Chapter 25: The Slave
Veassen ran back into the clearance as soon as Florien had left to fetch a shovel. The elf went over to Locien. Veassen put his fingers against Locien's throat and could feel the slow pulse.
"Not long until he's dead… Must hurry." Veassen lifted the injured elf and swung him over his shoulder as careful as he could. Veassen walked as far away from the clearance as he could before he would have to treat the wounds he inflicted upon Locien.
He was not near his home, for he lived near the borders between Mirkwood and the more evil part of Mirkwood, the southern half. But as for now he was quite far away from where any elf lived. He lay Locien down on a log and started a fire. Afterwards, he pulled from his sack he had been carrying some healing herbs and bandages.
Veassen brought Locien over to a stream of fresh water and bathed the elf, cleaning his wounds and washing the rest of the dirt and grim off the elf. Veassen then brought the elf back to the log where he dried him and dressed Locien in some of his own clothes, throwing Locien's into the fire he had started.
Veassen walked over to Locien's head and observed the deep gash across the elf's forehead. He took the herbs and rubbed them on the elf's open wound before bandaging his brow.
Veassen found cuts and bruises everywhere on Locien's scrawny body, all from him. Veassen could easily treat the wounds with his herbs, water and bandaging, but as for the bruises Veassen decided he would have to make an ointment. When Veassen had been younger he recalled finding a bottle of ointment in his father's study, not long after being beaten by his father, and he had put some on his aching backside. Veassen was lucky enough to have put on the ointment since the ointment was for bruising, and Veassen after years of putting the ointment on himself after beatings, figured out by the smell what it was made of. Veassen made some of it with what he had and found in the forest, and treated the bruises on Locien's sides; bottom and anywhere else Locien had bruised because of him.
The last wound Veassen had to treat was across Locien's chest. At one point when he had been hurting the elf, he had sliced him with his knife. He recalled how loud Locien had screamed and smiled to himself, he was enjoying this.
Veassen carefully smeared over the wound some herbs, and Locien screamed before sitting upright, breathing heavily and looking around in panic.
"Who… Who are you?" Locien asked, looking at the elf tiredly and with fear. Veassen smiled and forced the elf to lie back down.
"I am your master, Master Veassen." Veassen said, expecting his prisoner to say something about not having a master or how Florien would save him. But what Locien said shocked Veassen.
"…Who am I?" Locien asked, very stiffened because of the pain of the herbs on his chest.
"You are… Maelui..." Veassen said.
"Maelui… That means something, doesn't it?" Locien asked.
"I am uncertain of what you speak of." Veassen said, rubbing the herb harder as to not let his prisoner realize what he was named.
"Okay… I'm Maelui. Where am I?"
"In Mirkwood."
"Is this where I live, right here?" Locien, or Maelui, asked.
"No. You live with me." Veassen said, picking up bandages and slowly wrapping his prisoner's torso.
"So you are my father, then?"
"No."
"Brother?"
"Ye- No." Veassen could not tell Maelui the truth.
"Well you most certainly can't be my mother, your chest is far too flat and muscular." Locien pointed out.
"I am your master. That makes you my slave, Maelui." Veassen said. Maelui whispered a quiet oh.
"Do you treat me well?" Maelui asked timidly, realizing that he could be hurt by this elf.
"If you do as I say then you are treated well." Veassen said, sitting Maelui up.
"What if I do not listen, then what happens?" Maelui asked.
"If you ignore my orders than you are punished. I cannot say how yet, for it depends on what you do." Veassen said.
"What is the worst punishment you could give me?" Maelui asked.
"Well, at my home, where you live as well, I have this one room I call the torture chamber… That is probably the worst I could do with you." Veassen saw the fear that overcame Maelui.
"Did… Did you do this to me?" Maelui asked, looking down at his bandages.
"No… Orcs did that to you, I merely healed you."
"Thank you, then, Veassen." Maelui smiled, but winced when Veassen frowned.
"I may be being gentle with you, but I have strict rules Maelui, as you will soon find out. I am Master Veassen… Herdir Veassen." Veassen said, though he did not wish to punish his new slave just yet.
"My apologizes, Herdir." Locien lowered his head. "Herdir, was I born a slave to you?"
