We lost our v-ball game tonight. Actually, we were mercied. Spanked.
Killed. 25 to 9. That's just harsh.
Hm, what did this boss person have to say? Sorry this didn't get updated for a while, but this chapter wasn't even in the original draft, and we had a volleyball match on Thursday and this has been an extremely draining week, and blah blah blah. Anyway, here we go! Enjoy!
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Aragorn jumped as the wide doors were thrown open, and two burly men came forward. The carried the unconscious elf between them. Actually, drug was more the word Aragorn would have used.
They carelessly dropped the elf in front of the human, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Aragorn protested. "What did you do to him?"
One of the guards shrugged, but the other smiled. "He had a little one on one with the boss."
The other nodded. "It'll be your turn soon enough, though I think you'll be awake when she's done with you."
Aragorn started. "She?"
"Don't think the boss is any less brutal just because she's a woman. I've dealt with men who were turned to babies in front of her."
The man tried to shake off the information, dealing with the problem at hand. "What did she do to Legolas?"
"She tried to talk to him, but he had to go and put up a fight. She calmed him enough to let him know where he stands, and then she put him under."
"Is he still alive?"
"Unfortunately."
A small part of Aragorn childishly agreed with the other man, but he squashed the thought. The doors were slammed, and Aragorn knelt next to the elf. He reached out to shake the elf awake, but as soon as he touched Legolas' shoulder, he pulled away. It was the elf's shuddering reaction that caused it, but then he noticed the dark stain on his fingers. Blood. Legolas' blood.
The blood of a Firstborn.
Aragorn shivered. This wasn't right, Legolas shouldn't even be here, but he had to go and save the human's life. By all rights, Legolas should be well and alive in Rivendell, and Aragorn should be dead.
"Get away from me," growled the elf below Aragorn.
The human backed away immediately. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Fine, lie there and bleed to death, I don't care."
"Do not talk to me in such a manner!" Legolas hissed at the pain that raising his voice caused.
"What I said earlier, about you, well, I felt bad about it. The thing is, you just keep proving me correct. Your royalty does not make you any higher than the rest of us."
"I do not try to be above you, but if you're going to make it this easy for me," Legolas was clenching his eyes shut, fighting the pain that threatened to take him. He would not let Aragorn see that.
"Your king, your father, is as unjust as any human king."
"Our laws set equality on all of us. What is it that you have to pick a fight every time I'm awake?"
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."
"Shut your mouth, human. You don't know what you're talking about. We are all equal. You've never been to my home, so do not speak of it."
"Nor should I like to be there, if you're any image of what the people are like."
He waited for the elf to retort, but no answer came. Maybe he struck a chord. "What did she do to you?"
"Nothing, be quiet."
Aragorn watched as Legolas tried to dress his own wounds. "Nothing, oh, okay. That explains all the blood."
"You'll have to go to her too."
"I can help you with those wounds, if only you'd let me."
Legolas looked up, locking eyes with Aragorn. "Would you let me help you?"
Aragorn shook his head truthfully.
"All right, then. I trust you. With the bandages."
Aragorn walked to the elf, helping the creature slide out of his tunic. He noticed the shudders that passed over the being's frame, and his heart fell to pity. "Can you lay on our back for me?"
Legolas said nothing, his overactive senses yelling at him, but he did as the human asked. Aragorn traced a bruise on the elf's chest, then quickly pressed on the rib closet to it.
Legolas hissed in pain, his body curling up. Aragorn pushed him back down. "There comes a time when you have to let go of your stubbornness."
"All I have left is my dignity, and will keep nothing else if but that."
"Your dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered."
Legolas closed his eyes in pain and said nothing. If that were the case, he would sooner die.
"I've found out that this place is a sort of coliseum."
Estel looked at the elf whose body was torn. "What do you mean?" His heart went out to him, but he was doing all he could for Legolas.
"They pit humans against each other. They fight to the death. That is what we are to be used for."
Aragorn said nothing, not quite sure if he should believe the elf. Besides, if they pitted HUMANS against each other, what did the elf have to worry about?
"She doesn't play fair, Estel."
Aragorn laughed despite everything. "Really? I couldn't have guessed."
"I don't understand you, human. You're nice and compassionate, and then you turn into the man I expect you to turn into."
Aragorn shook his head. "No, I don't. You expect me to turn into the man that hurt you."
Legolas was shocked by the quiet statement, which held the first sympathetic tone the ranger had given to the elf. He hesitated in his protest, "No man has hurt me. Many have tried, but none have succeeded. Your race is too weak to break a Firstborn."
"Maybe we are, but they did break you," He laid a hand on the elf's stomach, and he flinched away. "See? You recoil from my touch, and I have done nothing to lose your trust. What conclusion should that lead me to? You're scared of me, but not just me. You're scared of all of us."
