Sephiroth: Chapter twenty-one? Moonyasha, why do you insist on writing a fan fiction about these pathetic mortals?
Moon: Well, Leggy is hot and Cal is hot… and immortal…
Sephiroth: And I am not? -gestures to the thousands of fangirls waiting to glomp him-
Moon: Well, you are prettier… and hotter… and a general… and a god…
Legolas: He is an experiment!
Sephiroth: -kills Legolas-
Moon: -squeaks and hides with Calbeleth-
Vincent: -cocks an eyebrow- You frightened Moonyasha? Hmm… I suppose I owe you five dollars…
Sephiroth: -smirks and looks back at the screen- Ah, forgive me for the senseless violence. If you must blame someone, you can blame Shinra, Hojo, or Square Enix. You may chase Hojo as an angry mob with pitchforks and torches if you wish… -coughs- Moving on, all reviews are appreciated and Moonyasha thanks you for your continued support. As for your Elf, with any luck, he will be booted out of the Lifestream and returned to his badly mutilated… erm, I mean, perfect body before the end of the chapter. Without further ado, here is the next chapter of Knight of the Heavens.
"Now aren't you glad we went?" Legolas asked over the noise of air rushing under his wings as he hurried back to Mirkwood.
Calbeleth sighed. "I suppose so… WILL YOU SLOW DOWN?"
"Can't. Tomorrow night is midsummer's eve and I want to get some sleep. We have to be up at the crack of dawn." Legolas sighed, yawning widely to display rows of deadly fangs.
"WHAT?!" Calbeleth looked shocked at the revelation. "It's tomorrow?! I thought it was next week!" The Elf wailed as he threw his arms in the air. "This is a disaster!"
"It's always a disaster, Cal." Legolas said wearily, yet there was humor in his voice. "Every year someone forgets something important, yet the festivities go off without a hitch."
"I hope you're right…" It was Calbeleth's turn to yawn as Legolas landed quietly at the edge of the forest.
"I'm always right." Came the sarcastic reply as both Elves mounted Thaliel.
As Thaliel made her way back toward the palace, she adjusted her gait from a gallop to a gentle trot as Calbeleth, then Legolas, fell asleep on her back. She could feel their exhaustion just by the way they say on her back: the slump of their bodies proved it. Despite the fact that she was eager to return to her stall, the mare made sure to let her passengers sleep as long as possible.
Once the palace came into sight, Thaliel slowed uncertainly. Should she let the two Elves sleep, or should she wake them up? She pranced about nervously as she tried to decide a solution to her problem. Fortunately, she did not have to decide. Her prancing had roused Legolas from his light sleep. He yawned and stretched, startling her slightly.
"Hush, silly." He murmured sleepily as he dismounted and started to lead her to the stables. This made Thaliel quite happy, so she loosed a quiet whinny and tossed her head.
Legolas laughed and patted her neck gently. "Hush." It was then that he noticed Calbeleth, still sleeping soundly. "I guess I'll have to carry him in…" He murmured as he opened the door to the barn.
Ten minuets later, Legolas, with Calbeleth in his arms, made his way silently down the hall toward his and Calbeleth's rooms. As each step brought him closer to sleep, his thoughts strayed to the festivities of the next day. He and his father had something special planned, something that only they and a friend of his knew about. His lips curled into a smile as he imagined the looks of surprise on everyone's face when they saw it, especially Calbeleth.
'He'll like it.' He assured himself as he gently laid the other Elf down on the bed before going to sleep in his own room.
"Legolas." Thranduil called gently as he shook his son's shoulder lightly. 'He and Calbeleth must have been out late last night.' He thought, running his hand through the sleeping Elf's hair. 'He never wakes up late on Midsummer's Eve…' He called again, "Legolas. Time to get up, greenleaf."
Legolas moaned lightly and shifted, blinking as his eyes came back into focus. "I slept in, didn't I?" He asked quietly as he stretched himself. Oh, of all the days to be exhausted…
"You did." Thranduil nodded. "It's alright, though. Just throw something on and we will finish with the last minuet things. You can tell me what you and Calbeleth were doing last night, as well."
