Persuasion

Persuasion

Chapter 9
Author: Frosty the Linebacker
Rated: NC-17
Codes: Elrond, Legolas, Haldir, Arwen, OC, NC, AU, Darkfic
Summary: Long ago, Sauron got ahold of the one ring. After a long war, and the subsequent falling of the Dark Lord, the Elves are all who live. They were not immune, though, to the darkness that spread during the long years of Sauron's reign. Instead of talking things out, they decide busting heads is the best solution to their differences. Can't argue with that!
Notes: Elvish translations are at the end of the story.

To Beth, Rangerlady, and all the others - Thank you so much for the reviews! It's muchly appreciated! :)


*

No one had followed them. Not to their knowledge, anyways. They had travelled all through the day and into the night, winding through the forests and forever listening for the enemy. So sure was Ellaire that they would be followed, she had insisted on heading east before turning south. It made their journey longer, but she felt relieved that perhaps they had fully escaped Imladris. By mid-morning, though, Haldir was too exhausted to continue. The bleeding had stopped, but he needed rest. She did as well.

Sighing tiredly, too afraid to start a fire, Ellaire sat down on the forest floor beside Haldir and curled her legs up. The cool breeze filtered through the trees, causing the branches to sing a soft melody. She had missed that sound, holed up in the rocky laf Rif Rivendell. Agitated, she looked to the Marchwarden on her right. His eyes were closed, his breathing deep. He was sleeping.

Ellaire was tired, but rest eluded her. Arwen's words kept replaying in her mind, the promise that they would bring darkness to their people. While Sauron's evil had not missed Lothlorien entirely, it did not affect them as greatly as it had Mirkwood and Imladris. She wor now now, that the torture she and Haldir had experienced would darken them even more, perhaps beyond repair. As she wrapped her arms around her knees, she wondered if Celeborn would allow them back into the Wood.

The darkness around them began to envelope her senses. Drowsiness overtook her, even as her mind raced with images and scenarios. She could still feel the pain of her abuse, and it only servo luo lull her into a much-needed sleep. Soon, she fell unconscious.

Daylight beamed through the treetops as they arrived at Lothlorien. It was bright here, filled with sunshine and light. The weeks had been so long and dark, it felt so good to be met with warmth.

Galadriel was there, and Celeborn, meeting them as they came to the city. "My Lady, my Lord," she said, bowing, then looked to Haldir. She frowned. He did not speak nor move. His eyes were distant. "Haldir?" she said, touching his shoulder.

"He is gone," said the Queen.

Ellaire turned to ask what she meant, but was distracted by Celeborn pulling a knife out of a sheath. "What are you doing?"

The elder elf looked at her as though the answer was obvious. "I am saving him."

Ellaire jumped as Celeborn shoved the blade into Haldir's stomach. There was not a gasp nor a moan, only a flutter of eyelashes, as the Marchwarden fell to the ground.

She cocked her head at his fallen form. "You faulted him for saving our home," she said, looking up at Celeborn, "How is that saving him?"

"You have brought visitors." Knitting her brows, she looked at Galadriel, then followed the Queen's gaze to the space behind her. Ellaire turned when Elrond and Legolas stepped out from the dark.

She was confused. "Why are they here?" she asked, turning back to the Queen. "Where did they come from?" "You"You brought them," she replied, sliding a hand to her hip and pulling a small blade from a golden sheath.

Ellaire could feel the presence of the dark at her heels, and knew what was about to happen. "You will save me as well?" she asked softly, looking up into the sharp blue eyes of the Lady.

Galadriel nodded, and shoved the blade forward.

Gasping, Ellaire awoke with a start and jerked herself up. Her hand flew to her abdomen, instinctively feeling for the blade she knew penetrated her. There was nothing.

"Ellaire?" She turned with wide eyes to see Haldir looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

As her breathing became normal, she swallowed and nodded, settling back against the rock. It was still dark, but the sky grew a pale shade of blue. Morning was approaching.

The chill had settled into her bones. Haldir moved beside her, trying to get comfortable, to no avail. Sighing, he gave up and sat straight, wincing at the pain in his body. "Do you need me to look at you?" she asked quietly.

His eyes were distant, almost as they had been in the dream. "No, I'm fine."

Unsettled, Ellaire turned and lifted the side of his tunic. His fair skin was bruised and scraped, but he was not bleeding. As she let down the cloth, she noticed his irritated gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Crossing his arms, leaning his head back, he grunted. "You have been nothing but difficult since we escaped."

