Leaving Fangorn

Being an elf, Serethiel was far different than a human. She was not affected by the cold or heat, she moved without a sound, she did not need to eat everyday, and she also did not sleep in the same way humans did. Resting for an elf meant drifting into a meditative state, but they always remained aware of their surroundings. Serethiel watched as Lorien slept for a time while remaining on watch. Despite his claims that they were safe, Serethiel was not used to resting at the same time as Aragorn. One of them needed to be awake while the other rested in order to keep them both safe. Just sitting and relaxing as she was enough for her body and mind to recover. The forest was peaceful and quiet and even the trees seemed to have gone to sleep.

As he slept, Serethiel watched Lorien. She did not trust easily, but she knew she could trust him. She wondered what he would think of the world outside of this forest and Rohan. It was certainly going to be an adventure for him and for some reason she was glad she was going to get to share it with him. He was young still and handsome, if not ruggedly so (much like Aragorn). He was also able to make her smile in a way few others could.

As the sun began to rise, Serethiel gathered more wood and re-lit the fire. She knew there was a stream nearby and she used her bow and arrows to spear a few fish for breakfast. She returned and as she was beginning to cook the fish she noticed Lorien beginning to wake up.

"You seem to have slept well."

Lorien awoke to the smell of fish cooking and Serethiel’s voice speaking to him. He smiled even before opening his eyes, this is a pleasant thing to wake up to. He sat up and stretched before resting his arms on his knees, “Yes I did, I had very pleasant dreams.”

He didn’t remember all of his dream, but he remembered Serethiel’s was in it, and it left him with a pleasant feeling as he awoke. “That smells really good.”

Lorien stood up, a look of appreciation on his face for her cooking breakfast. “I need to take some time for my morning practices. Been doing it since I was 10 years old, cannot forsake them.”

He stretched his arms and back in various ways, loosening up before he turned around and took off his tunic. Setting it aside, he stretched a bit more, the toned muscles of his upper body flexing as he stretched.

He then picked up his sword and unsheathed it. Closing his eyes, he began to quickly spin the sword around in intricate ways. He spun it in all directions, in front of him, behind, on both of his sides, and above his head. Then he did the same with his other hand. It was flashy, though not practical in battle. The purpose was to master the balance, to have the weight and movements ingrained in his muscle memory. To be able to react in battle, attack and defend without thinking.

Lorien held his sword in the same starting position he held during the orc fight, above his head with the blade pointed forward. His eyes still closed, he imagined an enemy in front of him, swing at him from a certain direction. Lorien sidestepped and swung, quick and hard, the attack designed to go through armor if necessary. Same position again, he imagined being attacked from a different angle, he sidestepped and countered the opposite way. Then again, this time stepping back and swinging upwards. Then forward and down. Again and again, each time a slightly different sidestep and angle of counter.

Lorien then held his sword in front of him with one hand, the other behind his back. He may not always have both hands available. He again imagined every possible enemy attack he could think of, and the most efficient response. Sweat began glistening on his skin, but he didn’t slow down or weaken the strength of the practice blows.

Once he’d practiced with both hands individually, he held the sword in front of him with two hands, blade upright. If his opponent was reactionary, how would Lorien initiate the attack? He swung hard and fast at a downward diagonal angle, then again the opposite way. His arms began to ache, but he refused to slow down. He swung again and again, over and over, each time at a different angle, his stance adjusting each time.

His breathing started get heavy, but he continued swinging, practicing every possible scenario he’d experienced or he could imagine. Finally he stuck the blade into the ground, then held up his fists. His eyes still closed, he imagined an enemy in front of him. What would he do if he was disarmed in a fight. Lorien threw a mean right hook. Then a left uppercut. Then a left hook. Too high, if he hit the armor he’d break his hand. Elbow. Sidestep. Kneecap. Right hook.

