This was supposed to be two chapters, but they seemed too short on their own so I put them together. Hopefully we learn a little more about Legolas and indeed Elrohir. Thanks so much for all who have read and extra thanks for any who have reviewed.

Muse10: That will be explained at a later point but as in all relationships there are good and bad times. When they end, people often forget the good times.

Ziggy3: All in good time. Some things are meant to be.

Freddie23: more Legolas angst just for you. All is definitely not well, time to start picking up the pieces!

Chapter 7

Legolas fought hard against the ropes binding him to the tree, they were expertly tied and had resisted his attempts for hours, but he refused to give up, the skin had been chafed repeatedly until small rivers of blood ran through his fingers to drip to the ground adding to the blood already pooled at his feet. How could he have allowed himself to be captured, he thought furiously. In between the two safest realms in middle earth as well.

His eyes darted around the camp, searching desperately for some way out. The guards seemed to take their jobs seriously and there were at least 6 of them at any one time. Even were he to get free of his bonds, he doubted that he would make it out of the camp undetected. A particularly vicious wriggle made a hiss of pain escape him as his raw back scraped against the bark of the tree.

The men did not appreciate his continuous attempts to get free and had been sure to beat him into near unconsciousness before hauling him over to the tree. The few humans that they had captured along the way sat passively beside their guards with their wrists bound, they seemed to accept their fate with a fatalistic manner that terrified Legolas. He refused to be kept prisoner again. He would get free of these men, or die in the attempt. To remain a captive for longer than a few days was not an option he would consider.

One of the guards made his way over to the elf, in his one hand he held a knife, in the other a small crust of bread. He nestled onto his haunches before his prisoner. 'You must eat this elf.' Legolas raised outraged eyes to the man, they all but blazed with defiance 'No.' he replied, he would take nothing from these men. The man pressed the bread towards his mouth and Legolas clamped it tightly shut and turned his head away.

The man reached forward and grabbed the elfs jaw, turning it towards him. Legolas felt his whole body go rigid when the man made contact with him, he fought the reaction. He did not want this man to think he feared him. The man tried again, he forced Legolas' jaws apart and pushed the bread towards his mouth. Legolas threw his head forward at the last minute and clamped his teeth around the mans' hand, he howled in pain.

A warm rush of blood flowed into his mouth but he refused to release the squirming, shrieking human. Some of the other guards had come forward to assist their comrade but had paused as if unsure how to proceed. Legolas could have smiled then, they knew that if they hit his jaw he may well bite clean through the mans hand. Legolas tried to keep his eyes on as many as possible. Then he felt a fiery pain blaze across his back and gasped in surprise, releasing the trapped man in the process. The man staggered away from him and his fellows circled around him to tend to the torn hand.

Legolas spat a mouthful of blood into the grass and looked up to see the leader of the traders looking down at him, a leather whip in his hands. Legolas could not help the bitter smile he gave to the man as he was untied and dragged to the centre of the field, where 4 men held him down as the leader doled out his retribution. Legolas allowed his mind to drift as his body was beaten. He could feel the blades of grass beneath him, the fingers of the men digging into his skin, holding him down.

At the crack of the whip, he strained to look up at his tormentor and in the place of the man stood a tall orc. The leather whip had silver tips that cut deeply into his skin. Beneath him was the cold stone of a cave, covered with filth. A fire hissed in the corner of the stifling space, not for warmth but to provide further means of pain. There was a low cackling laughter around him as the orc walked towards the fire and grabbed something from its depths. The elf felt his heart stutter in his chest as the orange poker was brought towards his neck...

Legolas came awake with a gasp, instantly reaching around to the back of his neck, beneath his hair. He felt the slightly raised skin, but no pain. It was only a dream, a memory. Legolas looked out of the window to see the sun make her slow ascent, he lifted himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He hoped a long soak in a bath would prepare him for the day to come, and all the days after that too.

The morning dawned bright and clear, a gentle breeze brought the scents of fresh herbs and green things wafting into the last homely house. Elrohir smiled as he breathed in the soothing fragrance while he made his way to the healing halls for his morning visit. Legolas was improving daily and they had spent many a morning laughing together, whilst munching on some delicious pastry which had been procured from the kitchens. Legolas would shake his head in exasperation when Elrohir would pull something out from under his shirt. Of course the kitchen would have gladly given them anything that they wanted. But as Elrohir had explained, somehow stolen food always tasted better.

This morning he was particularly pleased with his hoard. Delicious honey glazed rolls, fresh out of the oven. They did make his chest a little sticky but he decided that it was a price he was willing to pay. He sauntered into the room with a beaming smile only to find an empty bed before him. Legolas had been getting restless over the last two days so Elrohir was not particularly surprised. He peered around the room in search of his friend and wandered towards the door leading into the bathing chamber. Ah there he was, but something stopped Elrohirs first reaction of calling out to his friend.

Legolas stood before the large mirror that hung from the wall, he wore only a loose pair of leggings and he had removed all the bandages from his body. He had clearly just emerged from a bath, his hair was wet and lying in curling tendrils around his shoulder, where he had drawn it away from his exposed back. He was engrossed in the reflection of his back. The open wounds were no more, in their place were angry red lines of scar tissue, some mere thin lines, others thick with raised skin. The red latticework was made more interesting by the thin white lines that lay underneath them, old scars from long ago that had nearly healed.

Elrohir pulled his eyes away from the grisly sight and looked up into his friends face. Legolas had a look of disgust on his face, his lips were compressed together into a thin line and his eyes looked dull and listless. He turned away from the mirror with an angry sound and turned his eyes towards Elrohir instead. His lips curled into a sardonic smile that sat uncomfortably on his lovely face.

'Well they did their work well, it took over one hundred years for the last lot to fade and these should last at least another fifty.' he let out a mirthless laugh and raised his eyes to look directly into Elrohirs. 'Who could possibly love me now Roh, my past is literally visible for all the world to see. I shall never be free of it. I am a ruined creature.'

Elrohir was shocked into speechlessness for a time, where was the bright positive friend that he had spoken to last night? ' I can't imagine that Haldir would care about any more scars Lass, and if he did then he would not be worthy of you!' If he had hoped to cheer his friend up with these words he was sadly mistaken. Legolas physically recoiled from him, his eyes dropped to the ground only to return to his face, looking suspiciously bright.

'I haven't told you everything Roh.' he whispered. 'What do you mean?' Elrohir was battling to follow the path of the conversation. ' Haldir and I are finished Roh, I have ended it.' Elrohirs heart leaped in his chest and he worked hard to control his expression. 'I am sorry Las, what happened? And why didn't you tell me?' He couldn't believe that this was the first he had heard of this news.

'He asked me to bind myself to him, I could not.' Elrohir leaned against the wall for support, it had been so close, what if he had said yes! It was unthinkable.

Elrohir cleared his throat and pushed the thoughts aside. 'I am sorry Las, I didn't know. But my point remains that anyone who would be bothered by a few scars is well beneath your notice. You are beautiful my friend, nothing will ever change that.' A small smile was all the answer he got. 'Come now, I have brought us some breakfast.' He said, pulling the buns triumphantly from beneath his shirt. Legolas laughed at his enthusiasm and the sweet sound carried around the room and out of the window to mingle with the morning sounds of fair Imladris, the land of healing.