Chapter Forty-Eight: Healing
A/N: AH, I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me for making you wait 9 days? I mean, you can, can't you? I was in HAWAII! Who writes fan fictions when they're in HAWAII! Oh dude, it was so awesome. Hawaii is the best. You just have to go. Boy oh boy. I was so happy, and I didn't worry about anything while I was there. I had a lot to worry about too. My friend's dad just died. The day before I left for Hawaii. Can you believe it? But it was still an awesome vacation. But gosh, I can't believe you guys actually think I would KILL Legolas! Well … I can see how … I have killed him before, but that was an ENTIRELY different ending! Okay. Well, he'll be okay, he just needs to "walk it off." Don't you hate it when PE teachers tell you that? "I twisted my ankle" … "Walk it off." … "I broke my leg" … "Walk it off." … "I have a brain tumor and skin cancer, and I have no feet." … "Walk it off." Holy smokes! Well, enjoy. I promise I'll try not to leave you guys hanging for weeks on end anymore. *Try.*
…
"What have you done?" Aila cried, falling to the ground beside Legolas, picking him up and cradling him in her arms. Then, she realized her mistake, and tried her best to cover it up and continue the lie. "I wanted to kill him with my own hands! Now he is dead and my revenge is lost!" Anxious to save some of his face, Glorinul squatted upon the ground as well and put his thumb against Legolas' neck. Aila wanted to reach out and swat his hand from Legolas' face. His muddied, stout fingers had no right to be within a mile of Legolas' beautiful face, so delicate but strong. She could not however, but held her hand itching at her sides.
"He still lives," said Glorinul, and he stood, picking Aila's sword from the ground where she had dropped it. "You can still kill him yourself."
"It would not be fair," she said, hoping against hope that she would not be forced to kill her own husband or have them both killed for her treachery and lies. What had she gotten herself into? "I cannot kill him now, when he is unconscious and injured. No, I must fight him honorably, like he should have killed my parents. They should have been able to defend themselves. I will not stoop to the elven level. I will nurse him back to life, and then he shall die."
"Such wasted efforts!" cried Glorinul, laughing. "To heal him, then kill him? Why waste your energies so? This way, he has no chance of killing you!"
"What does it matter if I die?" she retorted, totally falling into her role. "My parents are dead. I have no family, no one to live for. What is the point of living? To be a slave for some sick desire for revenge? There is no point to my life. If I fight this elf, and he kills me, then the elves will have to live with killing an entire family for no reason. They at least, have some conscience. I, on the other hand, would never forgive myself for killing an elf in cold blood. I have always given them the chance to fight. Trust me, he has no chance against me."
"I will take you at your word," he turned back to his men. "We will hold siege upon the castle."
"It is not wise," responded Aila, and he turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "The castle is strong and the elves have enough to live for centuries upon what they have stored there. It is an entire civilization. There is no hope of laying effective siege to it."
"It is my duty. After your long speech about honorably killing someone, you must understand one's duty to their own village?"
"I understand. Then lay siege, by all means, but leave me be to mend the elf until he is well enough to die."
"How strange that sounds."
"When he is well again, it will be music to my ears," she grinned evilly, but under her sadistic grin was a grin of true joy. Perhaps she would be able to heal Legolas. But she must make several secret missions into the elven city for their famous healing supplies, or Legolas would surely die. His life was in her hands, as hers had so constantly been in his.
…
The day was dawning bright, and the soldiers were stirring already outside of Aila's personal tent. She had been awake all night, feverishly watching Legolas' every minute movement. Soon, she knew, he would awaken, and then they could plot their escape. Breakfast was brought to her, as it had been everyday. No one expected her to leave the tent.
"Sir, don't you worry, about her in that tent with the elf all of the time? What if he wakes up while she is asleep? He will not be as honorable as she and give her good chance to defend herself. Elves are not that way," little did he know. "He will kill her without a second thought."
