Author's Note:
Thank you so much for your lovely reviews they really do inspire me to write more quickly. Also it would appear this long chapter thing is becoming a theme so let me know if this is a problem.
Meadowsweet1363: If I could give you your very own Legolas I would but alas, that is beyond my power.
Legolas-Obessesionist: Technically Legolas is still a prince, that's kind of a birthright you can't really take away, just for all intents and official purposes he's not.
Hope you enjoy, please read and review and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible.
Nine
And So We RideElrond and Gandalf wandered leisurely down to the main gates of Minus Tirith where they had all agreed to meet at the end of the two hours. They were a little early and so were walking with no great intent, enjoying the peaceful city about them.
As they arrived in the main courtyard Arwen, who was waiting to see them off, greeted them. She embraced her father and kissed both of his cheeks before releasing him. They had already had a chance to catch up earlier so she led them over to the small party that was readying itself to set off.
As he had promised Aragorn had organized everything for the journey. A group of horses stood to one side. Those to be ridden were saddled; with the exception of the horses Legolas and Elrond would be riding as the Elves preferred to ride bareback. There was no need to travel swiftly or lightly so the packs had been filled with as many supplies as would be necessary. Amongst the horses of Gondor stood Shadowfax, awaiting Gandalf so that they could ride to Rohan together. Aragorn was busy adjusting a strap on the saddle of one horse when Arwen brought Elrond and Gandalf to him.
"One moment." He pulled the strap tight and then petted the horse soothingly before turning to the others. "All ready to go?"
"We have a few minutes still. Why don't you introduce me to the party you have chosen to accompany us?"
"Excellent idea."
Aragorn lead Elrond over to a group of four men who were seeing to their horses. Gandalf, meanwhile, had wandered over to greet Shadowfax and Arwen went with him.
As the King approached the four men turned their attention from their horses to him and his Elven companion.
"This is Duryn, Teonvan, Seobryn, and Addramyr" Aragorn said motioning to each of the men. Elrond nodded. Each stood tall for the race of Men but were shorter than Elrond, despite him being half human. Elrond guessed easily that Legolas would be taller than them. Aquila however would find herself the shortest of the group, though not by much.
Duryn, the first of the men, had soft green eyes and dirty blond hair, which was matted together in thick strands. Clearly this man did not take much time to wash his hair. Elrond doubted if he had since his mother stopped doing it for him. He was well built and stood proudly in his armour, sword slung at his side. Teonvan was very similar to Duryn in stature but his dark brown hair shone beautifully. He too had green eyes but they were darker than Duryn's. Seobryn, with dull blue eyes and light brown hair, appeared to be the youngest of the group though, as he was chosen by Aragorn, Elrond had no doubt he was a skilled fighter. Finally Addramyr, who stood slightly taller than the others and had smouldering brown eyes and dark hair, which was beginning to show signs of greying, Elrond recognized. He had been introduced to him on one of his visits to Minus Tirith; he was captain of Aragorn's army. The Elven Lord imagined the second-in-command was taking over while Addramyr was gone.
"I look forward to travelling with you all."
"Men, this is Lord Elrond of Imladris. Some of you may have met him before." Elrond shook each of their hands in turn and when Addramyr smiled knowingly at him he smiled back.
"We'll finish readying the horses if you have no objection my Lord." Seobryn asked, eager to please.
"That would be most useful. Thank you." Elrond smiled before walking off with Aragorn. "You have sent message to Ithilian I hope?"
"Of course. I also took the liberty of sending a messenger to Mirkwood to inform King Thranduil of his sons whereabouts."
"Did you send word of Aquila's arrival?"
"No, I thought that would be a nice surprise when they pass through."
"Actually speaking of Legolas, where is he?"
Elrond suddenly realized that neither he nor Gandalf had heard from him in over an hour. Where was he? They had seen him leave with Aquila and surely he had taken her to a bed as they suggested. Perhaps he had taken her to his bed. Elrond suddenly realized he must have been pondering the thought too long as Aragorn was beginning to give him a strange look.
"Come to think of it I haven't seen Legolas for at least an hour."
"Hmmmmm I'll send someone to find him." Aragorn called a guard to him and gave him instructions to seek out the Elf. Before the guard dashed off Elrond called out.
