"…This is where your sanity gives in
And love begins
Never lose your grip
Don't trip
Don't fall
You'll lose it all
The sweetest way to die
It lies inside
You can not hide
It's the meanest fire
Oh, it's a strange desire
You can not lie
That's a needless fight…"
The Cardigans ~ Paralysed
Chapter 24 (yes, this is chapter 24, not the last one. Sorry): War
"Well, I think you did well." Narin assured me, as we watched the remnants of the contestants fire away.
"I'll be lucky to come five hundredth." I replied flatly.
"Well look at some of them, they don't know one end from the other. I'm sure you'll get through, even if you don't get a particularly high score."
"I wanted to make an impression on the first round. I think I did, but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for."
"You'll be fine." Legolas had somehow interjected, smoothly gliding alongside us.
"No thanks to you." I said through gritted teeth.
"You'll get through, I promise. Half the competitors couldn't even hit the target." He continued as if I hadn't spoken. This surprised me somewhat, to learn that the otherwise dull seeming Legolas had a warped sense of humour.
"What's the next round?" He shrugged.
"No idea. They don't even tell me."
"Why?"
"It wouldn't be fair on the others if some knew what to train for when others didn't. Just be ready for anything. It seems they make up new things each time."
"Great." I wanted to bury my head in my hands, but felt I'd shown enough of my weak side for one day.
"You will be fine." He assured me once more. "How do you think I've won for the past…?" He thought for a moment. "I forget. But you get the idea." I gave an affirmative murmur.
"It's alright for you. You can always bribe them in to letting you through."
~*~
And ever since I said it, I'd wondered if he did, indeed, bribe one of the scorekeepers into letting me through, because through I went. I was shocked at the announcement, fully prepared instead to crawl under a rock and let the people forget about the rude, unladylike woman whom had infringed on their hospitality. Instinct drew my line of sight to Legolas. If he was looking at me, it would be a sure sign of guilt, but he merely stood, chatting with a random Wood captain, one of his underlings, I assumed, looking as if he hadn't even heard my name come up.
~*~
The defeated had been successfully dismissed, and the time for the second event had come. Of course, none save those directly involved in the organisation knew anything about the nature of the event, and Cer and the twins were steadfast in their oath not to disclose the secrets, although Jen told me to wear something less conspicuous. Not that she disliked my attire, quite the opposite, she was considering making it a new 'thing' at court, shocking feeble-bodied old men with a flash of calve.
We lined up like cattle, all four hundred of us. By the end of today, the number would have been whittled down to three hundred, then two, one, down to fifty, then in tens and fives until only five remained. There were already bets on who would come in the final ten and five, and of course the winner. The favourite was Legolas. And as such, the stakes were rather pathetic if he happened to run off with the title, as he had done on countless past occasions. Both he and Firowen had their own little group of admirers, being possibly the two most popular warriors in the realm, many more senior Elves having passed over the sea.
I looked down the lines of men, the odd woman dotted about, standing ready. I wondered idly if there was anyone here I knew. Most were mortals, albeit, and I doubted many of them would have consented to the long trip to Eryn Lasgalen. The few Elves I kept company with over the years had either been slain, passed over the sea, or, like Gildor, were not competing. But then, as my eyes swivelled over a group of dark-haired Elves, most likely previous denizens of Rivendell, I caught sight of someone. I recognised him, though where he fit in to my many years of existence eluded me.
'Tillén'
The name came from nowhere, and left me feeling rather confused. Then it hit me, and a smile that couldn't have been any more evil crept on to my face as I remembered our first and only meeting.
'I'm afraid I can not let you pass before you remove your hood and tell me who indeed you are.' How quaint. It must have been one of the first times something able to respond to him had dared to cross the borders. Many of the guards there knew my face, not that I was easy to forget, and let me through without even intentionally making themselves known. So it came as something of a surprise to me when he stopped me. I grinned and made my way through the crowd over to him.
"Hey there." He stopped his conversation with a quartet of similarly coloured and garbed Elves to turn and look at me. A number of expressions passed through his face, the first was confusion, the second was most definitely recognition. He flitted towards fear following great surprise, then slipped into the neutral mask many put up before their superiors in rank, although this was tinged with a hint of pride. He nodded his head politely in acknowledgement, his friends doing the same.
"Greetings milady."
"What are you so surprised about? Didn't you think I'd be here?" Of course not, I didn't even think I'd be here.
"Well, to tell the truth, milady, no. I was told you'd gone to Valinor with the Lord Elrond." Now that came as a definite surprise.