Slightly hurt, she scooted back a few inches and mirrored his actions. "I did not realize I was supposed to be charming in this situation."

Raising his head, he looked at her with hard eyes. "That is not what I mean and you know it. I know what you went through, Ellaire. I want you to acknowledge that I know."

She looked away and huffed a sigh. "What does it matter? I will not speak of it."

"I heard what Arwen said just as well as you did. If you do not face up to this, darkness will prevail and our home will be infected. Do you want that to happen?"

Standing quickly, she looked angrily down at Haldir. "How dare you imply that I will poison our people! How dare you say that I have to relive what happened! I would never say the same thing to you."

His voice was quiet when he replied. "You don't have to. I am not denying what happened to me. What you went through, though, is far worse."

"I am not denying what they did to me."

Haldir raised his eyebrows softly. "Yet you will not speak of it to your closest friend."

"I have my reasons," she said, averting her eyes.

There was a pause before he ventured a question. "How did you get that key, Ellaire?"

Her throat constricted at the query. He knew something had happened, something she was keeping secret from him. Tears lined her eyes as she pursed her lips and turned, not wanting him to see her reaction. "It doesn't matter."

When she heard him stand, Ellaire closed her eyes tightly, wanting nothing more than to run away. A warm hand touched her shoulder and turned her gently. "It matters," he said, touching her chin. She opened her eyes. "What happened?"

Anger clouded her features. She shoved his hand away as her body began to tremble and the tears fell freely from her eyes. "I did what I had to do," she hissed, "I did what I had to do to save us."

He was non-plussed by her anger. "Whatever happened, it's not your fault. What could you have possibly done to feel so upset..."

Haldir trailed off, his eyes widening slightly. Ellaire lowered her gaze and blushed, knowing there would be no secrets. He would find out the truth, in the end.

When he saw her embarrassment, he stepped forward and leaned in, gently touching her arm. "Did they make you do something?" he asked quietly, his voicethinthing and calm, "You can tell me. There will be no judgement."

She knew avoidance would no longer work, and her heart could not lie to him. "I allowed it to happen," she breathed, not looking at him, "I went along with it willingly, so he would give me the key."

He did not ask who specifically, and she was grateful fhat.hat. He did not speak, though, and she soon felt uncomfortable and awkward. The sun was beginning to rise, and they would need to leave soon, even as tired as they both were. Crossing her arms over her chest, she headed to her horse.

She worked slowly, sli the the reins over the steed's head, knowing he was observing her. A part of her wanted so bad to know what he was thinking, for him to speak. She was afraid, though. What if he had judged her?

Out of patience, feeling cornered and not knowing what else to do, she turned to Haldir. "Are we not leaving?"

His bright blue eyes were steady on her, his expression neither angry nor compassionate. Raising his eyebrows, he broke their met gaze and shook his head. "No."

"What do you mean? We have to leave!" Anxiety built up in her again as he sat back upon a large rock.

"We have time. I don't want to leave just yet."

He looked utterly calm, like she had simply told him of her day, not that she raped with consent. It made her feel dirty, like her sacrifice meant nothing. In all the time she was with Elrond and Legolas, the only thing that kept her going was Haldir, and here he was, treating her experience like it was nothing. Like it meant nothing.

And he was willing to get them caught over it.

She stormed up to him, finger pointed at his face. "I am not going to stay here and allow them to find me," she said darkly, "I don't know why you're doing this, but if they come here..." She trailed off, her throat constricting with emotion. "I will kill myself before I go through that again."

Ellaire made to turn away, but he quickly stood, grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Suicide is the coward's way out. The woman I know would fight until her last breath. She wouldn't avoid the pain, she would push thr it. it."

She frowned, his hands tight on her arms as they looked at each other. He was angry with her, but not for what happened. He was angry she was ignoring it. "I did push through it. I went through it all so I could save you. If you had not been there, I would have taken the coward's way out a long time ago."

His strong hands loosened their iron grip as his eyes softened. "No," he said softly, shaking his head, "You would not have done that. I know you."

"You don't know what I went through. Even the strongest would fall against that kind of violence."

Sighing, Haldir released her. "But you didn't. No matter what the reason, you did not fall. You were strong, and I need you to be strong like that now. If you continue to ignore what they did to you, you will suffocate yourself in darkness."

"And others as well?" she asked, swallowing heavily, reminded of her dream.

Raising a hand, he brushed her hair behind her ears. "Right now my only concern is you. If you do not get through this, I will not as well."

"No," she whispered, "Don't put that on me. It's too much pressure."