He continued fighting his invisible enemy until he was practically panting. He could go further if needed, but he stopped there. He didn’t want to exhaust himself, or be too sore if he did find himself in a fight. Catching his breath, he picked up his sword and sheathed it again. Making his way back toward the campfire, he sat down, his breathing starting to return to normal. He looked over to Serethiel and gave a warm smile. That fish was starting to smell really good now that he worked up an appetite. It was much nicer to be able to eat right after his workout instead of having to catch it afterwards.

As Lorien smiled at her, Serethiel felt a warmth spread through her heart and she couldn't help but smile back at him. Having been alone for so long, it was pleasant to have some company, and she was certain that he felt the same way. She attributed what she was feeling to nothing more than that. However, as he stretched and then removed his tunic, she could not help but glance his way. His body was well toned from years of hard work, without being overly muscular. He was quite pleasant to look at and she had to force herself not to stare. She continued to cook the fish, a trout species from what she could tell, over the flames of the fire as Lorien stepped away to do his practices. He was still within her sightline and so she watched him slightly. She was impressed by his dedication. She had seen formally trained soldiers with far less. It appeared to her that Lorien truly appreciated the sword in a way few others did. The other only man she had ever met who understood that appreciation was Aragorn. He handled the blade as if it was a natural extension of his body and he was almost graceful in the way he moved. Although Serethiel knew how to handle blades, and could handle them well, she preferred her bow, which she handled with the same respect Lorien gave his sword.

By the time he had finished and had walked back over, the fish were fully cooked and she removed them from the fire. She had a couple of small plates and utensils in her pack and she plated the fish and gave Lorien a fork to eat it with. The sun was still rising and the morning birds were awake and singing all around them. It was quite a lovely place to be.

"If I may ask, how did you learn swordsmanship?"

Lorien nodded his thanks as he took the plate. He lifted the fork and looked it over. What an odd device, little handheld mini daggers. Lorien watched how Serethiel used hers and then got the gist of it. He began using it the same as she did. The fish was really good, better cooked than he usually did at least, and using the fork kept his hands clean, very nice.

When Serethiel asked him how he learned swordsmanship, he pondered for a second on how to answer. “I guess you could say I taught myself for the most part.”

Lorien picked up his sword, still sheathed, and held it with the blade end on the ground. “My mother gave me this sword, she said it was a gift from my father, for when I came of age. She had me practice with it even when I could barely lift it, saying I would need to learn how to wield it. My mother wasn’t a warrior, she couldn’t direct me in the proper way to use it. Instead she would have me imagine a foe in front of me and say, ‘what would you do if it swung a sword at you from above, then from the side,’ and so on. I’d raise my sword to block or what have you, and there was no right or wrong way to attack or defend. I never really knew if what I was doing would be effective or not until I actually tried it against an enemy. I had to make a lot of adjustments along the way.”

Lorien smiled faintly at the memory, “I still hear her voice when I practice, ‘what would you do here, what would you do there...’”

Serethiel listened quietly as Lorien spoke. She could imagine the scene in her head of him as a boy, barely able to lift the sword, but doing his best. She imagined that as he got older and stronger it became easier and easier to lift the sword. She smiled a little as she thought about him fighting imaginary foes and just making up the moves as he went along, unsure if it was correct or not. Who could say what was correct though? What ultimately mattered was whether or not it was effective. Lorien seemed intuitive enough to be able to make corrections as necessary. Every time he told her more about himself she became more and more impressed.

"What was your mother like?" Serethiel asked after a moment.

Lorien smiled and tilted his head back, his eyes had a distant look as he recalled memories, “She was amazing. Always smiling, always laughing. She used to tell me that to live in Fangorn, you had to keep yourself in a positive state of mind. Find amusement in things that are amusing, find beauty in things that are beautiful.”

Lorien’s eyes looked to her as he said that last bit, amazed again at how incredibly beautiful she was. “I’m sure you’ve felt it, even though the forest sleeps, the trees are angry, resentful, it can give a menacing atmosphere if you let it affect you. We used to laugh and make jests at almost everything we could, including each other, in good fun of course. Everyday we’d go out foraging, check the traps, and just enjoy each other’s company.”

