Blood Thorns

Disclaimer: I own the hideous mini-Koi, a possible spy, two bags of chocolate chip cookies and JRR owns the good stuff!!

A/N:
“This is regular speech”
**This in mind speech**
‘’This is visions’’
“”This is thoughts “”
This is Kestrel’s written speech.

To my Lovely Readers and Reviewers: THANK YOU!!

Healthy Dose of Mischief !!


Kestrel came awake slowly. She closed her eyes and stretched her body like a sleepy kitten, all arms and legs with an arch in her back. She did not bother to open her eyes again, as she had memorized the interior of her room and it was the same dull boring gray it had been since she got there. Snuggling back under her covers for a few more minutes of relaxation, Kestrel let her mind drift haphazardly as she did most mornings when she awoke. Hoping for even a glimmer of her lost memories, yet receiving none, the elleth frowned in disgust. Figuring she would not get much information from her reclusive brain, the elleth let her mind focus on the strange visitation of the night before. Kestrel was not sure if she should feel upset or overjoyed that someone had finally found out her closely guarded secret, but at least now she knew she would probably have a small supply of paper, quills and ink to write down or draw what she could remember from her dreams. As for the rude, mostly silent warrior, her emotions became rather confused when she thought about that deranged ellon!

On one hand the golden haired ellon made her extremely nervous with his calm silences and intense gaze. On the other hand, he had show at least some compassion towards her situation and did not try to brow beat her into revealing all about herself; though she had come to the realization that he had tricked her somehow and knew more then he was telling. She was sure the ellon was much, much older then she had first thought, but the hints of amusement in his eyes gave him a look of a mischievous elfling. Kestrel had no doubt about the ellon’s abilities as a warrior, for she had watched him closely and he moved with a lithe, confident stride that bordered on arrogance.

The two daggers on his belt were worn with use, but well balanced and meticulously cared for. There was a minute bulge in his right boot as well and Kestrel would bet her life that another dagger lay secreted there. The warrior was more of a swordsman then archer, judging from the calluses on his hands. His body was strong, lithe and muscular, but still graceful and well made. The elleth cursed herself silently as she blushed. The thought of the golden haired elf’s very masculine form teased her vivid imagination. Though the warrior’s frame caught the attention at first glance, it was the piercing blue eyes, the color of an autumn sky that held you mesmerized by their color and intensity. The ellon’s intelligence shone clear, as well as the anger, sadness, caring or humor that filtered through the blue depths depending on his moods. The prisoner decided to keep a very sharp watch on the warrior next time he visited, as there was more to this elf then he was showing. When her mind refused to concentrate, due to the picture of the handsome ellon that sat firmly in her mind, Kestrel let out a breathy huff and dragged the pillow over her face to hide the blush that crossed her cheeks and ran up to the tips of her ears.

A soft masculine chuckle echoed around the room. The musical sound made Kestrel groan silently in embarrassment. How this elf could keep sneaking into her rooms, without waking her, the elleth could not comprehend. Lifting the pillow a tiny bit, the prisoner took stock of her surroundings and the amused ellon sitting on her rug by the fire. The twinkle in his eyes and the small smirk on his lips made the elleth act rashly. Hand still on the pillow, Kestrel grasped it tight and lobbed it directly into Glorfindel’s face. The warrior’s shocked expression dissolved the female into a helpless pile of silent giggles as the pillow found its mark. Merriment danced in her mischievous brown eyes as she watched him come to terms with her unexpected attack. Diving back under the safety of her covers, Kestrel just missed the sharply thrown pillow that the smug elf returned in kind. Sliding out from under the blankets again, Kestrel stared at the warrior with laughter sparkling in her eyes that brought out the yellow-gold highlight in the deep brown orbs. The smiling female then quirked her eyebrow at the smirking ellon, before she slapped her hands over her eyes and then pointed at him. It took two tries before the warrior understood what she was asking, but as soon as he realized, the seneschal complied with her insistent demands.

