Disclaimer: Just for the record, Adam Abeyta is a real person and I am
very much obsessed with him. blushes But he doesn't even know my name and
now lives in Grants. Plus, he's in 9th grade and I'm in 8th, so it's near
impossible according to the 'laws' of middle school and high school.
Yet again, I would like to give even more credit to Nikhila. She's been my
beta reader(not technically, but that's pretty much what she does.) and
given me loads of advice. She has a way of catching the smallest mistakes
that I never do and in the process, making me feel quite stupid... Without
her, I don't know where I'd be in my writing. Thanks a bunch, my supportive
bestest buddy!
Hope you're still liking it and keep reading!
Rusty
ps-Oh, and to any of my friends who read that, it really is true! I don't know what I would do without you all! You mean so much to me with everything you do and I can't imagine life without you! Thanks for being there for me whenever I'm in need of your help!
Pps- In the disclaimer for chapter one, I added this: "Ps- Oh, and by the way, in my story, Isengard was rebuilt after the War and Gandalf now lives there. I know it may bug some people, but nothing says that doesn't happen. The whole plot takes place BEFORE Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo, Galadriel, Celeborn, etc all leave on the White Ships." So, if you started reading this before I added that, you know what's going on.
Chapter Seven: Just a Flesh Wound
That morning, Rina was the first to rise. She looked around on the path they had traveled on just the day before to find a few small pieces of firewood. Legolas hovered over the fire and cooked the little deer meat they had brought over the tiny leaping flames. Ben and Ivellios were the next to get up and they went outside to feed the horses a bit of lembras. There was no grass anywhere to be seen in the mountains or else they would not be feeding the meek amount of food that they had to their steeds.
Aliana's eyes slowly opened when she heard all the noise Ben and Rina were making, arguing over how far into the mountains they were. Legolas watched them amusedly, knowing full well they were precisely half way through the mountains. Although, the rest of the way would be much harder and longer. They could no longer avoid the orcs. They wandered the paths ahead and there was no shelter that didn't usually contain a group of them.
The she elf rubbed her eyes and sat up under the watchful eyes of Ivellios. He snickered as she glanced at Legolas and her gaze hardened. Rina just rolled her eyes and continued in her argument. "I swear we're over halfway! These aren't the Misty Mountains here!"
"But they're still pretty big! We can't be halfway across yet!"
Aliana, feeling wide awake and in better spirits than last night, joined in. "Well, being as you two can't decide, I say we're exactly in the middle!"
Legolas laughed. "For being best friends, you three sure argue a lot! But Aliana was closest. We're pretty much right smack dab in the middle of the mountains. Not bad navigating, Aliana."
Rina mumbled under her breath so only Aliana could hear her. "Being as that was the only option left, you're really not as bright as he thinks you are, you know?"
Aliana crossed her arms and grinned broadly. All morning her triumph, if you could call it that, could be seen clearly across her face. All morning she gloated to Rina and Ben because she had been smarter than both of them. But her two friends thought there might be another reason she was gloating. Maybe because a certain elf had thought she was smart or maybe just the way he looked at her when he said it, but there was something else to her happy state and they knew it could only have come from one person noticing her in some way.
"Are you ready yet?!" Rina asked Aliana while everyone waited on the path and Aliana packed the remains of her lembras in her saddlebag.
"Yes," she said, rather dreamily.
Her happy mood didn't last for long, though. She was soon the quiet unfriendly elf she had been all the way up the mountains. Rina and Ben just shrugged. Legolas kept glancing back at her to make sure she hadn't pulled one of her loner stunts that she was now famous for and gaining hateful glare every time he did so. Ivellios smiled inwardly to himself, all the while, keeping a sharp eye out for orcs and goblins. Aliana paid her company no heed and stared in front of her to try and catch a glimpse of the Anduin in the distance.
About four hours into their journey, Aliana closed her eyes sleepily and yawned. "How much farther?"
Rina raised her eyebrows. "We've only been traveling for a few hours! You can't possibly be tired! You fell asleep before the rest of us last night and woke up last this morning!"