"Really?" I asked in a dangerously cheerful voice. "How odd. Now tell me, good man, who told you that?" Ah, good, he was reasonably flustered. I still had an uncanny ability to unnerve people.
"Um…a guard of Rivendell, milady. There were rumours floating around that you had departed these shores with Lord Elrond."
"Well I am very much still here, as you can see. Although it was my intention to have left Arda by now, circumstances have meant otherwise. I wonder, could you perhaps tell me the name of this guard?"
"I believe he was called Raumon, milady."
"Raumon, you say? Interesting how he knew what I was supposed to be doing, considering I can't even remember his name."
"Well, you see…"
"Yuna! There you are!" I turned and saw both Legolas and Firowen weaving through the parting the crowd had made for them. I kept my face passive and uncaring that the crown Prince of the country and Wood Captain's son were making their way towards me. I could hear Tillén's jaw drop and snap shut within a second. "Oh, forgive me." Legolas apologised to Tillén as he noticed him and his so far silent companions.
"My lord Prince." He lowered his head and probably would have kneeled were there room in the throng.
"Oh for the Valar's sake, Legolas, stop intimidating the poor man, and tell me what you want." Those behind me almost gasped at my reprimand of the Prince. He leant down and whispered in my ear that Celoril had let slip what we were to be doing, and I should be pleased at what it was.
"Interesting." I said simply, saying a quick farewell to a stunned hexagon of Imladris Elves and following Legolas to the outskirts of the gathering.
"What is it?"
"Being tracked." He said plainly. I couldn't stop the grin from taking over my face.
"You mean all I have to do is sit back up some tree in the Woods, stay quiet while some uninterested, inexperienced 'trackers' try to find me, and wait for the event to be over?"
"I probably should resent that, seeing as it's my army you're talking about, but I don't, considering you're right. They won't be trying too hard, seeing as they're only out catch the first hundred."
"Won't they try to catch all of us?"
"Yes, but the first hundred immediately leave the tournament, after that, the longer it takes you to get caught, the more points you get."
"We get points?" Why did no one tell me things?
"In later events, the competitors with the least number of points are out. And if the winner of the previous round loses the next round, they will still proceed, but they will have to give up every point earned in the previous round. At the moment, I have about fifty, and you have…" He thought for a moment. "About four or five, I'd say." My eyes narrowed.
"Tread carefully, Elf." He grinned, then, from somewhere on his person, produced a mossy green cloak, almost an exact match to the foliage of the wood. I examined it critically.
"Thank you. I shall forget this matter. For now." Firowen had remained surprisingly silent for the most part, and soon I saw why. Without Legolas noticing, I followed Firowen's gaze until it rested upon the royal box, where Narin and Jen stood, pointing out familiar faces in the crowd and waving to any who greeted them. I jotted this down mentally, to examine later. "But don't think I've forgotten about that little thing you did during archery. For that, you shall pay dearly."
~*~
I had just found myself a rather good position on probably one of the tallest trees for a good few miles, when I was disturbed by the sound of someone climbing up.
"Bugger off, it's taken." I said, in no mood to put up with some random Elf for however long the tournament lasted.
"Is that a fact?" It was Legolas. I leant over the branch to glare at him.
"Why yes it is. Prince or not."
"I'll have you know that this has always been where I wait out these kind of events. By all rights, you're trespassing."
"I've no doubt I am, now don't make me repeat myself again."
"When you think about it--"
"Which I've no desire to."
"--It's really quite a good thing that I'm here." He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "If one of the trackers happens along and thinks there's someone up here, he'll climb up, find me, then that will be it. You'll be safe." I thought about it for a moment.
"Suit yourself, but don't think I won't take full advantage of this fact."
He replied that he was sure I would, and we sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
"So when are they going to start looking for us?" I muttered a while later, pulling the cloak tighter around me. I lay on a long, thick branch, wider than my body, as I gazed out over the treetops. Legolas sat, his body pressed against the trunk of the enormous tree, as he, too, waited.
"I know not. Just what you also know. We've been here for just over ten minutes now, I'm sure they'll start soon."
"Mm." I was beginning to fall asleap. The heights never bothered me, and I couldn't count the number of times I'd curled up on a wide branch to sleep. It was comforting, being able to sleep so close to what I loved most yet without any fear of being murdered while I slept.
"At least in this round you'll be able to win back some points. No doubt you'll last longer than anyone else."
"Probably. I doubt any of the competitors, no matter how strong or skilled, have had the hands-on experience of three thousand years hauled up in trees." I squinted. "Look there." I indicated towards a tree bellow us, a good distance off. "I can see three of them already. Do they even realise they're not supposed to get caught?"
