The Jewel of Mirkwood

Chapter 129

Legolas muttered to himself miserably as the rain dripped down his face. For two weeks he’d been following Elrond’s crude map trying to discern the points of reference the Elvan Lord had marked to guide his passage to Gandalf. On his way Legolas had found Mithrandir’s tracks but now as the rain set in all traces of the Istari were being washed away. Due to his considerable size Legolas struggled with getting on and off Iest and so in the past two weeks he’d only climbed down from his horse when it was absolutely necessary. The first attempt at dismounting had been a disaster and Legolas had landed hard on the ground having knocked the wind from his chest in the process. Thank-fully Legolas had not hurt himself and after a few ungracious trials the prince had devised a way of dismounting and mounting Iest using the trees as support.

Lighting rolled across the sky and Legolas shivered as the rumbling of thunder echoed in the mountains ahead of him. It was already late in the afternoon and from Elrond’s map there was a river crossing ahead of him. The rain was coming hard now and Legolas knew there was no chance he could cross the river in this weather and so the prince decided it was time to find shelter for the evening. On the few dry nights Legolas had merely rode on but now he was too tried and weary to fight both the rain and interpret Elrond’s map instructions. Scanning the darkened area Legolas spotted a small rocky outcrop to the west. It didn’t look like much but it would do to keep Iest and himself warm for the night.

Cautiously Legolas approached the crude shelter one of his twin blades drawn in case the shelter was already occupied. Upon inspection however the small little shelter was empty and Legolas smiled as he ungraciously lowered himself to the ground from Iest’s back and waddled into the shelter, his horse following him in. It was a little cramped in the shelter but once Legolas settled with his sleeping roll and blanket and Iest stood guard at the entrance watching the rain the damp dark outcrop became toasty warm. Too frightened of attracting unwanted attention Legolas chose not to light a fire as he had done for the past few nights. The further he was travelling for Rivendel the more unfamiliar the territory had become, and thus Legolas was overly cautious not to draw attention to himself from anyone or thing which might be out. Breaking some lembas bread into small pieces Legolas soaked each piece in one of the small flasks of broth the cook had loaded into Legolas’ supply bags. The broth was designed to be eaten warm but with no fire Legolas settled for eating it cold instead.

Once satisfactorily full of food Legolas rested back into his sleeping roll and tried to relax his tired body. It was too dangerous to sleep but allowing his body to rest gave him enough energy to continue each day. A swift kick from the child within him had Legolas gasping and muttering small curses to his stomach. Like always after a meal Legolas’ babe squirmed and moved inside him until the prince found a comfortable spot and began soothing his belly with his warm gentle hands. As predicted the child seemed to calm down at his father’s touch and Legolas smiled distantly down at his belly. Secretly Legolas wished Glorfindel was here with him but the prince knew it was impossible and could only hope all would be well for his mate. Softly Legolas began to hum a lullaby to his babe, the same lullaby that Filgree had sung to him whe whe was an elfling. As if the child felt its father’s sadness the babe fell still again until the end of the lullaby. Relaxed, Legolas drifted into a restful snooze his ears still alert for signs of danger but his body lifeless in its relaxed state.

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An unfamiliar sound from outside the shelter awoke Legolas’ body into action. Despite the rain the prince could clearly hear the horses hooves upon the ground and the voices of men drawing closer. Knowing there was little time Legolas crudely packed up his things and drew Iest into the far darkened corner of the shelter where he hid frightened behind the mare. Through the gloom Legolas listened as the hooves of the horses came to a stop directly outside the shelter he was hiding in. Without thought Legolas unsheathed his twin blades and wrapped Iest’s harness around his wrist ready to mount as quickly as he could manage if need be.

“We’ll rest here for tonight, set a watch and see the horses are tethered.” A deep male voice echoed into the shelter from the entrance and Legolas stiffened as he saw three large figures enter the shelter, the glint of their armour catching the rain drops and making them shine. Legolas stiffened considerably as one of the men grabbed the dry stick from the floor and proceeded to light it with some kind of oil. Fear crept into Legolas body paralysing the prince to the spot as the torch was lifted to illuminate thelteelter entirely exposing his position. There was a shocked gasp from the three men as they saw his face peering at them from above the back of Iest.

