The song of tomorrow

by Nuredhel

The past reaches out to the future and a living mystery is being delivered to the king of Mirkwood as a gift. What follows is a tale of longing and love, of lust and Death and depravity and through it all runs the tunes of the song of tomorrow...

7. The bones of the earth

Chapter 7: The bones of the earth

The dwarf they were dragging forth was young, which meant the he was still attractive even in the eyes of humans with proud smooth features and a strong and very toned body. He had long curly black hair and a neatly braided beard decorated with beads made from turquoise and he was struggling like a maniac against the strong ropes the guards had put on him. The other slave was indeed very tall and had a sort of ragged handsomeness to him. He had to come from the north somewhere judging by his lack of a tan and he was muscular and had a physique which had to be described as absolutely stunning. The long deep golden hair was rare and in these lands almost unheard off. Maglor saw that the guards were holding the guy as if he was drunk and the pupils were dilated and his gaze unfocused. Drugged!

The dwarf sneered and Belerud grinned widely, he did look very proud indeed. "I have come across these two prime specimen and I want them ready for presentation in three days. The Sha'al is holding a banquette and I want them to look perfect"

Maglor swore on the inside, what the heck were they thinking? Dwarves do not fit in such a place at all. The dwarf spat at one of the guards. "Rhuksul menu, let go of me you beardless goatfucker!"

Two of the guards grasped the ropes and dragged the dwarf towards the baths and the rest of the slaves there followed, in shocked awe. The dwarf still fought like a madman and Maglor cringed when he heard the very elaborate insults he was yelling at the guards. Dwarves have a certain nack for coming up with colorful curses and this one was a true champion. "I will pull your ballsack out like twine and braid it if you don't take yerr hands off a me!"

Maglor didn't know what to do, he had not been among those who had a lot to do with dwarves but he had learned some of their language and he knew that their culture was a very special one. Some of the slaves which groomed and bathed the men of the collection came running with tools and the dwarf sort of went ballistic, the sight of the pool obviously scared the living daylights out of him. "Metun menu caragu sigim rukhas, let go of me!»

Belerur sighed. "He will be tamed, worry not. Get rid of all that hair and get some proper clothes on him"

The slaves sort of bowed and Maglor just knew it, this spelled trouble. The dwarf was like most of his race very hairy, and the elf knew that the body hair of a dwarf is a sign of maturity and strength. Having it shaved off would be a horrible insult, almost as bad as a death sentence. The dwarf obviously understood the language for he started shrieking something hysterically and the guards tossed themselves on top of him to hold him down. A very nervous slave with a set of scissors and a razor approached the dwarf who immediately broke into a screaming fit which probably could be heard all over the palace. He had the lungs of an ox obviously and bellowed like one too. Belerur looked annoyed. "Knock him out, we cannot present this new pet to the Sha'al looking like that, he looks like some wild thing, just hair and muscle"

Maglor clenched his teeth. " Master, I beg you, don't shave him. I know dwarves master, and …they die if they lose their beards"

He knew that Belerur loved being called master and he was thinking fast. The huge eunuch tilted his head. "Really? Is that true? Why would losing some hair kill them?"

Maglor kept his eyes on the floor. " Because they believe that their lifeforce flows through their hair, if it is shaved they lose the will to live and just lay down and perish"

Belerur grunted, he looked a bit shocked but found no reason why Maglor should lie. "Well then, he cost me four hundred gold coins and a half a pound of emeralds so I cannot afford that. Wash him, and get those rags off and burn them"

The dwarf wore some rather nice pants made from thick fabric and they were embroidered and very pretty but he had obviously been dragged through the mud and they were ruined and his vest too looked horrible. Maglor tried to calm the dwarf down, he knew a little khuzdul and tried to remember something which could help the dwarf accept the situation. "Peace friend, don't resist, they will hurt you if you do"

The dwarf turned his head and glared, the sight of an elf obviously shocked him. "What? What is a beardless tree-shagger doing in this Mahal forsaken place?"

