Disclaimers: See the Author's Notes! Not my song; it belongs to Enya! Elvish is in ' '; Common is in " "; Aragorn and Legolas' thoughts are in .This is an AU! Rated R for major angst and sexual innuendo. Takes place the night after the last chapter. Gets lemony again!
Amin Ai Olin
(My Little Secret)
Part 10. Nyar- I'- Rina
(To Tell The Memory)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who
knows?
Only time…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The children were now asleep, tucked safely into the two beds in Kasia's room, with the blankets pulled up to their chins. The major distinction between them right now was the difference in their hair, and the fact that Elleelen slept with his grey eyes open, but vacant, and Kasia had her grey eyes closed. But both had their mouths open slightly in sleep, and dried tear streaks on their young faces.
Legolas adjusted the blankets carefully, pressing a kiss onto Elleelen's forehead, being certain not to wake him, before he did the same to Kasia, smoothing her dark hair out of her face. A throat quietly cleared behind him, and Legolas lifted his chin slightly, as he turned to face Elessar. The Man had bid both children good night, and had kissed Kasia on her cheek. He did not dare to try doing that to Elleelen yet, because his son was still uncertain about all of this.
Elessar silently beckoned to Legolas to follow him, as he left the room silently. The Elf did so, saying nothing, walking behind the Man who was both appealing and cruel at the same time. That was how Legolas thought of Elessar right now; the King could- and had shown- that he was capable of affection, caring, and tenderness. But in other ways, Elessar was cold and cruel, insistent upon dominating and approving his every action, which Legolas greatly resented.
The tiny spark that still loved Elessar, inside of Legolas, was dying, as a fire would without enough kindling.
Elessar had shown nothing more to Legolas than his lust, the Elf seethed, despairing at the same time. Legolas could not believe that this was happening to him, and he was determined to find some way to end it. This was all too familiar; being seen as nothing more than an object that others might take their pleasure from, not caring how he hurt, or even if he hurt.
Elessar was not certain of what to say to Legolas, to ease the unhappiness in his dull, azure eyes. So he said nothing, waiting until the two finally returned to his room.
Legolas warily watched Elessar, as he took a seat on one side of the bed. The Elven beauty purposefully stayed on the other side of the room, to try to keep his wits about him, so that he would not be distracted by a gentle touch or a warm, pleasant mouth on his…
'Well,' Elessar said, leaning back against the pillows on his bed. 'Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to sit down?'
Legolas finally sat in a chair, not wanting to get to close to Elessar. He was now halfway across the room from the Man.
Elessar hid a smile, secretly amused that Legolas seemed so… cautious around him. He wasn't truly planning on hurting the Elf- not really. At least, not more than he already had. There was just something about Legolas that made Elessar want to dominate over him, protect him, even love him. Though Elessar also knew that he could not say this to Legolas; the Elf would probably not believe him, especially after everything that had happened.
'So, what happened after you left Mirkwood?' Elessar questioned.
Legolas took a deep breath, before he said, 'I went to find work, of course, in a small town near…'
***********
Flashback
***********
Legolas was so hungry, as he struggled through the crowds, trying to finish delivering the message he had been sent out to retrieve. Most of the people yelled at him to get out of the way, which he tried to do. The problem was that there were too many people in his way to move.
So the fleet and nimble Elf finally leapt up onto the balcony of a nearby building, before using that to leap up on the roof. From then on, it was an easy task to jump from roof to roof, until he finally reached the building he had been heading towards.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he had not eaten yet this day, though it was past mid-day. Legolas wearily climbed down the building, ignoring the strange looks he got from the Men that walked by, carefully setting his feet down on the ground. He knew how strange he looked.
His clothes were fading; a blue, loose shirt and black, loose-fitting leggings, with a green, torn cloak over his shoulders, with the hood pulled over his hair and ears. The shoes that he wore had holes in them, and should have been replaced over three months ago.
None of that mattered as much to the beautiful Elf, as much as the child growing within him. He was slender, even moreso than he used to be, and it showed in how hollow his cheeks were, and how loose his clothes were. His skin was paler, too, and dark circles were under his eyes. The wisps of blond hair that escaped from the hood showed that his hair was clean.