“Well what do we have here? An elf?” The man with the torch went to step forward but the leader held his solider back. From their armour they looked like warriors from Gondor but they carried strange crafted weaponry from a different realm all together. Legolas did not know what to make of them and could not deciphhe she strange looks on the soldier’s faces.

“Stay away from me.” Legolas weakly threatened the soldiers, for emphasis waving his twin blades.

“A pretty feisty male elf.” The leader of the group smiled a feral grin and Legolas tightened his grip on Iest’s leather strapping ready to make a break for it. “Come around from your hiding spot and let us see you, we will not hurt you.” Legolas remained still protected behind Iest as the leader beckoned to him gently. The prince was not fooled however and merely shook his head in refusal as he remembered the torment he had suffered at the hands of Keeldon not so long ago.

“No, clear the path so I may leave then you may have this shelter to yourselves.” Legolas silently cursed how weak and frightened his voice sounded as the rain outside drowned him out.

“Very well elf.” The leader of the guards smiled warmly as he stepped away from the entrance to the shelter gesturing for his men to do the same. Legolas was a little shocked at how willingly the captain seemed to accept his ask and although the prince knew better than to trust the word of a man he had little choice on this occasion. “The way is clear little elf.” The leader of the troop of men prompted Legolas into action. Whispering soft instructions in elvish to Iest Legolas slowly rounded his horse to begin making his way towards the entrance of the shelter, his blades poised for action, although in his current state he stood little chance against almost fifteen large men. There was a sharp intake of air from one of the guards at the entrance to the shelter as Legolas position was revealed. All eyes were now completely focused on him as he slowly began walking closer and closer to where the men were standing either side of the shelter. Iest trailed obediently behind her master snorting occasionally when one of the men shifted.

Legolas could only hold his breath as he walked easily passed the men and out into the rain soaked forest seemingly unscathed. His relief at escaping was however short lived as four of the men who’d been hiding outside the shelter sprung upon him at the leaders command. Legolas struggled fiercely in the arms of his captors striking blows as hard as he could with both his hands and feet, going so far as to bite several of the men who tried to restrain him further. In the end though a hard blow to the face from the leader himself stayed Legolas’ fight, fearing the next blow would harm his child. Rain soaked, breathing heavily and tasting blood now upon his split lip Legolas glared angrily up at the leader of the group of men. The smug smirk of success upon the human’s face disgusted Legolas to no end and the prince only wished he were free so he could wipe the grin off with a sword.

“Your kind is too trusting elf. Perhaps that is why your kin go to die upon the fields of battle in the south, trusting hope when there is none?” Legolas spat into the face of the man before him who backhanded Legolas swiftly for the effort sending the prince sprawling into the four men who held him. Recovering from the second blow to his face that now sent a trickle of blood from his cut forehead Legolas watched as the man circled him taking in his appearance before kneeling easily down in front of him. Legolas tensed as the man stuffed his hand cruelly into Legolas tunic roughly feeling for himself the bulge of Legolas stomach. “I have heard tales of male elves who bear children but I did not believe such a story, yet here before my very eyes I see you round and fat as a wife may be.” As if to reconfirm his discovery the man removed his hand from Legolas stomach only to grab the prince between the legs squeezing cruelly the flaccid member beneath the skintight leggings. Legolas swallowed hard and looked defiantly away from the man before him who let his member go with a satisfied smirk as he stood. “Just checking my pretty, your kind are all so stunningly beautiful it is sometimes hard to establish what gender any of you actually are.” There was unanimous cruel laughter from the group of men gathered around their leader all of them leering at Legolas like he was a fresh kill.

“What is your name?” Legolas was dragged unceremoniously back into the dry comfort of the shelter behind the man who was addressing him still. The prince had been in this position before and knew well the routine that had kept him alive back when Keeldon had taken him captive. Legolas hoped the same principals would work in this situation he’d gotten himself into again.

“My name is Filgree….” Before Legolas could finish his sentence the leader of the men spun around sharply his blade aimed precariously at the prince’s neck.