Legolas could not respond. He could not deny the truth, but nor would he affirm it for the human.
The doors were thrown open, and Legolas jumped. Aragorn sighed, following him to his feet.
"You, human. The boss wants to see you. Let's go. Sherock, you and your men stay with the elf. The boss wants him to learn some manners."
Aragorn walked forward without protest, but glanced back at the elf. Legolas was staring back at him, his eyes wide and fearful, almost begging him not to leave. Aragorn had seen the look once before, when he was younger. It was the very look his mother had graced him with the last time he saw her.
His heart broke, and with it his hatred for the elf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
The young human walked calmly with the guards at his side, knowing that a struggle would gain him nothing. He was stopped before two grandly carved doors, and was slightly awed by the magnificence of them.
"The Lady is the last of her line of royalty, and they say she possesses magic. Listen to her, do as she says, and tell the truth. She knows more than you can imagine."
The human made no response, and the doors were pushed aside. "My Lady," the guard who had warned him bowed low, and Aragorn felt hands pressing him to do the same. "We have brought the other prisoner. He comes without a fight."
The human allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.
"That is far more than can be said of your companion, human. Tell me your name."
Aragorn said nothing, but studied the woman for a while. She was definitely human, and young, no more than twenty winters, his own age. She was stunningly beautiful.
"Tell me your name, or shall I be forced to call you 'human?' My slaves have numbers. I shall call you by your number if you so desire."
Perhaps he could use her beauty to his advantage. "Forgive me, My lady. The sight of you has rendered me silent. They call me Estel."
The woman smiled. "Are you elvish, with such a name?"
"No, milady, but my parents rather fancied them. May I inquire as to what they call you?"
"You may, though I shall not respond. It is not for you to know."
"Surely you do not torture every man such as you do me. Such a beauty must have a name, or so kill a man with madness at wondering."
The guards were grumbling at the man, seeing how well their boss liked this new prisoner.
"Perhaps I will not send you to the Fields, Estel. Perhaps I will keep you with me. I had thought about it with the elf, but for the trouble he causes, I'd rather he just die on the Fields."
"The Fields, milady? I do not understand."
One of the guards broke in. "The Killing Fields, properly. It's where we have you fight to your death. Or theirs, if you're lucky."
The lady had stood from her throne and was walking towards Aragorn. He smiled bashfully, and she took his face in her hands. Leaning close to him, so that her lips grazed his ear, she whispered, "I see what you are doing, Estel, and I don't buy it for one minute. Your sweet tongue is filled with lies, and I do not tolerate lies."
She stepped back, releasing her hold on Aragorn. She smiled at the shocked look on his face and locked eyes with him. "Boys, the penalty for lying to me, what is it?"
"A flogging, milday."
"Then get to it." She smiled again at her new slave. "Do not fear, you will learn quickly enough. Of course, by then, you'll probably be dead."
Her laugh as sweet as honey, but it chilled the Northerner to the bone.
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To my reviewers, whom I'm answering before I've even written this chapter:
Anolinde: Ah, thanks! Yay! My first Poor Aragorn, (or variant thereof!) And sheesh, I can't tell you what's gonna happen! That ruins the story, lol!
Tamara: Thanks! Hope this wasn't too long of a wait.
Nikki: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Lol.
Rose: I'll always continue, lol! Thanks for reviewing!
Jadelyn Rashwe: Haha, how can you not leave cliffies? It's so much fun tormenting your readers. ::smiles wickedly::
Sky: Yes, it is a development, lol. Thanks!
Ture-Slytherin-Girl: Thanks!!!
Jamie: Aw, I'm blushing. Thanks!
Calandra: Yes I did, it's easier than typing the prefix you added to it. If you prefer, I'll add the Legolas' next time. Lol, hey, I couldn't upload in Hawaii!
LeggyLover03: Hm, he should, yeah. We'll see.
Fire Eagle: Lol, well, sheesh, I have to stick some Estel torture in there too. But don't worry, there's elf torture soon. (Maybe this chapter, since I still haven't written it.)
Das Blume: Right on! A long review! Hey, hope the pain goes away. You gave me an idea though, maybe I'll stick some Thranduil in this chapter. (Why am I answering reviews when I haven't even written the chapter?)
Lulu Bell: Wow, I'm blushing! Thank you so much! ::big smiles:: Good luck at your soccer game. Hopefully you'll do better than my volleyball team did, lol. Hm, that's an interesting way of looking at it. I had kind of thought that Legolas wouldn't tell him the whole story because of how much he currently hates him. To Legolas, that would just make him weak in front of the human's eyes, and that's the last thing he wants to do. I'll have to think about that, though. And wow, sheesh, I'm trying to hurry with this chapter! It would have been up days ago if it had been written, lol. Thanks for the reviews, those were so much fun!
