Hello to whom ever is reading this,
Thank you again for reading this far (assuming you aren't starting with Chapter 6).
This is a bit of a longer chapter as well.
Read and Review. I really do enjoy reading reviews and I value them deeply.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Only my own character(s) and plot twists.
Hope you enjoy.
The warm glow of the sun fades as we stand underneath an old tree. A cold chill touches my face as it plays with the ends my hair and gently seeps through my cloak. The rich smell of earth and the woods lingers in the air and the beautiful shades of blue and violet glisten off the leafs.
"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion." The elf before us speaks. I hide my injured arm under my cloak. Making sure it isn't noticeable.
"Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien" Legolas answers. What are they saying? I focus on standing and acting polite despite my annoyance.
"A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen." He says as he faces Aragorn.
"Haldir." The man bows. They know each other?
"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!" Gimli interrupts. I keep my mouth shut while silently agreeing with him. The elf faces Gimli.
"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days." The elf says with a hint of negativity.
I whisper quietly to Aragorn, "Who is this elf?".
"His name is Haldir." Aragorn whispers back and turns his attention to the existing conversation. Well, at least I know his name now.
"And you know what this Dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!"
"That was not so courteous." Aragorn says as if warning him that he's about to cross the line of being extremely rude. I can only guess what Gimli said but, the thought still makes a minuscule grin spread across my face.
I feel Haldir's eyes wander over to the rest of us. They quickly scan over Boromir and the halflings. I tense as I feel his gaze on me slightly too long, the same happening to Frodo.
"You bring great evil with you. You can go no further." I feel my heart drop at the sudden guilt and worry. Was he talking about the numbers on my arm? Maybe he can sense darkness coming off of me, like that lady in my head. That still seems unlikely. Best case scenario, he only knows about Frodo and the Ring.
"Boe ammen veriad lîn. Andelu i ven!" I can tell Aragorn is stressed and a bit angry by the way he's raised his voice. Haldir whispers to him, quiet enough
" Merin le telim." Haldir again whispers.
This time it is Boromir who speaks not to Haldir, but Frodo. "Gandalf's death was not in vain. Nor would he have given up hope. You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead." His final words instantly make me think about the life counter on my arm. Would this mean that I am carrying the weight of all those I have killed?
Haldir looks at Frodo. He lets out a small sigh. "You will follow me."
He leads us further into the enchanting woods. Small bright lights illuminate the dark atmosphere as I walk up the large staircase that wraps around the trunk of an enormous tree. I shift my gaze outward, looking upon the forest. This place seems so magical. I follow the group onto a small platform that faces a white building with stairs out in front of us. It looks as if the vines themselves had curled into the elegant form of the building. More bright lights seep through the holes in the ceiling, and we all stand in a line in front of the stairs.
With much grace, a beautiful lady elf accompanied by a stern looking male elf appear and slowly walk down the stairs, hand in hand. The woman sets her emotionless gaze upon me for a second and I watch as her eyes land on Frodo.
"The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." The male elf says.
"Nine there are here, yet a different nine set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf?" He continues. "For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar."
Surprisingly, it is the lady elf who answers. "Gandalf the Gray did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow."
"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame: a Balrog of Morgoth." Legolas says, confirming the statement. "For we went needlessly into the net of Moria." He adds. Gimli lowers his head a bit.
"Needless were non of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his whole purpose. Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your heart, Gimli son of Gloin." Gimli looks back up at the lady. "For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands, love is now mingled with grief." Clenching my fist, I can't help but remember the past.
Many moments pass when I realize that our meeting with the two elfs is finished. "Tonight you will sleep in peace." Was the last thing I heard before the fellowship back down the large staircase and set up a spot on the ground to rest for the night. Everyone is near yet spread out in the area we were given. As I sit on the soft earth, I hear the singing voices of elves in the distance.
