Disclaimer- I don't own LOTR or any of the characters… and I never will…
A/N- I have A LOT of stuff to do… Mythology's taking a lot of my time up… but after that, we get to read The Hobbit! YAY! I can't wait! I'm going to pass all of those tests:D And I get to talk about Galion! So I'm happy about that . But since my friend Jenna asked for chapter eight, I typed it:D HI JENNA! Hehe, I know you're reading this, Pimm…
Chapter 8- No Elf is Left Standing Free
"Stop!" A man yelled, running out from inside the auction building.
"Why should I?" The keeper lowered his sword.
"Because you can sell that creature for a high price." The man kept his eye on Ascarlún.
"This is none of your concern." The man lifted his sword again, readying himself for the final cut.
I have to buy some time for Ascarlún. Galion fell limp in the men's grip, feigning to have fainted.
"Seld, It fainted." The man on Galion's left lifted the limp shoulder.
Seld, the keeper who was about to kill Ascarlún, turned on his heel and walked towards the 'fainted' Elf. He lifted his head and examined it, dropping it after he was sure that Galion had actually fainted. "Take it to the holding chamber." When he walked back to Ascarlún, he yelled. Ascarlún was tearing out his own fur. The Elvish nayona winced every time he grabbed a mouthful of fur and pulled. "No! Stop that!" Seld ran up to Ascarlún and groaned. "Now I'll have to wait until it grows back." He grumbled, "Take it to the holding chamber too, but make sure it doesn't get sold."
The men pulled the resisting Elvish nayona into the chamber and pulled out a chain to restrain him. "There, now don't go and kill the Elves in here. They're to be sold later." Ascarlún snapped at the man's face, almost biting his nose, but the chain held him firmly back.
"What are these Elves doing without being chained down?" Seld walked in and looked at Legolas and Tirnen. He grabbed their bindings and pulled them away from the Marchwarden. Over at the other side of the room, he tied them to the wall by tying their bindings on hooks that were welded onto the stone. Once sure that all was fine, the men left the Elves to sulk in the dark room.
Legolas looked up, "Ascarlún, Galion?" He just now noticed that his butler and his adar's steed also occupied the room. "They've taken Mirkwood too?"
"No, my price." Galion awoke from his 'fainted' state. "King Thranduil told me to come and look for you with Ascarlún."
"He must be so worried…" Legolas' knees collapsed, causing his body to follow them to the ground.
Ascarlún tried to break his bindings by thrashing, but the chains held strong.
"Calm, nayona." Haldir motioned for the Elvish nayona to sit down. "Fighting will do no good; it'll only drain you of your strength." Ascarlún slowly calmed down. He was soon standing with his head drooping to the ground.
Tirnen slumped down. "It's hopeless…" His head fell back against the wall. "We're never going to get free."
Night came and the stars shown brightly. They spread their golden light over everything. Some light spilt through the window, casting shadows of the captured Elves. Ascarlún looked over at Galion; he was shaking from the cold air that rushed through the window. Ascarlún was tethered to the wall, just like everyone else, but his chain was long enough so that he could lie down next to the shivering Elf.
"Thank you, Ascarlún." Galion said as he quietly slipped into sleep. Ascarlún laid his head down next to Galion's and also fell asleep.
The morning came, but the sun's light didn't make the situation any better. The Elves slowly awoke from their dreams, only to wake into a nightmare.
Ascarlún nudged Galion's face with his nose. "Not now, Ascarlún…" Galion raised his hand over his head to stop Ascarlún from waking him. Ascarlún began to lick Galion's face, knowing that he hated it, and he would then wake up. "Ascarlún, stop." Galion sleepily pushed Ascarlún's head away. Ascarlún was getting desperate to wake Galion. He nudged the side of Galion's abdomen, hoping that that would get him up. "Ascarlún, enough! Let me sleep." Galion rolled onto his stomach and covered his head with his hands. Ascarlún walked over to where Galion lay, grabbed the back of his tunic, and pulled. Galion fought to get to his feet. Ascarlún dropped the leather once Galion was to his feet. "Why did you want me awake? Can't I even sleep without you bothering me?" Galion groaned irritably, he hated getting up early without a reason.
Ascarlún motioned to Legolas' spot. He and Tirnen were being taken away.
"Prince Legolas!" Galion ran until the chain pulled taught with a snap. "Legolas, no!" Galion watched in despair as the prince and guard were taken out the door. "Legolas…"
Another man walked in and up to Haldir. He unwound the chain from the wall very hastily and took him out of the building.
Men walked in and out of the building. Each of them coming in with nothing, and leaving with an Elf. Seld even came into the building. He walked up to Galion and unbound the chained Elf from the wall. Ascarlún protested to that by madly clawing at the air. He wasn't able to hurt the man because his chain held him back. The man took no notice of him and led Galion out of the door.
The auction took many hours. In the end, there wasn't even one Elf still standing free. Galion was taken by a blacksmith, Legolas and Tirnen were kept together, they were taken by an armory shop owner, and Haldir had been taken by a stable owner.
"How much you want for that?" The stable owner who bought Haldir asked. He pointed to Ascarlún.
"That's not fer sale." Seld folded his arms across his chest.
"Fifty silver pennies."
"That won't even buy ya half."
