DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN LORD OF THE RINGS
SHOUTOUTS:
Kiki-0303: I know. That would hurt a LOT. Guess you'll just have to read to find out ~.^
Yavanna: It wasn't Mary Sue-ish? IT WASN'T MARY SUE-ISH!!! *jumps up and down, doing little happy dance. THANX!! ^^
SaFire Sky: Eh, what can I say? Her story rox ^^ Thanx for all the compliments.
Thanx to everyone!! I got very few reviews, (
But those who did review RRRRRRRUUUULLEEE!!! LOL thanx REVIEW AGAIN!!
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
ONDRAYA'S P.O.V.
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
(A/N: P.s.! This takes place after the war. Everyone is still alive! EVEN HALDIR, WHO THEY MERCILESSLY KILLED AT HELM'S DEEP! I heard a rumor that he wasn't supposed to die. Damn Peter Jackson...I shall have to send a mob of angry Haldir fan girls knocking on his door...heh heh heh)
Imeron = craziness. That was my first impression. And my second, and my third, and my fourth, and my fiftth, and my sixth, and well, you get the point.
He hummed while he rode, and the smile never faded from his face. His pastime was talking. Even if I wasn't listening, he was just riding along, babbling away. He talked about unimportant things. Like his father, the weather, his horse, the weather, his home, the weather. Are you noticing a pattern?
I must admit, he WAS actually pretty good at predicting the weather. He took one glance at the perfectly blue, cloudless sky and said, "It's going to POUR tonight." Then he kicked his horse forward, and continued along as though he'd never said anything in the first place.
Sure enough, that night, we practically had a monsoon. It rained from sundown to sunup. The rivers and lakes were overflowing, and much vegetation was drowned. A heavy mist hung in the air, keeping everything damp. Even then, Imeron's spirits stayed high.
He would often question me, and when I didn't answer, he'd come up with some sort of bet. We were pretty evenly matched. He knew my name, my age, and my favorite color. I had his spare blanket, dagger, and leather pouch. He valued information, and I valued material things.
One night, after we set up camp, I noticed that it was especially dark out. He was in the process of asking me where I was from (and trying to think of a bet we could place that we hadn't used already), when the fire suddenly went out. He had been tending it, and I sighed. "Can't you get anything right?" I snapped, agitated.
"Oh come now!" He laughed. "'Tis just the wind toying with us!" He exclaimed. "You yourself saw how large it was." He pointed out. I grunted. It HAD been a big fire... I grasped my sword hilt.
"Be on your guard." I warned.
"Yes ma'am!" He mocked, not seeing the scowl on my face.
Something was wrong. Fires don't die like that. *Snap!
I whipped my body towards the direction of the sound. There was someone, or something, out there. For once, even Imeron was quiet, sensing the seriousness of the situation. *Shing!
Something metal flew past my head. I had ducked just in time. The fire lit back up. Imeron and I glanced around wildly, bewildered. "Look!" He exclaimed, pointing.
I followed his gaze and noted a dagger imbedded in a tree trunk. There was a piece of parchment rolled up and attached to the dagger. Carefully, I edged toward it. I was dismayed to find that it had cut my hair and pegged the few strands to the tree. Apparently, I hadn't ducked it as well as I'd thought. Thank goodness that I lost only those few strands.
Imeron continued to grip his sword and glare at the trees around us as I snatched the piece of parchment from its holds. I unfolded it, and smoothed it out. It read:
~~~Now did you REALLY think you'd escape so simply, my darling? Didn't it ever occur to you that running from the castle was just a little TOO easy, that night? Tisk, tisk. I thought, that after ten years, you would know better. I suppose that you'll have to learn the hard way. My eye is ever watchful upon you. Enjoy your wanderings...while you can.
Forevermore,
Your Lord Dagrius
P.S. You might want to keep an eye on your little friend...~~~
I scanned the note a few times more. Then, cursing loudly, I crumpled it and tossed it into the fire. "It's okay, Imeron. They'll give us no trouble...tonight." I added.
Oh no, if I knew Lord Dagrius, he'd bide his time. He'd let me stew and toil in the dark, have me constantly watching my back, looking over Imeorn's shoulder. He'd break my spirit, and then attack with all he was worth. I'd seen him do it to countless others, and he'd just as simply do it to me, too.
