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Journey Of A Butterfly	By : Mel99Moe Category: -Fourth Age to Modern times and beyond > Het - Male/Female Views: 5714 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or places of Lord of the Rings/Tolkien. No money is being made. This is for personal enjoyment only.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
Chapter 20 - Ruined Berries

There was a chill in the air. Autumn had finally given over to winter. Most of the beautiful colors that made Ithilien look as though it were on fire had now faded away to emptiness. The bare branches of the trees that lined the streets looked cold and dead. Evidence of new life was now exposed as many bird nests, long abandoned by their owners, dotted the vacant limbs. Still, life in the beautiful remade city was busy as people hurried here and there every morning.

It had been two weeks since Terrwyn arrived. Every day was the same. She got up, washed, dressed and met her guard. They walked silently along the way to Master Curuven’s workplace. The few times she tried to strike up a conversation with Feredir, all she got in return were one-word answers. Every day he waited at the small table until the Healer dismissed him, only to have him come back later in the day to escort Terrwyn back to her barracks. She wondered where the dark-haired elf went during these times. She had learned from Master Curuven that he was a border guard, and because of something he did, he was charged with being her warden. According to the Healer, it was an adequate punishment for a warrior to be taken away from his troops and the border, and even more so for Feredir. No wonder he did not want to talk to her, she thought. Just as she was being punished by having to work every day boiling rags and such, Feredir was being punished by having to watch over her.

Terrwyn had just finished hanging the last of the bandages when Master Curuven called her up to the front. He was holding a basket filled with shears, a spade and gloves. She smiled to her employer. “Am I to winterize you garden next?”

“No, my dear,” he answered with a chuckle. “Do you remember all the different plants and herbs we have talked about?”

Terrwyn nodded as a slight twinge of excitement coursed through her body. Could it be that he was sending her outside of the steamy back room?

“It is time to test that knowledge. I want you to go out and gather these plants,” he said handing her a small book. He marked all the pages of the plants he needed. “Now, some of them you cannot tell since their leaves have fallen. You must pay close attention to where they grow and how they grow. These here,” he said flipping to a certain page. “They grow in a close-knit circle and are found under this type of tree. Their leaves are spent now, but their roots are very important. Everything you need to find is marked in this book. Oh,” he paused and turned to a rack that held some coats. “Forgive me dear, I sometimes forget that humankind is more susceptible to the cold. You will need these. It is quite chilly today.” He handed her a long grey woman’s cloak with a hood. “It was made by the elves. It looks lite but it will keep the wind out and keep you warm.”

Terrwyn took the cloak and slipped it on over her shoulders, tying it closed in the front. She found the holes on the sides where she stuck her arms through. “It fits perfect and it is surprisingly warm.” She took the basket from the Healer and the book.

Just then, Feredir walked in from the front door. “Ah, here is your escort now. Feredir will go with you since you cannot be alone. He knows where to take you to find these plants. Remember though, you are still a prisoner. Do not stray far. There will be more eyes on you than just your charge.”

“I understand, Master Curuven. I’ll not be trying anything except digging and snipping,” she smiled.

Terrwyn found the first of the plants on her list easily. As she went along, she talked to Feredir, but she felt as if she were really only talking to herself. All of the elves she had met so far were really very kind. Feredir was not cruel, but he was distant. He was here to do a job and nothing else.

“I wish you would join me in some conversation,” she finally said, tired of the silence. “If we are to be tied at the hip, you could at least say something more than yes or no. Oh, or my personal favorite,” Here she put her hands on her hips and deepened her voice to imitate him. “’That would be none of your business.’”

