Love Among Slavery
Chapter Eight: Saving Him
* * *
Hotaru rushed out of the palace grounds with determination mixed with anxiety in her heart. She couldn't believe that she promised Legolas that she'd save him and his people! What was she to do?
What if she failed? What if she died? What would her parents do? How would they react? Questions upon questions collided into each other in her mind, making her feel dizzy and tired. Once she was safely on the road again she let out a frustrated sigh.
"What's wrong my dear?" came an old cheery voice.
Hotaru slowly looked up and shouted with glee, "Grandfather!" She leaped up to him and gave him a bear hug, suddenly forgetting about her promise to Legolas.
"How's my little granddaughter Firefly?" asked Gandalf while his eyes were filled with merriment.
"I'm fine grandpa!" exclaimed Hotaru as she took his big hand into her grasp.
Along the way to her house, Hotaru completely forgot her promise to Legolas as she continuously spoke with her grandfather. Though Hotaru noticed that her grandfather came more often than before, she ignored the fact.
Once they were in front of her house she quickly took the doorknob and opened it for her grandfather to go in. Almost immediately the warmth of home washed over her form, reminding her that she might not go home after tonight.
A pain ripped in her heart unexpectedly, telling her that saving Legolas was a dangerous job and something might go wrong. She bit her lower lip as fear creped through her veins, telling her that death was near, so near that she could taste it. The sound of her heartbeat grew loud in her ears, yes; death was very near.
'With death... comes rebirth...' a voice whispered soothingly in her mind.
Hotaru took a sharp intake of air as her blood raced around her head. The word 'death' echoed sinfully in her brain and brought fear and pain; but the word 'rebirth' brought sereneness and joy into her heart. Both mixed with each other in her delicate and small body, confusing her and binding her closer to her destiny.
Hotaru grasped onto her aching head as she gasped in wave after wave of air, trying to calm her senses.
"Hotaru?! Hotaru?!" the voice of Gandalf barely reaching to her ears. His caring voice was incomplete and fuzzy. His voice faded within her emotions as another rush of pain and fear consumed her racking body.
She closed her eyes, hoping to bring comfort to her emotions, but she only saw the smooth edge of a familiar weapon. A hand grasped the weapon with such grace, brought it down upon the Earth. Then... complete... silence...
Hotaru let out a scream that sent her body to drop. Gandalf quickly came to her aid as he held his precious granddaughter in his firm, yet gentle hold within his arms. With a faint sigh he saw her forehead glow with violet within a second, causing him to blink. When he opened his eyes the violet glow disappeared, he quickly told himself that it was his imagination.
He looked around and soon noticed that both his son and daughter-in-law were still at work. He then quickly took Hotaru to the bedroom and carefully set her down on her bed and placed the blanket over her unconscious form.
Gandalf let out sigh as he went into the kitchen and took his pipe out. Never in his life was he so confused as to what has happened. One minute his granddaughter was happy and all right, the next she screamed and fainted.
"Could it be?" he mused to himself as he took a puff from his aged pipe.
Hotaru outer exterior slept on and on peacefully. Inside of her there was a great disturbance. A wave of death and rebirth caused her mind to explode with senses she had not felt before.
In her mind she stood in front of a magnificent palace made of the strangest white marble that gleamed with such power, its gleam made the marble seem like indigo, but to Hotaru, she somehow knew it was white.
In the background was a violet strip across the sky that trailed all above the sky and beyond the horizon, almost like a giant ring that went around this place, with many moons surrounding the position she was standing on, as if protecting it. The surface of the ground was as normal as Earth's, but the vegetation in this world was quite different. The sky was black, indicating that it was night, and the stars watched over the palace in front of her.
She slowly began to walk towards the palace when a soft voice interrupted her, the same voice from before, 'You must go...'
Hotaru was bewildered for a moment but then found her voice, 'Go where?'
'Go and save the king...'
'What king!' Hotaru suddenly sounded demanding, tired of what was happening in her life.
'The King of the Elves... you must go save him and I'll assist you...'
'What?' was all Hotaru could say before her eyes opened and was looking at the plain ceiling.
Hotaru blinked several times, but then the thought came to her. She needed to save Legolas and his people as quickly as possible. The mind of someone else gripped onto her soul. It was familiar and it felt like it was a part of her that she had been missing for a long time. Whatever 'it' was, 'it' steered her to the window.
