Fan Fiction ❯ Tên Mûel ❯ Wicked demons - Caring brothers ( Chapter 18 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Title: Tên Mûel
Authors: Makiko Igami (makikoigami@yahoo.de) & My-chan (My-chan@gmx.de)
Archive: http://www.yaoi.rulestheweb.com
http://www.fire-angel.net/Seek%20Truth/ main.html
http://lotr.lirimaer.com/
http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfi c/src.php?auth=58906
http://fanfiction.alansworld.com/viewuser.php?uid= 74
http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/authors.php?no=2588
Legolas In Chains Archive
ALSlash Archive
Library of Moria, too
Category: AU, RPG
Rating: this chapter... PG-13? May go up again soon...
Pairings: Aragorn/Legolas, Elrohir/Elladan, OC/Arwen
Warnings: Slash, OOC (of Arwen mostly), slavery, angst...
Spoilers: A few... not really as I don't remember much of the book, just that Aragorn became King of Gondor in the end and that Arwen was his Queen.
Summary: After seven years of marriage, the fire between Aragorn and Arwen has died out. And the present Arwen gives to her husband only seems to speed up the process instead of slowing it down.
Disclaimer: You know the deal don't you? J.R.R. Tolkien invented them, and if we owned them, we would be related to him, but since neither I nor My-chan are... we just play around with them, toy with their minds and use them for fun only. <insert evil laughter here>
Notes&Comments: This was written by me and My-chan as a rpg and ever since Pretending And Being, a wild mix of German and English, we have this nearly "exhibitionistic" need for feedback from various places. ^^;; So please be gentle.
Now on to the story itself. I know that this may look like a serious Arwen-bashing story, but please be reassured that we don't mean to cause any harm to anybody who likes her. She is just for causes of story-telling such a bitch here. ^^;
The Sindarin we used (and transformed for ourselves) comes from a little program called Dragon Flame (which I always think that it is this game I don't want to play unless I know I am on my own), but since it didn't have all the words we needed, we had to make them up. If you have any questions feel free to send an email to any of us... and hope that we still know what we wanted to say. ^^;;;;
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A few hours later Elladan and Elrohir returned to the King's chambers, reporting what they found out from the assassin. Unfortunately it wasn't much.

"What do you mean: he doesn't know who sent him? There must have been some hints in his message," whispered Aragorn in an attempt not to wake the sleeping form on his bed.

"He said he has no idea. He met somebody disguised in a very dark alleyway who promised him a fortune of money if he killed the traitorous King. That person gave him no identity but a small taste of that fortune that he spent in the tavern last night. Maybe it helped to make him forget who it was," Elrohir explained. "Fact is: the assassin has no idea why he wanted to kill you... aside from some personal disliking."

Aragorn paced the room, still not completely assured that the twins had done all they could. "Are you sure you did everything you could do? That you asked him in all ways you could?"

Elrohir looked at his twin with a raised eyebrow, asking him silently with his eyes to make it clear to Estel that they pulled all registers.

Elladan sighed and rolled his eyes before he went over to the table to take a seat. Then he looked up at his Human brother and his face became unfamiliar serious.

"Estel, you know us don't you? We love to play and hardly take anything serious. We are careless and irresponsible. But, and that's a big but, IF we are taking something serious, then it's deadly serious. We are reliable if it really counts, and we know how to make somebody talk. Breaking somebody's will is quite easy, you just have to know how it's done... and we know it. And you know that too."

The younger twin got up again and approached Aragorn who had stopped walking. Elladan put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Trust us, Estel. Nothing has been kept secret from us." He hugged his brother and held him tightly. "I know you worry about Legolas, but don't let it get to your heart... he'll be fine."

Aragorn hugged back for a moment but then held Elladan an arm-length away from him, trying to send him at least a wry smile. "It has already gone to my heart too much," he said quietly before he looked away from the green pools. "I fear Legolas has captured more of my heart than I expected already."

He kept silent for a moment, long enough to hear a sharp intake of breath before he turned around to leave the room. "I need to take care of the formalities concerning that guy's imprisoning. Take a look at Legolas for me, I will be back soon."