"Um, yes." Veassen nodded his head in attempt to be as convincing as possible.
"How far away is where we live?" Maelui was full of questions.
"We live close by, it's a day's journey. Now there will be time for questions afterwards, I need you to lie down on the log as before. You may lie on your stomach, if you wish, for your back and bottom is scratched and bruised from the… hurm… Orc attack." Veassen said, Maelui nodding and lying on his stomach on the log. Veassen took out rope and tied the elf's legs and arms to the log. Maelui began to squirm.
"What are you going to do with me?" Maelui felt his face turn pink when Veassen pulled down his leggings.
"Please don't smack me. I'll be good. I'm sorry I asked so many questions, I wont talk any more." Maelui whispered, quivering in fear.
"I'm not spanking you, idiot. Though if you do not stop your shaking I will have to. I only need to see your hip." Veassen said going over to his sack once again and getting something made of metal.
"Herdir, what is that?" Locien could not turn his head properly, but managed to see Veassen near the fire with the thing of metal.
"Listen, stay still. And if you scream I will punish you." Veassen said, approaching his slave with the heated metal thing that Maelui realized what it was only when it was about to touch his skin: The metal was shaped as a V… For Veassen, Maelui realized he was about to be marked forever with his master's initial.
Maelui could not help but scream out as soon as the hot metal touched his hip. Veassen frowned and with one free hand slapped Maelui across his face.
When it was done, Maelui had tears in his eyes. Veassen pulled the elf's leggings back up, being rough and making Maelui wince. Veassen freed the elf's hands and legs and Maelui began to shake as he sat up, keeping a hand on his hip where the V was and one hand on his cheek where he had been slapped.
"I told you not to scream!" Veassen kicked Maelui in his shin. Maelui, taken by surprise, fell to the ground, clutching his shin.
"Come on. We have to get home soon." Veassen took Maelui by his hair and pulled him to his feet. Maelui was crying soundlessly as he nodded his head and helped his master clean the area of all their things.
Veassen stopped Maelui when Maelui bent down. Veassen held Maelui's chin up and looked at a brown spot on the elf's collarbone.
"Is that dirt?" Veassen knew it was far too light a brown to be dirt, but tried to see if he could rub it off anyhow.
"No. It's a birthmark. I've always had it." Maelui gasped when Veassen pulled his tunic collar down enough to reveal his own collarbone, which had a brown mark identical to the one of Maelui. Veassen compared his birthmark to Maelui's in silence, as if he had expected them to be identical.
"You have a mark like me." Maelui looked at Veassen's mark but Veassen quickly rearranged his tunic to hide it.
"It must be just a strange coincidence that we both have marks like that. Keep cleaning." Veassen said as he sat on a log. Veassen looked at Maelui all the while.
'Father had a mark like the one Locien and I have. It must be a family thing." Veassen thought as he surveyed his slave. Maelui came to him with all their belongings packed away and the fire out.
"I'm finished, Herdir." Maelui said softly, handing Veassen his bag. Veassen nodded and stood up.
"If we walk quickly, we will reach the home by nightfall."
"Do I have a bed?" Maelui asked quietly. Veassen stopped walking and realized he had not planned much else further than getting Locien captured and in his possession.
"You sleep at the end of my bed." Veassen decided it was a fair enough place for Maelui.
"Yes sir." Maelui nodded his head and followed Veassen as he continued to walk. Maelui walked with a limp, because of the pain in his shin and hip from the V burned in his skin and the kick his master had given him.
As Veassen had said, they reached their home by nightfall. The home was surrounded by nothing but trees; it was a cave with a large wooden door. Maelui followed his master inside. They passed by the dungeons, there was no prisoners in the cells but there where bones of some dead ones. Maelui feared that one day his bones would lie amongst the bones he saw now. But Maelui was lead past the dungeons and through a dining hall. The table was small and elegant.
"I used to have slaves, I sold them and it got me the money that got all my fair furnishings and clothes like what you are wearing." Veassen explained. "I may as well give you a tour. This is the dinning room; we just came from the dungeons. The house is small; there are only the dungeons, my study, the torture room and my bedroom. You are allowed in all rooms but the study; I will call you in if I want you in. It is where I shall deliver all of your punishments, unless I think you should pay a visit to the torture room. Follow." Veassen brought his slave to the study next. Maelui found it looked cozy, with books and papers and big soft chairs and fine wooden tables, but Maelui knew he would not enjoy a single visit to this room.
