Calaen rode into a small clearing in the forest, and pulled his horse to a
sharp halt. The animal tossed her golden head at the harsh tug on her mane,
though her discomfort went un-noticed by the rider, who leapt down to the
ground and glanced about.
"Tain, there is nothing more I need of you," Calaen said. "Legolas was fool enough to believe I would hurt you, and he followed us out here, just like we hoped. The plan went accordingly."
"So, what will happen now?" asked Tain, who was still sitting up on the horse.
Calaen looked up at the child, and smiled vaguely. "Now? To put it bluntly, I am going to kill Legolas, as soon as he graces us with his presence. Not at once, but soon enough."
"Do you not think that maybe he has gone back to Rivendell?" asked Tain doubtfully. "He was riding right behind us, so why is he not here now?"
"He is probably still sitting on top of his horse, debating whether to follow us or return to Rivendell," laughed Calaen. "Legolas is not brave, Tain. He will definitely follow our path, but it will take a lot for him to come after me."
............................................................................................................
Unknown to both Calaen and the child, Legolas was actually sitting in one of the trees, shaking his head furiously. Of course Tain was working for Calaen. The dark haired Elf had always been able to manipulate anyone he wanted, and he used that to his advantage.
Legolas stood up on his branch and glanced back in the direction he had come from: Rivendell. Previously, maybe he would've returned to the safe haven, if he had ever been faced with the prospect of meeting Calaen, weaponless. Not any more though. Legolas felt no fear where his brother was concerned, only hatred.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, the Prince leaped from the branch and landed almost silently on the ground. Calaen's sharp ears caught the sound though, and he whirled around and stared at the other Elf in disbelief for a moment, before uttering only one word.
"You!"
"Who else did you expect?" asked Legolas. "Yes, here I am, and you did not anticipate that. You thought I would be too afraid to follow you. Am I correct? Of course I am, for you have never thought me capable of facing up to my fears."
Calaen looked at his brother, then up at the trees, before taking a step forwards. "How long were you up there?"
"Not very long at all. Maybe I rested or a brief moment before jumping down," Legolas lied. "Why?"
"No reason," snapped Calaen. "Alright, let us get this over with. Child, you are free to leave. Go wherever you wish."
Legolas stepped forwards as Tain made to get down from the horse. "It is a long way down to the ground for a child of your size. Here, let me help you."
"So kind and considerate," muttered Calaen. However his eyes widened in shock as he saw Tain crumple to the floor: Legolas had slammed a fist into the side of his head. "What in the name of Mordor are you playing at?"
"It would not do to have the citizens of Middle Earth put in danger, even from one so small," Legolas replied, calmly picking Tain up, then setting him down against a tree trunk. "Fear not, your friend is merely unconscious, not dead."
"I can see that, thank you. Why did you...." Calaen trailed off as realisation hit. "Ah, I see. So, you were hiding in the trees all along, and you heard every word that was said. Well, I bet you feel very foolish now."
Legolas shrugged carelessly. "No, not really. Maybe I should've guessed what Tain was doing, but if I had, then I would not have come out here. I am glad that I remained oblivious."
"Why?" asked Calaen. "You are not leaving this clearing alive."
"Do not be too hasty to predict the future. For all we know, you could be the one who will not be leaving this clearing alive," said Legolas. "I may have no weapons, but I swear by the Valar that I am going to give as good as I get."
"Brave words," Calaen sneered. He paused then, and looked behind Legolas and up the path they had come down. "Where is your horse?"
"Oh, he is not here. I believe he is on the way to Rivendell, even as we speak," the Prince replied calmly.
Calaen made a noise of fury, and leapt forwards to strike his brother across the face. No sooner had his hand connected with Legolas' cheek, he felt a fist crashing against his own jaw. The dark haired Elf blinked, and took a step back.
"You did not expect that," Legolas said.
"No, definitely not from you," Calaen replied, wiping some blood from his lip.
"And you did not expect me to set the horse free," Legolas went on.
Calaen shook his head, suddenly angry at himself for not foreseeing something like that happening. "No, I admit I did not. However, it was quite stupid of you to do that, for all you have done is brought the time of your death forwards. Come, what do you say to a fight?"