The man was already out of the room when he added, "Look, don't touch!"

Elrohir glared at the now shut door and growled defiantly, "I won't dare to touch your beloved toy."

"Candy, not toy," his brother corrected with a chuckle. He turned back to his brother and cupped his cheeks to pull him closer. Capturing Elrohir's lips with his, the younger twin purred softly. "That was fun... do you think Estel would mind if we repeated that some time?" Elladan asked with a playful gleam in his eyes.

"Hm... I don't think he would... Saves him some long and tiring work," the older twin said with a smile. Stroking over his brother's hair he licked his lips. "Should we tell him that we... played... with the prisoner for the bigger part of the time?"

Elladan wrapped his arms around his brother's waist to bring their bodies closer together and tilted his head, as if he really considered it. "Um... no... it would probably make him pity the bastard..." he chuckled and leaned forward to kiss Elrohir again.

"Call me crazy, but I'm in a cuddling mood...." He grinned a bit sheepishly and glanced around where he spotted the armchair in front of the fireplace. The green-eyed Elf nodded towards it and looked at his brother quizzically.

Elrohir looked from the bed where Legolas still slept to the chair and back, considering if they could keep their promise with a little cuddling in the chair, but the distance was assuring enough that they could keep an eye or ear on the sleeping blond. So he pulled his twin towards the soft-looking chair and sat down.

"You are not crazy... we are," he grinned and pulled the other down to kiss him softly.

"Hmhm," was all Elladan managed to get out as his lips were sealed in a sweet kiss. He crawled on his brother's lap without breaking the lip contact and made himself comfortable there. Finally he backed away slightly and smiled at the by-mere-minutes-older one lovingly.

"Meleth-nîn," he whispered softly. Snuggling up to his brother, Elladan rested his head on his shoulder and a small contented sigh fell from his lips.

One of his arms had sneaked around the younger one's waist to keep him from falling while Elrohir's other arm was lying contentedly on his chest, the fingers twirling some strands around themselves. He rubbed Elladan's shoulder and pressed some little kisses on top of his head.

"Mîr..."

The green-eyed twin smiled and sighed once more before he slowly closed his eyes, enjoying the warm feeling of his brother's embrace.

When Aragorn returned to his chambers about half an hour later, he was greeted by the sight of the twins being fast asleep in his armchair, hugging each other tenderly and tightly. He smiled and shook his head before he walked over to them, not after checking on Legolas with a short glance though and nudged them carefully.

"Hey, you two," he said, "Didn't I ask you to look after Legolas?"

Elrohir stirred in his sleep, yawning at the once more disturbance of his sleep, especially since he had finally found a comfortable position.

"You did," he murmured, never loosening his hold on his brother. "And you know that Elves can sleep and be alert at the same time as well, don't you?"

Aragorn grinned. "I do, but you don't look like you were alert at all."

"Oh, but I was," protested Elrohir half-heartedly. "I had just closed my eyes for a moment... How did it go?"

"Everything went smoothly. The assassin will stay in his prison with water and bread until we found the real guilty ones. I took a look at him and he seemed very frightened..." Aragorn had to stop himself from asking how they were interrogating the poor man. "He asked me never to send those two demons to him again... I'm wondering who he could mean?" His tone suggested though that he knew exactly who was meant.

"OhIdunno..." Elladan murmured, not fully awake yet. He yawned and rubbed his nose slightly against his brother's cheek. "Maybe he saw a ghost or somethin'..." Then he glanced up at the Human and grinned sleepily.

"Demons? There ain't any demons around here.... Only two nice little Elven boys... called Meek and Modest...didn't you meet them yet?"

Despite himself Aragorn grinned broader. "Meek and Modest? No, I don't think I met them. Or are those the ones who I caught in my bedroom yesterday?"

"Who are you talking about?!" Elrohir protested with mock-shock. "More assassins?" he grinned. "Do we get to interrogate them as well?"

The cheekiness in his by-millennia-older brothers made Aragorn laugh out loud and was only stopped when he feared to wake Legolas. "I hope you won't have to interrogate any assassins again," he smiled. Patting Elrohir's shoulder he walked over to his bed and sat down gingerly.

