Hey guys! I got good responses for the last chapter. Just to let you all
know, I'm making this one up too. Eventually, I'll get to the already
written stuff and updates will be quicker.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"30."
Aragorn flinched, desperately trying not to cry out.
"31."
The pain was almost unbearable by now, but he thought of the prince's broken rib. They were doing nothing to him, comparatively.
"32."
The human finally cried out as the last line of the whip dragged out what little reserve he had left.
"33."
The young woman smiled, watching he blood drip slowly down the human's back. This one would not be nearly so hard to subdue as the elf was going to be.
"34."
Aragorn cried out again, and cursed the guard who was counting. The pain was driving him mad, but the counting only made it slower and more torturous.
"35."
He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and doubted if he was even thinking straight.
"36."
He could have been thinking out loud for all it was worth; he had so little control of his body.
"37."
He screamed. He didn't care who heard him or how much pride he lost in doing so. Yelling was the only way he could deal with the pain now.
"38."
He wouldn't be able to hold himself together for much longer. 'One more lash,' he thought, 'and I'll start begging for mercy.'
"39, milday. He's finished."
The young woman nodded, watching the muscles in the man's back tense and tremble. She walked close to him again, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shuddered beneath her touch, fearing more pain. He took in a deep, rasping breath, hoping that his body would not fail him.
He felt her warm breath on his cheek as she spoke to him. "I feel no pity for you. You are nothing but a statistic to me, another body to fight for the pleasure of my people. Do not lie to me again, for I would not regret doing this again. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Aragorn was biting back painful sobs while he answered, but she heard his whisper.
"Why 39? 40 lashes kills a man. We don't want you dead yet. Not yet, but soon enough."
The ranger did not bother to catch himself as he was released. He lay undignified on the marble, his blood pooling beneath him.
"As soon as he can walk, take him back to his cell."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Aragorn stumbled into the cell area, his head spinning. He could not think straight, nor did he want to, as the pain was so great.
All of that changed when he saw Legolas. The elf was still shirtless, pinned to the wall by a burly guard. The adrenaline kicked in, and Aragorn screamed the elf's name.
Legolas only leaned his head back, closing his eyes. The guard heard Aragorn and moved aside, releasing the elf. It was then that Aragorn noticed what had happened. The elf's body was heavily bruised, and the man could only assume he has great internal damage.
A dagger was protruding from the elf left shoulder. Aragorn called his name again. The only response he received was the elf sliding down the wall and crumpling in a heap on the floor.
Aragorn rushed forward and the guards laughed.
"What have you done to him?"
"Oh, don't worry, he'll live. Long enough for him to be showcased tomorrow night, though I can't prove he'll still be alive after that." The guards left, laughing and pointing at the elf mockingly.
"Legolas?" Aragorn said quietly, hesitating to put his hands near the elf.
"What did she do to you, Estel?"
Aragorn almost wasn't sure if he had even heard anything come from the elf. "I am fine, Legolas. I'm going to take the dagger out. Just breathe." He placed his hands around the hilt of the small weapon, took a quick breath, and pulled straight up.
Legolas screamed in pure agony. Aragorn soon saw why. The tip of the dagger was hooked, and now dripping the prince's blood. The human put a hand over the wound to stop the bleeding, but the elf reacted violently to his touch.
"Legolas, calm down. I need to stop the bleeding. You have to remain calm."
Unaware of his own state, Legolas shuddered. "Don't let them take me back to her, don't let them."
"I'll try," the elf was reminding Aragorn more and more of his last memories of his mother. "I'll try. What did she do to you?"
"She's just like him."
"Him?" Aragorn was confused, and the elf did not seem inclined to help him figure things out. "Who are you talking about, Legolas?"
He received no answer from Legolas. The elf was unconscious, reeling in his own world of pain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"It's time for your friend to face the wargs."
Aragorn lifted his head, waking slowly from his light sleep. "What?" Surely he had misheard the guards, now filling the room.
"There will be a battle today, your friend against our wargs. We haven't had a game of this magnitude in quite some time."
"He cannot stand on his own, how do you expect him to fight?"
