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He paused when those blue eyes opened. They were dull and glazed over with pain. For a moment Talen was stuck with remorse, both for what he had done and what he was about to do.He had never truly intended things to go the way they had. Not even Finlorn had really known how he had happened upon the elf.

In that very forest on the other side of the Forest Road they had been hard at work checking the traps that they had set a week earlier. They worked each side of the catchment area, Finlorn to the east, Talen to the west. On the western side Talen found all the traps empty and he pulled them up one by one, verydisheartened. He hoped that his father was having better luck. It was while he was pulling up the last one that he had heard the unmistakeable sound of fighting in the distance, somewhere deep in the forest. Curious as only the young can be he ran towards the sounds. He hid behind a clump of high bushes and peered out to see a sight that he would never see again.

A battle was raging between two sets of creatures. One was brutish and dirty; wielding wooden clubs, maces and any other thing they could reach. But it was the other set of creatures that mesmerised him. They were tall and fair with long hair of gold, yellow and silver. They were garbed in green and wielded mighty bows and knives. Their skin fairly shone in the dimness of the forest.

"Elves," he whispered to himself.

But the elves were losing. They were outnumbered three to one by the fell creatures and were being separated from each other and cut down. Even as Talen looked two fell to their knees, bleeding from chest wounds. There was one however that fought like a ferocious sprite. He was everywhere, slashing, hacking and stabbing. He leapt to the defence of his companions and fought off two of the creatures. The injured ones valiantly regained their feet.

Talen's eyes locked upon this creature in utter fascination. But as the battle raged on he was pushed further and further away from his companions. Talen's heart beat rapidly in fear for him. He was so close to where Talen hid that the young man could have reached out and touched him. Talen heard his ragged breathing, saw his eyes narrow as four of the orcs circled him and noted the determination on his shining face. It is not wrong to guess that that was the moment when Talen's young heart was captured forever; for Legolas was at his most beautiful in the heat of battle.

Then two things happened almost at the same time that spelled the elf's doom. There came a great noise like thunder in the distance as a host of fair creatures arrived at the scene, and, the orcs attacked. The noise had inevitably distracted the elf and unbelievably an orc slipped past his defences and struck him a solid blow to the head. The elf did not so much as fall as crumble to the ground. He rolled and came to a stop right next to where Talen hid. He could see that the elf had been badly injured before; there were gashes, cuts and bleeding slashes about his body. Talen thought he was dead, but just then his eyes opened. They were blue and dull and glazed over with pain. Talen's heart pounded in his ears. No one saw him pull the elf towards him. The orcs had new arrivals to contend with and the elves did not yet realize that he had fallen. So no one saw him slip away carrying his precious burden. The battle waged on.

Talen shook himself mentally, putting an end to the memories which were becoming too shameful to bear. He looked at the blade in his hand, the blade with which he had cut the clothes from the elf's body. Then he stared down at the elf, who lay still beneath him blue eyes sharply focused.

Legolas knew Talen's moods intimately and he dared not anger him when he clearly held the upper hand. Right then Talen was undecided, Legolas could feel him wanting to plunge the dagger into his chest… but instead he leaned down. Legolas remained quiet and compliant. Talen was straddling him. He put an arm to either side of the elf's head. His longish red hair swung free of his shoulders and framed his face.

Legolas knew what was coming. He steeled his mind and body so that when Talen's rough dry lips met his, he allowed him entry.

Talen was surprised but pleased. The elf usually fought him every step of the way. He took his time reclaiming his property.

Legolas bore it all silently though he really longed to tear him asunder from throat to groin. But even as he had such thoughts he knew his chances of surviving were slim. Talen's weight was not only a burden but a constant irritant to his already inflamed leg. The pain threatened to push beyond the boundaries of his threshold. When he moaned it was because the pain had become a white hot light burning the right side of his body. But Talen became excited thinking that the elf was responding to his manipulations.

Through eyes blurred with tears Legolas thought he saw Aragorn hanging limp and pale from the branches of a tree.

'He is dead,' his mind said, 'killed,' and that was the last clear thought he had as a rush of blinding pain roared through his defences rendering him helpless.

……………………….

In his moment of fulfilment the blade fell from his nerveless fingers as a wave of pleasure washed over him. It fell into the elf's arm and nicked his skin…and his long fingers closed over the hilt.

……………

The pain was sudden and took him by surprise. He clapped his hand to his neck, but his life blood poured out from between his fingers. He got to his feet reeling like a drunken man. He tried to speak but could not; a numbness was spreading through his body. He looked down upon the elf in disbelief with hurt eyes.

Legolas tried to crawl away to get out of his reach but his body was having none of it. His right leg was useless and the rest of him battered. He crumbled just as Talen's bloodied hands reached for him.

His grip was powerful and though Legolas dug at his fingers, he maintained it. Slowly he was throttling the elf to death, for knowing that he would soon die his selfishness would not permit the other to live.

…………………

Waves of darkness obscured his vision.

A roaring sound filled his ears.

His father's face floated before his eyes.

He could not breathe.

He could not breathe…

But mercifully just at the moment when it would have been too late, Talen's fingers loosened their hold as the big man fell to the ground dead.

………………..

It was cold, unbearably cold to his bruised and battered body. His arms were numb, his fingers swollen to the size of sausages. The bindings had been pulled to their tightest by the continued weight of his body. He closed his eyes against the excruciating pain he was feeling. Aragorn believed that he would not live to see another day. His mind wandered as time passed, but often it would go back to the image of Legolas lying between Talen's feet. He would cry then, helplessly, like a man without hope. Soon his eyes were swollen shut.

He must have drifted off because when the hands touched him he jerked awake crying out inarticulately. But the voice that comforted him and the hands that cut him down were quiet and gentle. He forced his eyes open a crack and saw very vaguely blue eyes and hair the colour of wheat.

"nnnnnnnnnnnn," Legolas, he tried to say with a tongue gone dry that clung to the roof of his mouth.

But the voice shushed him gently, the hands helped to lay him on the grassy earth. He felt them cutting the ropes around his wrists. The accompanying pain was inevitable yet Aragorn could not help his choked cries as the blood rushed to his fingertips. The hands held him close, stroking his hair and the voice murmured words of comfort to him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ciryaquen Lure ------------hope this took care of the pain.

invisigoth3------------and back to good I hope!

OokamiJudge----------can I have a shirt?

Shanna------------Deus mio amiga no quiero matarte, disfrutas!

Deep Sorrow-----------Thank you so much.

KnightGuardian----------LOL!

lindahoyland--------I could never let em suffer too long.

Viggomaniac---------easy to please! riiiiiiiiight. Thank you for your wonderful words. Me loves Talen, just a little.

Ainu Laire--------- they will be… eventually, heh heh.