The Lost City Of Cirus
Author's Note:
Yay! Exams are over so my updating should become more frequent, that does also depend on how quickly I can type chapters of course.
Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed, especially Moonjava and Satiana for being such wonderful and diligent reviewers Good on you sunshine for reading all 12 chapters in one go, thumbs up! I hope you'll all continue to read and review and to anyone one else reading please review as well.
Anyway here's the next chapter, it's a bit longer than the last.
WARNING this chapter contains adult content and mild abuse of a sexual nature (nothing graphic though it's really more of a situational thing)
Twelve
Curse Me NotThe day wore on swiftly as Elrond's band made hast across the grasslands. He had decided sometime after lunch that they were going to have to reach Lothlórien as quickly as possible if their task of gathering armies was going to come to any good. He had thought they'd have plenty of time to do said task but all morning he'd been plagued by ill feelings regarding the matter. So swiftly they rode towards Lórien.
They were well into the afternoon by now and most of the journey had been passed by Legolas singing Elven folk songs. Elrond would join in from time to time and there was even one or two to which Aquila knew the words. The two Elves then managed to convince her, after much begging, to sing a song sung by the Rocs.
The four men riding behind seemed to be enjoying themselves more so then the day before. All except Addramyr who seemed to have a scowl permanently imprinted upon his face. Duryn and Teonvan certainly seemed in better spirits. In fact during a lapse in Legolas' singing Teonvan broke into song with the most glorious singing voice Elrond had ever heard come from a Man.
However, when night began to fall and there was still no sight of the Misty Mountains on the horizon Elrond called a halt to their travels and suggested they camp for one more night. Legolas was unable to spot a forest for them to shelter in as they did the last time. He did however find a spot where the flat level of the plain suddenly dropped down to a tier below it. They were then able make camp beside the small cliff face to shelter from the wind.
As per the other night the men pitched their tents and the others, seeing as there was no shelter from possible rain provided by the cliff, followed suit. The circular tents were tall enough to stand in so were more than adequate in which to get a good nights sleep.
Night had fallen by the time the group had finished cooking their meal. They sat, or lay, about the fire picking at the bones of the beast they had roasted. Addramyr had left as soon as he'd wolfed his meal down and seemed to disappear off into his tent. The other three men remained and seemed somewhat more relaxed now that they weren't in the presence of their leader.
"You know," Teonvan began, breaking the silence "Seobryn's right. You don't seem all that bad Aquila."
Seobryn looked up quizzically at the other man's admission.
"Thank you Teonvan." Aquila smiled across the fire at him "I too have found that some of the race of Men are no so bad themselves." She winked at Seobryn and he smiled back.
"If you don't mind me asking." Elrond began "What is that Addramyr has against Aquila that would cause him to hate her so much?" It was Duryn who chose to answer the Lord's question.
"He thinks she'll curse us."
A blank looked crossed both Aquila and the two Elves faces.
"There are many myths in the tales told by the race of Men concerning the Rocs. One of them may depict them as giant eagles who would swoop down upon unsuspecting shepherd and carry half their flock off in their talons. Another may show them as blood lusting killers who will slay all in their path when the full moon hangs in the sky."
Legolas snickered at the last one and Aquila shot him a dirty look.
"Addramyr, however, has chosen to believe one particular myth since he was old enough to understand it and that is the myth in which the Rocs are told of as being promiscuous sexual beings, and that those they sleep with will forever be cursed by infidelity and premature aging. The male Rocs are said to go about inseminating the women of other men and then taking them off to their city to see that their illegitimate children are raised as Rocs. While the female Rocs lure unsuspecting men into having sex with them and ensure that these men impregnate them."
Both Elrond and Legolas spat out the wine they had been drinking, coughing as they tried to clear their windpipes. Duryn gave them an odd look along with the other two men, even Aquila thought their behaviour slightly strange and gave them a sidelong glance which both chose to ignore. Once they had finished coughing and seemed to have composed themselves Duryn continued.
"It is said that the mingling of the two bloods produces a child that is bloodthirsty and desires to do one thing in life, destroy the race of Men."
"Well that's ridiculous" Aquila huffed. The three men smiled at her.
"That is what we have tried to tell him but he is older and stubborn in his ways." Seobryn finished.
"Just because one has aged does not make them stubborn." Elrond interjected. "Now tell me of you brother Aquila. How is? Aside from the awful thing done to him recently." He continued, trying to change the subject and thankfully succeeding.
"I'm not sure how he's holding up since their deaths. I really left in a hurry. Now that I think about it I probably should have stayed. I imagine he needs someone to grieve with and I've gone and run off." She sounded far away and her voice was filled with sadness.
