Chapter three: The games we must play…

Maglor was awakened by a hand gently stroking his head, he tensed up and didn't quite remember where he was for a few seconds, then it dawned upon him and he whimpered and felt cold once more. Artemar sighed. "It is time to wake up, I am sorry, but I can't let you sleep any longer."

Maglor yawned, he felt strangely relaxed, almost well. " I know"

He sat up, felt Artemar's warm body close to his own and it felt surprisingly comfortable. He tried to gather his senses, to stay focused. It wasn't easy, he knew what this day would bring. Artemar kissed his shoulder gently. " Are you hungry?"

Maglor blinked, then he nodded. He was hollow and his stomach did growl when he thought of food. Artemar got out of the bed, walked over to the door and shouted something, before long Kôr came running and he left with swiftly when Artemar told him they wanted food.

Artemar returned to the bed. " I will stay with you for as long as I can, but I will have to leave to prepare before the feast. Harbal will be here in a few hours, do as he tells you "

Maglor could feel his heart speeding up again, he felt dizzy and rather scared too. " I…"

Artemar embraced him, held him tightly. " Remember last night, okay? Think of that, only of that. It will be over fast, I will make sure that the Sha'al can't last more than a few minutes at the most"

Maglor swallowed the taste of bile in his mouth. "I bet he will want me later on too, not only tonight"

Artemar nodded. " Yes, he most certainly will, but I am trying to think of a solution. We have to use what we do know of him against him"

Maglor frowned, he felt sticky and his ass felt odd too, it wasn't all that comfortable. "What do you mean?"

Artemar got a brush from a drawer in the closet, started brushing Maglor's hair, it felt very comfortable, and relaxing too. "He has weaknesses, a lot of them in fact, odd quirks that could offer us a solution"

Maglor sighed, " I am not sure I will survive this evening, why make plans?"

Artemar grasped his chin, turned his face against himself. "Do not say that, stay positive. You have a choice, you always have a choice. See this as a battle you have to win, by feigning defeat."

Maglor let out a humorless laughter. " Indeed, I have fought in many battles my friend, and yes, I have lost too."

Artemar grasped onto his hair, braided it. "Maglor, listen to me. I think I may have a solution, we have some allies here and I will use them for all that they are worth."

The elf looked puzzled. "Allies?"

Artemar nodded, added a small leather band to the braid to tie it off. " Yes, allies! And if you catch the attention of someone in enough power that too may help us all. The sha'al may be the one ruling this realm but not even he can do that alone. He does depend upon the support of others with wealth and experience. Some of the families are almost as powerful as himself."

Maglor sighed. "Are you saying that I should offer myself to those people? Offer to spread my legs like a whore?!"

Artemar shook his head. " Heck no, but you are an elf. Nobody here is used to elves, to us all you are legends, myths. People are ready to believe anything they hear if they have no real knowledge and I bet we can exploit that"

Maglor was about to say something when Kôr entered, he carried a huge basket and put on the table and Artemar clapped his hands with a cheerful expression upon his face. " Perfect, let's eat"

He opened the basket, it was filled with bread and cheese and fruits and two bowls of some sort of porridge. Maglor was a bit shocked, the food looked excellent and it smelled very good too. Artemar grinned widely. "Like I have said, we are taken very well care off. We eat like kings, the food is the very best available and we can drink as much wine as we like. That is also the very best by the way. "

He removed the items from the basket and Maglor felt the smell of freshly baked bread, it was heavenly. Artemar gave him one of the bowls. "This porridge is very good, and it gives strength too. Try it"

Maglor grasped a spoon and took a mouthful, it was indeed good and he grinned, filling his stomach would be great. "The Sha'al must have a good kitchen"

Artemar nodded, he was eagerly tearing up some bread, spreading butter on it and some moshed fruits. " He does, many kitchens in fact. One for himself, one for his harem, one for us and one for the rest of the palace. The other slaves aren't as well fed as us, believe me. They are fed scraps"

Maglor did pity them but he was too hungry to care, he finished the bowl and then he too got some bread. Artemar smiled smugly. "Everything has been tasted before it is brought to us, to avoid poison. There are slaves who's only job is the taste the food. I cannot say I envy them"

Maglor swallowed some bread, it was nutty and warm still and very good. It reminded him of the bread his mother had made back home. "No?"

Artemar shrugged. "Every piece of food they put in their mouth may be the last one, that is quite a knowledge to have don't you think? But the chefs who make the food here are not slaves, they are paid workers and their salaries are ridiculously high."

Maglor felt confused. " I thought slaves did all the work here?"