"Yeah, well, I am!" Aliana snapped. "So, would someone please tell me how much farther it is until we reach the Old Ford?!"
"Calm down, me heri," Legolas said calmly. "We have a few more hours yet to go, but we can take a short break right now, if you like."
"Yes, I would like that!" Aliana said irritably.
They company stopped and tied their horses to a long and pointed rock. Aliana pulled out a water jug from her pack and drank it quickly, a long awaited pleasure filling her eyes with each gulp. Rina walked near the edge of the cliff and glanced out over the horizon. Ivellios stood in the shadows of the mighty mountain which loomed up much higher than their actual standing spot upon it. Ben sat down beside Aliana and grabbed the water from her. "Hey! That's mine!"
"Didn't you ever learn to share?"
"Yes, but not when you have your own to drink!"
"I drank all mine!"
"So, that's not my problem!"
"Too bad!"
Legolas turned to face them and glowered at the two friends sharply. "Quiet! Both of you!"
He turned his gaze to the path in front of them and followed its winding direction for some time. When his eyes widened in fear, Aliana stood beside him and stared out in the same direction. Rina looked, but her human eyes could see nothing farther than about a mile. "What is it?"
"Orcs," Legolas whispered, half to himself.
Ivellios and Ben looked up immediately, their eyes filled with the same expression of fear and anxiety as Legolas. "What are we going to do?!"
"Calm down, Ben!" Rina commanded. "It's not that bad! We can take 'em!"
Legolas shook his head and looked at her dubiously. "I'm not so sure, Rina. They are many-probably a hundred or more. And I doubt any of you have very much experience in fighting."
Aliana stepped forward. "That's only about twenty-five each! I've had worse! And I bet I can fight better than you and Ivellios combined!"
"Is that right, me heri? And what about your friends?"
The three companions stared at the ground, somewhat embarrassed. Rina was the first to look up and speak. "Either way, we're stuck! Even I can see them now and there's nowhere to hide! We're going to have to fight them! Besides, Ben and I have read enough books about swordplay and fighting to know the basics. And I'm a fast learner."
"She is right, my Lord," Ivellios stated. "There is no other way. We shall have to fight them."
"Alright. But you three stay behind us! I don't want you fighting unless you have to!" The three shook their heads in compliance and stepped behind Ivellios who was now drawing his bow. "Ivellios, you and I shall shoot as many of them as possible from here."
"But I can shoot, too!" Rina protested.
"No!" Legolas snapped. "I don't want them to see you and shoot back!"
Both archers notched an arrow, aimed carefully, and fired at the approaching orcs, who didn't appear to have seen them yet. Rina watched in awe, amazed at how much cooler it was to see this in real life than on the movie screen. Ben glanced at his other friend and saw her grinning from ear to ear. When she noticed his watchful gaze, she quickly turned away. Ben smiled softly at her, knowing full well the pain she had inside. He knew she was in love, but afraid to admit it because it would be harder to leave.
Legolas and Ivellios had shot down about twenty of the orcs before the orcs reached them, shouting and brandishing their swords. Aliana drew her two long knives and held them firmly in each hand. Rina and Ben both pulled forth their swords and made practice swings in the air to test their skill. Quickly, the other two elves replaced their bows with weapons of their own-Legolas with two knives and Ivellios with a sword.
Although Legolas tried to make sure no fighting came to the three novice warriors-Ivellios couldn't have cared less-there was no way he could stop all those orcs from reaching them. They quickly ran past him and soon everyone was up to their elbows in swords, the nasty stench of orc, and blood. They were all spread out along the path and Legolas had no way to protect Rina or Ben. Aliana, he wasn't too worried about. He figured she probably could take care of herself in battle and believed her when she said she had experience.
Rina grinned broadly and aimed her sword right at an oncoming orc. "Bring it on!" It sliced right through his shoulder, but he still kept going to stab her in the thigh. Limping slightly, the determined girl pulled her sword from his bleeding shoulder and thrust it into his stomach. He fell to the ground, dead.
Legolas had already slain five more orcs and was fighting back-to- back with Ivellios on his six and seventh. Both of his enemies were fighting with all their strength, but could not match the speed and skill of their elven adversary. He had nothing but a scratch across his forehead to show for his victories.
