A/N: Hello, my faithful little readers!! Ah, I love the sound of that.
Anyway, I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but real life caught up to
me. *sigh* However, since today was a good day, I've decided to reward you.
^^ Here ya go.
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, Tolkien is god, you know the drill.
10. Futile Efforts.
Legolas did as he said he would that night, sitting in her room by the window in silence, or talking when she wished to speak. Just his presence helped Kalia, and both knew it, which was the reason words were so few. The woman lay awake for a long while, gazing out at the light rain with the elf. Finally, she feigned sleep, focusing on keeping her eyes closed and her breathing even. When she heard Legolas quietly stand and leave the room, shutting the door, she waited until she heard it close completely before jumping out of her bed, fully awake.
As noiselessly as she possibly could, Kalia maneuvered around her room, dressing in her battle clothes, also fastening her sword belt-weapon and all-around her waist. Once she had tugged on her light boots, she silently slipped out of the room. . . And found herself face-to-face with the prince. Legolas laughed quietly, and she sighed.
"You knew I was going to go back, didn't you?" Kalia demanded, descending the stairs anyway. He followed her.
"Yes. I have seen families of people who died in battle. They are reckless with rage, making them think they can do things they cannot. . . Ending up with their own deaths."
"Are you doubting my skill?" The Tuathe woman inquired, walking out into the rain. The drops fell heavily, though the water didn't bother either. Calmly, Kalia began to saddle her horse.
"I am doubting your efforts," Legolas responded, placing a hand over her own to stop her from her task. "You cannot go back there, not yet. It is suicide, especially after what happened last time." Her eyes flashed.
"You imply I cannot defeat my enemy." Without hesitation, he grabbed her arm, right over the spot that had been burned with the white-hot iron. She cried out in pain before she could stop the wail, almost falling to her knees. When she could, Kalia yanked her arm away.
"You have proved your point," She said coldly. "It makes no difference, I am still going."
"Kalia no," The prince said softly. "You-"
"Am I killing myself? Perhaps. But it was the same choice Asolan made, when he fought. This way I can be with him." 'So that's what this is about,' Legolas thought. 'She believes she can stop the pain if she wills it away, concentrating on battle.'
"You are acting selfishly," He told her, not holding back the truth. "All you find in that place is death, for yourself and your people. If you give no thought to your own life, think of all the people you will be killing. You know he will torture you for their locations first, then let you die from your wounds."
"You speak very pretty words, Legolas, but none of them will stop me."
"I only speak the truth," he responded. "You are acting out of grief and anger, do not throw your life and the lives of others away just because of one death." In an instant, she was upon him, the Tuathe female pinning him against the side of the house. She was able to do this not by some feat given to her from her race, but of her anger.
"One death?" Kalia hissed, seething. "One death? You call Asolan being murdered 'one death'? He was the only one I truly loved, I truly felt close to. Closer than any of my race. I will avenge him, my true father related or not." With that, she released him, and swiftly jumped onto her horse, the steed tearing off.
His feet making faint imprints on the ground, Legolas ran as though the apocalypse had legs and was chasing him (A/N: hehe, I had to put that. *shrug* I'm listening to Evanescence, can you blame me?) . He burst through the front doors of the palace, nearly mauling three servants who leapt out of his way. Without stopping, the elf darted up the three flights of stairs and crashed into his father's study once again. The king looked up, very startled.
"Ah my son, I am glad you are here. I have more information on this man, Tokilor, that you should know." Ignoring Legolas' wind-swept and wet appearance, and the urgency on his face, Thranduil talked on calmly. "He has some of our people, friends of Kalia, captive in his prisons. He believes they know where more of her kind are, which is probably not true. I was just thinking of a plan to get the refugees out, and set siege to his fortress. We'd then have-"
"Ada, I beg your forgiveness for interruption but Kalia is gone," the prince said finally, cutting off his father. Thranduil blinked.
"Yes, wasn't she going to stay with a friend of hers? What was the name. . ." Legolas resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"No, I mean she has gone to Tokilor's stronghold. She is blinded by grief and anger, I could not stop her. She would not listen to reason. She is nearing there as we speak." He paused, then added, "Alone." The king's face darkened.
"Go after her," Thranduil said after a moment. "She will be killed before she reaches twenty miles of the place, from the crossbows a spy I sent out tells me of. I will send out-" Once again, before he could finish, Legolas was already gone. Sometimes his son's steadfastness surprised him.
************************************** Kalia galloped steadily along towards the black castle, a looming shadow in the rain. She knew she was probably riding to her death even this moment, but she didn't care. Tokilor hated her, and she him, even more so now. She had loathed him the moment he'd killed her commander, but she knew she didn't have the strength to fight him off after seeing what he'd done to her village. But he'd gone too far when he'd killed Asolan. The man was harmless, had done nothing to provoke Tokilor, posed no threat.
To stop herself from thinking of the truth of Legolas' words, Kalia thought of why she hated the man. He'd killed her dearest friend, who entrusted the lives people to a naïve child. This was proved when she did nothing to stop the slaughter of her people, her village. From a distance, having fled for her life, Kalia had watched the death of hundreds-maybe thousands-of innocent people. Children were murdered without a second thought, their mothers giving their lives to protect them. Once they were killed, the females' husbands would step forward, and die nobly for their families. They had no means of defense, so they had done what they could, but their efforts were useless. Just like hers would be.
