Entanglement

Entanglement

Chapter 5
Author: Frosty the Junior Mint
Rated: NC-17
Codes: Legolas, Haldir, Elrond, OC, AU, N/C
Summary: Novlomiel is sentenced to marriage, but it doesn't work out as planned.
Disclaimer: Tolkien's stuff isn't mine.
Author's Notes: Yes, another one of those fics from Frosty. Please R&R!

*

The next morning was quiet and tense. Haldir had awoken first, and was dressed by the time Novlomiel opened her eyes. He was there, though, and she was relieved at that.

"Hey," he said, kissing her good morning, "How are you feeling?"

Novlomiel wrapped a blanket around herself and got ou bed bed. The morning was still pitch black, and she felt more nervous than she could say. Smiling softly, she looked up at Haldir, and touched his arm. "I'm fine," she said, not wanting him to feel more upset than he already looked, "You?"

He laughed mirthlessly. "I'll be fine," he said finally, looking away and clenching his jaw. After finally finding something good, he was being pulled away from it for God knows how long. He didn't want to leave. "Get dressed," he said, looking back at her, "Dawn is coming."

She nodded her head and watched him leave the room. Dressing quickly, she met him outside the house and together they ed ted towards the gates of Mirkwood. The silence was deafening, but neither could think of anything to say.

Novlomiel looked up as they approached the departing group. Several armed elves were present, as was the King and her father. Legolas was there, too. She looked at him sadly, but he only looked away as the two of them came closer.

"Elrond and his company will be leaving later today," said the King as everyone prepared to disembark, "You will arrive in Lothlorien before them." He looked to Legolas and continued, "Use your time there wisely. Talk with Celeborn."

Legolas nodded, and Haldir approached the King. "Lothlorien will take good care of your people," he said, bowing slightly, "It was an honour meeting you, and I hope we meet again soon."

Novlomiel watched quietly as all the goodbyes were made. She walked over to Legolas, who had already mounted his horse. "Legolas," she said, and he looked down, clearly upset, "Good luck." She smiled, at a loss for what to say.

His eyes searched her face for several long moments before he took the reins and looked away. "Goodbye," he said, and then he followed the company out of the gates. Novlomiel's eyes stung with tears. She had wanted this to be a good farewell, but he seemed so upset with her, and she didn't know why.

Holding back her tears, she went to Haldir. He touched her face and kissed her briefly before speaking. "I will see you soon," he said, smiling, "Be safe."

She took his hand and squeezed it. "You as well," she said, then stepping back she watched as he mounted his horse and left through the gates. She waved, but neither Haldir nor Legolas saw her.

*

She spent the rest of the morning with her father and the King as they talked about the possible treaty. She sat quietly and listened, feeling more than little irritated at the both of them. First they use her as a pawn in their talks with Lothlorien, and now they send away the only two people in Mirkwood who she cared about. She glared at her father. She wanted nothing more than to go to Lothlorien to be with Legolas and Haldir.

Sighing and getting up from the table, she paced the room, tired of the topic of conversation. She had no interest in the specifics of the treaty. As far as she was concerned, everything in Rivendell was pure evil. They weren't worth any of this.

Her stomach churned with tension. They hadn't even been gone six hours and already she was worried about them. Taking a deep breath and deciding she needed some fresh air, she excused herself from the room and left the building. She was sure neither of them even realized she had gone.

Novlomiel walked past the gardens and down the path to the far end of Mirkwood. She took deep, steadying breaths all the way, her thoughts spinning on what was going to happen now. She hadn't had time to think about it before, but now everything was bombarding her mind, threatening to overwhelm her. She was alone.

Soon she found herself on the outskirts of the city, walking along the cliffs over the river. She had spent a lot of time with Legolas here, and wished she had shown Haldir. The view was beautiful.

"Hello again, Novlomiel," came a voice from behind her, and she jumped, spinning around and pressing a hand to her chest. Elrond stepped forward and smiled, and she immediately felt cornered.

"What do you want?" she growled, angry at him for scaring her and furious that he was the reason her friends were gone from Mirkwood.

An innocent expression came over his face as he stepped closer. "I just came to see the view," he said, looking out over the valley. "I've heard so much about the beauty."

She glared at him, fury clenching at her heart. She didn't need this. Turning, she began walking away when a strong hand gripped her arm and yanked her back. She gasped and widened her eyes in fear as Elrond pulled her towards him and held her tightly.

"Don't you want to stay?" he asked as she stood frozen in his grasp. "I thought maybe we could talk."

Novlomiel swallowed hard and stared into his eyes. His gaze was dark and dominant, and he knew that she was scared. "I don't want to talk," she said through gritted teeth. She pulled from his hands, but he retained his hold. "Let me go."

A smirk spread across his lips, and Novlomiel began to get worried. "What do you want from me?" she asked, hoping to maybe reason with him.

"Young Novlomiel," he said, his eyes searching her face, "You are quite lovely. Did you know that your King is responsible for the destruction of my family?" When she shook her head, he smiled, "No, I don't suppose you did. Well, that doesn't matter. It doesn't change what I'm going to do."

