Disclaimer: I own nothing. Bleh…
Ok, so another chapter…
I'm not sure how everyone is feeling about the character Sierra. Is she annoying or do you like her? I know she is a bit of a scary cat, but hey…imagine facing the horrors that Middle-Earth has to offer. Her character will develop over time, but at this stage it is going a bit slow.
Anyway….here we go.
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"Oomph!" the breath escaped through Legolas' lips as Sierra's sudden shove forced the wind from his lungs. He did not expect her to react this way, but then again, he might have approached the subject about her age and being in Lake Town over sixty years ago a bit more sensitively. He was just too excited to care about proprieties. How exciting to meet a mortal….who might not be a mortal at all!
Sierra watched as Legolas stumbled backwards as she pushed him away from her. She wished that their positions were reversed and that he was standing with his back towards the water so that she could have pushed him into its black depth. Of all the people to pick up on her secrets, it had to be the elf! She opened her mouth to yell at him, but as she looked back to him, the expression on his face froze the words on her lips.
The elf's lips were slightly parted and his eyes were round with shock. His gaze was not directed at her, but rather at something behind her.
"Sierra! Look out!" he suddenly shouted and with the blink of an eye he had his bow drawn and an arrow nocked. His right hand and the brown feathers of the arrow brushed his lips as he aimed with the bow; with a twang he loosened the string and the arrow whizzed past Sierra to the unknown target behind her. In the background Sierra heard a frightening yell escape from Frodo and a wild neigh of fear from the pony.
"Bill!" Sam shouted, quickly followed by a "Mr Frodo!"
Without turning to face whatever was behind her, Sierra started running towards the open doors in the grey mountain. If it were the wolves again, she was not going to let them get near her this time. But as she ran, she heard the unmistakable sound of water splashing and bubbling; not that of howling and snarling. Confused, she halted in her tracks and spun around to face the commotion behind her.
The dark water was boiling and a hideous stench was released from its depth. Out from the lake long sinuous tentacles crawled; it was pale-green, luminous and had a slimy wet gleam to it. One of its fingers had a hold of Frodo's foot and was dragging him into the water. Sam was on his knees and slashing at the snakes with a knife. The others, except for her, Gandalf and the remaining two Hobbits, were hacking at the green arms.
"What the fuck is that?!" Sierra screeched, not sure what to make of the creature in front of her eyes. 'How many foul creatures did Middle-Earth have?' she thought miserably 'Dragons, Orc, Goblins, disappearing wolves and now sea-monsters?' She shook her head and tried to summon the courage to go and help Frodo. After all, she did join the group to keep an eye out for him and most importantly the ring.
She made it a couple of steps down the stone stairs when the arm loosened its grip on Frodo's leg as Sam still slashed at it. Quickly the two of them crawled away from the water and its monster. Sierra grabbed at Frodo's shoulder and hoisted him on his feet. "Run!"
She turned to face the water again and saw the chopped of tentacle wriggling and twitching on the ground. "Gross" she said in disgust and turned to follow the Hobbits.
"Into the gateway! Quick!" Gandalf shouted and beckoned wildly for everyone to head his way.
They were just in time. The groping tentacles writhed across the narrow shore and fingered the cliff-wall and the doors. One came squirming over the threshold, glistening in the starlight. Gandalf turned and paused. He was considering what word he could use that would close the gate again from within, but there was no need.
Many coiling arms seized the doors on either side, and with horrible strength, swung them round. With a shattering echo they slammed, and all light was lost. A noise of rending and crashing came dully through the ponderous stone.
Sierra blinked rapidly at the sudden lack of light, willing something to appear in front of her eyes except for the lengthy stretch of darkness. She moved her hands out in front of her.
Nothing.
She turned into the direction of where she thought the door was located, hoping the find cracks of light in the stone wall, but was still met with complete darkness. Sierra could feel a light seen of sweat forming on her brow, was in from the adrenaline of being chased by a lake-monster or the sickening feeling of the black entrapment?
"No" she whispered. She could not be locked into a dark place again.
Her breaths became shallow, her chest moved rapidly in and out with each gasp she took. 'No, no, no…'
In the darkness she could hear Sam wail about Bill again and the others conversing, but she could not focus on them. She could not see them. She did not know if they were real and with her or if they were a figment of her imagination like she had of her uncle and brother back in Mirkwood. The pressing blackness continued to engulf her. It strangled her like it did once before in the murky dungeons.
