Hello everyone! Sorry that this chapter took a little longer than I had originally intended to write! But, better late than never! Enjoy!
Chapter 6:
It had been a long morning. Haldir had left the day before, and surprisingly I had been able to keep myself occupied with other things, and the day had passed by pretty smoothly. But today was different. After chatting with Raina for the better part of the morning, I had decided to head down to the market to kill some time. Fiddling with the few gold coins that I was holding in my hand, I smiled. Hérion had insisted on paying me for all the hard work that I had put in helping them with packing and moving the hay. I had assured him that I didn't need anything, that I was being given everything that I could possibly need already, but he had practically shoved the small bag of change into my hands. Now as I strolled through the market, I eyed the many trinkets and interesting things that were being offered for sale. I didn't have much, so I tried not to bother many of the vendors and surveyed their stands from a little ways off.
The loose dress that I was wearing blew softly in the breeze as I stopped to check out a stand that was selling little knickknacks. Normally I would have been wearing my much favoured tunic and leggings, but Raina had convinced me that it was much more ladylike to wear a dress. Deciding to wander over closer to the stand, I approached the building and marveled over the quality of the trinkets. Precious gems and jewelry occupied much of the space on the table, and I fingered the few coins in my palm, opting to turn and continue exploring for something less costly. But before I could leave the stand, the elleth behind the table stopped me.
"You are Tawariell, are you not?" her voice was kind and as I turned back to face her, her soft eyes caught mine. I nodded, suddenly feeling shy at the mention of my elvish nickname. She smiled warmly. "Is there nothing that is to your liking?" she asked me suddenly, gesturing to the many items that she had laid out for sale.
"Ah, it's all very beautiful," I stuttered, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. "I just don't have much to spend, that's all."
The elleth chuckled lightly as I opened my palm to show her what I had to spend. At first I felt insulted that she was laughing at me, but I quickly realised that it was not a demeaning laugh at all. Turning on her heels, she hurried to the back of the stand, gesturing for me to follow her inside. Figuring that I had little choice in the matter for fear of being rude, I immediately made my way with her to the back of the stand. There, the elleth pulled open a small drawer and withdrew a wooden box.
"This box contains many of my older pieces that I was unable to sell," the elleth explained to me as she turned a latch and popped open the lid. Offering it to me, I took it and gazed inside. Dozens of shiny gems glittered in the sunlight that cascaded through the window beside me. Though most were silver and clear as day, there were also other gems of red, green, blue, and purple. Rings, necklaces, headpieces… I was awed. Frowning, I glanced up at the elleth in confusion.
"Are you sure that I can afford this?" Perhaps she had thought that I had had more in my hand than I actually did. The elleth smiled wide, clearly amused.
"My dear, these are all quite old, as I previously explained. You may chose whatever you like, if you see anything that interests you, of course."
Inwardly, I cringed at her words. Well, now I feel obligated to buy something… One of my biggest weaknesses was the fear of embarrassing other people. Holding the box in one hand, I began to sift through the multitude of jewellery, wishing that I hadn't approached the stand. As I was about to pull a random necklace from the box, a small gem caught my eye. Intrigued, I picked it up between my fingers, finding that it was part of a small hairclip. The gem was the palest of blues, almost silver in colour, and yet it was clear as a cloudless sky. The clip itself appeared to be made of silver, and gleamed in the sunlight. Setting the box down on top of the set of drawers, I held it up to the elleth and smiled.
"How much would it be for this?" I asked, hoping that she wouldn't back down on her offer of anything in the box.
"Three gold pieces for the hair clip," she replied with a bright smile. I dropped the payment into her open palm and slipped the remaining few coins back into the small pouch that I had brought with me. After I had thanked the elleth for her generosity, I exited the building and carried on through the market, admiring the clip while I walked. Several times I nearly bumped into elves who were walking at a slower pace than me, and I quickly decided that I would rather head back up to my flet than wander around the market any longer.
I made the trip back to my flet at a brisk walk, eager for some time alone. I was almost tempted to jog up the stairs, but still my fear of falling held me back at a slower pace. When I finally reached my flet, I sprawled out on my bed and stared at the clip.
"Why do I even like you so much?" I whispered to the piece of jewellery as I examined it. I had never been one for jewels or fancy accessories back home, and I had only worn jewellery for special occasions. Puzzled, I shrugged it off. It was just so pretty. "I guess I just want to fit in," I sighed, melancholy seeping into my heart. After laying on my bed for several minutes, another feeling joined my sadness. A muffled rumble came from my stomach and I couldn't help but laugh. Sitting up in bed, I decided to see what I could do with my hair before heading down to grab some supper.
