Title & Chapter Number: Farewells and New Beginnings 11/17
Author(s): - Author's Index
Website:
Fandom: Tolkien
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of Tolkien with the exception of an original or two, and I am sure he would be horrified if he read this…
Warnings: This story is rated NC-17 and contains male slash pairings, incest, and explicit sexual content - not to mention a boatload of angst. If you find this offensive, or you are under-age, I strongly suggest you stop now.
Betas: Alex
Cast: Legolas/Thranduil, Glorfindel/Erestor, Legolas/Erestor, Thranduil/Glorfindel
Timeline: TA
Spoilers: None
Summary: Thranduil and Gildor are attacked, Legolas has a vision, and Secrets are revealed.
Notes: This story came out of a little one I wrote as a companion to the Rock Stars series. The plot bunny, however, refuses to leave, so here I am, exercising my demons. This is inspired by the beautiful Elves that Professor Tolkien created much to our joy and amazement; and by the beautiful, sometimes sad, and heartrending music of U2 that I was listening to when I wrote it. Thanks so much to everyone who gave me encouragement, Alex (my wonderful beta reader on this and the Rock Stars series), Dawn, Larian (my wonderful beta reader on the Tale of Two Brothers series), Hawk, Zee, Ninie, and L.K. (and yes, I cried like a baby when I wrote it…)
June 15th, 122, Fourth Age, Eryn Lasgalen
Thranduil and Gildor were returning from their final trip to Rohan; the last of his belongings had been sold off and turned into coin. Thranduil, Gildor, and the Noldo's companions were preparing to leave Eryn Lasgalen, to find a place where they could live undisturbed by the ever-encroaching population of men. They rode quietly on their horses, having even sold the wagon in which they transported their goods, along with the harnesses and any tack that they used. As they entered the wood, they stopped; they both sensed something threatening was near. Just as Thranduil began to reach for his knife, a group of twelve men appeared from behind trees and bushes.
"Dunlendings…" Thranduil growled under his breath.
Gildor also had his hand upon his knife as he hoped for a peaceful way out of the ambush.
"Give us your money!" One of the larger ones growled.
Thranduil narrowed his eyes, and in a voice that would have frightened men with any sense replied, "Leave now, and keep your miserable lives."
These men, however, were hardened criminals; the last of the deserters of Sauron's defeated army. They had been roaming the countryside of Rohan, attacking the smaller villages that were not well defended, raping the women, slaughtering the old and young, stealing all that they could carry with them.
Their leader laughed, a sickening sound to the Elves ears, and he and his companions pulled their weapons. "I said, give us your money, Elf!"
Gildor slowly began removing his knife from its sheath, preparing to defend himself and Thranduil against the ambush. Their leader waved two of his underlings over to forcibly take the coin. Thranduil's knife blade rang as it was pulled from its sheath and he swung a booted foot out and kicked his attacker squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground, unconscious. Gildor squeezed his horse, which reared, striking out and kicking one of the attackers in the head, killing him instantly.
The remainder of the hoard set upon the two Elves and a fierce fight ensued. Three of the Dunlendings pulled the King from his horse and he stabbed one in the thigh, and slashed the other's chest before the third brought a rock down upon his head, knocking him unconscious. Gildor leapt from his horse to defend his fallen lover and was attacked by four of the men, who forcibly restrained him.
When Thranduil regained consciousness he found he could hardly move. His wrists were bound together and pulled over his head, the rope thrown over a sturdy branch, and he balanced on his toes. His arms ached from the strain and his head felt as though it was splitting open. To his horror, he saw Gildor tied to the tree's trunk, his arms wrapped around it and his wrists tied off. The Noldo had taken a beating, his tunic was shredded and his head was bleeding, but he remained conscious. He looked at his beloved through the blood soaked hair that stuck to his face, a single tear tracing down his cheek.
Thranduil howled in rage as he struggled to break free of his bonds. A litany of curses spilled from his mouth in his native tongue, as he swore to the Valar to personally murder each and every one of the pigs that had harmed his friend. The leader of the criminals half-staggered to the bound King, drunk off the cheap liquor they had pilfered from the last village they had ransacked.
He leered at Thranduil and drew a filthy finger along his jaw line. "Well, the two of you are quite pretty. I suppose you are thinking you should have left with the rest of your kind, but if you had, then we wouldn't have new playthings…" He looked over his shoulder at the remainder of his comrades that weren't dead or mortally wounded. He turned his evil gaze back to the King, "I assure you, we will have quite a bit of fun with you before we are finished." He laughed and drew his tongue along the King's jaw, and Thranduil felt as though he would be sick.
The leader turned back to his men and addressed them. "You know what they say about Elves, they are all deviants, the males like to take other males to their bed, they like to perform unnatural acts on one another…" He turned back to Thranduil, "so they should enjoy this…" He laughed again, and took a swig off the bottle he held.