Glorfindel watched the elleth closely in her slumber. He was glad that night terrors were not bothering the female this morning He had cheerfully gathered quills, paper and ink from Erestor’s vast supply and made his way down the halls to the elleth’s room as soon as the morning meal was over. Erestor had stumbled into the dining hall for the morning meal, glared at Glorfindel and then ate silently; as he ignored the seneschal with great deliberateness. The golden haired warrior had found this highly amusing and he started his day off in a light hearted mood. Now that the ellon had uncovered the prisoner’s communication problem, the seneschal hoped to learn more about the unusual creature that inhabited the gray room. Some of her refusal he knew was because of the small female’s inability to speak, but he suspected more of it was from sheer mule-headedness!

Glorfindel grinned as he watched the elleth stretch; her eyes closed tight and a deep arch to her back. She then cuddled back under the blanket still completely unaware of his perusal. The elleth’s brow furrowed after a few minutes, as if her thoughts had turned unpleasant. The seneschal was intrigued by her slight blush, but when she turned a deep red all the way to her ear tips, Glorfindel was dying of curiosity! When the small elleth buried her head under the pillow with a huff of air to hide the blush, even though she thought herself alone in the room, the seneschal just had to laugh. Instead of jumping up in fright, the female just peeked out with wide curious eyes. After scanning the room she brought her honey brown eyes back to him and did something quite unexpected. She threw a pillow at him with a deadly accuracy that the shocked warrior could not help but admire; that of course, did not save Kestrel from the swift instinctive retaliation of the golden haired ellon.

Seeing her eyes dance with mischief and laughter Glorfindel congratulated himself on his lack of self control where the pillow was concerned. When she suddenly slapped her hands over her eyes and then pointed at him, Glorfindel frowned in confusion. When she did it for a second time, the light of awareness blossomed and the warrior grinned. Clapping his hands over his eyes and turning his head away from the elleth, the seneschal heard the ruffled female make a mad scramble for the partition that served her as a dressing area. The wild rustling of fabric told Glorfindel that the female was hurrying out of her sleeping gown and into proper clothing at an alarming rate of speed. Truthfully, the blond haired warrior figured it took a half hour minimum for all females to change into even the simplest of outfits and hours depending on just how elaborate the festive and formal attire became. The ellon was concentrating so hard on his thoughts, that the elf nearly jumped out of his skin when, not five minutes after her race to the dressing area, Kestrel shyly tapped him on the shoulder.

Seeing the elleth’s suddenly frightened, troubled eyes and wary demeanor, as she slowly backed away from him with her hand still outstretched, Glorfindel sighed. He stopped the elleth’s retreat by grasping her outstretched hand in his own and tugging her gently back towards him. “I am sorry that I frightened you, small one, but you gave me a start as well! I have never known a female could dress so fast, so I was deep in thought when you touched my shoulder,” tilting his head to the side to peer up at her, “Will you forgive me for scaring you, sweet one?” Watching emotions play across her face and slide through her expressive eyes at his question, Glorfindel hoped the small amount of trust that he had built with the small female would not be harmed by his adverse reaction to her touch. After a few seconds of deep thought, the elleth nodded to the warrior; effectively forgiving him, if a bit hesitantly. Relieved at her acceptance of his apology, the seneschal gave the female in front of him a happy smile. The flustered look that came to her eyes made Glorfindel’s smile even brighter.

The blinding smile that the seneschal gave Kestrel, made the elleth’s breathe catch in her throat. The damn warrior’s smile was beautiful beyond words. The smile lit up, not only the ellon’s face, but his sea blue eyes as well. Swallowing hard, Kestrel tried to ignore the heat that curled unexpectedly in her stomach. Her reaction to the elf was unacceptable to her mind, but her traitorous body and scattered emotions were willing to sacrifice her pride on the alter of lust and only sheer willpower kept her from doing anything truly embarrassing; like drooling over him openly. Unsure of how to behave towards the ellon, with the strange new emotions rolling around inside of her, the elleth took stock of her options and decided to act as if she was not affected by him in the least. Thankfully, the female could not see the telltale blush that covered her cheeks or the confused awareness that was reflected in her eyes.