"Try the guest quarters first!"
"You think he might be sleeping?" Aragorn chuckled.
"Mithrandir and I sent him up there to put Aquila to sleep. The poor thing was so exhausted she had fallen asleep in her chair." Aragorn's face fell in what might have been guilt and Elrond decided this was a good start to the king learning to accept the Roc. "Neither of us have seen him since then so he may still be up there."
Aragorn raised a questioning eyebrow, which Elrond chose to ignore. Before he could interrogate the Elf further the Hobbits came running into the courtyard yelling something about them not being allowed to leave till they had said goodbye. Aragorn laughed and walked over to greet his friends. Elrond turned to seek out Gandalf and found him speaking with Arwen.
The guard who Aragorn had sent off to find Legolas hurried through the city and up to the building that housed the king's rooms. He passed swiftly across the courtyard of the Citadel but stopped before the doors to the king's throne room to question one of the guards there.
"Has the Elf, Legolas passed by here at all?"
"Yes. He came through about an hour ago I suppose. He was carrying the Roc, she seemed asleep but for our sake I can only hope she was dead."
The guards nodded at each other before the one sent to fetch Legolas continued on into the throne room. He passed quickly through and into the hallway. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached the second landing where he left the staircase and began down the hallway. He knocked on the first door on his left, received no answer, opened the door and, finding no one within it the room, closed it again. He continued on this way down the hall until he reached the third door on the right, which to his surprise, stood slightly ajar. Still he knocked before gently pushing the door open the rest of the way.
Legolas had only been sleeping very lightly so was easily woken by the sharp rapping at the door. He opened his eyes just as the door swung open to reveal one of the cities guards. The Elf sat up carefully, removing his arm from about Aquila's waist, as the guard stepped a pace or two into the room. He coughed quietly before speaking.
"Forgive my intrusion sir but his Highness sent me to fetch you and, uh…the Lady."
"I take it everyone is ready to depart then?" The guard nodded swiftly and shifted from one foot to the other. Legolas looked out the window and noticed how high the sun had crept into the sky. Had he really allowed himself to fall asleep for that long? It had been so calming having her beside him he was not really all that surprised that he had. He suddenly took notice of the guard's unease and imagined it was due to Aquila's presence. "Tell Aragorn that we are right behind you. However do not fear we wont follow so closely that she will continue to unnerve you." Legolas added bitterly. The guard suddenly looked embarrassed and hurried out of the room, not bothering to shut the door.
Legolas sighed and leaned over Aquila, who was now lying on her back. Gently grasping her shoulders he was about the shake her lightly in order to wake her up but an evil grin spread over his face as he thought of a much better way to rouse his friend. He leaned over her till their faces were just about touching. Just when he was about to execute his plan her eyes snapped open and before he knew what had happened Legolas was lying on his back, his shoulders pinned to the mattress by Aquila's hands. He looked up at her in shock as she laughed lightly.
"Pinned yah" she purred playfully before letting up on Legolas' shoulder and allowing him to sit up. He gave her a look of indignity before breaking out into a smile. "I heard the guard come in. He didn't exactly make any effort to be quiet." She stretched before sliding her legs off the side of the bed. Legolas stood at the end of the bed waiting for her to get the feeling back into her legs.
"You were awake all that time?" She smiled up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just get up?"
"And miss messing with you? Not likely my friend."
Legolas smiled endearingly at her before wandering over to the doorway. She remained seated on the bed; looking up at him she tilted her head to one side.
"Before we go, do you mind if I ask you something?" He leaned against the doorframe and gave her a 'go right ahead' look. "Why did you bring me up here?"
"You fell asleep in your chair and myself, Gandalf and Elrond thought you'd be better off sleeping in a bed."
"I see…then why did you stay with me?"
"Because you asked me to." He looked almost confused by her line of questioning. He waited for her to continue but she didn't. Instead she stood up and crossed the room to where he stood. She stopped just in front of him and placed a hand gently in the center of his chest. She looked up into his sparkling blue eyes, eyes that suddenly held so much more wonder and mystery then they once had.