The beast of a man pushed Aragorn aside, and pulled Legolas to his feet. The prince woke roughly, fighting a wave of nausea, and leaned against the man for support.
"Fond of those drugs, are you?"
'This feeling of dizziness is far too familiar. Why is it every time I travel to Rivendell, something bad happens?'
"I asked you a question, elf!" Legolas was rewarded for his silence by a swift blow to his stomach. He doubled over, nearly falling of his knees. He heard Aragorn cry out in protest.
"Hold your peace," he choked out in elvish. Before he could regain his composure, he was hauled to his feet again and pushed out of the room.
"Where are you taking him?" Aragorn demanded. Legolas had risked his life for the man's- as much as he wanted to, he was not going to stand back and watch him die.
"Wish to come and watch?"
Aragorn nodded hesitantly. Maybe he could still do something. . . He too was shoved out of the room, and followed close behind Legolas.
"Are you all right?" He whispered in elvish. Legolas was at the point where any tongue not his own would not register in his mind.
"I am trying not to pass out. I can't even see straight. What is happening?"
"I am not sure. They said something about wargs."
Legolas groaned. "I swear this is the last time I come to visit your brothers."
Aragorn laughed lightly. "Speaking of them, where are they?"
"I hope they escaped and went to Elrond." Legolas was again roughly shoved, this time into bright daylight. He shut his eyes immediately, half tempted to just fall to the ground and sleep some more. He felt something pressed into his hand- a blade. His own blade!
"Release the wargs!"
Despite the agony he knew it would cause, Legolas forced his eyes open. He was in a type of arena, with thousands of evil creatures looking down at him. Wild men, orcs, Uruk-hai. . . there was no end to them. Suddenly, everything went black. If it had not been for the pain he still felt, he would have thought he had gone unconscious.
"Estel!" He called out desperately. "Estel, I cannot see! What is happening?"
The man's voice came from above the prince. "I will help you," it said calmly in elvish. "They are releasing wargs upon you."
"I cannot fight them! I cannot see!" Legolas was panicking.
"Legolas, I will help you. Do you trust me?"
"No. What choice do I have now, though?" Legolas wanted to cry out in defeat. His life now rested in the hands of a man. Worse yet, it was a man who hated him.
"I will not lead you astray."
Legolas took a deep breath, calming his over-heightened senses. He dropped into a crouch, saving his energy for when it would most definitely be needed.
"Behind you, Legolas. They approach from behind you."
The prince turned. He hated this- he was on display like a savage animal. He was yet again being used for the entertainment of perverted beings.
"They are advancing."
He held his knife in front of him. He could smell the foul breath of the wolves of Isengard. He let his other senses tell him when the beast was about to attack, though he heard Estel too in the background. He felled it quickly.
"To your left!" Aragorn shouted above the jeering crowd. He watched as Legolas barely had time to strike the beast, just as another sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of the prince.
The crowd was silenced by the scream that followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Hey, wow, you guys are the coolest ever! Thanks for all the great reviews!
ElizabethBlack4: Ek? Where's the mouse? Darned exterminator is good for nothing, lol.
True-Slytherin-gurl: Ah, sorry, it doesn't sound stupid, I should have explained better. It's a term I learned in Bible class. (That only says what type of school I go to, not what religion I am, by the way.) Back in Jesus' days, they would flog a person, which is whipping them basically. They would do it 39 times, because 40 times killed a man. (And there goes half the dialogue in the next chapter.) But does that help explain it? It's just a more technical term for whipping. (Lol, forgive me, I answered your review before I wrote chapter, and it didn't dawn on me that I explained that in the chapter. . . it's been a long night.)
ScaryPossessedEyebrows: Haha, love the name. Anything to do with Elrond, by any chance? You will see Legolas' past, just not all at once. Aragorn may learn of it, if he'd stop picking fights with the elf, lol. We'll see.
Bec: I'm kind of enjoying it, really. But it may break off soon, especially when he returns to the elf after being with the boss. . . but oops, I've said too much. ::wink:: It's all good, no worries. I wondered where ya were though! So what'd you get for winning the dare? (Again, I wrote this b4 the chapter, so technically I didn't say too much, because you already read it. Wow, I think I need the chapters first from now on.)