Thranduil looked at his lover, seeing Gildor close his eyes, and he watched him pray for death. In a voice so low that the men could not hear, he whispered, "Do not fear, meleth nín. They are all going to die; not one of them will touch you that way. I swear it."
The leader walked over to Gildor and flicked his tongue against his ear, pressing his body into the Elf's battered back, laughing as he whimpered in pain. Thranduil glared at him as he continued to try to break free of his bonds. The man hoarsely taunted the King, "I think I will take this one first, while his lover watches…"
Thranduil growled, "If you are such a strong man, why don't you take me first? Or are you afraid? You should be afraid, human swine…"
The man stepped over to the King and backhanded him across the face as hard as he could. Thranduil bit back a groan from the pain and turned back to face the man, spitting blood in his face. "Nadorhuan! Untie me and strike me like that, if you think you can beat me!"
The man clamped his hand upon Thranduil's jaw, forcing him to look at him and slid his other hand down his abdomen and between his legs, squeezing him. "I will do more than beat you, Elf, I will make you scream…" His breath reeked of alcohol and tobacco, and his foul tongue darted out to taste the King's lips
The sound of breaking branches filled the air, followed by the high pitched whine of arrows. The Dunlendings leapt to their feet, just in time to see a small patrol of four Rohirrim come down from the hill above them. An arrow sliced through the air over the King's head, splitting the rope that held him. He fell to the ground and rolled as one of the Riders passed him, tossing him a sword.
The Dunlendings returned fire with their bows and unsheathed their swords, but they were no match for the Rohirrim. Thranduil cut his lover free and tossed Gildor a knife, who cut the ropes holding Thranduil's wrists before he collapsed to his knees by the tree. The King put a comforting hand upon his lover's shoulder before turning to exact his revenge upon their attackers. After a brief but vicious battle, the Rohirrim held two surviving thieves in their grip and Thranduil had their leader at the point of his sword.
The King leaned in and sneered at the man, "So, how brave are you now, dog? Still care to strike me? I do not think I will be the one screaming now…" The man leered at the Elf and spit upon his boots. Thranduil placed the blade of the sword at his throat and sliced it clean. The man fell upon the ground, choking and sputtering blood until he finally passed into shadow. Thranduil shoved his dying body with a booted foot and spat. "That was a more merciful death than you deserve, devil."
The King looked up at the Rohirrim, who bowed their heads in respect. Their captain dismounted and knelt before him, "My Lord, we were tracking these criminals from our borders. They have been ransacking our villages and raping our women and murdering our weak. We kindly ask that you leave us these two survivors so that we may return with them to Edoras, where they will be promptly executed to pay for their crimes."
Thranduil narrowed his eyes for a moment before bidding the captain rise. "You know who I am?"
The captain cast his gaze to the ground and nodded, "Aye, my Lord, you are Thranduil, King of the Woodelves of Eryn Lasgalen. You have long been an ally to our people. Your son's service at Helm's Deep is still spoken of. We had thought all of your kin had left, my Lord, until we heard talk of strange visitors to our villages."
Thranduil smiled, "Look at me, son." The young captain looked up at the King, his eyes wide in awe. It was the first he had ever seen of an Elf. "You have done my friend and I a great service, we are in your debt. You may take what you like."
One of the Rohirrim held up a velvet coin purse, "Is this yours, my Lord?"
Thranduil nodded, "Aye, they robbed us after rendering us helpless."
The soldier approached and knelt before him, offering him the purse. Thranduil took it and placed a kind hand upon his shoulder. "Thank you, son." The soldier smiled and flushed a bit at being addressed so kindly by a King, and backed away. Thranduil whistled for his horse and helped Gildor to his feet, as one of the soldiers approached and offered assistance. Thranduil smiled, "I can attend to him at home, meldir. Thank you again for your kindness and assistance."
Thranduil helped Gildor onto his horse and mounted behind him, the two Elves rode off into the forest, with Gildor's horse following close behind.
~*~*~*~
Legolas awoke with a start and screamed, "Ada!"
Erestor sat bolt upright and placed his hands upon the Prince's shoulders. "What is it, meleth nín? Did you have a nightmare?"
Legolas panted and was covered in sweat; he was shaking his head and rubbing his temples. His breathing began to slow and he looked up at Erestor. "It is all right, he is not hurt. Oh, I had a horrible vision, but I sense he is safe now." Erestor took him in his arms and stroked his hair. The Prince looked into his eyes and smiled weakly, "Ai, these visions will be the death of me, I swear it."
Erestor held him tight, "Please, Legolas, do not joke about such things!"
Legolas pressed his lips to the Counselor's ear, "I am sorry, a'maelamin. I did not mean to upset you. But, I cannot control them; they come to me in broken, confusing images. I do not understand what is happening to me, I do not understand why I have these things."
