Summary of last chapter: Kari and Lord Elrond discussed her participation in the fellowship, and he reluctantly agreed if the other fellowship members approved. When Aragorn found out about this, he became enraged and yelled at Kari. Kari then had to tell Legolas about her planned involvement, which made Legolas furious as well.
Legolas ignored her for the rest of the day. He would not even look at her as she sat across from him at dinner. He did not speak at all but only stared at his food and ate while Arwen tried to make idle conversation. He did not go to her room that night, which hurt Kari deeply. She wanted to explain her reasoning to him, resolve this conflict and go to sleep together in peace, but that would not be that night.
Nor the night after, for Legolas continued to ignore Kari.
Aragorn had apparently told other members of the fellowship about Kari's involvement because three days later Gimli and Boromir approached her while she was on the field practicing archery. Merry and Pippin had come to watch her practice as they ate lunch, and she was grateful for the company because she knew Legolas would not join her just as he did not the day before. It would have been quite lonely without her two new friends.
"What's this I hear about you joining the fellowship, Lassie?" Gimli asked.
"You're joining the fellowship? Truly?" Pippin asked excitedly from his place on the grassy field.
"Not if I can help it," Gimli replied gruffly.
"She's good though. We've been watching her!" Merry defended as he pointed to her target that had numerous arrows through the bull's-eye.
"We have an archer in the fellowship," Boromir said, addressing Merry's comment but looking at Kari.
"But you do not have a Healer, who is also an archer," Kari asserted. "I am an asset."
"But a disadvantage as well," Boromir replied.
Kari frowned deeply. "What do you mean?"
"Do you not think that having a female among nine males will not be a distraction? Cause us to make irrational decisions?" Boromir asked.
"I expect nor desire any special treatment," Kari replied.
"Perhaps, but that does not mean you shall not get it," Boromir warned. "And such treatment cannot be afforded."
"So it is my fault if you decide to play hero in front of me?" Kari asked crossly.
Boromir was about to retort when Gimli intervened.
"We want you safe, Lassie. The journey will be hard," Gimli said.
"I do not doubt that. But I do not doubt myself either," Kari replied to the dwarf.
Boromir scowled. "I do. Have you ever been faced with enemies on all sides, no hope of survival, but the knowledge that you must fight regardless? Do you know the feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach as you hear the enemy coming towards you and you must stand your ground and fight?" Boromir asked.
Kari easily remembered her battle with the orcs. She did feel the pit, but she was confident and refused to feel despair. "I have been in battle," she said evenly.
"Pretend battles with your elf friend," Boromir said, alluding to Legolas. He had seen Kari fighting with Legolas a few times, and though he was impressed, he was not convinced of her capabilities.
"Along side my elf friend, against over fifty orcs," she answered coldly. She did not bother to further explain her relationship with Legolas. It was no business of Boromir's anyway.
Boromir's eyebrow twitched and Gimli's eyes widened slightly.
"If you are so good, prove it," Boromir dared.
"Why must I prove my ability when you do not? When the hobbits did not?" Kari asked callously.
"Everyone in the fellowship who are the warriors have strong reputations. The hobbits go to support Frodo, not to fight. You argue that you are a fighter, but you have no reputation. Prove your worth," Boromir said as he came toward her, trying to use his height to intimidate her.
Kari knew he had a good point. The fellowship was composed of the son of a renowned dwarf, the son of the steward of Gondor, the prince of Mirkwood, the rightful king of Gondor, and a wizard. She was no one. What was she thinking when she argued to participate in the fellowship composed of such people? What was Lord Elrond thinking by allowing her?
But she knew what she was capable of. She had faith in her abilities. She had worked hard for fifteen years to become an excellent Healer and fighter, and she would not let those skills go to waste waiting around in Rivendell. She would be there to support her family and her love, and she would prove to all the doubters that she had a rightful place in the fellowship.
