Faulkner: Thank you for your patience (or lack thereof) for this chappie!
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"Eh..... Eh..... Ah-CHOOO!"
Ratchet's head came forward at the force of this latest sneeze. She shook her head as if to make the sneezes go away and sniffed.
"That is the fifth sneeze you've had this morning. Admit it, you are sick." Haldir said from beside her.
"I'm NOT SICK. It's just all this dust that's making my nose feel all funky." Ratchet explained. But her symptoms were saying otherwise.
Her throat had been dry and now her voice sounded like some sort of toad. Everything ached and her skin was overly sensitive to heat and cold. It was so bad that she had to walk around in a cloak to feel a constant comfortable temperature.
"It's not just your sneezing. Your voice sounds like some orc in it's death throes, and it's not cold enough to walk around in a cloak." Haldir insisted. "You are SICK."
"Oh, shut up. What would you know about being sick? Besides, even if I was sick - which i'm not - I could tough it out. What's a cold compared to some of these guys who probably need something cut off?" she retorted.
Even though Ratchet would never admit it, she WAS sick. And the march back to Lorien wasn't helping her either. Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, King Theoden, much of the more stronger survivors of Helms Deep, and surprisingly Gandalf, all went to Isengard. Ratchet had only understood that they were going there to check on some wizard named Saruman (the same guy who had sent the orc army) and see if he would surrender.
Haldir's condition had improved and he was, also surprisingly, able to march back to the Golden Wood the next day with the rest of his Elven army. Provided of course, that he was on a horse that the Rohirrim let him borrow. Ratchet had been overruled by at least twenty to follow the army back to Lothlorien to recuperate properly, even though she hadn't suffered anything except minor scrapes and bruises. Not counting the cut on her wrist.
But apparently, Ratchet had caught a cold from fighting out in the rain. And was miserable because of it. And marching next to Haldir's horse hadn't improved her mood much. He had continually noticed her condition and pestered her about it.
"At least take something for your sneeze." he continued.
"Shut UP! I am FINE, OK? FINE FINE FINE, FINE!" she yelled up at him. "Now stop badgering me about it and let me trudge in PEACE!"
Ratchet 'humphed' and pulled the borrowed cloak tighter around her. She started grumbling and kicked every rock that got in her way.
Except for the really big ones.
"Why couldn't I have gone with the others? At least they would be too busy to pester me about a little sneeze and sore throat. But noooooooooooo. I have to be with Haldir, the worrier, who is probably going to force some kind of crap down my throat. Ugh, I HATE cold medicine. Complete and utter nastiness." Ratchet ranted to herself.
Haldir sighed at the stubborness of mortals.
'She is just as stubborn as any male. It will get her into trouble one day, if it hasn't already.' Haldir thought to himself.
His attention returned to Ratchet as he heard an odd sound. She pulled some circular object from her strange pack with a string running to a bent object with two circles at the end. He watched as she closed the strange pack and returned it to her back.
"What is that?" Haldir asked and pointed to the bizzare object.
"What's what?" Ratchet asked.
"That thing in your hands."
Ratchet looked at the object dumbly, then up at Haldir. "It's a CD player. It plays music." she answered.
"What is a CD?" he asked.
The top of her CD player popped up and she pulled out a round slim object. "This is a CD. The music is recorded on this, and the CD player plays that music through these." and she held up the bent material with the two circles at the end. "These are headphones. You put these over your ears and music comes out of them. You can even adjust the volume of the music with this little switch." and she pointed to a little knob on the side of the CD player.
Ratchet put the CD back in the CD player and looked up at Haldir. Then back down at her CD player. She got a wicked look in her eye and grinned at Haldir.
"Maybe you could try it?" she suggested.
"What?" Haldir looked at the device in Ratchet's hands. "Is it dangerous?"
"Only if you throw it at somebody." Ratchet replied. "It can't do anything to hurt you of its own will. It's perfectly harmless."
Haldir studied the object again before hesitantly agreeing. He bent over so Ratchet could reach him and she put the headphones over his ears.
"Tell me if you need the volume lowered or raised." she told him before she pressed 'play'.
"It starts with
One thing/ I don't know why
Keep that in mind/ I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know
Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It's so unreal
Didn't look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold/ But didn't even know
Wasted it all just to
Watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried/ It all fell apart
What it meant to me/ Will eventually/ Be a memory/ Of a time when
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
And lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
One thing/ I don't know why
Doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind/ I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how
I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me/ I'm surprised
It got so (far)
Things aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried/ It all fell apart
What it meant to me/ Will eventually/ Be a memory/ Of a time when I
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
And lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
And for all this
There's only one thing you should know....
