Legolas
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Elrond held a mug of strong-smelling tea, but seemed reluctant to hand it over.
"I'm sure. I trust you, hir nin."
The elf lord nodded. "I am going to use vilya to link with your mind, so that when the memory comes, I can see it with you. Do you agree?"
"Yes, of course." Legolas was trying to hide his nerves. If he started having a panic attack, Elrond would surely decide this was a bad idea. He just wanted to get this over and done with. He had plenty of horrible memories. What was one more?
Elrond handed over the cup, and Legolas drained it in three swallows. It tasted awful.
"Here, lie down," Elrond urged. Legolas did as he was told, lying on his back on the couch. He felt a slight tingling at the edges of his consciousness. "That is me, penneth. Let me in."
He did his best to relax, and he assumed he was doing it right, because Elrond didn't repeat the request. Legolas was just about to ask how long it would take to work when the room before him disappeared.
He was suddenly standing in bright sunlight. He recognized the place instantly; it was a lake near the palace, the one he remembered from the mysterious hunting trip. The perspective was different to what he was used to, and he realized that was because he was shorter here. At this time, he was the human equivalent of ten years old.
Velil was sitting with her back against a tree, watching him. Though she was still, her eyes never stopped moving, on the alert for any danger.
Legolas laughed as he pulled off his tunic, leaving just his pants and dashing into the lake. The water was cold and refreshing. He dove under the surface, crawling along the bottom with his eyes open. When he came up, a cry had him spinning around. Velil wasn't sitting anymore. She was sprawled on the ground, unmoving.
Above her stood five men, one holding a rock in his hand. Legolas froze, unsure what to do. He wanted to run, but he couldn't leave Velil defenseless at the hands of men who were obviously hostile.
The one with the rock called out to him. "Come here, princeling, unless you'd like to see me bash her head in."
That ended his hesitation, and Legolas swiftly swam over to the edge the lake. He walked toward the men, stopping just out of arm's reach. He didn't know how they knew who he was, but he would use it to his advantage. "My father will pay your ransom, whatever it is. He will pay highly for me and for her, unharmed."
"We don't care about money," the man spat. "We care about revenge."
Legolas' heart sank.
"Hurry up, Mavin, or I'll take him myself," one of the other men said, circling Legolas.
"Shut your trap, Varir, I'll take him in my own sweet time. You see, little princeling, the five of us here have something in common. All of us have lost our families because of your father, and now, we'll take his family."
So they meant to kill him. Why hadn't they done it already? Why tell him their reasons first? Legolas didn't know what events led to them blaming his father for the deaths of their families, but he supposed it didn't matter.
His legs urged him to run, but if he did, they would surely kill Velil. He was filled with panic. What was he supposed to do?
Before he could make any decisions, Mavin lunged for him, grabbing his arm roughly. Legolas cried out at the vice-like grip, but it ended quickly as he was thrown to the ground.
"Let's see how well you can behave, princeling," Mavin said quietly, his eyes gleaming with something Legolas couldn't identify and didn't like at all. "Take off your pants."
Of all the things he'd been expecting, that wasn't one of them. "What?"
"Take off your pants or the other one dies!" Mavin roared. Varir crouched down next to Velil, holding a knife to her throat. Legolas swallowed his fear and quickly did as he was told, stumbling as his ankle caught at the bottom of his pants. Mavin pushed him over into the dirt, laughing. "Some perfect prince you are! Elves like to act like they're so superior, but you're not any better than any of the rest of us, are you?"
Legolas didn't answer. He refused to show his fear.
"Maybe if you please us enough, we'll let you live, hmm, princeling?"
Legolas could do nothing but glare.
"On your knees," Mavin said quietly. When Legolas didn't respond fast enough, Varir pulled out a knife and pressed it tightly to Velil's throat, causing a thin line of blood. Legolas quickly knelt down.
Mavin kicked him in the back and he landed flat on his stomach.
"Up with you! All fours, now!"
Legolas was shaking so badly that it took him a minute to get his limbs under him. Mavin was behind him, and he couldn't see what the man was doing, but he was breathing heavily. "Stay right there," the man growled.
Suddenly, hands were on him, grabbing at his bottom, pulling the cheeks apart. "You're beautiful, I'll give you that," Mavin panted. He was way too close; Legolas could feel the man pressed up against him.
Without warning, pain such as he he'd never known pierced him. Legolas screamed as Mavin pushed into him, the feeling alien and wrong. Terror overwhelmed all thoughts of Velil's safety, and Legolas frantically tried to escape.
