet. Then Legolas went under suddenly and disappeared. Claithia looked around and saw that the rest had left; also Legolas was nowhere to be found. Suddenly she felt a slight tugging on her ankles and she went under. She came up spitting water and when her vision cleared, she saw Legola's wet, laughing face. 'So you want to play dunking games Elf- boy, well two can play at that game!' She thought deviously. Legolas started to head towards shore and Calithia took this as a chance to get him back. She dove under and headed towards his feet. She spotted them and reached for his ankles, then pulled down hard. She saw him go under and heard a muffled shout. Calithia resurfaced laughing and waited for Legolas to resurface also. It didn't take that long and when Legolas came up he saw Calithia laughing and pointing at him.
"So you thought that was funny hunh?"
"Yes, but when you did it to me, you were also laughing."
"So, does that mean you can do that to me also?"
"Yes. As I can remember revenge is sweet." She told him, with a sly, devious smile on her face. Legolas was silent for a moment and threw back his head and laughed. She stared at him for a moment and then joined in the laughing her self. They were like that for at lest five minutes and then they had to catch their breath.
"I think...we...should...go back...to camp." Legolas suggested between breaths. Calithia nodded yes because she couldn't speak, on account of being out of breath. They walked back to shore and made their way back to camp.
"Well I see that the two water sprits are done splashing around." Said Aragorn sarcastically.
"Very funny Strider." Legolas replied.
Legolas and Calithia went to change their cloths and then joined the others around the fire. Tonight Sam had cooked a stew and as Calithia and Legolas sat down near the fire, he handed each of them a steaming bowel. At the first bite of the stew, Calithia could feel the warmth wash over her body. She finished the stew quickly and then let out a satisfied sigh.
"By that sigh, I guess my stew was to your liking." Sam asked her.
"Oh yes. I fell warmer now."
"So do I." Legolas put in. Sam was about to say something else, when Gandalf stood up and motioned for everyone to be quiet. It only took a minute for everyone to quiet down. They all sat waiting and watching him get ready to speak. Gandalf cleared his throat and began.
"I hope that you used this day of rest wisely and now you are ready to leave tomorrow morning. I know that there will be more fights with Orcs and Ring-wraiths, but that is expected. Just remember our goal, which is to protect Frodo and the "One Ring". Get some rest tonight and be ready to leave at dawn." He finished.
There was a beat of silence and then everyone started moving and talking at the same time. Calithia and Legolas went to their sleeping area and got ready for bed. Soon everyone was asleep except for Calithia. The fire was still going, so since see couldn't sleep, she walked over to it and sat on a log, staring at the fire, thinking. That's how Legolas found her when he came up to her.
"Couldn't sleep too hunh?" He said as he sat down next to her.
"Yeah, I guess it's just that I'm anxious to get back on the road tomorrow, even with the threat of an Orc and Ring-wraith attack." She told him, while staring at the fire.
"I'm a little nervous too, but we have to move on."
"Yes we do and now I realize that if we don't move father on, we're kind of like sitting ducks I guess."
"Yes if we stay in one place, we have more of a chance of getting attacked and losing Frodo and the ring." He told her and then turned to her and smiled.
"I guess we better go to bed. We are leaving at dawn right?" She told him as she got up.
"Yeah, your right lets go." He got up and fallowed her.
"Wait! Shouldn't we put out the fire?" She asked turning to it.
"No it will go down by itself and besides we are too deep into the forest for anyone to spot our fire."
"Good, I guess that's why we chose this spot in the first place. Come on lets go to bed." "Don't worry Calithia, how about we look out for each other; anyway I have always wanted a little sister." He told her as they walked back to their packs.
"Yeah me too, except you can be my big brother. Night Brother Elf."
"Sleep well sister Elf." Legolas answered. Soon they were both sound asleep and a new bond had been formed.
Chapter 5
"Brother Elf"
The first thing Calithia saw when she woke up was the red sun that was low in the sky. She looked around to see if anyone else was up yet and to her dismay, it seemed that she was the only one up. Quietly she made her way to the small creek that was near their camp. She took some of the cool water in her hands and took a long drink. Then she washed up as best as she could. She heard a twig break from behind her and immediately placed her hand to where her knife was supposed to be, but she had left it at the camp. Instead she turned around and prepared to jump and attack whatever was coming at her. She took a deep breath and jumped on a tall figure. Next thing she knew, Calithia was looking into the face of Legolas, who was struggling to get his breath back.
"I'm so sorry. I thought you were an enemy. Are you okay?"
"Yes, just got the wind knocked out of me. Um...can you get off me please?"
"I thought I was the only one up." She told him, while he washed up.
"You were, but I saw you leave the camp and come here."
"Did you notice how red the sun was this morning?" She asked him, while looking up at the sky.
"Yes I did. It means that blood was spilled last night. By the way you did a great job yesterday; for your first battle I mean."
"Yeah I guess so." She said with a lack of enthusiasm.
"Why so glum? We won right?"