Artemar shook his head. "Nope, there are free men working here, for money. The sha'al do pay the chefs so well to ensure they are loyal to him, they all are used to living in luxury and the prospect of losing that is more terrifying to them than anything else. "

Maglor emptied a cup of milk, it had a funny taste. "Is this goats milk?"

Artemar swallowed a mouthful and grinned. " Indeed it is, cows are rare here, they eat too much and this land is rather barren. A goat can eat anything and thrive on it, a cow cannot"

That made sense and Maglor started to realize that he was very far away from the lands he had known. When they finished eating Artemar took him to the baths and he saw that the others were there already. They sat in the pool relaxing and Artemar stared at them. "Friends, tonight we must all do our outmost to make sure that Maglor makes it through the night."

Noolar and Aerhan nodded and the others bowed their heads. " We are ready"

Maglor felt a bit moved by their concern and their care and somehow they all reminded him of his brothers. They too had tried to stay together, to protect each other. The water was warm and pleasant and Kenar and Rial started washing his hair without being asked at all. Demetry massaged his shoulders and legs and he suddenly felt as if he didn't really deserve all this gentle attention. Artemar smiled, kissed him on the mouth and Maglor found himself answering the kiss, to his own astonishment. " Relax, enjoy it."

They finished washing his hair, added oils to it that made it smell like flowers and then Artemar got him out of the pool, sat down by a table. "We have people here who help us prepare, slaves like ourselves and very skilled ones too. You haven't yet gained any fame due to artistic skills, but you are so stunning I don't think you will remain anonymous for very long, even among those who haven't heard of you before. I will make sure that Thasul makes you look magnificent."

Maglor frowned, he felt a bit drowsy still and Rial was massaging his scalp. "Thasul?"

Artemar nodded. "He creates our looks, makes our clothes, designs our makeup. He makes the illusion that this place is, makes sure it looks perfect all the time"

Maglor nodded, he remembered his grandfather's palace in Tirion, how some elves were tasked with making robes for the king and his court and matching colors and designing the looks of the gardens and rooms. It had been a monumental task. "He is a slave you said, but he is given such a responsibility?"

Artemar nodded. "He is highly respected, very skilled and also a person with some power. A slave can be powerful but only through his master, remember that. You cannot do anything on your own, only what the master orders you to do. Within those boundaries you do have free reins, at least most of the time."

Maglor nodded and Artemar sighed, he addressed the others there. "Listen, we have to make sure that the Sha'al doesn't want to bed Maglor again, or at least not that often. Any ideas?"

Everybody stared at each other, and made grimaces. Noolar grunted, and the very feminine face was showing exactly what he felt. "Dear, I do not think we can scare Orieam from fucking his ass, Maglor is too damn pretty."

Artemar nodded. " I agree, nothing we say or do will make you repulsive to him, any other ideas?"

There was silence and finally Kôr broke it, he stood there ready to take orders and the boy tilted his head. " My mother used to say that there is two methods of making someone do something, whip or carrot"

Kherfem smiled. "And your mother was a very wise woman indeed young one, we cannot use the whip, what about the carrot?"

Artemar bit his lower lip. "Temptation? What in the name of all gods would be more tempting than Maglor here? You all know how he is when he has a new slave to fuck, he is insatiable the first weeks. Heck, when he first took me he took me so often the first month I almost got completely ruined, if Harbal hadn't managed to stitch me back up again I would have been unable to control myself and ended up being incontinent."

Maglor shuddered, oh Eru. That was information he didn't need.

Demetry squinted, his face looked as if he was concentrating hard. "The Sha'al is terrified of getting old isn't he?"

Artemar raised his head. "Yes? So what?"

The blond man made a gesture. "Look, nobody here knows much about elves alright, but we all know they live forever. They are eternally youthful and beautiful. Among us there were legends claiming that elves got that way by sucking the very life out of humans, that they fed upon our souls"

Artemar frowned and Maglor scoffed. "That is a complete and utter lie, my race was around for thousands of years before there even were humans created. We do not need to feed upon humans at all!"

Artemar touched his chin, his eyes were narrow. " Yes, we do know that but does the Sha'al know it?"

Kôr was almost jumping up and down. " You could claim that fucking Maglor too often would drain him of life?"

Artemar just opened his mouth in shock and Kherfem scoffed. Aerhan got a sly expression upon his face. " Know what? That may just work, but it cannot come from us, and there has to be a reason for him to keep Maglor here, something that makes him want to protect him, keeps him from selling him again"

They all looked at each other, minds were working overtime and then Noolar raised his hand. " Well, I do have an idea, but it is…odd"

Artemar waved his arm. " Come on, spit it out, every idea is welcome now"

Noolar blushed, he did look a lot like some young maiden and Maglor could clearly see that this man indeed was a soul trapped in the wrong body. "Back home we had a high priest, and he too was afraid of becoming old. He drank the morning urine of young boys every morning, and sometimes even their seed, to stay young"

Artemar made a grimace. " Oh yack! Did it work?"

