11,587 words. 11,587. That's the most words I have ever written for one chapter on ANY story I have. Dang, that's a lot of words. Anyway, here's chapter 2. I had fun writing this and laughed quite a bit. Don't know if you guys will or not but a girl can hope, right? Anyway, here ya go.
Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR as I have stated the last two chapters. I think I'm going to just quit putting it on here. We all know I'm not Tolkien...
"Elvish" ' Regular thoughts' 'Mental conversation'
Kijo
Three days. She had been in Middle Earth three days. It had been the most confusing three days of her life. Everything was so different and with the lack of caffeine in Middle Earth, she was cranky from withdrawal. The ethereal beauty of Rivendell seemed to help ease the withdrawal, but it was still present and still caused problems for the elves she was in contact with.
She snapped at them quite often and received many glares because of it. She tried to apologize for it and while the words "I'm sorry" did come out, she couldn't tell the elves why she was in such a bad mood. She had already took a risk and explained Earth to Elrond, she didn't need to dig herself a deeper hole and tell other elves. She only hoped that she didn't tick off the wrong elf.
Most of the elves seemed to find her interesting. They didn't look at her like she was some strange three headed creature like she thought they would, which led Kijo to believe that she wasn't the first human that they had had around the city. They gave many stares to Tezo, who never left her side, though. A wolf, a strangely marked one at that, alongside a human wasn't something the elves had seen before.
Right now, she stood on the balcony of the room she had in The Last Homely House. Elrond's daughter, Arwen, sat on the bed in the room. She had a book in her hand and there were several other books scattered around her on the bed. Arwen, at the request of her father, was teaching Kijo the ways of the elves and of the history of Middle Earth. Arwen was also trying to teach her elvish, but that wasn't turning out well.
"If you are going to remain here, you will need to know the history and the language of our people." Arwen stated in her quiet voice. Kijo huffed to herself.
"I know, but you don't understand how hard this is! Everything is upside down for me!" Kijo exclaimed. Arwen had been told a watered down, less revealing version of her story. More or less, she had been told the Kijo was from a land far away and that she would be remaining with the people of Rivendell until they could figure out how she'd gotten there.
"I understand that you are at odds. Being in a strange land that you do not know is very difficult. But you must try to learn." Arwen said. Kijo sighed and retreated to the bed, Tezo following at her heels like always.
"I know." Kijo sighed "Let's do this." She sat down on the bed, picking up one of the books that was laying on the bed. Tezo laid down at her feet, setting his head on his paws.
Kijo had discovered two days ago that Tezo could talk. Well, he couldn't talk like she or Arwen could. She had asked Elrond about it when she had first discovered it. It had been a surprisingly deep voice in her head. She had almost had a spaz attack when the voice had told her that it was Tezo. When she'd asked Elrond, he'd told her that because of their jump to Middle Earth, the bond between Tezo and herself had grown. They could speak to each other now through a mental bond. It was strange, having him able to understand her thoughts, but it wasn't unwelcomed. She had dreamed of being able to talk to the dog ever since she had first gotten him. The bond also helped to comfort her when the fear of being in a new place set in.
It wasn't so helpful when he was laughing at her. Tezo seemed to find her predicament quite amusing. Glancing down at the down dog, Kijo glared.
"Shut up." Kijo mentally mumbled at her companion. Tezo gave a wolfish grin.
"It's amusing to watch you trying." He told her. It earned him another glare.
"Kijo, are you listening?" Kijo jerked her head back up to look at Arwen. The elf princess had a stern look on her face that made Kijo shrink back.
"Sorry Arwen." Kijo mumbled. She heard the laughter in her head and snapped at him to be quiet. Tezo continued snickering for a few more moments before he let his laughter fade.
"If you are going to learn, you must pay attention." Arwen stated. Kijo nodded.
"I'm sorry. I'll try to focus." Kijo murmured. Arwen nodded gently.
"Alright. What have you learned so far?" Arwen asked. Kijo, digging into her memory, started to recite everything that she had been taught over the last three days.
The next day
Kijo stood on the balcony that she had stood on the day before. Her hands were braced against the railing as she leaned against it, staring down at the city before her. It really was beautiful, with the houses built into the hillside and the waterfall right down the middle of the city. There were trees and flowers everywhere, decorating the land. Even the houses looked like something right out of the earth. It was beautiful.
"It's nothing like home." Tezo murmured in her mind. Kijo looked down at the wolf by her side. She sighed.
"It really isn't. Home is so much different, full of things that aren't in Middle Earth." Kijo sighed again and looked back out over the city "I miss home, I really do. I miss technology and I REALLY miss coffee." Kijo looked down at Tezo again. "I know I'll never see home again, but I don't know how well I'm going to adjust to living in Middle Earth… Oh, I really wish Su and Di were here. They knew everything there was to know about this place. They could help. I need my best friends."
Tezo gave a dog-like sigh. "I miss home too. Curling up on the couch watching TV and eating popcorn? I will miss that for the rest of my days, however long that may be. However, I'm not sure that I object to staying here. It's nice here and these elves are kind. I could get used to living here, but I miss them too. I miss Rata and Kixi. I miss Suva and Divan too." Tezo told her. He set his head down on his paws and a sad look came upon his face. "It's definitely not the same without them." Kijo chuckled humorlessly.
"No," Kijo sighed, turning once again to look out over Rivendell "It isn't."
They remained in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the early morning air. Kijo had always been an early riser, even before coming to Middle Earth. She seemed and even earlier riser now, as she hadn't been able to sleep much at all since coming to Middle Earth. Despite how comfortable everything was, it was just too different for her to be able to sleep soundly. She was used to the hum of city life, since she lived in an apartment in town because of college. The quiet peace of Rivendell would take adjustment. And now, with no internet or TV, Kijo had to find other ways of occupying her time.
"Wanna go down into the city?" Kijo asked suddenly. She needed to be out of this room. She usually didn't get claustrophobic, but now the walls of this room seemed to be closing in around her. She needed out, or she was going to blow. Tezo, sensing this, agreed to going out and stood up, stretching.
Kijo changed out of the sleepwear she had been given and into one of the finely made elven dresses. Dresses had never been something she'd worn often, but here in Middle Earth, dresses were customary of women. She hadn't been too excited, but if she was going to be living in Middle Earth, she had to start doing things there way. At least, as much as she could handle at one time.
