Killing Beauty

Lady Melann had not meant for Kalan to ever master her horsemen, but with Inda dead at Ashva's hands and As'pa missing for these months, no doubt slain by his intended prey, she had no choice but to promote her son's lover. And she was certain he would not fail her, not with the cold rage that burned in his breast. As beautiful as he was evil, almost a twin to As'pa, he kept council with no one but himself. When he did allow his eyes to meet hers, it was like looking into a bottomless pit of hate. Kalan would not be bringing anyone back to her, although if she did have a taste for elven hearts, he would make sure she had one. No fool he. If he even saw the elf, he would kill him. No mind games, no preening of feathers, just quick and leathal. As'pa had probably tried to match wits with the elf. Kalan had no patience for games.
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Haldir and his brothers arrived at the ferry crossing and paused to consider how they were going to cross the river. He had warned them about the people who used the ferry and contemplated swimming the horses, but Orophin pointed out that they would go downstream faster than across if they tried to swim.

"And Rumil is wearing new boots," he added for good measure.

"Indeed, brother," Rumil said and raised his right foot. "And you know how uncomforatble it is to get water in your boots."

Haldir almost smiled. "I think we are persuading him," Orophin opined hopefully, really not looking forward to a swim across the river. It could certainly be done, but Haldir would probably want them to immediately spring into the saddle and be away with wet boots and leggings sticking to their skin. And they would end up smelling like wild water and no telling what else, not to mention the chafed skin. "If we swim the river, I plan on sleeping by you," he half threatened his brother.

Now Haldir smiled."I did not know my brothers were so delicate," he teased and dismounted from his horse.

"Only Orophin," Rumil spoke up as Orophin dismounted as well. "I will gladly swim the river with you, as long as Orophin takes my boots with him."

Haldir pretended to ignore them as he paid the old man the price of the crossing. He was certain the man recognized him, but he wisely said nothing as an ox cart with several young maidens arrived. Though hardly delicate flowers withering on the vine, they certainly were pleasant enough for Orophin and Rumil to notice. Haldir pretended to ignore their interest as he moved his horse to the front of the ferry. They smiled at the women and then joined their bother at the front of the ferry.

"It is a shame that we can not tary any longer," Orophin commented as the ferry started moving.

"Perhaps when we return you can sample the maids along the way," Haldir responded dryly.

"Orophin is not interested in the maids," Rumil countered. "He is interested only in the experienced ones."

"I'm certain they will not disappear either before we return home," Haldir answered back.
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Etta looked out the window at the falling snow and wondered how Ashva could possibly think this was lifting. And the cold was so biting that the fire in the hearth did little more than heat their food and shed some light on their surroundings. Wrapped in her heavy fur coat, Ashva was running her whetstone over the elven knife that Haldir's brother had given her. It was a beautiful blade with an ornate wooden grip, and it was obvious that it meant a lot to her.

"You'll rub the edge off it," Etta commented just to have some sort of sound in the cabin.

Ashva looked up and smiled. "Keeping a sharp edge does not hurt it," she replied. "It's the only thing I took from Lothlorien. I wish I had taken something else."

"I bet," Etta laughed. "I'm going stir crazy. I think I'll take a short walk outside. Want to go with me? Maybe we can see how our horses are doing. I know that one of yours is bored."

"Maybe a short ways," Ashva said and got up from her bunk, returning the blade to its sheath on her belt. The wolves were already outside, but she never worried about them. If it got too cold for them, they just curled up against each other and let the snow bury them until they were ready to come up for air.

Although it was still snowing, there was no wind, which made walking in it less difficult, and both women knew the mountain they were on so well that getting lost was unthinkable. and if they did get lost, they knew enough to hunker down until things let up and they could return to camp.

Sucking in the cold clean air, Ashva found a place where she could look out over the valley below them and stopped. She was at the top of the world with eternity in front of her. Etta stood beside her smiling. "It's grand," she said with an approving nod.

"I hate to say it, but this is why I left him," Ashva confessed in awe of the majesty around her.

Etta looked up at her and chuckled. "You left a warm safe bed for this?"

"I slept some nights alone," Ashva replied wistfully. "Those were the nights I thought about the mountains."

"I bet you never sleep alone again," Etta laughed.

"I don't know how it will be when I go back in the spring," Ashva said, her one big fear being that he wouldn't let her return."

They both stopped talking and let their eyes drink in the valley below. It was so peaceful. It was so peaceful that Ashva was certain she heard something growling behind them. Etta heard it too and looked at her with real worry in her eyes. She didn't have a weapon. Ashva eased the elven blade out of its scabbard as the growling grew louder. Slowly turning and moving at an angle up and away from the noise, Ashva waved Etta after her. The growl got louder as an enormous mountain tiger padded out of the forest and crouched hissing at them. The enormous cat was beautiful, solid white with canines the length of a man's hand. Ashva's heart leaped in her throat as the cat switched its tail and continued approaching them.

"Etta, it's going to attack," Ashva whispered fearfully. "When it does run back and get Atluf and the others. And hurry, please!"

"I'm not going to leave you," Etta whispered tersely.

"Then we'll both die," Ashva warned her. "Please do as I say."