"Alright…" Legolas stifled a yawn as he forced himself out of bed. He took his bedclothes off and quickly pulled on a robe before following his father out of the room. "Is Cal still sleeping?" He asked, glancing at his friend's closed door.
Thranduil replied, "Let him sleep. So, what happened last night?" As he listened to his son's account of the fiasco in Lake Town, he mentally ran over all of the last minuet preparations for the festival that night. The costumed were done, all of the food would be ready, decorations were up…
"… Then I danced with a dwarf and invited him for dinner…"
"What?!"
"I knew you weren't listening." Legolas laughed at the shocked look on his father's face.
Thranduil sighed and rolled his eyes. "Forgive me, ion nin. I just want to be sure that everything is set for tonight."
"Oh, come now. Someone messes up something every year and that hasn't stopped anything, has it?"
"You're right." The Elvenking nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm just worrying too much."
"That's right." Legolas snorted. "Now, if you don't need me right now, I'm off to get something to eat. I am starving… Oh, tell Cal where I am if you see him, alright?" With that, the prince disappeared down the next hall, presumably off to bother the cooks who knew him very well.
"He's going to be the death of me…" Thranduil smiled lightly before going to oversee the final preparations.
"Good morning, everyone." Legolas announced to the kitchen at large as he opened the door.
There was a general reply of 'good morning', some good-natured eye rolling and a few joking calls of 'Get out of here you silly twit.'
"That stings, Mari." Legolas replied to one of the cooks, his tone feigning hurt.
"You're more trouble than you're worth, Legolas." Mari replied jokingly, waving a spoon covered in batter at him. "So, what manner of insanity are you going to subject us to today, oh Prince of Chaos? Peppers in the cake batter?"
There was a scattering of laughter as the cooks had their little joke. Legolas felt his face heat up, but he couldn't help but laugh as well. When he had been a child, he had tired to help with the baking of a cake for a feast and accidentally put peppers in the batter. Needless to say, it had not been received well by the guests.
"It was an ACCIDENT, Mari." He protested as he made his way over to the Elf. "Besides, I was only a child."
"A naive one." She replied as she added some cinnamon to the mix. "Like I said earlier, what did you come here for?"
"Two things." Legolas said as he perched on an empty spot on the counter. "One, I missed breakfast and I was hoping you would have something for me to eat. Two, I was wondering if you needed some help. I'm not doing anything right now, and with any luck, under your expert hand I won't make any mistakes."
Mari let go of the spoon for a moment and turned to look at Legolas. "If you want something to eat, the best we have ready are some sweet rolls." She gestured to a small basket down the cluttered counter. "As for helping me, I need all the help I can get. So roll up you sleeves, get something to eat and get back here as soon as you can."
"As you wish." Legolas slid off the counter and bowed, dodging around other Elves to get his hands on breakfast. "Ah, that Mari. She's a general amongst cooks." He muttered to himself as he shoved a roll down his throat.
Ten minuets later, Mari was barking orders left and right, smiling in amusement as she watched Legolas struggle to keep up with the other cooks.
'Poor thing…' The normally grumpy Elf thought as she followed the Prince with her eyes. 'He has no idea what he's doing…' She winced as Legolas nearly dropped a platter on the floor, but much to her relief, managed to keep it upright. 'This is going to be a long day…' Indeed it was.
"Hurry up with that tray!" Mari screeched. The festivities were due to start in less than an hour and she was at her wit's end. 'Oh, we are so behind schedule…'
Fortunately, for Legolas, Calbeleth chose that moment to enter the chaos-stricken kitchen to retrieve the Prince.
"Legolas, you need to get ready!" He called over the chaos, giggling at the audible sigh that escaped the other's lips as he shoved through the crowd.
Mari didn't miss this as she called after the pair, "Thank you for your help, Legolas!"
The Prince merely waved to her as he left, before darting down the hall. "It's like that every year…"
"Do you always help in the kitchens?" Calbeleth asked curiously.
"Whenever they need help." Legolas answered quickly as he picked up his pace. "We are really cutting it close…"
"That wasn't an answer." Calbeleth stated flatly as he struggled to keep up with Legolas's pace.
