Wow. It's been a while. A really long while. Like a month and a few weeks. Don't shoot me please. I'm very very sorry!
Kiera's muscles tightened instinctively, and she slowed her breathing to short, calm puffs through her mouth. They were so quiet even an elf wouldn't be able to hear.
She slowly rose from her pallet and placed the leather bound poem book on top of it. She crouched down and quietly made her way over to the window. Kiera peeked over the sill just enough so she could see through the branches to the ground below.
A gigantic, slavering, hairy black spider was at the base of her tree, causing her to think that perhaps building a tree fort in a secluded area wasn't as smart as she once thought it to be.
What's more, the spider seemed to have dumped something on the ground, and was now using its various powers of silk spinning to tie it up in a cocoon. Whatever 'it' was.
Kiera caught a glimpse of gold hair before it was covered in silk. Hair that color with that shine simply screamed, Alert! Alert! Wood Elf! She was definitely ruing the fact that she had chosen this secluded tree, because now she supposed she was supposed to play the hero.
"I could just leave him there…" Kiera murmured to herself. She quickly batted away that notion, knowing that she'd have to listen to the agonized screams and the nauseating slurping after the spider liquefied the elf's insides.
Kiera shuddered. She wasn't that heartless. She could stand a gurgle or two, given that was the sound most victims made when being decapitated, but slurping was a definite no.
Sighing, Kiera hoped to Eru that the elf was unconscious, otherwise she and the spider was in danger.
…well, maybe not the spider. But she was in danger of being found after all these years of hiding, hunting, and stealing. She was beginning to rue the fact that she was a thief.
Kiera got the strong, strange, feeling that she was going to rue many things after this incident.
"Why would I do that?" She asked herself quietly as she crept over to her bow and arrows where they leaned against the wall.
Swiftly, she strung her bow and grabbed a handful of arrows from her quiver. She fluidly notched an arrow, stood up, sighted through the window, drew back the bowstring, and let her arrow fly. The others followed soon after.
Kiera waited tensely for a few seconds, then relaxed slightly when she heard a 'thud' as the spider fell to the ground and the scent of blood pervaded the air.
In a matter of seconds, the daggers were strapped onto her belt, and the quiver on her back, the bow in her hand, strung and ready.
A grisly sight greeted her after she climbed down the tree. But she did not more than wrinkle her nose…she had seen worse.
The spider lay on the ground, all of its eyes still open, but a thin veil clouding their sight. Four arrows protruded from its abdomen and two more from its thorax. From the wounds trickled thick black blood. Pus gushed forth, foaming on the ground.
Kiera tore her eyes from the disgusting sight and hurried over to the cocoon on the ground. She unsheathed one of her daggers and gently slid it against the silky ropes.
Any normal blade would have been stuck and wouldn't have been able to cut the sticky strands anyway, but the dagger was elven made…and very sharp.
"The big black spider made a web in a tree. It was big and round you would agree. She might catch a bug, she might catch a bee, but the big black spider can not catch me!"
Kiera sang in a singsong voice as the last of the strands fell away.
Her eyebrows rocketed up to her hairline as she saw the spider's victim. Golden hair, fair skin, pointed ears, closed eyes but-who-cared-what-color-they-were, and that wasn't the problem.
Well, normally wood elves were a problem for her, but she was in luck because this one was knocked out by the spider's poison or something.
This particular wood elf had the lookout's emblem on his green and brown attire. On the shoulder of his green tunic were two embroidered red oak leaves that crossed each other, and an arrow in the middle of them.
Kiera frowned. He couldn't be a guard…he didn't meet the smelly criteria, though he was probably alert. Probably not gruff, considering he was an elf.
The apprentice of a guard then. Apprentices were usually smart enough to know that being smelly made them targets for things worse than orcs. Wargs…or just plain wolves. If you smell like dung and blood, its natural for all carnivorous creatures to want to chase and eat you.
But at present, Kiera thought it might be a nice change if she did something nice. It wasn't like she had anything else to do. Maybe she could bring him to the Mirkwood village where the villagers would bring him to the castle. She couldn't risk going to the castle herself, given that the guard had spotted her.
