Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Of Light and Shadow	By : Avaloyuru Category: +Third Age > Slash - Male/Male Views: 2298 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any copyright to the Tolkien/Middle-Earth Fandom, nor his canon characters or languages. I do not receive any form of compensation for this fanfiction. Original characters are my property.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
The slightly warmer weather of early spring did little to lift the spirits among the elves of the Woodland Realm. The dining hall felt even more subdued as everyone appeared to hurry about their morning meal, urgent to get after their duties or other required activities for the day. Many cast more than a few longing glances toward the dais and the kings’ empty chair, noting as well that the Regent Prince Legolas had not yet appeared and the hour grew late. The concern on the faces of the council members as well as Lord Elrond did not bode well for many of them.
Entering the dining hall, Galion wrung his hands in desperation as he made his way along the wall toward the dais. He could feel Lord Elrond’s eyes on him as he hurried up the steps.
“I have looked everywhere, even in both of their chambers my lord.” Galion said quietly as he leaned down close to his ear. “There is no sign of him anywhere.”
“What do you mean no sign?!” Elrond hissed through clenched teeth as he turned to face him. “He has to be somewhere!”
“My lord please.” Galion implored him, feeling his stomach twist in knots. “May we talk of this in private?”
“Of course.” Elrond stated, feeling the heat of his anger and frustration staining his cheeks as he rose from his seat on the dais. “Find Aldalómë, tell him to meet us in his fathers’ study. That includes you too Galion.” He added in a much quieter tone.
“Ben iest gîn, hîr vuin.” (As you wish, my lord). Galion replied, shaking even more as he turned away from him.
“I think we need to meet in your private study. I have sent Galion to find Aldalómë.” Elrond said quietly, leaning down close to Lord Garävegións’ ear.
“What is it?!” Garävegión asked, quickly rising from his seat to follow him.
“Galion has searched the halls as well as both royal chambers.” Elrond stated as they slipped out of the dining hall. “It would seem that Legolas has left these halls against my wishes.”
“Oh Eru! (God) What is that child up to?!” Garävegión groaned loudly as they hurriedly made their way through the labyrinth of corridors toward the lower halls reserved mostly for those of the council and other nobles.
Watching them leave, Séonäis breathed out a sigh that felt as if it came from his very fäë (soul). Politely excusing himself, he made his way unhurriedly from the dining hall. The weight of his position as cleric had never felt as heavy as it did at that moment. He had held the secrets of the elves of the Woodland Realm for nearly five thousand years and none had shook him as the news he must now impart to Garävegión.
“I had hoped reminding him of his duties, getting him back into taking charge would give him less time to dwell on the situation.” Elrond stated angrily as they approached the door to his private study. “Unfortunately I have a feeling they were not discussing the problem of the shelob (spiders).” He added, closing the door behind them.
“They?” Garävegión asked, casting him an inquisitive glance over his shoulder as he walked toward his wine cupboard.
“Yes.” Elrond sighed heavily, frowning deeply as he turned back toward the door to see Aldalómë striding purposefully in to the study, followed closely by a still nervous Galion. “He introduced him as one of the captains in the forest patrol, his name escapes me at the moment.”
“That could be any one of six.” Aldalómë stated, interjecting himself into the conversation as he nodded respectfully to his father and Elrond. “As their commander for the past century very strong bonds have formed between them. If I were to guess however, I would say he has a closer bond with Ivósaar and Träëliôrn, it would have been one of those two.”
“Yes, Ivósaar, that was the name.” Elrond stated, eyeing Galion suspiciously.
“Neither were present for muster this morning.” Aldalómë stated, noting the accusatory glance Elrond had shot toward Galion. “The three of them have been thick as thieves since childhood.” He said as he walked toward the hearth to add a couple more logs.
“Who else would any one of them trusted?” Garävegión asked as he joined Elrond, handing him a glass of wine as they both walked toward the chairs in front of the hearth.
