Rationalising MPreg

Title: Rationalising MPreg
Author: sylc
Summary: Lindir, a former thrall, is forced against his will to become a witness in Sauron's trial on Taniquetil in the Fourth Age.
Characters/Pairings: Glorfindel/Lindir, Sauron/Lindir, Silmo/Lindir, OMC/Lindir, OMC/Lindir, Ingwë, Eönwë, Silmo, Elrond, Ecthelion, OMCs, OFCs
Rating: NC-17 (for series)
Warnings: Slash, MPreg, Angst, Slavery, Noncon, Tentacles, Body manipulation, Mind control, Oral, Violence, Minor involved
Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I make money from this.


When Lindir awoke, he discovered that he was still in the outer bathroom. He had been moved out of the waters and laid on the floor. A folded robe pillowed his head and he had been wrapped in another of these robes. He blinked slowly, staring up at the carven ceiling and the stone arches that swept over it, from wall to wall, from wall to the columns at the open windows. Steam drifted in the air, which smelt warm, but not heavy, and the breeze that occasionally draughted through the windows and down to him smell of lindens from the outside gardens.

He wondered what time it was – it was still light. His entire body felt numb and hot from its ordeal, but not pained, which surprised him – he remembered more pain. Perhaps it was because he was staying in the one place. If he moved and agitated his core, it would surely be excruciating… But as he tried to raise his right hand... and then his left... and then gingerly pushed himself up, he discovered much to his surprise that beyond a few twinges that made him hiss and a waxing in the heated throbbing in his abdomen, he felt somewhat... tolerable. He winced when he felt the creature, disturbed by the movement, shift sluggishly within him.

He considered this peculiarity for a few moments, licking his lips... and then blinked, distracted by the taste of blood in his mouth. Had he bitten himself? He ran his tongue over his gums and lips, searching for a cut, but on finding nothing, dismissed it and turned his thoughts back to what had just transpired in the bath. He looked at it -- watched the steam floating slowly through the air -- his thoughts returning to Eönwë's words to him -- Eönwë's request. What a drastic move on their part! He did not know how to interpret their interest in him – why were they so agitated to learn what he knew of Sauron's activities? Had they found no one else to tell them what he had seen? Not even Sauron?

His eyes widened when he suddenly heard footsteps in the innermost room and the soft thud as a door out there was closed.

"Ah, Eönwë." The voice sounded faintly like Glorfindel's – it had the same clear ringing tone, but it was higher… and softer. It was coloured with anxiousness. "You are not watching him?"

"There is… was no need. He was asleep until a few moments ago," Eönwë responded. There was the sound of water splashing as though the Maia were climbing out of the bath, then the sound of material sliding, a sash being tied on a robe. Lindir frowned. "Is there a problem?"

" 'Is there a problem?' you ask?" the other sounded terse. "I wish to know what you intend to do with Lindir. Is he to remain in these halls? If so, how do you intend to explain and justify his state to them? And do not smirk at me, Eönwë. This is far from a laughing matter."

"Indeed, Child." Eönwë's voice was coloured with amusement. "I think that Lindir should be kept separate from his family for the moment. They will try to protect him and prevent our access to him."

"And your answers to my other questions? If Lindir suddenly disappears without an explanation, Glorfindel will surely tear the peace of this place apart and disturb the other witnesses. And I do not know what his children will do. That Laiglas is a strange one."

My halls? Lindir ran his tongue absently over his lips again, wincing when he tasted blood again. Was that King Ingwë himself out there, then? Glorfindel's grandfather, father of his father?

I advise you to not walk alone with or without strangers while you are in this place.

So it was as Laiglas had said and worse -- the elves of this place had known of what would happen... had conspired against them.

"Laiglas too knows more than he says, but unlike Lindir, he does not ignore his past. " Eönwë said. "Indeed, Olorin tells me that if anything, Laiglas dwells too much on his years in thraldom to the exclusion of many opportunities for joy in his free life."

"Have you been asked to invite Laiglas and Linden to assist in the trial? Or to force them like you did Lindir?"

"I have not. And I have not forced Lindir's decision. He knows that he may still refuse, though as he will learn, there will be penalties that he will have to shoulder before he may return to his free life. He already knew in his heart that he could not flee from his past forever -- indeed, he may have wished for us to force him. But his desire to remain with Glorfindel, to live the life of one who does not know fear… who does not know what he has endured... and to bestow that innocence to his children has pushed him towards hoping also that we might not know of his situation. And if we did, that we might ignore him."

