Title:Silent Shouts
Author (including email):Rutaari(pippa250@hotmail.com)
Pairing(s):Aragorn/Legolas
Rating:R
Summary:Aragorn has been searching for his love for months, and finds him in the
most unexpected cicumstance imaginable. But something has changed about the
elf-he can not speak. Aragorn must free Legolas from his captors and help the
elf regain his sweet voice.
Disclaimer:I don't own any of these characters, but I wish I did. Too bad. I
don't make an profit at all, I have nothing of value, so you can't sue for
anything good.
Warning (only if necessary):Rape
Authors Note (if needed/desired):Please send in feedback! Anything you have to
say, good or bad, is encouraged. I want to know what you think!

Legolas sat on the floor in the small cell, hugging his knees to his chest. A
tear fell down his cheek and onto the stone floor. It froze when it hit the
ground, and Legolas gently picked it up in is finger and watched it melt on his
warm hand.
	The chamber he was in was small, only five paces in all directions. It had a
wood door that was bolted shut from the outside, and a small, barred window too
small to climb through. Even if he could fit through it, there was a forty foot
drop on the outside.
	In the corner of the chamber was a bucket for him to eliminate in, and across
from that was a small, straw pallet with a single wool blanket. The rest of the
cell was just cold, hard, stone.
	Legolas' sharp hearing caught the sound of footsteps coming toward his chamber.
He scrambled to stand, forgetting that his ankles and wrists were chained, and
he tripped and fell. The chains clattered when they hit the stone floor, and the
door swung open.
"Legolas?" Came that horribly familiar voice. "What are you doing, boy?"
	A hand grabbed Legolas'  beautiful, blonde hair and yanked him to his feet.
Legolas' moaned in pain.
"You're working in the brothel tonight, you'd better not get all bruised up."
The gruff man said. A confused look came over Legolas' face. The man noticed it,
and questioned him.
"You got something to say?" He sneered. Legolas looked quickly to the floor.
Since he had been taken as a slave, his voice had left him. Or rather, he had
simply stopped talking, and after almost a year without speech,  his mouth would
no longer form the words. It was as if he had forgotten how.
"Didn't think so." The man said, and left the room, bolting it shut after him.
	The man was called Aistbar. Though he was not Elvish, his name was. Legolas
knew the name meant "dreaded fate." Aistbar was Legolas' master. His thugs had
captured Legolas one night while he was traveling to Gondor, to visit Aragorn.
He had tried desperately to fight them off, but even having been a warrior of
the Fellowship, one against sixteen just was not possible. He had been chained,
gagged, and thrown onto a horse behind another man. They had tied his foot to
the saddle, so that if he tried to jump off and escape, he would be dragged.
	It had happened once, when the horse tripped, and Legolas was flung to the
side. Because his hands were chained behind his back he could not hold on, and
he tumbled off the horse and was drug nearly two miles at a hard canter. The men
had thought he had jumped, and punished him for it. Legolas still had scars from
the occasion.
	Now, he was forced to work in a bar as a bartender and waiter, and suffer both
the physical and verbal blows that men threw at him all through the night. Every
other night he was required to work upstairs in the brothel, and would sometimes
have eight or nine partners forced on him in the night. But he had worked the
brothel last night? Why must he work it tonight as well? Because of the harsh
treatment he received, Legolas was bruised severely on his face, sides, and
back. His thighs constantly burned with every step he took, and every time a man
entered him he felt a searing pain as something inside him would tear or be
re-injured. He bled from his backside every time this happened, and worked hard
to keep himself clean.
	Over the past few weeks, Legolas had started to notice that he bled even when
he was not in the brothel, but just while he was sitting in his chamber and
plotting his escape, which grew more and more unrealistic with every plan. He
grew lightheaded easily, and threw up after ever meal. His meals were meager,
but this had started to take a turn on Legolas' body, and he had grown thin and
malnourished.
	No matter how bruised, scrawny, bloody, or bashed he was, men still paid a high
price to have him in a bed. Aistbar even would take a turn with him atleast once
a week,  and Legolas had become accustomed to him coming in the day, when
Legolas should be sleeping, and pulling him to a room and doing it with him
then.
	Now, Legolas collapsed back onto the floor. From the way the light came into
his room he could tell he did not have long before Aistbar would bring him some
sleazy outfit to put on and tell him to be at the bar in fifteen minutes.