Kijo wasn't sure where she was going, nor did she care. Elrond had told her that she was safe within the city. She hadn't left her room much though, between Arwen's constant teachings and her lack of knowledge of the realm. She was determined to find her way around by herself though, and so she set out on a mission to learn about the city.
Finding her way outside was the first objective. Having only been to the library and to the dining hall, she had positively no idea how to get outside the house. Tezo wasn't really helping her. He seemed to find amusement in her troubles, the traitor. With a huff, she turned down a different corridor, hoping this one would lead outside the walls of this house. It didn't, but a girl could hope. Tezo laughed at her.
Too busy scowling and scolding her wolf companion, she didn't realize she was about to walk into a wall until she was being pulled aside by a strong hand. She let out a squeak of surprise, which earned her savior a growl from the ever present wolf. Once Tezo realized who it was, however, he let his upper lip fall back into place to cover his pearly white teeth. It was only one of the twins.
Kijo glanced up at the elf that had pulled her away from the wall. She didn't recognize him, but then again, she didn't recognize anyone that wasn't Arwen or Elrond. He bore resemblance to both Elrond and his daughter, leading Kijo to the assumption that this was one of the twins Arwen had told her about. She wasn't sure which one he was. She hadn't actually met them yet.
"You must be more careful, my lady. We would not wish to see you hurt." His voice was the smooth velvet of all elves. A beautiful melody that only added to their charm. Kijo swallowed the lump in her throat. So much for being smooth and not acting like a total klutz around the elves.
"Uh, yeah, right." Kijo mumbled, pulling away from the elf "I probably should watch where I'm going." The elf chuckled.
"It would be most helpful, my lady." He said with a smile. Then he bowed in respect. "I am Elrohir, son of Lord Elrond." Ah so it was Elrohir she was talking her. Kijo tried to commit that to memory.
She gave a small bow back, trying not to fall on her face. She definitely wasn't graceful, because she did exactly what she was trying not to do. Fall on her face. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, Elrohir caught her before she hit the ground. Kijo blushed furiously. Why did she have to be so clumsy, especially in front of an elf?
"I'm sorry, I'm not usually this clumsy. I promise." She apologized. Elrohir chuckled at her.
"It is quite alright milady. Not all possess the grace the elves, and even then, I have met a few ungraceful elves in my time." Elrohir stated, setting Kijo back on her feet. Kijo's eyes widened in shock.
"Really? I thought all elves were graceful." Kijo muttered. Elrohir shook his head.
"There are the rare few that do not seem to possess the grace we usually share. It is quite odd, but not completely uncommon." Elrohir studied her for a moment "Would you like a tour of the city, milady? Unless I am mistaken, you are finding it quite difficult to make you way around the house of my father, let alone around the city. I can show you what there is to see, if you would like." Kijo's eyes lit up. A tour of the city? She had planned to do the exploring alone, but the company of Arwen's brother, who was quite the jokester from what she had been told, didn't seem all that appalling. Maybe she could get some stories out of him of pranks he and his brother had pulled.
"I'd like that very much." Kijo said. Elrohir grinned and offered his arm. She took it and let him lead her out of the house and around the city, Tezo following on their heels. The tour was amazing, he showed her everything there was to know about Rivendell, explaining the origins of this and that, what each person did and what each place was for. He also told her, much to her enjoyment, or many pranks he and his brother Elladan had pulled on the people of Rivendell. No one had been happy with them, especially not their father but they didn't seem to care.
They even ran into Elladan during their tour. Of course, the younger of the two twins couldn't be left behind. When he learned that his brother was telling stories of their adventures, he had to tag along to add his own side. Kijo didn't mind, the excitement and the laughter was something she had needed after being cooped up in that room for three days. She needed to laugh and even Tezo joined in, though his laughter was only heard by Kijo. So when Arwen found them by one of the streams flowing through the city, Kijo and Tezo both knew their fun was over.
The dark haired elf was in no happy mood. She had a scowl on her face and was glaring at her brothers something awful. They shrunk away from her gaze, obviously realizing that something was wrong.
"What do you two have to say for yourselves? This is no laughing matter. Father wishes me to teach her the ways and language of our people. How am I supposed to do that if I cannot find her?" Kijo had absolutely no idea what Arwen was saying, but she didn't sound pleased. Kijo knew it had something to do with her though.
"I found her wandering the halls this morning sister. She almost ran into the wall. I could tell that she wished to explore the city. I only offered to show her around." Elrohir whined. Arwen huffed but stepped forward and grabbed Kijo's hand.
"Come, we must continue our sessions." Arwen grumbled. Tezo got up and bounded after them, looking as defeated as Kijo felt. Back to boring history lessons and frustrating Sindarin lessons. So much for having a little fun.
Suva
Blonde. Even after four days, Suva still hadn't gotten used to all the blonde. Almost every elf in Mirkwood was blonde, with the exception of a few that had a more reddish tint to their hair. It was still blonde, but less annoyingly so. Suva ground her teeth together as she tried to pick out Legolas among the heads of blonde hair. Why did it seem so difficult to keep track of the elven prince? It seemed like she was constantly loosing track of him.
Suva had learned a lot about Mirkwood and its people in the four days that she had been here. The first thing being that, Mirkwood was nothing but blonde. Never in her life had Suva seen so much blonde hair in one place. It was slowly driving her mad, and she was pretty sure it was driving Kixi mad as well.
The now much larger bobcat constantly seemed on edge. Suva knew it was just because she was in a new place. Kixi had never liked new places. Suva wasn't really sure why, and up until now, she hadn't been able to ask. Even now that she could ask, they were too busy dealing with a constantly vanishing elvish prince and annoyingly blonde hair.
Suva and Kixi's bond had only gotten stronger with their world jump. Suva wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow, Kixi and she had formed a mental bond that allowed them to speak to each other through only thoughts. It was helpful, especially when Kixi would catch wind of the elvish prince and have to get Suva's attention so that they could follow his trail to find him. It was also a sort of comfort to them both.
Suva had always went straight to her loving cat whenever she was upset. Kixi had always been there to snuggle and provide a listening ear, even though she couldn't talk back. Now, though, Kixi could actually give advice. It gave Suva at least a little comfort, and for that she was extremely grateful. She thought back to their conversation the previous morning…
The previous day
"I miss them." They both knew who Suva was talking about.