Again they passed through the dungeons and to a door that lead to the torture chamber. Maelui gasped as he saw all the cruel instruments in the room.
"Have you ever used this room before?" Maelui asked, though he realized that he had asked a stupid question. There was blood smeared on the walls.
"Yes. Do you wish to test out some of the devices right now?" Veassen asked with a smile.
"No sir." Maelui whispered, wanting to leave the room as soon as he could.
"Are you sure Maelui?" Veassen asked. Before Maelui could say no again, Veassen forced the elf backwards and onto a table with shackles. Maelui hit the table with his chest first and he cried out when he felt the wound across his torso throb with pain.
"Please no!" Maelui looked at the table in horror and began to cry and sob as Veassen did the shackles on his wrists and ankles.
"I beg of you master..." Maelui whispered in between sobs of fear.
"I am going to explain you this... Usually, I only use this table to give my prisoners, whoever they may be, a whipping." Veassen picked a wipe up from the floor and showed it to Maelui before giving the elf a hit with it on his back. Maelui held back his screams.
"But also this table can separate. It pulls; I do not know how to describe how this works. It feels like... Like being stretched, and that's what it is. It is much worse if whoever is being tortured has closing wounds; I can guarantee you that they will reopen.
"Please... Don't hurt me!" Maelui sniffed. Veassen unshackled the young elf's wrists and ankles and let him fall to the ground.
Veassen brought Maelui to the final room of his tour: The bedroom. The bed was very lovely and had soft, soft blankets.
Veassen walked over to a chest of clothing and found a very elegant, brown night tunic made of satin. He handed it to his slave.
"Always make sure to dress in your nightclothes to bed, and bathe in the stream near our home before coming to bed. I don't want dirt in my bed." Veassen said as he handed Maelui the tunic.
"Yes sir. Do I bathe now?"
"No, I washed you whilst you where unconscious this morning. Dress yourself and come to bed." Veassen ordered, finding his own purple nightclothes and dressing in another room.
Veassen reentered and Maelui was dressed. Veassen lay down on the bed and Maelui obediently lay on the end, like a pet dog would.
"Good night, Herdir." Maelui whispered, shutting his eyes and falling quickly asleep, tired and weak from the beating Veassen had given him and the long walk home.
Veassen was shocked he had been wished goodnight, for never in Veassen's life had anyone wished him anything good like Maelui just had.
To be continued…
You know, I think Veassen and Eminem/Slim Shady/Marshal Mathers are related, I'm listening to sing for the moment right now...
I thought I'd show you all about more about Veassen and Locien, also known as Master and Maelui. If anyone has the program called Dragon Flame (you can download it off the internet somewhere) you should look up Maelui and see what it's English translation is. Dragon Flame is a Sindarian – English, English – Sindarian dictionary program… You'll be shocked to find out what Maelui actually means! If you don't find out, it will be told in the later chapters. Locien is not dead!
Mistopurr: I know how much you love Rivendell elves... And remember that half-naked elf you sent me? Do you know who he is? I'm starting to think he's Glorfindel...
Miss Telcontar: Legolas is basically the only one happy at the moment.
Bberry06: Unless there is some difficulties and something goes wrong... Or, maybe Tonus... Ahem... Has a low... I hope you get what I want to say but wont say on this PG 13 story chapter. It's one thing to send dirty things via the private messages on Deviant art, but on fan fiction it's not as good. Ah but I think Tonus can get Firelien pregnant, if he can get a chair pregnant.
Here comes the hockey puck: Hehehe, maybe your sister can play the Estel is coming over song on her flute. It goes something like: Estel is coming over! (x100)
Haldir's Heart and Soul: Yes. Poor guy got twins though... But he loves them both.
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: I'm going to call you CapriceAnn from now on... Veassen is an elf, not a man. No, Estel is not saving Locien, sorry, but someone might...
Karone Evertree: Poor, poor Cield.