Chapter 13
Deeper, deeper and deeper, entwined within the smokey filaments I fall and my body comes alive under their silky caress. Soothing whispers breathe around the edges of my hearing, unintelligible words that need no interpretation. I shift into the touch, as a myriad phantom feathers brush softly over every inch of my body, aching to feel more.
The darkness thickens and I bathe in its velvet ink. All thought flees, chased away by sensation, until there is nothing left but intoxicating pleasure. I arch into its enfolding embrace, desperate in my need to feel. My body thrums with life the like that I have never known before.
I feel the tension grow within me and through the haze of yearning hear once more the honeyed tones that I have longed for, for so long.
"Soon, little leaf, soon."
Stars shower down around me as I am carried away on waves of heated energy and I howl wordlessly into the dark as it drags me under once more.
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~o~
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The witch king felt an intense anger rising through him when he saw the pitiful creatures who called themselves men approaching the elf. They dared try to claim his prize as their own! Dismounting his coal black stallion he stalked over to his goal, effectively cutting the human's approach off, letting out a long scream of warning, filled with hatred and ire, as he moved. They turned tail and ran. He could never believe how cowardly his race had become. How easily cowed and broken, and these were no different. For a moment he considered going after them and his armoured fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword, but no, he thought, let them go, those frightened little mice were not worth his trouble. As he reached the prone figure, still unconscious on the ground he stood still, transfixed by the glorious creature at his feet. If he had breath he would have held it at the sight. Golden hair fanned around a face of pure perfection, marred only slightly by splatters of the black gore that also covered his lithe, well muscled and naked torso. He was even fairer in the flesh than in the visions his master had sent.
A slight noise at last interrupted his fascinated perusal and he slowly tore his gaze away from the elf to stare into the trees. A boy stared back. Anger built once more and this time he channeled it into the ring encircling his right index finger, allowing it to gather into a hard knot of power. Contemptuously he thrust his hand towards the youth and released the pent up energy in a surge which caught him directly in the chest, pushing him into a large tree with enough force to knock him senseless. Disregarding the human once more as a useless irrelevance the witch king then turned his attention back upon the fallen elf. Kneeling down he reached out one metal clad hand and gently stroked a pale cheek, then, gathering the archer almost tenderly into his arms, he stood, calling for his mount as he did so. The sooner he could get the elf back to Dol Guldur the sooner the training could begin and the sooner he could claim his prize.
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~o~
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Half aware, the elf felt himself lifted up and gathered into a close embrace but had neither strength, nor will to resist. Attempting to focus his mind was almost impossible as jumbled thoughts and memories raced through it in an incoherent blur. The only conclusion he could make was that he had somehow been injured, although he had no recall of the incident, and from the gentleness of the touch he felt he must be in the hands of either healer, friend, or both. He relaxed into the encircling arms as he was carried, neither knowing, nor caring where.
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~o~
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Horse, he could definitely smell horse. Consciousness attempted to return again as the familiar scent and movement broke through his clouded thoughts. He was aback a horse, yet something was not quite right. Trying hard to nudge his mind into coherence the elf allowed his senses free rein. He could feel the powerful rippling of the animals muscles beneath him as it galloped along, jarring his body with each hoof beat. He blinked, attempting to focus unwilling eyes yet all he could glimpse was black, matt black metal on a glossy, blue black material his disoriented brain finally realised was the coat of a horse. Comprehension dawned then, he was lain over the back of a horse, face down in front of the animals rider, but he had no idea why. The more he tried to focus his thoughts and solve the puzzle the more his mind became fogged and eventually he gave up once more, allowing the rocking motion to lull him back into sleep as the ground flew past unheeded.
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~o~
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Floating gently on a sea of cool darkness, rocked by waves topped with silver spume I lie in peaceful solitude once more. Surrounded by silence, my world again feels safe and calm and I bask in its serenity. A thought briefly flits through my mind that I should not be here, that there is something I must do, yet I can not hold onto it to fathom what it means, so let it go. It is easier that way.
Time passes, or does not. The endless dark ebbs and flows and I go with it. My heart has ached for peace for so long and now it has found me I will abide with it as long as I am allowed.
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~o~
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The huge, dark horse stood, pawing at the ground, flanks dripping with sweat as his master dismounted, with the slightest metallic jingle, before reaching up to pull the animals other pale, unconscious occupant from its back. The journey had been fast and short, the thrill of what will come building with every jolt of the slight form settled across his thighs. Holding the limp elf against what passed for his chest, the imposing figure looked up at the tower looming over his head. Dol Guldur. The fortress built by his master on land once occupied by the silvan elves of the forest once called Greenwood the Great, now commanded by him in Sauron's name. If he could have smiled, he would. Lowering his gaze he marvelled at the fact that within his arms lay, at last, the means for completion of long held dreams. Another shiver of anticipation ran through his skeletal frame as he hurried into the imposing building.