He smiled gently, caressing her jaw. "I will help carry that burden. Lean on me, Ellaire. Let me help you."

Tears stung her eyes as he softly touched her. It felt nice, the caring and the tenderness. She had missed it. "I want to go home," she said quietly.

He nodded, taking her hand and leading her to the horses. "When we arrive in Lorien, we will speak of this further." His tone was not demanding or strong, merely tinged with consideration. She mounted her horse and nodded down at him.

Pulling himself up on his own steed, Haldir smiled at her once more before moving out down the path.

*

Ellaire opened her eyes to a sight familiar, yet somehow strange. Her wall. The dresser against her wall. The flowers upon the dresser, sitting alongside her combs and hairpins. Tightening her fists around the blanket covering her, she inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of lavender filling the air. So familiar.

She turned in her bed and looked up at the ceiling. Darkness was filling the room through the windows. It was late, but others were still awake; she could hear soft footfalls from others in the next apartment. Outside, though, it was quiet. It felt unreal.

It had taken her and Haldir two short days to arrive in Lothlorien. Her dreams had, thankfully, not come true. She never did have the gift of foresight, and was quite grateful for that. Celeborn and Galadriel had welcomed them, spoken to them, and then allowed them to go to their rooms. it had been late morning when they had arrived in Lorien, but both were too exhausted to stay awake long. Ellaire had happily retreated to bed in the early afternoon. It was nearly a blur, that morning past. And here it was, night already. She had slept all day.

A knock at the door sounded her out of her thoughts. Feeling exhausted, hoping it was neither the Lord nor Lady, she sat up. "Come in."

The door opened and a blonde head peeked through. "Hey," said Haldir, entering and closing the door quietly, "Good evening."

Leaning back against the headboard, Ellaire sighed heavily. "Yeah." Sitting upon the foot of the bed, the Marchwarden looked decidedly decent considering what he had been through. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine," he replied, touching his side. A soft smile creased his lips. "Nothing permanent."

She nodded as dark thoughts entered her mind. Nothing permanent. She didn't know how what they went through could not be permanent. "Did you speak to Celeborn again?" she asked quietly.

"I did."

She took a breath before asking the question that had bothered her for some time. "Did he say why he didn't come for us?"

The smile faded from Haldir's face, but his eyes remained soft. "He didn't think we were alive. They were under the impression that we had been captured and killed."

Ellaire nodded, not at all comforted by that. If she had not freed them, they would have been there indefinitely. Forever.

"We should not fault them." She looked up at Haldir, jealous of and hating his ability to be so forgiving.

"I can't help but blame everyone and everything," she replied, "It will be a long while before I'll be able to move past this."

He stood and came closer, sitting down beside her on the bed. "But move past it you will," he said, touching her hand, "We both will."

She swallowed and nodded, comforted by his being there. Glancing to the window, she saw stars glistening softly through the glass. "I won't be able to sleep again tonight."

Haldir's warm hand brushed hers gently. "Have you had dreams?"

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I just think too much. I wish...I wish some good could come of this."

He sighed deeply, taking her hand in both of his and rubbing his thumb over the skin. When she looked at him, he was staring down as he caressed. She thought about their lives before Imladris, how they had been such good friends, skirting the possibility of becoming more. She could understand now. If chances were never taken, how could the darkness stay away?

Ellaire touched her free hand to che cheek, brushing the golden hair from his face. He looked up, his blue eyes soft and uncertain as he thought about things she could only guess. Taking the initiative, taking a chance, she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers.

He was unresponsive at first, the gentle touch of his fingers quelled. When she slipped her tongue against his lower lip, though, he pressed forward, raising his hands and cupping her cheeks. Ellaire breathed softly against his mouth as she opened hers to him, allowing his tongue to brush against hers and ignite a warm need between them.

The kiss was long, slow, and deep as they explored each other. Her hands squeezed his shoulders as she moved closer. When they parted, Haldir's eyes were half-lidded and hazy.

Words seemed unnecessary as his eyes skimmed her face, then met hers. Ellaire knew he wanted her, needed her. His eyes told her he needed comfort as much as she did. Dipping her hand downward, she touched her fingers along his chest and moved forward again, closing her eyes and kissing him. He responded quickly, his kiss desperate and seeking. He hurt more than he had let on.

A soft moan slipped past his lips as he moved his mouth to her jawline and on down, biting at the soft skin of her throat. She eagerly pressed hn, tn, tilting her head back and working the buttons of his shirt with numb fingers.

