*Wicked grin* Here's where it gets worse!!!! You can tell from the chapter. :) So, I finally got a little more support and here are the responses.

Thanks TheSilentSenshi!!!! I am glad you liked it! And I was happy to review your story!!! I love your way of writing! *Points to Silent Senshi* If you haven't read her stuff, you should!!!!

Hehe, yes Ellewyn!!!! Mini Kaldur!!! Sounds like a cereal or something. LOL. Anyway, here is the next chapter!

I'll say he is Mouse5!!!! And he's so cute too!!!!! Here is more!!!! Enjoy!!!!!

Linwen! No snappy entry, no funny Legolas, Aragorn, Jack, or Kaldur like remark!! I am worried mellon nin!!! Here is more for you! :)

WOW! Thanks Cassia! I am glad that you (since he is you and Sio's character) liked it so much!!! HOpe you keep reading, but if you can;t I totally understand! I am really enjoying "Tears Like Rain". I know I already told you that, but I just had to again! Anyway, here is more if you get a chance to read!

Chapter 2

A new Horror to Behold

"Come on child. Time to wake up!"

Something patted against his bare, tanned back. He groaned angrily at the voice that was interrupting his precious sleep.

"Oh! Just five more minutes Fiona." he moaned rolling onto his side and away from the light that splayed through the bamboo shades and into his room.

The now fourteen year-old boy grinned as a feathery thing tickled his toes. He giggled softly, trying to curl away from the fun torment.

"Please-no." he gasped as the tickling increased and moved up to his armpits and stomach.

"Yes. You know what'll 'appen if you don't wake'en yourself up now. We'' get into a whole mess'a'trouble."

The young man pried open one of his dark brown eyes and smiled at the face looming over him, she had one hand on her slim hip and her eyes were hard and angry, though she was not really mad. This was the usual morning routine and he always got up on time, she knew it.

"Well if you would leave I would be able to get up marm."

He sat up on his elbows and placed a mock glare upon his mother-figure.

She smiled, one of her broad grins and shook her head. "Fine, but you better hurry."

Walking through the frame in the wall that served as the door, she called back. "I would hate for all the lovely ladies in here to see your muscular, brown body Kal."

Kaldur chuckled as he slipped on his vest and tied the front, he knew all the ladies she was talking about.

They were all older women, over fifty, each with a husband of their own if they had not passed away yet as Fiona's had.

Making sure his baggy work leggings were tied tight at his slim waist, he ran forward, smiling as he entered the main room of the three room hut.

"Hello ladies." he chuckled as the women giggled and some of the more showy ones waved shyly at him.

"Hullo Kaldur." they said in unison, save a few that said it a little late.

"So you have the day off marm?" he asked, grabbing his leather pack from the wall and looking around the cupboards for something to eat.

She nodded while pouring tea for the four elderly ladies that sat in the room.

"Boss said no work for me today, 'e said I had been working hard lately and I deserved the day off." she brought the pot away and placed it on an old clay trivet, looking up to meet her adoptive sons brown gaze. "I thought I'd go to the market today, mas'er said I could to get a bit more food, seeing as how there are two of us and neither is a man over twenty."

Kaldur nodded, he knew that the master was fair and he gave them a little money since Fiona had no husband and Kaldur was not of age yet.

The market Fiona spoke of was one in the area, it was inside the masters land and run by the slaves and overseer's as well as a few free people trying to make a living.

"Alright." he smiled and bit into an apple as he started for the door. "Well, goodbye ladies. Fair thee well."

They all smiled and waved to him, "Have a good day young'in."

As he stepped out the door, the sun shined on his face and he closed his eyes as he walked.

Since there were very little trees in the arid place, he did not need to worry about walking into one, they were so scarce he could tell you exactly where each one was from his home.

Biting into the apple again, he pondered on his life. He was not one to be picky. He did not mind being a slave it was a good job and he was treated indly by the master.

When he was an orphan child, it was a different story, but now, he has Fiona. And he loved her as he would his own flesh and blood mother, and she loved him. She did not worry about showing it either, she gave him more than anyone else, maybe not always worldly possesions, but ones that he could take with his everywhere he went.

