Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings. I only own what you can't find
in Tolkien's books or any other related works (like the movie).
A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out. I finished it Labour (yes Labour is spelt with a u, stupid computer, it's not wrong, you just think it's wrong cuz ur on American spelling) day weekend, but since school started I haven't had that much time to type it up, wat with school and my teachers already loading me up with HW and watching lotr 4½ times in one week. That's really time consuming. Anywho. Here it is. And remember to REVIEW!!!!
Chapter 2
A dark figure stole silently through the dark streets of Starkhollow. It was clad in black, with a long black cloak meant for concealment. Beneath the long hood of the cloak its bright eyes were invisible. At it's side a long, thin, slightly curved dagger hung from a dark belt, barely visible beneath the dark cloak. The only revealing features were thin strips of silver on the pommel and hilt of the dagger.
Kiara ran through the familiar streets of town towards the outer skirts of Starkhollow. She looked for the house. They were all very similar, but she knew which one it was.
Kiara slipped into the shadows as two patrol guards doing their rounds approached, drawing her cloak around herself and her weapon. They would not think it odd to see her because it was her home town, but to be slinking around all dressed in black, far away from her own house, in the middle of the night would seem quite suspicious.
Kiara let the guards pass then went to find the door. She tried the knob. It turned, but the door did not open. It was as she expected. Most people did not leave their doors open at night. She pulled out the thin dagger instead and inserted it in the keyhole. She tweaked it slightly, turning the blade this way and that, then shifting it to different positions. Still she heard no telltale click. Finally she was forced to pull out her dagger and conceal herself in the shadows as the guard returned.
When they passed Kiara resumed her lock picking. After another little while of trying it became obvious that the door would not unlock. She cursed her stupidity. She had not expected the lock to be this complicated.
She circled the house, looking for another door. She found one in the back, but once again she could not pick the lock. An experienced thief would have been able to, but Kiara had only practiced on her own door.
She circled the house once more, looking for low windows that might offers an entryway. All of these were shut tight and barred.
Although there were no ground floor windows open, Kiara noticed a higher window that had been left open while she was desperately trying to open the last of the low windows.
The window was directly above the one Kiara was trying to open. It would be difficult to climb, but she could see a few places where the rock, out of which the house was made, that could be used as handholds. Quickly she plotted her ascent.
The dark alley onto which the window faced was almost devoid of light and provided perfect concealment. She began to climb, first hoisting herself onto the window ledge. It was only about three feet off the ground, making the jump easy. She stood up on the ledge and clung to upper edge of the windowsill. It was only about four feet high, but it was thin and very difficult to grab hold of. She thrust her arms upwards, searching for handholds.
The climb proved more difficult than she had imagined. Many of the handholds were small and difficult to hold onto. Eventually though, Kiara was able to grasp the inner sill of the upper window and haul herself through the window as quietly as she could.
Kiara waited for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the gloom in the room. When they did, she found herself in Barathor's bedroom.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kiara nearly jumped back out the window in fright. She controlled herself though, and threw herself down to the floor, covering herself with her cloak and praying that he wouldn't see her.
When, after waiting for many minutes, she heard nothing, Kiara decided that he hadn't heard her. Cautiously she raised herself, prepared to duck back out of sight at a moment's notice. She crept slowly over to the bed, trying not to make the floor creek as she stepped. As she approached, she slowly loosened her dagger from its hilt.
To her surprise she found it empty. The covers were neatly brought up over the pillows as if no one had ever slept in it that night.
This confused her greatly. It was two hours past midnight. Everybody should be abed at this hour. It did not hinder her though. She left the bedroom to search the rest of the house.
A sound downstairs made her start. A key had been inserted in the lock. Her eyes widened as she realized that Barathor was not in the house at all. He had been out and was only just now returning. Where he had been she could only guess, but at that moment it wasn't important.
Kiara stared down the flight of stairs at the door just to the right of it, unsure of what to do. It was taking Barathor a long time to open the door, most likely because she had fiddled with the lock when trying to pick it. The door finally opened and Barathor came in. She ducked into the hall behind a wall at the top of the stairs, waiting for Barathor to come up.
For some time she heard him moving about downstairs. After she guessed about fifteen minutes, she heard the creaking of the stairs as Barathor began to mount to him room. Kiara crept farther into the shadow, drawing her cloak closer over her face and dagger hilt.
Barathor's candle shone bright as he reached the landing. He glanced her way for a second, then just as he was about to turn to his own room, he looked harder in her direction, as if his eye had caught something. He was staring right at her. He held his candle up higher, trying to shed more light on the dark passageway.
