The two wyrms that had come out of nowhere, like guard-dogs on attack, were an annoyance. More than an annoyance, really-Lilleduil had just finished killing two giants and her power levels were depleted. Snarling, she moved in close, while Aegistill kept shooting roots into their bodies some little distance behind her back. And while she fought wyrms, she fought as well to keep her fear at bay.
Her elders in the Warband had expressed both skepticism and alarm when they had heard she had entered the Giant’s Valley alone. Pridefully, she assured them that she had done it numerous times. That she could handle it. Not taking into consideration that after those numerous times, the giants might actually be expecting her! That they might not appreciate her coming in there day after day and winnowing their numbers down!
She and Aegistill had been dodging boulders and stomping feet for hours it seemed. They were almost out of the valley when this latest wave of wyrms and giants had rushed them. She was exhausted and shaking, and cursing her pride and stupidity. Finally dispatching the two wyrms by beating their heads in with her new staff in a decidedly inelegant way, she was going to actually lean on it for a moment and catch her breath when two more giants came rushing up to bracket them, pinning her and the mountain guardian against the rock wall in a way that she was sure would have had Tur Elisbeth and the Cauns tut-tutting in disapproval.
They split their focus, she and Aegistill, as they had done many times before, the mountain guardian attacking the rock-throwing giant, while she dealt with the one that was in her face, swinging the huge club. Blinding him, she engulfed him in flame repeatedly, trying not to breath in the stench of burning giant, her ears deafened by his anguished roars. Tired, she did not dodge quickly enough when his club swept out with dying desperation and hit her.
Lilleduil felt herself sailing through the air, her side afire with pain, pain that blossomed into agony in both side and head as she hit the rock wall and slid down it to end in a crumpled heap at the base.
She felt the ground rumble as her giant fell, and sought with dimming vision for her friend. She could just make out the huge shape of the rock-thrower, and with the last of her strength sent fire against him a couple of times, and then blinding light, hoping that would hamper him enough that Aegistill at least could escape.
Mother, Father, I guess I’m coming West after all, was her last thought before darkness claimed her.
Someone was prodding her with a stick. Over and over again.
“Stop that!” she slurred.
“Fen Flower, I hurt! Do the Green Fire! I hurt bad!” There was a piteous chittering right beside her ear.
Aegistill! her mind told her after a moment. You brought him into this, and because of you, he is hurt!
It hurt to breathe, it hurt to think. So much easier to just give up and slip into darkness… But she had brought Aegistill to this pass and it was her responsibility to get him out of it before she died.
“Do the Green Fire, Fen Flower! Do it now!” the mountain guardian urged, and uttered yet more pitiful chittering. “My leg, it hurts! It hurts bad!”
Lilleduil couldn’t understand why he was so insistent upon that particular spell, but it was true that it was the first healing spell she had learned and she thought she might just be able to manage it. With the last of her strength, her eyes closed, she reached and opened herself, as she had been taught. Opened to the fire that existed even within her fading being, the fire within Aegistill, the fire within all the plants and animals in this valley, even the muted fire deep within the heart of the rocks. Felt it surge in answer within her, beginning to heal the serious injuries, felt it at the same time surge into Aegistill, healing…some very minor scrapes?
The stick was prodding again. She blinked her eyes open, finding herself within a cage of mountain guardian legs. None of which looked very hurt from where she was lying.
“Heal yourself now, Fen Flower,” Aegistill urged. That spell was more recently learned, more effective-and a lot harder to do, particularly with a muddled brain. She started to formulate the proper meditation, but found herself unable to do so. Tired now that the pain was somewhat lessened, she began to drift off once more.
The stick prodded her arm, hard enough to draw blood. She bleated a protest.
“Do the Green Fire again, Fen Flower. Do not sleep!” Aegistill commanded.
He is becoming entirely too bossy for his own good, Lilleduil grumbled to herself with drowsy irritation. But after a little time, she was able to call upon the fire again. This time it was apparent that the healing was all coming her way. The pain in her head and side were much lessened. When it was over, she was able to sit up carefully against the rock wall. Aegistill backed off a little to let her.
