(no subject)

[eliabrith]

Day 12
Listen Slurry-Head, you have RUINED our lives.

The\Twelve Maidens dancin' showed up last night and beat the living daylights out of the Eight Maids a Milking cos they found them CARRYING ON with the Eleven Lords a leaping.

Meanwhile the Swans got out of the Living room where they'd been hiding since the big battle and SAVAGED HELL out of the Lords and all the Maids.
There were eight ambulences here last night and the local civil defense as well.

The mother is in a home for the bewildered and I'm here up to me neck in birds' droppings, empty whiskey and Valium bottles, birds' blood and feathers while thw flamin' cows eat the leaves off the Pear Tree.

I'm a BROKEN man!

well thats it. have to think of something else to do till xmas then. sugesstions?

misc crap ie file transfer.
Thanks for thoses who've reveiwed I now have 1 more review that chapters :) all feedback used to coax plot bunnies into the open.

Notes elvish speach is in ^ ^, as opposed to English/Westron in " "

Part 4
Many Meetings

Mary was Marty were begining to tire, after all rapidlty climbing mountains wasnot something one does every day,but continued to force themselves to keep going, they where nearly at the summit and from there they should be able to see the other travellers who would probably have set up camp as the light was rapidly fading.

Legolas and Aragorn had followed the twins up the mountain keeping them in sight at all times often close enough to over hear snatches of converstion when they confered between themselves. With no obvious reason to suspect the strangers of plotting and seeing that they were unarmed the pair had increased their pace to catch up before the strangers reached the peak.

Mary crouched on the ground and tried to steady her breathing while Marty slumped against a boulder and attemped the same while surveying the surrounding hillside. He had a feeling they where being watched but had been unable to pinpoint where the feeling came from so kept a close eye on the boulder field in from of them.
"I hope the group hasn't gone too far down the other side and are willing to aid us." Mary finally voiced the doubt that had been in both their minds since that morning. The oher group had been pushing on so hard it had occured to her that perhaps there weren't going to anywhere but maybe going from somewhere. Marty chewed his lower lip uneasily.
"Even if they are unwlling to let us share their camp, they may at least tell us some news of where we are and what we can eat."
"That's simple, the foothills of the Misty Mountains and there is not much food from here on into the mountains."

Marty turned his head upon hearing the soft voice, his gaze settled on Mary for an instant to take in her wide aquamarine eyes before sliding past. Mary closed her hand around a small rock and turned to follow her brothers gaze. There not 5 meters away, in the gathering dusk stood 2 men. Mary rose hand still clutching the rock but knowing it would do no good if the men where hostile as both where armed, with she suddenly noted rather usual weaponry. Both carried a bow and quiver on their backs and the older one had as sword aswell. The four regarded each other in silence each pair taking in the unusual appearence of the other.

The 2 men where very different to look at, one was slight pale and looked very young with long blonde hair and dressed in a simple green tunic and blue trousers, while his companion was slightly taller with broader shoulders had dark hair to his shoulders and was dressed almost entirely in black, creating a much more menacing appearance than his companion.

Neither Aragorn or Legolas, in all his long years, had seen clothing like the strangers wore. Both were dressed similarly in some sort of blue trousers and both had on a long white coat that seemed rather too light to be of any protection against the weather. Their appearance was strange as well as their garments, the ususal colour of eyes and hair, let alone the styles. It was clear they where from some unknown land. The silence lenghtened with neither side wanting to first to break it. Aragorn glanced at Legolas out of the corner of his eye to see the Elfs growing amusment with the stituation.

Finally the Legolas took a step towards the pair and held his hands out in front of him placatingly.
"We mean you no harm, we just wish to know why you have been following us for the past day."

Mary lifted her chin defyently.
"You're the ones following us!"
The blonde blinked and glanced to his companion as if caught off guard by Mary's reaction. The older man smiled slightly before turning his attention to the twins.
"We doubled back from our group when we became aware of your presence to establish your motives in trailing us." They recognised the voice as the one who first spoke to them.
"You're from the group of travellers?" Marty motioned on up the track.
"Yes."
Marty glanced quickly at his sister, she seemed to be engaged in a staring contest with the young blond and even when she wasn't distracted she wasn't always the most dipolmatic of people.
"We're lost. We don't know where we are or how we got here. We saw your group and thought you may be able to help us. That is the only reason we followed you. Can you help us?"
The man sighed a shadow flickering across his face. He turned to his friend and spoke rapidly in another language, almost too low for the twins to hear.

