Love Among Slavery
Chapter Seven: His Never Ending Nightmare
* * *
It's been a few days since the Duo incident and Hotaru almost completely forgot about that boy, that is, almost, but at this moment she was walking into the royal kitchen looking for her father.
While walking around and surveying her surrounding area she found a familiar male figure bending down to wash dishes. His once beautiful blonde hair that shone like the moon had now dampened to a meaningless yellow mass on his head. His eyes were looking down, but Hotaru knew that his once stunning pale blue eyes were now a clammy blue that reflected death.
She could feel her feet dragging her trembling form towards the tired one. Her heart burned with anger and pain at the simple sight of him, her eyes started to blink when the trails of tears were coming up, but she held her face strong.
Legolas felt the recognizable aura in the room once she came in... once Hotaru came in. She visited quite often, only for her father. Which was a nice man since he befriended Mr. Tomoe on the first day he was here.
Every time she was here, Legolas only marvelled her from a far. Though he never got the chance to talk to her yet, he could always remember her voice from the very first time she saw him caged up.
Legolas felt his hand tighten its grasp on the plate he was washing when he felt her presence coming closer towards him. Her heartbeat reflected back and forth in his body. Her trembling made his heart tremble with a nameless emotion intertwined with it.
"Um... hi again," came Hotaru's slow voice, making him look up, only to be drowned in the endless pools of violet again.
Legolas didn't answer but stared mindlessly at her. He couldn't seem to bring his voice up at all. It stuck in his throat, cutting the oxygen from his body. When he finally found the wits to unclog his throat, he answered her, "Hello."
"Umm... well..." Hotaru trailed off, suddenly feeling nervous, "I just wanted to know how you're doing."
"Fine," he replied simply with a monotone voice.
"Oh," she said.
Silence took place as he kept his eyes on the violet ones before him, drowning and feeling warmth from them as she stared at him with worry. No pity was held in her eyes, only worry.
"Um... after all this time I... still don't know your name," Hotaru said, trying to bring up another conversation.
"It's Legolas, my name is Legolas," he said as he placed a plate on a pile beside him.
"Right... Legolas," she tried out his name.
His heart pounded in his chest tightly when she said his name so easily. Her voice clung in his mind, never letting go, not that he wanted to let it go. He kept thinking that his name was only to be used by her, kept thinking that the reason he was born was because of this girl in front of him.
Legolas looked up again and saw her eyes once more. She didn't move under his eyes and he didn't move under her gaze. Each tied to the other, no one wanted to let go... not now any way.
It was then that something happened... God made it that way. From the time of that night with a full moon to the time of Fate's dollar... it was meant to be this way. Both of them with a strong will, both of them with strength beyond their years, and both with a destiny in front of them. But their destinies could never be completed without the other... it was meant to be this way.
A look into those blue eyes led Hotaru to another world... to a vision of what he had been through. She felt her soul being torn from her body harshly and into the world only she could see. Her body felt weak and tired as she stood in front of a battle... Elves at her left and Humans at her right.
The battlefield was of a rocky surface with the sun slowly setting beyond the horizon. Hotaru felt frightened at that moment as she turned her head to the left and saw Legolas holding up a sword in a pose in front of the Elves. She then turned to the right to see who was the Humans' leader... it was Duo.
All was silent. Even the wind would not dare to interfere with this fated battle. Hotaru stood still, staring at the sunset with fear passing through her veins every time she felt her heart beat.
A war cry erupted from Duo suddenly, making Hotaru jump in surprise and dread. She saw the swarm of Human soldiers coming towards the Elves as the Elves came crashing towards them. Hotaru gasped as she realized that she was in the middle of the battlefield!
She tried to squint her eyes to not see, but something was preventing her it. With no will of her own a trail of tears ran down her face. She clasped her hands over her heart, as if to stop its tremendous beating.
Then when one of her tears fell onto the ground, swords met. The people were fighting around her as if they couldn't see her; she was left untouched. Hotaru looked frantically about only to see men stabbed, cut and being hit. While searching about for an unknown reason to this cause she saw Legolas and Duo in a heated battle.
Their swords knocked into one another, but no sounds were made... in fact Hotaru didn't hear a thing. She watched the men battle with the sunset behind them, highlighting their anger and determination to win the other.
Suddenly Hotaru fell to the ground... to her knees... the silence was killing her. Then God gave her miracle... or was it a miracle? Because at that moment the scene switched... to Female Elves fleeing about with their mouths open, screaming is what Hotaru assumed since she could hear nothing. Flames danced evilly on their forest homes as children scrambled about with tears.
