A/N: Wow, people are still reading it! :-D You all are so great! I've had a
really hard deciding on what to write for this chapter, but at last, I have
it! So, what you've been waiting for. CHAPTER FIVE! This chapter is very
explanatory, so you'll want to read it if you plan on finishing reading
this book.
Disclaimer: bla bla bla, you know the drill. Tolkien is god. The End.
5. Pasts Intertwined.
The next day, Kalia decided to be truthful with the prince. She was quiet while she delivered the few things her father had needed her to, and once she got a free moment, she slipped off towards the palace. She wove her way through towards the great structure planted squarely in the middle of Mirkwood. The elf's nerve carried her as far as a few feet away from the palace gate before she slowed and stopped, gazing indecisively at the tall silver entryway.
"Do I want to do this?" she mumbled to herself, her eyes straying up to the windows and guessing at which one was Legolas'.
"Do you want to do what?" He asked from behind her, causing her to spin around and glare at him.
"Must you always do that?" she demanded. He quirked an eyebrow in amusement.
"Do what?" he questioned in innocence. Kalia glared at him.
"You know perfectly well what I speak of." The prince shook his head, laughing slightly.
"But somehow I do not think the reason you are standing out here looking uncertainly at the palace gate just because you wished to yell at me for coming up behind you and startling you. Is it?"
"Of course not. I came because." the woman hesitated, and Legolas watched her in patient silence. She did not finish for a long while. "Can we please not speak of this out here?" she asked finally. "Is there somewhere we could go to converse in private?" He nodded and led her towards the gate. She followed him, and inside, looked around with interest. She had not paid much attention to the interior of the palace when she had come, her thoughts had been elsewhere. Now she noted large, magnificent chandeliers decking the ceiling, and a dark wooden floor with a red strip of carpet indicating where to walk. Tables with various vases that were brimming with different forest flowers lined the walls, creating a wonderful mixture of scents.
Legolas led Kalia up a few flights of stairs until they reached his room. He opened the door and stepped back to let her in. He noticed her surprise and blinked.
"Your room is very large," she said finally, continuing to look around. He smiled.
"Thank you. at least, I think that is a compliment. Now, what were you going to talk to me about?" He sat down on the bed, but she remained standing, staring at the ground a few feet in front of her.
"I have made a decision," Kalia said at last. "I will tell you everything you wish to know, so long as you do not repeat it to anyone else and do not get angry about it." He nodded, staying silent.
"I have told you that my name is Kalia. That is true. I told you about Asolan and my parents, which was not exactly true. I did not tell you how they died." She paused for a few moments before continuing.
"The man you saw me fight yesterday, his name is Tokilor. I will tell you about how he ties into my life a little later. You think I am an elf, which is true in a way. I am part of a race of people called the Tuathe, very similar to elves. . . Or they were, anyway. They are blessed with immortality and a love of nature, as your people are, but there is a difference. Since the Tuathe people have very different customs, the were shunned long ago from the friendly alliance they had with the elves. They eventually faded, forgotten, and few Tuathe are left now. Shortly after they had shrouded themselves in darkness in the farthest reaches of the earth, they became far more different than your people. We are still immortal, and still have a fondness of nature, but. . ." Kalia turned her gaze out the window. "Some say it is a blessing, others a curse. When a Tuathe child comes of age, he or she has a choice. They are said to either choose to speak with the leader of that particular Tuathe tribe and be given a magnificent gift if they pass the test they are put through, or they could walk independently, with no tribe or family, and try to survive on their own. The Tuathe tribe leader is granted special powers the moment they accept the position, and none have ever declined it. Most choose to speak with the leader, for if they do not pass they are returned to their parents and able to try again once more, within a time limit."
"And what did you choose?" Legolas asked softly.
"I chose to meet with the leader," she replied softly. "When I came of age, I was brought in to take the test. Our leader at that time was a wonderful woman named Railien, and she was positively convinced I would pass. She reassured me that I would do fine, but her confidence only made me more nervous. Each Tuathe child's test is different. Since my love at that time was fighting, she had a small army prepared for me to fight against. I had already had my training, by then, and if I passed, I would be awarded a place among Railien's best warriors." She paused.
"I passed, easily. Railien was delighted, and she was glad to put me in with her best fighters and friends. We fought many a battle together, but all things have an end." At this, she looked down, and her eyes shimmered slightly with the hint of tears behind them. "One battle was against a small group of humans who hated our race, despised us. Since there were so few of them, Railien only took myself and three others with her to fight them. Between us, we should have wiped them out easily."
"There were two hundred more men than our spies had told us there were. I was barely able to slay all those who attacked me, but together we drove them off. But. . . " she bit her lip, trying greatly to hold back her tears. "But when the battle was over, I did not see our lady. While the others checked the bodies, I searched for her. I found her. . . She lay dying in a clearing not far off. She spoke to me, and I was the last face she saw here. She said, 'Kalia, I must leave you now. I have no heir, and I choose you to lead our people in my stead. Protect them long for me, Kalia. I know I have chosen well.' With that, she let out her final breath and stilled, a look of peace on her face."
