Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.
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Sold Into Ruin
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Chapter 52 ~ Fight The Good Fight
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Kallon's announcement send shivers through Legolas and Aragorn as well as the rest of the prisoners and guards. It was so unexpected. They knew Kallon had big plans for this Game and truthfully it hadn't been as terrible as they thought so far. However, Kallon had a way of making everything infinitely worse in just a few small words.
"Come on then. Who's next?"
"Are you out of your mind?" Jasmine shouted from Aragorn's side. Up until now, the woman had been quiet, too absorbed in the macabre games to speak up. Now though she had regained her voice and seemed happy to use it.
Kallon spun, looking for the source of the voice. He knew it was Jasmine as soon as he laid eyes on her. The anger that twisted her face told him.
"No, I am your leader. Maybe you should do as you're told." Kallon didn't seem to have much time for Jasmine as he turned his attention back to the guards in the audience. "Come on, who wants to fight the Elf?"
When he got no response, Kallon looked over to the slaves again. He didn't seem impressed though and looked to Legolas for inspiration. All he found was anger.
"Have a preference?" he asked casually.
Legolas said nothing but continued to glare at Kallon; the one thing he knew affected the man. However, its power was starting to dwindle as the man no longer flinched away.
"Leave him alone," Jasmine's voice rang out again. Both Kallon and Legolas spun around when they heard it; Legolas in confusion, Kallon in anger.
Aragorn pulled her back from the ring out of Kallon's reach. Kallon walked away from Legolas, who was staring at Aragorn in alarm. When Kallon advanced though, Jasmine shrunk back behind Aragorn once more. Apparently she hadn't been expecting a strong reaction to her words. Kallon stepped out of the ring and up to Aragorn, who was shielding both Jasmine and Arron.
"What did you say?" Kallon growled. When he got no answer he reached behind Aragorn and grabbed Jasmine's arm, pulling her towards him. "Speak, woman!"
"I…I'm sorry," she stuttered, looking desperately to Aragorn for help.
"Let her go," Aragorn warned, knowing it was pointless.
"Let me think. No. Tell me prisoner 6913, do you not like the Games? What is it exactly you don't like? The rules?" Kallon was taunting her, trying to intimidate her and it was working well.
"No…"
"No?"
"Kallon, let her go," Aragorn said again.
Kallon shouted, "Shut up." He returned his attention to Jasmine, staring at her.
"She has done nothing wrong. Leave her alone."
"If you don't shut up I'll have one of my guards take off your pretty friend's head, understand?" Kallon yelled. "Perhaps, then, 6913, if you don't enjoy watching you can compete."
Before Aragorn could do anything, Kallon had dragged Jasmine into the ring and pushed her against Legolas who only just managed to catch her before she crashed into him. He held her tightly for a moment, making sure she had her balance, his eyes fixed on Kallon.
"Come on, slaves. Fight. Start the match," Kallon yelled at the judge who reluctantly shouted for the Games to begin. "Fight." Kallon began cheering, looking at his guards who took the hint and reluctantly joined in. "Fight, you cowards," the man screamed at them.
Legolas did nothing but hold Jasmine tightly. If Kallon really thought he would hurt the woman it would be a shock for him. If he wouldn't willingly kill the guard he wasn't likely to hurt a complete innocent.
After a few minutes of nothing happening, Kallon stopped clapping and stepped into the ring. Slowly, the cheers from the guards died down as they realised they were no longer needed.
"You know, when I saw you in that Tavern, when I saw what you did to my guards, I thought I had the perfect slave. Immortals are strong, fast, hard workers but apparently they are not too smart." He drew a dagger from its sheath but Legolas ignored it. "All I ask is that you play nicely with the other slaves but you can't even do that." He pulled Jasmine from Legolas' arms and threw her to the ground. This, Legolas allowed. It took her out of the equation, making everything much simpler. Aragorn was immediately by her side. "All I ask if for a little light entertainment every now and then and what better way to entertain than to fight? Really, 6112, you are a terrible disappointment. You don't work well, you don't fight well. So the question becomes: what use are you? Why should I keep you around?"
"Jadan," Legolas said simply.
Kallon paused in confusion before asking, "What?"
"I'll fight Jadan," Legolas confirmed.
For a while Kallon said nothing, shocked by what Legolas had just said. He hadn't expected him to make a choice. Everyone else was equally shocked, especially Aragorn who was still tending to Jasmine.
"Jadan?" Kallon asked.
"You wanted a fight, Kallon. Why not one of your own?" Legolas whispered. He knew that Kallon needed Jadan to remain his spy. However, hurting the man wouldn't be a problem since he had done nothing but cause trouble for them ever since they arrived. Besides, he needed a way out of this and Jadan was the perfect solution.
"You want to fight Jadan? That snivelling weasel? Very well, I did give you the choice. Jadan, come forward."
There were hushed whispers from the slaves as they looked around to find Jadan. The man, quite rightly, didn't seem eager to come forward. However, people were all too aware that he was a traitor to the slaves and didn't particularly feel like protecting him so it wasn't too long before someone called out his position and he was forced forwards.
