Hey! Here it is, the next chapter, as promised in chapter 3 of Everything in Me. Sorry about the delay, but it is the evil of school again. Also, I have far too many ideas for this story, and thus I have written about 18 pages of pre-written bits which means that I get bored filling in these gaps! Lol, but I can tell you that things are heating up to get a lot worse!!

*****

Extorted

Chapter Five

Confrontations

*****

"Salt, my lord," Clivedon, Ruksyn's advisor said solemnly, his head bowed. Eyes locked onto the recently discovered fascinating grain of the wood, Clivedon chipped gently at the side of the table with his thumbnail, splitting little pieces of wood from the desk. Already there was a small pile of wood chips at his feet and clinging to the bottom of his long grey robes despite the fact that he had only been in the room for a little less then ten minutes.

"What?" Ruksyn demanded, his eyes flaring as he spun on his heels to look at the older man that sat hunched at a large writing desk. The lord's face was set into a harsh glare, one that seemed to have taken up permanent residence on his face except maybe for the times that he regarded his 'pet'.

"Salt. That is what it is." Clivedon repeated, as he forced his eyes to make contact with the blearing ones of his over lord. "That is the answer to your question," he said firmly, his eyes unwavering even though his hands shook.

Turning around and looking back out the window, Ruksyn saw yet another cloud of white rise from the ground only a few feet from the walls of the castle.

It had all started two days ago, or at least that was when the first report was made. A farmer had risen one morning to find his wheat field covered in a strange white powdery substance; the heads, the stalks and the ground looked as if they had been covered in snow. Frightened, he had not approached the 'phenomenon', too scared that it may have been a message from the gods above.

Once his report had been filed with the town guards, more seemed to flood in, each and every one of the people reporting a strange grainy white coating on their lands. At first Ruksyn had overlooked it, putting it down to a prank by some village child and besides, it was the farmers concern, not his.

But this morning, this morning had been the first time that he had truly paid any attention to the situation whatsoever. It had started when one of the servants were looking out of the window and were just in time to see an object fly towards the castle walls and implode into a large cloud of white. The strange attack had been going all since at an incredibly high rate; about a bag every four minutes, to the point where the whole front of the castle was thickly shrouded in white powder.

"They are catapulting hessian bags over the walls, sir," Clivedon supplied the only knowledge that he knew. "The bags are stuffed that full that once they hit the walls they break. Apparently the crops had been a warning, but they feel that the message was overlooked. From the wall the guards can see that they are constantly re-aligning the catapults. They want to reach the inner walls."

"Why in the name of the gods?" Ruksyn swore as he saw yet another bag fly through the air. This one struck on the battlements of the wall, the seams splitting and the contents pouring out onto the walkway as if it were spitting in the face of the lord. Guards rushed to the scene, buckets in hand as they tried to scoop up what would prove to be a slippery substance if not removed.

"I talked to Halis," Clivedon said, referring to the resident alchemist and verified lunatic, "he claims that the salt will kill the crops, sir. He believes that it will poison the grounds; make it impossible for anything to continue to grow as no water will be able to reach the plants. He also says that it could quite possibly rot wood and help cause erosion within the walls in wet." Glancing at his lord's unmoving back, the advisor lowered his eyes once again. "It is not good, my lord."

Silence followed and the room seemed to spark with tension while all the while Ruksyn just stood and watched bag after bag of salt explode upon his walls.

"Sir, may I suggest that you give in," Clivedon said with a small quake in his voice, his mind screaming at him that this was a bad idea. "Meet their demands and all this will be over."

"No!" Ruksyn stated firmly from his position overlooking the wall. His hands moved to the small of his back and clasped there, his fingers wound so tightly around each other that they were white with lack of blood.