"What is happening here?" Aragorn asked as he came up to the small group. He had seen Boromir and Gimli talking with Kari, but when Boromir advanced toward Kari, Aragorn's instinctive brotherly nature overtook his anger toward Kari. He wanted to make sure she was safe.
"Boromir wants me to prove that I am good enough to be in the fellowship," Kari said, still staring at Boromir.
Boromir broke the stare to look at Aragorn. "She is but a girl."
"Do not presume to know me!" Kari lashed out.
Aragorn placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Kari, may I have a word with you?"
Kari frowned, not wanting another tongue-lashing from Aragorn. However, she knew he still loved her and he was family after all. They walked a little ways away from Boromir and Gimli to talk.
"Stop this," Aragorn said quietly.
"Stop what?" Kari asked.
"Adamantly fighting to be in the fellowship. It is not something for you," Aragorn replied, never raising his voice.
"I know that is how you feel, Aragorn, you made that quite clear before."
Aragorn bowed his head. "I am sorry for being so harsh with you. You must understand it is only because I care about your well-being," he said.
"I know, but I care about yours as well. You know I can do this. If I was not good enough, you would have told me so yesterday," she said, trying her best to sound strong.
"It is no place for you just as it is no place for Arwen," Aragorn said, repeating what he had said before.
"If circumstances were different, I know Arwen would want to go and you would be powerless to stop her. But she cannot because she is bound to the duties of being Lord Elrond's daughter. I am not bound so. I know my place. It is beside the ones I love, my family," Kari replied with much conviction.
Aragorn inhaled and exhaled deeply. Suddenly he regretted ever teaching her how to fight and taking her out on expeditions with the other Rangers. Had she not had those skills, she would not make a compelling addition to the fellowship. But he wanted to know she was safe when he was off in the unknown.
However, she was no longer the young girl sewing him awful looking pants. She was completely capable of making her own decisions. She was responsible for her own fate, just as Aragorn had said Legolas was responsible for his. She wanted to do this, she was good enough, and but still, in his gut, he did not want her to go.
"I want you to be safe, glawar-nin," Aragorn said.
With those words, Kari knew he was beginning to relent. "No one is safe in times like these," she replied.
Aragorn looked to the ground for a while before nodding slowly. "Well said," he admitted.
"Aragorn, I do not take any of this lightly."
"I know. I know," he said, kissing her forehead. He brushed his knuckles down her cheek affectionately, truly seeing the adult she had become. "You need to prove yourself to the others. It is the only way for you to gain their respect."
Though it was not an endorsement, it was enough for Kari. She smiled slightly as the two of them returned to Boromir and Gimli.
"Name your terms," she said, looking at Boromir and Gimli.
"Fight me and Gimli together. If you defeat us, you have our approval," Boromir said.
Kari's eyes widened. She knew she could not defeat them together.
"Do you think that is fair? Could you fight against Aragorn and Legolas together and defeat them?" Kari asked.
"You said to name the terms."
"I thought you would be reasonable. If anyone can defeat two members of the fellowship at once, then the fellowship should consist of less people since the skills of one such person would make the two others obsolete," Kari argued.
She knew she was trying to use her wit because her skill was not good enough to defeat both Boromir and Gimli at the same time. Should she be expected to be able to defeat them when they fight together? It certainly did not seem fair or feasible.
Boromir thought over her argument and a smile spread across his face. "You make an interesting point, Kari. And no, I am not arrogant and do not believe I could defeat Aragorn and Legolas together. Fine. You must fight us, one right after the other," Boromir said.
This was slightly more feasible, though still seemingly impossible. Regardless, she knew she must prove herself, which meant doing something difficult. She suspected she wanted to be in the fellowship more than Gimli or Boromir wanted her to stay. So perhaps her willpower would be an asset against her opponents.
Both were accomplished fighters, and she never fought a skilled opponent who wielded an axe like Gimli did. Some of the orcs she had fought had used axes, but they were not very skilled and were defeated easily.
