A/N: Wow, I'm really close to finishing. It's almost sad, in a way. This has been fun. Maybe I'll make a sequel, just to REALLY annoy people...read on!
Chapter 39-Off to see the Warlord
"Miss, we have to get away!" Showing a presence of mind that Rosellyn wish she possessed in times of crisis, Demelin was pulling her along, taking advantage of the spider's preoccupation to escape. She ran with him, slightly shaken. How horrible to die like that, she thought, all enclosed, and struggling to breathe, watching the spider...she stumbled, and Demelin pulled her up. "Here now, I thought all Elves were graceful."
"I thought all Men were evil," she muttered. They slowed their pace, and Demelin looked at her quizzically.
"I'm afraid I don't follow." Rose stopped and leaned against a tree for support.
"Well, you didn't have to free me, and you didn't have to pull me away with you. I would have just stood there, and you would have gotten away. You even tried to run to your officer. I didn't know Men were like that."
"Come now, miss, I couldn't leave you for that spider. Maybe you're a fighter, but you're still a lady for all that. I couldn't abandon a lady, my mother's shade would be sure to haunt me. She taught me better than that."
"I'm glad she did," she said. Demelin straightened and took her by the elbow.
"As am I. Now come with me, miss." She wrenched free.
"No, I'm not going to your stupid Warlord!"
"Don't make me fight a woman, miss, because I'll have to if you resist. Please just come quiet." Several things occured to Rosellyn. One was that she would never be able to fight Demelin with the intent to kill. Rider or not, she had taken a liking to his bluff and honest ways. Two was that her former statement was untrue. She was trying to get to the Warlord. And Demelin might just save her a search. She tried to look like the fight had gone out of her, slumping slightly.
"I'll come quiet." -I just won't promise to stay that way,- she thought. Demelin nodded firmly.
"That's the way. Just follow me, put your bow up, and keep your hands where I can see them, please." She obeyed without complaint. This was the second time she had to act like a captive; when would it end? But she didn't have Legolas, this time. On the other hand, Demelin was much better company than Haltred and whoever. She closely followed the soldier, hoping to get through this encounter alive as well.
After awhile, Demelin broke the silence.
"I hate to ask, miss: how old are you?" Rosellyn sighed.
"1,472," she said. She could tell that wasn't making much sense to him. "That would be a teenager, in Men's years," she added. He nodded.
"I thought so, but I was wondering if that was your Elven sorcery, that made you look so young. Now I know; you are young. Why are they sending babies like you to fight a war? Or they out of grown fighters? And a girl!"
"Wait, a girl can fight, too! And no one sent me; I sent myself."
"Itching for action, so you snuck out?" She said nothing. If that's what he wanted to believe...he took her silence as a yes. "No shame, miss, no shame. I've thought of doing the same thing myself, many a time. Part of a reserve force, that's what I was sentry for. But the Warlord has spies...they know everything, it seems, even your thoughts. I couldn't run off, it would be under pain of death." Rosellyn winced in sympathy. Awaren had hit her, but at least he hadn't killed her.
"Spies among his own people?" she asked, "Doesn't he trust them?"
"The Warlord don't trust his army any further than he can throw them, miss. Only his high officers are truly loyal to him, and then not much. The rest...we pledged our loyalty to our king, not his upjumped door warden. He don't trust us any more than he has to." Rosellyn thought about that.
"Seems silly, I think." Demelin shook his head.
"You may have been in Middle Earth ten times what I have, or more, but you're still so young, to understand all this. I don't know why you're here, but the Warlord will find a use for you. He says children always make the best captives, like the two in the main camp." There was pity in his eyes. "I wish I didn't have to turn you over to him. You are a pretty little thing." There was no lust in his voice as he said it, only regret.
"You don't have to, you know," she said, stopping suddenly. "You could just let me go, no one would know." He shook his head, determined.
"There's where you're wrong. Somehow, the Warlord would know. He knows everything. It's more than my life is worth to set you free. I'm sorry." They began walking again. Rosellyn considered playing the sobbing prisoner with Demelin, but dismissed that idea. She had a feeling he wouldn't be fooled. However, if she played stupid in front of the Warlord...that could work. She could use Demelin's story, the child trying to escape her parents to play on the mainland. As far as the Warlord knew, she didn't know a thing about the defenses of Linka and Awaren's home, even though she had helped plan them herself, this night.
They continued in silence for a good ten minutes. Ten minutes! She couldn't hear anything from outside the sphere of light of the torch that Demelin had thought to light. The forest was always pitch-dark at night, but it had never felt quite so enclosed to her before. She hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. She couldn't hear fighting, or shouts, or war horns, or any such noise, only her footsteps, Demelin's, and the occaisional black squirrel making its way through the trees above them.
Had the battle in the main camp started? Had Legolas succeeded in his part of the plan, had Forest , had Tracie and Benvenue? What about Lostisil, or Nudringion? She wished she had some way of knowing. ~What you people need are walkie-talkies.~ said Della. Rose frowned. -Pray tell, what is a walkie-talkie, precisely?- Della kept her occupied for the rest of the trek, explaining about some little devices that sent your voice to a matching one. The Istari on Earth must be so much more advanced than theirs, to think of such a thing. But how did the voice get in the box, and how was it transferred from one box to another? Della admitted that she didn't know precisely. Rose thought that it sounded fascinating. A slight touch to her arm from Demelin brought her out of her thoughts.
"We're here at the Warlord's camp, miss," he said quietly. Rose put her head up bravely and followed him into the enemy's camp, into the camp of the Man she had detested from afar for so long.
