Benders: Web of Lies

Alone In The Shadows

"Now, Brenen, we will start with you," Thranduil said. "Face me with your palms out. Bend your elbows half way. Very good."

Realn and Mykar watched with interest the proceedings. The walled courtyard had a hard packed dirt floor and the trees grew yards away from the high stone walls. Low benches were set into the stone walls and an iron gate provided the only entry. Realn and Mykar sat on one bench and Legolas sat alone on another. Standing by the gate was a tall elf with black hair and a saucy expression. His eyes glistened with fun, his chest was thrust out with pride, and his arms were folded as he watched Thranduil.

"Stop smirking, Ellhamier!" Thranduil said, throwing the elf a look. "I cannot concentrate!"

"This scene is to enjoyable to miss; you, shooting fire at your sons!" Ellhamier replied. "You ought to be grateful to me for making you this practice yard."

Thranduil frowned and turned back to Brenen, assuming the same stance. "Now, we will take this nice and slow. Catch the ball and throw it back to me." As he spoke, a small ball of fire flamed to life in the air in front of Thranduil's fingers. A slight shove of his palms and the ball sailed across the air toward Brenen.

"Concentrate," Thranduil said anxiously.

Brenen swallowed, his eyes fixed on the ball as it came closer. He felt the heat as it neared, lighting up his palms, and the movement of the fire entered his body. He wrapped his mind around the feeling and gave a small push of his hands, sending the ball soaring toward Thranduil.

"Well done," Thranduil said. "Practice doing it on your own. Push the ball out and recall it to you while I show Realn how to do it."

Brenen replied not as he bit his lip in concentration. The red ball moved at his command, coming toward him and flying out again. As he moved his arms to make the ball move in wider lines, his elbows began to ache but he ignored the ache and continued his activities. Realn stepped into Thranduil's place in front of him a minute later with his own ball of fire.

"Ada says we are to play elf in the middle as soon as Mykar joins us," Realn said, staring at his ball of fire until it swelled to twice its size.

Brenen blinked, his face splitting into a grin. "Ooh, hurry up, Mykar, do, it is not hard to play a baby's game with a ball of fire! Into the middle so we can play!"

Mykar stepped into the space between his two brothers. "I am ready. But watch out! Fire has a strong attraction to me!"

Thranduil stood to one side, watching Realn and Brenen attempt to lob their balls of flame over Mykar's blonde head, studying the movement of their bodies. He smiled at their flushed cheeks and bright eyes. But while he reveled in the joyous activities of three sons, he failed and forgot about the miserable, teary-eyed elfling hunched in his seat, huddled back against the wall, trying to shut out the sounds of which he could not be a part of or add to.

Legolas sat alone, wiping his runny nose on the back of his sleeve. Watching his brothers brought sad tears to his eyes. Never had he felt so rejected and unhappy. Without his brothers, he was not whole, but they had stepped beyond his reach. He slid off the bench and dragged himself out of the courtyard, giving Ellhamier a shy glance as he passed. But even Ellhamier had forgotten him, for he was encouraging Mykar to catch the flaming ball.

Legolas walked away from the shouts of laughter and screams of joy. The sun made the day bright but the unhappiness in his heart dimmed it for him. On the narrow path, he walked under a stand of trees. At the base of an oak, he stopped and climbed into its branches. Out of sight among the leaves, he nestled against the tree trunk, rested his forehead on his knees and cried.

The days passed slowly for Legolas. Thranduil worked in his office during the morning and spent most of the afternoon with his three brothers, out in the courtyard. Only in the evening, after a dinner filled with excited talk of the day's fire-bending lessons, did Legolas have ada all to himself. But even then ada was not the same. Ada's eyes were bright with happiness he could not contribute to and he seemed so far away . . . even Cinwe left him to watch her sons fire-bend as the weeks past. It happened so gradually; neither Thranduil nor Cinwe thought Legolas would mind. Everything was centered on his three brothers while he lived in the shadow, alone and forgotten.

OoOoOoO

"I think Legolas needs something to do," Cinwe said to her husband, sipping her wine. The quadruplets were asleep in their beds; she and Thranduil sat in the glow of the firelight in the sitting room.

"Quite," agreed Thranduil. "He needs something to learn, even if it cannot be fire bending."

"If he learns of Middle Earth's history and languages and lore, he could potentially become king," Cinwe suggested. "While his brothers are occupied with other things, he might start learning of such things now."

Thranduil considered the idea and found it appealing. It would give Legolas something to do while his brothers were away and prepare him for the potential responsibilities of the crown. He brightened as he thought eventually Legolas could help him in the office.

"I will find him a private tutor," Thranduil said, drinking down the last of his wine. "He will, I think, find it nice to have something of his own to do and talk about at dinner."

"Yes," said Cinwe. "And maybe he will learn also the price of failure."

OoOoOoO

Legolas looked at the elf before him. Eigil had black hair and yellow eyes but he gave off an aura Legolas could feel and did not like. He held onto Thranduil's hand and squirmed with discomfort.

"This is Master Eigil and he will be your teacher, ion nin," Thranduil said. "He will teach you many things you will find very useful later on in life. Your lessons begin tomorrow morning after breakfast at nine o' clock and last until three in the afternoon. You take a break for lunch."

Legolas looked uncertainly at Eigil. The elf smiled at him but the smile never reached his eyes.

"Now, I hope you will respect and obey Eigil, Legolas, for his only wish is to help you learn. He is here to help you in any difficulty."

"Yes, ada," Legolas said meekly.

Thranduil nodded to Eigil, who returned the nod, and stepped out of the room with Legolas. At dinner that night, everyone was brimming with excitement about his teacher. Legolas fidgeted in his seat, not sure he wanted to find out what the next day would be like.

"Are you not excited?" Mykar asked. "Think of all the things you will learn!"

"I would rather learn to fire bend with you," Legolas mumbled indecipherably.

"You can tell us all about you day tomorrow," Brenen said, forking down his food with such rapidity he earned a look of disgust from his mother.

"Yes," said Legolas faintly.

"We will all have ice cream to celebrate," Cinwe broke in, smiling at Legolas. "There is no need to be shy, little leaf, Eigil will be a good teacher, I am sure."

The ice cream tasted surprisingly bland to Legolas as he ate it but without the eagerness his brothers displayed. He slept in his own room alone, no longer afraid of the dark but unable to sleep with his brothers while they chattered about fire bending and further tore at his heart.

And so his lessons began.