Disclaimer: All LOTR characters do not belong to me… blah, blah, blah… don't sue me!
Author's Note: Not in a good mood today… well, I watched some TV show and there it was! A police officer raping this pregnant woman and the husband bleeding or something beside… I switched the channel but the idea was still in my head… man… I'm having a REAL bad day…
The exhausted warriors sat down and laid their blankets and cloaks down. As Aragorn stirred the fire to blaze up even a bit, Gimli hummed a soft song, one of the Dwarfish songs of old.
"I say Gimli, what is that song you hum?" Legolas came up to the dwarf that cheerfully carved a fox from a chunk of wood he found.
"Me?" Gimli looked up at the fair elf that was his dear friend. "It's a song about one of our most respected and honored generals of old. Well, when it comes to the middle of the song, it gets quite saddening. The general and his wife are pushed into an old castle built by some humans long ago. What happens is—this bastard human right in front of the general rapes his wife. I don't remember everything else for the song and the story is very, very long."
"Ah… Thank you for sharing it, " Legolas nodded and went back to his place. "I'll be the 3rd shift, if that is alright? I must organize my thoughts first."
"Go rest, Legolas. Your arm is injured anyway. We can manage, "Aragorn called out while poking the flame to a blaze.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Legolas. Go on and rest yourself!" Gimli chuckled while tossing some sticks into the warm fire.
The elf nodded unsurely but continued to go back to his makeshift bed laid across the grass and browned leaves.
Will this stop haunting me? Legolas thought bitterly while turning on his side, his eyes barely open but not aware of the mortal world that surrounded him. He was in the dreamland of Resting Elves.
"My Prince?" a seductively sweet voice echoed in Legolas' ears.
"Yes, yelme meldo?" the elven prince looked behind him to find someone's deep blue eyes gazing up at him.
"Hmph!" the lady pouted.
Legolas gave out a sigh, "Yes, meleth-nin?"
"Much better," the lithe elf wrapped her arms around the prince's waist, embracing him with such tender warmth and welcome. "Why didn't you send a letter? You know how much I worry about you."
"I'm sorry, mir-nin, I did not mean to make you worry so badly. But I'm here, you don't have to fear," the Prince stroked her hair.
"Ah, Legolas…" the princess broke away from her consort's grasp and ran a few feet away. "Come with me," she made her voice coy and slick, tantalizing her prey's skin, her prince's senses and mind.
"Not even a thousand victories over the Dark Lord could defeat your delicious touch!" Legolas sprang forward, chasing after his ladylove.
Legolas hid his smirk against a human that entered Mirkwood with a band of elves and humans behind him. He continued on his way towards the upper canopies, avoiding the shrill and annoying calls of the humans below.
"Who is that?" the elven prince whispered over to his companion.
The elf beside him, not as beautiful as Legolas of course but with the sharpest eyes and the best sense of scent turned to his prince and chuckled softly. "Master Greenleaf, that is a prisoner," he jerked a bandaged hand towards the man that stumbled along with the host of elves pushing him behind. "He tried to hack a few trees at the edge of the forest."
"What? Our prized trees?" Legolas shot a glance filled with hatred towards the mortal.
"The group of humans is also with him. They tried to capture one of our young children running through the forest. Wretches they are!" the elf spat.
Legolas muttered a curse in elven and they continued on their way to finding some herbs for a feast that was being prepared.
"Legolas," the mighty Thranduil whispered to his son.
"Yes iaur-neth?" Legolas turned.
"Take charge of the humans. The others need to watch the band of orcs we found the other day."
Legolas nodded, "but father, I have to visit my wife. The druids tell me that she needs me to care for her. You do know her situation, don't you father?"
"Yes, my son, I know. Take some elves with you. You know the ways of these humans," Thranduil eyed the humans that muttered among themselves near a corner, a few guards looking at them with disgust.
"Yes, iaur-neth. Mara mesta. Elalye rato," the young elf bowed and motioned to the guards to follow him, the humans trailing behind, their wrists locked with heavy ropes.
"So," the slang and hard tongue of the human rattled the Prince's ears, "you a prince, eh?"
"Yes, I am," Legolas rolled his eyes while leading them through the platforms in the trees towards the humans' temporary prison.
"We got a prince in Rohan, don't we boys?"
"Will you shut your petty mouths and keep going?!" an elven guard jabbed a dagger hilt into the talking human's leg.
"What is it to you, you—" the human spat, "stupid egocentrical thing!"
The elf clenched his fist and drew his dagger and pointed it in front of the roughly-shaven human in front of him. "I—am not a thing! MORTAL!"
