A/N: There is some mild foul language used in this chapter and although the particular word I use may not have been around in the days our adventure is set in I used it anyway! LOL! Cursing did occur - that is a given - probably just not the word I chose to use. So just play along. After all, it won't be you, the reader, that the ghost of JRR Tolkien will visit - it will be me!
A/N2: I use a weapon in this chapter that is called a tal taetho which in Sindarin means foot tie and is a weapon that resembles the modern day bolo.
A/N: The pistol-grip mini-crossbows used in this chapter are based on actual modern day weapons although the idea for a multi-load weapon belongs to Peter Jackson who applied the principle to the crossbows used by the Uruk Hai during the Battle of Helm's Deep. I first introduced these weapons in my story entitled Black Rider.
Chapter 23
Warg's Tooth
As the six elves traveled onward towards Imladris, and home, there were longer and longer periods between times when Anayah was fully awake and alert. Rahan could tell that her fever was worsening, getting higher until he could feel the heat radiating from her while his hand was still some inches away - he knew that something was wrong and they would soon need to find out what the problem was. Finally, shortly before dusk, he called a halt to their travels.
While the other three Guards set up the camp for the evening, Rahan laid the unconscious elf down on her bedroll so he could take a good look at her leg. After carefully unwrapping the bandage, he observed that the wound was red and angry looking and hot to the touch and when he gently pressed along the carefully stitched edges, a clear fluid seeped out.
"Damn." He muttered darkly to himself.
Gently he shook Anayah's shoulder in an attempt to wake her up, and finally, after his third try, she weakly opened her eyes and glared up at him.
"Go away. I don't want any."
He shook her shoulder again, harder. Catching his brother's eye he motioned him over.
"I want you to get the healing supplies together with as much hot water as you can heat at once."
"Why, what's wrong?" He looked at his brother then to the she-elf's leg.
"Damn."
"That's exactly what I said."
Rahan then explained to his brother that he would need to reopen the wound and see if there was something inside that they might have missed when they had cleaned it out the first time, after which they would irrigate it then suture it closed again. She was already in a weakened state from blood loss and fever and since she had refused any help with the pain since she had suffered the injury, the procedure would cause her more pain than was necessary.
"Why don't the two of you speak a little louder - I don't think my Ada quite heard that last part."
Rahan picked up her hand and held it.
"So you heard?"
"Yes, Rahan, I heard. I just want you to get it done, alright?" Her words were slurred and her eyes kept threatening to close.
"I understand. We need just a few moments to prepare."
Soon they were ready to reopen the wound. While he had been gathering supplies at the fire, Semoro had given quiet instructions to Saeros to prepare a "certain" medicinal tea.
Anayah sat propped against the big Captain's chest with the side of her leg set sideways so that Semoro could get to the wound easily when it came time to reopen it. Beside him, both Saeros and Súrion were prepared to help him flush the wound by handing him the herbs and water that had been prepared previously. So he would not feel left out and because he wanted to do something to help, Arminas would be in charge of the needle and soft elvish thread that would be used to sew the wound back up.
With sadness in his eyes at the knowledge that he would be causing her some intense pain, and a verbal apology, Semoro began the procedure and pressed down on the old suture line with the sterilized knife. With only a tiny squeal, Anayah buried her head against Rahan's encircling arms. He stroked her head comfortingly as Semoro continued to cut along the entire length of the wound. Foul fluid poured from the infected wound and for a moment, she felt better.
"Anayah?" Rahan had bent over and whispered in her ear. "Young one, are you still with us?"
When he felt her nod her head, he told her that his brother was going to feel inside her leg with his hand and see if there was something inside the wound that they had missed.
Semoro had just begun his search when Anayah suddenly raised her head and said, "I'm going to be sick!"
After some moments of nothing more than dry heaves, Rahan gently wiped her face with a cool cloth.
"You are just being stubborn, young lady. It would be so much kinder if you would allow us to put you to sleep for this."
He and the she-elf locked eyes, each glaring at the other, then, and probably only because she felt so horrible, she finally acquiesced to her Captain's wishes.