"What I would like to know is the nature of this so-called 'situation'." Ingwë said. "You ask for my participation in your crimes and then tell me naught of why. And… and how can you laugh? That was a heinous act!"

Eönwë's laughter, clear and ringing, was pearling through the humid air. "A heinous act? Is that so, Little Vanya? Only one such as you, who does not know first-hand the cruelty of this world but who basks daily in the embrace of the Valar could say that what I did was a crime... and your participation in the War of Wrath does not count. To a thrall, especially to one such as Lindir, that is little compared to what he remembers -- to what he keeps hidden in the deepest recesses of his mind. What he has done... what he has done to others. Indeed, he probably wishes that he had not suffered more pain when I, in echo of Sauron, gave him that creature."

There was a long silence. Then Ingwë said, quietly, "You have not convinced me and your humour pains me. But regardless, I do not wish to become buried in such a conversation and I am short on time. Tell me, do you intend to take charge of Lindir and remove him from my halls? And depending on your answer, how am I to deal with Glorfindel and their children?"

"I will remove him for a few days to a hidden place, at least until I know Lindir's answer. And if you wish, tell them nothing save that he is being questioned by us. There is no need to tell them that his condition has been restored yet -- it will cause unnecessary strife. "

"That is a drastic understatement."

"Indeed, Your Highness. Good day."

There was the sound of footsteps walking away and the door closing and then, after a pause, Lindir heard footsteps approaching the door to the outermost room in which he lay. He watched Eönwë walk into the room and over to him, keeping his eyes cautiously aware from looking the Maia in the face. The tall Maia was clad in another of the soft bathrobes, his long silver hair lying trapped beneath the collar. When he knelt down beside him, Lindir raised his head and met his gaze. Eönwë reached out to cup his forehead.

"Your temperature is still quite high," Eönwë observed. "It will cause you some pain, but I must move you." As he withdrew his hand, Lindir saw that there were teeth marks in the side of it, some of them leaking blood. He stared at them, already recognising the imprint.

"Your... hand."

Eönwë followed his gaze . "This? Ah, I was afraid that you might have bitten your tongue -- this was more satisfactory."

"I am sorry."

Lindir blinked when Eönwë stiffened and the Maia shot him an odd, sharp look. But the look quickly passed. "No problem. And I hope you paid attention to my conversation out there?"

"Er... aye."

"Good. Now..."

"Er... may I..." Lindir broke off uncertainly, realising that he had interrupted the Maia, but when he saw that Eönwë was looking at him in expectation that he ask his question, he continued, "May I ask why it does not hurt?" And when Eönwë did not respond, but continued to gaze at him attentively, he swallowed and said, "Only... it does not hurt as much as I had expected." He raised his left hand and rested it indicatively on the flat plain of his stomach, glanced down at it. Suddenly, when he felt the creature move again and another thought struck him, his eyes widened and he looked back quickly at Eönwë, feeling his hair spilling over his shoulders in the violence of his motion. "Who... who made this one?"

Eönwë met his gaze and his eyes narrowed slightly, the coldness returning. And Lindir hurriedly lowered his eyes.

"Come," the Maia said, reaching down to slide his arms beneath him and raise him. His limbs were warm... his chest surprisingly, believably elvish to Lindir's senses and he closed his eyes, breathing deep of the damp air, so drenched with the sweet scent of linden blossoms. "The carrier has arrived." And then scent of linden overwhelmed him and he slipped back into the embrace of the blackness.

~*~

When Glorfindel awoke, he found himself lying on the covers of his bed in a bathrobe. On sitting up, he saw a servant of the house who had been sitting beside his bed suddenly rise and smile at him, his face glowing in the orange light of sunset that streamed through the windows. "How do you feel, Your Lordship?"

"Tired," Glorfindel said truthfully, raising his hand to brush hair out of his face. He looked around his room, at the windows, blinking dazedly. He felt as though he had forgotten something and thought back, his brow creasing when he recalled sitting in the bath and watching Lindir sitting there beside him, scanning the elf's long eye lashes against pale cheeks. And then after that... nothing... He passed the hand over his eyes, rubbing the index and thumb into his temples as he tried to think, but when he truly remembered nothing, he dropped the hand back to his lap and looked back at the servant. "Did I faint in the bath?"