"It is not worth it, sire." Clivedon tried once again, his voice showing his desperation to be understood. "Your land is under siege, it is suffering as are your people. They are rebelling, my lord. Your guards are being attacked in the streets, chased away by pitchfork wielding peasants with nothing to eat besides rotting, salted food. You are receiving death threats from your own subjects every day. They refuse to stand by and watch as their homes are destroyed and their lands poisoned with the knowledge that you could so easily bring all this to a halt by just -"

His despairing plea was cut off abruptly as Ruksyn spun on his heels, his eyes burning with flame that resembled the very pits of Mt Doom. Within a second, he practically leapt from his position and threw himself across the room at the fear stricken advisor. Hand reaching out for whatever he could grab hold of, Ruksyn found his fingers closing in on the sharp, ornamental seal breaker that sat on the wooden desk. Grabbing the older man by the collar and hefting him out of the seat, Ruksyn used his other hand to position the point of the letter-opener against the side of the advisors temple.

Petrified with fear, Clivedon stood as still as possible, all the while feeling Ruksyn's hand trembling as he pressed the sharp implement into the side of Clivedon's head.

"I SAID NO!" The lord yelled in the man's face, his cheeks puffed and flecked with red. Ruksyn's eyes seemed to bulge from his head, the corners blood shot and crisscrossed with veins that looked as if they would rupture at any moment. He appeared to be from another world, a demon filled with a fiery vengeance and an insatiable hatred.

"Of course, my lord," Clivedon gushed out, his words hasty and uneven in his fear. Ruksyn still had not let go of his vice like grip upon the others throat nor had the cold tingle of the steel been removed from the advisors temple. "It is not my place to intrude on such matters." Clivedon pleaded, "I beg for forgiveness, my liege."

Glaring down at the terrified man, Ruksyn's upper lip curled up in disgust at the sycophantic creature. Clivedon's nostrils flared with each shaky breath that he took, his eyes fighting a battle as to whether to press themselves closed or to stay open. Sweat rolled down his face, little droplets getting lost in the bushy eyebrows while others fell from his chin and splashed onto the unadorned robe.

'Pitiful,' Ruksyn thoughts, 'truly pitiful.'

"Just get out of my sight!" Ruksyn commanded as he shoved the older man back towards the door. Clivedon, unprepared for the harsh shove, fell stumbling backwards and banged his leg into the corner of the table, putting him even more off balance. As pain erupted through his upper leg, gravity finally won over the old man and he found himself floor bound.

Hitting the stones with a loud crack, his right leg bending in under his frail frame, Clivedon stifled the groan of agony that fought so desperately to break past his lips by biting down on his tongue. The last thing that he needed was to draw even further attention and a heightened rage to himself. Stopping only once he tasted his own blood, Clivedon half crawled, half dragged himself towards the door, constantly aware of the smug look that Ruksyn wore. Arm rising to grasp the door handle, the advisor pushed open the door and practically rolled out, not even bothering to stand even as he gently pushed the door closed.

Once the door clicked into place, the man finally let out the cry of pain that had been choked I his own blood. A mixture of blood and salvia dribbling down his chin, Clivedon turned his attention to the jabbing out bone of his broken leg.

*****

They were watching him. At first Estel had just thought that it was his slightly paranoid mind working overtime, but now it was painfully obvious. The two guards at the end of the hall did not even try to hide their harsh stares and the Chamberlain that paced backwards and forwards through the large room did an atrocious job of disguising his pressing gaze.

As if they had sensed his awareness, all three swooped in, in deadly silence and synchronized movements. Before Estel even had the chance to try and flee or fight, the two that had been standing at the end of the hall grabbed him under the arms and half dragged, half carried the kicking and struggling young man out of the room. Not a single word had passed between either one of them.

As the guards turned into an all too familiar passageway, Estel's heart leapt in his throat. Lord Ruksyn's chambers.

Questions and unrequited fears ran through his mind at a quickened pace. Did the lord know? Had he seen he and Legolas together? Had someone else told him? Or was it something else, something that he was not expecting or prepared for?

