A/N: Here is the next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, but not only has school been keeping me overly busy, but this past week I have had the privilege of enjoying a nice bout of stept throat, which I am still currently enjoying.
Though I had thought I had given up this particular illness in the passing of childhood I can assure you I have thoroughly enjoyed the fevers, burning throat, ear aches, head aches, congestion, the watery eyes, the dry scaly skin, and the now delightfully agonizing sore bum from the shot the doctor was so kind to prescribe for me.
I did not realize a shot could be so excruciating until I was forced to lay on an exam table with my pants down while a nurse shoves a giant needle in my bum and takes about 10 minutes getting the stupid shot over with.
I am sure many of you not bore you any longer with these pleasant details, only to thank the god of illness for this wonderful privilege and to let him know he will be getting his should we meet anytime in the near future.
And now that I've ensured my audience that I am utterly deranged or have taken too much cough syrup which has the same effect I want to assure you this chapter was pre-written. So you may be assured you will find no flying cows or talking elves in this story…oh no wait there are talking elves in this story. If this talking elves in this story then maybe there are flying cows! I guess you'll just have to read and find out )
I hope you enjoy the next chapter and if not remember I'm sick so you have to have pity and compassion.
Oh yes and P.S. for the slave to hope fans the story is still being worked on, but I got pushed back in completing it because of all the junk that's come up. I swear there will be a new chapter eventually…please forgive this impossible delay.
Chapter Four: Coming to A Point
The dagger point bit slightly into his skin drawing a red pearl against his neck. Much to his shame, the cloaked figure whimpered slightly at the stinging pain it elicited.
He could not even be brave now…here in the end.
He was trembling visible now, and could feel the blade point scraping firmly against his quivering neck.
How he wished the elf would just kill him and be done with it.
Must the elf gloat over his fear? Must it relish in his shame?
He felt the hood of his cloak whipped ungracefully off, exposing him to the searing rays of the sun.
He forced his tensed eyes hesitantly open, blinking against the harsh glare of morning.
His gaze met two angry blue orbs of fury, and he was tempted to close his eyes again. How he wished that would not be the last thing he would see before he died. But he would stare his killer straight in the face. He would prove he had some honor left, as tattered as it may be.
He squared his shoulders and lifted his head staring defiantly back, at the elf prince. He sealed his lips tightly against any pleas for mercy. For he knew this elf would give him none.
He offered no explanation for his actions, nor any justifications. For he had none of either to give. He could not even explain his actions to himself.
Suddenly it was no longer anger that lay in the blonde elf's eyes, but rather a wide-eyed look of surprise and utter amazement.
The cloaked figure looked at the elf with uncertainty and no small amount of confusion. He did not understand what amazed the elf so, and though he had a curious nature, he could not bring himself to ask.
Fortunately, it seemed the golden elf would answer this question for him.
"You're a child….a human child. How can this be?" The elf demanded, searching the young boy's eyes for answers to some unexplainable puzzle.
The young boy was uncertain over what seemed to astonish the elf more, that he was a child or that he was human. And as for how it could be, it seemed that humanity was a condition one tended to be born with, while childhood was a condition one grew into until growing into adulthood of course.
But of course he shared none of these remarks with this elf. He had a feeling the golden royal would not understand or appreciate such a cynical commentary. Elves could be far too serious at times.
In the back of his mind, the young boy wandered how he could be thinking such things. He had a knife, at his throat, posed to shed his lifeblood at any moment, and he joked as though he was home teasing his brothers.
Home. A pang of loneliness filled him. There was no home for him now. His family was dead by this one's orders, and he could do nothing to avenge his loved ones.
The young boy just wanted it to be over. He was tired of life.
"Just be done with me. I do not wish to play these games. Slit my throat and end it." The young boy spat bitterly, as he pushed his throat encouragingly against the elf's blade. A small line of red spread across the boy's neck, coating the elf lord's knife in a crimson sheen.
Legolas pulled the blade back hastily before the boy could do himself further damage. It frightened and sickened the prince that one so young could be so eager to die. He had barely begun to live and already he was prepared to forfeit his life.
But now was not the time to contemplate why there was so much pain in the child's eyes. He needed answers.
"Why did you try to kill me?" Legolas demanded. "I do not even know you."
The boy glared darkly back at the elf prince, almost seeming to resent having his death postponed so inconveniently.
"It does not matter. It is only a waste of time to explain." The boy answered defiantly.