Aistbar's favorite thing to give Legolas to wear was a sky blue tunic, made of a
fabric that greatly resembled silk. It was far too small for him, and barely
passed his hips, so Legolas was constantly pulling it down to hide himself. The
collar of it opened up to reveal Legolas' smooth, pale skin on his chest all the
way down to his middle.  Under the tunic he wore a pair of tight, white
leggings, that he struggled to pull on.
	The door swung open, and Aistbar's hand appeared, holding the silk outfit.
Legolas gingerly stood and took it.
"Fifteen minutes, Legolas." Aistbar's voice said, and his footsteps disappeared
down the hall.
	Legolas pulled on the outfit. He was glad he did not feel cold, because outside
it was snowing hard, and he knew by the way the other slave's faces were blushed
that they were suffering from the weather. He had given his other blanket to a
boy who could not have been more than sixteen, and looked like he would freeze
to death.
	Legolas stepped out of his chamber and down the stairs to the bar. Guards stood
at every corner, ensuring that no slave would escape. As Legolas stepped out of
Aistbar's palace, and onto the gravel and dirt road leading to the bar, he felt
his bare feet begin to bleed from the calluses and blisters covering their
bottoms. He winced as he stepped on a sharp stone, and jumped gratefully onto
the wooden porch of the bar.
	As he entered, he saw that many customers were already waiting in line for
their beers.
"Legolas!" Aistbar's voice came over the crowd. Legolas walked quickly to his
master, knowing he would be hit if he went slowly. "Filli is sick, he cannot
stand." Aistbar told him. "You will work the bar until nine, and then come up to
the brothel. Do you understand?"
	Legolas nodded, and Aistbar took off his chains. Filli was the boy he had given
his blanket to. He grieved to hear that the boy was sick. He would most likely
die in the conditions he was in. Legolas turned to go behind the counter, and
Aistban slapped him on the buttocks and grinned wickedly at him.
*Go to hell, Aistbar.* Legolas swore in his mind, and turned his head to hide
the deadly glare that came over his face.
"Come on, sweet thing! We want our beers!" A man leaning against the counter
yelled, and was joined by many other jeers and nasty comments.
	Legolas filled a pint, and held it just out of the man's reach, waiting for him
to pay for the drink.
"Ah! A clever one!" The man said, and reached into his coin pouch. Legolas held
out his hand to take the coin, but instead the man leaned foreword and dropped
the coin down the front of Legolas' tunic. He glowered at the man as he laughed
and took his drink.
"What's wrong?" The man's friend asked. "Master got your tongue?" And the whole
crowd roared with laughter.
"He is mute." A voice came from behind him. Legolas turned to see Karnil, one of
his few friends, who was also a slave to Aistbar. "Leave him be."
	Legolas nodded his thanks to Karnil, and after fishing the coin out of his
clothing, he continued handing out beers. Over the next few hours he received
whistles, cat-calls, hollers, and rude gestures,  along with a few punches and
backhands to the face. He could feel his face swelling even now, and he inwardly
said every Elvish swear word he knew. While he knew that when this was over, he
had to go crawl in bed with some strange man, Legolas wanted away from these
horrible men. They stank of waste and rotten food, and the noise they made
caused his head to hurt. One man sloshed his pint of beer all over Legolas, and
his stomach had it. He threw his head out the small window behind him and
vomited into the street, while everyone laughed and cheered.
	Karnil sneered at the men. Legolas had lasted longer than anyone else he knew
in Aistbar's possession, but he could tell that the elf was starting to fade. He
himself had come to Aistbar only a few months ago, but Legolas had been there
nearly three times as long. The elf had not spoken to him, but had graciously
given up the greater portion of his meals and water, as well as taken some of
his own shifts in the brothel, and a few beatings for Karnil. He knew he owed
his life to Legolas.
	"Leave him be!" He yelled at the men, breaking a major rule of the slaves. He
put his hand on Legolas' back while the elf emptied his stomach, and then eased
him to the floor.
"I will finish here." He said to Legolas. "You rest, you still have to make it
through tonight."
Legolas shook his head no, and started to stand up. Karnil pushed him back down
to the floor.
"Rest." He commanded, and stood up to continue his job.
	Just then, Aistbar appeared, wondering what the yelling had been about.
"This one is throwing his voice around, Aistbar." A man told him, pointing to
Karnil.
	Legolas watching in horror as Aistbar made his way to Karnil, who stood stock
still and did not move. Karnil's eyes were lowered to the ground, hoping his
punishment would not be too harsh. Aistbar's hand raised to hit him, and Legolas
threw himself in front of Karnil. He opened his mouth to tell Aistbar that it
was his fault, to punish him, but no sound escaped. He beat his chest, trying to
tell Aistbar it was him who had caused the riot.