Hotaru then took a big breath and took control of her body once again, with no resistance form 'it'. Apparently, 'it' only gave her a boost to continue her promise to Legolas. She swallowed once as she lifted up the window and crawled out with ease, though she had never dreamed of doing this before.
She quickly turned around and shut the window. While biting her lower lip, she ran through the alleyways and shadows towards that palace that loomed peacefully over its kingdom.
Once she was at the barred palace walls, she became stumped. How was she to cross the wall and avoid all the guards? It was then that 'it' took control once again, with Hotaru's permission of course. Her eyes glowed violet as she jumped about ten feet in the air and landed gracefully on the other side of the wall, hidden in the shadows.
Then 'it' guided Hotaru slowly, training her, teaching her and to forever bury the knowledge in her mind. Hotaru understood everything 'it' sent into her mind, as if she had known this knowledge before.
Cautiously Hotaru stepped out of the shadow and immediately a guard came over to check on her. Her heart pounded, not from fear, but from the familiar power within her. Once he was close enough she touched her index finger on his forehead and whispered, "Sleep..."
The guard dropped and slept silently. She didn't feel victorious or evil as she gently dragged the sleeping body into the shadow to hide him. Hotaru then looked up and a wave of sensation bombarded her mind. She closed her eyes in pain.
When Hotaru opened her eyes she knew where Legolas and his people were. With skilled running without being spotted, she jumped in an opened window and landed; unhurt. She did not know if it was a skill of hers to jump very high, but she realised that it was quite useful.
Then she quickly and gracefully traveled through the shadows, guided by a map of the palace in her mind, driven by the thought of Legolas and surviving with 'it' being right beside her.
Without knowing how, she had traveled to the basement. The dark and dank air made her shiver, as Hotaru once again possessed full control of her body. It took her a while to adjust to the darkness, but eventually she saw.
Legolas felt an incredible sensation creep up his spine when he felt her presence in the room. He looked up and saw her there, though he did not know how she got here. His people were the same; they look up at her hopefully.
Hotaru narrowed her eyes at the scene. The elves were caged and around those necks were those magic resistance machinery! Guarding the doorway were two guards that were unaware of her presence since she was hidden in the shadows.
'It' took over again, but it was unnecessary since Hotaru began to work, from experience and somehow a far away memory. She lifted her index finger towards the two guards and whispered, "Sleep..."
Her flowing voice made Legolas wonder how she had such a power within her. He saw her walk towards him with that angelic smile, that made his soul waver under its sweetness. He heard her whisper, "Unbind..."
Legolas felt the neckband come undone and drop onto the ground with a deafening sound, lifting the weight off of his neck. He heard the other neckbands become undone all around him. Using his magic he snapped open the caged door, grabbed a dagger from the sleeping guards and placed the sharp edge to her neck.
Hotaru gasped as he drew her hands behind her and held her in a death trap. 'It' left her alone now, telling her that this was meant to be. But how could this be meant to be?! She just saved him and now he was going to kill her!
"Why?" she chocked out in pain as tears welled up in her eyes.
Legolas' heart trembled with agony at her words, but his mind took control, "Because you are one of them."
The elder elves signalled him to let her go, but the younger elves gestured towards him to kill her. He only bit his tongue as a single tear slid down her porcelain face and onto his unwavering hand.
"After all I've done for you?" she whispered to no one in particular, feeling stupid for saving him.
It took all of Legolas' might to restrain himself from apologizing to her over and over again. He had to stop himself before he pleaded for her forgiveness, but his mind always got control of him... never his heart.
Hotaru suddenly felt the world around her fade as she leaned into Legolas with all her weight. She fainted. Legolas made her faint, but he never expected her to lean against him, to give him warmth and once again to make his heart sound so vividly in his head.
"We must go and kill the king," the elder told him.
Legolas nodded as he gently lifted Hotaru into his arms and started to climb the stairs. The younger elves stared at him as if he was crazy and was about to tell him to kill her off if not for the elders who signalled them to never mind what was happening to their king.
The elders knew what was happening. The way their king looked at her, the way their king's magic was calling for her and the way he seemed to force himself from resisting to kill her. They believe that their king might... that was a BIG might... he might be...falling...for...
