Chapter 21
The Black Eye
When Anayah opened her eyes again, the room was bright with the sun of a new day. Looking around her she almost burst out laughing when she saw her mighty Guards, Saeros, Súrion, Rahan and Semoro asleep and softly snoring while sitting in various uncomfortable positions in chairs they had drug in from somewhere else the night before. She sighed softly and almost instantly regretted her actions for when she did all four Guards came instantly awake.
"Sorry." She tried to smile then grimaced and grabbed her aching head with both hands for when she had smiled, the act had made her head feel like a company of dwarves had suddenly decided to burrow their way out of their new home with pickaxes. Rahan was immediately at her side, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand.
"I am encouraged, young one. Your fever is way down, and other than a magnificent headache, how do you feel?"
When she did not answer him immediately he bent over slightly so he could get a better look at her and when he did so found her staring at him, wide-eyed.
"What?"
She clamped a hand over her mouth and tried to strangle the laugh that had almost escaped. After a moment, when she had regained a certain measure of her self-control, she spoke.
"I am so sorry!" She reached out and touched his black eye, again almost laughing.
"Don't you even start on me for I have heard enough from these three!" He winked at her with his good eye. "Now let us take a look at your leg."
He was in the process of changing the bandage when there was a knock on the door and when Semoro opened it, the second-in-command raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Thorn was standing there.
When the human saw Anayah still in bed and looking extremely pale, and after hearing about the warg battle the five had fought the day before, he was a little unsure of how to approach the wounded she-elf. He had heard many stories about how all five had fought the wargs, and how their Captain had taken one of the filthy beasts down with his bare hands, and if the poor man had not been terrified of them before, then he certainly was after the stories had been told.
As Thorn entered the room he took one look at Rahan and paused, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as if he did not quite know what to say - about the fight or the Captain's eye. The human finally mastered himself and turned to the wounded she-elf.
"Pardon me if I have woken you when you should be resting Lady Anayah. I do hope that you are feeling better today."
She could not resist responding sarcastically to the little human's inane remarks and mannerisms, although the adroit methods she used to deliver her remarks went right over the little man's head.
"Why Master Thorn, I am just so pleased that you have asked after my well-being. And to answer your kind question, yes, I am much better, thank you so much for asking."
After Anayah had finished responding to the human's question in the way she had, Súrion could not help himself and made a sound that mimicked almost perfectly the cry of a wounded warg and which, in turn, caused Semoro to jab the silver-haired elf in his ribs with an elbow. It was obvious that none of the elves cared for the pompous human.
Looking at the elf who managed to turn his laugh into a cough, the human continued.
"Well I have some news that might please you."
"How so Master Human?"
Thorn looked into her sea-green eyes and swallowed hard before continuing.
"After the battle yesterday, I was just coming out of my office when I heard a couple of the men that were working for the blacksmith talking about some things they should not have been talking about. Well, one of the things they were talking about was how they killed the little girl - they were bragging about it, mind you!"
If the matter had not been so serious, the expression of righteous indignation on the face of the little man would have made her laugh out right.
"Well, Master Thorn, I hope that you have taken these men into custody?"
"Yes, my Lady, that we have and..." Pausing to look behind him and not seeing what he wanted, the little man stepped out into the hall and grabbing something, quickly came back to the room.
"Arminas! Oh my! Do come in!" Anayah was pleased to see the wood elf.
Arminas came in, shyly tugging at his tunic and making sure that it was straight and proper.
Turning back to the human, she raised her eyebrow, indicating he should continue.
"Well, like I was going to say, the next time an elf comes to our town, I promise that we will not be so quick to jump to conclusions about him ... or her."
"I am glad to hear that Master Human. Perhaps we have managed to do something good by proving to you that being different is not necessarily a bad thing?"
"No, ma'am, it definitely is not, and you and your friends have proven that to me. Now I understand you will probably want to be on about your business so I will leave you to it. Good day." He bowed lightly to her and the others and while on his way out the door, did a double take when he saw Rahan's black eye, which again gave Súrion an excuse to sound like a wounded warg as he almost successfully managed to hide his laughter.
When the door finally shut behind Thorn and he could be seen exiting the building, Súrion finally gave in and slid down the wall of the room, tears rolling down his face as he laughed and did not quit until hit in the face by a well-aimed pillow.