"Stupid elf, get out of the way." Astbar growled, and shoved Legolas to the
floor. Legolas' head hit the wood of the counter, and his mind reeled. He saw
Aistbar's fist come in contact with Karnil's face, and Karnil took a heavy blow,
holding his hand to his cheek, but he remained standing.
"Maybe you'll learn one day, Karnil." Aistbar said, and then noticed Legolas on
the floor. "What's wrong with you, Legolas?" He asked, knowing he would not get
an answer.
	Legolas remained on the floor in a heap, holding his middle. Aistbar looked at
Karnil in question.
"He is sick, master." Karnil said. "He needs rest." He bent down and stoked
Legolas' hair.
"Well, I'm can't have two of you off in the same night. Its either him or
Filli." Aistbar said. Legolas would not have the young boy in the brothel, much
less while he was sick. He forced himself to stand, wavering a little.
"Come on then." Aistbar said, and led Legolas upstairs to the holding room,
where six other slaves were waiting to be chosen. Legolas set himself on the
floor and hugged his knees. The other slaves stared at him. Legolas had been
there longer than any of them, and he had given them all hope. To see him in his
current state put their own fears into play. They worried for Legolas, but did
not dare to go to him, in fear of a beating. They remained still and quiet.
	The door opened, and Aistbar led a man inside. The stranger was big, both tall
and round. He easily outweighed Legolas by twice as much. Legolas raised his
face so the man could see it. Aistbar would beat him if he tried to hide
himself.
	The man walked around the room, looking at the other slaves, and came to
Legolas last.
"Well he is a pretty one, isn't he?" He asked in a heavy accent. The man grabbed
Legolas' chin and tilted his head so he could look at him. "Is he tight?" He
asked Aistbar.
"A halfling would be squeezed tight in him." Aistbar grinned, and noticed the
pleased expression that came over the man's face. "That one then, Drava?"
	 The man called Drava nodded, and pulled Legolas to his feet. Aistbar led them
down the hall to an empty room, and locked the door so that niehter one could
escape, whether it be Legolas, or Drava, trying to get out of paying.
	Drava turned to Legolas, who stood in the middle of the room, fear in his eyes.
He picked up the elf, and threw him violently onto the bed. Legolas did not
move. This man was far too big for him, and he had paid Aistbar for atleast
three hours with him. Drava reached into a pouch he had been carrying, and
pulled out a vial.
"Aistbar tells me you don't talk, but you can scream." He said wickedly, and
approached Legolas. "I like to hear them scream."
	Legolas realized that the liquid in the vial was Tirnou, a vile poison that
enhanced pain greatly, and caused severe stomach pains and vomiting the next
morning. It was illegal, and Legolas had only been given it once. He had been
convinced he was dying.
	Now he struggled to get away. Aistbar did not like people pouring poisons down
his slave's throats. Legolas jumped off the bed and beat of the door, hoping
Aistbar would hear and come to help. He felt a strong arm wrapped around him and
he was thrown back onto the bed. Drava pinned him down, and wrenched his jaws
open. The liquid burned as it went down Legolas' throat, and he gagged. It was
too much. Drama was giving him far too much of the poison.
	Legolas heard the  vial shatter on the floor, and felt Drava start to wrip the
sleazy tunic off his body. Legolas could not see strait, and he felt dizzy.
Nothing would come into focus. His pants were torn off, and he froze in shock
when he felt Drava's body move away from him. Drava was pulling his own trousers
off. Then he was back on top of the elf, and Legolas screamed in pain as he felt
his insides tear when the big man entered him. Drava was riding him, and would
pull himself out and push himself in over and over again. The pain tore at
Legolas and he struggled to remain conscious. The last thing he saw was the red
color of the sheets around him before he fainted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	Aistbar had ignored the sound of pounding on wood, thinking it must have been a
bed shoved against a wall while a slave was being ridden. But when he heard the
sound of breaking glass, and then a scream that sent chills up his back, he knew
he had to investigate. It had come from the room his prize, Legolas, was in.
Legolas usually did not yell, he had too much pride for it. He would hold the
sound in, gritting his teeth and gripping his palms until they bled.  Though he
did not care about the elf, he brought in more money than any other slave
Aistbar had ever owned.
	He hurried down the hall, and unbolted the door.  The scene he saw made his
blood boil. Drava was sitting on top of Legolas, riding him much too hard. 
