The Taking of Vanelossë - Part III

Notes and Disclaimer:

Elvish sayings:
Melethen – My love
Meleth i guilen – Love of my life.
Melethrilen - My beloved
Namarië - Farewell
Ada – father
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I am going to state the obvious here. I do not stick to canon or adhere to LACE in this
story! I do not own any of JRR Tolkien’s characters, I just borrow them. The following
characters (and the meanings of their names) are mine are:
Vanelossë – beautiful, snow-white Séro- peace
Alasse – joy Illisse – all sweet
Anarion – child of sun Tauro – Wood, forest
Mehtar – Warrior Calime – bright
Arnarmo - noble wolf Larin
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Thanks to GhettoElleth for her wonderful suggestions of making my story
better. I love the newest version! You are the best!
Thanks to Space Weavil and Thuriniel for helping my elves not speak babble!!!
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CHAPTER 6
Some Wounds Cannot Be Healed


Aragorn came to stand beside Legolas and asked, “How bad is it?”

“All of the women have been beaten and raped repeatedly. When she and Orophin helped the others escape, they were both whipped and beaten,” Elrohir said. He looked back at Legolas and could see how upset he was. “She was whipped severely, Legolas.”

Legolas jerked his arm out of Elrohir’s grasp and ran over to where Vanelossë lay, still unconscious. She was on her stomach with her blood soaked dress cut down the back, she was completely exposed as Elladan and two of the rangers were trying to stop her bleeding. She had so many lash marks on her back that the skin was barely visible through all of the blood. Legolas groaned in pain and torment, physically sick at what had been done to her.

Elladan looked up at him and Legolas could tell from his look that her condition was grim. He crouched down beside her and pulled her blood soaked hair back. Her face was swollen and bruised severely. She was still unconscious and he did not attempt to wake her, hoping that they could help ease her pain before she awoke.

Aragorn walked to where she was and saw her, cursing as he looked away toward the sky. He was unable to believe that anyone would do this to her. Rumil and Orophin walked over as well. Aragorn barely recognized Orophin, his face was so bruised and swollen. He had a severe lash mark across his face. Aragorn knew he had suffered at the hands of these animals as well.

Swallowing hard, Orophin spoke softly as he looked at Legolas, “It is not only her back.”

Legolas looked at him, then moved to his wife’s side. When he gently pulled up the skirt of her gown, he groaned, seeing all the wounds on her legs.

When Legolas finally looked at him, Orophin shook his head saying, “That is not all of her wounds.”

Legolas drew in a shaky breath then pulled her skirt the rest of the way off her body. Painfully, he realized that she had lash marks covering her entire backside. Seeing more blood on the blanket beneath her, he carefully moved her leg and realized that she had welts on the fronts of her legs as well. Softly, he asked Orophin if there were any on the front above her waist, the elf shook his head no. Pulling her skirt back down, he asked Elladan if she had any other injuries.

“She has at least two broken ribs and her arms have wounds as well.”

Looking at her arms, Legolas realized that they had not been inadvertently lashed, they had been purposely cut and slashed with a knife.

Asking two of the rangers for assistance, Aragorn began to look for the plants and supplies he needed to help her. The rest of the rangers and elves were tending to the other women. Rumil had taken Orophin to sit down while he cleaned the wounds on his younger brother’s back and face.

Feeling he was being watched, Legolas looked up and saw Calime. She was smiling softly as she looked toward him. Her face was bruised and swollen as well. His heart ached for what had happened to these women.

“Vanelossë was terrified that you were dead. She will be very happy when she wakes up.” As she started to cry, she said, “Forgive me for all that has happened. She took on more pain in order to protect us. She chose to stay rather than flee with the others. If she had fled, she would not have been so savagely tortured.”

Legolas smiled slightly, “You know Vanelossë would never flee from a fight, nor does she do the safest thing when others are involved.”

Sniffling back her tears, Calime smiled again as she said, “She will be so happy you have returned safely. She has worried for you and missed you so much. When you go home, you will finally see Anarion. He is so beautiful and such a good baby. He rarely ever cries.”

Her eyes looked haunted as she thought for a moment. As more tears fell from her eyes, she looked down and said, “Although he has assuredly been crying now without her.”

The ranger that was sitting beside her looked at Legolas and he nodded. “Calime, let him look at your injuries so he can help you. I need to help Vanelossë now.”

Aragorn had returned and Legolas told the other rangers to let the king take over. Elladan and Legolas cut the rest of her dress off, leaving her legs and back exposed. Legolas knew this was not the time for modesty and Aragorn needed to be able to see in order to work on all of her wounds. Elladan and Legolas helped Aragorn as much as they could.