As her eyes finally drifted shut after she had drunk the tea they had given her, every one of the five elves let out a deep sigh of relief.
"I would have been screaming for the pain medicine before you would have had a chance to start cutting!" Súrion was pale and he almost felt nauseous himself.
"Here it is!"
The other elves looked at Semoro and the small object he held in his hand.
"It's a piece of a tooth!"
"Yes, Arminas. It's a piece of a dirty, filthy, warg tooth."
Semoro then explained to the others that the tooth had been imbedded in the bone of her leg but he had felt nothing else and it was his opinion that after they irrigated the leg, sutured it closed and put the athelas paste over it, that it should heal normally.
Anayah started to wake up before the suturing had been done and it was only because she was somewhat disoriented from the sleeping/pain draught that she fought at all.
Rahan did not release the grip he had on her and continued to hold her even after she had quieted, and even after Semoro had finished sewing the leg closed and had bandaged it once more.
He could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she sat silently through the rest of her ordeal, staring at them all dully.
"Do you want to see what the problem was?" He whispered in her ear.
She turned her head towards what he was holding up and looked at it for some time, frowning.
"A tooth? All this trouble for a stupid tooth? I had better toughen up and stop making such a fuss over such small matters!"
Her words died out and when both the Captain and Semoro leaned close they could see that she was finally sleeping a healing sleep.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
She was just wondering how many of the happily singing birds she could take out with her bow when something sharp hit the end of her nose. The first time she ignored whatever it was but the second time the tip of her nose was assaulted, she felt compelled to voice her concerns.
"Will you guys please knock it off?"
When her nose was attacked a third time she opened her eyes, getting ready to angrily rebuke her guards and explain to them that those who wakened her before the noon hour usually suffered her wrath. She was not prepared, however, to come face to face with a huge golden eye about five inches away from her own.
"Peep?"
It took a couple of seconds for her groggy mind to take in all the necessary audio-visual information so that she was able to say, with certainty that there was not some hideous, deformed demon sitting in front of her.
"Shakir! What are you doing here?"
As she struggled to sit up, Arminas came over to help her while Saeros brought over some tea. When Anayah looked at him, then suspiciously at the cup of tea he was offering her, he laughed, saying it was just plain tea. She reached up with her free hand and, grasping the front of his tunic, drew the elf to her, for a moment touching foreheads with him.
"Thank you, Saeros - and I am sorry I grouched at you!"
He smiled at her and nodded in acceptance of her apology then moved back to the fire to continue preparing the breakfast meal for the others. Soon, Rahan came and sat down beside her, watching quietly as both she and the falcon stared into each others eyes, carrying on a conversation only the two of them could hear or understand. Finally, she stroked the bird's wings, in thanks, then gave him the signal to fly.
"Go, my friend. Give them hope."
For a moment more, she sat with her forehead on her knees. Finally, she looked up and found all the elves sitting around her.
"What did he have to say?" Semoro looked at her seriously although somewhere inside of him he could already guess that it had something to do with her brothers and the Mirkwood Prince.
"The others are in trouble - very serious trouble, and from what Shakir has told me, I believe that they are being held captive by a very large group of men some miles from here. If we break camp now and ride through the night, we can reach their position close to noon tomorrow."
Seeing the unvoiced concern written all over the face of the others, Anayah tried to reassure them.
"I will be fine, but if what Shakir has shown me is accurate, Estel is injured severely and may not be alive much longer. Let us get this done!"
The group was ready in no time, having broken camp and saddled and packed all the horses.
However, when it came time to leave, Elias refused to let her mount and no amount of coaxing or yelling or name-calling could get the big stallion to stand still long enough to allow her to climb up onto his broad back. As she turned to the others, to ask for assistance, she saw Rahan standing behind her, arms crossed, eyebrow somewhere in his hairline, while Semoro again stood beside his brother's horse waiting to hand her up to him. She did not even argue, just handed him the reins to the stallion and with head hanging meekly, limped to his horse. As she passed him she could not help passing along one additional retort.
"Mother."
Semoro started to laugh but sobered immediately when his older brother favored him with the 'look of doom.'
