*Disclaimer* This could get old. I'll have at least 20 more chapters, and I can't think of an original disclaimer every time... needless to say, if it doesn't sound like I own it, I probably don't.
Chapter 8- Run in with the Riders
A/N: I realize the Riders weren't this despotic and Elf-hating, but I claim a bit of artistic license on that. Now, read on!
Delaney had been volunteered by Rose to be the one in control when the escape actually took place. It wasn't that Rose was scared; far from it. It had just been rationalized that since she had been the brains behind it, she would remember better what to do, and to do it correctly. She ran through it again in her mind. It was fool-proof. Would it be the undoing of the plot? Silent as nightfall, she crept through the empty halls, dressed in midnight-black. The only thing that would give away her position to a not particularly observant person was the glint of moonlight off her eyes. -It's too quiet. Even for night. Is ever this quiet around here?- Rosellyn sounded a little tense, to say the least. ~Outside, maybe. Never in here. There's always someone around here. How could they possibly know?~ -I have no clue. Maybe someone tipped her off.- ~So what do we do?~ -Well, when the game is up, you do exactly what these people least expect you to do.- ~Which is?~ -Look at it this way. They know you're smart, and they might even know Legolas's been helping you. They know that this plan is blunder-proof.- ~Kindly get to the point of this before dawn, please. What do they least expect you to do?~ -I should think you'd seen this. The answer is obvious. Blunder.- She left Rose to mull over that while she went in the opposite direction that was planned. It was fool-proof now. It would be even better once she got finished with it.
She climbed out the nearest window and quietly scaled up to the top. She looked around carefully, perched on the highest point like some sort of cat. Then she caught sight of something moving. Common Elf this was not; Delaney in her ignorance might have thought twice, but Rose could not. Linka was lying in wait on one platform, Awaren where it was planned for Legolas to have her escape. ~Are you thinking?~ Only Rose could be that clever under pressure. -As fast as I can. If only that stupid black steel wasn't in the water! We could swim. Umm. A boat. Something to float on, at least, so we won't get wet...- Her eyes lit up in the dark. Rose sounded edgy, even more so than usual. ~Oh no. I don't like this. What are you thinking? Come on, let me in on it. What are you going to make my body do? It better not be anything too-~ -Just shut up, okay? How stupid would I have to be to actually knowingly inflict bodily harm on myself, yourself, us, you get it. Whatever. Just keep your mental hair on, okay?- Rose blew a frustrated sigh, but kept silent, trusting Delaney. No pressure. As quiet as Rose's Elf abilities would allow, she climbed down to her room and got the wooden tub that she took baths in, made of a light wood and carved within an inch of its life. ~Paddles! We can't use our hands, remember?~ Delaney heaved a sigh, her concentration broken. -Duh. I realize that. Just-just give me a second, be quiet-. She stared around the room, frantically searching for something that would serve for a paddle. Nothing. -Come on, I'm hanging here. I need something! Time's running out. Dawn is only a few hours away!- ~Nothing. I've got nothing.~ She was so frustrated she could almost taste it. Something had to work... Delaney remembered her old stand-by and threw herself down on the floor. But this wasn't the human world. Maybe it wouldn't work. No, it had to. Teens were teens. She wriggled under the bed and felt around. Her heart stopped as she felt something long and wooden. Hardly daring to breathe, she pulled it out. A long wooden spatula, a very dusty spatula. She did her little victory dance, waving around the item. ~How did that get there?~ asked Rose, almost dead with relief and surprise. It wasn't over yet, though. She readied the small craft, but didn't board it. Then she ran as fast as she could to the kitchen. ~What are you doing?! We need to get away! One hour to dawn, remember?~ She pushed on doggedly, not bothering to answer such a stupid remark. She dashed into the kitchen and crashed accidentally-on-purpose into a supply closet of pots and pans. Then she banged the window open and ran out again. Right on schedule, Elves burst into the kitchen, looking for the midnight mischief maker. By the time they realized no one was in there, Delaney was half-way across the lake, paddling doggedly with her make-shift boat and oar.
Legolas met her on the shore, shaking his head in amazement.
"Why are you in a bath tub, paddling with a spatula? I thought we had made plans a bit more sophisticated than that." She shook him off and began running.