She could feel the colour drain from her face as he spoke. He was going to kill her. He was going to get back at the King by murdering the closest thing he had to a daughter. "Please don't," she whispered, pleading for her life, "Please don't hurt me."

He released one arm and, maintaining a steady hold on the other, raised his hand to her face. He touched her gently, smoothing fingers through her hair, down her neck and along her shoulder. "The pain, my dear, all depends on how well you co-operate." He smiled then, and she realized he wasn't going to kill her, he was going to rape her!

"No," she breathed, shaking her head and pulling away from him, "No, don't, please. My father...he..he can give you money. Anything!" She was desperate. Elrond's touch was becoming more and more intimate.

He laughed softly at her words. "I don't need money, or anything else, for that matter," he said, fingering the straps of her dress, "Your father and King will realize what Rivendell is capable of when they find you broken and violated."

His voice sent chills down her spine. "The treaty," she said, "What about the treaty? If you do this, they'll take over Rivendell."

He blinked slowly and sighed. "Those things I do not care about anymore," he replied, drawing her strap over her shoulder, "I have other...matters...to concern myself with."

She wasn't going to convince him to stop this. Panicking, she began to struggle in his hold. "Let me go!" she yelled, knowing it was no use to scream for help. They were too far away from the city.

She expected him to grab hold of her to steady her, but instead he lifted his free hand and slapped her hard across the face. She whimpered out as she fell against him, held up by his strength. Raising a hand to her stung face, she looked up at him in fear and rage, and again tried to violently pull from his grasp.

He hit her again, this time harder, and she cried out as he grabbed both her arms and shook her. "Listen to me, bitch," he growled, leaning his face to hers, "I have no problems making this difficult for you, so just keep giving me a reason to hit you and I will."

She met his stare, her eyes watering in pain and fright, and she felt her resolve begin to crumble. Sniffing, she lowered her gaze and breathed heavily, wishing and praying that this was only a horrible nightmare.

It wasn't, though, and she whimpered when he pulled her by the arm and forcibly dragged her back into the forest. She resisted, but he didn't seem to take notice. He was much stronger than she was.

They walked even further away from the city, to a small clearing in the middle of the woods. She knew what was coming, what he was going to do to her, and she felt weak and numb with fear. Running wasn't even an option; she didn't think her legs would support her.

Elrond threw her to the ground and she scrambled to get up, but he was on top of her in an instant, pinning her body to the cold, green floor. "It would do you good to just lie still,\ sai said, pulling roughly at her skirt. She raised her hands to stop him, but he was too determined and too quick, and he soon had loosened it enough to pull down her legs.

The cool air hit her skin as the material was removed from her body. She moaned and pleaded with him to stop, but he ignored her, concentrating instead on keeping her subdued while he prepared her for his assault.

He slid her underwear down her legs and Novlomiel whimpered, trying to pull her legs into herself. Elrond shoved them downwa tho though, and climbed back on top of her, straddling her body. He took her underwear and used them to bind her wrists together, and forced her arms over her head.

"Lie still, beautiful," he breathed as he laid over her and undid his pants, "This won't take long."

Novlomiel shivered and clenched her fists as she felt him moving on top of her. Her eyes stung with tears, so she bit her lip, trying hard to maintain control of herself. She wouldn't break down in front of him. Steeling herself and keeping her eyes from him, she waited until she felt him force her legs apart and enter her roughly.

Try as she might, she couldn't help but cry out in pain at the intrustion. She wasn't used to the rawness of rough sex, and the speed and violence at which he thrusted caused her to loose her control. Tears escaped her eyes as he ran his hands up her arms and back down, then held tight to her hips as he forced himself further into her body.

"That's a good girl," he whispered hoarsely, burying his face in her neck. His breathing was loud and ragged in her ear, and his voice only made the ordeal worse.

His hands seared on her cold skin, massaging and clasping at her body, and she just wished he would stop touching her and use her body quickly, so it could all be over with. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out his heavy breaths and low moans, but it was impossible. The only sounds in the forest were their voices.

Rolling over her hips, he began to increase his movements, moving faster and more hurtful, and the pain in her legs and abdomen increased. She felt as though she was burning from the inside out, and slowly her body began to go numb from the assault.

She didn't register when he met his climax, but she felt him stop moving and lower his body to hers, and she breathed deeply in newfound fear. Now that he had had his fun, was he going to let her go? She sniffed and bit her lip, hoping he would have had enough. Praying he would let her go.

Her eyes widened when he raised his head and stared at her, his own eyes dark with satisfaction. "You did well," he said, his voice low, "You took it like a big girl. Better than I thought you would." His fingers touched her rose-tinged cheek for a quick moment before abruptly pulled from her and stood up, composing himself.

Novlomiel didn't dare move. She only moved her arms downward over her chest and curled her legs up, trying to melt into the ground. Maybe if she was quiet enough, he would just leave.