* * *
Silver Author
Chapter Eight: Saving Him
* * *
Hotaru rushed out of the palace grounds with determination mixed with anxiety in her heart. She couldn't believe that she promised Legolas that she'd save him and his people! What was she to do?
What if she failed? What if she died? What would her parents do? How would they react? Questions upon questions collided into each other in her mind, making her feel dizzy and tired. Once she was safely on the road again she let out a frustrated sigh.
"What's wrong my dear?" came an old cheery voice.
Hotaru slowly looked up and shouted with glee, "Grandfather!" She leaped up to him and gave him a bear hug, suddenly forgetting about her promise to Legolas.
"How's my little granddaughter Firefly?" asked Gandalf while his eyes were filled with merriment.
"I'm fine grandpa!" exclaimed Hotaru as she took his big hand into her grasp.
Along the way to her house, Hotaru completely forgot her promise to Legolas as she continuously spoke with her grandfather. Though Hotaru noticed that her grandfather came more often than before, she ignored the fact.
Once they were in front of her house she quickly took the doorknob and opened it for her grandfather to go in. Almost immediately the warmth of home washed over her form, reminding her that she might not go home after tonight.
A pain ripped in her heart unexpectedly, telling her that saving Legolas was a dangerous job and something might go wrong. She bit her lower lip as fear creped through her veins, telling her that death was near, so near that she could taste it. The sound of her heartbeat grew loud in her ears, yes; death was very near.
'With death... comes rebirth...' a voice whispered soothingly in her mind.
Hotaru took a sharp intake of air as her blood raced around her head. The word 'death' echoed sinfully in her brain and brought fear and pain; but the word 'rebirth' brought sereneness and joy into her heart. Both mixed with each other in her delicate and small body, confusing her and binding her closer to her destiny.
Hotaru grasped onto her aching head as she gasped in wave after wave of air, trying to calm her senses.
"Hotaru?! Hotaru?!" the voice of Gandalf barely reaching to her ears. His caring voice was incomplete and fuzzy. His voice faded within her emotions as another rush of pain and fear consumed her racking body.
She closed her eyes, hoping to bring comfort to her emotions, but she only saw the smooth edge of a familiar weapon. A hand grasped the weapon with such grace, brought it down upon the Earth. Then... complete... silence...
Hotaru let out a scream that sent her body to drop. Gandalf quickly came to her aid as he held his precious granddaughter in his firm, yet gentle hold within his arms. With a faint sigh he saw her forehead glow with violet within a second, causing him to blink. When he opened his eyes the violet glow disappeared, he quickly told himself that it was his imagination.
He looked around and soon noticed that both his son and daughter-in-law were still at work. He then quickly took Hotaru to the bedroom and carefully set her down on her bed and placed the blanket over her unconscious form.
Gandalf let out sigh as he went into the kitchen and took his pipe out. Never in his life was he so confused as to what has happened. One minute his granddaughter was happy and all right, the next she screamed and fainted.
"Could it be?" he mused to himself as he took a puff from his aged pipe.
Hotaru outer exterior slept on and on peacefully. Inside of her there was a great disturbance. A wave of death and rebirth caused her mind to explode with senses she had not felt before.
In her mind she stood in front of a magnificent palace made of the strangest white marble that gleamed with such power, its gleam made the marble seem like indigo, but to Hotaru, she somehow knew it was white.
In the background was a violet strip across the sky that trailed all above the sky and beyond the horizon, almost like a giant ring that went around this place, with many moons surrounding the position she was standing on, as if protecting it. The surface of the ground was as normal as Earth's, but the vegetation in this world was quite different. The sky was black, indicating that it was night, and the stars watched over the palace in front of her.
She slowly began to walk towards the palace when a soft voice interrupted her, the same voice from before, 'You must go...'
Hotaru was bewildered for a moment but then found her voice, 'Go where?'
'Go and save the king...'
'What king!' Hotaru suddenly sounded demanding, tired of what was happening in her life.
'The King of the Elves... you must go save him and I'll assist you...'
'What?' was all Hotaru could say before her eyes opened and was looking at the plain ceiling.
Hotaru blinked several times, but then the thought came to her. She needed to save Legolas and his people as quickly as possible. The mind of someone else gripped onto her soul. It was familiar and it felt like it was a part of her that she had been missing for a long time. Whatever 'it' was, 'it' steered her to the window.