I put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
And for all this
There's only one thing you should know....
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
And lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter......"
Haldir silently took off the headphones and handed them over to Ratchet. Ratchet grinned up at him and put the headphones on.
"What did you think?" she asked him.
"It is an interesting device." Haldir answered.
"You Elves need to lighten up a bit. I swear, you people never have any fun."
When they stopped for the night, Haldir had to let his wound be checked over by one of his brothers. It was declared that his wound was nearly completely healed. He thanked his brother and went to check on Ratchet.
She was sitting on a large rock, her cloak pulled around her. Ratchet was staring off into space, her head on her knees.
"How are you feeling?" Haldir asked her.
"Fine." she answered in her hoarse voice.
"You don't sound fine. You are sick, whether you admit it or not."
Ratchet sighed and gave Haldir what she hoped was a withering glare.
"So i've got the sneezes and my voice sounds funky? Who gives a care? I'll be better in a few days."
"I'd feel better knowing you took something for it." Haldir pressed.
"Stop pestering me about it. I'll be fine. It's just a simple cold. You're acting like it could get worse and kill me. Newsflash Haldir! I'm gonna live through this little cold without any nasty medicine and gonna try to relax while i'm in Lorien. End of discussion."
Ratchet got up and got her share of lembas from an Elf who was passing it out. Then she sat back down as far away from the Elves as she dared to go. After eating her share, she used her pack as a pillow and curled up into a ball.
Haldir sighed and ate his portion of lembas. He settled himself against a boulder and relaxed as best he could. He silently wondered to himself why he couldn't have taken a shift at watch as he drifted into the open-eyed- not-quite-sleep of the Elves.
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A low moaning pulled Haldir from his dreamless sleep. He sat up straighter and scanned the area for any threats. The moaning came again and he followed the sound to it's source.
Ratchet.
He stiffly got up and walked silently across camp to the human. He knelt beside her and watched as her face belied the internal struggle of her dreams.
"Ratchet." he called softly and gently shook her. She moaned again and got a pitifully helpless look.
"Ratchet." he called again, shaking her a little bit harder.
"No....Lemme alone..... I don't want to choose!" she spoke helplessly in her dreams.
Haldir furrowed his brows and shook even harder.
With a gasp her eyes opened and sat up straight. But she was unsteady, and fell into Haldir, who caught her.
Ratchet stayed like that, gasping for breath. She had her eyes closed and clung to Haldir like he was the only thing that kept her alive. He did his best to help calm her by rubbing her back soothingly and gently rocking her.
Between her tightly closed eyes one lone tear slipped between her eyelids.
"I don't want to choose." she whispered. "He can't make me choose now that I know why."
"Choose what?" Haldir asked quietly.
"Don't make me choose Haldir. I don't want to choose." she very nearly whimpered.
Haldir thought that asking questions wouldn't get anywhere in the state that she was. So he only tried to settle her down.
"Shhhh. It's all right. You don't have to choose." he whispered to her. She visibly relaxed in his arms and briefly gripped him tighter in thanks.
He stopped rubbing her back, but continued to rock back and forth. Eventually her breathing evened out and her form became heavier, signalling that she was asleep.
He tried to lay her back down on the ground, but whenever he pulled her away from him, she got a deathgrip on him and whimpered ever so slightly. Finally, he decided to just sleep with her in his arms. He wasn't so heartless to wake her up when she had just found a peaceful sleep.
He carried her over to the boulder he had been resting against and settled himself against it again. Ratchet sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to Haldir unconciously. The Elf stiffened at this unconcious show of affection.
But he soon relaxed and went back to the Elvish equivalent of sleep.
But across the camp two eyes so much like Haldir's and a pair of blond heads watched the goings on.
The two Elves grinned at each other, and one murmured to his companion, Isn't it amazing what love can do? Even to one such as our brother?
Yes, quite amazing brother. Though I wonder what shall happen, hmmm? How will this story turn out? the other murmured back.
If we watch closely, we shall find out. the first said. Then they were both silent.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Faulkner: Who are the not-so-mysterious Elves in the night? Does Ratchet really not have to choose? And will poor Haldir be teased on the rest of the march to Lothlorien? Not even I know yet! Please review!!
