Dumm dum dum dummmmm! I have returned!!!!
Well, I could apologize profusely for my laziness in typing up this next chapter for Calathi (which has been written for a while now), but I know that anyone still interested in the culmination of my story probably won't even read this announcement and will jump straight to the actual chapter. So, without further ado, here it is:
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Survival
Bright sunlight shone into Calathi's eyes as she awoke, and she moaned at the ache in her stiff body. Cold and tired, with hunger gnawing at her stomach, she sat up and saw the dying embers of her fire before her. Instantly she remembered the events of earlier and she turned quickly to see that her friend was staring at her with a slight smile playing over his lips. Calathi gasped, putting her hands over her face in a mix of disbelief and joy.
"Meron!!" she shouted, lunging to hug him.
"I'm not healed yet, you know... that hurts," Meron replied, grimacing slightly. Calathi sat up again, looking guilty.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry Meron.. You just do not know how happy I am to see you a –" she faltered here, thinking that saying 'alive' would not be best in this situation. "Awake," she finished.
"So, mighty healer... you believe I will make it then?"
"Of course!" she shouted, springing up and nearly tripping over her leaden feet as she ran toward her mare. "I'll get you something to eat," she said over her shoulder. Larape nudged her in greeting as she fumbled through her sack, a frown forming over her face and creasing her brow. The only sustenance she found was a few crusts of bread and another couple of apples. *Oh, for the love of –*
She tramped back to Meron, whose eyes were now closed again. "Meron?" she asked, becoming worried.
"Yes?" he answered, reopening his eyes, now dancing with laughter at Calathi's concern.
"Just... stay with me, all right?" She bent over him and lifted his tunic to check the wounds on his chest. A small amount of blood had soaked through the bandages, but they would have to do for now as she had no other cloth to spare. She held out an apple. "Think you could get this down? I can make a stew out of it if it's too potent for your stomach."
"I think I can manage," he replied, grinning. This was more like the Meron she knew, which was good news, considering the state of things. Allowing her hopes of a full recovery to rise, she grinned back and touched his cheek, grimy from the mingling sweat and blood as well as dirt from the previous battle. Calathi herself ate nothing, reserving all she could for the person that would truly need it.
"I've missed you, limraer," Meron whispered. Calathi focused her attention on him again. "You have no idea how dull it was here without you."
Smiling faintly, she took his hand in her own. "I've missed you also," she answered. "So much has happened since I left... I don't even know where to begin describing it all."
"Start at the beginning," he suggested. "I heard that you had quite the adventure on the journey to the palace."
She frowned. "You cannot be serious," Calathi replied dubiously. "I will not sit here and babble on about my escapades with you in this state of health."
"Why not? An entourage is on its way to Ilinar, is it not?"
"Well, yes, but –"
Meron cut her off with a nod. "Excellent. The only thing to do now is wait, so why not entertain me with a few of your stories?" He smiled at the exasperation on his friend's face.
"All right," she sighed. "Everything began with a little trouble from some goblins..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That night...
"Get some sleep," Calathi said gently after her friend had finished eating a meal of bread and an apple. Meron watched her suspiciously. Interpreting his look correctly, she grinned. "Don't worry about me. I had plenty to eat on my journey here, and I'm not the one that has wounds to heal."
He shook his head. "What about your own sleep? You need your rest if you're to take care of me," he replied, smiling.
"Someone has to keep watch. Seeing as how I'm the only one who can sit upright, I'll be the one to guard camp." Meron's eyes lit at the challenge, but Calathi stopped him before he could do something self- damaging. "Don't even think about it. If you try to get up I will sick my horse on you." He glanced at Larape, who snorted and shook her mane.
"I better not then."
"No," Calathi ordered. "You better not. Now try and sleep. I will wake you if I notice anything peculiar." Finally yielding, Meron laid back and stared up at the sky. Calathi pulled the blanket around his neck and kissed his cheek before going to the fire to kindle it.
