Disclaimer: Mot mine! :(
Title: To New Mutiny
Rating: PG-13
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Chapter 4
As Tirier and Narso geared up for the hunt, Narso cleared his throat. Tirier looked up at him. "I made this for you, lad," the man said, handing him a bow, "I thought you should have your own."
Tirier was speechless, gazing at Narso before reaching out slowly to take the weapon from the man's hands. It was made of dark wood, planed down smoothly and carved with beautiful, intricate designs.
"Narso…I do not know what to say…it is beautiful. Thank you so much." he hugged the man tightly. Narso returned the embrace, then pulled away to say;
"Come on, lad. We're all ready. Let's go." A group of eight others awaited them outside. "Alright boys," Narso shouted, "it's going to be a long winter. So let's stock up!"
The hunters cheered and set out into the sparse trees that gradually thickened into the Great Forest, Mirkwood as it is known to Elf kind.
Tirier tried to concentrate on the hunt, but something distracted him. After a while, he suddenly realised the cause.
The trees were whispering to him…
The Prince!
He is home!
Prince Greenleaf has returned!
Welcome…
'They must not be talking to me,' he mused, 'for I am no prince.'
"Tiri!" Rezad's shout snapped him from his thoughts, "Bring it down!"
The hunters watched in fascination as the Elf spun and, without even seeming to pause for aim, shot off an arrow faster than their eyes could follow and scored the first kill of the hunt.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Excuse me?" the man's voice rang out, clear and friendly as Bethaline turned to him.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
The dark haired man smiled, warm blue eyes meeting her own. "I was passing through on my way to see a friend and was looking for a place to trade and maybe a bed for the night. Looks like a storm is coming."
Bethaline smiled. "Of course. You can ask my husband about the best places to trade in these parts. He is out on a hunt and will be back later. Myself and my husband have several rooms to spare and frequently take lodgers, if you would like to stay."
"Oh thank you my lady! I am very grateful."
Betha led the way towards the house. "I am Bethaline. I live here with my husband and…I suppose you could call him a foster son. They are both out hunting, but they should not be too much longer." the dark haired man looked around appreciatively as they entered the house.
"I am known as Strider, a Ranger of the North. I was travelling close by when the weather forced me here to find shelter. I thank you again for providing it, Bethaline."
A shout went up outside before Bethaline had a chance to answer, and a smile crossed her face. "Our brave hunters are back. It sounds as though they did well. Care to come and give a hand, Mister Strider?"
He nodded and they returned outdoors. They watched the band of hunters move through the small town, and Strider caught sight of a familiarly graceful gait amongst the men. He looked to the man, who he was certain was no man, with narrowed eyes, but his face was hidden by a hooded cloak. It could not be… He eyed the familiar creature for a moment before turning to Bethaline.
"If you do not mind my asking, my lady, who is he who so shrouds his face?"
Betha cast her eyes down sadly. "He shrouds his face so because of his old injury. He is Tirier; the one I called our foster son. We found him on the borders of the great forest. He was badly beaten and still has no memories of his past."
Strider frowned, his suspicion growing, " 'Tirier'? He is an Elf then?"
She nodded. "And a beautiful one." she stated proudly as they watched the men hang the carcasses. When they were done, Bethaline waved to her men.
"Narso, Tiri!" she called, "We have a guest." The two detached themselves from the group and made their way over, jesting together; "I should be the first to use the washroom this time!"
"You should, but that is only if you beat me there." he paused, "Filthy Human." Strider's stomach lurched at the familiar taunt and even more familiar voice.
"Self righteous Elf."
That was a new one…
"Boys please!" Betha scolded, "This is Strider. He will be staying with us for a night or two until the storm blows over. Strider, this is my husband, Narso, and— "
"I know who this is." Strider cut in quietly, flipping back Tirier's hood before dropping to one knee before the startled Elf.
"Prince Legolas of Mirkwood."
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Review replies::
Cheysuli: Yeah I think she probably would… *snigger* It describes him so well… Sorry I was so late! Studying is getting on top of me! The pass mark in my college is 50% instead of 40% like everywhere else so we have to work extra hard to stay on the course!!! ARGH!! Sorry about that! Ignore it!! =)
MoroTheWolfGod: You like?? Glad you're still enjoying and got more up as soon as I got a break in my study schedule, my exams will be over on the 30th so I can post a lot quicker after that! Sorry about the lateness again!! ;) Don't unleash the wolves ok??
Shandrial: That's a really good point actually…why didn't I think of that?? Sometimes you need another person's perspective on your work cos they notice things that aren't obvious to the author… Thanks for pointing that out though!! Yeah, grr…stupid Humans… *sigh* =) Aw I hope your finals are going/went okay and you're recovering nicely!!
DXPrincess: Aw you're making me blush again!! It's not that good… but thanks!! Was this chapter better? It was a bit low on the auld action as well but at least it made things a bit more interesting! ;) You have predictions? Good! Have any come true yet?? You like??
Lefty: Oh that was cruel of me! And you can mention his name now!! Yay! I think that's the right word…but I've got a bit of a brain overload at the moment with my lovely biopsychosocial psychology…Wanna guess what that means?? =) Cos I have no idea!!
jambaby1963: I'm not sure how old he is…but he still looks young enough to be only a young human! Were you surprised?? *evil smile* What a cliffy! I crack me up… Still enjoying and not wanting to kill me?? ;)
melissa greenleaf: *blush* Thank you!! Although I'm sure there are better ones… =) Thanks for your lovely review and I love your whole two signature thing! Funky!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!!
Legolasluver: So was your suspicion correct?? :) Nice to hear from you again!! Yay! Did I update soon enough? Hope you enjoyed!!
Kit Cloudkicker: Hi! Aha, see that's what makes it so interesting…so I can't reveal that just yet!! I'm evil aren't I?? Good to see ya back again! =)
kala: Did that answer your question?? ;) Hehehe!!!
tamara: You were close!!! See? Bet your second guess wasn't wrong! Hope the suspense didn't kill you or anything…you still out there?? *tumbleweed blows past* Uh oh… ;)
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Is that everyone?? Did I miss anyone? If I did, tell me! I'll fix it!! ;)