Pinky: That song was In The End by Linkin' Park.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Eh..... Eh..... Ah-CHOOO!"
Ratchet's head came forward at the force of this latest sneeze. She shook her head as if to make the sneezes go away and sniffed.
"That is the fifth sneeze you've had this morning. Admit it, you are sick." Haldir said from beside her.
"I'm NOT SICK. It's just all this dust that's making my nose feel all funky." Ratchet explained. But her symptoms were saying otherwise.
Her throat had been dry and now her voice sounded like some sort of toad. Everything ached and her skin was overly sensitive to heat and cold. It was so bad that she had to walk around in a cloak to feel a constant comfortable temperature.
"It's not just your sneezing. Your voice sounds like some orc in it's death throes, and it's not cold enough to walk around in a cloak." Haldir insisted. "You are SICK."
"Oh, shut up. What would you know about being sick? Besides, even if I was sick - which i'm not - I could tough it out. What's a cold compared to some of these guys who probably need something cut off?" she retorted.
Even though Ratchet would never admit it, she WAS sick. And the march back to Lorien wasn't helping her either. Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, King Theoden, much of the more stronger survivors of Helms Deep, and surprisingly Gandalf, all went to Isengard. Ratchet had only understood that they were going there to check on some wizard named Saruman (the same guy who had sent the orc army) and see if he would surrender.
Haldir's condition had improved and he was, also surprisingly, able to march back to the Golden Wood the next day with the rest of his Elven army. Provided of course, that he was on a horse that the Rohirrim let him borrow. Ratchet had been overruled by at least twenty to follow the army back to Lothlorien to recuperate properly, even though she hadn't suffered anything except minor scrapes and bruises. Not counting the cut on her wrist.
But apparently, Ratchet had caught a cold from fighting out in the rain. And was miserable because of it. And marching next to Haldir's horse hadn't improved her mood much. He had continually noticed her condition and pestered her about it.
"At least take something for your sneeze." he continued.
"Shut UP! I am FINE, OK? FINE FINE FINE, FINE!" she yelled up at him. "Now stop badgering me about it and let me trudge in PEACE!"
Ratchet 'humphed' and pulled the borrowed cloak tighter around her. She started grumbling and kicked every rock that got in her way.
Except for the really big ones.
"Why couldn't I have gone with the others? At least they would be too busy to pester me about a little sneeze and sore throat. But noooooooooooo. I have to be with Haldir, the worrier, who is probably going to force some kind of crap down my throat. Ugh, I HATE cold medicine. Complete and utter nastiness." Ratchet ranted to herself.
Haldir sighed at the stubborness of mortals.
'She is just as stubborn as any male. It will get her into trouble one day, if it hasn't already.' Haldir thought to himself.
His attention returned to Ratchet as he heard an odd sound. She pulled some circular object from her strange pack with a string running to a bent object with two circles at the end. He watched as she closed the strange pack and returned it to her back.
"What is that?" Haldir asked and pointed to the bizzare object.
"What's what?" Ratchet asked.
"That thing in your hands."
Ratchet looked at the object dumbly, then up at Haldir. "It's a CD player. It plays music." she answered.
"What is a CD?" he asked.
The top of her CD player popped up and she pulled out a round slim object. "This is a CD. The music is recorded on this, and the CD player plays that music through these." and she held up the bent material with the two circles at the end. "These are headphones. You put these over your ears and music comes out of them. You can even adjust the volume of the music with this little switch." and she pointed to a little knob on the side of the CD player.
Ratchet put the CD back in the CD player and looked up at Haldir. Then back down at her CD player. She got a wicked look in her eye and grinned at Haldir.
"Maybe you could try it?" she suggested.
"What?" Haldir looked at the device in Ratchet's hands. "Is it dangerous?"
"Only if you throw it at somebody." Ratchet replied. "It can't do anything to hurt you of its own will. It's perfectly harmless."
Haldir studied the object again before hesitantly agreeing. He bent over so Ratchet could reach him and she put the headphones over his ears.
"Tell me if you need the volume lowered or raised." she told him before she pressed 'play'.
"It starts with
One thing/ I don't know why
Keep that in mind/ I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know
Time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It's so unreal
Didn't look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold/ But didn't even know
Wasted it all just to
Watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried/ It all fell apart
What it meant to me/ Will eventually/ Be a memory/ Of a time when
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
And lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
One thing/ I don't know why
Doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind/ I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how
I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me/ I'm surprised
It got so (far)
Things aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried/ It all fell apart
What it meant to me/ Will eventually/ Be a memory/ Of a time when I
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
And lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
And for all this
There's only one thing you should know....