"Indeed," the servant replied, turning and going over to the wardrobe to take out a long white robe trimmed with green and gold, which he brought over to the bed and laid out for him, smoothing the faint wrinkles that appeared in the front of the material. "We brought you here to rest. And you have awoken at an auspicious time for it is almost suppertime. Tonight, supper will be held in the third courtyard as it is expected to be a small private family gathering and the Queen's favourite shrub variety of the linden blossoms are at their peak in that..."

"And Lindir?" Glorfindel interrupted, discomforted by the mention of a gathering of his relatives and not at all interested in listening to the reasons for choosing the location for that night's dining. He would have expected Lindir to have been waiting with him and he glanced at the empty and made side of the bed beside him. Then again, he thought, Lindir has probably returned to his rooms to properly attire himself for the occasion. If he has been listening to this servant's sort of banter, he would be even more nervous about meeting Ingwë and even more determined to make a positive impression on him. He wondered if he should have mentioned Ingwë's words to him about Sauron's trial before they had gone to the bath after all.

"Lindir?" the servant echoed. "Ah, Lindir stayed in the baths," the servant said as he returned to the wardrobes to take out a golden belt and various white undergarments. "I am unaware if he is still there." He returned and laid these items out alongside the robe.

"He was not left unattended, I hope?" Glorfindel asked, thinking of Lindir's tiredness. He was only slightly appeased by the servant's smile, for it did not reach the elf's eyes.

"Of course not, Your Lordship." the servant responded. "We do not leave bathers alone if they are unsupervised. Now come. Should I help you to dress?" He looked pointedly at the clothes.

"Please do." Glorfindel replied, sliding from the bed and shrugging off his robe. And he spared Lindir no more thought while he prepared himself for supper. In hindsight, he supposed that the servant, whether aware or unaware of what had been transpiring in the house, had successfully helped Eönwë's actions for he managed to distract him from all thoughts about his beloved. The elf skillfully drew him from subject to subject, each one as easily forgettable as the next and yet still extremely pleasant to discuss all the same. But whatever the servant's underlying intentions, his tactic worked and by the time Glorfindel left his rooms after sundown and followed the servant to the appointed feasting place, Lindir's whereabouts were far from his mind and he was talking jovially with the skilled entertainer.

He was a little early, but it seemed that some of the household had already arrived at the porch of the courtyard. Neither Laiglas nor Linden were present, but Glingal was there, standing near a carven porch column and already talking politely with some golden haired elf-maidens that Glorfindel did not recognise in face, but whose names he did when they were introduced, for they turned out to be his cousins and children of his cousins. Glingal seemed to be getting on very well with them, his quiet, courteous, and lightly humorous manner entirely understated in a manner that seemed to be drawing the ladies to him like flies, even though they showed obvious initial hesitation about approaching one not favoured by the heads of the family. When Glorfindel saw Glingal bow slightly to one of Glorfindel's aunts when she came up to introduce herself to him, he smiled, greatly reminded of Elrond.

"Which explains why he is so popular," Glorfindel thought. And speaking of attracting ladies, I wonder how they will react to Laiglas. He turned and looked around for Laiglas, hoping to see him also in the courtyard and undoubtedly surrounded by ladies. Glorfindel knew from past experience that though Laiglas was popular with the fairer sex for his physical beauty, as soon as he turned his cold, disdainful eyes onto them, their attempts to win his smiles and affection would dry up and thereafter, they would stay a radius of at least a few feet around him and never cross that self-set barrier unless social courtesy forced their feet. But their gaze would always return to him. Glorfindel always found this intensely amusing. Less amusing, however, was Laiglas's reaction when Glorfindel had attempted to question him as to why he glared at these maidens and sometimes even blatantly ignored them. He thought back to when he had, a long time ago in Imladris, brought up the subject with Laiglas when he had found himself standing beside his adopted son on the edge of the greensward on which a dance was in full sway, his own inhibitions around Laiglas lessened slightly by the few goblets of wine that he had recently imbibed at the pre-dance feast.

"Why do you show the maidens so much contempt?" he had asked him, wondering as he had done already on a few occasions if Laiglas were perhaps inclined towards his own sex. "I almost think that were Elrond's own daughter to invite you to dance, you would show her the same discourtesy that you showed that last maiden and turn your back on her."

His adopted son had turned his head and looked at him, his black eyes opaque and cold... and slightly suspicious. And Glorfindel had thought then that handsome as Laiglas was, much as Laiglas's skin was as white and soft as a female's and the silky black tresses that fluttered in the cool night air allured him, with such loveless eyes, his adopted son would surely walk the path of his life alone and always alone. It had sobered him and he had turned his eyes silently back to the dancers. And beside him, in the corner of his eye, he observed Laiglas turn expressionlessly to watch with him.

