A slight scraping sound broke through Legolas' daze. He had been dangling there for hours, too weak to stand up and release the pressure from his aching shoulders. The large door to the room was pushed open slowly, bringing with it a ray of candlelight. Soft footsteps approached the elf, stopping right in front of him. Legolas managed to lift his head, staring at the face of another elf before dropping his heavy skull again with a sigh.

Gentle hands were placed under the former Prince's arms, lifting him up and earning a groan from Legolas as the painful pulling of the limbs was relieved. Another pair of footsteps and the restraints were suddenly released from his hands. His heavy arms fell limply to his sides, sending shards of pain shooting up his back and shoulders at the abrupt change in position. Legolas felt himself drifting in and out of awareness. A soft voice murmured something to the first, which elicited a soft reply. His limbs were flung around shoulders, supporting him as he was escorted from the room. He valiantly tried to keep his feet moving underneath him, but soon his strength failed him and his legs dragged behind him.

A change in position left Legolas' head reeling violently. The next thing he was aware of was a soft pillow cradling his head. The bed that the two mysterious elves had laid him on was so comfortable that he moaned in appreciation. The gentle hands prodded at his torn back, making Legolas cry out harshly.

Arkhun glanced at Durlan briefly, wringing out a warm rag and wiping the blood from the slave's back. After cleaning it all up, he took the strips of cloth soaked in athelas from Durlan and placed them on the cuts, keeping them in place with clean white bandages. The Prince had fallen asleep halfway through the healing process, exhausted from his injuries. A slight sound at the doorway brought the healer's heads up. Prince Aragorn stood there, studying his slave worriedly.

"How is he?" Aragorn pitched his voice low as not to rouse Legolas.

"He will be fine by morning. His body will mend itself in its sleep. Shall we move him to your quarters?"

Aragorn shook his head. "No. Let him sleep here. His bed is on the floor anyways and rest would be uncomfortable. Let me know when he wakes tomorrow. I want him to sleep as long as he needs." Two murmured approvals followed the Prince as he turned and made his way back to his quarters.

A loud crash brought Aragorn jumping out of his bed, hand grasping the sword he kept beside his bed deftly. His exhausted mind reeled as he processed the situation before him. Legolas was standing on the other side of the room, nursing his leg. His eyes were wide with fright as he realized he had awoken the Prince.

"Forgive me Master. I did not see the table there. It shall not happen again." He kept his eyes glued to the ground as he continued with the task of opening the curtains. The sun's light just barely penetrated into the room as it was just beginning to wake up itself. Aragorn watched the elf in shock as he moved into the bathroom, emerging a few moments later with the towel he had used yesterday. He quickly shook off the surprise and rose from the bed. Legolas stopped just at the doorway, holding a bundle of dirty clothing and towels.

"Do you require anything else before your bath, my lord?" The man shook his head and went into the adjoining room. A steaming bath was already drawn, clean clothing laid on the table beside it and a fresh towel hanging from the side. Aragorn looked towards the door, but the elf was already gone.

After he cleaned and made himself presentable for the day, he found breakfast on a tray, laid out of a made bed. Legolas was standing in the corner, finishing up folding and putting away his own bedding.

"How is your back this morning?" The elf stiffened before turning around facing his master.

"Much better, thank you."

"What changed your mind about being my slave?" Legolas sighed, before answering.

"I came to realize that no matter how much I protested, this is my life now. There is nothing I can do that will change the fact that I am your slave, and I know the more I deny it, the worse this fate will turn out for me. Best to accept it now rather than later." Aragorn was shocked, but immensely pleased. He hated having to discipline the elf. He much preferred to treat Legolas with the respect that every other slave of the Rivendell household. He nodded in approval.

"Good. Now, I will take you to Lord Katar so you can apologize. Then we can put this whole matter behind us." Legolas nodded, dropping his head to the ground. He reluctantly followed behind his master as they left the room and walked through the hallway. Aragorn halted before Lord Katar's quarters and spared a glance at his slave. Legolas' head was bent lowly and he shook slightly in fear. He briefly placed a hand on the trembling shoulder in support and knocked on the door.

The elf came out and glared at the slave. There were no marks upon his neck now, but earlier dark bruises in the shape of fingers were visible. Aragorn stood back and pushes Legolas forward. The elf shuffled nervously before squaring his shoulders and looking the Lord in the eyes.

"I humbly apologize, Lord Katar." Legolas knelt down on one knee. "I let my emotions lead my actions, and I struck out. I should not have touched you in any way. I hope you can forgive me, and hold no ill will towards my master. He has nothing to do with my actions." A bead of sweat rolled down the former Prince's face as he waited in silence for an answer. After what seemed like an eternity, Lord Katar spoke up.

"Prince Aragorn should better keep you on a tight leash. If you touch me again, I will slaughter you like the animal you are." The door was slammed in Legolas' face, sending him toppling backwards to his backside. He quickly got up and dusted himself off. His master grunted and strode off, leaving him to follow behind him silently.

Ok. So there seem to be some people who do not like the story. Yes, it is an AU, I think. I don't really know what that entitles. As for this story being "sick" and "disrespectful to J.R.R. Tolkien", I'm really not sure what to tell you. This is based off the book and movie, nothing more. Fanfiction allows a person to use characters from somewhere else and put them in their own story. No one is making anyone read this. If you don't like it, don't read it. I want to make this very clear, I never meant to insult anyone. Only to bring entertainment to readers. I believe there are two choices here. If there is anyone who likes reading this story, please tell me. Otherwise, I will assume no one likes it and delete it, and start on another story I want to write. Peace and blessings.