Knowing she was going to be questioned again about herself, Kestrel made the decision to find out exactly where she was and how she got there. If the blond haired ellon refused to answer her questions, then he would not receive any answers from her!! Sitting down gingerly near the warrior, Kestrel went to reach for the quills and ink that were beside the hearth next to the ellon. It shocked her to realize that her hand was still trapped in his much larger one and she blushed profusely as she tugged free. Not meeting his gently laughing gaze, the elleth sighed silently at her inattention to important details like her hand being held, and proceeded to gather all the writing supplies close to her. Laying a piece of paper on her lap, the female began to write.

Scribble Scribble

Glorfindel watched in fascination as a line of concentration formed in the middle of her forehead. Looking at her, the warrior was amazed at how much her actions mirrored Erestor when he was in full work mode. The fleeting thought, that she might be a scribe, was interrupted by the paper being rudely and arrogantly pushed under his nose. Quickly scanning the words, the seneschal could not help the mirth that threatened to boil over at the demanding way she had addressed the issue. She had a sharp mind under that soft exterior and Glorfindel scolded himself for forgetting that little important tidbit of information.

“So you wish to know how you came to be here and where here is?” he said out loud with a voice like warm sweet cream, smooth and inviting.

The curt nod of her head and a pair of steely eyes was his answer. She chose to ignore the shiver his voice produced.

“Here is Imladris or Rivendell, if you prefer.”

A puzzled frown caressed her brow as the elleth tried to figure out if she knew either of those names. When she could not place them, she stabbed her finger at the next question on the list.

“Oh, so I am supposed to answer all your questions, am I? No, I think not sweet one, I will have one of my own questions answered before another of yours. What business brought you to Imladris and without an escort?”

Furrowing her brow once more, Kestrel racked her memory for a glimmer of why she had come to this place and why she would travel alone, as that was a very dangerous thing to do. A hazy picture came to her. It was of three elves clothed in brown and green. The faces were obscured from recognition, but she felt she knew them well. Grabbing another paper she began to write: I know not why I am here in your Imladris, but I think there were three others. I can not be certain of whom they were as the memory is hazy at best. Now answer my next question, warrior!

Glorfindel read her comment and quirked an eyebrow at the elleth’s audacity to demand another answer. Her words made him ponder whether she had injured her head before reaching the borders of Imladris. That could certainly be one explanation of why she was unsure of whom she traveled with. Filing that information away to ruminate on later, Glorfindel read her next question and burst out laughing. It took a few minutes to gather his control back and answer her.

“The thoroughly objectionable mirrors are the son’s of Lord Elrond, ruler of the realm of Imladris. The oldest twin, by mere minutes, is Elladan and the younger is Elrohir. They are quite vexed by your refusal to answer their questions. I have shared what I have learned of your inability to speak aloud and they have decided to leave your questioning to me. I do not believe Elladan has the patience to deal with such a stubborn creature as yourself. Now it is time to answer one of mine! Where do you hail from, young one?”

The look that swept through Kestrel’s expressive eyes was at once horrified and wistful. Reaching for the charcoal and another piece of paper, the Elleth began swift strokes upon the paper before handing the quickly drawn picture to the warrior. Staring at the picture she handed him, confused him greatly. The scene was of massive trees and a fire ring with figures in motion. For being so quickly drawn, the picture was very detailed; the most surprising detail being the arm and hand that reached out from a hidden form, down towards the bottom of the page. Glancing at the elleth’s small hand, that was clenching the charcoal tightly, the warrior puzzled over the drawing. Glorfindel knew for certain the hand definitely did not belong to the small female, yet there were similar markings on the more masculine arm that was depicted in the scene she drew.

About to make a comment on the arm markings in the drawing, Glorfindel was rudely interrupted by the door swinging open to admit Erestor into the room. “Ah Erestor, so nice of you to join us on this lovely day of demanding questions and evasive answers! May I present to you Kestrel from the land drawn here in this intriguing picture. Kestrel may I introduce to you my dear friend Erestor who has delightfully agreed to help me interrogate you.” The dark haired elf and the mute prisoner shared a brief searching look before they rolled their eyes in complete understanding and turned back to face the annoyingly chipper blond haired warrior.