The longing to wrap my fingers around my dagger suddenly comes upon me and I feel the tears trap itself in my eyes as the realization hits me. How could I have been so stupid? I dropped the dagger. If I had taken more time that wouldn't have happened. It's kept me alive for so long and I was so careless... I'm sorry...
The air in the remaining company is thin and full of grief. Silence is what makes this place so unnerving. The expressions on their faces brings sorrow as you can tell they're trying to hide what they truly feel.
Nothing I'm unfamiliar with. I don't want to linger for I feel out of place. I should have done something to help the wizard but that doesn't mean I blame myself for what happened. I know that the other's are all blaming themselves for Gandalf's death. I can see it in their eyes. Mourning over his fall. I don't feel the same. I need some time alone. Just to clear my head. I also have my arm to tend to anyways, so this is a good chance to slip away for a bit.
"A lament for Gandalf." Legolas explains while Strider sharpens his sword. I begin to walk forward into the forest.
Deeper into the woods, a soft mist gently rests above the ground as the land flattens out. A shallow stream to my right glistens in the moon light as it silently and slowly flows past me. This should be far enough, I don't see anyone and I don't hear anyone either meaning that no one has followed me.
Kneeling on the edge of the stream, I gently pull my injured arm out in front of me and hold it above the water. That's when it catches my eyes. A house in a tree next to the stream is shown in the reflection. A grin forms on my face as I realize this is an excellent opportunity to get bandages for my arm.
And just like that, I begin climbing up the vines of the tree up the to platform that the house sits on. Careful, not to do any more damage to my arm, it takes a bit longer to reach the top but, I manage without too much of a problem. Gracefully, I jump down onto the ledge of the platform. Crouching down to not get spotted through the open windows, I crawl to the outside wall of the house.
Silently, I take a quick peak. No one is inside the one room building. I smile. It's way easier to steal from someone if they aren't home. However, this also means that I have a limited amount of time since I don't know when they may return.
(Flash back)
The moon is high as I stand in the field next to Ormac. The tall man wears the familiar leather armour of the day we first met. The day he saved me. His face hidden beneath his hood. We both look ahead to the empty house a few yards in front of us, the still night bringing both of us the sense of security and belonging
Personally, I feel honoured to be at his side. He is extremely skilled in his profession, thieving. Only a few weeks ago, when I stole the few coins from his satchel, I felt proud at my first successful pickpocket attempt. He saw something in me that day, what he calls talent. He knew he could use me to steal things for him and make money. With minimal training and lots of practice, I could be just as skilled as him. I wanted to show him that he didn't waste his time when he saved that sick girl on the streets of Bree. I want show him what really I'm capable of.
I want to believe that I can pay off the debt that is worth my life. Before things get too deep.
"Remember, if no one's in the home the safest amount of time you can give your self is five minutes. No more than that. Got it, Thief?" He instructs. I look up at him. I've noticed for a while that his normally cold eyes always have a hint of warmth in them whenever I'm near. That is, unless I've done something against his wishs. I nod in response.
"You know what to do." He gives me a firm pat on the shoulder as I take off running towards the house.
(End of Flashback)
Without a sound, I slip in through the window of the home. Since the moon is no longer a source of light, my eyes quickly adjust to the dark. Books lines shelves, a small table sits next to the empty bed and everything appears to be neatly away. A wooden chest on the ground catches my attention as I make my over to it. Carefully, I open it up and find exactly what I was looking for. Tons of bandages, ointments, bottles with liquids in them as well as anything else you can think of is inside this case. Quickly, I take just enough of the bandages to get by. I don't need anyone noticing they're gone. Pushing some of the cloth and bottles out of the way, I notice a small container sitting at the bottom of the chest. Taking it out to get a better look at it, I instantly recognize the green paste.
'The elf that lives here must be a healer' I think to myself. The only other places I've seen this paste at is at the guild, and at a healer's shop in Minas Tirith. 'Don't mind if I do' I grin. Opening the container, I use my hand to take a wad of the paste and stick it to the inside of my cloak and some of the small wound in my shoulder. Feeling it burn before I place the container back at the bottom and organize the rest of the contents in the chest to make it look exactly how I found it, except for the missing cloth I took.