"What did the note say? Who was it from?" Imeron asked, sitting down beside me.
I stared at the flames silently, my expression hard. Finally I replied, "Go to sleep. I see long days ahead."
Shrugging, Imeron laid out his bedroll and settled down upon it.
I lay back, too. Perhaps it HAD been too simple escaping him. Maybe I wasn't really free. Oh well, no use fretting over it now. Imeron had said we'd reach Lothlorien boundaries tomorrow. I should sleep, also.
~*~*~*~*~*~
He woke me up the next morning, cheery as always. "Come on! Move! It's time to get up!" He called, shaking me. I groaned and rolled over. "Come on!" He laughed, and I sat up.
"Yes, yes. I'm coming. Leave me be already!" I snapped. He shrugged and went to finish re-packing his things. I rubbed my eyes, and stretched. My horse stamped his hooves impatiently. "Don't you start nagging me, too." I muttered, scowling at him. He stopped, content with just swishing his tail angrily.
I rolled up my makeshift bed, and attached it to my bag. "Ready?" Imeron questioned.
"Yes, yes. Let's go already." I growled, jumping onto my stallion's back.
We trotted along a worn, dirt path. My senses were bristling. Every edge of me stood on end. After last nights little...encounter, I wasn't going to be caught off guard again. Plus, there was a new sensation in the air. Someone was watching us, no doubt about it.
"Do you feel that?" I whispered, glancing around. Imeorn stopped mid- sentence. Who knows what he'd been going on about.
"Feel what?" He questioned.
A shiver ran up my spine. "That." I replied. His eyebrows creased.
"No." He answered. I frowned. I couldn't be going insane, could I?
A shadow moved to my left, and I heard distinct footfalls. "You don't hear that!?" I mumbled, frantic.
"Hear WHAT!?" He asked, becoming exasperated. "Ondraya, you must be hearing things. We are both humans. If you hear something, I should hear it too." He commented.
"What makes you say that?" I growled, glaring at him. He shrugged.
"All humans have the same hearing range, unless they're rangers or something. But you're going on about noises and shadows as though you have an elf's senses!" He exclaimed.
(A/N: If only he knew ~.^)
"Elves have greater capabilities?" I inquired. He nodded vigorously.
"Yes! An elf could see past that waterfall over there." He explained, pointing to a cascading rush of waters in the distance.
"It's just trees over there." I grumbled. "What's there to see?" I muttered.
He stared at me, shocked. "You can see over there!? Come now, you must be jesting!" He laughed. I scowled.
"Who's joking? It's just a bunch of trees." I growled. He laughed.
"Okay, sure." He chuckled. Obviously, he didn't believe me. I couldn't see what he was going on about. He was making it sound like the waterfall was MILES away, and only gods could see from that distance. I shrugged. I could see it fine. Maybe he was just going blind.
We rode on in silence for a little while. "Hey, you never told me what that note was about, last night." He commented suddenly.
"I didn't have to then, and I don't have to now." I replied smoothly.
"Would you wager on it?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down in the most ridiculous manner I've ever seen.
"Would you SHUT-UP and pay attention to everything around you?" I retaliated. He shrugged.
"Your loss. I was going to bet my horse's saddle." He declared. His horse began snorting and neighing indignantly.
A small smile tempted my lips. "I think you'd have to get his opinion on that first." I remarked. He smiled.
"Apparently. You know, you never answered my other question either." He added.
"Which one was that? You never stop badgering me for information. How can I be certain WHICH question you're referring to?"
"The one about where you're from." He replied.
"What about it?" I responded, raising an eyebrow.
"What's its name? Where is it?" He asked. I shrugged.
"Wish I knew." I answered.
"You are quite the joker this morning! Stop!" He cried.
I scowled. "What do you mean 'I'm quite the joker this morning'?" I snapped.
"Well first you're saying that you can see and hear things that are a great distance away," He started.
"I COULD! And I STILL think we're being followed!" I interrupted. He gave me a sarcastic look that said 'surrrrreee...' and then he continued.