Mavin grabbed his hair, holding him in place. "Can't even stay still for a few minutes. Some perfect prince, you are. You'd best perform better than that if you want to live."
Legolas wasn't sure he wanted to live through this. Mavin pulled out of him and pushed in again. Legolas' scream could have woken the dead. Nothing had ever hurt like this had. He felt violated and helpless, unable to stop Mavin from pressing into his most private places.
He writhed and struggled, which only seemed to amuse the human. His arms flailed, but Mavin ignored it, pressing him down so that his face was to the ground.
"Please, stop, stop," Legolas begged, tears choking his voice. "You're hurting me."
"You deserve it." Mavin thrust again, and Legolas could feel himself tearing apart. "You're the reason Thranduil wouldn't send aid to our village. If you hadn't gotten lost, his men would have been saving us from the bandits rather than searching the forest for you. Dozens of people died, all because you weren't good enough. Some perfect prince, you are."
Mavin started to thrust faster, his breathing hitching. Legolas cried and struggled, but Mavin was much stronger than he was. He stared pleadingly at the other men, but they were laughing, seeming to enjoy the slow.
"Help, someone help me! ADA! ADAAAA!"
No one answered. There was no one else here. Only he could save himself, but he was too weak to do it. Mavin was right about him. Some perfect prince he was.
When Mavin finally released him, Legolas collapsed, sobbing, to the forest floor. He feebly tried to crawl away, but he couldn't get far before Varir had him. Varir hurt even more than Mavin had, because Legolas was already severely damaged inside. Had he thought it couldn't hurt more? He was wrong."
"Stop screaming, you brat!"
He tried, praying that if he could please them, they would stop, but he couldn't stop the screams no matter how hard he struggled to.
Legolas' world became a blur of terror and agony. He didn't even fully realize when the men finally stopped. After all of them had taken him, they'd just started again. The sun had moved in the sky; they must have been here for hours.
He realized that they'd stopped when he saw Mavin's face above him. He was lying on his back, his insides searing with pain. "We could kill you, princeling, but I think we'll let you live. Let Thranduil see the broken, violated body of his son. He'll see you for what you really are then – weak and pathetic, a broken little toy. His heart will shatter when he realizes that the perfect prince he thought he'd raised was no more than a farce."
Laughing, the men walked off, as though they'd done nothing more significant than sharing a meal together.
Legolas rolled onto his side, crying out as the movement pulled at his internal wounds. Terror seized him anew. The men were right; what kind of prince was he? He'd cried and begged like a baby! His father would be horrified to hear it. Ada always looked at him with love and warmth; Legolas couldn't bear to have that taken away when the king realized that he wasn't a perfect prince, that he was a failure.
Crying, Legolas crawled to the lake. The cool water was somewhat soothing. He flinched as he touched himself, trying to wash away the blood. When he'd done as good a job as he could, he retrieved his clothes.
Every movement stoked the flames of agony, but he'd have to get used to that, because if his Ada suspected he was hurt, he'd send him to the healers, and then Legolas' shame would be discovered. He had to act and move like nothing was wrong.
Dressed, Legolas bit his lip hard to stop the tears. Velil was still unconscious. Legolas stretched out next to her, closing his eyes. He'd simply pretend he was asleep and hadn't been aware when she was attacked.
He knew now that he was a fraud, a pathetic, weak prince, but perhaps he could change that. Perhaps he could learn to be perfect. He could still make his father proud. Legolas dwelled on these thoughts as he waited for Velil to wake.
Legolas' eyes snapped open. Elrond was hovering above him, his eyes filled with tears. "Legolas?" He reached for the prince, perhaps to comfort him.
Legolas cried out and leapt from the couch, scrambling to the other side of the room. The memory of Mavin and his men felt like a rotting piece of meat inside him. He'd never felt so unclean in his life. Legolas longed to leap into a scalding bath and scrub himself free of the men's taint. Though he knew rationally that this had happened hundreds of years ago, the feeling of impurity heeded no such logic.
"Penneth? Speak to me, please." Elrond didn't move toward him, but Legolas couldn't bear to meet the elder's gaze. He felt like he was contaminating the very air with his befouled presence. He didn't deserve to be near beings of light such as Elrond.
Legolas broke for the door, bursting through it to find Estel waiting for him. He shied away from his friend, shame welling up in him. How could he ever confess to Estel how truly filthy he was?
"Legolas? Wait, where are you going!"
