Chapter 22: Locien's Passing
"Naneth, are you worried?" Florien asked, approaching his mother. Yàviel sighed.
"Yes Florien, I am. Locien has been gone for a long time now, he said he would be back hours ago. It's started to rain and since he is only a half-elf, he could catch a cold. I hope he's alright." Yàviel looked at her son sadly. Florien had grown into a mature you elf, though he was still quite young and he still did not like Locien any more than he did as an elfling.
"Would you like me to go look for him, Naneth?" Florien asked. Yàviel looked at the floor, considering her son's kind offer. She wanted to send him so that Locien would be home safe and sound, but she did not wish to risk whatever fate happened to Locien to happen to Florien. If Locien where to die, she would weep and be upset but if she lost Florien she would not weep, she would fade, fade faster than she ever had.
"If you want to, you may. But wear a cloak with a hood and bring a sword with you." Yàviel said. Florien nodded and grabbed his small blade from a table and strapped it on with his belt. He took his green cloak and pulled it on, doing up the laces and covering his bright red hair with a hood.
"I will bring Locien back, and I will make sure he is fine. If something is amiss or he needs to be carried and I cannot, I will come and get you." Florien kissed his mother on her cheek before taking his leave.
Florien walked though town. As usual, the elves that where outside gave him nasty looks. None of them ever liked him; he was a poor lowly elf who often was begging for food from the merchants. Now that Florien was older, begging was all he could do when his mother could not afford the food. Florien had even stolen food on some occasions, but the last time the merchant had caught him and beaten him, which had been rather embarrassing for Florien.
When Florien passed by the stall that he had been caught stealing at, the merchant glared at him. Florien bowed his head and continued walking, trying to ignore how hated he was for stealing and begging.
Locien was not in town, and he had asked some merchants if they had seen a tall dark haired elf. One had seen a tall dark haired elf, but said he wore beautiful red clothing. Locien had been wearing an old green scruffy tunic and gray leggings with rips in them.
Florien went into the forest to find Locien. Locien often went into the forest, for Locien too was not liked in town. Once Florien had stolen a few apples to feed Yàviel and Locien, and when the merchant chased after Florien Locien had helped his brother by saying he had stolen the apples. Florien managed to return home with the food but Locien had been given the beating meant for Florien. Yàviel did not even know her sons had been stealing from shops.
Florien stopped in his tracks and listened. He thought he heard something like a moan, and a punch, a slap on bare skin and a soft scream. Florien began to walk slower, and pushed some leaves out of the way. He could see a clearance, and in the middle of the clearance were two dark haired elves. One was covered in his own blood, the other had blood on him, but it did not belong to him. One was in a scruffy old outfit, the other in a…
A red, expensive outfit, like the shop owner had told him of… Florien recognized at once that the bleeding elf was Locien, and the one in the red outfit was attacking Locien! Florien wanted to run into the clearance but knew he stood no chance against that elf. All Florien had was a small old knife, and that elf had a long sword, a smaller knife in his boot, a curved blade, a shorter cleaver, a bow and plenty of lethal arrows, as well as other knifes hidden under layers of clothing. The elf threw a punch at Locien who was already bloody enough, and Locien well on the ground with a thud near where Florien was hidden. Florien could hear Locien's breathing and it was clear that Locien could barely breathe. The elf clad in red grabbed Locien by his hair and got him to his feet. Locien spat blood out onto the ground whilst the elf in red regained his strength to give Locien a powerful blow to his side. Florien winced when he heard a crack and Locien fell over with a loud, piercing scream.
Florien grabbed a rock and shot it at the elf that was harming Locien. First, the elf looked at Locien. When he realized it had not been Locien who shot the rock at him, he knew he was being watched. With one more powerful kick to Locien's chest the elf ran out of the clearance. Florien ran into the clearance once the elf had left and fell to his knees beside Locien.
"Locien, are you alright? Speak!" Florien pulled up Locien into his arms, getting his adopted brother's blood all over him.
"Flor…" Locien tried to say his brother's name.
"Yes, I am the floor. It's Florien Locien! Please, don't leave! I'm sorry I treat you like dirt, just don't go…"
"Love you… And nana… And… ad… ada…" Locien smiled in Florien's arms.
"No, Locien! I love you too, so much! Don't die, please!" Florien shook his brother.
"No… Locien… I love you…"
"Love you too…" Locien whispered.
"Who did this to you? What was that elf's name?" Florien asked, he wanted to avenge his dying brother.
"Name was… Veassen…" Locien said. "Bye… Florien…" Locien whispered quietly before his eyes fluttered shut.
"No!" Florien broke down into sobs. He did not want to check for a pulse, he knew his family was too poor to afford to heal Locien even if he was still alive.
"I'll go get Naneth and a shovel… I will bury you here. Rest in peace Locien… Oh valar…" Florien said as he sobbed more. He lay Locien on the ground and as he left noticed the body of an animal, a dog. It was Locien's puppy, with an arrow through it.