Noolar shook his head. " Heck no, but he did live to the ripe age of eighty so I guess he believed it would work, and that was enough. Wrinkly old guy, rather rude and disgusting but he believed that he would live forever until the very end"

Kherfem got a very mischievous expression upon his face, he did look devilish. Suuna too grinned, he stretched himself and the dark eyes were gleaming. "We could use that, we could make him believe that fucking an elf is bad for his health but that drinking his piss or whatever will keep him young"

Maglor felt nauseous, that was disgusting but in a way also a bit funny, ironic. Demetry chuckled. "Just make sure that he thinks that Maglor's blood is poisonous to humans, otherwise we all know what he may do"

Artemar shuddered. "Heck yes, but how are we to make the Sha'al believe all this?"

Aerhan had a determined look upon his face. " I know how, through her"

They all nodded. " Yes, that is the only way"

Maglor stared at them with a puzzled expression upon his face. " Her?"

Artemar smiled, put his arm around his shoulders. "Yes, I didn't tell you yesterday because you had enough on your mind as it was. We are speaking of the Sha'al's mother. Her name is Shiìra and she is the only person he really trusts."

Maglor frowned. "Is she to be trusted then?"

Artemar nodded. " She is, you see, she is smart, and she has managed to stay alive for longer than any other former queen. First of all, she doesn't at all interfere with the young queen and her court, second of all she supports every little thing her son does. She showers him with gifts and attention and just plain sickening love and devotion and so he has kept her alive. Other Sha'als have often killed their mothers or sold them if they have tried to interfere with the rule"

The elf looked confused. "She supports him?"

Artemar grinned, a vicious grin. "Officially yes, in reality she hates him. She has said she would have strangled him with his own diapers had she known what sort of monster he would become but now she tries to secretly overthrow his rule and disrupt his plans in every way that she can. She hates this place by the way, calls the collection a shame and a disgrace and want's us all freed. But she have in fact bought slaves for him, as gifts. Everyone loyal to her of course and her very useful spies. He thinks she is incapable of anything so devious, the fact that males here think women are naught but animals does come back to bite their asses sometimes."

Maglor chuckled. "So she may help you mean?"

Aerhan nodded. "She will help, for sure. I know how to come into contact with her, I have a contact among the kitchen slaves."

Artemar grinned widely. "Do it, send the message."

Aerhan smiled and Maglor felt a sensation of disbelief. If this worked then…but it wouldn't save him from the feast, and the Sha'al would most certainly want to fuck him at least once. He tried to swallow but his mouth had gone dry again. Artemar handed him a goblet with wine and he drank it gracefully.

They had all bathed and most of them left to prepare, Artemar petted his hand and kissed him gently. "Do not be afraid, we will do our outmost to distract him and Thasul will make you look so gorgeous the Sha'al will be done in a flash."

Maglor had a lump in his throat. "Is there anything I can do to…to help myself?"

Artemar nodded. " You will not have to do anything except being shown off, so do try to look as good as you possibly can. Straighten up, keep your chin up, use those gorgeous eyes of yours for all they are worth"

Maglor sighed. " How? What do you mean?"

Artemar looked a bit tired of Maglor's lack of experience. "Doe-eyes, puppy eyes, pretend that you are begging your mother for that one last cookie she wants for herself. Make every other man in that room want to protect you, to save you from the beast. And make him believe that there is nothing you'd rather want than his cock balls deep up your ass!"

Maglor shivered. " Oh Eru, I can't do that. I bet I can look as if I need help for I do, but look wanton? Heck no!"

Artemar sighed." Right, crash course in looking horny as hell, here goes!"

He got up onto his feet and then his entire face changed, he held his chin lowered and there was a faint blush across his cheeks and the eyes, Maglor had never seen such a transformation before. Suddenly they were ablaze, the gaze flickering to and fro, hinting and making promises of desire and it looked as if he found Maglor too darn attractive to even look at. It was a most impressive show of skills and Maglor was stunned. "That was…."

