Alexa rode hard east for many miles, and then changed her course northward, hoping to throw that Elf off her trail if he did decide to follow. She was still furious from the last time she had seen the Elf. ~How dare he follow me like that! If he values his life, he will leave me alone!~ She began to slow when she could no longer feel the Elf’s presence. She rode on, at a slower pace, but stopped when she heard a twig snap. She glanced around in alarm. No animal had made that sound. It was far too heavy. She studied the surrounding woods, but did not see anything. However, her other senses warned her that something was near.
“It cannot be that blasted Elf again,” she said in frustration. “I am going to make him regret following me this time!”
Another twig snapped. Her heart began to pound. That Elf would not have made this noise! Her alarm grew further when Spitfire’s head came up sharply. She tightened her grip on the reins and spurred Spitfire on. “Run, Spitfire! We must leave now!”
But it was too late. The arrow flew through the air and pierced her left shoulder, causing her to lose her balance and fall off her horse. She cried out in pain. As she tried to stand to her feet, a large group of highwaymen came out of the woods and surrounded her. The leader, a tall and burly man, stepped forward.
“Give us your money, woman, and everything else we want, or we will finish you off,” he said, giving her an evil smile.
She regained her balance, and glared at the thieves. She quickly turned to Spitfire.
“Get out of here, boy!” she cried, slapping him hard on the hindquarters. Several men lunged at the horse as it flew by, but missed and fell facedown in the dirt. Swearing at his comrades, the leader turned back to her.
“That was a fatal mistake,” he said, advancing towards her.
Alexa grimaced as she reached up and snapped off the tip of the arrow protruding from her shoulder. Drawing her sword, she pointed it at the advancing men.
“The fatal mistake was yours,” she retorted. “You will not find me easy.”
“We shall see,” the leader taunted, and attacked her without warning.
He fought fiercely, like a vicious animal, while his men cheered him on. Alexa defended herself as best as possible, but the wound in her shoulder was causing her great pain, and she was beginning to feel faint from blood loss. She gave an ungainly swing and managed to leave a deep gash in the leader’s leg, causing him to stumble back. He stared at her in shock for a moment, but then his eyes filled with a wild rage.
“Get her!” he shouted.
Alexa looked around as the large group of men advanced upon her from all directions. She was afraid, for she knew that she was greatly outnumbered, but she refused to let her enemies see her fear. Surrender was not an option. A whip cracked from behind, sending a shiver through her. She spun around quickly, but as she did, the whip snaked around her arm and tore her flesh, causing her to drop her sword. She grabbed the dagger from her boot and threw it at the man, hitting him squarely in the heart. Dropping to one knee, she regained her sword just as another highwayman attacked her. She thrust her sword upward, running him through. Yanking her sword free, she rose as the remaining men attacked her.
* * *
Haldir stopped by a stream to fill his waterskin and cool his horse. As he filled the waterskin, his keen ears heard something in the distance. Something that sounded like a battle. Mounting his horse, he rode quickly in the direction of the sounds. Stopping on a small hill overlooking the battle, he saw the elleth, an arrow protruding from her shoulder, fighting a large group of men. Several lay dead around her. ~She is going to have my help now, whether she wants it or not,~ he thought fiercely. Drawing his bow, he quickly dispatched three of the men that were attacking her. He unsheathed his sword and charged into the fray. As he neared, several of the men turned from the elleth and advanced upon him. He leapt from his horse and quickly stabbed one of the men. The man gave a guttural cry and fell back.
* * *
Alexa glanced sharply in the direction of the cry. Seeing the Elf, her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could respond, three men advanced upon her. She fought the men, but with the blood loss she had suffered, she was quickly overtaken. As she blocked the blow from one man, another stabbed her deeply in the abdomen. She groaned in pain and stumbled back, clutching her stomach. The man prepared to deliver the final blow, but as he neared, Alexa glanced up, eyes blazing, and delivered a blow that decapitated her assailant. The other two men froze momentarily, and looked between her and the Elf. They knew they were going to die if they continued to fight both the Elf and the woman. Therefore, they did the only thing they could think of: they ran.
Caught up in the heat of battle, Haldir did not see the men running away from the elleth, until those he was fighting began to follow suit. Haldir began pursuing the men, until his eyes caught sight of the maiden leaning heavily against a tree. He ran to her, but as he neared, she raised her sword to him.
“You have continued to follow me, even after I have repeatedly told you to leave me alone. If not for the fact that you have helped me this day, I would gladly kill you.”
“I have not followed you anywhere. I am on my way home to Lothlorien, and if you did not know, this is the way to Lothlorien. I only stopped to fill my waterskin, when I heard the battle in the distance. As I neared, I saw that you were surrounded and came to help. Next time, I will not be so kind.”
“Suits me fine,” she said coldly, and pulled the arrow shaft from her shoulder. Throwing it at the Elf’s feet, she whistled for Spitfire. Spitfire neighed wildly as he galloped over from a nearby ridge. He slowed as he neared her. She took a step, but the intense pain in her abdomen caused her to gasp and fall to one knee. She groaned in pain as she clutched her abdomen.
Haldir quickly knelt in front of her. “My lady,” he said, filled with concern. She ignored him and stared at her blood-covered hand. She swore. Haldir raised his brows in surprise. He could not remember the last time he had heard an Elf swear, let alone an Elven maiden. She began to try to push herself up with her sword, but Haldir placed a firm hand on her uninjured shoulder. She glanced at his hand sharply.
“Get your hand off of me!” she said forcefully.
He removed his hand quickly. “You are in no condition to ride,” he told her.
“So, now I suppose you are going to tell me that you are a great Elven Healer, eh?”
“No, but I know a serious wound when I see one.”
“I have healed myself many a time before, and I can do it again.”
“Do not try to get up,” he told her as she started to try to rise. “You have lost far too much blood. Let me help you lie back.”
“No, I am leaving.” Alexa pushed herself up with her sword and stood, her body shaking uncontrollably. As she stepped forward, the world around her began to spin and her vision began to darken. A deep blackness took hold of her… and then there was nothing.
Alarmed, Haldir caught her as she fell. He carried her over to the stream he had come from earlier, both horses following closely behind him. He set her gently on the ground and untied the blanket from his horse. He laid it on the ground and lifted the maiden gently onto it. Unsheathing his dagger, he slit the bottom of her tunic and examined the wound. It was deep into her abdomen, and bleeding profusely. He was able to temporarily staunch the blood flow with a thick piece of cloth. He opened his saddlebag and removed a small pouch of herbs. Pouring them onto another piece of cloth, he applied them to the wound. After several moments, the blood flow began to recede, but the loss had already been great. Adding more herbs to the cloth, he bandaged the wound.
He cut open her shirt, so he could better tend to her shoulder wound. As he was cleaning her wound, he noticed several scars below her collarbone. He studied them. They were deep and looked like they were the work of some vicious animal. He frowned. ~Where would she have gotten such scars?~ He finished cleaning the wound and bandaged it. Covering her with another blanket, he built a fire and sat beside the elleth. He looked at her pale face and sighed heavily. ~She is strong. She will survive this wound,~ he thought, trying to convince himself of it. Brushing the tendrils of tangled blond hair away from her face, he touched her brow. ~She is feverish.~ He walked to the stream and moistened a rag. Sitting beside her once again, he applied the damp cloth to her forehead. Taking up his bow, he began to watch the countryside, determined to protect her from any more harm. As an Elf, it was in his nature to be a protector and a healer, and this elleth desperately needed both. He would not abandon her.