Exiting the same way I came in, I quickly climb down the tree and make my way back to the stream. On one knee, I hold my right arm out and take a good look at it. The guard on my forearm is cleanly sliced in half but isplastered on with a thick layer of dried blood. Underneath the guard is my tunic which is stained red and has also firmly glued itself over top of the wound. There's so much dried blood, I wouldn't be able to tell where the wound is if it wasn't for the broken guard.
I know I'm going to have to get rid of the guard before I can clean the wound properly. If I had my dagger this would be much easier. I clench my teeth as I carefully jab my fingers between the broken leather and my skin. Quickly, I pull upward as hard as I can. Crusted blood cracks as the guard peels itself away from the fabric above my wound and falls to the ground. Having a better look at what I'm dealing with, the sleeve of my tunic is completely stuck on with another layer of blood.
I have two options. One, put my arm into the water and wait for all of the blood to wash off of the sleeve. Two, remove the sleeve off carefully and then wash away the rest of the wound. If I choose the first one, I'd have to wait for a while. Also, since this stream doesn't flow very fast, I wouldn't know how much blood would be visible where this stream ends and I really don't want to get noticed. If I choose the second one, It would be more painful than the first and I risk making the injury worse if my skin happens to go with the sleeve. If I'm careful though, I should be able to take the sleeve off without ripping the skin.
Well, here's for hoping. I'd rather risk injury than risk getting the numbers found out and if I did injury myself more, that would only hide the numbers better. Once again, I reach along the edge of the sleeve and gently try to peel it back, wincing as I feel it tugging against my skin. After a few moments, I get the job done without doing too much damage. Now that the sleeve is gone, all I have to worry about is cleaning the opening a bit and bandaging it. Resting the arm in the water, I watch as most of the dried blood rinses off of the wound.
"There you are!" I spin around, immediately alert as I face Boromir.
"The halflings were wondering where you went off to. You were gone for so long that they got worried." The man explains. "I went looking for you." His expression is hiding grief. I can tell he's distracted himself by coming to find me.
His eyes wander onto my arm which I've pulled out of the water and am hugging against my chest. The bloodied guard on the ground as well as the section of sleeve I tore off also captures his attention.
"Your cut looks pretty bad. You should let me look at it." He says as he takes a step forward. Without hesitating, I'm on my feet, taking a step back. A confused look fills his face.
"What's wrong?" I stand still. He takes another step forward as I, in turn take another step back.
"I only want to help you, Tamber." Boromir says. He can't see the numbers. No matter what. If he did, who knows what would happen.
"Don't you trust me?" My heart stops. He takes another step forward and reaches his hand out to me. I turn my head away, staring down at the soil beneath.
"No good comes from trust." I tell myself under my breath. What am I supposed to do?
"Tamber," Boromir inches closer. "No man nor child should have to bear the weight of the world on their own." I feel his gloved hand gently wrap around my left wrist, lightly pulling me closer towards him. Giving me a comforting smile, he brings my injured arm into his hands and kneels beside the stream with me kneeling in front of him. He begins to turn my arm around, about to reveal the cut and the numbers.
"No!" I shout in a panic as I jerk my arm out of his grip and hug it hard against me chest, clenching my teeth from the pain of the wound. I can't let him see. I can't let him see it. Tears form in my eyes and I unwillingly tremble.
"Whoa!" He yells in surprise at my sudden action. I hear his breathing slow, regaining his senses.
What he says next catches me off guard. "Don't you trust me as your friend?" I have a friend? Is he a friend? What the hell is a friend anyways? Releasing a breath, I slowly lower my arm back down. Once again, Boromir takes the arm and turns it around. His face pales and his eyes go wide. We both freeze. Boromir out of shock and myself out of fear. Fear of seeing the disappointment in his eyes. Fear of not knowing what's going to happen.
