Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Underneath alien skies	By : Nuredhel Category: +Third Age > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1617 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: II do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien, and i do not earn any money from this work of fiction, it is solely written for entertainment and not for profit at all. do not own Lord of the Rings, it belongs to Tolkien,

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Thranduil really has a problem, how is he to apologize for his far from polite words? Don’t worry, it will get worse, muahahaha!!! It appears that this certain young lady has a rather strong effect on him, and as you will see, not without reasons.
This chapter is Adult rated for sure, he sees something that forces him to take “matters” into his own hands if you get the picture. There will be some action, some answers and even more revelations. Hope you’ll enjoy and thanks to you all who take the time to read this. It is much appreciated.

Chapter Six Don’t leave me…
It will strike like lightning
It will turn you upside down
Hang on for the ride my friend
Choose your words with wisdom
And never let her go

Thranduil was very busy training, he did not have a chance to meet Thilian again and she did not seem to leave her rooms at all. He felt terrible, he had insulted a lady and it really bothered him. Why had he said those things to her? He guessed that he had been so in shock by her beauty he had been unable to think straight. He had always been known as a very polite ellon, oh he could be sarcastic and mean but it was always wrapped into layers of etiquette. He had never been so blunt! The less than well-mannered ways of the people in this place had probably affected him, they could be very rude at times. Heck, he had told her she looked tasty?!
He moaned when he did think about it, what type of mental images had he allowed to drift into his mind to say just that? He was so ashamed, and the fact that she had slapped him told him she had quite a temper. He liked that in women. Gods, those beautiful eyes, so strange with their cat like appearance and yet so tantalizing. He could not stop thinking about her.
He went through his daily routine and tried to keep his mind on the things he was doing, it wasn’t until he almost rode his horse into a row of waterbarrels that he realized that this just would not work. He had only seen Shanrae once or twice the last couple of days and he did not dare to approach her, Ghuad was enjoying some fencing practice with Raigh and Hawk and Thranduil was in awe of their technique and skill but he could not ask Ghuad for advice. The mere thought of it made him cringe. Akisha did notice that the elf was more quiet than usual but she had more than enough on her mind and she did not have the time to ask him if anything was wrong. Thranduil tried to gather his courage and speak to Shanrae but he was too afraid to. He wanted to see Thilian again and at the same time he did not. He was sure he would say something even more stupid if he came face to face with her.
He had gone to bed for the evening when he remembered that he had forgotten his belt by the pool where he had been swimming. Naragh hated it when people didn’t clean up their own mess and so he got up and walked to the bath to get it. It was not wise to anger the wise old healer, he wanted his bath to be left in perfect order. It was late, the place had become silent and only a few guards were up and about. He walked into the bath and found his belt. He looked at the pool, he felt hot and the water in the small pool in the back of the huge room was cold. He shrugged and went over to it, why not really? He pulled of the soft loose pants he was wearing in bed and went in, it felt very good and he sighed with relief and knew he had needed it. It would help him sleep well no doubt.
He was contemplating getting back up when he heard the door open and he froze, he was still bothered when others saw him undressed and he had not been able to adjust to all the strange customs of this place. He pushed himself down so he could not be seen, he hoped that this person was there just to find some lost item, just as he had. He lifted his head a bit above the edge of the pool and his eyes got huge as teacups. It was dark in his corner of the room but some lamps had been left burning by the entrance, he could clearly see who this was. Hell, he saw everything. It was Thilian and she was wearing only a bathrobe and nothing more. She walked to the small pool with very hot water and dropped the coat, let her hair down. Thranduil could not believe what he was seeing, her hair had been tied up the last time he saw her but now it hang down in shiny locks and it reached her calves.
Thranduil suddenly had problems breathing, she did not know he was there peeping at her and he felt so ashamed of himself he could have cried but he could not tear his eyes away from her. She went into the pool and he prayed silently that she didn’t mean to take a long bath. What he had seen was haunting him and he closed his eyes and tried to stay completely still. She hummed to herself and he could hear splashing sounds, Valar, what was he to do?
