The Archers Heart

3 - Not a damsel in distress

The next day was a particularly sunny one. It brought me out into the wild, armed with nothing more than my bow, some arrows and Haldirs daggers. I didn't exactly know why I strapped them onto my back, but it felt right doing so. A soft feeling of warm safety washing over me, as I looked at them in the mirror. Crouching down between the bushes I watched a deer walk past me. Slowly to not disturb it, I raised my bow, aiming for the perfect shot.

Suddenly another arrow whirred through the air, lodging itself right through the head of the deer. I stayed hidden, letting my eyes wander to find the threat. What I didn't expect was Haldir to strut right out of the woods, his bow loosely in his hand. Seeing him, I got up from my hiding spot, stuffing my bow back onto my back. "You disturbed me!" I said, trying my hardest to keep my voice down. "I had the perfect shot!"

He just came walking towards me, pulling the arrow out of his kill, wiping it off with a towel. "If you would have stretched the bow any further, you would have snapped a twig and the deer would have ran off. I spared you from tracking it down again."

"That's not true!" I growled, but he just chuckled. Stepping around me, he crouched down, pointing with his bow towards a dry branch. "Your elbow was right here. Moving it slightly backwards, would have done this." And to prove his point, he just softly dipped his bow down, breaking the branch with a sharp snap. Not at all loud, but loud enough to frighten a lonely deer.

"There is no way you could have seen that from over there. And what even tells you that I would have pulled my bow any further?" I asked, scoffing at his words. He got up again, walking over to the deer and shouldering it, as if it were nothing. "Your breathing wasn't relaxed and you had a steady movement backwards." Was all he answered, starting to walk in the rough direction of Imladris. I followed him, still angry. "Even if you were right. Breaking the branch wouldn't have changed the outcome. The deer would have been dead any way." I retorted, stomping through the woods next to him, not really caring about how much noises I made.

"And it would have been a messed up kill. Not a clean shot through the head. You would have hit it dead center, effectively ruining good muscle flesh. Maybe even causing some rupture to the organs and ruining them as well." Haldir stated and I had to admit he was right. I would have hit, but not as clean as he did. But I was still too angry at him to admit it. "Next time leave me to my own mistakes. I do not wish to be babied."

"You are angry." He stated, nothing in his voice indicating in which direction he wanted to go with his assumption. "Oh really?" I asked the sarcasm so dry I was surprised my mouth didn't spit out any dust.

"Why are you angry? Ijust wanted to help you." Haldir asked, now turning his head for the first timeto look at me. I kept my scowl on my face, squinting my eyes at him. "I don't needyour help. I am not a damsel in distress who needs to be saved by her knight inshining armor."

"Pride is not a virtue to be proud of." He smirked and I had to use every fiber in my body to keep my hand from smacking him right across the face. Instead, I put on the sweetest smile I could muster, tilting my head: "You are one to talk, Commander. I heard great stories about your arrogance. I must be mistaken, but isn't that a sharp smell of double standards that tingles my nose?"

To that he had no answer and we made the rest of our way in silence.

***

When we reached the kitchen to bring in our kill, we found Lindir and Lord Elrond in it. Elrond obviously making an intake on the fullness of the pantries. When they heard us, they turned around, a smile on Elronds face, that soured, when he saw my expression. "What dims your light, ithil?" He asked, reaching out his hand to stroke my shoulder. Haldir meanwhile sat down the deer, leaving one of the cooks to deal with it.