"No," replied Glorinul, "I understand your concerns, but there is nothing I can do. She won't leave the tent until the elf is well, and once the elf is healthy, she will kill him in a fair fight. Funny that," he drifted off for a moment. "That she should battle the elf, I should injure him, she'll heal him, and then kill him. Seems like a lot of wasted time and energy. But … if it's what she wants to do … I can't stand in her way."
Back in the tent, Aila's eyes started to close drowsily, but she forcefully held them open. Soon, there was nothing she could do but close them for a few seconds, before forcing them wide once more. Her head was drooping to her shoulder, causing an uncomfortable crook in her neck, but that was the least of her worries.
Legolas' breath was regular and deep, she could see his chest laboring beneath the thin blanket. Outside, she could hear the muffled rustlings of the soldiers, but Glorinul had told them to be especially quiet around her tent, which was easy since it was set up on the outskirts of the camp. Unlucky for Glorinul that he was so trusting. Aila began to hatch a plan for their escape, but she needed Legolas to be alive.
…
The day was almost over, and the sun was setting far in the west, but Aila paid no attention. She was extraordinarily tired, but somehow she stayed awake. Continuously, she watched Legolas, who appeared to be simply asleep. A sleep that had lasted a very long time. Aila looked over to the entrance of the tent, making sure the flaps were securely closed. Finally, she gave up the idea that Legolas might wake that day, and she lay down next to his injured body, staring up at the dark ceiling of the tent. She began to fall asleep, when next to her Legolas began to stir.
Immediately, she sat up and watched him intently, her drowsiness left her. Legolas' hand went up to rub his eyes, and he sat up as well, as if he was simply waking up from a night's rest, but his side was sore, and he felt the bandages, before bringing up his shocking blue eyes to meet Aila's own.
"Thank God you're okay!" she whispered, afraid someone might hear them. She hugged Legolas as tightly as she could, and he returned the embrace.
"Aila …" he whispered in her ear, his face buried in her hair.
…
Back in the castle, Findecano was sitting in Aila's favorite garden, thinking of his mother and father. Next to him sat one of his best friends and most trusted allies, Handir, son of Haldir.
"They have them both, Handir. There must be something we can do."
"There is nothing," replied Handir wisely. He was well versed in the principles of war. "They are well protected in their siege."
"Siege," scoffed Findecano, in so spiteful a tone that it surprised his friend. "If you could call it that. It is no siege. We have everything we need right here. They deprive us of nothing."
"You are blind, Findecano. You are blind in worrying about your parents. It is a siege. They have deprived us of our freedom. Yes, we have food, we have water, we have all of our needs. All but one. Elves need freedom. We are trapped in our own town, in our castle. We cannot go out into the forest for fear of being slaughtered. There is no freedom in that."
"You are right as always, Handir. Thank you my friend, but now I wish to be alone." Handir nodded and rose from the bench, but he kneeled in front of the young prince and looked up into his face, his expression was never more sincere.
"Don't do anything foolish, Findecano. You have a duty to your people before you have a duty to your parents. It is the bane of being royalty. They will come home somehow, but you cannot do anything stupid in the meantime. Promise me you won't be a fool."
"How can I promise that, Handir? You know how I am." Indeed, Findecano was foolish at times when he felt the need to do something towards what was right.
"Just do it."
"I promise."
"Thank you, now I give you your time alone." Findecano laughed.
"Now I need no time alone, friend. I was going to plan something foolish. But never mind, I need time to think. I will catch up with you tomorrow." Handir stood up once more and left the garden. Alone, Findecano picked one of the many hibiscus flowers that happened to grow in that garden. They were his mother's favorite flower. The center of the bloom was orange, but it faded into yellow petals, slightly streaked with dew. The tips of the petals were flamed with bright red, that stuck out amongst the green foliage of the bush.
"Nothing foolish," he whispered to himself, but tears streamed down his face, and he knew he had to do something. It had been a few weeks since Aila had stopped by the castle in the middle of the night to collect medicines. She had always stopped by weekly, but those visits had stopped. He hoped against hope that nothing had happened to her. To either of them. The sun was setting, so he retired to his room, so close to the unoccupied room that was his parents'.