"Why not? But first, you owe me an explanation," Legolas said. "I want to know about Tain."
"What about him?" sighed Calaen.
Legolas looked back towards the child, and his eyes were sad. "What happened to him? Why is he so evil? Something must have happened to make him the way he was. Did you do anything to him?"
"Me? No, not at all," Calaen replied. "His father hurt him often, and eventually the abuse got so bad, that Tain's elder brother killed him. Soldiers would've arrested him, but I forbade them from doing so. Instead, I asked Tain's brother to come and work for me. He agreed, but was worried about his mother and the child. He was afraid that there would be no-one to protect them."
"Understandable," muttered Legolas.
"They got more protection than other families, and I would see them often. Tain said he always wanted to be like his brother, and help rid the world of anything or....anyone that needed getting rid of," said Calaen. "Of course, I saw this as the perfect solution. There is no-one who would suspect a child of doing anything untoward."
"You destroyed his life," hissed Legolas. "You took away any chance of a childhood he had. What do you think will happen to him now? I am sure that when Lord Elrond and my father hear of what he has done, they will want to pass their judgement on him. Rest assured it will not be light. Calaen, in getting his help, you have destroyed his life."
"Ah, but at least he was of some benefit to me," said the dark haired Elf, shrugging his shoulders.
Legolas made a noise of anger, and shook his head. "Alright, let us fight. To make it fair, I want my knife back."
Calaen nodded, and threw the blade across the clearing, not really bothering to watch where it was flying to. If Legolas had not had the advantage of Elven reflexes, he would have been unable to sidestep it, and reach out with one hand to grab the hilt.
"That was uncalled for," the Prince muttered.
"So, now we come to the fight which will end it all," Calaen said. "This is the deciding fight, the fight which will decide our future. And like you said, we cannot be too hasty to predict the future, so we do not know who will make it out of here alive."
"Let us find out then," Legolas said.
Calaen briefly inclined his head, before lunging forwards, swinging his knife in a wide arc. His brother watched calmly for a moment, choosing to sidestep at the very last moment. The dark haired Elf spun and lunged once more, though Legolas caught the blade on his own hilt, and pushed the thrust aside.
"Do not play games with me," hissed Calaen. "Fight properly, or do not bother fighting at all."
"You wish me to fight properly?" asked Legolas. "Fair enough."
With that, the Prince pressed forwards, his two-handed grip enabling him to keep good control as he swung the knife in arcs. Calaen leaped backwards, parrying, dark hair swinging around his shoulders. Legolas laughed quietly, eyes sparkling as he felt a rush of adrenaline.
"Would you prefer me to carry on 'fighting properly' as you called it?" he asked.
"Yes, this is much more trying," Calaen replied.
Without warning, the dark haired Elf leaped forward, swinging a hard backhand toward Legolas' hand. The Prince caught the blow, allowing it to slide by, then thrust forwards. Calaen trapped the oncoming lunge, and deftly turned aside. The two brothers backed apart and circled each other.
"You fight well," Legolas said, making a downward cut and sliding into another looping thrust. "I had almost forgotten your talents."
"You're not too bad yourself," Calaen replied, back-pedalling, then counter- attacking.
"Coming from you that is a compliment," Legolas shot back, parrying. "Thank you."
The two blades suddenly swung together, the noise of metal on metal ringing through the clearing. The pressure moved down until the hilts locked together, and Calaen's and Legolas' faces were merely inches apart. For a brief moment, the only movement was a slight trembling as they strained against each other. Then Legolas was forced to disengage and jump backwards, for his knife was smaller than Calaen's, and he felt the blade sliding.
Legolas narrowed his eyes as he continued to swing his weapon in arcs. Calaen however, saw an opening, and as the Prince brought the knife down once more, he ducked, using his own blade to angle his brother's cut, then hooked a foot behind Legolas' heel, and pulled. Caught off his guard, the younger Elf crashed down to the ground, and cursed as he realised his foolishness.
"Ah, now you find yourself in a bad situation," Calaen said smoothly, kicking Legolas' knife away, and putting the point of his own against his brother's chest. "What will you do now?"
"What will I do? Well, I will definitely not lie here and let you take my life," hissed Legolas, rolling out from under the knife.