“The trees shed more than leaves my friends.” Séonäis said quietly as he walked through the open door, closing it behind him.
“What do you know?” Elrond asked, sighing deeply as he knew full well the cleric would rather die than break the trust of one of his devotees.
“Legolas has many friends among the Silvan elves as does his father.” Séonäis continued in his normal soft spoken way as he walked to the settee between the two lords. “The more you tried to hide information from him, the more he turned to his friends to find it.”
Sighing impatiently both lords held their tongues as the cleric made himself comfortable on the settee. It was no use pressuring him, he would reveal what he knew in his own way and in his own time.
“Now freed of Smaug, the treasure hoard of Erebor has drawn many of the unsavory ilk close to our borders.” The cleric continued as he glanced toward Aldalómë. “As you, yourself acknowledged Lord Elrond, news of our situation has spread far beyond the Misty Mountains, even as far north as Mount Gundabad. Many a necromancers’ eye now turn toward that mountain as the power of Dol Guldur grows.”
“Even in his current state of mind the Prince would not be foolish enough to travel there without an army to protect him!” Aldalómë stated angrily as he glared at the cleric.
“The love of a parent to a child goes both ways Aldalómë.” Séonäis said calmly, understanding the anger in the Chief March Wardens tone and taking no offense. “You think you could have shielded him from the rumors?” He added, glancing between the two lords once more. “Legolas knows through the bond they share and in his heart that his father lives.”
“When I find those two...”
“You will do nothing.” Garävegión stated, shooting his son an angry glare. “In his present state of mind I fear they may have felt there was no other course of action than to go with him.”
“Unfortunately our prince has much of both his father and grandfather in him.” Séonäis stated, frowning slightly. “The good and the bad.”
“If he left in search of Crevan, they will not find him there.” Aldalómë stated as be began pacing before the hearth, his mind racing as he struggled to recall more of what the captain had told him of the conversation at the Half Barrel Inn in Esgaroth. “I am more concerned about them finding Egan.”
“He travels with a group of Northmen from the lower regions of Forodwaith, just north of Carn Dûm.” He continued, feeling all eyes turning silently toward him. “Their leader is a Northmen that goes by the name of Lochinvar. He’s ruthless and cares nothing for elves beyond the gold he collects selling them to the necromancers in the Ettenmoors. They are not above scavenging battlefields to find the wounded who are unable to defend themselves against them.”
“If Legolas is aware of this, with no sign of his father, he could believe that is where he has been taken.” Elrond stated, his gaze turning inward as he remembered his earlier conversation with the prince. It would make sense that if these men would scavenge battlefields for slaves to sell, they would take their armor and weaponry as trophies, leaving no sign of the unfortunate soul taken captive.
“You believe Thranduil still lives?” Elrond asked, turning his attention back to the cleric.
“It does not matter what I believe.” Séonäis replied, arching a brow at him. “Only that Legolas believes it.”
~*~
“Once we make it around to the south side of the Ettenmoors we should rest.” Träëliôrn stated as he turned toward Legolas, guiding his mount closer to him. “It will be the last resting place out of these winds. The rest of the journey will be across open plains and we cannot push the mounts faster than necessary, we do not know what we will encounter out there. We might need to flee and they will need all their strength to get us to some form of safety out here.”
“Legolas!” Ivósaar exclaimed angrily when the prince only shook his head. “Do not be a fool! Do you think your father would want you to get yourself killed?”
“I cannot bear the thought of him there.” Legolas said quietly as he continued to gaze into the west. “Nightmares torture my sleep at what he must have already endured at their hands. It is difficult to delay.”
“We do not know for sure if he is there.” Träëliôrn said quietly, glancing quickly at Ivósaar. “The king is very resourceful, he may have already found a way to free himself from them.”
“Resourceful yes and possibly wounded.” Legolas agreed as he turned to look at his friend. “He may also be alone, one against who knows how many.” A deep frown creasing his otherwise smooth brow.
