Eyes of Fire
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Lord of the Rings, and I'm not making any money from this fic
Author's Note: Oh, just as a point of reference. On the Mary Sue Litmus test, Astarai scored 11, which, according to the scoring rating, makes her unlikely to be a Mary Sue
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That evening, Astarai didn't go to sleep, but just lay, her head on her paws, and watched Legolas lie down under a tree and go to sleep.
Legolas had gone to his father, Thranduil, and told him that he was leaving. He had also got some supplies. Though Astarai was in cheetah form, she had a normal, human appetite.
Astarai sighed quietly to herself. She didn't know what it was about Legolas, but she felt... strange around him. When he smiled at her, she felt like she had turned to liquid. she dreaded what she would feel if he was ever angry with her. That would probably happen soon.
When Legolas had left to go and get the items for their journey, Astarai had very nearly turned and run back. The only thing that had stopped her had been what the wizard had said to her.
You've come this far, and stage one of the plan is complete, Astarai told herself. The rest of it should be easy. This was the hard part.
But the uneasy, guilty feeling refused to leave Astarai, and, for the rest of the night, she didn't get anymore sleep.
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"Do you have any of where your people could be being held, Astarai?" Legolas asked as they left Mirkwood the next morning.
"No, I don't," Astarai answered. "The wizard didn't say anything. He just cast the spell, and I became unconscious. When I woke up again, I was just outside that clearing, and..."
"You don't have to continue," Legolas said, seeing that Astarai was about to cry. "I know what happened after that. I was just wondering if you had any idea as to where your people could be."
"No, I don't," Astarai replied.
Legolas and Astarai continued walking in silence. Then, Astarai asked, "Where do you think we should go first, Legolas?"
Legolas thought for a moment. "I think that we should go and see Aragorn and Arwen," he answered. "Aragorn is the king," he explained in response to Astarai's blank look. "Arwen is Aragorn's wife."
"Oh." Astarai frowned inwardly a little. She hadn't counted on Legolas wanting them to go and see some people. But she guessed that it didn't really matter. All it meant was that she would have to wait for a while to put her plan into action.
"What is that?" Legolas wanted to know, pointing at the crystal necklace around Astarai's neck.
Astarai froze, but, outwardly, remained calm. "It's just a necklace," she answered. "I've had it for years." Another lie. She was always lying now, it seemed.
Legolas didn't look suspicious. How could he be? He didn't know what she had planned. He didn't know what she had to do to save her people.
I'm sorry, Astarai thought to the elf prince. But she said nothing out loud. It was important that Legolas did not even suspect what she was planning to do, so that there was no chance of him distrusting her and leaving her.
Astarai stared down at the trail so that she wouldn't have to meet Legolas' gaze. If she did, then she was sure that she would lose control.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across Legolas and Astarai. The Mistayta looked up, and saw a white horse looming over her and Legolas.
"Do you mind if I ride Lorla, Astarai?" Legolas asked gently.
Astarai shook her head. "Of course not," she answered. "A cheetah is one of the fastest animals on the ground. I'll be able to keep up with your horse without any difficulty at all."
Legolas nodded. "All right," he said, climbing up onto the horse. "It should take us a couple of days to get to Aragorn's and Arwen's palace."
"Right." Astarai nodded, thinking, Great. This means that I definitely have to wait until after we've seen Aragorn and Arwen to turn him over. There's no way I'm going to have enough time to do that before if they're only two days away.
Legolas kicked his horse into a trot, and they set off.
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Legolas lay against a tree, watching the form of the cheetah which was still, except for a gentle rise and fall of her chest.
It was Legolas' turn to keep watch. Astarai had been too tired to argue with him. She had just curled up under the tree, closed her eyes, and gone to sleep.
Legolas allowed himself a faint smile. Astarai was quite strong, both mentally and physically. She had managed to chase down a deer and kill it for them to eat, though, obviously, Legolas had had to cook it for them. Astarai had admitted that she was a terrible cook even when she was in her human form. She always managed to burn everything, and got repeatedly chased away from any food that had to be prepared.
The elf prince realised that he was beginning to develop feelings for Astarai which could well go deeper than friendship. But he wasn't sure how to proceed, so he decided not to talk to Astarai about it yet.