"Not now," she hissed, "I still need to get to Dam's. I'll explain there." He shrugged and put on a turn of speed, catching up with her easily. It was just not fair that someone could be that good-looking and athletic. Some Elves just get all the luck. They were almost there when a cry rang through the dark.
"Oy! You! Stop! Stop her! Stop them!" Delaney cursed and sped up, Legolas easily keeping stride. She had a feeling that he was only running this fast so she could keep up. The idea outraged her and she ran faster, feet stamping the ground, all Elf sense of silence out the window. Something ate at her mind, though. Linka couldn't possibly have gotten across so fast; and that voice didn't sound like anyone she knew... A stitch in her side started to form; she ignored it gamely and expelled the breath fiercely through her nose.
"Come on, Rosellyn, you can run faster than that, run!" Legolas put on a turn of speed. She narrowed her eyes and put all her remaining energy into catching up with the cocky Elf-prince. With a final burst, she out-distanced him and collapsed on the foot of the steps to Damita's house. She laid there, gasping vainly for breath as Legolas ran up, only breathing slightly heavy. "Can you get up?" She tried, but her muscles had turned to water. Arms shaking, she collapsed, shaking her head weakly. "You've come too far to be caught so close. Come here." He picked her up gently, then sprinted up the steps as fast as he could with his burden. Cries became more audible. She frowned. She was right! They weren't Elven!
"Those two ran up there! Quick, before they tell the others!" Tell the others what? Rose impatiently transmitted a scene she had witnessed, but Delaney had been too preoccupied to notice. She was getting out of the bath tub on the shore. Sound was cut off, but in the corner of her imaginary mind, there was movement. Men, by their height, burying something. She knew instantly what it was, without Rose's prod. Black steel!
"Riders!" she yelled, "Put me down!" His lips were pressed in a thin line, and he did not slow down a whit.
"You're not strong enough!" he shouted above the mounting cries, skillfully ducking an arrow.
"I am now!" she retorted, and wrenched herself out, landing hard on the narrow steps, just as the first Men surged up the stairs. With the quiver he was never without, Legolas quickly strung his bow and launched arrow after arrow into the seething ranks.
"Rosellyn! Get behind me!" She scrambled to her feet and unsheathed her knives, the twirling steel flashing deadly patterns in the night.
"No, I'll get next to you," she retorted with a smile, adrenaline rushing through her veins at the prospect of a skirmish. The Men who had ducked under Legolas's arrows rushed at them, stupidly thinking the Elf girl would be easy game. With impossible to follow speed, she dropped two with a cry and whirled to face the others. They stepped back, unsure, none seeming too eager to try their luck against the inseperable duo. Legolas's arrows made up their minds for them, and they turned to run, but met with an impenatrable wall of Elven warriors. Suddenly, two teens seemed like a better bet. They turned again and tried again, this time in full force. Legolas unsheathed his knives, and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, faces grim. At the first clash, four fell and were trampled as the rest tried to cut through to freedom. Legolas took a small slash on his cheek, and the way he blatantly ignored it, a small line of red tracing across his cheekbone, made his wild-eyed appearance all the more frightening. Rosellyn surged into control, having a better head for battle, just as she took a slight thrust to the shoulder.
If Delaney hadn't dropped back in that second, she probably would have fainted from that cut; with an overload of adrenaline, the pain was only a distant annoyance as Rosellyn dropped the offending Man. By that time, the rest of the Elves caught up with them, and the job was quickly finished. As everyone stood around, chests heaving for breath, Linka stepped up daintily. In her flowing green dress, the Elf queen looked wantonly out of place on the bloodied steps. Catching her breath, Rosellyn looked up at her.
"I suppose this means I'm caught?" she asked with a slight grin. Linka smiled at Damita's approach, the Elf-wife timidly shocked at the sight of battle on her steps.
"I would not be that cold-hearted, my dear. To fool myself and hold the steps of Damita's flet with only yourself and young Greenleaf here is enough to earn you an amnesty. I trust your most recent injury is not serious?" She shook her head wearily, bone-deep exhaustion coming back into her body. Running, fighting, and lack of sleep...her body was protesting at the top of its hypothetical lungs. Legolas looked at her concernedly, guessing what was going on, but saying nothing.
"No...it's just superficial...hi, Dam, nice...to see...you...again..." Her legs buckled underneath her, and she was comotose before Legolas caught her.
