Holly had burrowed beneath the pine boughs with Bird, dragging her friend with her beneath the protective tangle of green needles. The Hobbit was on the verge of an ill-timed giggling fit, when Bird punched her in the arm, telling her to be quiet. 'Could anything more go wrong today?' she hissed at Holly.
The Hobbit's face sobered and she ran her hand through her now pitchy curls. 'What are we going to do about that Elf?' she asked Bird. 'We?!' said Bird. 'I distinctly remember it was you with the bow in your hands!'
Holly's face fell, and Bird went on more gently. 'We'll figure something out.' Her eyes sparkled in the leafy green light that filtered through the boughs. 'Though I must say it does seem fitting he should be mistaken for such an ill-tempered creature.'
A muffled voice broke through their reverie. 'Did you say something Bird?' asked Holly. Her friend shook her head in an emphatic 'no'.
'I said - Perhaps you could just apologise to him and offer your services as a healer.' Volondil, his face drawn and pale, had raised himself weakly on one elbow, and now regarded the two women to his right side . . .
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Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.
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