…
"What is it, Legolas," Aila let go of the elf to look at his face, and he stared resignedly back at her.
"They lay siege to my castle! They try to kill my wife. These humans threaten to kill my people! There must be an end to this …" Legolas stood up and started to search about the tent. "Where is my bow, where is my sword? I will make an end to this."
"There are too many of them, Legolas," Aila said, watching for a few moments with crazy eyes, before jumping up and grabbing his arms, holding him in one spot. "You would die."
"Then I will take them down with me, as many as I can." He pulled his arms from her and found his sword. There was a strange light in his eyes, and for a moment, Aila truly was scared of him.
"Legolas!" she whispered harshly. "What about Findecano?"
"I do this for him."
"Both of you are foolish! I would think you might want to set a better example for your son!" Legolas stopped moving and stood, staring at her, his sword in his hand. "Don't you think you are better use to him alive than you are dead? Well, Legolas? Now I have a plan for our escape, and we can return to the castle and help the elves battle these men, but it involves you being alive! Now, will you die now, never to see your son again, and to possibly doom of the elves of Middle Earth? Or will you sit down and listen to me now, and hear my plan?"
His bright blue eyes bore into her face, but she set her brown eyes determinedly upon his, almost more determined than his were. The look on his face made her tremble as she stared at him, but she tried her best to stand her ground and look like she wasn't afraid, but Legolas saw right through it, and his face turned from determination to kill to shock and concern.
"Are …" he could hardly bring himself to say it, and his voice was low and full of shock at the look on her face. "Are you … afraid of me?" At the question, knowing that she was, Aila turned her head away and bowed it, so that Legolas could only see the top of her head, but she was still trembling. "You're afraid of me?" he asked again, but it was more of a statement. Slowly, Legolas crossed the room until he was standing in front of her. He lifted her chin and turned his face towards him, and his hand remained on her face.
"Aila," he said, bringing her eyes to his. "You should never be afraid of me. I'm sorry. I would never do anything to hurt you, you're my wife, and I love you more than anything. Than life itself. I was just worried about Findecano. I will hear your plan for escape, but don't be afraid of me. I love you." He bent his head and overwhelmed her with a kiss, but broke it almost immediately.
"Touching. Very touching," came a sneering voice from the entrance of the tent. Aila's entire body froze, and she clung against Legolas, who held her tightly against him and stood facing Glorinul and several of his men. A sword was held ready in his hand, and the determined light in Legolas' eyes returned. "I should have known. Itarille, you lied to me. Or should I call you Aila? Queen of the Elves of Mirkwood. For shame. I didn't think that queens lied. But I guess that's all part of being a queen of elves."
"You leave her alone. Leave all of us alone. We haven't done anything to you," Legolas spat, but Glorinul kept his cool.
"Such spite. What, noble elven prince, where is your father now? Have you not become king yet?"
"No," said Legolas scornfully.
"But you are so much older than I am, and I am already a king. Are you an underachiever, Prince Legolas?"
"You will die," said Legolas, and for a moment, Glorinul thought it was a threat.
"Will you kill me?"
"No," the elf replied. "Time will." Aila still clung to his side, burying her face in his chest. "You will die, and your wife will die, your children will die. But elves will live on. Forever. Lay siege to our people as long as you like. Your great great great great grandchildren will die long before an end is seen to this."
"But if I kill you now? If I kill all of the elves. Then you will not live on forever, will you." Aila pulled herself from Legolas, and the elf reluctantly let her go. She took her sword from the ground.
"No," she shouted to him. "Elves may live forever, but humans don't. I am human like you and I have lived a very long time. You will kill me before you touch any of the elves."
"Aila, no!" Legolas shouted, but she put out an arm, and held him back.
"Let us go, Glorinul."
