"My Lord, you cannot be serious." She protested in her typical monotone.
"I assure you that I am, my Lady. I want his head...then once Thror and Thrain are gone, we may yet have that mountain." Thranduil said in his own emotionless tone, glaring dow...
The left from Rivendell and Oriana scouted at the front. Merry and Pippin tried to keep up with her.
They were walking through the forest, Oriana walked silently where the hobbits crushed every leaf and stick they crossed. "Miss Oriana, how're you so light on your feet?" Merry asked.
"Master Brandybuck, elves are naturally light weighted. We eat plants and never gain weight. Thus, we are so light that we may walk on top of snow without leaving a single foot print...very useful for moving large armies through the Misty Mountains." She said with a shrug, the hobbits were in awe as she effortlessly seemed to push off the ground, landing on a low branch, then gliding up into the trees.
Even in her light armor. A breast plate, light, fingerless metal bracers, shin guards, shoulder plates. All of that with trousers, a red tunic under her breast plate and a long blue coat. Her weapons consisted of her sword, bow and custom arrows...along with a few hidden blades just in case.
"Where did she go?" Pippin asked.
They ran ahead to see what they could. Still no sign, or sound even. They both screamed when they heard a whisk of wind. A hand landed on Merry's left shoulder, then another on Pippin's right. Oriana bowed her head between them and grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"Never lose sight of an elf..." She whispered and they screamed again.
They whipped around and she was holding out two peaches. "Woah! Where did ya get those!?" Pippin asked, his stomach grumbling.
"There is a tree a few hundred yards away. I thought you would like them. They're fresh, sweet too." She said and they gratefully took the fruit.
***
They made camp for the night on the edge of the forest. The hobbits were eager to know more about Oriana, Bilbo and Thorin always told stories about the Maiden of the Mountain.
"How did you meet, Mr Oakenshield?" Sam asked as Oriana sat on a rock, Legolas on the ground in front of her, she was braiding his hair.
"Oh...that was a very long time ago, little one. I'd say about...one hundred and twenty years...? I was being a bit roguish, got banished from Greenwood, went to Erebor for Durin's Day...Thorin may deny it, but he was a shameless flirt." She chuckled lightly.
"You charmed Uncle Thorin?" Frodo asked.
"He charmed me right back for a time...but he is mortal, already one hundred and thirty-six when Bilbo freed me from Erebor. I will always love him, but it's a different kind of love...the love of a dear friend." She said with a reminiscent smile.
Legolas would never admit to being slight relieved to hear that...
Oriana finished braiding his hair and bound his main braid with a turquoise bead and a long, purple feather from one of her arrows.
"When did you meet Legolas?" Boromir asked, smoking his pipe beside Aragorn and Gandalf.
Legolas smiled, Oriana sighed. "It was nearly three thousand years ago." Oriana began.
"How old are you...?!" Merry asked.
"Two thousand, nine hundred and eighty three years." Legolas stated plainly.
"I am ten years younger than him, so we grew up together. My mother thought I should learn to fight as the Wood Elves do...so I met Legolas there in Greenwood. I was...probably nine years old to your eyes, Legolas would have looked roughly ten." Oriana explained.
"I was practicing archery in the courtyard when I heard my father call for me...I let loose of my arrow on accident..." Legolas said in embarrassment, his voice trailing off.
"He shot me in the arm." Oriana chuckled.
"Oriana!" Legolas snapped.
"It left a cute scar in the shape of a lighning bolt." She giggled.
"I was apologizing to her for three days..." He groaned.
"I thought it was amusing. I got tired of his badgering though...so I just gave him a flower and asked him for archery lessons." She said as she took her own braids out, letting her locks flow down to her shoulder blades.
She had been keeping it up the whole day in a half-ponytail, weaving in the sides of her head. Her silver bangs framed her face.
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"That's an awfully off way to become friends, Miss." Sam said with wide eyes.
Both elves simply shrugged, Gandalf laughed smugly. He leaned over to Aragorn. "Fifty gold pieces says they're married at or before the end of this quest." He wagered.
Aragorn chuckled. "You're on, Mithrandir. Oriana is not so eager to marriage though." Aragorn doubted that Gandalf would need to collect...