"It does matter, to me at least." Legolas protested. "I would find it of infinite importance to know why a human boy I have never met saw fit to shoot an arrow at me."
"I am no boy." The assassin growled out angrily.
"Of course you are." Legolas answered in a matter of fact tone. "I should say you have seen scarcely thirteen summers if even that. But that is not the topic up for discussion, is it? I will know why you tried to kill me."
"Or what?" The young child spat defiantly.
"Or I'll have to find out the hard way." Legolas answered coldly.
"You…you would torture me?" The young human asked with bitter disbelief.
"Yes." Legolas replied simply, matching the boy's dark glare with his own.
The prince was not a torturer. He thought such behavior not only distasteful, but barbaric. Legolas would never consider torturing anyone, especially not a child, but he hoped it might frighten the boy into a confession.
The open-ended threat seemed to have an effect, for the boy trembled noticeably at the elf's scathing promise.
The compassionate young prince felt a pang of remorse at upsetting the boy so. The child looked so lost and alone, shivering in front of a warrior elf. Legolas knew the effect his glares could have on others, making even battle hardened warriors tremble in its wake. He could imagine how it must petrify this poor inexperienced young human.
But Legolas could not waver in his resolve. The golden archer needed answers. The boy was a stubborn one and would take his secrets to the grave if the prince allowed him.
"You can do nothing worse than what you have already done to me." The young boy spoke bravely though the trembling that now had become his constant companion belittled the boy's words.
"And what have I done to you? I tell you I do not know you. I have never even seen you before." Legolas ground out in frustration. This boy was so infuriatingly unreasonable. The prince felt himself fingering his blade, tempted to slit the boy's throat after all.
"It was not me….it was my family. YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!" The young boy raged angrily, as bitter tears burned his cheeks. "My ada, my brothers, all of them gone. I have nothing now. I am nothing now. I only wish for death."
Legolas was taken aback by the boy's forceful words. The elf prince was left speechless at this unexpected turn of events. What was the boy talking about?
He had killed no humans. He had not even been in a human village for centuries. What ever was the boy thinking? The prince would surely have questioned the boy's sanity, if he had not seen such hopeless pain in the child's eyes. Legolas had no doubt the boy had indeed lost his family, but it was not by Legolas' blades.
"Legolas…Prince Legolas. Where are you?" Teleran called out frantically.
"I am here." Legolas replied absently keeping his attention focused on his young prisoner, who lost in his own pain, seemed oblivious to the prince's scrutiny.
Teleran, followed by several other elven guards, entered the clearing only moments later.
Teleran, with wide frantic eyes, quickly narrowed in on the prince, nearly running to his liege's side. Only elven propriety slowed the worried elf guard's steps.
"What were you thinking running off, my lord? You could have been injured or killed? How can I protect you if you disappear like that? What would your father say?" Teleran chastised the prince, seemingly on the verge of hyperventilating.
"Peace my friend. I am well. Nothing has happened." Legolas assured his friend calmly.
"Indeed. Except that there is an arrow wound slowly draining your lifeblood all over the forest floor. I suppose that's just some small matter though. After all you don't really need blood to live. You can do well enough without it." Teleran grumbled testily, relieved that Legolas appeared overall uninjured, but still infuriatingly nerve raking.
"Of course." Legolas replied in all seriousness.
Teleran sighed in frustration, and threw his hands up in resignation. There was no use in arguing with the prince. Legolas was as stubborn as his father, at times. Teleran would have more success converting an orc to a life of peace, than convincing the prince he was in need of a healer.
"And who is this?" Teleran asked with curious suspicion as his eyes caught sight of the young human backed inescapably into a tree.
Legolas followed his friend's gaze, eyeing the human distastefully.
"This is my would be assassin." The prince answered calmly.
Teleran looked at the prince disbelievingly before turning his eyes back to the human child, with an ill concealed mix of curiosity and malice, for one who would dare attempt to harm his beloved prince and friend.
"This….this human?" Teleran disputed. "He is a child. He could hardly hold a bow, much less aim one."
"Indeed he did both…and fired it as well. Though I am infinitely grateful he was not a better shot."
"As am I." Teleran answered in all sincerity.
"Well then what will we do with him?" Teleran asked expectantly, awaiting the prince's orders.
The prince looked the boy over once more. The child was looking unnaturally pale, and his eyes seemed unfocused and glazed over as he stared at some imagined point, in the distance.
Legolas had limited knowledge of human aliments, but he suspected from the symptoms that the boy was starting to go into shock, from the emotional trauma.