"Oh, but why should I?" he said rather childishly. "This is fun. A prince and a princess under my control. What I could buy with this bribe!" Glorinul turned towards his men, exposing his back to the royal couple. "What I could bargain for the both of you. Those poor, sick elves, yearning for their prince, their princess, what could I buy with you? A thousand elven heads?" He turned back to them, and he brandished his sword. "What could I buy with your heads alone?"
"Nothing," replied Aila, matching her sword against his. "Our heads will get you nothing. Elves know we are no good dead. If it is a trade you want, hostages, then you will have to keep us alive, as hostage situations go."
"If this is my only option."
"It is. I will make it your only option."
"You are a riot," he smiled. "Then it will be. Too bad you're already taken …" Legolas snorted behind Aila, and put his hand on her shoulder. "And by an elf no less," Glorinul said spitefully. "Alas, you shall be my hostages." He turned to the men around him. "Tie them together, tightly, and then bring them to be held in the tent next to mine. They shall have a continuous watch of four men, at each corner of the tent. Can't have them escaping can we? Strip them of their weapons, and put it in the tent beside them, just to tease. Good day, Prince and Princess Greenleaf."
…
A/N: Ah, I like this. What fun! I also like the Strokes. And long walks on the beach … in Hawaii. OW, OW! Oh boy, the fun never stops. Anyway, I'll try to post again soon. Tomorrow possibly. I have some homework due on the 5th, which I haven't done anything with. Of course, I have a Spanish brochure on Argentina due on Monday, and I'm still posting on Sunday, aren't I? I'm so inconstant! Did somebody say something about proofreading? Yes, I probably should proofread, but I tend not to do it, because when I read my stuff before I publish it, I change it … constantly. It's just weird. Anybody want to do my proofreading? I could e-mail it to you, and then you could read over it, and send it back to me with the corrections. Of course, only spelling and grammatical corrections allowed. NO ONE is changing MY content. MINE, IT'S MINE! But this would slow the process, unless I produced more quickly, which would increase the amount of errors. And then that other person would have to be as quick as me. Oh boy. It would be "muy dificil". Anybody up to it?
A/N: AH, I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me for making you wait 9 days? I mean, you can, can't you? I was in HAWAII! Who writes fan fictions when they're in HAWAII! Oh dude, it was so awesome. Hawaii is the best. You just have to go. Boy oh boy. I was so happy, and I didn't worry about anything while I was there. I had a lot to worry about too. My friend's dad just died. The day before I left for Hawaii. Can you believe it? But it was still an awesome vacation. But gosh, I can't believe you guys actually think I would KILL Legolas! Well … I can see how … I have killed him before, but that was an ENTIRELY different ending! Okay. Well, he'll be okay, he just needs to "walk it off." Don't you hate it when PE teachers tell you that? "I twisted my ankle" … "Walk it off." … "I broke my leg" … "Walk it off." … "I have a brain tumor and skin cancer, and I have no feet." … "Walk it off." Holy smokes! Well, enjoy. I promise I'll try not to leave you guys hanging for weeks on end anymore. *Try.*
…
"What have you done?" Aila cried, falling to the ground beside Legolas, picking him up and cradling him in her arms. Then, she realized her mistake, and tried her best to cover it up and continue the lie. "I wanted to kill him with my own hands! Now he is dead and my revenge is lost!" Anxious to save some of his face, Glorinul squatted upon the ground as well and put his thumb against Legolas' neck. Aila wanted to reach out and swat his hand from Legolas' face. His muddied, stout fingers had no right to be within a mile of Legolas' beautiful face, so delicate but strong. She could not however, but held her hand itching at her sides.
"He still lives," said Glorinul, and he stood, picking Aila's sword from the ground where she had dropped it. "You can still kill him yourself."
"It would not be fair," she said, hoping against hope that she would not be forced to kill her own husband or have them both killed for her treachery and lies. What had she gotten herself into? "I cannot kill him now, when he is unconscious and injured. No, I must fight him honorably, like he should have killed my parents. They should have been able to defend themselves. I will not stoop to the elven level. I will nurse him back to life, and then he shall die."
