Heehehehehehehe... it's two thirty in the morning and I've found myself in
front of my computer, writing this next chapter, of course. Well, this is
indeed interesting. I really hope my parents don't wake up and find me
here...
Oh yes, and, um, Legolas of course belongs to Tolkien, as does Thranduil, the Valar (the name, anyway...), basically all of Middle-Earth... yeah, you get the picture. Please don't sue!
Chapter Fifteen:
I'm not ready! This is all that passed through Calathi's head as she was pulled through the halls of the palace toward her room. *It's too soon! I've had only one day to practice! Valar help me, this can't happen now! * She became numbly aware that they had reached her chambers and Legolas had shut the door to the quickly increasing commotion outside. His voice brought her out of her back to what was happening around her.
"Calathi, are you sure you want to do this? Calathi!" he yelled when he realized she wasn't hearing him.
"Huh?"
"I said, are you sure you want to do this?" Legolas searched her eyes, concern evident in every feature of his perfect face. "You don't have to go and fight. You could stay in the palace until our return."
"Uh, yeah, I think so. Yes, Legolas, I am going to do this." She forced a tone of confidence into her voice. "I'm fine, go ahead and prepare. I'll meet you by the front gate soon." He continued to watch her intently for a moment, as though he wasn't sure that she was aware of what she was saying, and the sounds coming from her were only half-conscious ramblings. In part this was true, but Calathi convinced him of her awareness enough by pushing him back through her door. "Go! We don't have enough time to debate this, Legolas. The enemy will soon be upon us." With that she kissed him quickly and then shut the door.
Calathi rested her head briefly against the wall, fighting to keep her breathing even and calm. How could she do this? Why did she say that to Legolas? She wasn't fine. She didn't really want to do this. Her mind was reeling as she tried to take in what the rider had told them. The army of goblins had just entered the forest. They were on their way to battle the elvish warriors. The army of Mirkwood was assembling, preparing to defend the palace. She was a part of the army of Mirkwood. Which meant... oh yes. She was supposed to be getting ready for the coming onslaught.
As her mind slowly got to this point in its calculations, she jumped up and raced to pull on her studded leather jerkin. She had decided against chain mail, for, even though elvish mail is fairly lighter than normal armor, it weighed her down too much. Her regular leggings would have to suffice. There was no time to find a stronger and tougher pair.
She could do this. She had shown Harem that she was no ordinary female elf, and she had beaten Legolas in a fencing match. *He tripped, * another part of herself argued. *That's the only reason you beat him. * Briefly scorning the more humble side of her nature, she yanked her boots back on, quickly shoving a knife into one, and grabbed her thin metal helm. Methlai strapped at her waist, a quiver of arrows on her back, and her bow balanced on her shoulder, she raced into the hall and ran in the direction of the stables.
* * * * *
The Prince looked around for Calathi. It was nearly dark outside already, which meant this battle would be even tougher. Torches glinted off the silver armor of the other warriors, whose steeds were all prancing about nervously, sensing their master's anxiety.
"Legolas!"
He turned around and found a brown-clad rider galloping swiftly toward him, brown hair streaming behind... "Calathi!" he called back as he urged his own horse toward her. They leaned toward each other and embraced briefly.
"Legolas, tell me we will win." She was trembling from head to toe. "Please, tell me we'll survive this."
"Amelamin, do not fear." He looked with pity upon his frightened love and took her hand. "I know not what the outcome of this will be, but I'll always be with you. Should the Valar take me, I will watch over you from the halls of Mandos until we meet again."
"I sure hope it doesn't come to that..." she mumbled. Just them a voice rang out over the clamor of the army.
"Prepare, fellow warriors of Mirkwood! Battle is nigh! We shall defeat the goblins and bring peace back to our forest!" A great cheer went up. Calathi watched with disgust as Harem raised a hand to silence them. "Remember that you are fighting for your king, for your homes, and for your loves!" She and Legolas exchanged smiling looks. Silence reigned over everyone as the Captain gravely looked over their forces. When his gaze caught Calathi's his eyes lingered for a brief instant - was that a faint smile? Then he drew his eyes away and called, "Onward, friends!"
The mass of elves gradually moved forward through the gate. King Thranduil's plan had been to draw any fighting away from the palace, though he was a bit frustrated that he could not join them. The council members had decided that the King was extremely important to the future of Mirkwood, and his death could not be risked. Now almost every warrior in the realm was marching into the oncoming night, and few were left behind to guard their home.
Legolas made his way toward the front of the procession, determined to completely fulfill his duty to his father and his kingdom. Calathi warily followed him, wondering in exasperation why she had to fall in love with the one of the bravest elves in Mirkwood. She stuck next to him when they emerged before the rest of the army and found themselves rather close to the Captain. There arrival seemed to go unnoticed by the elf.