Elrohir was organizing all that was occurring with the other injured people. He asked Èomer to take over protecting the area and guarding the Easterlings. Gimli arranged for some of the soldiers to help make preparations for the night, including food and water. Some of the rangers had set up torches so that Elladan, Aragorn, and Legolas could see as they worked on Vanelosse. There was a full moon, which did give off some light.

Soon Mehtar and his group of elves found them as well. Elrohir told them to rest, he would be needing messengers to go return to King Thranduil as well as Lothlorien and Rivendell. Mehtar came over to where Legolas and Aragorn were sitting with Vanelossë. When he saw her, he sank to his knees beside Legolas, horrified that he had allowed her to be taken.

“This is all my fault,” he said, feeling like a knife had stabbed his gut. Vanelossë was a beautiful person inside and out, and the thought that these men had defiled any part of her was sickening.

Legolas looked over at him and asked how this was his fault. When Mehtar told him what had happened, Legolas was quiet.

Finally, he looked over at his friend and said, “You saved my son and you kept her from being killed right then and there. You had no choice in the matter. You are not to blame my friend. Now go rest or help with the other women, and stop letting guilt weigh so heavy on you.”

After Mehtar walked away, Legolas continued to help with Vanelossë. They were finally able to stop the bleeding and start to get her cleaned up. Legolas winced every time he saw a new bruise on her. She had black bruises on her neck, obviously from being choked. She had bruises on the inside of her thighs that made him sick knowing how they had happened. They finally were able to stop the bleeding and clean the wounds on her whole backside as well. She had so many lashes Legolas was amazed that she did not pass out while it happened.

Unable to roll her over, they carefully got her to her feet, touching her wounds as little as possible, and trying to avoid her broken ribs. They needed to begin to address the wounds on the front of her legs. Legolas held her to him, supporting her weight, while Aragorn and Elladan worked on her injuries.

Legolas was looking down at Vanelossë and felt tears burning his eyes; her beautiful face was so bruised. When he thought of what those animals did to her, he wanted to rip them apart, and as soon as she was well, that is exactly what he planned to do. He felt her stir slightly. She opened her green eyes a little bit then closed them. When she opened them again, they were filled with tears as she looked upon him.

“I was afraid you were dead,” she cried.

Legolas leaned down and lightly kissed her. She reached up her arm and lightly touched his face as she said, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, my sweet,” he said, gently.

“I am so sorry,” she began to cry harder.

“Why are you sorry?”

“After what those men did to me, you will probably never want me again.”

Taking a deep breath to try and calm the raging fury coursing through his veins, he said softly to her, “Vanelossë, what happened is not your fault. They will pay for what they did to you but you will not feel guilty about it. I love you and want you as much as before.”

Tears ran down his face as he said, “I am so sorry I was not there to protect you. I cannot believe what they have done to my sweet wife.”

“You were needed somewhere else. I understood when you left that you were going to be gone for a while. I am just so glad you are here now. Is Aragorn alright as well?”

Smiling slightly, Legolas said, “Aragorn is one of the ones tending to your legs. As is Elladan.”

Laughing lightly, she said, “So Elladan finally gets to touch me while I am naked.”

Legolas smiled. He leaned over and gave her another light kiss. He was afraid he might hurt her but he needed to touch her: to make sure that she would be all right.

Vanelossë looked at him and said, “You have been gone for many months and that is the best kiss you can give me?”

“I am terrified I am going to hurt you worse,” Legolas said, stroking her bruised face lightly.

Vanelossë grabbed him by his hair and pulled him to her in a deep kiss. Still trying to be gentle, he kissed her back passionately until she moaned. He pulled away slightly and realized that it was a moan of pain not pleasure. Looking down at Aragorn, he saw that they had stopped the bleeding and were cleaning her wounds.

“Aragorn, please hurry. She is in a lot of pain and it is getting worse.”

Reaching over and grabbing something off the pile of plants, Aragorn stood up and said her name softly.

When she looked at Aragorn, he said, “Vanelossë, I need you to eat this. It will help with the pain and it might help you get some sleep as well.” He gently gave it to her and when she swallowed it as he smiled.

“Thank you, Estel. Thanks for helping to take care of me.”

Aragorn smiled and then gave Legolas a look of concern, seeing the fever raging in her eyes. Before they finished with her legs, she had passed out again as Legolas held her tenderly. When Aragorn and Elladan were finished with the front of her legs, they carefully laid her back on her stomach.

“Legolas, she is feverish. You can see it in her eyes. We need to get these wounds tended to quickly so we can get her covered up or she will get worse,” Aragorn said.