"I know, I miss them too. I never knew just how much I cared for them until now, when there's a possibility that we won't ever see them again." Kixi answered, laying with her head on one of the pillows on the bed. Suva sighed.
"We won't see them again. We're stuck here Kix. We aren't going home. Even if we did, the only thing that awaits us there is death. At least here, we're alive. I don't know where Di and Ki are, but I would have thought that if they were in Middle Earth too, that we all would have been dropped in the same place, in a group. Since, you know, that's how we died and came here in the first place." Suva let her head fall into her hands "What are we gonna do Kix? Can we live here, among the elves, for the rest of our lives?"
"If that's our only choice, then yes, we can. Together, we are strong, Suva. We can overcome this. It may take some time and some careful consideration, but we can do it." Kixi answered. Suva looked up at the bobcat laying on the bed and smiled.
"Yeah, you're right. It's just so different and so hard. I've never been around so many people that I don't know and I've never been without Kijo and Divan for more than a day. We've never been separated like this." Tears came to Suva's eyes as she spoke "I don't know what to do without them."
Kixi stood up on the bed and jumped down to the floor. She padded over to where Suva sat at the small desk that occupied the room. "We will learn to live without them. There are others here that can offer advice and company. It's only a matter of finding someone that we like. We will get through this." Kixi murmured, rubbing her head against Suva's hand. Suva smiled and slid down onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around her cat, hugging her tightly.
"Thanks Kix. You're the best cat a girl could ask for." Suva whispered, a smile on her face.
Suva and Kixi still hadn't found the prince. Suva was beginning to think that he was disappearing on purpose. She wasn't sure she would put it past him, he definitely hadn't seemed happy when she had shown up. He had taken her to the tailor the first day she had been in Mirkwood. The tailor had taken her measurements and had set to work immediately on the clothing that Suva would wear throughout her stay. They were all dresses because the women of Middle Earth wore nothing but dresses. Suva wasn't opposed to the idea of a dress, she actually quite liked them. She just hoped that when they left for Rivendell that they didn't have to fight. Suva knew very little about fighting, she'd never held a bow in her life and had only attempted to use a sword once. The only weapon that she had ever really used was a staff.
It had been Divan's idea. It'd been almost seven years ago, probably a little over seven years actually. It was during the summer before their senior year of high school. Suva and Kijo had went over to Divan's small country home and were just hanging around while her parents and siblings were out. Divan, bored as a chained up puppy with nothing to chew, had had the bright idea that she would teach them some of what she knew about weapons and fighting. Divan had been a martial arts student from the time she was seven up until about four years prior to that summer.
Neither Kijo nor Suva thought it was a smart idea. It had, after all, been four years since she had went to any classes and practiced. Divan had just scoffed at them and told them it was like riding a bike. You never truly forgot. You might be a little shaky at first, but you'd fall back into the swing of things pretty quickly. It must have been true, because after about ten minutes, Divan was instructing them like a teacher would have.
It didn't take long to figure out that Kijo would hurt herself with just about any weapon she was handed. The only thing the clumsy girl could handle that she didn't risk slicing her leg off with was a pair of daggers. They weren't all that long, which meant you either had to have significantly longer limbs than you opponent, or you had to get in close. Since Kijo was so tall, the former seemed to work well enough for her.
Suva had been given several weapons to try, but the only one that seemed to fit her was a staff that was a bit too short for her, seeing as it was made for Divan and she was the shortest of the three of them, much to her chagrin. Divan had shown her several ways to use the staff if she were ever in need of a weapon. She also said that just about any thick branch could work as a staff. Suva had never had to test that theory, and she hoped she never would. But the thought of possibly finding a staff brought Suva a little comfort. Maybe, once she found that evasive elvish princeling, she could ask if it would be possibly to have a simple staff made for her. At least then she could at least feel a little better about keeping herself safe. She couldn't rely on Kixi for everything after all.
Finally, Suva gave up her search for the prince. If he wanted to disappear, fine. She would find her own way around. Either that or she'd get eaten by spiders because she got lost. Suva hoped that didn't happen, but if it did, there wasn't much she could do about it. She felt useless, not being able to wield a weapon, but growing up on Earth meant she wasn't required to be able to fight. Learning how to fight was a choice on Earth. Here, it was a necessity.
Deciding to just let her feet go wherever they pleased, Suva walked along the streets of Mirkwood. She still received stares from the inhabitants of Mirkwood, but she learned to ignore them. Apparently, the elves here weren't used to seeing a human around. Or maybe it was Kixi they were staring at, Suva wasn't quite sure.
Suva's feet eventually led them away from civilization and to an incline overlooking a large and rather beautiful body of water. Suva smiled to herself in awe and sat down on the ground at the top of the hill. She should have been a bit more watchful, there could have been orcs or spiders around, but after four days of ceaseless stares and never-ending frustrations, Suva decided a little alone time would hurt. Kixi was with her, and while the cat wouldn't be of much help against a large group of orcs or spiders, at least she could act as a lookout.
Eventually, though, Suva found that Kixi had fallen asleep and that she wasn't far behind her beloved cat. Suva could feel her eye lids drooping and knew that if she didn't move soon, she would fall asleep and be prey to any number of creatures in these woods. She was just about to wake Kixi up when a smooth, deep voice startled her.
"You should not be out here alone. There are many dangers in these woods." The voice woke Kixi, who was on her feet and growling at the owner in a matter of seconds. Once she realized it was only Legolas she stopped growling, but the snarl on her face never left. Kixi was thinking the same thoughts Suva was.
"If you hadn't disappeared then maybe we wouldn't be out here alone."
"Perhaps if you had not disappeared, we would not be out here by ourselves." Suva replied, voicing the thoughts Kixi and she shared. Legolas' lips pursed together.
"I did not disappear. You are the one that could not keep up." Legolas stated, a cold tone to his voice. Suva rounded on the prince, her ice blue eyes narrowed. Kixi, sensing Suva's anger, crouched lower and hissed.
"Could not keep up? We could not keep up because you were trying to get us lost! In the four days that we've been here and you have been in charge of showing us around, you've disappeared almost twelve times! I may not be an elf, but that doesn't mean that I can't follow behind someone when they walk. For you to have disappeared so many times in such little time, was on purpose. I do not know what you have against me, but I wish that you'd put it aside for the week that I have to suffer here with you. As soon as I'm in Rivendell, I will be out of your hair and you will only have to deal with me again when I come back to inform your father of what he wanted to hear. After that, I'll go back to Rivendell and you won't ever have to deal with me again!" Suva exclaimed, her voice almost a shout. Having said what she wanted to, Suva turned on her heel and headed deeper into the forest, away from Mirkwood. Kixi followed right at her heels after growling one last time at Legolas.
