A.N. Review, review, review! Oh, and by the way, there are a lot of …'s in this chapter. I was bored because you weren't reviewing. I shall not apologize. Oh, and I think some of Angel's comments in this chapter are missing spaces – that's because my space bar is screwed up and I think a Suethor really wouldn't stop to check if there are spaces or not.
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Chapter 7Kestrel was EXTREMELY tired. So tired, in fact, that when she reached the secluded hall where she had dropped her stuff the day before, she just sank down with her back to the wall and put her head on her knees, trying to get a little rest. She drifted off into a doze, dreaming about the woody clearing.
So that was why she was startled when somebody tapped her on the shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up. "Oh. Hi, Legolas."
"May I sit?" he asked. Still pretty tired, she didn't say anything, just nodded and closed her eyes. She heard Legolas sit down beside her. "You look exhausted, Hunting Hawk."
Kestrel snorted. "I AM exhausted. What does it look like?" Legolas didn't respond, and she put her head back on her knees, trying to go back to sleep.
"How are you doing?" Legolas asked.
Kestrel smirked. "What do you mean? Well, you should be able to tell that I'm VERY tired."
"The final battle won't be anything like the one we just went through." Legolas said.
She sighed. "What do you mean, the final battle? The final battle against Sauron? Or the final battle against the Destroyers?"
"Both. The odds will be even bigger against us. And as for the battle against the Destroyers…I don't know how that will work out. We WILL have the other five Heirs to help us, and I don't know who else. But the battle against Sauron? Everything depends on Frodo." Legolas answered.
Kestrel whispered almost to herself, "One little hobbit holds the fate of us all in his hands."
"We won't die in the coming battle. Remember what Galadriel said." Legolas reassured.
Kestrel snorted (again). "Yes, I KNOW what Galadriel said. It's called DRAMATIC EFFECT. Ever heard of it? And anyways, she never said that we would win this war. Think of everybody else in Middle-earth. Aragorn, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Éowyn, Éomer, Sam's Rosie that he always talks about, Bilbo…" She got up, remembering that she had yet to clean her weapons and armor. "I haven't taken care of my weapons yet. What time is it, anyways?"
"You missed lunch." Legolas said, smiling.
Kestrel shrugged. "Whatever. I can deal with that. I'm not a hobbit." She was about to walk to the armory and find a whetstone and polishing cloth when Legolas stopped her.
"Wait!"
She turned around. "What?"
"I don't want you to think I'm strange, but…Hunting Hawk, I love you." Kestrel widened her eyes and dropped her gaze at this, seemingly repulsed on the outside, but on the inside, Galadriel's voice was running through her head. You and Legolas Thranduilion are destined for each other. He is your partner and your companion.
Legolas bit his lip and looked crestfallen. Kestrel couldn't bear it any longer. She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Oh, Legolas, I love you too!" She was rewarded by the sight of a huge grin breaking out onto his face. Suddenly, the breath was driven from her when he hugged her fiercely, and she hugged him back with all her strength.
Legolas kissed her hair, murmuring, "I love you, Hawk."
"I love you too, Legolas." she said into his chest, smiling with ecstasy and joy. They continued like this for what seemed like an eternity, him marveling at the softness of her body, her taking in the scent of his.
They finally broke apart, and Kestrel immediately saw somebody in the corner of her eye. She whirled around and saw that it was only Aragorn.
At the dangerous glare she sent him, he said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anybody." They both smiled gratefully as he continued. "Council of war in the hall. Come on, everybody's waiting for you!"
"Where's Angel?" Kestrel inquired.
Aragorn answered, "Safe with Éowyn."
"So she – I mean Éowyn – won't be at the council?" Kestrel asked.
Aragorn shook his head. "No. Why would – " He cut himself off when he, like Théoden, realized that he was talking to the girl who was well known for being very insulting (and vicious) when anyone, ANYONE, commented on 'how women weren't supposed to fight.' So instead, he finished, "you need to know where Angel is?"
Kestrel shot him a glare that could freeze the fires of Hell. She clearly knew what he was about to say.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
"We're taking the people back to Edoras as soon as possible, probably tomorrow." Théoden said.
Kestrel challenged, "Aren't you worried about what would happen if they're attacked by a band of Uruks?"
"Kestrel, the WHOLE force of Isengard was unleashed on us. They have nothing left." Aragorn said.
Unwilling to back down, she replied, "Saruman's not that stupid! There's got to be some left!"
"There's no Uruk-hai left, Kestrel. They're all gone." Théoden answered. "All he's got now are Orcs. And they're for his protection only."
Then Gandalf spoke up. "We, and by that I mean Théoden, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Kestrel, and I will be going to Isengard to see what's going on there."
"When?" Aragorn asked, ever the practical one.
