Disclaimer- I'm too tired, look at previous entry
Into the West
He landed lightly on his feet; much like a cat would, and dusted himself off nonchalantly as if to show that a twenty foot drop wasn't a big deal.
"Morgaya! What orc tunnel did you crawl out from?" Arathel exclaimed as she and Vorn rushed forward to greet their deeply missed comrade in arms. He had left Eryn Vorn a while ago, with a group of younger Rangers who came quite often to visit.
The hospitality of the Elves of Eryn Vorn towards the race of Men was second only to that of Rivendell, and not by much. The only reason it had been forgotten was, aside from those few Rangers, no one knew that any decent race had been left alive after the Great Plague.
"Quite a few, actually. And none that I would care to remember." Morgaya shrugged off the question, his face suddenly fairly sad. He gave each of the girls in turn, and by the time they were done he had gotten his expression under control again.
"What happened?" Arathel in particular looked concerned, Vorn noted with some amusement, not saying that Vorn was not just as curious.
"You'll find out at dinner." And he refused to say anything else on the matter, instead he asked what they had been doing since he had left.
"Oh, not much really. It has been frightfully dull without you about to stir things up. Arathel has had to be the trouble causer, but she needs a bit more practice before she is in your league. Vorn said with a huge grin.
"Our league, "Morgaya amended her, 'I heard about some trouble in particular that caused quite a stir, and, oddly enough, I heard you were the one who had started it." Vorn winced at the way Morgaya emphasized the word 'you' ."Don't look so abashed, you should be proud to be among the ranks of the Watched Ones." Morgaya said, throwing his arm around Vorn's shoulders.
"The 'Watched ones'?" Arathel ask skeptically, moving to Gaya's other side.
"Yes," he started, throwing his other arm around Arathel, who looked pleasantly suprised," it is a term us innocents have given ourselves. For some reason the Elders are always keeping an eye on us, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why." Morgaya was trying to look as innocent as a sleeping child. This only set the friends off in a new bout of laughter and Morgaya had the decency to blush. They continued on like this, walking, talking and laughing until they had reached the creek again. Then, without a word, the women shoved Morgaya in, catching him completely by surprise.
The stream swept him down a few yards before he was able to right himself, he broke the surface laughing.
"In Lothlorien, elfmaids did not push their warriors into the Nimrodel." He said without a hint of annoyance in his fair voice.
"I do not see any relevance." Vorn began, picking her words carefully, "We are not in Lorien, that in not the Nimrodel, and Arathel is not an elf maiden. Besides, we're all warriors here." Vorn had to say the last part rather quickly, considering Arathel had started to lunge at her. Arathel gave up quickly; she was more built for speed and tired faster than Vorn who had good endurance.
"What are you implying, if you think I am not an elf?" Arathel ask, looking rather intimidating with her hands on her hips, and her eyes narrowed to a point of nonexistence. Try as he might, Morgaya could not keep himself from laughing uproariously at the situation.
"You two fight like and old married pair of halflings!" He managed to calm down enough to say as he waded out of the stream, wringing his long auburn hair.
"You went to the Shire?" Their argument immediately forgotten, having gotten Morgaya to talk of his ventures.
"I went to a few places, actually. But yes, the Shire was one of them." He added hastily, seeing the impatient look on his friend's faces. "I left with the last group of Rangers that passed through here, so we eventually found our way to the Paths of the dead." Vorn and Arathel were more than a little surprised.
"You passed through the paths? What drove you to do such a thing?"
"It is a long story, and one that I will not wish to relate for a long while. In that light, I bid you farewell, I must find the other's that I was traveling with." With that, he hugged both of his friends and climbed back into the trees. Walking from branch to branch was the easiest way to travel in Eryn Vorn, up there very few things could find their way to kill you.
The women watched and listened until Morgaya was out of sight and earshot, then looked at each other, envy dancing in their eyes.
"To think, he has been to dozens of places that we have only dreamed about! If I were him, I would be bursting at the seams to tell everyone I know about my journey." Arathel sighed, wishing that she did have memories like that to share.