"He has your father." Legolas prompted.
She looked up at him and smiled.
"My father is not the Roc you remember Legolas. He is a broken man, scarred and sore over the killing of my people and the killing of my mother."
Legolas cringed inwardly as he knew the topic was a sensitive one.
"Before his wife and children were killed though Pandion seemed happy enough. He was promoted to captain of father's armies not too long after he was wed and has since built an army worthy of the Rocs. He was even getting so head strong and confident with his position that he was considering leading a band of rebel Rocs, any who would come, back to Middle Earth so that we may live here again. I would have gone with him but that plan of course came to an abrupt halt."
Elrond listened on with interest. He'd always liked Pandion; the boy had the potential to be a great leader. He possessed the right balance of everything, not to mention, as he'd grown older he'd become an extremely physically attractive being. He used to come to Rivendell a lot, whenever his father came and as he grew he began to make the journey on his own. He'd been a good friend to Elrond's sons and the three of them had some very fond memories together. Elrond now, in spite of things, couldn't help but miss the young Roc. Who, he supposed by now, had grown into a fine young man.
When Elrond finally emerged from his thoughts the others had all left the fire, obviously having retired to their tents. Elrond sighed and stood up. It was then that he heard the faint sounds of what seemed to be a cry of distress.
After Elrond had slipped into his own thoughts the men stood and retired to their tents for the night. Legolas soon followed suit and that left Aquila by the fire with the non-responsive Elven Lord. She decided after a few moments that he wasn't going to come out of his trance-like state anytime soon and so she too left for her tent. Hers had been placed at the end of the line of tents so that it was the furthest away from the men's tents as possible. However to get to her tent from where they had set up the fire she had to go past the tents of the Men. This did not bother her in the least bit and she strolled by, yawing quietly to herself until a firm hand clasped over her wrist.
She cried out but as she was pulled in between two of the tents a strong hand was clamped firmly over her mouth. This time, however, she knew it was not her brother. The hand that had been holding her wrist wrapped a strong arm about her waist and pulled her further into the darkness behind the tents.
Despite her obvious peril Aquila tried to remain calm and as her hands were more or less free she reached for Silmar's hilt. It was when she did not find it that bile rose in her throat. She had left her sash and the weapons it held in her tent when she had laid down for a quick nap after pitching it.
She gasped behind the hand and a throaty chuckled whispered past her ear.
"Not so fierce without our swords are we?" A deep male voice questioned. She knew the voice too. It belonged to Addramyr. Eyes wide she began to struggle against him. This only caused him to tighten his grip about her waist. He dared not take his hand from her mouth lest she cry out, which he knew she would do.
Aquila felt as though she were going to be sick when the man behind her pushed his body harder against hers and whispered into her ear.
"You will not curse me Roc. I will not give you the chance. It will not be you who uses me but I who use you."
She whimpered despite herself and struggled harder as the hand about her waist travelled up her side and came to rest upon her feather covered breast. All the while the arm to which it belonged held her firmly in place.
Just as the hand upon her began to roughly squeeze another male voice sounded behind them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." It whispered softly.
Elrond, she sighed. Never had she been happier to hear his voice.
Addramyr immediately released her and she stumbled forward from his grip. She then turned to see him standing very stiffly with Elrond directly behind him. The Elf had a knife pressed to the skin of the man's throat. Her eyes met with Elrond's and they seemed to stay locked for some moments, no one daring to move. It was finally Elrond who broke the trance.
"You would do best to return to you tent Addramyr. I will deal with you in a moment." With that said he removed the knife's blade from Addramyr's neck and stepped back. The man wasted no time in fleeing to his tent. Elrond watched him go till he was lost from sight round the front of the tents. It was then that he turned his attention back to Aquila, who had not moved since she had been freed.
As he looked upon her with sad eyes she all but flung herself into his arms. He warped them about her and held her tightly to him as she buried her face in his shoulder. He said nothing for a few moments, simply stroking her hair with one hand while he waited for her to stop shaking.
A small sob escaped her lips and though it was muffled by Elrond's tunic it was this simple sound that hurt the Elf more than anything. He quietly led her back out to the front of the tents where they promptly ran into Legolas who too had heard sounds of a struggle and had come to see what it was.
When he saw Elrond holding Aquila the way he was he almost felt as if he was intruding upon a private moment. That was until Elrond looked up from Aquila at him. The rage in Elrond's eyes was like one Legolas thought the other Elf was incapable of expressing.
