Healing your Assassin
Legolas felt someone lightly slapping his face and he opened his eyes to see Elimay looking down at him. Her hand was on his cheek and threatening to slap him again harder. "We have company," she said, before he could say anything. He sat up as she stood again and looked to see that she had somehow managed to free herself of the ropes. He then realised what she had been saying and looked out of the entrance to the cave to see that indeed they did have company. A large group or orcs were coming down the mountain towards them. They had not spotted the two elves yet but it was only a matter of time. He withdrew back into the cave and turned to see Elimay was holding her sword. Before she could resist he had taken it from her hand. She glared at him and tried to get it back. "Legolas," she exclaimed in annoyance. "You can't fight all those orcs on your own and I'm not about to sit by as bait. I will not try to kill you, there would be no point for I have failed my task already." He frowned at her but did not make a move. "You need me, admit it." Reluctantly, having realised she was right, he gave her the blade back and took up his bow and arrows, turning back to the entrance but keeping a wary eye on her.
The sound of the orcs became louder and soon they had spotted the cave and made for it for rest for the morning. Legolas was the first to attack, letting an arrow fly. It flew through the air and hit its target with breathtaking accuracy. No sooner as he had let that one fly, did he load another. Elimay leapt out with her blade and dodged one of his arrows as she made her way to the nearest orc. She spun and slashed out, cleanly cutting the head from the beast. She dropped to the ground as a sword cleaved at her and thrust out with her blade, felling the orc with an injury to the groin. Again she got to her feet and leapt into the air, spinning over an orc as it came towards her. Before she landed she kicked out her foot, landing it in the stomach of another. She fought tirelessly, revived by the night's rest, and as the numbers dwindled, was allowed to glance a few times on the prince as he fought with fatal power and precision. He had resorted to his blade and he was more a warrior prince that just a usual prince, giving a breathtaking display of acrobatics and combat. She realised then that she would never have been able to kill him; her master had sent her on a pointless mission.
Suddenly pain hit her hard as a blade came out of nowhere and cut into her leg. She toppled over, crying out and spun so she landed on her back. There was a particularly large orc towering above her and as it came towards her for the final blow she lashed out with her sword. Her teeth rattled as her blade hit its metal armour and she dropped her weapon. As a last resort she thrust her good leg up connecting her knee between its legs where there was no armour. The impact jarred her knee but gave the desired effect, making the orc tumble towards her. It landed heavily on her, still alive and she almost gagged feeling it against her and smelling its terrific stench. The body over her was causing her injured leg more pain and she whimpered. Instinctively she cried out for the prince as the orc pushed itself up again. Its claws closed around her throat and she gave a strangled scream, feeling the grasp tighten. Black dots filled her vision as her lungs were starved of oxygen and she felt herself fading. Just as she lost unconscious she saw the orc suddenly fall, its head lopped clean off and the body was pulled from her to reveal the prince, her saviour. Then she passed out.
As she regained consciousness she felt someone examining her injured leg. It ached painfully and her throat also stung where the claws had dug into her flesh. She was very thirsty and swallowed a few times, finding she had no saliva to ease it. She opened her eyes cautiously and found that her head hurt too. Her vision was momentarily blurred and then it cleared to reveal the grey roof of the cave above her. She lifted her head slightly to see Legolas. She blushed somewhat when she saw he had removed her leggings but then saw the wound that ran across her thigh. Lowering her head down again she put her hand to her throat. Legolas looked up at her movement and saw her touch the red claw marks that were still visible on her skin. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Thirsty and painful," she said, her voice cracking. He smiled and reached over to pick up a water skin. He helped her raise her head and drink then finished dressing her wound before pulling the blanket over her. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, looking up into the prince's blue eyes. "What?" "Caring for me. I tried to kill you in case you forgot." He chuckled and gave her some lembas to nibble. "I haven't forgotten, Elimay. But I couldn't just leave you to bleed to death. I'm not as cold as you think." "Since when did I say you were cold?" He shrugged but didn't answer. Instead he said, "Rest now. You need to heal." "Yes prince," she smiled, and he rolled his eyes before getting to his feet and disappearing.
Elimay chuckled at the situation. It was a strange situation indeed. It was if the prince had been worried for her. That was another thing that was rare in other royalty; he showed compassion towards others. For the first time she thanked her master for sending her on this mission.
