Mael-Gul

Authors note: Completely A.U. Legolas slave fic.
This story was inspired by Bluegolds story "Bound", which can be found here:
http://archive.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=10373. I use the plot idea here with her permission.
Feedback: Yes please! Send to Aislynn.Crowdaughter@gmx.net.
This is my first LOTR fic, and I am no native speaker. Any comments welcome, including about grammar!

Betareader: Many thanks to the most amazing Surreysmum, who polished this and made it so much better! She relentlessly weeded out bad grammar, clumsy phrasing and unfitting modern slang, and polished some sentences to the point where readers could hopefully understand them. Thank you!!! You are the best!!!
All still remaining errors are solely my own.

Disclaimer: The universe I play in is not mine. It was created by J.R.R. Tolkien, who also owns the characters, safe a few original characters in side roles. Peter Jackson owns the Movies. I just borrow both here for my own enjoyment. I make no money out of this. The idea of the Mael-Gûl, or Rhach e-Maelangwedh (Lust-Spell, Curse of Lustchain) however is entirely mine.

Special warning for this chapter: Angst. And one single kiss between an seventeen-years-old Estel and an adult (Legolas). Everything else happens between adults, I promise!

For all other warnings, other disclaimers and author's notes see Prologue.

Additional Author's Note:
Here is the second part. It continues immediately where the last left off, that is in the middle of the flashback.

Guide: // /flashback/ //

And now: on with the story! -- Aislynn

__________________________________

XXXIII.


// /Legolas didn't know how he made it back to the house that day, and he had little memory of the next few days either. His whole world consisted only of pain, and nothing seemed to matter anymore. He could recall that he ran into a concerned Glorfindel, who asked him if he and Estel had had a fight, since Estel had taken his horse and left Rivendell for a ride, looking like a storm front about to unleash. But he could not recall what he answered, just that it wasn't much.

He was asked the same question later by his masters, who also threatened him with harsh punishment if he would not tell them what precisely had occurred, but he refused to tell them anything beside the fact that he and Estel had had an disagreement, and bore their punishment without any complaint. He felt as if he was about to die, and if he could have died of a broken heart, he would have done so. Unfortunately, this was not an option.

To Elrohir's and Elladan's bewilderment, they didn't get more information from Estel after the young man came back from the trip he had taken with his horse the other day. Estel refused to tell them anything. He did not make good on his threat to ask them for a share of Legolas; but he refused to meet Legolas or to speak with him, either. He avoided him completely.

The twins could not get either of them to explain what had happened, but they were hardly blind or stupid. It did not take them not long to guess the reason for the fight. And they reacted in their own, unique way.

They took Estel with them to an Orc-hunt. And to Legolas' complete bewilderment, this time they commanded him to accompany them, too. They even provided him with a weapon, although it wasn't a bow and arrows, but just a large hunting knife.

They told Legolas that he had proved himself loyal during all that time he had spent alone with Estel – especially that one time three years ago when he had saved Estel from an angry she-bear who felt he threatened her child - and that it was time they took him along on their Quests by now. They would expect him to do his best to protect Estel on this trip as well. They also reminded Legolas that if he failed in this duty in any way, and if Estel got hurt, not only he but also the other hostages would pay for it.

When Legolas hesitantly confessed that he doubted Estel would be fond of having him near right now, Elladan shrugged and asked him what difference he thought that made? Legolas stared at him, met his amused and knowing eyes, and had to admit it made none.

For in truth, he later admitted to himself, he would die and allow himself to be torn apart before he allowed anything to happen to Estel, anyway.


_________________ o ____________________


The first few days of the trip proved awkward. It was early Echuir(1), the time of stirring after winter, and though in Rivendell, the protected valley, there was no such thing as a hard winter, outside it was still rather cold. On the other hand, there was no snow, but the melting frost made the ground muddy and the brooks and rivers strong and fast. Under the circumstances, travelling was an uncomfortable thing to do even on horses.

Even more awkward though was the uncomfortable silence between Legolas and Estel.

Estel had made a face when he learned that Legolas would accompany them on this trip. Yet his brothers had been unmoved. They had simply told him that they thought it was time they put their slave to further uses according to his abilities, and unlike Estel he had already gathered experience in fighting Orcs in the past, after all. Besides, in all the time of his close association with Estel, Legolas had proven himself loyal enough; it was time to reward that loyalty with trust. Did Estel have any objections?