"This should be good," Pippin whispered to Merry, who nodded with enthusiasm.
Kari heard the comment with her heightened hearing and smirked to herself. Good indeed, but it may not end in her favor.
"Agreed," she replied to Boromir.
Gimli and Boromir immediately took out their weapons. Kari then realized that they must have planned this fight beforehand. It gave her hope that they didn't just immediately dismiss her assets to the fellowship as they seemed to have when they spoke to her.
Kari took out her short swords and walked backwards to clear a space to battle. She did not want to turn her back on her enemies and have them do a surprise attack.
"Who shall I fight first?" Kari asked.
To answer the question, Gimli attacked first with a strong swing of his axe. Kari parried the slow attack easily, but the power behind the blow shook throughout her body. She could not block many of those without having it affect her fighting abilities. Gimli attacked her again, and she was forced to just defend herself instead of attack. He swung fiercely at her, and she dodged an attack, spinning around to get behind him and kicking him in the back to knock him onto the ground. Her whole body shook from the impact of parrying his attacks. It was better just to dodge them. Gimli quickly got up and charged at her. She dodged again and he lost his balance, having expected his blow to connect. She immediately began attacking Gimli, but he had a solid defense. This back and forth between the two continued for a long time. Kari could not always dodge the attacks, and her arms became numb from parrying Gimli's axe blows. But Gimli was often on the defensive, Kari's strikes always blocked but keeping Gimli on his toes. Eventually though, Kari managed to get within his defenses and simulate a stab to his chest.
"Dead," she said breathlessly as she looked at Gimli. He was in utter shock, and she inhaled deeply, significantly tired from her fight.
"Well done," Gimli said begrudgingly.
Kari nodded her head respectfully and turned to face Boromir, who already had his sword ready.
"Ready?" he asked in a grave tone.
Kari wondered if he was now beginning to have doubts about winning after she had beat Gimli. Or perhaps he was now going to concentrate harder and strike harder at her.
Kari inhaled one more time and nodded. "Yes."
He swung his sword so quickly it seemed he struck before she had spoken the word. Kari parried the attack but lost the sword in her right hand in the process because the strong blow shook throughout her body and made her grip weak. She fought on with one sword, but her range was nowhere as long as Boromir's, and she realized quickly that she needed to recover her other sword or disarm Boromir. Seeing as how Boromir was making sure to stay between her and her other sword, she knew she needed to try to disarm him. She evaded his swings and managed to kick his hand, making him lose grip on his sword. She attacked fiercely now that she had the advantage of having a weapon. He sidestepped her attack and grabbed her left arm, twisting it around her back hard and forcing her to release the sword in that hand. She cried out in pain and fell to her knees. He kicked at her back, pushing her facedown onto the ground. She rolled away from him and got up quickly, protecting her face with her fists.
They were now both unarmed.
He swung at her, but she dodged the attack. He swung again, and Kari blocked the attack, and swung herself, which Boromir blocked. And so they fought for a while, some of the blows connecting. Kari hoped Boromir was not holding back because his punches to her gut were painful, and if they could be more painful, she was not sure she could take it. They grappled and tumbled and punched until Kari managed to kick Bormir's legs from under him, causing him to fall to the ground on his back with a loud thud. Kari reached for her short sword, but Boromir grabbed her legs and pulled her away from the sword. They continued to fight on the ground for a while, a few of the punches connecting to Kari's face, which hurt terribly. Though she knew she could probably hold her own for a while longer in this weaponless fight, she predicted Boromir would win because of his size over her. He managed to use his size to pin her down and strike, which canceled out Kari's agility advantage. Kari shifted her weight and managed to get on top of Boromir.