Entering the room, the guards pressed down roughly on his shoulders, bring Estel to his knees in front of the lord. Glaring up at the man, Estel made no attempt to hide his hatred though he paid careful attention to not allow the quickly growing feeling of fear to show.

"I don't like you," the lord stated bluntly, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room after the initial scuffle of Estel's feet.

"I am sorry that I am not to your liking, my lord," the whole statement was spat out, the disdain practically dripping from Estel's voice as he put an extra slur on the 'my lord'.

"So you should be." Ruksyn said with an affirmative nod as he sent his fist cracking into the side of Estel's head.

A feeling like his brain exploding within his head swept over Estel as the room waltzed before his eyes; the door involved in an elaborate dance with the large stones of the walls. A second blow to the side of his head sent him toppling off his knees and crashing ungracefully to the floor, his eyes squeezed tightly closed. But Ruksyn was not hindered and, as soon as the young man began to automatically curl in on himself, the lord sent a harsh kick into Estel's stomach, causing him to retch and cough violently.

Raising his arm, Ruksyn firmly balled his fist as he reached down to grasp the collar of the young human, though something stopped him. Without so much as a single warning footstep, the door to the room sung noisily open, reveling the happenings of the room to the new arrival.

"No!" Legolas yelled as he took in the sight of what was happening within the room. Not even thinking of what to do nor the consequences of his unthought-of plan, Legolas raced across the room, heedless of the baffled looks that the guards sent him.

Grabbing hold of Ruksyn's balled fist, Legolas tugged back on the arm with all his strength before slipping gracefully under the arm. Standing as tall as he could, he moved so that he was placed right between the angered man and Estel.

"Stop it!" he commanded, his voice filled with a hint of bravery that he most certainly did not feel.

What in the Valar's name was he doing?

Telling himself that he was crazy over and over again, Legolas mentally prepared himself for the blow as Ruksyn's closed fist continued to plunge towards him. He knew that it would fall somewhere between his shoulder and ear; a dangerous place for such a blow, though he hardly knew why he knew that. All he knew was that it would hurt and that he could take it. That he could handle the attack and that, somehow, he had had worse.

But it never came.

Looking up, Legolas saw that Ruksyn's hand had stopped mid fall, the man's eyes now boring deep into Legolas'.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, his tone harsh and sharp as his eyes narrowed, making the dark colour all the more deadly looking.

Gathering up his strength, Legolas took a deep breath and told himself that he was doing this for someone that would do the same for him. Taking a step forward, he raised his eyes to look into the seemingly bottomless darkness of the lords.

"He is my slave," Legolas started, trying to fake some degree of confidence in his voice as well as trying not to make it seem too personal, "that means that he is mine to punish as I see fit. Not yours. Now what did he do?"

Grabbing the Elf by his upper arms, Ruksyn pulled Legolas taut against his body while forcing him on to the tips of his toes. Pulling relentlessly at the Elf's thin frame, Ruksyn forced Legolas' head to tilt back, making his eyes lift so that they were locked with his own.

"Your slave yes," he spat out, giving the Elf a harsh shake with each and every word and making it obvious that he did not have to answer Legolas' question, "but you still answer to me, Elf! You are mine, or did you forget that?" he yelled at Legolas while tugging at Legolas' arms so roughly that the Elf was actually lifted off his feet. "You answer to ME! Me and no other!"

Fighting to keep the fear from his eyes, Legolas just glared at the human with as much indifference as he could manage while waving his feet slightly, desperate to find a foothold.

"Play your games, Elf!" Ruksyn continued, his shaking intensifying as his grip tightened to the point of forcing a gasp out of Legolas. "Have it your way if it makes you feel as if you hold some form of power here, but let me tell you this, do not cross me again. Do you understand? DO YOU?"

Knowing that he wanted an answer, Legolas felt that same feeling of rebellion rise within him, just as he had felt when he walked into the room. Keeping his eyes locked onto the lords', Legolas said something that, before Estel had come crashing into his life, he never would have even dared to think.