The prince guessed this young boy had never come so close to death before, or that close to killing someone before, which made the boy's skill and bravery seem like curious oddities on one so young and inexperienced.
"Take him to the palace. Put him in the dungeons until I have time to speak with him." Legolas answered morosely.
The compassionate young prince was hesitant to inflict the dark prison cell upon this emotionally distraught child, but Legolas feared the boy was far too resourceful, to be placed anywhere else. The boy could find a way to escape, if left to his own devices, or in the child's current state might find a way to kill himself if given the opportunity.
The boy barely seemed to register the prince's words as two elf guards grabbed his arms roughly propelling him forward, towards the palace grounds.
Legolas did not see the look of loathing that passed between the two guards as they forcibly led the young assassin away, or the prince may have been more hesitant about whose charge he left the prisoner in, not realizing the fate he had unintentionally inflicted upon the young boy.
The young human allowed himself to be led meekly, seeming to realize resistance would be futile. But what concerned Legolas more was that the boy seemed resigned to his fate.
He had nothing left to lose and that made the child unpredictable, and that made him dangerous.
"Are you coming your highness?" Teleran asked expectantly, as he waited for the prince to precede him.
"You go on ahead. I will be there in a moment." Legolas answered.
"But your arm…"
"I will have the healer look at it as soon as I get back to the palace." The prince interrupted.
Teleran looked at the prince with open skepticism.
"I promise." Legolas answered placatingly, though with a tone that would brook no further argument on the matter.
Teleran sighed with frustration and headed off to the palace.
As Legolas watched his friend's retreating back, his mind started to wander back towards the strange young human with the piercing gray eyes. There was a story there, a painful one to be sure, but one that Legolas had every intention of discovering.
The prince replayed the bizarre conversation he had partaken in with the boy, trying to piece together the details that seemed to allude him. Legolas came to with a start.
Ada!
The boy had said he had lost his ada. Not his father.What human called their father ada?
Reviews: Yeah it's time for everyone's favorite part. Don't lie you all really read these chapters because of the witty reviews. That's why I always save the best for last. As always I thank my readers and especially my reviews.
Kathleen LaCorneille:Hides behind Legolas and Aragorn: "She's scaring me…the crazy fans scaring me." Lol. Man I have to admit I've never witnessed such enthusiasms. As a matter of fact I got off my sick bed to post this chapter because of your "friendly persuasion". Or was it because I was afraid you might come finish the job this nasty strept started. Wink wink. I definitely like the LOTR style curse. Just imagine using that on a nontolk (that's what we call those "normal" people who don't like lord of the rings). "By all the Valar and Eru himself you hit my car you smelly hobbit's feet." Now that's an insult with a punch to it. If you've ever seen what hobbits feet look like (which we all have) you definitely wouldn't want to be them.
But seriously thank you for your enthusiasm and your support. I hope my story lives up to your expectations or succeeds them and I hope to hear new curses from you in the future in order to help enrich the lives of my friends, family, and strangers on the street. Thanks again. )
MsPadfoot17I was afraid this story would seem to much like the other one and so I'm relieved to discover that people do consider it a different and unique plot. I also hope that it doesn't seem cliché of other stories out there. I try to write stories that are entertaining, but also not spin offs of previous fiction. And I really appreciate your feedback. You have given a very thorough review. Most of my reviews never really cover issues like the dialogue or use of imagery or those compents and so I'm always a little uncertain if I'm keeping true to Tolkein, at least partially. And I've always worried most about my dialogue. Sometimes I'm afraid its one dimensional, kinda cheesy. I think dialogue and description are the two key elements to a good story and so I appreciate you going a bit more in-depth with your review.
I also appreciate you pointing out about the song choices. Now that I've taken the time to read through it I can see how right you are. The songs are much more upbeat then the story is intended to be. I rushed through and just picked two songs that fit the plot and didn't think about the mood they immortalized. It is so hard to find good songs when you need them. I always find songs that spark off my story ideas, but by the time I finally write the chapter I've forgotten the song I wanted to use with it. Lol. I will certainly try to be more thoughtful with future song choices and thank you for bringing that to my attention.