Etta had no choice but to obey. When the cat made its lunge, she turned and ran as fast as she could through the deep snow yelling for Atluf to get his bow. Too afraid to look around, she heard the cat scream in pain and rage as the elven knife found a vulnerable spot. She also heard Ashva grunt like the wind had been knocked out of her.
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Atluf and the other hunters hurried towards the screams, their bows at ready. The great cat was soaked in blood, either its own or Ashvas, but they didn't waste any time pondering it. The great cat snarled and jerked as the arrows struck it repeatedly. When the cat turned on the men, Etta ran in and grabbed AShva by the shoulders and and pulled her away. She was seriously hurt but still game. Clinging to her friend, she stumbled towards the men who were reaching out to help her. Perhaps sensing she was now safe, she collapsed in the red snow.

Atluf backed away from the cat first to see about Ashva. She was deathly pale. Giving his bow to Etta, he picked her and carried her back to the hut, where he and Etta could tend to her wounds. The men behind him were already dressing out the great cat. Either Ashva lived or she died, it made no difference in the greater scheme of things, but the white tiger was worth a lot of money.

Etta removed Ashva's coat and was horrified at the amount of blood underneath it. The cat had literally taken her shoulder into his mouth and bitten down. Their were teeth marks across her back, arm and breast, deep and bloody.

"We need to get her into the valley," Etta said nervously. "I can maybe stop the bleeding, but I don't know." Looking frantically at Atluf, she repeated, "We've got to get her off the mountain. It's too cold up here for her to be hurt like this."

"Bandage her up as best you can. I'll go make a drag."

Etta bobbed her head in agreement and then said, "Hang in there, Ashva, hold on." There was more damage than just the bite on her shoulder, but that was certainly the bloodiest mess. Finding rags to make bandages out of, she wrapped Ashva's wounds as tight as she could then dressed her as warm as she could. With so much blood loss, Ashva was going to be very cold.

A few minutes later Atluf was back with the white faced stallion pulling a drag. He and Etta threw everything of warmth that they had on the drag and then laid her on it. She was wrapped in her fur, but Etta grabbed another blanket and placed it over her. Seeing the soft leathers on the table, she rolled them together and placed them under her head.

"It'll take us two days to get down the mountain," Atluf said. "Run get my bow then follow. you won't be able to miss the trail.
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Haldir couldn't believe Wolf's Lair could look any more isolated than it was, but without the hunters there to liven up the place, it was almost morose. Mug even seemed grateful to have their company and actually managed to find some wine for Rumil and Orophin, but Haldir didn't want anything except directions to the camp where Ashva was staying.

"She's on top of the mountain," Mug explained sympathetically. "And it's been snowing."

"Snow does not bother me," Haldir replied as his brothers drank their wine and watched him with compassion in their eyes. He didn't know if his nerves were on edge because of what he knew or what he feared. He was being twisted up inside and didn't understand it.

"AS that may be, I doubt even you could find the north camp in this weather," Mugs answered. "They're buried in, I tell you."

Frustrated beyond endurance, Haldir rubbed his hands together and asked, "When do you think they will not be buried in?"

"Can't say. Mountain storms are funny things."

"Get my brother some wine," Orophin said and paid for their drinks. "Come Haldir, let's sit."

Haldir looked at him and then pointed his finger at the door and said, "She is within walking distance and I can't find her."

Orophin set Haldir's cup on a table nearest the bar and said, "Sit. Raging at the wind will do you no good."

Haldir, not interested in his brother's logic, glared at him a moment and then sat down. Orophin was right, raging at the wind did no one any good.
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Atluf and Etta were afraid to stop until they were forced to do so by the encroachment of the night. And the cold was biting through Ashva's coat chilling her skin and turning her llips pale. Etta tried to wrap herself around her friend, but it took the two of them to shed what little warmth they had on her. When their own bodies screamed in pain, Etta and Atluf rose and continued down the mountain.
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Haldir refused to rest. All night long he stared up at the great mountain, while Orophin and Rumil tried to get him to at least glare at it from a warm room. In the faint gray light of dawn he thought he saw something. Narrowing his eyes, he recognized the stallion with the white face and the two humans leading it.

"Orophin, Rumil," he hissed and took off running.

"It's the stallion," Rumil said and sprinted after his brother.

Haldir's heart was in his throat when he arrived at the drag and saw Ashva lying on it. "What happened?" he asked Etta and Atluf, who were almost beyond their powers of endurance.

"Mountain tiger," Etta answered wearily.
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Haldir could not believe the extent of her injuries as he and Etta undressed her to examine them. And she was so cold her skin looked blue. But the cold had stopped the bleeding. Dressing her injuries with clean bandages and what healing herbs he and his brothers had brought along, he then wrapped her warmly in everything he could find.

Atluf, who was standing back with his brothers, looked lost. Approaching the man, looking for the right words to say, Haldir said, "It is clear you still love her, and for that I am grateful, you......" How did someone say thank-you to a rival, a rival who had just saved her life. "Thank-you."

Atluf bobbed his head and said, "You are most welcome."

Haldir sniffed and then turned to his brothers, saying, "Take Atluf and Etta downstairs. Buy them food and drink, and a bed if need be."

The brothers inclined their heads and then turned to the two humans. "It is the least we can do," Orophin said kindly. "A warm fire and warm food."

Haldir waited until they were out of room, and then he removed his tunic, boots and leggings. Sliding under the covers with Ashva, he pulled her as close to his body as he could. He had to wrap her in his warmth or risk losing her to the cold that buried itself in the bones. She was not elven enough to avoid it, and he did not know what else to do. She was so cold.