Dimostiel: Thanks! Did this help, or do I still have ya guessin'? ::winks::
Hm, what did this boss person have to say? Sorry this didn't get updated for a while, but this chapter wasn't even in the original draft, and we had a volleyball match on Thursday and this has been an extremely draining week, and blah blah blah. Anyway, here we go! Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Aragorn jumped as the wide doors were thrown open, and two burly men came forward. The carried the unconscious elf between them. Actually, drug was more the word Aragorn would have used.
They carelessly dropped the elf in front of the human, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Aragorn protested. "What did you do to him?"
One of the guards shrugged, but the other smiled. "He had a little one on one with the boss."
The other nodded. "It'll be your turn soon enough, though I think you'll be awake when she's done with you."
Aragorn started. "She?"
"Don't think the boss is any less brutal just because she's a woman. I've dealt with men who were turned to babies in front of her."
The man tried to shake off the information, dealing with the problem at hand. "What did she do to Legolas?"
"She tried to talk to him, but he had to go and put up a fight. She calmed him enough to let him know where he stands, and then she put him under."
"Is he still alive?"
"Unfortunately."
A small part of Aragorn childishly agreed with the other man, but he squashed the thought. The doors were slammed, and Aragorn knelt next to the elf. He reached out to shake the elf awake, but as soon as he touched Legolas' shoulder, he pulled away. It was the elf's shuddering reaction that caused it, but then he noticed the dark stain on his fingers. Blood. Legolas' blood.
The blood of a Firstborn.
Aragorn shivered. This wasn't right, Legolas shouldn't even be here, but he had to go and save the human's life. By all rights, Legolas should be well and alive in Rivendell, and Aragorn should be dead.
"Get away from me," growled the elf below Aragorn.
The human backed away immediately. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Fine, lie there and bleed to death, I don't care."
"Do not talk to me in such a manner!" Legolas hissed at the pain that raising his voice caused.
"What I said earlier, about you, well, I felt bad about it. The thing is, you just keep proving me correct. Your royalty does not make you any higher than the rest of us."
"I do not try to be above you, but if you're going to make it this easy for me," Legolas was clenching his eyes shut, fighting the pain that threatened to take him. He would not let Aragorn see that.
"Your king, your father, is as unjust as any human king."
"Our laws set equality on all of us. What is it that you have to pick a fight every time I'm awake?"
"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."
"Shut your mouth, human. You don't know what you're talking about. We are all equal. You've never been to my home, so do not speak of it."
"Nor should I like to be there, if you're any image of what the people are like."
He waited for the elf to retort, but no answer came. Maybe he struck a chord. "What did she do to you?"
"Nothing, be quiet."
Aragorn watched as Legolas tried to dress his own wounds. "Nothing, oh, okay. That explains all the blood."
"You'll have to go to her too."
"I can help you with those wounds, if only you'd let me."
Legolas looked up, locking eyes with Aragorn. "Would you let me help you?"
Aragorn shook his head truthfully.
"All right, then. I trust you. With the bandages."
Aragorn walked to the elf, helping the creature slide out of his tunic. He noticed the shudders that passed over the being's frame, and his heart fell to pity. "Can you lay on our back for me?"
Legolas said nothing, his overactive senses yelling at him, but he did as the human asked. Aragorn traced a bruise on the elf's chest, then quickly pressed on the rib closet to it.
Legolas hissed in pain, his body curling up. Aragorn pushed him back down. "There comes a time when you have to let go of your stubbornness."
"All I have left is my dignity, and will keep nothing else if but that."
"Your dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered."
Legolas closed his eyes in pain and said nothing. If that were the case, he would sooner die.
"I've found out that this place is a sort of coliseum."
Estel looked at the elf whose body was torn. "What do you mean?" His heart went out to him, but he was doing all he could for Legolas.
"They pit humans against each other. They fight to the death. That is what we are to be used for."
Aragorn said nothing, not quite sure if he should believe the elf. Besides, if they pitted HUMANS against each other, what did the elf have to worry about?
"She doesn't play fair, Estel."
Aragorn laughed despite everything. "Really? I couldn't have guessed."
"I don't understand you, human. You're nice and compassionate, and then you turn into the man I expect you to turn into."
Aragorn shook his head. "No, I don't. You expect me to turn into the man that hurt you."
Legolas was shocked by the quiet statement, which held the first sympathetic tone the ranger had given to the elf. He hesitated in his protest, "No man has hurt me. Many have tried, but none have succeeded. Your race is too weak to break a Firstborn."
"Maybe we are, but they did break you," He laid a hand on the elf's stomach, and he flinched away. "See? You recoil from my touch, and I have done nothing to lose your trust. What conclusion should that lead me to? You're scared of me, but not just me. You're scared of all of us."
Legolas could not respond. He could not deny the truth, but nor would he affirm it for the human.