"When the others found me, I was still in shock. I managed to tell them what Railien had said, and they told me they were happy for me, but still bore expressions of grief. After Railien was buried, I felt guilty, and so I declined the position. This, of course, being unheard of, the Tuathe put Railien's closest friend in my place. But that did not last long. Tokilor, who I told you earlier was the man who attacked me, was the leader of the humans who attacked us before. He believed the battle to be a victory, and wasted no time in sending in more armies to burn our small, hidden city. Few survived who were there, and I was one of them. I lost my parents to Tokilor's flames."
"Somehow, the man got word I was to be the next leader of our Tuathe people. But whoever told him failed to mention I had not accepted this, because he has been hunting me down ever since. I thought he could not find me amongst the elves, seeing as we are so similar-especially in appearance- but apparently he did. I think he is tracking the powers given to me when Railien passed, because no matter how hard I try to resist them they keep coming to me, and with them I get. impulses, almost. I feel like I cannot control anything anymore, no matter how hard I try. That night, when I was a guest at your house with Asolan, and you first met me, was one of those impulses. Not that I regretted it," she added, looking up at him with a weak smile. "I just wasn't really in control at the time. I told you I lied to you about Asolan being friends with my parents. he found me a long time ago, shortly after I had fled from the fire, and he agreed to take me in until I was of age according to elven standards." Finally finished, she looked up to see his reaction. Legolas was merely watching her, seeming surprised she had such a complex background.
"This was definitely not a story I expected," he said after a while. Kalia edged towards the door.
"Well, it isn't something you hear every day. I should go," she added, looking as though she wanted to leave there immediately. "It is getting rather late." Legolas glanced at the window where the sun was only just beginning to set and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, but found she was gone. The elf sighed and glanced over at his bedside table; Kalia had not even noticed her carving there. He had never been aware someone's life could be so greatly complicated, and he had just learned of it within an hour, perhaps? The prince rubbed his temple, his mind processing everything that he had just heard as he watched the sky become painted crimson.
A/N: So, finally explained everything! I know this chapter is a little long, but I needed to fit everything in. Tell me what you think of it, and let me know if you have any questions or corrections! Thanks you guys! Dragon Editor, you are perhaps my best reviewer so far! Thanks so much for being the ONLY one to review all my stories! I really appreciate it.
Disclaimer: bla bla bla, you know the drill. Tolkien is god. The End.
5. Pasts Intertwined.
The next day, Kalia decided to be truthful with the prince. She was quiet while she delivered the few things her father had needed her to, and once she got a free moment, she slipped off towards the palace. She wove her way through towards the great structure planted squarely in the middle of Mirkwood. The elf's nerve carried her as far as a few feet away from the palace gate before she slowed and stopped, gazing indecisively at the tall silver entryway.
"Do I want to do this?" she mumbled to herself, her eyes straying up to the windows and guessing at which one was Legolas'.
"Do you want to do what?" He asked from behind her, causing her to spin around and glare at him.
"Must you always do that?" she demanded. He quirked an eyebrow in amusement.
"Do what?" he questioned in innocence. Kalia glared at him.
"You know perfectly well what I speak of." The prince shook his head, laughing slightly.
"But somehow I do not think the reason you are standing out here looking uncertainly at the palace gate just because you wished to yell at me for coming up behind you and startling you. Is it?"
"Of course not. I came because." the woman hesitated, and Legolas watched her in patient silence. She did not finish for a long while. "Can we please not speak of this out here?" she asked finally. "Is there somewhere we could go to converse in private?" He nodded and led her towards the gate. She followed him, and inside, looked around with interest. She had not paid much attention to the interior of the palace when she had come, her thoughts had been elsewhere. Now she noted large, magnificent chandeliers decking the ceiling, and a dark wooden floor with a red strip of carpet indicating where to walk. Tables with various vases that were brimming with different forest flowers lined the walls, creating a wonderful mixture of scents.
Legolas led Kalia up a few flights of stairs until they reached his room. He opened the door and stepped back to let her in. He noticed her surprise and blinked.
"Your room is very large," she said finally, continuing to look around. He smiled.
"Thank you. at least, I think that is a compliment. Now, what were you going to talk to me about?" He sat down on the bed, but she remained standing, staring at the ground a few feet in front of her.
"I have made a decision," Kalia said at last. "I will tell you everything you wish to know, so long as you do not repeat it to anyone else and do not get angry about it." He nodded, staying silent.
"I have told you that my name is Kalia. That is true. I told you about Asolan and my parents, which was not exactly true. I did not tell you how they died." She paused for a few moments before continuing.
