"You should listen to them, Mudblood," an all too familiar voice sneered. Cassidy froze with recognition. "Their arrows fly faster than your draw."
The sound of footsteps was almost unfamiliar to Cassidy who had become so used to the company of elves and Aragorn whose footsteps were nearly elven in their silence. But, the voice of the speaker was undoubtably one of a man... a man who Cassidy knew far more thoroughly than she would like to.
"Are you issuing a challenge?" She called back to the approaching figure.
"Oh I would delight to see you try," he stepped into the clearing.
"Malfoy," the sight of the wizard who was largely a cause of her death sent a sharp spike of fear down Cassidy's spine. While she was no stranger to combat, the dark wizard had been practicing curses and hexes long before Cassidy was born. She brutally crushed that fear, masking it with a cocky smirk. "To what do I owe the pleasure? How's the Manor doing? I heard you had a bit of an accident."
The pureblood stood in his usual proud, sneering stance. His white-blond hair was surprisingly similar in color to the elf who Aragorn had addressed as Legolas and he stood slightly behind the bow wielding elf... obviously he had gained their trust. Cassidy acted as she had always been trained. Her eyes scanned up and down the wizard, taking in his slightly ruffled coat and surprisingly under polished boots. Despite his slightly less composed attire, he seemed every bit as prideful and arrogant as usual.
Cassidy's entire focus was now on the elder Malfoy, the elves surrounding them with arrows barely concerned her for she knew that her shielding charm would easily deflect the crude weapons. The dark wizard however, was a different story. Cassidy knew that Lucious Malfoy was an accomplished duelist and would easily break through her charm. She thought over the upcoming duel and ran through several options in her head. She knew that as soon as she reached for her want, Malfoy would break her shield charm. Her first priority would be to throw up a new protective charm for her sides to prevent the elven arrows from reaching her. She then planned on flinging her wand forward to deflect whichever spell he sent next. She would of course have to be careful to not hit Aragorn with the deflection. As for the elves... well they had clearly chosen a side. She might be friends with the elves of Lothlorien, but Aragorn did indeed warn her that these elves were less wise and more dangerous. They chose their side and they would live or die with it.
What a war-like mentality, the rather unhelpful voice in her head piped up.
Cassidy had bee so busy running through her actions for the duel that she was certain would occur soon, that she almost missed one very important detail about Malfoy.
He had one hand firmly in his coat pocket. Now, for many normal wizards it would be a usual everyday occurrence to store one's wand in their pocket. Those of either "higher breeding" or with any amount of serious training in dueling usually carried their wand in a sleeve holster as Cassidy did. But Malfoy... no Malfoy was too pretentious for even that. Instead, he always carried his wand around with a ridiculous hand grip, slid into the body of a cane. Cassidy knew of only two types of people who used canes: cripples, and those were where as arrogant as they were vain... and neither of them were ever without their cane.
A thought dawned on Cassidy and her smirk grew in size.
Oh... she had once feared this wizard... once died to avoid falling into his hands... and now here he was. This wizard who had murdered, kidnapped, and tortured so many. Perhaps he was even present the night that her parents were killed before her. The Death Eaters were cowards who hid behind masks so for all she knew, he could be the very wizard who ended their lives.
"So, Malfoy... care for a duel?"
"I suggest you don't attempt to reach for your wand, Mudblood," he spat.
Oh dear... still so sure of yourself.
"Cassidy, Legolas... who is this man?"
"He is from my world-" Cassidy began to reply, her eyes still locked on Lucious when Legolas spoke.
"He is a new ally of the Woodland Realm. He brought us warning of the dark witch that would come."
Cassidy tossed her head back and laughed. So that was what he had done. On that clever snake... he landed in this world and slithered his way into the favor of the wood elves, told them that she was an enemy, and expected to sit back and watch as she was killed.
"Oh that's just rich... coming from you of all people Malfoy."
"As I warned... she is loose and unhinged. Madness of course being a symptom of her practicing of dark magic." Lucius spoke with far more confidence than he was about to have. In that moment, Cassidy realized that she didn't care what any of the elves, what Aragorn thought. This was no longer a matter of her exploring and working with the peoples of a new world... no, this went far deeper. This was now a matter of dealing with the consequences of hers, of tying up loose strings.
