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Legolas and the Balrog	By : narcolinde Category: -Multi-Age > Slash - Male/Male Views: 6325 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Legolas and the Balrog
A Little Legolas story

By erobey, robey61@yahoo.com
Beta'd by Sarah AK
www.feud.shadowess.com

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: The settings and most characters were created by JRR Tolkien. Only the words and other characters surrounding them here belong to erobey.

VII. I Asked Them What They Wanted

Legolas sat on the edge of the feather mattress, thumb firmly ensconced in his mouth while the opposite hand lightly rested on Dae's head, one foot tucked beneath him, the other swinging in restless ennui. His nearly weightless heel made scarcely any disturbance as it repeatedly thumped against the solid beech wood frame supporting the bed.

Gazing in moderate interest at the entwined mass of blankets, limbs and hair belonging to the visiting Noldor warriors, the smallest of Thranduil's children tilted his head and leaned sideways. It was a fascinating puzzle, trying to follow the line of one limb and discern to which elf it was attached, only to find the connecting bit covered over with either the satin duvet or some part of the other ellon's body. The fact that both were naked and of similar skin shade and hair colour just served to make the conundrum more intriguing.

Legolas had already explored the rooms, a suite he had never been in before, noting all the details of the paintings on the walls, the leaf and vine pattern carved decoratively around the parlour's perimeter up high near the ceiling, and the softness of the chairs before the hearth. He had sniffed the contents of the decanter on the sideboard but did not taste the wine, for he was not allowed; however, he did take a nibble at the remains of a tart left over from the feast. It was quite dry and he had to drink a glass of water to wash away the stale taste. He had given the morsel to Dae.

Cautiously he had approached the lethal implements of war casually resting upon the round ash wood table barely large enough to comfortably seat two. Legolas had climbed onto one of the lyre-backed, blue velvet cushioned chairs pulled up beside it, reverently running his fingers over Cugu's finely tooled leather quiver packed with arrows fletched in white. With admirable self-control the prince held back from touching the magnificent bow, for he knew if once he felt the wood beneath his hands he would have to hold it, and that was surely forbidden.

Ada did not know that Galu was teaching him how to use a small bow and the child had been schooled diligently on the importance of keeping that fact a secret. He understood why this would displease his father, having heard 'when you are older' more often than he liked, and Galu's cautioning had held sufficient urgency to ensure the elfling's silence. And it seemed logical to Legolas that if Ada would not wish him to handle a miniature bow then a full-sized one was definitely prohibited.

Feeling an ache inside he did not want to concentrate on too much, the youngest prince had driven the memories back, for he did not enjoy thinking on how he was deceiving his father or the reason for it. He was eager to do anything asked if it meant acquiring the skills needed to avenge Nana.

Legolas had next turned his attention to the great broadswords. Admiring the symbols and inscriptions worked into their sheaths; he had tentatively wrapped his hand around the hilt of Toloth's blade. His brows had creased down in an impatient scowl; he could not even close his grasp upon it fully. Really, it took entirely too long to grow up and it seemed he would never be big enough to wield such a weapon.

There had been nothing more to see in the parlour. A maid had come in, stirred up the fire and lit the lamps but had left afterwards, smiling and giving the adorable hênellon (boy child) a silent hug, and had even patted Dae's shoulder. Legolas had not dared poke among the contents of the warriors' packs, resting against the wall near the inner door, for that would have been completely rude. No, there had been nothing else very interesting about the sitting room so he had wandered into the sleeping chamber where the pair of warriors was abed wearing the garb nature knitted them.

Not that the sight of nude or partially clad elves was a particularly uncommon one, for Legolas had numerous siblings and went swimming with them and his Ada often. Besides, he had developed a habit of walking into bedrooms when the occupants were in reverie and opinions regarding sleep apparel varied widely among the household's members. While this wandering was not exactly encouraged neither had it been expressly forbidden.

That was definitely Thranduil's fault, for he could not bear to punish his son for these intrusions nor prohibit such attempts to ease the loneliness and fears that accompanied Legolas' rest time.