Ben was having a little bit of trouble holding his sword. He dropped it consistently and twice, had to be defended by Rina or Legolas. After a time, he began to get the feel of the sword and master its weight and length. So, when faced with two orcs at once, he easily flung his sword in their general direction. The only problem was, he missed them both by about two feet. They charged at him, swords raised, and cornered him against a rock.
Rina, having heard her friend's cries, had ran through the crowd of orcs and dead bodies, still limping slightly, and stabbed one from behind. The other two turned to face her and Ben was given the chance to gain his composure before, slowly but surely, slicing off the head of an orc. Rina was then locked in combat with the remaining orc. She had gotten the hang of things pretty quickly and found it easy to maintain her wits in battle.
Ivellios, having been separated from Legolas, had been trying to slip away from the battle and seek shelter behind a large boulder. But eventually, he had been found by a hoard of orcs and forced to join the melee. With his sword in his sweaty grip, he swung his sword left to right, up and down, side to side. Most orcs backed off at his wild brandishing, but when they realized he had no sense of aim, they closed in around him. Ivellios looked fearful and let out a little shriek of panic.
Legolas pulled his weapon from the chest of a bloodied up orc and glanced to his left. "Ivellios!" he cried, while dashing to the aid of his comrade. He took the orcs by surprise and those that weren't dead-their body-parts dismembered by Legolas's skillful fighting-drew back in alarm. The two elves, now back-to-back again, fought off many of the orcs. All the while, Legolas kept glancing at those three not-so-experienced fighters to ensure their safety.
Three orcs had decided that Aliana looked like their easiest target and had soon been shown otherwise. Although she wasn't near as good as Legolas or Ivellios and was having quite a bit of trouble, the orcs had underestimated her and now found themselves dead in the dirt. She now fought a particularly large orc, probably the leader for his weapons were a little more decorative and higher quality.
She ducked down to avoid his heavy blow in the direction of her head and kicked her foot out at his ankle in an attempt to knock him down. But he regained his balance and thrust his sword down at her chest. It was stopped, however, when a long shiny sword, fresh with blood, pushed it the other way. Aliana glanced up at Ben and smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem." He began to reach down to help her up, but a big fist came down upon his head with a powerful force and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
Aliana stood up quickly. "Ben!" she screamed. Her yell alerted the others and they all turned around to see what was going on. Ivellios didn't see anything that really bothered him with this scenario, and he returned to his battle with a bloodthirsty orc. Rina grimaced, but, realizing there was nothing she could do, turned around and sliced the head off another orc.
"Leave him!" Legolas commanded. "There's nothing you can do for him now!" He was about to turn around when he saw an orc standing about ten feet away, having just shot an arrow. The black feather-tipped object sped through the air with alarming speed, right towards the elf maiden. "Aliana!"
But it was too late. The arrow struck her right below her shoulder, just inches away from its destination-her heart. Blood immediately issued from her wound and dripped all the way down her extremely tattered dress. Trying to blot out the pain-something she was quite good at by now-she continued to fight-slicing, stabbing, skewering, and pushing her way into the thick of the battle.
Legolas and Rina fought their way to her side with little difficulty. Only about twenty orcs remained, the rest dead or having run off, seeing no chance of victory. The elf maiden fought gallantly, but her loss of strength was apparent. Realizing this newfound weakness, the orcs ganged up on her. She was poked and prodded and didn't even put up a fight while Rina and Legolas tried desperately to get her away from their evil hoard. Ivellios just watched from a distance, happy to see this might well be the end of Aliana.
When the last orc had been slain, Aliana dropped to the ground, her eyes unfocused and lost. Legolas dropped both knives and dashed to her side, a new cut on his arm bleeding with a passion. Rina looked around to make sure no orc was hiding behind the rocks and they were all dead, then ran to the aid of her wounded friend. "Aliana!"
"It's just a flesh wound," Aliana said with a laughing moan.
"Are you alright?!"
"Do I look alright?!" she asked irritably.