"Thank you." She whispered before pulling away from him. He smiled at her and suddenly had the strongest urge to kiss her but he decided that idea was best toyed with later. Besides they were already keeping the others. Aquila seemed to suddenly notice the time of day.
"How long did I sleep for?"
"Over an hour."
She looked startled but when Legolas started off down the corridor she was quick to follow. She had no idea where they were so she allowed Legolas to lead her down the stairs and out into another hall.
"You shouldn't sound so surprised you slept for as long as you did. You did fly for three days on only a few hours sleep and you can't even pretend you got a decent sleep chained up last night. A vivid image of Aquila chained not to the column in Aragorn's throne room but to the bed they had just shared flashed through Legolas' mind. He almost stopped walking it was so sudden and tantalizing. He blushed slightly, praising everything he could think of that his friend could not read his mind.
The falter in Legolas' step didn't escape Aquila but when she gave him a strange look he seemed not to notice.
"I suppose you're right" She sighed.
"About what?"
"About me falling asleep so easily…" she gave him a worried look "Legolas are you alright?"
"Fine, just thinking."
"Ok but don't you turn into Elrond on me."
He smiled at the comment and even allowed himself to laugh lightly at the thought of himself tuning out as the Elven Lord had a knack for doing.
"Come on. I think we've kept Aragorn and the others waiting too long as it is." He quickened his pace as they made their way down the stairs at the bottom of the Citadel courtyard. She hurried to keep pace with him as they meandered their way through the city towards the gates.
The guard who was sent to fetch Legolas returned more quickly then Aragorn had expected him to.
"I found the Prince your Majesty."
"Well done…where is he?" Aragorn glanced behind the guard as if to emphasize his point.
"Oh…he will be down shortly, I'm afraid I disturbed his sleep. Should I have not woken him sire?"
"No, of course you should have. You did well to wake him, he's supposed to be down here at this moment but clearly he believes getting a little shut eye to be far more important." Aragorn paused for a moment before continuing "Was the Lady with him?"
"Lady sire? Oh! The Roc! Yes, indeed she was. Legolas said they would both follow but I had no desire to accompany that creature to the gates so I hurried on ahead."
Elrond, Arwen and Gandalf all cringed at the harsh words of the guard. Aragorn seemed unfazed though.
"They will be arriving shortly then?"
"Yes your majesty." He then shifted uneasily and looked back over his shoulder more than once. Aragorn sensed his unrest, but then who couldn't, and dismissed him. The guard did not hang around to see Legolas and Aquila stroll through the smaller gates of the city's second tier and into the main courtyard where everyone was gathered. Both looked well rested and for that Elrond was thankful.
"So nice of you to join us" Aragorn teased. Legolas glared playfully at his friend while Aquila remained indifferent to the comment. "I trust you slept well?" Aragorn tried for another jab, secretly hoping to rouse the Rocs temper.
Aquila opened her mouth to respond but a harsh glare and a quick shake of the head from Elrond out of the corner of her eye made her think otherwise.
"I take it everyone is ready to leave then?" Legolas asked no one in particular, merely hoping to deflect the conversation.
"We have been ready for sometime now." Teonvan said coolly, leaning against a stonewall.
"That is hardly true." Elrond disputed "We have really only been waiting a few minutes. No great amount of time has been lost. Besides I would rather that Aquila have rested" He then turned his attention to Aquila "I do hope you rested well" It was so close to a question that Aquila tilted her head to the side in confusion before answering.
"Yes I did. I don't know how long I slept in the chair for and I barely stirred when Legolas took me to one of the guest beds. Then I slept right through till the guard woke us. Why the sudden concern over my sleep patterns?" She raised a questioning eyebrow.
"No reason" he frantically searched for something to save himself from further questioning as to his motives. "No more dreams then?"
"None."
"Good. We best be going then." He quickly turned and cursed himself for being so blatantly obvious. He caught Gandalf chuckling to himself again and glared daggers at the wizard. Aquila was far from satisfied with the Elven Lord's response and wondered why he had seemed so interested in her sleeping.
"What is your story Legolas?" Gandalf prompted.
"What?" Legolas looked slightly bewildered by the question.
"Aquila was asleep when you took her up, what caused you to drop off?"