"Not?" The disappointment in Elladan's voice was clearly audibly and a little pout graced his lips. "Oh but Estel... pleeaase?" he asked with a tone like a little child who wanted to have a pony or something. But then he chuckled lowly and reluctantly got off his seat.

"We better return to our own bed now, hm?" The younger twin turned towards his brother and looked at him expectantly.

Instead of an answer, Elrohir yawned heartily. "I think so... this was really too much excitement for one day," he added after another small yawn. "Will you accompany me, my dear brother?" He offered his arm to his brother and turned towards the door.

"Of course, darlin," Elladan answered smiling and linked arms with his twin. Together they walked out the room and closed the door behind them quietly.

Aragorn watched them leave and then leaned down to caress Legolas' face, wiping some more sweat away in the process. He studied the fair Elf's face for a moment, asking why he had done this, why he had saved him. He knew that he had gained his trust some while ago, but he was wondering if the Elf would have done so some weeks ago, when he was there only some days. Would he have risked his life to save the Human when he had still been thinking he was the slave of the King of Gondor? Probably not.

After he had pondered about this for long enough, at least in his opinion, he stood up with a sigh and pulled the still warm armchair towards the bed and sat down in it, face to face with Legolas. He put his feet onto a nearby trunk, still watching the Elf, but soon his eyelids became heavier and heavier and finally he wasn't able to keep them open anymore.

Sleep claimed him for another few hours until the noise of two Elven twins entering his room made him stir at last.

Elladan slowly approached his foster brother and softly woke him with a kiss on his cheek.

"Wake up, Estel. Your duties demand you."

Aragorn woke up with a start and looked into smiling green eyes. He groaned and shifted in his seat before his brain supplied that the younger twin was right. Blinking his eyes open he sat up and thought he had too much mead the previous day. Where once was only one smiling face he now saw two identical ones.

"Alright, alright, I get up," he yawned and stood up, searching the clothes that his servants had put over one of the chairs at the table that held his breakfast. Tiredly he put one foot into his pants and pulled them on. While he dressed he chewed on some bread and downed a few chalices of milk, the Elven twins always at his side.

"So, Estel, what are you doing today?" Elrohir asked. "I sincerely hope you kick this guy's ass."

The man blinked over the edge of his chalice. "Besides the fact that I think you ... kicked his ass enough already... What are doing here so early? I bet I'm not the only one who had a rough night..."

"As for a rough night... our night wasn't rough. A little less sleep, but it was relaxed and peaceful. And as for early.... We let you sleep for about 2 hours longer than usual. The servants didn't manage to wake you up so they finally asked us to do it. Most likely with the hope that you would let your anger and frustration out on us, and not them," Elladan exclaimed happily and held Aragorn's shirt open so he could easily slip in.

The man blinked before he put on his shirt with his brother's help.

"Two hours more?"

Elrohir nodded, still smiling.

"I would kill you, if I still had to do the same amount of work as usual."

"We know," the brown-eyed Elf beamed. "But we seem to be pretty alive still, don't we?"

"Just because I'm still tired," Aragorn murmured as he watched how Elladan did his knots, somehow missing the feeling of Legolas' hands doing this work. But the blond Elf was sleeping on his bed, probably still exhausted from the fight with the assassin last night and the wound he got.

The green-eyed twin seemed to read his foster brother's mind and he smiled.

"Don't worry. In just a few days it'll be Legolas taking care of your knots."

"He will be okay in no time," Elrohir added and held the jerkin with Gondor's white tree open for the King, who shrugged it on and looked at the smiling twins. He stared at them for a moment and then shrugged as he turned around.

"I think I will be back soon," Aragorn thought out loud. "Will you look after Legolas until he wakes up? I'll change his bandages when I'm back," he added a little louder.

"Of course we will," answered Elrohir a little too excited and made the man spin around. He grinned at the glare he got obviously not moved by it at all.

"Look, don't touch," Elladan spoke Aragorn's thoughts and joined in his brother's grin. He patted the king's shoulder, thus giving him a little push out the door.

"We'll take care of him, don't worry."