"Please, I hope at least you died fast unlike Locien." Florien whispered to the dead puppy before running home to get a shovel and his mother.
He entered with his head down sadly. Yàviel ran to the door.
"Florien, did you find Locien?" Yàviel asked. Florien rose his head, showing his mother the tears that ran down his face and when he shed his cloak the blood of his brother was revealed.
"Some elf named Veassen killed Locien. I don't know why Naneth, I'm sorry…" Florien was pulled into a hug as Yàviel held back tears.
"I need to get a shovel. Get a cloak and come with me… I think it's best to bury Locien now where he died whilst the ground is moist from the rain." Florien left to get a shovel. Yàviel put on a cloak and boots and she and Florien returned to where Locien was. The dog's body was still there, but Florien yelled.
Locien's body was gone.
"That damned elf Veassen must have taken his body!" Florien yelled, throwing the shovel with all his effort into the ground in rage before yelling.
Yàviel sighed and brought Florien into an embrace.
"Naneth…" Florien sobbed. Yàviel rubbed her son on his back.
"Hush Florien. Locien will be at peace in Mandos now, even if his body is not with us. Here, bury his puppy." Yàviel pointed to the dead dog. Florien nodded and dug a small hole near a tree and put the dog in, burying it.
Florien carved in a tree the following:
Locien, loved adoped child brother
Killed
And below he added:
Locien's valiant dog killed as wellFlorien whispered a prayer for his fallen brother before leaving. Locien's blood was slowly being washed off the grass and Florien could not stand being where his brother was killed any longer. He and his mother returned to their home in silence, aside from some soft sobs that slid from Florien's lips.
When they arrived home, Yàviel went to her bedchambers and Florien to his. Yàviel cried as did Florien, but then Florien left his bedchambers and knocked upon Yàviel's.
"Florien, is that you?" Yàviel asked.
"Yes…" Florien said.
"You may enter." Yàviel sat up on her bed. Florien entered, his eyes red and swollen from crying.
"Nana…" Florien said softly. Yàviel opened her arms and Florien ran into them, sobbing on his mother's shoulder.
"He did not deserve to die…" It sounded as if Florien said.
"No, he did not sweetheart. But he must have been glad to die with you there, at least." Yàviel tried to comfort Florien.
"But… It's my fault he died. He asked me to come on the walk with him, I said no. If I had been there…"
"You would have been killed too, and that would cause me to fade, as well as your father to fade. It will be hard to break the news to your father, he was the reason we adopted Locien." Yàviel said softly.
"I can tell adar. I work at the palace, remember?"
"I know you work at the palace, even if I think you are far too young to be working there-
"I am too young, so when I went to get the job ada told me to say I was fifty, mortally speaking, and that I was adopted." Florien said. "I will tell ada today when I leave for work in an hour, if I can get a moment alone with him." Florien added.
"Today? You plan to go to work?"
"Yes… Even if Locien is gone, I still must earn money for us." Florien said. "I will go now. I love you Naneth." Florien kissed his mother before going to work in a bitter mood.
When he arrived he first saw his father and uncle Cield. Cield had recently had an affair with a she-elf and being in a drunken stat, he had bonded with her and gotten her pregnant. Now they had twin children, a boy Nenmir and a girl Malfinniel. They where little children, and Tonus and Cield where helping them walk.
"Come on Nenmir, go to uncle Tonus. There's a good boy, ai!" Cield grabbed his son before he fell.
"Ai, Florien, your at work early. Would you fetch my wife? Nenmir looks hungry." Cield said. Florien nodded and shot a sad look at Tonus. Tonus knew his son needed to talk to him at once, so Tonus followed Florien.
"Where are you off to?" Cield asked Tonus.
"I am going with Florien to get your wife…" Tonus lied. As soon as they where further away, Tonus brought Florien into an empty room.
"It looked like you had something urgent to tell me. Is there anything?" Tonus asked. Florien nodded.
"It's Locien… He went on a walk and I found him being beaten by some elf who he said was named Veassen and… Locien died soon after the elf ran away." Florien said, holding back sobs. Tonus gasped.
"Locien? No…" Tonus said, squeezing Florien.
To be continued… Ai, poor Florien! But is Locien really dead?Mistopurr: Well I hope you did not love Locien that much, we wont hear about him for a little while!
Bberry06: I have 3/9 parts of the fellowship done… Gimli is causing a problem.
Haldir's heart and soul: Well you know how Legolas can get… Loosing pets is his specialty!
Here comes the hockey puck: Nothing happened to Florien but as you can see, something happened to our little friend Locien!
Aranna Undomiel: It would also be good to have a big palace to keep the zoo in.
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: Does your username mean something? It's so long and… it's gibberish to me.
Miss Telcontar: What is unexpected, the abusive relationship? You can all point at Mistopurr for that one, she inspired it.
Karone Evertree: Well, Florien was 3… Do the math because I forgot how old I said Florien is now… Silly me!