"Sierra…" the too familiar, but sinister voice whispered. The 'S' of her name sounding like a hiss. Sierra jerked to the left and then to the right. "Sierra…." She clutched her head with her hands, willing the voice to stop.
"Are you well?" Legolas asked beside her.
Sierra let out a terrifying scream upon hearing him and backed away so quickly that she stumbled and fell to the ground. "Please don't hurt me!" she begged and started sobbing. Was history repeating itself? Was this the elf's plan all along?
"Sierra" Legolas pleaded, not sure what to make of the terrified girl at his feet. He was aware that she was afraid of darkness and of elves, but he thought that the latter between him and her was resolved. Was she that mad at him for discovering something about her past?
"Sierra…" she hear her name being called again, but this time it was not the hissing sound of her past, but the velvety voice of Legolas.
Suddenly a silvery-blue light glowed from the staff of Gandalf and banished the darkness. Sierra looked up to where the others were watching the scene between her and Legolas. She felt like a fool for reacting in such away, but her mind was transported to a different time and rational thinking was beyond her then. Legolas was a couple of feet from her. She could see the conflicting emotions reflecting in his stormy eyes. Should he approach her or stay clear?
She wanted to say sometime, but Boromir beat her to it "Goblin!" he pointed to the corps over with Sierra stumbled it the dark. "This is no mine, it's a tomb!"
The others started muttering in worried whispers, Gimli crying out for his folk. They all momentarily forgot about Sierra and her strange behaviour.
She crawled away from the skeleton and wrinkled her nose. Even though it no longer smelled, it still looked foul. This was the first time she laid eyes upon a goblin and she could understand why people feared them. This one might be dead, but the sight of him still made her feel uncomfortable.
She got up and brushed the dust from her clothes. These last couple of hours were just too much for her and she was weary in body and mind. Her body was aching; her mind was playing tricks on her. She shook her head in dismay.
"We need to move. Follow my staff" Gandalf announced and set off into a hurried pace.
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"Let us sit and rest and have something to eat, here on the landing" Aragron said after they have climbed the two-hundred stone steps to the arched passage way on top. The proposal was welcomed by all; and they sat down on the upper steps, dim figures in the gloom.
"Let us have a look at your wounds. I think we should clean them again" Aragorn said and sat beside Sierra. She gave him a weak smile and held out her arm without saying anything. She hasn't spoken a word to anyone since they have entered the mine. Legolas floated like a ghost in the background. She could not help feeling his presence. He seemed troubled and sad. Sierra had a feeling why.
Aragorn started to unroll the bandage carefully until the ugly lesions of the wolf's bite marks were visible. Bruises were forming around the edges and it had a yellowish tint to it.
"It does not look too bad" Aragron remarked and unscrewed his water bottle. He poured some water over her arm, washing away the dried blood and some of the watery discharge.
"Would you like me to place some of the herbs on again?" he asked and held up some of the dried Athelas. The white blossoms were now turned into a faded grey.
"No, keep it" she said "Someone else might get hurt and will need it more than I do". As soon as they stop for the night, she will take some pain killers before sleeping.
The way thing were going for them, Sierra had a feeling that the lake-monster was not the last threat that they would encounter. She did not want to be the reason for taking up all the medical supplies.
"Do you have more clean bandages?" he asked again and placed the herbs back into his bag.
"Yes, but I don't want to use them"
"Very well, let me wash this one and we keep your arm open to breathe for a while. When the cloth is dry, we will wrap your arm again" he smiled at her, concern clearly reflecting in his eyes. He placed one hand on her knee and spoke softly so the others would not hear "Sierra, he will not harm you in any way"
She hung her head at his words, knowing to whom he was referring to. She knew she over reacted, but her mind was unable to think rationally back then. She always got like this when she was trapped in confined spaces with no light. The nearness of an elf just made it worse. She knew Legolas was not like the other elves, but it was still hard for her to lay her trust in him. Besides, she was still somewhat angry at him.
"I have known Legolas for many years now and he is one of the bravest and kindest souls ever to walk upon the face of Middle-Earth. I do not know your past, and I do not intend to try and pry it from you, but I can assure you, that your fear in Legolas is misplaced"
Sierra nodded and whispered "I'm sorry"
"No need to apologise to me. Just…just try and befriend him. You will see I was right". Sierra nodded again, not trusting her voice.