"Hold!" Legolas pulled back his enraged friend. "We will be rid of them once we get to the prison! Stop it!"
The elf's shoulders lapsed and he stomped to the front, muttering incoherent words behind him.
"Meleth-nin? Meleth-nin?" Legolas pulled aside the heavy green cloths that separated the master bedroom from the rest of his home. "My Princess? Where are you?"
He heard a soft whimper of a cry from the bed and he quickly made his way towards the silk-like beddings.
"Are you alright? Are you going to be alright?"
"Ah, Legolas… so you've—come at last…"
"What ails you? I only left you for a few hours, my dear."
"My womb—our—our baby is rolling around!" her eyes sparkled with joy and excitement.
"May I listen? I want to hear our baby," Legolas touched his wife's belly gently.
"Why not, father-who-is-to-be?" the princess smiled while Legolas leaned on her warm stomach.
Legolas looked up into the soft eyes and smiled as well, "it kicked my ear…"
Legolas quickly jumped from the bed.
"Hush," Legolas whispered to his wife who stared at him with frantic eyes. "I'll see who's there."
"Be careful."
Legolas nodded while tiptoeing over to the draped cloths and parted them just enough to peek through. What he saw made him gasp and he stopped himself just before he did.
A human with long dark hair and gleaming gray eyes walked around the elf's home. He held a small blade in his hand that dripped with red blood. His breath was cold and raspy but it was quiet enough.
Legolas nearly collapsed when he saw the terrible sight at the doorway. Three other humans thrusted their blades into an elf that fell to the floor, arrow in hand and sword in the other, his face bloodied and pale white, his clothes satiated of blood and his bones protruding from his flesh. The three humans ended the elf's life by swiftly cutting off the fair head of the elf.
"BRUTES!" Legolas screamed as he stormed into the three, his white handled daggers swiftly ending one of their lives while wounding the other two.
"Get him!" the human near the bedroom commanded harshly.
"AIIIIIIIIIIII!!!" Legolas cried out. He tried to call out again but one of the human's hit him squarely on the head and he fell to the floor, unconscious.
"Wake up, my prince," a mocking raspy voice awoke the elf. His mind swirled with fast visions of a murder and of the hoarse and terrible laughs of the race he always disgusted.
"Ugh…" Legolas groaned while blinking open his eyes. In a second, they adjusted to another horrible sight. "M—meleth—meleth-nin!" he struggled vigorously but his bonds were too tight around his hands and some figures held him back firmly.
"That's right, scream out for her!" the human laughed while holding up the princess' chin.
Her dress was partially torn—from her neck down to her womb—and her face was bruised on her cheek. Dried tears fell down her face in pain and worry and her skin was paled with anxiety.
"How dare you! How dare you desecrate my wife?!" Legolas cried out in fury.
"How dare I?" the human snarled, "like this!" he gave the princess a hard and rough kiss as she squirmed in his strong grasp, her legs kicked out in rage. "AH!" he screamed while throwing back the elf princess. He touched his lip and spat out the reddish liquid that protruded from his wounded lip. "Little whore!" he slapped her painfully.
"STOP IT!" Legolas bounded forward, the two humans barely being able to hold him.
"Ah! Little bastard!" the human spat while hitting Legolas' face with his knee.
"AGH!" Legolas knelt on the ground bitterly.
"Stop—please—just—stop it…" Legolas' wife moaned after seeing her husband being hit again and again. "I'll—I'll do anything… just don't hurt—don't hurt him…"
"Anything?" the human paused and pushed back the wounded elf prince towards his companions. "Hold him you dolts!"
"No! Don't do this! Alphmir, please—"
"Shut your trap!"
"NO!" the princess screamed. "My prince, I'll—I'll handle it…"
"That's a good princess! Princess of whores!" the human hit her again. "Not a word from you!" he jerked his hand towards Legolas who glared at him with hatred and rage.
Sour tears fell down the couple's faces as the humans laughed as the hours passed with pain and torment…
"Legolas? Legolas!" a familiar but friendly voice shook the elf awake.
"H—huh? A—Alphmir? Alphmir!" Legolas gripped the dwarf's shoulders.
"What? I'm no elf, my friend!" Gimli guffawed.
"I—I'm sorry, Gimli…" Legolas bowed his head.
"You were dreaming bad dreams, Legolas. Are you alright?" Gimli sat down next to the elf.
Legolas gave out a long breath and shook his head.
"Can you tell me what happened, if you don't mind?"
"It's a long story… I don't really want to tell it right now. It hurts too much," Legolas shook his head again.
"Sometimes," Gimli sighed, "it helps when you release tensions."
"I'm a widower, Gimli… My wife died a horrible death a long time ago," Legolas looked towards the sky that was dotted with silver stars.
