HAHA I SUDDENLY GOT REMINDED TO UPDATE BY ELISA!

Sorry for the late update. (RP SUCKS)

Chapter 4

Bonds never boded well for Elladan, stalwart as he was. He wasn't quite merinthophobic, but he that didn't mean he enjoyed immobility. Being incapacitated made Elladan feel vulnerable, useless…defenseless, feelings Elladan could not quite come to terms with. He hated them.

"Where are you taking me?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth; a pair of adorned doors loomed up ahead. As much as he hated to admitted, they were grandiose and undoubtedly beautiful. The elaborately carved doors were lavish in every way possibly. Mother-of-pearl enameled the many beautiful carvings and the handles were of well-worked mithril. But as grand as it was, it was nothing short of ostentatious. Thranduil's intrinsic need to impress was written all over the opulence of the décor.

It disgusted Elladan.

Passing the doors, he was met with a grand sight. One he wouldn't forget as long as he lived. That would be for eternity, thanks to Illuvatar's gift of eternal life to the race of the Eldar. The great halls of Eryn Laslagen had not lost a single bit of its splendor and grace despite the ill devilry that was poisoning its lands once green and beautiful. The cavernous hall reflected the very ruler who sat within its rocky depths. The walls were encrusted with precious stones that Aule himself would have coveted. Gold, silver and mithril gleamed from every corner. It was sublime, aye, but cold, hard and harsh. The warmth that characterized his father's halls was non-existent in the pretentious façade that Thranduil had crafted around himself. The hall intimidated those who were beckoned – just as Thranduil had meant it to be. For Elladan, it made him even more conscious of his nakedness. Thranduil did well to degrade the son of Elrond, knowing it would make him pliant.

Elladan was pushed roughly to his knees by the none too caring guard. He gazed unflinchingly into the king's eyes of blue ice. There was a foreign gleam in Thranduil's eyes that Elladan just couldn't place. It didn't look right, yet he couldn't say that it looked entirely out of character either. The king's eyes seemed dead, yet they seemed aware and very much awake at the same time. It confounded Elladan. He shrugged the thought off, after all, it was Thranduil.

"Mae govannen, young Elladan Elrondion. You seem….well." A smirk arranged itself on the king's graceful features.

"Suilad, King Thranduil of Mirkwood." replied Elladan evenly, his face a sea of calm though inwardly seething anger.

The king laced his fingers and stared at Elladan for a moment.

"You might be wondering…why I brought you here despite my knowledge of how useless your twin and your sire can be." Thranduil paused, as if letting the words sink in. Elladan said nothing, knowing the king was baiting him.

"I have a daughter, Elladan. Her beauty is unmatched in all of Arda. She makes Arwen seem dull in comparison. She is of marrying age and I do believe I have a suitor kneeling in front of me now. Morwen….she is Avari."

Elladan could barely conceal his shock.

Avari, the Unwilling.

Adar's tomes suggested that the Avari were the Orcs. Tortured into bitter submission the to Dark Lord. They were a race clothed in mystery and suspicion. They had turned away from the beloved Eru and had rejected the Valar. They were cursed. Elladan knew little of the Avari. They had always been regarded as lost…a myth of sorts. He was surprised to find out they still actually existed.

"I know of what you ponder about, tithen pen. Yes, the Avari are very much alive. They thrive here in this kingdom. They bring us much…and for that we accept their ways." Thranduils voice took on a darker undertone. Elladan did not like it, not one bit. It spelt trouble for him, inevitably. Reading into Thranduil's words, Elladan figured that Avari custom was dark and twisted. How typical. Thinking to himself, he cursed Thranduil and his twisted mind to the deepest cracks of Mount Doom. His thoughts were interrupted by Thranduil's voice ringing through the cavernous hall.

"Morwen! Show yourself!"

Morwen. Dark-one.

How befitting. thought Elladan bitterly. Avari…Morwen…Dark…the three words seemed intent on making his life hell. Elladan looked up and fixed his gaze upon the countenance of Morwen. He gasped at her beauty. She might have been Avari but she was Elven all the same…and her Elven beauty was staggering. Her hair cascaded in a black sheet over her bare creamy shoulders. Her eyes were as black as the night sky and her features dainty but sharp all the same. Her raiment was black – a tunic of sorts. A tight black leather strap bound her throat. To it were attached chains of mithril. They trailed over her small shoulders and connected to elbow-length gloves of a filmy material. Her bodice, attached too to the leather hugged her lithe form and it flowed to her knees. Black leggings completed the outfit. She wore black boots. Despite her dark beauty, Morwen irked Elladan. The feline grace she exuded seemed almost unnatural and her hawk-like eyes were enrapturing but they were empty unfathomable dark pools. Elladan credited them to her Avari blood.

Ignoring Morwen, Elladan turned his attention back to the pompous king.

"My King, if it is not too much to ask, I would like my garments returned to me and preferably to the appropriate parts of my body. It is not polite to be such dressed in the presence of such a fine elleth." Elladan's diplomacy overrode his discomfort. It was one of his finer traits and it had helped him out of many a sticky situation. Thranduil rose from his throne and cocked an eyebrow.

"So the son of Elrond has a sweet tongue." Amusement colored his voice as he signaled for Elladan to be unbound and his garments duly returned. Dressing, Elladan started to think. He knew escaping was out of the question. Sweet Eru, The hall was more heavily guarded than the treasury in Rivendell! As he did up the last of the silver buttons of his tunic, he turned to face Morwen. Being the diplomat, he proceeded to greet her.

"Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo, Morwen. Im Elladan."

Morwen stared blankly at Elladan, who bowed in greeting. She narrowed her dark eyes and advanced upon Elladan. A small silver dagger glinted in her raised fist. Elladan's eyes opened. He barely had time to scream.

Till the next update people .