She heard Legolas yelling her name but she didn't care. She was angry, she was lost, and she was lonely. She missed her home, she missed her friends, she missed everything she had grown up with and having an ill-tempered elven prince trying to get her lost and probably humiliate her was only making her bad week worse. She knew that going off further into the forest was a bad idea, but at that moment she didn't really care. She needed to be away from that annoying elf before she did or said something that would get her into more trouble than she needed.
If Legolas followed her, he stayed out of sight. Suva was both glad that he was leaving her alone and mad because he didn't even care enough to follow his father's orders. Suva didn't expect him to care about her, he didn't know her, but she did expect him to follow the orders his father had given him through and those orders had been to watch over her. That included making sure she didn't get herself killed wandering through the forest by herself.
Suva finally stopped and looked around. If she thought she was lost inside the city, then she was really lost outside of it. She looked down a Kixi, who looked even more on edge than normal.
"I don't like this. We should go back." Kixi murmured, looking around. Suva scoffed.
"We should, yes. Tell that to my horrid navigation skills. I'm not getting us back anytime soon. Unless you can use all those cat senses of yours to get us back, we're screwed." Suva muttered, only now realizing just how stupid she had been running off like that. Suva groaned. Of all the times to do something stupid.
Suddenly, Kixi growled. Suva froze, muttering curses in her head. She spun in the direction Kixi was facing. Suva couldn't hear anything and she didn't see anything either. "What is it Kix? Please tell me it's just Legolas or one of the other elves…" Suva pleaded. Kixi's growling got louder as the creature approached.
"No such luck. It's a spider. A much larger one than the ones at home." Kixi answered "The good news, though, is that there's only one. I think I can take it." Suva swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She didn't want her precious companion to get hurt just because she'd done something stupid. Kixi chuckled in Suva's head.
"I'll be okay. I used to take down the little ones all the time. This can't be much harder, right?" the bobcat laughed a little fearfully "And besides, it's my job to protect you."
"I'm not supposed to get you killed though!" Suva exclaimed in near hysterics. This wasn't good. If only she'd have kept her anger in check.
The spider appeared through the trees, all of its eyes glowing red. Kixi gave a small whimper but growled again in warning. The spider didn't heed it, much to their disappointment, and came straight for them. Kixi lunged and tackled the monster of a spider to the ground. She fought viciously and Suva could tell that she was winning. Maybe they wouldn't die today after all.
That thought was short lived.
Another hissing sound had Suva spinning around, coming face to face with another of the monstrous creatures. Suva whimpered much like Kixi had. The giant spider was watching her every move. She could see the hunger in its deep red eyes. Suva, risking her life by doing so, glanced around for anything she could use to fend off the spider. If only she had a torch.
There was a nice, thick looking branch not far from her but in order to reach it she had to move from her current spot. Kixi was still trying to clamp her jaws around the spiders head and couldn't help her and the elf that was supposed to be watching over her was nowhere to be seen. Suva groaned. Time to put Divan's teachings to work.
She inched her way towards the branch, trying to move in a circle so that maybe the spider would start circling her like she had seen wolves do on Animal Planet. It didn't work. Instead of circling her, the spider just leaped straight for her. With a squeal, Suva leaped for the branch. She slid underneath the spider, making it land on its belly as she slid in the dirt and grabbed the branch. The spider was up before her, though and came at her again. It hover over top of her and Suva, in a fit of panic, did the only thing she could think to do. Thrust the branch through the stomach of the huge spider.
Black blood ran down the branch and onto Suva's arms and torso. Suva cringed, trying not to vomit. She watched as the life slowly left the ruby eyes of the spider and it collapsed. The only thing keeping it from falling on top of her being the branch through its stomach. With as much strength as she could muster, Suva shoved the spider off to the side, letting go of the branch so it could fall with it. She heard Kixi's distressed cries in her head, asking if she was alright. Suva managed a few weak words and Kixi was rushing towards her, hovering over her and pawing at her. They were both too busy to notice the Mirkwood prince burst through the trees, his eyes widening when he saw the two dead spiders. His eyes widened even further when he saw Suva lying on the ground covered in blood with a frantic Kixi standing over her.
He rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that the blood wasn't hers but the spider's blood. The sigh alerted Kixi and Suva to his presence and they both turned to look at him.
"You are alright." He murmured. That only made Suva mad again.
"Alright? Alright?! Do I freaking look alright to you?! Where were you five minutes ago when those dumb things were stalking us?! You're supposed to be keeping us out of trouble, not disappearing and letting us get into it! They say elves are supposed to be kind and helpful. I don't think I've met a helpful one yet, except maybe your father and that's only because he didn't kill me like I expected him to!" Suva shouted. She knew she was probably attracting more spiders, but four days of pent up anger had her bursting at the seams. If she didn't get it off her chest now, she'd blow up in front of more than just one elf.
To her surprise, Legolas actually looked regretful. His eyebrows drew down and he stared at the ground. She kind of felt bad for yelling at him, but he deserved every word. Legolas sighed.
"I am sorry, lady Suva. I did not mean to offend you or hurt you in any way. My father has never been fond of humans and I was surprised when he let you stay until I left for Rivendell. I was even more surprised when he put you in my care. I feared it was a test to see how I would act around a human. I knew if he was told that I was being overly nice to you, that things would not end well for either of us so I tried to appear cold and distant. It seems that perhaps I have taken it too far." His smooth voice was full of sorrow, making it hard for Suva to stay mad at him. Were all elves this amazing, even if they looked so sad?
Suva glanced at Kixi, silently asking the cat if she thought he was telling the truth. When Kixi replied that she thought he was, Suva sighed. She couldn't exactly stay mad at him forever and completely ignoring him wasn't really an option. He was supposed to be her guide, which involved speaking to each other at some point.
"Apology accepted. But don't think this gets you off the hook." Suva warned when Legolas looked up, a tint of happiness in his eyes "You are still in trouble. I know he is your father, but you don't have to act just like him. You have to be your own person." Legolas sighed and nodded.
"I know. I just do not like to disappoint him. He is, after all, still my father. Even though he is my king." Legolas said quietly. Suva nodded slowly.