The young man was silent after that, and he kept silent during the following days. He did his best to avoid Legolas, but he did not treat him with scorn or derision, either. He just chose a place as far away from the slave as he could, and even that pained Legolas enough. He bowed his head and wished that he could turn invisible, or better, disappear. Unfortunately, he couldn't, so he kept his head down, concentrated on his horse and tried as best as he could to bear the fact that Estel ignored him. Sometimes, when he could not bear it any longer, he stole a look in the young man's direction. Most of the times he did that, he found Estel quickly looking away and blushing deeply.

A few times, Estel approached the slave hesitantly after the company made camp, or he appeared suddenly in his way when Legolas was performing one task or another, like gathering wood or fetching water. But always on these occasions, Estel simply stood there, searching for his voice, then turned and fled. He never said a word. And afterwards he would avoid the slave again and try to ignore that he was there.

Legolas did not know what he should think of this. If he only had known how, he would probably have tried to approach Estel and apologize, but he didn't know what he should say or what precisely he should ask forgiveness for, and he had no idea how to do it without the scene becoming the center of attention of all the camp. And of course, his masters, Estel's brothers, would then learn of everything that had happened between them. And what if Estel would not accept his apology and still reject him? Or demand that he should serve his pleasure, but then still throw him away? He knew he could not bear this. So he kept silent.

After a few days of this awkward dance, however, he found that Estel returned to his side. The young human still didn't speak to him, but he also did not avoid him anymore - at least not physically. Estel chose to ride close to him and even wordlessly handed him his water skin once or twice, when Legolas was thirsty but did not dare to ask his masters for a drink. But Estel knew him well and obviously noticed his thirst even without any word or gesture.

Legolas was grateful, yet he wished his beloved friend would speak to him again, too.


It took two weeks of travelling until they finally met the enemy.

Legolas felt the familiar shadow growing in his mind for hours. At first, he did not pay much attention to the feeling; with everything that had happened to him since he had last been free he had nearly lost the ability to understand the warning, for he had learned the hard way that its absence did not necessarily meant the absence of danger. There were other creatures in this world that were nearly as bad as Orcs, although they did not look like them and spoke Elvish. But finally, when the company reached the entrance of a valley between steep hills, he could feel it, as clearly and precisely as he had always done at home in Mirkwood: the trees were screaming out to him and the very earth groaned under the presence of the Orcs defiling it. And if he was not completely wrong, there were wargs as well.

He looked around sharply, trying to find out where, precisely, the enemy was hiding, and pondered if he should give a warning to the company; but he didn't know how to say what he knew without giving away too much of his people's abilities, and he did not care to earn a laugh from the arrogant Noldor warriors around him. Still he could not help placing his hand on the handle of his weapon and nudging his horse closer to Estel's.

His actions had not gone unnoticed. Suddenly, he heard Estel's soft voice beside him, whispering: “What's wrong?”
It was the first time that Estel spoke to him at all in three long weeks. Completely surprised he turned around and met his human companion's worried gaze. There was no sneer and no anger in those eyes, just concern. After a moment, Estel added: “You are sensing something, are you not?”

It was too much. After all the hurt and pain, all Legolas could do in this moment was a simple nod. But then he could no longer stand Estel's gaze and quickly turned away.

But he did not need to say more, because in the next moment, Estel closed the short distance between himself and Elladan and whispered to him: “Legolas sensed something. He can feel the presence of the enemy; he told me of this ability of his. And he can sense the warnings of the trees.”

Legolas whirled around to him and stared at him with disbelief. It was true, he had told Estel about that when he tried to teach him to understand the trees. Yet it was the first time that Estel had disclosed anything to his brothers that Legolas had confided to him of his home; or at least it was the first time since Estel had been old enough to understand why Legolas would want to keep these things secret. Although, in this special case, Legolas had to admit, Estel probably was right; after all, the safety of their whole company might depend on an early warning before a possible attack.

But he could not ponder for long if under the circumstances Estel's small betrayal was acceptable or not, because Elladan turned around to him and raised a brow. “Is that true?” he asked. “Do you feel them close?”