She got back up after just a few minutes, the light made her hair shine like blood and gold and she put the robe back on and left just as silently as she had entered. Thranduil let out a sigh of relief, he waited for a couple of minutes before he almost ran back to his room and shut the door firmly behind him. He was panting and shivering and the image of her naked form was almost glued to his mind. He fell back on his bed, tried to relax and wipe his mind blank but he could not, his heart was beating like a drum and he was so hard it hurt. He looked down along his body and moaned in frustration, oh he knew how to take care of the problem but it would almost feel like a defeat. He did not want to let his urges control him, not any more. The image of her slender and yet curvy body reentered his thoughts and his control faded away, it crumbled like a house of cards in a hurricane. He was suddenly stroking himself and moaning her name as he did it, it felt so good he got teary eyes and at the end he came so violently he screamed into his pillow.
When he managed to calm down and catch his breath he closed his eyes in confusion and shame. He had not done that since he was a mere youth, and how could he ever manage to talk to her in a civilized manner now that he had been thinking about her while he was doing what he had? He felt his cheeks burn and he silently scolded himself for being such a fool, all right, he was almost completely healed and healthy but he had seen gorgeous women before without suddenly feeling like a darn animal in heat! He cleaned up the mess and wiped himself clean, oh how Naragh would snigger if he found out about this! Thranduil was still blushing when he lay down and tried to sleep. Things had gone from being a bit complicated to become a real mess!
The next morning he woke up with a heavy head and a strange tingling sensation within his body, he could not really understand what was causing it but it was almost as if he was looking forward to something, something enjoyable. He went to the dining room for breakfast and once more he got a portion big enough to fill the stomach of three ordinary men. Jalisa had to believe that the slender body of an elf really was a sign of malnutrition, but there were other elves there and they did not eat that much. He had a suspicion that Jalisa felt sorry for him somehow and showed that in the only way she knew, with food. He shook his head and started to eat, it tasted just as delicious as usual but he kept wondering about his problem. He had to apologize to Thilian for what he had said, his honor demanded it of him. Maybe he could write her a letter? Oh no, that would be cowardly. He had to say it right to her face. And he dreaded it, how was he gonna keep his cool when he had seen her naked, and fantasized about her afterwards? He was sitting there deep within his own thoughts and did not even notice that Akisha had entered the room and stood next to him. “Hello? I am trying to talk to you?”
He lifted his head with a start and stared at her with confusion, he had not even heard her speaking in the first place. “Oh, I was…I was just thinking about something. Yes?”
Akisha crossed her arms in front of her chest, she had a strange look upon her face. Thinking about something? Indeed, normally it would be impossible to sneak up to an elf the way she just had. She sighed. “I wondered if you could do me a small favor?”
He looked at her eagerly, he wanted to show his gratitude and be helpful and prove that he was useful too. “Yes, of course?”
Akisha sat down. “Shanrae and Thilian wants to go for a ride in the woods but they need someone to escort them and everybody is so damn busy. We are going to have a show again this week and damn it, everybody is running around like headless chickens. I wondered if you could be so kind as to follow them? There is nothing dangerous out there, but it is always best to be more people than just two women.”
He swallowed, and swallowed again. A ride in the woods? Oh he would love that, absolutely, but with Shanrae and Thilian? How in name of the Valar was he going to manage that? He made a small whimper, then he just nodded and Akisha got a curious look upon her lovely face. He looked almost as if he had gotten something stuck in his throat or something like that. His face was a bit red and his eyes told of a sense of dread. Akisha grinned and petted him on his shoulder. “Wonderful, I’ll go tell them right away. Jalisa will get you some proper riding attire. And I am sure Dheg will lend you one of the best horses too.”
The idea of riding a good horse lifted his mood a bit but he wished he could disappear, just for a while. He finished eating with a sense of impending doom, then he went to his room where the servants had left some good warm clothes well suited for a trip to the woods. He had even been given a belt with two beautiful short swords, he almost forgot about his doubts there and then. With swords in his belt he felt like a man again, like he really could make a difference and his back was straight and his head held high as he walked toward the stable. He had braided his long silvery blond hair and put on his most relaxed expression. He hoped this would end well and not in some utter disaster.
