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, attempted rape, and sexual innuendo. Don't worry; Legolas will not give in to Elessar without a fight. Takes place early the next morning. Sorry for the abruptness of this chapter, but I wanted to get them all to Gondor.

Amin Ai Olin
(My Little Secret)

Part 7. Nwalm-

  (To Torment/Sadden)

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Who can say if your love grows,
As your heart chose?
Only time...

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Legolas furiously swept the kitchen floor, anger in his every movement. The only good thing Elessar had done so far was not to demand that they leave for Gondor last night. Lord Allen had gone to visit a friend nearby and had not yet returned home, so Legolas had refused to leave without giving the Man who had treated him with kindness and respect an explanation.

Elessar had conceded to that point, though he had been even less pleased when Legolas would not wake Elleelen to inform him that they were going to Gondor. On second thought, the Man had admitted that waking the boy in the middle of the night would not be a very responsible thing to do and had agreed to wait.

Legolas was angry, frustrated, humiliated and hurting, because while part of him knew that he might deserve this, for keeping Elleelen a secret from Elessar for so long, the other part of him loathed his 'friend' for doing this to him. Marriage was not going to work between them, Legolas knew.

Elessar was so stubborn, arrogant, and opinionated that he didn't even know when he was wrong! The Man would expect nothing less than complete obedience from him, day and night…

Oh, Elebereth, Legolas thought bitterly. Elessar wants me to be little more than a whore for him and him alone. But he will get more than he bargained for, because I do not take kindly to being blackmailed.

However, Legolas had a decided advantage over Elessar. He was supposed to visit Imladris in a few weeks time, on his leave, which Lord Allen gave him once a year. Foster father to Elessar or not, Legolas knew that Elrond would not agree to what Elessar was doing, despite the reasons. It was a good thing that the Elven lord had not yet gone West, though many Elves already had, including the Elves of Lothlorien.

Legolas knew that he would need all the aid he could get, for he could not protect himself from Elessar's touches. Twas like how a moth was drawn to a flame, so great was Legolas' desire for Elessar. He despised himself for not being able to fight back against physical contact.

But while Elessar might have his body, Legolas refused to give him anything else- like his heart. Elessar could reach out to him for the rest of their Immortal lives, but he would never tell the Man the secrets of his heart.

And Legolas' pride insisted that if he could not fight back against kisses and caresses, then he must do so another way. He was not going to tolerate being forced to marry Elessar under the threat of losing his only child. He might pretend to for a while, but he would make his escape, with Elleelen.

Oh, Elleelen… his sweet son, whose outward appearance hid his stubbornness. Legolas could take some satisfaction from knowing that Elleelen was not going to welcome Elessar with open arms, sire or not.

It was nothing he had done to make his son hate Elessar; Elleelen just didn't like anyone who hurt him. For over five years, Legolas had take care of Elleelen, who had done the same for him. They protected each other, and their interdependence was obvious to any who saw them together.

And now Elessar was threatening to destroy that… Legolas would not let him.

A throat cleared behind him, where Legolas stood clenching the broom-handle tightly. He spun around to see that it was Raid, not Elessar. The Elf ignored the youth and continued sweeping, venting his anger out in the fast, furious strokes.

"Going to ignore me, Elf?" Raid asked, taking in the sight of the cloak-less Elf, who still wore his faded brown leggings and patched green shirt. As before, desire struck Raid, fast and furious, as he drank in the Elven beauty before him. He casually leaned back, folding his arms across his chest in satisfaction at the servant tightening his lips considerably.

When he failed to get an answer, Raid stalked over and yanked the broom away from the servant, who appeared to be somewhat distracted. "Where's my father?" he asked. He knew his step-mother was still sleeping; he had seen her while looking for his father.

"He went out," Legolas curtly answered. "Give me the broom so I can finish."

"Such disrespect… For a servant," Raid sneered. He had reconsidered doing anything to the child, who was too innocent-looking for his own good. Not even he could bring himself to hurt a child so.

Legolas gritted his teeth and finally looked directly at the youth. "What do you want? I have work to do."

Raid smiled, as he slowly raised the broom up. "What do I want?" he repeated. "You, Elf."

"Go bother someone else," Legolas said, irritated. He was not in the mood to deal with this when his world- and life- were getting turned upside down. Believing that the youth would leave, the beautiful Elf sighed and turned to begin the dishes, when something hard struck him from behind.

Legolas fell to his knees on the ground, feeling a splitting headache coming on from whatever had hit him directly on the head. He looked up at the youth standing over him, with his sword drawn, and Legolas drew his own sword in one smooth, graceful movement. Ignoring the pain in his head, Legolas leapt to his feet, with the blade extended towards Raid's heart.

"Leave me be, lest I tell your father," Legolas warned. Both his head and his heart were hurting now.

Raid smirked, before lunging at the Elf. The deceptively thin Elven sword swung up to meet Raid's sword, easily blocking it with a loud clang. The two parried for a few moments, with Legolas having a slightly easier time of this than the youth. He had lived for far longer than him, and had faced Orcs that were tougher- or so he thought.