"It doesn't seem like it." I yawned, thinking my way through a few random trails of thought for a minute or two. "There." His voice was below a whisper, and I strained my ears to pick up the silent footprints on the forest floor. The trackers were here.
I could hear shouts in the distance, no doubt those already caught. Well I certainly had no intention of doing so. I heard one pass directly under our tree, scanning every inch of forest for a twig out of place. He progressed straight past us, not even stopping for a moment to consider our presence. I looked up to see the others in the tree not far from ours. They were gone. I sighed as softly as I could, and snuggled back into my cloak for a while.
"You don't have to be so quiet, you know." Legolas was now speaking in just above a whisper. "That was the first wave. They'll go through the entire area once, catching out the first hundred, then wait for about an hour before going back. We're safe now, we won't be kicked out this round in any case."
"That was pretty pathetic, if you ask me. He didn't even try to look for us."
"No, we're just that little bit better than the others." I might have laughed, were I not conscious of the fact that I would no doubt be heard through the forest.
"That's true enough." I tried to stifle a yawn but didn't quite manage it. Sleep over the last few days had been patchy at best. "So, I don't mean to pry but I'm getting just slightly bored and…what's up with Jen and Cer? Are they like…you know." I could see the effort on his brow as he tried to consider the implications of the term 'you know'.
"They are seeing each other, if that's what you mean?"
"So why aren't they more…eh…how to put this? More affectionate."
"They are." He said rather hesitant. "As with most things it's rather complicated though."
"Like how?"
"To begin with, Jen's parents would doubtfully approve of Cer."
"Why? Is he really a horrible flirt and all that strong, silent stuff is all for show?" Did I ever mention I had this vile habit of loving gossip? It was one thing to pick up when you'd travelled as much as I had. The new king of Rohan's inability to perform, the steward of Gondor's daughter running away with a butcher, it kept you going when you couldn't feel your appendages. Besides, most people loved it just as much as I did; it was one of the very few things I had in common with them. In any case, my last comment got a slight chuckle out of the archer.
"Not unless he's been hiding it from me for the past thousand years."
"What then?"
"If you really want to know, it's because he's a half-elf." Now it seemed his turn to make me confused.
"But, I thought that the Wood Elves didn't hold anything like prejudice against someone…well, that is apart from Dwarves…and Orcs."
"We don't necessarily, I myself do not hold any sort of grievances against a particular race, excluding Orcs and their associates, at least, not since I became aquatinted with Gimli."
"But."
"But, some do feel that because he has human blood in his veins, it would pollute their line if he were to marry one of their daughters."
"Some how I don't really see that stopping Jen."
"Perhaps, though you have never seen her with her parents. Although she is more then old enough to make her own decisions she cares for them very much and so their opinions still influence her judgement. However, with them it is not simply that Cer might bring human blood into their family, it is more the hardships that they would both have to face because of this that they are worried about."
"You've had long conversations with the both of them, haven't you."
"How can you tell?" He said, pure sarcasm dripping from his lips.
"Oh, just a hunch." I stretched rather lazily on my branch. "So how is the dwarf in any case?"
"Good, since I last saw him a few months back."
"You two are actually still on speaking terms?" I said rather surprised. He nodded, though only slightly, anything more would have the alerted keen eyes that were sure to be searching for us.
"Our friendship grew strong over the time we spent on the quest, he even considered coming to live in Eryn Lasgalen, but had other business to attend to before he could truly make a decision."
"Do you miss him?"
"I know it seems rather foolish, but yes." A smile passed over his features. "I can truly say he is unlike any one I have ever met." A pause and then. "As are you."
"Oh, I already knew that." I said, trying to dismiss his comment. It might have just been my imagination, but it seemed quite heartfelt and, to tell the truth, scared me a little. I searched for another topic but nothing came to mind. Instead I just went for blurting out something randomly passing through my brain. "Narin."
"Hmm…?"
"Ah, am I the only person who seems to have noticed something between her and Firowen?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean." This seemed like something of a de-ja-vu.
"It's obvious they have a thing for each other, yet neither seems willing to act upon it." He shrugged.
"Perhaps they do, I can't say I've noticed." I couldn't stop an eyebrow arching, to me it seemed that someone who was blind, dumb and yes deaf would have noticed the pairs, at times, unsubtle attraction to each other.
"Fine. If you don't want to talk about it then I can't force you." That was a lie, I could. But at this moment I was far too comfortable to make any effort that included moving. It was a while of silence with not a word between us before he spoke up.