Dheg was waiting for him and he held Afhira by the reins, the mare was the property of the owner of Circus and she was literally priceless. A tall gorgeous animal with a coat like polished copper, white mane and tail and a star shaped blaze between her huge gentle eyes. Thranduil was gasping, being allowed to ride Afhira was such a demonstration of trust and he felt moved by it. The mare was incredibly fast and her long neck and legs told of her proud and valuable bloodline. Dheg nodded to him as he handed him the reins. “She is a bit nervous, so be careful.”
Thranduil was about to answer when Shanrae and Thilian rode out from the stable, they both rode smaller rather stocky looking geldings and the two women were stunning. Shanrae was wearing a red velvet riding suit which made her golden hair and alabaster skin even more striking. Thilian was clad in a suit of deep dark green velvet and she was so pretty he could hardly believe his eyes. Dheg petted Afhira on the rump and the mare whinnied and pulled at the reins, eager to go. Shanrae rode up to him and touched his arm very gently. “I am very glad you could find the time to accompany us, I have visited these woods several times but it is always nice to feel extra safe.”
He blushed and bowed his head. “Ladies, it is just a pleasure to be of service.”
They rode out of the gate and down the street towards the city gates and Shanrae appeared to be a very friendly lady with exquisite manners. She told him small anecdotes about her experiences with this city and he listened and tried to look calm and collected. Thilian on the other hand never spoke a single word, she was staring into the neck of her horse and she looked uncomfortable the whole time.
The woods were huge and he was glad Shanrae had visited the place before and knew the paths, he felt an incredible sensation of relief by being surrounded by trees and nature again and he enjoyed it immensely. He almost forgot about Thilian who rode behind them and looked almost sulky. Shanrae smiled. “So, I hear that you are a king, and that you have a son?”
Thranduil nodded, he missed Legolas all of a sudden, desperately. The woods and its scents and sounds reminded him of home. “Yes, that is correct. I do have a son, my light and joy”
Shanrae had a gentle expression within her eyes. “Oh I am sure he is, children are the most precious thing we have are they not?”
He swallowed, his chest ached and he remembered his fear and the horrible nightmare. “Indeed they are.”
Her eyes got narrower and she leaned towards him. “Why so pale? Is anything wrong, are you in pain? If you feel uncomfortable we may return right away, I know you were severely wounded and still are on the mend?”
He gasped and the mare nickered and threw her head, she sensed his anxiety and he had to gather the reins and calm her down before he could answer. “No, no I am alright. It’s just that I fear for my son’s safety. He is the one good thing in my life, the one thing I have of which I am truly proud and grateful.”
Shanrae reached out and touched his arm, smiled warmly. “I am sure you will be able to save him, you have a strong heart and an even stronger will.”
He gave her a faint smile back. “I pray that you are right!”
The forest was very beautiful with open glades where small birds were singing and flowers grew in abundance. The trees were of a sort he never had seen before with smooth surfaces and a high and wide canopy. He could hear them singing to him but he did not understand them as he would have understood the trees back home. Yet he felt at home there and he enjoyed himself, he heard the birds singing about their everyday lives and he admired the lovely flowers which were growing everywhere. It was such a lush forest, with a vibrancy to it that thrilled him and awakened his senses.
Shanrae made him aware of small things she saw and she was really easy to speak with. He felt the question force its way forth, he had to know. “So, you and Ghuad, how did you meet?”
Shanraen sighed, she looked down into the neck of her horse. “Oh that story is rather ugly I am afraid, but I guess I should tell.”
Thranduil swallowed. “No my lady, you don’t have to, not unless you of course want to, but it is really none of my business, I just got a little curious, that’s all.”
Shanrae smiled at him, there were some sort of sadness within her deep blue eyes. “I want to tell you of our story, because it is proof of how misunderstood Ghuad is. His heart is kind at the bottom, and the love within a person of his race burns brighter and more fierce than even the sun itself. You cannot bind yourself to a dragon without knowing this.”
He tried to look relaxed, felt how strained his smile was. “I understand”
She gave him a look which told him that she really didn’t believe that he did. “I was not like this when we met Thranduil. I was a person who others saw as worthless, as a thing to be used and then thrown away.”
He stared at her with disbelief. She continued with a strange bitter grin on her face. “I was forced to be a whore, for sale to the highest bidder. I was expensive since I was exotic and young, and still my owner sold me to men who liked to abuse and hurt women. I sometimes thought that death would be to prefer.”
