The Jewel of Mirkwood

Chapter 21

Legolas awoke with a start by the snap of horse reigns and the neighing of a stallion. Groaning the young prince attempted to sit up but was rendered immobile by a firm hand upon his shoulder.

“Ah, so my pretty young elf awakes at last.” Blue eyes became crystal clear as Legolas stiffened at the memory of what had happened to him, triggered by the sound of the rough commanding voice. Panicking Legolas went to strike out with his hands but found that they were bound securely behind him. A chuckle wafted across the back of his neck and Legolas stiffened further as the hand that had previous clamped down on his shoulder drifted softly under the collar of his tunic to begin caressing his neck. Turning his head slightly Legolas glanced around at his surroundings. He was sitting astride a black horse, it’s dark mane tangled with his own blond locks from where he’d been laying his head against it. Behind him he could feel the strong presence of a man his back pressed against the solid chest and his body held fast upon the horse by strong encompassing arms. To his right he saw two other men riding next to him astride horses similar to that he was sitting on. He seemed to be riding along an open woodland path but the trees did not look familiar and the smell was certainly different from his own woodland home.

“Where am I, who are you and where are you taking me?” Legolas cursed the fact his voice was more a desperate whimper than anything more sinister. He attempted to strain around to see his captor but a searing pain in his head made him wince and clutch weakly to the stallion’s dark mane in agony.

”Shhh my little one, the bump to your head will be sore for sometime.” Legolas shivered in fear as the man behind him soothed a hand across his scalp and ran roughed fingers through his tangled blonde hair. “As I told you before I am Lord Keeldon, your new master and owner. We are headed for Edoras in Rohan but are currently passing the woodland realm of Lothlorien.” Legolas allowed himself a small glimmer of hope at the name of a place familiar in his memory. During the war he had watched a great many elves from Lothlorien join his fathers army and while he had never seen the great malorn trees the warriors spoke of it was a small comfort to be passing a realm filled with elves and possible aid. Keeldon seemed to pick up on Legolas’ hope and smiled cruelly to himself. “Do not bother to call for help little one, we shall only skirt the edges of the forest itself and while the guardians will know our presence already they will not interfere with matters not directly concerning the lord and lady.” Legolas sighed and rested his sore head back again the neck of horse. There would be no point in trying to escape again. He had tried that once before and it had gotten him no further than injured again. In his mind Legolas could hear Filgree’s disappointment at him for not having made a better fight against the humans. So far he had done little but accept their commands but he was so used to doing that anyway that he found it difficult to break the routine. Keeldon’s voice sounded a lot like his fathers but more sinister and calculating something, which cooled Legolas’ blood in fear. He did not know what Keeldon had planned for him upon reaching this place called Edoras, nor did he understand what would be asked of him during this trip and that alone did not sit well with the elf.

Keeldon’s hand once again came down to rest upon Legolas’ neck but the elf did not react he had a feeling he would have to get used to the man’s touch and sooner rather than later. Keeldon smiled possessively down at the elf’s passive acceptance, in front of him. Perhaps it would be easier to tame this one than he had first imagined.

“I will not hurt you little one, if you learn to submit to me as you do so now.” Legolas closed his eyes in disgust as the man’s foul breath ghosted across his cheek again. Yet he did not respond and merely continued to concentrate on the rhythmic footsteps of the horse they rode, to lull him back into his dreamscape.

“We will stop with the sun descends behind the mountains.” The last words he heard were that of the guard to the left arranging their stop for the evening with their lord. Legolas did not know what to do next and so could do little but accept this for a while until anther chance to escape presented itself.

TBC................