After many attempts at getting a decent braid into my hair, I finally gave up and settled for a mediocre fishtail, fastening the clip near the beginning of the braid. With one final glance in the mirror, I left my flet and began descending the stairs, on my way to the meal hall.
Thankfully, I was fairly early, and the hall was only about half full when I arrived and grabbed a plate. After filling my plate with every food that I was willing to try, I turned and quickly decided that I wanted to sit alone. Though I was beginning to feel a bit braver lately, I still wasn't to the point of walking over to a random group of elves and introducing myself. Pulling out the chair, I sat down and began to eat. Though I had been a picky eater back home, I had forced myself to try new foods. Not like I really had much choice in the matter, it wasn't as if I was going to be eating any French fries or chicken tenders anytime soon. Much to my surprise, I had taken a particular interest in the many different kinds of salads and fruits that the elves were so fond of here in Lothlórien. Through my own observations, I had confirmed with dismay the common belief that the elves did not eat meat. After I had asked Haldir about it, he had explained that the elves of Mirkwood ate meat, while their kin in Lothlórien and Imladris did not.
I wolfed down my meal, thankful that for once I neither had to worry about being polite around company, or listen to Raina scolding me for being unladylike. After having seconds, I deposited my dirty plates and returned quietly to my flet, where I immersed myself in my book until I fell asleep.
Luckily, the next two weeks flew by. I managed to keep myself occupied, and had now established a daily schedule that I had gotten used to following. In the mornings, I would heave myself out of bed and go for a run around the city. With each day that passed, I could feel that the exercise was taking less and less of a toll on my body. After my run, I would return to my flet and bathe. Following my bath, I would dress and head down for breakfast. Raina had all but stopped showing up in the mornings, and only came when she knew that I would be needing fresh bedsheets or clean clothes. This suited me just fine, as I would normally see her down at the meal hall. My mornings from there on were all pretty different. Some mornings I would read, others I would explore the city. I still had not yet gotten over my shyness, and as such had not met many other elves other than Hérion. After lunch, I would spend the better part of the afternoon and early evening at the stables, helping out with whatever Hérion needed me to do. He would often let me ride Faenelin, and the mare had pretty much become my own. I was almost always late for supper, on the evenings that I even managed to make it there at all. That didn't matter so much to me anyways, since if I did miss it, Raina would trouble herself to find me some food and bring it to me.
So far, today had progressed just as the days before it had. As I untied my braid and settled into the bathtub, I closed my eyes, letting the steamy water melt away all of my troubles. My eyes opened a few moments later as I felt the sun shift, its rays landing on my closed eyelids. Staring forwards at the opened window, I started awkwardly, sinking deeper under the water on impulse. Though all I could see from the bathroom window were empty trees, I couldn't help but feel like there could be anyone out there, and normally remembered to close the shutters before undressing. Elven eyesight and all. With a careful peek outside, I quickly clambered out of the tub and closed the wooden panels. Leaving them open only a crack, I quickly retreated from the chilly air back into the warm water.
It didn't take me long to wash up, as I was eager to head down for breakfast. I had just started to feel the pangs of hunger deep in my stomach. Giving my hair one last rinse, I wrung it out and wrapped it in a towel, before reluctantly pulling myself from the water. After drying off, I wrapped the towel around myself and sat down in front of the mirror. Quickly pulling the comb through my hair, I marvelled at how healthy it was looking despite the lack on conditioner. Laying the comb down on the table, I ran my fingers through it, amazed at how smooth it felt. Smiling, I quickly pulled it into a simple braid and tied it off, securing the clip near the base of my neck. Wearing the pin had become a habit for me, as it was versatile enough to wear with my tunic or a dress.
Deciding what to wear was an easy decision. Pushing aside the dresses that I had been living in for the past two weeks, I quickly grabbed my favourite tunic and leggings. After pulling on the undergarments that I had requested for some support, I pulled the silky tunic over top of my head and did up the top buttons, before pulling on the leggings. Furrowing my brow slightly in confusion, I felt the leggings slip slightly down my hips, baggy. Raising a brow, I pulled them up and marched into the bathroom to examine myself in the mirror. Removing the tunic and leggings, I stood in my undershirt and underwear, staring at my reflection. Only, it was a body that I had not seen in a long while. A smile crept its way slowly onto my lips and I leaned in closer, inspecting myself.
Instead of the loose, flabby thighs that I had grown accustomed to hating, the cellulite had vanished, and already I could feel that the muscles in my legs had firmed. It's only been three weeks since I started running, I thought to myself, thought I most certainly was not complaining. I guess this elvish diet is probably helping a fair bit too. As I examined my body further, I suddenly noticed one other thing.