"Oh. She asked if I'd stay with her, she didn't feel entirely comfortable in the king's guest rooms" Legolas opted to use 'comfortable' instead of 'safe' as he did not wish to offend either his friend, who's rooms he spoke of, or the rest of the city's residents. "So I took the other side of the bed and I suppose I must have fallen asleep shortly afterwards."
Gandalf smiled and nodded.
"I suppose we're all more tired after last night then we thought. Perhaps an early night is best?" The wizard left the question hanging and it was Elrond who chose to answer.
"Indeed. However if we desire to stop earlier so as to sleep for longer then I suggest we make up as much ground as possible before the sun sets, which means leaving now." He headed over towards the horse that had been given for him to ride and fished something out of the bag he had slung across it's back. The four men who were to accompany them all mounted their respective horses and awaited the others. Legolas walked over to the horse he would be riding and stroked its neck while introducing himself. Arwen smiled as she walked past him to stand beside her husband. As Aquila made her way over to the remaining horse Elrond stepped into her path with something clutched in his hands. Gandalf moved to stand behind her and her eyes searched the Elven Lord's eyes for any sort of explanation as she began to feel trapped.
"Aquila, I'm sorry I have to do this but I'm afraid it is necessary." Elrond met her gaze with regret. Aquila took a step back, thoughts flooding through her mind. Elrond noticed she was beginning to look panicked and so continued before she could become more so. "I'm going to have to ask you to wear this at all times on this ride." He held up the bundle, the top of it clutched in his hands as it fell to the ground. Aquila found herself staring at a simple brown cloak with a hood. She looked confused and uncertain before it all finally sunk in.
"You want me to wear that at all times. While we are riding?"
"At least while in daylight."
"You desire to hide me then." It was a statement, not a question and Elrond knew it.
"We must. Not only will we be passing through the lands of Men on our way but I would prefer it at this time that what ever enemy we may have to face did not know there was a Roc present in Middle Earth." He waited for her to explode into a torrent of hateful words. That he was prepared for, what she did he was not.
She took the cloak from his hands and cast it about her shoulders, all done in complete silence, her gaze never leaving his. She buckled the broach and slowly pulled the hood over her head, shadowing her eyes from his as she spoke words laced with ice.
"Would it not be easier to have me change into my final form Master Elrond." The way she hiss the word 'master' sent shivers down his spin as he imagined her addressing him in the same manner but in a very different situation. "Then I would appear as one of you. Or them." She pointed to the four Men, mounted on their horses.
"The thought did cross my mind but we did not have ample time to have clothing made to fit you. Seeing as you didn't bring any of your own." Elrond spoke perfectly calmly, determined not to let her affect his composure in anyway.
"Well in that case" she stepped into him until her body was barely touching his "perhaps I should just ride naked." She then stepped to the side and walked past him towards her horse. Elrond stood frozen to the spot, mouth open, desperately trying to come up with a coherent answer. He coughed to steady his voice before replying.
"I believe the cloak will be the preferred option. After all I think a naked woman would attract almost as much attention as a Roc in her Half form, if not more." He then strode over to his horse and mounted swiftly as if the whole scenario had been nothing out of the ordinary. Aquila however stalked up to her horse. Legolas, who had already leaped up onto his horses back smiled down at her. She shot him a nasty look and pulled the cloak tighter about her form. If they wanted her hidden then hidden she would be. She pulled herself into the saddle with some difficulty but not even Gandalf dared to assist her. Once settled she gripped the reigns and urged her horse to walk over to the group of four Men waiting by the gates. Legolas and Elrond followed but not too closely. Both knew that move had struck a cord in Aquila but both also knew it was best to have her presence remain unregistered. The two only hopped she would get over it before they reached their destination.
Gandalf sat upon Sadowfax's back at the center of the open gates. With a quick farewell wave the horse set off at a speedy gallop in the direction of Edoras. The others waved and watched till his form was lost over the peak of a small hill. The larger party then waved farewell and said their goodbyes. Arwen kissed her father and made him promise to say hello to her grandmother and grandfather for her. Aragorn farewelled all but Aquila who remained at the furthest edge of the small party, already just outside the gate. The Hobbits called out a quick farewell to her but all she could muster in her current sate of dejection was a quick wave.