"As long as it does not include my slave, then I shall not cross you," he stated simply, one eyebrow raised while he almost looked forward to Ruksyn's reply.

The human's eye bulged with hate as he stared down at the impudent Elf. "Do you think you have a choice? Is that it?" Ruksyn yelled, his face resembling that of someone who had been in the sun for far too long. "I own you! You are mine by right! You hear that? MINE! You may consider him to be yours, but he is here through my good will. I gifted him to you and I can take him away just as easily!"

And with that, he dropped the Elf unceremoniously to the ground and turned on his heels. Beckoning to the two guards that stood by the door, the lord of the manor stormed out of the room, his mood like a rain cloud hanging heavily over his head.

As the two guards followed their lord and the sound of their marching feet disappeared down the long corridor, Legolas finally took the time to process what had just happened. He had stood up to him; to his tormentor. He had stated his mind and not backed down.

He was suicidal!

A pair of strong yet gentle arms snaking around his waist tugged him from his catatonic state with an unwelcome flinch.

"Are you all right?" Estel asked softly as a shaking hand wrapped around one of Legolas' arms, the thumb drawing lazy and comforting circles across the fabric.

"fine," came the automatic reply, though the quiver in the Elf's voice begged to differ. For a few minutes Legolas just stared at the stone floor, his mind lost in the world of shadows that had now become his life. It was not until a small, choked cough from behind him brought him back to the present and the situation at hand.

"Oh, son of an Orc," Legolas cursed, the foul words sounding out of place with his musical voice. "We have to get you some help!" Pulling out of the man's arms, he stood to his feet and offered a hand down to Estel, which the young man took without hesitation. Pulling the young man to his feet, Legolas looped an arm around Estel's waist and walked towards the door, supporting Estel's weight and slight limp as he went.

With only one quick glance around the corner in both directions, Legolas tugged the man as fast as he dared, headed in the one place that they would be safe; the servants quarters.

*****

Pulling Estel along the corridor, Legolas paid careful attention not to be seen by any of the guards - that would only makes things go from bad to much...much worse. It was not until they passed under the large arch and through the open doors that marked the servant quarters and the kitchens, that Legolas allowed their pace to slow, all fear of being caught by either Ruksyn or one of his men banished from his mind.

None of them ever came down here; it was beneath them. They were a class of hired or forced help that should never be associated with or looked right in the eye. Ruksyn had even taken it as far as banning Legolas from having any form of conversation with them, that is, all save the personal 'servants' that was there to provide him with whatever he needed.

It was with that in mind that Legolas had made their destination that wing of the house. It would be the last place that Ruksyn would look for them; if he did look for them at all, and, by the time the rest of the house had been searched, Legolas would be back in his chambers or walking around the garden. It was also the only place that Estel stood any chance of treatment.

Walking in silence down the main corridor, footsteps echoed through the small space, marking the approach of a servant. A young man, maybe a few years younger then Estel, walked past, humming to himself in a light and joyful manner while paying no attention to his surroundings whatsoever.

It was not until he and Legolas had passed each other and the young man was at least five paces further down the hall that he actually turned to look at the strange visitor.

"Oh, by the Valar!" the young man exclaimed as he wheeled around in mid- pace. "I'm blessed, I tell you. Blessed! Tis a gift from the gods! A gift and a promise of lighter days."

The voice made Legolas stop and, somewhat difficulity, he turned himself and Estel around to see what had caused the outburst. Utterly astounded, Legolas just watched as the young, red-haired man bowed before him, his forehead touching the cold stone of the floor. Unsure of what to make of the situation, Legolas was above glad when Estel broke the strange silence.

"Milford," he croaked out, "get up!"

"Stand in the face of such beauty?" Milford asked, his head still lowered to the floor, "I dare not for fear that I may swoon and fall." Crawling forward on his knees and elbows, his head only just lifted off the ground, Milford took hold of Legolas' leather boots before lowering his lips to the worn toes. "I am your servant, great one!" he proclaimed with an air of unattainable honor.