"They're… Gone," I whispered in shock as I took a seat on the vanity stool and stared at my thighs once again. The many silver and red stretch marks that had covered my legs had disappeared. I found myself unable to think straight as I digested this new information. "How?" I squeaked out, starting to feel uncomfortable with the changes that I was experiencing. Normally, I would have rejoiced. How many times had I dreamed of them magically vanishing? But this, this was just getting way too weird for me. Not wanting to dwell on it a moment longer, I sprang up and quickly dressed as best I could considering my clothes had become too big for me. Using some of my leather hair ties, I fashioned a makeshift belt to hold my breeches up and decided that would have to do. As I pulled on my cloak, a thought struck me.
Hesitantly, I rolled up my left sleeve and stared in shock at my arm. My scars were gone. Every single one of them. Instead of the red lines, my skin was smooth and polished, not a single trace of abuse left on my porcelain skin. Dropping the cloak to the floor, I felt myself start to panic. My breath came in rapid gulps and my mind was reeling. I felt sick. Rushing to the bathroom, I made it to my chamber pot just in time to vomit into it, tears stinging my eyes.
"What the Hell is going on?" I choked as I began to sob, trying to rid my mouth of the horrid acidic taste as I spat into the pot. Sitting up, I grabbed a sheet of tissue from beside the chamber pot and wiped off my mouth. "I need air," I said out loud to myself, feeling quite like Bilbo must have felt after hearing all about Smaug before his adventure. Pulling myself up off of the floor, I ran from my felt, grabbing my cloak on the way out. Wrapping myself up quickly, I ran down the stairs, completely ignoring my fear of falling.
My lungs were burning by the time I had reached the stables. Breakfast forgotten, I bridled Faenelin as quickly as my shaking fingers would allow it, and no sooner had I led her outside I had hoped on. We were soon flying across the grass and into the trees. The brisk autumn air whipped my face, tears streaking my pale cheeks. Faenelin ran only as long as she wanted to, before slowing to a trot at her own will. At this I finally came to my senses, clinging to the mare's mane so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Closing my eyes, I halted the mare and sank down into her neck, letting myself cry freely, knowing that no one was around to hear me.
I stayed like that for an immeasurable amount of time. Faenelin would occasionally twist her head around to nudge my boot with a gentle nicker, concerned as I sat on her back crying. Eventually, I sat up and stroked her neck reassuringly, more for her sake than my own. My tears all spent, I stared ahead into the trees, trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the past 5 weeks.
"I'm in Lothlórien… Middle Earth," I said out loud. My voice was dry and raspy, and Faenelin's ears twitched as I spoke. "I've been here for over a month. My body hair has fallen out. I've lost weight, and now..." the words hitched in my throat. "My scars are gone." I sat quietly then for a long moment, pondering these facts inside my head.
A sudden noise to my right snapped me from my thoughts, and I quickly snapped my head around to peer into the woods. When all I heard was silence, I shook off my paranoia and figured that I had better be heading back to the stables. Hérion would be pissed if he had seen my antics, galloping off without warming up first…
Picking up the leather reins, I nudged Faenelin forward and turned her around, heading back in the direction that I had come from. We walked for quite some time before I began to feel like something was amiss. How far had I travelled? It might take a while to get back, I mused, wishing that I had taken the time to saddle Faenelin before we had left. My legs were sore from clinging to the mare's sides during the run. Sighing, I stared at the road ahead of me, hoping that we hadn't actually ran that far, and that soon the stables would be in sight.
I grabbed a fistful of mane as Faenelin suddenly leapt sideways, nearly throwing me off unintentionally. Regaining my balance, I felt my heart begin to pound as the mare stood frozen, her ears pricked in the direction of the woods to our left. Where I had heard the first sound. Shit shit shit, I clenched my teeth, urging the mare into a trot, eager to be back at the stables. The protection that I normally felt in the Golden wood seemed absent, and a cold fear gripped at my heart as I rode down the path.
In a sudden flurry of activity, I suddenly was able to hear the most horrifying sound that I had ever heard before. Snarls sounded from deep in the trees, and the unmistakable sound of metal clanging against metal reached my ears. I was frozen in fear, paralyzed as my brain tried to make sense of what was going on. The horse beneath me had begun to quiver in anticipation. What do I do?!
I did not have time to figure that out. With a terrified whinny, Faenelin balked as a small band of horribly ugly beasts broke from the forest in front of us, charging towards us with their swords raised. Orcs. Instinct took over and the mare turned sharply on her hind legs and fled. Groping wildly for a chunk of mane, I felt my heart drop into my stomach as I felt the unmistakable sensation of being thrown through the air. I landed with a heavy thud on the gravel road, and immediately a sharp pain careened up through my shoulder. Crying out in pain, I opened my eyes to see the orcs charging towards me. Faenelin had not gotten far before I had fallen off.
