Disclaimer: Not Tolkien. I am what I am but that's all that I am. Arr. Sorry.
*************Chapter Seven*****************
Finally. The Third Day.
Legolas had been dreading it. He had noticed Eredor's usually carefree nature disappear slowy over the last few days, to be replaced with a tense, quiet man Legolas almost didn't recognize. Certainly killing others of his kind had upset him, especially knowing that they were no different than he…forced to do it unwillingly. It made Legolas wonder if it would affect him. Up till today, he hadn't been forced to kill anything except evil things: orcs and spiders, and of course the animals that the elves killed and used as food. Not a person.
Not a person.
That morning the prisoners were taken out of their cells in haste. There was a quick distasteful breakfast of bread soup, and then everyone was chained in a line and Curdolin and his guests, Lord Haveth and his Lady, appeared. With them came Haveth's prisoners. They looked much the same as the men Legolas had been around for the last three days, dirty, miserable, yet strong and intimidating. Eredor was in line two down from Legolas, and he could sense the young man's nervousness. But not fear.
Haveth and his Lady strode in front of the lines of prisoners, eyeing each opponent.
The Lady Haveth broke off from her husband's arm and went down on the line as Haveth inspected another prisoner. She stopped in front of Legolas.
Her eyes looked him over from head to toe, and Legolas knew that rather than contemplating whether or not to choose him to fight, her purpose was more steered towards admiring his beauty. He thanked the Valar that he still had the tattered remains of a tunic on his back, or else she would have looked at him longer. Instead she turned her head towards Angarod, who was standing proudly at the head of the lines.
"What of this one, pray tell?" She said, her voice deep and soft. She was rather good-looking for a human, Legolas thought, but soon Angarod strode into his thoughts and began speaking.
"Why, Lady Haveth, must you ask?" He teased. Her eyes narrowed at his slight flirting.
"He looks different from all the rest." She said quickly. Legolas continued to stare straight ahead, as he and the others were instructed to do. But he knew that this was the moment that could change—or to put more simply end—his life if he made a mistake.
"Aye, he is." Angarod agreed. He punched Legolas in the chest—hard, but not hard enough to hurt him. "Why don't you tell her something about yourself, boy?"
Legolas looked at Angarod and then Lady Haveth in surprise. Still to this day he hadn't said a single word to anyone save Eredor. Now Angarod expected him to speak?
Legolas remained silent, and Angarod's crooked smile widened. "He's a silent one, Lady. Doesn't talk to no one."
Lady Haveth raised an eyebrow at Legolas. "Is he deaf?" She asked rather stupidly. Anyone intelligent could have noticed that Legolas was reacting to the things being said about him, maybe not in body, but in his eyes it was apparent.
"No, Lady, he is not." Angarod answered. "Just stubborn."
"Is he an elf?" The Lady asked.
Legolas had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. It was amazing how uneducated humans could be.
"Aye." Angarod answered simply. "Just came to us three days ago."
Lady Haveth rubbed her chin for a moment when her husband appeared beside her.
"Dearest, have you chosen yet? I have my choice." He said rather proudly.
"Have you?" She replied. "Whom?"
Lord Haveth gestured towards the line, where the guards were unchaining someone. Legolas felt a chill crawl up his spine. It was Eredor he had picked.
"Have you chosen yet, dear?" Lord Haveth asked again.
The woman shifted her weight rather impatiently. "Oh, I can't decide."
"You were interested in this one, Lady?" Angarod suggested, pointing toward Legolas.
"Fine. Him. I chose him." said Lady Haveth, waving her hand in defeat. She turned to her husband. "May we please go inside now? The sun out here is most uncomfortable."
Lord Haveth nodded and he lead his wife away. The guards unchained a only slightly shocked Legolas from the line and lead him forward, next to Eredor and two of the prisoners Haveth had carted along.
Curdolin chose the weapons for Eredor: A hooked spear and a net with weights at the corners. Legolas was given a simple small dagger.
The guards led the chosen prisoners towards a small encloser that was meant to house the men ready to fight. It was carved directly into the stone walls of the area, with simple wooden doors to separate it. Inside it was bare save for benches carved into the rock.
Legolas, Eredor and the two others were sat down and shut in, a guard at the door. Legolas wondered which one of the strangers he would be fighting. He looked at Eredor, but his friend's face showed no emotion. Eredor lifted his finger to his lips, urging the elf not to speak.
Thru the cracks in the poorly made door, Legolas could catch glimpses of what was going on ouside. They obviously had no intention of having the prisoners fight yet, having put them in this cell. So what were they doing?
Moving closer to the door Legolas could see better and therefore got his answer. A group of terrified women and children had appeared in the center of the ring, huddling together and crying out. Legolas wondered how they had appeared so suddenly.
"May the families of our dead enemies join their husbands, fathers, and brothers in hell!" A voice cried. It was Curdolin.
Without warning, a trapdoor into the ground opened near the door of the cell and several wolves leapt out, their already fearful eyes blazing with hunger.
Without hesitation, the animals desended upon the helpless group, screams of fear and pain erupted everywhere. Afraid of what he would see next, Legolas shut his eyes, but the sounds his sensitive ears picked up told him exactly what was happening out there.
After a mere few minutes the screams died off, and Legolas heard another sound—the sound of crowds applauding in approval. Once again, he wondered how humans could be so barbaric.
Willing himself to open his eyes, he saw the last body—that of a little girl—dragged out of the area.
****Personal Thingy****
Elvengirl: Thank you for your compliments! Well…you wanted updates, and here they are!! *gives Elvengirl cookie for reviewing*
XxDarkgoddessxX: *is flattered* Thank you so much! Thank you thank you thank you multiple times!! *gives XxDarkgoddessxX a very large cookie* I'm going to see Pirates of the Caribbean too!! In fact, I'm going today and I'm sitting here in my chair with a cheap pirate costume on cuz my friends convinced me to dress up with them. *sigh* Oh, well, it will be embarrassing, but fun. I like Orlando better than Colin Farrel. I don't know why, but the first time I saw Colin I just didn't like him. It was like an instinctive thing. I don't know. But he is very good-looking, I will admit that much! A little more ruggedly handsome than Orlando, but I like my guys kinda youthful and boyish. My next big sqeeze is *prepare yourself cuz this is the total opposite of what I just told you* Johnny Depp. Love him. Well, I should really stop writing now! I have to go blacken out some of my teeth…