"Who was that man you were talking to?" He asked, once again his voice barely above a whisper.
"Why? Jealous?"
"I…don't see why I would I be?"
"Oh, you know, because you secretly love me and want to spend the rest of your days at my side?"
"Ah…no." I shook my head lightly.
"He's just…an old friend, shall we say, more of an acquaintance really but I'm now somewhat sure I've made a lasting impression on him."
"No doubt." There was a slight creek a few metres away. Both of us froze on the spot, hardly a breath between us. The trackers were back. And as easily as blinking something utterly diabolical came to mind. I knew exactly how it was I was going to get him back for the little stunt he'd pulled in archery. He'd even suggested in the first place, who was I not to take up his offer? He was the Prince. Not to would be damn right rude.
I could see our tracker, just slightly. He was definitely better then his predecessors. For one, he seemed to actually be looking for signs of someone hiding in the vicinity, but it also struck me that he looked rather familiar. 'Damn!' I cursed inwardly. It was Celoril. Still, it didn't really matter; I wasn't the one who was going to get caught.
I reached out to a large twig just within my reach and tugged hard on it. That definitely caught his attention and Legolas' too.
"What are you doing?!" He whispered vehemently.
"Teaching you just what happens when you play little tricks on this Lady." I grasped the twig firmly in both hands and started to bend it slowly, agonisingly.
"Yuna, don't…please."
"Give me one good reason."
"Because…because…it's not sporting." Celoril was getting close, though he took his time, not wanting to scare his prey. Good.
"Then what exactly do you call that little stunt you pulled?"
"Look, I'm sorry but--"
"Sorry doesn't cut it, good bye." With that I applied full pressure. The sound of it snapping brought a look of horror to his eyes. I supposed it was because it was doubtful that he'd ever come in anything less than third in any even for the past two thousand years. Now it would be something like the hundredth.
Celoril moved in, there was nowhere left to run not that it mattered. As I understood it in this game as soon as you were seen it was all over. I pulled the cloak over my head, clung as close as I could to my branch and hoped that was enough to keep him from seeing me.
"Hello Legolas." I could hear Celoril somewhere around the vast tree roots. "It seems that I've found you, funny that."
"Indeed." The branches creaked as he lazily climbed down the trunk of the enormous oak. "Come on, let's go, I don't think there's anyone else around here. And you can wipe that smirk off your face." After they left I was all alone, just how I liked. Or at least it should have been. Something inside me rather missed my tree mate and I started to regret taking revenge, no matter how sweet it was.
~*~
I woke up to the blowing of a horn, only barely managing to stop myself from dropping off the branch I'd been perched on for what seemed an eternity now, not lastly to my chest. It must have been the morning, though I couldn't remember falling to sleep. It dawned on me slowly, but they seemed to be calling my name.
"Lady Yunalesca!"
I yawned. 'It must be over.' It took me all of two seconds to get down to the ground where I could see some plebeians walking around aimlessly calling out.
"Lady Yunal--"
"Hush, man, I'm here." I said, to the closer of the group and began stretching out the cramped muscles in my back. "There's no need to make such a racket."
"Sorry milady, it's just that we were sent to look for you."
"And to tell you that you'd won." Said the first elves rather over eager looking partner who'd come to join us.
"Is that so?" I smiled.
"Yes, milady. All the others were caught in the early hours of this morning." It was another of them; it made me wonder just how many they'd sent out.
"Figures."
"So now you can come back to the city."
"Well, I suppose if I have to." I yawned again. "Now, why don't you lead."
~*~
When I got back I was somewhat surprised to find that Legolas hadn't thrown a hissy fit. In fact he was taking his defeat rather well. There might, I supposed, have been reasons for this; maybe he thought it unfitting for a Prince to behave like that. Or, he might have acted like he didn't seem to mind because he was already plotting his own sweet, black vengeance. One way or another I was determined to find out sooner rather than later.
"Morning, Narin." I greeted the elf sitting on a bench out in the training grounds. She seemed rather preoccupied. I followed her gaze to where both Legolas and Firowen stood sparing…shirtless. I practically had to stop myself from biting my own tongue as my eyes followed the two as they moved. They were using staffs, with quite expertise I might add, though neither seemed to better the others ability. As they ducked, jumped, blocked, swung, I could see every muscle ripple on the pairs perfectly toned upper bodies.