Yet neither could gain an advantage as their swords clashed, swung again, only to strike each other once more.

Legolas' head injury still pained him, impairing his senses a little. He had not changed his fighting style; always being bold and swift in his fighting, dancing a graceful dance of death to his enemies, but it was not as deadly or rapid as it should have been. He fought one whose will to win dwarfed his own will of survival, Legolas quickly grasped.

Legolas damned Elessar again, for keeping him too occupied to concentrate on this fight. With the turmoil inside of his heart currently, it was a struggle to keep his attention on the fight and his advantage over the young one. He lashed out with his right leg and striking Raid directly on his knee hard enough to shatter the kneecap. As he did that, something hard and metal struck his head for a second time, a harsh blow that he had not been able to block.

Darkness was what he knew… He faintly heard his sword strike the ground, right before he himself did.

Raid glared down at the motionless Elf, using his good leg to kick the limp figure hard in the ribs a few times, before doing so to the blond head, no less than three times, ensuring that the servant would not wake for some time. He glanced at the Elven blood on the hilt of his sword, from where he had struck the Elf with it, using all of his strength.

He knelt down over the motionless figure, and began messing with the Elf's shirt. Absentmindedly, Raid looked at the glittering Elven sword that had been dropped, figuring that he could sell it for a good price. Shock entered Raid's eyes, before he painfully picked the sword up and stared at the carved runes on it, to see them more closely. Twas Elvish, but he knew enough Elvish- just enough- to recognize the markings of Elven royalty on the sword.

Oh shit, Raid thought, before he dropped the sword and gaped at the limp, gorgeous creature in servants' clothes. This servant was an Elven Prince? Raid backed away after standing, not knowing what to do now, and finally fled, limping the entire way. Assaulting a servant was one thing; assaulting Elven royalty was another, in his opinion. That was just plain stupidity!

Elleelen woke up early, feeling hungry. He knew that his daddy was working this morning, so he would have to get himself something to eat from the kitchen. The young boy climbed out of bed, walking towards the kitchen His bare feet padded on the wooden floor, though the footsteps stopped when Elleelen spotted a very familiar looking figure lying on the floor, not moving.

"Daddy!" Elleelen cried, before he ran over and knelt beside his father. He whispered, "Daddy?" Elleelen was afraid to touch his father, that he might hurt him. Anger and fear both blazed in him when he saw the trickle of blood staining the floor, coming from his father.

The youth quickly stood and ran outside of the house, shouting for help. He didn't know what to do; his daddy was hurt and just laying there so still… And he had never felt so helpless before…

Elessar heard the agonized cry of 'Daddy', as he returned from procuring two horses for the journey to Gondor. His grey eyes spotted the small figure crying out for help, though hardly anyone was awake this early. The sun was not even up yet.

Concerned, Elessar walked over to the boy. "What's wrong?" he asked, a strange note in his voice. It was the first time he had spoken to his son- knowing that Elleelen was his son.

"Daddy…" Elleelen cried. He didn't like turning to the stranger who had been hurting his father before for help, but… he didn't have a choice. "Something's wrong with my daddy!" Elleelen half-sobbed.

Elessar quickly questioned, "Where is he?" Worry gnawed at him… What could be wrong with Legolas, that had Elleelen so frantic?

Elleelen grabbed a hold of one of the stranger's hands and tugged on it, leading him to where his daddy lay. Tears were running down the young face, tears of fear and desperation… Though he was not going to let whoever had hurt his father get away with it.

When Elessar saw the prone body laying on the floor, he dropped Elleelen's hand and quickly crossed the room, kneeling beside Legolas. His grey eyes rapidly assessed the Elf, seeing the bruises on the pale skin of Legolas' forehead, as well as the blood seeping from the back of his head. A ginger touch there produced a groan, followed by a cough, a gasping sound.

"Is my father all right?" Elleelen said, shaking. His face was pale, with silent tears running down it.

"I think so; he's just unconscious," Elessar told the boy, as he used his left hand to grab his handkerchief out of his pocket, before pressing it against the bleeding wound on Legolas' head.

Legolas groaned again, as his eyes blinked open. He struggled for a few moments to focus, trying to see if Raid was still there. Legolas stiffened, flinching when his head throbbed.

"What- what are you doing here?" Legolas muttered, wariness creeping into his eyes. He tried to sit up, but Elessar sternly kept him from moving.

The Man neutrally said, "I heard Elleelen crying out for help; he led me to you. And why wouldn't I be here? We are going to Gondor today, are we not?"

Elleelen had sat down on the other side of his father, and he frowned at the stranger's words. "Daddy's hurt; he can't go anywhere," he protested. "And he can't leave without me."

Legolas' eyes flickered over to his son. "I'm all right, Elleelen," he murmured. And he truly was; his head ached fiercely, as did his ribs, but those were minor pains that would heal soon. "And you are going with me… to Gondor." The Elf was surprised when Elessar assisted him in sitting up carefully.

Elessar supported Legolas with one arm holding him up. His other hand was still applying pressure to the bleeding wound, though it was tapering off finally. "Indeed, child. You are coming to Gondor, with your… daddy."