Legolas merely nodded.

Elladan exchanged a look with his twin, then he turned back to their slave and asked: “And where, do you think, they are hiding?”

Legolas blushed, yet he refused to be cowed. He looked searchingly around. Then he had it. There was a copse of dark, forbidding trees at one side of the valley. He could hear the trees screaming out to him across the distance.

“They hide there,” he said with sureness, looking into the direction of the copse. “There may be more of them at the end of the valley and over there between those cliffs, but the trees on that hill groan under their foul presence!”

Some Noldor guards around him started to laugh. But Elladan just raised a brow and looked back at his twin. Elrohir wore a similar expression. The second twin simply shrugged and drew his sword a bit out of its sheath. There was a gleam of blue.

Elrohir cocked his head and placed a calculating, yet approving gaze on the Mirkwood slave. “Not bad, little Pet,” he said. “Apparently there are a lot of things you may yet show us. You are nearly as useful for a warning against Orcs as an enchanted blade.”

The Noldor guards stopped their laughter, startled at their leader's approving reaction to the slave. Elladan nodded thoughtfully. “And the places you mentioned are precisely where I would have said they waited,” he added. “Well done, indeed!”

He narrowed his eyes. “You stay close to Estel. You are responsible for him. Whatever happens, if he is killed or just injured, your people pay for it. You understand?”

Legolas simply nodded, while beside him Estel protested angrily that he was old enough to fight without a baby sitter taking care of him.

Elladan turned his head around to him and snarled: “Be silent! This is your first contact with the enemy, so you will do precisely as I say! You stay back here and only fight if you are attacked first. Is that clear?!”

Startled by his tone, Estel nodded. Meanwhile, Elrohir was already giving commands to the warriors of the company when to attack, and in which order. It was obvious that both twins had centuries of experience at this.

In the next moment, the battle started. The Elves sent a small vanguard into the valley to draw the Orcs out, and as soon as the attack came, the battle was joined by their main force. Staying back as he had been commanded, Estel suddenly drew his hunting knife and handed it to Legolas.

Legolas stared uncomprehending back at him.

“Take it,” Estel said, “You need it more than I. I know you are ambidextrous, and I am better with the sword.”

Legolas accepted the knife gratefully. But he had not even time to thank Estel, because suddenly they heard loud clamor to their side and turned around, and frozen in horror Legolas saw a company of warg-riders racing down at them.

He had no bow, and there were just a few Noldor guards remaining with them, placed there by the twins to ensure the safety of their little brother. The Noldor shot as many wargs as they could, but only too soon the attackers were too close for the bow, and they drew their swords. Legolas caught a glimpse at the white, but determined face of Estel, then the wargs were there. Keeping himself between the attackers and his charge, Legolas made his horse rise and attack one of the wargs with its hooves while he himself lunged for the riding Orc. Both he and his horse made their kill. But then Legolas heard a cry behind him and saw a movement, and when he whirled around he just saw Estel going down under an attacking warg which snapped at him although the young man had already impaled it with his sword. There was no Orc. Apparently, the rider of the beast had been killed already.


Unfortunately, Estel did not yet know where best to hit. His sword had only grazed the shoulder and had not hit the creature fatally. And these beasts were hard to kill even in the best of cases.

Legolas did not hesitate. He jumped the beast and buried his knife in its neck before it could do the human any harm. Then he helped Estel up, asking breathlessly: “Are you hurt?”

The young man simply shook his head. In the next moment, they were fighting back to back and Legolas lost all sense of time.

The battle seemed to last for hours, although it probably took only minutes. At one point, Legolas suddenly felt his back uncovered and turned. He saw Estel attacked by three Orcs at once, fighting for his life, too proud to cry for help. Even as he watched, the young man killed one Orc, but when Estel danced back to avoid the sword lunge of another, he stumbled and fell over one of the dead enemies at their feet. Falling, he managed to defeat the lunge of the third Orc, but doing this, his sword was caught and he lost it. Wide eyed, the young man stared at the second Orc, now standing over him triumphantly and raising his sword for the death stroke.

