Well, on a happy note, I don't have an incredibly long author's note to
stick up here, like last chapter's. FF. Net has a tendency to mash my
paragraphs together, and I don't like it. I'm working on figuring out their
formatting, so give me a few more chapters to work it out. Happy reading,
please review. Notes to my reviewers at the end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"Legolas,"
Someone caught the prince's arm as he made his way to the courtyard. As soon as he saw whom, his eyes dropped.
"Please, I don't understand. Are you angry at me?" Arwen's soft voice was filled with concern. Legolas, keeping his eyes on the ground, shook his head.
"Then why won't you speak to me?"
Legolas could do nothing. There was no body gesture he could make to tell her how he was feeling. No way to tell her of his restriction, no way to tell her he loved her. No way to apologize for failing her.
"If this about dinner tonight. I. I can explain that. I didn't want to be there. I haven't given in! I still have hope that you and I will make it out of this!"
There was no response. Legolas had come up with several theories concerning the dinner, but none of it mattered. All he knew was that he didn't blame her.
"Or how I've been treating you? It's not your fault. I'm trying so hard not to be frightened, because I love you. You know that, don't you?"
There was still no response. He knew it wasn't her fault. It was the king's. She didn't trust him anymore, and it was all the king's fault.
"Please, say something!"
Her voice had changed. Legolas knew she was crying, and he could do nothing to comfort her. He could fight it no longer, but finally looked deep into her imploring eyes.
A mistake he regretted immediately. He shook his head again, turning away from her. He walked away, with no destination in mind. She did not try to stop him. She saw everything she needed in his eyes. She knew something was desperately wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
He wanted to go home. But that wasn't going to happen. He began to doubt whether he would ever see the forests of Mirkwood again. Before he knew it, he was on his way back to the dungeons.
"Interesting that you're here." The king's voice reached Legolas' ears before he even touched the first stair.
He had no response, other than:
"Every part of me would like nothing more than to see your demise."
"You broke our agreement."
"I did nothing." Panic began to rise in the prince, wondering if the king did indeed know.
"Can you honestly tell me you didn't?"
'Curse my honesty,' Legolas thought, remaining silent and casting his eyes to the ground.
A soft chuckle came from the king. Legolas had to restrain himself from lunging forward. He suddenly realized the king was walking away from him.
"Where are you going?"
"Who are you to ask me questions of such nature?"
"I am royalty as well. I have my rights."
"Your stature means nothing here." The king turned to the courtyard. Suddenly, Legolas panicked. He was looking for Arwen. He broke into a run, quickly over taking the king, who only watched with amusement.
Legolas was relieved that he could not find her in the open courtyard; it gave him more time to get her out of the king's reach. He navigated his way quickly through the hallways of the castle until he came to her room. He didn't knock, but quietly closed the door behind him.
"Come, Arwen. We are leaving right now."
There was no love or sympathy or kindness in his voice, only a strict urgency. She did not hesitate to follow him.
"Whatever happens, my love, do not let go of my hand," Legolas said as he intertwined fingers with her. She nodded, following him down the hallway.
They did not go far before they heard at least a dozen men running towards them. Legolas pulled his beloved into an empty room.
"It'll be our heads if they escape."
"Quit mumbling. They couldn't have gotten far."
A battle of logic took place in Legolas' mind. The guards obviously knew that they were trying to escape, so they would be running towards the exit. Follow them, and risk being caught, or run the other way and look for another exit?
Legolas did not say a word, quickly leaving the room for the hallway again. He would follow them.
"Legolas?"
"Shh, quiet, Arwen." The girl nodded, a gesture unnoticed by the prince.
Legolas slipped quietly into a narrower hallway, only to become aware of approaching footsteps in front of them.
"Go," he hissed, shoving Arwen in the direction they had come from.
"No, they're coming from there too."
The elf cursed, falling into his native tongue. He finally realized there was no way out, and cursed again for getting them into this situation. He finally pushed his companion into the wall, and covered her with his own body. Just seconds later, men were at him.
