Kika lay still as the crashing grew nearer. Not one full night of sleep
since I have entered this forest. Orcs outnumber the trees here! She
suppressed a shiver as the creatures drew closer. Her hand tightened on her
dagger, then she stuck her leg out as the goblins were about to pass. Two
tripped and fell as the other snarled and drew his sword. Kika's dagger
lashed out, killing one goblin before it even had a chance to stand. Then
she leapt to her feet, dodging the sword of the other creature. She kicked
the sword out of the goblin's grip, then skillfully buried her blade deep
in it's chest. She turned to face the largest goblin. "You'll not kill me
as easily, she-elf", he sneered. Perhaps not as easily, but I will kill you
nonetheless, she thought. She drew her own sword quickly, and she and the
goblin began to parry. After deflecting and striking time and again, Kika
finally saw an opening and planted her sword in the creature's neck.
Breathing heavily, she cleaned off her sword and retrieved her dagger.
Kika traveled some distance away from what was left of the foul creatures before lying down and attempting, once again, to get some rest. She shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her, wincing in pain as she accidentally applied too much pressure to a cut on her arm, courtesy of that delightful goblin she had killed. She loved the winter for its beautiful blankets of snow, but the frigid air was terrible. As she slowly drifted off, she tried to remain alert to danger, but sleep soon overcame her. The next morning she awoke early, just as the sun was breaching the horizon. She stood to gather her things, but stopped as she thought she heard something. She stood still, but heard nothing but the wind in the trees. Only my imagination, she thought. Perhaps I am becoming overly wary. Just then, though, she sensed something moving through the forest near her. She quickly rolled up her cloak and grabbed her bag noiselessly, not wishing to fight any more creatures than she had to. However, as she stepped around a tree, a strong pair of hands grabbed her. She instinctively kicked back and wrenched away. She turned to face her attacker as she drew her dagger, and was surprised to see another elf. He was tall and handsome, and he seemed taken aback that she had escaped his grasp. " Who are you? What are you doing in Mirkwood?" Kika glared at him.
"Who I am and what I am doing is my own business, as long as I do no harm to you, is it not?" The other elf, to her surprise, smiled at her tenacity.
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose that business is your own. I apologize for seizing you. A prisoner has escaped from Mirkwood, and I thought you to be he, though now I see my mistake." A major mistake, for I doubt he looks anything like this, he thought as he noted her beauty, even though she had obviously not been eating well and had not been caring for herself for quite some time. She also had smudges of dirt on her face, which he was quite sure she was unaware of.
"I apologize also. I did not realize that I was so deep into the forest to be near your homes".
"But you are not close. Our dwellings are half a day's travel from here". After a moment's pause, he continued. "Forgive me! I have not introduced myself. I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, of Mirkwood." He looked at Kika expectantly, whose eyes had widened in surprise as he spoke his name.
"I am Kikania of Lorien. I did not realize I was speaking to a prince; forgive me for not addressing you as such". Legolas smiled again, and Kika once again noted that he was quite handsome.
"Actually I would prefer that you did not address me by my title. I find it too..cumbersome". Kika nodded in consent. "Would you now be willing to tell why you are in Mirkwood, so far from your home?" Kika smiled, embarrassed.
"I apologize for that remark earlier. I am only traveling through. I do not intend to cause any trouble for you or anybody else".
"No, no, you are no trouble at all. As a matter of a fact, I was wondering where you are staying. Are you camping with the people you are traveling with?" He looked around to see if there was any sign of any traveling partners.
"No, I am traveling alone, and have been camping alone", she said. She laughed at the shocked expression on Legolas's face. "I have been doing such for many years".
"And yet you live to tell!", said the stunned Legolas. "A brave elf you must be, to travel these woods alone! Though their numbers have decreased, orcs, even an occasional Uruk-hai still roam here". Kika touched the wound on her arm.
"Yes, I have had a few encounters.." Legolas saw the cut on her arm and immediately stepped closer to look at it.
"You fought an orc?", said Legolas.
"Yes, last night. I encountered three of them."
"You killed three goblins? Alone?" Kika smiled sheepishly at the shock and admiration in his voice. "No other elf maiden do I know that could do such!"
"I usually try to take on only single adversaries, but two of these were small fellows. This", she said, gesturing to the wound, "was courtesy of the larger one". Legolas continued to look at her wound.
