A/N: Hello everyone. I'm sorry for the long delay. But I've had to deal with a severe case of writer's block, and college is being a pain in the butt. Especially when you're having to deal with a writing class that more like a literature and social class than a writing class. Who here thinks I should boycott the class??? lol Anyway, here's the new chapter and I hope y'all like it.
(Oh, and one more thing….some of the previous chapters have been edited and new content added. You're not required to reread those chapters again, but just know that if something in this chapter or future chapters confuses you, then you can know that information wasn't left out and you can just skim the earlier chapter to get the info. Happy reading!!)
Chapter eight: Beginnings of a long road
Cali watched in bored amusement as servants and stable hands rushed around, getting the horses ready for the journey. She sat atop the wooden fence railing of the arena, swinging her legs. Turning her head, Cali looked into the arena to see Astalder trotting around. He generally stayed away from the other horses, but was composed when the other horses mingled around him. Cali smiled when her mount trotted over to her. Astalder nickered and bumped Cali's shoulder, earning him a pat on the neck.
"You ready for another journey boy?" she asked him. He tossed his head and pawed the ground. "Yeah, everything is confusing huh? I can't wait to get home either." Cali continued to sit on the fence, stroking Astalder's neck and watching the servants until one approached her sometime later.
The servant bowed. "Milady, Queen Lisandrei requests your presence in the gardens." Cali nodded and jumped off the fence after stroking her horse's neck once more. She quickly became lost in her thoughts as she made her way to the gardens.
Over the course of the last few days, besides staying out of Legolas's path, Cali and Queen Lisandrei had met in the gardens to talk. Cali had talked about growing up in her world and as many details as she could remember about her memory flashes. In return, the Queen spoke of Cali's family and the place in which she was raised: Lothlorien. She also spoke of the wars with Sauron. It seemed that the last war with this Dark Lord ended not more than three years ago, and apparently her son, Legolas, was a part of the group of warriors who fought Sauron's armies. Cali continued to think as she walked until her foot hit a loose stone in the path causing her to fall forward.
"Oomph," she grunted as she had twisted in the air and landed on her side. She coughed hard a couple times then rolled onto her back and took some deep breaths. When Cali regulated her breathing again after having it knocked out of her, she lifted her head and glared at the offending rock. She then rolled onto her knees and stood. As Cali brushed the dirt of her she muttered, "Well that was utterly graceful."
"Yes, it certainly was," said a voice in front of her.
Cali's head snapped up allowing her to see who was speaking. It was the Queen. Cali smiled. "Sorry I wasn't there a bit sooner, but a particular rock and I were having issues which need to be worked out."
"Issues?" asked the Queen.
Cali nodded. Bending over she picked up the rock. "Yeah, we were deciding who had more power over who." She then threw the rock into some bushes. "Ha! I win," she said with a triumphant grin.
Lisandrei shook her head in amusement and beckoned Cali to follow her. The two Elven women walked for a time when they came upon a stone bench where they both sat.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Cali asked.
"I wished to speak to you of what would be happening once we arrive in Rivendell." Lisandrei paused and Cali waited for her to continue. "We have received a reply from Lord Elrond and he has confirmed that your family will be in attendance at the festival."
"Do they know I'm here?"
"No, not yet."
Cali bit her lip. "How do you think they'll react to seeing me?"
"I do not think I can put into words the joy they will feel when they see you again," said Lisandrei.
"Oh," Cali said. She hesitated before speaking again. "Will I get a chance to settle in when we get there, or will I be meeting my parents right off the back?" The Elven Queen looked at Cali in confusion. "Um, the moment we arrive in Riverdale," Cali supplied.
"Rivendell," Lisandrei corrected her. "And it shall be up to you on how soon you meet them." Cali nodded and as usual began to fiddle with her pendant. "I have a feeling you are nervous about meeting you family then?"
The younger Elf swallowed and sighed. "Yeah, I am. I just wish I could remember then more clearly. Even with all the flashbacks I've been having, I could never truly see their faces clearly. Their voices, yeah, just not their faces." Cali paused. She then frowned saying, "This seriously bites, and why did it have to happen to me?!"
Before Lisandrei could answer though, Thranduil appeared in the garden and walked up to the two females. "Forgive me for interrupting your conversation my Ladies," he said. "But it is time to leave."