She was positive that she would not be able to sleep even after receiving orders from her Captain to rest until they got to their destination.
"I said go to sleep!"
Though she tried to stay awake for awhile, it was not long before her eyes slid shut. Semoro, riding by his brother's side noticed that the young elf was again sleeping with her eyes tightly closed.
"She is nowhere near well, is she?"
"No, my brother, nowhere near."
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
Anayah woke the next morning with someone gently shaking her shoulder and when she opened her eyes, she noticed that she was on the ground, wrapped tightly in blankets. She looked up into her Captain's eyes and also not failing to notice the hushed tones with which he spoke, immediately came to full alert.
As he helped her sit up, he handed her a cup of tea and began to change the bandages on her leg as he briefed her.
"We arrived here just before dawn about four hours ago and I have since sent Saeros and Súrion to scout the layout of the camp as well as the position and condition of the prisoners."
Anayah nodded but kept silent, sipping her tea thoughtfully.
"Other than that, we will not know much until the others get back. There is one other thing."
"Yes?"
"Arminas."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"I do not think it would be wise to allow him to accompany us into the camp when we go to rescue the others. His previous captivity has weakened him emotionally more than anything else, however it is because he is one of Thranduil's people that I would suggest continuing caution in his regard."
"I know what you are trying to tell me Rahan, but I cannot insult a member of Thranduil's Royal Guard, though I thank you for bringing this to my attention. I think I know just how to handle this, so if you would, please inform Arminas that I wish to speak with him."
The Captain nodded and went to ask the young elf to accompany him to where Anayah was sitting, drinking her morning tea.
"Yes my Lady. What can I do for you?"
She looked at the elf before her and debated whether the course of action she was considering was the correct one, or not.
"Arminas, I am going to be honest with you. I am concerned that your captivity and the abuse you suffered in Nen may have affected your combat capabilities." When she saw him about to protest, she held up her hand.
"I do not want to insult your intelligence by lying to you, but I also do not want to put a member of King Thranduil's Royal Guard in a position where he might be either injured or killed. This is not a Mirkwood matter and I would worry about your safety if you were to accompany us. Therefore, I would like for you to stay behind and protect the horses and have them here for us when we need to go. Do you understand?"
The elf drew himself up indignantly then looked her in the eye.
"My Lady, with all due respect, I must disagree with you!"
Anayah looked at Arminas in surprise. "And why do you feel the need to disagree with me?"
"Again, with all due respect, my Lady. You say that this is not a Mirkwood matter but in this you are wrong. One of the prisoners being held in that camp is the Mirkwood Prince - my Prince - and that does make it Mirkwood business and hence, my respectful request that I be included in the rescue plan."
Anayah glanced at Rahan whose eyes were twinkling in amusement.
"Well then, Master Arminas, since you have so eloquently informed me of the error of my previous decision, we must amend our plan and see that you have something important to do!"
"That is all I ask, Lady Anayah, that you allow me to take part in rescuing my Prince and the others.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Saeros and Súrion. She looked at the two elves in surprise for she had never seen them in their stealth uniforms and even sitting two feet away from her, if she had not seen them approach, she would not have known the two were there. Together, the uniforms and face paint, both the colors of the leaves and trees around them, helped the two to blend seamlessly into the landscape in which they sat.
They sat waiting to be asked for their report.
"Ok. I do not know how you are used to doing this before you were assigned to me but unless I am in the middle of a conversation with somebody else, or I am asleep, dead, or for some other reason I wave you off, you may begin your report as soon as you get back."
The two nodded in understanding then Saeros began his report.
"There are about 50 heavily armed mercenaries in the camp, their weapons being four tal taethoath, 30 bow men with swords with the rest being swordsmen only. The bow men are arranged in five quadrants and while this arrangement is unwise for them it will work to our advantage."
Finally everybody sat back and looked at her.
"Well, since you have gone through all this trouble to get all this detailed information for us, did the two of you also manage to count how many nose hairs each of the mercenaries had growing out of their noses?"
Without even a pause and with a mock-serious look on his face, Saeros countered her smart remark.
"Of the 15 that had more than three hairs in their nose, ten have nose hairs more than a quarter inch in length that will soon need to be trimmed."