When he pushed to the front of the crowd Jadan immediately tried to shrink back in but no one would let him through. At Kallon's signal he had no choice but to enter the ring. He pushed past Arron with a snarl. The look he gave Legolas and Aragorn was far worse though. If it could have killed, the two friends would be on the ever-expanding pile of bodies by now. He stepped dubiously up to Kallon. Although he attempted to look unafraid he was trembling. The once fearful, self-appointed leader of the 6000 house was now a shivering, frightened wreck and no one really remembered why they had been so afraid of him in the first place.
"Are you sure you want to fight this?" Kallon laughed at the man. "You wouldn't like something a little more…challenging?"
Legolas stared at Jadan a moment before answering, "No." It was simple but it chilled the heart of the poor man. Legolas had little sympathy though. He knew Jadan was Kallon's spy. The man was cruel in a place where cruelty should be contained only within the captors, not the captives. He had done nothing but make their lives a misery since they arrived.
"Very well," Kallon laughed. "Let the Games begin." He seemed to delight in saying this and Legolas got the impression he was actually doing the man a big favour by getting rid of this loose end.
On his way out of the ring, Kallon dragged Aragorn and Kallon out of the ring, not wanting them to interfere with the fight. Crossing his arms he watched the competitors intently. This was going to be a lot better than he thought.
For long moments Legolas didn't move. He just stared at Jadan, knowing he had the power to unnerve him, a valuable asset. Jadan stood nervously right on the edge of the ring, wringing his hands. He had seen Legolas fight before, he knew about the strength of the Elves. He also knew that all those taunts and jibes were fuelling the Elf's anger and it was now going to work against him. Wishing he could just turn back time, Jadan took a reluctant step forwards, becoming increasingly worried when Legolas didn't react. The Elf's stare was beginning to scare him. He had been on the receiving end of it before but now it seemed even more intense. The shocking blue eyes seemed to pierce right through him and scared him, more even than the knife lying forgotten on the ground. Right then, Jadan wished the Elf would just hurry up and use the weapon, anything to distract from that stare.
Legolas, of course, knew the effect he was having on the already frightened man. However, staring was not going to please Kallon sufficiently for his plan to work. He needed something a little more physical and the more he looked at the man in front of him the more he realised that it wasn't going to be Jadan who made the first move.
With one last quick glance at Aragorn, who was looking on nervously, Legolas made his decision. He bent down and picked up the bloodied knife and stepped forward. Jadan shrank back at this move and Legolas wondered whether he had made the right choice after all. He took another step forward, bringing the knife up ready to strike. Jadan took a physical step backwards this time, his eyes fixed on the knife in the Elf's impressively steady hand.
Legolas took another step forward, silently willing Jadan to make a move. Intimidation was over, he needed physical action, something for Kallon to delight in. Come on, fight me, Legolas silently urged. It had been a snap decision choosing Jadan. He needed someone just strong enough to have some impact but also someone he knew he could beat if he needed to. Maybe Jadan was just all bark and no bite but he had hoped that under pressure from Kallon and an audience Jadan would at least try. However, it wasn't the first time Legolas had made a mistake in this place and he doubted it would be the last.
On the next step Jadan seemed to shake himself out of his terrified trance. Perhaps it was the single cheer from the slave side of the audience as Legolas advanced once more, or perhaps it just hit him that he would have to fight for his life, but Jadan suddenly glared at Legolas. For a second their eyes met and an energy seemed to pass between them. Neither could understand what it was and right then they had more important things to worry about.
"Come on then, Immortal," Jadan whispered. Whether he realised Legolas could hear him or not the Elf didn't know but it was the invitation Legolas had been waiting for. Jadan rushed forwards, deftly knocking the knife from Legolas' hand and kicking it clear of the ring, something Legolas not only allowed but encouraged, knowing it would all be much simpler without sharp objects to get in the way. Jadan's next move was to slam his fist hard into Legolas' face, something the Elf didn't see coming. The blow sent him reeling backwards but he quickly recovered and turned back to Jadan.
Jadan charged at Legolas, trying to knock him off his feet but he didn't even get close as Legolas dashed out of the way just in time, his natural agility being his best bet in this match. Jadan came at him again but this time he didn't get out of the way. Fist connected with stomach as Jadan slammed against Legolas. The Elf only let this continue for a few beats before he pushed Jadan off and returned the attack, again slamming his fist into Jadan's face, causing blood to stream from a cut above his eye.
This didn't deter Jadan. In fact, it only made him angrier and he came at Legolas again, planting his own his in the Elf's face and swiftly following it with a hit to his side, which sent Legolas sideways and finally Jadan kicked the Elf's feet out from under him.
Hitting the ground caused waves of agony to pulse through his back and for a moment Legolas was unable to do anything but lie there, staring up at the blurred, starry sky. Before he could even attempt to move Jadan was on top of him, punching his face with morbid glee. Legolas quickly regained his senses though and in one strong swoop threw Jadan off him, sending the man to the ground as well. He used this time to pull himself to his feet rather than to attack again. Jadan wasn't far behind him. He jumped to his feet, wiping his cut lip with the back of his hand then spitting blood onto the ground at Legolas' feet.
