Mael-Gul

Authors note: Completely A.U. Legolas slave fic.
This story was inspired by Bluegolds story "Bound", which can be found at this archive, and also here:
http://daemel.freespaces.com/authors.html#blue. 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!

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.

Some sentences in this chapter are directly lifted from the scenes between Aragorn and Arwen in Peter Jacksons Movies FOTR and TTT, extended editions. However, I have taken some dramatic liberties with them. Apologies to all movie purists!

For all other disclaimers and authors notes, as well as for warnings, see Prologue.


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VI. Arwen


Legolas found his master in the garden where he enjoyed the company of Lady Arwen. The Mirkwood Elf offered the daughter of Lord Elrond a respectful greeting, then he bowed his head for his master and knelt down beside him. “My Lady Arwen,” he greeted politely, “Estel.”

Aragorn smiled at him. Arwen seemed delighted. “Legolas! It is good to see you out and about again! I deem Estel took good care of you?”

The slave gave the Elven Lady of Lord Elrond's house a courteous nod and blushed. “Yes, My Lady. I am well again, now.”

“I am glad,” she said with a friendly smile.

“So am I,” Aragorn said and reached out to give the face of his slave a small caress. “Last night I really feared for you.”

Legolas blushed. “I am well again, Estel,” he said. “Thank you!”

Aragorn traced his cheeks. “Then I expect you tonight,” he said. “I wish to reacquaint myself with you some more.”

Legolas paled a bit. So soon?! He had hoped for more time!! Carefully he said: “Actually, My Lord, I had hoped to ask you if you could release me from my duties for the evening. There is a delegation of my father here in Imladris. They were sent to deliver a message to Lord Elrond. I would ask your permission to spend some time with them. It... has been long that I had news from my home.”

Aragorn looked at him a bit dismayed. Then he looked back at his betrothed. Her expression told him how he had to chose. She would not take it lightly if he spent the first night they could be together in peace since over a month with bed games with his slave instead of enjoying her company some more.

He turned back to Legolas. “Very well,” he said, “Then I will have to wait until tomorrow. Of course you may stay with your people for tonight! But be back in the morning. Elrond will hold a council tomorrow shortly after noon, and before it begins I wish to fill you in with the tidings I gathered.”

Legolas gave him a grateful nod. He made to rise but was stopped by by the gentle pressure of his masters hand on his shoulder.

“But I expect your company tomorrow night,” Aragorn added. “I have plans! There are still those toys Lord Elrond gave to me to your last begetting day, some weeks ago, and as far as I recall I never got the chance to properly use them on you. Now I would have that redeemed.”

Legolas shuddered. Aragorn squeezed his shoulder lightly and raised his hand again to caress his face once more. “I expect you tomorrow, then.”

Legolas bowed. “It will be my pleasure to serve you, master,” he said bravely yet untruthfully, and rose. His voice shook a bit, hampering the effect. He gave Aragorn and Arwen a last respectful bow and left.

Arwen looked after him bemused, then she turned back to Aragorn. “That was cruel!” she observed.

Aragorn shrugged. “It is not as if he would not have expected it,” he said. “He knows me well, and he knows my needs and preferences. He is used to what I do to him when we were forced to be apart for longer.”

Then he shook his head. “But let us speak of other things.” He traced her face and lips. “I am glad to be back here with you. These long nights out there in the wilds were very lonely. They caused many dreams.”

She smiled. “Did you dream of me,” she teased, “or Legolas?”

He looked down a bit embarrassed. “Both,” he admitted with a reluctant smile. “But it is you who really owns my heart.”

He stood and took her hand, drawing her to her feet. “I fear what tomorrows council may bring. War is near. My destiny is upon us. Yet my path is veiled before me.”

“Trust in yourself,” she counseled, stepping into his arms. “Your path has long been chosen for you. We will face it together!”

“Arwen...” He caressed her ears, then kissed her tenderly.

The sun was setting, and darkness fell over the garden. Slowly, the stars came out. He took her hand, and they began to walk the paths of the garden. Close by the narrow bridge over the stream he stood and took her face into his hands. “I would rather you took ship and went with the others of your kind to Valinor,” he said. “Far away from war, darkness and death.”

She stiffened under his hands. “You would send me away? Are you tired of me already?” she teased, a bit more sternly than she wished to show.

He shook his head. “No! I love you more than life. But I would not have you condemn yourself to death because of me! It is bad enough that Legolas is bound to me already. I would not be responsible for your death, too!” He shuddered. “You have not seen him last night! I was nearly too late!”

Arwen was a bit disappointed. Legolas again. Still, it seemed to haunt her beloved and she could see his point. “I would not be under the spell,” she reminded him.

He shook his head. “Yet you would have to share my fate, my mortality. I would not have you do that!”

Angrily she shot: “You accept it from Legolas!”