Calathi tore her mind off the subject of the two elves to her left, who happened to be at opposite ends of her emotional list. Scanning the trees beside her, she scowled. The faint glow of the torches held by various elves in the troop hardly penetrated the darkness surrounding them, and despite her good eyesight, she could see only a small distance into the trees. The enemy could spring out at them at any moment, and the group would be unaware of it until they were practically upon them -
SNAP!
In a flash, Calathi had her bow up, an arrow set on its string. But it was not soon enough...
Goblins jumped out at them from every angle. Most of Mirkwood's warriors were unprepared, and several were dead before the rest even knew what had happened. Legolas sprang into action, shooting as fast as he could nock his arrows. Calathi loosed the one she had at ready into the nearest creature - she noticed as she fired that they were plain ugly. They had dark, almost black skin, which appeared stretched and tight; they were underfed. Their eyes were black as well. They flung knives into the fray as more and more elves fell from their horses, wounded.
The female elf drew her sword just in time to deflect a knife aimed for her. She chanced a quick look at Harem to see his reaction, and she saw that he too was using his bow. Following an arrow he shot with her eyes, she watched it land in the dirt at the feet of a goblin. *Bad shot, * she thought. Then she turned back around and narrowly avoided getting her arm chopped off. *Stupid! * Swinging Methlai, she cut the sword arm off of her attacker and then stabbed him in the chest. His features frozen in place, he fell to the ground as she pulled her sword from his body, and he landed with a sickening thud.
She was dismayed to feel that she was tiring already. In fact, she was nearly on the brink of exhaustion. It had been a long day for her, and now she was working rather hard to keep herself from getting skewered on a weapon of the enemy. All of the elves around her also seemed to be somewhat gray, but still they fought on bravely.
Now that the element of surprise was over, the tides had turned. The Mirkwood warriors were already driving back the goblins, whose numbers were rapidly dwindling. Calathi's sword was a blur as she hacked at her foes faster than they could defend themselves. A burning pain shot up her right arm and she dropped her sword, almost completely losing the feeling in her hand. Suddenly a goblin stood right in front of her, and he laughed as he raised his knife to kill her.
Legolas saw out of the corner of his eye as Calathi dropped her sword, a deep red gash appearing on her arm. She was helpless, bent nearly double because of the pain. A merciless goblin stood in front of her, and the Prince watched as he opened his mouth in what must have been a laugh, brandishing his long knife.
"No!" he cried. Pulling out another arrow - his last, he noted grimly - he aimed for the goblin and shot. It fell forward in front of Calathi, whose ashen face was set in a grimace. He sped forward on his steed and stopped beside his fallen comrade. Reaching down with one arm, he grabbed her leather armour and yanked her to the saddle behind him. She leaned forward and moaned.
"Hold on, melamin my love. The battle is almost won." Pulling out his own sword, he helped his fellow warriors to beat back the goblins, some of which were already retreating into the forest.
Calathi, pulling herself together as quickly as she could, found the knife she hid inside her boot and held it, ready to kill anything foolish enough to attack her or her Prince. There was no need to use her weapon, however, as the elves around her began to yell triumphantly. A portion of their forces chased after the retreating creatures, allowing none to escape. Goblins were strewn on the ground before her and all around her, piled up in some places. There were also, she was sad to see, many elves laying dead. Many fallen wounded were being helped onto horses, and still others were being tended to on the ground, too badly hurt to ride.
Suddenly the fire in her arm burned anew, and she felt herself slipping from the saddle behind Legolas. He caught her before she could fall, however, and placed her in front of him instead. "Thanks," she whispered as he wrapped a protective arm around her middle.
"My pleasure," he returned, kissing the tip of her ear.
Soon she found herself laying in bed with a bandage over her arm. Legolas laid next to her, one arm stroking her hair. She had not allowed herself to be carried into the palace by him, however much she wanted to be. He looked as exhausted as she was, so she had forced herself to struggle to her room. There she had been tended by Nora and other servants while Legolas held her and comforted her. Shortly after, everyone had left, and the Prince and Calathi had been left alone.
"Thank you for saving me, Legolas."
"It was nothing, Calathi," he answered. "I would have taken that knife for you, if it had been necessary."
"Thank goodness it wasn't," she returned, turning her head wearily to look at him. He kissed her and then hugged her even tighter.
"You may rest now. It's over, Calathi. It's over."
Dun dun dunnnn... don't worry, it's not really over... hehehehehehe. And this isn't the end. "I know not what the outcome of this will be, but I'll always be with you." Yeah, I know, that's about the corniest thing he could have possibly said, but hey, it's all I could think of, and did I mention that it's now after five a.m.? Hahaha, see what comes when you write so late? or early? lalalalalala... I suppose I should probably go to sleep now... Well, goodnight! Or good morning... oh, nevermind. All nighter's are fun! Fun, funfunfunfunfun...