"And now you're telling me that you don't know the name of the city or country where you're from. Riiiiiiiight..." He mumbled, rolling his eyes. Sarcasm dripped from his tone.
I scowled. "Just because you don't believe me, doesn't mean it isn't true." I snapped.
"Well let's puzzle it out, shall we?" He asked, his mood suddenly light and cheery again. I rolled my eyes. Here we go...
"You have lovely tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. You are mortal, and fight well. You are not exceptional with horses, but you fare well with them nonetheless. I'd say you're a woman from Gondor." He summed up.
"Doesn't ring a bell." I shrugged. He frowned.
"Well it matches your appearance. Most people there look like you. Or rather, you look like most people there." He paused and eyed me up and down again. "Only not as thin." He added.
"Must you bring that up!?" I exclaimed. So Dagrius never fed me...so my ribs poked out slightly, so what!? I was gaining...
"It's true! You look like a skeleton!" He replied tauntingly.
"You're about to look like road kill if you keep it up." I growled warningly.
He held up one of his hands in defeat. "Okay, I surrender! I surrender!" He laughed. I just rolled my eyes again.
"You're a nut. I question your sanity. AND I STILL THINK THAT WE'RE BEING FOLLOWED!" I hollered. Birds shrieked at my sudden outburst, and flew from their branches in fright. Imeron laughed.
"Well, if no one knew of our presence before, they do now." He commented.
"O shut-up." I muttered dryly.
Imeron was just about to open his mouth and say something else, when several arrow tips appeared from practically no where, pointing at us. I drew my sword, and they all tensed, waiting for the command to shoot.
"You see! I TOLD you that we were being trailed!" I yelled. Imeron chuckled.
"Amazing how you stay focused on one thing, even in the most dire situations." He laughed. I clenched my jaw.
"Amazing how you can look even more idiotic with arrows pointing at you. I didn't think it was possible, but apparently, it is." I retaliated.
"Enough bickering!" Someone called. I looked to my left, and noticed another blond person step forward. He wore a very serious expression, and had a mature and wise air about him.
"Ah! Haldir, my friend!" Imeron exclaimed, hopping off his horse.
This elf (I'd noted their pointy ears by then) motioned for the others to lower their weapons. He smiled at Imeron slightly. "Sorry that my men mistook you for trespassers. They didn't recognize your...companion." He said slowly, looking towards me. Then he turned his attention back to Imeron. "It has been a while." He declared.
"Too long. We must catch up." Imeron smiled. By now, all the other elves had disappeared. One moment they were there, and the next, they were not.
"Haldir, this is a new friend of mine, Ondraya. I just met her a few days ago. Ondraya, this is my good friend, Haldir. He's the reason that I was coming to Lothlorien in the first place." Imeron introduced us.
I hopped down, and extended my hand for Haldir to shake, but instead he turned it and kissed the back. I pulled it away, bewildered. Haldir looked startled at my shock, and Imeron burst out laughing.
"Sorry there, old chum. Forgot to tell you that Ondraya isn't the most feminine woman there is." Imeron said between his mirth. Haldir eyed my weapons.
"I see that now." He muttered. I scowled. Just WHAT was so funny? "Come," Haldir said suddenly, changing the topic. "We shall go to the city and you two shall rest." He exclaimed.
"Sounds good." Imeorn nodded.
I grabbed my horse's reins, and followed behind the two chattering pals.
~*~*~*~*~*~
We came to a stream a short time later. It was a stream that fed off of the waterfall that Imeron and I had seen so far back. "We must cross." Haldir announced.
"How?" Imeron asked. "I've only come to Lothlorien once, and I came a different route that time." He added.
In reply, Haldir blew a long, high whistle. An elf appeared from behind a tree on the other side, and whistled back. He tossed a LONG rope across the current.
(A/N: For anyone who read the book, this scene should sound familiar. They cut it out of the movie though ( wah)
Haldir caught the cord and fastened it around the trunk of a nearby tree. "Walk on the rope." He explained.
Grinning like a chessy cat, Imeron hopped right up there. With simple ease, he practically skipped to the other side. He stopped when he got to the middle. "Ondraya, what say we make a bet of this?" He smirked.