There were quiet laughs all around and Anayah reached over to Saeros and lightly punched in his arm.
"So, how are we going to do this?"
Rahan eyed his Commander but said nothing as she sat in quiet contemplation of what she had been told. Finally after too much time had passed without a word being said, he felt he needed to get her attention. She was young and was not used to working with others and although she had done well to this point, he decided there were some rough edges that needed a little smoothing.
He had to clear his throat twice before he got her attention. When she looked at him, she finally realized that her guards were waiting for HER to start leading.
Leaning close to whisper in her ear confidentially, he said, "You have to learn to plan out loud so the rest of us can hear, as we might just have input that would make your planning easier."
"I am so sorry, Rahan, I guess that I will have to work on that one. Ok, the rest of you may feel free to interrupt at anytime. Since there are only six of us and 50 of them, I think we have to take out the mobile weapons first - for our own safety as well as the safety of the prisoners - and that means we have to go after the tal taethoath and the bow men. Now, I can take out six of the mercs with Morn Arad (black day) and Morn Du (black night)."
"I'm sorry?"
"I apologize." Reaching behind her into her equipment bag, she picked out her small, wrist-mounted cross bows. "Gentlemen, Morn Arad, (she held up her right hand) and Morn Du (she held up her left hand). Give me a count - I am one."
When the rest had given her a number she continued.
Pointing to the drawing of the quadrants that had been made earlier, she pointed to each of the quadrants in turn, giving them a number then explained that if they each took a quadrant the chance of redundant and wasted shots would be cut to a minimum.
"Once those who use the mobile weapons have been taken out, we will have to go to swords. I will take on the leader and when I am finished with him, will take the keys he carries, then call in Shakir. When Shakir leaves the tree he will be sitting in and starts flying in my direction, then you, Arminas, will start moving in. Shakir will be instructed to fly directly to you and when he does, and after you get the keys, release the prisoners and get them out of there. That will be your responsibility. Ok?"
Arminas nodded his head enthusiastically.
"When the prisoners start to leave, we start backing our way out. Does that sound good to everybody? Questions? Input?"
Súrion had a questioning look on his face. "This all sounds good to me, but there is just one thing I do not think has been considered yet."
"And what is that?" Rahan inquired.
"How are we going to get into the middle of the camp without them, oh, I don't know, like, KILLING us?"
"Simple, my good elf. You four and I are going to do what they least expect us to do. We are going to march into the middle of their camp when they are still half asleep and in a way that will leave them with their mouths hanging open. The five of us are going to march into the middle of that camp, in formation, and in step, with you four looking like the awesome and terrifying Thurin Tirith warriors that you are. Well, what do you think? If you can think of something better, I suggest you say something now."
As Anayah was in the process of standing up, the world suddenly tilted and spun. She felt a steadying hand take hold of her arm and looked up into the concerned face of her Captain.
"Are you really up for this?"
Turning to face him, and trying to focus what she was truly feeling she spoke.
"Those are my brothers and my best friend in there. Does that answer your question?"
Seemingly satisfied for the moment, Rahan nodded, then turned to the others.
"You heard the boss. Now let us do this right!"
Anayah turned to face the ones she was about to go into battle with and said, "Nobody gets left behind."
Finally, they were ready, quivers full, bows, long knives and swords strapped on back and hip. Then taking a deep breath, Anayah led the group forward.
TBC
COMING NEXT: The Rescue: Finally, when the group was in the approximately middle of the camp, Anayah flipped her cloak off of her hands and raised her small crossbows, ready to fire. Within the first few minutes of the battle, all the mobile weapons were disabled. Then they went to their choice of either sword or long knives and began the dirty work of mucking out the camp.
grumpy(): Thanks for the review. You asked who the man was and what did he want with Aragorn. When this whole thing with the demon began, Galadriel had warned Anayah that she and Aragorn would have a price on their heads. The two of them are making enemies out of the wrong people and interfering in the enemy's plans for the demon. The mercenaries that captured the twins, Legolas and Aragorn were hired by the man that is interested in the demon. Both brother and sister have something in common that could destroy the enemy's plans so the enemy will do anything he can to kill them both. I can say no more than that for the moment because I would give away a part of the story if I did.