Legolas looked at Astarai, and then settled down to keep watch through the night.
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Astarai padded along beside Legolas' horse. For some time, neither she nor the elf prince spoke. They were both caught up in their own thoughts. Astarai was getting worried about having to meet Aragorn and Arwen. The last thing she wanted was for more people to know that her race really existed.
"Are you going to tell Aragorn and Arwen about what I am?" Astarai asked, breaking the silence at last.
Legolas glanced at her sideways. "Not if you don't want me to," he answered. "I can just ask Arwen and Aragorn if they've heard of anything strange happening lately. But if I do that, then you will have to pretend to be a dumb animal. Don't talk unless you're sure that we're alone. People will start to get suspicious if they hear a talking cheetah."
Astarai lifted her head, and gave Legolas a dangerous look. "I have done this before!" she snapped.
Legolas was taken aback. "I'm sorry," he said, surprised. "I didn't mean to offend you."
Astarai took a deep breath to calm herself down, then shook her head. "No, I'm sorry," she replied. "I'm a little touchy about my cheetah form."
"Why?" Legolas asked gently.
Astarai was so long in answering that Legolas thought that she was going to ignore the question. When she finally did answer, she refused to look at the elf prince. "Because I'm the only Mistayta ever to take on cheetah form as my animal form," she explained. "No one was able to catch a cheetah for us to study.
"But, on the eve of my 18th birthday, I went out for a walk to help me think about my choice. I'd tried out lots of different animal forms. My older cousin, Esrat, took on the form of a lion, but I didn't think that that was a form that I wanted.
"When I looked over the edge of a cliff, I saw a couple of cheetahs fighting together. Without thinking, I began to shift into cheetah form just as midnight came."
Legolas frowned. "But if you'd never shifted to cheetah before, then you had no idea whether it would work out or not," he said. "If the form didn't work out, then there would be nothing you could do about it."
Astarai thought about that for a moment. "I think that it has to do with fate and trust," she replied at last. "When I saw the two cheetahs, I knew immediately that this form was the right one for me."
Legolas nodded, and then relapsed into silence once more.
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Legolas and Astarai arrived at Aragorn's castle quite late the next evening. Astarai was a little worried. "I hope that no one will try and kill me," she muttered.
Legolas gave her a sideways look, but understood Astarai's fears. While she was in her animal form, anyone could see her as a threat. "You'll be all right," Legolas said soothingly. "As long as you don't look like you're going to try and attack anyone..."
"I wouldn't try and attack anyone," Astarai mumbled after a pause.
"Then you probably have nothing to worry about."
"LEGOLAS!" Aragorn walked quickly towards Legolas, smiling in welcome. "You are very welcome here, my friend."
"Keep quiet if you don't want them to know that you are a Mistayta," Legolas hissed at Astarai out of the corner of his mouth before sliding off his horse and walking over to greet his friend.
"I have not seen you for quite some time, Legolas," Aragorn commented once he and the elf prince had finished greeting each other.
"I have been a little busy," Legolas apologised.
Aragorn nodded, glancing over Legolas' shoulder at the horse and the cheetah beside it, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Legolas, why do you have a cheetah with you?"
Legolas gave Astarai a casual glance. "It just turned up one day and seemed to decide that it wanted to travel with me. Lorla was nervous at first, but he seems to have gotten used to having the cheetah around now. At least partly." His words were the truth as far as they went. He was just leaving out quite a lot of information.
Aragorn nodded slowly. "It'll have to sleep outside, though," he said. "Come, Legolas. Once you are cleaned up and rested, we have a lot to talk about."
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The next day, Astarai stayed outside while Legolas went to a meeting with Aragorn and some others.
When Legolas had come to check on her, Astarai had pretened to be asleep. Once Legolas had left, the crystal around Astarai's neck began to glow. The Mistayta sighed, but didn't fight it.
"What do you want?" Astarai demanded.
Just thought that I'd check on my traitorThe mocking voice echoed in Astarai's mind, the crystal winking.
"You're lucky," Astarai muttered. "If you'd contacted me any earlier, I would have had a lot of explaining to do to Legolas."