"I wish we knew more of what is going on, more than just 'Mordor was destroyed', nay?" Vorn closed her eyes, willing some vision to come to her.
"My friend, your curiosity will be the death of you someday. By the Valar, you don't need to know all that goes on in the world, leave that to Lady Galadriel." She skipped off a short way and called back over her shoulder, "Come, or else we will be late for Weapons Training!" She started off again, failing to notice one crucial thing.
"ARATHEL!" Vorn had to yell rather loudly, Arathel was disappearing quickly, "ARE YOU PLANNING TO GO DRESSED IN THAT?!" She was referring to the leisure dresses worn by them both. Arathel stopped to look down at herself, then realized what Vorn had been talking about. She gasped and ran back to Vorn and the pair of them back to Vorn's talan.
"Um... Vorn? Do you think I could borrow one of your practice tunics? I forgot to hang mine up to dry, it will be completely soaked..." Arathel said somewhat sheepishly, looking everywhere but Vorn's face.
"Oh Arathel, you forget almost everything." Vorn scolded softly, "Don't worry, you can wear my sister's old clothes, she hasn't worn them since she started taining as a healer. By the way, you forgot to take your weapons home the last time we stayed here after Ascar put us through Udun." Vorn climbed up the natural ladder formed by the branches of the oak her talan had been built in.
"Thank you!" Arathel cried, grasping the lowest branch and pulling herself up after Vorn.
It only took a matter of minutes for them both to don the said attire, so all they had to do was grab their weapons and then they were off. They jumped off the side of the talan and hit the ground running. Along the way, Arathel had a thought.
"By the Valar, we had better hope Ascar will not be running the training today!" She pulled in front of Vorn and started running backward. Vorn rolled her eyes, 'Shoowoff'.
"I know what you mean, I can just imagine what would happen; 'Late again! Ten hours running, no lagging, and nothing slower than a jog. Remember I will be watching, not get with the others, I expect you both to be working harder than any of them!'. What a nightmare that would be!"
It was not long after that they reached the enormous clearing where Training was held; it was empty.
Into the West
He landed lightly on his feet; much like a cat would, and dusted himself off nonchalantly as if to show that a twenty foot drop wasn't a big deal.
"Morgaya! What orc tunnel did you crawl out from?" Arathel exclaimed as she and Vorn rushed forward to greet their deeply missed comrade in arms. He had left Eryn Vorn a while ago, with a group of younger Rangers who came quite often to visit.
The hospitality of the Elves of Eryn Vorn towards the race of Men was second only to that of Rivendell, and not by much. The only reason it had been forgotten was, aside from those few Rangers, no one knew that any decent race had been left alive after the Great Plague.
"Quite a few, actually. And none that I would care to remember." Morgaya shrugged off the question, his face suddenly fairly sad. He gave each of the girls in turn, and by the time they were done he had gotten his expression under control again.
"What happened?" Arathel in particular looked concerned, Vorn noted with some amusement, not saying that Vorn was not just as curious.
"You'll find out at dinner." And he refused to say anything else on the matter, instead he asked what they had been doing since he had left.
"Oh, not much really. It has been frightfully dull without you about to stir things up. Arathel has had to be the trouble causer, but she needs a bit more practice before she is in your league. Vorn said with a huge grin.
"Our league, "Morgaya amended her, 'I heard about some trouble in particular that caused quite a stir, and, oddly enough, I heard you were the one who had started it." Vorn winced at the way Morgaya emphasized the word 'you' ."Don't look so abashed, you should be proud to be among the ranks of the Watched Ones." Morgaya said, throwing his arm around Vorn's shoulders.
"The 'Watched ones'?" Arathel ask skeptically, moving to Gaya's other side.
"Yes," he started, throwing his other arm around Arathel, who looked pleasantly suprised," it is a term us innocents have given ourselves. For some reason the Elders are always keeping an eye on us, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why." Morgaya was trying to look as innocent as a sleeping child. This only set the friends off in a new bout of laughter and Morgaya had the decency to blush. They continued on like this, walking, talking and laughing until they had reached the creek again. Then, without a word, the women shoved Morgaya in, catching him completely by surprise.
