Fiction: A Simple Quest

For Rachel's Tolkien Blog Party, she devised a Roll Your Own Middle-Earth Adventure Party Game where you use a six-sided dice or an online number generator to get numbers that corresponds to a statement and then you put together a tale. If you like to play go here.
    I had put together the results but I decided to write a long version using Words for Wednesday's prompts which for this month are provided by David M. Gascoigne and hosted at Elephant's Child's blog over here. This week's words are illustrator, judgement, insignificant, friend, creative, married and/or, myriad, quilt, product, lip-service, assemble, bask.  I didn't use illustrator, product, lip-service or creative.

I used random generator and the results are these:
You - #4 - Men
Your Quest - #3 - To find your family's lost heirlooms
Your Companions -  #1 - Aragorn, Legolas and Gimili
Your Adversary -  #6 - Shelob
The Outcome - #5 - You succeed, but just barely, and spend the trip home debating whether it was all worthwhile.

Fiction: A Simple Quest
"Bask, I am a simple man but sometimes I wish I could go on an adventure or two," said my friend Myriad but those might also be my thoughts exactly with one word different. Assembled there like a group of tired wanderers, Myriad, myself, Chase, Ranger and Nippip, sat around the table at the local pub after a long day of work.
    Never did I think I would have an adventure of my own but last week changed that. Last week, my father left this world. But he also left a bequest to find our family's lost heirloom but he did not specify what that was, only that we would know it when we see it. This bequest would have fallen to my elder brother but he had a limp and could not travel far and aside from that, there were his six young children, his wife, and an elderly mother-in-law to think of while I was untethered. At twenty, I was still considered a young lad with my round and youthful face.
     I was ecstatic about going on an adventure and yet, I did not know if I want to go alone or with others. I told my friends of my quest. They placed no judgement on me. They too, were insignificant, mild folks, who never never took journeys nor did anything dangerous. We lived each day as ordinarily as possible though why we thought ordinariness was a good thing, we did not know. Our imaginations rarely led us astray. Of the five of us, only Nippip had any type of adventure three years ago. A carriage ran over him while he tried to escape bandits as he was traveling with his family to visit his grandmother. But he complained it was not worth losing a leg for which he said marred him for life for no woman wanted to be married to a one-legged fool. He kept complaining about it every time he got some drink in him.
    After awhile, having drank enough and having no luck of what to do about the quest, I shuffled out of the bar and started home. My mind was not quite sober but I could still think almost clear enough to make my way home. Then I collided with someone.
    The man had pointed ears. He simply smiled and bowed. But this somehow caused anger in me and I insulted the man but then I apologized for being rude and began to move away. Why an elf would wonder through our little village at night, I did not care to wonder. He stopped me before I took another step. Perhaps I might liked a small talk with him about my troubles?
    Having no good sense, I agreed and we sat down on a little bench in front of the bakery. It was closed for the night as was every place. He was a good listener, this elf. At the end of our conversation, he advised me to get the help of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. Before he left me, he added, "None of us are perfect but we can be perfectly honest with ourselves." I was confounded by those words but I brushed them off and continued homeward.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning, I was reminded of the quest and the elf's advice. I did not believe it was right for me to ask anyone, not even warriors whom had gone through many dangerous adventures, to join me on a quest that was solely for my benefit. Hesitated, I did for many days. Finally, I decided I needed to do this on my own. After all, how could I ask of anyone to risk body and limbs and perhaps their life, for something they had nothing to do with? I had thought about asking Myriad and the others but they would probably hinder me as they often fought trying to make even one unanimous decision.
    On the day of my journey, Aragorn appeared with Legolas and Gimli. But it was Legolas who said the most curious thing. "I knew your father and I owed him a great debt. I had promised if he or his descendants ever needed help, I would come and here I am." The other two came at his request. He assured me neither he nor the other two will stop until we have found the heirloom.
    In the tales I heard of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli's adventures, I always thought of them as young fellows and indeed time had been kind to them but one could see they were no longer youthful and yet, they were quite vibrant and lighthearted. "One last great adventure," I heard Aragorn said to Legolas as we saddled our horses.
    Autumn was coming on but it was the best time travel as it was not too cold and not too hot. Just before noon, the four of us set off. Not knowing the way too well, I had procured a map. Though I must admit, I did not know what I was doing but Legolas was kind enough to provide some guidance. I was constantly worrying about everything little thing. But my companions appeared quite optimistic even after I told them we had to go to Mordor. For the one clue my father left was that, Shelob, the demon spider, might had possession of the heirloom and the Mountain of Shadows which was in Mordor was where the creature was last sighted. Though the dark lord's power no longer held, I did not doubt there would be danger. But I was pleasantly surprised by how uneventful the expedition was. After about six days, we arrived at the Mountain of Shadows. Leaving our horses nearby, we set out on foot to the cave.