Thranduil was truly shocked, she looked at his huge eyes and expression and shook her head. “This world is cruel my friend. And unforgiving too, to be different is difficult enough and to be a person without family around for protection even worse. I was alone and going to die when Ghuad showed up. He saved me, and we knew from that moment on that we were meant for each other, that our souls belonged together forever.”
Thranduil nodded. “You are a half breed?”
Shanrae nodded slowly. “Yes, I am. My father was an elf, but my mother human. She was a poor woman who allowed her spirit and will to be broken by the world. She drank herself to death I think. “
Thranduil was truly stunned by the things that she told him. “So for how long have you been together?”
Shanrae shrugged. “Some years, not that long yet.”
He was going to answer her when Thilian suddenly spurred her horse and rode past them, she looked like she was furious. Thranduil raised his eyebrows in a puzzled expression and Shanrae pressed her lips together and looked a bit annoyed. “Forgive her my friend, she has her problems poor child, and sometimes she forgets how to behave among others. She is a fiery one with a spirit made of embers I am sure. Too damn restless is what she is.”
The girl galloped into the forest and Thranduil swore to himself and made Afhira follow the stubby gelding, he did not want to lose sight of her and Shanrae followed straight behind him. The path was wide and flat and they could ride hard, he enjoyed the speed but he felt increasingly insecure and annoyed by the girl’s behavior. And then he heard a horse scream and it was followed by a scream that had to be Thilians. His blood felt like ice there and then and he pulled out a sword and spurred the mare. They entered a small clearing at full speed, Thilians gelding was rearing and bucking and acting like some mad horse and Thilian was hanging on for dear life.
Thranduil did not understand why the horse was acting up like that before he saw something move in the grass ahead of it. It was a small snake and not even the dangerous kind, this type of snake was harmless unless you were a mouse and he put his sword back in the sheath. He did not know whether to laugh or pretend like nothing but the horse continued to buck so he rode towards it, grasped it by the halter and forced it to calm down. Thilian was just staring at him and her eyes were angry. He dismounted and reached out toward her, ready to help her off the horse. She gave him a rather poisonous glance and jumped off the horse, on the wrong side. “I can do it myself, jerk!”
He cringed by her words, first of all, her voice was as cold as ice and second of all, it spoke volumes of how she felt about him. He was starting to feel a bit angry and started to be afraid that he would say something stupid again. He held his tongue tied and just made a short polite nod towards her. “As the lady wishes”
Thilian snorted and turned around, walked away with her head held high. He felt how his anger made him want to shake her, he had helped her and she acted like some brat? Fine, then she really could see how that served her in the end.
Shanrae had dismounted too and she was shaking her head and she looked distraught by her friend’s behavior. Thranduil managed to get a grip of himself, calmed down and tried to think in a rational manner. “We’ll rest here, the horses needs a breather.”
Shanrae did give him a rather faint smile, then she walked towards Thilian and the two women walked together towards a small stream which crossed the clearing.
Thranduil was just shaking his head, he let the horses graze and bit his lower lip, fine, he had to talk to her no matter how hostile she seemed. What was her problem anyhow? She acted in a way that was just infuriating. He saw that the two women had sat down on a log and were talking and so he walked up to them and gathered his courage and tried to appear calm and friendly. He could see that Thilian avoided looking at him in a way that was quite intentional, he sighed and sat down on the end of the log. “Thilian, I am sorry. I did not have time to apologize to you when we first met, I should never have said those words, to be absolutely honest I have no idea where they came from. The sight of you just stunned me.”
She bit her teeth together, he could see her jaw muscles tense up. Then she turned her head towards him, so fast it looked almost unnatural and he backed off on pure instinct. Her eyes were ablaze with rage, her hair like some mane around her face and she was stunning and obviously not aware of the fact. “Yeah? Stunned by the sight of yet another freak? Or was it my breasts that were most stunning?”
