"For the last time, are you sure that you don't want to come with us? As
we've told you already, no light ever comes down this hall." The guard's
head was over the hole in the ceiling, peering down at him.
"I will not go with you. All of you will suffer terribly when my father finds me." The guard shrugged and walked away from Legolas. He stared up at the fleeting light, willing it to stay. He sat down on the floor of his cell and felt around to see what else was down there with him. Nothing alive, he could tell from the complete silence. His hand touched something very thin and rough, though it felt as if it had been soft once. He grabbed it and started to examine it as well as he could in the utter darkness. It was hair, very, very long hair. Hair that long could only belong to an elf- they must have had another elven prisoner at one point, maybe Kal. He was in a cell that she could have been in at one point or another. There was nothing terrible about the cell except for its complete lack of light. The dirt floor was as smooth as could be expected, and the walls were almost sheer, and reached up about fifteen feet. There was one tiny hole in the top that he had been dropped in through, not that you could see it now. He faintly heard guards' voices. He felt completely and utterly alone.
*****
Kaie was up in her room, brushing her hair. Her box had opened, and it's only content was half of a silver locket. What good that would do in helping her regain her memory she didn't know, but it was good that it was open. She was thinking about the elf again, and it was sure to become an unhealthy habit. He seemed so sure that his father would rescue him, it was almost sad. She had probably hoped that once, as did all of their prisoners. But they all eventually lose hope. She lied down onto her bed and stared at her dirt ceiling. Even after spending two thousand years deep in the earth, she still longed to see the stars. She wondered how the other elf felt, locked up in that room without any light. She couldn't understand how light matter so much to elves but not to humans.
Finally she got up and headed towards the prison. She passed the guards without any inquiries, and she held a finger up to her mouth to let them know not to say anything about her. She walked as quietly as she could up to the cell, and sat cross-legged next to the hole in the floor. After a while her eyes grew used to the darkness and she looked down at the elf, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see him.
"Why are you watching me?" said a quiet, calm voice down in the cell. If she hadn't had elven hearing, she wouldn't have heard that. So she pretended not to have. He sighed quietly. "Why are you watching me?" he repeated, loud enough for her to hear easily.
"Because I can," she told him quietly.
"Who are you?" he asked her.
She sat quietly for a few minutes, and then responded. "Why does it matter? I don't know who you are."
He was silent for a few minutes. "My name is Legolas, and it does matter who you are."
"I don't know who I am, but most people like to call me Kaie."
"So you're called Kaie," he repeated, "but you don't know who you are?"
"Yes," she said, almost sadly.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"I didn't kill anyone."
"You killed my friends," he retorted angrily.
"I didn't kill anyone," she informed him angrily, "and neither did my men. They were all under strict orders to harm but not kill anyone, or I would kill them."
"Why's that?" he demanded.
"Elves shouldn't die," she murmured.
"Wonderful insight from a human," he remarked. "You know that elves shouldn't die."
"I'm not completely stupid, you know," she complained. "Just because I'm not like you doesn't mean I'm an idiot."
"I never said that."
"It was implied, you daft little-" she stopped herself. "You are right, you never said that." He chuckled. "Shut up," she grumbled. When he didn't stop laughing, she launched a pebble at his head.
"Hey! That hurt," he informed her.
She made an indignant noise. "And that effects me how?"
"You're right, Master Kaie, it doesn't effect you at all, but this does," and after he said that, he chunked a handful of rocks up at her, most of which hit the ceiling and bounced back onto him.
"That really would have hurt if those rocks had hit me." She guessed he knew better than to ask her how that would effect him. "Are all elves like you?"
"Why do you care?"
"Because I like elves. They're very interesting- when they aren't being mean. Someday I will know everything about them."
"And how do you plan to accomplish that?" he asked her.
"Well, I make you tell me everything about elves."
"Fine then- what do you want to know about elves?"
She almost said everything, but that would have been silly of her. One can't just describe a race of people, besides, there were probably several different kinds of elves. Everything was so complicated. "A story would be nice."
"Have you heard of Luthien?"
"No, tell me about her." He began a long song about Luthien and Beren, the mortal she loved. It was indescribably good, it made Kaie want to cry and laugh and do a million other things at once. She settled for being quiet and listening to the rest of the song. She laid down and stared at the ceiling. Somehow the song seemed familiar, like she had heard it before. She felt herself drifting off to sleep, and fought a losing battle to stay awake. Soon her breathing became steady.
*****
Legolas stopped singing and listened. Kaie had fallen asleep. It was amazing that she knew nothing about elves, even though she had to be close to his age. The thought registered that he had just sung his captor to sleep, causing a soft laugh.
He grew aware of his surroundings again, the magic of the song slowly fading away. He wondered how she could live down here, in these dark tunnels and holes that were occasionally lit with candles. He had thought some parts of the Mirkwood forest were dark, but now that he was in utter darkness, they seemed like some of the brighter places in the world. What he would give for light. He sighed, then laid down in his cell and went to sleep.