"Such wasted efforts!" cried Glorinul, laughing. "To heal him, then kill him? Why waste your energies so? This way, he has no chance of killing you!"
"What does it matter if I die?" she retorted, totally falling into her role. "My parents are dead. I have no family, no one to live for. What is the point of living? To be a slave for some sick desire for revenge? There is no point to my life. If I fight this elf, and he kills me, then the elves will have to live with killing an entire family for no reason. They at least, have some conscience. I, on the other hand, would never forgive myself for killing an elf in cold blood. I have always given them the chance to fight. Trust me, he has no chance against me."
"I will take you at your word," he turned back to his men. "We will hold siege upon the castle."
"It is not wise," responded Aila, and he turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "The castle is strong and the elves have enough to live for centuries upon what they have stored there. It is an entire civilization. There is no hope of laying effective siege to it."
"It is my duty. After your long speech about honorably killing someone, you must understand one's duty to their own village?"
"I understand. Then lay siege, by all means, but leave me be to mend the elf until he is well enough to die."
"How strange that sounds."
"When he is well again, it will be music to my ears," she grinned evilly, but under her sadistic grin was a grin of true joy. Perhaps she would be able to heal Legolas. But she must make several secret missions into the elven city for their famous healing supplies, or Legolas would surely die. His life was in her hands, as hers had so constantly been in his.
…
The day was dawning bright, and the soldiers were stirring already outside of Aila's personal tent. She had been awake all night, feverishly watching Legolas' every minute movement. Soon, she knew, he would awaken, and then they could plot their escape. Breakfast was brought to her, as it had been everyday. No one expected her to leave the tent.
"Sir, don't you worry, about her in that tent with the elf all of the time? What if he wakes up while she is asleep? He will not be as honorable as she and give her good chance to defend herself. Elves are not that way," little did he know. "He will kill her without a second thought."
"No," replied Glorinul, "I understand your concerns, but there is nothing I can do. She won't leave the tent until the elf is well, and once the elf is healthy, she will kill him in a fair fight. Funny that," he drifted off for a moment. "That she should battle the elf, I should injure him, she'll heal him, and then kill him. Seems like a lot of wasted time and energy. But … if it's what she wants to do … I can't stand in her way."
Back in the tent, Aila's eyes started to close drowsily, but she forcefully held them open. Soon, there was nothing she could do but close them for a few seconds, before forcing them wide once more. Her head was drooping to her shoulder, causing an uncomfortable crook in her neck, but that was the least of her worries.
Legolas' breath was regular and deep, she could see his chest laboring beneath the thin blanket. Outside, she could hear the muffled rustlings of the soldiers, but Glorinul had told them to be especially quiet around her tent, which was easy since it was set up on the outskirts of the camp. Unlucky for Glorinul that he was so trusting. Aila began to hatch a plan for their escape, but she needed Legolas to be alive.
…
The day was almost over, and the sun was setting far in the west, but Aila paid no attention. She was extraordinarily tired, but somehow she stayed awake. Continuously, she watched Legolas, who appeared to be simply asleep. A sleep that had lasted a very long time. Aila looked over to the entrance of the tent, making sure the flaps were securely closed. Finally, she gave up the idea that Legolas might wake that day, and she lay down next to his injured body, staring up at the dark ceiling of the tent. She began to fall asleep, when next to her Legolas began to stir.
Immediately, she sat up and watched him intently, her drowsiness left her. Legolas' hand went up to rub his eyes, and he sat up as well, as if he was simply waking up from a night's rest, but his side was sore, and he felt the bandages, before bringing up his shocking blue eyes to meet Aila's own.
"Thank God you're okay!" she whispered, afraid someone might hear them. She hugged Legolas as tightly as she could, and he returned the embrace.
"Aila …" he whispered in her ear, his face buried in her hair.
…
Back in the castle, Findecano was sitting in Aila's favorite garden, thinking of his mother and father. Next to him sat one of his best friends and most trusted allies, Handir, son of Haldir.