Thranduil blushed and stared at her with disbelief, she was shivering all over and then it hit him like a sledge hammer. She wasn’t angry, she was scared! She was scared almost out of her mind but she camouflaged it as rage and used it as a shield to protect herself and to drive others away from her. Her aggression was just a masquerade. He suddenly pitied her like none other he had ever met, what had happened to her to cause her to become so hostile towards people? To use such a terrible method of defense?
He did not think, he reached out and touched her arm very gently. “Tell me child, what it is that you are so afraid of?”
She got on her feet with a shriek, her eyes almost glowing and she jumped away from him as if he was poisonous. “Let go of me you…you bastard. You men are all alike!”
She started running again and Shanrae called out after her but the girl did not stop. She just continued running and disappeared among the trees. Thranduil got on his feet to follow but Shanrae grasped his hand. “No, stay here. She’ll calm down, eventually. There is no point in chasing after her, it will only make things worse. Believe me, I have tried, many times!”
Shanrae’s voice was tired and Thranduil started to understand that it was no easy task taking care of this young woman.
Thranduil felt a bit worried, the forest was rather safe but he would have preferred to keep a watchful eye on her never the less. Shanrae sighed and closed her eyes, she did really look tired and sad too. He bit his lower lip, tried to look calm but could not. She petted his hand, her smile filled with melancholy. “You want to know why she is like this right?”
He nodded and Shanrae cut a grimace. “You are the first one who has been able to see through her disguise. She must have felt it like a real shock. Most people shun her, she is either like this, aggressive, or foul mouthed or both. She can be very nasty at times, like some sulky and defiant toddler.”
He had to smile, he remembered Legolas when he was at that particular age when the most popular word is no!
Shanrae pulled her knees up, placed her arms around them and rested her chin on top of them.
“She is afraid, always afraid. You heard her scream that night? That happens quite a lot, she has nightmares. Her past is a darkness from which there is little escape. We try but we cannot reach her, not well enough.”
She closed her eyes. “Ghuad feels terrible because of it, he feels that it is his fault, that he could have prevented it but I think the Gods rule our fates and there is a meaning to everything, even though it seems to be meaningless and just terrible when it happens.”
He listened to the forest around, it was so peaceful, and the contrast between this pure natural beauty and the things which were revealed was painful in some way. Shanrae was a bit pale, she looked down. “Ghuad first met Thilian and her mother when he and Rheynek were out on a mission. They were to find and execute some villains who robbed and murdered travelers. They arrived at that village just in time to save Thilians mother from being burned at the stake as a witch. She was a sorceress yes but not evil, not more than most other people.”
Thranduil shivered by the words Shanrae spoke, being burned alive, what a truly gruesome fate. Shanrae continued. “Ghuad had gotten wounded and Thilians mother healed him, then he and Rheynek helped the two women escape the village and afterwards Ghuad burned the whole place to the ground. But Thilians mother was a very determined and resourceful woman, she had Thilian already with a father who had left her before he knew that she was pregnant with his child”
Thranduil frowned. “Why did she not tell him?”
Shanrae grinned, a rather wicked grin. “She did not want him to know, she did not need his help in any way and she wanted to raise her daughter her own way. She knew what her daughter would grow up to be and she wanted to be able to control that power herself.”
The elf just stared at her. “Are you telling me that she wanted to use her daughter’s powers for her own benefit?”
Shanrae nodded. “Oh she claimed to be serving the goddess but in the end it was herself she was serving. And when Ghuad and Rheynek suddenly showed up she saw yet another opportunity, to increase her influence.”
Thranduil was a bit puzzled, he did not really understand. “How?”
Shanrae laughed, a rather sarcastic laugh, she tossed her long golden hair back and gave him a narrow smile. “She wanted one more child, one more dragonborn. Humans and shape shifting dragons cannot normally produce offspring even if they try, and the type Ghuad is off cannot mix with other races at all, but she had discovered herbs and magic that would allow her to conceive in spite of that. And so she seduced Ghuad to use him as a stud and it was not until later he realized what she really had been trying to do.”
Thranduil was lost for words, he just stared wide eyed at Shanrae who shrugged. “Wanna hear the rest?”
He nodded and she closed her eyes once more, she looked even more tired now. “Ghuad went looking for them, he wanted to protect Thilian and teach her as much as possible about her powers. He tried to find them for years, to no avail. Thilians mother was smart, she had gone into hiding and knew what she was doing. When Ghuad found Thilian it was almost too late.”
