Rutu I promise to stick to my promise. LOL!
Tbiris Yep. Now it's Kel's turn.
Leralonde Nakey Lagey? Err…I'll try not to disappoint you. (hint, hint)
Keluin Lossehilin Your first cliffie, eh? Good for you! I'll go and read it after this. (Too bad you couldn't see Orli much, but at least you were somewhere among the screaming crowd. I would kill to be where you were!)
A NuEvil Did you have a nice landing after that jump?
Karriya You're just 12? Wow! You sound like 21 to me! Believe me, that's a compliment. I don't know how it works in your country but in our cinemas, the 'doing-it' scenes in KOH are simply not there! Darn! (droll – amusing, comic, witty).
Ceyxa Why, thank you. I got the idea for the dialogues from watching how my three brothers behave.
YamiTai Both brothers will have their share of torture, don't worry.
Elemmr Hmm. You're right. Maybe I should kick the habit. But how? Oh, I know! I'll go the cliffie-holic meeting tonight! (Hello, I'm Adromir. I'm a cliffie-holic. Please help me stop.) He he he…
JoeAteMuffin To tell you the truth, I rarely insult or curse at anyone. I restrain myself, no matter how badly I want to do it. But I always let it out on paper. Really, you should see my diary!
Delano You may breathe again, mellon. That's it. In, out. In, out. Feel better now?
Theo darkstar Legolas has such a volatile temper because he always wakes up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning. LOL!
Seylin He will come, dear. He will come.
Deana Hey, you okay, mate?
Szhismine WTFgfhxvzmkhtye! Ha ha ha! (laughs until she falls off the chair). Keep on being that way, my friend, and I won't be able to finish this story. Your review keeps me giggling the entire time. I love the reaction!
Astalder27 But someone has to die, mate. I need to kill someone. Oh, right. I just killed the villains!
Really, it's so nice to hear you all screamed! As I've told my beta, I think I got more death threats than any other authors after I posted that bloody chapter! LOL!
And guess what? I've seen KOH! Twice! Trust me, it's a lot better than Troy and Alexander. Orli? Oh, my. He is Balian, no doubt about it! (Wait for the scene where he has to fight four knights at the same time, unarmed. You can't take your eyes away from the screen even for a second. Remarkable!)
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Legolas instantly went berserk when he saw his brother fall. With a mighty growl of outrage, he slammed Patch-eye's head to the ground and leapt to his feet, running madly towards the man clutching the crossbow.
Seeing the murderous look on the elf's fair face, Rodem fumbled with his weapon and aimed it in position. But Legolas was already upon him in lightning speed, unmercifully lashing his twin blades across the man's throat.
Warm blood splattered everywhere, hitting Legolas' reddened face. Without turning a hair, he watched the man's head topple off its severed neck and hit the ground with a slight bounce, followed by the rest of his decapitated body. Ignoring the spasmodic twitches of his victim's corpse, Legolas quickly knelt next to Keldarion's supine from.
"Kel! Oh, Valar…" He frantically inspected his brother's wound. "How badly are you hurt? Kel, can you hear me?"
Numb with pain and shock, Keldarion's eyes were glazed as he stared up at Legolas' alarmed expression. But then, a movement behind his brother jerked him back to awareness. Without as much as a warning to Legolas, Keldarion raised his arm and flung the sword in his grip with all that his strength would allow.
The long beautiful blade flew in one powerful arch over Legolas' shoulder to bury itself smack in Patch-eye's abdomen. Obviously, the one-eyed man had taken Legolas' preoccupation to rise and attack the elf from behind with a dagger. Astonished, the man dropped his blade. He looked down, dazedly, at the hilt protruding from his belly, mere seconds before he toppled sideways into the dirt.
Legolas had swiveled around at Keldarion's sudden action, and was now blinking a little stupidly at the man's still body. Assured that Patch-eye gave them no more threat, he turned back to his elder brother.
"Uh…thank you."
"You're…welcome." Keldarion tried to grin, which came out more in a grimace. He gestured to the arrow in his chest. "I guess I've…made a mistake."
"Right. A bloody friggin' stupid mistake!" Legolas' temper flared once more as he glowered at the arrow. "What were you thinking, Kel? How could you be so careless? You're lucky you were not hit in the throat! Or, Valar forbid, your empty brain!"
