Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkiens, it's all his. Boo-hoo.
*********Chapter 17************
That night, Legolas waited anxiously for the return of Eressa. He held his blanket to his chest and paced back and forth along the wall across from his bed. The sun was just beginning to set. It's light was once again painting a red and orange mural on the blank stone wall of his cell across from the small window.
Eredor had listened to his plan carefully. It was dangerous, for not only them but also for all of the slaves under Curdolin's power. Yet it was still incomplete. Legolas first needed to find out from Eressa the exact number of guards left to guard the cells at night and the best way to get out of the labyrinth of corridors into the House of Curdolin. From there it would be possible to make an escape.
Legolas turned his head as he heard footsteps approaching. Two large…one small. Eressa was coming.
The elf coolly turned towards the door as he heard the lock being worked. The door opened, but with less violence as last night. Legolas let a visible flicker of heat reflect in his eyes as he gazed hungrily at Eressa as she appeared, making sure the guards saw his reaction before they shoved her in. Eressa saw it too and her face showed a little confusion, and a little fear. She had never been looked at like that before and Legolas was the last person she expected to do that.
However, as soon and the door slammed shut again and left the two alone, the look was swept away from Legolas's eyes. Eressa realized it was an act, and smiled, relieved.
"Legolas…" She began, but Legolas put a finger to her lips and silenced her, staring at the door all the while, his eyes now showing deep concentration. Eressa looked at him, wondering why he was acting so strangely, but stayed quiet. She noticed that the finger against her lips was unusually warm and for a moment she thought that perhaps Legolas had caught a fever, when she remembered him telling her that elves did not contract illness. It must have been a trait unique to that of the elves.
Legolas strained his ears as he listened to the guards stomp back down the hall. Once he was certain they were gone, he turned back to Eressa, and took his hand away quickly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable that he was touching her in a somewhat intimate way. Eressa, however, didn't seem to realize his embarrassment.
"I have something for you." She stated, and then reached down and lifted her skirt. Legolas jerked considerably, wondering what on earth she was doing, and the girl noticed.
"What is it?" She asked, concerned.
Legolas realized she had nothing of that sort in mind and mentally scolded himself for thinking such a thing. Especially with Eredor's sister, who was only just straying past the realm of childhood.
"Nothing," He swallowed, and she reached down again and pulled something from under her skirt.
"I had to hide it." She said, understanding Legolas's confused look. "Otherwise I fear they would have taken it from me."
She held her gift up, and unfolded a roughly made but suitable sleeveless tunic. It was brown in color, and rough in texture, but it would do.
Legolas took the tunic into one hand and smiled graciously. "Thank you, Eressa."
Eressa nodded and then turned around, allowing Legolas some privacy to enable him to put the shirt on.
"It might not fit just right," She said as she faced the wall. "I usually work from measurements, but I was just guessing on yours."
Legolas slipped the tunic over his head and pulled it down. It was a bit large, but it fit him all right.
"It's just fine, Eressa." He said, turning around. Eressa also turned once she was certain the elf was properly clothed. She smiled.
"I'm sorry for the poor work, but I was using scraps. It was all I could find." She excused, shrugging her small shoulders.
"I won't be picky. It will just be coated in dirt they way it is anyway. I don't care if a shirt doesn't do much for me." Legolas grinned, touched the fabric.
"You certainly do a lot for the shirt," Eressa complimented. Legolas looked up abruptly.
"Thank you." He said, rather shyly. He hadn't expected the girl too say anything like that. He grinned wider at her and sat on the bed, his face suddenly becoming serious.
Eressa felt the change in the elf's mood. "Did you speak with my brother?" She asked hopefully.
"Yes," The elf answered. "He has agreed to help, though somewhat reluctantly."
This made Eressa frown. She had thought for certain Eredor would jump at any opportunity to get out of here. Was it possible that he liked what he was doing here and didn't wish to leave it? No, she couldn't think of that. Legolas's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Eressa, where did you come from when they brought you down here?" the elf asked.
Eressa paused and thought hard. "You mean how did they bring me to the cells?" She clarified.