Legolas hurried into the building, and removed the written message from the small bag hanging at his waist. The piece of parchment was tightly held, as the Elf silently walked over to where his employer sat, speaking with someone. He knew better than to interrupt the conversation, so he waited until the Man was finished, before offering the note to him.
It was taken wordlessly and read, before the Man nodded. "All right, then. Go on home and rest now, before returning tonight to take my response."
"Yes, sir," Legolas said, relieved. He silently left, and made his way down to the tiny room he had rented in the inn. He'd sold some of his things to get the money for this room, but Legolas was saving the money he earned to put away for when the child was born.
The Elf lay down in the rather hard bed, on his side, with one hand resting where the child grew. Oh, Elessar, Legolas silently wondered wistfully, as he bit into a piece of slightly stale bread, which he had been given to eat earlier. Would this have been so hard if you were here beside me? But tis for the best, that you do not know…
**********************************************************************
Elessar frowned at learning that Legolas had been that hard-pressed for food and money. 'Didn't anybody want to help you, besides Haldir and Glorfindel?' he questioned incredulously.
'Nay,' Legolas said, shaking his head. 'I worked there until Elleelen was born. I moved to another town, after Elleelen turned a year old. Once again, I took a job, this time as a server. The job only lasted for a year, however…'
***********
Flashback
***********
Legolas carried a tray full of dishes towards the kitchen, wearing the dark green, faded cloak over his once fine, silky green leggings and white shirt, making certain that his ears were hidden by the hood. He was careful to avoid attracting attention in the tavern, not wanting any problems.
After placing the tray on the counter, Legolas took another tray full of drinks, and quietly took them to the ones who had ordered them. With his Elven memory, Legolas never made a mistake when he was the server, and never mixed up the ale, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. Legolas never took his hood off in here, because he was certain of what would happen if he did. His luck had held so far, but he knew it could not last much longer.
A hand grabbed Legolas in a manner that angered the Elf, so he elbowed the Man hard, directly in the stomach. His friends protested that, and grabbed onto his arms as he tried to dart away. More hands ripped the cloak off, and the entire tavern went silent, for all stared at the Elf, who was strangely beautiful.
Soft, smooth, golden hair hung past his shoulders, which were slim but firm. His pale, ivory skin was offset by the color of his hair, and his wide, jade eyes. The clothes that he wore showed how slender he was, and every detail of his firm muscles.
Legolas cringed at the looks he was getting. This was why he had never removed his hood. He was slightly relieved when his current employer walked over, until he saw the calculating look in the Man's eyes, as his eyes roamed over the slender, Elven body.
Legolas jerked hard, to get free of the hands that held him tightly. One of the Men had the audacity to loop an arm around his waist, pinning the Elf's hands to his side. Legolas instantly panicked and twisted hard, breaking free of all arms except for the Man who held him by the waist.
"You were hiding this from me," Legolas' employer slowly said. "You will make an excellent addition to…" He gestured to the figures on the stage, who were all wearing very provocative clothing.
"I will not," Legolas breathed angrily. "I am a server, not a whore." He paled at the unpleasant smile on his employer's face.
"You'll do it, or you will no longer work for me," came the cold response.
A gasp escaped from the Elf, when the Man that held him against his larger body began trying to grope him. Legolas brought his right foot up and kicked backwards hard, directly into the shin of the Man holding him. His right elbow he jerked up, slamming it into the Man's chin. The arms that held him dropped, as the Man fell to the floor unconscious.
Legolas stormed over to where one of the female servers was watching over Elleelen in the backroom. He picked his son up, along with his things, and returned to the main tavern, stalking directly towards the door.
Pausing for a few moments, he silently looked around the room, at the figures gaping at him. Then Legolas looked directly at his employer. "I quit!" he snapped, before leaving.
Little Elleelen whimpered, not understanding why his da-da was so angry, and Legolas relaxed enough to smile and reassure his son that everything was all right, just as long as the two of them were together. Soon he had Elleelen giggling, and Legolas was drawn out of his troubles by his innocent son, though he silently made a vow to never work in a tavern again.