The man thought it would be good if he raised his eyebrow in warning, but let himself being pushed out of the room nevertheless. He simply shook his head as he was out of the room but tried his best not to fear for Legolas.

Elrohir grinned as long as Estel was in the room and then it turned into a smirk. "Getting into this room was easier than expected, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, we should have tried that from the beginning. Could have spared us a lot of trouble..."

"I heard that!" came the growled answer from Aragorn in front of the door.

Elladan laughed softly.

"Whoops," made Elrohir and then joined into the laughter. But since Estel didn't come back he took that as an invitation to snatch some grapes from the breakfast table. Accompanied by the chuckles of his brother he moved to sit in the armchair that had been moved to stand in front of the bed.

"He looks so... peaceful when he sleeps..." the brown-eyed Elf said as he watched the sweat-stained face of the blond.

"Yes..." Elladan nodded before he sat down on his brother's lap once more. It just was the most comfortable place in the whole room, so why not take the chance? He snuggled up to the slightly older twin and purred as he felt his arms closing around him. They spend some time like this in silence, enjoying their proximity and glancing at the Elf on the bed every now and then.

After a few hours Legolas finally seemed to wake up as he stirred in his sleep. Elladan reluctantly got off his very comfortable seat and stretched before he passed by his brother and sat down at the other side of the bed.

The younger twin sat down carefully at the edge of the bed, and laid his cool hand gently onto the chained Elf's hot forehead. One moment later though he withdrew his arm as the blond man stirred again. Legolas slowly opened his eyes and blinked as he could only make out vague frames. After a few moments, when his sight was less blurry he found himself face to face with one of Elessar's Elven foster brothers.

The blond Elf glanced to the other side where he saw the second twin and panic filled his heart and eyes. Out of reflex he started to move backwards and winced at the stinging pain in his side.

Elrohir knew it was their fault that Legolas was so scared of them, but he couldn't help but grin. A little wry, but still. He extended his arm with his palm turned towards the Elf, indicating that he meant not to cause any harm.

"Stay calm... We don't want to cause you harm."

Legolas looked at him very doubtfully and didn't stop his attempt to move away. Elladan slightly raised his brow and shook his head.

"Darlin... we already said that the last time we were here... I don't think he's going to believe us..."

Legolas confirmed his words as he tried to sit up, his jaws clenched tightly, one hand pressed to his side.

Elrohir looked hurt for a moment, but remembered his words from the previous day and then the hurt was replaced by a rather sheepish expression.

"I mean... We won't touch you... at all," he corrected his earlier words and smiled openly. "Promise."

"Well... not more than necessary that is," Elladan said. "But if you keep on moving and hurting yourself like this we have to stop you," he added with a serious expression. "So please, just lie back down and rest and we promise not to touch you."

Legolas looked at the green-eyed Elf for quite a long time, searching for incredibility. Finally he nodded slowly and carefully moved back to lie down, not taking his eyes from the two men though.

"Good boy," grinned Elrohir and threw another grape into his mouth, offering the other ones to the other two Elves. He shrugged nonchalantly as Legolas glared at him and declined the generous offer.

"So... where did we stop our conversation the last time?" the brown-eyed Elf asked out loud. "Oh, I know. Our little prince wanted to tell more about his capture. Do you think that more of you got caught?"

Legolas soon noticed that his weak glare didn't have the least affect on the dark-haired Elf in front of him and his features relaxed slightly as he watched the other twin grab a handful of grapes.

"Is he okay?" the blond asked lowly, ignoring the question of the man right to him.

Elrohir was a little irritated for a moment. "Who? Estel? He's fine. The assassin? Well... Kind of."

"Let's just say he wished to never have met us," Elladan finished for his brother with a grin. Legolas blinked at him for a moment or two before he turned away and his expression grew harder again. "I can imagine," he uttered bitterly.

A wave of guilt washed over the younger twin's face at those words and he swallowed the grape he had been chewing.

"..Was on my list... so why not do it now..." he murmured before he looked directly at Legolas who had turned to him again. "I am sorry, Legolas, really sorry. I didn't think about what we've done before we did it... But Estel's scolding made me realize that it was wrong... I'm sorry."