Legolas nodded.
Again Eressa paused in thought. "We passed through a red door in the west chamber." She said. "But that's all I know. I'm not very familiar with that part of the house." Her eyes gazed doubtfully at the insides of the small cell. "Or down here."
Legolas blinked. "A red door?" Eressa nodded.
Legolas got up from the bed and paced a bit before sitting down again. Could it possibly be the same red door that had seemed so out of place he had seen when Angarod's guard took him to have his wounds treated?
"Did the door lead to a staircase?" Legolas questioned, looking down at the ground.
Eressa's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Have you thought of something, Legolas?"
"I do not know." The elf answered. There could have been other red doors that led down to staircases under the main home, seeing that the dungeons and cells were all built under it. How could he distinguish the one he had been to from the one Eressa had passed through? Could it be the same door?
Eressa seemed to understand Legolas's struggle to identify the door.
"There was blood on the stairway. Dried blood." She said uncomfortably, and Legolas's head shot up.
Legolas stared at her. It was the same door! He had remembered the day he had first fought, and his leg was bleeding heavily from the wound the warg had given him. He remembered standing on the stairway with Malkor, in which time might have allowed enough blood to escape his wound to stain the staircase considerably.
But how could the blood survived that long? It should have been washed up by someone. But looking down at the dirt floor of his own cell Legolas realized that Curdolin probably did not care of the cleanliness of the cells or halls below his home.
"Legolas?" Eressa exclaimed, seeing the elf's reaction.
"I know that door." Legolas said without glancing at his young female friend. "It's near Angarod's chambers." He turned and caught her eye before continuing. "That's my blood on the stairway."
Eressa gasped. "You bled that much? From what?"
Legolas raised his injured leg and removed the bandage. The wound was already closing, and he would not need the extra protection of the cloth any longer. Eressa kneeled down, and examined the wound before looking back up.
"How did you get that?" She asked softly.
"It was a warg. It caught my leg in its teeth and threw me. Luckily it only had one tooth left at that time." The elf smiled, a bit smug about how he had easily outsmarted the animal.
Eressa nodded, not bothering to ask about the matter further. They had more important issues to talk about. "About the door…is that the one you plan on using? To escape?"
Legolas paused and then nodded. "It's the only one I know of here that leads to the outside."
"What are we going to do, Legolas?" Eressa asked impatiently. "Tell me."
Legolas bit his lip and thought about his plot to get out of here for good. It wasn't foolproof, but it was good enough for him.
"If we somehow got all Curdolin's slaves to rebel at one time…there could be nothing the guards could prepare for it. If we worked together we could all get out of here safely." Legolas started.
Eressa listened as the elf went on. "If just one of use could get out of our cell, and set the others free…" The elf trailed off, but then he turned back to Eressa.
"Did you happen to note how many guards you seen every night while they take you down here?" He asked, hoping she could remember.
Eressa paused and though hard. "There's the two who bring me of course," she explained. "And I saw two more guarding the door that lead down here, but none after that."
"Four." Legolas concluded. "Four again twenty-five." It seemed easy. Too easy.
"Eressa, you mentioned before that if you called the guards they would come for you?" Legolas questioned.
"I did." The girl answered. "Why?"
"If you could get them to come and open the door…" Legolas said, smiling. "I think I could do the rest."
"The rest?" Eressa said, unsure. "But how would you set the others free? And how would you take down the armed guards in the first place? And how would we find our way out of here?"
Legolas looked at the young girl and grinned, before pulling away his blanket to reveal the hard planks of wood the two sat on.
"If you could smuggle a knife or any other sort of carving tool the way you smuggled my shirt, I'm sure I could turn this bed into quite a surprising array of weapons." He said proudly, glad of the skills he'd learned. "And if I could get a hold of an iron club or a hatchet I'm sure that I could easily break the locks on the doors and set the others free."
"You can do that? Carve weapons?" Eressa asked.
"Yes." Legolas said. "I could carve several sharp stakes…" He watched as Eressa winced. "…and I could probably make a small bow if I'm careful enough."