    Foolishly, I had brought a small dagger as my weapon though I was certain I was of no use in combat. In fact, I nearly tripped when entering the cave but Gimli set me right. The cave was liked an elaborate quilt where there were various openings that led to more openings and each opening was connected or led out into each other. On the walls, there were torches here and there but they did not drive away the darkness. Thankfully, we thought to bring torches. Aragorn suggested we split into two groups to cover more areas. We all agreed. I set off with Gimli in one direction while Aragorn and Legolas set off in the other.
    Upon going through a seventh opening, Gimli and I came upon Shelob. The creature was feasting on some animal but immediately, she dropped it and came at us. Out of her mouth, she sent strange liquid my way but Gimli shoved me and I landed on the ground just a feet or two where the liquid ended up. It hissed and let out smoke.
    Before he could raise his axe, Gimli was stung by Shelob's pincer. The axe fell from his hands and he dropped down like a log. I was startled. Had he been killed? But I had no chance to check. Shelob came at me. I threw the torch at her and tried to run but she caught me with her arms and pierced my left chest. I screamed like the devil and took out my dagger and stabbed her but I must had hit something hard as it did not go through. Renew pain forced me to drop the dagger.
    Aragorn appeared. With a swift move of his sword, he struck at Shelob. She let me go. I crawled behind a large, dark pile that I later learned were bones. Legolas appeared and took some brown salve from one of the pouches hanging off his belt. He was about to press it to my wound but he stopped and his eyes widened. "Please," I said, "Do what you must. I cannot hide from you. I am indeed a girl."
    He nodded and pressed the salve onto my wound. Then he said, "None of us are perfect but we can be perfectly honest with ourselves."
    I gasped for those were the exact words from the elf from a week ago. Could it be the same person? I recalled the same white, long hair but I could not remember the face. There was a shout then. "Legolas, if you are free, might you lend me an arrow?"
    "Stay put," said Legolas. I nodded. The salve had dulled the pain.
    Shelob was twice any men's size. It was no small task trying to fight her without being harmed. She knocked Aragorn to the ground and pinned him down. Legolas sent arrows after arrows at the creature but she brushed them away like they were nothing. Aragorn struck at the creature again with his sword but she did not let him ago. Suddenly, Legolas was out of arrows. He pulled out a dagger but Shelob swiped it out of his hands and then pinned him to the ground as well. With that many legs and arms, she had the advantage but she could not move without letting go of either men.
    I stumbled out of my hiding place and picked up Gimli's axe and plunged it into the creature's back, almost cleaving it in half. Black liquid began to pour out of her. I tried to pull the axe out but it would not budge. The creature's long arms wrapped around me and as she swerved, she pulled me with her down to the ground where she collapsed on top of me. I screamed though it was muffled.
    The creature was lifted off me and Aragorn pulled me to a standing position. The axe was still in my hands. Legolas took it from me. I looked from one man to the other.
    Legolas patted me on the shoulder. "Good save, my lass."
    "Indeed, well done, lass." Aragorn gave me a small smile.
    I laughed but did not know why. Here were these two people who had done more dangerous things than anyone and they were praising me, an ordinary nobody. But somehow it gave me a jolt of pride I had never felt before.
    A light caught my eye. In the blackness of Shelob's body, there was something gleaming within. I reached in and took the object out. It was two stones fused together with one side white and the other side gold. A strange warmth emanated from the stone to my palm. I knew then this was my family's lost heirloom. I wiped it against my pants leg to remove some of the black liquid. It was pretty heavy but it looked quite plain. How it got into Shelob's stomach, we'll never know but at last, it would be back with our family.
    As we started for home, I wondered if the heirloom was worth the journey or the misfortunes. I regarded my companions. Gimli, lay upon his horse, was still unconscious but Legolas assured me he will sleep for some time but will be well in a day or two. There was Aragorn's injured arm and various cuts and bruises upon him. Legolas somehow was uninjured aside from a few scratches on his pale face and hands. And I was stabbed. I shall never forget the pain as long as I lived. I had put more salve onto the wound and wrapped my chest with a cloth and put on new clothing. Aragorn knew my secret as well as Legolas. I doubt they would tell anyone but it did not matter. I was not going to pretend anymore.
    From my coat pocket, I took out the piece of stone that was my family's heirloom. "Is this worth enough to warrant such a journey?" I had not meant to say it out loud but Aragorn answered, "Indeed, a family's heirloom may hold value where others might deem worthless." I smiled at his words though my chest still ached. Legolas assured me I will heal in time but there will be a scar which will be quite a good reminder not to go on another adventure without company. Though I probably should never again ask Legolas to come as he had paid his debt to my father and I was certain I owed Gimli for saving me from an early and ugly death. And Aragorn, I imagined had a lot to do being king and all. That's something to think about later. Adventures, I now believed, were not always what we wanted but we may expected to enjoy them if we had friends with us.