There was a cry, and suddenly the Orc above him sported a long knife in its throat. In the next instant, a whirlwind of a furious blonde Elf stood above the young human warrior, moving in a dance of deadly grace against all comers. Legolas killed one Orc, and in the same graceful turn slit he throat of another while his other knife buried itself deeply in the mouth of an attacking warg, piercing the brain. The blonde Elf ducked out of the way of an ugly black arrow. Coming up again, he killed another Orc, then whirled around and threw the knife into the back of a third who struggled with one of the other Elves. He turned around to look for other attackers, but there were none. As suddenly as it had started, the battle was over. They had won.

There were hoof beats. Suddenly, Elladan appeared beside them again. He raised his sword. “What has happened to Estel?” he growled threateningly, his face wearing a furious expression.

“I'm fine!” Estel's voice reached his ears, “I'm uninjured!” Hurriedly, Estel scrambled out from under Legolas and stood up. “I'm not hurt! I'm all right!”

Elladan let his sword sink. Estel looked at Legolas, wide-eyed and a little shocked at Elladan's display, but still very excited.

“You saved my life again,” he said breathlessly. “They way you fight, you move... you are incredible!”

He trailed off, becoming aware that they had an audience. Still, his face shone with excitement, as if nothing had ever changed, nothing had happened, as if the last three weeks had never been.

Legolas just looked at him, eyes full of hurt.

“I had to,” he simply said. “I am responsible for you, remember?”

He saw Estel's face crumble and his eyes widen with hurt, and he couldn't stand it. He turned around, looking for the knife he had thrown after that last Orc. Turning to get it, he noticed Elrohir, standing close by, watching them with a raised brow and a speculative expression in his eyes.


______________________ o ___________________


This evening, Elrohir and Elladan both shared their bedding with their slave. They did not play long games, just took their pleasure and fed the spell. Afterwards, they send him off to sleep on his own. The other warriors, especially the guards, looked politely away when their lords took what was their right, yet they were not above giving the slave leering glances and catcalls when he went to his own bedding later.

Yet Estel was another matter. Briefly, Legolas met his gaze when he settled down at the place he had chosen to rest, and there was hurt and longing in the young man's eyes.

Legolas quickly looked away and buried himself under his blanket.

During the following days, Estel avoided meeting Legolas' gaze again. He looked away and blushed whenever Legolas looked in his direction. Then, one evening, Elrohir and Elladan chose to make camp early. They chose a well protected place on a hillside with a small meadow surrounded by trees. They called their slave to them and told him to prepare a place on one side of the meadow, between a few bushes, spread out a blanket, place some torches around it and start a fire. Then they told him to undress and kneel himself on the blanket, awaiting their pleasure.

Legolas obeyed. He shivered. It was cold, but even more he feared what new cruel game his masters had thought up for him. His fears mounted when Elrohir and Elladan called Estel.

The young man approached, and Legolas could see his face, white with apprehension. Elrohir stepped up and stood beside the kneeling slave, petting his head. Legolas shivered under his touch. He wished that he could die this very moment.

“Do you remember what date it is today?” Elrohir asked his human brother.

Estel mutely shook his head. Elladan, standing beside the blanket, smiled.

“It s the first of March! Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday? You are eighteen years old, now!” he said teasingly.

Estel stared at him, clearly startled. Obviously, he had been so preoccupied these last few days that he really forgot the date completely. The grin of his brother widened.

“And even more, you have just fought your first battle recently and proven yourself as a worthy warrior. You are a man now, even if your true majority is yet to come.”

Elrohir's cool voice added: “Therefore we think that it is time we gave you a special gift. We have seen how longingly you look at our slave. We decided to let you have a taste of him. You are certainly old enough for it!”

Legolas' head shot up, and he stared at the young human, frozen in terror. Estel looked startled. He met Legolas' gaze and shook his head nearly imperceptibly. “No,” he mouthed, “I didn't... never... No!”

Elrohir's voice hit them. “You do not want to taste him?” he asked coolly. “From the looks you sent him and us the other day, we thought you did.”

Estel took a step closer, as if he was drawn against his will, as if he was pulled on strings. He stopped again, hesitating.

“Come now,” Elladan said from his side with a note of impatience, “do you want to be a man or not?It would be impolite to decline the invitation!”

Elrohir added: “The way you always look at him like a man dying of thirst at his only well, it's pretty obvious you want him! Have a taste!”