"It doesn't matter to me what you say to your father or King," he said, smoothing his hair back, "But I want you to let them know that this could easily be done again, if they don't do the right thing. Or next time, I could make it worse."

The words were muffled in her ears, but she understood. He would kill her if they didn't succumb to Rivendell's demands. A scared smile played at her lips; the King wouldn't rethink an entire treaty for one person, would he?

Lost in her thoughts and fears, she didn't even notice Elrond had left. When she looked up, he was gone, and she didn't know when he had disappeared. Quietly and quickly, she got up and pulled her hands for her binds, and dressed, shaking the dirt off her skirt as she did so. Rubbing at her face and hoping she appeared composed, she started off for Mirkwood, but soon found herself too worried to go on. Instead of continuing, she sat down underneath one of the towering trees, and allowed herself to cry.

*

It took several hours before Novlomiel could muster the strength to walk back to Mirkwood, and when she did she went directly to her house and lied down on her bed, trying to sleep. She wanted to escape the reality of the situation, just for a while, and at the moment she had no intent of going to her father or the King. What would she tell them? She couldn't bear to think about it, let alone speak.

She curled into herself and closed her eyes, but sleep did not come easily. Images of him flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but concentrate on what had happened. Her body ached from his abuse, and thinking about it was almost like reliving it, with the smells and sounds still so fresh in her ears.

She stayed in bed until she couldn't stand the quiet anymore. Getting up, she took a shower and got dressed, and made her way out to look for her father. She needed to talk to someone, and Elrond was serious about letting them know what had happened.

Wringing her hands, she opened the door to the meeting hall and wasn't surprised to see her father and the King, and several others, sitting at the long table discussing the current situation.

She closed the door quietly and stood at the back of the room, listening to their conversation. It scared her, what they spoke of. How important this treaty was. She knew that if she told them what had happened to her, at the very least the treaty would be dissolved before it ever came to be. At the very worst, a war would break out.

Over her.

She sniffed back a few tears and held herself steady. She wouldn't risk the lives of her friends and family just because someone took advantage of her. She was strong enough to deal with this herself, and it was over now. Elrond wouldn't be coming back. And if he decided to let everyone know what he did...well, that could be dealt with if it ever came to be.

She slipped out the door, without them ever realizing she had been there.

It was hard, dealing with what had happened. Especially when there was no one to talk to. Occasionally, she would wake up from nightmares that were filled with violence and fear and afterwards, during the days following, she would rarely leave the house, too afraid of someone seeing her scared and weak. As time went on, she found herself not thinking about it every minute of every day, and slowly she thoughthapshaps the torture was passing. Maybe things would be normal again.

That was until one day, two months later.

The memories of Novlomiel's rape were slowly being ousted by worries of what was happening with Haldir and Legolas. She had not heard from either of them the entire time they had been gone, though the King assured her he had. She spent her days thinking about them, hoping that they would be back soon. It was an early summer day when the first letter arrived for her. It was so unexpected, she hesitated at first before taking it, but soon ripped it open and read what was inside:

Dearest Novlomiel;

I am sorry I have not written. Things have been difficult, but I assure you we are all alright. Breakthroughs have recently been made with Rivendell, and Legolas and I hope to be back in Mirkwood before winter. I do not have long, so I only hope you are well, and I miss you.

Yours,
Haldir

Novlomiel released a deeply held breath and folded the letter, placing it back in its envelope. Haldir had made no mention of Elrond saying anything of their past, and while part of her was grateful, another felt lost. Sheldn\ldn't bear to tell him, even when he returned to Mirkwood. She couldn't risk ending an entire treaty just because of something she wanted to leave in the past.

A smile spread across her lips as she fingered the envelope. It lifted a great weight, knowing Haldir and Legolas were well. She at last could feel relaxed, happy, and hopeful.

She walked into her house and into her bedroom, planning on changing for lunch with her father. It had been a long while since she had had the chance to visit with him, and she was looking forward to it.

She pulled off her dress and stood in front of the mirror, holding different outfits to her body to see how they looked. She smiled when she decided on blue, but that smile disappeared when rem removed the dress from between her and the mirror.

Narrowing her eyes, she stepped forward and gazed at her reflection. A quick wave of panic came over her as she turned sideways and noticed a difference in her form. A roundness in her abdomen that wasn't there before.

Backing away from the mirror, she quickly turned and ran to the bathroom, and looked under the sink. A cold fear swept over her when she realized she hadn't had a menstrual cycle in over 6 weeks. With all the problems and worries she had been facing, she hadn't even noticed.

She pushed herself against the cool wall and slid to the floor. As she absently held her hand over her belly, Novlomiel's memories of what Elrond had done to her came flooding back. Every touch, every sensation. And now there was something else, something that couldn't be forgotten. She was pregnant.

Closing her eyes, she took slow, deep, calming breaths. Perhaps something can be done, she thought. It's wasn't anything to worry about. Not yet. Not quite yet.

Gathering her strength, she got to her feet and walked out to the bedroom, getting dressed and composing herself. When her eyes were no longer glassy with tears, she left the house and set out to see her father.

*

TBC