I put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
And for all this
There's only one thing you should know....
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
And lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter......"
Haldir silently took off the headphones and handed them over to Ratchet. Ratchet grinned up at him and put the headphones on.
"What did you think?" she asked him.
"It is an interesting device." Haldir answered.
"You Elves need to lighten up a bit. I swear, you people never have any fun."
When they stopped for the night, Haldir had to let his wound be checked over by one of his brothers. It was declared that his wound was nearly completely healed. He thanked his brother and went to check on Ratchet.
She was sitting on a large rock, her cloak pulled around her. Ratchet was staring off into space, her head on her knees.
"How are you feeling?" Haldir asked her.
"Fine." she answered in her hoarse voice.
"You don't sound fine. You are sick, whether you admit it or not."
Ratchet sighed and gave Haldir what she hoped was a withering glare.
"So i've got the sneezes and my voice sounds funky? Who gives a care? I'll be better in a few days."
"I'd feel better knowing you took something for it." Haldir pressed.
"Stop pestering me about it. I'll be fine. It's just a simple cold. You're acting like it could get worse and kill me. Newsflash Haldir! I'm gonna live through this little cold without any nasty medicine and gonna try to relax while i'm in Lorien. End of discussion."
Ratchet got up and got her share of lembas from an Elf who was passing it out. Then she sat back down as far away from the Elves as she dared to go. After eating her share, she used her pack as a pillow and curled up into a ball.
Haldir sighed and ate his portion of lembas. He settled himself against a boulder and relaxed as best he could. He silently wondered to himself why he couldn't have taken a shift at watch as he drifted into the open-eyed- not-quite-sleep of the Elves.
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A low moaning pulled Haldir from his dreamless sleep. He sat up straighter and scanned the area for any threats. The moaning came again and he followed the sound to it's source.
Ratchet.
He stiffly got up and walked silently across camp to the human. He knelt beside her and watched as her face belied the internal struggle of her dreams.
"Ratchet." he called softly and gently shook her. She moaned again and got a pitifully helpless look.
"Ratchet." he called again, shaking her a little bit harder.
"No....Lemme alone..... I don't want to choose!" she spoke helplessly in her dreams.
Haldir furrowed his brows and shook even harder.
With a gasp her eyes opened and sat up straight. But she was unsteady, and fell into Haldir, who caught her.
Ratchet stayed like that, gasping for breath. She had her eyes closed and clung to Haldir like he was the only thing that kept her alive. He did his best to help calm her by rubbing her back soothingly and gently rocking her.
Between her tightly closed eyes one lone tear slipped between her eyelids.
"I don't want to choose." she whispered. "He can't make me choose now that I know why."
"Choose what?" Haldir asked quietly.
"Don't make me choose Haldir. I don't want to choose." she very nearly whimpered.
Haldir thought that asking questions wouldn't get anywhere in the state that she was. So he only tried to settle her down.
"Shhhh. It's all right. You don't have to choose." he whispered to her. She visibly relaxed in his arms and briefly gripped him tighter in thanks.
He stopped rubbing her back, but continued to rock back and forth. Eventually her breathing evened out and her form became heavier, signalling that she was asleep.
He tried to lay her back down on the ground, but whenever he pulled her away from him, she got a deathgrip on him and whimpered ever so slightly. Finally, he decided to just sleep with her in his arms. He wasn't so heartless to wake her up when she had just found a peaceful sleep.
He carried her over to the boulder he had been resting against and settled himself against it again. Ratchet sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to Haldir unconciously. The Elf stiffened at this unconcious show of affection.
But he soon relaxed and went back to the Elvish equivalent of sleep.
But across the camp two eyes so much like Haldir's and a pair of blond heads watched the goings on.
The two Elves grinned at each other, and one murmured to his companion, Isn't it amazing what love can do? Even to one such as our brother?
Yes, quite amazing brother. Though I wonder what shall happen, hmmm? How will this story turn out? the other murmured back.
If we watch closely, we shall find out. the first said. Then they were both silent.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Faulkner: Who are the not-so-mysterious Elves in the night? Does Ratchet really not have to choose? And will poor Haldir be teased on the rest of the march to Lothlorien? Not even I know yet! Please review!!
Pinky: That song was In The End by Linkin' Park.