"Yes, but don't you think that it might happen again?" She asked,
"I mean a couple of Orcs did escape. How do we know if there isn't whole army of Orcs just waiting for us."
"There probably is, but with the Fellowship out to destroy the One Ring and with Saruman out to get it for Sauron there are bound to be more Orc and Ring-wraith attacks." He told her then gave her a reassuring smile.
"Yes I suppose your right. I guess I'm just a little nervous to go back on the road today, after what happened yesterday."
"So am I, but we have to move on. The farther we travel, the closer we get to Mount Doom and destroying the ring." He told her. She thought about what he said and then nodded in agreement.
"Come on Calithia, let's get back to the camp; I think everyone is up now." He said and then put an arm around her shoulders and led her back to camp. When they got back to camp a fire was going and everyone was gathered around it, but Aragorn and Gandalf were no where in sight.
Legolas and Calithia went to sit down by the fire and eat breakfast. They weren't up for conversation, so the eight ate in silence. About fifteen minutes later Gandalf and Aragorn emerged from the west side of the forest and walked to where the rest sat
"Aragorn and I have decided that we will stay here today to rest, recover, and clean and repair our weapons because of yesterdays battle. We will leave tomorrow at dawn and only stop for a short rest. Keep up the good work and remember we are here to protect Frodo and the ring." Gandalf finished triumphantly.
Everyone broke up and went to do their own things. Sam and Frodo took out their pipes and sat near the fire talking about yesterday. Boromir took Merry and Pippin to a small clearing near the camp and taught the two how to fight better. Aragorn took out his sword and started to clean it. Gandalf went to sit by Gimli and talked with him about what roads to take. Calithia saw that Legolas had his bow and arrows with him and went over to him to find out what he was doing.
"Come Calithia let's find a place to practice our shotting."
"Sure, though I think we both don't really need to practice."
"I agree, but it is always good to practice even if you are good at it." He said. Calithia went to go get her gear and then he led her into another small clearing near the camp. Legolas, with Calithias help, chose a tree that was to serve as their target. Legolas took a white rock and drew a target on the trunk of the tree.
"Now whoever can hit the bull's-eye the most out of five tries, is the winner." Legolas told her.
"I have an idea! The loser has to jump into the creek, near the camp, and stay there for two minutes." Calithia suggested.
"But that water is freezing!" He protested.
"Exactly." She said with a mischievous smile.
"Fine loser jumps into the creek." He agreed. They shook hands and then prepared to start the contest.
"We will each have of course five tries to hit the bull's-eye; since you're younger, Calithia, you get to go first."
"Fine! Hope you like cold water because I'm going to win." She said and then burst out laughing.
"I believe that you are going to lose and I'm going to win." He corrected her and then also burst out laughing.
When they were both done laughing, Claithia took out an arrow and prepared to shoot. She aimed at the tree and kept her eye on he on the middle of the target. She pulled the string back and let her arrow fly. All Legolas heard was a whistling sound and then he looked to where the arrow went, which was right in the middle of the target. He then looked back at Calithia, who had a smirk on her face.
"Nice shot, but can you do that four more times?"
"Watch and learn your highness." She said sarcastically. Calithia took out another arrow and attached it to her bow. Then she aimed, let it go and again it hit the bull's-eye. She repeated this process three more times, missing one arrow by an inch of the target.
"Four out of five. Not bad. Now get ready to see all five of my arrows on that bull's-eye." He told her and then turned to face the tree.
Legolas got out his first arrow and attached it to his bow. He aimed and then let his arrow go. The arrow hit the target right in the center. Legolas took out another arrow and reloaded his bow. He aimed yet again and let the string go. The arrow hit the bull's-eye again and did that two more times. On his last turn, though, the arrow was a little off and landed in the outer circle.
"I guess it's a tie. Now what do we do?" Calithia asked.
"I guess we both have to jump into the creek."
"Are you sure? How about a rematch?"
"Nope a deal is a deal; we both have to jump into the creek." He told her.
"Fine let's just go and get it over with." She said sadly. They collected their gear and headed back to camp. It was now midday and everyone was seated around the fire eating and talking. Calithia and Legolas left their gear by their packs and went to address the others.
"As you can tell, Calithia and I were practicing our shooting skills some ways from camp." Legolas began. "We sort of made a wager and it was..." Calithia hesitated. "The person who got the most arrows, out of five, on the bulls eye is the winner." He finished for her. "The loser had to jump into the creek and stay there for two minutes." She told them.
"So who won?" Asked Pippin.
"Well you see Calithia and I both got four out of five and that means it is a tie."
"We decided that both of us would jump into the creek." She said coldly. Everyone, except Calithia and Legolas (who stood there with expressionless faces), burst out laughing.
"So I guess you both better get it over with, before night comes because it does tend to get pretty chilly." Said Merry, who was trying to recover from too much laughing.
"Shall we lady Elf?"
"We shall...I guess." She replied. They walked to the creek and the two Elves prepared to go in by taking off their boots and Calithia put her long, blond hair in a braid. The rest of the Fellowship was right behind them and waiting for the two to go in.