With the flames crackling brightly, she sat back and stared at the sky herself. The storm clouds had dissolved by then, and the stars were shining as brilliantly as ever. Meron watched her, smiling at the relief and happiness in her face, before allowing his mind to wander in dreams.
*Thank the Valar he is safe,* Calathi thought. Hunger was beginning to gnaw at her stomach, but with only a tiny bit of bread left, she had to save it for her companion. She could almost sense Legolas' nearness, and hoped that he'd arrive quickly. Feeling slightly apprehensive, she retrieved her sword from Larape's pack. With its comforting weight in her lap, she sat back against a tree trunk to await the coming dawn.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Legolas looked at the scenery around him in shock. The other elves in his escort had also stopped and appeared to have feelings akin to his own. Two days and nights had passed since their departure from the palace, and when the weary group had finally neared Ilinar the following morning, dread hung in the air. The foreboding feelings were explained by the rubble and ruin around them now, the remains of an entire village laid waste.
Telmon was the first to react. "I cannot believe this..." he muttered. "We slaughtered the main part of the goblin forces, did we not? How could the lingering rabble create such destruction?"
"'Twas no rabble of goblins that did this," Legolas growled. "The people here were trained in defense, I know for sure. Many of Mirkwood's soldiers come from this area of the forest."
"But, that would mean..."
"Yes, Telmon, I believe it means just what you and everyone here are probably thinking," he stated, glancing around at the cheerless faces of his comrades. "I believe we have greatly underestimated the size of the goblin army." Legolas looked at the desolation grimly. "This is the price for such a mistake."
"Pardon my boldness, sir," another elf inquired hesitantly, "but perhaps, with such vital news for the kingdom, we should retrieve the Lady Calathi and summarily complete our mission here?"
"I wholeheartedly agree," Legolas answered. "Search the debris for any possible survivors," he ordered, his princely command coming forth. "Call me immediately if my fiance is found. Telmon, choose three elves to search with you and I in the surrounding woods." The elves nodded, going about their appointed tasks with haste.
A few moments later, one elf cried out. "Oi! My Lord! Come quickly!" Legolas ran to where the excited soldier was standing. "Sir, look at these prints. They are very peculiar indeed."
"So they are," he agreed. Four rather deep impressions were in the snow, along with several unrecognizable markings. It was then that he noticed a very light, almost imperceptible trail leading from the impressions. Following them a short distance, with the intrigued elf tagging along behind him, Legolas saw that the trail led them into the trees.
"Telmon!" he called, motioning for his comrade to accompany him. Telmon raced to his captain's side, awareness lighting in his eyes, and the two of them trotted deeper into the woods, hunting along the unknown trail for the Princess-to-be.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Calathi pinched herself for the umpteenth time to keep from giving in to the exhaustion she felt. Meron still slept soundly beside her, his breathing even. She watched the rhythmic movement of his chest, needing that reassurance that he would live to see another battle and many more injuries. As long as help arrived soon, she believed, her friend would be all right.
Herself, however, Calathi wasn't so sure about. She had not eaten since her last night at the palace, and there was no food with which to ease the pain in her stomach. Hunger, however, is only temporary – there would be many mental wounds to deal with once this ordeal was over. She hadn't yet come to terms with the death of her parents and lifelong neighbors, and her wedding ceremony was less than a fortnight away. How in the world would she deal with everything that was happening?
Abruptly, she rose. Her sharp hearing alerted her to the crunch of snow a short distance away, beyond the dense foliage surrounding the clearing. *Goblins?* she wondered. Perhaps not – she would have smelt them before hearing them, and goblins usually did not travel as quietly as whatever was approaching. Besides, Larape continued to nibble on fallen twigs, and she did not appear fidgety or uneasy in the least. Could it be...?
Legolas pushed through the bush and stopped. Calathi, pale and trembling with alarm, stood not ten paces from him, grasping the hilt of Methlai in her hand. She dropped it at the sight of him, running forward to wrap him in her embrace. "Oh, limraer, I'm so glad you're all right," he whispered, holding her tightly to him.