Things like patience, kindness, forgiveness, thankfullness. Things that he would never let go.

As he reached the fields, he threw the apple core out of the way, a few small birds flew down andbegan to peck at the abandoned fruit.

He walked to the shed and grabbed out a long scythe, with this, he began to cut away at the sheafs of wheat grass,

All around him cries of pain rang out, the ongs of brids. Pleas and the shouts of men and women alike.

"No please!"

"I will work harder."

"I am sorry."

He knew these cries well, they were the first words he had learned. He remembered that he had been late to talk and most of the people had teased him, especially the overseers. They had kicked him, even punched him in the face until the one day when he finally spoke for the very first time.

"Stop! Please! It hurts!"

The words echoed throughout his mind and made sweat bead on his forehead as he cut harder and harder, barely noticing anything else the existed around him.

The sound of the sythe cutting swiftly through the wheat grass ingrained into his brain and he began to hum against it, as if it were a tune from long ago.

He looked at it as if enchanted.

The song he sang, was the one he sang each night with Fiona before he succumbed to sleep, she would go on even when he had fallen asleep, it was the song she had sang to him the first night she had kept him in her care.

"The wind whisperes in gale forces,

Echoeing against the canyons,

nieghing are the pure white horses,

Racing round the bend."

He still did not quite understand what it meant, the gale winds and pure white horses.

Fiona had told him it was a song her father had put together to tell of all the places she had seen, he had sung it to her when she was a young girl.

"Small men, half the right size,

trees so tall, I can't believe me eyes.

Deer in a meadow,

past the dawn.

Hearts of lovers follow yon."

The music helped him drift away, and work never seemed so hard when he did.

The thoughts of men smaller than him made Kaldur's heart wonder and wish to meet such creatures, considering he was the smallest man among the slaves, goodness, he was even smaller than most the women here.

Grinning to himself, he continued to sing, but was stopped abruptly when he heard some men coming near, tall heavy men that carried whips. Slave drivers.

"Look at little Kal." they harassed as he worked to cut the sheafs of wheat. "Ah! He's so cute."

The young man wiped his tanned brow of the sweat and flicked it off carelessly.

"Poor little boy tired?"

They grinned to each other as he continuedon, trying not to pay them any heed, he grunted top drown out the sound of their voices, but it did not work.

"Ya'know Topaon, he really belongs with those halflings."

"What are halflings Chapa?"

Topaon sighed and grinned. " You know, those little men that are about half our size, now that I think about Ka might even be a bit smaller, he'd be a runt in their eyes. Wouldn't ya Kal?"

Kaldur did not acknowledge them in any way, he merely kept working, grunting as he brought all his force into the scythe, cutting through the fields.

Far across the fields, another slave driver leqapt through, running towards Tapaon and Chapa, yelling, screaming at them.

"Chapa! Topaon! A slave stole something from the market, and we can't find 'em. You are needed at the market to help judge, mas'er says to come get you two, says that you's the best punishing crew there be!"

Both drivers looked at each other, a grin on their tanned faces, Kaldur did not notice, he kept on workin'.

"Alright, you come watch Kal, we'll go!"

Trading places, Falaow came up and watched Kaldur for a few moments,then moved on. He was not sure why the lad was being watched anyhow, he was not doin' a thing wrong.

Once Falaow was gone, Kaldur began to sing again, he smiled and closed his eyes, breathing hard and sweat beading on his forhead, he just kept singing.

~_~

Things had not been so bad, the rest of the day had been Falaow had been watching, and he never beat or terrorized any of the slaves without reason to.

Whistlng a merry melody, Kaldur continued on his way home, excited to see Fiona and the other ladies.

Usually when Fiona had the day off, or was sick, or even just did her work at home, her ladies friend always came over to the house for dinenr, and that was fun because they always winked at Kal and waved like little girls who had a major crush on him.

He laughed, and skipped once to increase the hurry home.

He passed a few people he knew, mostly Fiona's friends, he waved and smiled at them as he strutted by.

They did not smile back, they barely even looked at him.