Artemar sat down again, grinned widely. "What you have to do tonight. Remember, the line between hatred and lust is very thin, think of how you hate this man and transform it. He is too darn stupid to notice the difference, believe me. "

Maglor made keening sound. " I am not so sure that…"

Artemar took a deep breath. " Oh yes you are, now, pretend I am the Sha'al, Look at me the way I did look at you"

Maglor concentrated, forced himself to focus and then he gathered the dignity and power he had had to exude when he was king and mixed it with his burning hatred for the evil deeds of this Sha'al and his desire to end them. He stared at Artemar who jumped and shook his head. " Whoa, too much, way too much. You look murderous and that he will notice, now, pretend as if you are completely helpless, like a maiden abducted by some evil lord or something"

Maglor sighed, what a thing to compare him with, but he tried, he managed to soften his expression and Artemar grinned so wide the elf could count all his teeth, "Perfect, he will think he has you in awe of his power and attractiveness. Now, puppy eyes, do flirt, and beg"

Maglor tried, he had often been accused of having gotten everything his way too many times as a kid, as the secondborn he had had to fight for his parent's attention and he had in fact been very good at making them forgive his mistakes and give him whatever he had wanted. He put on a slight pout and fluttered his eyelashes and Artemar let out a small shriek of joy. "Oh gods, how can anyone resist that? "

He kissed Maglor again, let his hands run through his hair. "Remember, let the crowd see your fear, beg them to protect you, to save you. When you look at him make him think that you want him so bad, okay?"

Maglor shuddered slightly. "Okay!"

Artemar caressed his face. " It will be alright, I promise. Harbal will be here soon to prepare you and give you that drug, and then Thasul will make you look so gorgeous the Sha'al will come in his pants just by looking at you."

Maglor tried to remain calm. " Is he…is he really that well endowed?"

Artemar sighed. " Unfortunately yes, it will be terrible, I cannot lie to you but you will make it. Harbal has become very good at healing us and he will help you afterwards. You just have to focus upon surviving"

Maglor swallowed hard, the feeling of helplessness fell over him again. " I will try!"

Artemar held his chin hard. "No, you will not try, you will do it, do you hear me? You will make it!"

Maglor tried to convince himself that Artemar was right. " I will live"

Artemar kissed him softly. "That is the spirit, stay strong."

Harbal came walking with Kôr and another boy by his side. The other boy had skin covered with weird scars and Artemar sent the elf a sad smile "That is Jahm, he has had the pox, and he survived. Harbal took him in as an apprentice."

Harbal carried a small bag of things and he nodded at Artemar. " I will take it from here now, you go and prepare, get ready to dance the wits out of everybody"

Artemar smiled and got up. " I will, Maglor, remember, do what he tells you to do"

The elf took a deep breath and felt alone the moment Artemar disappeared behind a door, the old healer smiled at him. " Be not afraid fair one, I will do all I can to get you through this as unscathed as possible. I know elves heal well too, you will be alright."

He pulled out a cup and poured it half full of wine, then he added some powder with a pale yellow color and stirred with a spoon. " Here drink this"

Maglor took the cup. " Is this…"

Harbal nodded. "The drug yes, that is enough to sedate a horse by the way, you elves have a much higher tolerance for such than humans, I have read a lot you see"

Maglor sighed again and emptied the cup in one long swig. It tasted like crap and he made a grimace. " Oh Eru, that was vile!"

Harbal smiled. " I made it taste foul on purpose, it does really taste rather sweet and there have been accidents, kids who have come across it and eaten it and died"

Maglor nodded. " Smart, now what?"

Harbal removed some more items from his bag, one looked like a huge syringe and Maglor's eyebrows almost touched his hairline. " Is that…"

Harbal grinned widely. " Yes, it is what we use to administer and enema"

Maglor hissed. " I do not need one, I am not constipated and I haven't eaten that much lately so…"

Harbal touched his shoulder in a soothing gesture." It can also be used for other purposes. I will inject you with something that will make your insides numb, take away some of the pain. It will also relax your muscles and protect the tissue from being torn and bruised."

Maglor managed to make a faint grin. " Taking away pain sounds good."

Harbal smiled and patted his back. " Yes, it is a method I came across just recently. Now, the medicine will not relax your muscles entirely, that would give us away but it will give lubrication and make it a bit less terrible."

Maglor bit his lower lip. "Then do it, before I lose my nerve"

Harbal sent him a polite nod and filled the syringe with some clear liquid, it was thick and didn't smell much. "On your stomach, one leg out to the side. This is done in a flash"

Maglor did as he was told to do and jerked as the smooth cone shaped nuzzle of the syringe was gently inserted, it felt cold and hard and uncomfortable and he remembered how Artemars fingers and cock had felt inside of him and wondered how this could feel so different. The cold liquid made him twitch and Harbal laid a hand on the small of his back. It was small and warm and rough but had some strength in it yet. "Lay still, just a little more"

Maglor forced himself to obey and he felt strangely full when the syringe was pulled out, then a weird numb sensation spread through his insides and crotch and Harbal grinned, a very pleased grin, " Great, this works well."