Somehow my eyes stopped following the two and merely concentrated on one. His sculpted biceps tensed as he prevented his opponent's staff from connecting with his legs. Instead swinging it up and over his opponent's head to leave him open to further attack. My eyes trailed down to his chest. It wasn't the kind I'd seen on some men, where every single muscle is utterly defined and overly prominent. It was just finely toned and faultless complimentary. I caught myself bending my head to the side and decided that it was probably better to stop staring at him like a starved dog looking at a piece of meat.
"Narin?" I said waving a hand in front of her eyes.
"Huh." This didn't really seem to stop her.
"Look, I know you like staring at a half undressed Firowen and everything, but could I at least get a hint of recognition?" She turned to me and sighed, realising she was defeated and had been found out.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Let's just say The horn of Hammerhand is more subtle."
"Horn of what?"
"Never mind. Come on." I lifted her elbow up and led her towards the library.
"You won't tell him, will you?" She sounded almost frightened.
"Not if you don't want me to." I said first, so as to reassure her. "But as the quickest way to a man's heart is through his chest, you do have to tell him."
"I can't! It would ruin whatever it is we already have, and it would make things so uncomfortable." She broke eye contact and stared at the floor.
"What, are you scared he'll reject you?" I asked, unbelieving. She nodded, finding this to be the obvious conclusion. "Why do you think that? What has he ever done to make it seem as if he doesn't like you?" A pause.
"More like what he hasn't done." She sighed again. "You know first hand what he's like around women. He flirted with you more than anyone else when you first got here." There was the smallest hint of bitterness in her tone. "He never even looks at me like that." My mouth must have opened slightly. "What is it?"
"Do you really think that? He doesn't look at you like a piece of meat, therefore you must hold no interest for him?" We reached the library, she pushed the door open and quickly glanced around to make sure no one was there.
"Well it's not like I've much experience in that area is it?"
"Listen. What if I told you that I knew for a fact that he thought about you a lot. What would you say to that?" Her features softened.
"It'll never happen, so there's no point in thinking about it." She sounded unconvinced, even to me.
"Narin, name me one reason why he wouldn't be interested in you?" She thought for a moment.
"Look at me, I'm not exactly the prize pick." I scoffed.
"Pardon me, but have you ever actually looked at some of the women in the city? You are beautiful. Say it enough and you'll start realising it." She looked down.
"What about Jen? She's lovely, she's witty, she's so confident and full of things to say. And I'm just plain, booky, boring Narin."
"Have you been listening to me at all?" I sighed, feeling exasperated with her constant low self-esteem, when she had no reason at all to think so. "You are a daughter Lord Elrond would be envious of. You're beautiful, and you're far wittier than Jen, like me, she just uses sarcasm and rudeness as a substitute for real wit. On top of that, did you ever stop to consider that someone like Firowen might want someone like you to balance out his...illustrative personality?" She was silent. I let my eyes travel around the dark room, waiting for her to arrive at a conclusion.
My eye caught on a largish family portrait, and I found it odd that I hadn't noticed it before. I recognised Thranduil immediately, and reasoned that the flaxen-haired beauty beside him must have been his wife. I saw a much younger Legolas, and I found myself wondering how old the portrait must have been. Next to him, sitting down, was a young elfling. A stubborn yet patient expression was on her face, a powder-blue frock billowing around her ankles, and features that immediately put me in mind of someone.
"Don't look at that." Narin said, groaning. "It was done about two thousand years ago, probably a bit more. It's a shame the paint hasn't already pealed off."
"Why? I think it's sweet." Total lie, of course. "And the little girl looks like you, without the puffy layers of petticoats, though." I wondered why I hadn't already met the princess, and where she was, before it struck me.
"Yes, well, thankfully I grew out of that hideous thing rather quickly." Shit. I had done countless things I wouldn't have done if I knew that Narin was, in fact, the King's daughter. Shit. "What's wrong?" I must have blanched.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, your highness." I threw in the title just so I could see the reaction.
"Oh don't start. It's taken me this long to get the courtiers and common people alike to call me 'My Lady' instead of 'Princess' or something equally sinister. I've got a few thousand years to go before I can get them to call me 'Narin' like you do."
"I think I know what you mean. But I won't even try to completely empathise, its not as if I have a horde of bodyguards wishing to accompany me every time I walk out the door."
"Precisely," She sighed. "But I guess there's really not much I can do other than get people to just relax when I'm around. But even that seems to be completely out of the question with most." She sighed. "I hate etiquette."
"Well, let's say we forget it for now and see what we can do about this man trouble you've been having."
"What do you mean?" She said, a look of terror gripping her delicate features.
"Don't worry, I won't tell him or anything, I'll just show you how to do a little harmless flirting." By harmless of course I meant shameless, but she didn't have to know that.