A/N: They always seem to be in that position, but it never has a hint of romance in it...ah well, if you support this fic, you might be rewarded if you stay faithful!
Chapter 8- Run in with the Riders
A/N: I realize the Riders weren't this despotic and Elf-hating, but I claim a bit of artistic license on that. Now, read on!
Delaney had been volunteered by Rose to be the one in control when the escape actually took place. It wasn't that Rose was scared; far from it. It had just been rationalized that since she had been the brains behind it, she would remember better what to do, and to do it correctly. She ran through it again in her mind. It was fool-proof. Would it be the undoing of the plot? Silent as nightfall, she crept through the empty halls, dressed in midnight-black. The only thing that would give away her position to a not particularly observant person was the glint of moonlight off her eyes. -It's too quiet. Even for night. Is ever this quiet around here?- Rosellyn sounded a little tense, to say the least. ~Outside, maybe. Never in here. There's always someone around here. How could they possibly know?~ -I have no clue. Maybe someone tipped her off.- ~So what do we do?~ -Well, when the game is up, you do exactly what these people least expect you to do.- ~Which is?~ -Look at it this way. They know you're smart, and they might even know Legolas's been helping you. They know that this plan is blunder-proof.- ~Kindly get to the point of this before dawn, please. What do they least expect you to do?~ -I should think you'd seen this. The answer is obvious. Blunder.- She left Rose to mull over that while she went in the opposite direction that was planned. It was fool-proof now. It would be even better once she got finished with it.
She climbed out the nearest window and quietly scaled up to the top. She looked around carefully, perched on the highest point like some sort of cat. Then she caught sight of something moving. Common Elf this was not; Delaney in her ignorance might have thought twice, but Rose could not. Linka was lying in wait on one platform, Awaren where it was planned for Legolas to have her escape. ~Are you thinking?~ Only Rose could be that clever under pressure. -As fast as I can. If only that stupid black steel wasn't in the water! We could swim. Umm. A boat. Something to float on, at least, so we won't get wet...- Her eyes lit up in the dark. Rose sounded edgy, even more so than usual. ~Oh no. I don't like this. What are you thinking? Come on, let me in on it. What are you going to make my body do? It better not be anything too-~ -Just shut up, okay? How stupid would I have to be to actually knowingly inflict bodily harm on myself, yourself, us, you get it. Whatever. Just keep your mental hair on, okay?- Rose blew a frustrated sigh, but kept silent, trusting Delaney. No pressure. As quiet as Rose's Elf abilities would allow, she climbed down to her room and got the wooden tub that she took baths in, made of a light wood and carved within an inch of its life. ~Paddles! We can't use our hands, remember?~ Delaney heaved a sigh, her concentration broken. -Duh. I realize that. Just-just give me a second, be quiet-. She stared around the room, frantically searching for something that would serve for a paddle. Nothing. -Come on, I'm hanging here. I need something! Time's running out. Dawn is only a few hours away!- ~Nothing. I've got nothing.~ She was so frustrated she could almost taste it. Something had to work... Delaney remembered her old stand-by and threw herself down on the floor. But this wasn't the human world. Maybe it wouldn't work. No, it had to. Teens were teens. She wriggled under the bed and felt around. Her heart stopped as she felt something long and wooden. Hardly daring to breathe, she pulled it out. A long wooden spatula, a very dusty spatula. She did her little victory dance, waving around the item. ~How did that get there?~ asked Rose, almost dead with relief and surprise. It wasn't over yet, though. She readied the small craft, but didn't board it. Then she ran as fast as she could to the kitchen. ~What are you doing?! We need to get away! One hour to dawn, remember?~ She pushed on doggedly, not bothering to answer such a stupid remark. She dashed into the kitchen and crashed accidentally-on-purpose into a supply closet of pots and pans. Then she banged the window open and ran out again. Right on schedule, Elves burst into the kitchen, looking for the midnight mischief maker. By the time they realized no one was in there, Delaney was half-way across the lake, paddling doggedly with her make-shift boat and oar.
Legolas met her on the shore, shaking his head in amazement.
"Why are you in a bath tub, paddling with a spatula? I thought we had made plans a bit more sophisticated than that." She shook him off and began running.
"Not now," she hissed, "I still need to get to Dam's. I'll explain there." He shrugged and put on a turn of speed, catching up with her easily. It was just not fair that someone could be that good-looking and athletic. Some Elves just get all the luck. They were almost there when a cry rang through the dark.