Cugu mumbled something unintelligible yet distinctly irritable in tone as he made a vain attempt to tug a pillow from underneath his mate. Toloth only lay there staring off towards the far wall with a dreamy, contented expression upon his features.

Neither one seemed any closer to leaving the comfort and relaxation of reverie, however, and Legolas sighed with exaggerated malaise.

Dae Dínen swivelled her eyes up from beneath anxiously puckered brows to see her master's face and nudged the child in the belly with her nose. She was seated such that her huge grey head was resting in his lap, her bulk supported by the wooden bed rails, hunched in an awkward position due to the missing leg. Nonetheless her long feathered tail slapped half-heartedly twice against the floor in response to the young Tawarwaith's smile. Legolas patted her head and she replied with a very reedy, high-pitched whine that built into a short, sharp yap of impatience. The hound was also rather bored.

The Noldor warriors awoke in a tumult of thrashing arms and legs, confused disorientation muddling minds that sought to make sense of the strange surroundings and the unexpected sight of an elfling and dog at the foot of their bed. Cugu shoved to sit up while Toloth yanked on his arm in an attempt to bring himself vertical and the combined overexertion caused both to switch tactics. Toloth pushed and Cugu pulled and soon the pair ended up sprawled on the floor as the delighted laughter of the child flowed over them. The retired chaser began barking a rapid-fire cadence in a complex sequence of short and long vocal combinations, repeated in her full-throated booming voice.

"What on Arda," demanded Toloth, "are you doing, Cugu?"

"Trying to get you out of the way so I can see what is going on. Did you have to heave me onto the floor?"

"I? It was your fault!" Toloth had risen and extended his hand to his mate, rubbing his hip gingerly where he had taken the full force of Cugu's knee as they struck the stone. Fortunately, the stronghold palace was quite sumptuous and several layers of warm furs and rugs prevented them from colliding with the cold rock directly.

"I am sorry. Dae startled you; Cugu is not to blame," the nascent Lord of the House of Tawar spoke up to defend the warrior who had greeted him like a full-grown elf instead of a hênellon. By now the hound was on her feet and had trotted to stand before the bare-bodied elves, sounding the deep, drawn out, sonorous call used to announce the cornering of prey at bay. Legolas scampered across the bed to reach her. "Hush, Dae! No one is in danger!" he chided amid the deafening din.

"Valar! She is loud!" Cugu complained and covered his ears. "The whole of the population will soon come running!"

"Eru's arse!" Toloth at once began rummaging around amid the scattered rugs for clothing, alarmed at this possibility. "Did you lock the door?"

"Can you not see the prince and hear that dog, Toloth? Nay, I thought you had thrown the bolt, for I did ask you to do so."

"Dae Dínen! Guard!" commanded the diminutive Wood Elf and at once the beast ceased baying and assumed a still, ominous posture, placing her body between the bed where her charge knelt and its recent inhabitants, glittering eyes trained fixedly upon the foreign elves' faces. For all her menacing stance it was clear she found this a great game and much preferable to the morning's earlier enterprise of sitting and waiting for something to occur. Her jaws split apart in a merry, conspiratorial grin as she surveyed her prisoners, quite certain they were all in accord over the joke.

"Gohena nîn. I did not mean to rouse you so abruptly," Legolas apologised forlornly. "We will both be good and sit quietly now if you want to rest some more."

The Noldor were in the process of hastily, and unknowingly, donning each other's leggings and while they were of similar build Cugu was broader than Toloth, who was the taller of the pair, and thus neither was comfortable in the other's garments. With a disgusted groan Cugu realised the mistake first as he tried to lace up the pants. They shared aggrieved expressions pointedly indicative of their estimation of the sort of luck the new day promised and with simultaneous sighs disrobed and exchanged apparel.

"Nay, Ernil dithen (little prince), I do not think we shall rest anymore this day. Besides, it is late; we should not have stayed abed so long," Toloth reassured with a somewhat forced smile. He would quite have loved to remain in the feather bed, for after the lengthy journey, gruelling battle, lively dancing and excessive drinking of the feast (not to mention the strenuous exercise following our retirement from the festivities), he was tired. And truthfully, the celebration had gone on through the night; the warriors had returned to their quarters but three hours hence at most.

