A/N: Wow, It's taken me a long time to update this! But now I'm on spring
break and I have the whole week to finish this little story off. Look for
a nice, comfortable conclusion within the next few chapters.
"Kaurea..." The first thing that I heard was Aragorn's voice as he whispered to me and shook me just a little. I then heard someone moan in such a hollow, sad voice. It even took me a little before I realized that the moan had passed through my own lips. I slowly managed to open my eyes and blink a few times, shocked at the darkness that stared back at me.
"Night has fallen already. We had to carry you all day because we could not wake you." Aragorn's face quickly appeared above mine as he helped me to sit up. I could see Elrohir and Elladan feeding a small fire just a few feet away. Though they pretended to be hard at work, I could tell that they were watching me with worried eyes. After a quick cough to clear my throat, I turned back to address Aragorn.
"What happened?" I questioned him, my voice weak and raspy after having screamed words that I could not even remember. All the orcs died, but I could not recall if one of the twins had killed them. I couldn't have killed them. My hand unconsciously reached around fiddled with the torn sleeve of my cloak. A cold wind blew in from the north and my teeth could not help but chatter.
"Kaurea.. I think you have a sort of a...gift." Aragorn said. His voice sounded odd to my ears. Slowly, he picked me up and tightly wrapped another blanket around me, then carried me closer to the fire to keep me from becoming cold. While it did help a little, shivers still continued to creep up my spine.
"Ada once told me that there was something...strange about his sister. I do not know the whole story, but I feel that you might have inherited this." Aragorn's eyes would not meet mine and I did not know why. I wanted so badly to just stand up and run away from him, for I could almost sense the fear in his voice. He thought that I was dangerous. He didn't trust me. He didn't care about me.
"No.. stay away from me!" I shouted as I kicked the blankets away and struggled, trying to fight the tears that pooled in my eyes. Quickly, he threw me down to the ground and pinned me there, just as he had done so many months ago. This time I allowed the tears to fall, to let the yells out and free the anguish deep inside me.
Aragorn said nothing, but only stood back and waited for my tears to cease and my spirit to calm. It was now I who could not look Aragorn in the eye. Now I feared what I would see, and I knew I could never trust him again. Not if he could never trust me to control my "gift".
I fell into a fitful sleep by the fireside. Elladan had offered me some lembas bread earlier, but I simply ignored him. I felt bad about it, but I could not ignore the fact that he probably thought of me as dangerous as well. Though I used to think of them as close to me as brothers, I now thought of them as nothing more than betrayers.
I found Súltal hitched up with the other horses the next morning and wasted no time in getting her packed up and ready to leave. I could not stand to spend another moment around my cousins. Especially after what had happened just the night before.
The fire had long since died out and all three of them were still sound asleep, so I would have no trouble sneaking away and being able to make it to Lothlorien without being noticed. A small part of me wished to return to Rivendell, which had almost become like a second home to me. I also knew that Aragorn would inform Ada about what had happened as soon as possible.
I stole enough food from the packs that were lying around on the ground for the rest of the journey, as I paid no attention to the little voice in my head telling me that what I was doing was wrong. 'Not half as wrong as the way they treated me.' I thought to myself as I secured all of my luggage up on Súltal.
Suddenly, I felt the gentle touch of cold steel on my throat just as I was about to mount. I quickly whirled around to find Aragorn there, a determined look on his face. For a moment, I could not speak. How had had he heard me as I prepared to leave?
"If you leave, they will find you and take you away." Aragorn said. His voice was cold towards me, but also sad. "The orcs that attacked us did not just do it for fun. They want you, and they know what gift you have. I do not, but I feel that it is powerful. If they find you, I do not know what will happen: to you, and to the rest of this earth."
Fear flooded every vein in my body as I collapsed into Aragorn's arms and sobbed. He was right, and I knew it. Whether I liked it or not, I was forced to stay with them and plow on to Lothlorien or strike out on my own and risk capture. I didn't even think that I would be able to go back to the terror of the life I lived before coming to Rivendell.
"Shh, telella." It had been so long since he had called me anything but Kaurea. Simply knowing that I was still his little elf was enough to convince me that he still did care for me, and still would care for me through whatever might come my way. His calloused hand gently stroked my hair and held me until my sobs eased, until I was able to walk over and help him to wake Elrohir and Elladan so that we might continue on our way.