The Prince sighed and, as he turned a corner and charged down the hall at a run, replied, "I help out whenever a large amount of food is needed in a short amount of time. Since there are plenty of festivals and visits from important people, I'm in there all the time."
Calbeleth merely shook his head, yelping in surprise as Legolas slammed the door to his bedroom in his face. "What was that for?!"
"I need to change." Came the quick, muffled reply as a pile of clothes hit the bedroom door. "I'll see you later."
A few minuets of silence passed before Calbeleth spoke. "That was rude…"
"Where are they, where are they, where are they…" Calbeleth muttered to himself as he paced back and forth near the edge of the clearing. "Five minuets…" He hadn't seen either Legolas or Thranduil since said prince slammed the door in his face and he was beginning to worry. He was a bit of a pessimist at times, true, but he usually did not panic.
Five minuets to go.
"Where are they…. They should be here…."
Four minuets to go.
"What if they were kidnapped by orcs or attacked by spiders?!
Two minuets to go.
"What if they were murdered and I don't know it?!
With one minuet to go until the start of the festival, Calbeleth was having a figurative heart attack until a single maiden stepped forward carrying a fiddle.
'What…?' Calbeleth blinked, forgetting his panic for a moment as he watched the woman lift the instrument and began to play.
The tune was slow and graceful to begin with as she slowly moved about the clearing. A smile was on her face as she played, smile widening as a number of other instruments joined in.
Without warning, Legolas and Thranduil leapt into the clearing and began to dance, drawing a few surprised gasps from the crowd. They wore matching costumes of black with thin material in a dark shade of purple sewn on the bottom on the sleeve to the top of the hip. What was more, the purple material was cut to resemble butterfly wings, most likely the purple butterflies that could be found lurking in the oak trees in the southern reaches of the forest.
Calbeleth blinked again just as the song picked up it's pace, watching as Legolas and Thranduil became blurs of black, purple and gold as they danced. In an amazing blend of color and sound a wonderful show was put on, ending with a round of thunderous applause as the last note died away and the royals halted mid-step.
"So, what did you think?"
Calbeleth only nodded mutely, causing Legolas to laugh.
"It wasn't that good, was it?
"It was! That was the most wonderful performance I've ever seen!" Calbeleth had found his voice at last. "And the costumes…"
Legolas held his arm up to show the other Elf the intricate markings on the wings. "Aren't they wonderful? We only came up with the design three days ago…"
Calbeleth just shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Good. You probably won't see anything like it again." Legolas laughed before grabbing the other's wrist. "Come on. I want to get something to eat before everything is gone." He led Calbeleth to one of the many small tables that were situated strategically around the glade and began to devour whatever he could get his hands on.
"Stop it!" Calbeleth cried, pulling the prince away. "You're going to make yourself sick!"
"I will not, naneth." He pouted as he took a glass of wine from the end of the table.
Calbeleth merely sighed and mirrored Legolas with a sigh. What fun tonight was going to be…
"Calbeleth!"
Said Elf's head shot around as he heard someone call his name. It had been a good five hours since the celebration had begun and things didn't look as though they were going to die down any time soon.
"Calbeleth!"
"Legolas, I'll be right back." Calbeleth murmured to the prince who merely nodded, watching in horror as his father drained what seemed like his hundredth glass of wine that night.
Calbeleth rolled his eyes and moved off into the woods, searching for whoever was calling him.
"There you are."
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned to see who had spoken. "Elena, are you trying to scare me to death?"
The woman shook her head. "No, I came to bring you news. Important news." She looked quite distressed even as she said it.
"Go on." Calbeleth told her gently.
"Well," She began, "A group of dragon slayers is in Lake Town. These are real slayers, not fakes like Melindo and his group. They have a captive Elf with them and they are claiming that he is a dragon in disguise."
Calbeleth gulped. 'Another dragon Elf?' He though worriedly. "Do you know this Elf's name?" He asked quickly, hoping to gain some time to think. If this Elf was truly a Dragon Elf, then he was in trouble.
Elena nodded. "Yes, I do. He told me when I smuggled him some food. His name is Haldir, from Lothlorien."