Confusion gripped his heart, it tore at his mind. He did not understand why everyone was so quiet and angry, they looked as if they could tear his head off, or hug him till he died of suffication.

"What is wrong?" he turned to one of the women, the grin on his face disappearing, his eyes searched her as if she might hold some vital clue, some tell-tale sign of why everyone was so...well sad.

The woman, Fiona's old friend, shook he heard, tears falling down her face.

With a sudden pang in his heart,Kaldur grabbed her harshly by the shoulders, shaking her.

"Why is everyone ignoring me?!" he would have screamed but did not feel he had the breaht within himself, he merely sighed it out.

She pushed away, trying to suck back the tears she had shed upon her ashen cheeks.

"Go home Kaldur." she whispered, wiping the wet away from her cheeks. "Just go home."

"But I don't understand?" he tried to go closer to the shaking woman, but she turned and ran away, as if he had just turned into the biggest and most fiery balrog ever to be taught by Morgoth.

Fear replaced the anger inside his heart, he turned on his heel and ran for home as fast as he could. His heart hammered in his chest and his head began to pang with guilt and more fear that made his stomach churn, he coughed slightly, sobbing as he did.

Racing toward the house he saw a limp figure in the stree, right in front of the door, his throat closed and his eyes welled up with tears.

"Fiona." it was not a cry, it was merely a whisper as he came upon the front door and right in front of his adoptive mother's lifeless body.

She was not breathing and he knew that she had passed on hours ago, she would never be back to tuck him in. To sing her songs, to teach him to write, spell, and read.

She would not be there to keep the world from him, he, Kaldur Decahr, was once again alone in the cruel worls and nothing and no one could help him now.

Sinking down to Fiona, he let the sobs free. They racked his small form with anguish and weary fear.

"Oh Marm." he whispered in a broken sob as he traced the cruel lacerations around her arms back and legs.Bruises marred her once smooth brown skin and her beautiful black krinkled hair.

The very same hair that used to brush his cheeks in the morning when she would wake him up. The same hair that he, when he was younger, had brushed to try and help.

Grabbing up and old rag, he began to wash the dirt and blood from her sweet face, it anguised his heart all the more when he saw the look of pain that he face was forever in.

"I am sorry marm." he whispered, brushing he dark cheeks and spperating the hair from her face.

"I should'ave been here." he brought he form up and hugged it close to his chest, sobbing into her dark krnkled tresses. "I should have comforted you, that scum of Morgoth, and we thought he was kind. I bet he set this up all on his lonesome, the rat." Tears fell down Kaldur's tanned cheeks and fell onto Fiona's bloody face, he hastily wiped them away, using his own tears to wash away the blood and grime. "Why Marm, why did you leave? You could have stayed home. I'd have gone to the market, I'd have died for you. I love you!" he whispered as if she were really alive and listening, but the only living thin that heard his words were crickets and locusts as the hopped past him.

He sobbed harder now, his breath coming out in short rasps as he washed her face and hand clean of the grime that had been beaten onto it.

"Please Fiona, don't leave me. Please." he begged, hoping desperatel;y she was not yet dead, or maybe her spirit was still near and she would hear him, but nothing came bu the harsh blow of the southern winds.

It whipped at his face and made the tears stream from their course,His dark hair beat at his face and swirled in the wind.

Instead of fear and sorrow, anger filled his heart. He snarled and picked Fiona up in his strong arms.

He walked into the house and put her on his own bed and brushed her dark hair, then placing a flower in her hands she laid it over her chest and left the room, and grabbing a headband tied it around his head to keep the hair from his eyes.

"I will avenge you mother, master will be sorry for what he did! I promise you that!"

Without so much as another word, he left the house, running lightly through the darkness towards Master Ciosa's villa, the soft patter of his feet echoing lightly in the fog.

TBC~

Well, there we are, chapter 3 is finished!!!!!! I promise I will work on "A Heart Lost" I am at a bit of a stump right now and am very busy, but I will not abandon that story, I will update, hopefully soon!!!!!

Thanks for reading this chapter, please review!!!!!!!! NO FlaMING!!!!!!!