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After reassuring Arminas that the lot of them weren't crazy, Anayah told them all to go into the next room so she could clean herself up and change clothes. And after Rahan was assured that she was not going to pass out from the effort, he exited the room as well, pulling the door shut behind him.
As the six elves left the building, they were surprised to find their horses waiting for them. The stable keeper had added a nice little bay mare for Arminas to ride saying that it was the least the townspeople could do after the way they had all treated the elf. One of the stable keeper's assistants was looking up at Elias, in total awe of the height and width of the stallion who, in turn, was returning the human's gaze with what looked suspiciously like a twinkle in his eye.
As Anayah took her horse's reins and limped to his left side to mount, she felt a hand on her shoulder and when she turned, saw her Captain looking at her, his eyebrow raised in reproof.
Hanging her head in mock surrender, she handed the elf the reins of her horse then limped to where Semoro was waiting to lift her onto Rahan's horse. When she felt the big elf settle himself into the saddle behind her, she muttered at him under her breath.
"How humiliating."
"I would not exactly say it was an attempt on my part to consciously cause you to feel humiliated, Lady Anayah. I think it would be much better to call it, oh, I don't know, maybe - payback?"
Only the four Guards were laughing as the six horses turned and left the little town behind them.
"I would say a ride is the least I can give you in return for the wonderful black eye you gave me!"
Súrion and Saeros nearly fell off their horses laughing while Arminas just shook his head and smiled.
They were just clearing the last businesses on their way out of town when Saeros and Súrion got a feeling that literally raised the hair on the back of their necks. Both elves stopped their horses and looked back but seeing nothing out of the ordinary turned again and followed the others. Behind them, at the mouth of the last alley, a shadowy figure stood watching them, his red eyes glowing dully in the darkness where he hid.
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He screamed. Sitting straight up in bed, clutching his blanket to his chest, his throat hurt from his effort and he could feel the force of his own cry as pressure in his head as well as his ears. Terrified, despoiled, heartbroken, and helpless, the elf screamed again and again. Even after he quit screaming and began to stare without thought into the darkness around him trembling, he did not sense the healer as he gathered him in his arms, trying to soothe him out of his nightmare.
When Elrond determined that his efforts to calm the terrified elf were going to be unsuccessful, he had one of his healing assistants bring him a sedative tea which, somehow, he managed to get the elf to drink.
As Lord Elrond held his patient, rocking him and soothing him as he would have an elfling, he heard the disturbed elf mutter as his eyes finally closed, "He is coming back. He is coming back."
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"So." Elrohir tried to start the sentence but did not finish it. The others looked at him expectantly.
"So, what?" Elladan was experiencing the same confusion that they were all feeling over what had happened to them in the little town of Naur. Somehow words seemed so inadequate to explain what they had all just gone through.
Aragorn had been extremely quiet all day long, buried deep in his own thoughts as he desperately tried to make sense of everything that had happened - just as they had all been trying to make sense out of the unexplainable happenings that had managed to turn their comfortable world upside down. The problem was simple - maybe - or maybe not. The world they lived in was a simple world and though there was magic in their world, it was a magic that to them was both explainable and understandable. There were the bad guys and there were the good guys. The dead remained dead after they died - well, maybe except for Glorfindel - but usually they stayed dead. And towns did not burn down one night and disappear without a trace by the next morning.
"This whole thing is a ghost story!" He had startled the others with his outburst. "I'm sorry, I think I just yelled at my own thoughts."
Raising an eyebrow in concern, Elladan dropped his horse back until he was riding beside his human brother.
"Are you well brother?"
"Yes, I am well, Elladan. I just feel a little overwhelmed by everything that happened to us in that town and I think it is going to take some time for all of us, not just me, to come to grips with this."
"I agree." The eldest twin was just about to say something else when he saw Legolas hold up a hand. The four of them stopped, looking around them and listening closely.
"Do you hear that?" The blonde archer indicated the forest with a hand.
As Elrohir and the others dismounted and drew their swords, the youngest twin spoke of what the others had also noticed.
"It is far too quiet."
Unfortunately, it would not remain that way for long.
TBC
COMING NEXT: Mercenaries: The twins and Legolas started to fight their way over to their fallen brother and friend, but before they could reach his side, the leader had reached the man, grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and had placed a knife to his throat.