Maglor didn't mind being insulted, not now. " I am a slave here, as are you now, please, don't fight them. I have convinced them that your beard stays on or else you'll die"

The dwarf stared at him with narrow eyes, he sort of sighed. There were many guards there and even if the dwarves are tough and strong he was overpowered and couldn't hope to win. "Mahal's beard, what is this place?"

The guards let him get up and removed the ropes but they stood close by with their hands on their swords, the dwarf glared at them, if glances could kill they would have been ashes long ago.

A slave came and tried to get his west off and the dwarf growled and for a moment Maglor feared that he was going to hit the poor man but he sort of shrugged and sent them a fierce glare. "Ya wanna see me without me clothes? Fine, feast yerr eyes on this!"

He made a twist and let his pants drop, turned around and bent over. Maglor closed his eyes, great. That was a very dwarvish way of insulting someone, showing your naked ass. For someone not used to bodyhair the sight was…unnerving to say the least and he saw that the guards were staring at the dwarf's cock. Like most dwarves he was very stocky and that was not only in arms and legs but also when it came to genitalia. Belerur sort of gasped and Maglor felt frantic. "They only want to wash you, be not afraid, we are your friends"

The dwarf sneered and then he straightened himself up. " You are slaves? What sort of slaves? You don't seem to be able to do much work"

Maglor swallowed hard. "We will explain, now, please, don't hurt anyone, they will punish us too if you do"

The dwarf frowned, the deep green eyes got narrow. "They will? Ass licking son's of goblins, that is all that they are. Right then"

He stopped resisting and the grooming slaves sent Maglor a swift glance filled with gratitude. He saw that some had dragged the tall blond man into the bath and was washing him and he acted as if he really wasn't there. Maglor felt curious and Artemar sort of sauntered over to Belerur and caressed his arm, like a playful cat greets its owner. "He is gorgeous, where did you get him master?"

Belerur immediately got flattered once more and grinned. "He is from the far north they say, a warrior. I paid twice the price of the dwarf, but I bet the Sha'al will adore him. "

Artemar almost purred. " Oh I am sure he will, you are most clever master. "

Maglor sensed trouble, the dwarf was at least someone he could communicate with , the man was so drugged he couldn't stand on his own legs and that told Maglor he probably would fight and resist in every manner possible. Now that he was washed they saw that his back was covered with exquisite tattoos, strange patterns which looked very geometrical and yet there was a wildness to them that was very fascinating. Aerhan stared at the blonde. "He is drugged?"

Belerur shrugged. " Yes, he almost killed a man, but my guards will teach him a valuable lesson if he starts to make problems. If he get's too cranky I will have Harbal geld him, that ought to mellow him down a notch"

Maglor cringed, poor bastard. They would have to do all that they could to prevent that from happening. The grooming slaves had managed to get the dwarf into the water and now they were scrubbing away at him and he stood there looking like a thundercloud but he didn't try to shake them off or resist. He was really very handsome and the exotic look surely had to have attracted many potential buyers. Most of the guards left and Belerur took one last glance at the grooming slaves. "I want them looking their best, remember that"

He turned around on his heel and left and the doors were shut. The men of the collection stared at each other, their eyes revealed the shock they felt. Artemar broke the silence. "Well, two new faces, what a day!"

Kherfem grunted and stared at the blond man. "That one is trouble, believe me. I can smell it!"

Demetry nodded. " Yes, we have to keep an eye on him."

Maglor saw that the dwarf was finished and the slaves came with the same type of clothes the others there wore. He scoffed and looked as if he wanted to rip the fabric into shreds but he didn't protest when they put the tiny pair of pants on him and attached the transparent skirt to them. Maglor gestured towards the nearest couch and the dwarf followed him, mumbling curses. " I am Maglor, what name do you go by?"

The dwarf frowned again. "Why do you think I would give me name to a beardless one?"

Maglor tried to remain calm. "Because this beardless one is trying to keep you alive and hale. That is why!"