Legolas stared at her wound and placed his hand on her chest, amazed that she didn't push him away. "The wound is deep to have come from an arrow. We need to get to Lothlorien as fast as possible! Only the hand of skilled elves, which I regretfully am not, can heal this wound!"
Aliana stared at his face and watched the tears hover just below his eyelids. It startled her to see so much sadness and worry in those eyes. She had always known he took a bit of a liking to her, but never realized how much that had grown in the past few weeks. She wondered how he could love such a stubborn, rude, and distant person who claimed to have no feelings for him at all.
Legolas lifted her to her feet and placed his arm around her waist. He began to help her walk over to the horses, her head resting gently on his shoulder. He untied his horse and turned to the girl. "You won't be able to ride by yourself like this."
Realizing at once what he meant, Aliana objected. "But why can't I ride with Rina?!" She gestured to her friend who was now lifting the unconscious Ben from the ground and dragging him to her horse, all the while scowling at Ivellios for not helping her.
"Because she is taking Ben with her, me heri."
Without waiting for a reply, Legolas picked Aliana up and placed her in the saddle, then proceeded to climb up after her. He placed on arm around her and in the other he held the reins. Rina rode up beside him, much in the same position with Ben. Ivellios tied the other two horses to his and mounted.
Trotting, almost galloping, the company made its way through the mountain pass. All the while, Legolas talked to Aliana, asking her the most random questions and telling her the most absurd things. Ivellios kept hoping some more orcs would attack them on their way to Lothlorien and cause them to spend more time here, endangering Aliana's life.
"My Lord, you're going to annoy the poor girl to death if you don't stop asking her these questions," he said when he discovered why Legolas was doing this.
"But if she falls asleep, we may loose her, Ivellios. This is only keeping her awake."
Ivellios frowned. If only Legolas wasn't so smart! He might have listened to him! It was growing much harder to set up an argument between those two and he was sure this was not helping matters. The only thing keeping Aliana awake was not the questions themselves, but the sound of Legolas's voice and his face constantly staring down at her, filled with love and concern. She was comforted by this and stayed awake just to feel his warm soothing breath against her cold, pale skin.
Rina began to notice that Aliana's replies to his stupid questions were not rude or sarcastic but calm and polite-something most unusual. Aliana seemed so innocent and quiet just sitting there in Legolas's arms that Rina wondered if this was the same person she had known all her life. The soft loving smile across her face told Rina that her friend was falling for this elf, and falling hard.
Rusty
ps-Oh, and to any of my friends who read that, it really is true! I don't know what I would do without you all! You mean so much to me with everything you do and I can't imagine life without you! Thanks for being there for me whenever I'm in need of your help!
Pps- In the disclaimer for chapter one, I added this: "Ps- Oh, and by the way, in my story, Isengard was rebuilt after the War and Gandalf now lives there. I know it may bug some people, but nothing says that doesn't happen. The whole plot takes place BEFORE Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo, Galadriel, Celeborn, etc all leave on the White Ships." So, if you started reading this before I added that, you know what's going on.
Chapter Seven: Just a Flesh Wound
That morning, Rina was the first to rise. She looked around on the path they had traveled on just the day before to find a few small pieces of firewood. Legolas hovered over the fire and cooked the little deer meat they had brought over the tiny leaping flames. Ben and Ivellios were the next to get up and they went outside to feed the horses a bit of lembras. There was no grass anywhere to be seen in the mountains or else they would not be feeding the meek amount of food that they had to their steeds.
Aliana's eyes slowly opened when she heard all the noise Ben and Rina were making, arguing over how far into the mountains they were. Legolas watched them amusedly, knowing full well they were precisely half way through the mountains. Although, the rest of the way would be much harder and longer. They could no longer avoid the orcs. They wandered the paths ahead and there was no shelter that didn't usually contain a group of them.
The she elf rubbed her eyes and sat up under the watchful eyes of Ivellios. He snickered as she glanced at Legolas and her gaze hardened. Rina just rolled her eyes and continued in her argument. "I swear we're over halfway! These aren't the Misty Mountains here!"
"But they're still pretty big! We can't be halfway across yet!"
