A/N- Hey guys. Sorry the last chapter was so short, but I'll make it up to you in this chapter, k? Enjoy.
Those Who Are Hunted: Part 6
By: RurouniGirl
Matt sighed as he sat hiding in a small cave in a forest not far from where Tai was being held prisoner. 'He couldn't believe this was happening.'
'You have to stop blaming yourself,' the Fairy Prince said quietly. He walked over and knelt next to Matt, placing a hand on his shoulder. "None of this is your fault. Tai doesn't blame you, so why are you blaming yourself?"
Matt looked down at the ground. "Because it is all my fault," he said. "If I wasn't an elf none of this would ever have happened."
The Prince shook his head and slapped Matt across the cheek. Matt fell backward, placing his hand over his throbbing cheek.
"What did you do that for?" he asked indignantly.
The Prince shook his head. "Stop acting like that," he said. "So you're an elf. You were born an elf. There's nothing you can do about it. You can't change it. You know you can't. So have some pride in what you are. Yes, you're an elf, but be proud of it. Believe it or not, I can somewhat relate. I was born a prince. I didn't have any choice in the matter. I used to feel like it was such a burden. I never got to do anything a normal child would have done, I never got to play with other children, nobody ever liked me for who I was...they all liked me because of what I was...a prince."
Matt looked up at the fairy. "So, what did you do?" he asked.
"I took pride in myself. I finally figured out that it didn't matter what other people thought of me. As long as I accepted myself for who I was, then nothing else mattered. I was proud to be me...I was proud to be a prince. Being a prince is part of who I am. It's in my blood. Just like being an elf is in your blood." He leaned back and looked Matt straight in the eye. "Take pride in yourself. Be proud of who you are...an elf. If Tai can accept you, then you have to accept yourself."
Matt sat there contemplating everything the prince has just told him. 'He was right. He had to take pride in himself. He had to be proud of being an elf.'
He nodded. "You're right," he said softly. "Thank you for opening my eyes."
The Prince nodded and smiled. "Now come have something to eat. It wouldn't do for you to starve, now would it?"
Matt smiled and laughed as he and the Prince ate in companionable silence.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tai groaned as he was shoved roughly to his knees. He looked up at the King sitting in his throne, surrounded by nobles and ladies.
"Now," the King began. "You were harboring a fugitive. Why?"
Tai shrugged. "I'm a healer," he said. "It's my job to help the sick and injured."
"And your job includes helping the enemy?" he asked.
Tai nearly lost control. He clenched his fists and talked through clenched teeth. "I don't take sides," he said. "Especially not in political power battles."
The King jumped to his feet. "What on earth are you talking about?" he demanded in an outrage.
Tai aloud himself a small smirk. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? You're hunting the elves down and killing them because you're afraid that they might become more powerful than you."
The King chuckled in an amused fashion, but Tai didn't miss the fearful and angry look in his eyes. "That's absurd. There aren't enough elves left to even come close to being powerful enough to defeat my armies."
Tai laughed. "Yes, but in a few years there might be, isn't that right, Your Highness?"
The King turned red with rage. "Execute him!" he shouted angrily. "Execute him tonight!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Matt and the Fairy Prince were laughing merrily when a small fairy zipped into the cave.
"You're Highness," she said. "They are going to execute the healer tonight."
"What?" he said in astonishment. "But why?"
She shook her head. "I don't know, sir. I'm sorry."
He smiled. "No, it's all right. You did very well. Now why don't you go home and relax a bit."
The little fairy bowed low before flying out of the cave. The Prince turned toward Matt. "We must do something," he said.
Matt nodded. "Yes," he said. He slowly got to his feet. "I must go and help Tai."
"But they'll kill you."
"I know, but I have to help him. I don't care if I die, as long as Tai is safe."
The Prince looked at him for a moment and then nodded. "Then I'll help as well. You go ahead with whatever you have planned and I'll get Joe for backup."
Matt nodded. "All right," he said. "Let's go."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tai struggled to get away from the guards holding him down. 'This is not happening,' he though. 'How can this be happening?'
"Hold still!" the guard shouted, slugging him across the face.
The crowd broke into a cheer as the king stepped onto the balcony to address them.
"Let the execution begin!" he shouted.
The crowd cheered even louder. The executioner lifted the axe, ready to strike.
"NO! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"
Tai lifted his head at the sound of the familiar voice. The figure before him was wearing a dark cloak with a hood pulled up to cover his face, but he knew who it was. "Matt," he said in a strangled voice. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Matt held out his hand. "Don't worry," he whispered. He lifted his head to look at the king and threw the hood back. The crowd gasped in astonishment as they saw that he was an elf.
"I'm the one you want," he said. "I'm the elf that he helped. So leave him alone."
The King stared down at him in astonishment. "Guards, seize him and kill him if he struggles!"
The guards grabbed Matt, who didn't even try to escape them. He stood there calmly staring up at the king.
Tai looked up at Matt, not fully comprehending what he was doing. His eyes moved down to Matt's hands as he caught some movement. Matt was motioning behind him. He glanced to his side and saw a tall boy standing off to the side. He had blue hair and long sidepieces of hair that covered his ears. He looked Tai straight in the eye and winked.
The next moment he ran forward into the center of the square. There was a brilliant flash of light and everyone was forced to cover their eyes. When the light subsided and everyone's eyes had readjusted, the elf, and the healer were gone.