Elimay's sleep was plagued with dreams of what awaited her if her master found out that she had failed. She tossed and turned, calling out in her sleep. The pain in her leg filtered through into her dreams and vivid images of the torture and punishment filled her mind. She woke abruptly that evening, panting from the exhaustion of the nightmare, and immediately reached for the water skin by her bed. She gulped the cool liquid down greedily and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Then she looked around the dim cavern and saw the silhouette of the elf by the fire at the entrance. His blonde silver hair shone like moonlight by the light of the flames and she could hear him humming. He seemed to be inspecting his arrows with an intense concentration. Watching him relaxed her so she got to her feet with great difficulty and started to hop towards him. But he heard her movement and rushed to her help, making her smile. He put an arm round her waist so she could lean on him. Then he lowered her against the wall at the entrance and sat back down. "You were having a nightmare again?" he said. She nodded and sighed. "Will you tell me?" His eyes glittered as he watched her. She pulled the blanket round her and looked into the fire. "I dream of what my master will do to me when he finds that I have failed." "But he doesn't need to find out..." She looked up at him and frowned. "You don't understand. He will find out however much I hide." Legolas raised his eyebrows. This was the most he had gotten out of her about her past so far. "But how?" "He has one of the lost seeing stones. He can see my every move!" Legolas gasped. He had thought that the Palantir had been destroyed when Sauron was overthrown. He opened his mouth to question further but she interrupted with a tired voice. "Do not ask me anything else. Go back to your arrows for I like to watch." Legolas looked at her for another moment and then picked up his arrows again. Her intense gaze on his work did not bother him like it usually did when anyone else watched him. For some reason it calmed him as they sat there in silence, listening to the crackle of the flames. Once he had finished inspecting his arrows, he looked at back Elimay to find that she had fallen asleep again. Her dark tresses had fallen over one eye and she was starting to fall sideways. He lifted her up in his arms and carried her back over to her bedding, lying her down. She shifted and sighed in her sleep then smiled slightly. She did not appear to be having a nightmare anymore. She drifted in and out of sleep for another day and her leg healed quickly despite the lack of healing materials to hand.
Legolas felt someone lightly slapping his face and he opened his eyes to see Elimay looking down at him. Her hand was on his cheek and threatening to slap him again harder. "We have company," she said, before he could say anything. He sat up as she stood again and looked to see that she had somehow managed to free herself of the ropes. He then realised what she had been saying and looked out of the entrance to the cave to see that indeed they did have company. A large group or orcs were coming down the mountain towards them. They had not spotted the two elves yet but it was only a matter of time. He withdrew back into the cave and turned to see Elimay was holding her sword. Before she could resist he had taken it from her hand. She glared at him and tried to get it back. "Legolas," she exclaimed in annoyance. "You can't fight all those orcs on your own and I'm not about to sit by as bait. I will not try to kill you, there would be no point for I have failed my task already." He frowned at her but did not make a move. "You need me, admit it." Reluctantly, having realised she was right, he gave her the blade back and took up his bow and arrows, turning back to the entrance but keeping a wary eye on her.
The sound of the orcs became louder and soon they had spotted the cave and made for it for rest for the morning. Legolas was the first to attack, letting an arrow fly. It flew through the air and hit its target with breathtaking accuracy. No sooner as he had let that one fly, did he load another. Elimay leapt out with her blade and dodged one of his arrows as she made her way to the nearest orc. She spun and slashed out, cleanly cutting the head from the beast. She dropped to the ground as a sword cleaved at her and thrust out with her blade, felling the orc with an injury to the groin. Again she got to her feet and leapt into the air, spinning over an orc as it came towards her. Before she landed she kicked out her foot, landing it in the stomach of another. She fought tirelessly, revived by the night's rest, and as the numbers dwindled, was allowed to glance a few times on the prince as he fought with fatal power and precision. He had resorted to his blade and he was more a warrior prince that just a usual prince, giving a breathtaking display of acrobatics and combat. She realised then that she would never have been able to kill him; her master had sent her on a pointless mission.