Once the farewells were complete the riders turned their horses and galloped through the gates. Aquila urged her horse to the front of the group and set a flying pace. In an attempt to cheer his friend Legolas rode his horse up along side her and engaged her in a race for the lead. Aquila being in no mood for fun at that point was quick to give up and chose to drop to the back of the pack as they slowed to a more suitable pace for the long journey ahead.
They had made good headway by the time the sun looked like it was ready to begin the final stint of its journey. Aquila still remained at the rear but was sure to keep pace with the others. The four Men rode at the center and were chatting quite happily amongst themselves. At the lead of the group rode Elrond and Legolas, side buy side. The blond Elf however looked less then happy. His head was cast down and his shoulders were uncharacteristically slumped.
"You know I had to." Elrond said as he glanced across at Legolas. The other Elf looked up and over at Elrond and forced a small smile.
"I know. I just wish she understood"
"Yes, it would certainly make this journey more pleasant." Elrond glanced quickly back at her but the hood pulled over her head hid her features.
Aquila found herself quite content to bring up the rear of the group, glaring at the back of Elrond. By now she'd mostly gotten over the incident. She'd even begun to agree with his reasoning. She was not; however, ready to stop being mad at him. She was concentrating so hard on boring holes into the Elven Lord's back she didn't notice when one of the Men slackened his pace and pulled his horse up alongside her.
"It looks good on you."
She turned to see who it was that had interrupted her thoughts. She was greeted by a wide grin set below dull blue eyes, which too smiled with sincerity. His wavy light brown hair sat in a sort of mop on his head and pieces fell across his eyes as the wind shifted them. Seobryn was not the most well built of the four Men but he was by no means scrawny. Aquila couldn't help but smile back; his eyes wouldn't allow you to do anything else.
"What does?" Though her smile was hidden from view she was sure her voice gave her away.
"The cloak. The brown really brings out the pale colour of your skin. But then I suppose that's why Rocs have brown and white feathers huh?"
She laughed quietly as the young man but couldn't help wondering why he, unlike the other three, didn't seem to feel unease in her presence.
"I'm glad to see you're significantly cheered up. It is, after all a very long ride to Lothlórien and I don't know if you'd succeed too well at being mad at Elrond for the entire trip."
"No I suppose I wouldn't. He's awfully difficult to stay mad at but I thought I'd keep it up as long as possible. I wasn't doing too badly until you interrupted me…" she left the sentence unfinished as she was not sure of his name.
"Oh forgive me, my captain would have my head for being so informal. I'm Seobryn of Gondor." He held his hand out for her to shake, unsure if she would or if Rocs even shook hands. He was relieved when she put her hand in his and shook it lightly.
"Aquila, Princess of the Rocs"
"Yes, I have heard much about you. Your arrival in the city has caused quite a stir." She tilted her head to the side to display her inquisitiveness towards the matter so he continued. "You must realize the significance of your arrival. Just about every myth, legend, tale and curse to do with Rocs has surfaced and most, I hate to say, were pleased to see you leave so quickly."
"You hate to say?"
"My parents are not very well learned and I myself am no different. I aspired only to join the armies of Gondor and all my time and energy went into that. I had no time for tales of giant Eagles plucking cattle and sheep from unsuspecting farmers. I must admit I had no idea what a Roc looked like until you arrived. I'm also not one to let tales or rumours influence my decisions. There weren't very many willing to volunteer to come on this journey but I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to size this Roc up for myself."
"And…?"
"Well so far you don't seem all that bad. Perhaps by the end of this trip I could call you friend."
Despite Elrond's insistence upon the hooded cloak she pulled the hood back to smile at Seobryn before pulling it back over her head. He beamed back at her and leapt into a flurry of questioning regarding anything and everything about Rocs. Aquila laughed merrily at the never-ending stream of questions before finally getting him to agree to take them one at a time.
They spoke for sometime and Aquila began to worry that he would never run out of questions. She would finish answering one only to have him launch into another.
"Back there, at the gates, when Elrond asked you to wear the hood you talked about talking on your Final form. I know you've already told me about your different forms and I imagine you don't look that much different from one of our women in that form. What I don't understand is why would you have to ride naked if Elrond couldn't ready clothes in time for you? You're not naked now, quite the opposite, your feathers cover your body like clothing. That and you now have a cloak on."
