Title: Bad Situations Can Turn Out Good 1
Author: amber
Beta: Oli
Fandom: Tolkien
Rating: UA/PG
Characters: Elrond, Lindir, OMCs
Disclaimer: Tolkien's characters are his; I am only borrowing them. The rest are all mine.
Summary: Elrond runs into some major trouble while scouting the lands to the south of Lindon.
Time line: Early years of the Second age. Elrond is working as a herald/messenger for Gil-Galad after making his choice.
In the land south of Harad:
Elrond ran as fast as he could trying to keep ahead of the men on horseback. He had been scouting the southern lands below where the world curved for some time now out of curiosity and had been doing pretty well on his own. That was until he ran across a band of men who clearly had been in Morgoth's employ before the War. They had used hounds to track him through the eastern mountains and chased him towards the dessert. Now he was running out of room to evade them. Soon he would be in the desert proper with no where to hide. He just needed to make it around this pass to escape. There were caves and tunnels aplenty on the other side, he had discovered earlier, where he could lose them and hide.
Elrond ran to the top of the pass and rounded the corner only to find the path gone. He tried to slide to a stop but his momentum propelled him forward and over the edge of the new cliff. He tried to grasp at outcroppings of rock to stop his descent but had no luck. His head hit a sharp outcrop, knocking him unconscious. He never felt himself bounce off the rock wall and into the river below. The men chasing him watched his body float away and cursed the profit they had just lost on the slave market.
The farmer moaned the loss of his crops and wondered how he would feed his family this coming year. The unexpected flood had killed everything he had planted. He wandered his fields hoping he could savage enough to at least feed his family in the coming months. He knew deep down that it was a hopeless cause because the flood had been wide spread and devastating. He knew his only option for survival would be the sale of one of his children on the slave market. Even then it might not be enough for he could not hope to make much as his children were so young.
As he contemplated his children's different attributes and tried to decide who he would sell, he followed the irrigation ditch to the source to see how much damage had been done. At the end, he discovered a scantily clad body. Turning it over to check it for goods, he was surprised to discover that the young man was still breathing. Finding nothing to identify the younger man, and noting his lighter skin color, he wondered if the gods were being merciful to him. Here was a stranger he could sell on the market for more money than one of his children would ever bring. He checked the man over and only discovered a nasty bump on the back of his head along with some scrapes and bruises. The farmer tied the man's hands and picked him up to carry home. If the stranger was as strong as he looked, he might even make enough money to treat himself to a night in one of the temple brothels.
The stranger moaned as he returned to consciousness. Just that little turn of his head had hurt greatly. He slowly opened his eyes to find out where he was. He recognized nothing around him. As he tried to move and sit up he discovered that his hands had been tied to the side of the pallet he had been lying on. A quick check verified that his ankles were tied also. He heard noise coming from the doorway he could see out the corner of his eye across the room and decided to wait. He tried to think about what happened but could remember nothing. Thinking further, he slowly realized that he could not remember much at all, including his name or where he was from. He found he could understand the language he heard being spoken in the other room but somehow he recognized that it was not his native tongue. He decided to wait and find out what was going on before he made any decisions. Somehow, he knew that his memory loss was only temporary and that his history would come back to him if he but waited.
A woman came into the room a short time later to check on him. Seeing that he was awake, she called to another to come help her. They untied his hands and helped him sit up before giving him a drink of water.
"What do you remember?" the man asked him when he was finished drinking.
Shaking his head slowly to indicate nothing, he waited.
"Do you understand what I am saying?" the man asked him.
Nodding his assent, he remained silent hoping the man who appeared to be a farmer would explain his situation to him.
"Do you remember your name?" the farmer asked. Seeing the slight shake of the strangers head, the farmer decided to take a chance. "We call you Akmed. You are a slave owned by my family. You fell into the river while checking the irrigation ditches during the storm and hit your head. You have been out for two days now. Eat the food my wife has prepared for you and we will talk after I return from an errand. Do you understand?"
He just nodded his head gently in agreement. He took the food and ate, then was led to a privy to see to his personal needs. The farmer's wife had him sit on the floor while she checked the wound on his head. Seeing that it had almost healed, she ordered him to watch over the children until her husband's return.
The farmer returned just before noon with two others. He ordered his wife to take the children outside and sat across from his 'slave' while the other two men waited across the room.
"The flood has cost us greatly," the farmer began as he thought over what story to tell the stranger. "Though you were a gift from my father, I can no longer afford to feed you on top of my family. I have sold you to the slave masters who will in turn sell you on the market this afternoon. You are intelligent and young and should fetch a good price from a good master. Go now with these men who will take you to the market."
The slave watched as one man handed the farmer a bag of gold while the other bound his hands and feet together in shackles. All of his senses screamed at him that this was wrong but he did not remember enough to know why. He decided it would be better to wait in silence; he could always escape later if the need dictated. Then he was being dragged from the house. As he was dragged passed the wife and children, there inaction told him somehow that this was all a lie. That he was not their slave to be sold.