"I'm sorry, Legolas, I should not have acted so brashly. I will give you a proper hello when time allows it." She pulled away, the Prince frowning at her worn features as she immediately took his hand and led him to her conscious friend. Legolas was shocked to see the elf lying in the snow, battered and bruised but smiling knowingly at him all the same. "This is Meron, and he needs a healer's attention at once. I have been unable to properly tend his wounds with the supplies I had, but with the grace of Eru he is still alive."
Calathi's fiance took a moment to grasp what she had just said as Telmon stepped beside the couple. "Good day, my Lady," he said quickly, bowing to the future princess. "If it suits you, I shall remain here with Meron and allow the Prince to escort you to the site of our camp. Legolas, send a few soldiers back here to assist me in carrying the wounded elf."
The lady nodded weakly, fatigue creeping through her body. "Meron?" she asked as she was led away by the Prince.
"I'll be fine, Calathi," he answered reassuringly. Satisfied, she trudged beside Legolas as they left the sight of Telmon and her friend.
"Limraer," Legolas inquired, watching his fiance's unfocused eyes stare straight ahead, "are you feeling well?"
"Hm?" she mumbled, turning her head to look at him. She stumbled then, Legolas catching her as she struggled to stand upright. Her knees were weak, and the Prince scooped her into his arms as his worry multiplied. "I apologize, melamin... I don't wish for you to think that I am weak..."
"Never, my Princess... you are the strongest elf I know." She smiled faintly even as she drifted to sleep. "You are safe now..." he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Amin mela lle..."
"Love you," she mumbled. Legolas chuckled, hurrying to reach the camp site.
***** Okay everyone – the next chapter is almost complete (and very long), so I shall finish and post it the next chance I get. I intend to finish this story, if it's the last thing I do. ^_^ So thank you to anyone who is still reading this and has faith in me. I appreciate everything.
Well, I could apologize profusely for my laziness in typing up this next chapter for Calathi (which has been written for a while now), but I know that anyone still interested in the culmination of my story probably won't even read this announcement and will jump straight to the actual chapter. So, without further ado, here it is:
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Survival
Bright sunlight shone into Calathi's eyes as she awoke, and she moaned at the ache in her stiff body. Cold and tired, with hunger gnawing at her stomach, she sat up and saw the dying embers of her fire before her. Instantly she remembered the events of earlier and she turned quickly to see that her friend was staring at her with a slight smile playing over his lips. Calathi gasped, putting her hands over her face in a mix of disbelief and joy.
"Meron!!" she shouted, lunging to hug him.
"I'm not healed yet, you know... that hurts," Meron replied, grimacing slightly. Calathi sat up again, looking guilty.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry Meron.. You just do not know how happy I am to see you a –" she faltered here, thinking that saying 'alive' would not be best in this situation. "Awake," she finished.
"So, mighty healer... you believe I will make it then?"
"Of course!" she shouted, springing up and nearly tripping over her leaden feet as she ran toward her mare. "I'll get you something to eat," she said over her shoulder. Larape nudged her in greeting as she fumbled through her sack, a frown forming over her face and creasing her brow. The only sustenance she found was a few crusts of bread and another couple of apples. *Oh, for the love of –*
She tramped back to Meron, whose eyes were now closed again. "Meron?" she asked, becoming worried.
"Yes?" he answered, reopening his eyes, now dancing with laughter at Calathi's concern.
"Just... stay with me, all right?" She bent over him and lifted his tunic to check the wounds on his chest. A small amount of blood had soaked through the bandages, but they would have to do for now as she had no other cloth to spare. She held out an apple. "Think you could get this down? I can make a stew out of it if it's too potent for your stomach."