Glass was scattered over the floor, and the room smelled horrible. What made him
furious was the sight of his elf. Legolas lay crushed under the giant form of
Drava,  and looked dead. Blood flowed freely from his backside and onto the
sheets, dying them red.
	Aistbar roared and yanked Drava off of Legolas' lifeless body.
"Get away from my elf!" He yelled, and shoved Drava across the room. He bent
down and picked up a shard of glass, sniffing it.
"Tirnou!" He yelled. "You gave my slave Tirnou! Get out! Now! Get out!"
	Drava flew down the stairs and away from the brothel, fearing that he would be
thrown in prison.
"Karnil!" Aistbar roared down the stairs. "Karnil, come here!"
	Karnil's face appeared at the top of the stairs,  his eyes wide with terror.
"Did I do something wrong?" He asked frantically.
"Get in there and pick up Legolas. Take him to my room at home." Aistbar
ordered.
	Karnil flew into the room Aistbar had pointed at, and tears sprung into his
eyes when he saw his friend on the bed, motionless. He rushed to Legolas and
wrapped him in a sheet, then lifted his body and walked quickly out of the room. 
People in the bar stared at him oddly as he walked out and down the street to
Aistbar's home. His master's room was on the top floor, and Karnil realized that
it should not have been this easy to carry the elf up the stairs. Legolas was
far too light. Karnil lay Legolas gently down on Aistbar's bed and pulled the
sheet off him, uncovering the elf's wounded body. Karnil could not bear to see
his friend in this state, and he covered Legolas back up again.
	Aistbar had never had a healer around his slaves. If something like this
happened, he let the slave die. But Legolas brought in too much money. It was
because of the income Legolas brought in that Aistbar had bought the magnificent
house he was in, as well and his own brothel. He could not afford to lose
Legolas, even if the elf was mute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	Aragorn sat in a corner in the bar. It smelled awful in the place, like waste,
but it was the only place in the wretched town where he could get a drink, and
after the miles he had ridden today, he badly needed one, though he hated to
support the brothel he knew existed upstairs.
	The man he recognized as the owner came in the front door. Aistbar? Was that
his name? Something like that. Aragorn noticed the worried look on the man's
face.
"Is there a healer here!?" The man called out.
	Aragorn payed closer attention after hearing the man's words.
"Please! I need a healer!" Aistbar almost begged.
	Aragorn did not have time to heal, he needed to continue his search for his
friend, but he hated the thought of leaving someone in pain. He stood up.
"Here, man!" He said. "I am a healer!" He said nothing about being the King of
Gondor as well.
"Please, sir, I need your assistance." Aistbar pleaded, and led Aragorn out of
the bar and into the streets. "My slave, an elf, he has been badly poisoned."
	Aragorn stopped at the sound of the word 'slave.' He hated the thought of
slavery, and to hear that such a beautiful creature as an elf would be a slave
to a brothel pained him.
"I will help you, sir." He said to the man. "Lead me to him."
	Aistbar led Aragorn to his house, and up the stairs to his room. When Aragorn
saw the body of Legolas he froze.
"Legolas!" He cried, and ran to his friend. "Legolas! Speak to me!"
"He does not speak, sir." A slave standing next to Legolas told him. "He is
mute."
"Mute?" Aragorn said. "How?"
"He came to us mute." Aistbar said. "Can you help him?"
Aragorn looked over Legolas' pitiful body and nodded.
"I will need assistance."He said. "Leave, this one here with me, and go fetch me
some hot water."
	Aistbar paused at the thought of Karnil helping the healer, and him going to
get water- a slave's job.
"NOW!" Aragorn yelled, and Aistbar disappeared from sight.
"Your name." Aragorn requested, digging in his pouch for his healing herbs and
bandages. "And how did this happen?"
"Karnil." The other slave said. "I am Legolas' friend. A man who borrowed him
gave him Tirnou."
"Tirnou?" Aragorn said, stunned. "How much?"
"Too much. A vial of it." Karnil said sorrowfully.
	Aragorn wiped his brow of sweat, caused by worry for his friend.He could not
waste time.  He looked over Legolas quickly, and handed Karnil a handful of a
weed.
"See that all of this goes down his throat." He instructed.
	Karnil went to Legolas' head, and pressed the weed onto his tongue. Legolas'
mouth closed, and Karnil rubbed his throat, causing him to swallow it. Aragorn
nodded in satisfaction and continued to tend to Legolas. The amount of blood
coming out of his backside could only be caused by internal bleeding.
"I will need to perform surgery." He said to Karnil. "Has he eaten all of the
weed?"