"What brings you here, Legolas?" asked Cugu with just a slight edge of vexation in his tone though he tried to smile as he spoke.

Before the elfling could answer, a knocking sounded at the outer door and Cugu left the bedchamber to answer it. There he found Sîrgell upon the threshold, staring in surprise to find his guest only half-dressed. The veteran hastened to set his host at ease, for the heir apparent immediately began to turn away, muttering regrets as he did so.

"Suilad, Sîrgell, please enter."

"Hannad. I am sorry to disturb you; I fear I have been unmindful of the fatigue your travels imparted," said the abashed elf.

"Please, do not apologise. We should have roused ourselves some time ago," Cugu said, then paused a moment, for while there was a window high in the stony wall through which bright light filtered, it was not wide enough to use for judging the progress of Arien. "How advanced is the day?"

"Ah, it is only two hours past minuial (dawn)," the hesitant answer was murmured. "I thought perhaps you and Toloth might enjoy a tour of our training grounds and stables today, for it is too late to accompany the patrols."

"Nay, Sîr!" the complaining cry sang from the inner room, preceding the youngling that generated it, and the older prince turned sharply as his baby brother tramped into the sitting room, Toloth and Dae following after. "I was going to invite the stranger elves to play in the garden today! They are too weary to spar against the soldiers."

"Tiuw (Sprout)!" scolded Sîrgell. He squatted down on his haunches and took hold of the small elf by the hands. "What are you doing in here? Were you invited or did you let yourself in again? What has Ada said to you about this?"

Legolas shrugged and gave his older brother the wide-eyed, liquid look most certain to garner a sympathetic response, for indeed Ada had cautioned him several times about entering chambers unbidden and unannounced. He had no wish for Sîr to report this infraction, for surely another 'talk' would be delivered and Minui Naneth (First mother - Ithilloth) would add additional restrictions to his currently limited activity.

"I knocked," assured the child, "and Cugu made a noise that sort of sounded like it might be 'Enter' so I did. I did not wake them up on purpose, promise, Sîr. You will not tell Ada?"

"Ai, Legolas!" Sîrgell moaned and bowed his head, shaking it slightly. He could not resist that imploring expression or the anxious entreaty. "I will not report it to Híren Adar if you go back to your rooms right away before Eirien notices your absence."

"But there is nothing to do there! And Eirien is busy cleaning the nursery; she told me to leave and stay out of trouble, but I am not allowed to go out in the garden by myself."

"Why, is that your punishment for escaping from her care?" chuckled Cugu as he bent down, hands on knees, to better see the child's endearingly recalcitrant expression.

"Aye." Grouched the irascible wood urchin. "And now she says she will be scrubbing up the whole day so I cannot go out at all!" Legolas' features brightened in hopeful excitement. "But if you come with me I can show you the best climbing trees and the foxes' burrows and the rock pile where the old black boa has a new family hidden away and…"

"Legolas!" Sîrgell interrupted for this verbal catalogue of wild life within the extensive palace grounds would take many minutes to complete. "Our guests have not had anything to eat nor have they refreshed themselves from reverie. Also, you are asking them to assist you in disobeying Eirien! I do not think they would be happy if she is displeased with them, do you? Now I will take you to the library and you can amuse yourself there."

"Nay, Sîr!" wailed the child. "She just said I cannot go by myself today, she never mentioned I could not get someone else to take me than her. And I do not want to sit among the books all day; Master Galion will give me a task!"

"A task?" Toloth was laughing at the elfling's obvious horror over such a thought. "What kind of work will he make you do, pen dithen (little one)?"

The child's face contorted into an expression of pure disgust and dread as he turned to the Noldo warrior. "Last time he gave me a rag and I had to dust off all the tables and the bottom shelves." A more thoughtful demeanour filled Legolas' expressive eyes. "I found a very fine book, though," he added, "with pictures of Gondolin and Glorfindel fighting the Balrog."