Calaen let his brother jump up, though he himself whirled around to grab the dropped blade. He smiled nastily, though it quickly faded as he heard something from above them. Legolas watched, and ducked as a blade suddenly came flying through the air. It was not intended for him though, and it flew into one of the trees.
"There is someone up there," Calaen said quietly, in answer to his brother's questioning look.
Legolas stepped backwards as something suddenly fell from the tree, and landed on the ground. Both Elves' eyes widened in shock as they saw who it was...
............................................................................................................
Galadriel1010: Yeah, it would be so nice if Calaen could go back to being nice and loved, but sadly I can't see that happening. Still, if you're gonna read the prequel to 'A Brother's Jealousy', then you'll see a nice Calaen! :)
Haldir's Heart and Soul: Cahoots? I love that word, its funny!
Rutu: Hee hee, Calaen would make a great clown! If you really want to though, you can have Tain once I've finished the story?
tHeBlOnDeInEveRkNew: Well, we can only wait and see!
Leeanne: Yeah, I figure that pretty much everyone deserves a chance at life. It would be nice to have Tain wake up as a sweet and loving child, but maybe he's been too evil to change back. I don't know...
October Skye: I was gonna call my puppy Skye, I think it's a really nice name. Her show name is Gwyngala, so she would be called like, Gwyngala Skye. Gwyngala is Cornish for September. How coincidental?
kathysidle: The Prom was so great, but I'll tell you all about it when I e- mail you in a minute! It would be cool to be psychic, cos then you could find out people's secrets!
Halimanya: Well, I'm in Yr 11. The sixth formers aren't having one. They could've come to our one, but they thought it would be boring. They were so wrong! Yeah, it was great fun, thanks for asking!
GollumGirl: You think I'm being mean now? Wait until next chapter!
Vicki Turner: Yeah, Tain is very evil! And creepy also!
Hiei-Rulez: Sure you can hit Tain with a shovel!
Eternal Greenleaf: Here's your update!
Well, was that a cliffie or was that a cliffie? Sorry to leave it like that, but I'm feeling particularly evil tonight. The Prom was great, and I only did one thing I regret, but I'm sure you don't wanna hear about it! See you soon! Misto x-x
"Tain, there is nothing more I need of you," Calaen said. "Legolas was fool enough to believe I would hurt you, and he followed us out here, just like we hoped. The plan went accordingly."
"So, what will happen now?" asked Tain, who was still sitting up on the horse.
Calaen looked up at the child, and smiled vaguely. "Now? To put it bluntly, I am going to kill Legolas, as soon as he graces us with his presence. Not at once, but soon enough."
"Do you not think that maybe he has gone back to Rivendell?" asked Tain doubtfully. "He was riding right behind us, so why is he not here now?"
"He is probably still sitting on top of his horse, debating whether to follow us or return to Rivendell," laughed Calaen. "Legolas is not brave, Tain. He will definitely follow our path, but it will take a lot for him to come after me."
............................................................................................................
Unknown to both Calaen and the child, Legolas was actually sitting in one of the trees, shaking his head furiously. Of course Tain was working for Calaen. The dark haired Elf had always been able to manipulate anyone he wanted, and he used that to his advantage.
Legolas stood up on his branch and glanced back in the direction he had come from: Rivendell. Previously, maybe he would've returned to the safe haven, if he had ever been faced with the prospect of meeting Calaen, weaponless. Not any more though. Legolas felt no fear where his brother was concerned, only hatred.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, the Prince leaped from the branch and landed almost silently on the ground. Calaen's sharp ears caught the sound though, and he whirled around and stared at the other Elf in disbelief for a moment, before uttering only one word.
"You!"
"Who else did you expect?" asked Legolas. "Yes, here I am, and you did not anticipate that. You thought I would be too afraid to follow you. Am I correct? Of course I am, for you have never thought me capable of facing up to my fears."
Calaen looked at his brother, then up at the trees, before taking a step forwards. "How long were you up there?"
"Not very long at all. Maybe I rested or a brief moment before jumping down," Legolas lied. "Why?"
"No reason," snapped Calaen. "Alright, let us get this over with. Child, you are free to leave. Go wherever you wish."