A/N2: I use a weapon in this chapter that is called a tal taetho which in Sindarin means foot tie and is a weapon that resembles the modern day bolo.
A/N: The pistol-grip mini-crossbows used in this chapter are based on actual modern day weapons although the idea for a multi-load weapon belongs to Peter Jackson who applied the principle to the crossbows used by the Uruk Hai during the Battle of Helm's Deep. I first introduced these weapons in my story entitled Black Rider.
Chapter 23
Warg's Tooth
As the six elves traveled onward towards Imladris, and home, there were longer and longer periods between times when Anayah was fully awake and alert. Rahan could tell that her fever was worsening, getting higher until he could feel the heat radiating from her while his hand was still some inches away - he knew that something was wrong and they would soon need to find out what the problem was. Finally, shortly before dusk, he called a halt to their travels.
While the other three Guards set up the camp for the evening, Rahan laid the unconscious elf down on her bedroll so he could take a good look at her leg. After carefully unwrapping the bandage, he observed that the wound was red and angry looking and hot to the touch and when he gently pressed along the carefully stitched edges, a clear fluid seeped out.
"Damn." He muttered darkly to himself.
Gently he shook Anayah's shoulder in an attempt to wake her up, and finally, after his third try, she weakly opened her eyes and glared up at him.
"Go away. I don't want any."
He shook her shoulder again, harder. Catching his brother's eye he motioned him over.
"I want you to get the healing supplies together with as much hot water as you can heat at once."
"Why, what's wrong?" He looked at his brother then to the she-elf's leg.
"Damn."
"That's exactly what I said."
Rahan then explained to his brother that he would need to reopen the wound and see if there was something inside that they might have missed when they had cleaned it out the first time, after which they would irrigate it then suture it closed again. She was already in a weakened state from blood loss and fever and since she had refused any help with the pain since she had suffered the injury, the procedure would cause her more pain than was necessary.
"Why don't the two of you speak a little louder - I don't think my Ada quite heard that last part."
Rahan picked up her hand and held it.
"So you heard?"
"Yes, Rahan, I heard. I just want you to get it done, alright?" Her words were slurred and her eyes kept threatening to close.
"I understand. We need just a few moments to prepare."
Soon they were ready to reopen the wound. While he had been gathering supplies at the fire, Semoro had given quiet instructions to Saeros to prepare a "certain" medicinal tea.
Anayah sat propped against the big Captain's chest with the side of her leg set sideways so that Semoro could get to the wound easily when it came time to reopen it. Beside him, both Saeros and Súrion were prepared to help him flush the wound by handing him the herbs and water that had been prepared previously. So he would not feel left out and because he wanted to do something to help, Arminas would be in charge of the needle and soft elvish thread that would be used to sew the wound back up.
With sadness in his eyes at the knowledge that he would be causing her some intense pain, and a verbal apology, Semoro began the procedure and pressed down on the old suture line with the sterilized knife. With only a tiny squeal, Anayah buried her head against Rahan's encircling arms. He stroked her head comfortingly as Semoro continued to cut along the entire length of the wound. Foul fluid poured from the infected wound and for a moment, she felt better.
"Anayah?" Rahan had bent over and whispered in her ear. "Young one, are you still with us?"
When he felt her nod her head, he told her that his brother was going to feel inside her leg with his hand and see if there was something inside the wound that they had missed.
Semoro had just begun his search when Anayah suddenly raised her head and said, "I'm going to be sick!"
After some moments of nothing more than dry heaves, Rahan gently wiped her face with a cool cloth.
"You are just being stubborn, young lady. It would be so much kinder if you would allow us to put you to sleep for this."
He and the she-elf locked eyes, each glaring at the other, then, and probably only because she felt so horrible, she finally acquiesced to her Captain's wishes.
As her eyes finally drifted shut after she had drunk the tea they had given her, every one of the five elves let out a deep sigh of relief.
"I would have been screaming for the pain medicine before you would have had a chance to start cutting!" Súrion was pale and he almost felt nauseous himself.