Gandalf answered, "As soon as the villagers leave. Théoden, my friend, who will you put in charge of them?"
"Éomer or Éowyn. Or maybe both." Théoden said. "They're both capable leaders."
Kestrel snorted. "Come on, put Éowyn in charge! Or at least let her be the co-leader alongside Éomer." she said, ignoring the looks she got from everybody, especially Éomer. "She hasn't done much besides shepherd the villagers inside the Glittering Caves. She wants to do something."
"She already has, Kestrel. She led the people here to Helm's Deep. She probably wants a rest now." Théoden argued.
Kestrel shook her head. "No. She WANTS more action. She WANTS to do more work. She's tired of being left behind." She drew breath to continue, but Théoden held up a hand.
"Fine. Let's compromise, seeing that I can't quiet you down. Éomer and Éowyn will both be in charge of taking them back to Edoras. Matter closed." He said. Kestrel was about to argue but the look in Théoden's eye told her that he would brook no arguments.
"Well then, we'd best move off and get some rest. Especially after that battle." Legolas said, looking pointedly at Kestrel.
They all agreed with him, and as Aragorn left, he noted with interest that Legolas and Kestrel had held hands throughout the whole meeting. But then again…Arwen and I would be doing the same thing.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
Kestrel squeezed Legolas' hand before disappearing into the crowd of villagers to look for Éowyn (and Angel). She felt bad about unloading Angel on Éowyn for like the millionth time, and she planned to make that up. How, she wasn't sure. Nobody should have to look after that brat in times of war. Least of all Éowyn…and me…yeah…whatever…I like thinking dot dot dot…
"squeee!its eragon!1liek ur soooo hot!" As soon as she heard that tell-tale high pitched scream, she facepalmed. I'm so sorry, Aragorn. And actually, I'm kinda surprised she isn't glomping Legolas…Kestrel brushed that thought away as soon as it came. Aragorn's already got Arwen. And Angel would hate me even more if…
Éowyn was not far behind Angel, rushing to get her before she glomped Aragorn and got pink glitter glue all over his clothes. Kestrel ran up too, slamming into Aragorn and knocking him to the side. With a "Sorry. Angel problems.", she got up and went to where Éowyn had Angel in a fierce headlock. Where the heck did she learn that?
"Thanks." Kestrel said, taking Angel's wrists and holding them tightly. Angel turned around and tried to bite her a couple times before Kestrel squeezed her wrists tightly. "No. You're not doing that. Anyways, I thought you had Mary-Sue powers."
Éowyn was massaging her temples as if relieving a headache. "I never want to see a pink dress again. I'm going to wear blue from now on."
"I don't want to see anything related to her again, and if I ever hear somebody mention an angel, I swear, I'm going to freak. Thanks so much for keeping an eye on her, and if there's anything I can do for you, just ask." Kestrel said, kneeing Angel in the back to keep her from struggling. As she looked down on her originally-black-now-stained-with-pink-glitter leggings, she sighed. Good job, Kestrel. Smart.
The White Lady of Rohan smiled ruefully. "Yeah, get me into a battle."
"I'm trying, all right! But you see, there aren't going to be any major battles anytime soon. Sorry! But I CAN tell you what we were discussing today…" And Kestrel proceeded to tell her everything that the council had decided.
When she was finished, Éowyn commented, "So I'm not to go to Isengard with you. I'll just lead the villagers back to Edoras, again, seeing no action."
"It's highly unlikely that we'll see any action anyways. And your brother's going with you, and there's no reason for HIM to not be going into battle." Kestrel reassured her. "Come on, face it. Anyways, we're probably just going to find Merry and Pippin, anyways."
Éowyn smiled, then asked, "I've never met a hobbit. What are they like?"
"I can't begin to tell you all. For one, they eat a lot, and they love eating. I keep on thinking that we'll bump into them in a tavern or something. And they love jokes, and Pippin seems to say and do stupid things easily. 'Fool of a Took', Gandalf calls him. And heck, they're short. About the same height as Gimli, though without the beard, which makes them just look like shrunken Men." Kestrel described.
Éowyn giggled. "Sounds like fun."
"And a lot of caretaking. Easier than Angel, however. Merry and Pippin are pretty brave in battle. Can't say anything for Frodo and Sam – I've never seen them really fighting." Kestrel said.
Éowyn nodded. "We won't meet Frodo and Sam for a while, or so I heard."
"Who told you?" Kestrel asked. And I thought our quest was supposed to be secret!
Éowyn answered, "Gandalf." So I suppose I'm supposed to trust Gandalf's judgement entirely? I guess so….dot….dot….dot….dot….dot…whatever…
Just then, Kestrel realized that she STILL hadn't cleaned her armor or weapons yet. "I've got to go, Éowyn. My weapons are still blood-stained, I need to repair a few arrows, and my armor is dull. Sorry, but I have to go. Is there anywhere that I could keep Angel without having anybody try to kiss her and slash or kill her? Or for her to escape?"