"Wait here." Calbeleth ordered before disappearing into the throng of Elves once more. After pulling Legolas aside and telling him the news, the prince cried out in shock.
"HALDIR?!" He shouted, scattering some birds in a nearby tree. "THE Haldir who used to torment me relentlessly when we were children?!"
Calbeleth resisted the urge to slap Legolas across the face and tried to remain calm. "Well, whatever the situation, we have to rescue him."
"When you say 'we', you mean you and I." Legolas stated. "My father is too drunk to tell up from down right now… Galion will watch him." He added, seeing the other's look of shock.
"Well, let's get going." Calbeleth started off, and then groaned. "Elena…"
Legolas sighed and shook his head. "We'll have to tell her, then. She seems trustworthy enough."
"I hope this is a good idea." Calbeleth led the prince back to where Elena waited impatiently.
"What took you so long?" She asked, eyeing Legolas skeptically.
"No time to explain." Calbeleth said quickly, motioning for her to follow him and Legolas. "We need to save Haldir."
Elena cocked her head in confusion before following without another word. Twenty minuets later, they were at the edge of the forest.
"Elena, stay here." Calbeleth ordered as Legolas continued walking. "You're not going to believe this…" He gulped, then sighed. "Never mind, I'll just say it. Elena, Legolas is the dragon who was with me last night."
Elena opened her mouth to reply, but shut it when a green muzzle separated her and Calbeleth.
"Let's go." Legolas said quickly, crouching to allow the two to mount.
Calbeleth mounted first and then sat Elena in front of him. "Two pieces of advice: Hold on and don't look down."
"Why…" The rush of air from Legolas's wings drowned out her words as he lifted into the sky and winged his way toward Lake Town.
"Cal, do you have a plan?" Legolas asked, keeping his path as straight as he could.
Calbeleth shook his head. "Other than simply sneaking in, freeing Haldir and sneaking out, no."
Legolas snorted. "I say we just leave him there." He started to laugh, but stopped when Calbeleth glared viciously at him. "Oh, alright…" He sighed and banked toward the left. "Let's just sneak in and sneak out."
Calbeleth and Elena merely smiled to each other as the ground flew by beneath them.
"We know your tricks, dragon. Stop hiding."
Haldir gasped as a booted foot connected with his stomach. With blood dripping from his lip, he replied, "I am hiding nothing."
The man merely snorted disdainfully and turned, exiting the small hut that they were using to keep the Elf captive.
Exhausted, Haldir leaned against the wall of the hut and breathed deeply. He had been too careless during his last flight and had allowed himself to be captured. Some servant of Elbereth he was… To the best of his knowledge, he was the last Dragon Elf in Middle-Earth, in which case his death would bring misfortune to the land. He had little means to escape since his hands and feet were bound and no one would know where to find him. If he transformed, then he still would be considered a failure because the whole of Lake Town would see him. It seemed as though the Machwarden was lost.
A sudden noise startled the Elf from his morbid thoughts. As Haldir listened, he was surprised to hear three voices.
"Would you be quiet?!"
"Once you stop kneeling on my hand!"
"Stop this nonsense!"
"Elena!"
He gasped. He knew one of the voices. Ignoring the risk, he knelt and, through a small space in the wall, whispered, "Legolas?"
"We have to swim THAT?"
Slightly amused by the Prince's tone, Elena giggled. "Yes. We either swim or we don't get there at all."
Legolas sighed. "Of all the buildings that burned last night, the tavern DIDN'T."
"Oh, shut it and start swimming." Calbeleth snapped as he slid into the water, followed by Elena.
Legolas stood on the shore for a few minuets, contemplating his options. He could either stand there, swim or… yes. It was risky, but he didn't want to get wet. He closed his eyes tightly and braced himself as his wings sprouted from his shoulders. Wincing, he pushed off from the ground and glided across the lake, waving at the infuriated Elena and Calbeleth.
"I wish you had told us about that earlier…" Calbeleth muttered angrily as he climbed onto the floating platform after Elena, dripping wet.
"Would you be quiet?!" Elena hissed, aware of the men partying in the tavern.
"Once you stop kneeling on my hand!" Legolas replied.
"Stop this nonsense!"
"Elena!"
"Legolas?"