	Karnil nodded solemly. Aistbar returned, carrying a tub of steaming water.
Aragorn wiped Legolas' abdomen with the water, hoping it would kill any bacteria
on his skin. Pulling out a small blade, he turned to Aistbar and Karnil.
"His body has had too much in it already. I can not give him anything to keep
him sleeping, and he will wake from the pain when I cut him open." Aragorn said
firmly. "You must hold him down. If he struggles, he will cause himself more
damage."
	Aistbar and Karnil positioned themselves so they could hold Legolas down
firmly, and Aragorn pushed the blade into the elf's skin. As he had predicted,
Legolas' eyes flew open and he gasped in pain. He began to struggle to get away,
and he moved too much. Aragorn reached up and punched him across the face,
ignoring the astonished looks of Aistbar and Karnil. Legolas' eyes shut again.
	Aragorn continued cutting Legolas open, and immidiantly noticed atleast four
places where the tissue inside the elf had been torn open. Aragorn used thread,
and began sewing the gashes closed. Legolas was losing too much blood, but
Aragorn had to be patient, or he would falter.
	Almost an hour later, Legolas was stitched closed, and the blood around him was
cleaned up.  Aragorn applied oils to his bruises, and gave him more of the weed
to fight the poison. He covered the elf in heavy blankets, hoping to reduce the
risk of fever.
"Thank you." Aistbar said, once Aragorn was done, and pulled out coins to pay
him.
"No." Aragorn said. "I am not done. I will stay here tonight, and watch over
Legolas. When he is well, I will go." He said nothing about the fact that when
he went, Legolas would go with him.
"Alright." Aistbar said, and he and Karnil left the room.
	Aragorn went to Legolas' side and sat on the bed with the beautiful elf.  He
had been searching for his friend for nearly four months now, and had expected
him dead. Of all things, he had not expected to find him here, or as a slave.
Aragorn ran his fingers over the small braids on the side of Legolas' head. He
loved those braids. They were so simple, but said so much. Legolas would not
look the same without them.
	Legolas' eyes suddenly shot open. He gasped, and his eyes pleaded for mercy.
Aragorn put his arm over Legolas' chest to restrain him.
"Hold still, Legolas." He said. "It is I, Aragorn."
	The elf's eyes watered, and his lower lip quivered when he saw his friend.
"Can you speak?" Aragorn asked softly, afraid of the answer.
Legolas looked down to his feet, and shook his head no.
"Why not?" Aragorn asked, forgetting he would not get an answer.
Legolas looked at him painfully, and Aragorn grabbed a piece of paper and a
quill.
I just can't, appeared on the paper in Legolas' handwriting.
"What happened?" Aragorn asked.
When they took me, my voice stopped, and I can no longer form words.
Tears appeared in Legolas' eyes, and he silently began to weep.
"I'm sorry, my friend." Aragorn soothed, and kissed Legolas' forehead.
	They sat for a moment,  both of them in utter astonishment that they had found
eachother. Suddenly Legolas' stomach heaved, and his head flung to the side just
in time to direct his vomit away from himself and Aragorn.
	Aragorn grabbed a washbasin and held in under Legolas' chin, while he helped
his friend sit up. Legolas' stomach emptied itself, but continued to try to
bring something up. The dry heaves went on for a good fifteen minutes, and
Legolas sobbed and cried out in pain. His lungs burned, and his stomach felt as
if it rose into his chest.
	All the while, Aragorn sat, holding the basin in one hand, and supporting his
friend's back with the other. As he did so, he held Legolas' beautiful hair away
from his face, revealing his bruises and scars.
	When Legolas' body finally relaxed, the elf sank back onto the bed and drifted
to sleep. Aragorn stroked his brow, and whispered to him.
"I am so sorry, Legolas."
	Aragorn leaned back and let himself fall into an easy sleep with the elf, his
arm over Legolas in a protective gesture. Legolas would be okay. He had to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	The next morning Aragorn woke with a start. He turned to see what had awaken
him, and found a boy standing in the doorway. He was a lanky boy, still a
teenager, with raven colored hair and green eyes.
"Will he be alright?" The boy asked meekly.
"Yes, he will be fine." Aragorn replied, getting up. "Who are you?"
The boy remembered his placement and looked to the ground.
"I am Filli, Aistbar is my master."
	Aragorn was stunned. A boy his age, a slave?
"Do you work in the brothel?" He asked.
Filli nodded.
"Three times a week. Less than the others, because I am younger."	Aragorn sighed
and put his face in his palm.