*****
A/N: Somebody PLEASE review?
"I will not go with you. All of you will suffer terribly when my father finds me." The guard shrugged and walked away from Legolas. He stared up at the fleeting light, willing it to stay. He sat down on the floor of his cell and felt around to see what else was down there with him. Nothing alive, he could tell from the complete silence. His hand touched something very thin and rough, though it felt as if it had been soft once. He grabbed it and started to examine it as well as he could in the utter darkness. It was hair, very, very long hair. Hair that long could only belong to an elf- they must have had another elven prisoner at one point, maybe Kal. He was in a cell that she could have been in at one point or another. There was nothing terrible about the cell except for its complete lack of light. The dirt floor was as smooth as could be expected, and the walls were almost sheer, and reached up about fifteen feet. There was one tiny hole in the top that he had been dropped in through, not that you could see it now. He faintly heard guards' voices. He felt completely and utterly alone.
*****
Kaie was up in her room, brushing her hair. Her box had opened, and it's only content was half of a silver locket. What good that would do in helping her regain her memory she didn't know, but it was good that it was open. She was thinking about the elf again, and it was sure to become an unhealthy habit. He seemed so sure that his father would rescue him, it was almost sad. She had probably hoped that once, as did all of their prisoners. But they all eventually lose hope. She lied down onto her bed and stared at her dirt ceiling. Even after spending two thousand years deep in the earth, she still longed to see the stars. She wondered how the other elf felt, locked up in that room without any light. She couldn't understand how light matter so much to elves but not to humans.
Finally she got up and headed towards the prison. She passed the guards without any inquiries, and she held a finger up to her mouth to let them know not to say anything about her. She walked as quietly as she could up to the cell, and sat cross-legged next to the hole in the floor. After a while her eyes grew used to the darkness and she looked down at the elf, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see him.
"Why are you watching me?" said a quiet, calm voice down in the cell. If she hadn't had elven hearing, she wouldn't have heard that. So she pretended not to have. He sighed quietly. "Why are you watching me?" he repeated, loud enough for her to hear easily.
"Because I can," she told him quietly.
"Who are you?" he asked her.
She sat quietly for a few minutes, and then responded. "Why does it matter? I don't know who you are."
He was silent for a few minutes. "My name is Legolas, and it does matter who you are."
"I don't know who I am, but most people like to call me Kaie."
"So you're called Kaie," he repeated, "but you don't know who you are?"
"Yes," she said, almost sadly.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"I didn't kill anyone."
"You killed my friends," he retorted angrily.
"I didn't kill anyone," she informed him angrily, "and neither did my men. They were all under strict orders to harm but not kill anyone, or I would kill them."
"Why's that?" he demanded.
"Elves shouldn't die," she murmured.
"Wonderful insight from a human," he remarked. "You know that elves shouldn't die."
"I'm not completely stupid, you know," she complained. "Just because I'm not like you doesn't mean I'm an idiot."
"I never said that."
"It was implied, you daft little-" she stopped herself. "You are right, you never said that." He chuckled. "Shut up," she grumbled. When he didn't stop laughing, she launched a pebble at his head.
"Hey! That hurt," he informed her.
She made an indignant noise. "And that effects me how?"
"You're right, Master Kaie, it doesn't effect you at all, but this does," and after he said that, he chunked a handful of rocks up at her, most of which hit the ceiling and bounced back onto him.
"That really would have hurt if those rocks had hit me." She guessed he knew better than to ask her how that would effect him. "Are all elves like you?"
"Why do you care?"
"Because I like elves. They're very interesting- when they aren't being mean. Someday I will know everything about them."
"And how do you plan to accomplish that?" he asked her.
"Well, I make you tell me everything about elves."
"Fine then- what do you want to know about elves?"
She almost said everything, but that would have been silly of her. One can't just describe a race of people, besides, there were probably several different kinds of elves. Everything was so complicated. "A story would be nice."
"Have you heard of Luthien?"
"No, tell me about her." He began a long song about Luthien and Beren, the mortal she loved. It was indescribably good, it made Kaie want to cry and laugh and do a million other things at once. She settled for being quiet and listening to the rest of the song. She laid down and stared at the ceiling. Somehow the song seemed familiar, like she had heard it before. She felt herself drifting off to sleep, and fought a losing battle to stay awake. Soon her breathing became steady.
*****
Legolas stopped singing and listened. Kaie had fallen asleep. It was amazing that she knew nothing about elves, even though she had to be close to his age. The thought registered that he had just sung his captor to sleep, causing a soft laugh.
He grew aware of his surroundings again, the magic of the song slowly fading away. He wondered how she could live down here, in these dark tunnels and holes that were occasionally lit with candles. He had thought some parts of the Mirkwood forest were dark, but now that he was in utter darkness, they seemed like some of the brighter places in the world. What he would give for light. He sighed, then laid down in his cell and went to sleep.
*****
A/N: Somebody PLEASE review?