"It probably is tough. I wouldn't know, I'm not the daughter of a king, but sometimes you have to just take that disappointment because not everything the people you care about do is right." Suva murmured. Legolas took a deep breath and nodded.
"You are right." He muttered and looked around. His eyebrows drew down and he stood up, offering her a hand. "Now come. We must not tarry here any longer. There are things far more dangerous than spiders in these woods." Legolas helped Suva to her feet and then started towards Mirkwood at a decent pace. Suva and Kixi followed behind him.
Silence washed over them for a better part of the journey back. Suva couldn't stop thinking about how close that spider was to eating her. If she hadn't of grabbed that branch, she probably would have been wrapped in a cocoon and strung from a tree by now. Suva shuddered at the thought and decided then and there that she needed to ask about maybe getting a staff made.
"Legolas?" Suva asked tentatively. She didn't refer to the prince by his title, something she wasn't sure whether he was happy about or not. He hadn't corrected her, which she took as a sign that she didn't need to call him prince or my lord, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.
Legolas looked over his shoulder at her. "Yes, lady Suva?" Suva's eyebrows drew down.
"You don't have to call me lady, Legolas. Especially not if you're letting me talk to you without your title." Suva said. Legolas blinked in surprise at the statement, but then smiled gently.
"Yes…Suva?" he asked again, omitting the title of lady. Suva smiled at him before asking her question.
"Would it be hard to have a simple staff made?" she asked. Legolas raised an eyebrow but shook his head.
"T'would not be hard at all." He replied "Why do you ask?" Suva fidgeted with her fingers.
"I just… I would feel slightly more comfortable with some form of weapon. A staff is the only thing I can use efficiently. I was just wondering if a simple one could be made that I could use." she mumbled. Of course, with the elven hearing, Legolas heard her quiet reply. He pursed his lips as they appeared at the top of a hill that overlooked Mirkwood.
"It would be no trouble." He stopped, causing Suva and Kixi to almost bump into him. He turned to face her, a small smile on his face. "We can go now, if you wish. There is a craftsman not far from here." Suva smiled again. This was the most she'd smiled since she'd arrived in Middle Earth. Legolas was actually pretty sweet when he wasn't trying to please his father.
"That would be nice. And greatly appreciated." Suva spoke quietly. With another smile, Legolas offered his arm to her. Suva shyly took it and Legolas led her and Kixi through the city. They received even more stares than before, but for once, Suva didn't really care. Maybe they could be friends after all.
Divan
I was pretty sure I was drunk.
Okay, scratch that. I wasn't pretty sure, I was absolutely positive. I'd always been able to tolerate a pretty good amount of liquor. Mostly because I'd done some underage drinking with my parents on New Year's Eve. Actually it was more like a lot of underage drinking and several New Year's Eves, but that wasn't the point. The point was, I'd only been here four days and they were already getting me drunk. I knew dwarves liked their ale and they loved to throw parties but this was just plain ridiculous.
I'd tried to deny the ale at first, really I did. Getting drunk around dwarves was not something I really wanted to do. I'd never been so wasted that I didn't remember a single thing about the night before, so I didn't know how I was gonna act if the dwarves of Erebor got me that drunk and I knew they'd try. The last thing I needed was to start acting like a stripper in a hall full of dwarves. That wouldn't go over well. So I tried to stay away from any alcohol, but then Gimli had to appear.
Gimli had been the one to drag me to this party in the first place. I'd been contentedly sitting in my room in the dwarven halls, Rata on my shoulder as always, when Gimli had busted through the door. He hadn't even explained what was happening until we were halfway to mess hall. Even then, I'd only understood something about dwarven parties and that I had to attend at least one. So I'd been dragged unwillingly to the mess hall, Rata flying and grumbling behind us.
He'd deserted me almost immediately, but not before he'd shoved me towards his father. Gloín had been the first to offer me a mug of ale, which I had respectfully turned down. He didn't push any further and I was grateful. Rata, who was once again perched on my shoulder, ruffled her feathers and started grumbling about our predicament. I agreed with her, but only silently to myself in my head.
I'd stood awkwardly in a corner for a good while before anyone actually seemed to notice me. Parties had never been my thing, at least not this kind of party. Give me a bonfire, a couple guitars, some cases of good beer and all my friends and I'd be just dandy. Put me in a room with a bunch of people I don't know that were all dancing and drinking and I was hiding in a corner. But at least the dwarves weren't trying to have sex right in front of you. The one party that I'd been dragged to on Earth that didn't include a bonfire or guitars was the last party I'd ever gone to. People I didn't know, music that was crappy and far too loud, cheap beer that tasted like dog crap and people trying to have sex while they danced was just not my thing. Sorry for all you people that found that entertaining.
When one of the dwarves actually noticed me standing in the corner, I was hauled into their little circle. Gimli, who seemed to appear moments later, shoved a mug of ale into my hands. I'd tried to tell the stubborn dwarf that I didn't drink (which was a complete and total lie) but he was adamant. It only got worse when he started taunting me, telling me I was afraid to drink a little ale. That got my attention but I didn't actually start drinking until Gimli said that he bet he could drink more than I could. The challenge had been enough to get me to throw my head back and guzzle down the mug of ale. Rata sighed, obviously realizing that this was the start of a very long night.
Gimli and the other dwarves around me had laughed heartily. As soon as my first mug was gone, it was taken and immediately replaced with another. It was a bad idea, I knew that, but turning down a challenge just wasn't who I was. I only hoped that the Irish blood in me kept me from getting too drunk. The Irish were, after all, hearty drinkers that could handle incredible amounts of liquor. Much like the dwarves I was currently drinking with.
Gimli and I chugged mug after mug of ale for a good long while. I lost track of how many mugs I'd drank after about the fifteenth mug. Honestly, I was surprised I was still on my feet. I had a pretty good tolerance for the alcohol of Earth, there was no telling how much stronger dwarven ale was than the liquor at home. I could hear Rata berating me on my shoulder but didn't pay attention to her. If only I had.
At some point during our drinking game, a huge crowd had gathered. Apparently, games like these were exactly what dwarves loved. Lucky me, I suppose. It was all Gimli's fault though. I blamed him.