"Here it is!"
The other elves looked at Semoro and the small object he held in his hand.
"It's a piece of a tooth!"
"Yes, Arminas. It's a piece of a dirty, filthy, warg tooth."
Semoro then explained to the others that the tooth had been imbedded in the bone of her leg but he had felt nothing else and it was his opinion that after they irrigated the leg, sutured it closed and put the athelas paste over it, that it should heal normally.
Anayah started to wake up before the suturing had been done and it was only because she was somewhat disoriented from the sleeping/pain draught that she fought at all.
Rahan did not release the grip he had on her and continued to hold her even after she had quieted, and even after Semoro had finished sewing the leg closed and had bandaged it once more.
He could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she sat silently through the rest of her ordeal, staring at them all dully.
"Do you want to see what the problem was?" He whispered in her ear.
She turned her head towards what he was holding up and looked at it for some time, frowning.
"A tooth? All this trouble for a stupid tooth? I had better toughen up and stop making such a fuss over such small matters!"
Her words died out and when both the Captain and Semoro leaned close they could see that she was finally sleeping a healing sleep.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
She was just wondering how many of the happily singing birds she could take out with her bow when something sharp hit the end of her nose. The first time she ignored whatever it was but the second time the tip of her nose was assaulted, she felt compelled to voice her concerns.
"Will you guys please knock it off?"
When her nose was attacked a third time she opened her eyes, getting ready to angrily rebuke her guards and explain to them that those who wakened her before the noon hour usually suffered her wrath. She was not prepared, however, to come face to face with a huge golden eye about five inches away from her own.
"Peep?"
It took a couple of seconds for her groggy mind to take in all the necessary audio-visual information so that she was able to say, with certainty that there was not some hideous, deformed demon sitting in front of her.
"Shakir! What are you doing here?"
As she struggled to sit up, Arminas came over to help her while Saeros brought over some tea. When Anayah looked at him, then suspiciously at the cup of tea he was offering her, he laughed, saying it was just plain tea. She reached up with her free hand and, grasping the front of his tunic, drew the elf to her, for a moment touching foreheads with him.
"Thank you, Saeros - and I am sorry I grouched at you!"
He smiled at her and nodded in acceptance of her apology then moved back to the fire to continue preparing the breakfast meal for the others. Soon, Rahan came and sat down beside her, watching quietly as both she and the falcon stared into each others eyes, carrying on a conversation only the two of them could hear or understand. Finally, she stroked the bird's wings, in thanks, then gave him the signal to fly.
"Go, my friend. Give them hope."
For a moment more, she sat with her forehead on her knees. Finally, she looked up and found all the elves sitting around her.
"What did he have to say?" Semoro looked at her seriously although somewhere inside of him he could already guess that it had something to do with her brothers and the Mirkwood Prince.
"The others are in trouble - very serious trouble, and from what Shakir has told me, I believe that they are being held captive by a very large group of men some miles from here. If we break camp now and ride through the night, we can reach their position close to noon tomorrow."
Seeing the unvoiced concern written all over the face of the others, Anayah tried to reassure them.
"I will be fine, but if what Shakir has shown me is accurate, Estel is injured severely and may not be alive much longer. Let us get this done!"
The group was ready in no time, having broken camp and saddled and packed all the horses.
However, when it came time to leave, Elias refused to let her mount and no amount of coaxing or yelling or name-calling could get the big stallion to stand still long enough to allow her to climb up onto his broad back. As she turned to the others, to ask for assistance, she saw Rahan standing behind her, arms crossed, eyebrow somewhere in his hairline, while Semoro again stood beside his brother's horse waiting to hand her up to him. She did not even argue, just handed him the reins to the stallion and with head hanging meekly, limped to his horse. As she passed him she could not help passing along one additional retort.
"Mother."
Semoro started to laugh but sobered immediately when his older brother favored him with the 'look of doom.'
She was positive that she would not be able to sleep even after receiving orders from her Captain to rest until they got to their destination.
"I said go to sleep!"
