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Bethany followed the group silently, flanked by the elven twins. Her mind was torn. She no longer knew what was real and what was not. In only a few hours she had witness more than she ever seen in her twenty years of life. And living in Manchester tat was something to be proud of.
She could feel Paige's eyes on her occasionally, when the morose girl found time to seek her out. Hunter had taken leadership over the group, to everybody but Tyler's relief. They need someone to lead them or they would scatter and probably end up getting themselves killed. They were in a forest, somewhere they didn't know and as far as they were concerned, they were lost.
It did not bode well.
Chris walked in the middle of the group, being silently comforted by Grace. Trinity's death had hit them all hard but it had hurt Chris the most and Tyler's stupid comments had done more damage.
Jack talked vividly to Hunter about something, whatever it was; it was not a welcome topic. They spoke in hushed whispers that only the sharp ears of the elven Lords could hear; although that was know to the two men.
From his place at the back of the group, Elrohir studied each person in turn. He would have to be careful of this...Tyler, he himself felt not threatened but unnerved by his behaviour. The women were frightened of him. Bethany had visibly shaken when he had raised his voice and the fair-haired girl had looked angered but was unable to stand up to him.
The two who walked by Lord Glorfindel had been most helpful and were perhaps the only ones in the group that would listen to reason and talk.
When Elrohir had spoken the Bethany earlier that day he had felt her emotions as if they were his own. There was an intense anger within her and a shyness that he had never encountered before. He could tell that she was well educated just by observing her mannerisms and her posture.
The night was drawing closer and they were still half a day away from Imladris. Lord Glorfindel stopped the group. It was folly to attempt to lead a group of unarmed and untrained humans through the forest. It would be safer to stay together and sleep under the stars.
"We stop here"
Glorfindel's powerful voice startled them and half of them jumped in surprise. In silence they gathered their sleeping bags and laid them out while Lord Elladan and Chris built a fire.
Grace sat silently, opening a few tins of spaghetti and beans, not a gourmet meal but it would have to do for tonight.
"Ok, supposing that you really are elves, and we really are in a different world. What will happen to us when we reach wherever you're taking us?"
Hunter asked from his place beside Paige.
Lord Glorfindel turned to look at him, his expression schooled into one of cool indifference.
"You shall be questioned by the Lord of Imladris and your plight will be considered"
Tyler stood up and approached the Lord. The golden haired elf looked imposing, next to Glorfindel Tyler's normally intimidating stature was laughable. Glorfindel was not a large elf, muscular, but not large. But he held a wise and deadly air about him that could be taken as threatening in the situation.
Tyler's eyes looked him up and down in a disgruntled manner before speaking,
"I do not take orders from anybody. I am a street, you get that? I'm not gonna wait around for some high and mighty lord to 'consider' anything"
Glorfindel arched an eyebrow, as if amused by the mans behaviour.
"Youngling, you will do what we request, else you will find yourself alone. Do you understand? In the eyes of the elves you are a mere babe, do not test my temper"
Elladan looked amused as his mentor chastised the man. Tyler on the other hand was not so amused. His face was twisted in anger and he was becoming more irate by the minute.
The group stepped back, knowing just how Tyler was going to react.
"Who the fuck are you talking to? Do you think I'm a little kid you can push around? I ain't no lackey man. Do you think I'm one of those pissy little girls over there?"
He waved his hand over to the girls, Grace and Paige looked indignant whereas Beth looked intimidated and a little scared. Hunter's eyes drifted over them and his mind was made up when he saw Beth.
"Tyler. We don't have a choice. We have to follow them, for all we know they could kill us in our sleep. Just cool it"
"Don't you start you nancy boy. Always looking out for the ladies ain't ya. Let me tell you. There ain't no prissy little 'elf' gonna kill me. They ain't touching me you know what I'm sayin"
"You're such a jerk don't you ever give it a rest?"