They pulled at him, trying fruitlessly to get him away from the girl, but he would not move. They soon resorted to inflicting pain. He took their blows without so much as a grimace; he would not let Arwen see him in pain. She knew, though. Legolas, deep within himself, was vaguely aware of her shaking body in his arms; she was crying. He was digging his nails into the stone wall, doing everything he could to protect her. Where was the king? Surely he knew they were here.
"Legolas," she whispered in her own tongue, "The banquet tonight, it wasn't of my choosing."
"I know." Legolas gritted his teeth as he said this. Why was she saying this now?
Finally, after Legolas thought he was numbed to the pain, a whip was brought across his back so rashly that he nearly cried out.
The guards took this instant of weakness to pull the elven prince away, but Legolas was soon on his guard again. Using his free hand, for with the other he still held Arwen, he fought. The grip on his hand tightened, and he realized Arwen was fighting to stay near him. He abandoned fighting to get close to her, and the guards pulled at them all the harder. Her fingers finally slipped from his, and he was thrown on the flat of his back. Mithnien stood above him, malice in his eyes.
"You shouldn't have tried that, elf." He kicked with all his might, and stars exploded in the prince's vision. He felt the cracking of a rib more that he heard it. He let himself be pulled to his feet, too weakened to fight back. A sword hilt was brought down on the prince's skull, and blackness claimed him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
He woke up hours, maybe even days later in a very small room, if it could be called a room. His own body barely fit, and there were no windows. Legolas felt the walls, noticing solid stone. He panicked, a sort of claustrophobia overwhelming him. His body screamed at the flood of adrenaline, pain spreading like a wild fire through his body. Legolas' heart began pounding wildly, and he felt as though he were suffocating.
Suddenly, a door, which had been previously invisible to the elf, opened. Harsh light flooded the room, which Legolas would later in his memories call a closet. He shut his eyes tightly, not denying his body the gasps for air he so desperately needed.
"I wonder," a voice laced with cruel amusement broke into Legolas' thoughts. "I wonder how long it would take until we could make you scream."
Legolas recognized the voice through his painfully hazed mind. He gave the king no response.
"It didn't take Arwen long, although she fought valiantly."
Legolas slowly opened his eyes. "What have you done with her?"
The king smiled down at him. "I was surprised, she is usually so obedient."
Legolas fought his body's protests as he stood to be slightly taller than the king. If he had any doubt before that Arwen was indeed the prince's weakness, he hadn't now.
"She had to be punished for trying to escape. As do you, now that you are awake."
Legolas became painfully aware of at least two dozen men behind the king, waiting for his signal to attack. They needn't wait long for it. The king stepped out of their way, letting them grab at the prince. Though he fought bravely, he was soon on the ground. He had little strength from the previous skirmish, and the adrenaline of the small room had drained the last of his energy. He had no weapon, no way to fight back, for he was greatly outnumbered. He curled himself into a tight ball, and ignored the pain in doing this, for even breathing caused him pain.
He fared well, considering his circumstances, but the king's guards soon caught on to his trick. A heavy boot landed square in his back, and his body unwillingly uncurled in reaction. The captain grabbed the prince's hands, and another grabbed at his feet, forcing his body to completely abandon its protective position. The prince gave up fighting, letting the empty blackness envelope him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Arwen woke with a start, feeling the prince stir under her hand. She quickly moved into his line of vision. If he were to awake, which she was not sure he would, for he had stirred several times that night, she didn't not want his tormentors to be the first faces he saw. She watched as his eyes opened painfully.
"Arwen.?"
"Shhh, yes, it is I."
Legolas took in as deep a breath as his body would allow him. He had not the energy to speak in any language but his own, and so he slipped into the grey tongue. "Why- how are you here?"
"You, girl, speak in the common tongue."
Arwen closed her eyes at the command, feeling Legolas' body tense under her. She had kept her hand over his heart for as long as she had been with him, which had been days. He was scared, just knowing that caused the girl's heart to break. "It is all right, Legolas. The king permitted me to be here with you."