"What is this?" He asks with a shallow breath and a tone that makes my stomach drop. He stares at the numbers continuously counting down. His grip on my arm hardens slightly and he faces towards me, his brown eyes staring deeply into my own red ones.
"I.. I d-don't know..." I barely manage a whisper through my trembling as I avert my gaze. What am I supposed to do? After a moment passes, the man loosens the hold he has on my arm. Looking back up, I watch in astonishment as he takes the bandages on the bank of the stream and begins to wrap up the wound.
"Who else knows about this?" He asks. I shake my head, signalling to him that I haven't told anyone.
"We should let the other's know. We cou-"
"No, I can't do that." I cut him off. He looks directly at me as I continue. "If I told them, it would only be a distraction in what all of you are trying to accomplish." That's only partially true. I just don't want people to know. I don't need their pity or their help. I can get by on my own. And even though my plan for leaving the fellowship is no longer an option since I made the promise to Gandalf, that doesn't mean they need to know any thing about me. Least not anything that they don't already know.
"You should at least tell someone. Since we know nothing of it yet, and since it hasn't caused any problems, you won't be doing any harm in letting some of the others know. We could help you, and I know a few people amongst this fellowship that would not be overly distracted by this issue you face." He reasoned. I keep silent after that.
"There you go." He finishes up with my arm and flashes me a forced smile. "It should heal in no time." I nod my thanks and we both rise to our feet. Picking up the broken arm guard as Boromir starts to walk back to where the group is, myself following shortly behind.
Maybe I should tell them. No, it would only cause more trouble. But, what if they could help? They might be able to find out what this thing is here for. That woman's voice though, it did say I would find out shortly. Although, that depends if the numbers is what it was talking about when it said that I bear a great evil. And it would fit since it said it was resting. I think I'll just wait on this one. At least until I know what it is.
I look at my bandaged arm. I forgot one thing. Reaching for cloth inside my cloak, I take the green paste off of the fabric and smear it across the wrappings. Gently, I rub it around to make sure it's evenly spread and that it's somewhat in the bandaging.
"Promise me." I say to him after a moment as we keep walking forward. The man stops and turns around to face me. Slightly, I lift my head up to look at him in the eyes.
"Promise me that you won't speak of my secret?" My tone is serious.
"You have my word."
After a few more minutes of walking, we return to the group to find the halflings sleeping. The elf is fidgeting with an arrow, Strider is smoking his pipe and Gimli snores loudly as he sleeps. Boromir sends me a nod before walking to his own makeshift bed.
As I'm about to go find my own spot to rest I steal a quick glance at Aragorn, stopping as I recognize his distant gaze. It pains me to see him this way. He almost looks like Father with that pipe in his mouth.
Third Person POV
Pippin's eyes fluttered open as he bolted upright. The cool air touchs his skin bringing the hobbit back into reality.
"Pippin! Psst! Are you awake?" Merry asks in a hushed tone.
"It's still night time. I thought you'd be sleeping." He whispers back.
"Can't sleep. At least, not very well. All of the other's are still sleeping though."
"Same."
"Want to go for a walk?'
"Where?"
"I don't know, anywhere I guess. I just can't stand sitting around anymore." Pippin nods his head as both he and Merry stand up, turning away from the group. A comfortable silence falls upon the duo as they keep walking, both reflecting on what happened in Moria.
"It was my fault." Pippin says after a short while. "If I didn't drop the bucket down the well, this wouldn't have happened."
"You shouldn't be dwelling on the past." Merry says as he slings an arm around his friend. "We all make mistakes sometimes."
"But if I didn't do it, maybe he'd be here with us."
"No one is blaming you. What happened happe-" Merry's eyes suddenly caught sight of the ground in front of him and he jolted backwards, grabbing Pippin and himself right before tripping on top of a sleeping girl. Both heads face each other and then down at Tamber.
"That was a close one." Exclaimed Pippin.
"Yeah, I didn't even see her or anything." Both hobbits bend down to directly in front of the girl. Pippin waves a hand before her face
"You can barely hear her breathing." Merry says in wonder.