Feredir had done his best to avoid any kind of conversation with the prisoner, but she was beginning to wear on his nerves, especially now that they were out alone. “Were you speaking to me? I thought you just liked hearing the sound of your own voice.” He straightened his posture and crossed his arms, looking down his nose at the red head. She was on her knees, digging in the cold dirt, trying to release a plant from its earthy home. She seemed clumsy and it irritated him. Her long red waves were always falling into her green eyes. Wait . . . did he say green? Did he actually notice the color of her eyes? Well, how could he help it? She was always staring at him. He couldn’t deny the fact that she was rather lovely . . . for a human. Still, she was here for a reason. She was an inmate, a ward of the city.

“What did you do anyway?” he asked bluntly.

Terrwyn looked up from her work. From down here he towered above her in his black pants and fitted black tunic. It was a very striking look for a fair skinned elf and he seemed to glow in contrast to his clothes and hair. Now that he was looking directly at her, she could see more detail of his silver eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. “You tell me what you did first, and I’ll tell you why I’m here,” she said trying to lure him into conversation. So far, it was the most words he had spoken in a single sentence.

Feredir’s face lit up with pride. “I killed an enemy.”

Terrwyn looked him straight in his eyes. “So did I.”

He creased his eyebrows and looked at her curiously. “You . . . killed . . . someone?” He waited for her to expand on it, but she merely nodded and went back to digging. “But look at you. You are so thin and frail. Oh wait, did you talk him to death?” he laughed.

Terrwyn slowly stood up and Feredir noticed how tall she really was. She was not as tall as he was, but she was close to an elleth’s height. Then her eyes turned to slits and she glared at him. “No I did not ‘talk him to death,’” she said mocking him again. “I am not frail, and if I look thin it’s because of the slop they give me every night. And just so you know, it was self-defense.”

So, Feredir had found a way to irritate her as she had been doing to him. This made it all the more interesting now. “If it was self-defense, then why are you here? You know, you are not the first prisoner I have had dealings with, though you are much better to look at than an orc. Still, you are all the same. You all claim innocence, but it is all lies.” He moved around her as she stood still, her chest heaving as she was breathing heavy with anger. He was touching a raw nerve and he liked the reaction he was getting from the hot headed female. “So, what did he do? Did you catch him with another woman? Did you walk in on him and some other in the throes of passion and lost your right mind? Hmm, what a way to meet your fate, eh? Death while climaxing.” Feredir stopped and made a rude gesture, his body falsely convulsing as he moaned. Then he crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth, still with a smile on his face.

Terrwyn was shocked by his comments and his behavior. “How dare you speak to me in such a way. Who do you think you are? You sir are no elf!”

“You are only half right,” he responded quickly.

Terrwyn glared at him. “Then the other half must be orc,” she said, quite proud of her come back, then she got back to work.

Feredir had seen his share of feisty females over the years, but none as gutsy as this one. “You seem to forget that you are the prisoner here.”

Without glancing up, she answered dryly. “Trust me, I have not forgotten that bit of information in the least. I am reminded of it every time I dress in these drab clothes, or take the long walk to Master Curuven’s office. What I will not let it do anymore is break my spirit. You can believe what you want to believe, but I know what happened. I know I did the only thing I could do to save myself and that I have been falsely accused. If that is good enough for your own lord, then it should be good enough for you.”

“I can make my own conclusions, and I say you are my ward. As long as you are charged with this crime, I will not let up on you or trust you.” He was getting quite tired of her attitude.

“Fine then, think what you want, just do it without speaking,” she said, digging vigorously in the dirt. She was not paying attention and ended up chopping the roots of the plant to bits. She threw the spade down and sat still on her knees, trying to regain her composure. Why had she let this elf get under her skin? And of all the elves in Ithilien, why did she have to end up with the only one who behaved more human than elvish. Now he was chuckling lightly to himself, satisfied with the amount of irritation he had caused.

* * *

Terrwyn had been out every day of the week harvesting from the early winter plants requested by Master Curuven. She found it was difficult to dig for some of them. Their roots were very delicate. If they were not handled properly, they would be ruined, and so far Terrwyn had ruined more than she would like.