"So tell me Malfoy..." her voice dropped to a smooth hiss as rage bubbled within her. "What would happen if I were to draw my wand and cures you where you stand?"
"If you move, Witch," the elf captain from before spat. "Then you shall be struck down."
"Feren please-" Aragorn tried, but Cassidy cut him off.
"Why don't you draw your own wand and face me like a real wizard... or are you really so much a coward that you won't cross magic with a mudblood child for fear of loosing?"
Cassidy noticed with cold satisfaction how he shifted slightly at her words.
"Why should I bother?" Came his hurried reply.
"Because unlike you," that rage that had long bubbled in her chest for Death Eaters reached its boiling point as the one who had ordered her death stood before her with his newfound army of elves. "I currently posses my wand and I had the sense to place up a shielding charm before walking through these woods."
Malfoy's face visibly paled and he moved to run, but Cassidy was quicker.
"Petrificus Totalus," Cassidy watched in satisfaction as the dark wizard was struck suddenly immobile, falling forward and landing on his face in a rather undignified manner.
"Fire," she heard the elven captain call, but she hardly paid it any mind as the arrows flew uselessly off the shield surrounding her, Aragorn, and her horse.
She began walking forward slowly. She watched with delight as Malfoy's eyes shone in fear with each footstep that she approached with. Vaguely, she could hear the elves shouting to each other, firing more arrows which bounced off her shielding charm like raindrops on the castle walls.
"Incarcarous," she waved her wand idly causing ropes to wrap around the still petrified from of Lucius.
"Cassidy, what are you doing?!" Aragorn cried. He was still in the bubble of the charm, but he seemed to think that he would be repelled like the arrows around them.
"Levicorpus," she chuckled as the Death Eater was left dangling by his ankle in the air. "Oh Malfoy... you always took so much delight in your power over us helpless little students... wielding your magic and money over the Ministry. How does it feel now? Oh, right..." she undid her petrification and chuckled as he began to squirm.
"Release me you stupid Mudblood! You'll pay for this!" Malfoy screamed.
"Release him, Witch!" Feren called out, his arrow still pointed uselessly at Cassidy. She flicked her eyes over to him and rolled them in annoyance when she spotted the small armory of arrows scattered around the outside of her charm.
"Call off your overgrown house elves, Malfoy... or maybe if my magic is a weak as you've always implied... I might just slip," she flicked her wand and allowed the Death Eater to drop suddenly several feet before she caught him again.
"I think we should all calm down-" Aragorn tried, but Cassidy turned on him with her wand pointed threateningly.
"Calm down," her eyes were blazing with fury and rage. "You want me to calm down? Do you know who your friends are now taking orders from?"
As she spoke she summoned Lucius' still bound form over to her, within the walls of her charm. She pulled him up by his hair until he was in a kneeling position and she pressed the tip of her want tight against his throat. She could see the fear building in his eyes, but it did little to dissuade her. Instead, it reminded her of the fear in the eyes of her parents that night when she remained hidden... watching whilst Death Eaters tortured them. She could hear their screams echoing in the back of her mind...
"Cassidy, stop," Aragorn ordered, placing a large, strong hand on her wand arm.
Acting on pure instinct, she fired a quick Flipendo on Aragorn, pushing the man out of the bounds of her charm and thus keeping him out of the way. Her attention was immediately back on Malfoy.
"I should kill you right here," she hissed, bringing her face centimeters away from Malfoy's. "I should make it long and painful... make you suffer like my parents... like so many did under the hands of you and your bloody friends."
"Do it Mudblood," he spat back... more out of bravado than courage. "Make your precious Dumbledore proud."
She remained in that position for some time, her wand pressed precariously against the dark wizard's throat, the slightest tremble in her wand arm that she knew her coach would admonish her for. It wasn't fear or nerves which caused the tremble... no, it was uncertainty, barely contained rage trying to push through whilst her long fought for self control battled to take the lead.
Finally, she pushed him down to a heap at her feet and cast a wordless silencio before addressing the elves around her. They had likely been speaking, shouting orders and warnings at her that entire time... but she had taken no notice. Her focus had been bent on her enemy and she had almost forgotten about the rather large audience around her.