"The gods help me." He said, realizing that there was no way he could leave
these servants here to die in Aistbar's hands. He looked at the boy.
"Will you do something for me?" He asked kindly.
"Anything, sir." The boy said.
"I want you to take a letter." Aragorn said. "Take it to Faramir, the steward of
Gondor."
The boy gasped.
"I cannot leave the brothel, sir." He said.
"Yes you can." Aragorn said, his voice commanding. "I am the King of Gondor. You
can do whatever I ask."
The boy's eyes grew wide, and he hit the flow in a bow.
Aragorn picked him up.
"Do not bow." He said. "Take the letter. My horse is tied outside. His name is
Brego, he's a big brown horse.You must speak to him in Elvish, do you know
Elvish?"
Filli shook his head.
"Nuralim, Brego." Aragorn said. "Tell him that."
	Aragorn wrote a letter quickly to Faramir, and pushed the boy out of the room.
He took the boy downstairs and to the waiting Brego, who stood outside. Aragorn
pushed the small boy into Brego's saddle, and handed him the reigns.
"Ai Gondor, Brego." He said to the horse. "Nuralim!"
	The horse took off with the boy as fast as he could go toward Gondor. Aragorn
went back inside to Legolas, who he saw was awake. Legolas' eyes were full of
gratitude toward Aragorn, as well as love, but also held much pain.
	Aragorn walked to Legolas and took his hand.
"I have missed you, my love." He said, and kissed Legolas' head.
	Legolas lifted his hand and touched his chest, right above his heart, and then
touched Aragorn in the same place. Aragorn smiled at him, glad to know Legolas
still felt the same way as he did a year ago.  When Arwen left for the Grey
Havens with Elrond, Legolas had shown him just how he felt, and Aragorn realized
that in his heart he had always loved Legolas. Being with Arwen was wonderful,
but being with Legolas made him feel whole. If he had married Arwen, eventually
he would have regretted it.
	Aragorn leaned down and gently brushed his lips over Legolas'. The elf
immidiantly reacted, kissing Aragorn softly at first, but with gradual firmness.
Aragorn's tongue pushed its way into Legolas' mouth, and Aragorn kissed the elf
full and hard.
	The door swung open, and Aragorn jumped away from the bed.
"How is he, sir?" Aistbar asked, completely unaware of what had been going on in
the room moments before.
"He is better." Aragorn said, regaining his composure. "He still needs to rest."
"When can he... er... go back to work?" Aistbar asked cautiously, not sure how
the stranger would react.
	Aragorn noticed that Legolas' eyes filled with dread at the sound of Aistbar's
voice, and the mention of the brothel.
"I can not say." Aragorn lied. "Perhaps in two or three weeks."
	Aistbar's face became angry.
"Two weeks?" He said in disbelief. "Do you know how much money I will lose?"
Aragorn suddenly let himself go, and let his protectiveness for the elf show. He
grabbed Aistbar's shirt and shoved the big man against the wall.
"And how much money will you lose if he dies?" He growled, spitting in Aistbar's
face.
Aistbar cowered for a moment, and then shrugged his way out of Aragorn's grasp
and hurried out of the room.
	Aragorn strode quickly across the room and to Legolas' side.
"Do not worry, my love." He whispered into Legolas' ear,  and running his finger
across the elf's braid. "I will not allow him to take you back to that wretched
place."
	Legolas' blue eyes went calm, and he reached up and took Aragorn's hand tightly
in his own. An explosion went off in Aragorn's heart when he saw the look on
Legolas' face. His love wanted to speak to him so badly, but could not bring his
body to let him.
"I'm sorry, Legolas." Aragorn said, and kissed Legolas' cheek. "Rest now. We
will leave this place soon."

	Over the next few days, Legolas slept most all of the day and night. Nothing
would remain in his stomach for long before it was thrown up again, but because
he was an elf, his wounds had healed quickly, and were little more than faint
scars. But a raging fever had taken a hold of the elf's body, and his sweat
drenched the sheets around him, yet he shivered constantly. Aragorn gave him
herbs to help cure the fever, but not as much as the man would have liked.
	 Aragorn kept watch over Legolas all day, and in the night let himself fall
into a weak sleep, his arm over Legolas' waist. At the faintest sound he would
awake, and grab his sword from the floor beside him.