Hotaru took a sharp in take of air, only to make her panic. She got up and tried to run to the children to help them, but a force stopped her! She reached out her hand to clasp into a running child, but couldn't! She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came! She could not move at all, only to stand there watching people burn, panic, fleeing, screaming, crying and in pain.
She could feel the heat of the flames against her sensitive skin and the sweat dripping off of her forehead. She could smell the blood from the burning people and the ashes of the buildings. She could taste that burning rubble at the back of her throat... yet; she cannot help. The realization of her being useless only brought more unwanted tears to come.
The silence... she could no longer bare it... this was a nightmare... a nightmare... it wasn't true... or was it? Did this all happen to Legolas when Duo invaded his home? Was this Legolas' never ending nightmare? A nightmare... nightmare...
Hotaru's body shook with shock, anguish, sorrow and anger. She felt her body drop to her knees; her head bent down, hands in fists and tears flowing freely. She looked up and saw Legolas gasping for breaths of air.
He saw it all too, his recurring nightmare. He didn't mean for her to see it. He saw her standing at the battlefield and looking at the burning of his kingdom... felt her every emotion, every beat of her heart and most of all, her anger. Her anger still flared now. He never felt such a flame before that seemed to appear from nowhere, it captivated him.
"Did... you send it.... to me on... purpose?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"No," he felt his voice falter from such a wave of emotions.
"Did... it happen to you?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," Legolas replied, unsure why he was telling her this.
"It's your never ending nightmare, isn't it?" she asked in a mere whisper.
"My never ending nightmare..." he whispered, "Yes. It's my never ending nightmare."
Out of nowhere she said with belief and determination, "I'll help you."
He looked at her with shock written clearly in his eyes, "If you can't save me... you'll...die." He forced the last word with so much of his strength that he felt faint.
"No. I won't," she voiced determinedly, "I'll save you and your people."
"But..." Legolas began, trying to talk her out of it, even if he knew he couldn't.
"No buts," she said, "I'll be fine... see you..."
He couldn't put in another word as she got up slowly and walked away, with drops of sweat coming from her forehead. Legolas shook his head... was this the end of his never-ending nightmare? Or was it the beginning of another one?
* * *
Silver Author
Chapter Seven: His Never Ending Nightmare
* * *
It's been a few days since the Duo incident and Hotaru almost completely forgot about that boy, that is, almost, but at this moment she was walking into the royal kitchen looking for her father.
While walking around and surveying her surrounding area she found a familiar male figure bending down to wash dishes. His once beautiful blonde hair that shone like the moon had now dampened to a meaningless yellow mass on his head. His eyes were looking down, but Hotaru knew that his once stunning pale blue eyes were now a clammy blue that reflected death.
She could feel her feet dragging her trembling form towards the tired one. Her heart burned with anger and pain at the simple sight of him, her eyes started to blink when the trails of tears were coming up, but she held her face strong.
Legolas felt the recognizable aura in the room once she came in... once Hotaru came in. She visited quite often, only for her father. Which was a nice man since he befriended Mr. Tomoe on the first day he was here.
Every time she was here, Legolas only marvelled her from a far. Though he never got the chance to talk to her yet, he could always remember her voice from the very first time she saw him caged up.
Legolas felt his hand tighten its grasp on the plate he was washing when he felt her presence coming closer towards him. Her heartbeat reflected back and forth in his body. Her trembling made his heart tremble with a nameless emotion intertwined with it.
"Um... hi again," came Hotaru's slow voice, making him look up, only to be drowned in the endless pools of violet again.
Legolas didn't answer but stared mindlessly at her. He couldn't seem to bring his voice up at all. It stuck in his throat, cutting the oxygen from his body. When he finally found the wits to unclog his throat, he answered her, "Hello."
"Umm... well..." Hotaru trailed off, suddenly feeling nervous, "I just wanted to know how you're doing."
"Fine," he replied simply with a monotone voice.
"Oh," she said.
Silence took place as he kept his eyes on the violet ones before him, drowning and feeling warmth from them as she stared at him with worry. No pity was held in her eyes, only worry.
"Um... after all this time I... still don't know your name," Hotaru said, trying to bring up another conversation.
"It's Legolas, my name is Legolas," he said as he placed a plate on a pile beside him.
"Right... Legolas," she tried out his name.
His heart pounded in his chest tightly when she said his name so easily. Her voice clung in his mind, never letting go, not that he wanted to let it go. He kept thinking that his name was only to be used by her, kept thinking that the reason he was born was because of this girl in front of him.