Suddenly pain hit her hard as a blade came out of nowhere and cut into her leg. She toppled over, crying out and spun so she landed on her back. There was a particularly large orc towering above her and as it came towards her for the final blow she lashed out with her sword. Her teeth rattled as her blade hit its metal armour and she dropped her weapon. As a last resort she thrust her good leg up connecting her knee between its legs where there was no armour. The impact jarred her knee but gave the desired effect, making the orc tumble towards her. It landed heavily on her, still alive and she almost gagged feeling it against her and smelling its terrific stench. The body over her was causing her injured leg more pain and she whimpered. Instinctively she cried out for the prince as the orc pushed itself up again. Its claws closed around her throat and she gave a strangled scream, feeling the grasp tighten. Black dots filled her vision as her lungs were starved of oxygen and she felt herself fading. Just as she lost unconscious she saw the orc suddenly fall, its head lopped clean off and the body was pulled from her to reveal the prince, her saviour. Then she passed out.
As she regained consciousness she felt someone examining her injured leg. It ached painfully and her throat also stung where the claws had dug into her flesh. She was very thirsty and swallowed a few times, finding she had no saliva to ease it. She opened her eyes cautiously and found that her head hurt too. Her vision was momentarily blurred and then it cleared to reveal the grey roof of the cave above her. She lifted her head slightly to see Legolas. She blushed somewhat when she saw he had removed her leggings but then saw the wound that ran across her thigh. Lowering her head down again she put her hand to her throat. Legolas looked up at her movement and saw her touch the red claw marks that were still visible on her skin. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Thirsty and painful," she said, her voice cracking. He smiled and reached over to pick up a water skin. He helped her raise her head and drink then finished dressing her wound before pulling the blanket over her. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, looking up into the prince's blue eyes. "What?" "Caring for me. I tried to kill you in case you forgot." He chuckled and gave her some lembas to nibble. "I haven't forgotten, Elimay. But I couldn't just leave you to bleed to death. I'm not as cold as you think." "Since when did I say you were cold?" He shrugged but didn't answer. Instead he said, "Rest now. You need to heal." "Yes prince," she smiled, and he rolled his eyes before getting to his feet and disappearing.
Elimay chuckled at the situation. It was a strange situation indeed. It was if the prince had been worried for her. That was another thing that was rare in other royalty; he showed compassion towards others. For the first time she thanked her master for sending her on this mission.
Elimay's sleep was plagued with dreams of what awaited her if her master found out that she had failed. She tossed and turned, calling out in her sleep. The pain in her leg filtered through into her dreams and vivid images of the torture and punishment filled her mind. She woke abruptly that evening, panting from the exhaustion of the nightmare, and immediately reached for the water skin by her bed. She gulped the cool liquid down greedily and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Then she looked around the dim cavern and saw the silhouette of the elf by the fire at the entrance. His blonde silver hair shone like moonlight by the light of the flames and she could hear him humming. He seemed to be inspecting his arrows with an intense concentration. Watching him relaxed her so she got to her feet with great difficulty and started to hop towards him. But he heard her movement and rushed to her help, making her smile. He put an arm round her waist so she could lean on him. Then he lowered her against the wall at the entrance and sat back down. "You were having a nightmare again?" he said. She nodded and sighed. "Will you tell me?" His eyes glittered as he watched her. She pulled the blanket round her and looked into the fire. "I dream of what my master will do to me when he finds that I have failed." "But he doesn't need to find out..." She looked up at him and frowned. "You don't understand. He will find out however much I hide." Legolas raised his eyebrows. This was the most he had gotten out of her about her past so far. "But how?" "He has one of the lost seeing stones. He can see my every move!" Legolas gasped. He had thought that the Palantir had been destroyed when Sauron was overthrown. He opened his mouth to question further but she interrupted with a tired voice. "Do not ask me anything else. Go back to your arrows for I like to watch." Legolas looked at her for another moment and then picked up his arrows again. Her intense gaze on his work did not bother him like it usually did when anyone else watched him. For some reason it calmed him as they sat there in silence, listening to the crackle of the flames. Once he had finished inspecting his arrows, he looked at back Elimay to find that she had fallen asleep again. Her dark tresses had fallen over one eye and she was starting to fall sideways. He lifted her up in his arms and carried her back over to her bedding, lying her down. She shifted and sighed in her sleep then smiled slightly. She did not appear to be having a nightmare anymore. She drifted in and out of sleep for another day and her leg healed quickly despite the lack of healing materials to hand.