It turns out, my Irish luck paid off. Gimli passed out. Like, eyes rolling back in his head and falling like a rock to the floor, passing out. I swallowed the last bit of ale in my mug and slammed it down. Every dwarf around me cheered. With blurry eyes I looked over at Gimli. I wanted to giggle at him. Actually, I think I did giggle at him. I was totally drunk. I never giggled. The rational part of my brain was groaning in annoyance and mumbling curses at Gimli for rambling off that stupid challenge. If only I had walked away and went back to my room.
Somehow, I made it over to one of the walls and slid down. Things were very blurry and there was two of everything. My stomach hurt and I felt like I was going to puke. My head already hurt and the thought of tomorrow morning made me groan. I was going to have a very nasty hangover. I was never drinking with dwarves again. I wasn't drinking ever again period. Rata laughed her birdy laugh in my ear and I twisted my head to glare at her, almost falling over in the process causing her to squawk and flail around. While the squawking hurt my already sore head, I considered it payback for laughing at me.
"It ain't funny." My words were all slurred together and I don't think she actually understood what I was saying. Heck, I didn't understand what I was saying, and I said it! I groaned again. Never. Again. I hated very few things, just the colors pink and yellow and screamo music, but alcohol was definitely getting added to that list after tonight. Rata laughed at me again. Was I saying this out loud?
"Yes, you are saying everything out loud." Rata replied. If she would have been human, she totally would have been smirking. I mumbled curses under my breath, not caring if anyone heard the very unladylike words leaving my mouth. I wasn't very ladylike. Not when I was sober and certainly not when I was drunk. I let my head thump against the wall behind me. Let the night begin.
A few hours later
I'd people, or dwarf, watched for almost four hours now. I wasn't in any shape to go back to my room and I wasn't touching any more ale so that left me with nothing better to do than sit in the corner and watch the dwarves as they went about their party. They were both disgusting and hilarious. I found myself giggling quite often, even though I tried not to. The ale made me loopy, but at least it was starting to wear off some. I was still drunk, but I was pretty sure I could actually walk in a semi straight line now.
Rata advised me against it, but I was tired of sitting in a corner. So, I hauled myself to my feet. My head spun and I had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over but once the spinning subsided, I was able to see pretty straight. I took a few steps forward and when I didn't stumble I risked walking a few more. Rata was chittering nervously on my shoulder and I shushed her.
"We'll be okay. Ale's wore off enough that I can walk straight now. Just… s'long as there's no more ale." I muttered to her. She clucked at me and I pursed my lips. Time to go find someone to talk to. I wandered through the crowd of dwarves, trying not to bump into any of them.
I finally found Gloín and Gimli. Gimli, who must have woken up at some point, was sitting beside his father, a mug in his hand. I stared incredulously at the dwarf. He was still drinking?! I rolled my eyes as I approached them.
Gimli noticed me first and smiled hugely at me. He let out a booming laugh that drew the attention of Gloín and a few other dwarves that were close by. "Lassie! I was beginning to think ye left!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes as I plopped down beside him, stretching my legs out.
"I considered it, but I did not wish to leave you unattended. You, after all, cannot seem to hold your ale." I retorted. Gimli's eyes narrowed.
"I can hold me ale just fine, lassie. 'Tis you who need not be left alone!" he growled. I chuckled at him.
"Yet it was I that won our game. Perhaps your ale tolerance is not so high as you thought." I laughed. Gimli growled again and opened his mouth to retort when Gloín stepped in.
"Leaver the lass alone, Gimli. She has won this fair and square." He rebuked his son. Gimli glowered at me while I smirked.
Gloín, Gimli, Rata and I sat there chatting for a little while. Gloín decided that I needed to hear stories of Gimli's past drinking bets and he had me laughing within minutes. Gimli, however, was spluttering and trying to deny everything his father was saying. His dwarven pride was definitely delicate and me and Rata both laughing at his previous predicaments only served to make him as red in the face as his beard. My face was probably red too, but mine was from laughter, not embarrassment.
Eventually, Gimli got up and stormed off claiming he needed more ale if he was "going to survive the night with the likes of you two". I waved him off with a smile, still laughing. Gloín had a smirk on his face as well, telling me he enjoyed teasing his son. I settled back onto my elbows, a smile still on my face. Despite being the only person above five feet, and that was only by about four inches (I was only about five feet four and a half inches. I was short.), and the only human in Erebor, I found myself quite a home with the dwarves.
They were a kind hearted race by nature, but weren't afraid of a battle. Actually, they quite enjoyed them. They were rough and tough on the outside, but were really just big teddy bears by heart. They weren't afraid of a challenge and they handled sarcasm well. They weren't as fond of trees, nature and animals as I was but that didn't really deter me from finding a home among them. They had accepted Rata, even quite liked the talkative bird, and that was all that really mattered to me. She was the only thing that I had that really meant something to me here and surviving my time with the dwarves if they were constantly trying to hurt her would have caused more than a few altercations. Luckily though, they seemed to like her as much as I did.
I looked around. I wasn't really looking for anyone or anything, I was just taking everything in, but then my gaze landed on a pair of dwarves outside the mess hall that had axes in their hands. They were fighting. Well not fighting as in trying to hurt each other. They looked like they were sparing. My eyebrows drew down and my head cocked slightly as I watched them.
Other than seeing Gimli hacking at orcs briefly in parts of the movies, I'd never seen dwarven combat. I knew their preferred weapons were axes, but I'd never seen them use any. I watched intently as the two dwarves sparred. They seemed pretty evenly matched. One was a bit broader than the other, which I found hard to believe, but other than that they were the same except for hair color. One had a dark brown beard, the other a lighter honey colored one.
The dark brown haired dwarf won the match and the dwarf with the light hair was replaced by one with red hair like Gimli's. Unlike the dwarf before him, this one held a sword instead of an axe. This dwarf was slightly taller than the dark haired dwarf, but was also slightly thinner. They battled it out but in the end the dark haired dwarf won again. A third dwarf entered the ring carrying a hammer with him, ready to take on the defending champ.
I found myself wanting to join the group of sparring dwarves. I hadn't had a good sparring partner for a couple years. The last person that had been able to provide me with a decent duel had been a guy from my apartment building, Shawn, who had seen me at the gym one day taking out some frustrations on a punching bag. He'd offered to spar with me and I'd reluctantly agreed, not sure what he'd been playing at. He'd just wanted someone to spar with and in the end it started to become a weekly thing. At least, until he'd left for a tour overseas. He was in the military.
