Alanya was glad that Haldir had insisted upon her being on a mount while they traveled to Helm's Deep. If she hadn't, there would have been no way she could have kept up with the elves. They flowed over the rolling landscape with much more speed and endurance then would have come from a human. She was glad more then once that her training and use of her powers made her keep in good physical shape, she needed it on this trek. As it was each night she still found herself nodding off in the saddle before they stopped. She had long ago mastered the art of lightly sleeping while riding, but not at the pace at which they were traveling.
She was having one of those times again, fighting to stay awake. She wished fondly she could lie down and close her eyes, or better yet, lie down and close her eyes while snuggling up to Haldir. That indeed would be the best. She sighed and shifted as her horse Tam looked back at her and whickered in response to her fidgeting.
"Sorry little friend," she said quietly, reaching forward to scratch him on the nose briefly. He flicked an ear at her and blew a big sigh from his nose and looked forward again as Haldir had stopped the elves, giving them orders to disperse and prepare camp in a sheltered ravine with a stream running down the center. Alanya stood up in the stirrups and stretched, her leg muscles creaking.
"How are you holding up lirimaer?" Haldir came up and gave her a careful once-over. Alanya dropped her feet from the stirrups, rotated her feet slightly as she felt a twinge in one ankle.
"I'm not doing bad." Alanya replied, swinging her leg over the back of the saddle and slowly sliding off her horse to land softly next to Haldir. When she started to strip Tam of the tack Haldir grabbed onto her hands, halting her. "Haldir, I've got to-"He cut her off with a shake of the head and a faint smile.
"You're tired, I'll take care of this. He jerked his head towards the copses they were sheltering in. "Go rest, I'll meet up with you there." Alanya's tired smile was enough to light up the day and she leaned forward in to kiss him before heading off to the sheltering bushes.
She hummed quietly as she laid out their blankets and then walked the borders of the area the elves were residing in for the night. It was easy to set up wards and diversion spells. Small whispers of spells she placed here and there, mostly for alerting her to any trouble long before the elves themselves would even be aware of it. The web of energy lines settled delicately over the entire area, like a spider's web settled over a leaf, with no betraying trembling of the local energy fields. Once she was done she retraced her steps back to where her blankets lay. She wrapped herself in her cloak and waited for Haldir to show. Before long he joined her on the ground.
"How much further?" Alanya asked quietly, taking a bite of lembas and rinsing it down with some water.
"Not much further. One day, maybe two. You've kept up well, dear one." He sighed and laid back on the ground to pillow his head on their packs. She joined him there to rest her head on his shoulder, and he pulled her tight against him.
"I am used to traveling, just not quite this hard." She sighed, letting a yawn escape her lips. Haldir chuckled, smoothing his hand over her hair. "I set up some spell wards around the camp. This time though I think I've got them tuned right enough that they'll leave anything smaller then a wolf alone.
"And not entrap any of our own people." Haldir countered, making Alanya blush.
"I apologized to Rumil for him getting caught.," she offered, a smile on her face. Haldir grinned slightly in response.
"Well, it was amusing to see him stuck so." She sighed and pulled her cloak tighter around her. "He's not harboring any ill will, is he?" Haldir gave a snort.
"No, but beware you'll be a target for his neck practical joke." The unspoken thought between them, if we make it out. There was brief silence before Haldir rose with a sigh and stood. "I've got to go make a circuit around the camp. I'll be back soon. Try to get some rest." He smiled briefly when she blew him a kiss, slipping out of the copse without disturbing so much as a leaf. Alanya settled back with a sigh, trying to get comfortable and warm, and only succeeding on part of that equation. Eventually she did drop off to sleep, stirring only briefly when Haldir returned to join her.
Alanya's sleep was peaceful until the dead of the night when a trembling of her spell wards woke her with their warning. Her eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, waking Haldir with her movement.
"What is it?" He demanded, reaching automatically for his weapons.
"I'm not sure yet," Alanya said vaguely, opening her feelings to her web. Her eyes were distant as she searched with her mind the source of the disturbance. A moment later she relaxed and laughed, propping herself up with one hand. "It's nothing," she replied in a more calm voice. "Just a herd of deer passing through brushing against the borders." She sighed and laid back down, settling her cloak back around her to ward off the chill. Haldir placed his weapons back into the exact spot before joining her and burrowing into the cloak with her. He wrapped them both up in his cloak and Alanya was finally warm enough.