Sara: Yeah, wondered where you'd gotten off to. I missed ya guys. Yes! I got chills from you! OMG, that makes me so happy. I can die happy now. Of course, then there wouldn't be any more chapters. . . lol. Thanks you so much! Yeah, well, they'll be stuck in the bad spot for a while, and remember, things always get worse before they get better. Jeez, I'm giving away my plot here! (You're the only one I actually gave it away for.)
Gilrean3: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Anolinde: ::evil smiles:: Hm, nice catch. She's not a mind reader, (I think you picked that up,) but yes, damn she is good. She knows people well. Lol, thanks for the review!
Sky: Well, did this give you a little more insight into her? Of course, we still don't really know WHO she is.
Fire Eagle: What, am I the only "style" that has an evil coliseum? I thought the Romans' was pretty evil too, lol.
Bill the Pony: Thanks. Hm, I screwed up somewhere. Legolas is supposed to be arrogant, not annoying. Thanks for saying something, that will have to change. Let me know when he stops being annoying.
Nikki: ::smiles evilly: We shall have to wait and see, won't we?
Legolas fan: There I go again, blushing. Thanks! Wait, how am I supposed to put MORE Legolas in? Sheesh, and this whole time I've been trying to get more Aragorn in. . . lol.
Das Blume: Hahahah, oh wow, yes, lying convincingly does help just a little. Maybe he'll remember that next time. And yeah, I luv ya. Can't understand why though, lol. Whew, you're funny, lol.
Lomiothiel: Aw, thanks! Why must everyone ask me that? I should have kept count. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN! You're supposed to read it, lol! Thanks for the review!
Lulu Bell: Holy cow that was one LONG review! I love it! 7-0, jeez girl, not bad at all! Congrats!! Ah, yeah, I know about battle scars. I swear I wake up and find a bruise and just wonder, "Hm, where did I get that one?" Hope they feel better soon though! Do you mean Tarduain? In the first story however long ago? AH, then we're in a good catch 22, because I really love your reviews. Hm, I'm serious, that's a good idea, I may use part of it. . . I'm taking your review out of the log so that no one else can read it, okay? Thanks!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"30."
Aragorn flinched, desperately trying not to cry out.
"31."
The pain was almost unbearable by now, but he thought of the prince's broken rib. They were doing nothing to him, comparatively.
"32."
The human finally cried out as the last line of the whip dragged out what little reserve he had left.
"33."
The young woman smiled, watching he blood drip slowly down the human's back. This one would not be nearly so hard to subdue as the elf was going to be.
"34."
Aragorn cried out again, and cursed the guard who was counting. The pain was driving him mad, but the counting only made it slower and more torturous.
"35."
He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and doubted if he was even thinking straight.
"36."
He could have been thinking out loud for all it was worth; he had so little control of his body.
"37."
He screamed. He didn't care who heard him or how much pride he lost in doing so. Yelling was the only way he could deal with the pain now.
"38."
He wouldn't be able to hold himself together for much longer. 'One more lash,' he thought, 'and I'll start begging for mercy.'
"39, milday. He's finished."
The young woman nodded, watching the muscles in the man's back tense and tremble. She walked close to him again, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shuddered beneath her touch, fearing more pain. He took in a deep, rasping breath, hoping that his body would not fail him.
He felt her warm breath on his cheek as she spoke to him. "I feel no pity for you. You are nothing but a statistic to me, another body to fight for the pleasure of my people. Do not lie to me again, for I would not regret doing this again. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Aragorn was biting back painful sobs while he answered, but she heard his whisper.
"Why 39? 40 lashes kills a man. We don't want you dead yet. Not yet, but soon enough."
The ranger did not bother to catch himself as he was released. He lay undignified on the marble, his blood pooling beneath him.
"As soon as he can walk, take him back to his cell."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Aragorn stumbled into the cell area, his head spinning. He could not think straight, nor did he want to, as the pain was so great.
All of that changed when he saw Legolas. The elf was still shirtless, pinned to the wall by a burly guard. The adrenaline kicked in, and Aragorn screamed the elf's name.