He followed the Peredhil's gaze to the still trembling from of Aquila and his heart broke. To reduce his friend to this something truly awful must have conspired. Legolas then looked back up to Elrond for answers but the Lord of Imladris was busy detangling himself from Aquila.
"Legolas. Would you take her, I don't think she should be alone right now and I have to go deal with Addramyr." The Man's name was spat from the Elf's mouth and Legolas gazed at Elrond in horror, shaking his head from side to side as if to deny what he could only guess had happened.
Elrond said nothing more to the other Elf simply whispering comforting words to Aquila before she fled into the waiting arms of her friend. He wrapped them protectively about her and closed his eyes as he rested his cheek upon the top of her head as she pressed her face against his chest.
He held her like that for what seemed like eternity but was really only a minute or two before he looked up to ask Elrond something. Finding Elrond missing he assumed he had gone off to deal with whatever it was that Addramyr had done. Legolas would have to ask the other Elf what it was in the morning as he did not want to question Aquila on the matter at that the moment. He had never thought he would see her as broken as she was now.
He wanted to weep for her but knew he had to stay strong and so he continued to hold her, gently rubbing a hand lightly up and down her back in an effort to sooth her quaking form. It seemed to be working too as her trembling soon weakened and after a few minutes more stopped altogether.
It was then that he slipped his index finger beneath her chin and lifted her head so their eyes met. Hers were filled with unshed tears and he imagined his looked much the same. Though her eyes harboured fear within their depths where his did not.
"I'll walk you to you tent if you like?" he whispered softly. She clung tighter to him, fisting her hands in his tunic.
"Please…" her voice was not quite steady and she wanted it to be. She swallowed and Legolas waited patiently for her to continue. "Please Legolas, I don't want to sleep alone. I know Elrond will take care of him and I know he can't hurt me but……" she looked up at her friend with pleading eyes and it would have killed him to say no at that point.
"You can sleep" he was going to say 'with me' but decided against that choice of wording at the last moment "in my tent if you like." He finished with a small smile and she nodded to show her approval of the suggestion.
So, shifting her to his side so they could walk, Legolas led her to his tent. Not for a moment did he release her as they ducked through the doorway. Once inside she released him so that he could lower the flaps, which served as the tents door. This plunged the tent into a state of semi darkness, lit only by the moonlight shinning through the white fabric.
Legolas, who had stripped to his tunic and leggings earlier, crossed the tent to its centre, where he had laid out his bedding. He sat down upon it and now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness he notice Aquila still stood apprehensively by the doorway.
He knew her eyesight was better than his in the dark and she had probably already noticed the only bedding within the tent was his own.
"I'll go get your bedding from your tent if you like." He was about to lift himself up when Aquila knelt beside him and placed a hand tentatively upon his chest. He felt himself being gently pushed back down onto the bedding till he lay on his back.
He flicked his gaze, which had been firmly locked upon the hand on him, over to her eyes. She gave him a small smile before sliding her body up alongside his. She laid her head on the pillow beside his and nuzzled into his hair. He felt so warm and safe that she couldn't bare the thought of spending the night in any other way. Hand still upon his cloth covered chest she closed her eyes and fell asleep not too long after.
It was Legolas who remained laid out on his back, staring up at the roof of the tent, unable to get to sleep. He turned his head to the side to look upon her sleeping face. He sighed with relief as her features no longer held any signs of fear or sadness. He ran a gentle hand through her hair before returning it to his side and directing his gaze back up at the roof. Feeling better knowing that she felt safe enough with him to fall asleep he finally closed his eyes and too let sleep, which was closer than he had thought, claim him for the night.
As with every other morning of her life Aquila felt that familiar tug of dawn, urging her to rise. This morning, however, she did not desire to wake up in the least. She had felt so warm and safe as she slept and knew that only the birds would be up to greet her. There was no fighting nature though and even as she lay on her side with her eyes squeezed firmly shut she knew she was too awake to go back to sleep.
She groaned loudly to voice her disproval at morning's presence but quickly stiffened as she felt something beside her move. Her eyes flew open in shock but she was able to let out a sigh of relief when all she saw was Legolas' peaceful face, still lost in slumber.
He was still on his back, golden hair lying in disarray about his head. One arm lay at his side while he'd folded the other across his stomach. Aquila smiled at his sleeping form and was caught doing so as Legolas' eyes slowly opened. He lifted an eyebrow before smiling back.
She propped herself up on one elbow while she laid her other hand on his chest, much like she'd done the night before. With her face so tantalizingly close it was all that Legolas could do to lift his mouth up to hers and invite her into a kiss.
