Thank you for all those nice reviews! *does her happy dance* A hug to JB!
Hope you are having fun with this! Now on to a little blood spilling!
*smirks*
Chapter 19: Family reunion
The time had come. It was a perfectly clear night, the stars and the moon shining high up in the clear night sky. Everything was peaceful, as they were about to go on their perilous mission. They were both clothed in black cloaks, their faces hidden by large hoods, their weapons tied closely to their bodies so that the didn't make any noise.
Selina and Legolas hugged the dwarf tightly with the thought in the back of their minds that this could well be the last time they ever saw each other.
"Listen, Gimli. It is absolutely essential that you and Sulrathi stay here and keep an eye on everything. If we should fail we need somebody to tell Aragorn and Gandalf what happened." Selina said to the dwarf in a serious tone. Gimli nodded gravely and squeezed her hand affectionately before she turned to go. "Be careful, you two and come back in one piece!" he said. Selina smiled at him warmly and nodded. Sulrathi was sitting at her feet and looked up at her with sadness in her eyes. "I guess it is time for good bye, but I hope not for long, my little kitten." said the she-panther. Selina kneeled down, petted her on the head and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for everything and watch out for Gimli, will you!" Then she looked at Legolas determinedly, signalling him that she was now ready to go.
He nodded at her and they turned to leave, sneaking quickly down the slope and hid behind the nearest tent at the edge of the camp. They were nearly invisible in the shelter of the dark and waited with held breaths for the next opportunity to continue their way. Selina tensed as she heard the sound of approaching feet, pressing further into the safety of the shadow. The watch passed without noticing the intruders, humming contently a little song to himself. When the man was out of sight they sprinted over to a covered wagon in ten meters distance which hid them effectively from the curious eyes of the guards.
"Where to next?", Selina whispered breathlessly in Legolas's ear. He indicated a spot a stone's throw from the position they where now. They continued their way in similar fashion, soundless and as by a miracle undetected. Everything seemed to go smoothly, though several times they had almost run into one of Tulrah's warrior and were saved by what was pure luck. They got closer and closer to the middle of the camp and Selina inquietude increased with every step they took.
When they finally arrived there, no guards were standing at the entrance of Tulrah's tent. She frowned her forehead. Could he really be that careless and arrogant? She chased this thought away and they continued their mission as they had previously discussed. They observed the tent for a few minutes. It seemed that only one person was inside, because they could only make out one shadow in the shine of the flickering candles whose light glowed through the fabric of the tent.
They would quickly cut an opening in the back of the tent and try to get a hold of Tulrah. Legolas and Selina positioned themselves at two points of the makeshift dwelling with their daggers out. They made eye contact with each other, it was the signal to strike. Selina's blade cut quickly through the fabric, while her heart beat hectically inside her chest. Then she jumped inside her eyes scanning her surroundings. Legolas stood a few meters from her, doing the same.
She spotted a huge armchair, with a man sitting laxly on it, his back turned to them as if they didn't pose any threat to him. He drew a deep breath and let out a dry and humorless laugh. "Oh, what is this I smell...my sister has brought me an elf. How thoughtful of her!" he mocked, his voice cold and sharp as an ice crystal. Tulrah rose from his seat and slowly turned around, the light of the candles revealing his face clearly to Legolas and Selina.
His irises were ruby red, shining viciously with malice and blood lust. The expression on his face could be best described as feral, as very little of his Selvadage'tok side was left in it. Tulrah was more beast than man, with his sharp fangs, his unshaved face and his long hair. He was towering over them threateningly, his muscular body radiating with sheer strength. His hands had long, sharp claws to them, their purpose only to destroy, not to create.
Selina let out a horrified gasp, for now was the first time that she could truly see how much he had changed by his transformation. Her reaction seemed only to inspire amusement in Tulrah. "What do they say?...Ah, true beauty comes from the inside." he chuckled dryly. He casually played with the grip of his sword and stepped a little bit closer, while his attackers tensed visible, reaching for their own weapons. "But you haven't just dropped by for a duty call, I guess. I have a very bad suspicion." he cocked his head, his face a perfect expression of mock horror. "You wanted to kill me, didn't you? Well, then its up to my to teach you some manners, as our parents have.....lets say left. But two against one? How very unfair and rude of you. " Selina could no longer contain herself, as her anger rose inside of her like a dark cloud. "You are not worthy of talking about my parents, not even worthy of being called their son. You have not only killed them, you have butchered them!" she screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selina forced her drained body to go on, slouching slowly towards her village. The way from the holy lake had been long and while she dragged herself towards home, still exhausted by the ritual, a sense of dreadful foreboding overcame her, increasing in its intensity with every step that brought her closer to her destination.