Aliana, feeling wide awake and in better spirits than last night, joined in. "Well, being as you two can't decide, I say we're exactly in the middle!"
Legolas laughed. "For being best friends, you three sure argue a lot! But Aliana was closest. We're pretty much right smack dab in the middle of the mountains. Not bad navigating, Aliana."
Rina mumbled under her breath so only Aliana could hear her. "Being as that was the only option left, you're really not as bright as he thinks you are, you know?"
Aliana crossed her arms and grinned broadly. All morning her triumph, if you could call it that, could be seen clearly across her face. All morning she gloated to Rina and Ben because she had been smarter than both of them. But her two friends thought there might be another reason she was gloating. Maybe because a certain elf had thought she was smart or maybe just the way he looked at her when he said it, but there was something else to her happy state and they knew it could only have come from one person noticing her in some way.
"Are you ready yet?!" Rina asked Aliana while everyone waited on the path and Aliana packed the remains of her lembras in her saddlebag.
"Yes," she said, rather dreamily.
Her happy mood didn't last for long, though. She was soon the quiet unfriendly elf she had been all the way up the mountains. Rina and Ben just shrugged. Legolas kept glancing back at her to make sure she hadn't pulled one of her loner stunts that she was now famous for and gaining hateful glare every time he did so. Ivellios smiled inwardly to himself, all the while, keeping a sharp eye out for orcs and goblins. Aliana paid her company no heed and stared in front of her to try and catch a glimpse of the Anduin in the distance.
About four hours into their journey, Aliana closed her eyes sleepily and yawned. "How much farther?"
Rina raised her eyebrows. "We've only been traveling for a few hours! You can't possibly be tired! You fell asleep before the rest of us last night and woke up last this morning!"
"Yeah, well, I am!" Aliana snapped. "So, would someone please tell me how much farther it is until we reach the Old Ford?!"
"Calm down, me heri," Legolas said calmly. "We have a few more hours yet to go, but we can take a short break right now, if you like."
"Yes, I would like that!" Aliana said irritably.
They company stopped and tied their horses to a long and pointed rock. Aliana pulled out a water jug from her pack and drank it quickly, a long awaited pleasure filling her eyes with each gulp. Rina walked near the edge of the cliff and glanced out over the horizon. Ivellios stood in the shadows of the mighty mountain which loomed up much higher than their actual standing spot upon it. Ben sat down beside Aliana and grabbed the water from her. "Hey! That's mine!"
"Didn't you ever learn to share?"
"Yes, but not when you have your own to drink!"
"I drank all mine!"
"So, that's not my problem!"
"Too bad!"
Legolas turned to face them and glowered at the two friends sharply. "Quiet! Both of you!"
He turned his gaze to the path in front of them and followed its winding direction for some time. When his eyes widened in fear, Aliana stood beside him and stared out in the same direction. Rina looked, but her human eyes could see nothing farther than about a mile. "What is it?"
"Orcs," Legolas whispered, half to himself.
Ivellios and Ben looked up immediately, their eyes filled with the same expression of fear and anxiety as Legolas. "What are we going to do?!"
"Calm down, Ben!" Rina commanded. "It's not that bad! We can take 'em!"
Legolas shook his head and looked at her dubiously. "I'm not so sure, Rina. They are many-probably a hundred or more. And I doubt any of you have very much experience in fighting."
Aliana stepped forward. "That's only about twenty-five each! I've had worse! And I bet I can fight better than you and Ivellios combined!"
"Is that right, me heri? And what about your friends?"
The three companions stared at the ground, somewhat embarrassed. Rina was the first to look up and speak. "Either way, we're stuck! Even I can see them now and there's nowhere to hide! We're going to have to fight them! Besides, Ben and I have read enough books about swordplay and fighting to know the basics. And I'm a fast learner."
"She is right, my Lord," Ivellios stated. "There is no other way. We shall have to fight them."
"Alright. But you three stay behind us! I don't want you fighting unless you have to!" The three shook their heads in compliance and stepped behind Ivellios who was now drawing his bow. "Ivellios, you and I shall shoot as many of them as possible from here."
"But I can shoot, too!" Rina protested.