Jadan came at him again, quickly and without any of his previous nervousness. It seemed that within a few punches the man had completely transformed. Legolas successfully blocked the next few attacks, which were honestly very crude anyway. However, in his already weakened state this fight was beginning to get the better of him and he didn't know how much longer he could keep up the fast movements that were, so far, keeping him relatively safe. Thankfully, he still had the slight edge over the man.
Again Jadan came at Legolas, striking his fist hard into Legolas' stomach and this time following it up with a kick at his legs. This time Legolas didn't go down but struck back at Jadan, knowing he had to keep on top of this. Successfully pushing Jadan off him gave Legolas a second to consider his next move before the man charged again. He looked over at Aragorn who was now looking completely confused. Unsurprisingly, he was unsure of what was going on. However, he caught the look in Legolas eyes and nodded gently. He needed help. The only problem was how Aragorn was going to give it.
The man knew that Legolas was only doing this to keep Jasmine and the other slaves safe. He also believed that Legolas had another agenda. It couldn't be that he simply wanted the traitor Jadan out of the way. Legolas would never kill someone for making some bad decisions. It had taken all of Legolas' strength to kill the guard and he hadn't exactly been a good person. No, Legolas wouldn't just kill for the sake of it, not even to protect Jasmine and from the look on the Elf's face now he was searching for a way out of this.
Jadan hit him again, harder this time. He seemed to be continuously hitting the same place, weakening a particular point. A technique of men, no doubt. They were tenacious if nothing else. Legolas was finding it increasingly difficult to control the man's actions. The desperate look he had cast Aragorn was going to help him but it wasn't enough. He needed to do something now. Something to keep Jadan at bay a little but also to keep Kallon sufficiently entertained so his attention didn't return to Jasmine or the other slaves. The woman had made a mistake and Kallon wasn't likely to forget it in a hurry. However, Legolas also knew that he couldn't prolong this much longer.
Aragorn looked around for something to help his friend. Legolas, of course, knew how to fight and could probably continue for as long as necessary but Aragorn hated seeing his friend in pain and he knew he needed to do something to stop it.
Jasmine had been silent throughout the fight, quiet guilt overwhelming her. Arron had also been quiet, wincing every time they exchanged blows.
Aragorn couldn't return Kallon's attention to them but he could keep it on himself. Enough for Legolas to end this fight with Jadan anyway.
Thinking quickly was thankfully something the Rangers of the North took very seriously and Aragorn was well trained in doing just that. He looked to Kallon then to the other guards in the audience who were again cheering and shouting.
That was it.
Back at the Handy Tavern when the two men had been fighting outside, Legolas and Aragorn had seen men exchanging coins. In fact, Aragorn himself had bet that Legolas would win the fight against Kallon's guard in the bar. One of the human race's many vices was gambling and these men were no different, Aragorn presumed. He was certain that gold had already been exchanged during the night.
Leaving Jasmine and Arron together, both looking equally bemused at his leaving, he walked over to Kallon. For a second the man looked like he would strike him but then he returned his attention to the fight.
"Enjoying it?" Kallon asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
Aragorn didn't answer. "You?"
Kallon laughed. "Very much. Your friend certainly knows his stuff. I am rather surprised at Jadan though. I had no idea he was so spry.
"Care to make a small wager?" Aragorn asked after a moment of watching Legolas and Jadan in the ring. He said it nonchalantly, as though it were merely an afterthought.
For a second, Kallon looked like he was about to say something. Aragorn could see him thinking though, searching for the hidden trick. Apparently he couldn't find it and turned to Aragorn with a small smile.
"What were you thinking of exactly?"
"Oh, I don't know. Half an hour of me in that ring if Legolas loses."
"And if he wins?" Kallon asked curiously, waiting to see what the wager would cost him. "Let me guess. Your freedom and that of your friend?"
"Would you?" Aragorn asked conversationally with a small smile, trying his best not to sound worried that Legolas' strength was fading fast.
"No," Kallon laughed.
"If Legolas wins we don't work for a week."
At first Kallon laughed but then seriously considered the wager. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Kallon agreed. They shook hands and Aragorn hoped Kallon didn't notice the slight trembling. It was a good start but Legolas still needed more. It wasn't enough to distract just Kallon. Aragorn needed something to stop the fight, preferably without one of the two people in the ring dying. He walked away from Kallon and back to Jasmine and Arron.
"What's wrong?" Jasmine asked when she saw the concern on Aragorn's face.
"Stay here and don't move," Aragorn told her.
"Why?" Jasmine asked innocently.
"Just do it," the man snapped. He didn't blame Jasmine for what was happening but right then he didn't need to be quizzed on what he was up to when he himself didn't know. Besides, helping Legolas was more important than answering Jasmine's questions and being polite.
He walked along the front of the slave audience, keeping his eyes on Legolas, who was trying not to get thrown down again. He knew that if he went down he wouldn't be able to get up again as his back still hurt from where he had been tortured down in the mines.
Making it into the crowd of guards, Aragorn searched for a good target. He needed someone he could easily annoy. Anything to create a distraction.
To Be Continued…
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