“And we are only three.” Träëliôrn reminded him firmly. “We find out what we can and return to inform Aldalómë. That is what we agreed.”
“If I discover that my father is truly there, I will not go back without him.” Legolas stated, flashing them both an angry glare as he nudged his mount into a swift canter ahead of them.
“I was afraid if this.” Träëliôrn sighed heavily as they kneed their mounts closer yet remained far enough behind the prince to give him some space. Both silently understanding that they could only guess at what their friend could be feeling at this moment. It would be almost nightfall by the time they reached the lee of the south side of the Ettenmoors. They were in a strange land and knew nothing of what they would find when they reached their destination.
Only dimly aware of their presence behind him, Legolas reluctantly searched his memory for any of the old tales of the slave traders of the north that were known to travel the Anduin southward toward Harad. The elves that were taken captive by them were never heard of again so there was no way of knowing the truth of what happened to them at the hands of the traders or even their masters once they had been sold. It was rumored they were mostly used as house slaves while others for physical labor among their caravans. He had heard tales of how some of them were beaten and tortured into submission. The lands of Harad were has hostile as the Haradrim tribes themselves, a vast hot desert with scattered thick jungles.
Enslaving others was something he could not understand which made the strange conversation he had overheard years ago between his father and Lord Garävegión seem even worse as it was elves enslaving other elves. Nobles, mostly the wealthier lower lords with a need for intimacy with others like themselves who would buy an ellyn bair-mûl (Male House Slave) to provide them with sexual favors their wives could not give them.
For the first time since they began this journey he was glad for the cold winds that colored his cheeks as he thought of this dark elf lord they had heard of at the inn and wondered if he was one of them. There were nights, in the safety of his own chambers when he would lay in his bed and stroke himself as he fantasized about having his father bound spread eagle on his enormous four poster bed, helpless to resist his attentions. But that was only playing, something he wanted to do for the pleasure of his father as much as for himself. Tears stung the backs of his eyes as he thought of his father, knowing his pride would have forced them to beat him into submission, if he submitted at all.
“Legolas...”
“Yes, yes.” He replied more sharply than he had intended, turning his mount toward Ivósaar.
Moving toward the smaller foothills of the Ettenmoors, the trio was a bit surprised to find a small cave and large area of tall grass for their mounts. The mountains buffered the brunt of the winds yet the air was still chilly as they cautiously approached. The mouth of the cave was low enough that any sort of creature could have decided it make a good den, not to mention they had no idea how far back into the foothills it may have gone.
Slipping from their mounts, they drew their swords and made their way silently toward the mouth of the cave. Moving slowly, allowing their eyes to adjust to the darkness within, they went in single file with Träëliôrn in the lead and Ivósaar at the end. Frowning as they moved along the wall, the smell of burning wood drifted to them as they crept into the darkness, listening for any sound and watching for movement. The only sound was the steady drip of water from somewhere in front of them, pausing as they realized the echo was loud enough to reveal a much larger part of the cave. Less than a hundred miles south of Mount Gundabad it would not have been unlikely to find a nest of goblins or worse orcs, depending on how far back the cave went into the mountains. Either way, they needed to make sure before they made camp lest they be attacked unprepared in their sleep.
“Humans.” Träëliôrn whispered softly as he stepped back closer to Legolas.
“Humans?” Legolas mouthed the word silently as he frowned at him.
Lifting his chin, Träëliôrn made an exaggerated gesture as he sniffed the air within the cave.
“What now?” Ivósaar whispered as he stepped closer to them.
“Halt!” Ivósaar exclaimed, raising his sword as he jumped in front of Legolas.
“We mean you no harm!” Träëliôrn declared, lifting his own blade as he stepped toward Ivósaar to further shield the prince as a man appeared holding a large broad sword high above his head.
“What do you want?!” The man asked, his deep voice filling the cave.
Judging by the way he held the blade he was not a swordsman, perhaps not even a fighter. Not quite as tall as Legolas who was taller than his companions, the man was filthy and looked very much tired and haggard. His hair was long, scraggly and dark, much like his beard.