"One hundred and fifty silver pennies." The stable owner was determined to get Ascarlún.
"Ya don't even have that much." The keeper was starting to walk away until the stable owner pulled out a large sack.
"You sure?" The man threw the sack of coins on the ground. It hit the dirt with a thunk.
Seld turned on his heel and eyed the sack of coins. He bit his lip, unsure of what to do. "One fifty?"
"One hundred and fifty silver pennies." The stable owner reassured.
The keeper stroked his short beard thoughtfully. "Two hundred." He tried to get a higher price.
"One hundred and fifty," That's all." The man nudged the sack closer to the keeper.
"Alright, one fifty." Seld reached for the sack.
"No, first I want my part of our little deal." The stable owner snatched the sack back.
"Fine." Seld left and got a very aggravated Elvish nayona out of the holding chamber.
The stable owner took the chain from his hand and threw the sack of coins near Seld's feet. "Here, help me." The stable owner handed Haldir the chain. "You let that free, and I'll beat you." The man threatened. Ascarlún calmed down a little with Haldir holding the chain. "Come, it's a long walk home." The man led his newly acquired slave and steed out of Sarnik.
They walked countless hours. The man always in back, watching Haldir lead Ascarlún to make sure that they didn't escape.
The sun sank further into the darkening sky. "We're walking through the night." The stable owner shouted. Haldir groaned, hoping to have a break soon, but that hope soon came crashing down.
After many tiring leagues, they finally reached the stables. They were by a small, cozy house, right next to a field filled with many delectable vegetables. Corn, potatoes, wheat and lettuce were scattered throughout the plot of dirt. Haldir's stomach growled; he couldn't even remember the last time he ate anything. Seld put Ascarlún into the stables and temporarily tethered his chain to a post.
"You will work here. If you disobey an order, you'll be severely punished. If you do an exceptional job, you may be rewarded." The man took Haldir to a small, broken house. "This is where you will be sleeping." The man pointed to a bed that looked to be even too small even for a Hobbit. "You will only get sleep once you finish all of your work. Rise every morning at sunrise. And even if you don't get any sleep, you still have to work." The man pulled Haldir back to the stables. "You will work here, unless I tell you otherwise." They next moved into the man's house. "This is my house, you aren't allowed in, unless I tell you to come in." The man took Haldir into the field. "You may work in the field, it depends on what's there to be done." The man pulled out a long silver whistle. "This is if you run away or try and harm me." The man blew a long, shrill note into the whistle. A howl answered the call, followed by barking and the running feet of wolves. "They'll hunt you down and kill you, no matter where you are." The wolves sniffed Hal, implanting his scent in their minds. "No use having a slave that'll only run away."
The man dismissed the wolves and took Haldir to a great tree. There were some red coals burning in a pit by the tree. He picked up some worn rope hanging from the tree. He bound Haldir to the tree in such a way, that Haldir's face was pinned against the rough bark. He took a cloth out of his pocket and stuffed it in Haldir's mouth, preventing any screams that would escape his lips. "I'll get that other creature too." The man went into the stables to fetch Ascarlún. Upon returning with Ascarlún, the man also had an iron bar in his hand. He tied Ascarlún to the tree with Haldir and stuck the bar on the fiery coals. "Now, which one of you wants to be first?" The man said chortly, taking the bar off the coals once the metal was red. "How about the steed?" Ascarlún snorted and backed away as far as he could from the man. "Fine, the Elf's first then." The man pulled Haldir's leggings down to his knees. Haldir growled at the man, not knowing what else to do. "Shut up. This'll be over soon." The man pressed the searing hot metal against the back of the Elf's hip. Haldir's muffled cries were filled with pain and agony. The man pulled the branding iron back away from Haldir's hip, revealing a red mark shaped like a rearing horse with an "N" in the middle. The man smiled, satisfied with the brand. "Now, you." The man heated the brand up a little more before approaching the Elvish nayona. Ascarlún was forcefully pulled toward the man. The man quickly pushed the brand against Ascarlún's hindquarters and retrieved it just as quickly as he placed it. "You two now belong to me." The man set the iron bar down and pulled Haldir's leggings up. "You will refer to me as 'master' and nothing else."
Tbc…
A/N- Nine reviews, just like the nine in the company of the ring! YAY! I can relate things to other things! Oh, and I got the branding idea from Jedigollum. It was used with permission:) Thanks, Jedi:D
Responds to Reviews-
Jedi Gollum- HA! NEVER! I'll never let go of Haldir! Do you like cheese?
Marauding-siriusly- Yes, stupid Galion. He never was the best at hiding his identity… but he makes a great butler;)
Troubles8806- It's alright, you don't need to apologize:) Thanks for the review:D
Kestrel of Valinor- Thanks:D
Horsiegurl- Good! I'm glad that it's not confusing anymore.
ElvenRanger13- Glad to hear that:D
Karone Evertree- No, Legolas wasn't a slave before. To the men, Elves are thought of as too skinny. I hope that that has helped out a little.
Aranel of Mirkwood- Poor Tirnen, but then again, I couldn't just leave him in those dungeons;)
iccle fairy- The twins might make an appearance soon… I've thought about it, but I don't think that they'll make an appearance… but I do have good news for you:) Faramir will come in later on:D