“Heal yourself now,” Aegistill suggested again.
This time she was recovered sufficiently to do so. Her head clearing, she wiped blood out of her eyes and looked at Aegistill in concern.
“Are you all right now?”
The mountain guardian bent to nibble some plants. “I am all right. Giants and wyrms all dead. I was not hurt badly, you were,” Aegistill said matter-of-factly between bites, confirming her suspicions. “But I knew I could make you heal me. You always heal me first. I could not make you heal yourself. The Green Fire comes easy to you, and it heals you and me. So I said my leg was hurt so you would do it.”
Lilleduil took a moment to absorb all the various humiliations of the day. First she’d been cocky and bitten off more than she could chew, and now she was being managed by her mountain guardian!
“Thank you for taking care of me,” she said politely to Aegistill. He bent and offered a leg for her to pull herself to her feet. She did so, and knotted her fingers into his twiggy hump for a moment to steady herself.
“Giants all gone,” he reported. “Wyrms too. Find more and kill them?” he suggested hopefully, turning his head to regard her, his eyes glittering brightly.
The murderous glee the various guardians she knew exhibited was always a bit startling. They would even kill other guardians. But it was their nature to protect an area, and she had put that nature to good use many times.
“No,” she answered the mountain guardian. “No more killing today.”
He seemed to accept this with good enough grace. Surely he was as tired as she was! As if echoing her thoughts, Aegistill looked out over the valley in satisfaction. “This is good,” he said. “Alone, I cannot kill these. Alone, you cannot kill these. Together we can.”
“That is true,” Lilleduil acknowledged. “I am grateful for your help.”
“More fun to kill with you than kill alone. And I can kill more things with you,” came Aegistill’s happy response.
Lilleduil had once approached Radagst the Brown with a question. She had come to the point where she was wondering if it were right for her to enlist the help of her wild friends in her battles at all, given that they could be killed or injured. If she were taking advantage of them in some way... She had expected Radagast to vilify or chide her because she let them fight with her, but the Brown Wizard’s answer had come swift and firm.
“Of course they could be killed or hurt! Such is the price of war. But can they breathe poisoned air? Can they drink poisoned water? Can they eat the fruits of a poisoned earth? Sauron corrupts everything he touches. This battle is as much theirs as yours, young elf. Not all of them can bring themselves to fight, even as not all of your kind wish to. But for those who do-it is better to fight alongside friends.”
Definitely better, Lilleduil thought, for a friend can save your life! Had Aegistill not kept his wits about him, she had no doubt she would have perished here this day.
“Your head is all over blood,” Aegistill supplied helpfully. “The grass eater will not like that.” Not to mention that Lilleduil would elicit a certain amount of…excitement were she to ride to the door of the Last Homely House in this condition! There would be uncomfortable questions from Lord Elrond, and that would undoubtedly get back to Tur Elisbeth!
“We’ll take the back way down to the Bruinen. I’ll bathe and change there and you can hunt toads.”
The mountain guardian made a chortling purr of pleasure at that prospect. “The grass eater doesn’t like me either,” he commented.
“Maental was foaled in fields near Haragmar. He knows better than to come anywhere near one of you lot.”
A purring chuckle from Aegistill. Nothing pleased guardians quite so much as to be told how dangerous they were.
Lilleduil stooped to pick up her staff, hissing when a twinge of pain and dizziness hit her. Magic only did so much short term. She’d have to stick close to home for the next day or so, until the healing completed itself. Take it slow and easy. And hopefully, no word of this would come to Tur Elisbeth or the Cauns!
“You head on down to the river,” she told Aegistill. “I’ll get my clothes and find you.” Lintroval was about, he’d called to her earlier. He’d keep her safe until she reached the river. Using her staff as a walking stick, Lilleduil moved stiffly up the slope in search of her horse.