"They're still here?"
Arwen shook her head in disgust. "Yes. But they will do nothing else to you. Tell me, where are you hurt?"
"I am fine. And of you? How are you?"
The elf bit her lip. She did not know what to tell him. "I tried so hard not to let go of you."
"Arwen, I am so sorry that I wasn't there for you."
"What is he saying?" a guard broke into their conversation.
"Leave us be!" Arwen said, her anger apparent in her voice.
"You are in no position to be giving me orders, girl," the guard stood, a deadly look in his eyes. Arwen only turned her attention away from him and back to Legolas.
His eyes were vacant, and his body was cold to the touch. He was shaking visibly beneath her hand.
"What did you do to him?" She hissed at the guards behind her.
One of them smiled wickedly. "One of the whips may have been poisoned. You never know."
"What is the meaning of this?" a voice unfamiliar to Legolas entered the conversation.
The prince felt Arwen's hand move away from his chest as she knelt in the soft earth. "Lord Enimodel," she whispered.
"Rise, child. What is going on here?"
A guard spoke for Arwen. "You have no business here. You are but a guest of the king."
"As far as I know, a guest of the king is above those who serve him," Enimodel said calmly, but with a daring tone in his voice.
The guard had no reply, unable to deny the statement. The man nodded, turning back to Arwen and the prince. "Go on, child, do not fear to speak in front of me."
"You can trust him, Arwen."
Enimodel looked at the prince, wondering what made him so sure. Arwen did the same, but did not openly question his words.
"It is a long story, sir."
"I have time." Enimodel sat next to Arwen and her betrothed. He placed a hand on the prince's chest, checking for his heart beat; it was much too fast. He noticed as Arwen glanced at the guards that formed a circle around her. He followed her gaze. "Do not fear, I will not let any harm come to you so long as I can help it."
Arwen took a long, shaky breath. "I know not where to begin."
Enimodel smiled at her attempts to stall. "Start from the beginning."
"We were traveling to Mirkwood in preparation for. our wedding. But we were captured." She had to fight back the emotions that threatened to explode from her. She began speaking rapidly in elvish, not noticing how she switched.
"The king gave Legolas to his guards as a source of pleasure and fun for them." She paused.
"And of you?" He prodded her along.
"And of me. I was naught but a business deal. We tried to escape, but. we were overpowered. and. punished." She stopped to take another breath, but collapsed into tears. Enimodel took her into his arms, whispering soothing words in her ear.
"Lord Enimodel," a threatening voice seized Legolas' body, and he curled in defense again. Arwen broke away from Enimodel, bringing what comfort she could to Legolas. He resisted her, and she wasn't even sure that he knew she was near.
"Lord Tarduain," the other replied. He should have known that one of the guards would certainly fetch the king. "It is unusual to see servants treated as such."
"They tried to escape from me. They had to be punished."
"Naturally, but to such a degree?" He motioned towards Legolas' curled form.
"It is no matter to you what I do with my possessions."
Arwen finally let her anger loose. She stood on her feet, as tall as Enimodel next to her. "We are not intimate things, possessions! We are living beings!"
The king's expression changed. His eyes showed his anger at the girl's outburst, and so she quieted. Enimodel watched this exchange, making sure he stayed between her and the king.
"I will buy them from you."
"They are not for sale, I'm afraid to say. Though both of them are quite a handful."
"Then some deal we could make?"
"No. They both belong to me, and so it shall stay that way."
"A bet then. If I should win, I get one of them."
The king sighed. "I have not the time for your games. If it means that much, take one. I will be better off without them. Take one and leave my palace forever."
"Take Legolas," Arwen whispered. "He needs help."
Legolas shook his head, coming back to the present, much to Arwen's surprise. "Please, take her. I can not bear to see her stay here."
Under any other circumstances, Enimodel would have taken Legolas so he could get medical attention, but there was something in the elf's eyes that made him change his mind.
