Truth Be Known

His eyes darted to the thicket of bush ahead. That sound, there it was again! A grunt or was it a moan? Astaldo hid behind the oak tree and quietly reached behind for an arrow. Slotting it in his fingers and lining it up, he crept over the soft carpet of leaves beneath his feet.

Silence...all was quiet now.

Beads of sweat formed on his brow and his fingers felt slippery on the arrow. Another sound- this time to the right. Quickly he turned but saw nothing. Raising his head, he scanned the canopy above for spiders. Mirkwood had some hidious creatures and he had no wish to see any of them.


Nothing.


His hand now ached with the tension in the bow. Again he crept forward to the bush and aiming right through it- he peered over.


Nothing.


Releasing his tight grip on the arrow, he lowered his bow so he could search the forest floor. Something or someone had been there alright. A few drops of blood and then it trailed off into the undergrowth. Whatever it was, it was most certainly injured, and would not get far undetected. Then, he heard it...a groan- sounding more human than animal. He made his way into the undergrowth. The trail stopped a little way ahead and cautiously he approached the bush. Aiming his arrow again, he ducked low, the tip of the arrow first to venture around the shrub. Slowly he peered around, and he was shocked to discover an elf, dressed in Mirkwood colours, face down in a small pool of blood.

Putting his arrow back in the quiver, and slinging his bow over his shoulder, he reached in and carefully turned the elf over. Lavishla was before him, her face muddied and her eyes shut. A dark stain was on her tunic, just below her ribcage and the cloth was torn in several places.

"Lavishla!" Astaldo called frantically. "It's me Astaldo, can you hear me? Speak to me Lavishla!"

Weakly her eyes fluttered opened for a second before she passed out again.

"I'm going to get you back, stay with me Lavishla...please." His voice was determined as adrenaline coursed through his veins, taking away the initial shock he had felt on discovering her.

Carefully he slid her out to where he could stand up, and then gently as he could, he picked her up, his arms under her neck and legs as he cradled her to his body. Her hair was matted with leaves and dirt, her face scratched and very white. Her lips were pale too but he could feel a faint heart beat against his chest. She needed help urgently.

Heading back to Villia's place, he half ran, his body pumped and energized enough to carry her through the forest at some speed. Lavishla's head hung back over his arm and she did not move. Even her groans had stopped. 'Not a good sign' he thought.

There was his mother's house in the distance. Not far to go.

"Mother!" He yelled. He knew she would be home at this time of the day. The sun just shone through the trees, telling him it was mid afternoon.

"Mother, quick, Lavishla's hurt!" He was panting with the effort now.

Villia appeared at her doorway, then rushed down the tree, telling Astaldo to place her down on the ground.

"What on earth has happened?"

"I found her like this in the forest. I don't know what has attacked her." His breath came out in short gasps.

"Hopefully she can be saved, her heart is still beating but only just. Let's get her inside."

After much effort, they had her on a bed in Villia's house. Carefully she inspected Lavishla's wound.

"The wound does not seem that bad, it looks like a bite...perhaps she has been poisoned." Villia unbuckled the leather belt and quiver strap. Then she opened up her tunic and the shirt underneath. There were two large puncture wounds in her skin- down below the ribs. the area around it was dark, like a bruise and darkened whilst they watched. There was little blood, which surprised Astaldo as he told his mother of the blood trail and pool of it in the bush. Villia then checked her head, finding a huge gash behind the ear- now clotted with dry blood.

"This is where the blood is from- head wounds bleed freely for some time. We must work fast Astaldo, this is the result of a fight with a Mirkwood spider. Please get me some hot water...it's just boiled and bring my tin of healing herbs from the cupboard."

Astaldo did as he was asked, his hands trembling, his mind shocked. Villia checked Lavishla's pulse again. She felt the beats but her breathing was very shallow and her lips changing to a slight tinge of blue. Astaldo was back with a bowl filled with hot water and the herbs. Villia pulled them all out looking for a particular one. Finding the root, she steeped it in the hot water and watched as it steamed up and a pungent aroma filled the room.

"We're losing her mother!" Astaldo bent to feel her breath on his cheek...no longer could he. Villia got a cloth and soaked it in the bowl, as the water turned a murky brown. She folded it and placed it over the puncture wound. Small trickles of water rolled down Lavishla's stomach as the powerful herb began to work- drawing the poison back out. As she applied the compress again and again, the concoction was even stronger. The bruise slowly shrank up as the poison was removed. Astaldo put his lips to hers and blew air into her lungs, watching her chest rise. He waited and then repeated this several times until she began to breath on her own.

"She's breathing!"

Villia smiled, "We have got her in time."