"You should come back with me; I could bandage your wound for you, and you could stay the night, so you would not have to worry about any fights tonight. If we start out now, we should make it back in time for luncheon if we hurry".
Kika hesitated as she looked incredulously at the elf that she had only just met. She wondered at his motives, but decided that he was kind and only wanted to help her. "It has been a while since I have had a bed to sleep in", she said gratefully. "Thank you, Your Highness; not many elves would make such a gracious offer to a stranger". Legolas smiled.
"Not many elves have met such a charming stranger", he said as he gestured for her to follow him.
As Legolas and Kika made their way towards Mirkwood, he had plenty of time to observe this strange elf. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a braid, and she was only about 5' 10", several inches shorter than most elves. Once when she turned towards him to speak, he noticed that her eyes were not completely blue, as most elves' were; hers were blue with green specks that made them sparkle. While other elves might have seen her height (or lack thereof) and eye color as strange, he thought it made her even more beautiful. "Kikania, how old are you?" he asked.
"You may call me Kika, if you wish. I am 1,201, as of two weeks ago." Legolas was stunned by this. She seemed much older. Perhaps it was the immense sadness about her.
"I am 2,960, and will be 2,961 next week.." He was trying not to be meddlesome, but his curiosity soon got the best of him. "You said you live in Lothlorien, but where is your destination?" Kika hesitated a moment before answering.
"I do not really have a specific destination. I simply travel. I do not really live in Lothlorien; that is where I am from."
"You travel, just for the sake of traveling?" He shook his head. "When I traveled, I enjoyed it for a little while, but I soon tired of it and wished nothing more than to return home. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it better under different circumstances."
"Where did you travel? And what circumstances kept you from enjoying it?" Legolas looked at her, as if trying to determine whether or not to tell her.
"I was one of the Fellowship of the Ring, the nine walkers." Kika's eyes widened at this news then realized how slow she had been, that she should have realized it sooner. She had known that a prince from Mirkwood was one of the nine, and she knew that Thranduil had only one son. She also remembered when the Fellowship had come to Lorien and it was rumored that the best archer in Middle Earth was among them. How dim-witted of her! Suddenly she stopped in her tracks.
Not now, she thought. Just when he thinks I am normal... Her face drew up in pain, and she bit her lip to hold back a whimper. Legolas rushed to her side.
"Kika!" When he looked at her he saw that her eyes were glazed over. "Kika, what is wrong?" But she could only hear what sounded like an echo of his voice. She was seeing a group of seven orcs, headed straight for them. Abruptly, the scene changed and she saw Legolas falling with an orc's arrow shaft sticking out of his back.
Kika traveled some distance away from what was left of the foul creatures before lying down and attempting, once again, to get some rest. She shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her, wincing in pain as she accidentally applied too much pressure to a cut on her arm, courtesy of that delightful goblin she had killed. She loved the winter for its beautiful blankets of snow, but the frigid air was terrible. As she slowly drifted off, she tried to remain alert to danger, but sleep soon overcame her. The next morning she awoke early, just as the sun was breaching the horizon. She stood to gather her things, but stopped as she thought she heard something. She stood still, but heard nothing but the wind in the trees. Only my imagination, she thought. Perhaps I am becoming overly wary. Just then, though, she sensed something moving through the forest near her. She quickly rolled up her cloak and grabbed her bag noiselessly, not wishing to fight any more creatures than she had to. However, as she stepped around a tree, a strong pair of hands grabbed her. She instinctively kicked back and wrenched away. She turned to face her attacker as she drew her dagger, and was surprised to see another elf. He was tall and handsome, and he seemed taken aback that she had escaped his grasp. " Who are you? What are you doing in Mirkwood?" Kika glared at him.
"Who I am and what I am doing is my own business, as long as I do no harm to you, is it not?" The other elf, to her surprise, smiled at her tenacity.
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose that business is your own. I apologize for seizing you. A prisoner has escaped from Mirkwood, and I thought you to be he, though now I see my mistake." A major mistake, for I doubt he looks anything like this, he thought as he noted her beauty, even though she had obviously not been eating well and had not been caring for herself for quite some time. She also had smudges of dirt on her face, which he was quite sure she was unaware of.
"I apologize also. I did not realize that I was so deep into the forest to be near your homes".