Oh yes, and, um, Legolas of course belongs to Tolkien, as does Thranduil, the Valar (the name, anyway...), basically all of Middle-Earth... yeah, you get the picture. Please don't sue!
Chapter Fifteen:
I'm not ready! This is all that passed through Calathi's head as she was pulled through the halls of the palace toward her room. *It's too soon! I've had only one day to practice! Valar help me, this can't happen now! * She became numbly aware that they had reached her chambers and Legolas had shut the door to the quickly increasing commotion outside. His voice brought her out of her back to what was happening around her.
"Calathi, are you sure you want to do this? Calathi!" he yelled when he realized she wasn't hearing him.
"Huh?"
"I said, are you sure you want to do this?" Legolas searched her eyes, concern evident in every feature of his perfect face. "You don't have to go and fight. You could stay in the palace until our return."
"Uh, yeah, I think so. Yes, Legolas, I am going to do this." She forced a tone of confidence into her voice. "I'm fine, go ahead and prepare. I'll meet you by the front gate soon." He continued to watch her intently for a moment, as though he wasn't sure that she was aware of what she was saying, and the sounds coming from her were only half-conscious ramblings. In part this was true, but Calathi convinced him of her awareness enough by pushing him back through her door. "Go! We don't have enough time to debate this, Legolas. The enemy will soon be upon us." With that she kissed him quickly and then shut the door.
Calathi rested her head briefly against the wall, fighting to keep her breathing even and calm. How could she do this? Why did she say that to Legolas? She wasn't fine. She didn't really want to do this. Her mind was reeling as she tried to take in what the rider had told them. The army of goblins had just entered the forest. They were on their way to battle the elvish warriors. The army of Mirkwood was assembling, preparing to defend the palace. She was a part of the army of Mirkwood. Which meant... oh yes. She was supposed to be getting ready for the coming onslaught.
As her mind slowly got to this point in its calculations, she jumped up and raced to pull on her studded leather jerkin. She had decided against chain mail, for, even though elvish mail is fairly lighter than normal armor, it weighed her down too much. Her regular leggings would have to suffice. There was no time to find a stronger and tougher pair.
She could do this. She had shown Harem that she was no ordinary female elf, and she had beaten Legolas in a fencing match. *He tripped, * another part of herself argued. *That's the only reason you beat him. * Briefly scorning the more humble side of her nature, she yanked her boots back on, quickly shoving a knife into one, and grabbed her thin metal helm. Methlai strapped at her waist, a quiver of arrows on her back, and her bow balanced on her shoulder, she raced into the hall and ran in the direction of the stables.
* * * * *
The Prince looked around for Calathi. It was nearly dark outside already, which meant this battle would be even tougher. Torches glinted off the silver armor of the other warriors, whose steeds were all prancing about nervously, sensing their master's anxiety.
"Legolas!"
He turned around and found a brown-clad rider galloping swiftly toward him, brown hair streaming behind... "Calathi!" he called back as he urged his own horse toward her. They leaned toward each other and embraced briefly.
"Legolas, tell me we will win." She was trembling from head to toe. "Please, tell me we'll survive this."
"Amelamin, do not fear." He looked with pity upon his frightened love and took her hand. "I know not what the outcome of this will be, but I'll always be with you. Should the Valar take me, I will watch over you from the halls of Mandos until we meet again."
"I sure hope it doesn't come to that..." she mumbled. Just them a voice rang out over the clamor of the army.
"Prepare, fellow warriors of Mirkwood! Battle is nigh! We shall defeat the goblins and bring peace back to our forest!" A great cheer went up. Calathi watched with disgust as Harem raised a hand to silence them. "Remember that you are fighting for your king, for your homes, and for your loves!" She and Legolas exchanged smiling looks. Silence reigned over everyone as the Captain gravely looked over their forces. When his gaze caught Calathi's his eyes lingered for a brief instant - was that a faint smile? Then he drew his eyes away and called, "Onward, friends!"
The mass of elves gradually moved forward through the gate. King Thranduil's plan had been to draw any fighting away from the palace, though he was a bit frustrated that he could not join them. The council members had decided that the King was extremely important to the future of Mirkwood, and his death could not be risked. Now almost every warrior in the realm was marching into the oncoming night, and few were left behind to guard their home.
Legolas made his way toward the front of the procession, determined to completely fulfill his duty to his father and his kingdom. Calathi warily followed him, wondering in exasperation why she had to fall in love with the one of the bravest elves in Mirkwood. She stuck next to him when they emerged before the rest of the army and found themselves rather close to the Captain. There arrival seemed to go unnoticed by the elf.