"Oy! You! Stop! Stop her! Stop them!" Delaney cursed and sped up, Legolas easily keeping stride. She had a feeling that he was only running this fast so she could keep up. The idea outraged her and she ran faster, feet stamping the ground, all Elf sense of silence out the window. Something ate at her mind, though. Linka couldn't possibly have gotten across so fast; and that voice didn't sound like anyone she knew... A stitch in her side started to form; she ignored it gamely and expelled the breath fiercely through her nose.
"Come on, Rosellyn, you can run faster than that, run!" Legolas put on a turn of speed. She narrowed her eyes and put all her remaining energy into catching up with the cocky Elf-prince. With a final burst, she out-distanced him and collapsed on the foot of the steps to Damita's house. She laid there, gasping vainly for breath as Legolas ran up, only breathing slightly heavy. "Can you get up?" She tried, but her muscles had turned to water. Arms shaking, she collapsed, shaking her head weakly. "You've come too far to be caught so close. Come here." He picked her up gently, then sprinted up the steps as fast as he could with his burden. Cries became more audible. She frowned. She was right! They weren't Elven!
"Those two ran up there! Quick, before they tell the others!" Tell the others what? Rose impatiently transmitted a scene she had witnessed, but Delaney had been too preoccupied to notice. She was getting out of the bath tub on the shore. Sound was cut off, but in the corner of her imaginary mind, there was movement. Men, by their height, burying something. She knew instantly what it was, without Rose's prod. Black steel!
"Riders!" she yelled, "Put me down!" His lips were pressed in a thin line, and he did not slow down a whit.
"You're not strong enough!" he shouted above the mounting cries, skillfully ducking an arrow.
"I am now!" she retorted, and wrenched herself out, landing hard on the narrow steps, just as the first Men surged up the stairs. With the quiver he was never without, Legolas quickly strung his bow and launched arrow after arrow into the seething ranks.
"Rosellyn! Get behind me!" She scrambled to her feet and unsheathed her knives, the twirling steel flashing deadly patterns in the night.
"No, I'll get next to you," she retorted with a smile, adrenaline rushing through her veins at the prospect of a skirmish. The Men who had ducked under Legolas's arrows rushed at them, stupidly thinking the Elf girl would be easy game. With impossible to follow speed, she dropped two with a cry and whirled to face the others. They stepped back, unsure, none seeming too eager to try their luck against the inseperable duo. Legolas's arrows made up their minds for them, and they turned to run, but met with an impenatrable wall of Elven warriors. Suddenly, two teens seemed like a better bet. They turned again and tried again, this time in full force. Legolas unsheathed his knives, and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, faces grim. At the first clash, four fell and were trampled as the rest tried to cut through to freedom. Legolas took a small slash on his cheek, and the way he blatantly ignored it, a small line of red tracing across his cheekbone, made his wild-eyed appearance all the more frightening. Rosellyn surged into control, having a better head for battle, just as she took a slight thrust to the shoulder.
If Delaney hadn't dropped back in that second, she probably would have fainted from that cut; with an overload of adrenaline, the pain was only a distant annoyance as Rosellyn dropped the offending Man. By that time, the rest of the Elves caught up with them, and the job was quickly finished. As everyone stood around, chests heaving for breath, Linka stepped up daintily. In her flowing green dress, the Elf queen looked wantonly out of place on the bloodied steps. Catching her breath, Rosellyn looked up at her.
"I suppose this means I'm caught?" she asked with a slight grin. Linka smiled at Damita's approach, the Elf-wife timidly shocked at the sight of battle on her steps.
"I would not be that cold-hearted, my dear. To fool myself and hold the steps of Damita's flet with only yourself and young Greenleaf here is enough to earn you an amnesty. I trust your most recent injury is not serious?" She shook her head wearily, bone-deep exhaustion coming back into her body. Running, fighting, and lack of sleep...her body was protesting at the top of its hypothetical lungs. Legolas looked at her concernedly, guessing what was going on, but saying nothing.
"No...it's just superficial...hi, Dam, nice...to see...you...again..." Her legs buckled underneath her, and she was comotose before Legolas caught her.
A/N: They always seem to be in that position, but it never has a hint of romance in it...ah well, if you support this fic, you might be rewarded if you stay faithful!