The stream swept him down a few yards before he was able to right himself, he broke the surface laughing.
"In Lothlorien, elfmaids did not push their warriors into the Nimrodel." He said without a hint of annoyance in his fair voice.
"I do not see any relevance." Vorn began, picking her words carefully, "We are not in Lorien, that in not the Nimrodel, and Arathel is not an elf maiden. Besides, we're all warriors here." Vorn had to say the last part rather quickly, considering Arathel had started to lunge at her. Arathel gave up quickly; she was more built for speed and tired faster than Vorn who had good endurance.
"What are you implying, if you think I am not an elf?" Arathel ask, looking rather intimidating with her hands on her hips, and her eyes narrowed to a point of nonexistence. Try as he might, Morgaya could not keep himself from laughing uproariously at the situation.
"You two fight like and old married pair of halflings!" He managed to calm down enough to say as he waded out of the stream, wringing his long auburn hair.
"You went to the Shire?" Their argument immediately forgotten, having gotten Morgaya to talk of his ventures.
"I went to a few places, actually. But yes, the Shire was one of them." He added hastily, seeing the impatient look on his friend's faces. "I left with the last group of Rangers that passed through here, so we eventually found our way to the Paths of the dead." Vorn and Arathel were more than a little surprised.
"You passed through the paths? What drove you to do such a thing?"
"It is a long story, and one that I will not wish to relate for a long while. In that light, I bid you farewell, I must find the other's that I was traveling with." With that, he hugged both of his friends and climbed back into the trees. Walking from branch to branch was the easiest way to travel in Eryn Vorn, up there very few things could find their way to kill you.
The women watched and listened until Morgaya was out of sight and earshot, then looked at each other, envy dancing in their eyes.
"To think, he has been to dozens of places that we have only dreamed about! If I were him, I would be bursting at the seams to tell everyone I know about my journey." Arathel sighed, wishing that she did have memories like that to share.
"I wish we knew more of what is going on, more than just 'Mordor was destroyed', nay?" Vorn closed her eyes, willing some vision to come to her.
"My friend, your curiosity will be the death of you someday. By the Valar, you don't need to know all that goes on in the world, leave that to Lady Galadriel." She skipped off a short way and called back over her shoulder, "Come, or else we will be late for Weapons Training!" She started off again, failing to notice one crucial thing.
"ARATHEL!" Vorn had to yell rather loudly, Arathel was disappearing quickly, "ARE YOU PLANNING TO GO DRESSED IN THAT?!" She was referring to the leisure dresses worn by them both. Arathel stopped to look down at herself, then realized what Vorn had been talking about. She gasped and ran back to Vorn and the pair of them back to Vorn's talan.
"Um... Vorn? Do you think I could borrow one of your practice tunics? I forgot to hang mine up to dry, it will be completely soaked..." Arathel said somewhat sheepishly, looking everywhere but Vorn's face.
"Oh Arathel, you forget almost everything." Vorn scolded softly, "Don't worry, you can wear my sister's old clothes, she hasn't worn them since she started taining as a healer. By the way, you forgot to take your weapons home the last time we stayed here after Ascar put us through Udun." Vorn climbed up the natural ladder formed by the branches of the oak her talan had been built in.
"Thank you!" Arathel cried, grasping the lowest branch and pulling herself up after Vorn.
It only took a matter of minutes for them both to don the said attire, so all they had to do was grab their weapons and then they were off. They jumped off the side of the talan and hit the ground running. Along the way, Arathel had a thought.
"By the Valar, we had better hope Ascar will not be running the training today!" She pulled in front of Vorn and started running backward. Vorn rolled her eyes, 'Shoowoff'.
"I know what you mean, I can just imagine what would happen; 'Late again! Ten hours running, no lagging, and nothing slower than a jog. Remember I will be watching, not get with the others, I expect you both to be working harder than any of them!'. What a nightmare that would be!"
It was not long after that they reached the enormous clearing where Training was held; it was empty.