No, she thought fiercely. Go back the other way. Do not come here. Barathor took a step closer, squinting hard in the darkness. He frowned, looking at her, then shrugged and turned back to his own bedroom.
Kiara breathed a sigh of relief. She could have accomplished what she had come here to do had he come to her, but she would have been less prepared. She wished to relish in her deed. It was hard fought for, and she didn't want to ruin it.
She waited a long time - she did not know how long, but she guessed and hour - in the dark hallway. She sat absolutely still, not daring to move lest she disturb the creaky floorboards and make a noise.
After an hour she rose slowly. The boards below her groaned in protest as her weight shifted on them. She crept slowly towards Barathor's room, pausing often to make sure her presence wasn't noticed. She cringed as the door creaked open. She waited to see if he moved, a hand on the hilt of her dagger.
But all was quiet. In the chimney the embers burned low, still giving off a faint trace of heat and light. The candle had long since been extinguished. The window through which Kiara had entered was shut and the curtains drawn. Barathor slept quietly in his bed.
Kiara thought about going over to the bed and simply stabbing him while he slept, but it would not satisfy her thirst for revenge. He would die too quickly, without knowing who killed him and why. And she wanted him to take a few parting words with him in to death. She wanted him to suffer as she had and to hear judgement dealt out before him as he died. He would hear these words and feel this pain in full consciousness.
She needed to wake him up, but if he awoke now he would surely fight her. He might not have won, for she carried a blade, but he would not hear the words the he had to hear.
Kiara looked around for something to tie him down with. There was no rope in sight. Again she cursed herself for not being prepared and not bringing any. In fact there was nothing resembling rope, no cords, no belts, nothing. The only thing she could think of was knotting the sheets together, but Barathor would surely wake up if his covers were thrown off.
Her eyes searched the room frantically. There was a closet over to the side of the room that she hadn't noticed before. She opened it and found clothes, nothing more. But what she found delighted her. She pulled out the clothes and began slicing them into pieces with her dagger and tying the pieces together, pausing frequently to check to make sure Barathor still slept.
It did not take her long to finish her task. Soon she had made two lengths of makeshift rope, one for tying Barathor to the bed, and the other for binding his hands.
She slung the longer rope around his middle and pulled one end from under the bed and tied it loosely at the side, not wanting the sudden jolt to wake him if she pulled more tightly. He was sleeping on his side, and for that she was grateful. It made it much easier to tie his hands.
This time she pulled tightly. His eyes snapped open. Kiara sprang to the side of his bed. As Barathor rolled on to his back to gape at his bonds, she tightened the rope about his middle, securing him to the bed.
Barathor struggled against his bonds, and, though not quickly, he was succeeding in wriggling free. Kiara realized that she must act fast or the deed would not be done properly.
She laid a hand firmly on his chest. His struggles lowed but they did not abate. She approached her head to his ear.
"You killed my mother, and lied to kill my father," she whispered. "Now you will pay the price. Punishment for murder is death. Justice must be served."
"I did not kill your mother," he lied urgently, trying to keep the fear and anger out of his voice. He was not very successful. "Why would I do such a thing?" His voice was shaking, though he was trying to be sincere, or trying to fake sincerity.
"Murderer," she whispered fiercely. "She rejected your love out of loyalty and love for my father. And for that you killed her. Now you will suffer the same pain."
Suddenly Barathor's face changed. It contorted into anger and hatred, and a spitting vicious monster was revealed. "You coward," he seethed. "You came to do justice and you can't even kill me in a fair fight. You tie me down. Can you not fight fair, or are you afraid whelp?"
Kiara didn't show any reaction to his challenge. Her face remained as cold as before, her lips set in a hard line. "My mother was helpless when you killed her, as was my father. You are the coward. You lie and deceive and murder only to satisfy yourself. Now you will die the same way my mother did, helpless and unable to defend yourself."
And then she plunged her dagger into his chest. The blade pierced flesh and bone, finally finding it's way to his black heart.
Barathor gasped as the dagger entered his chest. He had not expected the whelp to actually go through with the murder. Even now he could not believe it, thought the pain told him otherwise. With that he tore the dagger from his chest and lunged at Kiara, only to be pulled back by the bonds. They came loose as he fell back. He lunged at her again, this time managing to rake a shallow cut across her chest. He tried once more, but fell back as he began to weaken and his senses became fuzzy in death.
Dimly he could hear Kiara's icy voice. "Good bye Barathor. Justice has been served. Your debt is paid. We're square."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Yah so that's it. I promise there will be an update as soon as I can get it typed up, which knowing my schedule probly wont be for another month (cuz I made the volleyball team, and he was gonna cut but decided not to, yeah) and schoolwork and stuff. It's all ready and I'll keep writing but don't expect it 2morrow.