The old man helped him get back up and gave him a glance filled with encouragement. "Do not drink much wine, it will interfere with the drug, but water is okay. And eat, do eat"

Harbal left and Kôr remained behind and sat down, the long thin legs swinging. "Thasul will be here in a minute, he is very kind, a bit strict but I like him. He is never cruel to us ordinary slaves"

Maglor couldn't help but wonder how this Thasul would be able to make him look seductive and pretty when he felt everything but. There were footprints coming from the corridor and a man entered the room followed by three young men, all wore the same flimsy outfit and all three had their heads shaved and strange patterns painted onto their skin. They looked bizarre. Maglor stared, he couldn't help it.

Thasul himself looked like an ordinary man, dressed in a long white robe that looked a bit like a dress and wide pants in the same material. His hair was braided and tied up and he had a nice well groomed beard and a face that looked normal. He was the kind of man you see and instantly forget. The three men on the other hand, they were so ghastly dressed Maglor wondered if this Thasul was color blind. Thasul put his hands together, stared at Maglor with wide eyes and a smile that just got wider and wider. He looked like a cat which have spotted a lame huge rat trapped in a corner. " Oh by Sharbat's sacred eye, you are beyond beautiful. They said you were a creature of amazing beauty but they were not nowhere near the truth. How exotic, how stunning, how enticing!"

Maglor had heard of men like Thasul, who were so extravagant it became way too much. Heck, he had met a few too. His cousin Finrod had always had a taste that was outrageous, that necklace he had been wearing was said to have been so over the top most people hardly had the stomach to look at it. Thasul grasped his hand. " I am Thasul the magnificent, and I am going to make you look even more like an angel, oh you are going to be my masterpiece. They are going to whisper your name with envy, with despair for not being your master"

Maglor stared at the tree young men who stood there, looking a bit dumbstruck. "Uh, not to be disrespectful oh great master, but those three can barely be described as beautiful?"

Thasul snickered. " Correct oh gorgeous elf, they look like shite now don't they? On purpose, my servants are not to compete with my creations. Easy as that"

Maglor blinked, one of the men wore a sort of ass less pair of short pants made from a very shiny material and the top was a sort of bolero in a dirty brown color. It was so ugly he was sure not even an orc would have wanted to be found dead in that.

Thasul clapped his hands. " Oh you are so tall, so elegant, I do not think I will put that many clothes on you, we must make the others at the feast desire you, and wish to be with you but at the same time….hmmm!"

He stroked his beard and took wide circles around the elf who felt like a horse at a freaking auction. " I know, yes I know. Relax my friend, I will turn you into a gem!"

A short while later Maglor sat in a chair while two of the young men did his hair and another was busy putting small glittering pieces of a gemlike material onto his skin with some sort of adhesive. Thasul had tied a sort of thin lavender colored veil around his waist and that was obviously the only pieces of fabric that he was to wear, he felt naked. It didn't hide anything and other from that he was being painted. Elegant lines made in silvery paint and it reminded him of vines and plants. Thasul nodded vigorously as the young men worked. "Yes, yes, nothing may compete with his beauty, it may only serve to enhance it."

Maglor had surrendered, it felt surreal and he felt like he was going to look absolutely ridiculous. Thasul added thick lines of kohl around his eyes and some sort of pink powder to his cheeks and lips and the young men made lots of thin braids in his hair and attached bright white gems to them. At least that was very pretty. Thasul held up a hand mirror. "See? You have got to use those stunning eyes of yours, I have given you the tools you need to perfect it"

Maglor was stunned, the face that stared back at him was so different. The drug had started to work, making his pupils dilate and when he tried to look pleading the kohl made them look like puppy eyes for sure. Thasul laid his hands on Maglor's shoulders, " My friend, I will pray for you, and I am sure he will be so stunned by your beauty he will be swift. Do not despair, please"

Maglor tried to smile. " I will not"

Thasul sighed and there was sadness in his eyes, "We strive to create a sense of beauty in a world ruled by horror, and what we do create is so frail, so short lived. But you, you may endure and bring our names with you through ages to come. That is our immortality, the only one for which we can hope"

Maglor felt a bit touched by his words, and he smiled back, a genuine smile "Thank you"

Thasul sighed. " You are welcome, I would loathe to see such beauty desecrated by that…thing!"'