Her suspicions were verified, when she saw a glow rising against the clear night sky behind the hill where the house of her parents lay. Selina summoned the last remains of strength and climbed the bank, breathing heavily. The sight that awaited her there, hit her with the force of a blow, knocking all the air out of her lungs. A feeling of nausea rose in her stomach and she collapsed on all fours, in front of her the burning black skeleton of the house that had been her shelter, her home where she and her brother had been brought up by their parents with love and understanding.
Her eyes roamed over the sight of devastation, desperately searching for her mother and father and finally fixed on two bodies lying lifelessly in front of the ruins of her home. The grass around them was tinted red, droplets of blood had fallen on it like morning dew. Her legs suddenly gave in and she fell to the ground in a heap. A voice in her head screamed that what she saw wasn't possible, that it was only a cruel trick her eyes played on her.
She started to crawl over to them, her mind repeating two words in her head like a chant 'not dead, not dead'. Finally after what seemed to her an eternity, she was there. The bodies where lying on their stomach and it would have looked like their were sleeping, hadn't the crimson red liquid that surrounded them spoken against it.
Her voice came out frail and full of fear. "Mother? Father?" Her hand reached out to touch her father's shoulder, to awake him from his slumber. He didn't respond so she turned him around. His chest had been shredded by sharp claws, his cloths tinted red, drenched in his own blood. It looked like a vicious beast had attacked him, cruel in its immense anger and hatred. Her father's eyes spoke of incredible horror, opened wide and lifeless.
Selina felt a turmoil of different emotion rise inside of her, all of them coming out at once as a loud blood chilling scream escaped her throat, filled with unspeakable grief and anger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You are nothing, but a murdering beast that deserves to die!" Selina screamed her voice filled with cold rage. "I will never understand why women have to be so overly melodramatic." Tulrah rolled his eyes and through an exasperate look at Legolas. "How can you put up with this, lover boy?" The elf looked at him icily, disgust shining in his blue eyes.
"That's enough!" Selina cried out. "Lets fight! You and me, no tricks, just blade against blade." She took her fighting position and motioned him to come closer. "Ah, I though you would never ask." He drew his long sword that gleamed deadly in the warm light of the candles. She ran up to him and attacked him with an angry scream. He blocked her strikes with ease, foreseeing every single one of her moves. "You surely remember that I was always the better one when it came to sword fighting, sister." He wielded his blade with expertise, cutting through the leather of her trousers. The sharp steel ripped open her skin and a huge, bloody gash appeared on her leg. She drew in a sharp breath and her face flinched in pain. "No, worries. This wound will only slow you down. I won't kill you...yet." She tried a new attack, but he knocked one of the daggers out of her hands with a forceful blow of his sword and sent her falling to the ground with a kick to her midsection. Selina lay on the ground writhing in pain and coughing, while Tulrah towered over her. He kneeled down besides her and looked at her interestedly, mesmerizing every drop of blood and every bruise on her skin with delight. "Let me help you up. After all we are not through yet." His hands closed around her upper arm in a vicelike grip, his claws digging deeply into her flesh. She let out a strangled cry, when blood oozed painful from the newly inflicted wound.
Before Tulrah new what was happening he was attacked by Legolas. The elf hadn't been able to contain his rage any longer. It was so overwhelming that it had overpowered his sense of honour and his reason that had kept him until now from joining the fight between the siblings.
Legolas dealt a blow to Tulrah's side which caused the Selvadage'tok to drop Selina immediately and whip around, anger flashing in his vicious eyes. "That stinged!" With a few mighty blows he disarmed the elf and had him pinned against one pole of the tent in no time, his huge hand tightly around his throat. "You thought you could take me, you pathetic excuse for a warrior?" Legolas squirmed under his grip and tried to pry away the brutal fingers that were cutting of his air. "Just a little bit more pressure and you would be dead....But don't you worry, pretty boy. I still got some nice plans for you." He knocked Legolas out cold and let his unconscious body slump to the floor unceremoniously like a discarded toy. Tulrah turned around with a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Now, back to us, sister. I always thought you had a pretty voice. Be an angel and scream for me, will you?" he snarled and approached her menacingly, his huge body towering over her.