"I don't want to go to Gondor," Elleelen stubbornly said. "Daddy, why are we going there again?"

"I'll tell you when we get there, my son. Besides, you will get to see Kasia again," Legolas said, to distract his son. "She is Elessar's daughter."

Elleelen remembered Kasia, but he didn't know who the other person was. "Who's Elessar?" He supposed that it would be nice to see Kasia again; she was ok… for a girl. Though she had been a little rude at first when they had met.

"I am," the King of Gondor said.

"Oh," Elleelen said. He turned his attention back to his father, who was trying to stand.

Legolas told Elleelen, "And he is the King of Gondor, remember?" The blond beauty stood a little shakily, though it did hurt his head even worse. Not to mention the tension that he was feeling around Elessar.

Elessar moved to support Legolas, but was surprised when Elleelen reached him first.

"I 'member," Elleelen answered. He took one of his father's hands and held it. "Are you all right, Daddy? You look awfully pale."

"I-I think so," Legolas said, right before his knees gave out. He was not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing when Elessar caught him, leaning him against him for support.

"Guess you won't be riding alone, then," Elessar mused. "What happened to you?"

Legolas was surprised at the genuine concern in Elessar's voice, and it showed in azure eyes. "Nothing you should worry about. Where's my sword? Tis the only thing I have left of Mirkwood."

"Here, Daddy," Elleelen said, holding his father's precious sword out to him.

Elessar took the sword and sheathed it in the sheath hanging at Legolas' waist, before the Elf could do so. He bit back a sigh, for he was at a loss as to what to do now. Legolas could not ride a horse like this.

As if sensing Elessar's thoughts, Legolas sighed. "I can walk, instead of riding."

Lord Allen entered the kitchen then, and gasped at the pallor of Legolas' skin. "Are you all right, Legolas?"

Legolas opened his mouth to speak, but Elessar beat him to it.

"Legolas and Elleelen are coming with me to Gondor. He needs time to recover, as you can tell," the King said smoothly.

Allen was disturbed by the flash of sorrow, anger, and resentment in the blue depths of Legolas' eyes. He inwardly sighed and shook his head. Elessar must have learned that Elleelen was also his son, Lord Allen mused sadly. He nodded, for he could think of little else to do. Though he would pass the word on to a few of the other Elves that Legolas was returning to Gondor, in case any were interested.

Allen insisted on them using a carriage to reach Gondor- especially since Legolas was growing paler. Elessar agreed, for he did not want Legolas to get worse. He would, however, confront the Elf over just what had happened to him, to hurt him so.

Elleelen stood next to his daddy anxiously, until he was sent to get his bag, which he did, before the group of three, one brown-haired Man, and two golden-haired Elves got into the carriage.

Legolas was laid out flat in the back of the carriage, on one of the seats, against his protests. He was still reeling from how very different Raid was from his father, Allen, though he currently had to keep an eye on Elessar.

Elleelen tended to his father, offering him some water, and frowning when Elessar drew near to him. He didn't say anything, but a suspicious look was in his grey eyes, as they watched the Man.

Elessar wisely said nothing to antagonize his son, figuring that enough had happened today to the boy. Though he wanted to tell Elleelen that he was his sire, and claim his rightful place, instead of being regarded with suspicion.

And though he tried to hide it, Elessar was angry that Legolas had been hurt so badly. He knew that his sort-of Elven friend was in pain, and loathed himself for bringing more on it. The sooner they got to Gondor, the safer it would be for all of them. Whatever or whoever had hurt Legolas would not be able to reach him in Gondor.

Once there, Elessar believed that he could get to know his son… and his son's other father, who had apparently fallen asleep.

Elessar gave the coachman instructions to go straight to Gondor, as he settled himself on the other seat, next to a worried Elleelen.

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Gondor, sometime later

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Kasia was bored… and lonely, as she wandered through the palace. She had nothing to do and no one to play with, especially since her father had gone away to visit a friend of his.

The young Princess sighed, feeling sorry for herself. She missed her father, and wished that she had at least one friend to play with in the whole castle. But everyone was too busy, doing this or that.

No one had time to play with a lonely child, who had no mother, and a busy King for a father. Elessar played games with his daughter when he was home, but he wasn't here right now and Kasia didn't quite know what to do.

She finally skipped over to her father's throne and, giggling slightly, sat in it, draping her dangling feet over one side of it. Her green dress shone in the light, offsetting her grey eyes, as she pretended that she was a grand queen, awaiting her subjects to come forth and request her aid.

Kasia was so involved in her make-believe game that she almost didn't hear the cry being taken up that her father was back.

A beautiful, wide smile appeared on Kasia's face, before she leapt to her bare feet and went running out to meet him, holding the hem of her dress up, and not caring that she was behaving very unladylike, as her teachers would say.

Elessar genuinely smiled when he saw his little daughter running towards him, and caught her as she jumped at him. The two hugged for a few moments, before Kasia saw who was with him.

"Why are they here, Father?" she questioned curiously, as she twisted around to where she could see Elleelen, and what looked like his father.

Elessar answered, "Because they are going to be staying with us for quite a while, Kasia."

To be continued