Legolas looked up again and saw her eyes once more. She didn't move under his eyes and he didn't move under her gaze. Each tied to the other, no one wanted to let go... not now any way.
It was then that something happened... God made it that way. From the time of that night with a full moon to the time of Fate's dollar... it was meant to be this way. Both of them with a strong will, both of them with strength beyond their years, and both with a destiny in front of them. But their destinies could never be completed without the other... it was meant to be this way.
A look into those blue eyes led Hotaru to another world... to a vision of what he had been through. She felt her soul being torn from her body harshly and into the world only she could see. Her body felt weak and tired as she stood in front of a battle... Elves at her left and Humans at her right.
The battlefield was of a rocky surface with the sun slowly setting beyond the horizon. Hotaru felt frightened at that moment as she turned her head to the left and saw Legolas holding up a sword in a pose in front of the Elves. She then turned to the right to see who was the Humans' leader... it was Duo.
All was silent. Even the wind would not dare to interfere with this fated battle. Hotaru stood still, staring at the sunset with fear passing through her veins every time she felt her heart beat.
A war cry erupted from Duo suddenly, making Hotaru jump in surprise and dread. She saw the swarm of Human soldiers coming towards the Elves as the Elves came crashing towards them. Hotaru gasped as she realized that she was in the middle of the battlefield!
She tried to squint her eyes to not see, but something was preventing her it. With no will of her own a trail of tears ran down her face. She clasped her hands over her heart, as if to stop its tremendous beating.
Then when one of her tears fell onto the ground, swords met. The people were fighting around her as if they couldn't see her; she was left untouched. Hotaru looked frantically about only to see men stabbed, cut and being hit. While searching about for an unknown reason to this cause she saw Legolas and Duo in a heated battle.
Their swords knocked into one another, but no sounds were made... in fact Hotaru didn't hear a thing. She watched the men battle with the sunset behind them, highlighting their anger and determination to win the other.
Suddenly Hotaru fell to the ground... to her knees... the silence was killing her. Then God gave her miracle... or was it a miracle? Because at that moment the scene switched... to Female Elves fleeing about with their mouths open, screaming is what Hotaru assumed since she could hear nothing. Flames danced evilly on their forest homes as children scrambled about with tears.
Hotaru took a sharp in take of air, only to make her panic. She got up and tried to run to the children to help them, but a force stopped her! She reached out her hand to clasp into a running child, but couldn't! She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came! She could not move at all, only to stand there watching people burn, panic, fleeing, screaming, crying and in pain.
She could feel the heat of the flames against her sensitive skin and the sweat dripping off of her forehead. She could smell the blood from the burning people and the ashes of the buildings. She could taste that burning rubble at the back of her throat... yet; she cannot help. The realization of her being useless only brought more unwanted tears to come.
The silence... she could no longer bare it... this was a nightmare... a nightmare... it wasn't true... or was it? Did this all happen to Legolas when Duo invaded his home? Was this Legolas' never ending nightmare? A nightmare... nightmare...
Hotaru's body shook with shock, anguish, sorrow and anger. She felt her body drop to her knees; her head bent down, hands in fists and tears flowing freely. She looked up and saw Legolas gasping for breaths of air.
He saw it all too, his recurring nightmare. He didn't mean for her to see it. He saw her standing at the battlefield and looking at the burning of his kingdom... felt her every emotion, every beat of her heart and most of all, her anger. Her anger still flared now. He never felt such a flame before that seemed to appear from nowhere, it captivated him.
"Did... you send it.... to me on... purpose?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"No," he felt his voice falter from such a wave of emotions.
"Did... it happen to you?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," Legolas replied, unsure why he was telling her this.
"It's your never ending nightmare, isn't it?" she asked in a mere whisper.
"My never ending nightmare..." he whispered, "Yes. It's my never ending nightmare."
Out of nowhere she said with belief and determination, "I'll help you."
He looked at her with shock written clearly in his eyes, "If you can't save me... you'll...die." He forced the last word with so much of his strength that he felt faint.
"No. I won't," she voiced determinedly, "I'll save you and your people."
"But..." Legolas began, trying to talk her out of it, even if he knew he couldn't.
"No buts," she said, "I'll be fine... see you..."
He couldn't put in another word as she got up slowly and walked away, with drops of sweat coming from her forehead. Legolas shook his head... was this the end of his never-ending nightmare? Or was it the beginning of another one?
* * *
Silver Author