Chapter 11 - Unfortunate Discoveries
"Wake up elf, it is time to go and you are riding with me today."
It was just the voice that Legolas did not want to wake up to, deep and raspy as though constantly dry. Legolas had only had the pleasure of meeting this man a day ago and had been lucky enough to not have him assigned as his escort for the first night. Yalék had proven to be quite a difficult and bothersome person, the man had made it a point to taunt and antagonize him as often as possible.
Although he had never seen Yalek’s face, he had grown to know him by sound and scent. The man walked very heavily and breathed quite loudly and although all of the men smelt of sweat, Yalek was exceptionally potent.
Kael, on the other hand, was quite the opposite of Yalek and very easy to pick out among the other men. The first night of travel had been miserable for Legolas and he had ridden with the healer so that any assistance he might need would be readily available. He had still been fighting the dependancy of the sedative and the constant movement of the horse was not helping his headache or nausea. But with Kael’s aid, the shaking had subsided and he was no longer experiencing the cold sweating that had plagued his body for the first several hours.
It was frustrating for Legolas to have to depend on anyone for assistance, especially his captors, but he knew that he wouldn’t get far in the state he was in. He was thankful when they had stopped for the day. He needed to rest and feeling solid ground beneath his feet had helped the dizzying sensation he was experiencing.
His eyes had remained wrapped tightly for the entire trip, the darkness working in conjunction with the loss of the earth’s song to break his spirit. Legolas longed to feel something of nature. He knew that Harad was known for its lack of vegetation, but he didn’t know that it would have such an impact on him. He felt disjointed and not himself without the trees and stars to comfort him. He felt as though the Valar had abandoned him in this forsaken land.
He hadn’t been able to see any of the other kidnaped elves either, their relative plight a constant weight on his mind. He worried constantly about their well being and safety and being unable to see them only intensified his concern. At times he thought that he could sense them near by and had attempted to speak with them, but he was quickly quieted and forcefully moved away.
When he had heard Yalék enter the tent that morning he let out a soft groan and prepared himself for what he knew was to come. He was quite shocked, however, when the man had announced that he would be riding with Legolas. He had heard Yalek reprimanded on several occasions for his rough behavior and mocking words and being ordered to ride with the offensive man was the last thing he had expected.
"Come on, I said get up." Yalék had cut Legolas’ bonds and was pulling him to his feet. "I would suggest you behave yourself elf, you killed my companions and I would love nothing more than a reason to avenge their deaths."
Legolas bit his tongue. He knew that anything he said to this man would be unwelcome and he would pay for any comment made. Yalék rebound Legolas’ hands tightly in front of him and readjusted the blindfold ensuring that it was tight and then shoved the bound elf out of the tent.
His inability to see proved a hindrance once again as Legolas caught his foot on the post holding the front of the tent and stumbled, falling and landing roughly on his side. Before he could move to pick himself up off the ground, a pair of hands grabbed the back of his tunic and hoisted him up. "I thought you elves were supposed to be quick on your feet." Yalék sneered in his ear.
"I was quick enough to take out three of your company." Legolas responded, his head held high.
If he could have seen the expression on Yalék’s face, Legolas probably would have been prepared for what came next. As it was, the fist connecting with his jaw caught him completely off guard and Legolas found himself on the ground once more.
He rolled over, pushed himself to his knees and turned in the direction that Yalék, now in the company of some of the other men, was now standing. "Striking one who is bound and blindfolded, you are truly a great warrior Yalék."
This time his comment earned him a poorly aimed kick directed at his midsection, but connecting sharply with his arms that were bound in front of him. Legolas hissed softly at the assault but managed to maintain his semi-upright position from where he knelt on the ground.
"You would do well to watch your tongue elf. You have a long ride ahead of you." Yalék was truly angry now and he grabbed Legolas once again by the back of his tunic and hoisted him to his feet.
Legolas, for once, was in agreement with Yalék now. He had always had a hard time keeping his mouth closed when it came to these situations. Many was the time that Aragorn had scolded him for thinking that he had to have the last word and not just when the two friends had been arguing amongst themselves.
Legolas stood now, with his feet firmly planted, in front of Yalék. He could feel blood trickling down his chin from the corner of his mouth and could hear other men approaching. He felt no fear for this man and he was aware that Yalek knew it, the knowledge of this gave Legolas a slight sense of victory over the man, the only edge he really held at the moment.