"No!" Legolas snapped. "I don't want them to see you and shoot back!"
Both archers notched an arrow, aimed carefully, and fired at the approaching orcs, who didn't appear to have seen them yet. Rina watched in awe, amazed at how much cooler it was to see this in real life than on the movie screen. Ben glanced at his other friend and saw her grinning from ear to ear. When she noticed his watchful gaze, she quickly turned away. Ben smiled softly at her, knowing full well the pain she had inside. He knew she was in love, but afraid to admit it because it would be harder to leave.
Legolas and Ivellios had shot down about twenty of the orcs before the orcs reached them, shouting and brandishing their swords. Aliana drew her two long knives and held them firmly in each hand. Rina and Ben both pulled forth their swords and made practice swings in the air to test their skill. Quickly, the other two elves replaced their bows with weapons of their own-Legolas with two knives and Ivellios with a sword.
Although Legolas tried to make sure no fighting came to the three novice warriors-Ivellios couldn't have cared less-there was no way he could stop all those orcs from reaching them. They quickly ran past him and soon everyone was up to their elbows in swords, the nasty stench of orc, and blood. They were all spread out along the path and Legolas had no way to protect Rina or Ben. Aliana, he wasn't too worried about. He figured she probably could take care of herself in battle and believed her when she said she had experience.
Rina grinned broadly and aimed her sword right at an oncoming orc. "Bring it on!" It sliced right through his shoulder, but he still kept going to stab her in the thigh. Limping slightly, the determined girl pulled her sword from his bleeding shoulder and thrust it into his stomach. He fell to the ground, dead.
Legolas had already slain five more orcs and was fighting back-to- back with Ivellios on his six and seventh. Both of his enemies were fighting with all their strength, but could not match the speed and skill of their elven adversary. He had nothing but a scratch across his forehead to show for his victories.
Ben was having a little bit of trouble holding his sword. He dropped it consistently and twice, had to be defended by Rina or Legolas. After a time, he began to get the feel of the sword and master its weight and length. So, when faced with two orcs at once, he easily flung his sword in their general direction. The only problem was, he missed them both by about two feet. They charged at him, swords raised, and cornered him against a rock.
Rina, having heard her friend's cries, had ran through the crowd of orcs and dead bodies, still limping slightly, and stabbed one from behind. The other two turned to face her and Ben was given the chance to gain his composure before, slowly but surely, slicing off the head of an orc. Rina was then locked in combat with the remaining orc. She had gotten the hang of things pretty quickly and found it easy to maintain her wits in battle.
Ivellios, having been separated from Legolas, had been trying to slip away from the battle and seek shelter behind a large boulder. But eventually, he had been found by a hoard of orcs and forced to join the melee. With his sword in his sweaty grip, he swung his sword left to right, up and down, side to side. Most orcs backed off at his wild brandishing, but when they realized he had no sense of aim, they closed in around him. Ivellios looked fearful and let out a little shriek of panic.
Legolas pulled his weapon from the chest of a bloodied up orc and glanced to his left. "Ivellios!" he cried, while dashing to the aid of his comrade. He took the orcs by surprise and those that weren't dead-their body-parts dismembered by Legolas's skillful fighting-drew back in alarm. The two elves, now back-to-back again, fought off many of the orcs. All the while, Legolas kept glancing at those three not-so-experienced fighters to ensure their safety.
Three orcs had decided that Aliana looked like their easiest target and had soon been shown otherwise. Although she wasn't near as good as Legolas or Ivellios and was having quite a bit of trouble, the orcs had underestimated her and now found themselves dead in the dirt. She now fought a particularly large orc, probably the leader for his weapons were a little more decorative and higher quality.
She ducked down to avoid his heavy blow in the direction of her head and kicked her foot out at his ankle in an attempt to knock him down. But he regained his balance and thrust his sword down at her chest. It was stopped, however, when a long shiny sword, fresh with blood, pushed it the other way. Aliana glanced up at Ben and smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem." He began to reach down to help her up, but a big fist came down upon his head with a powerful force and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
Aliana stood up quickly. "Ben!" she screamed. Her yell alerted the others and they all turned around to see what was going on. Ivellios didn't see anything that really bothered him with this scenario, and he returned to his battle with a bloodthirsty orc. Rina grimaced, but, realizing there was nothing she could do, turned around and sliced the head off another orc.
