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Old 10-05-2006, 12:06 AM   #214
Brinniel
Reflection of Darkness
 
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Polishing the stars. Well, somebody has to do it; they're looking a little bit dull.
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Brinniel is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.Brinniel is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.Brinniel is a guest of Elrond in Rivendell.
Shae stared back at Lindir, her eyes wide.

He wants me to speak up.

What was she supposed to say? Shae was no public speaker. She spent the years huddled in a corner, keeping to herself was clear evidence of that she never desired attention. But Lindir did not know that. He had only just met her.

The woman eyed the crowd before her. They stared back at her and the strange new company, the expressions on their faces curious and timid. By now they had all given up on any sort of outside help. How was she to tell them that they had been wrong? Shae opened her mouth to speak, but before she could come up with any words, Khamir stepped forward.

The one-armed man stared at the Fellowship, then to the children, and finally to Shae. The expression on his face was more confused than anything.
"Shae....?" he asked, puzzled. "....But how?"
"It doesn't matter how," she answered simply. She glanced back at those behind her. "This is the Fellowship. The aid from Gondor you so quickly gave up on." Then she raised her voice for the other ex-slaves to hear. "They are here to help us. Help us start a new and better life. We are already in their debt, for they have rescued the children that were taken." She pointed at Kwell and Azhar. "And...we should listen to what they have to say."

Had she said enough? Shae glanced back at the elf, who nodded in response. Already, a commotion had begun to spread throughout the crowd of ex-slaves. The young woman could already see that not all were pleased with this new arrival. The Fellowship stepped forward towards the ex-slaves and Shae took initiative to follow, but she was pulled back by Khamir.

"Why did you leave like that?" he asked, furiously, his hand still wrapped around her arm.
"What?" The woman was surprised at the Southron's sudden anger.
"Just answer the question, Shae."
"Those children needed help," she spoke solidly. "And since you weren't about to do anything about it, I decided to accomplish the task alone."
"You shouldn't have gone. That was foolish of you, Shae." His grip on her arm tightened. "You could've been killed. Why didn't you say anything?"
Shae pulled back from Khamir's strong grasp. "I didn't say anything because I knew this exactly how you would react," she replied, angrily. "You really think I'm not strong enough to defend myself? Well look- not only did I kill a man tonight, but I brought back an entire Fellowship! What does it take to convince you that I'm not some....child..." Shae's eye fell onto Khamir's fully packed bag, taking her away from the excitement of the argument. "Were you planning on going somewhere?" she asked.

The one-armed man did not respond. Instead, he bit his lip and stared harshly at the woman. Shae stared back, waiting for an answer. After a moment of glaring, Khamir broke free, and his focus switched to his pack as he began to dig for something inside. When he withdrew his hand, it was fisted, obviously holding something very small. He brought his fist near Shae's face, then opened it, his palm facing up. It took a few seconds for the woman to register what she was seeing.

Joren's necklace.

Carefully, Shae transferred the prized object into her own hands. As she tenderly rubbed the shining emblem with her fingers, she could feel relief flowing though her entire body.
"How....Where did you find this?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
Khamir shrugged. "I don't know....on the ground somewhere. Does it really matter?" He paused. "No one knew where you went. I thought something had happened...I was...." He trailed off.
Shae stared at the Southron curiously, forgetting all previous anger she had towards him. Unable to control all emotions, the woman began to cry, which was soon followed by laughter. Now, with the necklace returned to her, it seemed all previous frustration had been pointless. Before she realized what she was doing, her arms were around the man. Khamir had not expected such a gesture, and feeling his tension Shae quickly released her embrace. Her face grew hot, embarrassed at her careless display of gratitude; Khamir simply gave her a puzzled look.
Shae wiped her tears and put on the necklace. "This may seem like some silly object, but it means a lot to me," she muttered, giving the metal one last touch. "When I thought it lost forever, I didn't know what to do with myself....Thank you."

The sounds behind the two suddenly increased in volume, bringing them both back into the moment. Whatever the Fellowship was saying, it seemed several ex-slaves weren't too happy about it. Khamir turned towards the conflict, but Shae tugged on his arm and he hesitated, slowly turning back to face the woman.
"The slavers have been wary of us," she commented to the Southron. "Upon my departure, I came across one not far from the camp. I managed to kill him, but I am sure there were more nearby. The slavers' are still not aware of the Fellowship's presence. When they rescued the children, they thought it was us who did the noble deed." Shae lowered her voice. "You know what this means. It won't be long before the slavers arrive, ready to slaughter whoever stands in their way."

Last edited by Brinniel; 10-06-2006 at 05:27 AM.
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