"Don't you find it odd?" Pippin asks, breaking the silence.
"Which?"
"That Tamber is still with us."
"That is odd... I don't know why she'd still be here. I mean, it's not like she has any reason to be staying. Right?" Merry turns to face Pippin and then back to the girl. They watch as she stirs a bit.
"We should go." Merry advices after a moment. "Think about what would happen if she woke up right now." Both consider the thought and then decide that their lives are worth more than staying in the presence of the girl while she's sleeping.
They start making their way back to the group. Both of them are silent and both of them glad that they still have each other.
"Try to get some sleep, okay?" Merry says as they lie down.
"You too." Soon enough, the best of friends are fast asleep next to one another.
Tamber POV
"We're heading out now Mother!" I shout with a smile as I turn towards the entrance of the house and fasten a simple dagger to my belt.
"Is Roy going with you?" The woman asks.
"Nah, the little rascal doesn't want to come. Isn't that right, Roy?" Father answers back as he gives a hug to my seven year old brother who nods his head with a smile.
"Well then, we'll be going." Father says finally as he exits the house, bow in hand and sword in sheath. He's also carrying a long, cloth wrapped package. I wonder what that could be?
"Have a good time you two!" She calls as I give her a wave and follow Father out the door. The bright sun blinds me as I step out onto the street.
The village is booming with life today, just as it always is. Small wooden houses line the streets and people are up and about, talking with each other and carrying goods from the market place. The stone road places a path beneath my feet as I quicken my pace to keep up with Father.
"You two look like you're in a hurry." Says a vendor with a chuckle as he stocks his supply of carrots, packing them onto the rows of his stand along with other vegetables.
"Good morning!" I yell back with a wide smile and a wave. Quickly, I dash to catch up with Father.
Soon, we make it to the outskirts of the village. Tall, vibrant pine trees line both sides of the narrow path we take as it leads us deeper into the forest. Silent are our steps. The loud noise from the community are soon fades and shortly, we come to one of our favourite spots. The 'training ground' Father and I call it. A beautiful clearing in the woods with a stretch of wavy grass encircled with trees. A large boulder sits on the edge of the grass and the area is fairly small but, it's still large enough to use for practice or running around as children.
"What are we going to do today, Father?" I ask curiously.
"Well, we should probably work with the swords for a bit, check the traps and then see how well you can shoot. What do you think?" Father answers as he drops his own sword, bow, arrows and pack to the ground. I follow suit, dropping the bow I brought with me and my own leather pouch.
"Sure." I say with excitement.
"Here." He holds out a wooden sword. I take it into my hands as he holds the other one. "Ready?" He asks as he gets into a fighting stance. I hold the training weapon out in front of me. Left hand near the pommel and right hand near the cross guard. The blade stretches out towards my opponent and my left leg is forward in front of my right. Both knees are bent. I nod.
"Remember, fight like there's no turning back." A moment passes. "Begin!" He announces.
Both of us stand still, anticipation rising as we wait. Suddenly, the game begins as Father makes the first move. Running towards me, I hold my ground and wait for the approaching attack. He stops in front of me. Bending his arm back ready to swing from the left. Right as I see his shoulder start to move forward , I duck underneath the blade. His sword missing it's mark.
Because of my smaller size, I'm faster and more agile than most of my opponents and today is no exception. Father's advantage is that he has more power and strength than I so blocking his attacks directly won't turn out well. His disadvantage though, is that he's a much larger target and because of this, he's slower and easier to hit. Obviously I know that he isn't fighting to hurt me but, he has much more skill than I which puts me at another disadvantage. I mean, he was trained as a knight. Also, if this was a real match, even if I get hit once I'll probably get myself killed. I have to remember to use what I have to my advantage. As long as I can move fast, I won't be an easy foe to face.
The steady rhythm of the battle carries on. I strike. He blocks. I watch. He swings. I dodge. Repeat.