Elrohir knew he had to say something as well, even though he only regretted that they were this misunderstood. So he said quickly, "I'm sorry, too. We didn't mean to scare you...or hurt you or something like that."

The Woodelf nodded slightly, still not fully convinced that they meant what they said, and that they wouldn't do it again. That on the other hand was clearly visible on his features and Elladan quickly added, "And we promise never to do anything like that to you again." 'Mostly because we don't want to know what Mount Doom looks like from the inside,' he added in his thoughts and grinned sheepishly.

Legolas looked at him for a few seconds more before he nodded again. "I accept your apology," he said, still not trusting them of course, but it was a start.

He then turned his head back to Elrohir to answer his question. "I don't know... I think... no, I hope that I was the only one..." Sadness darkened his blue-violet eyes.

Elrohir nodded thoughtfully as he pondered about the clues that there weren't really any other Elves captured. "If I sold slaves - which I don't - I would say that Elves are rather hard to find and thus rather expensive. Therefore they should only be sold to rich people like... well, like the King." He made a face and chewed on another grape.

"So if Estel hasn't heard of any other Elven slaves from his "friends" yet, there shouldn't be any others. Besides, if I were a Human slave-hunter I'd be the happiest man in Middle-Earth to catch a cute little prince like you are." The brown-eyed Elf smiled sweetly.

Elladan nodded and smiled even broader. "Yeah, Elrohir is right. The men were probably so happy that they caught you that they spun on their heels and left."

The blond Elf blinked at the words and looked at the older twin rather irritated. Why did he call him prince, he couldn't probably know...

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Well, you acted like a prince, you look like a prince... Why shall I not call you prince, little one?" the older one of the twins replied. "On the other hand, would you prefer it if I called you toy or candy?"

"No," Legolas said simply and looked away. Was all that really true? Did he really act like that, after several months of enslaving? Or maybe it was just his natural Elven pride which had grown stronger over the past weeks that had kicked in...

"Looks like you hit the jackpot, darlin," Elladan chuckled as he saw the shadows wandering over the blond's face as he was thinking about the older twin's words.

Legolas head whipped around and he glared at the green-eyed twin for a moment, before his features softened again.

"Believe what you want," he murmured finally and looked down on the blanket.

Elrohir chuckled. "So, my little prince, why don't you tell us something about you? What did you do back in Mirkwood for a pastime? Is there a cute little Elven maiden waiting for you?"

Estel had asked them to stay with Legolas and since they weren't allowed to touch he would have to satisfy his curiosity rather than anything else.

The blond Elf looked up, quite startled at the question, but one moment later his eyes darkened even more as he slowly shook his head.

"No. There is nobody waiting."

Elladan blinked. "Nobody? You're such a cute and handsome boy, and there's nobody waiting for you? What a waste..." he murmured and rested his head on his hand. "What did you do in all these years all alone?"

Legolas swallowed tightly to get rid of the lump in his throat.

"I have..... had a lover.... But...... He probably died from broken heart by now... I've been away from home for almost 5 months...." His voice died out and his eyes wandered off to look out of the window.

"This long..." murmured the third Elf and lowered his eyes to his now empty hands. Then he looked up again and tried to look reassuringly. "Maybe he's still waiting for you," he tried to cheer the blond up.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Legolas said and his voice was surprisingly stable again. He looked directly at Elrohir. "I don't love him anymore. He'd be better off if he died already." The blond blinked at his own words and wondered where this coldness had come from all over sudden.

The dark-haired Elf looked back openly at the blond, obviously just as surprised as him. He hadn't expected that Legolas was so cool about his obviously agonized ex-lover. In some ways he was worse than he himself, but he wouldn't dare to tell him that. Instead he felt how his lips moved up into a smile or rather grin.

"You don't care about him anymore? Why that? Have you lost your heart to somebody else already?"

Elladan chuckled at the shade of red that was visible on Legolas' cheeks as he was ashamed of what he just said. The younger twin was just as shocked as his brother, but obviously the Woodelf was as well, thus making the situation a bit more relaxed again.