“Nothing from you.” Legolas stated as he studied the man. “We only sought a place to rest close by and feared what might be lurking within this cave.”
“How many are you?” The man asked, his tone still carried a warning note as he continued to hold the blade high over his head.
“There is only what you see. Our mounts are just beyond the mouth of the cave. I am Legolas of the Woodland Realm and these are my friends.” He told him, deciding it was best not to reveal too much of himself as he continued to watch him closely even as he lowered his own blade. “We journey west to Fornost. May we sit and talk.” He continued, keeping his tone as neutral as possible.
“I am Thaddeus, son of Gareth.” The man stated, only slightly lowering the sword. “We are from North Downs travelling to Erebor. Why do you travel to such a forlorn place?”
“Please.” Legolas said quietly, smiling slightly. “We have come a long way. We truly mean you no harm, may we sit and talk?” He wanted more information about this dark elf and these people may be his last chance to learn truths rather than rumors.
“I see no reason not to.” Thaddeus stated, although he was watchful as he lowered the sword. “We have no ill will toward elves.” He added as he moved cautiously back into the narrow passage that lead into a cavernous room and the source of the dank odor as well as the dripping water.
Huddled in the far end of the cave they could see a large group of people. A small fire cast strange shadows making it difficult to see just how many were hidden in the shadows that lurked in every corner of the oddly shaped cave. A lake could be seen from the shaft of light that filtered through what appeared to be an old caved in area from outside the mountain, melted ice dripped downward, splashing into the otherwise serene surface of the lake below.
“Come with me.” Thaddeus told them, finally lowering his sword and turning away as he lead them along a narrow but dry path that ran close to the rocky wall toward the group. The trio sheathed their swords as they followed him, yet their hands lingered near the hilts.
“Travelling such a distance with women and children yet no wagons.” Legolas quietly voiced his concerns as they grew closer. “Who or what attacked you?” He asked as he scanned their frightened faces.
“You are very observant.” Thaddeus commented as they reached the fire. “We are but little more than half of what set out from the Downs. Orcs, but I don’t know how many there were, much is still a blur. We are farmers, not fighters.”
“Where?” Legolas asked, watching as one woman broke from the huddled group and approached them.
“We had not gotten far.” Thaddeus said as he wrapped his arm around the shoulders of the woman who approached them. Slightly shorter than the man, with the same dark hair yet there was something different about her face.
“I believe they came down from Carn Dûm.” He told them, hugging her close. “I don’t know what they came for since the elves of the Downs left years ago and went farther west to the shores of Lake Evendim, near Nenuial.”
“I have heard talk of one called the dark elf?” Legolas pressed him as he glanced between the two of them. “What of him?”
“Annûmëä was struck down over four thousand years ago, shortly after the Mage Wars.” The woman stated as she leaned closer to the man. “Why does anyone look for him now?”
“My cousins’ memories are better than mine.” Thaddeus sighed, glancing down at her before turning his attention back to the elves.
“My name is Aërasumé, I am half-elven.” She stated, her gaze flickering over the trio of elves in front of her. “My mother was taken captive by the dark forces within that mountain. She was never the same when she was freed and sailed west when she could no longer bear the loneliness after my fathers’ death.”
“I am very sorry for your loss.” Legolas said quietly, bowing his head toward her for a moment. “But I must know.” He continued as he looked at her once more. “There is talk in Erebor of a dark elf who deals with the slave traders of the north.”
“I am afraid you have come a long way for nothing.” Aërasumé told him. “The one called the dark elf was not evil. His darkness came from his memories of centuries as a captive within the mountain. I can only hope he found peace in the Undying Lands.”
“You knew him?” Legolas asked with a little more urgency than he would have preferred, but her knowledge of him was evidence that he at least had existed at some point in time.
“I should know him.” She stated, her stance changing slightly as if she felt threatened. “He was my brother.”
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Of Light and Shadow