Legolas bit his lips, then blushed and bowed his head again. Big tears formed in his eyes, wetting his cheeks, and he shivered harder.

He could hear Estel coming closer, step by step, as if he was pulled against his will. Then the young man knelt beside him, carefully reaching out, touching his skin. Legolas could hear Estel's hard breathing, could hear him fighting for his voice.

Estel's hand was cold, his touch was hesitant.

“Legolas,” he whispered rawly, then he lost his voice. Slowly, his hands wandered up, touched Legolas' face and turned it up. Legolas briefly saw Estel's white face, frozen in horror, with terror in his eyes, and knew he had not planned this. It was just a cruel joke of Estel's brothers.

Then Legolas could not longer stand it and closed his eyes. He felt hesitant lips touching his own, and opened his mouth as was his duty. The lips on his own opened as well, and there was warmth and softness, but there was none of the tingling and arousal he had felt during their first, hesitant kiss in that tree in Rivendell.

He was frozen in horror.

Estel's lips touched him, left him, then he heard a sob, and suddenly the young man jumped up and fled, with a half-sobbed: “I can't!” thrown over his shoulder. Legolas eyes flew open and he saw his retreating figure, running to the trees.

Elrohir and Elladan laughed, and all the surrounding Noldor guards joined in.

Legolas bowed his head to hide his face, feeling as if he had been hit in the stomach. He was relieved when Elrohir let go of him and coolly commanded him to dress again.

He obeyed, and when he got permission to leave, he followed Estel's example and fled.

Several hours later, sitting in the tree where he had sought and found shelter for the night, he was finally approached by Estel.

“Legolas,” the young man said, touching his arm, “I swear to you, I did not ask them for this! I never approached them, I never asked them for a share of you! I swear I didn't!!!” His voice was barely distinguishable from a sob. “It wasn't my idea! I didn't want this!”

Legolas finally looked up and met eyes full of pain.

“I swear to you, I didn't ask them! Please, you must believe me!” Estel begged.

Legolas searched his eyes and found he told the truth. Still he could not help the hurt welling up in him. Bitterly he asked: “Even so, why did you flee? Wasn't that what you wanted?”

Estel shook his head in horror. “Never!” he exclaimed, “Not like this! I never wanted you like this! Unwilling, forced – I never...”

He swallowed hard, tears brimming in his eyes. “Don't you see? I love you! All I ever wanted was for you to love me back! I want to have you willingly! Not like this...” He shivered.

Hesitantly, Legolas' hands came up and touched him, too.

“But you said...”

Estel shook his head. “I was hurt and dense and stupid, and I could only hear that you rejected me. Just like... Oh, Valar! How dense I've been! I- I apologize. I didn't mean it! Never!!!”

He swallowed hard, then begged intently: “Please believe me!”

Legolas looked at him and slowly he allowed his hurt and anger to melt away. Carefully, he drew the young man close and enfolded him in his arms. “You truly love me?”

He could feel Estel nod.

“I do,” the young man said, “I swear I do. I want you, Legolas. But not like this. I want you only if you want me, too!”

Legolas could feel him shiver in his arms and allowed his own hands to roam and pet his back. Suddenly, he was flooded with warmth. The tingle was back.

Estel loved him!

Estel truly loved him!

And he had declined to have him by force or on command. He could have taken simply what he wanted, but he loved Legolas too much for that. Instead, he even risked the mockery and scorn of the other warriors and of his brothers.

“I love you, too,” Legolas said, and it was the truth, a truth he could feel in his heart and soul and in his entire body. “I want you, too. I never meant to mock you! I just--”

Estel kissed him again.

The soft lips on his own filled him with warmth. The tingling took hold of his whole body, filled his stomach, reached his groin.

His eyes flew open. “Estel!--”

Estel withdrew a bit. “Shhh!” he said, “It's all right! I am not too young anymore! You heard my brothers! I am a warrior now!”

Legolas shuddered. “Your brothers...” he began, but Estel shook his head.

“They practically invited me. Even if they didn't say it explicitly, they gave their permission. And I fought my first battle the other day. I am a man now!”

He traced his partner's face. Legolas could see his eyes, warm and pleading. “Please! Will you allow me to kiss you again?”