"There, you see? The library will not be so bad," consoled Cugu and patted Legolas' head. The downhearted sigh that followed this went straight to the warrior's soul and he sent a beseeching glance in Toloth's direction. His mate gave a brief nod. "Have you eaten yet, Ernil neth (young Prince)?"

"Nay. I did not want my porridge this morning; it had a funny smell."

Sîrgell let go of his baby brother and stood, struggling to contain a laughing smile over this blunt pronouncement and the accompanying look of complete abhorrence upon the angelic visage.

"You must be very hungry then," prompted Toloth and received an answering nod. "Alright, go with Sîrgell to the library and we will find you there after we are properly dressed. You will join us for a meal."

"And after that you may come along and help your brother give us a proper tour of the grounds," added Cugu affectionately.

"Yes! We may do that, Sîr?" the delighted jubilation in the youngster's voice would have been enough to melt even the staunchest resolve. Merged with the sight of Legolas bouncing on his toes in anticipatory impatience to begin the activity quite reduced the older brother to indulgent acquiescence; Legolas was so easy to please and asked for so little.

"Aye, we shall. Come along, Tiuw, and allow our guests some privacy now. We will not have to review Ada's instructions concerning sleeping rooms again, will we?" Sîrgell held out his hand and Legolas grasped it eagerly, long blond hair flying wild as he emphatically shook his head. "Express contrition and ask pardon."

Another frustrated exhalation escaped through the elfling's nose but he dutifully turned to face the visiting elves. "I regret my rude behaviour," he pronounced in the prosaic rhythm of rote. "I will not come in without permission again. And I am really sorry Dae made you fall off the bed," he added more sincerely.

"Ai! Legolas!" groaned Sîrgell.

"Hannad, Ernil dithen." Toloth's ageless features expressed his warm regard for the child and he gave the exasperated heir a conciliatory shoulder slap. "If you come to our rooms and find the outer door open, you are more than welcome to enter, announced or not."

"That is most generous," averred Sîrgell with a grateful smile. "You remember the way to the baths?" Cugu confirmed this and the prince continued. "The library is not far from the Council Chamber. Follow this hallway back there and then go up to the second level. Take the first passage on the left and the room is the second one opening on the right. Take your time; we will find another engrossing story to peruse while we wait."

"Not too long, though," implored Legolas.

"We will be there before you can finish the tale," assured Cugu as the bothers left the room, Dae Dínen trotting soundlessly in their wake. He shut the outer door. "I quite enjoy that young one!"

"Indeed! You miss your nephews and nieces?"

"Aye, but they were all grown before they sailed anyway. I suppose some of them have offspring of their own now."

"We will join them some day, Cugu."

The veteran warrior shrugged one shoulder. "Yet I know not what purpose we will serve there. What need has such a land of peace and harmony for old fighters like us?"

A solemn shake of his head was the only answer Toloth would make to that, for this was a topic he avoided discussing. Both were wary of their place among the High Elves and could not imagine leaving Imladris and the service of their Lord. Cugu had once confessed the desire to have the choice made available to Elrond's kin and asserted he would prefer a mortal existence filled with purpose to an immortal one of uncertain design. That had upset Toloth terribly, for he could not bear the idea of life without his mate by his side. The couple had left the subject alone after that.

Gathering clean clothes and tossing on their robes, the Imladrians left their quarters and set off for the refreshing comfort of clear water in the heated pools.

"I am highly impressed with the hospitality of King Thranduil's House," said Toloth to divert their minds from the dilemma of their future across the Sundering Sea. "We are treated like Lords here rather than humble soldiers."

"Aye. Our chambers are quite grand. I wonder what Lord Erestor's rooms must be like," Cugu nodded, admiring the stonework as they passed.

The hallway was not at all like the cramped confines of underground tunnels that had filled his thoughts when picturing the home of the Wood Elves' King. The corridor, carpeted in rich wool rugs of exquisitely beautiful forest scenes worked in vibrant colours, was taller than him by an arm's reach and wide enough for three elves to walk abreast. The stone above their heads was arched and buttressed in solid beams of oak carved with the symbols and mottoes of the numerous Houses.