"I think I can manage," he replied, grinning. This was more like the Meron she knew, which was good news, considering the state of things. Allowing her hopes of a full recovery to rise, she grinned back and touched his cheek, grimy from the mingling sweat and blood as well as dirt from the previous battle. Calathi herself ate nothing, reserving all she could for the person that would truly need it.
"I've missed you, limraer," Meron whispered. Calathi focused her attention on him again. "You have no idea how dull it was here without you."
Smiling faintly, she took his hand in her own. "I've missed you also," she answered. "So much has happened since I left... I don't even know where to begin describing it all."
"Start at the beginning," he suggested. "I heard that you had quite the adventure on the journey to the palace."
She frowned. "You cannot be serious," Calathi replied dubiously. "I will not sit here and babble on about my escapades with you in this state of health."
"Why not? An entourage is on its way to Ilinar, is it not?"
"Well, yes, but –"
Meron cut her off with a nod. "Excellent. The only thing to do now is wait, so why not entertain me with a few of your stories?" He smiled at the exasperation on his friend's face.
"All right," she sighed. "Everything began with a little trouble from some goblins..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That night...
"Get some sleep," Calathi said gently after her friend had finished eating a meal of bread and an apple. Meron watched her suspiciously. Interpreting his look correctly, she grinned. "Don't worry about me. I had plenty to eat on my journey here, and I'm not the one that has wounds to heal."
He shook his head. "What about your own sleep? You need your rest if you're to take care of me," he replied, smiling.
"Someone has to keep watch. Seeing as how I'm the only one who can sit upright, I'll be the one to guard camp." Meron's eyes lit at the challenge, but Calathi stopped him before he could do something self- damaging. "Don't even think about it. If you try to get up I will sick my horse on you." He glanced at Larape, who snorted and shook her mane.
"I better not then."
"No," Calathi ordered. "You better not. Now try and sleep. I will wake you if I notice anything peculiar." Finally yielding, Meron laid back and stared up at the sky. Calathi pulled the blanket around his neck and kissed his cheek before going to the fire to kindle it.
With the flames crackling brightly, she sat back and stared at the sky herself. The storm clouds had dissolved by then, and the stars were shining as brilliantly as ever. Meron watched her, smiling at the relief and happiness in her face, before allowing his mind to wander in dreams.
*Thank the Valar he is safe,* Calathi thought. Hunger was beginning to gnaw at her stomach, but with only a tiny bit of bread left, she had to save it for her companion. She could almost sense Legolas' nearness, and hoped that he'd arrive quickly. Feeling slightly apprehensive, she retrieved her sword from Larape's pack. With its comforting weight in her lap, she sat back against a tree trunk to await the coming dawn.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Legolas looked at the scenery around him in shock. The other elves in his escort had also stopped and appeared to have feelings akin to his own. Two days and nights had passed since their departure from the palace, and when the weary group had finally neared Ilinar the following morning, dread hung in the air. The foreboding feelings were explained by the rubble and ruin around them now, the remains of an entire village laid waste.
Telmon was the first to react. "I cannot believe this..." he muttered. "We slaughtered the main part of the goblin forces, did we not? How could the lingering rabble create such destruction?"
"'Twas no rabble of goblins that did this," Legolas growled. "The people here were trained in defense, I know for sure. Many of Mirkwood's soldiers come from this area of the forest."
"But, that would mean..."
"Yes, Telmon, I believe it means just what you and everyone here are probably thinking," he stated, glancing around at the cheerless faces of his comrades. "I believe we have greatly underestimated the size of the goblin army." Legolas looked at the desolation grimly. "This is the price for such a mistake."
"Pardon my boldness, sir," another elf inquired hesitantly, "but perhaps, with such vital news for the kingdom, we should retrieve the Lady Calathi and summarily complete our mission here?"
"I wholeheartedly agree," Legolas answered. "Search the debris for any possible survivors," he ordered, his princely command coming forth. "Call me immediately if my fiance is found. Telmon, choose three elves to search with you and I in the surrounding woods." The elves nodded, going about their appointed tasks with haste.
