The Odyssey of the daughter of the forest

Chapter 5 : Cry For The Deads

Drying her tears, she stood up, took her daggers on the ground and left the place. She met a dwarves group, the sad face and red eyes, leading by an older one, with a grey beard. They greeted her woefully and she did the same thing. While she was walking, she thought to something. Or rather , to someone. Merilin.

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Tauriel was looking for her best friend on the battlefield. She did not see her, so she tought that she was maybe to Dale. Corpses covered the ground as far as the eye. Orc, fortunately, but men, elves and dwarves too. Each body seemed to told her '' Why are you not dead, like us ? ''. The red-hair elf avoided to look at their eyes, raised to the dark sky. She hoped that Merilin was one of those elves who were there, helping the injured.

'' Tauriel !'' She heard behind her while she was walking to the city.

She immediately recognized the voice, before seen him. Bethril, the lieutenant of the north, was walking to her, his bow on his right hand.

'' Hello Bethril'', she greeted him, trying to smile.

''Hello Tauriel. I am glad to see you are right. Too much are dead'', he said sadly.

''I feel so bad... I should have been with you to fight'', she said.

''You could not have done anything'', he gently told her.

She breathed deeply before asking the question she wanted to.

''Tell me, Bethril, do you know where is Merilin ? I am looking for her.''

She felt her heart beat quicker when she understood that he will not answer, and he was looking at the ground. She immediately thought to something. No, it could not happen. The red-hair elf pushed away her dark thoughts and asked again the lieutenant.

'' Bethril ?'' She called him, the trembling voice.

'' Tauriel... Merilin is... '' He immediately stopped talking when he noticed her reaction.

'' No...''

Tears, which have took a long time to dry, ran down her cheeks again while she closed her eyes. It was impossible.

'' I am sorry, Tauriel. I was close with her too. ''

Indeed, when she looked up at him, she noticed that his eyes were red, as red as her own eyes should be. He seemed to be tired, his brown hair were tangled, and he had scars on his face. Who was Bethril for Merilin ? Or rather, who was Merilin for Bethril ?

She did not took the time to think about it any longer, and asked where she was. She headed as fast as possible to the place. And she thought she was about to faint when she saw her brown hair. Her friend was lying there, dead.

'' No... '' She whispered for herself.

When she got closer, she noticed a lot of injuries on her body. Her eyes was looking the sky, empty. While tears were hiding her sight, she took Merilin's hands in her own hands.

'' Merilin... ''

Then, she did not find the strength to hold them and burst into tears on Merilin's chest. One more soul had left the battlefields. And it was one too many.