	Though the fever took Legolas' body, as well as the vomiting and dry heaves,
the thing that caused Aragorn the most pain was to see Legolas open his mouth to
speak, and yet silence would fill the room. When this happened, Aragorn would
sit next to the elf, stroking the long, blonde hair, and whisper sweet
encouragments into the pointed ears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	Legolas awoke nearly a week and a half later. He waited a moment for his vision
to clear, and noticed that he was still in Aistbar's room. Aragorn was laying
beside him, exhausted, with his arm clinging protectively to Legolas' waist.
	Legolas could remember waking many times in the past week, and would feel as if
his skin was on fire, but his insides were made of ice. He also remembered
seeing designs on a porcelain bowl, as his stomach wrenched and heaved, and his
lungs burned.
	Now, Legolas felt warm, but thought that the effect of having many heavy
blankets on top of him. His stomach felt normal, but at the same time enraged
with hunger. His hand went beneath his trousers to his lower abdomen, where he
had previously felt pain, caused by a long row of stitches. They were gone.
	He rolled over under Aragorn's arm and studied the man for a moment, then
leaned foreword and kissed Aragorn lightly on the lips. The man's eyes flew
open, but he relaxed when he realized it had been Legolas who had touched him.
His heart soared when he saw the elf's bright, blue eyes, and that his skin was
no longer beaded with sweat.
"You feel well?" He asked, and Legolas gave him an enthusiastic nod. "Are you
hungry?" Another nod.
	Aragorn crawled out of the bed and went to a corner table, where last night's
dinner of pastries sat untouched. He turned to see Legolas start to stand from
the bed, then waver and sit back down.
"Do not try yet, Legolas." He said, handing the elf a pastry.
	Legolas shook his head. He was tired of laying down. He needed to stretch his
muscles. Ignoring Aragorn's worried glance, Legolas stood again, and this time
remained upright. He took a tentative step foreword, and then another. Once he
had warily crossed the room, he turned and gave Aragorn a superior look. Aragorn
laughed.
"I had forgotten how quickly you heal, Prince of Mirkwood." He said, and padded
silently across the floor to Legolas. "Perhaps you have healed in more ways than
one."
He kissed Legolas' throat.
"Can you speak?" He asked softly.
	Legolas' mouth opened, and for a fraction of a moment, a look of joy came
across his face, but then faded. He shook his head.
"Do not despair." Aragorn told him, kissing the elf's ear. "It will return, even
if it is not today."
	The sound of footsteps coming down the hall stopped them.
"Get in bed, and close your eyes." Aragorn said, and helped Legolas quickly into
bed. He tucked the elf quickly into the sheets, and sat in a chair beside the
bed just as the door opened.
	Aistbar appeared,  carrying his coin purse.
"Good morning sir." He said, putting on a friendly front. "How is Legolas today?
He looks well."
Aragorn shook his head.
"No. He is still recovering. His fever has not completely gone away."
"He looks as if it has." Aistbar argued, noticing the clean, dry, skin on
Legolas' brow.
"It seems that way, yes." Aragorn said. "But inside, his body is still fighting
the poison. Give him one more day."
	Aistbar reluctantly nodded, and left the room.  Aragorn looked at Legolas, who
lay staring with intent and worried eyes.
"We must leave today." Aragorn said. "You will ride with me."
	The man went around the room, picking up any of his belongings and healing
herbs or tools that had been left out or forgotten. He put everything into his
pack, and then helped Legolas put on his tunic and boots.
"Come, my love." He said, and put Legolas' arm over his shoulders, helping
Legolas walk quickly out of the room. A guard outside pulled his sword.
"I am merely taking him outside." Aragorn fibbed. "The fresh air will help him."
"Why your pack?" The guard asked.
"There are some things I need to tend to in the bar." Aragorn said, giving his
best excuse. He walked away before the guard could say anymore.
	The two made their way down the stairs and outside, after telling every guard
they passed the same lie Aragorn had told the first. Legolas pointed Aragorn to
the back of Aistbar's home, where a stable was kept. Aragorn immidiantly
recognized Hasufel, the horse that Legolas was so fond of. Legolas smiled at
him, knowing Aragorn recognized his loyal mount, who Aistbar had kept in his
possession.
	Aragorn tied his pack to Hasufel's saddle, and started to push Legolas onto the
horse's back.
"Fresh air, you say?" Came a voice from behind him.
	Aragorn turned to see Aistbar standing behind him, his sword drawn. Every guard
in his home stood behind him.
"He is not staying here." Aragorn said, gritting his teeth. "He is coming with
me."
"I don't think so." Aistbar said, approaching Aragorn. "He is mine."