"Better I assume?" Haldir's lips brushed her ear and she shivered next to him. Her hand casually traced patterns on his chest and he shifted to move her above him. Haldir surveyed her with eyes that shone in the night. He held onto her hand, lightly running his thumb over the ring that now graced her finger as a sign of their pledge. "This looks good on your hand." He pulled her down for a long and deep kiss, eliciting from her a small sound of pleasure that brought a lazy smile to his face.
"Maybe sometime later I'll wear it and nothing else for you." Alanya responded pertly. "If you are lucky enough." He arched one golden eyebrow and simply gave her a look.
"Something tells me I'll be lucky enough," he murmured, pulling her head down for another kiss and sliding his hand up the back of her shirt. He felt her smile against his lips as her hand also slipped under his shirt. The kiss he started when he broke off suddenly swearing. "By Iluvater, woman, your hands are freezing!" He halted his exploration of her and took her hands in his as the mage lay across him laughing.
"What can I say, I don't deal with chill weather well. All my blood must retreat deep inside of me and my fingers get quite cold." She giggled and laid her head down on the elf's chest.
"You know how to sidetrack an ellon." Haldir grumbled briefly. The mage smiled gently in response and dropped a kiss on his cheek.
"It just seemed like a funny idea at the time, Lord High and Mighty put down by the 'Ice-Cold Magic Hands of Frozen Death', or so my friend Korry used to call them. He wouldn't let me copy spellbooks with him in the wintertime when we were students because whenever I'd get up to take a break, when he was deep in concentration I'd lay the back of my hand across his neck." Alanya smiled and sighed in memory. "Training was fun. Arduous, but fun. It was wonderful, learning new things almost daily, getting to know how to deal with these odd abilities we had pop up."
"I'm sure you were a terror." Haldir smiled wryly. He held her hands between his larger ones, warming her fingers that were ice cold to the touch.
"Such faith you have in me." The mage sniffed and made a face as if offended before laying her head back down on her elven companion's chest. Her eyes drifted shut from exhaustion. She started a stretch intended to relax fully into sleep. When a scream of alarm flooded her senses she was startled into wakefulness once more. Quickly her mind rushed out again to the same point of disturbance from before, this time the danger all too real.
"Haldir, orcs this time northwest of our camp and closing quickly." She spoke quickly and succinctly as Haldir cursed and rolled away to come to his feet clutching bow and sword, hauling his quiver against his back. "They number," her eyes glazed over as she looked into the energy plane to count them through their lifesigns "I think I count up to 40. We've got maybe ten minutes." Another string of curses left Haldir's lips as he called out an alarm.
Alanya pulled her mind back to her body and snapped into reality, staggering slightly as she hurried to Haldir's side. He stood snapping out orders to the company around them, creating order from chaos. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her.
"What can you do to slow them or stop them?" She shivered at the ice in his words even though she knew it was not meant for her. Running over a quick list of options she quickly grabbed one that could be disguised as a natural occurrence.
"Gather everyone! Immediately!" She called out stridently. Once she had the attention of the company she began to explain. "I'm going to be getting rid of the orcs following us with a disguised attack. Stay in the low parts of the ravine, in fact, I want everybody flat on the ground! There's going to be lightening!" Startled looks and mutters met her words until Haldir bellowed out a command for silence. Alanya turned and raced quickly up to the edge of the ravine, dropping to her knees when she reached the edge. Her mind barely registered Haldir and Orophin's presence a scant second later as they slid to a halt beside her.
The clouds covering the night sky were gently moving in the slight wind that had been prevalent. Alanya pulled on her personal energy reserves for a quicker response, sending a surge of energy unshielded into the center of what had the potential to become a very nasty storm. The clouds began to boil and turn black almost immediately in response to her action. None too soon, for in the distance readily seen across the plains was the troops of orcs heading their way. Coolly Alanya kept feeding energy from herself to the storm at a rate that would generate electrical strikes in a matter of minutes.
Her muscles were taught with strain as her body echoed the delicate balance of positive and negative energy that she was trying to create. While simultaneously creating the storm she also begun to create a river of an opposing charge that would hopefully guide the lightening directly where she wanted it to strike.
"Whatever you are planning it best happen soon!" Haldir snapped, bringing an arrow to his bow. The feet o the orcs sent out a vibration that was answered with a rumble of thunder from above. Alanya's eyes could clearly see the orcs now, as they were less then half a smile away. The seconds clicked off in her mind.