Kôr came with a tray of food and Thasul left, Maglor didn't feel hungry but he had to eat. He was starting to feel funny, dizzy and light headed and also almost indifferent. Nothing really mattered anymore, it all felt slightly unreal. Kôr took his hand. " I will stay with you until they come to get you, the feast has started already but the entertainment won't begin for a while yet"

Maglor swallowed. "Thank you, you are a kind boy"

Kôr beamed with pride. "Be not afraid, you are nice, and the gods like the nice people. They do not like the bad ones like the Sha'al. I am sure"

Maglor hid a sarcastic snarl, if the world had been that fair everything would have been different. He stared at his hands, the palms were still hard and stiff from the burns and he took a deep breath. Had he been in his full strength he could have killed the Sha'al as easily as you break a toothpick, heck, he could have killed many but not all, even an elf isn't invincible and there were too many guards. And the others in the collection, they would probably be killed if he escaped, and how would he be able to live with himself if that happened? No, he had to sacrifice himself for the good of others, as he had before. Maedhros had survived years in Angband, he had to be as strong as he had been.

After what felt like an eternity two guards came forth, they carried some light chains and Maglor felt dread creeping up his spine from the sight, this was it. He shivered to the bone, yet he held his hands out, showed that he was submissive, harmless. The chains were strong, they could hold any man but they would not be able to hold an elf as long as that elf was healthy. Maglor was sure he could have snapped them even now but what was the point? He didn't want to cause more bloodshed and grief. He followed the men without a word and the surreal feeling just got stronger and stronger.

They entered a huge hall, it was airy and full of light and the scents of food and expensive perfume filled the air. There was huge tables there, placed along the walls so that the middle of the room was open and at the top of the room the Sha'al sat with his queen and closest men. The tables were low, people sat on pillows on the floor and ate with their fingers and there were only men there. The queen the only female present and she was covered from head to foot by a thick red veil. Only her eyes were visible, heavy makeup showed that she tried to look her best, and she was almost covered in jewelry made from gold and gems. She did look rather young and Maglor was a bit shocked. The Sha'al could have been a handsome man once upon a time, now the strong masculine features were covered with a thick layer of fat, and the eyes were small and golden brown with a bored and sly look in them. He wore a turban with diamonds sewed onto the fabric and he was wearing a pair of wide pants made from pure silk and sandals. Otherwise from that he only wore necklaces and rings and a wide belt with rubies and emeralds. He was ghastly, so ugly Maglor only could compare him with an orc. There was a complete lack of empathy in that gaze, a disregard for others that was inhuman.

Maglor felt his legs turn to jelly, he started to shiver. On the floor Kherfem was entertaining the crowd, he was speaking loudly and the men were clapping and cheering and laughing so hard they had problems breathing. He had to be making jokes of some kind. Maglor had to stay in the doorway, waiting. It felt as if he yet again was unable to breathe, to think. Kherfem bowed and left through a side door and Artemar and Aerhan entered together with Demetry. Artemar was almost naked, he only wore a very tiny loincloth and his body was covered with painted patterns in blood red and gold. He did look amazing, rubies were attached to his hair and he had small bells tied around his ankles. Demetry was painted in a similar fashion, but he had gold and green and he wore emeralds, he too was almost bare and moved with sensual slow gestures. Aerhan was different, his body was only adorned with gold, as if he had out his hands and lower arms and feet in a bucket of gold paint. He had gold bells in his braids and some lines in gold drawn around his eyes, He did look amazing too.

A musician playing some sort of lute started on a very slow tune and the three started to dance, Maglor was stunned. It was rather obvious that Artemar and Demetry were some sort of mythical creature and that Aerhan was supposed to be some hero. They danced around him, and Maglor was shocked to see that humans could be that elegant and swift. Aerhan tried to catch them, to grasp onto them and the music got faster and faster, They were swirling around, a fast and amazing display of sensual grace and the crowd was staring, many were making small shouts of admiration and the Sha'al looked very pleased indeed. He was staring at Artemar who really used all he had learned, he was dancing to seduce and the Sha'al appeared to be breathing heavily. The Queen was sitting quietly behind him, she didn't reveal any feelings at all.

Aerhan played his role well, and as the dance got wilder they all shed the little clothing that they did wear. Maglor could see that they all were aroused, and the dance became even more sensual, more daring. Aerhan still tried to grasp the two, but now they almost let him get a hold of them and they caressed him whenever they could. Maglor was shocked, was this dance? Entertainment? The crowd was obviously very intrigued by it all for they whistled and called out and some of the men were clearly touching themselves. The elf was aghast.