Aragorn smiled and patted her knee "I'm going to go and wash your bandage, get something to eat. I do not believe Gandalf intends to stay here long"
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They marched on through the mines, the passage way twisting around large stone pillars, slowly descending into the heart of the mountain. As they kept on walking the air became hot and stifling, but not foul. Sometimes cool air will flow over their faces from openings in the walls, leading to other halls and passage tunnels. The deeper they ventured into the mountain, the more treacherous the roads became. The path would lead to sudden drops and open gaps. Below them they could hear the sound of water churning as if some great mill-wheel was turning in the depts.
Sierra was walking behind Gandalf and Gimli. She heard them discuss the different route options to take, but it was always Gandalf who had the last say. Frodo was walking behind her his sword drawn, followed by Sam, Legolas, Merry and Pippin. Boromir and Aragorn were at the rear, some couple of feet behind the rest.
"Mr Frodo, is it true that your blade glows when orcs are near?" Sam asked and readjusted his pack on his shoulders. There was a slight clang as the pot and pan collided with each other.
"Yes, Bilbo said that when orcs or goblins draw near, the sword will emit a faint blue glow"
"Your dagger, or sword, as well as Gandalf's were forged by the High Elves of Gondolin in the first age" Legolas injected from the back "They have made them to slay the filthy creatures of Melkor".
"Who forged your knives? Do they glow?" Frodo asked and looked down to the elven inscriptions on his blade. He was still not use to carrying a sword, but it did offer some comfort of protection.
"No, long has the skill been lost to forge blades such as yours. Your swords are ancient, even older than I am, but will never rust or grow blunt. My knives were forged by the smiths of Mirkwood. It is strong and deadly, but will need to be maintained over time"
They discussed the elven craftsmanship for a while, Sam particularly interested in the woodworks. Sierra listed to their conversation, but did not join in.
"What is your home like? I heard Bilbo's tales about your woods and it sounds like a frightening place to live in" Sam asked. He loved the stories Frodo's uncle told about the giant spiders and how the woods played tricks on the mind, but he could not imagine ever living in a place like that.
Legolas was quite for a moment and when he answered, his voice sounded distant and melancholic. "Our woods were not always as it is now. It was once called Greenwood the Great. It was a beautiful forest. The trees grew vast and in many shades of green. The sun would shine brightly upon the boughs and flowers would bloom on the surfaces the sun touched. The river was clear and formed silver pools between the grey rocks. I was only an elfling, but I will never forget the splendour of the Woods back then. The shadow of Dol Guldur fell upon our woods. He brought a sickness into the woods and soon dark creatures of the world flocked to our forest. We tried to defend our home, but the power was too great. We were driven North and to the boarders of our wood. Our homes in the trees were exchanged for a palace underground"
"That is terrible!" Sam exclaimed. He could not imagine his own beloved Shire to fall under the hands of such evil.
"When the White Council flushed him from Dol Guldur, the power over Mirkwood diminished. We have taken back some of the land from the spiders, but the sickness still lingers"
Sierra listened to the tale Legolas gave about Mirkwood. She never knew that the Woods were once a place of beauty, or that the elves were victim to a source of evil. She almost felt sorry for them.
"I have no memory of this place at all!" Sierra heard Gandalf mumble in front of her. She looked up and noticed that they were halted at a three way. The arches bore no marking or signs to indicate the direction they would lead in.
"I am too weary to decide" Gandalf said out load to the rest of the company, shaking his head. "And I expect that you are all as weary as I am, or wearier. We had better halt here for a rest"
The company did as Gandalf bid and made themselves as comfortable as possible on the hard stone. Sam started handing out apples, which everyone accepted gladly. Gimli, Aragorn and Gandalf pulled out their pipes and tobacco.
"Mind if I join you?" Legolas asked Sierra carefully, uncertain how she would react. His answer was a brief nod, but he seized the opportunity none the less. He took a seat next to Sierra and bit into his apple. They sat in silence for a while, each busy with their apple while watching the others.