"I…suppose." She replied weakly.
"Come on." I said grabbing her hand and heading out of the library and back to the training grounds. When we got there it was obvious the fight was over. The two blondes were sitting on the bench me and Narin had once been sat on and seemed rather spent.
"Mirkwood." I addressed Legolas however both looked up. "No, not you." I gestured in Firowen's direction.
"Hmm?" Legolas voiced.
"It seems I won."
"It was only one game." He answered calmly.
"Perhaps, but undoubtedly the first of many."
"If you say so." He said annoyingly even-tempered. "Even though it'll be hard to cheat on all of the trials."
"I didn't cheat!...well, maybe I did, but you did it first."
"You'd think these two were five-year-olds." Firowen broke in lazily. "Well, I for one would just love to stay around and see how this all pans out but unfortunately I have better things to do before the next event starts. And I'm sure Narin does too." He said, getting up from the bench and standing next to her.
"Oh, um, yes." She said, caught off guard. He offered his arm, which she took gingerly, probably for the fact that he was still missing his shirt, and they went off in the direction of the main building.
"As I was saying, it was you that provoked such an action, if you hadn't…distracted me in archery, I wouldn't have let Nolad catch you. Well, I would have let him, but I wouldn't be entirely to blame."
"Well, if that's the case then I suggest we call a truce." It seemed the best course of action.
"Fine. Truce it is."
"Or." He said after a moment. "We could make a bet."
"What kind of bet?" I asked suspiciously.
"Just a bet. Let's say if I win the tournament, you have to, oh, I don't know, let's say wear a dress at the closing festivities."
"And if I win."
"I'll give you archery lessons."
"Oh, haha." I replied flatly. "No, I've something rather more interesting in mind."
"Go on." He said, as if daring me to do my worst. Who was I not to?
"If I win, you have to, oh, I don't know, propose your undying love to Firowen in front of everyone at the closing festivities. And I don't mean just say you love him, I mean down on one knee, singing songs, reciting poems, the lot, and you can't tell him about it before hand. Understood."
"I suppose, though it's a rather unfair deal."
"Oh, trust me, seeing me in a…dress, is a once in a millennia experience. I've never worn one before and have no intention to any time in the near future. So if you're really set on it, I suggest you try your hardest, not that it'll really matter."
"So confident, so naïve." He breathed in deeply and stood up from the bench. "Fair enough, we have a deal." We shook on it, both with equally cocky grins on our faces. "But no cheating of any kind on either sides or it's off, agreed?"
"But of course." I said with mock horror. "I would never even dream of it."
"Oh yes. How could I be so absurd?"
"Indeed." A thought struck me; I was meant to be teaching Narin something, wasn't I? If I hurried there might still be time. "Come on. Let's catch up to Firowen, you can brag about the dress part at least." He chuckled before we both broke into a sprint, heading after the two. It wasn't long before I spotted them walking down a narrow corridor that led around the palaces outer rock face.
Legolas must have been slightly fatigued by his early exertion as he was trailing some way behind myself. However, just when I was nearing the couple I noticed him gaining speed until he passed me in the confined space. I wasn't about to stand for that. He reached them a few seconds ahead of me and slowed to Narin and Firowen's pace. When I got to them I neither stopped nor slowed down. Instead, I stretched out my hand; hit the Prince's backside as hard as I could and just kept going. When I was a few metres ahead I turned around to see a suitable look of terror on his face and just for added shock value I stuck my tongue out at him before turning and running all the harder.
I could hear Firowen laughing as I ducked into a side door. A woman must have inhabited the room I'd entered, unless it was a man with very serious issues. Over almost inch of surface in the room were vases filled with flowers of all descriptions, little engraved boxes, many of wood but others of what looked like silver or gold, and other small trinkets of Elven design. Draped on the walls were large pieces of material, obviously to cover up the bare stone that they were made of and to make the room seem warmer.
The centrepiece of the room was the large, pine, four poster bed that had something like chiffon hanging down from it. There was a balcony, as with my room. My heart skipped a beat. Standing out on it was two figures. One tall and definitely built, the other smaller, petite, both had full heads of curling locks. Jen and Cer. They stood, just enjoying the sunshine, wrapped in each other's arms. I felt like I was intruding on something far too precious to be interrupted. It probably was. I got out of the room as fast as I could, hopping they hadn't noticed my entrance or exit.