"The man you saw me fight yesterday, his name is Tokilor. I will tell you about how he ties into my life a little later. You think I am an elf, which is true in a way. I am part of a race of people called the Tuathe, very similar to elves. . . Or they were, anyway. They are blessed with immortality and a love of nature, as your people are, but there is a difference. Since the Tuathe people have very different customs, the were shunned long ago from the friendly alliance they had with the elves. They eventually faded, forgotten, and few Tuathe are left now. Shortly after they had shrouded themselves in darkness in the farthest reaches of the earth, they became far more different than your people. We are still immortal, and still have a fondness of nature, but. . ." Kalia turned her gaze out the window. "Some say it is a blessing, others a curse. When a Tuathe child comes of age, he or she has a choice. They are said to either choose to speak with the leader of that particular Tuathe tribe and be given a magnificent gift if they pass the test they are put through, or they could walk independently, with no tribe or family, and try to survive on their own. The Tuathe tribe leader is granted special powers the moment they accept the position, and none have ever declined it. Most choose to speak with the leader, for if they do not pass they are returned to their parents and able to try again once more, within a time limit."
"And what did you choose?" Legolas asked softly.
"I chose to meet with the leader," she replied softly. "When I came of age, I was brought in to take the test. Our leader at that time was a wonderful woman named Railien, and she was positively convinced I would pass. She reassured me that I would do fine, but her confidence only made me more nervous. Each Tuathe child's test is different. Since my love at that time was fighting, she had a small army prepared for me to fight against. I had already had my training, by then, and if I passed, I would be awarded a place among Railien's best warriors." She paused.
"I passed, easily. Railien was delighted, and she was glad to put me in with her best fighters and friends. We fought many a battle together, but all things have an end." At this, she looked down, and her eyes shimmered slightly with the hint of tears behind them. "One battle was against a small group of humans who hated our race, despised us. Since there were so few of them, Railien only took myself and three others with her to fight them. Between us, we should have wiped them out easily."
"There were two hundred more men than our spies had told us there were. I was barely able to slay all those who attacked me, but together we drove them off. But. . . " she bit her lip, trying greatly to hold back her tears. "But when the battle was over, I did not see our lady. While the others checked the bodies, I searched for her. I found her. . . She lay dying in a clearing not far off. She spoke to me, and I was the last face she saw here. She said, 'Kalia, I must leave you now. I have no heir, and I choose you to lead our people in my stead. Protect them long for me, Kalia. I know I have chosen well.' With that, she let out her final breath and stilled, a look of peace on her face."
"When the others found me, I was still in shock. I managed to tell them what Railien had said, and they told me they were happy for me, but still bore expressions of grief. After Railien was buried, I felt guilty, and so I declined the position. This, of course, being unheard of, the Tuathe put Railien's closest friend in my place. But that did not last long. Tokilor, who I told you earlier was the man who attacked me, was the leader of the humans who attacked us before. He believed the battle to be a victory, and wasted no time in sending in more armies to burn our small, hidden city. Few survived who were there, and I was one of them. I lost my parents to Tokilor's flames."
"Somehow, the man got word I was to be the next leader of our Tuathe people. But whoever told him failed to mention I had not accepted this, because he has been hunting me down ever since. I thought he could not find me amongst the elves, seeing as we are so similar-especially in appearance- but apparently he did. I think he is tracking the powers given to me when Railien passed, because no matter how hard I try to resist them they keep coming to me, and with them I get. impulses, almost. I feel like I cannot control anything anymore, no matter how hard I try. That night, when I was a guest at your house with Asolan, and you first met me, was one of those impulses. Not that I regretted it," she added, looking up at him with a weak smile. "I just wasn't really in control at the time. I told you I lied to you about Asolan being friends with my parents. he found me a long time ago, shortly after I had fled from the fire, and he agreed to take me in until I was of age according to elven standards." Finally finished, she looked up to see his reaction. Legolas was merely watching her, seeming surprised she had such a complex background.
"This was definitely not a story I expected," he said after a while. Kalia edged towards the door.
"Well, it isn't something you hear every day. I should go," she added, looking as though she wanted to leave there immediately. "It is getting rather late." Legolas glanced at the window where the sun was only just beginning to set and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, but found she was gone. The elf sighed and glanced over at his bedside table; Kalia had not even noticed her carving there. He had never been aware someone's life could be so greatly complicated, and he had just learned of it within an hour, perhaps? The prince rubbed his temple, his mind processing everything that he had just heard as he watched the sky become painted crimson.
A/N: So, finally explained everything! I know this chapter is a little long, but I needed to fit everything in. Tell me what you think of it, and let me know if you have any questions or corrections! Thanks you guys! Dragon Editor, you are perhaps my best reviewer so far! Thanks so much for being the ONLY one to review all my stories! I really appreciate it.