"Yalék!" Legolas recognized this voice as belonging to Medero, "How many times do I have to tell you? Leave the elves alone."
Legolas could hear Yalek shuffling about as he attempted to hide his guilt. "He deserved it sir. He was mocking me and bragging about murdering..."
"I do not care Yalék," Medero interrupted. "I will not get paid if he is injured, which means you will not get paid." Medero reached out and grabbed Legolas’ arm and pulled him away from Yalék. "This elf will be riding with me. Finish packing up. We leave shortly."
Legolas let out a sigh of relief as he was lead away by Medero. It would make the day easier without Yalék continuously harassing him.
"You are very brave elf. Yalék has killed men for smaller offenses." Medero commented as he pushed Legolas against a horse. He checked Legolas’ bindings once more and then climbed up onto the horse and pulled the elf prince up in front of him. Another rope was bound around the elf’s wrists, tying him to the saddle, it was an awkward position and the motion of the horse caused the ropes to bite harshly into his skin, but it was a position that allowed Legolas no option for escape.
Sounds of preparation circled around him and Legolas listened for any sounds from the other elves. Horses neighed and their hoofs beat into the sand as they were packed and mounted. Men spoke loudly to one another, giving orders and reports as they moved about. He could feel Medero shifting behind him as he ordered his men about in preparation for the days travel, yet no mention of the others was made and Legolas’ ever present worry began to grow.
"Where are the other elves?" He asked and he tilted his head to listen even closer to his surroundings.
"Do not worry for them, they are close and none of them will be riding with Yalék." Medero responded. "You will see them soon. We will be arriving at our destination shortly after the moon reaches its highest point." Medero nudged the horse with his heel and they started off at a canter.
"MOVE OUT!" He shouted as he wrapped his arm tightly around Legolas to steady him. "You are still feeling somewhat dizzy." It wasn’t a question, Medero knew the effects of the sedative and the length of time it took to completely rid the system of the drug.
Legolas didn’t answer. He didn’t want this man to know that he still wasn’t feeling right. He didn’t want to expose any weaknesses to any of these men. He just wanted to figure out how to get free and take the other elves with him and he was running out of time.
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That night’s journey hadn’t taken as long as Medero had anticipated. They had been traveling for just more than three hours when he had noticed the approaching city looming in the distance. "It looks like we have made better time than I thought. We will be in Marek within the hour."
Legolas hadn’t spoken to Medero, despite his attempts at conversation, since departing the camp and he hadn’t expected any response from him now. He had been questioning the elf on his customs and habits. He had hoped to learn something of these people before the sale was made, yet the elf was proving to be extremely stubborn and strong willed.
As they were motioned through the large gates by guards standing watch, Medero could see that the city was bustling with activity. It made sense that the inhabitants would be most active at night, the heat of the day made it an uncomfortable time to be conducting business. He could hear people voicing their amazement and curiosity at the passing troupe. These people had obviously never seen an elf before and expressed the same awe that he and his men had at their first sight of the fair beings.
He felt Legolas tense in front of him and noticed that he had tilted his head slightly in an attempt to better hear what was going on around him. Medero reached up behind him and grabbed a hold of the blindfold, pulling it down off of Legolas’ eyes. "I suppose that this will no longer be necessary." The elf still said nothing as he adjusted his eyes and turned to take in his environment and Medero was growing frustrated with the silence.
Trying to calm himself, he turned his focus back to the city. There were buildings lining the street, all varying in height and length but all the same pasty white. People were leaning out of windows watching the men pass underneath and it seemed as though the whole city had come to a stand still as the unusual company wove its way through the streets.
The horse came to a stop at the foot of another large wooden gate and a guard stepped forward. He looked up at the two, his eyes lingering on the elf for a moment. Medero laughed to himself as the guard shrank under the gaze of the elf, Marek was definitely getting more than it had bargained for with this newest addition to it’s city.
"Kalen has received word that you have arrived and has bid you enter." The guard stated, his focus now falling on Medero.
A loud bang echoed through the city followed by creaking as the large gates swung open allowing the company to enter. White stone lined the ground of the courtyard as they entered. A large stone wall encompassed the grounds and stretched out to the south disappearing into the darkness. They rode forward, the horses hoof’s echoing on the stone, until they came to the base of a large staircase that rose several feet into a large, white stone entry way.