His smile started to fade somewhat, “It was a dark day when she fell ill, but even then she wouldn’t let me come to sorrow. Everyone dies, she said. We are born, we live, and we die. There is beauty in the cycle, even if it is the hardest beauty to see. It takes strength to not fall to sorrow when a loved one dies, especially in this place, where the trees are quick to share their anger. She told me it would be a challenge to find ways to stay positive on my own, and she would be watching from the halls of our ancestors to see if I could meet that challenge.”

His smile warmed slightly as his eyes focused back and he looked to Serethiel again, “She always knew how to motivate me.”

Serethiel smiled as she listened to Lorien tell her about his mother. She sounded like a strong, resilient woman and she would have to be living in a place like this. Serethiel thought of Celebrian, the only mother she had known. She knew nothing of her birth mother, nor did Lord Elrond or Lady Celebrian, at least that they shared with her. Lady Celebrian became her mother and she had loved her. Serethiel remembered Celebrian reading stories to her and teaching her how to ride. She remembered fondly their walks through the garden and how she had smiled at her. They had been happy...she had been happy. But then that happiness had been lost and once again Serethiel lost a mother. She missed Celebrian still. She often felt lost and wished she could turn to her for guidance. But no matter how much she wished that she were still in Middle Earth, she was not.

Serethiel realized that she had sliding deeper and deeper into her memories and she slowly pulled herself back out and into the present. She looked at Lorien once again and decided to ask him the question she had been wanting to ask since yesterday.

"Why was your mother here in this forest? And why didn't you both leave and travel into Rohan where you would not have been alone?"

Lorien shook his head slightly, “I don’t fully understand it myself. I know that she used to live in the world of men, and that she came here shortly after I was born. She said she chose this forest because all the others were already occupied by the elves.”

Lorien set his finished plate aside and leaned back, holding himself up on his hand. “I asked her once, why we didn’t return to the world of men. She didn’t want to answer, instead told me that she would explain it to me when I came of age, although she didn’t get the chance.”

Lorien began spinning the fork between his fingers absentmindedly, picking up speed as he got used to the weight. “My mother didn’t have a lot of secrets, only why she separated us from the world of men, and who my father is. She was to tell me about him once I came of age as well. I don’t even know his name. I only have this sword, a gift from him.”

Lorien showed his sword again, running his thumb over the crest on the hilt. “It’s a little embarrassing, to be honest. I hear men say, ‘I am so and so, son of so and so.’ I am only Lorien.”

Serethiel looked at Lorien and she shook her head when he admitted to being embarrassed by it. "Lorien, you should not be embarrassed or ashamed of that at all. I have never known who either of my parents were, but I do not let that control my life. You are your own person. You should not be defined by who your father was. In the end, it truly does not matter. You were loved by your mother and that is what matters. You set your own destiny, no one else. I have met many men whose fathers were kings and they themselves were truly terrible people. But then, I have also met men whose fathers were blacksmiths and they were men I will never forget because their hearts were pure. Be your own man Lorien because I like you just as you are."

Lorien couldn’t help but smile at her words, his eyes dropping down for a second before looking back up at her again. No one had ever spoke about him in such a way, and for the first time in a long time he was at a loss for words.

What she said was warm and comforting, and when she said she liked him as he was, his heart nearly leapt from his chest. No woman had ever said anything like that to him before, and for it to be the most beautiful woman he could possibly imagine, it made him feel a way he couldn’t describe. Like she was putting a spell over him, the best kind of spell.

He looked at her, nearly entranced, “Thank you.”

As he looked at her, he again wondered how someone so gorgeous could even exist. Such beauty was reserved for the heavens, not mortal men. “I like you just as you are as well,” he said with no jest in his voice this time.