Though she tried to stay awake for awhile, it was not long before her eyes slid shut. Semoro, riding by his brother's side noticed that the young elf was again sleeping with her eyes tightly closed.
"She is nowhere near well, is she?"
"No, my brother, nowhere near."
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
Anayah woke the next morning with someone gently shaking her shoulder and when she opened her eyes, she noticed that she was on the ground, wrapped tightly in blankets. She looked up into her Captain's eyes and also not failing to notice the hushed tones with which he spoke, immediately came to full alert.
As he helped her sit up, he handed her a cup of tea and began to change the bandages on her leg as he briefed her.
"We arrived here just before dawn about four hours ago and I have since sent Saeros and Súrion to scout the layout of the camp as well as the position and condition of the prisoners."
Anayah nodded but kept silent, sipping her tea thoughtfully.
"Other than that, we will not know much until the others get back. There is one other thing."
"Yes?"
"Arminas."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"I do not think it would be wise to allow him to accompany us into the camp when we go to rescue the others. His previous captivity has weakened him emotionally more than anything else, however it is because he is one of Thranduil's people that I would suggest continuing caution in his regard."
"I know what you are trying to tell me Rahan, but I cannot insult a member of Thranduil's Royal Guard, though I thank you for bringing this to my attention. I think I know just how to handle this, so if you would, please inform Arminas that I wish to speak with him."
The Captain nodded and went to ask the young elf to accompany him to where Anayah was sitting, drinking her morning tea.
"Yes my Lady. What can I do for you?"
She looked at the elf before her and debated whether the course of action she was considering was the correct one, or not.
"Arminas, I am going to be honest with you. I am concerned that your captivity and the abuse you suffered in Nen may have affected your combat capabilities." When she saw him about to protest, she held up her hand.
"I do not want to insult your intelligence by lying to you, but I also do not want to put a member of King Thranduil's Royal Guard in a position where he might be either injured or killed. This is not a Mirkwood matter and I would worry about your safety if you were to accompany us. Therefore, I would like for you to stay behind and protect the horses and have them here for us when we need to go. Do you understand?"
The elf drew himself up indignantly then looked her in the eye.
"My Lady, with all due respect, I must disagree with you!"
Anayah looked at Arminas in surprise. "And why do you feel the need to disagree with me?"
"Again, with all due respect, my Lady. You say that this is not a Mirkwood matter but in this you are wrong. One of the prisoners being held in that camp is the Mirkwood Prince - my Prince - and that does make it Mirkwood business and hence, my respectful request that I be included in the rescue plan."
Anayah glanced at Rahan whose eyes were twinkling in amusement.
"Well then, Master Arminas, since you have so eloquently informed me of the error of my previous decision, we must amend our plan and see that you have something important to do!"
"That is all I ask, Lady Anayah, that you allow me to take part in rescuing my Prince and the others.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Saeros and Súrion. She looked at the two elves in surprise for she had never seen them in their stealth uniforms and even sitting two feet away from her, if she had not seen them approach, she would not have known the two were there. Together, the uniforms and face paint, both the colors of the leaves and trees around them, helped the two to blend seamlessly into the landscape in which they sat.
They sat waiting to be asked for their report.
"Ok. I do not know how you are used to doing this before you were assigned to me but unless I am in the middle of a conversation with somebody else, or I am asleep, dead, or for some other reason I wave you off, you may begin your report as soon as you get back."
The two nodded in understanding then Saeros began his report.
"There are about 50 heavily armed mercenaries in the camp, their weapons being four tal taethoath, 30 bow men with swords with the rest being swordsmen only. The bow men are arranged in five quadrants and while this arrangement is unwise for them it will work to our advantage."
Finally everybody sat back and looked at her.
"Well, since you have gone through all this trouble to get all this detailed information for us, did the two of you also manage to count how many nose hairs each of the mercenaries had growing out of their noses?"
Without even a pause and with a mock-serious look on his face, Saeros countered her smart remark.
"Of the 15 that had more than three hairs in their nose, ten have nose hairs more than a quarter inch in length that will soon need to be trimmed."
There were quiet laughs all around and Anayah reached over to Saeros and lightly punched in his arm.