Cali and Lisandrei stood and both followed Thranduil out of the gardens. He led them to the stables where several Elves were already mounted on their horses. Cali saw one of the servants holding Astalder's reins and walked over to him. Before mounting Cali checked her saddle bags to make sure she had everything. She had packed her own bags earlier that day since she refused to let anyone else to it for her. She couldn't allow any chance of her computer or diskman being damaged. Cali looked over at the servant and asked, "Um, where are the weapons that were with this tack?"
"Prince Legolas has them," the servant said as he bowed.
Cali nodded and swung herself up into the saddle. For the journey to Rivendell Cali had opted to wear an outfit similar to the mens' instead of a traveling dress like the Queen. Of course Nadia protested loudly of Cali's choice saying it was not proper for a woman to wear such attire; it reminded Cali of her mother. Her adoptive mother anyway. She still disliked dresses with a passion though. Lightly pressing her leg on Astalder's side, Cali moved him in a circle as she looked for Legolas. There. He was on his horse talking to Déorwin and Aragorn; her weapons seemed to be divided among the three of them. Cali clicked her tongue, asking Astalder to move and went over to the Elves.
"Hello Cali," said Déorwin warmly. "How are you this day?"
Cali shrugged. "Peachy," she said simply, earning some confused looks. She turned her attention to the Prince. "I believe you have some things of mine your Highness." Cali gestured to her sword strapped to his saddle. "I would like to have them back."
Legolas inclined his head slightly. "That I do. You shall have them returned to you when we reach Rivendell. You have no need of them until then."
Bristling with anger but not in the mood the pick a fight with him, knowing right away she would loose, Cali growled and sharply turned Astalder around, trotting away. She hadn't gone very far when suddenly Lady Anya and her 'groupies', as Cali had begun to call them, rode into Cali's path. She rolled her eyes. 'I don't need this,' she thought to herself. 'What in the world does she have against me? I haven't done anything to her.' Although Anya didn't out-right express her dislike of Cali, she tried to make it clear that she thought Cali didn't belong there and needed to go back to wherever she came from. And actually, Anya hardly ever said a word to Cali and generally avoided her; something which Cali was grateful for.
"May I help you with something, Lady Anya?" Cali asked.
"What were you and the Prince discussing over there?" Anya asked back, faking an innocence in her voice.
"We were admitting our undying love or one another," Cali retorted. She smiled to herself when she saw the anger and jeleously surged across the female Elf's eyes. Cali's inner smile broadened as Anya struggled for words.
"Oh……oh really?"
Cali couldn't believe it. Anya actually believed her. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "No seriously Lady Anya. Prince Legolas has my weapons and he won't give them back to me until we get to Rivendell; so I'm really ticked off at him at the moment." Anya didn't say anything. "Listen Lady Anya," said Cali impatiently. "I have no interest whatsoever in your Prince. You can have him." She then moved past the females to wait near Lisandrei.
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Anya watched with narrowed eyes as Cali rode over to the Queen.
Elanor smiled at Anya. "See, it is like I told you Anya. Lady Cali does not want him. You are free to woo the Prince now."
"Yes," replied Anya. "But I will never truly have Prince Legolas while she is here. She is a distraction to him."
Elanor thought for amomet. "Maybe if you get her interested in someone from Rivendell and they fall in love, then it is possible she will stay there with him."
"I do not think that will work," said another one of the females.
"What do you mean?" asked Elanor.
"If Lady Cali has not expressed even the barest hint of attraction to the Prince, then I doubt she will find interest in someone in Rivendell. Your only option is to hope that her parents drag her back to Lothlorien with them."
Anya continued to glare across the way at Cali. "No," she said with a low voice. "Just having her in Lothlorien would not be enough." Her voice dropped even lower and her eyes darkened. "Calithradë must be taken to a place further than that; she must be removed." She pulled the reins on her horse, turning it away from the group, and walked away from them.
Elanor stared after Anya, worry etching into her Elven features. "I knew Anya had feelings for Prince Legolas, but I was not aware the feelings ran this deep. I now fear for Lady Cali's safety."
The other Elf who spoke, Maeril, bit her lip. "What do you think she will do?"