Aragorn told Elladan and Legolas what he needed them to do. They quickly finished taking care of the wounds on her body. Èomer and Gimli came to check on them. Not realizing what was going on, they walked up behind them when she was still lying there nude with all of her back, buttocks, and legs visible. Èomer gasped and quickly turned his back. Gimli looked down at the sight.

“How could they have done this to her? It sickens me that anyone would do this to a woman. They are animals,” Èomer said visibly shaken.

“We came to see if there was anything we could do. Everyone else is taken care of and I was not sure if you needed anything, or if I could do something,” Èomer stammered shocked at her condition.

Elladan said, “Thankfully for her she has passed out so she is not aware of how much pain she should be in. We could use some very soft blankets. Try not to bring anything too course or it will make her even more miserable.”

Èomer and Gimli left to get the blankets. The men realized it was starting to get late into the night, and they had been attending to her for hours. Elrohir came back with the blankets and looked down at her.

“I cannot believe how badly hurt she is. She was still awake, talking, and sitting up when we found her. It was not until Elladan hugged her that she finally passed out.”

Elrohir was quiet for a minute, before he said, “Legolas, I need to tell you something, but I need you to remain calm about it.”

”I cannot promise that. Tell me what it is.”

“After talking to some of the women and Orophin, I have found out some of the things that have happened to her.”

Taking a ragged breath feeling sick, he told Legolas of the rapes, beatings, and whippings. Legolas, Aragorn, and Elladan listened, sickened and disgusted. Legolas’ rage was threatening once again to overwhelm him.

As Elrohir was talking, Rumil walked over. When Elrohir finished, he looked at Rumil.

“Legolas, you need to know something and I do not know how to tell you other than just say it,” Rumil said quietly.

Legolas looked up at him dreading what he was going to hear.

“Legolas, the Easterling that did this to your wife, forced Orophin to violate her as well, the first time she was whipped. They threatened to kill her, and continued to beat her until he did.”

Legolas felt sick. For his wife to have suffered so much humiliation and abuse, then to have her shamed by an elf violating her was unbearable. His heart ached for her as he turned away from Rumil, returning his focus to tending her wounds. He could not look at anyone right now.

Rumil continued reluctantly, “Tonight, Orophin tried to protect her by telling the Easterlings to beat him instead of her, the Easterlings said that because it would hurt Orophin worse, he would give her additional punishment rather than Orophin.”

All of the men were quiet. Aragorn and Elladan glanced over at Legolas without stopping what they were doing and Elrohir and Rumil watched him as well.

Finally, Rumil took a shaky breath and finished saying, “Orophin is consumed with guilt and shame for his violation of your wife. He thinks you should kill him for his dishonor.”

“It was not his fault. He was trying to save my life,” they heard Vanelossë whisper.

Legolas put his rage off and stroked her hair slightly. “What did you say Van?”

“It was not Orophin’s fault. They forced him to do what he did to me. Please do not be mad at him. He would not leave with the women because he thought they would kill me when they found out. He did not know that they would do this to me. He tried to stop it but he could do nothing,” Vanelossë said weakly.

“I do not blame Orophin for any part of what has happened. He saved your life even if he had to ….. do what he did,” Legolas said softly. “Now, Van, listen to me. You need to stop trying to protect everyone and let us take care of you now. Get some rest Melethrilen.”

When Legolas looked at Rumil, he said, “Tell Orophin that I will do nothing to him for he tried to protect her. It would not bring back her honor if he were dead. He is not the one responsible for her dishonor. The men that did this to her will pay for her injuries, not Orophin.”

Rumil nodded to Legolas and walked back to the fires where Orophin was sitting mournfully. He knew this was destroying his younger brother. If it were not for the fact that Legolas deserved the right, he knew Orophin would have killed the Easterling leader by now for what he had done to them. Orophin had also told him how shamed he was because he had no control over his body, even though he was disgusted with what he had been forced to do.

Rumil knew that Legolas did not need to know this; that it would only hurt him worse, so he told Orophin not to speak of it. Rumil reassured him that Vanelossë would not blame him, but he knew that Orophin was drowning in his shame. Losing Haldir had been hard enough on the two brothers. He feared what this would do to Orophin. When he came to Orophin, he explained what Legolas had said. Orophin appeared more guilty and shamed than relieved when Rumil told him that Legolas held no grudge against him.

Aragorn was finally finishing as he bandaged her arms. He hoped they would not get infected. Vanelossë had either fallen asleep or passed out again. Covering her lightly with a blanket, Aragorn looked at Legolas.

“That is all we can do for her now. She cannot be moved for a few days, maybe even weeks. I suggest we plan to stay here so Elladan and I can help you with this. I do not even know whether the other women are ready to travel either. We need to plan to stay for awhile.”