Now, looking around Ingwë's third courtyard, Glorfindel observed that Laiglas was no where to be seen... and neither was Linden. Or Lindir. Or Elrond. He pursed his lips, took a glass of wine from the tray of a passing servant, and turned to wander down the garden path that ran through the middle of the courtyard, its white surface and the green grass all about strewn with stray yellow petals, shivering in the warm breeze. A few maidens who were coming in the opposite direction nodded politely at him and spoke words of welcome, but like the rest of his relatives, did not stay to engage him in a conversation or to learn more about him than his name. When he reached the opposite porch, he glanced again at the archways leading out of the courtyard in hope of seeing one of them, but when his hopes again failed, he sighed and sat down on a seat near the entrance to the path, absently admiring the way the light from the lamps inset in the tall columns played on the angles of the crystal goblet. The wine was light and sweet. When a breeze suddenly took up again, a few of the petals floated down to land in his drink... balancing there precariously for a few moments like little sailing boats before capsizing and sinking to the golden depths.

"Ah, Your Highnesses, Your Ladyships, right this way, please."

"Thank you." A cool laughing female voice and the sound of it sent a shiver down Glorfindel's spine. He looked around, eyes widening, breath catching in his throat when he saw two ladies, both tall as Ingwë was short and surrounded by six maidens of high birth, walking into the courtyard from beneath an arch on his side of the porch. One had long golden hair, the other long and dark, showing her Noldo blood. Both were clad in white and gold, but were adorned with gems at the neck and waist. He stood up quickly, swallowing nervously, his hand tightening on his glass. At the movement, the golden haired one glanced at him, and then, without expression -- no sign that she recognised or acknowledged him, looked back at the servant who was guiding her towards the path. As they passed, however, Glorfindel, in spite of his own misgivings, stepped out hurrriedly to halt their path.

"Grandmother," he greeted with a low bow and a brilliant smile. "Mother." He straightened, gazing intently at their faces, at the expressionless one of his grandmother and the frozen smile on his mother's face. "I am glad to see you both looking so well." Then he waited for their own greetings...

But they did not come. Instead, after a few moments of coolly regarding him, his grandmother snorted and turned to walk around him to the path across the garden, and the maidens and his mother hurried to do the same. Stunned, Glorfindel moved to halt them again, but halted dead when his grandmother suddenly spoke, her once laughing voice now cold and quiet.

"Do not come near us... you filthy thing."

It froze the very air in his lungs. Eyes wide, he numbly watched them slowly cross the garden and be laughingly greeted by the rest of the relatives that were present -- kisses and embraces exchanged as if the two ladies had been on a long journey away from the realm...

The glass suddenly felt cold and hard and cumbersome in his hand. He sipped again and the liquid tasted sickly in his mouth. And as he watched the ladies retreat from Glingal, he inhaled deeply, hearing his throat rasping on the shaky breath, and turned away to walk further into the shadow of the porch, out of the lamp lights.

"Do you wish you had not come?"

On hearing the soft voice, Glorfindel looked around, back to the archway through which his mother and grandmother had appeared. Only now it was a smaller female who stood there with a garland of lindens and her hair was silver and her smile was not frozen, but soft and kind and well intentioned to him. He nodded, unable to quite bring himself to smile. "Linden. Where is Lindir and Laiglas?"

She came over to him, her hands laced together behind her back. "Lindir, I do not know -- I was about to ask you the same question. And Laiglas is on his way, though he is taking his time -- I think he will be happy he did if the rest of your relatives turn out like those ladies."

Glorfindel chuckled wanly, in spite of the fact that he was somewhat irked by the fact that Linden was referring to his mother in such a tone.

"But then again," Linden said, tilting her head, "knowing his own personality, he might fit in quite well with them." And she laughed and waved at Glingal, who was standing alone on the other side of the courtyard and looking around -- when he spied them, he smiled broadly and hurried over to join them.

"Hail! You both look very well," he said as he stepped up onto the porch.

"Have you seen Lindir?" Linden asked him after he had kissed her cheek in greeting. "Neither of us have seen him."

Glingal's brow knitted and he turned to look at Glorfindel, propping a hand on his hip. "I thought he was with you," he said. "His guest rooms are near to mine and I went to collect him when I came here, but he was absent. A servant told me that he had gone with you."

"That he did, but we separated at the baths," Glorfindel said. "I fainted and was taken back to my rooms. I was told that he had stayed there, though under supervision."