"What sort of bet THIS time, Imeron?" I snorted.
"If I get across without falling, and you don't, you must tell me..." He paused. " Your worst fear." He concluded.
"And if you fall and I don't?" I asked, hands on hips.
"You may have my horse's saddle, as was promised before." He smiled.
"That hardly seems fair." Haldir remarked. "A secret for a saddle?" His eyebrow rose speculatively.
"It's practically impossible to get any information out of Ondraya." Imeorn explained. "I had to race her to find out her name!" He laughed.
"I take it you won that race." Haldir observed. Imeron nodded proudly.
"Imeron, I've already told you, I need no saddle." I snapped, jumping back to the previous conversation.
"Oh yes, that's right. You ride BAREBACK." He taunted. I scowled.
"If we have this bet, I want something worth my while." I demanded.
"You've gotten everything else of mine." He pointed out.
I smirked. "You think so?" I asked haughtily.
"Yes." He replied, matter-of-factly.
"I don't have your dignity." I added. His face fell.
"What's going through that head of yours?" He asked.
"If I win, you must spend the whole day in a gown." I smiled triumphantly.
Several emotions crossed his face: shock, fear, and determination. Finally, he nodded and smiled. He had agreed.
"This ought to be interesting." I heard Haldir mumble.
Imeron turned back around and skipped the rest of the way across the rope. "Your turn!" He shouted when he got to the other side. "Would you like me to throw another rope for you to use as something to hold on to!?" He taunted.
"Only if I get to strangle you with it when I reached the other side!" I called back.
"IF you get over here!" He shouted.
"O, rest assured, I shall!" I answered. Then, I placed one foot on the rope.
It was thick and strong under my boot, but swayed violently. Why did I agree to this, again? Oh yes, Imeron in a dress. My resolve hardened, and I walked calmly across. It actually wasn't that hard.
I jumped down on the solid ground of the opposite bank. Haldir landed beside me.
"Who wins?" Imeron asked.
"Neither." Haldir judged. "You tied."
I frowned. So I wouldn't get to see Imeron in a dress, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~
There's ch.2!! hope ya liked ^^
REVIEW!!
~* ElfPilot *~
SHOUTOUTS:
Kiki-0303: I know. That would hurt a LOT. Guess you'll just have to read to find out ~.^
Yavanna: It wasn't Mary Sue-ish? IT WASN'T MARY SUE-ISH!!! *jumps up and down, doing little happy dance. THANX!! ^^
SaFire Sky: Eh, what can I say? Her story rox ^^ Thanx for all the compliments.
Thanx to everyone!! I got very few reviews, (
But those who did review RRRRRRRUUUULLEEE!!! LOL thanx REVIEW AGAIN!!
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
ONDRAYA'S P.O.V.
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
(A/N: P.s.! This takes place after the war. Everyone is still alive! EVEN HALDIR, WHO THEY MERCILESSLY KILLED AT HELM'S DEEP! I heard a rumor that he wasn't supposed to die. Damn Peter Jackson...I shall have to send a mob of angry Haldir fan girls knocking on his door...heh heh heh)
Imeron = craziness. That was my first impression. And my second, and my third, and my fourth, and my fiftth, and my sixth, and well, you get the point.
He hummed while he rode, and the smile never faded from his face. His pastime was talking. Even if I wasn't listening, he was just riding along, babbling away. He talked about unimportant things. Like his father, the weather, his horse, the weather, his home, the weather. Are you noticing a pattern?
I must admit, he WAS actually pretty good at predicting the weather. He took one glance at the perfectly blue, cloudless sky and said, "It's going to POUR tonight." Then he kicked his horse forward, and continued along as though he'd never said anything in the first place.
Sure enough, that night, we practically had a monsoon. It rained from sundown to sunup. The rivers and lakes were overflowing, and much vegetation was drowned. A heavy mist hung in the air, keeping everything damp. Even then, Imeron's spirits stayed high.
He would often question me, and when I didn't answer, he'd come up with some sort of bet. We were pretty evenly matched. He knew my name, my age, and my favorite color. I had his spare blanket, dagger, and leather pouch. He valued information, and I valued material things.
