Sauron sat on his throne listening to a dull report on the mines of moria, why he bothered when surely no dwarves were stupid enough to try and take them… his attention was suddenly grabbed by a disturbance. Someone, he was sure he knew who, was praying; crying out for the Valar who had no power here, who had no part in his creation. He rose from his throne, silencing the rambling goblin with a wave of his hand ending any further comments. He motioned for an orc to follow him as he walked deeper into his keep. As he walked he shed his armor: It was good for intimidation, not so much in meeting your offspring. He could not present Sauron, not immediately at least. Mairon would do.

He sighed and stopped in his private chamber, unattached to the living quarters he had crafted for himself, Thranduil and Legolas. Once there he changed into his fine robes similar to what he had placed his son into and ran his hand through his hair one last time. He headed across the hall and unlocked the door to the shared living space.

His orc attendant was still standing by. "Take my armor and have it cleaned. The prince will meet Lord Sauron soon enough…"

The Orc bowed and responded but he did not pay attention to the groveling. He shut the door in the orc's face and looked around the room. Legolas must have been in here, he noted with a smile that the nuts he had left out for him were eaten. He would send for proper food once he had spoken to his prince. He approached the door leading to his room and knocked softly to see if the young elf would respond. It was silent for a moment before a quiet voice answered.

"Hello?" The prince's voice was confused, he supposed that Legolas hardly expected an orc to knock.

"Hello Legolas, son of Thranduil. Welcome to Mordor." He let his power seep into his words, keeping his tone soft and calm. He knew the effect his voice would have, after all, this was the voice that sang to him as he was crafted amongst the trees of Greenwood.

"...How do you.. Know me, who are you?" The prince sounded wary still, at a loss for who if not an Orc was at his door.

"My name is Mairon, I am an… old friend of your Ada's." He smiled to himself glancing at the painting he had made so long ago, rather a lover than a friend but he knew that would not be accepted yet. He looked back at the door when a scoff came in response.

"Now I know that is a lie. Ada does not have any friends."

Oh, Mairon could have laughed, it took more effort in self control than he had put forth in a long time to stop himself. Though he allowed himself a soft chuckle. "Yes I suppose that is true nowadays, from what I have heard of the woodland realm." He waited and realized that this was not going to get him a response, so he decided to see how well he had done on preparing the room for his son, he had watched over him from afar for so long, noting what had been a constant. "Given you have shut yourself in, may I assume that the room is to your liking?" He pushed a little more power into his voice coaxing the boy into answering.

"...Yes… it's.. Wonderful really." he heard the sound of movement on the bed as he got up. "...The.. figures are beautiful, who made them?"

"I did, I wanted you to be at ease here. And they were a joy to make. Better than weapons of war in truth."

"Thank you. I.. have some like this at home." Legolas' voice broke slightly with heartbreak, Maira knew he had not been back in six years, not since the battle for Erebor as sore of a subject as that was for him, he would not blame Thranduil or Legolas for that. No Thorin and the Hobbit were to blame for that loss. He listened as Legolas moved around the room, distracted now from his fear.

"May I come in?"

"...Yes, just uh… give me a moment." The sounds of furniture being pulled away from the door was amusing, it would do little to stop him if he had really wanted to get in. He stepped back and let Legolas open the door himself. Had he been younger, less in control he would have been unable to resist the urge to hold him, run his hands though the hair he had spun from gold so long ago. His son stood before him, awake, alert. He was everything he had made him to be, that woman who had taken to Thranduil's bed had been a fool to not appreciate it. "...Hello." Legolas said again before retreating back into the bedroom. Mairon smiled and followed him in.

"Legolas.." He breathed out the name, it was the one that thranduil had spoken when he first laid eyes on the beautiful creation he had labored over, it had taken several years just planning out the materials, the shape of an infant, the perfect little ears. And he had enjoyed every moment of it. In honesty he was not sure when the platinum prince of Greenwood had claimed the last of his heart, it was supposed to be the other way around. To steal away the son of Oropher, and make him his pet obedient to his want and will. Instead he had gained a lover.

His son did not respond to his name, just sat quietly in the chair to watch him, the calmness that had compelled him to open his door was giving way to wariness.

"... What do you want?" He asked, turning his head to look out the window.

"Hush now, you have nothing to fear within these walls." He strode forward as his soft words held the boys attention. He had to touch him to feel the soft skin on a face that was once warm metal. His hand found its way into the soft smooth hair; with the exception of a few fingers molded from metal themselves, these hands had crafted him. He knew and was bonded to their touch. He smiled as the gentle rubbing of his scalp calmed Legolas again. "Come out and eat with me. Do you trust me?"

'Do I trust him?' Legolas asked himself as he let the man run his hand through his hair with a gentle touch that made him ache for his Adas. But this was Adas friend right? That is what he had said before, so surely it was safe to dine with him. "Yes. I trust you.." He opened his eyes again to look Mairon in the face. He appeared to be elven, with long silver hair, but his ears were more sharply pointed than normal and his eyes were golden.

"Good, Why don't you freshen up while I send for food. ." Mairon pulled away far too soon for legolas' liking. He wanted to study his face more, to figure out who this resident of Mordor was.

"I… do you have anything that… isn't in black?" Legolas felt embarrassed asking, this man had presumably saved him from the orcs, and housed him. He did not not want to insult his choice of clothing,

"... I can find something else. I apologize I should have realized they would not be to your liking." Mairon looked amused at the request but not like he was disregarding it. "For now can you make do?"

"Yes.. I thank you. What you've provided will work for now." He gave a polite bow but was stopped midway. "You need not bow to me, little prince." Mairons fingers brushed his cheek once more before he stepped out leaving Legolas to clean himself up.