"They have them both, Handir. There must be something we can do."
"There is nothing," replied Handir wisely. He was well versed in the principles of war. "They are well protected in their siege."
"Siege," scoffed Findecano, in so spiteful a tone that it surprised his friend. "If you could call it that. It is no siege. We have everything we need right here. They deprive us of nothing."
"You are blind, Findecano. You are blind in worrying about your parents. It is a siege. They have deprived us of our freedom. Yes, we have food, we have water, we have all of our needs. All but one. Elves need freedom. We are trapped in our own town, in our castle. We cannot go out into the forest for fear of being slaughtered. There is no freedom in that."
"You are right as always, Handir. Thank you my friend, but now I wish to be alone." Handir nodded and rose from the bench, but he kneeled in front of the young prince and looked up into his face, his expression was never more sincere.
"Don't do anything foolish, Findecano. You have a duty to your people before you have a duty to your parents. It is the bane of being royalty. They will come home somehow, but you cannot do anything stupid in the meantime. Promise me you won't be a fool."
"How can I promise that, Handir? You know how I am." Indeed, Findecano was foolish at times when he felt the need to do something towards what was right.
"Just do it."
"I promise."
"Thank you, now I give you your time alone." Findecano laughed.
"Now I need no time alone, friend. I was going to plan something foolish. But never mind, I need time to think. I will catch up with you tomorrow." Handir stood up once more and left the garden. Alone, Findecano picked one of the many hibiscus flowers that happened to grow in that garden. They were his mother's favorite flower. The center of the bloom was orange, but it faded into yellow petals, slightly streaked with dew. The tips of the petals were flamed with bright red, that stuck out amongst the green foliage of the bush.
"Nothing foolish," he whispered to himself, but tears streamed down his face, and he knew he had to do something. It had been a few weeks since Aila had stopped by the castle in the middle of the night to collect medicines. She had always stopped by weekly, but those visits had stopped. He hoped against hope that nothing had happened to her. To either of them. The sun was setting, so he retired to his room, so close to the unoccupied room that was his parents'.
…
"What is it, Legolas," Aila let go of the elf to look at his face, and he stared resignedly back at her.
"They lay siege to my castle! They try to kill my wife. These humans threaten to kill my people! There must be an end to this …" Legolas stood up and started to search about the tent. "Where is my bow, where is my sword? I will make an end to this."
"There are too many of them, Legolas," Aila said, watching for a few moments with crazy eyes, before jumping up and grabbing his arms, holding him in one spot. "You would die."
"Then I will take them down with me, as many as I can." He pulled his arms from her and found his sword. There was a strange light in his eyes, and for a moment, Aila truly was scared of him.
"Legolas!" she whispered harshly. "What about Findecano?"
"I do this for him."
"Both of you are foolish! I would think you might want to set a better example for your son!" Legolas stopped moving and stood, staring at her, his sword in his hand. "Don't you think you are better use to him alive than you are dead? Well, Legolas? Now I have a plan for our escape, and we can return to the castle and help the elves battle these men, but it involves you being alive! Now, will you die now, never to see your son again, and to possibly doom of the elves of Middle Earth? Or will you sit down and listen to me now, and hear my plan?"
His bright blue eyes bore into her face, but she set her brown eyes determinedly upon his, almost more determined than his were. The look on his face made her tremble as she stared at him, but she tried her best to stand her ground and look like she wasn't afraid, but Legolas saw right through it, and his face turned from determination to kill to shock and concern.
"Are …" he could hardly bring himself to say it, and his voice was low and full of shock at the look on her face. "Are you … afraid of me?" At the question, knowing that she was, Aila turned her head away and bowed it, so that Legolas could only see the top of her head, but she was still trembling. "You're afraid of me?" he asked again, but it was more of a statement. Slowly, Legolas crossed the room until he was standing in front of her. He lifted her chin and turned his face towards him, and his hand remained on her face.