Hotaru then took a big breath and took control of her body once again, with no resistance form 'it'. Apparently, 'it' only gave her a boost to continue her promise to Legolas. She swallowed once as she lifted up the window and crawled out with ease, though she had never dreamed of doing this before.
She quickly turned around and shut the window. While biting her lower lip, she ran through the alleyways and shadows towards that palace that loomed peacefully over its kingdom.
Once she was at the barred palace walls, she became stumped. How was she to cross the wall and avoid all the guards? It was then that 'it' took control once again, with Hotaru's permission of course. Her eyes glowed violet as she jumped about ten feet in the air and landed gracefully on the other side of the wall, hidden in the shadows.
Then 'it' guided Hotaru slowly, training her, teaching her and to forever bury the knowledge in her mind. Hotaru understood everything 'it' sent into her mind, as if she had known this knowledge before.
Cautiously Hotaru stepped out of the shadow and immediately a guard came over to check on her. Her heart pounded, not from fear, but from the familiar power within her. Once he was close enough she touched her index finger on his forehead and whispered, "Sleep..."
The guard dropped and slept silently. She didn't feel victorious or evil as she gently dragged the sleeping body into the shadow to hide him. Hotaru then looked up and a wave of sensation bombarded her mind. She closed her eyes in pain.
When Hotaru opened her eyes she knew where Legolas and his people were. With skilled running without being spotted, she jumped in an opened window and landed; unhurt. She did not know if it was a skill of hers to jump very high, but she realised that it was quite useful.
Then she quickly and gracefully traveled through the shadows, guided by a map of the palace in her mind, driven by the thought of Legolas and surviving with 'it' being right beside her.
Without knowing how, she had traveled to the basement. The dark and dank air made her shiver, as Hotaru once again possessed full control of her body. It took her a while to adjust to the darkness, but eventually she saw.
Legolas felt an incredible sensation creep up his spine when he felt her presence in the room. He looked up and saw her there, though he did not know how she got here. His people were the same; they look up at her hopefully.
Hotaru narrowed her eyes at the scene. The elves were caged and around those necks were those magic resistance machinery! Guarding the doorway were two guards that were unaware of her presence since she was hidden in the shadows.
'It' took over again, but it was unnecessary since Hotaru began to work, from experience and somehow a far away memory. She lifted her index finger towards the two guards and whispered, "Sleep..."
Her flowing voice made Legolas wonder how she had such a power within her. He saw her walk towards him with that angelic smile, that made his soul waver under its sweetness. He heard her whisper, "Unbind..."
Legolas felt the neckband come undone and drop onto the ground with a deafening sound, lifting the weight off of his neck. He heard the other neckbands become undone all around him. Using his magic he snapped open the caged door, grabbed a dagger from the sleeping guards and placed the sharp edge to her neck.
Hotaru gasped as he drew her hands behind her and held her in a death trap. 'It' left her alone now, telling her that this was meant to be. But how could this be meant to be?! She just saved him and now he was going to kill her!
"Why?" she chocked out in pain as tears welled up in her eyes.
Legolas' heart trembled with agony at her words, but his mind took control, "Because you are one of them."
The elder elves signalled him to let her go, but the younger elves gestured towards him to kill her. He only bit his tongue as a single tear slid down her porcelain face and onto his unwavering hand.
"After all I've done for you?" she whispered to no one in particular, feeling stupid for saving him.
It took all of Legolas' might to restrain himself from apologizing to her over and over again. He had to stop himself before he pleaded for her forgiveness, but his mind always got control of him... never his heart.
Hotaru suddenly felt the world around her fade as she leaned into Legolas with all her weight. She fainted. Legolas made her faint, but he never expected her to lean against him, to give him warmth and once again to make his heart sound so vividly in his head.
"We must go and kill the king," the elder told him.
Legolas nodded as he gently lifted Hotaru into his arms and started to climb the stairs. The younger elves stared at him as if he was crazy and was about to tell him to kill her off if not for the elders who signalled them to never mind what was happening to their king.
The elders knew what was happening. The way their king looked at her, the way their king's magic was calling for her and the way he seemed to force himself from resisting to kill her. They believe that their king might... that was a BIG might... he might be...falling...for...
* * *
Silver Author