Legolas found that he enjoyed the bath, it was more similar to his one in Greenwood than those of Rivendel. That he imagined was also intentional. The warmth and smells of the bath helped clear his mind from whatever fog Mairon had brought with him. And Legolas swore at himself for agreeing to eat with him, but at the same time he had not eaten much when he was with the orcs and only had almonds since he had been here. He needed to eat, regain his strength and hopefully convince Mairon to let him go. He sighed as he finished up and got dressed. At least this time he had pants. And a pair of boots that fit him well so he was no longer barefoot. Gathering himself he stepped out into the sitting room. At the sight of several Goblins he instinctively grabbed for weapons that were not there and swore at the empty air.

"Easy Legolas, They mean you no harm." Mairon was drinking wine quietly from one of the chairs. There was an array of food in front of him. "Sit, you must be hungry."

Legolas pondered on mutiny for a moment before he sat down in a chair across from Mairon. "Why are they here?" He asked.

"My dear boy, we are in Mordor. I recognize they are not your usual servants. But I promise these ones are bred to work within these halls." Mairon looked amused.

"I do not think you appreciate how disturbing that actually is." Legolas replied keeping his voice even but letting a sharp bite slip in.

"Perhaps not, but I have lived here a long time. Wine?" Mairon offered the bottle and Legolas felt his stomach twist.

"That is from Rivendel… did the orcs steal it from my escort." He could not help but sound bitter. And he looked down at his food to ignore the sympathetic look Mairon gave him.

"Possibly, Any spoils they take tend to be mixed in with the supplies. But Given the dust that was on this, I do not think it is likely."

"...I'll pass on the wine thank you." He turned his full attention to the food. It was tasty, full of flavors and spices he was not familiar with. His surprise must have shown on his face.

"The allies of mordor come from distant lands. They bring with them supplies and trade in return for our military might. You will not likely find their cuisines anywhere else in middle earth." Mairon smiled at him over the rim of his wine glass. A fond look in his eyes as he observed him.

"I see.. Well they certainly know how to do meat.." Legolas replied feeling awkward at the compliment. As he let his gaze wander around the room again his eyes landed on the painting. Another wave of embarrassment washed over him. "I am not sure how I feel knowing that my Adas body is displayed for all to see in your sitting room." He managed to sputter out as he looked back to his plate.

"Hrm? The painting? It is art, Legolas." Mairon chuckled. "... Thrandruil was fond of that painting.. But he did not want it anywhere your grandfather would see it. And besides, it leaves the uh, important bits to the imagination." He was enjoying this.

"...I see you two were very good friends…" Legolas finished the food quickly before his appetite waned completely. Mairon did not reply to that, he shrugged and set down his glass.

"We are. Are you done eating?" He waited until Legolas had nodded in reply before speaking again."Good, let us discuss house rules."

Legolas was taken aback for a moment then nodded. This was his home after all, and he was a guest.

"First off, Mordor is your home now." He raised a hand to silence Legolas' protest before they started. "I am sure you have many questions, and I have answers for you if you are patient. Now… There will be orcs and goblins. Servants to provide you with anything you need, bar a few things they are aware of. They will not hurt you, and I ask that you return the favor. There are four orcs outside, they will serve as your guards. You are allowed to leave the living quarters and they know where you can and cannot go. Do not try to escape, while you will be retaken unharmed, though I admit that will mostly be because of your… sturdiness, If you try to escape you will be restricted to your room until I deem otherwise." He paused looking Legolas in the eyes expectantly.

Legolas listened with a frown but met his gaze. It bothered him that Mairon and the orcs had known about that, particularly when he had only just become aware of it himself. "..I understand… anything else?"

"You are not allowed weapons until I can trust that you will not use them on us." He added that with an amused tone and Legolas was certain that it was a taunt.

"So a weapon shall not grace my hands as long as I am here then?" Legolas replied, turning his head to glare down at the floor.

"If that is how it must be, But I do hope not, your skill with a bow is something I wish to see first hand." Mairons voice was soft and it infuriated Legolas who got up.

"Thank you for the meal.. I'm afraid I grow weary. Please excuse me."

Legolas did not wait for a response, he went back to his assigned room. He collapsed on the bed not bothering to remove the boots or get changed again. He let out a shaking breath and hugged one of the unrightfully soft pillows. He wished for the trees of Greenwood and the Waterfalls of Rivendel, even the caverns of Erebor sounded more welcoming than being here. He was no longer a child, but he cried muffling the sounds in the pillow as he cried for his Ada, for Tauriel, and for a mother who had never held him.

Mairon sighed as he watched the door close and motioned for the goblins to clean up their meal. That had gone rather well all things considered. Legolas had trusted him enough to eat and for a time to relax around them. He could hear soft cries coming from the room once the goblins had left. The sound seemed to stab his heart, he had known that Legolas would be upset at first, but his son deserved to be here. And with any luck Thranduil would join them, they could be the family that he and Thranduil had planned all those years ago. He looked at the painting before standing to remove it from it's spot. A small compromise. He had already upset his son enough. He moved over to another door and unlocked it. This room had not been used much. He would start staying here at night, when he could. When Thranduil arrived he wanted it to feel like theirs. The painting found a new place of honor on the wall across from their bed.

His hands wandered over the various crafts, and trinkets he had brought back with him from Greenwood all those years ago, trinkets of love he had been gifted by Thranduil, as he labored away over fire to create his own. A gift so special and finely crafted that no one would dare doubt who would stand by his side when he was victorious. Of course that victory had not come, not yet but soon, he could feel it. The Elves were fleeing leaving men and dwarves to their fates at his hands. He knew that Thranduil would not sail, and he doubted that Legolas would be allowed to by the elvenlords. They were not as ignorant as they acted, they would know, as surely as they knew who had made their rings, whose hands had crafted and given life to this gilded prince.