Kiera jumped a bit as the blonde shifted, groaning, then forfeited to oblivion once more.
"Better get him to the village before he wakes." Kiera muttered. She stood up and then realized there was another problem.
He was to heavy for her to carry.
"I guess I'll have to drag him then. Lovely." She said resignedly. "This will not be fun at all."
Xxxxxxxxxx
Kiera knew what a sight it was, having a long wanted thief drag a guard's apprentice into their village and drop him in the middle of the town square, shouting for everyone to hear that she 'killed the spider that was going to suck his guts out and brought him here so they could tell the king and take him to the castle.'
"Why can't you do it?" Asked one of the younger elf maidens.
Kiera looked at her oddly, "Because I'm a thief. I'm wanted. Apparently I'm dangerous to."
"But you are. We've seen the result of your work at our very doorstep. We've heard of it from Rohan and Gondor to. You are dangerous."
Kiera flashed the ellon who said that a feral grin, "Only to those who get in my way."
Needless to say, the elves in Mirkwood Village backed off, and let her sprint back into the pines and oaks, leaving the unconscious elf for them to take to the castle.
That would seem odd, very odd, considering any elf there would have wanted the glory of catching her for themselves, but know that Kiera had a notorious reputation, therefore they were reluctant to go near her. And there was that little fact that Kiera had her weapons ready, while the villagers had them hanging on the walls in their houses.
So now Kiera was strolling through the dimly lit forest, looking for a suitable animal to eat for dinner. It was now nighttime and the shadows were prowling the wood.
"I don't understand why all of a sudden everything edible is disappearing! It's not 'Starve a Thief' day as far as I know!"
Already tense from hunger and fear of being found by more guards and whatnot, (After all, she had revealed herself twice in one day) Kiera jumped a mile high when she heard the grunts and hoarse shouts of a creature she hated more than anything else.
Orcs.
They were in Mirkwood too. Since when did that happen?! Mirkwood had been purged of all evil after Thranduil had taken the throne!
"This place is going to the dogs!"
"Better than having it go to the thieves." Said a melodious voice from behind her. Kiera stood stock still, but didn't turn around. "Is it the Kill A Thief tambola then? First you try to starve me, then the spiders knock at my door, THEN the orcs over there try and-"
A hand suddenly appeared and placed itself over her mouth. A voice hissed in her ear, "We are here to rid of the orcs. It was just a lucky chance we found you."
Furious at herself, Kiera kicked backward, making a connection. There was a groan as the hand was loosened.
Kiera didn't waste time trying to see what exactly the elves looked like, wanted, or were doing…she just ran.
…Unfortunately she was running right in the direction of the orcs. With a curse, Kiera veered to the right, hoping to avoid the orc attack.
"See if I decapitate any of those nasty goblins for you anymore!" Kiera hissed furiously at the elves that weren't there anymore.
A hoarse chuckle from behind her made her whirl around. One orc had broken loose from the group and had been tailing her.
Kiera smoothly drew and arrow and let it fly, piercing the unprotected neck. With a gurgle, the orc fell down, its black blood staining the forest floor.
Kiera's eyes widened in disbelief as two more orcs stepped out from behind the large trees.
"Our Master wants your service." One growled, spittle flying everywhere. Kiera's heart pounded but she gasped, "What?!"
"You have talent." The orc continued, stepping closer. It's partner growled in agreement, "You will have power beyond imagining…you're heart's desires will be fulfilled."
"If only you agree." Finished the first orc.
Kiera laughed, "I don't think so."
Two more arrows whistled through the air, felling the partners.
A knot of orcs and wargs appeared from behind the trees. Kiera had no doubt that there were more still hiding.
"You will be hunted until you agree, Shadow Queen." Hissed a stout goblin.
"They say you are swift, and deadly. We have experienced your power…our families and friends slain and piled to burn. Such is the result of your talent." Said another.
Kiera backed away. What in Arda are you thinking girl?! These are orcs you're talking about! RUN DAMN IT!
"But we are willing to forgive our loss if you join us. Think of the power, the jewels, you will be-"
"Brainwashed?" Kiera jumped in, keeping her tone light and cheerful, "Yeah, I know. Bye bye!"