"I would prefer that the two of you withdraw with the others. Some of the charge may flow back to me. I'm protected against it." More or less she thought to herself. "I can't do this with precision and protect extraneous people." She continued out loud.
"You're out of your mind if you thing I'm leaving you without backup." Haldir yelled at her. Alanya turned to him with eyes even colder then his had been earlier. Orphan reflexively stepped back, for within the mage's eyes he could see small lines of energy arc.
"I won't need it." Alanya's voice crackled with power. Haldir's jaw was firm.
"You have it anyway." He said furiously, grabbing onto her arm.
"Haldir we don't have time, I think she means it." Orophin ventured.
"Quiet Orophin!" Haldir bellowed, having finally lost the threads of his control. The orcs were now well within sight, being a quarter of a mile off.
"Then get down!" Alanya's voice rang out, and she unleashed the tight hold she had on the energy flows. A huge rumble of thunder rolled out directly above them, startling Haldir into releasing Alanya. Bright blue white lightening crackled in the sky, arcing with inhuman speed to blast into the approaching orc party.
Quick immediate destruction was the result.
It could only be said that the combination of metal armor and weapons with electrical charge was lethal at a minimum. Orc bodies were strewn about, the charge and their own momentum carrying them forward to land within a ten foot line of Alanya. Or rather, where Alanya had been. The resulting energy had also followed a path backwards, like flame up a trail of pouring lamp oil, shocking the three companions and landing them each several feet back.
Orophin was merely stunned as Rumil dashed up to him from the center of camp. He shook his head, momentarily deafened, and swayed slightly as he stood.
"Are you alright?" He asked frantically, grabbing onto Orophin.
"I think so," the dazed elf replied faintly, leaning down to rest on one knee, a hand bracing him against the earth while the other was at his temple. Rumil spared him no second glance while rushing over to Haldir, who was being helped up by another. Haldir had fared no better, in fact he fared worse having been holding onto Alanya when she spent the spell ripping loose. A painful burn mark traced up his forearm from his hand where he had grasped onto his betrothed. He staggered like one who was intoxicated, dropping to his knees by the mage. Rumil held onto his shoulder as Haldir gathered an unconscious Alanya into his arms.
"Lirimaer, lirimaer, wake!" His hand brushed softly against her face, belying his urgent tone. A quiet moan rewarded his efforts as Haldir coaxed the mage into reluctant waking. He sighed in relief as her confused eyes fluttered back open to land on his worried ones.
"Haldir," she said weakly, closing her eyes when everything spun in front of them.
"Shh, penneth. I believe you were caught by your own spell." He moved to pick her up but was halted by his younger brother.
"Haldir, you may yet be none too steady on your feet, let me take her." Rumil said, his face showing his concern. Haldir briefly closed his eyes and nodded his assent, standing back to let Rumil carry her towards the center of the camp, where another elf was attempting to get a fire going. Fat drops of rain began to fall, making the effort useless. Rumil pulled his cloak more firmly about the mage who had begun shivering from the cold. He deposited her underneath the shelter of a tangle of willow branches and Haldir moved to sit beside her, taking her into his arms.
"Rumil, I want double the guards up on patrol. If there was one group of orcs there may be more. Make sure Orophin is well also. I also want you to scout further down the stream to see if there is a more sheltered spot. I want Alanya out of this cold as soon as possible. Take several others with you." Rumil nodded his obedience and turned on his heel to distribute Haldir's orders. Haldir turned his attention back where he wanted it, on the shivering woman in his arms. He held her against one arm, tilting her face up to examine her eyes.
"My head hurts," she complained faintly, lines of pain around her eyes. Haldir smiled briefly.
"That I can fix my love." He replied quietly. He placed one gentle hand on her head and whispered the words of an elvish healing spell. Warmth flooded her head and chased away the pain, leaving her gasping in relief.
"Gods Haldir, you're as good as a walking apothecary." His brow wrinkled at the unfamiliar words but he recognized the sound of relief. She sat up, combing her fingers through hair tossed into array. "Are you alright?" He nodded his assent and moved to kiss her, but was stymied when he was pushed off as the angry mage flowed to her feet, wavering only slightly.
"What was that for?" He asked in indignation, also standing up.
"I mean that I told you it was dangerous to stay by me and you did! You could have been killed Haldir, and then where would I be?" Alanya shrieked with a temper frayed beyond belief. Haldir stood up, his temper also ignited back into flames.