The bruise had nearly gone and she wringed the cloth out again, folded it and replaced it on the wound, wrapping Lavishla's shirt back around her. She now cleaned the dried blood from behind her ear and checked the gash.

"It is too wide and shallow to stitch. I will just cover it instead." She cleaned it thoroughly and then placed a different cloth over it and bandaged her head. Lavishla groaned now, colour had returned to her face. Villia went to the kitchen and made a special brew for her to drink.

"Astaldo, hold her head up, she needs to drink."

Cradling her head, Astaldo supported her neck and shoulders as Villia tipped the brew into her parted lips. Lavishla coughed and spluttered, most of it going over herself. Villia tried again.

"You must swallow, do you hear me Lavishla?" this time Lavishla awoke enough to drink it down. Astaldo lay her head back on the pillow.

"Now what?"

"She must rest but I will stay beside her. I don't want her to move much as any remaining poison will circulate through her. I want to draw it all while she's only semi- conscious."

"I should go get Legolas, he was very much taken with her last night. He needs to know, incase..."

"Shh, give her some time to recover Astaldo. She should be fine." Villia thought she could do without a worked up Prince of Mirkwood around her, but it would be crazy to deny him if he had feelings for the elf. "Yes of course he must know...I just have to keep her calm."

Astaldo took one last look at her slumbering form and raced off to the palace with the awful news.

Villia stroked Lavishla's forehead as she tossed her head about, mumbling strange words in a language Villia understood all too well.


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"Really?" Narninium was saying, as Harmony retold her Legolas' story of his present of the ring from Lavishla. "I would surely love to see that ring." She said, her voice slightly bitter. Although she had worked things out with Astaldo, she couldn't completely hide her feelings for Legolas.

"Well I just saw it I tell you. He was bathing and spinning the thing around and around...it really is beautiful. Are you okay Narninium?"

"Yes, yes. A little tired today, you know, up all night partying and all."

"When will you see Astaldo again?"

"We have to go back to searching for Thalia tomorrow I think- so I suppose it will be then."

Ah yes, Astaldo. His silver eyes filled her mind and his lucious lips made her lower body hum to a glorious tune. Harmony squeezed her hand and said, "Come, lets go outside and see if they need help cleaning up. I want to spend some time with you before my father whisks you away." Narninium blushed at that remark and they made their way downstairs.


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Legolas dressed and braided his hair before heading out to the gardens. The air was getting cooler but the sun was shining and it was a glorious day. He wandered far over to the corner of garden and lay down on the grass beneath the beech trees...quickly falling into a deep sleep.

Astaldo ran into the royal gardens, his body aching from all the effort, but this did not slow him down.

To his surprise, Harmony and Narninium were arm in arm, strolling around admiring the flowers. They both stopped and faced him, surprised themselves of course to see him, but his body language shocked them more so.

"What is it Astaldo?" Harmony said instantly, seeing his distressed face.

"Legolas, where is he? It's Lavishla, she's been poisoned- I must find him!"

Narninium stared in shock at him. Her jealous thoughts of Legolas and Lavishla vanished and were quickly replaced by guilt.

"Oh that's awful. He was bathing, wasn't he Harmony?" She clasped Astaldo's hands in hers.

"He will be finished by now and probably in his chambers asleep. Oh, will she be alright? What happened to her?"

"I don't have time to explain, I want to find him now, incase she doesn't ...recover." Astaldo gave Narninium a quick hug and ran on up to the palace. They both went and sat by the fountain and Narninium began to cry.

"She might be alright Narninium. You haven't met her yet, why are you so upset?"

"Oh, I feel terrible Harmony. When you told me about the ring she gave Legolas this morning, I felt quite jealous but I didn't want to tell you." Her head hung in shame.

"You, jealous...but why? I don't understand. You have Astaldo, why would you be jealous?"

Narninium sniffed, "I'm sorry Harmony, but I have feelings for your brother too and now I feel bad about Lavishla."

Harmony put her arms around her new friend's shoulders. "Oookay, I see. Does Legolas know about this?"

Narninium nodded. "We both felt something for each other last night, but we got past that. Then he said about Lavishla and Astaldo, and I was angry then and wanted Legolas instead. Then you and Tinet came along and everything got sorted out between us." She looked up- "Over there, under the beech trees, it was very romantic."

"I'm pleased for you Narninium. Lots of elf maidens have feelings for my brother, I understand. But Astaldo is wonderful and he's so fond of you too. You don't want to lose him do you?"

"Of course not. Not after the time we shared together..." Her voice trailed off as she looked once more to the grove of trees, a smile on her lips. "He's a very good kisser you know......Harmony! I can see Legolas!" She jumped up and ran towards the trees, Harmony right behind her.