"Well Ladies first." Legolas beckoned to the creek. "Oh no. You're older, so in other words, you go first." She also pointed to the creek. They walked to the edge of the creek and looked at the water. While Calithia was thinking on how to jump in, Legolas walked up behind her silently. Suddenly she felt herself lifted off the ground and she knew who it was.
"Legolas you brute! Put me down this instant!"
"I don't think so!"
"I said: Put! Me! Down!"
"What ever you say." He told her. Legolas put her down, but it was in the cold water. She let out a small scream when she hit the water, went under, and then resurfaced. She saw everyone laughing and Legolas had tears streaming down his face. 'Well you found that funny hunh? Let's see if you would like a nice swim.' She thought as she dove under water and made her way to where Legolas stood. He had his back turned and Calithia thought this was a good moment for revenge. She grabbed his ankles and before he could react, she pulled him in. He let out a shout and a muffled oath as he resurfaced.
"What was that for!?"
"Revenge. Also you lost as well and so you belong in here too." She told him and then sent him a sly smile.
He splashed her and she splashed him back. Soon there was water everywhere and everyone on shore was getting a little wet. Then Legolas went under suddenly and disappeared. Claithia looked around and saw that the rest had left; also Legolas was nowhere to be found. Suddenly she felt a slight tugging on her ankles and she went under. She came up spitting water and when her vision cleared, she saw Legola's wet, laughing face. 'So you want to play dunking games Elf- boy, well two can play at that game!' She thought deviously. Legolas started to head towards shore and Calithia took this as a chance to get him back. She dove under and headed towards his feet. She spotted them and reached for his ankles, then pulled down hard. She saw him go under and heard a muffled shout. Calithia resurfaced laughing and waited for Legolas to resurface also. It didn't take that long and when Legolas came up he saw Calithia laughing and pointing at him.
"So you thought that was funny hunh?"
"Yes, but when you did it to me, you were also laughing."
"So, does that mean you can do that to me also?"
"Yes. As I can remember revenge is sweet." She told him, with a sly, devious smile on her face. Legolas was silent for a moment and threw back his head and laughed. She stared at him for a moment and then joined in the laughing her self. They were like that for at lest five minutes and then they had to catch their breath.
"I think...we...should...go back...to camp." Legolas suggested between breaths. Calithia nodded yes because she couldn't speak, on account of being out of breath. They walked back to shore and made their way back to camp.
"Well I see that the two water sprits are done splashing around." Said Aragorn sarcastically.
"Very funny Strider." Legolas replied.
Legolas and Calithia went to change their cloths and then joined the others around the fire. Tonight Sam had cooked a stew and as Calithia and Legolas sat down near the fire, he handed each of them a steaming bowel. At the first bite of the stew, Calithia could feel the warmth wash over her body. She finished the stew quickly and then let out a satisfied sigh.
"By that sigh, I guess my stew was to your liking." Sam asked her.
"Oh yes. I fell warmer now."
"So do I." Legolas put in. Sam was about to say something else, when Gandalf stood up and motioned for everyone to be quiet. It only took a minute for everyone to quiet down. They all sat waiting and watching him get ready to speak. Gandalf cleared his throat and began.
"I hope that you used this day of rest wisely and now you are ready to leave tomorrow morning. I know that there will be more fights with Orcs and Ring-wraiths, but that is expected. Just remember our goal, which is to protect Frodo and the "One Ring". Get some rest tonight and be ready to leave at dawn." He finished.
There was a beat of silence and then everyone started moving and talking at the same time. Calithia and Legolas went to their sleeping area and got ready for bed. Soon everyone was asleep except for Calithia. The fire was still going, so since see couldn't sleep, she walked over to it and sat on a log, staring at the fire, thinking. That's how Legolas found her when he came up to her.
"Couldn't sleep too hunh?" He said as he sat down next to her.
"Yeah, I guess it's just that I'm anxious to get back on the road tomorrow, even with the threat of an Orc and Ring-wraith attack." She told him, while staring at the fire.
"I'm a little nervous too, but we have to move on."
"Yes we do and now I realize that if we don't move father on, we're kind of like sitting ducks I guess."
"Yes if we stay in one place, we have more of a chance of getting attacked and losing Frodo and the ring." He told her and then turned to her and smiled.
"I guess we better go to bed. We are leaving at dawn right?" She told him as she got up.
"Yeah, your right lets go." He got up and fallowed her.
"Wait! Shouldn't we put out the fire?" She asked turning to it.
"No it will go down by itself and besides we are too deep into the forest for anyone to spot our fire."
"Good, I guess that's why we chose this spot in the first place. Come on lets go to bed." "Don't worry Calithia, how about we look out for each other; anyway I have always wanted a little sister." He told her as they walked back to their packs.
"Yeah me too, except you can be my big brother. Night Brother Elf."
"Sleep well sister Elf." Legolas answered. Soon they were both sound asleep and a new bond had been formed.