A few moments later, one elf cried out. "Oi! My Lord! Come quickly!" Legolas ran to where the excited soldier was standing. "Sir, look at these prints. They are very peculiar indeed."
"So they are," he agreed. Four rather deep impressions were in the snow, along with several unrecognizable markings. It was then that he noticed a very light, almost imperceptible trail leading from the impressions. Following them a short distance, with the intrigued elf tagging along behind him, Legolas saw that the trail led them into the trees.
"Telmon!" he called, motioning for his comrade to accompany him. Telmon raced to his captain's side, awareness lighting in his eyes, and the two of them trotted deeper into the woods, hunting along the unknown trail for the Princess-to-be.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Calathi pinched herself for the umpteenth time to keep from giving in to the exhaustion she felt. Meron still slept soundly beside her, his breathing even. She watched the rhythmic movement of his chest, needing that reassurance that he would live to see another battle and many more injuries. As long as help arrived soon, she believed, her friend would be all right.
Herself, however, Calathi wasn't so sure about. She had not eaten since her last night at the palace, and there was no food with which to ease the pain in her stomach. Hunger, however, is only temporary – there would be many mental wounds to deal with once this ordeal was over. She hadn't yet come to terms with the death of her parents and lifelong neighbors, and her wedding ceremony was less than a fortnight away. How in the world would she deal with everything that was happening?
Abruptly, she rose. Her sharp hearing alerted her to the crunch of snow a short distance away, beyond the dense foliage surrounding the clearing. *Goblins?* she wondered. Perhaps not – she would have smelt them before hearing them, and goblins usually did not travel as quietly as whatever was approaching. Besides, Larape continued to nibble on fallen twigs, and she did not appear fidgety or uneasy in the least. Could it be...?
Legolas pushed through the bush and stopped. Calathi, pale and trembling with alarm, stood not ten paces from him, grasping the hilt of Methlai in her hand. She dropped it at the sight of him, running forward to wrap him in her embrace. "Oh, limraer, I'm so glad you're all right," he whispered, holding her tightly to him.
"I'm sorry, Legolas, I should not have acted so brashly. I will give you a proper hello when time allows it." She pulled away, the Prince frowning at her worn features as she immediately took his hand and led him to her conscious friend. Legolas was shocked to see the elf lying in the snow, battered and bruised but smiling knowingly at him all the same. "This is Meron, and he needs a healer's attention at once. I have been unable to properly tend his wounds with the supplies I had, but with the grace of Eru he is still alive."
Calathi's fiance took a moment to grasp what she had just said as Telmon stepped beside the couple. "Good day, my Lady," he said quickly, bowing to the future princess. "If it suits you, I shall remain here with Meron and allow the Prince to escort you to the site of our camp. Legolas, send a few soldiers back here to assist me in carrying the wounded elf."
The lady nodded weakly, fatigue creeping through her body. "Meron?" she asked as she was led away by the Prince.
"I'll be fine, Calathi," he answered reassuringly. Satisfied, she trudged beside Legolas as they left the sight of Telmon and her friend.
"Limraer," Legolas inquired, watching his fiance's unfocused eyes stare straight ahead, "are you feeling well?"
"Hm?" she mumbled, turning her head to look at him. She stumbled then, Legolas catching her as she struggled to stand upright. Her knees were weak, and the Prince scooped her into his arms as his worry multiplied. "I apologize, melamin... I don't wish for you to think that I am weak..."
"Never, my Princess... you are the strongest elf I know." She smiled faintly even as she drifted to sleep. "You are safe now..." he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Amin mela lle..."
"Love you," she mumbled. Legolas chuckled, hurrying to reach the camp site.
***** Okay everyone – the next chapter is almost complete (and very long), so I shall finish and post it the next chance I get. I intend to finish this story, if it's the last thing I do. ^_^ So thank you to anyone who is still reading this and has faith in me. I appreciate everything.