He felt like a caged animal as he dodged Estel and broke for the nearest entrance. Panic powered his limbs, and Legolas quickly outstripped both Estel and Elrond. The guards didn't stop him at the gates – they had no reason to – and in mere moments, Legolas was in the trees. He would leave no tracks here. He could escape.
He lost his sense of time as he ran through the branches, praying that the others would never find him. He didn't know how he'd face them when they knew the truth of just how imperfect and soiled he was – more than he'd ever imagined.
Legolas bit back a sob as he sped up, not going in any particular direction, desperate only to get away.
Aragorn
Elrond came pelting out of the study after Legolas, his eyes wild.
"Ada! What happened?"
"Find Legolas, find him now!"
The urgency in his father's voice convinced him to save his questions for later. Together, the two of them ran after Legolas, but the prince had always been a swift runner, and was already out of sight. Elrond pulled ahead. By the time Aragorn made it to the grounds, the elf lord was already talking urgently to the guards. At his word, they rushed off, probably to get a search party going.
Aragorn was running headlong for the gates when Elrond caught him around the waist. "Horses, Estel, that'll be faster than going on foot."
Aragorn didn't reply, but simply changed direction. The fact that his Ada wasn't even waiting for Thranduil only made the molten pit of fear in his stomach writhe and surge. He and Elrond grabbed the first two saddled horses they could find and set off.
"Where would Legolas go when he's upset, Estel?"
"The trees," Aragorn said helplessly, staring around the forest. "I don't know which ones, though. He never mentioned one specific place."
"Then we search everywhere. The guards are already getting started. Come, we will go south."
"South? Surely, Legolas wouldn't go in that direction; that's where the spiders are."
"He knows it's the place we're least likely to search. I think he will go that way."
They couldn't gallop the horses like Aragorn wanted to in his panic, because they risked missing Legolas.
"Ada, what happened?"
Elrond hesitated. "I am sure Legolas would not want me to say; I tell you only because you need to know if you're to help him. We unlocked the memory that's been causing his problems. When he was just an elfling, he was captured and raped repeatedly by five men."
Aragorn was aware of the world tilting and suddenly, his Ada's horse was right next to his and Elrond had a firm grasp on his elbow, stopping him from tipping over.
"Stay with me, Estel."
He barely heard the words over the crescendo of panic inside him. What would Legolas do? Why had he been so desperate to be alone?
"Estel! Focus, Legolas needs us."
Legolas. Aragorn forcibly shoved aside his feelings and righted himself in the saddle. "We have to find him."
"I know." Elrond's mouth was set in a grim line as his eyes scanned the trees. Aragorn did the same, trying to think. Legolas knew this forest. He could stay hidden for weeks if he wanted to.
He may not have weeks. They had to find him now. Where would he go? Ada was right, he'd happily run into danger to avoid pursuit, but the south of Greenwood was still a large area. There had to be some way to narrow it down.
"Height!" He turned to his father. "Legolas would search for the tallest trees. He's still so skeletal, he could go right into the top branches that wouldn't hold anyone else. That way, even if we found him, we wouldn't be able to forcibly bring him back."
"That's it," Elrond breathed. "I don't know where the trees grow the tallest, though. We'll have to go back, get one of the guards."
"We don't have time for that! We –"
Aragorn broke off at the sound of galloping hooves. He twisted in the saddle to see Thranduil rapidly gaining on them. He had never been so glad to see the woodland king in his life.
"Thran!" Elrond turned his horse and rode to meet him, Aragorn hot on his heels.
"Where do the trees in southern Greenwood grow the tallest?"
"What happened to my son, El?"
"I'll explain later. Please, trust me, Thran, we don't have time to waste. The trees."
Thranduil pursed his lips. "Come, I will take you. It's right in the middle of spider territory, though."
"Estel, ride back and bring a sizeable force of guards; we're going to need them."
"I can't, Ada, I have to find him!"
He expected Elrond to argue, but Thranduil cut him off. "I will go. I know these woods better than you; I can be there and back quickly." Without another word, he rode off.
"Estel. Slow your breathing or you're going to pass out."
He blinked at his father, only now realizing that he was panting the way Legolas did when he was panicked.
"Ada, what if he's… what if we don't find him in time?"
"Don't think that way, ion nin. We left only minutes after he did. We'll find him."
Aragorn knew that they would; the question was, would they find him alive? He glanced at his father. If Legolas died, Aragorn would follow him. Elrond would try to stop him, of course. He'd have to be quick. Even Ada couldn't bring the dead back to life. If he got his dagger into his heart fast enough, there would be no preventing him from following Legolas into death.