"So, how are we going to do this?"
Rahan eyed his Commander but said nothing as she sat in quiet contemplation of what she had been told. Finally after too much time had passed without a word being said, he felt he needed to get her attention. She was young and was not used to working with others and although she had done well to this point, he decided there were some rough edges that needed a little smoothing.
He had to clear his throat twice before he got her attention. When she looked at him, she finally realized that her guards were waiting for HER to start leading.
Leaning close to whisper in her ear confidentially, he said, "You have to learn to plan out loud so the rest of us can hear, as we might just have input that would make your planning easier."
"I am so sorry, Rahan, I guess that I will have to work on that one. Ok, the rest of you may feel free to interrupt at anytime. Since there are only six of us and 50 of them, I think we have to take out the mobile weapons first - for our own safety as well as the safety of the prisoners - and that means we have to go after the tal taethoath and the bow men. Now, I can take out six of the mercs with Morn Arad (black day) and Morn Du (black night)."
"I'm sorry?"
"I apologize." Reaching behind her into her equipment bag, she picked out her small, wrist-mounted cross bows. "Gentlemen, Morn Arad, (she held up her right hand) and Morn Du (she held up her left hand). Give me a count - I am one."
When the rest had given her a number she continued.
Pointing to the drawing of the quadrants that had been made earlier, she pointed to each of the quadrants in turn, giving them a number then explained that if they each took a quadrant the chance of redundant and wasted shots would be cut to a minimum.
"Once those who use the mobile weapons have been taken out, we will have to go to swords. I will take on the leader and when I am finished with him, will take the keys he carries, then call in Shakir. When Shakir leaves the tree he will be sitting in and starts flying in my direction, then you, Arminas, will start moving in. Shakir will be instructed to fly directly to you and when he does, and after you get the keys, release the prisoners and get them out of there. That will be your responsibility. Ok?"
Arminas nodded his head enthusiastically.
"When the prisoners start to leave, we start backing our way out. Does that sound good to everybody? Questions? Input?"
Súrion had a questioning look on his face. "This all sounds good to me, but there is just one thing I do not think has been considered yet."
"And what is that?" Rahan inquired.
"How are we going to get into the middle of the camp without them, oh, I don't know, like, KILLING us?"
"Simple, my good elf. You four and I are going to do what they least expect us to do. We are going to march into the middle of their camp when they are still half asleep and in a way that will leave them with their mouths hanging open. The five of us are going to march into the middle of that camp, in formation, and in step, with you four looking like the awesome and terrifying Thurin Tirith warriors that you are. Well, what do you think? If you can think of something better, I suggest you say something now."
As Anayah was in the process of standing up, the world suddenly tilted and spun. She felt a steadying hand take hold of her arm and looked up into the concerned face of her Captain.
"Are you really up for this?"
Turning to face him, and trying to focus what she was truly feeling she spoke.
"Those are my brothers and my best friend in there. Does that answer your question?"
Seemingly satisfied for the moment, Rahan nodded, then turned to the others.
"You heard the boss. Now let us do this right!"
Anayah turned to face the ones she was about to go into battle with and said, "Nobody gets left behind."
Finally, they were ready, quivers full, bows, long knives and swords strapped on back and hip. Then taking a deep breath, Anayah led the group forward.
TBC
COMING NEXT: The Rescue: Finally, when the group was in the approximately middle of the camp, Anayah flipped her cloak off of her hands and raised her small crossbows, ready to fire. Within the first few minutes of the battle, all the mobile weapons were disabled. Then they went to their choice of either sword or long knives and began the dirty work of mucking out the camp.
grumpy(): Thanks for the review. You asked who the man was and what did he want with Aragorn. When this whole thing with the demon began, Galadriel had warned Anayah that she and Aragorn would have a price on their heads. The two of them are making enemies out of the wrong people and interfering in the enemy's plans for the demon. The mercenaries that captured the twins, Legolas and Aragorn were hired by the man that is interested in the demon. Both brother and sister have something in common that could destroy the enemy's plans so the enemy will do anything he can to kill them both. I can say no more than that for the moment because I would give away a part of the story if I did.