Namarie
A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out. I finished it Labour (yes Labour is spelt with a u, stupid computer, it's not wrong, you just think it's wrong cuz ur on American spelling) day weekend, but since school started I haven't had that much time to type it up, wat with school and my teachers already loading me up with HW and watching lotr 4½ times in one week. That's really time consuming. Anywho. Here it is. And remember to REVIEW!!!!
Chapter 2
A dark figure stole silently through the dark streets of Starkhollow. It was clad in black, with a long black cloak meant for concealment. Beneath the long hood of the cloak its bright eyes were invisible. At it's side a long, thin, slightly curved dagger hung from a dark belt, barely visible beneath the dark cloak. The only revealing features were thin strips of silver on the pommel and hilt of the dagger.
Kiara ran through the familiar streets of town towards the outer skirts of Starkhollow. She looked for the house. They were all very similar, but she knew which one it was.
Kiara slipped into the shadows as two patrol guards doing their rounds approached, drawing her cloak around herself and her weapon. They would not think it odd to see her because it was her home town, but to be slinking around all dressed in black, far away from her own house, in the middle of the night would seem quite suspicious.
Kiara let the guards pass then went to find the door. She tried the knob. It turned, but the door did not open. It was as she expected. Most people did not leave their doors open at night. She pulled out the thin dagger instead and inserted it in the keyhole. She tweaked it slightly, turning the blade this way and that, then shifting it to different positions. Still she heard no telltale click. Finally she was forced to pull out her dagger and conceal herself in the shadows as the guard returned.
When they passed Kiara resumed her lock picking. After another little while of trying it became obvious that the door would not unlock. She cursed her stupidity. She had not expected the lock to be this complicated.
She circled the house, looking for another door. She found one in the back, but once again she could not pick the lock. An experienced thief would have been able to, but Kiara had only practiced on her own door.
She circled the house once more, looking for low windows that might offers an entryway. All of these were shut tight and barred.
Although there were no ground floor windows open, Kiara noticed a higher window that had been left open while she was desperately trying to open the last of the low windows.
The window was directly above the one Kiara was trying to open. It would be difficult to climb, but she could see a few places where the rock, out of which the house was made, that could be used as handholds. Quickly she plotted her ascent.
The dark alley onto which the window faced was almost devoid of light and provided perfect concealment. She began to climb, first hoisting herself onto the window ledge. It was only about three feet off the ground, making the jump easy. She stood up on the ledge and clung to upper edge of the windowsill. It was only about four feet high, but it was thin and very difficult to grab hold of. She thrust her arms upwards, searching for handholds.
The climb proved more difficult than she had imagined. Many of the handholds were small and difficult to hold onto. Eventually though, Kiara was able to grasp the inner sill of the upper window and haul herself through the window as quietly as she could.
Kiara waited for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the gloom in the room. When they did, she found herself in Barathor's bedroom.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kiara nearly jumped back out the window in fright. She controlled herself though, and threw herself down to the floor, covering herself with her cloak and praying that he wouldn't see her.
When, after waiting for many minutes, she heard nothing, Kiara decided that he hadn't heard her. Cautiously she raised herself, prepared to duck back out of sight at a moment's notice. She crept slowly over to the bed, trying not to make the floor creek as she stepped. As she approached, she slowly loosened her dagger from its hilt.
To her surprise she found it empty. The covers were neatly brought up over the pillows as if no one had ever slept in it that night.
This confused her greatly. It was two hours past midnight. Everybody should be abed at this hour. It did not hinder her though. She left the bedroom to search the rest of the house.
A sound downstairs made her start. A key had been inserted in the lock. Her eyes widened as she realized that Barathor was not in the house at all. He had been out and was only just now returning. Where he had been she could only guess, but at that moment it wasn't important.
Kiara stared down the flight of stairs at the door just to the right of it, unsure of what to do. It was taking Barathor a long time to open the door, most likely because she had fiddled with the lock when trying to pick it. The door finally opened and Barathor came in. She ducked into the hall behind a wall at the top of the stairs, waiting for Barathor to come up.
For some time she heard him moving about downstairs. After she guessed about fifteen minutes, she heard the creaking of the stairs as Barathor began to mount to him room. Kiara crept farther into the shadow, drawing her cloak closer over her face and dagger hilt.
Barathor's candle shone bright as he reached the landing. He glanced her way for a second, then just as he was about to turn to his own room, he looked harder in her direction, as if his eye had caught something. He was staring right at her. He held his candle up higher, trying to shed more light on the dark passageway.
No, she thought fiercely. Go back the other way. Do not come here. Barathor took a step closer, squinting hard in the darkness. He frowned, looking at her, then shrugged and turned back to his own bedroom.