"I don't know. My heart is in turmoil..." he said and looked down again. It was true; he didn't know what he felt or should feel anymore.

"It's Estel, isn't it?" Elrohir asked, now more serious than before although he tried to keep up a light conversation-tone.

Legolas didn't look up. He had expected this question. Other than Elladan who looked quite surprised at his older brother. He himself had thought the same, yes. But it was still a difference between thinking and asking. So now the dark-haired Elf looked at the pale figure in the bed who kept staring down on his hands.

The Woodelf just looked down for a pretty long time, trying to figure out his own feelings, sort his priorities.

"I don't know," was all he finally whispered.

"Oh, come on, I can see what's going on between you two," the older twin said. "Estel becomes a berserker when anyone tries to touch you and you... are similar to that. Last night is a good example."

Elrohir shifted a bit in his seat, looking at Legolas more directly now even though the blond wasn't looking at him. "You attacked this assassin without hesitation... and don't tell me otherwise. That guy didn't know what hit him and he didn't even have the chance to look around at first."

"What was I supposed to do?" Legolas snapped with a sudden anger at the dark haired Elf. "Let him get killed?" His head had shot up and he was glaring at Elrohir with a fire in his eyes that hadn't been there for months. "I like him, and he is the only one who ever cared for me since I got caught! That's reason enough for me to safe his life!"

Elladan was flabbergasted at the unexpected outburst of the blond and he stared at him open-mouthed, almost dropping the grape he just wanted to chew.

Elrohir smirked self-confidently at the flushed face of the blue-eyed Elf. He had expected an outburst like this. "No need to get so out of your mind. I just found that you didn't think to protect him. You acted out of instinct... okay, he cares for you and you care for him, but don't tell me there isn't more behind it."

He waved his index-finger in front of Legolas' face. "You feel more than just gratefulness for our foster brother."

"I said I like him," the blond Elf hissed sharply, not caring much about his behavior. He just hated others assuming things if they didn't know the truth.

"Hey, hey... calm down. No need to get bitchy," Elladan said and lifted his hands in defense.

Elrohir nodded. "You like him, that's all I say. But I think that it is more than just that. Our little brother likes you too much for his own good - or rather the good of his marriage - but he's not to blame alone. He and Tinu grew apart from each other during the years... and it was because of her that you two met. But I bet she didn't intend that Estel found in you what he missed with her."

Legolas looked at the older twin with widened eyes. There he sat and was telling him what he had felt when he had been lying in Aragorn's arms for the very first time. He had been a replacement for his wife... was he still?

The blond Elf shook his head, now calm again and almost shy. "No... I never meant to... do something like that... like... separating them even further... destroying their marriage.... Never..." His eyes were squeezed shut now and he slightly bit his lip. He didn't know what he wanted, other than that Elessar was happy...

Elrohir snorted. "There is no way you could destroy something that was down to its bases already. The fire of passion that was between Estel and Tinu died down long before you... arrived here. Don't blame yourself for something that is out of your reach."

"Elrohir is right Legolas. It's really not your fault. From what we know their flame has died out quite some time ago," the younger twin threw in.

The Woodelf still shook his head slowly. They didn't understand. Legolas hadn't minded when he noticed that Aragorn was 'using' him as some kind of compensation. No he actually wanted it, he enjoyed it.

"You don't understand," he whispered. "I knew I was just some kind of filling for this gap, but I didn't mind. Contrariwise I even... made him.... use... me like this... thus driving him away from her even faster..." And while those words slipped from his lips he wondered why he even told them.

The brown-eyed twin looked at Legolas with a great amount of concern in his expression, his brows furrowed deeply. He was trying to process what exactly the other Elf was telling him, mostly trying to understand how far the word "using" went. Counting Estel's softness and caution in this kind of things he somehow knew that it didn't go farther than looking.

"If Estel simply wanted to fill a gap, he would have done so long ago... I know there are thousands of maidens and even servants that would love to share his bed. And even though he would never do this because of his morals... if one of them had been persuasive enough he would have found something to fill this 'gap'. No, my little prince, this isn't just a gap that needs to be filled, it is more. And Estel is already starting to realize it."