Thranduil was very curious now, and shocked too. He felt a little disgusted also, how could anyone be so devious, using another person like that just to fulfill some wicked plan to gain power at the expense of others? He was beginning to understand that humans were a much more heterogeneous bunch than he previous had though. He had regarded human beings as inferior and weak, stupid even and mostly wicked too. Now he slowly realized that they were both good and bad and that they could harbor both courage and evil at the same time. They were much more complex than an elf and he had started to respect them in a whole different way. He would never again underestimate them, neither their goodness nor their evil.
“Too late?” His voice was trembling a bit, poor girl. Who could grow up like that without being emotionally scarred.
Shanrae cut a grimace. “Yes, Thilians mother had in fact conceived, but the birth killed her. She was really too old to bring another baby into the world. Thilian went to live with a relative of her mother but she was too different, too special. They kicked her out of their home out of fear and superstition and so she had to live on the streets. It made her bitter and distrustful. “
Shanrae had oceans of sadness within her gaze. Thranduil was waiting for the rest and Shanrae sat up straight again, leaned against a tree. “We share a few nasty experiences, she cannot trust men anymore, she is afraid of them and I cannot blame her. But she is even more afraid of herself and her powers and what she is capable of. Thranduil, don’t get me wrong, she is such a wonderful person at heart but she is carrying a terrible load of guilt and shame within her soul and that sometimes makes her a person nobody can stand. She tries to hurt everybody before they can hurt her and I fear she will live a very lonely life.”
Thranduil could understand that, strike first before the enemy can. Be the first to attack, bring them to their knees before they can find your weaknesses. He shook his head slowly to show his compassion and that he shared her fears. “Ah, how old is she really? Did she live on the streets for a long time?”
Shanrae shrugged. “She thinks she is somewhere around twenty summers old, we are not sure and neither is she. So she is an adult but acts like a child some times.”
He gave her a wry smile, so he had seen. “So what happened to her to make her so…so adamant on keeping other people away from her?”
The half elf was silent for a while, her eyes were very dark when she started speaking again. “Thilian is a very beautiful girl, to be honest she is absolutely breathtaking. I am sure you have noticed?”
The last words came with a small smile and he just nodded but felt how his cheeks and ears burned in shame. Oh what he had seen!
“While living as a beggar and thief she made friends with some others in her own situation, they were nice to her or so she thought. In fact they were only out to exploit her, to earn money on her. First they managed to convince her that she should show of her talents on the street, of course they made some money but the inhabitants started to fear her. And she had not yet learned to control her powers, accidents did happen and then her so called friends got a new idea. They had her drugged and sold her to some men. “
Thranduil was aghast, he could hear his heart beat like a drum and his mouth had gone dry. No wonder she was afraid of men, had they really…?
Shanrae cut an ugly grimace, her blue eyes were almost shooting blue lightning. “She woke up before they could fulfil their misdeed, they had been meddling her for sure, groped her and enjoyed it a lot. But they had not yet raped her because they could not agree on who of them it was who deserved to be the first. A dragonborn is not like a human being or an elf, they respond to drugs in a very different way and so she woke up much earlier than they had anticipated. She woke up confused, probably while having some rather hefty and nasty hallucinations and she reacted out of pure instinct.”
Thranduil felt a weird sensation of relief, so they had not managed to rape her, the very idea of anybody touching her like that made him so angry he wanted to kill something.
Shanrae looked him straight in the eye. ”She brought forth her fire, the one every dragon carries within their very soul, it is the essence of who and what they are. It is and will forever be her core, her truth. And she burned them, all of them. She killed them but she didn’t really want to, she just wanted to get out of there and I am sure she saw something much more menacing than just a few men. Anyhow, Ghuad found her just a few weeks later and adopted her, he and I have been looking after her ever since. She hates herself Thranduil, she is afraid of her own feelings and she cannot stand being touched. She knows she has killed and she is no murderer at heart, she is not the kind of person who can take lives without losing a bit of herself. She would rather die than kill, but they left her with no choice. So now she trusts nobody and tries to build an ice armor around her soul through which nothing and nobody is let through. “
Thranduil swallowed hard, he was so very sad to hear this, she deserved so much more than the lonely life she would face if she continued on that path. Shanrae sighed and got on her feet. “I think we better return home now, before they start to worry. Where can she have gone?”