With that, she kept running, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the elves killed all of the orcs.
Or until the orcs killed her.
It was pitch black, she couldn't see an inch in front of herself. But Kiera kept running, arms stretched out in front of herself like a zombie.
But then, something odd happened.
Hands clasped her outstretched ones, and yanked her to the side with an abnormal strength. "Stay quiet." Whispered a soft voice as Kiera struggled against the hands that held her captive.
Submissively, Kiera fell silent and ceased to move. She heard the trampling as the wargs and orcs marched through the forest. She heard their screams as lethal elven arrows killed them time and time again.
She didn't know how long it had been, and she didn't care, but when the noise had died down, Kiera started to struggle again.
"Be still!" Ordered a new voice, one much like the guard she had hit earlier on. Kiera resisted even more violently as she felt her weapons being taken away.
"Don't you dare!" Kiera shouted, kicking blindly, thrashing, and doing anything to get away.
"Be calm Kiera." Said the gentle voice of the elf holding her. Surprise alone made Kiera stay still, "How do you know my name?" She demanded.
There was silence as the elves whispered in their musical tongue, sounding like the breeze rustling the branches.
"We heard rumors of a wild maiden escaped from Gondor, roaming till she came here." The soft voice said.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute here! I did not "escape". I had nothing to escape from except the disgustingly strong smell! You make it sound like I was a bad girl and ran away!"
"We do not judge." Said the guard Kiera had hit.
Kiera snorted, "Yeah. I'll believe it when I see it Mr. Better-than-having-it-go-to-the-thieves. Some thieves aren't all that bad you know."
"That's funny." The guard said coolly.
"Actually, not its not, but I'm going to ask anyway…why is it funny?" Kiera said in a sadistic tone.
"Because all of the thieves I've met haven't exactly been 'not all that bad'."
"And how many thieves have you met in your lifetime?"
"Enough to know that you aren't a proper thief."
"Is that a challenge?!" Kiera asked, a wicked grin on her face.
"No. Simply a statement. The yrch call you the Shadow Queen for a reason. You have deadly skills. Thieving is not one of them though."
"If not thieving then what?" Asked the whispering voice of the elf holding her.
"Rogue. She's a rogue. A very slippery, secretive, dangerous, hard to catch rogue."
Kiera cleared her throat impatiently, "Can I comment on something here? Slippery, secretive, dangerous, and hard to catch are the adjectives that describe a thief."
"Your Majesty, with all due respect…they say she can rob the night of its darkness. In Rohan and Gondor they say she was a notorious thief."
Kiera grinned wider, "Notorious…I like that. Wait…your majesty?!"
"They are men, Durion. They do not see what we do."
Kiera asked in no nonsense tone, "I've just noticed what time it is. Time for Durion to be nice and let me go."
"What if Durion doesn't want to let you go?" Asked Durion is his whispery voice.
"Then I'd ask him why."
"What if he said that His Majesty, Legolas Thranduilion and the King himself have a proposal to make."
"I don't like proposals. Besides, I'm sort of tired from all the excitement of freeing one of your guards apprentices from the massive spider that stopped underneath my doorstep for an afternoon snack, trying to find some meat that's fit to eat…wait, check that…finding anything that's edible, and then the orc attack. I'm not myself ya see?"
"…you didn't say 'what if'."
"Durion, she's not your pet. Stop playing games and cut to the chase."
"Fine. Kiera, we need you to come with us."
"Just how many is 'us'?" Kiera questioned. The reply was, "Five."
"Damn!" Kiera whispered. To many to run away from without being turned into a living pincushion with the pansy wood elves nasty pointy arrows. To many to knock out or anything like that so she steal her bow and arrows back from without being harmed herself.
"And where are we going?" She asked.
"Mirkwood Palace."
"WHAT? YOU SLIMEY SNAKES! I WILL NOT GO INTO A PALACE! ARE YOU MAD?! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU REGRET THIS! YOU'LL…
"Durion…please, a gag would be helpful."
"…NEVER IN YOU LIFE WILL YOU EVER BE-!"
"…much better."