"Kaurea..." The first thing that I heard was Aragorn's voice as he whispered to me and shook me just a little. I then heard someone moan in such a hollow, sad voice. It even took me a little before I realized that the moan had passed through my own lips. I slowly managed to open my eyes and blink a few times, shocked at the darkness that stared back at me.
"Night has fallen already. We had to carry you all day because we could not wake you." Aragorn's face quickly appeared above mine as he helped me to sit up. I could see Elrohir and Elladan feeding a small fire just a few feet away. Though they pretended to be hard at work, I could tell that they were watching me with worried eyes. After a quick cough to clear my throat, I turned back to address Aragorn.
"What happened?" I questioned him, my voice weak and raspy after having screamed words that I could not even remember. All the orcs died, but I could not recall if one of the twins had killed them. I couldn't have killed them. My hand unconsciously reached around fiddled with the torn sleeve of my cloak. A cold wind blew in from the north and my teeth could not help but chatter.
"Kaurea.. I think you have a sort of a...gift." Aragorn said. His voice sounded odd to my ears. Slowly, he picked me up and tightly wrapped another blanket around me, then carried me closer to the fire to keep me from becoming cold. While it did help a little, shivers still continued to creep up my spine.
"Ada once told me that there was something...strange about his sister. I do not know the whole story, but I feel that you might have inherited this." Aragorn's eyes would not meet mine and I did not know why. I wanted so badly to just stand up and run away from him, for I could almost sense the fear in his voice. He thought that I was dangerous. He didn't trust me. He didn't care about me.
"No.. stay away from me!" I shouted as I kicked the blankets away and struggled, trying to fight the tears that pooled in my eyes. Quickly, he threw me down to the ground and pinned me there, just as he had done so many months ago. This time I allowed the tears to fall, to let the yells out and free the anguish deep inside me.
Aragorn said nothing, but only stood back and waited for my tears to cease and my spirit to calm. It was now I who could not look Aragorn in the eye. Now I feared what I would see, and I knew I could never trust him again. Not if he could never trust me to control my "gift".
I fell into a fitful sleep by the fireside. Elladan had offered me some lembas bread earlier, but I simply ignored him. I felt bad about it, but I could not ignore the fact that he probably thought of me as dangerous as well. Though I used to think of them as close to me as brothers, I now thought of them as nothing more than betrayers.
I found Súltal hitched up with the other horses the next morning and wasted no time in getting her packed up and ready to leave. I could not stand to spend another moment around my cousins. Especially after what had happened just the night before.
The fire had long since died out and all three of them were still sound asleep, so I would have no trouble sneaking away and being able to make it to Lothlorien without being noticed. A small part of me wished to return to Rivendell, which had almost become like a second home to me. I also knew that Aragorn would inform Ada about what had happened as soon as possible.
I stole enough food from the packs that were lying around on the ground for the rest of the journey, as I paid no attention to the little voice in my head telling me that what I was doing was wrong. 'Not half as wrong as the way they treated me.' I thought to myself as I secured all of my luggage up on Súltal.
Suddenly, I felt the gentle touch of cold steel on my throat just as I was about to mount. I quickly whirled around to find Aragorn there, a determined look on his face. For a moment, I could not speak. How had had he heard me as I prepared to leave?
"If you leave, they will find you and take you away." Aragorn said. His voice was cold towards me, but also sad. "The orcs that attacked us did not just do it for fun. They want you, and they know what gift you have. I do not, but I feel that it is powerful. If they find you, I do not know what will happen: to you, and to the rest of this earth."
Fear flooded every vein in my body as I collapsed into Aragorn's arms and sobbed. He was right, and I knew it. Whether I liked it or not, I was forced to stay with them and plow on to Lothlorien or strike out on my own and risk capture. I didn't even think that I would be able to go back to the terror of the life I lived before coming to Rivendell.
"Shh, telella." It had been so long since he had called me anything but Kaurea. Simply knowing that I was still his little elf was enough to convince me that he still did care for me, and still would care for me through whatever might come my way. His calloused hand gently stroked my hair and held me until my sobs eased, until I was able to walk over and help him to wake Elrohir and Elladan so that we might continue on our way.