^What do you think, Legolas?^
^They are telling the truth.^
^I think so too. But do we risk taking them back to the Fellowship?^
^I see no other option Aragorn. I doubt they would survive long without our aid.^
^We could tell them what to avoid and sent them back towards Rivendell. One of the patrols Glorfindel sends out would be bound to find them.^
^But without warning of their coming, and the current atmosphere of distrust they may be harmed.^
^True, after the Nazgul's attempt at the ford I doubt any strangers entering Rivendell unannounced would be warmly greeted.^
^If we had not come so far I would suggest we accompany them as far the borders to vouch for them but that would delay the quest and that is an unacceptable risk. Perhaps Gandalf may have other suggestions or perhaps a way of contacting Elrond.^
Aragorn nodded in agreement.
^We'll take them to the others and let them have some input on the plan of action.^
^Now if the female would just stop staring at me.^ Legolas sounded charingned and Aragorn chuckled at his friends annoyance. They turned back to the pair waiting in silence. Aragorn smirked slightly as he noted the pair of eyes still firmly locked on the Elf, who promtly returned the stare.

"We will take you to our camp for the night if you care to follow, there we can discus what will happen in the morn." Aragorn walked past the silent pair. The twins looked at each other, with silent accord they turned to follow, falling in behind their guide with Legolas bringing up the rear.

It was almost pitch black by the time they reached the summit and started down the other side Legolas quickened his pace to fall into step with Mary.
"Why do you stare at me so?"
Mary jumped surprised she had not heard the man come up beside her.
"You seem rather young to be trusted with scouting out potenial trouble and strangers. And besides you where stareing at me too." she finished sniffily.
Legolas smiled slightly in the heavy dark it was obvious that she was barely able to follow the track let alone pick out details.
"I'm older than I look. And as for the staring I've never seen Men with the unusual hair colour you and your brother have, well not people as young as you seem to be."
Mary had turned most of her attention back to peering through the gloom and keeping on her feet on the rough trail.
"Hmm yes my brother and I are rather unsual... men?! What do you mean men?! I'm not a man!" She stoped and pulled Legolas to a halt aswell.
"I know, I can see that." He tried to stop the tirade and calm her.
"Well if you can see that then why did you call me a man?!"
"I did not mean for you to take insult I..."
"Well how else was I meant to take it?" She interupted.

Aragorn had stopped and turned at the first sounds of arguing coming from behind him. Marty also paused, listened, then tried to apoligise.
"I'm sorry Mary, my sister gets upset and irritable when she's tired and hungry." Aragorn nodded, he understood he'd heard from Elladan and Elrohir of the snits Arwen could throw and then had the unpleasentness of witnessing a couple himself.
Seeing Legolas was unable to break through Marys tirade Aragorn walked back and clasped her shoulder startling her into silence.
"Is there a problem here?"
"He" she said pointed at Legolas, "called me a man. As young as he looks, he should at least be able to tell the difference between a man and a women."
Aragorn looked at Legolas in amusement and raised an eyebrow. The Elf glared back.
"I meant Men in general, as in the whole species. And I'm not that young."
"Species?!" Mary fairly spat the word. "Last I checked the term was Human or are you something else?" she sneered. "And you're hardly older than I am or I'm very much mistaken."

Aragorn held up a hand to request Legolas' silence.
"Generally the term Men is the more widely used but I have heard Human aswell." He glared at Mary to ensure her continued silence. "And as for Legolas' age I'd say he was very much older than you because yes he is something else."
He looked at his friend again who seemed torn between looking relived Mary had stoped screeching at him, indignation at Aragorns words and amusement at the shocked expressions on each of the siblings faces.
"What is he then?"
"HE, is an Elf and quite able to speak for himself." The indignation seemed to have won out, Aragorn shot him an apoligetic look.
"Elf?" Marty sounded even more shocked than he looked. "But Elves don't exist on Earth anymore."
Aragorn frowned then shook his head.
"This can wait until we get to camp I feel this will warrant much disscussion. Legolas your eyesight is best why don't you take point til we find the camp."
Legolas nodded and scanned the hillside looking for signs of the Fellowships passing. Aragorn followed his friend leaving the twins to bring up the rear.

The quartet continued in silence along a ridge for awhile, no-one was willing to break the uneasy peace.

****

Gimli was standing watch right at the edge of the cave that was Fellowships camp for the night, he was trying to block out the sounds from the campfire where an argument was starting about supper, it was dividing into separtate factions with the sides unable to decide amongst themselves. The argument has started as whether they should eat now or wait for Aragorn and Legolas to return. But the eat now alliance were torn about the topic of mushrooms and werether they should eat something now and wait for the missing scouts to bring mushrooms to have with a big meal, Merry's view or werether they should have a big meal and then have the mushrooms as a snack later, Pippin's view. The squabble had been going on for a while now and even Sam and Frodo had lost interest and they had been the opposition.

Gimli sighed staring out into the dark from the narrow entrance of the cave. He stiffened and reached for his axe when he saw movement in the corner of his eye.

“On watch Master Dwarf?”

Gimli just growled, glaring at the Elf crouched not 10 feet away.

“I’d have had your head off


tbc...

*glares at the plot bunnies* This was supposed to be lighthearted, funny and above all short. Seems I've been steepted too long in angsty fic to do comedy well. *groans* ah well the next fic I'm planning should have plenty of angst to keep the rampaging LOTR bunnies happy.