Ok, here is the next chapter. I'm sorry i took so long, and I'm sorry it isn't better. I tried, but for some reason this chapter just sucked…Sorry. I'll do better on the next chap, I PROMISE! Hope you like it more than I did.
*****
Legolas lay curled on his side on the cold stone floor, staring straight ahead, focusing on nothing, thinking about nothing, just waiting for the men to return and push him to far. Then he would have peace. The pain would be gone, both emotional and physical.
He heard the door opening, but he didn't move, didn't look. "Legolas…" A voice softly called, but the elf did not stir. "Legolas, wake up!" Came the voice again, more insistently. It was a young voice, not one of the guards, but that fact did not seem to completely register with Legolas.
"I am awake." He finally whispered, the first words he had spoken in days.
A soft sigh came from the direction of the door. "Good. Hurry, you have to come with me." Legolas did not move, and soon hands were pulling at him, trying to get him to stand. "Please, Legolas, for you sake and my own!!"
Legolas finally looked up into the grey eyes of Verald. His brows creased. "Verald, what are you doing here?" He asked.
Verald seemed glad to have gotten a response. "Getting you out. Hurry, please, the drug in the wine I gave to the guards will only last for a few minutes, we have to move!!"
Legolas was confused. "Where did you get the drug?" He asked.
Verald had the look of a corned animal. "I will tell you on the way!"
Legolas finally rose to his feet, leaning heavily on Verald as his battered body protested. Fortunately, the boy proved stronger than he looked.
Verald looked both ways down the dank hallway and quickly started down one with Legolas' arm around his shoulders. "Bramblerose got it from the infirmary. She often goes there to get things for me."
Legolas seemed to think of something. "Verald, you cannot help me. Your father will find out, and he will hurt you!! He might even kill you!" He tried to pull away.
Verald did not let go. "Yes, he will probably beat me, but he does so at will whether I disobey or not. And no, he will not kill me because of my mother."
Legolas went silent for a long time, hating the idea of the sweet human child wasting his time on an elf such as he, one who didn't deserve it, but too tired and worn to protest. "Where are we going?" He finally asked.
Verald didn't look up. "Bramblerose is going to lead you to a group of exiles passing through the outskirts of our land. They are allowed to pass because they are human, but with their cloaks and hoods, you will not be noticed."
"Why would they help me?" Legolas whispered.
Verald's surprised eyes came up now. "Because you need it." He said simply.
*****
Bramblerose quickly transferred Legolas' arm to her own shoulders. "Master Verald, go back before they discover he is missing. It will help if you are there when they discover what has happened. Hurry!" She ordered, and the boy turned and ran back towards the small town that was his home.
Legolas was tired, and he wanted nothing more then to curl up and die, but he continued on as Bramblerose started off, understanding her need to make haste. "Why did Verald come and get me?" He asked. "Why the switch off?"
Bramblerose was preoccupied, but still she answered. "Because I could never sneak down into the cells without being noticed, and Verald could not be spotted out here without immediate suspicion. He is not allowed outside the town without his father."
For a long time they walked. Things Legolas should have noticed were tripping him, and the world span, and he silently prayed for it all to end. He had nowhere to go now, what was the point? Still, Bramblerose and Verald had tried so hard, he could find no way to say no.
A small figure came into view. Black ringlets fell about the small child's shoulders, and her green eyes were keen. Seeing strangers, she hurriedly pulled up her hood and started to scurry away, but Bramblerose called out. "Ranisida! Come back, it is only I and the elf I told you and the others about."
The girl stopped and turned slowly. She pulled her hood back down, revealing a dirty but happy face and came back over. "Nani, Rose is here!" She called over her shoulder, and scurried up eagerly to examine Legolas.
"What happened to you?" The girl whispered as she noticed how badly Legolas was hurt.
"Rani, you know better than to ask question like that. He probably doesn't want to talk about it." Came a voice as a cloaked figure came into view. Her hood was up, but she said nothing to the child about raising hers. "Follow me." She said.
Legolas and Bramblerose did so, coming into a clearing where many humans sat, all looking haggard and worn. Many nervously reached for their hoods when the strangers appeared, but relaxed when they spotted Bramblerose, obviously knowing her.
"They know you." Legolas whispered to the hobbit at his side.
Bramblerose nodded. "They have passed through this land many times, always wandering. Many times they have offered to help me escape from here." She told him.
Legolas frowned. "And why haven't you?" He asked.
"Because of Master Verald." She said simply. "I am all he has left to rely on, and I have to take care of him."
There was a silence, and Bramblerose seemed to hesitate before she spoke again. "I'm sorry they did not come sooner and save you sister as well, but you must seize this chance to escape." She looked over her shoulder. "I must return before I am missed." With that, she disappeared in to brush, leaving him alone with the humans.
The little girl was still looking at him, and now she smiled and grabbed his hand. "You are going to come with us!" She said happily.
Legolas just looked at her blankly. A man came up behind her. "Rani, go to you mother." He said.
"Yes father." The girl answered, scurrying away after looking at Legolas one last time.
The man looked Legolas up and down. He looked much like his daughter, or she like him, except for the curly hair. "How far will you be going with us?" He asked.
Legolas shrugged slightly. "I do not know. I have nowhere to go. I am an exile as well, for I caused the death of my sister." He whispered, calling himself an exile and meaning it even if it weren't true.
The man seemed to sense the pain there, and that there was something hidden in those words, something he wasn't being told, but he said nothing, "My name is Jalin." He finally said. "You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish."
*****
Well? How was it? Too fast, probably. I have a tendency towards that, I'm sorry. I'll try to do better. Meanwhile, review so I can give you the next better chap!!!