She laughed lightly before answering him.
"When I transform into my Final form the feathers covering my body disappear, or I suppose a better way of explaining it would be that they are retracted into my being. In order to appear more human-like the feathers have to retreat and they do so till there is no sign of them. So if I were to transform into my Final form right now I would be left wearing no more than what I wear now. That is the cloak I have about my shoulders and the scarf I wear about my waist."
Seobryn tilted his head slightly as he allowed this information to be absorbed. He then blushed considerably as the concept struck him.
"Oh, I see. I suppose the cloak is for the best then. Could we not get you some clothes once we reach Lothlórien though?"
"That is what Master Elrond plans on doing." Legolas quipped. Both Seobryn and Aquila looked across at Legolas who had pulled his horse up to Aquila's right without either of them even noticing. He smiled at the pair and was happy when Aquila smiled back, even though she followed it with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh I see Master Elrond has thought of everything."
"Please don't be mad with him. It's not his fault and I think he hates the cloak almost as much as you do."
"I dunno, it's not so bad when the hood's pulled back so we can see your pretty eyes" Seobryn added. Legolas looked over at the young man with a smirk and raised eyebrows.
"Well I see you've found yourself a new best friend." He feigned dejection as he glanced away from them. "I'll just have to go back to having a half coherent conversation with Elrond."
"Don't be silly." Aquila reached over and tugged gently on his golden hair, forcing him to look back at her. "You will always be my best friend Legolas and nothing will ever change that. Seobryn is just a new friend."
"A Roc and a Man friends?" He pretended to be shocked by the claim.
"You're one to talk, an Elf who befriended a Dwarf." Legolas grinned as he realized he'd walked himself right into that one. She did have a point though, things in Middle Earth seemed to be changing for the better, perhaps there was more hope for the Rocs return then he had originally dared hope.
"Besides Seobryn has been kind enough to keep me company while you were busy discussing important matters with Elrond. Though from the sounds of things you didn't get much out of him. Don't tell me his attention span has gotten worse."
"I'm afraid it has temporarily got the better of him. Though I believe he will make a full recovery by nightfall, once he's sorted out whatever is going on in that head of his."
Aquila and Seobryn laughed and Legolas was quick to join in.
In front of them however, the band of now three Men were none too pleased by the youngest mans eagerness to befriend the Roc. They scowled back at him but he seemed not to notice, too busy enjoying the company of Legolas and Aquila over the other Men. They all exchanged hateful looks and made a silent pact to let the boy know his place once they had stopped for the night. They were not willing to risk any of the Roc myths being true so that he could make a new 'friend'.
"When we return to Minus Tirith I would like to introduce you to Pirirewen" Seobryn stated once their laugher had subsided.
"She your sweetheart?" Aquila asked with a coy eyebrow raised.
"She is. We plan to marry upon my return." He grinned, "I think she would like you."
"Would she not hate me because I am a Roc?"
"Probably at first I imagine but once I told her that I considered you a friend of mine I'm sure she'd be willing to give you a chance. I'd bet you'd get along well once you got all that out of the way."
Aquila smiled warmly at him.
"Well then, upon my return to Minus Tirith I would be most delighted to meet with your Pirirewen."
Legolas missed the end half of the conversation, having become lost in his own thoughts. Thoughts of his father and the throng of possible 'brides' he threw at his son. Legolas was not one to shy away from his duties towards Mirkwood and would eventually marry and father further heirs for the Woodland realm. He only wished his father would wake up to the fact that he was immortal and just let him fall in love in his own time and marry when he chose to. Secretly the constant pressure applied by his father on this subject was one of the reasons Legolas took every opportunity to volunteer for duties that would carry him outside of Mirkwood. The trip to Rivendell where he joined the Fellowship being the most drastic and the journey to the Western shores to see what evil was brewing there being the most recent. Though even this one was turning into a more complicated task then it had originally seemed.
Before he had a chance for his thoughts to progress much further Elrond halted at the head of group, causing everyone to abruptly stop their horses.
"I think we should camp for the night before the sun begins to set." Elrond called out so that all could hear him. It was at this point that the riders realized how quickly the afternoon had passed, as the sun slowly began to set. "What do you say to that patch of trees over there Legolas?"