I hadn't done much sparring with weapons after I'd left my martial arts classes, but I was pretty sure I still remembered enough to get myself around a sparring ring with a sword in my hand. Before I fully knew what I was doing, I'd gotten Gloín and Gimli's, who had returned sometime while I was watching the sparring matches, attention.
"Yes, lassie?" Gloín asked. They all called me lassie and I wasn't really sure why. I didn't really care though.
"Do they spar like that often?" I asked them, gesturing towards the dwarves just outside the mess hall that were sparring. Gloín nodded.
"There are almost always duels going on. It is a favorite past time of us dwarves." Gimli announced proudly "I have won a few matches myself." I laughed lightly at him.
"I am sure you have, Gimli." I said with a smile. My eyes once again returned to the dwarves. I was still kinda drunk, but the thought didn't deter me from asking my question. "Would… would it be possible for me to join them? I have not had a good sparring partner in what seems like ages."
Both dwarves shot me surprised looks. Most women of Middle Earth didn't fight. There were some, of course, like the shield maidens of Rohan and there were female elven archers among the men but most didn't fight. It was men's work, as many males would say, the sights of a battlefield were not fit for women. Maybe they were right, maybe they weren't but they wouldn't influence my decision. I'd had always been a fight, whether it was with a weapon or with words.
"Ye wish to spar with them lassie?" Gloín asked me. I nodded.
"Are ye sure that is a good idea, Divan?" Gimli asked nervously, using my name "Have ye ever held a weapon before?" A slow smile spread across my face and I chuckled.
"Yes, I have held a weapon before. I have trained with one. I always wished to fight, so my parents agreed to have me trained with weapons. Although, I have never used an axe. I am much more partial to swords or daggers." I replied. They shared a look and I could tell they were debating whether or not to let me join the other dwarves.
"Are you sure it is a good idea to go fight if you are still drunk?" Rata asked me quietly. I turned my head slightly and met her gaze.
"I am okay, really. At least, okay enough to spar. And if I am not and this turns out badly, you can yell at me later." I told her. Rata huffed.
"I am more worried that there will not be a later. These weapons are real and sharp, not the wooden or foam ones you used at home." Rata warned. I sighed.
"I understand that Rata, but you needn't worry. I will be alright." I gave her a small smile. She huffed again, but was quiet.
"Are ye sure ye wish to do this?" Gloín asked. I nodded again. I wanted to. I felt like a needed to. Sparring had always been a good way to get rid of pent up energy and I was feeling a good bit of that. I hadn't seen open sky for almost five days and I hadn't been able to run or go to the gym. I needed to do this. Mostly for my own sanity.
With a sigh, Gloín said something to one of the dwarves sitting on his other side that had been listening to our conversation. Said dwarf was staring at me like I had grown a second head. I rolled my eyes. Men. It seemed even in Middle Earth they didn't think us women could do anything other than have kids, cook and clean. What a shame.
The dwarf disappeared only to return some minutes later holding a sheathed longsword in his hands. Gloín thanked the dwarf, taking the sword from him, and then turned to me. He came to stand in front of me and held the sword out.
"It is a fair sword and should fair ye well." Gloín stated. I nodded mutely and gently took the sheathed sword from him. I took a step back to give myself a little room and then, in one swift motion, pulled the sword from its sheath.
It was a simple longsword with a simple black hilt but I still thought it was a beautiful weapon. It fit well in my hand even though it was much heavier than the foam and wooden ones I had used at home. I examined the blade for a moment, admiring the work. It wasn't an elven blade, which were said to be the most light weight and beautiful weapons in Middle Earth, but the dwarves probably held the next spot in line when it came to craftsmanship. It truly was a beautiful weapon.
"It fits ye well." Gloín said, a bit of surprise in his voice "Ye would look like a fine warrior if ye bore armor."
Checking to make sure I wouldn't hit anyone, I swung and twirled the sword around me a few times. I nodded, more to myself than anyone else and swung the strap that was attached to the sheath diagonally across my chest. Rata grumbled a bit and moved to allow it to set better. I looked up to Gloín and Gimli.
"Thank you, for letting me have this chance. I have not seen battle like many here most likely have, but I believe I am trained enough to hold my own. I suppose we shall see." I spoke quietly, still looking down at the longsword in my hands. Gimli came up to me and set his hand on my arm. I looked up at him.
"Just be careful lassie. We do not wish to see ye hurt. Ye and that bird of yers have grown on us." I could see some concern in his eyes and hoped that I wouldn't disappoint them and get myself seriously hurt or killed. I like to think I was a good fight, but that didn't mean I was one.
I nodded at him and then turned towards the door of the mess hall. I held my head high and started towards the ring of dwarves. Gimli, Gloín and many other dwarves were following behind me. It made me slightly nervous but I set my shoulders. I wouldn't let stage fright get the better of me and get me hurt. Rata mumbled in my ear about how this was a bad idea and I was starting to think she was right. I guess it wouldn't be the first stupid thing I'd done tonight. Though, it very well could be the last. I would get intentionally killed, but if I didn't pay attention, it wouldn't matter if it was intentional or not.
When the sparring dwarves noticed the large group of us coming towards them, they paused and let their weapons lower. I could see several shocked looks and raised eyebrows but I brushed them off. Let's get this over with.
"I wish to join you." I stated simply. That got me open mouthed stares and scoffs. The dark haired dwarf, the same one that had been sparring for the last ten minutes, chuckled at my statement.
"Ye wish to fight? Ye are just a woman and women do not fight." He said. My eyes narrowed.
"I do. I am well trained with a blade and I wish to test my skills." I told him plainly "I wish to join you."
Almost immediately, dwarves from all around started commenting and telling me to just leave it alone. I could pick out a few saying that I wouldn't stand a chance against Ordel. I was guessing that he was the dark haired dwarf that had remained in the ring. I glanced around at the arguing dwarves but said nothing. I wanted to spar. They weren't going to deter me.
"Enough!" Gloín's booming voice echoed through the caves. Everyone got quiet and listened to what he had to say. "Why should we deny her the chance to spar with Ordel? If she wishes to fight, we will let her!" he exclaimed. I gave him a grateful smile and turned back to the ring where Ordel was standing.
"Will you fight me, Ordel?" I asked. The dwarf's eyes narrowed and he examined me for a moment, his eyes stopping on the sword I held in my right hand.
"Aye, I shall fight ye. But be warned, I shall not go easy on ye." He answered. I smirked.