The doors were thrown open, and Legolas jumped. Aragorn sighed, following him to his feet.
"You, human. The boss wants to see you. Let's go. Sherock, you and your men stay with the elf. The boss wants him to learn some manners."
Aragorn walked forward without protest, but glanced back at the elf. Legolas was staring back at him, his eyes wide and fearful, almost begging him not to leave. Aragorn had seen the look once before, when he was younger. It was the very look his mother had graced him with the last time he saw her.
His heart broke, and with it his hatred for the elf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
The young human walked calmly with the guards at his side, knowing that a struggle would gain him nothing. He was stopped before two grandly carved doors, and was slightly awed by the magnificence of them.
"The Lady is the last of her line of royalty, and they say she possesses magic. Listen to her, do as she says, and tell the truth. She knows more than you can imagine."
The human made no response, and the doors were pushed aside. "My Lady," the guard who had warned him bowed low, and Aragorn felt hands pressing him to do the same. "We have brought the other prisoner. He comes without a fight."
The human allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.
"That is far more than can be said of your companion, human. Tell me your name."
Aragorn said nothing, but studied the woman for a while. She was definitely human, and young, no more than twenty winters, his own age. She was stunningly beautiful.
"Tell me your name, or shall I be forced to call you 'human?' My slaves have numbers. I shall call you by your number if you so desire."
Perhaps he could use her beauty to his advantage. "Forgive me, My lady. The sight of you has rendered me silent. They call me Estel."
The woman smiled. "Are you elvish, with such a name?"
"No, milady, but my parents rather fancied them. May I inquire as to what they call you?"
"You may, though I shall not respond. It is not for you to know."
"Surely you do not torture every man such as you do me. Such a beauty must have a name, or so kill a man with madness at wondering."
The guards were grumbling at the man, seeing how well their boss liked this new prisoner.
"Perhaps I will not send you to the Fields, Estel. Perhaps I will keep you with me. I had thought about it with the elf, but for the trouble he causes, I'd rather he just die on the Fields."
"The Fields, milady? I do not understand."
One of the guards broke in. "The Killing Fields, properly. It's where we have you fight to your death. Or theirs, if you're lucky."
The lady had stood from her throne and was walking towards Aragorn. He smiled bashfully, and she took his face in her hands. Leaning close to him, so that her lips grazed his ear, she whispered, "I see what you are doing, Estel, and I don't buy it for one minute. Your sweet tongue is filled with lies, and I do not tolerate lies."
She stepped back, releasing her hold on Aragorn. She smiled at the shocked look on his face and locked eyes with him. "Boys, the penalty for lying to me, what is it?"
"A flogging, milday."
"Then get to it." She smiled again at her new slave. "Do not fear, you will learn quickly enough. Of course, by then, you'll probably be dead."
Her laugh as sweet as honey, but it chilled the Northerner to the bone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
To my reviewers, whom I'm answering before I've even written this chapter:
Anolinde: Ah, thanks! Yay! My first Poor Aragorn, (or variant thereof!) And sheesh, I can't tell you what's gonna happen! That ruins the story, lol!
Tamara: Thanks! Hope this wasn't too long of a wait.
Nikki: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Lol.
Rose: I'll always continue, lol! Thanks for reviewing!
Jadelyn Rashwe: Haha, how can you not leave cliffies? It's so much fun tormenting your readers. ::smiles wickedly::
Sky: Yes, it is a development, lol. Thanks!
Ture-Slytherin-Girl: Thanks!!!
Jamie: Aw, I'm blushing. Thanks!
Calandra: Yes I did, it's easier than typing the prefix you added to it. If you prefer, I'll add the Legolas' next time. Lol, hey, I couldn't upload in Hawaii!
LeggyLover03: Hm, he should, yeah. We'll see.
Fire Eagle: Lol, well, sheesh, I have to stick some Estel torture in there too. But don't worry, there's elf torture soon. (Maybe this chapter, since I still haven't written it.)
Das Blume: Right on! A long review! Hey, hope the pain goes away. You gave me an idea though, maybe I'll stick some Thranduil in this chapter. (Why am I answering reviews when I haven't even written the chapter?)
Lulu Bell: Wow, I'm blushing! Thank you so much! ::big smiles:: Good luck at your soccer game. Hopefully you'll do better than my volleyball team did, lol. Hm, that's an interesting way of looking at it. I had kind of thought that Legolas wouldn't tell him the whole story because of how much he currently hates him. To Legolas, that would just make him weak in front of the human's eyes, and that's the last thing he wants to do. I'll have to think about that, though. And wow, sheesh, I'm trying to hurry with this chapter! It would have been up days ago if it had been written, lol. Thanks for the reviews, those were so much fun!
Dimostiel: Thanks! Did this help, or do I still have ya guessin'? ::winks::