Rogue mystique: Wow, that was quick, for me, I got the writing bug you see… must warn you now, things will most definitely be taking a turn for the worst, very bad, but not all things will be bad. Trust me on that one.
Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR, only Kendra, Aiva, Ama and Nimrandel.
Reviewer response.
THECheeseTurkey: thanks gal, the reviews are much appreciated! Yes, Kendra will hopefully be the naïve ray of sunshine.
Krazy Monkey: Why thank you! Well, here's more!
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Chapter Four
Her knees pulled high up to her chest, Aiva watched as Legolas gingerly treated the stomach wounds of Ama. She could see the look of terrible sympathy etched onto everyone's face and she sneered, what did they know? Ama was not all right, her wounds would barely heal and it was a miracle that Legolas was within two feet of the tortured Elf maiden!
Aiva fingered her glinting dagger, Legolas had offered them to the women, telling them to keep them close, just in case.
No matter how much Aiva hugged or apologized to Ama for not helping her insanity faze, the ghost of guilt would simply not budge from its place in her mind. Aiva so dearly wanted it to end, she wanted to go home but no, Gondor was but two days away, and too many memories lay in that godforsaken White City.
Kendra stood up slowly and clumsily from her place beside Gimli, a fast friend, and stumbled over to the trembling Aiva.
"Come to the fire Aiva, it is warm, you should not remain in the shadow." Kendra croaked, her voice taught with worry, worry that showed clearly in he watery eyes.
Aiva did not respond. She merely pulled her aching legs closer to her frozen body and tilted her dirty head to the midnight blue skies. Tiny stars drifted in the air, and the huge globe of silver that was the moon illuminated Aiva's emotionless face. Aiva could not feel anything besides the guilt. Her friend was in such a deep state of self-hate and depression, while the other tried so desperately to crawl into a lonely hole.
Everything was wrong.
Aragorn absent-mindedly chewed on a piece of Lembas, his deep blue eyes fixed on the sighing figure of Aiva. His shoulder length black hair swished slightly in the wind and the stale scent of blood overtook his acute senses. Aragorn closed his eyes wearily. Ama was losing blood, but she would survive, eventually.
"There, that should stem the blood for now. At least, in that area…" Legolas sat back and grimaced as Ama sat up, clutching her stomach.
"Best if you do not do that my lady. Now, the other area…" Legolas went to open his pack again but Ama's firm pale hand stopped him.
"The bleeding has stopped thank you very much My Lord, I am grateful for your help, may I rest now?" Ama said blandly.
Legolas merely nodded dumbly, it was going to be a long night.
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Gimli, Aragorn, Legolas and Kendra all sat round the crackling orange fire. The only sound heard was Gimli's heavy breathing as he puffed in his pipe deeply. Smoke rose through the flames and curled affectionately around the invisible air.
Kendra buried her face into her arms and sobbed silently, she would have remained unnoticed had it not been for the violent shaking of her thin shoulders.
"Lady Kendra?" Gimli placed a rough hand on her shoulder.
"I… I love them so… much! And they're being taken… a… away from me!" Kendra's voice shook and was thick with tears.
"They shall be fine Kendra." Aragorn sat next to the sixteen-year-old girl.
"Then why are they fading away?" Kendra said lowly, her eyes glazed and blurred with unshed tears.
The three males sat back slowly, pondering the true words that had issued from the heart broken young women.
The last wisps of smoke faded slowly into the air and flew away to the west, flying with the wind and running away from the silent sorrow and the last glowing embers of the dying fire.
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Morning came fast and brightly; sunlight struck down harshly on the unblinking eyes of Legolas and Ama and rudely awoke the other four pairs of tightly shuteyes. A faint groan of, "this is all the Elves fault" was heard while everyone else silently got up and gratefully took their morning pieces of Lembas.
"New riding arrangements." Aragorn stated firmly, giving a hard glare to Aiva.
Aiva hung her head and tried her best to avoid the deep gaze of Aragorn's piercing Ranger eyes.
"Aiva, with me, Kendra, stay with Gimli, and Ama, your with Legolas, don't worry, he doesn't bite." Aragorn let slip a hint of humour, only to have his reply as a disturbingly empty gaze from a pair of silver eyes, dulled to a deep grey.
Kendra smiled through her yawn and mounted Nimrandel quickly, attempting and succeeding to not fall off of the impatient horse.
"So Gimli, need a little help getting up?" Kendra said innocently to the fuming Dwarf.
Ama gave a tiny flickering smile and rubbed her eyes, tentatively stretching her blood caked legs. She gave a worried glance to Aiva and suppressed a shriek as Legolas took hold of her trembling hand, steering her toward Arod.
"More travelling." Ama said dully.
"Evidently." Legolas replied quickly, mounting Arod fastly and fluidly.
Ama held back tears of frustration and reluctantly took the helping hand of Legolas.
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Kendra groaned impatiently and sighed loudly, hoping for Gimli to hear it.
"What is it lass?"