The dwarf sighed, his shoulders sank. " Right, I am Negus, of the Orocarni"

Maglor knew that many dwarf tribes lived in that region so he just nodded. "Well met then, please, we are your friends, you have to listen to us if you want to live"

Artemar stood nearby and looked a bit uncertain, then he sat down too and Negus glared at him. "Now that's a ghost if I ever saw one, if ya get any whiter we'll all go snow blind"

Artemar scoffed and Maglor tried to smile. "Do you know where you are?"

Negus growled. "In some rich arse fucker's palace, I overheard them. They want me to be a play thing?"

Maglor sighed. "We are the collection Negus, the Sha'al's pleasure slaves. But yes, you described him perfectly"

Negus let out a hiss. "I will die before I let some cocksucker stick his cock up me arse, do ya hear me?"

Artemar made a gesture, he did look nervous. "Well, I do not think the Sha'al will want to touch you Negus, you are…well, not human."

Kherfem shrugged. " Oh, I don't think that will keep him away, he has probably fucked just about anything with legs, two or four and everything in between as well"

Noolar sort of snorted and Rial and Kenar cringed but Artemar looked a bit curt. "He has Maglor now, and he haven't asked for any of us since he arrived right? And he thinks that he has to preserve the power Maglor gives him by not fucking other males"

Negus looked utterly confused. " What? What power are you talking about?"

Maglor sighed. " He thinks that he may live forever if he…ingests some of my…bodily products so to speak. That keeps him from forcing himself onto me, I wouldn't survive that"

Negus blinked, his eyes large. "Bodily products?"

He wasn't that good in the language after all and Kherfem grinned widely. " Oh you know, piss, sweat, seed. He really believes it"

Negus started to chuckle, then he threw his head back and started to laugh out loud. " Mahal's golden balls, that is precious! The fucker really drinks your piss elf? Oh how well deserved!"

Maglor had to blush and Negus took a look at them, let his eyes wander from one to the other. "So, you are all his slaves, and there is no way out of here I recon? "

Artemar nodded. "Not unless you are dead or are being sold, and believe me, you were expensive so that won't happen"

Negus swore so bad Maglor was glad none of the others there understood khuzdul, Kherfem would probably get plenty of inspiration for new and inventive insults now. Maglor hawked. "Excuse me Negus, but how come you are here? I thought you dwarves live way up northeast?"

Negus sat down on a couch, his fingers were plucking at the silk of his flimsy outfit, it did look bizarre to say the least. He sighed and looked fragile for the first time since he entered the harem. " I was trying to get some more money ya see, I am engaged and we needed more money for the bride prize. I was entertaining people in a village not far from the mountains when some donkey's arse of a slaver managed to drug me."

Maglor got interested. "You entertain people? Are you an artist of some sort?"

Negus sent them a very proud grin and then he straightened himself up and grasped a vase full of lilies from the table next to the couch. Maglor just gaped when the lilies suddenly started to sing, an extremely naughty bar room song of the type you never even hum if there are ladies nearby. "You are a ventriloquist?"

The others were gaping too, when the couch seemed to burp and make a very amorous declaration aimed at the table. Negus grinned. " Aye, and I was making lots of money too, too bad those leather skinned orc lovers managed to drag me away."

Maglor knew that dwarves had to buy their brides, or rather, pay for her. "Your fiancée is a lovely dam then I bet? Of a good family?"

Bridal prizes were mostly demanded from high ranking families, rarely from the commoners and Negus nodded. " Yes, my Jarna is from a great family, with power. She is a sight to behold, with beard as soft as satin and eyes like gems and she is a handful that one, she has got fire in her."

Maglor had seen few dwarrowdams but he did know that they too had beards and that they could be very strong willed and proud. " I am glad to hear that, were you close?"

Negus nodded. "My Jarna is a warrior ya see, she will come looking for me, doubt me not for I know she will! She isn't afraid of anything!"

Maglor just nodded, the chances of her finding Negus were slim to say the least but dwarves are stubborn like the bones of the earth and just as easy to push aside if they have their minds set upon something. Maybe she would be able to track him but then again, how was she then to free him? Negus sort of grunted. "These clothes are silly, and the silk is horrible."