"Leave him!" Legolas commanded. "There's nothing you can do for him now!" He was about to turn around when he saw an orc standing about ten feet away, having just shot an arrow. The black feather-tipped object sped through the air with alarming speed, right towards the elf maiden. "Aliana!"
But it was too late. The arrow struck her right below her shoulder, just inches away from its destination-her heart. Blood immediately issued from her wound and dripped all the way down her extremely tattered dress. Trying to blot out the pain-something she was quite good at by now-she continued to fight-slicing, stabbing, skewering, and pushing her way into the thick of the battle.
Legolas and Rina fought their way to her side with little difficulty. Only about twenty orcs remained, the rest dead or having run off, seeing no chance of victory. The elf maiden fought gallantly, but her loss of strength was apparent. Realizing this newfound weakness, the orcs ganged up on her. She was poked and prodded and didn't even put up a fight while Rina and Legolas tried desperately to get her away from their evil hoard. Ivellios just watched from a distance, happy to see this might well be the end of Aliana.
When the last orc had been slain, Aliana dropped to the ground, her eyes unfocused and lost. Legolas dropped both knives and dashed to her side, a new cut on his arm bleeding with a passion. Rina looked around to make sure no orc was hiding behind the rocks and they were all dead, then ran to the aid of her wounded friend. "Aliana!"
"It's just a flesh wound," Aliana said with a laughing moan.
"Are you alright?!"
"Do I look alright?!" she asked irritably.
Legolas stared at her wound and placed his hand on her chest, amazed that she didn't push him away. "The wound is deep to have come from an arrow. We need to get to Lothlorien as fast as possible! Only the hand of skilled elves, which I regretfully am not, can heal this wound!"
Aliana stared at his face and watched the tears hover just below his eyelids. It startled her to see so much sadness and worry in those eyes. She had always known he took a bit of a liking to her, but never realized how much that had grown in the past few weeks. She wondered how he could love such a stubborn, rude, and distant person who claimed to have no feelings for him at all.
Legolas lifted her to her feet and placed his arm around her waist. He began to help her walk over to the horses, her head resting gently on his shoulder. He untied his horse and turned to the girl. "You won't be able to ride by yourself like this."
Realizing at once what he meant, Aliana objected. "But why can't I ride with Rina?!" She gestured to her friend who was now lifting the unconscious Ben from the ground and dragging him to her horse, all the while scowling at Ivellios for not helping her.
"Because she is taking Ben with her, me heri."
Without waiting for a reply, Legolas picked Aliana up and placed her in the saddle, then proceeded to climb up after her. He placed on arm around her and in the other he held the reins. Rina rode up beside him, much in the same position with Ben. Ivellios tied the other two horses to his and mounted.
Trotting, almost galloping, the company made its way through the mountain pass. All the while, Legolas talked to Aliana, asking her the most random questions and telling her the most absurd things. Ivellios kept hoping some more orcs would attack them on their way to Lothlorien and cause them to spend more time here, endangering Aliana's life.
"My Lord, you're going to annoy the poor girl to death if you don't stop asking her these questions," he said when he discovered why Legolas was doing this.
"But if she falls asleep, we may loose her, Ivellios. This is only keeping her awake."
Ivellios frowned. If only Legolas wasn't so smart! He might have listened to him! It was growing much harder to set up an argument between those two and he was sure this was not helping matters. The only thing keeping Aliana awake was not the questions themselves, but the sound of Legolas's voice and his face constantly staring down at her, filled with love and concern. She was comforted by this and stayed awake just to feel his warm soothing breath against her cold, pale skin.
Rina began to notice that Aliana's replies to his stupid questions were not rude or sarcastic but calm and polite-something most unusual. Aliana seemed so innocent and quiet just sitting there in Legolas's arms that Rina wondered if this was the same person she had known all her life. The soft loving smile across her face told Rina that her friend was falling for this elf, and falling hard.