Thranduil looked down and found her footprints. “Here, we’ll track her. She cannot have gone far. “
He started running along the line of footprints and Shanrae was also a good runner and followed right behind him. He wasn’t worried, the forest was just a forest and there were no orcs or anything similar to them living in this country as far as he had been told. He was just jogging along and enjoyed the scenery and Shanrae was swearing to herself, mumbling something about ”disobedient brat” and “should have been spanked.”
Then they heard a weird sound up ahead, it was not the kind of noise which alarmed them a lot, just a low almost bleating sound. He lifted his head, listened with a curious expression on his face. “Are there sheep grazing here?”
Shanrae shook her head, she too looked quite puzzled. “No? This forest belongs to the king, nobody is allowed to let their livestock graze here.”
They moved closer and the sound came again, it had aggression in it and he could tell that it was no sheep after all. There was a shrill tone to the call and he could not recognize it as any animal he knew of. He pulled one of the swords and felt a strange chill run down his spine, something was wrong. The forest was too quiet, the birds had seized singing and he could hear something heavy stomping around. Then they heard a terrified scream filled with pain and Thranduil swore to himself as he rushed forward ready to face any enemy. “Shanrae, help me!”
It was Thilian and her voice was thin and shivering, his heart sank within his chest. He had never run that fast before, rushed past a huge boulder and then he saw her. She was half laying and half sitting in front of a rock, there was blood everywhere. In front of her he saw one bizarre creature, it looked like a giant long legged porcupine with a long tail filled with nasty looking spikes. It made that weird noise again and swung its tail towards her, he could see that the spikes already were bloody. With a moan he tossed himself forward, sword raised and a battlecry on his lips. He could not hesitate even a second. The animal saw him and roared, swung the terrible tail towards him with amazing speed and agility but he dodged it with ease, he just jumped over it and landed steadily on his feet close to the beasts shoulder. With a yell he brought the blade down, it was a good sword and he almost decapitated the animal with the first strike. The next finished the job and he heard Shanrae scream behind him in disbelief and fear. “Oh Thilian, what has happened?”
Thranduil stared at the beast with disbelief. “By the gods, I have never seen anything like this, what it is it?”
Shanrae was wild eyed and pale as a sheet. “A sting tail, but they normally never attack humans? They are such peaceful creatures and only use their spikes for defense?”
She was kneeling down and Thilian looked up, her eyes were filled with tears and she was shivering all over. Thranduil could see where the nasty spikes had gone through her clothes, her left thigh hip and ass cheek had been hit and that badly. There were blood streaming out of at least fifteen wounds and she moaned in agony. “There was a baby, it was so cute and I wanted to play with it, but suddenly it turned around and bit me and then the adult came and hit me with the tail. Oh Shan, I am so scared, am I gonna die?”
Thranduil swore to himself in sindarin, she was a fool. Trying to play with some wild animals offspring? That was asking for trouble! Shanrae was trembling all over, she was pale. “Oh gods what shall we do? We have got to bring her back home fast!”
Thranduil felt a surge of determination fly through him, he had been in similar situations before, with wounded warriors. Those spike wounds were almost like those a spear would make and he made a decision. “If we try to ride back home she will be dead before we reach the city gates. She is losing too much blood. We have to stop the bleeding right now.”
Shanrae looked terrified and he knew he had to take charge now. He knew what to do. “Shanrae, start a fire, quick”
She nodded with her eyes wide and face pale, found dry branches and moss and used her flint to get sparks. Thranduil used his knife to cut open Thilian’s pants and get them off her and she started to scream again, kicking and wriggling like crazy. “No, don’t you dare touch me, no! I am gonna burn you, you hear?! No! You son of a bitch, get your hands off of me!”
He slapped her. Right across her face and she just stared at him in absolute shock. “Now listen to me young lady. I am not those guys who tried to rape you, you hear? I am trying to save your bloody life and if you don’t lay still you will bleed to death rather soon. Is that what you want eh?”