Artemar frowned. "Horrible? It is silk from the far east, the most expensive there is"

Negus let out a raw laughter. " Really? Oh you dumb wits have never seen the silk woven by our dams now have you? It is way way nicer than this burlap, it is so thin you can barely see it and they know how to create colors you wouldn't even imagine"

Maglor had to think hard, yes, he did remember an occasion when they said that Finrod had received a roll of cloth from the dwarves and it had been so fine they believed it had to be spider silk. " I believe you my friend."

Negus nodded sternly and then he looked miserable again. " Do ya have anything to eat? I haven't eaten anything in days, those Mahal damned slavers only fed me dry bread and some wine and it was so sour you could have used it to rub the rust of old steel."

It was apparent that Negus was rather outspoken and Artemar waved his hand at one of the servants who ran off like a whipped horse. Negus stared at them again. " Now I must say you are a motley gang, who are you all?"

Artemar started introducing everyone and Negus nodded at Noolar,. " We have some like you back home, we see them as female and they dress and act like it too, nothing odd or wrong about it"

Noolar sort of sighed and sent the dwarf a sad smile "Then your people are smarter than most humans."

Negus just nodded and the servant returned with a tray with food on it. Negus stared at it with narrow eyes and opened the lid of the bowl of hot stew. He sniffed it carefully and Artemar tried to smile. "The food has been tasted, no poison, I can guarantee that"

Negus just shrugged. " I am not afraid of no poison, we dwarves can survive much more than a human, but is this even edible?"

Maglor scoffed, he remembered what he had heard of dwarvish cooking techniques and Negus put a knife into the stew and stared at it with an expression which said it all. " How can anyone stay healthy on this shite, where is the meat? This is all greenery!"

The last word was spoken with such vehemence they all cringed. Artemar sort of showed his teeth in a very thin grin. " I recon you are not a vegetarian then"

Negus scoffed. "Heck no, do you know what vegetarian means in dwarvish?"

Everybody shook their heads and Negus barked a short laughter. "Horrible hunter!"

He stared at the bread and the cheese and shrugged. "Well, at least I can eat that, but Jarna better hurry up or I will be thin enough to be carried out of here"

Maglor made an apologetic grin. " I am sorry, but meat is hard to come by here, it is very costly. They use sweets instead of meat I fear"

Negus just sighed again and started tearing into the bread. He ate a whole cheese and two loafs and then he burped and grasped for the jar of wine. Maglor wanted to warn him for that wine was very strong and had a fierce taste but the dwarf tossed it back as if it was water and didn't even make a grimace. He did notice the stares and grinned widely, wiping the drops out of his beard with his hand. "We dwarves make real liquor, not this thin excuse for a good drink. This is what we give our weanlings."

Artemar sort of scoffed. "Oh gods, that explains a lot"

One of the grooming slaves came over, he looked nervous. "We placed the blonde man in a room, and I think he is sort of coming too now"

Artemar sighed and closed his eyes for a second. "Great, I just pray he won't go ballistic. Aerhan, you and Maglor go with me, you ought to be strong enough to subdue him"

Negus scoffed. "Be careful, a handful that one for sure. He is a wild one, and too proud to break"

Maglor had regained all of his old strength and knew he was way stronger than any human being now, he would be able to overpower any man. Aerhan too was very strong and together they ought to be able to control the blonde. Demetry sort of tagged along, he thought he could offer the man something vaguely familiar to look upon since he too was blond. The man had been placed in the room Suuna had lived in and he laid on the bed and he groaned and looked very confused. He tried to sit up but the drug was still having its effect on him and he hissed and his eyes did roll. Artemar sat down next to him, a very bold move if the blond turned violent. "Relax, you have been drugged. Do not move, it may make you nauseous."