"You're right. I was…careless, but…"
"That was the dumbest and stupidest move I've ever seen from you!" Legolas still couldn't stop scolding his brother. His hands were gentle but efficient as he parted the front of his brother's shirt so that he could inspect the wound better. "Look at this! It misses your heart but it gets your lung instead! Now how in the world am I going to get that arrowhead out of you, you dumb blockhead!"
Keldarion rolled his eyes. He didn't take offense at Legolas' harsh words because he knew his brother had spoken out of fear for him. Legolas looked so scared that his hands shook and his eyes were wild with panic.
"Legolas, listen…"
"Oh, shut up, all right! Just shut up and let me think!" The younger prince promptly closed his eyes and worked to clear his head, waiting for his heart to recede its fast throbbing, while at the same time he repeatedly asked himself how he had let a simple ambush go so terribly awry.
"Legolas?"
"WHAT!" Legolas' eyes flew open as he shouted back in reply. Not feeling any better, he gave Keldarion a killing glare.
"I'm not dead yet, you know," the elder prince said softly with a slight smile.
Legolas opened his mouth to spew another round of scolding and swearing, but then he saw the glimmer of agony in his brother's eyes. Immediately contrite, he crouched protectively over Keldarion and kissed his brow.
"Forgive me, Kel. I…I guess I overreacted."
"That's…an understatement. You completely…lost your marbles. See? There goes…another one." Keldarion feebly chuckled, clutching at his injured chest.
Legolas scowled at his brother's pitiful attempt at humor. "Will you be serious for a second? I'm trying to figure out what to do with you here."
"Leave me."
Legolas' mouth dropped open. "What did you say!"
Wincing, Keldarion began to explain, "What I mean was…go check on that one-eyed man over there. I think he's…still breathing."
That earned him a funny look from his younger brother.
"What the blazes for?" Legolas dubiously asked. "And aren't you supposed to kill him?"
Even the level-headed Keldarion lost his temper at this. "Just do as I say, you stubborn nitwit! Ask him where Darion is! That's the reason why I didn't hit to kill. I want to keep him alive long enough to tell us what we want to know!"
"Oh." Legolas blinked. He had the grace to look abashed as Keldarion groaned audibly after that sudden outburst.
"I'm sorry, Kel. I wasn't using my head there."
Keldarion shrugged, and groaned again. "You and me both, brother. We are a couple of pathetic airheads today. Never mind, though. Go rouse that man…and start questioning him. I think…he knows where Darion is."
"But what about you? The arrow…"
The elder prince softly chuckled, a slight wheezing sound coming from his injured lung. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither is this bloody arrow. Trust me, Legolas, I'm not ready…to expire yet."
"Well, if you say so…"
Still reluctant, Legolas left his brother's side and leant over the man's limp body, his twin daggers at the ready. The man had his eyes closed but the elf could see that he was indeed still alive, his chest rising up and down with his weak breathing.
"Come on, you ugly creature, wake up." Legolas poked at the man's wounded belly with the butt of his dagger.
Patch-eye moaned and writhed in agony, but his eyes remained closed. Legolas shook him repeatedly, but still he didn't receive the desired result. Sighing, he glanced helplessly at his brother who was struggling to sit upright against the wagon wheel, looking extremely pale and shaken.
When Legolas made a move to help him, Keldarion waved him away. "I…I can manage. Keep trying with that bastard."
Assured that his brother was fine by himself, Legolas turned back to the unconscious robber. He wondered what to do next to rouse the man and make him talk. The elf didn't look too happy when he finally came to a decision.
"All right, then. I hope this works."
Grimacing, he tenderly stroked the man's cheek, crooning in a weird falsetto voice, "Wake up, sweetheart. Come on, dearie, wake up. How about a quick tumble in the bed with me, eh, sugar plum?"
Legolas heard Keldarion's snort of laughter, followed by a low moan and a long string of cursing. Ignoring his brother, he resumed his effort by tickling the man under his chin. "Come on, sleepy head. Open your eyes now. We are going to have lots of fun, darling."
Patch-eye emitted a silly grin, but that was all. He was still out cold.
Legolas quickly lost patience. He dropped his falsetto and started slapping at the man's face. "Wake up, you filthy human mongrel! Wake up now or I'll cut off your balls and crush them between your teeth!"
When that also didn't work, Legolas grabbed the hilt of his brother's sword and yanked it out of Patch-eye's belly in one fluid move. The man instantly jerked upright and howled like a banshee. Hugging his bleeding stomach, Patch-eye rolled himself into a ball and convulsed into uncontrollable whimpers.