“I suggest you move on to someplace new for that type of plant. It seems you have desecrated that one too. Master Curuven will be none too pleased by its condition,” the elf said in an aggravatingly cheerful way.

“Well, if you think you can do better then come and do it yourself,” she answered. So far, the only thing Feredir found any joy in was hounding her and making her life miserable.

“I believe I’ll just stay here.” He climbed the tree behind him with the greatest of easy, Terrwyn noticed. Only an elf could leap up into a tree with such little effort. “Don’t forget Lag, I can see far from here and my arrows travel even further.” This was a name the guards used for the prisoners, but Feredir used it because of her inferior human abilities to do anything in a timely manner, or at least in the manner he would do things. She seemed slow to him, always lagging behind and taking a long time to do anything.

Terrwyn hated the term and pretended to ignore him as she walked off to find another plant to harvest, mumbling under her breath. She decided she would not go out of her way to speak to Feredir. She was pretty good at coming up with quick comebacks, but no matter what she said, Feredir always had an answer. Nothing good came out of his mouth anyways so why make matters worse.

“How could one of elvish blood and beauty be such a warg?” she asked herself. He did mention that he was only half-elvish. The other half was definitely man, and he seemed to favor that side of his personality. It was probably a good thing since she knew how to handle herself around his type.

As she worked, she thought about his background. He must have quite a story to tell. Half-elves were rare, even in the Forth Age when there were more elf/human couplings. Most did not have children because of the elves that were sailing into the West. Unfortunately for her, Feredir’s parents did not abide by that fact and now she was stuck with their horrid offspring as her guard.

She was not paying attention to what she was doing, and was getting a little close to the edge of a sharp drop in the landscape. Feredir, who was still sitting in his tree, glanced towards her every so often. Somehow, he knew she would not run off. Even if she did, he was the best shot in Ithilien and knew just where to strike her without causing any permanent damage. In a way, he hoped she would try something, just to make his job a little more interesting.

Feredir watched her as she was bending over picking some late growing berries from a bush. She seemed to learn quick and had some knowledge of plants, good for a healer. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her to end up in Ithilien’s prison. He had overheard Master Curuven telling her how the elves would help her fight these charges brought against her. Feredir had not known her for very long, but his intuition was strong. She did not seem the cold blooded murdering type and she was probably telling the truth about being falsely accused. However, he did not want to tell her that or she would never stop trying to talk to him. He was used to females throwing themselves at him and wanting him for nothing more than a quick night of heavenly bliss, but none had ever wanted to just talk to him about the simple everyday things. A part of him thought it might be nice to strike up a civilized conversation with a beautiful woman without it leading to him riding her into oblivion. Actually, Terrwyn did not irritate him as much as he led on. It was because this was his punishment, one he did not think he deserved, that he had little interest in her. It was not her fault. She just happened to be the newest prisoner.

“You are getting a little close to the edge, Lag,” he yelled to her, knowing the name would get under her skin.

Terrwyn cringed at the sound of his voice. “I see the edge,” she yelled back, then under her breath she cursed him for calling her such.

Feredir was getting a little nervous. She was awfully close to the edge, and from where he was, he could not tell how far of a drop it was. He climbed down from his tree and walked in her direction. “Do you have to pick from there?” he said, watching her stretch out to a bush growing out over the edge of the cliff. “Go find another plant to harvest and get back from there.”

“I know what I am doing and this one is full of berries. Master Curuven said he needed as many of these that I could find,” she answered continuing to reach and stretch.

Feredir could see the sand beneath her feet giving way. “Alright Lag, that is close enough. Get back from there,” he shouted as he approached.

Terrwyn rolled her eyes. “Honestly, if you call me that one more time, I’m going to--.” Suddenly, the ground slid away under her feet. She yelled and grabbed the bush, now dangling over the edge of the cliff.

Feredir was still far away, but he could see that she slipped. “Terrwyn!” he yelled in desperation and fear.