She whimpered and her lower lip shivered, he could have slapped himself for being so harsh on her now that he knew the reasons behind her bizarre behavior but it was needed. He got the remains of her pants off her and gasped in horror. The wounds were ghastly, deep with torn edges and he felt a little sick for a moment. Her skin was so pale it looked like white ice and the blood was such a shocking contrast to it. She was shivering and sobbing and he could not help but feel compassionate towards her. She looked so young, so defenseless and alone and he tried to smile to her. “This is gonna hurt really bad, I am so very very sorry. But there is no way around it unless you want to die or get nasty infections.”
He had done it before, cauterized wounds. But he had done it on other warriors who were aware of the dangers they were walking into when they faced the enemy, not a very lovely young woman he had started to care about. He gently examined the wounds, he had an excellent view to her private parts but he did not even think in that direction now. Her perfect little ass would get some scars at the best and he shook his head in a mixture of compassion and sorrow. Why did such things happen to those who least of all deserved it?
Shanrae had gotten the fire going and he put the blade of his knife into it, allowed it to be warmed up until it was glowing red. He felt his hands shiver, he was going to hurt her, he was going to hurt her so bad he was sure she never would forgive him for it. To burn the deep jagged wounds was the only way to stop the bleeding there and then and he took a deep breath to calm himself. He nodded to Shanrae. “Sit down and hold her, don’t let go!”
He grabbed a piece of tree bark and placed it between Thilians teeth. “Here, bite down on it or else you will ruin your teeth.”
Thilian sobbed. She was covered in sweat and her pupils enormous. “Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me”
Her voice was but a low shivering whisper and it hit him right in his heart, she probably wasn’t even aware of what she said. He felt tears sting his eyes, this was beyond horrible. He braced himself, lifted her leg a little to get a better angle and then he grabbed the knife but was careful not to let her see it. “Please forgive me Thilian, I am so sorry!”
He pushed the blade into the first wound, there was a hissing sound, a small cloud of smoke and the terrible stench of burned flesh. Thilian screamed, an awful piercing wail and Shanrae moaned and looked away. Thranduil felt tears flowing down his high cheeks, she was panting, her eyes black and face so white it looked almost as though she was dead. He took care of one wound after the other, burned them and tried to be as efficient as he could so he did not prolong her suffering. She fainted after the tenth was done and just lay there, barely breathing. He finished and ripped his cloak apart, made simple bandages out of it and wrapped her in them. She was cold and he knew she was going into shock, they had to get back to the circus fast. Shanrae ran and got the horses and he made Afhira kneel down so he could get into the saddle with Thilian in his arms. She was still unconscious and he prayed that the gods would be merciful and let her stay that way until they were safely back home and Naragh could give her some pain relief. He was sweating too now, so scared of losing her he could barely think straight. He spurred the mare and she ran like the wind through the forest. Thilian suddenly woke up, she realized that she was sitting across his thighs and close to his body and started to struggle to break free from his arms. She wasn’t really aware of where she was and he could just hold her and try to avoid that she fell off the horse. She squirmed and kicked and went berserk and then it was as if she was being pushed too far, like something within her just snapped. She stopped struggling and surrendered to him, her head rested on his shoulder and he could feel her shallow breath towards his neck as he steadied her and tried to make her sit in a more comfortable position. “Don’t leave me…”
The words were blurred and barely audible but he was deeply moved by them. He held her tight and just on impulse he let his lips glide against hers, it was no kiss, just a touch but the second he did it the entire world stopped in front of his eyes. There was a complete and utter silence and then all his senses returned and he almost cried out in shock. He stared at her face in utter confusion, knew within that one second that she was the other half of him, she was his soul mate, his one true love in life. Thranduil moaned, now he realized what his father had meant with his words, heal and thou shall be healed. He had to heal her, help her in every way possible so that she could become the person she was meant to be. He now knew why he had been brought there, he had to be healed first so he could help her. So she could be the one to make him complete in return, they depended upon each other.It was going to be a task he felt would be challenging in deed, oh gods how was he going to save a girl who probably would hate his very guts, could not stand him touching her and on top of it all was destined to be his one true love? He clenched his teeth together and prayed the Valar for strength, damn how he would need it.
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Underneath alien skies