"But you are not close. Our dwellings are half a day's travel from here". After a moment's pause, he continued. "Forgive me! I have not introduced myself. I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, of Mirkwood." He looked at Kika expectantly, whose eyes had widened in surprise as he spoke his name.
"I am Kikania of Lorien. I did not realize I was speaking to a prince; forgive me for not addressing you as such". Legolas smiled again, and Kika once again noted that he was quite handsome.
"Actually I would prefer that you did not address me by my title. I find it too..cumbersome". Kika nodded in consent. "Would you now be willing to tell why you are in Mirkwood, so far from your home?" Kika smiled, embarrassed.
"I apologize for that remark earlier. I am only traveling through. I do not intend to cause any trouble for you or anybody else".
"No, no, you are no trouble at all. As a matter of a fact, I was wondering where you are staying. Are you camping with the people you are traveling with?" He looked around to see if there was any sign of any traveling partners.
"No, I am traveling alone, and have been camping alone", she said. She laughed at the shocked expression on Legolas's face. "I have been doing such for many years".
"And yet you live to tell!", said the stunned Legolas. "A brave elf you must be, to travel these woods alone! Though their numbers have decreased, orcs, even an occasional Uruk-hai still roam here". Kika touched the wound on her arm.
"Yes, I have had a few encounters.." Legolas saw the cut on her arm and immediately stepped closer to look at it.
"You fought an orc?", said Legolas.
"Yes, last night. I encountered three of them."
"You killed three goblins? Alone?" Kika smiled sheepishly at the shock and admiration in his voice. "No other elf maiden do I know that could do such!"
"I usually try to take on only single adversaries, but two of these were small fellows. This", she said, gesturing to the wound, "was courtesy of the larger one". Legolas continued to look at her wound.
"You should come back with me; I could bandage your wound for you, and you could stay the night, so you would not have to worry about any fights tonight. If we start out now, we should make it back in time for luncheon if we hurry".
Kika hesitated as she looked incredulously at the elf that she had only just met. She wondered at his motives, but decided that he was kind and only wanted to help her. "It has been a while since I have had a bed to sleep in", she said gratefully. "Thank you, Your Highness; not many elves would make such a gracious offer to a stranger". Legolas smiled.
"Not many elves have met such a charming stranger", he said as he gestured for her to follow him.
As Legolas and Kika made their way towards Mirkwood, he had plenty of time to observe this strange elf. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a braid, and she was only about 5' 10", several inches shorter than most elves. Once when she turned towards him to speak, he noticed that her eyes were not completely blue, as most elves' were; hers were blue with green specks that made them sparkle. While other elves might have seen her height (or lack thereof) and eye color as strange, he thought it made her even more beautiful. "Kikania, how old are you?" he asked.
"You may call me Kika, if you wish. I am 1,201, as of two weeks ago." Legolas was stunned by this. She seemed much older. Perhaps it was the immense sadness about her.
"I am 2,960, and will be 2,961 next week.." He was trying not to be meddlesome, but his curiosity soon got the best of him. "You said you live in Lothlorien, but where is your destination?" Kika hesitated a moment before answering.
"I do not really have a specific destination. I simply travel. I do not really live in Lothlorien; that is where I am from."
"You travel, just for the sake of traveling?" He shook his head. "When I traveled, I enjoyed it for a little while, but I soon tired of it and wished nothing more than to return home. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it better under different circumstances."
"Where did you travel? And what circumstances kept you from enjoying it?" Legolas looked at her, as if trying to determine whether or not to tell her.
"I was one of the Fellowship of the Ring, the nine walkers." Kika's eyes widened at this news then realized how slow she had been, that she should have realized it sooner. She had known that a prince from Mirkwood was one of the nine, and she knew that Thranduil had only one son. She also remembered when the Fellowship had come to Lorien and it was rumored that the best archer in Middle Earth was among them. How dim-witted of her! Suddenly she stopped in her tracks.
Not now, she thought. Just when he thinks I am normal... Her face drew up in pain, and she bit her lip to hold back a whimper. Legolas rushed to her side.
"Kika!" When he looked at her he saw that her eyes were glazed over. "Kika, what is wrong?" But she could only hear what sounded like an echo of his voice. She was seeing a group of seven orcs, headed straight for them. Abruptly, the scene changed and she saw Legolas falling with an orc's arrow shaft sticking out of his back.