Love Beneath The Surface

Title: Love Beneath The Surface 6/?
Author: Sivan Shemesh sivan325@walla.co.il
Beta: Manon
Pairing: Elladan/Elrohir, Elrond/Legolas, Erestor/Thranduil
Rating: NC-17 overall.
Warning: Twincest, angst, violence/torture, first time, OOC Erestor.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Tolkien, I just borrowed them. Only the OC’s.
Spoiler: Total AU.
Summary: Sometimes, you only need one elf to know what love is, but sometimes the fear of losing leads you to love.

~*~

6.

A week later…

A scout was sent ahead. It did not take long before he returned. His face was pale.

“My lord? My lord?” the scout called.

Elrond heard the scout calling him, then noticed the look on the scout’s face and went towards him. “What is it? What did you see?” Elrond asked worriedly.

The scout took some deep breaths and said, “Something is wrong; there… there is only a horse there… and a… trail of blood…” He was cut of by his lord.

“Where? Show me!” Elrond ordered.

The scout led the group to the area.

Elrond dismounted from his horse and walked into the clearing; he had a worried look on his face, as he now understood why the scout was concerned – a horse lay bleeding on the grass, and Legolas’ tunic lay nearby, covered with blood.

There was a trail of blood, it was dry.

Elrond knelt to check the horse. “The horse is dead!” he exclaimed and added sadly as he held the torn tunic in his hands, “It is the horse Legolas was riding…”

“Then where is Legolas, my friend?” Erestor asked curiously, as he and the others did not see any sign of the elfling.

‘I wish I knew,’ Elrond thought, as he tried to stop the tears from falling.

Elrond decided to ride to Mirkwood; they might find an answer there.
~*~

After two weeks… in Mirkwood…

King Thranduil hurriedly left his room after being told by his guards that there was a group from Imladris. His heart lightened – his son had came back, as he promised.

Thranduil glanced towards the elves from Imladris, noticing Elrond and the twins, but not knowing why Elrond’s advisor was there too. He stared hard at them, trying to search for Legolas, for his son.

His heart skipped a beat. He could not see his son amongst them.

He knew that his son was in Imladris, and now the Imladris elves had come without him? He began to worry about Legolas.

Thranduil walked towards them, his eyes locked on Elrond who seemed to be wearing a mask on his face, as if he didn’t want Thranduil see what he was thinking.

Thranduil was restless; he wanted to know what was happening. Any other issues were seemed less important.

“Where is my son? Speak quickly!” Thranduil ordered.

But no one answered.

Thranduil approached Elrond further, his heart racing as his mind began to think that something had happened to his son, and his voice was trembled in fear as he asked, “Where is my son?”

Elrond lowered his head and he swallowed hard, not wanting for Thranduil to see him like this. He then raised his head and said, “I need to talk with you… alone.”

Thranduil seemed to ignore what Elrond just said to him. He now stood before Elrond, and could see Elrond was breathing deeply. “Where is my son?” he demanded.

“Thranduil, I need to talk to you alone!” Elrond said in a determined voice.

Thranduil looked at him and shook his head in fear. “No… no… you are not going to tell me that… that my son is… is… dead!” He sank down to the ground, his legs unable to hold him up.

Elrond sighed heavily, trying to find the right words to say. He knelt down before Thranduil. “No, no exactly,” he said, then noticed Thranduil’s look and added as he lowered his head in shame, “We do not have any idea where he is…”

“What?” Thranduil yelled and rose to his feet. He was furious, but at the same time his heart was heavy.

Elrond stood up as Thranduil tried to catch his breath. “What do you mean that you do not know where he is? He was in YOUR realm!” Thranduil said furiously before raising his hands to his face. He was starting to feel that he was losing control.

He collapsed once more to the ground; he felt that he couldn’t take it anymore.

Elrond knelt down again and tried to comfort him. “Easy, my friend. I only wished to speak with you about your son’s behavior,” Elrond said softly.

Thranduil lift his head and stared at his friend, but Elrond turned his head away. He could feel Thranduil’s eyes on him, piercing him like daggers, as if he wished to kill him with his eyes.

Thranduil struggled within himself, not wanting to do anything foolish.

“Not now! Not until I find my son!” Thranduil exclaimed.

Erestor felt guilty when he saw the pain on the king’s face, realizing what had happened.

Erestor came forward, “My lord?”

Thranduil only stared at the advisor. There was only one thing on his mind – to find his son. Anything else was unimportant.

“Silinde!” Thranduil called.

Thranduil’s loyal guard appeared almost immediately.

Thranduil looked at him. “Prepare the horses; we are going to search for my son…” Thranduil’s voice off as the tears started to roll down his cheeks.

Silinde nodded and quickly left to do what he was asked.

It did not take much longer before the group left, Thranduil and Silinde following Elrond and his sons.

“Thranduil…” Elrond found his voice. It pained him to see his friend like this.

Erestor moved his horse towards the king. “My lord?”

Thranduil looked at him and said sharply, “Not now!”

They rode faster, the wind biting into their skins. It was as if the Witch-King was chasing them.

After one week without taking any rest, they reached the place.

Thranduil could feel himself choking, his throat tight.

“Water?” he managed to say weakly, unsteadily getting down from his horse.

Elrond dismounted from his horse, and his sons helped him to sit Thranduil onto the wet grass.

Elrond gave a cup of water to Thranduil and told him to drink slowly.

Thranduil started to feel a little calmer after he finished drinking.

In the meantime Erestor had dismounted from his horse and moved towards the king, holding the tunic in his hands.

“My lord?” Erestor looked at the king, his eyes filled with guilt and shame at his behavior before with the prince.

“What is it?” Thranduil asked motionlessly.

Erestor handed him the Legolas’ tunic and then stepped back.

Thranduil’s eyes were staring at the tunic, noticing the dry blood on it. He held his breath, fearing the worst had already happened.

Silinde noticed the frown on his king’s face and tried to comfort him. “My lord? Can I do something to ease the pain?”

Thranduil took a deep breath and nodded to his guard. There was nothing that his guard could do, but perhaps there was something the elves from Imladris could.

“How did this happen?” Thranduil asked, glaring hard at each member of the group, his eyes like sharp daggers, ready to kill.

No answer came, making Thranduil wonder and to become angrier.

“How did this happen?” Thranduil asked again, raising his voice.

Erestor came closer and lowered his head. “It has happened because of me, your highness…” he said softly.

Thranduil looked at him, his eyes examining Erestor. He was surprised and asked, “You?”

“Aye, your highness,” Erestor confirmed, and added, “I blamed your son for everything that involved love…” He sighed and added, his voice breaking, “I will take any punishment that you decide, your highness.”

Elrond approached his advisor and squeezed his shoulders in support, wanting to be there for him.

“I will think of what you have said, Lord Erestor.” Thranduil turned towards him and added as the tears fell, “Right now, I need to find my son before my heart breaks from grief. He is everything to me, and I don’t wish to lose him…”

Thranduil’s eyes were back on his son’s tunic, then on the grass. He noticed the trail of dried blood, and how some of it was almost vanished from sight.

“Have you tracked the blood? See where it lead to?” Thranduil asked as a light of hope shone in his eyes.

Elrond nodded, unable to tell him that it did not seem to lead anywhere.

Thranduil seemed lost in despair again; he felt like he wanted to kill them all, as they did not do anything to save his son.

“We will find him, my lord.” Silinde said it in purpose to comfort his king, as he was not intending to give up.

End of Chapter 6.

R/R