One night, after we set up camp, I noticed that it was especially dark out. He was in the process of asking me where I was from (and trying to think of a bet we could place that we hadn't used already), when the fire suddenly went out. He had been tending it, and I sighed. "Can't you get anything right?" I snapped, agitated.
"Oh come now!" He laughed. "'Tis just the wind toying with us!" He exclaimed. "You yourself saw how large it was." He pointed out. I grunted. It HAD been a big fire... I grasped my sword hilt.
"Be on your guard." I warned.
"Yes ma'am!" He mocked, not seeing the scowl on my face.
Something was wrong. Fires don't die like that. *Snap!
I whipped my body towards the direction of the sound. There was someone, or something, out there. For once, even Imeron was quiet, sensing the seriousness of the situation. *Shing!
Something metal flew past my head. I had ducked just in time. The fire lit back up. Imeron and I glanced around wildly, bewildered. "Look!" He exclaimed, pointing.
I followed his gaze and noted a dagger imbedded in a tree trunk. There was a piece of parchment rolled up and attached to the dagger. Carefully, I edged toward it. I was dismayed to find that it had cut my hair and pegged the few strands to the tree. Apparently, I hadn't ducked it as well as I'd thought. Thank goodness that I lost only those few strands.
Imeron continued to grip his sword and glare at the trees around us as I snatched the piece of parchment from its holds. I unfolded it, and smoothed it out. It read:
~~~Now did you REALLY think you'd escape so simply, my darling? Didn't it ever occur to you that running from the castle was just a little TOO easy, that night? Tisk, tisk. I thought, that after ten years, you would know better. I suppose that you'll have to learn the hard way. My eye is ever watchful upon you. Enjoy your wanderings...while you can.
Forevermore,
Your Lord Dagrius
P.S. You might want to keep an eye on your little friend...~~~
I scanned the note a few times more. Then, cursing loudly, I crumpled it and tossed it into the fire. "It's okay, Imeron. They'll give us no trouble...tonight." I added.
Oh no, if I knew Lord Dagrius, he'd bide his time. He'd let me stew and toil in the dark, have me constantly watching my back, looking over Imeorn's shoulder. He'd break my spirit, and then attack with all he was worth. I'd seen him do it to countless others, and he'd just as simply do it to me, too.
"What did the note say? Who was it from?" Imeron asked, sitting down beside me.
I stared at the flames silently, my expression hard. Finally I replied, "Go to sleep. I see long days ahead."
Shrugging, Imeron laid out his bedroll and settled down upon it.
I lay back, too. Perhaps it HAD been too simple escaping him. Maybe I wasn't really free. Oh well, no use fretting over it now. Imeron had said we'd reach Lothlorien boundaries tomorrow. I should sleep, also.
~*~*~*~*~*~
He woke me up the next morning, cheery as always. "Come on! Move! It's time to get up!" He called, shaking me. I groaned and rolled over. "Come on!" He laughed, and I sat up.
"Yes, yes. I'm coming. Leave me be already!" I snapped. He shrugged and went to finish re-packing his things. I rubbed my eyes, and stretched. My horse stamped his hooves impatiently. "Don't you start nagging me, too." I muttered, scowling at him. He stopped, content with just swishing his tail angrily.
I rolled up my makeshift bed, and attached it to my bag. "Ready?" Imeron questioned.
"Yes, yes. Let's go already." I growled, jumping onto my stallion's back.
We trotted along a worn, dirt path. My senses were bristling. Every edge of me stood on end. After last nights little...encounter, I wasn't going to be caught off guard again. Plus, there was a new sensation in the air. Someone was watching us, no doubt about it.
"Do you feel that?" I whispered, glancing around. Imeorn stopped mid- sentence. Who knows what he'd been going on about.
"Feel what?" He questioned.
A shiver ran up my spine. "That." I replied. His eyebrows creased.
"No." He answered. I frowned. I couldn't be going insane, could I?
A shadow moved to my left, and I heard distinct footfalls. "You don't hear that!?" I mumbled, frantic.
"Hear WHAT!?" He asked, becoming exasperated. "Ondraya, you must be hearing things. We are both humans. If you hear something, I should hear it too." He commented.
"What makes you say that?" I growled, glaring at him. He shrugged.