"I could bring you a knife." Eressa said certainly. "From the kitchen, if I can get there."
Legolas blinked. "I thought you said you have access to almost anywhere."
Eressa smiled and shook her head at the elf. "Yes, but what would a seamstress be doing in a kitchen?"
Legolas realized that fact and saw that that would look rather suspicious, if not simply ridiculous. "Try your hardest, alright Eressa?"
"I will." Eressa said, surprising herself by placing her hand on Legolas's larger one and giving it a promising squeeze. Legolas looked down as she did it and noticed her index finger had a bit of blood on it.
"What happened here?" He asked, taking her hand in his and lifting it to where he could see more clearly.
Eressa blushed as she held hands with the elf. "I just pricked myself on a needle, Legolas. I do that often." She successfully pried her hand out of his, and took it back shyly.
"I just want to take care of you the way you took care of me." Legolas explained. "My back has been much better feeling since you helped me."
"I'm glad." Eressa stated. Then she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's getting cold."
Legolas nodded and glanced up through the window above his head. It was getting darker faster and sooner than usual, and he could hear the far off rumble of thunder in the distance, getting closer. It could storm. He dismissed the thought and turned back to Eressa.
"Here." He said, clutching his blanket in both hands and wrapping it around her upper body. "That should keep you warm."
Eressa smiled as her shivering subsided. "Thank you."
Legolas held her gaze for a moment before looking away. "Shall we sleep?" He asked. "Do you want the bed this time?"
Eressa shook her head. "No, it's your bed. I'm just a guest."
"All the more reason for me to let you sleep on it." Legolas replied wittingly.
Eressa rolled her green eyes. "Legolas, I insist. You take the bed."
Legolas held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, Lady, as you wish."
Eressa laughed and moved to the floor. Legolas's blanket was large enough for her to pile some of the material under her head for a pillow and to still have enough left to wrap around her. She shifted her body and faced Legolas, who was situating himself on his bed.
"Goodnight, Legolas." She said softly and solemnly.
"Goodnight, Eressa." Legolas replied, lying down and glancing towards the girl. But Eressa had already closed her eyes in hopes of sleep, and his eyes turned back towards the ceiling, and then to the window. The clouds were growing ever darker now.
Shoving the oncoming storm to the back of his mind, Legolas again focused on the ceiling. As the thunder grew louder, his hopes for sleep grew smaller, but soon he was able to will himself into a deep, calm slumber.
*****Personal thing*********
AN: Sorry, this chapter wasn't as long as the last one! But the last one was really really long, it took me forever to write! And I always try to end the chapter at the right place so it will be easy to pick up the subject easy in the next chapter. I'm glad that you guys enjoy my story and want more of it, I from now on I'll make a considerable effort to make chapters longer! Thanks to all of you!
*gives cookies to all who reviewed!* (I'll be doing this from now on because it's just getting too annoying writing *gives you cookie* over and over and over again! But don't worry, you're still all getting cookies!)
Nikki: Hey! Glad you liked it! Yeah, if my sister were being used like that I'd be upset too! Poor Eredor! Of course Legolas wouldn't just sit around! He's an elf and he needs wide open spaces and trees and fields to run in and he's gonna find a way out of this, but it's gonna take a while. Oh, but my cookies are a very special kind of cookie…no calories or fat whatsoever! I call them Roseblade's Magic No Calories or Fat Whatsoever Cookies! Original name, don't you think? LOL. Thanks girl!
The Noble Platypus: Hi Plati! Glad you saw that I reviewed! I really enjoyed it, it was hilarious! Tell me when your next update is, or how about I'll just keep checking everyday! Legolas doesn't have a plan yet, he's still developing it. And I am too, sorta kinda. Don't worry, I'll come up with something brilliant! I hope.
Glad you liked the longer chapter! *hugs Plati back* This one wasn't very long, but I promise progress is being made!
About the escape and stuff…I'm not telling anything! Not yet! You'll have to wait and see! Thanks a bunch! And did I ever tell you how clever it is to use 'fork' instead of the real F-word? I love it!