Then Aerhan managed to get a hold of Artemar and threw him down, the floor was in fact sand and Artemar stared up at the Sha'al as Aerhan knelt down behind him and took him with one hard thrust. There were moans heard from the crowd and Artemar moaned too, long sensual sounds while he kept staring at the Sha'al in a very suggestive way while stroking himself with one hand. Aerhan held onto him and Demetry grasped onto Aerhan and shoved his own cock into the black man with a cry. The three of them were moving in unison, even now it was a kind of a dance and the Sha'al was sweating and leaning forth, staring at the display in front of him.

Artemar let out a loud hoarse cry, closed his eyes and shuddered as he came and ropes of come landed upon the sand, Aerhan growled and followed with Demetry right behind him, all three groaned and gasped and made quite a spectacle out of it, probably on purpose. All the men there were aroused now, and the mood was set. Maglor shivered, he did feel that odd feeling of not really caring about anything, of being indifferent and just a dream but at the same time he was scared. He could barely remember ever having been that filled with fear before. His heart was beating like a drum, his skin sticky with sweat and he felt his knees wobble. Eru have mercy! His own voice was trembling inside of him and he was sure he was about to faint. The medicine inside of him still made him feel numb but was it enough?

Then he felt it, a touch on his cheek, felt a scent of the lilies that had grown outside of the mansion back home, heard a voice whispering in his ear. "Be strong Kano, do not despair. You will know in time"

Maglor almost said the name out loud, Nelyo? Was his brother's ghost there? Artemar passed by, still panting and sweaty, he couldn't show any feelings towards this new slave but he did throw a swift glance at Maglor. "Remember to live, to breathe, just that, only that"

Maglor sent him a swift nod, the guards stepped forth, and Belerur stood up from the guests. He pointed at Maglor, obviously praising his beauty and his own cunningness for having found such a fine specimen and the Maglor could see that the Sha'al was staring as if his eyes were about to pop out of his skull. The guards pulled him forth, and he remembered what he had been told, held himself with elegance and grace. Everybody stared, the men looked flabbergasted and in awe and he fought his panic and fear and did what Artemar had taught him to do. He met their gaze, one by one, let them see his fear and despair, and when he stared at the Sha'al waiting by the high table he tried to look seductive. The guards pulled him along all the tables, so that all the guests could admire the Sha'al's new slave. Some looked as if they were in shock and others had a dreamy expression upon their faces.

The Sha'al looked proud, and he was grinning but there was greed in his gaze, and burning lust. Maglor kept praying, the feeling of this not being real got stronger and stronger and he fought the urge to cry. He was dragged along for a good while, and he tried to do his best, to make sure that the men assembled there would remember him, and perhaps support him. Then he was taken before the Sha'al who stared at the elf with bulging eyes, he was breathing hard and Maglor felt sick, the man did stink of sweat and old wine and he was even more disgusting up close than from a distance. The queen looked as if she did pity him though, she didn't look at the elf at all and her eyes were strangely clear, as if she was about to cry.

The Sha'al grasped onto his hair and Maglor tried to smile, to look as if he wanted the ugly brute to touch him. It was hard, but the drug helped. Orieam whispered something he sounded as if he was truly in awe and then he started groping Maglor, squeezed his ass, slid greasy hands along his chest and back, growled something that probably was rather obscene. Maglor swallowed a whimper, this was it, it was going to happen and there was nothing he could do about it. The atmosphere within the room had changed, Maglor sensed it, the men had been aroused, now they were disgusted, shocked. Orieam let out a sort of grunt, then he grasped Maglor by his neck and threw him down onto the table so goblets and plates and food and wine just flew everywhere. It was no small feat for Maglor was almost two feet taller than the man. He was thrown onto his stomach in a pool of wine and crushed fruits and the queen gasped.

Maglor felt a scream inside of his head, a wail in denial of what was happening and he was whispering the same thing over and over again. " Nelyo, be with me now, please"

The Sha'al tore open his own pants and got onto his knees behind the elf, grasped his hips and Maglor closed his eyes, tried to relax but he was shivering so bad his teeth were clattering like castanets. Tears had started flowing down his face but the Sha'al didn't see that, and he wouldn't have cared. He was so consumed by his lust he was blind to the world. The crowd was no longer cheering or being entertained. They had seen something akin to an angel, and now their own master and leader was desecrating this most beautiful and innocent of creatures. There were angry mumbling being heard but nobody dared to speak up, they were all at the Sha'al's mercy and couldn't protest.