He grabbed Arwen's arm, after a slight nod at Legolas, (which went unseen,) began to pull her through the circle of guards.
"No," she spoke quietly at first, but then fought against the man who held her, trying to get back to Legolas. "No!"
"Quiet, child. It is for the best."
Legolas closed his eyes, trying to close off all of his overloaded senses. Her protests were too much for him to handle. She was safe now, and that was all that mattered.
"No! Can't you see that he needs help?"
"You have to trust me."
"Why should I? Men haven't proven themselves trustworthy!"
Enimodel just looked at her for a minute, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh," she said in quiet realization. She took one last glance at the prince.
"He'll be fine. I'll make sure of that."
Arwen nodded, allowing herself to be led away. Suddenly, an order was given.
"Kill him."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Oh, don't kill me for the cliffhanger. it's my way of assuring you all come back!
*Nina*: You will be finding out more about Enimodel (the man at dinner) in a couple of chapters. well, actually, he was in this chapter, but you find out *who* he is in a short while. He plays a major role in the next chapter, and by chapter 6, you'll know exactly who he is. I hadn't thought of that, but Tarduain is a cruel king of men, and therefore all of his "friends" would be likely to be cruel, right? Besides, at this point in Tolkien history, elves and men don't have much to do with each other, so it's not likely that one of the men would go home and tell the elves about it. I don't think Tarduain thought about that either, he was just trying to show off. Thanks for pointing that out though, I may go edit it.
*SilverSabor*: Ah, thanks! Well, here you are, another chapter!
*Wilwaren*: How was this chapter for suspense? I hate cliffhangers, so I feel so badly that I wrote one. hope you enjoyed it at any rate.
*Lily*: It's all good, I don't care for her much either. Unfortunately, she did make a great plot line for later on. And sorry to mention it, but you are going to have to wait. let's see, four, maybe five chapters before the romance ends. However, nothing gets really gushy in those chapters. (Jeez, I'm giving away my story..) But I am turning this into and Aragorn/Legolas friendship series, so at least it's not four or five more stories, right?
Mystery Elf: I'm sorry, I feel like a dolt for asking this, but you promised what? I didn't review, but good job on chapter three of yours!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"Legolas,"
Someone caught the prince's arm as he made his way to the courtyard. As soon as he saw whom, his eyes dropped.
"Please, I don't understand. Are you angry at me?" Arwen's soft voice was filled with concern. Legolas, keeping his eyes on the ground, shook his head.
"Then why won't you speak to me?"
Legolas could do nothing. There was no body gesture he could make to tell her how he was feeling. No way to tell her of his restriction, no way to tell her he loved her. No way to apologize for failing her.
"If this about dinner tonight. I. I can explain that. I didn't want to be there. I haven't given in! I still have hope that you and I will make it out of this!"
There was no response. Legolas had come up with several theories concerning the dinner, but none of it mattered. All he knew was that he didn't blame her.
"Or how I've been treating you? It's not your fault. I'm trying so hard not to be frightened, because I love you. You know that, don't you?"
There was still no response. He knew it wasn't her fault. It was the king's. She didn't trust him anymore, and it was all the king's fault.
"Please, say something!"
Her voice had changed. Legolas knew she was crying, and he could do nothing to comfort her. He could fight it no longer, but finally looked deep into her imploring eyes.
A mistake he regretted immediately. He shook his head again, turning away from her. He walked away, with no destination in mind. She did not try to stop him. She saw everything she needed in his eyes. She knew something was desperately wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
He wanted to go home. But that wasn't going to happen. He began to doubt whether he would ever see the forests of Mirkwood again. Before he knew it, he was on his way back to the dungeons.
"Interesting that you're here." The king's voice reached Legolas' ears before he even touched the first stair.
He had no response, other than:
"Every part of me would like nothing more than to see your demise."
"You broke our agreement."
"I did nothing." Panic began to rise in the prince, wondering if the king did indeed know.
"Can you honestly tell me you didn't?"
'Curse my honesty,' Legolas thought, remaining silent and casting his eyes to the ground.