"I do not know, Maeril."
"She should be safe though. Lady Cali always has at least two guards with her. Or she is in the company of the King and Queen. So she is safe, right?"
Elanor glanced over at Cali who was talking with the Queen. "We shall pray to the Valar that she will be."
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The first day's journey was an uneventful one. Cali rode next to Queen Lisandrei most of the time and other times she rode alone. She used that time to ponder on her situation like she did like she did every day; Cali still half believed she was dreaming. Part of her wanted this to be real though. These people looked like her and they seemed to genuinely accept her. Well, except Anya; for some reason that Elf didn't like her. 'She probably just thinks I'm moving in on her territory,' Cali thought. And yes, there were others as well who found Cali to be a bit strange. 'And that's only because they've never met someone like me before. I don't act like a lady, and I refuse to wear dresses. Totally opposite of most of the females around here.'
Another reason for Cali's reluctance was this place called Middle-earth. It was beautiful, at least, from what she had seen of it so far. Living in a place such as this was something Cali had always dreamed of. This was her paradise. The only drawback was the lack of electricity and such. What would she do then, if she were stuck here. Cali laughed softly at the thought.
"What are you laughing about, my Lady?" asked Déorwin who suddenly appeared beside her.
Cali inwardly cringed at the term 'Lady', but turned to the Elf and forced a smile upon her lips. "It was nothing. Just a thought I had."
Déorwin nodded and moved his gaze above him to the darkening sky. "The sun is setting; we should be stopping for the night soon."
"Good," said Cali as she shifted in her saddle. "My butt is getting a bit tired." Although she wasn't looking at him, she could feel Déorwin wince at her use of language.
Déorwin opened his mouth to say something when he was stopped by one of the guards calling his name.
"Déorwin!" the guard called, motioning for the Elf beside her to get up there.
"I will see you later Cali," he said and rode ahead.
Cali waved good-bye and then proceeded to watch the passing scenery.
Later that evening when everyone was eating the evening meal, Cali as found sitting under a tree, watching everyone. She was amazed. Even when just put to the simple task of eating or laying sleeping mats, they moved with such grace. It was unreal. One would have to be part of a fairytale race to own that much grace. Cali found it amusing that while these Elves claimed she was one of them, she did not have their grace. She couldn't even curtsy without fumbling.
Suddenly a light wind blew and Cali instinctively pulled her cloak, the one Anya had given her, around her eventhough she could not feel the wind's chill. She looked up then as one of the female Elves in who was journeying with them, walking up and handed her a small bowl of warm soup. Cali nodded her thanks and slowly ate it. The soup was made from various vegetables and meats and it warmed her body.
Soon, the sun had gone and the only light came from the fire which illuminated the camp. Cali had been prepared to go to sleep when a hand touched her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and looked at the hand's owner. It was Anya. Cali sat up and brushed some hair from her face. "May I help you with something?" she asked with irritation.
Anya smiled. "I wish to talk to you about something."
Cali nodded. "Okay. Talk."
The other Elf shook her head. "Not here. Walk with me for a bit."
Standing and walking over her saddle bags, Cali reached in and searched them. A minute later, she pulled her hand out and frowned. "Damn, he took my other knives as well," she muttered.
"What did you say?" Anya asked coming up to Cali's side.
"Oh, nothing. So, shouldn't we be taking one of the guards or guys with us, or at least have them follow us? You know, an escort?" Cali asked.
Anya shook her head again. "Tis not that far. We will be fine."
Cali shrugged as she followed Anya. "Okay, whatever you say. But if we get in trouble, I'm blaming it on you." The two Elves walked into the forest outside of the camp; their way lit by a single lantern carried by Anya. After walking a ways, Cali stopped.
"Okay," she said. "We're stopping here before we go any further and end up lost or as some creature's dinner." She folded her arms. "Now what did you want to talk to me about that couldn't be said around the others?" As Anya turned to face Cali, her gaze flicked over Cali's shoulder at the trees behind her. Wondering what she saw, Cali looked over her shoulder to see what was there. Her eyes scanned the area; there was nothing there, but something about the area made Cali uneasy. Someone was there; she could feel it. Looking back at Anya, she said, "Come on, spit it out Anya; I don't have all night and I want to get back to camp. Something about this place makes me uneasy."