Before long, I find myself in the perfect position. Father strikes down at an angle. Taking advantage of this, I side step towards his arc and pull my blade up from behind me. As the blades connect, I slide my blade up and glide it across the top of his with almost no effort. Quickly, my sword swings downward and slides across the side of his stomach. His sword being on the inside of our position and only a few inches away from the side of my waist.
Grinning, I know I've won. Even though his sword is in the optimal spot, I transferred all of his energy so he wouldn't have enough power to make the hit effective. And even if he decided to slice my waist in a real fight, my attack landed first.
I let the satisfaction sink in. In reality, I know this would never happen and a twelve year old girl winning against a grown man is impossible. That's why I like Father though, he teaches without making me lose all of the time.
Father chuckles and gives me a hard pat on the shoulder. "That's my girl."
We both drop the wooden swords onto the grass with the rest of our belongings and take a seat on the large gray boulder. The heat seeps into my pants as I wipe the sweat dripping sweat off of my face. Father takes out his water pouch pours the warm liquid into his mouth. Wiping off his face with his sleeve, he passes me the pouch and I generously let the water slide down my throat. I pull my arm across my face and imitate Father to wipe the water from my lips. He stares at me. I stare back. After a moment, we both grin and then break out in uncontrollable laughter.
After we both calm down, Father turns and looks at me.
"Want to have another match?" He asks. I smile with a nod. Quickly, I bounce up from the boulder and reach for the wooden swords lying on the ground.
"Tamber, not those swords." Confused, I watch as Father reaches down to the mysterious package that he brought along as he starts to unwrap the leather. Lying in his hands are two iron long swords.
"This time, we fight with these." He says confidently and tosses one of the metal weapons at me. I catch the weapon by the handle and almost drop it due to the weight difference.
Father pridefully holds the sword in both hands and gives it a few swings, ending with the blade pointed at the sky. A passionate look fills his eyes as he stares at the blade. He turns and faces me unexpectedly.
Holding it properly with both hands, I can tell that it's heavier than the wooden swords by quite a bit. Also, the balance is closer to the center rather than closer to the grip like the wooden ones. Nervously, I swing the sword around once, then twice.
"Well, what do you think?" Father asks.
"It's kind of heavy. I don't know how well I'll be able to fight with this."
Father smiles. "It's heavier but just think about how much power you'll be able to swing with once you get used to it. That's why the pommel has less weight on it. It's moving the balance closer to the center rather than having it on near the cross guard so you can swing with more power. The only downside is that you have to be stronger in order to use the sword to its fullest potential, but I know that you'll be able to do that as long as you keep practicing.
"I borrowed these swords from the blacksmith, he said you can practice with them whenever you'd like." He gets into his position. "Let's see how well you do right now though."
I get into the same position as before.
"Let's begin." Father says.
I won't be able to move around as much as I did last round which puts me at a complete disadvantage since that's what I rely on. Meaning that this match is going to be a terrible one for me but I mind as well try.
I start this time, running up to him and swinging my sword around to the left. He blocks my blade and counters by cutting diagonally, aiming across my shoulder. His blade is just high enough for me to duck underneath it. Quickly, I come up behind him and thrust my blade towards his back. He turns out of it and grabs my wrist. Aiming his sword at my throat, he pulls me forward. Shortening the distance between his blade and its target.
So, we're playing like that, huh? I can play like that too.
Without hesitation, I kick as hard as I can straight to the side of his knee. He lets out a shout as his leg gives out. He falls to his knees and releases his grip on me. Wrapping around behind him, I take the sword and press the blade against his neck.
I lean down towards him and smile. "I think I won that one." I say as I let him go.
Standing up he rubs his knee and turns to face me. A smile is on his face. "Good job, next time I might not go as easy on you."
He takes the sword from me and wraps both of them up again. "You have the skills, you just need to practise." He pauses a moment and smiles. I narrow my eyes, I've never seen him smile like that before. It's kind of weird.