Legolas stepped forwards as Tain made to get down from the horse. "It is a long way down to the ground for a child of your size. Here, let me help you."
"So kind and considerate," muttered Calaen. However his eyes widened in shock as he saw Tain crumple to the floor: Legolas had slammed a fist into the side of his head. "What in the name of Mordor are you playing at?"
"It would not do to have the citizens of Middle Earth put in danger, even from one so small," Legolas replied, calmly picking Tain up, then setting him down against a tree trunk. "Fear not, your friend is merely unconscious, not dead."
"I can see that, thank you. Why did you...." Calaen trailed off as realisation hit. "Ah, I see. So, you were hiding in the trees all along, and you heard every word that was said. Well, I bet you feel very foolish now."
Legolas shrugged carelessly. "No, not really. Maybe I should've guessed what Tain was doing, but if I had, then I would not have come out here. I am glad that I remained oblivious."
"Why?" asked Calaen. "You are not leaving this clearing alive."
"Do not be too hasty to predict the future. For all we know, you could be the one who will not be leaving this clearing alive," said Legolas. "I may have no weapons, but I swear by the Valar that I am going to give as good as I get."
"Brave words," Calaen sneered. He paused then, and looked behind Legolas and up the path they had come down. "Where is your horse?"
"Oh, he is not here. I believe he is on the way to Rivendell, even as we speak," the Prince replied calmly.
Calaen made a noise of fury, and leapt forwards to strike his brother across the face. No sooner had his hand connected with Legolas' cheek, he felt a fist crashing against his own jaw. The dark haired Elf blinked, and took a step back.
"You did not expect that," Legolas said.
"No, definitely not from you," Calaen replied, wiping some blood from his lip.
"And you did not expect me to set the horse free," Legolas went on.
Calaen shook his head, suddenly angry at himself for not foreseeing something like that happening. "No, I admit I did not. However, it was quite stupid of you to do that, for all you have done is brought the time of your death forwards. Come, what do you say to a fight?"
"Why not? But first, you owe me an explanation," Legolas said. "I want to know about Tain."
"What about him?" sighed Calaen.
Legolas looked back towards the child, and his eyes were sad. "What happened to him? Why is he so evil? Something must have happened to make him the way he was. Did you do anything to him?"
"Me? No, not at all," Calaen replied. "His father hurt him often, and eventually the abuse got so bad, that Tain's elder brother killed him. Soldiers would've arrested him, but I forbade them from doing so. Instead, I asked Tain's brother to come and work for me. He agreed, but was worried about his mother and the child. He was afraid that there would be no-one to protect them."
"Understandable," muttered Legolas.
"They got more protection than other families, and I would see them often. Tain said he always wanted to be like his brother, and help rid the world of anything or....anyone that needed getting rid of," said Calaen. "Of course, I saw this as the perfect solution. There is no-one who would suspect a child of doing anything untoward."
"You destroyed his life," hissed Legolas. "You took away any chance of a childhood he had. What do you think will happen to him now? I am sure that when Lord Elrond and my father hear of what he has done, they will want to pass their judgement on him. Rest assured it will not be light. Calaen, in getting his help, you have destroyed his life."
"Ah, but at least he was of some benefit to me," said the dark haired Elf, shrugging his shoulders.
Legolas made a noise of anger, and shook his head. "Alright, let us fight. To make it fair, I want my knife back."
Calaen nodded, and threw the blade across the clearing, not really bothering to watch where it was flying to. If Legolas had not had the advantage of Elven reflexes, he would have been unable to sidestep it, and reach out with one hand to grab the hilt.
"That was uncalled for," the Prince muttered.
"So, now we come to the fight which will end it all," Calaen said. "This is the deciding fight, the fight which will decide our future. And like you said, we cannot be too hasty to predict the future, so we do not know who will make it out of here alive."
"Let us find out then," Legolas said.
Calaen briefly inclined his head, before lunging forwards, swinging his knife in a wide arc. His brother watched calmly for a moment, choosing to sidestep at the very last moment. The dark haired Elf spun and lunged once more, though Legolas caught the blade on his own hilt, and pushed the thrust aside.
"Do not play games with me," hissed Calaen. "Fight properly, or do not bother fighting at all."