“Help me!” she called back as she tried with all her might to hang onto the bush.

Feredir ran as fast as he could until he was to her. He was afraid she was about to lose her grip and fall hundreds of feet to her--.

“Oh for Eru’s sake,” he complained looking over the edge. “You are only a few feet from the bottom. You might have known that if you looked down.” He paused and smiled. “Did I not say you were too close to the edge?” Looking down, he could see that the drop was not much and if she did fall, it was likely her pride was the only thing that would be damaged.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Help me up,” she demanded.

Feredir did not move, but laughed. “Maybe I should let you fall. It will teach you a lesson.

Terrwyn was humiliated and tired. “Fine, you were right. I was too close to the edge. Now please just help me up.

Feredir reached out for her hand and just as she was about to grab it, he pulled away, teasing her. “Oh, that was a close call.”

“You are being childish and we’ll both fall if you don’t stop,” she yelled. He reached out again and teased her for a second time. Terrwyn was beginning to lose her patience with him. The third time he reached out he did not pull away and she grabbed his hand. It was a very large and strong hand, long archer fingers and callouses.

“Alright then, let go of the branch and grab my other hand, but you’re going to have to use your feet to walk yourself up the rest of the way.” His voice was no longer irritating, but calm and soothing. It amazed her how quickly he seemed to change.

Terrwyn nodded and took a deep breath. She trusted that Feredir would not let go of her. Surprisingly enough, it did not take much to trust him, even after all the difficulties he caused her. “Here I go,” she notified him. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, let go of the branch and grabbed his free hand.

“Very good. Now, I’ll pull you up while you use your feet to--.” Just as they thought they were out of harm’s way, the loose dirt and rock beneath Feredir’s feet started to give away. Terrwyn gasped and felt herself start to fall, pulling Feredir along with her when she did not let go. The elf managed to loosen one of his hands and reached for the edge of the drop off, hoping to catch the bush. Instead, he grabbed the basket of berries she had sat down next to the bush.

Terrwyn landed first, on her back as the air was knocked from her lungs. Then Feredir came down on top of her. Luckily, he braced himself and caught his weight with his hands on each side of the ground where she lay. They ended up face to face in very close proximity. Their eyes caught for a split second, his silver and her green. As if time slowed down, Terrwyn could feel every muscle in his body where he laid on top of her. His face was dirty and his hair a dusty mess, but it did not take away from his beauty.

Feredir had a similar experience, noticing how sleek and curvy her body felt beneath his. She was always hidden beneath the cloak Master Curuven gave her to keep warm and he had not noticed before. Her red wavy hair was unusually beautiful and made her look like she was always on fire. Then for a moment, they seemed to breathe in unison. Breaking the silence, Feredir spoke. “Are you alright, Terrwyn?” he whispered.

She was caught in his starlight eyes. “You called me by my name,” she said dreamily and dared to smile the tiniest bit. And then, as if the Valar themselves wanted to put an end to this rare moment they were sharing, it started raining down red berries. Finally, the basket landed on Feredir’s head with a definite thud.

It didn’t take long for reality to set back in as Terrwyn glanced left and right, seeing a full basket of berries ruined. “Get up,” she demanded, catching Feredir off guard. He was still memorizing her natural scent of wild grasses growing in summer. When he did not move, she shoved him in the chest. “Get off of me.”

Finally, Feredir realized the position they were in and rolled off her. She sat up immediately and looked around. “Ruined! They are all ruined. Do you know how long it took me to pick all of those?” she said, annoyed.

“I am sorry. I was trying to grab the bush and I guess I knocked the basket instead,” he explained.

“If you weren’t teasing and fooling around in the first place, then maybe we would not have both fallen.” She jumped up and desperately started picking up berries, but they were all squashed. “None of them are good.”

Feredir got to his feet and looked up. “We aren’t getting back up that way. We’ll have to walk around and find a place where we can get back up top. Come on. We have more berries to pick.”