She released him and ran to retrieve her short swords. He got up at well, retrieved his sword, and the two began fighting with their weapons. Already weakened from Gimli's fight and aching from the blows Boromir gave her, Kari was slower than usual. They fought, attacking and defending, for a long time. Kari was becoming increasingly exhausted, the lightweight swords beginning to feel like blocks of stone in her hands. But she knew she needed to prove herself and win.
She was determined.
With a final burst of energy, she spun around quickly and sliced at Boromir's back, mimicking a fatal blow similar to the one she had used on Estorel.
"Dead," she said hoarsely, her mouth dry from dehydration.
Boromir turned his head to look at his cut shirt and then looked at Kari, who was pushing hair away from her face. He wiped the thin trickle of blood coming from the side of his mouth where Kari had punched him. He stood up to his full height and looked at Kari.
"Alright," he said, extending his hand to her in truce.
She took it and they shook. Boromir smiled softly but there was wariness in his eyes.
Kari returned the smile and looked towards the group to see that Gandalf had appeared at some time during the fight. He nodded his head gently in approval and winked at her discreetly. Aragorn looked proud but concerned. Merry and Pippin were clapping enthusiastically and cheering over Kari's victory.
She couldn't help but smile as she sucked in as much air as possible and put her short swords back into their sheaths. Her whole body was bruised and ached terribly, her face and arms and legs were bloody, but it was worth it.
Legolas emerged from behind Gandalf with a cold look on his face.
"Legolas," she said softly, walking towards him. She needed to talk to him.
He did not reply but instead took out his short swords. Kari's eyes widened. He could not be serious! She had been fighting two skilled opponents for who knows how long! She was exhausted while he was fresh! But then she remembered all those talks about how enemies would not care if you are tired or hurt. In war, you fight no matter how tired you are because you are fighting for your survival. Your opponents may be alert while you are weary. It was irrelevant.
Legolas was teaching her that lesson for the last time.
She quickly took out her short swords and prepared to defend herself. Legolas attacked swiftly and hard, not that Kari was surprised. His eyes were cold, just as they had been just over two years ago when he had cut her. She would not be surprised if this time ended in bloodshed as well.
They fought, a dance they had done for years, but this time there was a desperation that never existed before. Legolas was fighting for Kari to stay in Rivendell, and Kari was fighting to be in the fellowship. Kari was physically tired, but her will was resolute. She would be part of the fellowship. It was her resolve that added power into her strikes when it felt like her body would faint. Legolas was relentless in his attacks, but so was Kari. They attacked each other quicker and quicker in a blurry of arms and metal. Suddenly, they both stopped. Legolas' sword was at Kari's neck, but Kari's sword was at Legolas' neck.
It was a draw.
Legolas looked at Kari, and his eyes lost their coldness, only to be replaced with defeat. A draw after defeating two members of the fellowship, was as good as a victory. But the defeat in his eyes was not over the battle. The defeat went deeper. Kari clearly showed she was good enough to be in the fellowship, and even Legolas could not stop her.
She would go, and perhaps die, and there was nothing Legolas could do.
He tucked his swords into their scabbards and looked at Kari briefly. He still had not spoken to her for fear that if he did open his mouth, only angry words or anguished sobs would come out. He stalked off the field and even when Kari called out, asking him to please stop, he ignored her.
Kari watched Legolas walk away from her for the second time in three days and it was once again devastating. She was so exhausted and overexerted and overemotional that she felt sick. She rushed from the field to the nearby forest and vomited in the shrubbery. She cried hard. She had proven herself, she would join the fellowship, but she felt no comfort like she thought she would.
Author's Note: This chapter ends with such a downer, but I wrote it this way to show the seriousness of the situation. I've always intended on this story being a tenth walker story, but I didn't want to make seem like "Oh! Look! A girl's magically in the fellowship!" I wanted to create this background to a character and show her transformation and development into a person ready and willing to be in the fellowship because I hope then it reinforces the amazing and brave feat the members of the fellowship were doing. The next chapter will be up soon. Thanks again for all the support and please review!