"All humans have the same hearing range, unless they're rangers or something. But you're going on about noises and shadows as though you have an elf's senses!" He exclaimed.
(A/N: If only he knew ~.^)
"Elves have greater capabilities?" I inquired. He nodded vigorously.
"Yes! An elf could see past that waterfall over there." He explained, pointing to a cascading rush of waters in the distance.
"It's just trees over there." I grumbled. "What's there to see?" I muttered.
He stared at me, shocked. "You can see over there!? Come now, you must be jesting!" He laughed. I scowled.
"Who's joking? It's just a bunch of trees." I growled. He laughed.
"Okay, sure." He chuckled. Obviously, he didn't believe me. I couldn't see what he was going on about. He was making it sound like the waterfall was MILES away, and only gods could see from that distance. I shrugged. I could see it fine. Maybe he was just going blind.
We rode on in silence for a little while. "Hey, you never told me what that note was about, last night." He commented suddenly.
"I didn't have to then, and I don't have to now." I replied smoothly.
"Would you wager on it?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down in the most ridiculous manner I've ever seen.
"Would you SHUT-UP and pay attention to everything around you?" I retaliated. He shrugged.
"Your loss. I was going to bet my horse's saddle." He declared. His horse began snorting and neighing indignantly.
A small smile tempted my lips. "I think you'd have to get his opinion on that first." I remarked. He smiled.
"Apparently. You know, you never answered my other question either." He added.
"Which one was that? You never stop badgering me for information. How can I be certain WHICH question you're referring to?"
"The one about where you're from." He replied.
"What about it?" I responded, raising an eyebrow.
"What's its name? Where is it?" He asked. I shrugged.
"Wish I knew." I answered.
"You are quite the joker this morning! Stop!" He cried.
I scowled. "What do you mean 'I'm quite the joker this morning'?" I snapped.
"Well first you're saying that you can see and hear things that are a great distance away," He started.
"I COULD! And I STILL think we're being followed!" I interrupted. He gave me a sarcastic look that said 'surrrrreee...' and then he continued.
"And now you're telling me that you don't know the name of the city or country where you're from. Riiiiiiiight..." He mumbled, rolling his eyes. Sarcasm dripped from his tone.
I scowled. "Just because you don't believe me, doesn't mean it isn't true." I snapped.
"Well let's puzzle it out, shall we?" He asked, his mood suddenly light and cheery again. I rolled my eyes. Here we go...
"You have lovely tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. You are mortal, and fight well. You are not exceptional with horses, but you fare well with them nonetheless. I'd say you're a woman from Gondor." He summed up.
"Doesn't ring a bell." I shrugged. He frowned.
"Well it matches your appearance. Most people there look like you. Or rather, you look like most people there." He paused and eyed me up and down again. "Only not as thin." He added.
"Must you bring that up!?" I exclaimed. So Dagrius never fed me...so my ribs poked out slightly, so what!? I was gaining...
"It's true! You look like a skeleton!" He replied tauntingly.
"You're about to look like road kill if you keep it up." I growled warningly.
He held up one of his hands in defeat. "Okay, I surrender! I surrender!" He laughed. I just rolled my eyes again.
"You're a nut. I question your sanity. AND I STILL THINK THAT WE'RE BEING FOLLOWED!" I hollered. Birds shrieked at my sudden outburst, and flew from their branches in fright. Imeron laughed.
"Well, if no one knew of our presence before, they do now." He commented.
"O shut-up." I muttered dryly.
Imeron was just about to open his mouth and say something else, when several arrow tips appeared from practically no where, pointing at us. I drew my sword, and they all tensed, waiting for the command to shoot.
"You see! I TOLD you that we were being trailed!" I yelled. Imeron chuckled.
"Amazing how you stay focused on one thing, even in the most dire situations." He laughed. I clenched my jaw.
"Amazing how you can look even more idiotic with arrows pointing at you. I didn't think it was possible, but apparently, it is." I retaliated.
"Enough bickering!" Someone called. I looked to my left, and noticed another blond person step forward. He wore a very serious expression, and had a mature and wise air about him.
"Ah! Haldir, my friend!" Imeron exclaimed, hopping off his horse.