Along the walls, the glowing torches were ensconced at regular intervals and high enough so that the level of luminance was comfortably close to natural sunlight. Between these the rock was smoothed to a satin finish and carved in panels of relief, depicting more of the history of the forest folk, with here and there a break in the design created by tapestries as aesthetic as any painted canvas either had beheld. The scrollwork design of leaves and vines adorned the upper reaches of each wall just above the torches. All in all, it was quite as pleasing, though in a different way, as the decor found in many homes in Imladris.

"I would guess our esteemed statesman is quartered in royal fashion," commented Toloth amiably. "Where is Erestor, do you think?"

"Already deep into negotiations with Thranduil and his Council, probably. I wonder what sort of agreement they will work out."

"Hard to say. Celeborn, as I understand it, wants some form of exchange among the Realms, but whether this will be of troops and soldiers or just diplomats only Erestor knows."

"What do you make of this practice of multiple mates? Do you suppose it is thus among the whole population?"

"That is difficult to imagine," Cugu shrugged. "I cannot see the point of it! We could ask Sîrgell, or do you suppose it is impolite to make such queries? I am no politician."

"Of course it is improper!"

"Why? You thought it alright to second-guess the guards protecting the late Curóniel, Queen Hervess Lefnui (Fifth Wife)."

"That is not the same, Cugu."

"Aye, it is."

"Nay. You and I are veteran warriors and thus fit to inquire about war-craft and defences."

"But that is worse, for it seemed you were critical of the Wood Elves' ability to protect their own."

"I certainly was not nor did Prince Necklace Male think thus. Questioning these unusual mating habits is far more insulting, for it points to a decided lapse in moral values."

"Ulmo's Balls! How can you say that when we are not exactly the expected parties to be joined in a traditional union?"

"Pffft!" Toloth made a crude noise with tongue and lips. "Surely same sex pairings are acceptable here for the King made nothing of it when you introduced me as your mate."

"I do not think it is wise to assume anything regarding these elves anymore," warned Cugu. Quite suddenly he halted, for of course the pair had been strolling along the whole time their mild quarrel was unfolding, and turned to gaze back down the hallway. He frowned and met Toloth's eyes. "Did it seem this long a way last night?"

"That I cannot be sure about, however I do recall that there was no curve in the passage," replied Toloth as he stared at the gently rounded walls before them.

Now that both were quiet, they could hear the sound of voices drifting towards them from around the bend. The stalwart soldiers were rather torn at this point, for they clearly needed assistance in order to find the correct way to the baths, and they were most certainly curious to learn what was transpiring further along, yet they were loathe to reveal either their poor senses of direction or their under-dressed appearance.

Toloth took a step closer but his mate held back. When Toloth turned to learn the reason, Cugu silently but emphatically shook his head and motioned with his hand for Toloth to return, pointing to the way from which they came.

A wilful caste settled over Toloth's features and he just as vehemently mimicked the gestures, soundlessly commanding his partner to join him. He took another step closer to the source of the low murmur of indistinct words and raised both brows expectantly.

Cugu crossed his arms before his chest and sent back a stare of stubborn resistance.

Toloth threw his hands and eyes ceiling-ward in a supplicating manoeuvre intended to entreat whichever Valar was currently observing. He pantomimed again, a sharp jerk of his head in the forward direction and yet another step at last brought Cugu to compliance albeit with a new arrangement of facial muscles meant to indicate his certainty that this was a grave error.

…continued

Reviews:

Anon: I appreciate your review very very much! Your compliments really build me up inside and I feel blessed to have such a generous fan! Here are two chapters with more Legolas this time. Prank #2 rears up in VIII!

Shanna: ¡Hola y gracias! Siento admiración por tí. Traduciendo todos éstos capítolos requeres mucho dedicación, y lo siento apreciación.

Tanya G: Thank you for reviewing! I am glad you think the Wood Elves are presented well; they are my favourites of all Tolkien's inventions.
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Legolas and the Balrog