"Aila," he said, bringing her eyes to his. "You should never be afraid of me. I'm sorry. I would never do anything to hurt you, you're my wife, and I love you more than anything. Than life itself. I was just worried about Findecano. I will hear your plan for escape, but don't be afraid of me. I love you." He bent his head and overwhelmed her with a kiss, but broke it almost immediately.
"Touching. Very touching," came a sneering voice from the entrance of the tent. Aila's entire body froze, and she clung against Legolas, who held her tightly against him and stood facing Glorinul and several of his men. A sword was held ready in his hand, and the determined light in Legolas' eyes returned. "I should have known. Itarille, you lied to me. Or should I call you Aila? Queen of the Elves of Mirkwood. For shame. I didn't think that queens lied. But I guess that's all part of being a queen of elves."
"You leave her alone. Leave all of us alone. We haven't done anything to you," Legolas spat, but Glorinul kept his cool.
"Such spite. What, noble elven prince, where is your father now? Have you not become king yet?"
"No," said Legolas scornfully.
"But you are so much older than I am, and I am already a king. Are you an underachiever, Prince Legolas?"
"You will die," said Legolas, and for a moment, Glorinul thought it was a threat.
"Will you kill me?"
"No," the elf replied. "Time will." Aila still clung to his side, burying her face in his chest. "You will die, and your wife will die, your children will die. But elves will live on. Forever. Lay siege to our people as long as you like. Your great great great great grandchildren will die long before an end is seen to this."
"But if I kill you now? If I kill all of the elves. Then you will not live on forever, will you." Aila pulled herself from Legolas, and the elf reluctantly let her go. She took her sword from the ground.
"No," she shouted to him. "Elves may live forever, but humans don't. I am human like you and I have lived a very long time. You will kill me before you touch any of the elves."
"Aila, no!" Legolas shouted, but she put out an arm, and held him back.
"Let us go, Glorinul."
"Oh, but why should I?" he said rather childishly. "This is fun. A prince and a princess under my control. What I could buy with this bribe!" Glorinul turned towards his men, exposing his back to the royal couple. "What I could bargain for the both of you. Those poor, sick elves, yearning for their prince, their princess, what could I buy with you? A thousand elven heads?" He turned back to them, and he brandished his sword. "What could I buy with your heads alone?"
"Nothing," replied Aila, matching her sword against his. "Our heads will get you nothing. Elves know we are no good dead. If it is a trade you want, hostages, then you will have to keep us alive, as hostage situations go."
"If this is my only option."
"It is. I will make it your only option."
"You are a riot," he smiled. "Then it will be. Too bad you're already taken …" Legolas snorted behind Aila, and put his hand on her shoulder. "And by an elf no less," Glorinul said spitefully. "Alas, you shall be my hostages." He turned to the men around him. "Tie them together, tightly, and then bring them to be held in the tent next to mine. They shall have a continuous watch of four men, at each corner of the tent. Can't have them escaping can we? Strip them of their weapons, and put it in the tent beside them, just to tease. Good day, Prince and Princess Greenleaf."
…
A/N: Ah, I like this. What fun! I also like the Strokes. And long walks on the beach … in Hawaii. OW, OW! Oh boy, the fun never stops. Anyway, I'll try to post again soon. Tomorrow possibly. I have some homework due on the 5th, which I haven't done anything with. Of course, I have a Spanish brochure on Argentina due on Monday, and I'm still posting on Sunday, aren't I? I'm so inconstant! Did somebody say something about proofreading? Yes, I probably should proofread, but I tend not to do it, because when I read my stuff before I publish it, I change it … constantly. It's just weird. Anybody want to do my proofreading? I could e-mail it to you, and then you could read over it, and send it back to me with the corrections. Of course, only spelling and grammatical corrections allowed. NO ONE is changing MY content. MINE, IT'S MINE! But this would slow the process, unless I produced more quickly, which would increase the amount of errors. And then that other person would have to be as quick as me. Oh boy. It would be "muy dificil". Anybody up to it?