"I would not expect you to." I returned. Turning to Gimli, I asked him if he would hold Rata for me. Neither seemed too happy at the idea, but both relented. With Rata now perched on Gimli's shoulder, I made my way to where Ordel was standing. I was really glad I had been able to get Zolana to make me tunics and leggings instead of dresses. Trying to spar in a dress would have been torture.
The dwarf he had been sparring with had disappeared. He had probably went to put away his weapon and join the crowd of onlookers. My lips pursed as I took up my place across from the axe wielding dwarf. I really need to think things through more before doing them.
We both took up our stances. I gripped the longsword so tightly that my knuckles started to turn white. I eased my grip knowing that hold too tightly could be just as fatal as holding too loosely. I could see Ordel smirk and he flexed his fingers as he held his axe. He was determined to make an idiot out of me. Oh joy. Someone shouted begin and Ordel surged forward.
He didn't even give me a chance to attack. He went straight into throwing blow after blow towards me. I was forced into a defensive stance. He almost nicked me twice and I forced myself to focus. If this was how he wanted to play, fine. Let's play.
He rained down blow after blow trying to force me back into a corner. I kept myself moving in a circle, trying to step forward and not back. The first lesson I had learned when I was still attending martial arts was that getting backed into a corner was a sure way of getting yourself killed. If you got surrounded, you had nowhere to go. So the first thing to do was make sure you had room.
The second was to find an opening. Observation was the key. You had to watch and assess their movements. Everyone had a weak spot in their form, even professionals, you just had to look hard enough. Some people would hold their weapon a little too high, others too low. Some shuffled their feet or crossed them. It was just a matter of finding it.
"Ye can't run forever, girl." Ordel taunted. I resisted the urge to scoff. He was having way too much fun with this.
I found his weak spot to be his hip. Instead of keeping his axe at a more diagonal angle, he held it more horizontal, exposing his left hip. I smirked to myself. Now just to find the right moment.
The right moment was when he took a rather high swing towards my head. I ducked under his axe and swung my sword towards his hip forcing him to jump back to avoid being hit. Then, it was my turn to rain down blow after blow. I didn't pause, I didn't give him any time to swing. He was forced into only blocking my hits.
I tried getting him into a corner but he knew what I was doing. He kept himself moving like I had, going more in a circle than going backwards. I watched him carefully, knowing that if I got cocky now, I'd be down within minutes. Cockiness got you killed too. Never think you're too good for anyone because there will always be someone that is just a little bit better.
Sure enough, he managed to some strikes. Instead of it going back to him trying to back me into a corner, it turned into a more even mach. We traded between defense and offense as we both tried to get the upper hand.
He managed to nick my arm and I heard a few gasps. It wasn't bad, just a small cut. It wasn't even that deep. It started oozing blood, though, and I could hear some concerned whispers. I blocked them out but they got even louder when his axe cut my cheek.
I'd jerked back from the high swing but he still managed to catch my cheek with the point of the blade. I could feel the line of blood run down my cheek. My jaw clenched. I needed to focus before I did get myself killed.
I watched his movements carefully, judging what he was going to do before he did it. I needed to get him down. There were a few times that I could have risked it and went for it, but I wanted to be absolutely sure of what I was going to do. I got my chance when Ordel decided to spin around and give his axe more power.
If I messed up, I'd lose my head but it was the best chance I had of knocking him to the ground. If his back was turned towards me, I could get him behind the legs and knock him down. So, when he swung, I let myself dip backwards so that my back was parallel to the ground and when the axe passed my head, I was up and sweeping my leg against his. His axe clatter to the floor and went spinning as he tumbled to the ground. I was standing over him a moment later, the tip of my blade at his throat. I sucked in a deep breath and met his eyes. The duel was over.
The whole hall was silent for a moment before cheers erupted. I let out a sigh of relief and slowly lowered my sword. Ordel was staring at me with wide eyes. There was surprise in them and even a little anger. He went to get up but stopped when I offered him my hand. The anger that I had seen moments before dissipated and was replaced by a hint of respect. I let my lips turn up in a smile and Ordel's lips twitch upwards as well. He gave a small nod and grabbed my forearm. I pulled him to his feet and then went to retrieve his axe. I returned to stand in from of him and handed the silver and blue axe to him. He took it, staring at it a moment before looking up at me.
"I was wrong, it seems. Ye have a fighting spirit in ye. Ye fought well." Ordel said.
"Thank you. You fought well also. Long has it been since I have had such a fair sparring partner." I replied. Ordel smirked.
"Perhaps we shall have another go some other time. For now, though, I would go to yer companions." He said. I nodded, bowing at him respectfully before sheathing the sword and moving towards the crowd to find Gimli, his father and my bird. I got many congratulations and good jobs as I tried to find them and all I could do was bow my head and thank them.
When I finally found Gimli, Gloín and Rata they all stared at me. Then, to my surprise, Gimli surged forward and wrapped his arms around my middle in a hug.
"Well done lassie, well done!" he cried. I chuckled and hugged him back.
"Thank you my friend. It felt good to spar again. I have not for a long while." I said. Rata grabbed ahold of my tunic sleeve and began pulling herself up to my shoulder. I held my arm out straight so that she could just walk up my arm instead of climb. Even she told me that I did well but didn't forget to add that she was also glad I was still alive. I scowled playfully at her and she laughed.
Gimli grabbed my hand and headed back towards the mess hall, saying that drinks were in order for my victory. I tried to pull out of his grasp and run but even for a smaller-than-me dwarf he was still stronger. I was pushed onto a stool, handed a mug of ale and told to drink. When I didn't, Gimli all but shoved the mug down my throat. So, to appease the dwarf, I drank the mug. But one mug turned into two and two into three. Soon, I was wobbling all over again. I was only freed of the cursed liquid when Gloín appeared and pulled me along with him saying that I needed to have my arm and cheek looked at. I was quite willing to follow him towards the healer.
After my arm and cheek had been bandaged I was told that I wasn't to drink any more ale and that I needed to go to bed. I nodded as eagerly as my mush filled head would allow. Gloín led me to my room and as soon as the door was closed I was out of my tunic and leggings and into my sleepwear. Rata perched on the headboard above me, her eyes drooping. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.
The next morning
"Good morning, sunshine!" Rata exclaimed loudly.
"Rata… Shut up." Her cackling birdy laughter echoed through the room.