Serethiel smiled softly at Lorien's words. They actually meant a lot to her. It was strange to think that she, a Noldorian Elf, would come to trust two men more than she did her own kind and yet she did. Her eyes met Lorien's briefly and as they looked into her own she felt a strange feeling come over her. While she was used to men staring at her, there was something deeper about the way Lorien looked at her and she felt an odd feeling sweep through her heart. It frightened her to a degree and she looked down.

"Thank you Lorien. That means a lot to me."

She then took a moment to collect herself, wondering what it was that she was feeling. They had both finished eating and the sun was already well above the horizon. She began to clear the dishes and clean up the campsite.

"We should be on our way. We can stop in Rohan to collect some supplies."

Lorien stood up, dusting the leaves off of him, “Alright sounds good.”

He poured his water pouch over the fire, then stomped out the remaining embers. “I just have to say goodbye to a friend before we leave, it’s on the way.”

When they were ready they began heading south toward’s Rohan. After about ten minutes or so, Lorien walked up to an unassuming tree and stood before it. In a loud voice he nearly yelled, “Good morning, Master Treebeard!”

The ent’s eyes popped open wide and blinked a few times before looking down at Lorien. The ent leaned forward slightly, a gruff long drawn out voice spoke out, “Ah, young Master Lorien...” deep wheezing breath, “good morning.”

Lorien smiled widely at his old friend, “I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, this is Serethiel.”

Lorien turned to Serethiel, “Serethiel, this is Master Treebeard, Ent extraordinaire.”

Treebeard grumbled, “Now now Master Lorien...” deep breath, “I believe I taught you...” another breath, “proper titles better than....that.”

Lorien couldn’t help but grin devilishly. Treebeard looked to Serethiel and took a bow, “Greetings, young Master Serethiel. Any friend....of Master Lorien....is a friend....of mine.”

Serethiel finished gathering up items from the camp and once the fire was fully out they departed. Once again, Serethiel followed Lorien, trusting him to lead her. At first, she thought that perhaps they were going to his mother's grave for him to say goodbye. She thus became very confused when they stopped before a very large tree. Serethiel could sense something odd about the tree even before Lorien began to speak loudly to it. However, she did not expect it to suddenly open two eyes. She was so startled that she actually took several steps back. She had heard about Ents before, but she had never expected to come face to face with a tree that had a face...and could speak. She was completely unsure of what to do at first, but when Lorien introduced her she forced herself to step back up and stand beside him. She looked up at Treebeard's face and found that he had kind eyes and relaxed a little.

"Greetings Master Treebeard. It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard legends of the Ents, but I never thought I would actually meet one."

Treebeard smiled, the bark stretching across his face, “The pleasure is mind.....young master.”

Lorien looked up at Treebeard, “We’re going on a quest, so I’m going to be leaving the forest.”

Treebeard looked down at Lorien, “A quest? Good.....good. It’s about time. You’ve had.....your roots dug deep in the forest.....for far too long.”

Lorien laughed a short laugh, “Ha! You’re one to talk!”

Treebeard laughed a deep slow laugh. “I wish you well....on your journey....young masters.”

Lorien bowed, “Thank you for everything Treebeard.”

With that he started leading Serethiel past Treebeard towards the edge of the forest. In a low voice, Treebeard said as they passed, “Until next we meet.”

OOC-Any thoughts on what should happen next?

OOC - Well we could continue where Serethiel left off on tracking orc movements. Maybe try to pick up some trails and see what they are up to. Or maybe she would like to check up with Aragorn and we can figure something out along those lines?

OOC-Maybe we could do both. What if they spot another group of orcs when they are in Rohan and they track them and see that something is happening at Isengard and then travel to meet Aragorn somewhere Serethiel and he had already discussed meeting?

OOC - That sounds good. For the most part Lorien is going to be following Serthiel since he knows very little of the outside world. I dont mind rping npcs when they come up and maybe pushing story forward a bit where applicable but Lorien is mostly going to be following ur lead

OOC-New thread