Daughter of Arathorn

Another Realm

It was another several weeks on her journey that Elia reached the borders to Mirkwood. Belegroc let out a huff and refused to enter the forest. "Come on, Belegroc, it's not as scary as it seems," she insisted, "As long as we stay on the elf-path we will make it to the other side." Reluctantly, Belegroc entered the forest.

As they traveled through the forest, Belegroc grew more and more restless. She tried to turn down a hill when the horse planted his hooves. "Belegroc, lev!" she exclaimed. (Belegroc, move!) The horse backed up and let out a small shriek of fear. Before Elia had a moment to react, the large animal took off running towards the opposite direction.

Suddenly, the horse was forced to stop and Elia's eyes were wide at what her horse was frightened over. A group of orcs exited the trees and stood in front of her. "What do we have here?" one orc asked as they surrounded her.

"I told you I smelt man flesh," another orc said.

"This is no man," a third said.

Elia's heart thumped in her chest. "A, Belegroc, avatyar ámen," she said softly. (Oh, Belegroc, forgive me.)

"Meat is meat, get her," the first orc said. Elia kicked her leg out and jumped off her horse's back and drew her sword.

"Noro lim, Belegroc!" she called out. (Run fast, Belegroc!) The horse took off running and Elia watched the large animal escape with orcs hot on his hooves. Sensing something swinging at her head, she ducked and at the same time she struck her foot out and kicked one orc's leg out from under him. She swung her sword out and it connected to another orc's sword. She deflected the blow before she took out her dagger from the sheath on her hip. She took the dagger and threw it, the dagger flew through the air and embedded itself into an orc's forehead.

When the one in front of her tried to swing at her middle she jumped back. Swinging her sword around she aimed at the orc's head but it blocked her attack. She took her other dagger and while it was distracted with her sword, she swung out with the other dagger and thrust it into the side of the creature's head.

With every one orc she killed another two would come out of hiding. She kicked another orc away and ran off the path hoping to lose them in the forest. She jumped over a fallen log when she was suddenly knocked off her feet. She rolled a little but then she felt a burning sensation in her left side. She looked down and saw the head of an arrow sticking out of her side. Not only was she hit with an arrow but from her fall she had broken it and it had gone all the way through. She tried to get to her feet when a foot kicked her in the ribs and sent her back down to the ground. She laid there, gasping or air. Her vision was blurred, the arrow had something on it and it made her vision blur. "Now look what you did," she heard an orc snarl, "The poison ones taint the meat!"

"Just that side, the rest of it will be fine," another said as they stood above her. The orc above her grabbed her hair and pulled her head up. The cold blade from the orc's dagger was held at her throat when suddenly it was knocked off her. Elia fell back to the ground. She could hear the orcs' shrieks and then their silence. Her blue eyes blinked as she attempted to stay conscious. A woman stood above her, she had red hair and dark blue eyes. Wait...not a woman. An elf!

"Se ië en coina," the elf said. (She is still alive.) She felt another hand press against her injured side and she let out a loud groan of pain.

"Hloima," a male voice said. (Poison.)

"San ië boe tulu rya nna lma nestando," the woman said. (Then we must bring her to our healer.)

"Ni lélë tulu rya," he said. (I will bring her.) Elia felt hands lift her up, she wanted to hold onto them but everything in her body felt numb. "Latin i ríma. Ni lélë nyar nya adar," the male voice said, but it sounded so far away. (Clear the border. I will tell my father.) She was on a horse and the rider rode off with her. She could hear them talking to her but darkness claimed her.