"So... what lies has he told you? I didn't take the elves as lovers of dark magic."
"Why should I reveal anything to you?" The blond elf- Legolas spoke up. "How do I know it is not you, wielder of magic, who lies?"
"If I wanted to... I could kill every elf in this clearing. You've seen my abilities and yet... I don't. I speak your tongue because I am friends with the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. Even if you have known him for a few weeks longer, I believe that I have given you more than enough information for you to trust me over him."
"She saved my life, Legolas," Aragorn, who for some reason was coming to her defense, spoke up. "I was beset by orcs at the Anduin and she, from no obligation, saved my life. I have journeyed with her since and have sensed no darkness in her. Please, let us hear both sides of this conflict."
The elf, who seemed to hold authority over the brown haired one who had first spoken, considered Aragorn's words carefully. Finally, he stood up, if even possible, a little straighter. He fixed Cassidy with a withering glare of the type that young hippogriffs used when they were proud but not yet old enough to understand the truth in such pride.
"He warned us of a terrible threat."
"He lied. What was the threat?"
"How do you know he lied if you do not know the warning?"
"Because I know Malfoy. I'd wager that he is incapable of truth at this point," Cassidy snapped in reply. "Now tell me, what trouble has he started?"
Cassidy was growing impatient, but using every trick she knew to keep her calm. In that moment, there was nothing in the world that she wanted more than to cast the killing curse on the wretch at her feet. But, he had somehow arrived in this strange world that she was stuck in. She needed to know how he arrived, why he had come, and what mess he had started. Cassidy had known Lucius Malfoy for as long as she had known his son... and she had faced him enough times whilst he was behind his Death Eater mask. If he had been in Middle Earth for even a fraction of the time that she was... then there was no doubt in Cassidy's mind that he had started something very very bad.
"Such matters are between the King and the Wizard. I am not at liberty to discuss." Legolas replied.
"Fine then. Take me to your King. I'm sure that we will have plenty to discuss," she said, already grasping the reins of Gwedal, ready to march towards whatever palace they had in mind.
"I will not allow a Witch and her hostage into the Halls of King Thranduil," he replied incredulously.
"Okay. Bring him to me." Cassidy plopped down right where she stood, sitting and smirking at the elf before her. "We don't have to go to your secret home, but I want answers... and I'm very good at getting answers."
There was a tense moment as the two glared at each other... elf and witch... locking into a battle of wills. Cassidy merely smiled as if she couldn't feel the nearly audible anger in the room as she began to unpack her saddle bag, unrolling a bedroll as the evening was beginning to fall.
"You must be mad if you think that you can summon the King of Eryn Galen at your behest," his reply was incredulous and Cassidy forced herself not to chuckle at the sheer astonishment in his tone.
"Well clearly I just have. Be a dear and pass on the message. Until then I'm just fine here." She then turned to Aragorn and appraised her recent friend carefully. "If you would like, you can return to within my charm and we can break camp together as usual, if not you can go and stay with your friend. I care not... but," she made a pointed gesture with her wand at her next words. "If you ever try to grab my wand arm again... it won't be a simple knock-back jinx that I use on you."
Aragorn nodded after sharing a meaningful glance with Legolas who frowned before disappearing into the trees. He turned back to Cassidy and placed a hand over his heart.
"On my honor I will not."
Good enough for me, Cassidy thought with a shrug. She had grown to almost trust Aragorn during their journeying together and in truth, she was loath to allow the current misfortunes to impede the fragile friendship that they had forged. She waved him in and then reinforced the charm with a Protego Totalum. They set up their camp as usual, Cassidy purposefully ignoring the dozen or so elves who still remained in the treetops above them. She hadn't seen them since they melted back into the forest, but she could sense them like that strange itching one gets at the back of their neck.
"King Thranduil is a very proud king," Aragorn spoke slowly. He was purposefully ignoring the bound and magically gagged wizard at the edge of their camp. "He will not be pleased with being summoned to a clearing in his own woods."
"Then he shouldn't have conspired with a Death Eater- a dark wizard," Cassidy explained at the slightly questioning look from Aragorn.
"The King will not cave so easily."
"I am patient," Cassidy replied, as she reclined against Gwedal who had chosen to lay near the fire. "I can wait."