A soft chuckle came from the king. Legolas had to restrain himself from lunging forward. He suddenly realized the king was walking away from him.
"Where are you going?"
"Who are you to ask me questions of such nature?"
"I am royalty as well. I have my rights."
"Your stature means nothing here." The king turned to the courtyard. Suddenly, Legolas panicked. He was looking for Arwen. He broke into a run, quickly over taking the king, who only watched with amusement.
Legolas was relieved that he could not find her in the open courtyard; it gave him more time to get her out of the king's reach. He navigated his way quickly through the hallways of the castle until he came to her room. He didn't knock, but quietly closed the door behind him.
"Come, Arwen. We are leaving right now."
There was no love or sympathy or kindness in his voice, only a strict urgency. She did not hesitate to follow him.
"Whatever happens, my love, do not let go of my hand," Legolas said as he intertwined fingers with her. She nodded, following him down the hallway.
They did not go far before they heard at least a dozen men running towards them. Legolas pulled his beloved into an empty room.
"It'll be our heads if they escape."
"Quit mumbling. They couldn't have gotten far."
A battle of logic took place in Legolas' mind. The guards obviously knew that they were trying to escape, so they would be running towards the exit. Follow them, and risk being caught, or run the other way and look for another exit?
Legolas did not say a word, quickly leaving the room for the hallway again. He would follow them.
"Legolas?"
"Shh, quiet, Arwen." The girl nodded, a gesture unnoticed by the prince.
Legolas slipped quietly into a narrower hallway, only to become aware of approaching footsteps in front of them.
"Go," he hissed, shoving Arwen in the direction they had come from.
"No, they're coming from there too."
The elf cursed, falling into his native tongue. He finally realized there was no way out, and cursed again for getting them into this situation. He finally pushed his companion into the wall, and covered her with his own body. Just seconds later, men were at him.
They pulled at him, trying fruitlessly to get him away from the girl, but he would not move. They soon resorted to inflicting pain. He took their blows without so much as a grimace; he would not let Arwen see him in pain. She knew, though. Legolas, deep within himself, was vaguely aware of her shaking body in his arms; she was crying. He was digging his nails into the stone wall, doing everything he could to protect her. Where was the king? Surely he knew they were here.
"Legolas," she whispered in her own tongue, "The banquet tonight, it wasn't of my choosing."
"I know." Legolas gritted his teeth as he said this. Why was she saying this now?
Finally, after Legolas thought he was numbed to the pain, a whip was brought across his back so rashly that he nearly cried out.
The guards took this instant of weakness to pull the elven prince away, but Legolas was soon on his guard again. Using his free hand, for with the other he still held Arwen, he fought. The grip on his hand tightened, and he realized Arwen was fighting to stay near him. He abandoned fighting to get close to her, and the guards pulled at them all the harder. Her fingers finally slipped from his, and he was thrown on the flat of his back. Mithnien stood above him, malice in his eyes.
"You shouldn't have tried that, elf." He kicked with all his might, and stars exploded in the prince's vision. He felt the cracking of a rib more that he heard it. He let himself be pulled to his feet, too weakened to fight back. A sword hilt was brought down on the prince's skull, and blackness claimed him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
He woke up hours, maybe even days later in a very small room, if it could be called a room. His own body barely fit, and there were no windows. Legolas felt the walls, noticing solid stone. He panicked, a sort of claustrophobia overwhelming him. His body screamed at the flood of adrenaline, pain spreading like a wild fire through his body. Legolas' heart began pounding wildly, and he felt as though he were suffocating.
Suddenly, a door, which had been previously invisible to the elf, opened. Harsh light flooded the room, which Legolas would later in his memories call a closet. He shut his eyes tightly, not denying his body the gasps for air he so desperately needed.
"I wonder," a voice laced with cruel amusement broke into Legolas' thoughts. "I wonder how long it would take until we could make you scream."
Legolas recognized the voice through his painfully hazed mind. He gave the king no response.