Laughter chimed in her head. Astarai gritted her teeth. It was not a nice laugh. You didn't think that I wouldn't have someone watching you to make sure that you didn't run out on me, did you? the wizard asked cruelly.
Astarai glanced around, then lowered her head, thinking. She remembered how Legolas had stood and watched her there, and she came to a decision. "I don't want to hand him over to you," she said. She tried to make her voice sound firm, but, to her disgust, it wavered a little.
The crystal began to glow an angry red, and grew hotter. Astarai gave a soft yelp, and wished that she had hands to tear the crystal from her neck.
You have no choice! the wizard snapped in Astarai's mind, causing the Mistayta to wince. You know what'll happen if you don't do what I say! Some screaming also echoed in Astarai's mind.
The Mistayta whimpered as her cousin's pain-filled face swam into view in her mind. "Esrat," she whispered in horror.
Her cousin's face vanished, and the wizard's voice chimed again, If you refuse to do what I say, then Esrat will suffer for it!
Astarai shrank back, much good that did her. "Fine," she snarled. "But I don't like it!"
Slowly, the crystal's red glow faded, and the crystal grew cold again. Good girl, the voice murmured. Then, he was gone.
Astarai lowered her head. Why don't I have the strength to defy him? she wondered.
After a few moments, Astarai heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up, and saw Legolas walking over to her.
"You're awake," Legolas commented with a smile.
Astarai nodded, not trusting herself to speak, as she didn't want to risk tears starting.
The elf prince frowned a little. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.
Again, Astarai nodded. "I'm fine," she answered, pushing aside her feelings of hurt and sorrow. "Was the king able to tell you anything?" she wanted to know, anxious to change the subject.
"His name is Aragorn," Legolas replied. "Unfortunately, he wasn't able to tell me anything out of the ordinary. I think that we should leave later today, tomorrow at the latest."
Oh, no, Astarai thought, panicked. She'd been hoping that Legolas would want to stay at Aragorn's castle for a while longer at least. She didn't want to betray the elf prince.
A brief glow, unseen by Legolas, from the crystal around Astarai's neck, indicated that the wizard had heard the elf's words.
Astarai thought of Esrat, and her resolve strengthened. "All right," she nodded.
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"I think that there's something I need to tell you," Legolas said softly while he and Astarai were riding/walking along the trail.
Astarai looked inquiringly at Legolas.
The elf prince seemed to be having difficulty finding the right words to say. "Astarai, I'm beginning to like you," he said at last. "A lot. And I don't think that it's just as a friend, either. As ridiculous as that sounds, considering the fact that I've only ever seen you in cheetah form. I... thought that perhaps you should know that before we go any further."
Astarai went very still. Legolas stopped his horse, and looked down at her. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Astarai sighed, finally realising what she had to do. "Legolas, there's something I need to tell you..." she began.
Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past just over Legolas' head. The elf prince cursed in elfish, and slid off his horse, drawing one of his own arrows and notching it to his bow.
Astarai took a step backwards. Oh, no, she thought wildly. Not here! Not now! Please no! Don't let me betray him!
A large number of Orcs stepped out from behind the trees. Legolas did his best to fight them off, but there were too many of him, and he was quickly overpowered. His bow was wrenched from his grip and his quiver and remaining arrows from his back, and two Orcs grabbed his arms, preventing him from struggling.
The wizard who had captured Astarai's people and trapped her in animal form appeared, smiling faintly. "Good work," he commented to the Mistayta, who had stood frozen throughout the whole fight.
Legolas attempted to struggle. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
"You see, it's like this," the wizard explained to the elf prince. "It's your life in exchange for Astarai's people. Oh, yes," he added. "I almost forgot." He pointed a finger at Astarai, and a white mist surrounded the Mistayta.
When the mist cleared, a young girl with long blonde hair and eyes the colour of fire was standing there. But Astarai did not appear to be happy with her human form back. A couple of tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked at Legolas. "I'm sorry," she whimpered to him.
Elfish curses rent the air as the elf prince was dragged away.
"Your people are back," the wizard called to Astarai.
And then, they were gone.
Astarai wept softly.
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