“Your real name elf or I will cut your child from you where you stand.” Legolas swallowed hard as the blade of the sword dropped from his neck to rest precariously close to his rounded belly. Knowing there was little else he could do Legolas merely lowered his eyes to the floor.

“I am Legolas of Mirkwood.” The leader seemed satisfied with the answer and Legolas breathed out heavily as the blade was lowered from his person and replaced into the scabbard of its owner. Despite telling the truth Legolas was relived that the men didn’t seem to know Legolas’ heritage.

“Who is your mate?” Legolas was still surprised however to find that the men although ignorant of his heritage were aware of elves in general and their customs, a point Legolas would have to be careful of.

“Lord Glorfindel of Gondolin.” Having learnt his lesson about lying earlier Legolas proudly told the men of his love and watched in delight, as fear seemed to creep into some of the men’s expressions as it did in the leaders.

“Glorfindel of Gondolin?” The leader of the men seemed taken back by Legolas’ confession and instinctively reached to the hilt of his sword as if suddenly fearing Legolas himself. “You carry the heir of the Balrog Slayer?”

“Aye he is my mate and it is his child I bear.” At Legolas confirmation there was a muttering that broke out among the men gathered in the shelter everyone stepping a little further back than necessary from where Legolas was still kneeling on the ground. Legolas watched as on the more senior men in the company approached their leader his whispering audible to the keen ears of Legolas.

“Sir Yamalin this elf is beyond us for trade. If it is true he is bound to the Lord Glorfindel and carries his heir then even as we speak we may be hunted. We would not stand a chance against the balrog slayer. Even though the price would be high for him the risk is too great, even for us.” Legolas watched with interest the exchange between the two men hope rising as the lesser rank of the two gestured towards Legolas belly. “Besides he looks as if he has only a few days left and should it happen while we are in the middle of negotiations his mate might choose more drastic action to protect his child. Add to that the fact none of us have any experience to cope with that situation.” The leader of the men seemed to contemplate what he was being told for a moment his eyes never leaving Legolas as he pondered the situation. Legolas silently prayed that the leader would listen to sense and reasoning but there was little hope considering the stupidity and greed of the human race Legolas had already been witness too in his life.

“No I do not agree with you Berlin.” Hope faded from Legolas as the leader of the group stepped away from his second in command and over to stand above the prince. “The races of elves gather to fight a battle they will most likely lose. Glorfindel is not stupid he has sent his mate out alone into the forest to give a chance for his heir and his mate to survive the carnage that will take place when the orcs over run the elvan realms. He will not be searching for his mate as you say but rather defending what remains of the elves on the field of battle.” Legolas swallowed hard as he realised Yamalin had read the situation like a book. Perhaps the race of men were smarter than they looked or at least this particular man was. Yamalin smiled with cruel delight as he stroked his hand down Legolas chin tilting the prince’s head up so that he could meet the steely emerald gaze. “I would wager Glorfindel of Gondolin would pay a very high price indeed to see his mate to safety.” Yamalin pressed his thumb to Legolas lips barely pulling it away before Legolas attempt to sink his teeth into it. “But you are right Berlin he is too close to giving birth than I would have liked him to be. We will have to ride swiftly to the eastern borders of the battle fields and put our negotiations into practise immediately.” At his command the men about the shelter began readying themselves to leave again all of them excited by what their leader was proposing.

“What if Glorfindel of Gondolin is not alive upon our arrival at the fields sir?” Berlin was again at his leaders side both men now staring wantonly at Legolas.

“If the Great Glorfindel of Gondolin is dead then the race of elves is truly doomed and the value of our fertile catch will increase daily. If Glorfindel is dead Legolas will become mine.” Legolas shivered at the dreaded prospect Yamalin had just described. The prince however was well aware that Glorfindel was still alive, occasionally he’d hear his lover’s prayers and he still felt their connection both physical and mental. Glorfindel of Gondolin was still very much alive and would slaughter all these men who presumed to own Legolas Greenleaf….

TBCC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(A/N) Yes I'm getting there slowly but surely, only a few more chapters to go and I'll be free to run around with having this story hanging around me neck.........