Fear took over, and I quickly scrambled up off the ground and ran in the same direction as Faenelin, hoping weakly that she had not run too far. Adrenaline coursed through my body as my feet flew across the gravel as fast as they could carry me. As I ran, I let loose a couple of loud screams, hoping that someone was nearby. I could hear the sound of metal boots behind me, the grunts and laughter of the orcs. This was all a game for them, a sport to play as they crossed the woods. As I ran, I tried not to think about what would happen if they caught me, but my efforts were futile. How could I not think about it? I was uncertain what they would do to me, a woman alone in the woods. All I knew was that I did not want to find out.
My breathing had grown laboured as I risked one last scream, hoping with all of my being that someone would hear me and come to my aid. But as I felt my muscles begin to cease up, I suddenly knew in the pit of my stomach that I was alone. With this realization, I felt the toe of my boot catch in a tree root. Time seemed to slow as I tumbled to the ground, and I felt no pain, though I was vaguely aware that I had torn through my breeches and my hands and knees were bleeding. Dragging myself from the ground, I heard nothing but the sound of the orcs' laughter behind me. They were catching up, closing in on me. In one last attempt to escape, I threw myself forward, ignoring the pain in my lungs as I willed myself to keep going.
It was all too much. Feeling as if my heart was about to burst, I collapsed in a heap on the ground, shaking violently in distress. It did not take long for the orcs to catch up with me, and soon I could hear their boots slow to a stop, surrounding me. I began to sob.
"What 'ave we got here?" One of them spoke up, its voice sending chills down my spine. As much as I did not want to, I raised my head and stared up at it. "A little girl, all alone. Fell off 'er pony," it jeered, taking a step towards me. I winced.
"Stay… Stay away from me," I squeaked out as they stared at me, looking me up and down like a cut of meat. But really, was I much more than that at this point? I was helpless. I had no weapon, not even a knife to defend myself with. At this they all began to laugh, a horrible cackle. I felt the bile rising in my throat as another orc approached me, holding out its sword. I choked back a sob as I felt the cool metal press against my skin as the orc held the weapon up to my neck.
"What do you think, boys? Should we skin 'er alive? Make 'er squeal?" The orc with the sword pressed to my neck cackled, turning his yellow eyes on me. I whimpered as I felt the blade glide lightly across my skin and the slow trickle of blood down my neck. I'm going to die. I'm never going to go home. Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the orcs around me, their stinking flesh and their hideous faces.
The other orcs began to cheer at this suggestion, and suddenly I was shoved onto my back. The wind knocked out of me, I gasped for breath, wheezing as my mind whirled. Whatever peace I had managed to find a moment ago was gone, and panic had set in once again as I realised that I was about to be literally skinned alive. Several orcs flung themselves at me at once, and I felt a sharp pain in my side as one of their blades broke my skin. I screamed with all of my worth as the pain washed over me, consuming me.
Just as I was sure there was no hope, I heard the whistle of an arrow as it sailed through the air, and the unmistakable sound as it sank deep into the skull of one of my attackers. The others froze, momentarily confused, before turning from me to face their new foe. As much as I wanted to get up and run away, I could not move. The pain was too much for me, it was beyond anything that I had ever felt before. As I lay in the grass, I could hear the cries of the orcs as they were slain, until as quick as it had begun, all fell deathly silent.
I lay still, with only the sound of my quickened breathing and the light breeze in the trees reaching my ears. And suddenly, there was a voice in my ear, lulling me to sleep. My eyes tried to focus, but everything had suddenly gone blurry. To my dismay, I found that the voice was urging me to stay awake. I wasn't allowed to sleep yet. Fighting my heavy eyelids, I stared up at the face as it leaned over top of me.
The world around me spun as I was carefully lifted up and into the arms of one of the people who had saved me. Was it even a person? My mind was spinning, and despite my uncertainty, I was no longer afraid of anything that was going on. I felt safe in the arms of whoever was holding me. My bliss was short-lived, for soon we were off across the woods, and the jostling, though only slight, aggravated my wounds. Moaning in pain, I wanted to writhe, thrash, and scream. But I could only lay limp as I was whisked through the trees back towards Caras Galadhon.
Ooh, a cliff-hanger! I know, I know, I'm sorry about that… But hey, it will encourage me to get the next chapter written as soon as possible! I hope that you all enjoyed that chapter, it was fun to write! As always, thanks for all of the awesome reviews, and all of the favourites and follows as well! Please, if you have not already done so (and even if you have!) remember to leave me a review! No matter how short or how long, I love and appreciate every single one of them! Thanks for reading!
-Eru