Medero dismounted and pulled Legolas down off of the horse. He turned and motioned for the other elves to be brought forward and watched, interested as Legolas sought them out in the crowd of men.
The expressions on the other elves faces were ones of shock when they saw the blonde elf. Medero noticed that the golden elf gave each them a quick glance and a reassuring smile that told them to remain calm. He thought it strange that these elves had looked to this one for guidance as soon as they saw him and he began to wonder if there was even more to this elf than he had already suspected.
Medero lead the four up the long stairs keeping a firm grip on Legolas’ arm the entire way. Just as they were about to enter the palace they were greeted by a rather large man, surrounded by several guards, that Medero quickly recognized as Lord Kalen. Kalen was dressed in a brightly colored rob and wore several rings on each hand. His head was covered in the same fashion as the other men, except that his wrap was of a brilliant red with a white gem stone in the center of his brow.
Releasing the elf’s arm, Medero snapped his fingers and moved forward to greet the Lord of Marek. At the sound of his snap his men moved about lining the elves up in a row readying them for presentation.
"Medero," Kalen said as he stepped forward and embraced the slave runner, "You have arrived sooner than anticipated. Let me see what you have brought. I have received word that you wish to renegotiate our price. I assume there is good reason."
Medero returned the embrace and stepped back with a large smile on his face. "There is good reason, indeed. Come look, I think you will agree."
Medero turned and motioned toward the four bound elves. He had them lined up with Legolas at the far end and lead Kalen to the first elf, leaving the golden elf for last.
They stopped directly in front of Nienna, she looked frightened but she was trying to cover her fear by looking directly at the two before her. Her brown hair lay loosely over her shoulders and her blue eyes were so bright they almost lit up the entryway.
"She is very beautiful. I am sure that I can think of some extra tasks for this one." Kalen said with a smirk on his face.
Medero noticed that the elf standing next to Nienna had clenched his jaw at Kalen’s comment and this action had confirmed his belief that the two were lovers. They moved to him next and Kalen circled around the elf and looked the dark elf up and down. "It looks as though some of your men have been taking sport in my property."
Medero hated Kalen’s arrogance, he could still refuse to sale him these elves if he so desired. "They are not your property yet, my lord, and I have admonished my men for their actions." He glanced very quickly down to Legolas, a look of anticipation on his face. The golden elf still sported a large cut on his right temple and looked disheveled due to his torn leggings and bandaged leg. He hoped that his appearance wouldn’t impede the negotiation for more money.
Kalen grunted at the slave runner’s words then moved to Adaria and a smile spread over his face, "Well then, what is your name?" He asked her coming to stand very close behind her and leaning his head over her shoulder.
Adaria lifted her chin and firmly answered, not a hint of fear shown in her green eyes. Medero tried to hide the look of amusement at her courage and defiance. Yes, Kalen and Marek have definitely gotten more than they bargained for.
"I am much pleased Medero. You have done well." Kalen’s voice stuck in his throat as he came to stand in front of Legolas. The expression on the man’s face was one of complete shock. Legolas stared him in the eyes, pride shining within.
Kalen’s mouth dropped open as he slowly strode around the elf prince. "Well, well, well." He said coming to stand once again in front of Legolas. He reached his hand out and grabbed Legolas by the chin, turning the elf’s face from side to side. "Imagine seeing the likes of you here."
Medero’s head shot back to Kalen at these words and he could see a look of complete pleasure in the large man’s eyes.
"Medero, I think you have earned that extra pay." Kalen turned his body toward Medero, who stood just to his right, but kept his eyes firmly planted on Legolas.
Medero’s confusion was indisputable now, what was Kalen talking about? He twisted his head and raised his eyebrows, his eyes also scrutinizing Legolas.
A smile slowly spread over Kalen’s face as he once again addressed Legolas, "How on earth did you manage to get yourself captured?"
Medero swore he could hear Legolas’ heart pounding from where he stood and he could see everyone’s eyes on the golden elf now. The other elves were looking with fear, the rest of the men with curiosity.
Who is this elf?
"Medero," Kalen was looking at Medero now, a smug expression taking over his face. "Do you know whom you have brought me?"
Medero didn’t answer, he had no idea who the elf was.
"You have brought me Legolas, Son of Thraduil, Elf Prince and Lord of Ithilien."