Calathi tore her mind off the subject of the two elves to her left, who happened to be at opposite ends of her emotional list. Scanning the trees beside her, she scowled. The faint glow of the torches held by various elves in the troop hardly penetrated the darkness surrounding them, and despite her good eyesight, she could see only a small distance into the trees. The enemy could spring out at them at any moment, and the group would be unaware of it until they were practically upon them -
SNAP!
In a flash, Calathi had her bow up, an arrow set on its string. But it was not soon enough...
Goblins jumped out at them from every angle. Most of Mirkwood's warriors were unprepared, and several were dead before the rest even knew what had happened. Legolas sprang into action, shooting as fast as he could nock his arrows. Calathi loosed the one she had at ready into the nearest creature - she noticed as she fired that they were plain ugly. They had dark, almost black skin, which appeared stretched and tight; they were underfed. Their eyes were black as well. They flung knives into the fray as more and more elves fell from their horses, wounded.
The female elf drew her sword just in time to deflect a knife aimed for her. She chanced a quick look at Harem to see his reaction, and she saw that he too was using his bow. Following an arrow he shot with her eyes, she watched it land in the dirt at the feet of a goblin. *Bad shot, * she thought. Then she turned back around and narrowly avoided getting her arm chopped off. *Stupid! * Swinging Methlai, she cut the sword arm off of her attacker and then stabbed him in the chest. His features frozen in place, he fell to the ground as she pulled her sword from his body, and he landed with a sickening thud.
She was dismayed to feel that she was tiring already. In fact, she was nearly on the brink of exhaustion. It had been a long day for her, and now she was working rather hard to keep herself from getting skewered on a weapon of the enemy. All of the elves around her also seemed to be somewhat gray, but still they fought on bravely.
Now that the element of surprise was over, the tides had turned. The Mirkwood warriors were already driving back the goblins, whose numbers were rapidly dwindling. Calathi's sword was a blur as she hacked at her foes faster than they could defend themselves. A burning pain shot up her right arm and she dropped her sword, almost completely losing the feeling in her hand. Suddenly a goblin stood right in front of her, and he laughed as he raised his knife to kill her.
Legolas saw out of the corner of his eye as Calathi dropped her sword, a deep red gash appearing on her arm. She was helpless, bent nearly double because of the pain. A merciless goblin stood in front of her, and the Prince watched as he opened his mouth in what must have been a laugh, brandishing his long knife.
"No!" he cried. Pulling out another arrow - his last, he noted grimly - he aimed for the goblin and shot. It fell forward in front of Calathi, whose ashen face was set in a grimace. He sped forward on his steed and stopped beside his fallen comrade. Reaching down with one arm, he grabbed her leather armour and yanked her to the saddle behind him. She leaned forward and moaned.
"Hold on, melamin my love. The battle is almost won." Pulling out his own sword, he helped his fellow warriors to beat back the goblins, some of which were already retreating into the forest.
Calathi, pulling herself together as quickly as she could, found the knife she hid inside her boot and held it, ready to kill anything foolish enough to attack her or her Prince. There was no need to use her weapon, however, as the elves around her began to yell triumphantly. A portion of their forces chased after the retreating creatures, allowing none to escape. Goblins were strewn on the ground before her and all around her, piled up in some places. There were also, she was sad to see, many elves laying dead. Many fallen wounded were being helped onto horses, and still others were being tended to on the ground, too badly hurt to ride.
Suddenly the fire in her arm burned anew, and she felt herself slipping from the saddle behind Legolas. He caught her before she could fall, however, and placed her in front of him instead. "Thanks," she whispered as he wrapped a protective arm around her middle.
"My pleasure," he returned, kissing the tip of her ear.
Soon she found herself laying in bed with a bandage over her arm. Legolas laid next to her, one arm stroking her hair. She had not allowed herself to be carried into the palace by him, however much she wanted to be. He looked as exhausted as she was, so she had forced herself to struggle to her room. There she had been tended by Nora and other servants while Legolas held her and comforted her. Shortly after, everyone had left, and the Prince and Calathi had been left alone.
"Thank you for saving me, Legolas."
"It was nothing, Calathi," he answered. "I would have taken that knife for you, if it had been necessary."
"Thank goodness it wasn't," she returned, turning her head wearily to look at him. He kissed her and then hugged her even tighter.
"You may rest now. It's over, Calathi. It's over."
Dun dun dunnnn... don't worry, it's not really over... hehehehehehe. And this isn't the end. "I know not what the outcome of this will be, but I'll always be with you." Yeah, I know, that's about the corniest thing he could have possibly said, but hey, it's all I could think of, and did I mention that it's now after five a.m.? Hahaha, see what comes when you write so late? or early? lalalalalala... I suppose I should probably go to sleep now... Well, goodnight! Or good morning... oh, nevermind. All nighter's are fun! Fun, funfunfunfunfun...