"Are you royalty? Is it fun? Is it scary in the mines? Is that axe heavy? Are you and Legolas…" Kendra restrained herself from laughing our loud as Gimli groaned.
"Oh no lass, not on me you don't! I saw how you made the Elf annoyed, and it takes something really bad to annoy that Elf!" Gimli smiled slightly.
"Okay… but please answer this, what the hell is THAT?!" Kendra covered her mouth I shock as a huge, ugly black arrow landed in the ground before them.
Nimrandel reared and whinnied insanely.
"Orcs! Rogue Orcs!" Aragorn cried as he whipped past on Hasufel, with a terrified Aiva clutching his middle, fear embedded on her face.
Racing over a slight hill, the full, and clearly unwanted, situation was laid before them.
Approximately twenty Orcs were lazing about on the ground, firing arrows randomly and shouting in their foul language.
Aiva and Ama felt the contents of their stomach rise to their throat in absolute terror as they looked upon the suddenly silenced Orcs.
Twisted black faces contorted into cruel sneers as their yellow eyes fixed upon the trembling females. Grabbing their crude weapons, they called out in a wild animal cry and bound forward, few on Wargs, the others simply charging forward.
Legolas growled low in his throat and in the blink of an eye, pulled out his deadly bow and arrows, determination in his suddenly sky blue eyes. Ama whispered low Elven prayers, her heart thumping and tears flowing from her fear filled silver eyes. She knew these Orcs, oh yes she knew them very well, and they obviously knew her as well.
Arod charged forward, trampling over two Orcs and jumping nimbly over the Orcs Legolas had so shamelessly slain with those deadly arrows. Hasufel and Nimrandel followed suit, their owners swinging both sword and axe.
Orcs scattered away while some others stood and fought, only to be brought down by arrow, sword, axe or a well-aimed kick to the neck by Kendra.
Bolder Orcs that were edging closer and closer to the horses quickly spotted the females, and looks of both rage and delight ran across their blackened faces, broken grey teeth jutting out from lopsided mouths. The remaining ten surrounded the three horses and wielded their weapons bravely.
All six companions jumped off the horses, the women standing quaking in fear but standing up tall. The males however, stood confidently, their own weapons out and a grin of exhilaration on each face.
"Bet I can get more laddie!" Gimli roared as he charged.
"There's only ten!" Legolas remarked.
Aragorn took the lead, instantly beheading the first Orc; he spun around and heaved his sword in to the stomach of the next, blood trickling from the stomach wound. A very light scratch found its way onto Aragorn's back, and just as a heavier blow was about to be placed, an arrow and an axe hurled into the foul, smirking creature.
As the three friends slew their way through the rest of the Orcs, Aiva, Ama and Kendra stood in shock, Ama was trembling uncontrollably at the sight of the dead Orcs and her mind was completely overrun with fear, animal instincts telling her to un, and run fast. Kendra suddenly look around, her face a picture of confusion.
"Where are the other Orcs? There were more…" Kendra finished her sentence abruptly, her mouth in the shape of an "o"
"There they are." Kendra croaked.
The other two turned around slowly, dreading the fearful sight before them.
Five huge, grotesque Orcs, the unforgettable leaders, all sitting atop of five twitching Wargs. A pair of milky white eyes fixed on Ama's silver ones, holding her, paralysing her, it was he, the first to pin her frail body to the ground and sit triumphantly upon her broken body.
The five jogged forward with cruel laughs echoing from their throats, rumbling in the suddenly silent air. Warg cries echoed in the air and thundering paw steps drew closer and closer. Legolas and Aragorn ran as fast as they could to the scene, dragging Aiva and Kendra to the ground, rolling away on the jagged, rocky ground.
Ama let go of her shocked silence and screamed in utter terror as the leader on the biggest, darkest Warg lifted her clear off the ground, hanging her by the neck and turning to face the other five, terrified beings.
"Say goodbye to the dirty slut." The Ors sneered, his voice deep and commanding.
Aiva stood up, facing the Orc and crying silently, Kendra could not bring herself to watch her Elven friend being hung in the air, gripped by those cold blood crusted hands. Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn all got to their knees, aware they could do nothing, Legolas' arrows were spent and the Orc was to far for a sword or an axe throw.
The other four Orcs laughed in pitiless, dark triumph.
Ama struggled with no avail, her legs kicked and she spluttered out unheard cries. The Orc brought her close and smiled, ready to say some smart remark, her last words to be heard…
"No…" Ama choked out, bringing her hands away from the thick hands of the Orc and darting them to her side, pulling out Legolas' dagger and plunging it into the stinking black skin of the Orcs chest.
A high-pitched scream echoed aloud and Ama dropped to the ground, rolling of and coughing violently.
The Warg took a look at its deceased master and ran away, hard and fast. The other Orcs looked on in disbelief and screamed in fury, turning their Wargs and shouting muffled curses to the wind.
Ama stood up shakily and wiped her mouth.
"One less enemy to be afraid of." She said lowly, sighing loudly and giving her first genuine smile.
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Rogue mystique: wow that took a while. Review please! No more till me gets three reviews! I'm evil.