The edge of Anya's red lips quirked and her eyes seemed to darken. At least, they seemed to. Cali couldn't see her face clearly and figured it was just from the flickering light of the lantern.
"I wanted to apologize," Anya began.
"Apologize for what?" asked Cali.
"For the way I have been treating you since you arrived in Mirkwood. Forgive me for asuuming you would try to make Prince Legolas fall in love with you."
Cali was taken aback. 'How she treated me? All she did was ignore me. And what about the Prince?' "Why in the world would I want the Prince to fall in love with me? You and every other female in Mirkwood are the ones who are in love with him. I want nothing to do with Legolas."
Anya ignored her. "But you must understand. Prince Legolas had been about to court me before you arrived. I was a bit … troubled when he spent all his time with you."
Cali couldn't believe it. It was clear that this girl was insanely in love with the Elven Prince. She shook her head and was about to reach for the lantern which Anya hld so she could hurry back to the camp before someone noticed she was gone, she felt a movement behind her. Cali spun around; her eyes widened and she stepped back, bumping into Anya. The dark figures in front of her advanced.
"Anya," she whispered, slowly stepping around the other Elf. "We need to get out of here … now." The figures continued to move forward. Not wanting to wait until the figures reached them, Cali grabbed Anya's arm and dragged her away as she ran. Cali and Anya ran in what Cali hoped was the direction of the camp. "What possessed you to drag us this far in?!" she yelled at Anya as they moved in and out of the trees. Anya didn't answer; she just allowed Cali to lead her. They jumped over fallen logs and splashed through a small stream as they ran, but seemed to be nowhere nearer the camp.
Suddenly Anya's arm was torn from Cali's grip causing her to be jerked backwards from the sudden change of direction. Cali turned to see what happened just as a ball of light was thrown in her direction. She ducked and the light flew over her head. When she stood to run again, something collided with the back of her head and her world went black.
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Anya stood and brushed the loose dirt from her dress as she watched Cali crumple to the ground when the man smashed the hilt of his sword against her head. She rubbed her upper arm and glared at the man beside her. "You did not have to pull so hard, edan (human)," she sneered.
Alden sneered back and moved to where Cali lay on the ground. He knelt down to examine the back of her head. Satisfied she was not severely injured, Alden muttered a spell to keep the Elf in her unconscious state. He motioned to one of his men whom lifted Cali into his arms.
"Bind her and place her on one of the horses," he commanded. Alden stalked back to where Anya stood impatiently. "Why are you still here? Your part is finished," he growled. "Should you not be heading back to your precious Prince, she-Elf?"
The female Elf huffed and folded her arms. "I want your word she will not remember anything that had happened since she arrived here. I also want your word she that shall not escape from wherever it is you are taking her."
Alden smirked. "My my, you really are jealous of this girl. You must love your Prince deeply to go to all this trouble of getting rid of her," he said mockingly.
"Of course I love Legolas," retorted Anya. "Now I want your word!"
"Fine, you have my word," replied Alden, a scowl replacing his smirk. "Now why do you not go back to your Prince and make sure no one follows us."
Arrogantly, Anya stuck her nose into the air, flipped some stray hair over her shoulder, and stalked away from the group of men.
Alden rolled his eyes as he made his way to his horse. He mounted and called to his men, "We need to move quickly to avoid meeting any of the Elves should they attempt to get the girl back." With a swift kick to their horse's sides, the group rode away.
Anya cautiously crept back into the camp and tried to make it back to her sleeping area when she was stopped by one of the guards who was on the night watch. She looked at the guard with wide eyes. Did he know something? Did he see Cali leave with her but not return? The guards peered into the forest from where Anya had emerged; her heartbeat quickened as he looked back at her.
"You should not be walking about alone my Lady," he said softly. "There is a danger near us. It is not safe to be wondering without an escort."
Softly releasing the breath she had been unconciously holding, Anya nodded. As the Elven guard walked off, Anya sighed in relief. No one yet realized Cali was gone. Anya the walked quietly to her sleeping area near her companions. She laid down on her sleeping mat, pulling the blanket over her shouders. She closed her eyes and as she allowed sleep to take over, a single thought brought a smile to her face. 'Perfect. Everything is perfect.'
