Kalay woke several hours later feeling rested and ready to go. The
rest of the Fellowship other than Boromir were already awake and
packing their gear for departure. Boromir sat opposite Kalay, and
was just waking himself. She stood and winced as the scabbing under
the bandage pulled and opened a few spots on the wound. "Kalay, be
careful. You don't need to open that back up again." Legolas
scolded her. "Its not like I was doing it on purpose, but I have to
get up eventually. We have to save Merry, and Pippen." she returned
his scolding. She turned to get her pack and was surprised when she
noticed it missing. She stood back up and turned, about to ask the
others if they had seen it when she saw Legolas grinning and holding
it out to her. "I already took care of it." She blushed as she
took the pack and carefully slung it over her shoulders, "Thank you."
Aragorn helped Boromir to rise and shoulder his now lighter
pack. "When we get closer to Gondor, one of us should escort
Boromir there if we have not caught up with the orcs yet." he
announced to the company. They each looked at the others in turn,
finally Gimli piped up "Who will go?" Each of them considered the
pros and cons of their leaving or staying with the company, until
Aragorn gave them a little breathing room. "We can decide that when
the time comes nearer, let us now worry about finding the trail."
All nodded agreement and they sat off hurriedly, even Boromir whose
wounds were the worst.
Hours they travelled, following the orcs trail easily since the foul
creatures do little to hide it. Footsore and tired, they finnaly
stopped for a brief respite while Legolas used his keen eyes to give
them any news. "All I see is an eagle, and far off at that. It is
flying swiftly away from us." This news left them little hope, but
even a little hope can persuade someone to press on. When they had
eaten an bit and rested, the company again took to the pursuit of
the orcs and their friends.
They travelled on until dark and then they stopped, councilling
whether or not to go on. Gimli's argument was that they could miss
a sign in the dark and lose the trail, wasting hours trying to find
it the next day. Legolas' was to continue and therefore possibly
gain some ground. Aragorn listned to the councils of each of them
and then turned to Kalay, who had stood silent this whole
time. "You have listned to us argue over these points and said
nothing. What is your thought on this?" She shook her head and
cleared her thoughts, "I will go with the decision of the company.
Both sides have made very good points, but the more time we spend
arguing over it the less time we have to act on either decision."
Aragorn smiled lightly at her answer, and Legolas beamed at
her, "Wisdom from the mouths of babes." he chukled. She blushed and
turned away getting the whole company to laughing, even Boromir who
grimaced in between laughs.
When all had settled down again, it was chosen to rest for several
hours unitl just befor dawn. They would pick up the trail then and
hopefully luck would ride with them. Kalay slept fitfully that
night and Legolas not at all, though he did check on her several
times. She rose just before the others and readied her pack. It
was still quite dark when the company set out on the trail again.
As the sun rose high in the sky the lands began to change, they drew
close to Gondor and it was time a decision was made. While the two
men and Gimli were discussing who should go and for what reason,
Legolas drew Kalay a ways away to speak quietly to her. "You should
go Kalay." he told her quietly. "But I am sworn to protect you, not
him."
"I know that, but by protecting him for this short while you may
save us all."
She was about to make a reply when he kissed her passionatly, then
drew back and smiled.
"And besides, you and I both know you are the only other one who
could track us back down once you have safely delivered him to
Gondor."
She bowed her head in agknowledgement and he hugged her to him
tightly. When they turned to go back to the company they found they
were be stared at by the others grinning. Kalay raised her chin
defiantly and marched back over the others with Legolas, "I will go
with him." She declared, challenging anyone to gainsay her. the
others only nodded agreement and after a final meal together they
parted ways.