Chapter 19: Family reunion
The time had come. It was a perfectly clear night, the stars and the moon shining high up in the clear night sky. Everything was peaceful, as they were about to go on their perilous mission. They were both clothed in black cloaks, their faces hidden by large hoods, their weapons tied closely to their bodies so that the didn't make any noise.
Selina and Legolas hugged the dwarf tightly with the thought in the back of their minds that this could well be the last time they ever saw each other.
"Listen, Gimli. It is absolutely essential that you and Sulrathi stay here and keep an eye on everything. If we should fail we need somebody to tell Aragorn and Gandalf what happened." Selina said to the dwarf in a serious tone. Gimli nodded gravely and squeezed her hand affectionately before she turned to go. "Be careful, you two and come back in one piece!" he said. Selina smiled at him warmly and nodded. Sulrathi was sitting at her feet and looked up at her with sadness in her eyes. "I guess it is time for good bye, but I hope not for long, my little kitten." said the she-panther. Selina kneeled down, petted her on the head and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for everything and watch out for Gimli, will you!" Then she looked at Legolas determinedly, signalling him that she was now ready to go.
He nodded at her and they turned to leave, sneaking quickly down the slope and hid behind the nearest tent at the edge of the camp. They were nearly invisible in the shelter of the dark and waited with held breaths for the next opportunity to continue their way. Selina tensed as she heard the sound of approaching feet, pressing further into the safety of the shadow. The watch passed without noticing the intruders, humming contently a little song to himself. When the man was out of sight they sprinted over to a covered wagon in ten meters distance which hid them effectively from the curious eyes of the guards.
"Where to next?", Selina whispered breathlessly in Legolas's ear. He indicated a spot a stone's throw from the position they where now. They continued their way in similar fashion, soundless and as by a miracle undetected. Everything seemed to go smoothly, though several times they had almost run into one of Tulrah's warrior and were saved by what was pure luck. They got closer and closer to the middle of the camp and Selina inquietude increased with every step they took.
When they finally arrived there, no guards were standing at the entrance of Tulrah's tent. She frowned her forehead. Could he really be that careless and arrogant? She chased this thought away and they continued their mission as they had previously discussed. They observed the tent for a few minutes. It seemed that only one person was inside, because they could only make out one shadow in the shine of the flickering candles whose light glowed through the fabric of the tent.
They would quickly cut an opening in the back of the tent and try to get a hold of Tulrah. Legolas and Selina positioned themselves at two points of the makeshift dwelling with their daggers out. They made eye contact with each other, it was the signal to strike. Selina's blade cut quickly through the fabric, while her heart beat hectically inside her chest. Then she jumped inside her eyes scanning her surroundings. Legolas stood a few meters from her, doing the same.
She spotted a huge armchair, with a man sitting laxly on it, his back turned to them as if they didn't pose any threat to him. He drew a deep breath and let out a dry and humorless laugh. "Oh, what is this I smell...my sister has brought me an elf. How thoughtful of her!" he mocked, his voice cold and sharp as an ice crystal. Tulrah rose from his seat and slowly turned around, the light of the candles revealing his face clearly to Legolas and Selina.
His irises were ruby red, shining viciously with malice and blood lust. The expression on his face could be best described as feral, as very little of his Selvadage'tok side was left in it. Tulrah was more beast than man, with his sharp fangs, his unshaved face and his long hair. He was towering over them threateningly, his muscular body radiating with sheer strength. His hands had long, sharp claws to them, their purpose only to destroy, not to create.
Selina let out a horrified gasp, for now was the first time that she could truly see how much he had changed by his transformation. Her reaction seemed only to inspire amusement in Tulrah. "What do they say?...Ah, true beauty comes from the inside." he chuckled dryly. He casually played with the grip of his sword and stepped a little bit closer, while his attackers tensed visible, reaching for their own weapons. "But you haven't just dropped by for a duty call, I guess. I have a very bad suspicion." he cocked his head, his face a perfect expression of mock horror. "You wanted to kill me, didn't you? Well, then its up to my to teach you some manners, as our parents have.....lets say left. But two against one? How very unfair and rude of you. " Selina could no longer contain herself, as her anger rose inside of her like a dark cloud. "You are not worthy of talking about my parents, not even worthy of being called their son. You have not only killed them, you have butchered them!" she screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selina forced her drained body to go on, slouching slowly towards her village. The way from the holy lake had been long and while she dragged herself towards home, still exhausted by the ritual, a sense of dreadful foreboding overcame her, increasing in its intensity with every step that brought her closer to her destination.