Perking up, he reaches over and pats me on the head. "Let's go check the traps." I nod as we pick up our stuff and walk into the woods.
The soft dirt presses against my leather boots as I lead the way, Father following close behind me. The earthy scent of the woods drifts around me as I wander between the bushes and through vibrant leaves. Rays of light dip between the opening of the tall trees, lighting a path for me to follow. My breaths are silent and my steps are careful as to not disturb the peace of the forest.
Looking around, I find the first trap. It's probably the simplist deadfall trap that exists. A heavy rock is perched up by a small twig that breaks easily. Animals are lured by a bait that set near the base of the twig. If a rabbit or a squirrel ran to the bait, the twig would fall and the rock would instantely crush them. Unfortunately, it appears that the trap was set off without catching anything. Not uncommon for this kind of trap.
Out of habit, I reset the trap and put some berries by the twig. I nod at Father that the job is done and we set out to find the rest of them.
After we found all of the traps, only two of them caught an animal. Namely, two squirrels.
"Let's try some shooting since we didn't catch that much with the traps." Father suggests after I finish tying the rope that sets the snare.
I grin tugs at my face as I take the bow off of my shoulder and hold an arrow on the string, ready to fire if I see anything. Then I turn to see that Father hasn't taken out his bow yet. In fact, he isn't even reaching for it.
"Aren't you going to practice too?" I ask, curiously.
"Nope, I want to see how well you do on your own. Remember, the sun goes down soon so you better do you're best." He lets out a chuckle. "But, I'm sure you will. Right?"
"Hmh."
"Well, lets get going then." He says as he waves his hands.
I silently move along the forest, using my ears to listen rather than my sight to see. The sounds of the forest echo off of the trees and the breeze sifting through the leafs fills my ears.
Spring! Skitter!
Instinctively, I pull the bowstring back and aim towards the sound. It's little bit of a ways away but, nothing I haven't hit before. Looking carefully, it's a small rabbit that's sifting it's way through the bushes and stopping at a small shrub to take a sniff. Taking my aim, I hold my breath and take a second to steady my arm. Exhaling, I release the arrow. It sails through the air towards the animal and I watch as it pierces the target.
Immediately after, I sprint towards the fallen prey and bend down before it. Taking out the arrow, I toss the rabbit the Father who catches it with ease.
"Good job. Never fail to disappoint." He fastens the rabbit to his belt. There's that weird smile again, I wonder what that could mean.
He pats me on the shoulder and then looks up at the bright orange sky. "The sun is going down. Why don't we take a stop at the lake before heading back? It should be beautiful tonight."
"Um.. All right." I say with surprise. We haven't been down to the lake in what seems like forever eventhough it was one of our favourite places. "We'll have to hurry though if we plan on trading the squirrels today."
Father smirks. "That's my girl." And with that, we both lightly jog to the Training ground and from their we turn west towards the lake.
We both take a seat near the water's edge and watch the slight ripples creep onto the dirt. Watching as the sun glows a golden yellow-orange colour as it fills the sky behind the lake, we take a moment to soak in the peacefulness of it all.
"There's something I wanted to show you." Father says as he breaks the calmness and catches my attention. Reaching behind him, he pulls out a sword in it's sheath. Not just any sword, but THE sword.
The hand-and-a-half sword has a beautifully wrapped leather hilt that is a dark maroon colour. Writing is engraved from the end of the pommel, around the hilt with the letters in metal and leading the edge of the cross guard, falling into the sheath. The writing is in some form of Tengwar but I can't read it. Any writing outside of English I can't read, despite how much I love the practice. The sheath itself is plain but a darker shade than the colour of the handle. The end of the sheath is metal with a swirl engraved to add an elegant taste to it.
I look back up at Father.
"As you know, this sword was passed down to me from my mother and to her from her own mother and so on."
"Now, I know that most swords are passed down from father to son but this one is different. It's passed down from mother to daughter. I don't fully understand why but I don't question it either. It's just the way it is." Father stretches his arms out as he continues.
