Athrana (Wandering Shadow)
Chapter 47- Not this time
TA3019, March 4th
As the last orc fell Athriel came back to herself and she realised what she had done. "No! No, no, no" She had been so careful, she had tried so hard and she had nearly beaten it. Now she was right back where she started. Looking down she saw her blood soaked hands. "No, please no" Feeling a hand on her shoulder she pulled away from it. "Don't touch me, don't"
Elladan let his hand drop. What he had seen shocked him to the very core. It was one thing to know what she had done, to see the aftermath of her destruction but it was another thing to see it firsthand. But he also knew what had started it. She had been in control before and he had seen the trigger that sent her over the edge. If she hadn't intervened Elrohir would be dead. If she hadn't intervened he would be half of what he was, and then he would have faded. He couldn't live without his twin. And he couldn't live without her, neither of them could. They had tried once and it didn't work. "Athriel?" she couldn't hear him, she was too busy panicking.
As Elrohir grabbed her other side, Elladan grabbed her shoulder again. ""Athriel!"" They said together. She looked up at them and stepped back. "No, no, no" It was too much. She couldn't do it, she couldn't face them. She looked past them and towards the men, they looked terrified. Pushing her friends away she jumped up into the tree tops and ran as fast as she could through the branches.
"We have to go after her" Elladan sent to his brother as Elrohir glanced back at the men. "I know, but what about them" They couldn't just run off with no explanation, but they couldn't let her go either. "My Lords?" Halbarad asked stepping forwards. He didn't usually call them by their titles, but he had been in their bad books enough recently. They turned to him instantly, he continued. "Go after her, we will pile the bodies and burn them." He had seen enough to satisfy him as to the elleth's motives. Yes like the others he had been shocked by her destruction, but he had also seen the trigger as they had. Through the chaos somehow all of his men had come through unscathed, and now they all knew who she was. They had the protection of 'The Shadow' it seemed.
Nodding slightly the twins jumped into the branches after her. "She always was the faster even in full armour" Elrohir commented as they scanned the trees around them. "There" Elladan pointed out into the distance. Through the trees he could make out a small body of water and by it, knelt Athriel. Moving as fast as they could, within moments they were behind her. "Did you really think we would let you go" She snorted. "Of course not, you're not smart enough to know what's good for you." They laughed sitting down either side of her. "We know what's good for us, and we aren't letting her leave again." She sighed looking down at her reflection. "Was anybody hurt?" She asked finally. "No, and you made sure of that."
"What?" Athriel looked between them. "I lost control. I'm a monster" As one they moved closer on each side trapping her between them. "You're not a monster Ree, nobody believes that." She was having a hard time believing that. "After what I did how can you say that?" They laughed pulling her to her feet. "Because it's true. Now come on, they will be waiting for us" Without another word of explanation they manoeuvred her so that they could remove her armour and push her into the water diving in after her. "What do you think you are doing?" she asked. "We are getting you clean so that we can go back to camp and have a nice hot meal" It was amazing how they could do that. Somehow they managed to make everything better.
When they finally made their way back to the camp Athriel's anxiety caught up with her. Until she was forced to sit by the fire. She glanced around nervously but no one was looking at her strangely, in fact some of the men raised their hands in greeting. She was in shock as Halbarad approached her handing her a bowl of stew. "We are really sorry about how we have been treating you my lady. For a long time the Shadow has kept us safe, we owe you much." With that he walked away leaving her to stare in disbelief after him. "See, no one thinks you are a monster" She shook her head blankly. "Athriel" her head snapped up. "Eat your stew"