	One of Aistbar's men suddenly hit the ground, an arrow in his back. Coming down
the road was Faramir, leading twenty of Aragorn's men.
"You're just in time!" Aragorn shouted to him.
	 Legolas noticed the same glint appear in the man's eyes as it did before the
battles of Helm's Deep and for Middle Earth. Aragorn would strike to kill.
Starting to feel weak, Legolas sat down, leaning against Hasufel, feeling
worthless at not being able to help.
	The familiar sound of slashing swords and whizzing arrows filled the air, and
Legolas longed to fight again, alongside the man he loved. He watched as Aragorn
brutally attacked every man who got in his way. Blood streaked his face and
clothes, and glinted off his sword.
	Something blocked Legolas' view, and he looked up to see Aistbar smiling down
at him.
"You will remain mine, elf." He said, and grabbed Legolas' arm. he pulled
Legolas to his feet and started dragging him away from the fight. Legolas
struggled to get free. He kicked and flung his arms and tried to hit the large
man, but he was too weak. It was hopeless. He glanced up to look at Aragorn,
pleading that his love would make it through one more battle. Just as he looked
up, a man came at Aragorn from behind,  unseen by the King of Gondor.
	A deep rumble started in Legolas' chest, and began to rise to his throat. His
face turned red, and his lungs burned.
"ARAGORN!!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, at last feeling the freedom of
being able to speak.
	Aragorn recognized the distant cry, and turned to see a man coming at him. He
held out Narsil, Gondor's sword, and the man impaled himself on the steel blade.
	Aistbar had never heard the elf speak, he did not know he was capable of words.
Surprised, he dropped the elf on the ground. Realizing his mistake, he bent down
to pick Legolas up again.
	Legolas saw his chance when he was dropped. Looking wildly around, he yanked an
arrow from a dead body beside him, and turned to face Aistbar. Just as the man
bent to retrieve his slave, Legolas shoved the arrow into the air, sending it
deep into Aistbar's heart. The man fell to the ground next to Legolas, his face
frozen in fear.
	Aragorn sheathed his sword and rushed to Legolas, who lay still and quiet on
the ground. He rolled the elf onto his back, and noticed the sweat that
glistened on his face from having exerted himself in his weak state. His big,
blue eyes stared back at Aragorn in wonder and amazement, and tears caressed his
cheeks.
"Aragorn," he whispered, his voice raspy, "I can speak."
	Aragorn smiled at Legolas.
"I knew you would, my love." He whispered into Legolas' ear.
	Faramir rode over the Aragorn, his horse jumping the bodies of the guards as it
made its way through the sea of dead men.
"King Aragorn," he said, "I'm glad to see you are well. The boy, Filli, came
riding in on Brego so swiftly we were certain something was wrong."
"Something is wrong, Farmair." Aragorn said, lifting Legolas from the ground. "I
did not realize the things that go on with slaves in my land. Slavery is to be
abolished, punishable by death."
	Faramir nodded at Aragorn's words, agreeing with him.
"Very well, my lord." He said. "What of the slaves that remain?"
"Take them back to Gondor." Aragorn ordered. "Clothe them, feed them, and tend
to their wounds. When they are well, our men will escort them safely to their
homes." 	Faramir nodded and started giving orders to his men. Aragorn lifted
Legolas onto Hasufel and jumped up behind him.
"We will go to Gondor, Legolas." Aragorn said. "You will come to your new home."
Legolas smiled and turned his head to face Aragorn.
"As long as you are there." He whispered, and kissed Aragorn's lips.
	Aragorn turned Hasufel and the two lovers rode toward Gondor, followed closely
by Faramir and his men.

	They reached the white city after three days of traveling, and Legolas looked
in awe upon the magnificent towers.
"They would tower over even the tallest trees in Mirkwood." He said.
"But they are not as peaceful." Aragorn replied, and led the elf into his
castle.
Faramir was waiting inside.
"Will there be a feast tonight?" He asked. "In honor of the king's return. Your
people have missed you these four months you've been away."
"Yes." Aragorn nodded. "There will be a giant feast. But later. I have some
things to attend to right now."
	Legolas and Aragorn made their way to Aragorn's chambers, and bolted the door
shut.
"Will you have me, King of Gondor?" Legolas asked menacingly, sitting on the
bed.
	Aragorn walked silently across the room, and put his arms on either side of
Legolas, trapping the elf.
"Only if you would have me, Prince of Mirkwood." He said, and kissed Legolas on
the lips.
	The two of them collapsed onto the bed, but did not sleep for a very long time.