Legolas only leaned his head back, closing his eyes. The guard heard Aragorn and moved aside, releasing the elf. It was then that Aragorn noticed what had happened. The elf's body was heavily bruised, and the man could only assume he has great internal damage.
A dagger was protruding from the elf left shoulder. Aragorn called his name again. The only response he received was the elf sliding down the wall and crumpling in a heap on the floor.
Aragorn rushed forward and the guards laughed.
"What have you done to him?"
"Oh, don't worry, he'll live. Long enough for him to be showcased tomorrow night, though I can't prove he'll still be alive after that." The guards left, laughing and pointing at the elf mockingly.
"Legolas?" Aragorn said quietly, hesitating to put his hands near the elf.
"What did she do to you, Estel?"
Aragorn almost wasn't sure if he had even heard anything come from the elf. "I am fine, Legolas. I'm going to take the dagger out. Just breathe." He placed his hands around the hilt of the small weapon, took a quick breath, and pulled straight up.
Legolas screamed in pure agony. Aragorn soon saw why. The tip of the dagger was hooked, and now dripping the prince's blood. The human put a hand over the wound to stop the bleeding, but the elf reacted violently to his touch.
"Legolas, calm down. I need to stop the bleeding. You have to remain calm."
Unaware of his own state, Legolas shuddered. "Don't let them take me back to her, don't let them."
"I'll try," the elf was reminding Aragorn more and more of his last memories of his mother. "I'll try. What did she do to you?"
"She's just like him."
"Him?" Aragorn was confused, and the elf did not seem inclined to help him figure things out. "Who are you talking about, Legolas?"
He received no answer from Legolas. The elf was unconscious, reeling in his own world of pain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
"It's time for your friend to face the wargs."
Aragorn lifted his head, waking slowly from his light sleep. "What?" Surely he had misheard the guards, now filling the room.
"There will be a battle today, your friend against our wargs. We haven't had a game of this magnitude in quite some time."
"He cannot stand on his own, how do you expect him to fight?"
The beast of a man pushed Aragorn aside, and pulled Legolas to his feet. The prince woke roughly, fighting a wave of nausea, and leaned against the man for support.
"Fond of those drugs, are you?"
'This feeling of dizziness is far too familiar. Why is it every time I travel to Rivendell, something bad happens?'
"I asked you a question, elf!" Legolas was rewarded for his silence by a swift blow to his stomach. He doubled over, nearly falling of his knees. He heard Aragorn cry out in protest.
"Hold your peace," he choked out in elvish. Before he could regain his composure, he was hauled to his feet again and pushed out of the room.
"Where are you taking him?" Aragorn demanded. Legolas had risked his life for the man's- as much as he wanted to, he was not going to stand back and watch him die.
"Wish to come and watch?"
Aragorn nodded hesitantly. Maybe he could still do something. . . He too was shoved out of the room, and followed close behind Legolas.
"Are you all right?" He whispered in elvish. Legolas was at the point where any tongue not his own would not register in his mind.
"I am trying not to pass out. I can't even see straight. What is happening?"
"I am not sure. They said something about wargs."
Legolas groaned. "I swear this is the last time I come to visit your brothers."
Aragorn laughed lightly. "Speaking of them, where are they?"
"I hope they escaped and went to Elrond." Legolas was again roughly shoved, this time into bright daylight. He shut his eyes immediately, half tempted to just fall to the ground and sleep some more. He felt something pressed into his hand- a blade. His own blade!
"Release the wargs!"
Despite the agony he knew it would cause, Legolas forced his eyes open. He was in a type of arena, with thousands of evil creatures looking down at him. Wild men, orcs, Uruk-hai. . . there was no end to them. Suddenly, everything went black. If it had not been for the pain he still felt, he would have thought he had gone unconscious.
"Estel!" He called out desperately. "Estel, I cannot see! What is happening?"
The man's voice came from above the prince. "I will help you," it said calmly in elvish. "They are releasing wargs upon you."
"I cannot fight them! I cannot see!" Legolas was panicking.
"Legolas, I will help you. Do you trust me?"
"No. What choice do I have now, though?" Legolas wanted to cry out in defeat. His life now rested in the hands of a man. Worse yet, it was a man who hated him.