Aragorn let her go and took a step back.

“Legolas has no choice!” he growled. “I would entrust him to another, preferably an Elf. I do not wish him to die because of me! And I know my needs are hard on him. But I do not want to give him back into the hands of Lord Elrond. Or even my brothers!”

She shook her head, looking earnestly. “You cannot do that. Father hates Legolas with a passion. He looks too much like Thranduil for his taste. He would just let him die, or give him to an Elf who treated him even worse. And my brothers...” she shrugged. “They like him well enough, but they do not really wish him bound to them. And they would not care for him as much. Not like you. They would give him away soon, too.” Aragorn looked pained. He only nodded.

Arwen decided to redirect the conversation. She took his hands again and drew him onto the bridge.

“If you asked Legolas, I'm sure he'd told you he'd rather stayed with you,” she said. She kissed his hands. “As would I.” She smiled at him. “It is my choice,” she reminded him. “Do you remember when you first met me?”

He nodded. “I thought that I had strayed into a dream,” he said.

She caressed his face. “You were much younger then,” she said, “and you were not burdened by all the cares you carry now. Do you remember what I said to you?”

Aragorn held her close. “You said you'd bind yourself to me,” he said, “forsaking immortal life of your people.”

She nodded. “And to that I hold. I would rather have one lifetime at the side of you,” she said, “then face all the ages of the world alone!” She closed her hands on his and when he opened his hand again it held the Evenstar, her necklace, as a token of her love and her promise.

His eyes widened. “You can not give me this!”

She smiled at him. “It is mine to give to whom I will, like my heart!” And with that she stepped close to him and kissed him.

Aragorn held her fast. He loved her, albeit sometimes he nearly despaired at the impossibility of this love. He closed his eyes. Finally he relented.

“Once we marry,” he said, “I will have to find another master for Legolas anyway. I would not simply let him die. I need to entrust him to someone to keep him alive.”

Arwen gently shook her head. Could he not for one moment forget this other Elf?! “You care deeply for him,” she accused with a pang of jealousy.

He did not look up. “I will not let him die!” he repeated.

Arwen nearly screamed. But suddenly she had an idea. “Keep him!” she said.

He looked up, startled. “What?!”

“I said, keep him! You know I do not share your ... preferences. Once we are married you will still need someone to satisfy your special needs. He is used to them. And I would rather it be him, than have to share you with somebody else.”

He looked still startled and a bit mortified. “You would allow this?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Why not? He is your slave. I had to share you with him for so long that I am used to it. And he would stay alive, and would not need to fear being bestowed to another master. It's perfect!”

Aragorn looked at her sceptically. “I would still condemn him to die,” he said, “when it is my time. Like I would you.”

She took his face into her hands. “Ask Legolas for his wishes,” she said earnestly, “and I am sure he would tell you the same. He would rather stay with you than have another master. Even if it means he has to die with us.”

Aragorn bowed his head. “You do not know what I do to him,” he said. “It is not pretty. It is hard on him to bear my needs.”

She studied him for a moment, puzzled that he was ashamed of what he used to do to his slave – a slave that had been given to him precisely to bear and satisfy these exact needs. Her father had given Legolas to her betrothed since he did not wish to have his foster son take out his preference for inflicting pain on those he took to bed on a free partner. Still Aragorn was ashamed that he used his slave the way the slave was intended for!?

Suddenly she said: “Let me watch!”

He was taken aback. “What?!”

She did not relent. “When you take him next time like you like to do, let me watch!”

He took a step back, startled. “Why?!” he asked puzzled.

“Because once we are married I will have to share you with him anyway. And if I have to share you with him I might as well participate,” she explained. “We will practically be married all three together, so you may as well share him with me.”

For a moment he only stared at her. On the surface, her proposal sounded fair enough. But sometimes Elrond's whole family really scared him.

Finally Aragorn hesitantly nodded. “Very well,” he said slowly. Then he looked down. “Still what I have planned for him tomorrow night is rather... private. Something special, rather thorough. It is not something I would care to share with you for a first occasion.”

Arwen nodded. She understood perfectly. Aragorn had always treated her very gently, and had kept his cruel streak strictly away from her and between him and his slave. She knew of it of course, and his special needs were no secret, but he had never confronted her with them directly. He did not wish to do it now completely unprepared. He would probably prefer to invite her first when he planned to go easy on his slave, then slowly let her get accustomed to his practices until she could stomach the harsher occasions, too. That was fine with her.

“Fair enough,” she answered, “but do not postpone it for too long. If Legolas is to serve both of us, you better start to accommodate him with his future duties soon.”

Aragorn gathered himself together and gave her a sweeping bow. “As you wish, My Lady,” he answered ironically. “I will tell him about it as soon as I get the chance!”


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-- End of Part I --


-- TBC --