Terrwyn looked at him curiously. “What do you mean by we? You never offered to help before.”

“Well, it is both our faults.”

“Both? I was perfectly capable of retrieving the berries before you distracted me.”

Feredir gave her a look. “I distracted you? I was trying to keep all of this from happening,” he said lifting his arms and gesturing to the place where they now stood. “Had you listened to me in the first place, we might be finished and heading back to town by now.”

“Oh of course, I wouldn’t want you to miss any excitement at the local tavern, or wherever it is you go.” She was getting upset.

“It is none of your business what I do in my free time,” Feredir shot back.

Terrwyn was ready to give up. Just when she thought she saw a different more caring side to this elf, he turned back into the goblin she had known him as. “You know, let’s just get out of here. It is getting late anyways. I’ll just tell Master Curuven that I did not find the berries. I’ll get them next time. Right now, I’m just tired and I want to get back to my barracks.

“Fine then,” he answered. Feredir could feel her defeat and he added another mental notch to his score. It was becoming hard work to argue with her. She did not back down easily.

They walked along until they found a spot where the land sloped at a comfortable angle and climbed back up. They dusted themselves off, gathered their belongings and headed back to town in utter silence.

* * *

The next day, Feredir was not there to escort her to the Master Healer’s office. Instead, it was another guard. She wondered what might have happened to her charge. Maybe he was done serving his time as prison guard. Whatever the reason, it was nice to walk with someone different, someone who did not belittle her and did not mind striking up a conversation. She learned a little bit more about Ithilien and its rebuilding. This elf did not mind answering her questions and he expanded on them to the fullest. It was probably the most enjoyable morning she had spent here since arriving.

Terrwyn and her guard arrived at Master Curuven’s office. They entered to find a very cheerful Healer humming a delightful elvish tune. “You are in good spirits this morning, Master Curuven,” she said to him.

“I am indeed. It seems you won’t be needing to recollect those berries today, my dear.”

“What do you mean?” she asked curiously.

The Master Healer pointed to a full basket of berries sitting on a nearby table. “Feredir took it upon himself to go back out and gathered more than enough.

“Feredir did this?” she said surprised. “But I thought that he would be--.”

“I think he felt responsible for your mishap yesterday. He must have stayed out all night picking these. When I got here this morning, he was perched outside my doorstep, head leaning against the wall and waiting for me to arrive. I told him he could take the day for himself and I sent a different guard to meet you this morning.”

Terrwyn was flabbergasted. After all the ridiculous bantering yesterday, this was the last thing she expected. “Just when I think I cannot take one more moment around him, he does something like this.”

Master Curuven got her started on her chores for the day. Today she would get to help in the making of several types of medicine using the berries and other plants she collected. She was looking forward to learning more about these plants and their uses. As she was busy crushing up some of the berries, her fingers turning red from their juices, she could not help but let her mind wander to Feredir and that solitary moment they experienced after falling down the sharp hill. She had felt something as he called her by her name. It was the first time he had said it. He pronounced it slightly different with his elvish tongue. It came out as just a whisper, but it rang loudly in her mind. His eyes had captured her in that moment and she felt as if she could be lost there forever. And then, as fast as it had happened, it was gone. She was the one who yelled at him to get up. She was the one who broke the spell. Why did she do it? Despite his handsome face so close to hers and his delightful earthy scent, despite the feel of his body lying on top of hers and his full lips parted as he gazed at her, she had felt fear. But why? Almost all her life she dreamed of experiencing a moment like that. She did not expect it to be with someone that she loathed. Well, maybe that was too strong of a word, but Feredir was nothing like what she expected of the elves. He was rude, crude, and only cared about himself, but he was also kind when it counted. All of these thoughts and the heat from the stove in the little back room were giving her a headache, so she wiped Feredir from her mind, the sweat from her brow, and concentrated on the day’s chores ahead. But he never really left her mind completely.
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Journey Of A Butterfly