Akmed shuffled behind the men across fields and into the city. There he was taken to an area surrounded by walls and guards. He was dragged before a tall man who looked him over after he was stripped naked and given a quick wash down. This man poked and prodded evaluating his muscle tone and health. His teeth were checked and tested for usefulness as were his eyes, ears, and nose. Looking into his eyes, the man evaluated his intelligence. Pushing him onto a stool, the tall man handed him a stylus and scroll, and told him to write what was dictated. He easily kept pace with what the man said in several languages and proved that he knew his sums also. When he was done the man smiled at him and had the guards grab and hold him. His legs were spread apart and he gasped in pain as the man testing him pushed a finger up his rectum. The guards laughed at him before one of them locked a metal guard around his waist and genitals.
"He is different and will bring a good price," he heard the men say. "It is not often you get one as young and beautiful who is both educated and a virgin."
"Have him cleaned up properly and lock him in the inner yard with the others," the tall man ordered before he warned the guards. "The master will not be pleased to loose the profit he can make off of this one."
Shortly thereafter Akmed was pushed into a grass lined cage surrounded by guards. Within were several other males who were also wearing the waist and genital guard like he was. He crossed to the far side and stayed to himself hoping that his memories returned soon. He watched as others were led into different enclosures, then taken out again not to return. Soon he and the others in the cage were strung together in fleece lined shackles to protect their skin. They were led to a large room where they were each tied to a pole with their hands above their heads. The tall man came in and took off the guards they were wearing leaving them all naked. Small signs were placed before them stating there different attributes and a beginning asking price. His sign proclaimed his age as around 14 or 15 and that he had a good knowledge of sums and several languages, both spoken and written. In smaller letters at the bottom was also a comment that he most likely had Elven blood within him. For some unknown reason, this last remark rang a cord within his soul.
The tall man then opened a door in the front of the room. Akmed watched as men who were clearly wealthy came in to examine him and the others. Some he realized were actually slaves themselves representing others while most were looking for themselves. His slightly different looks and abilities generated lots of interest, as did the comment about the bloodlines. He soon realized though from remarks made that most of these men could not afford him. That did not stop them from poking and prodding him like a piece of meat though. Soon only a handful of men remained around him as the others slowly moved on to the more affordable slaves. This went on for roughly an hour before the men were led from the room.
One by one the slaves were dragged out of the room and never returned. Finally, only Akmed remain. He did not fight when the guards came for him despite an intense wish to flea. He had come to realized that he could not escape while in this place. He could only hope that whoever bought him gave him enough freedom to get away. His memories would also have to return fully to allow him to know where he would go and how to get there. Besides he was still a little woozy from the blow to the head he had taken.
He was dragged onto a stage and an auctioneer began the bidding. The bidding was furious and soon his price was high. Before too long only two remained. Finally, it was over and Akmed was led over to the man after he had paid. Shackles were exchanged and a loincloth was wrapped around him. A rope was tied around his waist and handed to a guard. He was led outside where he was placed into the back of a wagon containing other wears bought at the market. He took a careful survey of all he could see as they passed through the city to the other side. Upon arrival at a large manor, he was turned over to a man who introduced himself as the head housekeeper. He was led to a small room where he was cleaned thoroughly from head to toe by two young slaves and dressed in a short tunic. He was then led to another small room and told to rest until the master called for him.
Akmed was shaken awake several hours later by the housekeeper.
"Prepare yourself," he was told. "It is time to meet the master."
He cleaned his face and straightened his tunic before following the housekeeper into a small courtyard. He was ordered to strip again before being placed in front of several men, one of whom he recognized from the action.
"He is exceptionally beautiful," his new owner stated to the others.
"Yes but is he worth the price you paid?" came his friend's laughing response.
"The prince's birthday is in six months," his owner began not caring if Akmed heard him. "I plan to make of this slave a gift to him. His mother has told my wife in confidence that his father will give the prince his own manor and several slave girls to start his own harem. The prince will need a good harem master and I seek to make that of this one."
"It would be a good plan if not for the slave's age," the other friend commented. "He is too young to be taken seriously. I would also say he is not savage enough to run a harem."
"My own harem master is near retirement," Akmed's new master explained. "I will have him instruct this one and also will send him to the prince as a tutor and guide for this one.
"Will you geld him yourself or wait and let the prince do it?" came the smiling inquiry.
"You should let the prince do it," the other friend laughed. "The prince will like his beauty and want him in his bed for a while I will bet. It will make of him even more of a gift."
"I will consider your suggestions my friends," the master proclaimed as he toasted his friends. He signaled for Akmed to be led away.
When he was returned to his room, Akmed sat upon the bed and digested all he had heard. If what his master said held true, he had some time to plan a proper escape. He would have to learn all that he could, as soon as he could. He knew somehow that his chance of escape would end the minute he stepped through the prince's palace door. The thought of being gelded terrified him and he decided that he would rather die first. No, he decided, even if his memory had not returned, he would escape before being given to the prince. He lay back down to rest and prayed to a being he named Eru for some reason to help him with his plans.