Desire rose in him, and it was new and unexpected, full of warmth and the wish to give instead of the hateful, tainted need or the unwilling arousal he was used to, when his masters took their pleasure and he felt himself betrayed by his own body. This was different. His heart sang, and warmth filled him.

He could not bring himself to resist any more. He nodded.

The next kiss felt like finally, wonderfully coming home at last.

They made love for the first time under that tree, in the privacy of some bushes, on Legolas' blanket, covered by Estel's cloak, and it was pure joy, a giving and taking equally pleasurable for them both. In many ways, it was the first time for them both: to Estel, because he never had lain with someone before, and for Legolas, because always before for him the sharing of his body had been an act of rape and violation. Even with Glorfindel, who was careful and gentle enough, always the fact remained that their sharing was done not out of love, but just to feed the spell, an act of painful, brutal necessity.

But this was love, and it was pure, unblemished joy.

The first time was a little awkward for Estel, because he was shy and not sure what he was supposed to do, although he had seen couplings before and he had for some time during his adolescence pestered Legolas (and his brothers) with a lot of curious questions.

But Legolas was patient and guided him. For once his forced experience proved to be an asset. When they slept close to each other afterwards, it was the first peaceful sleep for both of them in weeks.

From that day on, they made love or just shared tenderness whenever they could steal away to do it, and later, after the Orc-hunt, back in Rivendell, whenever they could spent unobserved time together. The twins looked the other way and never said a word. They still demanded that Legolas served them, but they left him a lot of time to spend with Estel, too. And they thenceforth regularly took both Estel and Legolas with them on their Orc-hunts, and even provided Legolas with a bow, after they made him swear he would never use it against them or other Elves, but just against the creatures of the Shadow or to hunt game. Their warriors respected their leaders' example and never said a word to anybody, either.

The only shadow on their love was a warning from Glorfindel. A few days after the whole company was back in Rivendell, the Noldor Lord took Estel and Legolas aside to talk to them in privacy.

“I'm happy for you both,” he said, “but I have to warn you to be discreet. Elladan and Elrohir might tolerate what you do – never think they do not know about it! - but Lord Elrond would be another matter. He hates you, Greenleaf! He will not tolerate that you have 'ensnared' Estel like this, as he would see it. It will be better if you two avoid bringing your love to his attention. And there are others here who may be jealous and envy your joy. So be careful!”

Legolas and Estel both looked at him, wide-eyed. When under observation, they were as discreet as they could; they never touched each other in public and tried to hide the change in their relationship as best as they could.
“How do you know--?” Legolas finally asked.

Glorfindel saw their stunned looks and laughed. “What do you think, Greenleaf?” he asked. “One long week you look as if your world just ended, and Estel looks the same, and he doesn't speak to you. Then you both take a hunting trip against the Orcs together, and when you return you are inseparable again and both of you look radiant! Whenever you look at each other, you resemble Beren and Luthien, or maybe Idril and Tuor. How indeed could anyone get the idea you were in love?”

He laughed heartily at their blush, then he grew serious again. “You need to be more careful! Heed my warning! Legolas has powerful enemies here!”

A bit dampened in their joy, they promised it and thenceforth checked their behavior in public more carefully. Legolas did his best to play the humble slave and obedient, silent shadow of Estel, when there were hostile eyes to see, and Estel got practice in acting the master. But even that could hardly diminish their joy. Legolas would have been content to remain like this with Estel for all his life.

For a year and a half, Legolas was completely happy.

Then Glorfindel's warning came back to haunt them. / //


__________________ o ____________________


Legolas woke with a start. Pale and trembling, he rose to sit and huddled himself together, grasping his knees. He sent a quick look to his side, to the Man of Gondor, but Boromir was sleeping peacefully and had not woken at his sudden movement. Legolas swallowed a sigh of relief. The Man of Gondor was much less alert than Aragorn!
Carefully and silently he pulled the blanket around him and burrowed his face in his knees.

He shook as he remembered his dream.

Why!? Why now? This used to be one of his favorite memories, one of those he tried to recall and linger on when he sought Elven dreams. But right now, it only reminded him of everything he had lost.