"We cannot stop you," She whispered. "You win." And so she rode forth, towards the towering black structure, where inside awaited her doom.
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, Tolkien is god, you know the drill.
10. Futile Efforts.
Legolas did as he said he would that night, sitting in her room by the window in silence, or talking when she wished to speak. Just his presence helped Kalia, and both knew it, which was the reason words were so few. The woman lay awake for a long while, gazing out at the light rain with the elf. Finally, she feigned sleep, focusing on keeping her eyes closed and her breathing even. When she heard Legolas quietly stand and leave the room, shutting the door, she waited until she heard it close completely before jumping out of her bed, fully awake.
As noiselessly as she possibly could, Kalia maneuvered around her room, dressing in her battle clothes, also fastening her sword belt-weapon and all-around her waist. Once she had tugged on her light boots, she silently slipped out of the room. . . And found herself face-to-face with the prince. Legolas laughed quietly, and she sighed.
"You knew I was going to go back, didn't you?" Kalia demanded, descending the stairs anyway. He followed her.
"Yes. I have seen families of people who died in battle. They are reckless with rage, making them think they can do things they cannot. . . Ending up with their own deaths."
"Are you doubting my skill?" The Tuathe woman inquired, walking out into the rain. The drops fell heavily, though the water didn't bother either. Calmly, Kalia began to saddle her horse.
"I am doubting your efforts," Legolas responded, placing a hand over her own to stop her from her task. "You cannot go back there, not yet. It is suicide, especially after what happened last time." Her eyes flashed.
"You imply I cannot defeat my enemy." Without hesitation, he grabbed her arm, right over the spot that had been burned with the white-hot iron. She cried out in pain before she could stop the wail, almost falling to her knees. When she could, Kalia yanked her arm away.
"You have proved your point," She said coldly. "It makes no difference, I am still going."
"Kalia no," The prince said softly. "You-"
"Am I killing myself? Perhaps. But it was the same choice Asolan made, when he fought. This way I can be with him." 'So that's what this is about,' Legolas thought. 'She believes she can stop the pain if she wills it away, concentrating on battle.'
"You are acting selfishly," He told her, not holding back the truth. "All you find in that place is death, for yourself and your people. If you give no thought to your own life, think of all the people you will be killing. You know he will torture you for their locations first, then let you die from your wounds."
"You speak very pretty words, Legolas, but none of them will stop me."
"I only speak the truth," he responded. "You are acting out of grief and anger, do not throw your life and the lives of others away just because of one death." In an instant, she was upon him, the Tuathe female pinning him against the side of the house. She was able to do this not by some feat given to her from her race, but of her anger.
"One death?" Kalia hissed, seething. "One death? You call Asolan being murdered 'one death'? He was the only one I truly loved, I truly felt close to. Closer than any of my race. I will avenge him, my true father related or not." With that, she released him, and swiftly jumped onto her horse, the steed tearing off.
His feet making faint imprints on the ground, Legolas ran as though the apocalypse had legs and was chasing him (A/N: hehe, I had to put that. *shrug* I'm listening to Evanescence, can you blame me?) . He burst through the front doors of the palace, nearly mauling three servants who leapt out of his way. Without stopping, the elf darted up the three flights of stairs and crashed into his father's study once again. The king looked up, very startled.
"Ah my son, I am glad you are here. I have more information on this man, Tokilor, that you should know." Ignoring Legolas' wind-swept and wet appearance, and the urgency on his face, Thranduil talked on calmly. "He has some of our people, friends of Kalia, captive in his prisons. He believes they know where more of her kind are, which is probably not true. I was just thinking of a plan to get the refugees out, and set siege to his fortress. We'd then have-"
"Ada, I beg your forgiveness for interruption but Kalia is gone," the prince said finally, cutting off his father. Thranduil blinked.
"Yes, wasn't she going to stay with a friend of hers? What was the name. . ." Legolas resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"No, I mean she has gone to Tokilor's stronghold. She is blinded by grief and anger, I could not stop her. She would not listen to reason. She is nearing there as we speak." He paused, then added, "Alone." The king's face darkened.
"Go after her," Thranduil said after a moment. "She will be killed before she reaches twenty miles of the place, from the crossbows a spy I sent out tells me of. I will send out-" Once again, before he could finish, Legolas was already gone. Sometimes his son's steadfastness surprised him.
************************************** Kalia galloped steadily along towards the black castle, a looming shadow in the rain. She knew she was probably riding to her death even this moment, but she didn't care. Tokilor hated her, and she him, even more so now. She had loathed him the moment he'd killed her commander, but she knew she didn't have the strength to fight him off after seeing what he'd done to her village. But he'd gone too far when he'd killed Asolan. The man was harmless, had done nothing to provoke Tokilor, posed no threat.
To stop herself from thinking of the truth of Legolas' words, Kalia thought of why she hated the man. He'd killed her dearest friend, who entrusted the lives people to a naïve child. This was proved when she did nothing to stop the slaughter of her people, her village. From a distance, having fled for her life, Kalia had watched the death of hundreds-maybe thousands-of innocent people. Children were murdered without a second thought, their mothers giving their lives to protect them. Once they were killed, the females' husbands would step forward, and die nobly for their families. They had no means of defense, so they had done what they could, but their efforts were useless. Just like hers would be.
"We cannot stop you," She whispered. "You win." And so she rode forth, towards the towering black structure, where inside awaited her doom.