Her suspicions were verified, when she saw a glow rising against the clear night sky behind the hill where the house of her parents lay. Selina summoned the last remains of strength and climbed the bank, breathing heavily. The sight that awaited her there, hit her with the force of a blow, knocking all the air out of her lungs. A feeling of nausea rose in her stomach and she collapsed on all fours, in front of her the burning black skeleton of the house that had been her shelter, her home where she and her brother had been brought up by their parents with love and understanding.
Her eyes roamed over the sight of devastation, desperately searching for her mother and father and finally fixed on two bodies lying lifelessly in front of the ruins of her home. The grass around them was tinted red, droplets of blood had fallen on it like morning dew. Her legs suddenly gave in and she fell to the ground in a heap. A voice in her head screamed that what she saw wasn't possible, that it was only a cruel trick her eyes played on her.
She started to crawl over to them, her mind repeating two words in her head like a chant 'not dead, not dead'. Finally after what seemed to her an eternity, she was there. The bodies where lying on their stomach and it would have looked like their were sleeping, hadn't the crimson red liquid that surrounded them spoken against it.
Her voice came out frail and full of fear. "Mother? Father?" Her hand reached out to touch her father's shoulder, to awake him from his slumber. He didn't respond so she turned him around. His chest had been shredded by sharp claws, his cloths tinted red, drenched in his own blood. It looked like a vicious beast had attacked him, cruel in its immense anger and hatred. Her father's eyes spoke of incredible horror, opened wide and lifeless.
Selina felt a turmoil of different emotion rise inside of her, all of them coming out at once as a loud blood chilling scream escaped her throat, filled with unspeakable grief and anger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You are nothing, but a murdering beast that deserves to die!" Selina screamed her voice filled with cold rage. "I will never understand why women have to be so overly melodramatic." Tulrah rolled his eyes and through an exasperate look at Legolas. "How can you put up with this, lover boy?" The elf looked at him icily, disgust shining in his blue eyes.
"That's enough!" Selina cried out. "Lets fight! You and me, no tricks, just blade against blade." She took her fighting position and motioned him to come closer. "Ah, I though you would never ask." He drew his long sword that gleamed deadly in the warm light of the candles. She ran up to him and attacked him with an angry scream. He blocked her strikes with ease, foreseeing every single one of her moves. "You surely remember that I was always the better one when it came to sword fighting, sister." He wielded his blade with expertise, cutting through the leather of her trousers. The sharp steel ripped open her skin and a huge, bloody gash appeared on her leg. She drew in a sharp breath and her face flinched in pain. "No, worries. This wound will only slow you down. I won't kill you...yet." She tried a new attack, but he knocked one of the daggers out of her hands with a forceful blow of his sword and sent her falling to the ground with a kick to her midsection. Selina lay on the ground writhing in pain and coughing, while Tulrah towered over her. He kneeled down besides her and looked at her interestedly, mesmerizing every drop of blood and every bruise on her skin with delight. "Let me help you up. After all we are not through yet." His hands closed around her upper arm in a vicelike grip, his claws digging deeply into her flesh. She let out a strangled cry, when blood oozed painful from the newly inflicted wound.
Before Tulrah new what was happening he was attacked by Legolas. The elf hadn't been able to contain his rage any longer. It was so overwhelming that it had overpowered his sense of honour and his reason that had kept him until now from joining the fight between the siblings.
Legolas dealt a blow to Tulrah's side which caused the Selvadage'tok to drop Selina immediately and whip around, anger flashing in his vicious eyes. "That stinged!" With a few mighty blows he disarmed the elf and had him pinned against one pole of the tent in no time, his huge hand tightly around his throat. "You thought you could take me, you pathetic excuse for a warrior?" Legolas squirmed under his grip and tried to pry away the brutal fingers that were cutting of his air. "Just a little bit more pressure and you would be dead....But don't you worry, pretty boy. I still got some nice plans for you." He knocked Legolas out cold and let his unconscious body slump to the floor unceremoniously like a discarded toy. Tulrah turned around with a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Now, back to us, sister. I always thought you had a pretty voice. Be an angel and scream for me, will you?" he snarled and approached her menacingly, his huge body towering over her.