This elf (I'd noted their pointy ears by then) motioned for the others to lower their weapons. He smiled at Imeron slightly. "Sorry that my men mistook you for trespassers. They didn't recognize your...companion." He said slowly, looking towards me. Then he turned his attention back to Imeron. "It has been a while." He declared.
"Too long. We must catch up." Imeron smiled. By now, all the other elves had disappeared. One moment they were there, and the next, they were not.
"Haldir, this is a new friend of mine, Ondraya. I just met her a few days ago. Ondraya, this is my good friend, Haldir. He's the reason that I was coming to Lothlorien in the first place." Imeron introduced us.
I hopped down, and extended my hand for Haldir to shake, but instead he turned it and kissed the back. I pulled it away, bewildered. Haldir looked startled at my shock, and Imeron burst out laughing.
"Sorry there, old chum. Forgot to tell you that Ondraya isn't the most feminine woman there is." Imeron said between his mirth. Haldir eyed my weapons.
"I see that now." He muttered. I scowled. Just WHAT was so funny? "Come," Haldir said suddenly, changing the topic. "We shall go to the city and you two shall rest." He exclaimed.
"Sounds good." Imeorn nodded.
I grabbed my horse's reins, and followed behind the two chattering pals.
~*~*~*~*~*~
We came to a stream a short time later. It was a stream that fed off of the waterfall that Imeron and I had seen so far back. "We must cross." Haldir announced.
"How?" Imeron asked. "I've only come to Lothlorien once, and I came a different route that time." He added.
In reply, Haldir blew a long, high whistle. An elf appeared from behind a tree on the other side, and whistled back. He tossed a LONG rope across the current.
(A/N: For anyone who read the book, this scene should sound familiar. They cut it out of the movie though ( wah)
Haldir caught the cord and fastened it around the trunk of a nearby tree. "Walk on the rope." He explained.
Grinning like a chessy cat, Imeron hopped right up there. With simple ease, he practically skipped to the other side. He stopped when he got to the middle. "Ondraya, what say we make a bet of this?" He smirked.
"What sort of bet THIS time, Imeron?" I snorted.
"If I get across without falling, and you don't, you must tell me..." He paused. " Your worst fear." He concluded.
"And if you fall and I don't?" I asked, hands on hips.
"You may have my horse's saddle, as was promised before." He smiled.
"That hardly seems fair." Haldir remarked. "A secret for a saddle?" His eyebrow rose speculatively.
"It's practically impossible to get any information out of Ondraya." Imeorn explained. "I had to race her to find out her name!" He laughed.
"I take it you won that race." Haldir observed. Imeron nodded proudly.
"Imeron, I've already told you, I need no saddle." I snapped, jumping back to the previous conversation.
"Oh yes, that's right. You ride BAREBACK." He taunted. I scowled.
"If we have this bet, I want something worth my while." I demanded.
"You've gotten everything else of mine." He pointed out.
I smirked. "You think so?" I asked haughtily.
"Yes." He replied, matter-of-factly.
"I don't have your dignity." I added. His face fell.
"What's going through that head of yours?" He asked.
"If I win, you must spend the whole day in a gown." I smiled triumphantly.
Several emotions crossed his face: shock, fear, and determination. Finally, he nodded and smiled. He had agreed.
"This ought to be interesting." I heard Haldir mumble.
Imeron turned back around and skipped the rest of the way across the rope. "Your turn!" He shouted when he got to the other side. "Would you like me to throw another rope for you to use as something to hold on to!?" He taunted.
"Only if I get to strangle you with it when I reached the other side!" I called back.
"IF you get over here!" He shouted.
"O, rest assured, I shall!" I answered. Then, I placed one foot on the rope.
It was thick and strong under my boot, but swayed violently. Why did I agree to this, again? Oh yes, Imeron in a dress. My resolve hardened, and I walked calmly across. It actually wasn't that hard.
I jumped down on the solid ground of the opposite bank. Haldir landed beside me.
"Who wins?" Imeron asked.
"Neither." Haldir judged. "You tied."
I frowned. So I wouldn't get to see Imeron in a dress, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~
There's ch.2!! hope ya liked ^^
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