When his shirt was parted, her fingertips smoothed up his soft chest. He purred deeply into her neck as his kisses marked her pale skin. As his shirt slid off his shoulders, he brought his mouth back to hers, nipping hungrily at her full lips.

"Make love to me," breathed Ellaire between kisses. Her hands roamed his body, making a trail up his arms to clench his shoulders.

Gently, Haldir pushed her back to the bed. His eyes were bright and sharp, taking in every expression on her face. "Lie still, love," he whispered, sliding his hands to her hips, "I only want to please you."

She nodded as he sat up and moved his hands to the rim of her nightdress. Slowly, watching her as he moved, he drew the gown up her legs until the fabric rested on her abdomen.

Ellaire tensed slightly, anticipating what he was going to do. Warm fingers tucked themselves into the outer rim of her panties and pulled them down her legs. She raised her knees up instinctively and bit her lip as Haldir rested his hands on her thighs.

Her eyes closed and a breath escaped her lips as soft kisses were pressed to the inside of her thigh. She could feel him moving higher, closer to where she wanted him. Unconsciously, she arched her hips forward as his mouth met the rim of her flesh, his tongue lapping gently without penetrating. Ellaire whimp, ac, aching for him to touch her further. His hands held strongly to her legs, keeping her still so he controlled her pleasure. It was both ecstasy and a torment.

"Haldir," she groaned, clenching the bedsheets with tight fists. She rolled her hips forward, desperate for more than just the tease he was gifting her with. He hummed lightly against her, but did not allow her to move any further.

Sensing her discomfort, though, he did not with-hold for much longer. Ellaire opened her eyes and gasped in pleasure when he penetrated her with his warm tongue, kissing her deeply and escalating her need.

Throwing her head to the side, moaning softly, she tried desperately to keep herself from succumbing too early. He was unrelenting in his kisses, working for her pleasure only. But she wanted him to feel it as well.

Lowering a hand to his head, she breathed, "Stop".

He looked up immediately, concern written on his face. "Did I hurt you?"

She smiled and sat up, pulling him towards her. "No," she whispered, pressing her lips to his and slowly savouring the heat of his mouth. He closed his eyes and gathered her nightdress in his hands, then pulled it up over her head. Their lips parted for mere seconds before meeting again as he threw the garment to the floor.

Haldir pressed her back down to the bed, moving his hands to her breasts and cupping their fullness. Ellaire arched into his touch, moaning softly against his mouth. Releasing her lips, he trailed soft kisses down her neck and chest, reaching the sensitive centre of her breast and sucking gently.

"Haldir," she breathed as he bit at the tender peaks. The sensation sent a wave of heat through her body, increasing as his kisses became more fervent.

Lifting himself up and fidgeting slightly, he opened his pants and parted her legs. Gripping her thigh, he stared down into her dark eyes as he pressed forward, entering her body slowly.

The tension that was already there immediately heightened as he sunk into her, teasing her with his softness. Her hips rolled upwards to meet him and he groaned deeply, his eyelashes fluttering as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Their tongues met in a passionate embrace as he rested against her body, one arm bracing himself up. Ellaire breathed heavily as he pulled back and began a steady pace, the grip on her thigh tight but not painful. Each time he rolled forward, pulling her leg up, she met him with an arch of her hips, successfully burying him inside her as deep as possible.

Snaking her arms up around his back, she held tight as his mouth dropped to her shoulder, licking at the salty skin, and kissing ardently as his movements became more intense.

"Ellaire," he rasped against her ear, causing her to shiver at the the huskiness of his voice. She moaned quietly in response, closing her eyes as he thrust forward, more seekingly.

The pressure in her body began to build. "Harder," she groaned, digging her nails into his back. He complied readily as she brought her other leg up and entwined it over his thigh.

Movements became erratic as he thrust himself down, pushing for her release. Ellaire hissed in a breath and cried out as she came close, then lost herself to the feelings within. His own moans became lost in hers as he jerked himself against her body, climaxing soon after her.

As Ellaire settled, opening her eyes to the dim light, the heat of his body beceverever so obvious. Skin was slick with sweat as he breathed heavily against her neck, resting. Her hands slid along his moist back, smoothing the tense muscles.

Swallowing, fighting back sleep, she licked her lips and said, "Thank you."

Haldir raised his face up and looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Thank you?"

Touching his face, she brushed his golden locks behind his ear. "For being there. I wouldn't have made it without you."

He smiled warmly and kissed her mouth tenderly. Sitting up and moving beside her, he pulled her body against his and rested his arms around her. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, smoothing a warm hand against her arm, Ellaire soon fell into a deep and sound sleep.

*

FINIS.