The trio immediately fell silent as a tentative, slightly fearful voice reached their ears.
"Haldir, is that you?" Legolas asked as he pushed himself against the crack.
A moment of silence was followed by a relieved sigh. "Thank the Valar… how did you know I was here?"
"Thanks to Elena." The Prince replied, moving away from the crack so that the other Elf could see his savior. "If she hadn't been so vigilant we wouldn't have known that you were here."
Haldir was thankful that the crack was thin so that the others didn't see his face heat up. Was he that weak that a MORTAL had to save him?
"We're going to get you out of there." Legolas said as he quickly began tugging at one of the boards of the hut. "Help me!" He hissed to Calbeleth and Elena who quickly grabbed a hold of the board as well. They hadn't been at it long when Haldir spoke again.
"Stop, someone is coming!" He sounded frantic.
Unwilling to risk the other Elf's safety, the three stopped and pressed their ears against the crack. There was little to hear: a silent struggle that lasted a few seconds was all they heard before the door of the hut slammed closed.
Elena cursed before pulling at the plank again. "They're either going to torture him or…" She trailed off, unable to finish.
Calbeleth and Legolas quickly joined in her effort, positive that whatever Elena had been about to say couldn't be good. They battled with the fastenings of the plank for what seemed like hours before the loud snap of the wood breaking apart met their ears. They cheered silently before ripping the rest of the wood away and ran to the door.
"We have to be careful." Calbeleth warned as he eased the door open a few inches. Elena threw her hand over the Elf's mouth to keep him from crying aloud as the three watched in horror.
In their apparent drunkenness, a few of the men had cornered Haldir who, with his hands still tied, was unable to defend himself. His shirt had been torn from his body and lay in shreds on the floor. A look of disgust was plastered on his face as one of the men ran his hands over the Elf's body suggestively, making Legolas, Calbeleth and Elena's blood boil. It took all of the self-control they had to keep themselves from running in blindly. Fortunately, Elena had a plan.
"You stay here." She told Legolas as she grabbed Calbeleth by the wrist and pulled him into the room. Once they were in a good spot, Elena turned to face the Elf. With a dramatic sigh that caught the attention of a few taverngoers, she leaned in and kissed Calbeleth on the lips.
Calbeleth, surprised, leaned in and kissed her back, making for the perfect diversion. Admid whistles and cheers from the people in the tavern, they deepened the kiss as Legolas slipped into the room, beckoning for the now unoccupied Haldir to follow him.
The silver tressed Elf nodded dumbly and followed the prince as quickly as he could, sighing in relief as Legolas cut the ropes binding his hands. "How are we going to escape?" He asked as they slipped out of the hut through the boards. "And what about your friends?"
"They'll be fine." Legolas said quickly. "And we get out like this." He transformed in the blink of an eye before turning to stare at Haldir as he hovered beside the tavern. "Are you coming?"
"Yes…" Haldir was shocked. The Elf he had been bullying for decades was a servant of Elbereth as well? How…? He shook his head. There wasn't time for foolish questions now. Following the younger Elf's lead, he transformed into a dragon slightly larger than Legolas with gleaming silvery white scales. "Lead the way." He said tiredly, flapping his wings as the Prince started off for Mirkwood.
Clabeleth and Elena parted reluctantly, so lost in each other's eyes that they didn't hear the clapping and cheering around them
"That was… unexpected…" Calbeleth said breathlessly.
"It worked, though." Elena replied with a small smile. "Legolas got Haldir out."
Calbeleth's face fell slightly as he reflected on their diversion kiss, but brightened as he and Elena connected once again.
Moon: So ends chapter twenty-one of Knight of the Heavens. With many new twists and turns, who knows what will happen…
Vincent: Moon…
Moon: sighs Sephiroth is burning Legolas's body, right?
Vincent: nods Only, Legolas came back to life right before Sephiroth found the Fire materia…
Moon: Hold the fort, Vince. disappears to put the fire out
Vincent: hangs head If any of my fangirls are reading this story, PLEASE get me away from this nuthouse… Anyhow, Moonyasha asks for your forgiveness for making you wait so long for this chapter and will update again as soon as she is able.