With a satisfied grunt, Legolas seized a fistful of the man's hair and jerked his face upright. Patch-eye stared back at the elf with great fear in his lone eye.
"Awake now, eh? Good. Let's continue with our previous conversation, shall we?" Legolas remarked, tightening his grip as the man tried to break free. "Listen to me, you piece of waste. Answer all my questions and I'll let you keep your balls. Again, I ask you; Where. Is. The boy?"
Patch-eye was wincing between glares as he struggled to answer, "I told you, he…he's in the…w…wagon."
Legolas' expression darkened. "Nope. Wrong answer."
As fast as eyes could follow, the elf viciously swiped down his blade.
Patch-eye hollered when tremendous pain exploded between his legs. Cupping his bleeding lower region, the man tried to scramble away but the elf didn't even let him.
"Now you know I mean business?" Legolas gave the man a sinister smile. "All right. Where were we? Ah, right, the wagon. That was a very nice trick, pal, deceiving us like that. But I'm not impressed! You're lucky my brother is not dead or I would have gladly shoved my blade up your…!"
"Legolas."
He went still at his brother's soft voice. Looking up, he saw Keldarion gazing back at him a little worriedly.
"Yes, Kel?"
"I think he gets your point now," Keldarion said, giving his brother a small, tight smile. He knew Legolas was never cruel, not even to his own worst enemy. But great fury and deep fear combined had triggered such a reaction from his younger brother, which might have gotten out of hand if Keldarion had not interfered.
Legolas faltered, looking a bit sheepish. He turned back to the man and repeated his question, his voice a lot calmer this time. "I'm going to ask you one more time, human. Where is the boy?"
Sobbing and cursing alternately, Patch-eye replied, "We…we've sold him…"
Legolas' eyes widened. "Sold him? Where?"
"The b…bridge…at Poros…"
"You sold him at the black market?" Legolas grabbed the man by his shirtfront and jerked him closer until their faces were just inches away. "To whom!"
"M…Mov…rak…"
With that one word, the man's eye grew distant and he went completely still, no longer breathing.
Legolas was far from pleased. "Movrak? Who in Arda is Movrak? Hey! Wake up, man! I'm not finished talking to you!"
"Um…Legolas, I think he's already dead," Keldarion quietly stated, slightly amused to see the annoyed look on his brother's face.
"But he can't die! Not just yet!" Legolas growled his displeasure, dumping the man's body back to the ground. "I'm not finish questioning him. We still don't know who this Movrak is."
"Actually, I do."
Incredulous, Legolas stared wide-eyed at his brother. "You do?"
Keldarion shrugged, and broke into another round of wincing and groaning. "Almost everyone in Haradwaith knows who Movrak is," he explained through gritted teeth, pressing harder against his wound to staunch the bleeding. "He is a merchant, a mine owner, a slaver. Anything, you name it. That man is one of the most…industrialists Haradrim ever known."
"Industrialist?" Legolas was still a little awed that his brother somehow knew about this man.
"That…he is. One of the…richest men in the South." Keldarion's breathing started to grow labored. "He has this…fortress in Harodem, Haradwaith's biggest city. I've…I've been there."
"You've been there?"
Realizing that his mouth was gaping open, Legolas quickly snapped it back shut. He then remembered that Keldarion had once lived among the Haradrim for several years after his ship bound for Valinor had been attacked by a fleet of Corsairs and he was taken captive. After escaping his prison, Keldarion had roamed the land of the South disguised as a Haradrim mercenary, hunting down his captors for vengeance.
Despite his pain, Keldarion grinned crookedly at his brother. "Legolas, you sound like a blasted parrot."
"Parrot?" Legolas blinked and shook his head. "What? Why do you say that?"
"You keep repeating everything I said!" Keldarion laughed out loud. Suddenly he gasped, clutching hard at his chest. Eyes clenched tightly shut, he groaned as he bore down the acute stabbing pain. "I…I may need…your help…now."
Alarmed, Legolas broke out of his stupor and rushed to his brother. He caught Keldarion around the shoulders and gently lowered him to the ground. With practiced eyes, he inspected the still bleeding injury, noticing that Keldarion had broken off the long end of the arrow, leaving the arrowhead still buried inside his flesh.
To Legolas' mounting fear, his brother began to bleed from the mouth and nose. Keldarion's lung was indeed punctured, and he now had troubled breathing with all the blood clogging his throat. Legolas needed to work fast and precise before his brother could suffocate.
But first, he had to get the arrowhead out—a task that both brothers had been dreading.
TBC…