"I will not lead you astray."
Legolas took a deep breath, calming his over-heightened senses. He dropped into a crouch, saving his energy for when it would most definitely be needed.
"Behind you, Legolas. They approach from behind you."
The prince turned. He hated this- he was on display like a savage animal. He was yet again being used for the entertainment of perverted beings.
"They are advancing."
He held his knife in front of him. He could smell the foul breath of the wolves of Isengard. He let his other senses tell him when the beast was about to attack, though he heard Estel too in the background. He felled it quickly.
"To your left!" Aragorn shouted above the jeering crowd. He watched as Legolas barely had time to strike the beast, just as another sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of the prince.
The crowd was silenced by the scream that followed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Hey, wow, you guys are the coolest ever! Thanks for all the great reviews!
ElizabethBlack4: Ek? Where's the mouse? Darned exterminator is good for nothing, lol.
True-Slytherin-gurl: Ah, sorry, it doesn't sound stupid, I should have explained better. It's a term I learned in Bible class. (That only says what type of school I go to, not what religion I am, by the way.) Back in Jesus' days, they would flog a person, which is whipping them basically. They would do it 39 times, because 40 times killed a man. (And there goes half the dialogue in the next chapter.) But does that help explain it? It's just a more technical term for whipping. (Lol, forgive me, I answered your review before I wrote chapter, and it didn't dawn on me that I explained that in the chapter. . . it's been a long night.)
ScaryPossessedEyebrows: Haha, love the name. Anything to do with Elrond, by any chance? You will see Legolas' past, just not all at once. Aragorn may learn of it, if he'd stop picking fights with the elf, lol. We'll see.
Bec: I'm kind of enjoying it, really. But it may break off soon, especially when he returns to the elf after being with the boss. . . but oops, I've said too much. ::wink:: It's all good, no worries. I wondered where ya were though! So what'd you get for winning the dare? (Again, I wrote this b4 the chapter, so technically I didn't say too much, because you already read it. Wow, I think I need the chapters first from now on.)
Sara: Yeah, wondered where you'd gotten off to. I missed ya guys. Yes! I got chills from you! OMG, that makes me so happy. I can die happy now. Of course, then there wouldn't be any more chapters. . . lol. Thanks you so much! Yeah, well, they'll be stuck in the bad spot for a while, and remember, things always get worse before they get better. Jeez, I'm giving away my plot here! (You're the only one I actually gave it away for.)
Gilrean3: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Anolinde: ::evil smiles:: Hm, nice catch. She's not a mind reader, (I think you picked that up,) but yes, damn she is good. She knows people well. Lol, thanks for the review!
Sky: Well, did this give you a little more insight into her? Of course, we still don't really know WHO she is.
Fire Eagle: What, am I the only "style" that has an evil coliseum? I thought the Romans' was pretty evil too, lol.
Bill the Pony: Thanks. Hm, I screwed up somewhere. Legolas is supposed to be arrogant, not annoying. Thanks for saying something, that will have to change. Let me know when he stops being annoying.
Nikki: ::smiles evilly: We shall have to wait and see, won't we?
Legolas fan: There I go again, blushing. Thanks! Wait, how am I supposed to put MORE Legolas in? Sheesh, and this whole time I've been trying to get more Aragorn in. . . lol.
Das Blume: Hahahah, oh wow, yes, lying convincingly does help just a little. Maybe he'll remember that next time. And yeah, I luv ya. Can't understand why though, lol. Whew, you're funny, lol.
Lomiothiel: Aw, thanks! Why must everyone ask me that? I should have kept count. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN! You're supposed to read it, lol! Thanks for the review!
Lulu Bell: Holy cow that was one LONG review! I love it! 7-0, jeez girl, not bad at all! Congrats!! Ah, yeah, I know about battle scars. I swear I wake up and find a bruise and just wonder, "Hm, where did I get that one?" Hope they feel better soon though! Do you mean Tarduain? In the first story however long ago? AH, then we're in a good catch 22, because I really love your reviews. Hm, I'm serious, that's a good idea, I may use part of it. . . I'm taking your review out of the log so that no one else can read it, okay? Thanks!