"Your best bet is back in the Glittering Caves. There's one that used to be used as a cell for dissidents – I guess you could take her down there. The only problem is that it needs a guard, and I don't know who could guard her for you." Éowyn said, slightly worried.
Kestrel shook her head. "Screw it. I'll stay by the entrance to the caves myself. I'd like to see her try to get past me. And she can't complain of not being able to move around."
"There is the small matter of her finding that other exit…" Éowyn trailed off.
Kestrel snorted. "Mary-Sue she might be, but she's not smart enough to find that doorway." Wait a second…how the heck is Angel not noticing us talking about her? Then she realized that Angel was literally drooling at the sight of Aragorn. Oh. I see. "All right then, I'm taking her down there. You could come and keep me company once in a while."
"One day, Kestrel. Just one day. Then you could give her over to Éomer. He's not Aragorn, and he won't fall for her." Éowyn replied.
Kestrel widened her eyes. "Tell me why I can't give her over right now?"
"You could try, but I doubt he'll take her. It's a different matter when we leave, however. He'll consider her one of the villagers. And right now, villagers can live by themselves." Éowyn explained. "My brother still needs to consider other things, and the other villagers don't need him. Why should she?"
"Fine then. I'll take her down there, and you're coming with me." Éowyn sighed, but she took one of Angel's wrists from Kestrel. As they pulled her roughly lower and lower into the bowels of Helm's Deep, Angel started to struggle.
"were r u takin me?weres eragon?i need 2 be w/ him!" Funny, how when a Mary-Sue speaks, you can HEAR the txtspk! It's really strange. Oh well, not like Mary-Sue's aren't.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
With Angel safely ensconced in the Glittering Caves, Kestrel settled down next to the seemingly tiny crack in the wall. It was barely seen from the front, but something had caused the stone on one side to shift forward a foot or two. The narrow hallway helped the illusion too. Why me? Why me? WHY ME? WHY DO I HAVE TO BE STUCK GUARDING THIS FRIGGIN MARY-SUE BRAT THAT USED TO BE MY BEST FRIEND? KEY WORD: USED? WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TOO? After about an hour of this tedious guarding job, she drifted off.
She was standing in a glade wearing green silk dress. A small stone cottage was in front of her, but she felt no urging to go there. Instead, her feet led her into the trees surrounding the clearing. Sunlight streamed through the treetops, and the fallen autumn leaves crunched underneath her bare feet. She had no idea where she was going, but it didn't matter, because something pulled her in one general direction.
"You're back." A voice from behind startled her, and she whipped around, her hand flying to the hilt of a sword that was not there.
Peren stepped out of the surrounding woods. "Relax, Allemro. It's just me."
"I'm Kestrel again." she said, relaxing as he told her to.
He widened his eyes and smiled. "Whatever you say."
"I swear, what the heck am I doing here again? I thought I was rid of this place!" she demanded.
Peren smiled. "I called you back, Alle- Kestrel."
"But why?" she asked. "What IS this place?" She quickly held up a hand, knowing the answer that would follow – she had received it many times. "No, seriously. Don't answer me with a 'nothing'. I want to know the truth."
"I'm telling you the truth. This is nowhere. It exists only in my mind…and yours." Peren said.
She snorted. "Fine then, tell me, who are you? Why do you know so much about the Guardians?" But she never got an answer, because the woods began to waver and fade, and she slowly slipped into blackness.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
Kestrel was roused when Éowyn shook her. "Wake up, sleepyhead! I've brought some dinner for you!"
"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry. I'm just tired. Really tired. Extremely tired. And I want to go back to sleep." Kestrel said.
Éowyn sighed. "Well then, I see how it is. I'm leaving your food here, and I won't be bringing your breakfast. Ungrateful person." She turned to walk away in mock anger, but Kestrel stopped her.
"No, seriously, Éowyn. Let me ask you this. Have you ever been in a real battle?" she asked.
Éowyn turned back to face Kestrel. "No."
"Then, no offense, but you won't understand. Being in a battle is friggin EXHAUSTING. Especially when you're standing out on the battlements in the middle of the night with freezing rain pouring down on you. And without a good rest before. Try that, then come back and talk to me about being tired." Kestrel said, a little harsher than she meant it to sound.
Without a word, Éowyn turned on her heel and walked away, actually angry this time. Kestrel sighed. It's not like I could tell you that I'm a Guardian and I need to talk to Peren, can I? And seriously, I'm REALLY tired. Sorry! She fell back asleep quickly.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
She landed back in the clearing again and groaned. Now I have to walk all the way back there, and who's going to say that nobody's going to wake me up in the process? Then she realized that the door to the cottage was open. Peren always closed it when he was out.