Silently, he raised his head and looked longingly over to the other side of the camp, to the sleeping form of his master. If Estel would mind if he tried to snuggle up to him tonight?

Then he discarded the thought. He still reeked of sex, and of the touch of Boromir. And although Aragorn himself had commanded his slave to lie with Boromir, it would hardly improve his mood if he had to taste another man's scent on Legolas' body! How could Legolas approach Estel like this? And even if Aragorn would not mind – it would surely offend Boromir! The Gondorian's reaction earlier this night had been proof of that.

Miserably and longing for his master, Legolas rose and went to find a place where he could wash himself as best as he could with only the contents of his water skin.


_________________ o ________________

-- TBC --

Notes:

(1) Echuir – Sindarin: 'Stirring', one of the six Elven seasons of the year, the period between Rhiw (winter) and Ethuil (spring). The other three seasons are: Laer (summer), Iavas (early autumn) and Firith (fading), also called Narbeleth (Leaf-Fall, late autumn). Echuir is the time between the 1th of February and the 26th of March in our modern calendar. So, the company started the trip in the first week of February.


Replies to Reviewers:

First, let me apologize again for the mess that happened when I first tried to upload the 31. chapter. Only part of the chapter showed, but the author panel informed me I had uploaded it all right. As it turned out, there was a problem with a typing error that the program read as a closing html-tag that did not refer to an opening one. Apparently, everything after such an error will be invisible on screen. And that typing error occurred in my note to wish you all a happy new year, of all things! After I deleted the note, the problem went away, too. Yikes! Anyway, let me take the occasion to wish you all a very belated happy new year here, at last!

And now to the replies:

Calenharn Elflover: thank you for your comments! As always, they are a joy to read! Yes, well, Legolas was surprised at his own reaction to Boromir himself. He clearly did not expect Boromir to be a considerate lover, and was expecting something more in the way of 'spread your legs and think of Mirkwood', figuratively spoken. As you can see in this chapter, the pleasant surprise does not necessarily serve to make things easier, though. As for the light-bulb going on over Boromir's head... well, it may yet take some time. After all, right now Boromir is still satisfied with Aragorn's explanation that the scene he stumbled upon between Aragorn and Legolas was 'punishment' because the slave had been disobedient to his master. But he might wise up yet...
As for Boromir's statement he wants to have Legolas as often as he can... well, the man is jealous!. Before he knew Legolas was a slave, he thought to seduce the Elf away from his lover. Now, things are different. Still, he may start to contemplate if he can perhaps 'inherit' him? Kind of like 'inheriting' the ring from Frodo... Er...
As for Aragorn's vision: well, such things are not necessarily fool-proof, as little as Galadriel's mirror. The things he sees may be a mixture of things yet to come and things that happened in the past, or they may never come to pass, since he has now taken actions against them. We will see. But I repeat, I don't give a character-death warning for this story for a reason.

dee: Hi! Thank you for your review! I cannot give away the ending yet, but your wish is duly noted. I doubt, though, that it will be all that easy... but I will see what I can do. Hope you enjoy the story anyway!

Naira: Thanks for your support to the poor Elf. Anyway, as you can see, there are reasons why Legolas has very strong ties yet to Estel... even though things have changed a bit between them. I hope I do not have to make you wait for the next chapter too long! I write as fast as I can, I promise! :-)

Ertia: (grins) thank you for the ice! But I have to admit, there are a few reasons why Boromir deserved to e kicked, anyway. Still, the bargain may actually proof to be a good thing for our Elf. Not that he can currently see it... As for updating, sorry about that. This is a Work-in-Progress after all, and both me and my faithful beta need their time to write and polish. But I do what can to keep the wait not too long. Still, I can't promise fast updates anymore; the parts of the story which I had pre-written are already posted. So I hope you will be patient with me!

nightbreeze: Hi again! I cannot tell you if there is a cure. There might be, but clearly, at the moment, everybody is sure that there isn't. And even if they find a way to break the spell- there is no guarantee that it will work immediately, or completely. So all I can say it: do not give up hope – but do not hang your hopes too high yet, either! I hope you can enjoy the story, anyway!

luna: Thank you! I'm glad you love the story! And I'm glad to get such lovely feedback! Cheers!

Thank you all again for your comments, and cheers!

Aislynn