"I—I'm sorry… may her eternal soul rest in peace then."
"No, Gimli… I don't think she will rest…"
"And why not? The wife of a gallant and wonderful prince, not resting in peace?" Gimli sat befuddled.
"She was—was raped, alright? A human raped and killed her… did—everything to her—in front—of me…" Legolas stuttered shamelessly.
"A human, eh?" Aragorn came up to the two and sat down quietly. "From where, may I ask? From the dark Mordor, I presume."
"No, Elessar… the lead managed to jest with us and mentioned they—they came from Rohan," Legolas bowed.
"Gilthoniel!" Aragorn gasped.
"May I ask a question, Legolas?" Gimli interrupted the silence that came in between the three.
"Why not, my friend?"
"What happened? What happened afterwards? After the rape and murder of your dearly beloved wife?"
"My wife knew magic. But she only knew a little but one of her spells helped us in that situation. It was a simple but horrible—poisoning spell…"
"So she poisoned the human? But how?" Aragorn now asked.
"When he kissed her—before—before he killed—her, she cast the spell and poisoned—herself. Then—then the human tasted the poison but—it was too late—he swallowed it and—he became dizzy—but—but he took out his dagger—and stabbed—stabbed Alphmir's chest and—our baby…" Legolas was on the edge of tears.
Aragorn and Gimli looked at each other, both with concern in their eyes. They leaned towards Legolas who covered his face with his hands and was sobbing bitterly and embraced him with a warm brotherly embrace.
"Go on and let it out, my friend," Aragorn patted the elf' shoulders.
"Ah, I see why you were moody after that song. It's alright, master elf," Gimli patted Legolas' back heavily.
"After—after the lead human—died, the others—they were captured by some elves that came—but they were too late—to save my wife or the baby… my wife—she called telepathically—and sent elven guards to our—our home… after that—she died…" Legolas lowered his head into Aragorn's chest and sobbed.
"Aye, Legolas, how cruel the world is!" Gimli patted the elf's back gently. "Just sleep it off, don't worry. We'll keep watch and guard you against any of those horrible nightmare demons," the dwarf smiled jovially.
"Thank you, yelme meldo," Legolas wiped his tears away after Aragorn let him go.
"Just try to blow the bad dreams away, Legolas," Aragorn smiled.
"I'll certainly try!" Legolas managed a weak smile.
As he lay down to sleep, an image faded into his mind and time and space seemed to stop. A woman with a child in her arms stood smiling in Legolas' eyes.
"Elen sila lumen omentielvo, meleth-nin, ely-nin."
"Mir-nin," Legolas breathed in. "Harmathul!"
"Ai, Legolas, e malta nwalme is coming," the woman whispered.
"The gold torment? Why would torment be gold, harmathul?"
"Nothing comes without a price, ore-nin, my heart. Once you enter e romen, malta may come but e nwalme will follow shortly," Alphmir pointed towards a large map that appeared behind her. At the tip of her finger, the letters of Rohan were listed.
"How can I overcome the torment?"
"That, is up to you, ore-nin, it is up to you."
"Will you come back to me, harmathul?" Legolas tried to reach upwards.
"Dhumbarye, dhumbarye. Mara mesta, meleth-nin," she barely touched the prince's fingertips and she began to fade away.
"Vanimelda, Alphmir, namarië…"
FINI.
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Notes:
Yelme meldo means 'my dear friend' Meleth-nin is something like 'my love' Mir-nin is something like 'my jewel' Iaur-neth is something like 'ancient one' or 'elder one' Mara mesta is 'good bye' Elalye rato is 'see you soon' Alphmir is something like 'swan jewel' or 'swan's jewel' Elen sila lumen omentielvo, meleth-nin, ely-nin means 'a star shines on the hour of our meeting, my love, my dream' Mir-nin is something like 'my jewel' Harmathul is a combination of harma, meaning 'treasure' and thule or sule, meaning 'spirit'. Therefore, it's like 'treasured spirit' or 'spirit's treasure' E malta nwalme is something like 'the gold torment' Ore-nin is something like 'my heart' E romen means 'the east' Dhumbarye is roughly made. Dh is to be added and stands for an 'of'. Umbar means 'fate'. The ye is for 'you' or 'your' Namarië means 'farewell'P.S. Don't mind me if I make some mistakes in translations and combinations because it's really hard to translate… I'm just in an insane mood tonight… that's all…
P.P. S. If you notice that I forgot to translate some words, it's either I'm not sure what the translations are but the intentions are there, or you should know already because you're a Tolkien fan reading this… are you not a Tolkien fan?