~*~
It was the next day that I saw the two again. They said nothing if indeed they had seen me in what I strongly suspected and for Cer's sake hoped had been Jen's room. The tournament had once again resumed, this time with something I was rather good at: sword fighting. Once again they gave us all the same uniformed weapon, though there was the choice between a long and a short sword this time. I took my weapon of choice; a long sword that looked like it might just do some damage, and started practising, not that I really needed it.
I passed most of the day either talking to one of the group that I had become surprisingly close to in the short time I'd been in Eryn Lasgalen or watching one of the many fights that were going on. We were once again in the stadium though this time there were several smaller rings set up so that various matches could be held at any given time.
I glanced at the board where the matches were plotted out, names being added every minute or so. From the way things panned out, it looked as if I would inevitably be fighting Firowen if I wanted to come out on top in my group. There was only one fight for me beforehand, as there was not many from our group left after the previous event. I knew from observation that he was a very good sword fighter, and he would give me something of a hard time. Of course I would emerge victorious in the end, it would just take a while for me to beat him. However, the first event had left me with something of a bruised ego, and although my winning the previous round was a little boost, I wanted to fully prove myself. I didn't know why. Normally I didn't care, but I felt an urge to be hailed as what I was, a good fighter. Now, how would I win this fight with as much flair as possible?
Like all good fighters, before a match, he would watch his opponent's technique, their style and moves to watch out for. I only had one fight, and it was the first time he'd seen me with any kind of blade. There was no doubt in my mind that he would use the opportunity to find out as much as he could. Since I enjoyed confusing him so much, I'd take advantage of the opportunity, and fight not with my right, but with my left hand. I learnt to fight with two blades, and, as a result, learnt to be ambidextrous, though I still favoured my right by far. If he saw me fighting with my left hand, he'd be drawing up strategies for entirely the wrong side. If I switched hands as soon as he got serious, he'd probably go cross-eyed.
I was on late, something about my group having the highest amount of people having left in the last round. So mostly I just sat around with Firowen and we pointed out flaws in the fighter's techniques that we were watching. He was rather amused about the goings on of the previous day and had made some comment or other about how I was coming out of my shell. I dismissed it quickly.
After another half-hour or so of scrutinising other fighters, my name was called and I headed towards the ring directly in front of the royal box, where Narin and Jen were standing whooping and shouting random things at the competitors. I saw Thranduil sitting back in his chair, eyes like a hawk gliding over the assembled mass of people. I was quickly informed by a holler of my name that Jen had seen me, and I nodded, grinning, in her direction. I sized up my opponent. A human, a little shorter than me, in garb that reminded me instantly of a Northern Ranger. He held his short sword rather tightly, and I could tell immediately from his stance that he was a bad attacker, and this would be a case of him trying to tire me by defending out so he could use a weaker move to defeat me.
A judge announced the start of the fight, and I lunged, my sword comfortably in my left hand. He was expecting this, and I had to admit he did have a very sturdy block. I jumped back, and swiped low, high, mid-section. Aggressiveness was the key. If he thought I was getting tired, he'd let his guard down, and I could easily slip past it. Four more depressingly, yet intentionally, clumsy swipes on my part, and I was able to get one, two and three solid hits, the third knocking his blade clear out of the circle. I heard a girlish whoop to the side, and the sound of Narin laughing as the fight was announced over in my favour. It wasn't even a close match.
Sure enough, as I shook hands and left the ring, there was Firowen, mentally taking notes. He had one fight as well, directly after mine. I swapped places with him, and watched as he fought a guard from East Lórien. He fought almost exactly like Legolas. Smooth, yet with an underlying strength. The guard was good, but not good enough. He was soon taken down as a long sword pressed to his throat. I knew how Legolas fought, and that fact made the ensuing battle that little bit easier.
~*~
"So you're…going to start some time soon...?" I asked. The fight had been started officially about twenty seconds ago, and since then we had done nothing but circle each other A crowd had gathered, ours being one of the most interesting fights of the day. The main superpowers of the tournament were spread out throughout the groups and therefore were not fighting each other. Word had reached the ears of the population that I had greater skill with a sword than perhaps even the Prince. No, that can't be right, can it? Surely not, he's the Prince; after all, no one can beat him. Even his father? Well, obviously his father could. So someone can beat the Prince? Yes, but not her. But still. Should we go see? Lets.
"Wouldn't dream of it. Ladies first." Came the frank reply from Firowen.
"So you are planning on starting?" I shot back. He grinned.
"How about 'now,' is that good for you?"
"Sounds alright."
"So 'now' it is?"
"Now."
"Now." And with that a cheer erupted from the crowd as our swords clanged together. "Let's give them a show, shall we?" He said as we leaned in to up the force of our side.