Author's Notes: So, what do you think? Please review and let me know. Oh, and I was thinking of pairing the Fairy Prince with TK or Davis or somebody. What do you think? RurouniGirl
Those Who Are Hunted: Part 6
By: RurouniGirl
Matt sighed as he sat hiding in a small cave in a forest not far from where Tai was being held prisoner. 'He couldn't believe this was happening.'
'You have to stop blaming yourself,' the Fairy Prince said quietly. He walked over and knelt next to Matt, placing a hand on his shoulder. "None of this is your fault. Tai doesn't blame you, so why are you blaming yourself?"
Matt looked down at the ground. "Because it is all my fault," he said. "If I wasn't an elf none of this would ever have happened."
The Prince shook his head and slapped Matt across the cheek. Matt fell backward, placing his hand over his throbbing cheek.
"What did you do that for?" he asked indignantly.
The Prince shook his head. "Stop acting like that," he said. "So you're an elf. You were born an elf. There's nothing you can do about it. You can't change it. You know you can't. So have some pride in what you are. Yes, you're an elf, but be proud of it. Believe it or not, I can somewhat relate. I was born a prince. I didn't have any choice in the matter. I used to feel like it was such a burden. I never got to do anything a normal child would have done, I never got to play with other children, nobody ever liked me for who I was...they all liked me because of what I was...a prince."
Matt looked up at the fairy. "So, what did you do?" he asked.
"I took pride in myself. I finally figured out that it didn't matter what other people thought of me. As long as I accepted myself for who I was, then nothing else mattered. I was proud to be me...I was proud to be a prince. Being a prince is part of who I am. It's in my blood. Just like being an elf is in your blood." He leaned back and looked Matt straight in the eye. "Take pride in yourself. Be proud of who you are...an elf. If Tai can accept you, then you have to accept yourself."
Matt sat there contemplating everything the prince has just told him. 'He was right. He had to take pride in himself. He had to be proud of being an elf.'
He nodded. "You're right," he said softly. "Thank you for opening my eyes."
The Prince nodded and smiled. "Now come have something to eat. It wouldn't do for you to starve, now would it?"
Matt smiled and laughed as he and the Prince ate in companionable silence.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tai groaned as he was shoved roughly to his knees. He looked up at the King sitting in his throne, surrounded by nobles and ladies.
"Now," the King began. "You were harboring a fugitive. Why?"
Tai shrugged. "I'm a healer," he said. "It's my job to help the sick and injured."
"And your job includes helping the enemy?" he asked.
Tai nearly lost control. He clenched his fists and talked through clenched teeth. "I don't take sides," he said. "Especially not in political power battles."
The King jumped to his feet. "What on earth are you talking about?" he demanded in an outrage.
Tai aloud himself a small smirk. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? You're hunting the elves down and killing them because you're afraid that they might become more powerful than you."
The King chuckled in an amused fashion, but Tai didn't miss the fearful and angry look in his eyes. "That's absurd. There aren't enough elves left to even come close to being powerful enough to defeat my armies."
Tai laughed. "Yes, but in a few years there might be, isn't that right, Your Highness?"
The King turned red with rage. "Execute him!" he shouted angrily. "Execute him tonight!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Matt and the Fairy Prince were laughing merrily when a small fairy zipped into the cave.
"You're Highness," she said. "They are going to execute the healer tonight."
"What?" he said in astonishment. "But why?"
She shook her head. "I don't know, sir. I'm sorry."
He smiled. "No, it's all right. You did very well. Now why don't you go home and relax a bit."
The little fairy bowed low before flying out of the cave. The Prince turned toward Matt. "We must do something," he said.
Matt nodded. "Yes," he said. He slowly got to his feet. "I must go and help Tai."
"But they'll kill you."
"I know, but I have to help him. I don't care if I die, as long as Tai is safe."
The Prince looked at him for a moment and then nodded. "Then I'll help as well. You go ahead with whatever you have planned and I'll get Joe for backup."
Matt nodded. "All right," he said. "Let's go."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tai struggled to get away from the guards holding him down. 'This is not happening,' he though. 'How can this be happening?'
"Hold still!" the guard shouted, slugging him across the face.
The crowd broke into a cheer as the king stepped onto the balcony to address them.
"Let the execution begin!" he shouted.
The crowd cheered even louder. The executioner lifted the axe, ready to strike.
"NO! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"
Tai lifted his head at the sound of the familiar voice. The figure before him was wearing a dark cloak with a hood pulled up to cover his face, but he knew who it was. "Matt," he said in a strangled voice. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Matt held out his hand. "Don't worry," he whispered. He lifted his head to look at the king and threw the hood back. The crowd gasped in astonishment as they saw that he was an elf.
"I'm the one you want," he said. "I'm the elf that he helped. So leave him alone."
The King stared down at him in astonishment. "Guards, seize him and kill him if he struggles!"
The guards grabbed Matt, who didn't even try to escape them. He stood there calmly staring up at the king.
Tai looked up at Matt, not fully comprehending what he was doing. His eyes moved down to Matt's hands as he caught some movement. Matt was motioning behind him. He glanced to his side and saw a tall boy standing off to the side. He had blue hair and long sidepieces of hair that covered his ears. He looked Tai straight in the eye and winked.
The next moment he ran forward into the center of the square. There was a brilliant flash of light and everyone was forced to cover their eyes. When the light subsided and everyone's eyes had readjusted, the elf, and the healer were gone.
Author's Notes: So, what do you think? Please review and let me know. Oh, and I was thinking of pairing the Fairy Prince with TK or Davis or somebody. What do you think? RurouniGirl