Brow creased in confusion, Legolas resisted the urge to shake the man off his feet and instead turned to face Estel with a questioning gaze.

"Is he always like this?" Legolas half laughed out while still retaining an edge of seriousness.

A small coughing laugh escaped Estel's lips as he looked down to groveling Milford. "The way I see it, only with you."

Frowning once again, Legolas directed his quizzical gaze to the boy that still clutched at his feet, holding fast to them as if they were some form of life-raft.

"He does not even know me," he exclaimed, "nor I him!"

Smiling despite the pain in his jaw, Estel offered the Elf a reassuring smile. He could tell that Legolas was utterly confused about the entire situation - even he had been when he first met Milford - and so decided to take pity upon the rather naive immortal.

"You do not always need to personally know someone to worship them, or love them," Estel offered with what appeared to be an all-knowing smile. All this seemed to do was confuse the Elf further, but, pushing his bewilderment aside, Legolas smiled down at the young boy.

"Milford?" Legolas asked quietly, amazingly nervous as he spoke the name of the boy who was still clinging to his legs. It was becoming rather uncomfortable, to tell the truth.

A long and content sigh was the first form of answer which was quickly followed by the touch of the strange young man's forehead to the lengths of Legolas' boots. "I am unworthy to hear my name come from your lips."

"Right..." Legolas muttered to himself, completely embarrassed by the way that the man was treating him. "Could you do me a favor?"

"ANYTHING!" Milford practically yelled out, still not gaming to take his eyes off the shoes of the one that he had worshiped for so many years.

"Help me with Estel?"

Scrambling to his feet as if his life depended on it, Milford hurried to the other side of the new slave, his eyes never once leaving Legolas' face but at the same time never allowing their eyes to lock. Grabbing the other man's arm, a move which managed to pull a cry from Estel's lips, Milford reluctantly pulled his gaze from the Elf so that he could regard his friend.

Spying the bruises that were already beginning to turn the normally tanned skin a strange blackish-purple, his brow creased in worry. "What happened to you?"

"Thanks for finally noticing..." Estel said with a weary smile and a nod of his head as both Legolas and Milford started to help him walk down the hallway.

*****

Tbc...

There we go, and I hope you liked it, and there was a little bit more of good old crazy Milford for you all. I like that guy!

Replies to reviews:

OrliBloomedMe: Thank you, thank you! I am glad that you like the story so far and that it has made you laugh a few times; gives me a reason to keep writing! I am trying to do Aragorn and Legolas as close as possible, so that this rather strange situation can become slightly believable, so it is good to hear that you think that they are well portrayed. Hope you like this chapter.

MoroTheWolfGod: Oh, someone's sadistic! And knowing my rather sadistic tendencies, I'd say 'yes' to that. He is going to get punished big time - but so is Estel...

Shadafakup: *hands you heart pills* Hope these help! Oh, multiply readings? You liking it that much? ;) Thank you. And so sorry about the update gaps. And here here on the romance thing. I am not a fan myself, but it just kinda happened. Thank you for the confirmation on the kiss scene; I was REALLY nervous about that!!! It is so not a me thing to do, so I was positive that I would screw it up somehow! But it's good that you liked it, and yes school is evil!!!!

Eryn Lasgalen: *cries at the cocept of things being more important then fanfiction!* And on the Pirates of the Caribbean, I know, I know, I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*jumps up and down and exclaims some more* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been raving about it for MONTHS!! Downloading trailers, mass saving pictures, am playing Will in a RPG - man, I am so dying to see this movie! Only problem is that Pirates of the Caribbean does not come out here until late AUGUST!!!!! FEEL MY PAIN!!!!!!!!!!! I am so going to live at the movie theater for a few weeks, I mean...oh god, now you got me started again! Lol. *refrains self from raving on about her pirate obsession and the fact that now the two guys that she is obsessed with are PLAYING pirates. It is heaven on earth!!*

ANYWAY... sorry about that little outburst... umm, yes, here is the update, as I said before, the problem with this story is that I get bored filling in the gaps! Yours Truly and I - I don't really know, we have both been busy with school and RL commitments, not to mention the fact that we started up a RPS story which is REALLY going to kick ass! But one of my goals this holiday is to get something over there posted up!