"You fainted? Are you feeling unwell?" Linden asked. Glorfindel shook his head.

"Could he still be there?" Glingal said. He and Glorfindel blinked and turned to look at Linden when she suddenly waved at someone across the porch. On following her gaze, they saw Laiglas striding over, his movements unusually agitated, his face tight. When he arrived on the porch and halted before them, he turned his head from side to side -- looking up and down their side of the porch, which was deserted -- then back at them. "I could not find Lindir."

"We think he may still be in the baths," Linden said. "Did you check there?"

He nodded tersely and swallowed, absently rubbing his long white hands. "I have looked in every place that I can think to find him, even if he were lured there. I had six servants with me by the time that I finally gave up and turned here in the hope that you might know more than I, though whether they were trying to hinder me with idle talk or actually help me I am unsure." He looked at Glorfindel, his black eyes glittering with anxious intensity. "I left him in your care. What happened to you? When did you part ways?"

"I fainted around mid-afternoon and was taken to my rooms." Glorfindel frowned when Laiglas nodded, not looking at all surprised. "Have... I missed something?"

"I fainted about then in a garden near to Lindir's rooms," he said. "And Linden told me that she went to sleep around then." He looked at Glingal, who was staring at them both in confusion. "And you?"

"I was sleeping as well," he said. "I woke up in the late afternoon, which is when I went to fetch Lindir. So... are you saying that this is no coincidence, Laiglas? Why do you think someone would wish to incapacitate us at that time?"

"The air was unsettled here; ill intentioned towards us," Laiglas said distractedly, turning to shoot the people gathered on the other side of the porch a piercing look, so sharp that Glorfindel actually saw some of the more introverted of his relatives stiffen and turn their heads to look at them. Beside him, Glingal quickly reached out and grabbed his brother's elbow, yanking him around to look back at them.

"Laiglas!" he hissed, when Laiglas looked at him.

"What?" Laiglas tugged his elbow loose and nodded back at the other porch. "This household is responsible -- those people across there assuredly know something about Lindir's disappearance. And I am sure that they know to where Lindir has been taken."

"Taken? Do you have any justification for that accusation?" Glorfindel asked. "To me, it seems all like a strange coincidence and even if we were incapacitated for a period in time, how do you know that it was only us? How do you know that Lindir was not also put to sleep or caused to swoon? Perhaps he is still asleep... or perhaps he hurt himself when he fainted and is in the healing wing."

"I have checked the healing wing," Laiglas said shortly. He suddenly frowned and looked at him, his eyes widening in realisation. "Did Lindir not tell you about what happened earlier?"

"Earlier?"

"Why after his arrival when Linden distracted the servants so that I could..." Laiglas stopped, on seeing Glorfindel and Glingal's confused faces and looked sharply at Linden who, with face very pale, shot him a stricken look. And at that look, Laiglas's face seemed to drain of what little colour was in it -- he turned quite grey. "Why... he did not tell you that Eönwë approached him with servants of Irmo? Before I dropped him off with you? Did you not notice his terror? The paleness of his face and his shaking hands?"

Glorfindel thought back to Lindir's pale face when Laiglas had dropped him off with him. "He told me nothing, though I did ask him why he was so pale." He turned his head and looked across to the other porch -- to where Ingwë was gesturing to a servant that it was time for the start of supper. Ingwë... Ingwë had been talking to him when his grandfather had known what had been happening to Lindir as soon as Lindir had arrived in his halls. Had probably planned it all out.

"We will talk more on this later," Glorfindel said.

"Undoubtedly," Ingwë said, a sour tone in his voice.

Glingal's voice stirred him from his thoughts. "I am confused," he said. "And I feel as if I have failed to pay attention to my loved ones. Why would Eönwë and Lord Irmo wish to speak with Lindir?"

"That is what I intend to find out," Laiglas said. He looked again over the porch and at the same moment, a bell sounded from near the supper table that had been set out on the grass, thankfully distracting the elves across the way from noticing his accusing glare a second time. It was Glorfindel this time who reached out and took his arm.

"Laiglas. Glingal, Linden," he said quietly. "I think I know the reason, though to where they have taken him, I have no idea." Behind Laiglas, he observed a servant approaching them over the grass, come to summon them to the table. Beyond the servant, Glorfindel saw his grandmother and his mother being led to the table.

"Do not come near us... you filthy thing."

He swallowed and looked back at Laiglas, Linden, and Glingal. "It is like this..."