The man groaned again and relaxed, he was almost as tall as Maglor and the elf had to admit that he was very handsome, if his facial features had been less ragged he would have looked a lot like a vanyar elf. A servant stood by the door and Artemar nodded at him. "Get a bucket, just in case"

When the bucket was brought over the man sort of gasped and grasped onto it, desperately before he started retching violently and loudly. But his belly was empty and he whimpered and collapsed onto the bed again. Artemar sort of hesitated for a second and then he reached out and pulled the long curtain of thick golden hair aside with a very tender move and Maglor suddenly felt an odd twinge of a rather dark emotion boil up inside. No, he wasn't jealous? There was no reason for him to be jealous and yet he was and he hid his gaze in shame. Artemar was just trying to be kind, to protect them all. The man jerked and stared at the albino with wild eyes, he retched again and tried to pull away and Artemar whispered softly. "It is alright, we mean you no harm. We are all in the same boat here"

The man coughed and closed his eyes. "So…dizzy"

Maglor sat down on the other side of the man and the blonde stared at him with huge eyes too. "A ghost and a demon? Am I in hell then?"

Artemar sighed. "Yes, and no, welcome to the harem of the Sha'al"

The man coughed again and Maglor grasped a decanter from the table and poured some wine, gave the man the cup and he grasped it with obvious suspicion. "What are you talking about? Where am I? Who are you?"

His voice was a bit hysterical and pressed and Maglor saw the panic boiling underneath the calm face. " You have been sold as a slave human, to the ruler of this realm. We are also slaves, his property. Please, calm down. If you are harmed or harm anyone we will all be punished"

The man took a sip of the wine, then he gasped and tossed it all back, like he had been severely dehydrated and was desperate of thirst. Also a way to subdue ornery slaves. "Gods, why me?"

Maglor tried to smile, the man was obviously terrified and he was shivering all over but that was likely because of the effects of the drug leaving his system. "You are very beautiful human, and the Sha'al collects beautiful men"

The man gasped and blinked, tried to rub his eyes but swayed. "No, oh no, not…not a place like that. I..I cannot.."

He tried to get up and collapsed and Maglor grasped onto him. "Do not resist human, you cannot escape this place, believe me. They will kill you if you try. Do you want a horrible death and to cause the death of others? Innocent others?`"

The man sobbed and made a grimace. "No, no, but…I have to get back home, I have to"

Artemar sat down closer and started rubbing the man's back, soothingly and with expert technique. "And where is home my friend, how did the scumbags get their hands on you?"

The man took a deep breath, he was terribly pale and there were tears in his eyes. " I come from a small island north of the ice bay of Forochel, I worked on a ship there, as a soldier but I left to go south and find a better job"

He gasped again. " I was in a harbor in Harad when they drugged me and I don't remember much after that"

Artemar sighed. "You are far from Harad now, that is north and west of here, many weeks of travel. "

The man swallowed hard, taking the wine cup and almost crushing it. " I have family, I have to return to them"

Maglor tried to smile. "That will be very hard my friend, I suggest you try to forget about them, the chances of you ever seeing them again is close to zero"

The human let out a small wail. "My son, and my daughter, I have to return! They won't make it on their own!"

Artemar frowned. "Your wife?"

The man shook his head. "Died giving birth to my daughter, and her family…I fear they are dead"

He just stared down at his hands with a dark expression and Maglor touched his shoulder gently. "What is your name human? We are your friends and we will try to help you stay alive but you have to do what we say or else you won't last long, and that is the sad truth"

The man sort of groaned. "I am Aodh, just that. My mother was a temple prostitute so nobody knows my father"

Artemar lifted Aodh's chin up and smiled at him, a sad smile. "We have all lost everything Aodh, the only thing we have is ourselves and each other. Believe me, if you want to live you have to prove yourself. The sha'al may sell you if you don't impress him, and you don't want to end up in the brothel's. There you'll live for maybe a couple of weeks before you'll die from fatigue and abuse, someone as pretty as you will be given no break at all, they will be all over you like a pack of rabid dogs the whole time"

Aodh cringed and made a hissing sound. "A harem, the sha'al, will he…touch me?"