Oh, and BTW, in case I confused you, the unexpected source was the exiles.
*****
Legolas lay curled on his side on the cold stone floor, staring straight ahead, focusing on nothing, thinking about nothing, just waiting for the men to return and push him to far. Then he would have peace. The pain would be gone, both emotional and physical.
He heard the door opening, but he didn't move, didn't look. "Legolas…" A voice softly called, but the elf did not stir. "Legolas, wake up!" Came the voice again, more insistently. It was a young voice, not one of the guards, but that fact did not seem to completely register with Legolas.
"I am awake." He finally whispered, the first words he had spoken in days.
A soft sigh came from the direction of the door. "Good. Hurry, you have to come with me." Legolas did not move, and soon hands were pulling at him, trying to get him to stand. "Please, Legolas, for you sake and my own!!"
Legolas finally looked up into the grey eyes of Verald. His brows creased. "Verald, what are you doing here?" He asked.
Verald seemed glad to have gotten a response. "Getting you out. Hurry, please, the drug in the wine I gave to the guards will only last for a few minutes, we have to move!!"
Legolas was confused. "Where did you get the drug?" He asked.
Verald had the look of a corned animal. "I will tell you on the way!"
Legolas finally rose to his feet, leaning heavily on Verald as his battered body protested. Fortunately, the boy proved stronger than he looked.
Verald looked both ways down the dank hallway and quickly started down one with Legolas' arm around his shoulders. "Bramblerose got it from the infirmary. She often goes there to get things for me."
Legolas seemed to think of something. "Verald, you cannot help me. Your father will find out, and he will hurt you!! He might even kill you!" He tried to pull away.
Verald did not let go. "Yes, he will probably beat me, but he does so at will whether I disobey or not. And no, he will not kill me because of my mother."
Legolas went silent for a long time, hating the idea of the sweet human child wasting his time on an elf such as he, one who didn't deserve it, but too tired and worn to protest. "Where are we going?" He finally asked.
Verald didn't look up. "Bramblerose is going to lead you to a group of exiles passing through the outskirts of our land. They are allowed to pass because they are human, but with their cloaks and hoods, you will not be noticed."
"Why would they help me?" Legolas whispered.
Verald's surprised eyes came up now. "Because you need it." He said simply.
*****
Bramblerose quickly transferred Legolas' arm to her own shoulders. "Master Verald, go back before they discover he is missing. It will help if you are there when they discover what has happened. Hurry!" She ordered, and the boy turned and ran back towards the small town that was his home.
Legolas was tired, and he wanted nothing more then to curl up and die, but he continued on as Bramblerose started off, understanding her need to make haste. "Why did Verald come and get me?" He asked. "Why the switch off?"
Bramblerose was preoccupied, but still she answered. "Because I could never sneak down into the cells without being noticed, and Verald could not be spotted out here without immediate suspicion. He is not allowed outside the town without his father."
For a long time they walked. Things Legolas should have noticed were tripping him, and the world span, and he silently prayed for it all to end. He had nowhere to go now, what was the point? Still, Bramblerose and Verald had tried so hard, he could find no way to say no.
A small figure came into view. Black ringlets fell about the small child's shoulders, and her green eyes were keen. Seeing strangers, she hurriedly pulled up her hood and started to scurry away, but Bramblerose called out. "Ranisida! Come back, it is only I and the elf I told you and the others about."
The girl stopped and turned slowly. She pulled her hood back down, revealing a dirty but happy face and came back over. "Nani, Rose is here!" She called over her shoulder, and scurried up eagerly to examine Legolas.
"What happened to you?" The girl whispered as she noticed how badly Legolas was hurt.
"Rani, you know better than to ask question like that. He probably doesn't want to talk about it." Came a voice as a cloaked figure came into view. Her hood was up, but she said nothing to the child about raising hers. "Follow me." She said.
Legolas and Bramblerose did so, coming into a clearing where many humans sat, all looking haggard and worn. Many nervously reached for their hoods when the strangers appeared, but relaxed when they spotted Bramblerose, obviously knowing her.
"They know you." Legolas whispered to the hobbit at his side.
Bramblerose nodded. "They have passed through this land many times, always wandering. Many times they have offered to help me escape from here." She told him.
Legolas frowned. "And why haven't you?" He asked.
"Because of Master Verald." She said simply. "I am all he has left to rely on, and I have to take care of him."
There was a silence, and Bramblerose seemed to hesitate before she spoke again. "I'm sorry they did not come sooner and save you sister as well, but you must seize this chance to escape." She looked over her shoulder. "I must return before I am missed." With that, she disappeared in to brush, leaving him alone with the humans.
The little girl was still looking at him, and now she smiled and grabbed his hand. "You are going to come with us!" She said happily.
Legolas just looked at her blankly. A man came up behind her. "Rani, go to you mother." He said.
"Yes father." The girl answered, scurrying away after looking at Legolas one last time.
The man looked Legolas up and down. He looked much like his daughter, or she like him, except for the curly hair. "How far will you be going with us?" He asked.
Legolas shrugged slightly. "I do not know. I have nowhere to go. I am an exile as well, for I caused the death of my sister." He whispered, calling himself an exile and meaning it even if it weren't true.
The man seemed to sense the pain there, and that there was something hidden in those words, something he wasn't being told, but he said nothing, "My name is Jalin." He finally said. "You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish."
*****
Well? How was it? Too fast, probably. I have a tendency towards that, I'm sorry. I'll try to do better. Meanwhile, review so I can give you the next better chap!!!
Oh, and BTW, in case I confused you, the unexpected source was the exiles.