"It didn't take Arwen long, although she fought valiantly."
Legolas slowly opened his eyes. "What have you done with her?"
The king smiled down at him. "I was surprised, she is usually so obedient."
Legolas fought his body's protests as he stood to be slightly taller than the king. If he had any doubt before that Arwen was indeed the prince's weakness, he hadn't now.
"She had to be punished for trying to escape. As do you, now that you are awake."
Legolas became painfully aware of at least two dozen men behind the king, waiting for his signal to attack. They needn't wait long for it. The king stepped out of their way, letting them grab at the prince. Though he fought bravely, he was soon on the ground. He had little strength from the previous skirmish, and the adrenaline of the small room had drained the last of his energy. He had no weapon, no way to fight back, for he was greatly outnumbered. He curled himself into a tight ball, and ignored the pain in doing this, for even breathing caused him pain.
He fared well, considering his circumstances, but the king's guards soon caught on to his trick. A heavy boot landed square in his back, and his body unwillingly uncurled in reaction. The captain grabbed the prince's hands, and another grabbed at his feet, forcing his body to completely abandon its protective position. The prince gave up fighting, letting the empty blackness envelope him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Arwen woke with a start, feeling the prince stir under her hand. She quickly moved into his line of vision. If he were to awake, which she was not sure he would, for he had stirred several times that night, she didn't not want his tormentors to be the first faces he saw. She watched as his eyes opened painfully.
"Arwen.?"
"Shhh, yes, it is I."
Legolas took in as deep a breath as his body would allow him. He had not the energy to speak in any language but his own, and so he slipped into the grey tongue. "Why- how are you here?"
"You, girl, speak in the common tongue."
Arwen closed her eyes at the command, feeling Legolas' body tense under her. She had kept her hand over his heart for as long as she had been with him, which had been days. He was scared, just knowing that caused the girl's heart to break. "It is all right, Legolas. The king permitted me to be here with you."
"They're still here?"
Arwen shook her head in disgust. "Yes. But they will do nothing else to you. Tell me, where are you hurt?"
"I am fine. And of you? How are you?"
The elf bit her lip. She did not know what to tell him. "I tried so hard not to let go of you."
"Arwen, I am so sorry that I wasn't there for you."
"What is he saying?" a guard broke into their conversation.
"Leave us be!" Arwen said, her anger apparent in her voice.
"You are in no position to be giving me orders, girl," the guard stood, a deadly look in his eyes. Arwen only turned her attention away from him and back to Legolas.
His eyes were vacant, and his body was cold to the touch. He was shaking visibly beneath her hand.
"What did you do to him?" She hissed at the guards behind her.
One of them smiled wickedly. "One of the whips may have been poisoned. You never know."
"What is the meaning of this?" a voice unfamiliar to Legolas entered the conversation.
The prince felt Arwen's hand move away from his chest as she knelt in the soft earth. "Lord Enimodel," she whispered.
"Rise, child. What is going on here?"
A guard spoke for Arwen. "You have no business here. You are but a guest of the king."
"As far as I know, a guest of the king is above those who serve him," Enimodel said calmly, but with a daring tone in his voice.
The guard had no reply, unable to deny the statement. The man nodded, turning back to Arwen and the prince. "Go on, child, do not fear to speak in front of me."
"You can trust him, Arwen."
Enimodel looked at the prince, wondering what made him so sure. Arwen did the same, but did not openly question his words.
"It is a long story, sir."
"I have time." Enimodel sat next to Arwen and her betrothed. He placed a hand on the prince's chest, checking for his heart beat; it was much too fast. He noticed as Arwen glanced at the guards that formed a circle around her. He followed her gaze. "Do not fear, I will not let any harm come to you so long as I can help it."
Arwen took a long, shaky breath. "I know not where to begin."
Enimodel smiled at her attempts to stall. "Start from the beginning."
"We were traveling to Mirkwood in preparation for. our wedding. But we were captured." She had to fight back the emotions that threatened to explode from her. She began speaking rapidly in elvish, not noticing how she switched.