"You wish me to fight properly?" asked Legolas. "Fair enough."
With that, the Prince pressed forwards, his two-handed grip enabling him to keep good control as he swung the knife in arcs. Calaen leaped backwards, parrying, dark hair swinging around his shoulders. Legolas laughed quietly, eyes sparkling as he felt a rush of adrenaline.
"Would you prefer me to carry on 'fighting properly' as you called it?" he asked.
"Yes, this is much more trying," Calaen replied.
Without warning, the dark haired Elf leaped forward, swinging a hard backhand toward Legolas' hand. The Prince caught the blow, allowing it to slide by, then thrust forwards. Calaen trapped the oncoming lunge, and deftly turned aside. The two brothers backed apart and circled each other.
"You fight well," Legolas said, making a downward cut and sliding into another looping thrust. "I had almost forgotten your talents."
"You're not too bad yourself," Calaen replied, back-pedalling, then counter- attacking.
"Coming from you that is a compliment," Legolas shot back, parrying. "Thank you."
The two blades suddenly swung together, the noise of metal on metal ringing through the clearing. The pressure moved down until the hilts locked together, and Calaen's and Legolas' faces were merely inches apart. For a brief moment, the only movement was a slight trembling as they strained against each other. Then Legolas was forced to disengage and jump backwards, for his knife was smaller than Calaen's, and he felt the blade sliding.
Legolas narrowed his eyes as he continued to swing his weapon in arcs. Calaen however, saw an opening, and as the Prince brought the knife down once more, he ducked, using his own blade to angle his brother's cut, then hooked a foot behind Legolas' heel, and pulled. Caught off his guard, the younger Elf crashed down to the ground, and cursed as he realised his foolishness.
"Ah, now you find yourself in a bad situation," Calaen said smoothly, kicking Legolas' knife away, and putting the point of his own against his brother's chest. "What will you do now?"
"What will I do? Well, I will definitely not lie here and let you take my life," hissed Legolas, rolling out from under the knife.
Calaen let his brother jump up, though he himself whirled around to grab the dropped blade. He smiled nastily, though it quickly faded as he heard something from above them. Legolas watched, and ducked as a blade suddenly came flying through the air. It was not intended for him though, and it flew into one of the trees.
"There is someone up there," Calaen said quietly, in answer to his brother's questioning look.
Legolas stepped backwards as something suddenly fell from the tree, and landed on the ground. Both Elves' eyes widened in shock as they saw who it was...
............................................................................................................
Galadriel1010: Yeah, it would be so nice if Calaen could go back to being nice and loved, but sadly I can't see that happening. Still, if you're gonna read the prequel to 'A Brother's Jealousy', then you'll see a nice Calaen! :)
Haldir's Heart and Soul: Cahoots? I love that word, its funny!
Rutu: Hee hee, Calaen would make a great clown! If you really want to though, you can have Tain once I've finished the story?
tHeBlOnDeInEveRkNew: Well, we can only wait and see!
Leeanne: Yeah, I figure that pretty much everyone deserves a chance at life. It would be nice to have Tain wake up as a sweet and loving child, but maybe he's been too evil to change back. I don't know...
October Skye: I was gonna call my puppy Skye, I think it's a really nice name. Her show name is Gwyngala, so she would be called like, Gwyngala Skye. Gwyngala is Cornish for September. How coincidental?
kathysidle: The Prom was so great, but I'll tell you all about it when I e- mail you in a minute! It would be cool to be psychic, cos then you could find out people's secrets!
Halimanya: Well, I'm in Yr 11. The sixth formers aren't having one. They could've come to our one, but they thought it would be boring. They were so wrong! Yeah, it was great fun, thanks for asking!
GollumGirl: You think I'm being mean now? Wait until next chapter!
Vicki Turner: Yeah, Tain is very evil! And creepy also!
Hiei-Rulez: Sure you can hit Tain with a shovel!
Eternal Greenleaf: Here's your update!
Well, was that a cliffie or was that a cliffie? Sorry to leave it like that, but I'm feeling particularly evil tonight. The Prom was great, and I only did one thing I regret, but I'm sure you don't wanna hear about it! See you soon! Misto x-x