"I was not about to leave you alone facing a horde of orcs!" He shot back. "Do you even think for a minute I could allow something like that?!"
"Well I'll be facing a lot worse before long. Do you think I'll be standing back away from everything at Helm's Deep?" Her arms gestured wildly as she yelled at Haldir.
"You will if I have anything to say about it!" Haldir shouted at the top of his lungs.
Rumil walked back, his eyes wide at the sight of his brother and the mage shouting at each other at the top of his lungs. He stopped briefly to talk with Orophin and some of the other second in commands to inform them of another spot he had found for a camp. Gingerly he approached the two arguing figures. He listened for a moment, shaking his head before deciding to step into the fray.
"Excuse me Haldir..." Rumil ventured.
"What?!" Haldir's eyes never left Alanya's.
"I found a more sheltered campsite underneath a rock shelf five miles up the stream. I've given the orders for us to move out." He waited, hoping this had defused the argument.
"I'll be getting my horse ready. I believe we've exhausted the possibilities of this conversation." Alanya spat in Haldir's direction and Rumil winced. Obviously he hadn't knocked the argument off track. Haldir grabbed onto Alanya's arm, hauling her back and pushing her to the ground.
"I will manage that madam," Haldir replied, his voice glacier cold. "You will sit and rest. Do not move from that spot. Rumil, see that she does not." His eyes held hers, both of them angry. He stalked away, his cloak swirling about his heels. Alanya shrieked one last blistering curse that made Rumil wince, and she struck her fists on the ground.
"That overbearing arrogant cocky swaggering conceited haughty domineering dictatorial bastard!" She screeched. She clawed her now damp hair out of her eyes angrily and settled back with a distinct 'humph' To Rumil's surprise though she did not argue with Haldir on the matter and simply sat with arms crossed and one toe tapping in ire. The elf stood and hid his amusement, as it was obvious to him that even in the throws of a furious argument they were thinking of each other. Haldir would not let her exhaust herself preparing her horse, and she would not push him any further by ignoring his concern for her. He shook his head. Even in anger they were still thinking of each other.
Haldir was back within moments, leading Alanya's mount. Anger was still radiating off his form and his oh so proper form of address.
"We will not be traveling far, yet I would have you tell me if you suffer any more ill affects." Haldir said in a cool voice. Alanya apparently did not trust herself to speak and regally nodded. Rumil smothered a smile when Haldir automatically reached to help her and she just as automatically allowed him to help. "Once we reach the new camp we will rest further, and then push on towards Helm's Deep before the morning dawns. It is becoming too dangerous to be caught by orcs before we even reach the fortress. Will you be able to do this without harm to yourself?" He asked steadily.
"I will be recovered from this after a few hours of rest. Do not worry needlessly Haldir." Alanya replied in an equally cool voice.
Rumil shook his head. Those two really were quiet alike. Alanya urged her horse towards the rest of the elves and Haldir moved in unconscious unison with her. Rumil sighed and shook his head, moving to take up his position in the vanguard of the elves, leading the way to the new campsite.
Alanya was beginning to rethink her words about being fully recovered from pulling together the hasty, powerful spell. They spared a few all too brief hours for her to rest and were back on the move again. Haldir had scouts moving in front and behind to avoid being caught by another orc patrol. The mage spent the time attempting to stay alert on little sleep and generally fighting a loosing battle.
After the third time of jerking awake she gave a lengthy sigh and fidgeted some more, coming to Haldir's attention. He had very studiously not spoken to her the rest of the night in an effort to avoid further fireworks. Still, he could not ignore the fact that she was in need of some serious rest. Mentally he sighed, letting go of any remaining ire from their earlier argument. He reached out and halted the horse, swinging up behind her and settling her in his arms.
"Haldir what are you doing?" She attempted to move around to look at him and he tightened his grip, holding her still.
"You were needing a good night's rest before we stopped this eve and you have not yet got it." He looked at the early light of the sun beginning to peak over the horizon. "This you have not yet had and dawn approaches. Lean back and rest. I have you and will not let you fall." His voice was quiet against her hair and she felt guilty for yelling at him earlier, knowing he was almost incapable of leaving her in what he saw as a dangerous situation. She sighed and settled against him, accepting his offer for the apology it was, her acceptance also speaking of her apology to him. It would come by deep nightfall that they would have to fight in concert with one another, rather then against each other, and they both knew that well enough. Tonight would tell the tale.