Chris stood from his place by the fire, he was fed up of the back stabbing and bitching that was going on in the group and they had only been lost for a matter of hours. Watching his girlfriend die was the hardest thing that he had ever had to do. The images of those creatures ran through his mind one after another until he could hardly breathe. His eyes were red rimmed and blazing with anger as he thought about it. Tyler's callous comets had been the icing on the cake. Before they had been best friends, but now, his allegiances had changed.
"Do you not live in the same world as the rest of us? We are miles away from anybody. We have nowhere to go and no one to trust. One of us is already dead and any one of us might be next"
Tyler backed down a little when he caught the look of a serious threat in Chris's eyes. Chris took a deep breath, knowing that he alone could defuse the situation.
"We have to trust these people for now. We are alone. Do you understand? We have no choice. And so far, they haven't tried to kill us so I'll take them to be the good guys. It makes sense that Hunter takes over the group. He's the most level headed and diplomatic person in the group, save Beth, who you seem to have cornered"
Tyler had the grace to nod an apology to Beth, who truly did look frightened by everything. The group breathed a sigh of relief as Tyler relaxed a little. However, nobody missed the underlying tension that had locked it's self around them all.
Elrohir's senses had been put on edge by the conflict and his eyes watched everything more closely.
Everybody ate in silence, nobody particularly enjoyed the food but nobody complained. Hunter and Glorfindel disappeared to discuss the next days probable events. Their situation was less than agreeable and things were about to become even nastier.
Back at the camp most of the group had gone to sleep. Only Beth and Jack lay awake talking.
"I don't understand how we got here. We should have followed the plan and stuck to it. But nooooo, we have to do things our way"
"Beth, you're doing it again"
She turned around in her sleeping bag, the material of her skirt was uncomfortable but she welcomed the distraction.
"Doing what?"
Jack sighed and turned to face her,
"Thinking when you're tired. Stop it"
"I can't help it. Nothing makes any sense. And if they're really elves, and to be honest, I think they are...then it's us who are really screwed. And like Chris said, any one of us could be next it's just a matter of time"
"Nay my lady, it is not"
A rich voice said from behind, startling her into silence. She was just glad that it was dark and he couldn't see her face turn red.
She turned over so that she could see him, well his outline anyway.
"Yes it is. You saw us. We were pathetic. We're lucky only one of us was killed"
She turned her head and glanced at Jack only to find that he'd fallen asleep. She sighed heavily and turned back to whichever twins she was talking to. Meeting his gaze she sat up.
"So tell me, what do you really want from us? Surely you wouldn't simply take us under your wing because you felt sorry for us"
The other twin emerged from the darkness and sat beside his brother.
"Wait, which ones which?"
They smiled at her, amusement clearly showing in their eyes.
"I am Elladan, and he is Elrohir"
She nodded and gestured for them to answer her questions.
"Nay, normally we would not interfere. But your dress and speech made us think that you were lost. Never before have I heard such language or seen such a display of casual flesh than I have seen today"
Elladan said, his eyes flicking over to where grace slept snoring softly.
She smiled slightly, it wasn't so much Grace's sense of dress that made her provocative, it was her manner. She seemed to radiate sex. Beth herself was more of a conservative girl in that respect. Nobody saw her body unless she wanted them to. And so far, she'd kept it under wraps.
"What will happen when we get to wherever it is you're taking us?"
Her voice shook slightly and Elrohir felt a little guilty.
"When you get there you will be questioned. If you are deemed safe and non-threatening, you will be given chambers of your own until your situation can be resolved"
Elladan answered, his voice quiet. He had not intended on telling her that, but he felt he had to.
"So...we may never go home?"
She said quietly to herself before turning over and burying herself within the warm comfort of her sleeping bag, effectively ending the conversation.
She lay awake for sometimes, thinking. What if she never went home? Could she make a life here? And what about the life she left behind. There were so many questions and so few answers. Question that had no logical or scientific reason would be answered with the reason of magic.
The elves stood watch over the group as the night passed and melted into the dawn and a new day. A day that would prove to be very...eventful.