He took a deep breath to finally ask what was on his mind, not even trying to cover his surprise and disbelief of some kind. "You want to be used by him?!"

Legolas' eyes widened again as he heard that question. Thousands of images started to fill his mind and he glared at the twin, clenching his jaws so tightly it hurt.

"Not like that, you sex-crazed maniac," he growled dangerously. "What do you think I am? In desperate need of getting laid?"

"Of course not!" protested the dark-haired Elf, who had a few thousands images wandering through his imagination as well. "Somebody like that would behave differently than you, my little prince." He didn't add though that he often coaxed people into feeling this way. "But how would you feel like if he asked you to not only lie in his bed, but share it with you in passion?"

The blond Elf blinked at the question, quite startled for a moment before his features darkened and he looked away again. And somehow Elladan had a feeling that his brother had made a mistake with asking this question as he saw the myriads of emotions wandering over Legolas' face, but he remained silent.

"Afraid," the Woodelf whispered finally.

"Afraid that he would hurt you?" Elrohir asked, his voice suddenly soft. Deep in his heart he knew as well that he was going to dig out some very unpleasant memories from the depths of Legolas' heart, but he wanted to know and he hoped that he could help the enslaved Elf to overcome his horror if he talked about it. "What is it that you fear about his touch?"

Legolas looked away again, not able to meet the gaze of the other Elves and wrapped his arms around his upper body. He shook his head again, drawing his legs closer to his body to burry his head between his knees and his arms, ignoring the throbbing pain in his side as he curled up.

Elladan looked at the Woodelf and then at his brother with concern shimmering in his eyes. He knew what his brother was thinking, but maybe it was better to stop at this point. It was dangerous to go any further.

Looking back into his brother's eyes, Elrohir knew instantly that his twin didn't approve of his way of questioning, but he had grown too curious now that he could really stop. Maybe he should have studied the ways of the mind a little longer...

"I... know this is painful..." he almost murmured, "but... it will be more painful if you keep eating this up into your soul. It could kill you one day..."

"No," Legolas croaked out, "You don't know."

"Tell us then," Elladan said softly and inched closer to the sitting Elf to gently lay his hand on his shivering shoulders. "Please. Elrohir is right... Those demons won't leave you if you don't manage to make your heart lighter."

Nodding the other Elf added, "I may not know the extent of the pain, but I know it hurts. But I also know that it would hurt more the longer you keep silent about it. Try to lift your heart of this burden," he pleaded.

He had raised an eyebrow at his twin, silently reminding him of Estel's "look, don't touch"-clause, but not saying anything because he knew that Elladan didn't mean it in the way that Estel feared they would want to have it.

"I won't talk about it, just to satisfy your curiosity," Legolas said lowly. "You don't really care..."

Elladan sucked his breath in with a slight hiss at the harsh words. As for him, he wasn't only curious, but it hurt him to see Legolas like this. To know that he felt such a pain inside, that he was carrying such a burden with him, probably for the rest of his eternal life if he didn't tell anyone. And Legolas didn't seem to intent to tell anyone.

"It hurts me to see you like this... No Elf should have to have so much weight on his heart..." he finally said, trying to show the blond that they didn't do this just because of curiosity.

Elrohir leaned in a bit more, fixing the blond in his brother's arms with his gaze. "If I didn't care, I would have approached you once more as you are lying almost defenseless on this bed. But I do care, believe it or not. This isn't for me to silence my curiosity... it is for you... to calm your heart." His voice was soft now, almost tender as if he was trying to calm a crying child.

Slowly Legolas looked up again, meeting Elrohir's gaze. And it was about then when he first noticed the arm that lay gently around his shoulders, but strangely he didn't mind. The Woodelf knew that those two were right. It would lighten his heart if he told them, but it would make him think about it, refresh memories he had tried to burry as deep as possible. Painful memories.

But it had already begun, thousands of images and sounds were filling his mind and the demons started to crawl out of their corners.

To be continued...
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Ah, yes. Legolas is making friends with the Elven twins. ^_^ Or is it the other way round? Anyways, they are able to be decent if they want to.