"Sierra - " Legolas began, but then cleared his throat, trying to summon the right words. "Sierra, I'm sorry about the incident earlier"
Legolas watched as Sierra's gaze met his. Her green eyes were sparkling from the blue light and Legolas noticed for the first time how beautiful they were. It reminded him of the leaves of Greenwood. He cleared his throat again and quickly looked away. "I mean, I apologise for the way I intruded into your personal life…your past. It was wrong of me"
Still the girl regarded him silently and Legolas felt the need to explain his actions "It is just that I have never met a mortal like you before. You intrigue me." He rolled his thumbs over each other in circular movements. He has never in his life felt so at lost for words. Sierra still did not reply to anything he said. "I sometimes get a bit… overwhelming when faced with something strange or unusual…" his eyes went wide and he looked frantically at Sierra with his palms facing upwards "Not that you are strange or anything! It is just that the mortal women I have encountered before were not as adventures or outspoken like you are" he grinned at an image of Sierra swearing like man when faced with the lake-monster. "Then there is also the aspect of you looking like a young maiden, but being at place over sixty years ago. Mortals cannot live that long, except when they are from the Dunedain line"
The elf rubbed one of his hands across his face and shook his head. He looked over to Sierra who was regarding him silently. He sighed and nodded.
He slowly rose to his feet and looked down at the still figure "Just for what it is worth, your secret is safe with me" he scratched the back of his ear "Well, with that said, I will take my leave now" He turned and walked to where Aragorn was sitting, feeling very foolish and young.
"Legolas - " he turned to the voice of Sierra, glad and frightened of her words to follow.
"I know I have been unkind to you and I am sorry for that. It is difficult for me, but I will try. Regarding what happened, I was naïve to think an elf from the Ravonion area would not recognise a burn mark from a dragon."
Legolas quickly stepped back to Sierra, happy that she was openly discussing and confirming her past in Lake Town sixty years ago. He took his seat again and folded his hands over each other. Sierra gave a brief smile at the eagerness of the elf.
"You have no idea how grateful I am that you are talking to me again" he said honestly "I thought I have ruined the little friendship we have built over the last hours before the wolves attacked"
"I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. I'm just not used to people being so interested in my past" she said and took another bite from her apple.
"I'm not 'people' I'm an elf" he said smiling to which Sierra nodded in agreement.
"Yes, that you are" but she did not seem as pleased with the statement as he was. She looked away from the smiling elf to the four Hobbits softly talking to each other. They were such strange beings, so innocent, but brave for their size.
"Say, you do not have any more of that dried meat" Legolas asked and grinned at Sierra. She could not help laughing at his hopeful face. He sure was a friendly elf.
"So you did not really come here to apologise, you just wanted more meaty treats?" she said jokingly. No matter the race, may it be elves or men; they all could not resist the temptation of good food.
Legolas placed a hand over his heart "You wound me, lady!"
"Unfortunately I do not have any left. We ate the last of it" she said. She did have some sweets left, but did not feel like parting with them just yet.
"No matter, perhaps you would care for something sweet?" he asked her and Sierra jolted at his question, thinking that he has read her mind or perhaps rummaged through her bag. She looked down to where the satchel lay between them and noticed that the bag was still secured tightly.
Legolas did not notice her reaction and retrieved a small pouch from his bag at his side.
"I know it is not much, but the taste is something quite remarkable" he opened his hand and on his palm were two golden drops the size of large marbles. "Dried honey treats" he offered his outstretched hand and Sierra took one of the yellowish balls.
"A parting gift from the galleys of Rivendell"
Sierra followed Legolas' example and popped the little orb into her mouth. The taste was indeed remarkable as it exploded in bursts of flavour in her mouth. She never knew honey could taste this good.
Legolas' enjoyed the look of pure pleasure on Sierra's face and was happy he could share in this moment. Even though they were facing the darkness of Moria, this small encounter made the journey a bit more bearable.
They sat in silence for a while, each swirling the honey treat round-and-round in their mouths.
"I heard you mentioning your home. Were the woods really such a beautiful place as you described?" Sierra asked. Some part of her wanted to connect Legolas to something less evil than the Mirkwood she knew. If she can imagine him from a better world, she could perhaps forget that he was part of the Mirkwood clan.
Legolas rolled the ball to the side before answering, creating a little bulge in his cheek "Yes, it was a lovely time and place to grow up in. My father and I used to go horseback riding through the woods and he would teach me how to use the bow. We would rest at the meadow and eat from the fruits the bushes nearby offered" he smiled at the memory and Sierra could see the elf she wanted him to be.