Erestor lay his lover back on the bed as Legolas curled against him. "How long have you been having them, meleth nín?"
Legolas sighed, "Off and on throughout my life. I used to think they were just nightmares, but as I grew older, I knew they were more." He rubbed his face and continued, "I foresaw the attack on Mirkwood before I came to Imladris, I rallied our troops and we were able to beat back Sauron's forces. I had another; I was in my quarters in Minas Tirith the night Aragorn died. I woke up in the middle of the night and heard his voice in my ears, I saw him sitting on the edge of my bed, but he wasn't really there, he was saying goodbye." He wrapped his arms around his lover and snuggled close. "They have come randomly all of my life, but since I have come to Valinor, they have intensified, and they are all surrounding my father. I fear I am going mad. My father, nor any of our kin have been gifted with the sight, I do not understand how this can be happening."
Erestor placed a soft kiss on the top of his head, "What did you see?"
Legolas closed his eyes and swallowed, "He was attacked, in our wood. It looked like the Rohirrim rode to his aid, and I saw another Elf, I would swear it was Gildor Inglorian."
Erestor nodded, "Aye, it was Gildor."
Legolas sat up and looked at the Counselor in surprise. "How do you know that?"
Erestor swallowed, "The Lady told me. She asked him to stay behind, to stay with your father, to help him."
Legolas sat up and furrowed his brow, "Erestor, why did you not tell me this sooner? Why would Galadriel do such a thing? There is no love between the Lord and Lady of the Wood and my father. Why would she help him?"
Erestor could see there was no point in keeping the secret any longer, eventually Legolas would discover the truth, and right now, he needed to know the truth more than anything. He took a deep breath and sat up, caressing his lover's face. "A'maelamin, there are a great many things you do not know, nor understand. Secrets have been kept, not to hurt you, but to protect you. Bad judgements have been made, but that does not lessen the love with which they were made."
Legolas face grew pale, "What are you saying, Erestor?"
Erestor looked at the bed, "Over an age ago I swore an oath to your father, one I have honored until this moment." He looked up at Legolas, "You have inherited your gift, Legolas. You inherited it from your mother."
Legolas eyes widened, "My mother? What do you know of my mother, Erestor? She died bringing me into the world. It broke Ada's heart, that is why he never took another female to his bed." Erestor swallowed and looked at the bed again. A sinking feeling swept over Legolas, and he lifted the Noldo's chin and turned his gaze to meet his own. "Who is my mother, Erestor?"
Erestor felt his palms begin to sweat and his hands begin to tremble. "Please know, Legolas, that your father did what he had to do, to protect you. He only wanted to see you grow up safe and happy, he would sooner die than ever hurt you."
Legolas swallowed, he felt a strange lump growing in this throat as he croaked out a reply, "Who is my mother, Erestor?"
Erestor's voice cracked slightly as he broke the oath he had once taken, "Your father loved your mother, but they were not meant to be. Theirs was a love that came from a chance encounter, an unlikely meeting between a gentle Prince with a wounded heart, and the one Lady who could heal it, the Lady of Light."
Legolas eyes widened, "What? Erestor, are you saying that…? No, it could not be… I spent time with her, when I was young. I saw her with the Fellowship, she took me aside and told me to have faith, she… she… she gave me a bow… she embraced me… she…" His voice trailed off as the realization that his mother was indeed Galadriel sunk in. He shook his head, "No. My mother is dead, my mother would never have denied me, she… she is dead, Erestor, you are wrong. Ada never… he never…" His eyes were filled with pain, his fists were clenched by his side, he pulled away from Erestor and rose from the bed, throwing his robe on and wheeling on the Counselor, "He never would have lied to me! He told me my mother was dead! Now you are saying he lied to me? My father lied to me all these years?" He began pacing back and forth, as the tears began to fall from his eyes. "All those years I cried for her, I yearned for her to hold me and tell me everything would be all right. All those years I needed her so desperately, all the years Ada was gone during the Last Alliance… and I was left alone! She was there, but a few days ride away, and they left me alone!"
Erestor rose from the bed, he was shaking, he had never seen Legolas so distraught. "Please, a'maelamin… try to calm down, let me explain…"
Legolas wheeled on the Counselor again, "I do not want you to explain! I want you to tell me this is all some horrible joke! I want you to tell me that my own mother did not give me away! I want you to tell me that she died when I was born, not that she gave me away and never cared for me!"
Erestor reached out for his lover, trying to remain calm, "A'maelamin, please…"
Legolas barked at him, "A'maelamin? A'maelamin? Do not call me that! Do not say I am your beloved when you have kept secrets from me! When you have lied to me! How could you?" He tore out of the room, running out of the house and into the forest.
Erestor tried to follow but the Prince was too fast. He collapsed upon the ground, his knees hugged to his chest, and wept.
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