She walked up to the cottage door and knocked, not realizing that she was doing the exact same things that she had done the previous day, when she had been knocked out by the explosion. "Peren! I'm back!"
"I'm COMING, Alle-Kestrel." He opened the door and she stepped in. "If there's one thing I learned with having you for a visitor, it's that you're extremely impatient. Come on, sit down! We haven't got all day."
She sat down at the table, and he sat down on the other side. "Now, about the question that you were asking me. What was it again?"
"It's been like five minutes. I would think you know." she admonished.
Peren shook his head. "Time passes differently here than anywhere else. It's been two days now, and my memory wasn't what it once was."
"What do you mean?" she demanded, somewhat rhetorically. She had asked Peren how old he was countless times, and every time she asked, he would respond with a cryptic grin. "Fine, I know you won't answer that either. My original question was, 'who are you? Why do you know so much about the Guardians?'"
Peren nodded. "Ah, I remember now. Those questions are ones that will be answered another time. Anything else?"
"WHAT THE HECK? WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME? WHAT THE FRICK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" she practically screamed at him. "I swear, I snapped at Éowyn and practically made her my enemy so I could figure this out! And then you go and say 'those questions are ones that will be answered another time.'" she mimicked sarcastically. "What's wrong with you?"
Peren sighed. "It is not time for you to find out the answers to those questions. You need to be concentrating on the mission you're on right now, which is to defeat Sauron. You will find out more after you complete this first part." And then his face began to waver, as did the inside of the cottage. Everything faded to black.
0oO0oO0oO0oO0
"Kestrel! Wake up!" This time, it was Legolas shaking her. "You didn't eat your dinner, and it's breakfast time!"
"Mother hen. I'm just tired. But that's not all." And Kestrel proceeded to tell him about the whole Peren and "nowhere" thing.
He looked thoughtful after she finished. "I COULD answer all your questions for him, but since he isn't choosing to answer, I better not either."
"Wait, you know him? How?" she asked, puzzled.
Legolas answered shortly, "Yes."
"You didn't answer my other question!" she exclaimed.
He sighed. "Bother your other question. Come on and get Angel. We're moving off soon."
Accordingly, Kestrel ran into the Glittering Caves and started shouting for Angel. "We're leaving!" She really didn't expect her to come out, so she was surprised when she heard an answering call.
"weres eragon?is he comin w/us?"
"Yes, he is, Angel. Come on!" she shouted back. She expected to be waiting for at least a couple minutes while Angel made her way to the entrance.
Poof!She stepped back with shock as Angel appeared in a glowing pink light in front of her. "What the heck?"
"im here!"
Kestrel facepalmed (an action she was getting used to and planned to use a lot more in the future with Angel) and said, "No freaking DUH, Angel. Where do you think I thought you were, THERE?" Of course, being a Mary-Sue, Angel didn't understand much things besides how to get "eragon" to admit that he loved her and how to destroy the One Ring single-handedly.
"ur stupid."
"You're one to talk, stupid freaking MARY-SUE! Now come on, we're moving out. I would turn you over to Éowyn, except that 1. I think she hates me now, and 2. She's got enough responsibility co-looking after all the villagers." Kestrel said, sighing. What do I do with her? She can't come with us to Isengard!
"i coud go w/eragon!"
Once again, Kestrel facepalmed. "No, you're not."
"Kestrel! Kestrel!" She turned towards the cave entrance. The other person kept calling her name for a while before she finally realized that it was Éowyn.
"Coming, Éowyn!" Kestrel sprinted out of the cave, seizing Angel's sleeve as she went and wincing at the heavily glitter-glued velvet. How does that work, anyways? Ah, the mysteries of being a Mary-Sue.
Éowyn was standing at the cave entrance, looking very bored and tapping her foot impatiently. "Oh, there you are. Gandalf says you're leaving now."
"But what about Angel?" Kestrel asked, keeping a firm grip on Angel's sleeve as she tried to wiggle out of Kestrel's grasp.
Éowyn hesitated for a moment before grabbing Angel's other sleeve. "I'll take her." Kestrel let go and was about to run off when she hesitated and looked Éowyn in the eye.
An unspoken message passed between them, then Éowyn smiled and said, "Consider all grudges withdrawn. In an age like this one, grudges between friends could mean the end of all that is good." I like that. Note to self: must remember to write that down. Could possibly use it for my senior quote if I ever get to go back to school. Which isn't likely, but whatever.
Sorry if you thought that chapter was short…the next one will probably be too…and then we go on to Return of the King! Which I need to finish quickly so I can start the next part for NaNoWriMo. Going to Narnia! Whoopee! REVIEW OR I WILL SET ANGEL ON YOU. It's happened to me…she haunts my dreams! Seriously!