Kalay kept silent for many hours after the breaking of the
Fellowship, lost in her own thoughts. Boromir coughed to break the
silence, and she looked over at him. "I was wondering something, if
you don't mind me asking." He returned her gaze a bit unlevely
since their height was so different. "What is it?" she asked him a
tad surprised. "You are very different from the other elves I've
seen. You keep your hair short, and on that you yourself don't seem
to be as tall as most of them."
she chuckled to herself at his observant question, "Well for one
thing, I am half-elf. My mother was human, my father one of Lord
Thranduil's personal guards. My hair, is a matter of my own
choice. I keep it short because, though I inherited the fineness of
it from my father the thickness is from my mothers side. It tangle
much too easily and causes too many distractions for me when it is
long." They walked on for severla more minutes as Boromir digested
her answer, "I guess thats as good a reason as any." He finally
said.
They continued on through nightfall, taking only short breaks to eat
and rest their feet. It was well on into the next day before the
land changed again and this time for the better it seemed. They saw
rolling hills of grass in the distance and it lightned their
hearts. "I will be home soon," Boromir told her. She smiled at his
excitement thinking to herself that he sooner he was home, the
sooner she could catch up with the others. They continued on until
nightfall and decided that since they were so close they would rest
that night and be refreshed and ready in the morning to finnish the
journey. Kalay lay down and closed her eyes preparing to doze
off, "I wonder if we should set up a watch?" She opened one eye to
look at Boromir after he asked this. "What my eyes do not see my
ears will hear, and my ears can hear even an elf on new fallen
snow." What she had said may have been a bit of an exageration, but
not much as she was a very light sleeper. He shrugged his broad
shoulders at her staement and settled in for the night.
Both of them woke early and ready to go. They shouldered their
packs and set off at as brisk a pace as Boromir could handle. It
was still several hours before they reached the gates of the white
city and were welcomed in. While everyone was greeting Boromir and
patting him on the back, Kalay was edging back toward the gate. She
had almost made good her escape when he spied her and called
out, "Kalay, don't leave just yet." She stopped and walked back
over to him as the crowd made way for her. He clapped her on the
shoulder and said, "You must restock your provisions first. I would
ask that you stay for a feast, but I know how badly you wish to
return to your prince so at least let me send you off with plenty to
sustain you." He thought for a moment as they made their way
inside, followed by seemingly the entire castle. Once inside a
steward came over and Boromir took him aside discussing things with
him in private. He then came back to Kalay, "I must depart your
company now and go to the healers, but the steward here will see my
orders done," with that he left her. The elderly steward came over
and bowed low in respect, "I will show you to the kitchens where you
may replenish you pack." He turned to a younger lad and whispered
something in his ear before continuing on. The boy took off back
outside and down the steps at once, Kalay glancing back at him as he
ran. She shrugged her shoulders and followed the steward to the
kitchen where she carefully packed dried fruits, meat, a chunk of
hard cheese, nuts and waybreads into her pack. She took along a few
slices of fresh meat, cheese and bread for her dinner that night.
She turned to the steward and told him she was done, he stood
holding a wineskin. "It is a gift from our Lord in thanks for bring
Boromir home. It is the best vintage from his private stock." She
took the skin and thanked him, he led her back outside. The boy she
had seen the steward talking to before they left for the kitchen was
standing out in the courtyard holding the reigns of a beautifull
horse. I wore only a very light saddly with many places to stow
packs and gear on, whick most of the places were taken up by arrows
and a light blanket. Kalay looked back at the steward who was now
smiling, "Another gift of the Lord of Gondor my child. He wishes
you goodspeed to your friends." She expressed her sincere thank and
appreciation of the gift and bounded down the steps, stopping a few
feet from the horse so as not to frighten it. She walked over to
its side and accepted a leg up from the boy, who handed her the
reigns afterward. She waved a farewell before turning the steed and
galloping away.
She got just out of sight of Gondor, and slowed the horse to a easy
trot. She covered good ground before nightfall, and was lucky
enough to find a tiny spring to tie the horse near for water. She
warmed her meal by a discreet fire and ate. She hoped that she
could catch the others quickly and that they had rescued the two
young hobbits. Putting the fire out she checked the horse once more
and lay down to sleep.