"Let's." I wanted him to think I was using my best strategies early on, so I pulled a few showy moves to get the crowd pulsing with excitement. I swiped at his head with my blade still happy in my left hand, then aimed a low roundabout swipe with my leg at his feet. I launched into a flurry of attacks, turning this way and that as I slashed at him again and again. He had a solid defence, one that was increasingly hard to penetrate as the strength increased. He started to fight back, and I found myself blocking a perfectly executed combination of moves. The whistle of blades was almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
My wrist was failing under the force of his attacks. It was no where near as trained as the other, and I found myself not able to fully stop his swipes, and I was forced to parry them to one side. After a particularly powerful one, I felt my wrist giving way, and it started to shake slightly. He must have seen this, for he asked with a cocky grin:
"Give up yet?" I gave a slow smile.
"Never." I pushed the blade of my sword up towards him, forcing him back. With as mush flourish as I could muster without turning into my opponent, I threw my sword up, spun round once as I stepped forward, and grabbed it with my right hand, starting to attack as soon as it was in my grip. He opened his mouth slightly, but gritted his teeth together quickly in effort as my sword crashed down on top of his with more strength then he evidently expected I had. He was being forced back, and was barely managing to stay in the ring as he searched for a way to break the onslaught of attacks. We sparred back and forth for a while, the audience loving every second of it.
Soon, I tired of the constant lateral motion. His expertise lay with twin daggers, and his skills were merely being borrowed and adapted to fight with the sword. I had spent my whole life using a long sword, and it shone through in the finishing move. I forced his blade over to his right in a parry, then spun in so I shoved him backwards, grabbed the hilt out of his hand and into my left, then ducked under his arm to point both tips at him. The match was over as suddenly as it had begun. He burst out laughing, and the cheers rising up around the ring were almost deafening. I saw Narin half-smiling, Jen utterly ecstatic, and Thranduil eyeing me thoughtfully. Firowen came up behind me and said in a low voice something about slinking away shamefully at his humiliating defeat at the hands of a misanthropic half-elf. I tried to elbow him in the gut, but he was too fast and had already woven through the crowd.
There was another match going on at the time, the last one. The mass of spectators drew their attention toward the ring for the start of the fight. I wandered over, handing the two swords to a random, uniformed Elf.
And then I saw him. Tall, lithe yet with a strong build and the promise of substantial strength. He seemed to take charge over the area as he moved like a panther stalking its prey towards the circle. His jet-black hair spilt over his shoulders, framing a face that was oddly defined and handsome for a human. Everything about him, from his confidant and unwavering stride to his black-rimmed, mahogany eyes, radiated power. He reminded me instantly of a double-edged sword, spinning so fast around that it appears as if the blade isn't even there, but if you got too close…
He took up an unusual stance, one I'd never seen before. The Elf he was up against looked confused. Well, to the untrained eye, he was perfectly stoical, yet I could pick out the perplexed look in his eyes. A human almost immediately equalled an easy win, but this human didn't look like the type to be easily beaten. The battle begun, and ended almost as swiftly. I felt the crowd go silent. I was thankful for the fact I hadn't blinked, as it allowed me to see what he managed to do to get his opponent out of the ring in, well, the blink of an eye.
I saw his muscles tense, just along the line of his jaw, a second before the fight was started. By the time the Elf had registered what to do, the Man had already charged, his two-handed sword drawn back, before slamming across the Elf's, driving forward and allowing the momentum to do the rest. It was nothing fancy, but the job was done quick. He left the circle as soon as the announcer declared the fight over. My gaze followed him down the parting the crowd assembled had created. Before disappearing, however, his head turned, and in an instant, his eyes locked with mine. I inhaled sharply, my body involuntarily tensing up. I struggled to hold his stare, though his eyes chilled me to the bone. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned back and left, not gifting a single person more with a glance.
A.N. Lefty/righty strategy plagiarised shamelessly from Anime Animal's Zelda (OOT) ficlet 'The Hyrule Tournament'
Okay, so once again this chappy is a little late, but hey, 18 pages ain't bad. Besides we've had major amounts of school to cope with so getting through this has been a little tough. But I bet you liked the bit with where Yuna smacked Leggie's ass didn't you, somewhat unexpected which just makes it all the more sweet. And besides, you'd probably do the same if you were in her position, okay so maybe you wouldn't but I would. But anyway, finally, after 24 long chapters, our dear ice queen is emerging from her shell. What happens next? Read and see.
P.S. See that little button down there? It tells us you love us and that this isn't just for the benefit of our two crazed imaginations. So just click it and see what happens.