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~o~
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Cold. How can he feel cold? Shivering, the elf struggled to regain consciousness yet his mind felt as if it was filled with mist. He realised that the movement beneath him had changed and his nose was no longer filled with the scent of horse, but of decay. A sense of unease tickled the edges of his reason but it was becoming difficult to concentrate and a wave of intense fatigue washed over him. With one last effort he cleared his vision enough to see colours swirling before him and the knowledge that he was once more, being carried seeped into his fogged mind. His injuries must have been great for him to allow himself to be born into the healing halls in this manner. Relaxing into the arms that encircled him he briefly wondered if it was Estel that carried him so tenderly, before succumbing once more to the lethargy that dragged him back down into oblivion.
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~o~
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"This way!"
Aragorn looked up at his eldest brother's call. They had been following the trail of footprints for three days now yet had still no clear idea of where they were leading. That the ground was hard from lack of moisture was not helping as the prints often disappeared completely for stretches at a time although, like now, they had so far managed to find them again eventually, to continue the pursuit.
"Are you sure 'dan?" Elrohir had joined his twin and now peered down at the faint marks upon the ground skeptically.
"Of course!" Elladan grinned. "I was always better at tracking than you muindor. Ow!"
"You are getting slow muindor" Elrohir smirked as his brother rubbed the arm he had just prodded hard with two pointed fingers then danced lithely out of the way of Elladan's retaliatory backhand swipe. "See Estel, age is finally catching up with him." He lunged and tackled his twin to the floor.
Aragorn chuckled at his brothers playful teasing. It never ceased to amaze him how these two, centuries old beings, with such dark sorrow in their history, could transform from cold hearted battle hardened killers to fun loving, young elflings within the blink of an eye. He hoped with all his heart that it would always be so.
"Shall we continue then?" The young man's eyes twinkled as he regarded the twins who were now rolling over and over on the floor tickling each other mercilessly. "Or do you intend to stay there all day?"
He stood, staring down at the giggling pair, arms crossed over his chest trying to emulate one of Elrond's stern expressions but failing miserably. Sharing a mischievous glance the twins both suddenly lunged towards his legs and taking one a piece, pulled hard, bringing him, with a startled yelp, tumbling down to join them in a tangle of limbs upon the floor, all thoughts of footprints and missing friends temporarily forgotten under the double assault his ribs suddenly found themselves.
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~o~
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Pain, excruciating pain ripped through his body, wrenching him out of his peaceful dreams and into a waking nightmare. He struggled to open eyes that, finally, he realised were already open, the darkness that surrounded him was no longer in his mind, and no longer a safe sanctuary.
He could feel the tight pull of chains around both wrists and ankles and as his mind attempted to make sense of where he was a bolt of liquid fire shot across his back. Confusion had him in its grip. Where was he? How had he come here? What was happening? The questions chased each other across his mind yet the answers did not follow and panic built as the fire spread.
There was no sound apart from the crack of air which preceded another bolt of pain and the clank of chains as his body convulsed in agony with each fiery outburst. Whip. His mind finally made the connection between sound and sensation. He was being whipped, but in his agony he could not remember why or by who and there was neither word, nor sound to aid in the wielders identification. He muffled a scream, biting hard onto his bottom lip, tasting the metallic taint of blood. He would not call out. Would not let whoever it was have the pleasure of hearing him give his pain a voice.
He felt the lash move down to land across the backs of his thighs and his knees gave way. He could feel the chains cutting into his wrists as he hung, suspended in the air, unable to support his own weight any longer but still refused to let any sound emerge from between his torn and bleeding lips. He could no longer think. All he could do was feel and that was an agony. The whip moved further down, across the backs of his knees, his calves, his ankles, then slowly it climbed once more until his whole body felt as if it was being consumed by fire and his mind finally gave up, sending him back into unconscious oblivion.
He did not notice when the lashing stopped, when his wrists were unhooked, when he was gently carried to a low pallet and laid down on his front, nor when cool water was splashed over his raw wounds, the chains removed and he was left alone again in the darkness of both mind and place.
It had not been easy to walk away, the sight of the elf writhing and struggling under his lash had almost driven him to distraction, and the blood. The sight and scent of it had filled his senses almost to the point where he would ignore his master to take what he wanted without care for the consequences. Yet part of his mind still clung on to the fact that if he waited, if he did as he was commanded, more would be available than just a fleeting pleasurable moment. To have the elf willingly consent, to be a slave to his punishments for all eternity was more than worth the wait although his need now was too great to be completely ignored. With one final look at the glorious creature he vowed he would soon own, body and soul, the witch king walked from the room and descended once more to the orc pits to sate his hunger.
A/N
Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone still reading, I do hope I haven't scared you all away!
Special thanks also to those wonderful people who have taken the time to write a review - BlackMinx17, Miracles In The Dark and high funcioning fangirl. I'm glad you're still with me guys. :)
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