************************************************************************
'They what?' Elessar cried, in anger. 'Let me understand this- your… employer tried to force you to…'
Legolas nodded silently. 'And soon after that, I met Lord Allen along the road, when he was being robbed by some bandits. I helped him, and I've worked for him ever since. Though I only moved back near Gondor three months ago, which is how I came across Kasia being kidnapped.'
Elessar nodded. 'You should have told me, Legolas. How could you deal with all of that by yourself, with no one to help you?' he asked, feeling extremely guilty. 'And how did you nearly die from giving birth to Elleelen?'
'I told you already,' Legolas murmured. 'I passed out while in labor. If Haldir had not been there…It would have been a lot worse…'
'By Elbereth, Legolas! While you struggled to provide food to feed yourself and my- our son, and worked to support both of you, Arwen was practically waited on hand and foot!' Elessar said, aghast. 'Was it so important to you to keep such a secret?'
Legolas nodded. 'I didn't want to ruin your life. I knew that you loved Arwen dearly and I could not hurt her like that. And there was your unborn child- Kasia- to think about as well.'
Elessar wanted to shake Legolas. How could the Elf act so reasonable about what he had gone through for the last ten years, Elessar wondered. He stood and crossed the room, standing over the Elf that nonchalantly refused to look up at him.
Legolas remained silent when Elessar said his name, before pulling him to his feet. Both felt an undeniable warmth at the touch, and Legolas tilted his face up towards Elessar's slowly, part of him resisting, but the rest of him wanting to do this.
Elessar peered down into Legolas' face, feeling strange inside, before he firmly kissed those sweet lips which belonged to the beautiful Elf. Heat soared in both of their veins, as Elessar began plundering Legolas' mouth with his tongue.
'No,' Legolas moaned, when he felt Elessar's hands roaming over him, tugging at his waistband.
Elessar asked, 'Why do you fight so hard, Legolas?' He genuinely didn't understand why Legolas wouldn't give in to what he wanted. What they both wanted. As if to prove his point, he slipped one of his hands under the Elf's shirt and skimmed it lightly.
Legolas whispered, 'Because I'm not a whore… Why are you doing this?' He felt his body responding, as always, no matter how much he tried to deny it.
'I never said you were a whore,' Elessar said, scowling. He purposefully rocked his hips into Legolas', and smiled at the hoarse groan he heard. 'You have the strength to stop me, if you wanted to.' His other hand loosened the waistbands and stroked one of Legolas' inner thighs, enjoying the soft cry that brought forth from the Elven beauty.
'I…' Legolas was cut off when Elessar's tongue entered his mouth again, preventing him from talking. His protests died when a mouth began deftly trailing down his throat, causing him to whimper.
Elessar easily lifted Legolas with one arm, before he plunged his hand further into the leggings, even as he tenderly carried the weakly protesting Elf to his bed. The Man gently laid him flat, before going to work. Legolas was ashamed of himself again, as he was reminded once more of just how much he desired Elessar, and how he could not resist the touches and kisses from this particular human.
**********
Rivendell
**********
Lord Elrond was vaguely surprised, as he looked at the Elves from Mirkwood, who had just arrived in Rivendell, having passed through the Gap of Rohan, near Gondor.
'So you say that one of the Men there saw Elessar take both Legolas and his son away?' the Elven lord questioned, a frown on his face. He knew that Legolas had distanced himself from Elessar for some reason, though he did not know why. It made no sense to him that Legolas would go anywhere with Elessar, even with his son. The former Elven Prince had chosen the life of exile, instead of not having his child. Elrond supported that decision, for he felt that all life was sacred.
The Elves nodded in answer to Elrond's question.
The half Elf puzzled over this for a few moments, before deciding to write to Thranduil and see if he possibly knew why Legolas was taken away by Elessar. Elbereth only knew why the two former friends had distanced themselves apart, Elrond mused. They had once been best friends, after all.
He silently went up to his study and grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment. After scribbling a few words down, he folded the parchment and took it to his fastest messenger.
'Take this to King Thranduil of Mirkwood at once,' Elrond ordered. The messenger nodded and silently left.
When he was gone, Elrond crossed over to a window and looked out at it. What have you done now, Elessar? And what does Legolas have to do with it, he wondered.
To be continued