He looked in the direction the other Elf was pointing and saw a small cluster of trees, which he assumed, must have gathered about some small lake, judging from their arrangement. They were tall but not of any great height. Their position would, however provide shelter from the wind.
"Yes they will do well. They'll protect us from the wind and help to break up any showers. Though from the feel of things I would be very surprised if it rained tonight. There may also be a small lake further in and if we're lucky it's a nice one."
Elrond nodded and so steered the group towards the small patch of trees. The others followed at a leisurely pace and it did not take long for them all to reach the shelter of the trees. The four men set about pitching tents to sleep in while the two Elves and the Roc laid bedding upon the grass, just inside the line of trees, and tossed a blanket atop, content to sleep out in the night air while the weather looked well.
Once the Men had set up their tents they all disappeared into one and as Aquila watched them go she couldn't help but wonder what they were up to. She supposed it was none of her business though. Besides she was now eager to patch things up with Elrond so that the two of them could at least speak to each other again. She walked over to where he stood, his back was to her but he turned upon hearing her approach.
"Lord Elrond I……" The Elf cut her off before she even started.
"Let's no think about that. We shale put it behind us and move on?"
"I will if you will."
He smiled and nodded.
"I don't think it would matter if you took it off under the cover of the nights darkness and when we ride I don't see the harm of pulling the hood back. However if we have to pass through a village of any sort…"
"The hood goes straight back on?" She smiled at him as she unclasped the cloak and threw it over onto her bedding.
She had set herself up as far away from the Men's tents as possible, despite her new found friendship with Seobryn she didn't think the other Men would appreciate sleeping with her at such close proximity. Elrond had put himself down towards the Men's tents, mostly to put a barrier between them and Aquila. Legolas had chosen to sleep to the other side of Aquila.
As Aquila and Elrond finished their small exchange the Men emerged from the tent. Seobryn had his head hung and when Aquila called out to him to try and find out what was wrong he lifted his head slightly but did not meet her gaze before lowering it again and disappearing inside his tent. Despite only seeing his face briefly neither Aquila nor Elrond missed the large bruise starting to form high up on his right cheek. The two exchanged a worried look but decided the boy was probably best left to himself for the night. Not to mention the other three men did not look like they would take too kindly to anyone rushing to assist him. Elrond began to think perhaps bringing them along had been a mistake.
Legolas had already laid himself out on his bedding when Aquila and Elrond finally joined him.
"Patched things up?" He queried.
They both looked at him but neither replied. Their eyes spoke volumes and as Aquila flicked her gaze towards Seobryn's tent Legolas followed it.
"You don't think they…because of……" Legolas dared not speak his thoughts completely out loud with the Men is such close quarters but both understood what he meant.
"I do." Elrond stated simply before he began to remove his armour. He removed his dark cloak and stripped off the golden-coloured plates and silver shirt of mail beneath it. Wearing only the remaining light green tunic and matching leggings he sat to remove his boots, arm-guards and gloves.
Legolas went through a similar ritual, carefully laying each item, including bow, quiver and knives, to the side of his bedding. Soon he had stripped off to only a fine silver tunic and dark grey leggings. He too sat to remove his boots before lying down upon his bedding.
Aquila, who required no undressing simply lay down and pulled the thick blanket up around her as the chill of night began to settle in. She was not immune to the cold like her Elven friends so the blanket served to keep her warm so that she could get a good night sleep, without waking up shivering. For the Elves the blankets were merely a formality and they had much thinner ones. They tended to simply enjoy the feel of a blanket about their body rather then revelling in its warmth.
It did not take the three long to slip into sleep, as they were all quite tired from the previous days events. The Men too fell asleep with ease, all except Seobryn. Who lay huddled up in his tent in a most sombre mood for hours before sleep too claimed him.
To be continued…
Disclaimer:
I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the places, characters, items, etc associated with it. I am not making any money from this piece of fiction and am merely borrowing these places and characters to place in a new situation for your and my amassment.
However, the Rocs, the City of Cirus, Aquila, Pandion, Audax and any other characters, weapons, places, etc associated with the Rocs are my own creation and I lay full claim to them.