The voice was thin and filled with dread and Artemar shook his head. "Not now no, before yes, but Maglor has sort of weaned him off us. But he will expect you to look gorgeous and probably perform in some manner too, to entertain his guest. And he does like to watch us all fuck, and sometimes he does allow his followers to…borrow us. As long as they don't harm us they can do whatever they like with us"

The blonde closed his eyes and he looked as if he was in pain. "Gods, this is really hell then. Back home a man would be flogged and burned if he…if he touched another man like a man does touch a woman"

Artemar smiled with a sad sigh. "Does it repulse you? Here you must allow yourself to be touched and to touch in return. We will teach you, and we will be gentle too, but we cannot do anything unless you allow it. And then the masters will force you"

Aodh made a grimace. "Are you all…that way then?"

Artemar shook his head. "No, but we have learned to adjust to live. Only I and Noolar prefer males, the rest here would rather be with a woman but what choice do we have if we want to live on?"

Aodh groaned. "What about your honor? It is better to die than to be dishonored!"

Artemar shook his head. " No it isn't! Believe me, there is no lack of honor in doing what you have to do to stay alive. Live today, fight tomorrow. You do not want to die the way they execute slaves who rebel"

Aodh winced. "What do they do?"

Artemar made a nasty grimace. "It involves a long sharpened stake and impalement, through the rear, so believe me, the other option is not that bad. We have good food, nice wine and everything we want of luxury"

Aodh moaned. "But no freedom"

Artemar shrugged. "No, we are property, and remember that. Do you have any sort of skill you may use to stand out? Some sort of art? Dancing perhaps?"

Aodh snorted. " I was a soldier remember? I was trained for battle, not for merrymaking."

Artemar cocked his head. "Are you sure that there isn't something you know which can be used?"

Aodh looked uncertain. "Well, there is a custom from back home, the men used to do it to honor the gods. It is a sort of dance, but we do it with swords"

Artemar grinned widely, he looked eager. "A blade dance! That is brilliant, they won't let you dance with sharp blades but I bet we can make some pretty impressive blunt ones. That ought to make you interesting enough for the Sha'al to keep"

Aodh groaned. "But I do not wish to be kept, I have to return home!"

Maglor grasped his hand. "I know my friend, but believe me, there is no way out of here , at least not for now. Things may change soon enough, but until then we have to be patient. A wise man will never engage an enemy he know he cannot defeat and right now our master is that enemy"

Aodh bit his lip, his eyes revealed a great deal of despair. "I cannot bare the idea of abandoning my children, they trust me to return to them!"

Maglor smiled, a very sad smile. "Then do pray if you have gods to pray to, there is nothing else to do now"

Aodh rubbed his head. "I could have escaped you know, if that fucking drug didn't make me so weak. I feel like shite"

Aerhan nodded. " Oh yes, I know that feeling. I too was drugged and dragged in here, and I almost managed to get away but what good would that have done me? They would have captured me again and the next who bought me could have been someone way worse."

Aodh looked shocked. "Worse than this?"

Aerhan nodded slowly, there was a very dark fire burning in his gaze. " Way worse, the Sha'al is cruel and vicious and a pervert but even he is rather likeable compared to others. I know of some islands to the east who worship the dark gods, they buy slaves and kill them in manners you cannot even imagine, to feed their deity. And one ruler to the south of here, in a city now reclaimed by the endless desert liked to buy virgins and have them raped by his dogs and donkeys. No, the Sha'al can be manipulated and we know him. Your fate could have been way worse. "

Aodh sighed. "I used to think that the world was so small, just the islands and the clans. I guess I was wrong"

Maglor nodded and a servant entered with food. Aodh almost trembled and Artemar started to help him with some food, making sure he didn't eat too fast. Aodh did stuff himself and then he laid back, too tired to do anything more and Artemar smiled and caressed his hair. "Sleep now, tomorrow we will start your training."

Aodh just yawned and Maglor petted his back before he and the albino left the room. The others were waiting outside, they looked eager and curious and at the same nervous. Kherfem crossed his arms over his chest. "Does he understand his situation now?"