Teha: I hope I didn't give you a heart attack by waiting so long to reply. Imagine a nurse in training giving someone a heart attack…oh the shame. Hopefully this chapter will bring you back to full recover if that has occurred though or wait it might lead to another one, but fortunately there isn't really a cliff hanger at the end of this chapter. Well unless you count Estel's uncertain fate with the elf guard, but seeing as everyone knows I'm a shameless elf basher I don't think that's too hard to guess what will happen. But then again I would be in suspense over the gory details, but I'm an evil estel basher. But an outstanding citizen like you I'm sure would never relish the emotional angst and physical sufferings of our poor sweet estel, would you:Estel gives sad puppy dog stare: and thank you for informing me about Seph. I'm sure they appreciate your defense at well and do not wish to have undue credit for something they didn't say. And I also appreciate your defense of my story as well. And I hope you will continue to defend it if not for my sake at least do if for the children…:Estel stares at Teha with cute puppy dog eyes again and starts whimpering: Why doesn't he ever do that for me?
silvertears630As for how old Estel is in the story I refuse to answer that. "He's thirteen." Legolas whispers from behind the back of his hand. "I heard that Legolas. Shut up. Stop telling them all my secrets. I should never have told you what was going to happen in the story. Maybe I'll put you in a torture scene now. How would you like that. I'm sure Silver agrees with me." :Legolas looks at silver with sad puppy dog eyes. "Don't let her put me in a torture scene and I'll tell you how it ends Silver."
You see that. I can't work with elves. Always up to mischief they are. Thank you for your review and I can assure you there will be plenty of angst to go around for Legolas in our sniper friend. "And me and Legolas here :grabs Legolas by the ear…ouch: "Aren't going to tell you who it is either. Are we Legolas." :Legolas squirms under twisting ear pressure. "Ow…ow no we're not. Now let me ear go." "I'll tell you later." Legolas whispers to Silver… Don't worry Silver I'm sure Legolas is going to have lots of fun things to look foreward to soon enough. :laughs evilly:
lindahoylandAragorn! There's no Aragorn in this story. Who's that? Alright fine! You've figured out the assassins big secret. Shame on you using your superior intellect. But you'll never figure out who the super evil villain is…you wanna know why…huh you wanna know. Do ya …Do ya. I'll tell you why cause I haven't figured that far ahead yet. So hah. Thank you for your review and I promise you that if Legolas kills Aragorn, estel will not be in any future sequels unless of course a) aragorn comes back from the dead by some means 2) Legolas doesn't really kill aragorn 3) aragorn returns as a ghost.
Now I know your in suspense…..he he he he he.
i missed the last boat: If you missed the last boat I'm sure Legolas would help you build one if you like. You guys could sail to the undying lands togather and bring Aragorn and the gain. It would be great. Wait what I'm a saying telling you to basically go sell off to an island with aragorn and Legolas! Without me!
:Takes a relieved breathe: Thank the valar you reshieved those daggers. I was starting to get worried there. Are this point I don't think after what I've done Legolas or Aragorn would come to my rescue.
On your comment about slave to hope you can't imagine how pleased I am that you totally get it. I think it makes way more sense for elves to be dominant to humans and thus would be the more likely race to enslave another of the two. They have a lifespan that spans thousands of years and are like you said undoubtedly more skilled because of it. And in a war they have stealth on their sides, can survive in forests and natural environments better, are not susceptible to disease like humans are. Which was a common cause of death for many of our own soldiers in past wars. They also have versatile skills with long range and short range weapons, where most humans are more familiar with the short range sword. Elves have greater senses and speed that also are greater over humans.
But I also tried to emphasize in the story that the elves are not an evil race. They don't really consider themselves "slavers" They do have a perverted belief that their saving humanity from their own violent destructive natures, and over the years that has evolved into a corrupted enslavement of the race. It was just an idea I had though about reading a lot of Legolas the slave stories. Which I totally love elves in bondage too, but I wanted to create a different scope of reality.
Thanks for your insights and please keep sharing.
Oh by the way Estel is now pouting in the corner over that whole comment about being as evil to estel as I liked. He didn't like that idea too much. )
Sielge: I hope you enjoy this next chapter and it meets up to your expectations. Thank you so much for your reviews and please continue to share your thoughts. I love to hear reviews especially good ones,..wink wink.
DeanaThank you so much for your wonderful compliments as well. I'm glad that I'm keeping that story exciting and I hope it meets up to your expectations and keeps you reading. I hope you keep sharing your insights and let me know how to make it better.
Linuvial GreenleafThank you so much for your compliments. I have read all of your stories and you are an excellent author so having your so enthused about my work really is a significant compliment. I also find your stories enthralling and for you to feel the same about my work truly is exceptionally meaningful to me. I hope that I keep you guessing and keep you excited for chapters to come and look foreward to you sharing your insights in the future.