Their lips met and she kissed back with as much fever and passion as he was kissing her. There was no doubt in Legolas' mind this time about whether or not their attraction was mutual. He deepened the kiss, placing the hand that was not trapped beneath her at the back of her head and sliding his tongue into her mouth to join hers.
It was Aquila who broke the kiss and before Legolas had a chance to even contemplate the loss of contact, her lips found their way to his earlobe and enveloped it. He gasped softly as she flicked her tongue across his earlobe before gently nipping it.
The hand at the back of her head began to drop and slowly slide its way down her back as her tongue slide its way up the curve of his ear. When her lips closed about the sensitive pointed tip of his Elven ear he cried out and grasped her rear. She flicked her tongue over his ear's tip to which he responded by pulling her lower body to his, slowly grinding his arousal against her, showing her just how much he desired her. She nipped the ear tip and elicited a loud moan from Legolas.
She then lifted her lips from his ear but before she had a chance to place them elsewhere she felt his hot lips trailed across her neck. She moaned as he moved down her neck to her collarbone.
As he continued to kiss her she began to undo the delicate clasps on his tunic. As she unfastened each one more of his beautiful, pale skin was revealed to her. While she continued to unfasten the tunic with one hand she slide the other down his flat stomach. Slipping it along his inner thigh before sliding back up to cup his groin through the thin fabric of his tights. He groaned loudly and had to remove his lips from her neck in order to try and ease his breathing, which was coming out in ragged gasps.
"Aquila!?"
Both the Roc and the Elf stiffened and locked eyes, as both knew it was neither of them who had said her name. They remained frozen in place, desperately trying to control their breathing.
"Aquila!"
It was Elrond, no doubt about it and from the increasing volume of his voice he was getting increasingly closer. Aquila and Legolas suddenly realized the compromising position they would be found in if the Elven Lord were to enter the tent and both quickly pulled back from each other.
Aquila, who had never changed from her Half form quickly stood and took a few deep breaths to steady herself before rushing for the tents door. She didn't bother to glance back as she lifted the tent's flap and emerged into the early morning sun.
Legolas dropped his head back onto the pillow and let out a long breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His head was swimming and his groin was throbbing. Oh how he wanted to kill Elrond, well maybe not kill but maim horribly. Better yet if he could just lock the Elven Lord in an inescapable room very far away for a few hours he would be very grateful.
Aquila thought it best she rush out and find Elrond as quickly as possible, seeing as he seemed to be looking for her and not Legolas. She found him quickly, striding over from where her tent still stood. She smiled at him as he approached and he returned hers with and even bigger smile. He was so pleased to see her back to herself; he never wanted to see her as she was last night again.
"There you are. I went to your tent to see if you were alright and found it empty."
"Legolas took me to his tent after you went to deal with Addramyr," Elrond almost expected her to flinch in a relapse into last nights behaviour when she spoke the man's name but her reaction was far from it. In her eyes flashed a deep hatred before she continued, "I didn't much feel like being alone and he was kind enough to let me spend the night there."
Elrond couldn't help but wonder at that but decided now was probably not the time.
"I'm just glad to see you're ok." He placed an arm about her shoulders in an almost fatherly manner. She looked over at him.
"I was a little shaken up last night but I feel fine now. Thank you for…" he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Let's not linger on it. We'll be leaving soon and it would be a huge help if you could take down your tent and ready yourself."
She nodded and was about to make her way over to her tent when she suddenly noticed the absence of the four men's tents. She turned her attention back to Elrond.
"Are they ready to go already?"
"They have left already." He stated simply. Aquila merely looked confused. "I had Duryn, Teonvan and Seobryn escort Addramyr back to Mina Tirith last night."
"Last night?"
"Yes. I told them he had disgraced himself and that his company was no longer wanted. They offered to take him back themselves so that King Elessar would hear the true version of events and not some lie concocted by Addramyr."
He then turned and walked off to begin taking down his own tent, leaving Aquila standing with her mouth slightly agape.
She quickly shook herself out of her daze and finally completed the walk to her own tent. The first thing she did was dive inside and grab the silken scarf up off the floor and tie it tightly about her waist, vowing never to take it off again.
To be continued…
Disclaimer:
I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the places, characters, items, etc associated with it. I am not making any money from this piece of fiction and am merely borrowing these places and characters to place in a new situation for your and my amassment.
However, the Rocs, the City of Cirus, Aquila, Pandion, Audax and any other characters, weapons, places, etc associated with the Rocs are my own creation and I lay full claim to them.