Artemar nodded. " He does, and he is aghast. His culture does not accept the things we do so we better start getting him acclimatized right away. I think Rial and Kenar, tomorrow by the pool"

The two just giggled and nodded and Noolar cringed. " I don't think he will understand me then"

Artemar caressed Noolar's shapely behind with a smirk. " Oh he will. He has no other choice now"

Maglor saw that Negus had gotten a room too, and he came walking out of the door looking half impressed and half disappointed. He approached the dwarf who made a grimace and sat down. "Your bed's are big, big enough for a whole company but they are goddamn hard, and what the fuck is that glary thing you are wearing around your neck?"

Maglor looked confused and touched his neck, he wore a simple and yet elegant necklace with moonstones and emeralds one of the followers had given him. " What do you mean?"

The dwarf scoffed. " Who makes your jewelry? It is ghastly, a trainee could have made something way better back home, in fact, I have seen better pieces made by toddlers"

Maglor had to grin. " It was very expensive?"

Negus made a gesture and Maglor removed the necklace and let the dwarf hold it. "Oh I don't doubt that, but look at this stone, the shape is all wrong. It could have been so much lovelier if they had cut it the right way. And the silver frame it is attached to? Horrible, the work of an amateur for sure"

Maglor felt his mouth twitch, dwarves do live for several centuries after all, they learn their craft to a degree humans only can dream off. "Oh I know your kin has skills which surpass those of the mortals in every manner. But don't let the Sha'al know you are an expert on jewels, he will probably make you polish and cut stones until you drop dead then"

Negus scoffed and studied the moonstones, he made a huge grin. "Oh look at this beauty here, it is a fake one. Not even a real moonstone. Is all your bling this horrible?"

Maglor had to laugh. " Yes, in the eyes of a dwarf I would guess it is"

Negus shook his head. "Too bad, you should have had a real dwarven smith here, then you would have worn things worthy of your beauty. Not this crap, it is what cheap prostitutes wear!"

Maglor had to cringe, oh dwarves were so blunt, they didn't exactly sugar coat their words. He remembered the whole debacle with the Nauglamir and the silmarils and had to bite his lip. The dwarves had killed the king of the sindar back then, he didn't underestimate a dwarf for he knew that they were stronger than one could guess and they could survive injuries which would kill all other beings.

Negus nodded towards the room where Aodh rested. " Is he alright?"

Maglor nodded. " Yes, for now. He has to adapt or die, like all of us. At least he isn't going berserk right now, he is too tired."

Negus nodded. "No wonder, those slavers are son's of deranged orcs for sure. I have never met more vicious people. I should never have gone to that village, that is for sure"

Maglor shrugged. "We have all done things we regret doing, that we do have in common I fear. "

Negus blinked and yawned. " I think I will go to bed, I feel like I have been doing battle against an ox or something like that."

Maglor smiled. "Sleep well then, I hope you will find true rest"

The dwarf sort of grunted. "Thank you, I guess. This place is a hell hole but it is at least better than the slavers wagon, I was in a cage, a cage! Can you believe it?"

Maglor nodded. " I believe you."

Negus walked off and Artemar sat down where he had sat, he looked tired too. Maglor saw that there were shadows under his eyes and he appeared to be a bit less enthusiastic than usual. Maglor laid an arm around the albino and Artemar smiled and sort of sighed. "Are you alright?"

Maglor's voice was a bit nervous and Artemar nodded. " I am fine, just tired. It has been so stressful lately and now this, two we have to train and prepare. Thank every God that the Sha'al no longer wishes to fuck his new pets. I do not think Aodh would be able to submit to that, not even drugged"

Maglor nodded slowly, Artemar coughed a little and got up, he did look unsteady on his feet for a moment and then he just smiled and gave Maglor's shoulder a swift squeeze. "Do not worry, soon things will calm down again, and things will go back to normal"

Maglor tried to smile but a feeling of dread had buried itself in his chest. Was something wrong with his lover? He sort of smelled differently and Maglor swallowed hard. "You are coughing a lot, I have noticed it? Why?"