"The king gave Legolas to his guards as a source of pleasure and fun for them." She paused.
"And of you?" He prodded her along.
"And of me. I was naught but a business deal. We tried to escape, but. we were overpowered. and. punished." She stopped to take another breath, but collapsed into tears. Enimodel took her into his arms, whispering soothing words in her ear.
"Lord Enimodel," a threatening voice seized Legolas' body, and he curled in defense again. Arwen broke away from Enimodel, bringing what comfort she could to Legolas. He resisted her, and she wasn't even sure that he knew she was near.
"Lord Tarduain," the other replied. He should have known that one of the guards would certainly fetch the king. "It is unusual to see servants treated as such."
"They tried to escape from me. They had to be punished."
"Naturally, but to such a degree?" He motioned towards Legolas' curled form.
"It is no matter to you what I do with my possessions."
Arwen finally let her anger loose. She stood on her feet, as tall as Enimodel next to her. "We are not intimate things, possessions! We are living beings!"
The king's expression changed. His eyes showed his anger at the girl's outburst, and so she quieted. Enimodel watched this exchange, making sure he stayed between her and the king.
"I will buy them from you."
"They are not for sale, I'm afraid to say. Though both of them are quite a handful."
"Then some deal we could make?"
"No. They both belong to me, and so it shall stay that way."
"A bet then. If I should win, I get one of them."
The king sighed. "I have not the time for your games. If it means that much, take one. I will be better off without them. Take one and leave my palace forever."
"Take Legolas," Arwen whispered. "He needs help."
Legolas shook his head, coming back to the present, much to Arwen's surprise. "Please, take her. I can not bear to see her stay here."
Under any other circumstances, Enimodel would have taken Legolas so he could get medical attention, but there was something in the elf's eyes that made him change his mind.
He grabbed Arwen's arm, after a slight nod at Legolas, (which went unseen,) began to pull her through the circle of guards.
"No," she spoke quietly at first, but then fought against the man who held her, trying to get back to Legolas. "No!"
"Quiet, child. It is for the best."
Legolas closed his eyes, trying to close off all of his overloaded senses. Her protests were too much for him to handle. She was safe now, and that was all that mattered.
"No! Can't you see that he needs help?"
"You have to trust me."
"Why should I? Men haven't proven themselves trustworthy!"
Enimodel just looked at her for a minute, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh," she said in quiet realization. She took one last glance at the prince.
"He'll be fine. I'll make sure of that."
Arwen nodded, allowing herself to be led away. Suddenly, an order was given.
"Kill him."
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Oh, don't kill me for the cliffhanger. it's my way of assuring you all come back!
*Nina*: You will be finding out more about Enimodel (the man at dinner) in a couple of chapters. well, actually, he was in this chapter, but you find out *who* he is in a short while. He plays a major role in the next chapter, and by chapter 6, you'll know exactly who he is. I hadn't thought of that, but Tarduain is a cruel king of men, and therefore all of his "friends" would be likely to be cruel, right? Besides, at this point in Tolkien history, elves and men don't have much to do with each other, so it's not likely that one of the men would go home and tell the elves about it. I don't think Tarduain thought about that either, he was just trying to show off. Thanks for pointing that out though, I may go edit it.
*SilverSabor*: Ah, thanks! Well, here you are, another chapter!
*Wilwaren*: How was this chapter for suspense? I hate cliffhangers, so I feel so badly that I wrote one. hope you enjoyed it at any rate.
*Lily*: It's all good, I don't care for her much either. Unfortunately, she did make a great plot line for later on. And sorry to mention it, but you are going to have to wait. let's see, four, maybe five chapters before the romance ends. However, nothing gets really gushy in those chapters. (Jeez, I'm giving away my story..) But I am turning this into and Aragorn/Legolas friendship series, so at least it's not four or five more stories, right?
Mystery Elf: I'm sorry, I feel like a dolt for asking this, but you promised what? I didn't review, but good job on chapter three of yours!