"Are you and your father close?" she asked. Legolas sounded fond of his father, something she could never relate to. Well, she did have her uncle as a father figure, but she would never know how it felt to have real parents.
"Not anymore, the growing threat in our homeland change many of the elves, including my father" Legolas' voice was strained and a tremor of anger was detected in it, but as quickly as it came it vanished and was replaced by a smile "But let us not speak of such things"
"I heard you humming a song on our way to Moria, Sam questioned you about it, but I never learned the song's name…" he trailed off, waiting for Sierra to enlighten him.
"It is a lullaby" She said "It was sung by the Celtics to their children to bring them good fortune"
"Are you Celtic?" Legolas enquired, having never heard of such a race. Perhaps these people had prolonged life as well?
"No, but the lady who took care of me was" Sierra smiled at the memory of her caretaker singing her songs when she was little. Sometimes the words were in Gaelic and she could not understand them, but they always offered comfort when needed be.
"You had a caretaker?" Legolas asked; he bit on the left-over sweet, crushing it between his teeth. His strong jaw flexed has he chewed on the last pieces. He did not expect her to have a caretaker, usually only nobles had caretakers, but perhaps it was different where she was from.
"Yes, both my parents passed away when I was little. My uncle took care of us, but it was difficult for him doing it alone - you see he never married. He employed a lady called Brainna to look after us. She was a lovely person" Sierra did not feel uncomfortable talking about the loss of her parents since she never knew them. It was like talking about imaginary people.
"I am sorry to hear about your parents" Legolas said and bowed his head in respect. "You talked about 'us'; do you have any siblings then?"
Sierra felt a little stab at her heart thinking about her brother "Yes, I had a brother. His name was William." she swallowed hard. She never talked about the incident regarding her brother, but perhaps it was time to do so. After all, who else knew about her being in Lake Town back then besides Legolas? She was also trying to befriend the elf as Aragorn suggested and realised that he was actually easy to talk to.
She cleared her throat and willed the words "He was…he was killed by Smaug"
Surprised, Legolas looked over to Sierra. He did not think she would tell him something so personal. His heart went out to the girl. First she lost her parents and then her brother. It is a hard burden to bear, the loss of a loved one. Legolas knew how it felt.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, not knowing what else to say.
Sierra shook her head "No matter, nothing can be done about it now". She gave a small shrug like she did not care anymore, but Legolas could see that it still affected her greatly.
Again they sat in silence, but this time for quite a lengthy time. Sierra thinking about her brother, Legolas thinking about his mother.
A grey cloud has started to form over the heads of Gimli, Aragorn and Gandalf from their pipes. Gandalf was staring intently at the three open archways, still deciding what route to take.
"May I ask how it is possible for you to have been there?" Legolas suddenly asked.
Sierra shifted uncomfortably "I…I cannot, Legolas. Please do not ask me to explain and I do not wish to lie to you" she begged. It was hard enough talking about it, to spun a convincing lie was impossible. She could not come up with an explanation that to her it was only a little over a year ago. That in her world time went by slower than in Middle-Earth.
"Apologies, I should not have asked. There are just so many things about you that confuse me and then I seem to forget my manners"
"I'm sorry I cannot be more open with you, but it is better for you not to know certain things about my past" Sierra said. 'Like my world' she thought 'He should never need to know about my world'.
Legolas nodded, his face expressionless "I shall not ask you any questions of your past ever again…in exchange for one piece of information" he held up a finger to emphasize his words. Though much of Sierra's past intrigued him, there was one aspect of it that he wished to understand. He could live with not knowing the rest, if only she would give him an honest answer to this one puzzle piece.
Sierra frowned, not liking where this was going. "I might not be able to give you the answer you seek, but what is it you wish to know?"
Legolas picked up her one hand and cradled in his own. Sierra stiffened at the contact and Legolas shook his head "Sierra, why are you afraid of me?"
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Thanks for all the reviews and follows. I still need to thank everyone personally, but will probably only get the chance to do it in my next update.
So…how many of you have watched the Hobbit Desolation of Smaug? I've heard a lot of mixed feelings of Legolas and Tauriel being in the movie, since they were not in the book. How do you feel about it?