Behind Your Shell

Chapter 2: Arrows

The four warriors ran as fast as they could, they knew they were being tracked and they needed to make it to the Great river. Their trackers were not too far behind, only about hundred meters or less.

" They are getting closer. We must hurry!" Jasper called out to everyone. They all seemed to pick up there pace as they saw the end of Mirkwood forest. Just beyond there would be the Great river. The white haired woman pulled her bow down and strung an arrow to it. She jumped and twisted her body to face backwards. Within two second she had aimed her arrow and released it. It went flying through the air towards a blond hair elf. He easily deflected it with his sword and continued after them. The woman twisted back and continued to run as fast as she could.

" That elf must be good if he can deflect your arrow." Kevin shouted as he ran just behind her.

" I don't want to have to fight him." He said.

" Kevin! Shut up!" Jasper told him as the finally came within meters of the edge of Mirkwood forest. But they can to a skidding halt when an elf jumped down from a tree and into the path. The woman took out her sword and began to fight him. She kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying back.

" Stop!" A male voice called out. The woman looked behind her to see her comrade on their knees with arrows at their heads.

" Don't try anything, or they will die." The male said, he was clearly in charge of the group. He had long blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen.

" Kill them, they mean nothing." She spat to him. She sheathed her sword and turned her back on them, walking away slowly.

" Wait!" He called again. The woman turned around and looked to him.

" What?" She asked him.

" You do not care for your friends?" He asked her. The woman turned completely around and looked to him. She sighed.

" Friends? The last time I had 'friends' they all died." She growled to him stepping forward. Some of the elves with loaded bows aimed at her as she made her way towards the man. He was taller than her but he was still unfazed by her strong hard glare. They both felt a strong pull between them as they edge closer. But paying no attention to it, they continued to glare at each other.

" You will come with me, Frost." He called her. The woman looked down to the ground.

" Bad move, if I were you. I would step back." Dan said to him. He fused his eyes brows in confusion.

" Do not ever! Call me Frost." She cried as she unsheathed her sword and swung it at his head. The man ducked out of its path just in time.

" My Lord Legolas!" An elf cried as he went to help him. Legolas dodged yet another swing of her shining silver blade. Her sword sliced through the air with ease. Several elves went to grab a hold of her when an arrow flow through the air. It landed in the silver haired woman's right upper arm. The force of it cause her to fly side ways on her to ground. She yelled out in pain.

" Anna!" Jasper cried as he pulled out of an elves grip and made his way towards the woman. She rolled on the ground in pain. As he made it to her side, a group of Orcs jumped out from behind trees and attacked them. Jasper paid no attention to them as everyone else began to fight the Orcs. Jasper placed a hand on the arrow and looked to her face.

" This will hurt." He whispered, she looked to him.

" Just do it!" She gritted in pain. Jasper nodded and pulled the arrow from her arm. He then applied pressure to the opening to stem the blood. He used a free hand to rip a bit of his clothing off and tie it around her wound.

" It stings." She told him as he placed a bloody hand on her cheek. He looked at her pale face with sadness. Her silver eyes looked to him and pleaded for help.

" Don't worry, you will be alright." Jasper whispered to her as he put her good arm around his neck. He placed on hand under her knees and one on her back. He then lifted her up into his arms. Legolas jogged over to them breathing heavily.

" Follow me, I can help." He said to Jasper.

" No." Jasper replied. Legolas looked to him with heist in his eyes.

" You stand a better chance if you come with me." Legolas told him. Jasper frowned an nodded. He did not like the idea of trusting this elf, but he had no choice. Jasper followed Legolas along with the other elves along with Kevin and Dan. They fought off several Orcs as they ran through the forest towards the palace. It would be a good two days before they would reach the palace.

They had out ran the Orcs and the sun had now set, so they made up camp with a small fire. Anna was laying on a blanket with her eyes closed. Her face scrunched up in pain as she beaded with sweat. Her breathing was heavy, unable to calm her heart beat. Her skin was now paler than ever before.

" How is she?" Legolas asked Jasper as he sat down on her left hand side. The orange light of the fire made the beaded of sweat shine in the dark.

" Not good, she is slowly getting worse. There must have been poison on the arrow head." He said as he picked her right arm up and showed Legolas the wound. Black lines that looked like veins had formed around the wound, spreading out.

" We will get her back to the palace and the healers will help her." Legolas said as he looked to Jasper.

" If you do not mind me asking, why id it that three men follow a she-elf?" Legolas asked him. Jasper looked down at her softly.

" We all owe her our lives in some way. Take me for example, when I was a boy. I was abandoned by my parents, I was hours from death of starvation and hypothermia. But she found me." He told him.

" She took me to a small house where two other boys around my age were. She looked after us, fed us, trained us to fight. She became almost that of a mother to us."  Jasper closed his eyes and smiled at the memories. 

" That must not have been to long ago. You look still young." Legolas asked him. Jasper shook his head.

" It was only about 15 years ago. My age is 25." Jasper informed him.

" Go and eat. I will watch her." He said. Jasper nodded and stood up. Legolas looked down to the woman below him. He reached over and took the small bucket of cold water and placed it next to his thigh. He dipped a piece of clothe into the cool liquid and ringed it out. He folded it up and dabbed her head, to try to cool her fever down. Her face softened out slightly as he did.