Andmetwen: Hi! Sorry your so tired! Stupid teacher! My school's open house is tonight and school starts in 6 days! *cries* Thanks for the compliments! You don't like Leggy's sly smile thing? Hm…I always thought that kind of smirky stuff was sexy. He's not gonna do anything stupid…just yet. But I'm not telling anyone anything about the further plot. Thanks so much!
XxDarkgoddessxX: Hey Darkgoddess! Glad you like the cookies so much. Not to mention Jack and Legolas. When do we switch?
Yeah, I get to go to New York. I like it there. As a vacation spot I mean. I'd never want to live there! Everything's so small and crowded! But it's such an interesting city. I've been there before with my family and saw a show on Broadway as a reward for me getting a lead in the musical last year at school. It's a great place. If you ever get a chance to go there, take it!
Hey! I like 'Inuyasha' too! I've always liked anime and I even studied drawing it once! But it's never on Cartoon Network where I live anymore! *pouts*
Yeah, my mom's like that too, and my dad's even worse! They scolded me a bit today for wearing a shirt that's too small and showed a little of my belly and stuff. But it's the only one that will go with the pants I'm wearing!
Hm…I don't recall seeing that shirt. *conks self on head* Probably getting early memory loss. Oh well. Lucky you!
I rented The Two Towers yesterday! And today I'm gonna watch the whole damn thing—special features and everything! I'm not gonna buy it cuz the one I want to buy is the Extended Edition. I'll just rent it from Blockbuster every week. Never give it back. LOL.
Yeah, I guess Orli didn't want to put in his blue contacts in a couple of days. I know for a fact that it's not just you, and that he didn't have his contacts in in some parts of the movie. You think they could have noticed that and done it digitally? Whatever.
Oh, I have story like that too! I was going frantic trying to find the YM issue that had Orlando on the cover (it was waaay back in Feburary) and it wasn't at Book World or Barnes and Noble and when it's not at Barns and Noble that means your in trouble. So I'm moping and crying when my mom decides we're gonna go grocery shopping and we pass the check out aisles and I see it and I grab it and I scream at the top of my lungs and start jumping up and down and the whole store is staring at me like I'm some sort of freak.
Which I happily am.
Hey! I like Haldir too! Don't make fun of him dying! That was soo sad! *cries*
Well, thanks, girl! Good luck with winning the car! Bye!
Starknight: Glad you liked the long chapter! (and the cookie) Thanks! And your right about the longer story—more review thing!
Congrats on getting over 50 reveiws! Don't let one stupid review let you down! Some people couldn't distinguish a great fanfiction from a second-grader's school paper. Your story's great, and don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
Yah, Bilbo as Jack the Ripper = weird movie. But it had Johnny. So I'm happy. I've never seen the Alien movies. Never. And judging by your description of them I probably never will.
Ok, I'll check your friend's bio page later! Hopefully he updated!
I'll update as soon as I can. I can't wait until you read and review the next chapter…you'll see why soon! Thanks, and bye!
PS: Did you get The Two Towers yet? I did! I rented it from Blockbuster and I'm never gonna give it back until November when the Extended Edition comes out!
Nirobie: Gosh, thanks ever so much! Well, lots of people have told me that this fic is like a mixture of 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Gladiator' but no ones told me it's like 'The Last Castle' before. Is that the one with Robert Redford? I've never seen that one.
Thanks for reading and reviewing my story despite your friend's disagreements! But if they told you not to read my fic, then why did you anyway? Just to see if they were right or something? Cuz I usually take my friend's word for something if they say it's bad. But I'm glad you like my fic so much! Honey in their hair? Ew! LOL.
I'm glad you read and reviewed, and especially grateful for you defending my story! I'm also glad to have a faithful fan @lw@ys! Thanks so much!
Samwise the Strong: Oh, so the URL is like the web address! Ok, I get it! Blondeness all gone! *rips off blonde wig* LOL. Just kidding. I really am blonde. I'll gladly join your group! *pokes you in the arm* That's for being such a good reviewer! Thanks!
Truffles: I am really into plot development, aren't I? Hm. Thanksies! Next chapter will be up soon!