For a second there was a glimpse of panic in the ruby red eyes, then the albino just shrugged and smiled. "It is summer, the air is so dry. And yes, I do smoke a lot, it is nothing to worry about silly, go to bed now. I will join you soon"

The last words came with a hidden promise and Maglor tried to smile, he still felt scared for some reason. He got up and went to his room, washed off and braided his hair, got ready for bed. Before long Artemar did join him and the albino immediately crawled in under the covers and went straight down to Maglor's crotch, caressing him and then sucking him off as soon as he got hard. Maglor couldn't help but think that this was a diversion but the pleasure soon blanked out his mind and when he did fall asleep he couldn't even think a coherent thought. Artemar simply was too good at what he was doing.

Maglor did sleep well, in fact he slept like a log until he got rudely awakened by a horrible racket coming from the main hall where the pool and the common area was. It sounded as if someone was trying to torture them all making the worst noise possible and he groaned and got out of the bed. Artemar was already up and the elf staggered into the hall wearing only his own skin. He was used to that now. The source of the noise was the dwarf, he was obviously well rested and everybody stood there staring and blinking, all looked rather annoyed but also puzzled.

Negus had found some jars and now he was trying to join them using the hoses the slaves normally used when the pool needed to be emptied. He was banging at the jars and trying to fasten them and Maglor frowned, one of the jars were filled with what had to be moshed fruit and the smell was already strong. " Negus, what in all the world are you doing?!"

The dwarf grinned, an insane spark shone in his eyes. "Showing ya all what real liquor ought to be like, not this…pissy excuse for it"

He struggled with the lid but managed to get the hose through a hole he had drilled in it, using just a piece of stone and a spoon. "See? I am making a still!"

Artemar showed up, followed by Harbal who looked slightly horrified. Maglor did notice that Artemar looked a lot better, and his eyes were shining. What was going on? Harbal cringed. "My dear dwarf, I would not recommend that sort of activity in here, the guards….they may steal your idea, but uh, is there a chance that you may tell me a little about your people and their knowledge of medicine? I am awfully curious you see and I would love to learn more"

Negus raised an eyebrow and grinned, the energy of the dwarf was obviously through the roof when he wasn't working hard. He did see that Harbal was very old and in his culture old age demanded respect so he bowed his head. " Of course, you must be the healer. I will be more than happy to tell you what I know"

Maglor wiped imaginary sweat off his brow and Artemar rolled his eyes in relief, a still in there? Belerur would have blown a fuse! But a still made from just those jars would have gotten very dangerous and Artemar walked over and looked a bit nervous. "That dwarf will be like a penned up dragon unless we keep him busy all the time!"

Maglor nodded. "Yes, we have to give him some job, a task to do"

Artemar made a grimace. "We have no tools, so we cannot ask him to make stuff. What about…the customs of his people?"

Maglor frowned. "What about them?"

Artemar gestured towards the door to Aodh's room. " I bet they have dances too? Perhaps we could persuade him to teach us a little?"

Maglor had to chuckle. " Artemar? Are you insane? Dwarves? Dancing? Eru, I think orc's are better dancers. He is as graceful as a drunk Oliphant"

Artemar sent him a rather harsh glare. "Do you by any chance have a better idea?"

Maglor had to regretfully admit that no, he didn't.

Harbal sort of dragged the dwarf off to keep him busy and Artemar sat down and made a sigh of relief. " Well, over to Aodh. Do you think he has slept enough?"

Maglor shrugged. "Maybe, he was in a bad state though so I bet he needs all the rest he can get to start with. And he cannot be used to the heat, he is from the north damn it."

Artemar nodded, he gestured towards Rial and Kenar who came over and sat down by his feet. "You know what to do, so do it well. When Aodh wakes up he is to get a good meal, and some nice cool wine and then you go for it. The earlier he gets used to the idea of what this place is the better, if not the shock will be too much when he is dragged in front of the Sha'al"

The twins nodded and grinned and got rid of their clothing, got into the pool. Maglor saw that everybody had been awakened by the mayhem Negus had started and some slaves came to remove the contraption he had started to make. It made Maglor grin wryly, the dwarf was at least very eager to do something and he would probably turn this place upside down before long. Maybe he would bring some much needed fun and joy to the place, or at least some new ideas and thoughts.