Maglor sobbed, his chained hands grasped onto the tablecloth, just to hold onto something and he felt something pressing against his opening, something warm and hard and way too big. He felt himself tense up, whimpered as the Sha'al started pushing, thrusting, struggling to gain access to his body. He was too tight, even in spite of the medicine Harbal had administered, and the man impatient and brutal. Maglor tried to breathe, to not resist but then Orieam growled and thrust again, hard, way too hard and Maglor could not breathe anymore. The world exploded in agony, burning tearing pain that made him almost paralyzed. He couldn't move, couldn't think, could only feel that impossibly large object being shoved further and further into his body and heard the Sha'al moaning obscenely, panting over him. The world spun, he was so dizzy and he felt himself trying to break free from his violated hroa. Breathe, just breathe! He forced himself to do that, to take a breath, one more.

The pain was unbearable and then the man started to thrust in earnest and it reached a level Maglor had been unable to even imagine, he was being torn apart, ripped open and he couldn't hold back anymore. He screamed, screamed until his lungs burned and his throat went raw, tears flowing down his cheeks, his body pushed forwards with every thrust and he felt himself go cold, go heavy and numb. The people assembled looked away, there was no leering, no lustfilled glances, just disbelief, horror. Maglor tried to stay focused, to remain within his hroa but it was hard, so hard. He felt himself slipping and opened his eyes one last time, to see if he could see Artemar one last time, to thank him for his kindness. What he saw made him gasp. In the middle of the room he saw his brother, not as he had been, one handed and scarred but whole, and beautiful. He smiled, a sad smile. "Resist little brother, you can do it, for us all, do it"

Maglor keened, a rush of sheer power went through him, anchored him to this world. He wailed, tried to reach out towards the apparition and Maedhros smiled again. " Remember, every strength is paired with weakness"

The apparition was gone and the agony made the elf sweat profusely, made his silky black hair cling to his skin, made him shine in the light like some divine being, tainted and abused by vile darkness. The Sha'al tensed up, pushed deeper than ever before as he came, bellowing like some beast. Maglor felt warm fluid trickle down his inner thighs, knew it was blood and he felt his heart struggle, beat in an odd rhythm. The Sha'al groaned a few times and pulled out, the elf felt as if all of his intestines followed, and he let out one last hoarse groan of pain. A flow of seed and blood left his body and he just laid there, panting, waiting for anything to happen. The Sha'al just tucked himself away, grinning, looking very pleased and sated. Then he grasped his sobbing wife by the arm and dragged her off. She looked horrified. Maglor tried to lift his head, it felt terribly heavy but deep inside of him a felt a spark ignite, become a roaring flame, as hot as the one which had devoured his father at his moment of death. He whispered, lowly and with every last ounce of determination in his body, "One day, one day I will kill you Orieam, slowly and painfully and I will laugh! I swear this, and this oath I will see fulfilled!"

There were hands upon him, gentle hands and he was turned over, someone wrapped a blanket around him, he opened his eyes and saw red eyes staring back at him, filled with concern and shock. "Don't die on me Maglor, don't you dare to die now"

Maglor smiled, a strange almost dreamy smile. " I won't, for now I know"

Artemar caressed his hand as the servants carried the elf off to the room where Harbal ruled. "Know what?"

Maglor closed his eyes." I doesn't matter, not now anyhow. But I will live"

Artemar let out a sigh of relief and they rushed into Harbal's infirmary. The old man was ready and made Maglor drink a huge cup of poppy milk. He looked angry and Maglor moaned in pain as he was gently lowered down onto the bed and put onto his stomach. "Careful, he is badly hurt"

Maglor felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. "Artemar, tell me, how did the guests take this?"

The albino bit his lower lip. "Not well, he has lost much support now, they were aghast. They saw something divine Maglor. Something more than themselves, and they saw him brutalize and rape it. I do not think his rule will last that long now"

Maglor smiled again, a smile with a hint of wickedness in it. " My arrival here was as a harbinger of doom, his rule will end"

Artemar squeezed his hand and Maglor closed his eyes, drifted off. The albino stared at Harbal who was assessing the damage. " How bad is it?"

Harbal sighed. " Awful, he is torn up, I have never seen anything like it, had he been human he would have been dead already. I will do what I can"

Artemar took a deep breath. "Will he be alright again?"

Harbal nodded. " Yes, I somehow feel that he will recover fully, but he will need time. He won't survive another round like this one, that is for sure. That goddamn ruler of ours is truly a monster"

Artemar remembered his own encounters with the Sha'al and cringed, yes, he knew. The Sha'al had never been that brutal when he took other slaves, never that eager, that driven. But still there was always injury, always pain and he leaned down and kissed Maglor's brow gently. " Sleep well and rest my friend, I will be here to guard you, worry not"

He sat there the rest of the night, as Harbal did his job, making sure that the elf who held the key to their salvation didn't wake up alone.