Kiara breathed a sigh of relief. She could have accomplished what she had come here to do had he come to her, but she would have been less prepared. She wished to relish in her deed. It was hard fought for, and she didn't want to ruin it.
She waited a long time - she did not know how long, but she guessed and hour - in the dark hallway. She sat absolutely still, not daring to move lest she disturb the creaky floorboards and make a noise.
After an hour she rose slowly. The boards below her groaned in protest as her weight shifted on them. She crept slowly towards Barathor's room, pausing often to make sure her presence wasn't noticed. She cringed as the door creaked open. She waited to see if he moved, a hand on the hilt of her dagger.
But all was quiet. In the chimney the embers burned low, still giving off a faint trace of heat and light. The candle had long since been extinguished. The window through which Kiara had entered was shut and the curtains drawn. Barathor slept quietly in his bed.
Kiara thought about going over to the bed and simply stabbing him while he slept, but it would not satisfy her thirst for revenge. He would die too quickly, without knowing who killed him and why. And she wanted him to take a few parting words with him in to death. She wanted him to suffer as she had and to hear judgement dealt out before him as he died. He would hear these words and feel this pain in full consciousness.
She needed to wake him up, but if he awoke now he would surely fight her. He might not have won, for she carried a blade, but he would not hear the words the he had to hear.
Kiara looked around for something to tie him down with. There was no rope in sight. Again she cursed herself for not being prepared and not bringing any. In fact there was nothing resembling rope, no cords, no belts, nothing. The only thing she could think of was knotting the sheets together, but Barathor would surely wake up if his covers were thrown off.
Her eyes searched the room frantically. There was a closet over to the side of the room that she hadn't noticed before. She opened it and found clothes, nothing more. But what she found delighted her. She pulled out the clothes and began slicing them into pieces with her dagger and tying the pieces together, pausing frequently to check to make sure Barathor still slept.
It did not take her long to finish her task. Soon she had made two lengths of makeshift rope, one for tying Barathor to the bed, and the other for binding his hands.
She slung the longer rope around his middle and pulled one end from under the bed and tied it loosely at the side, not wanting the sudden jolt to wake him if she pulled more tightly. He was sleeping on his side, and for that she was grateful. It made it much easier to tie his hands.
This time she pulled tightly. His eyes snapped open. Kiara sprang to the side of his bed. As Barathor rolled on to his back to gape at his bonds, she tightened the rope about his middle, securing him to the bed.
Barathor struggled against his bonds, and, though not quickly, he was succeeding in wriggling free. Kiara realized that she must act fast or the deed would not be done properly.
She laid a hand firmly on his chest. His struggles lowed but they did not abate. She approached her head to his ear.
"You killed my mother, and lied to kill my father," she whispered. "Now you will pay the price. Punishment for murder is death. Justice must be served."
"I did not kill your mother," he lied urgently, trying to keep the fear and anger out of his voice. He was not very successful. "Why would I do such a thing?" His voice was shaking, though he was trying to be sincere, or trying to fake sincerity.
"Murderer," she whispered fiercely. "She rejected your love out of loyalty and love for my father. And for that you killed her. Now you will suffer the same pain."
Suddenly Barathor's face changed. It contorted into anger and hatred, and a spitting vicious monster was revealed. "You coward," he seethed. "You came to do justice and you can't even kill me in a fair fight. You tie me down. Can you not fight fair, or are you afraid whelp?"
Kiara didn't show any reaction to his challenge. Her face remained as cold as before, her lips set in a hard line. "My mother was helpless when you killed her, as was my father. You are the coward. You lie and deceive and murder only to satisfy yourself. Now you will die the same way my mother did, helpless and unable to defend yourself."
And then she plunged her dagger into his chest. The blade pierced flesh and bone, finally finding it's way to his black heart.
Barathor gasped as the dagger entered his chest. He had not expected the whelp to actually go through with the murder. Even now he could not believe it, thought the pain told him otherwise. With that he tore the dagger from his chest and lunged at Kiara, only to be pulled back by the bonds. They came loose as he fell back. He lunged at her again, this time managing to rake a shallow cut across her chest. He tried once more, but fell back as he began to weaken and his senses became fuzzy in death.
Dimly he could hear Kiara's icy voice. "Good bye Barathor. Justice has been served. Your debt is paid. We're square."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Yah so that's it. I promise there will be an update as soon as I can get it typed up, which knowing my schedule probly wont be for another month (cuz I made the volleyball team, and he was gonna cut but decided not to, yeah) and schoolwork and stuff. It's all ready and I'll keep writing but don't expect it 2morrow.
Namarie