A/N: Cue the ominous music!
Chapter 39-Off to see the Warlord
"Miss, we have to get away!" Showing a presence of mind that Rosellyn wish she possessed in times of crisis, Demelin was pulling her along, taking advantage of the spider's preoccupation to escape. She ran with him, slightly shaken. How horrible to die like that, she thought, all enclosed, and struggling to breathe, watching the spider...she stumbled, and Demelin pulled her up. "Here now, I thought all Elves were graceful."
"I thought all Men were evil," she muttered. They slowed their pace, and Demelin looked at her quizzically.
"I'm afraid I don't follow." Rose stopped and leaned against a tree for support.
"Well, you didn't have to free me, and you didn't have to pull me away with you. I would have just stood there, and you would have gotten away. You even tried to run to your officer. I didn't know Men were like that."
"Come now, miss, I couldn't leave you for that spider. Maybe you're a fighter, but you're still a lady for all that. I couldn't abandon a lady, my mother's shade would be sure to haunt me. She taught me better than that."
"I'm glad she did," she said. Demelin straightened and took her by the elbow.
"As am I. Now come with me, miss." She wrenched free.
"No, I'm not going to your stupid Warlord!"
"Don't make me fight a woman, miss, because I'll have to if you resist. Please just come quiet." Several things occured to Rosellyn. One was that she would never be able to fight Demelin with the intent to kill. Rider or not, she had taken a liking to his bluff and honest ways. Two was that her former statement was untrue. She was trying to get to the Warlord. And Demelin might just save her a search. She tried to look like the fight had gone out of her, slumping slightly.
"I'll come quiet." -I just won't promise to stay that way,- she thought. Demelin nodded firmly.
"That's the way. Just follow me, put your bow up, and keep your hands where I can see them, please." She obeyed without complaint. This was the second time she had to act like a captive; when would it end? But she didn't have Legolas, this time. On the other hand, Demelin was much better company than Haltred and whoever. She closely followed the soldier, hoping to get through this encounter alive as well.
After awhile, Demelin broke the silence.
"I hate to ask, miss: how old are you?" Rosellyn sighed.
"1,472," she said. She could tell that wasn't making much sense to him. "That would be a teenager, in Men's years," she added. He nodded.
"I thought so, but I was wondering if that was your Elven sorcery, that made you look so young. Now I know; you are young. Why are they sending babies like you to fight a war? Or they out of grown fighters? And a girl!"
"Wait, a girl can fight, too! And no one sent me; I sent myself."
"Itching for action, so you snuck out?" She said nothing. If that's what he wanted to believe...he took her silence as a yes. "No shame, miss, no shame. I've thought of doing the same thing myself, many a time. Part of a reserve force, that's what I was sentry for. But the Warlord has spies...they know everything, it seems, even your thoughts. I couldn't run off, it would be under pain of death." Rosellyn winced in sympathy. Awaren had hit her, but at least he hadn't killed her.
"Spies among his own people?" she asked, "Doesn't he trust them?"
"The Warlord don't trust his army any further than he can throw them, miss. Only his high officers are truly loyal to him, and then not much. The rest...we pledged our loyalty to our king, not his upjumped door warden. He don't trust us any more than he has to." Rosellyn thought about that.
"Seems silly, I think." Demelin shook his head.
"You may have been in Middle Earth ten times what I have, or more, but you're still so young, to understand all this. I don't know why you're here, but the Warlord will find a use for you. He says children always make the best captives, like the two in the main camp." There was pity in his eyes. "I wish I didn't have to turn you over to him. You are a pretty little thing." There was no lust in his voice as he said it, only regret.
"You don't have to, you know," she said, stopping suddenly. "You could just let me go, no one would know." He shook his head, determined.
"There's where you're wrong. Somehow, the Warlord would know. He knows everything. It's more than my life is worth to set you free. I'm sorry." They began walking again. Rosellyn considered playing the sobbing prisoner with Demelin, but dismissed that idea. She had a feeling he wouldn't be fooled. However, if she played stupid in front of the Warlord...that could work. She could use Demelin's story, the child trying to escape her parents to play on the mainland. As far as the Warlord knew, she didn't know a thing about the defenses of Linka and Awaren's home, even though she had helped plan them herself, this night.
They continued in silence for a good ten minutes. Ten minutes! She couldn't hear anything from outside the sphere of light of the torch that Demelin had thought to light. The forest was always pitch-dark at night, but it had never felt quite so enclosed to her before. She hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. She couldn't hear fighting, or shouts, or war horns, or any such noise, only her footsteps, Demelin's, and the occaisional black squirrel making its way through the trees above them.
Had the battle in the main camp started? Had Legolas succeeded in his part of the plan, had Forest , had Tracie and Benvenue? What about Lostisil, or Nudringion? She wished she had some way of knowing. ~What you people need are walkie-talkies.~ said Della. Rose frowned. -Pray tell, what is a walkie-talkie, precisely?- Della kept her occupied for the rest of the trek, explaining about some little devices that sent your voice to a matching one. The Istari on Earth must be so much more advanced than theirs, to think of such a thing. But how did the voice get in the box, and how was it transferred from one box to another? Della admitted that she didn't know precisely. Rose thought that it sounded fascinating. A slight touch to her arm from Demelin brought her out of her thoughts.
"We're here at the Warlord's camp, miss," he said quietly. Rose put her head up bravely and followed him into the enemy's camp, into the camp of the Man she had detested from afar for so long.
A/N: Cue the ominous music!