"Regardless I'd say it's reliable if the line has lasted this long and he's a good sword. Crafted by someone skilled in their profession."
"What does the writing say? And I thought blades were normally thought of as a 'she' not a he." I ask.
"I'm not sure. I asked you mother and she says that she doesn't recognize the language either. And I just made that up myself." He chuckles. "Men want to be around women and women want to be around men. Figured it made sense."
"Well, how did you get the sword? I thought only woman get this sword passed to them, not the men."
"My mother never had any daughters. It was given to me until I could pass it to the next rightful owner. I've never used it or took it outside of its sheath." His eyes are sad. Longing to use the weapon.
He turns and looks at me. "Some day, this sword will be your's. Your's to fight with and your's to defend. When this sword is in your hands, fight like there's no turning back.
"Anyways, we should be heading back now. The market will be closing and we have squirrels to trade. There's also a new trader in town, maybe you can find some new books." Father stands up and grabs his things. I follow suit and dust my pants off a bit before following him back to the village.
Once we get there, we trade the one of the squirrels for a bunch of miscellaneous vegetable and drop off the metal swords at the blacksmith's. Father let me trade the other squirrel for a book on swordplay and then we head towards the small house.
"Hello!" Father calls as we walk inside. The smell of fresh soup fills the air as I drop my stuff by the door. Mother and Roy are by the firepit cooking something in a large pot.
"You two are back late." Mother says as she pours some soup into four bowls. Roy and her take them to the table and lay out some spoons. Father puts his own stuff away and joins the rest of us at the table.
"We were busy practicing. You know, Tamber's getting really good with a sword. And her archery is superb. I also got you some vegetables from the market. And this soup is delicious. Right, Tam?"
"Mhm!" I say, nodding frantically with soup in my mouth.
Mother carries a small smile as she silently takes another drink from her soup.
"Mother taught me how to cook!" Roy suddenly says with a small shout. I smile. Even though he's seven years old, he's still adorable.
"Is that right?" Father says.
"He's been learning for a while. Besides using the fire, he know's how to do basic cooking. Quite impressive actually. In a few more months, he'll be able to cook full meals." In contrast to Father's laid back but serious personality, Mother is always so elegant and graceful like the tender woman she is.
After doing the dishes and cleaning up, Roy and I go up the stairs and head off to bed. I pull off the rough tunic and leave on the softer one underneath. I take off my boots and shove my dagger underneath my pillow, just in case. Making sure that Roy is sleeping, I allow myself the pleasure of sleep.
Jolting upright and bolting from my bed, I can tell that something's different this morning. Quickly, I pull on my rough tunic, grab the dagger underneath my pillow, throw on my boots and dash down the stairs as I messily tie my hair back with a thin strip of leather. As soon as I reach the bottom of the steps, I know somethings wrong.
Mother is by the door, holding her hand over her mouth and a watch in silence as a tear falls down her cheek. She looks at me but doesn't move.
"Where's Father?!" My voice is almost a shout. Without waiting for an answer, I quickly strap my belt around me and run out the door. Just in time to see him.
I watch the man on the horse slowly making his way to the outskirts of the village.
"Father!" I scream and run after him. The man stops in his tracks and turns the horse around to face me. I slow to a stop.
"Tamber?..." I hear him whisper. Shock and sadness fills his face. Then it turns serious.
"Tamber, take care of my family and remember, fight like there's no turning back." The man gives me a quick smile and then turns the horse around, kicking it into a sprint.
"FATHER!" Without hesitation, I run after him. Sprinting through the market and down the main road, I lose sight of him. But, that doesn't stop my from running. Soon, I make it to the edge of the village and drop onto my knees. Tears falling heavily down my face.
I've lost him.
Thank you for reading.
I'll admit that her back story is a bit of the typical tragic child backstory. Any suggestions?
Any suggestions or comments in general?
Original version? Let me know. I will send it to you via Private Messaging.
Thanks.
~Nighthief