Enigma Jade: Lol, it is a whole new side/perspective of me, isn't it? and oh 'sexiestkisceneever', that sounds good! Lol. Thank you!

Goldmund: This is good, no one has told me that I fucked the kiss thing up yet! Lol. And yes, I LOVE libraries as well, so that was why I chose it. There is something about them; so old and full of wisdom and I LOVE those big old gothic style fireplaces! *starts to drool* The position was surprisingly hard to come up with, but I was happy with it, and I am glad that you are too! The feelings, as I said, were complete bullshit on my account. Never felt that way so I made it all up! Lol, am looking into a career in advertising; bullshit for a living and get paid for it! lol. Yes, Estel is still Isildur's heir, and yes you should be terrified by the shadow *evil laugh* though not for the reasons that you would expect... Ruksyn reminds me of me (ok, that is not a good thing) but I am like that - can change my mood just like that *clicks*.

OH! Another Evanescence fan! YAY!! Believe it or not, but this story now has a theme song(s) one is "You" by Evan. and the other is "Haunting" by them as well. They all tie in towards the end and were quite the inspiration for a certain scene!

Ah, Legolas' request; I thought it was cute, but more importantly, it seemed to be a way to show his fear of Ruksyn and yet portray the fact that he is still going to keep fighting and that he is not willing to just except things. And that request does come back into the story a little later! *wink* Happy? Or not happy? HAPPY? OR NOT HAPPY? Decisions, decisions! LOL! I am leaning towards a mixture of both... if that is possible...

Rosalyn Angel: HA! 'The Great Minka'? More like 'The Deranged Minka'! Lol, and don't you hate school??? Regarding your story, I have all weekend free! Mum is going away, I am going to take the phone off the hook so I can have some damn peace and I have even gotten some updating done early! That means that I have time to read, play the Sims and have a Johnny Depp-a- thon! LOL, so yes, your story is the first on the list! Bloody Legolas, he does not seem to understand that all I do I do out of love! He is just ungrateful...

Two words: Ruksyn, evil!

Poor Legolas... its fun to watch, isn't it?! *evil laugh* And man, typos are my middle name! but I am actually working on archiving some stories on some other sites, so I am going through them all again, and will re-post changed, extra bit, and corrected errors as I go. LMAO! I am glad (in a way) that you found reading that scene a little awkward 'cause it was really hard for me to write! I was so scared of it being to sappy, or it seeming too stereotypical that I think that I sort of wrote it in the midst of a 'freaking out' trance! Lol. But yes, Estel is moving pretty quickly (can you tell that I want to get to the end-ish part soon? Lol)

Hehehehe, Estel is going to get himself into far more trouble then what he EVER bargained for! It shall be fun! Oh, and you are thinking about the dove! Good, good! *Gasps with you* I don't know! Milford this chapter! Milford this chapter! And the next!! As I said, he and Idis will become major players in this little tale! LOL at your toy metaphor! And thank you for the lovely review!!

Boom Boom: *jumps up and down with you as, as soon as she sees someone else doing something, she has to do it!*

Andlachiel: Torture is coming! Believe me, it is coming!!! *muses on the taking of Estel's place... drool...* thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this!

evil spapple pie: sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!! Yes, let us join forces; all those who oppose the compulsory schooling and that fact that you need it to go places in life, and overthrow the government! *sees that no one is rallying.* nah, it was worth a try!

The person lurking in the shadows will be revealed in due time...and for due reason... As for workload, I have about 6 more days of freedom!! Thank you for your review!

Chibi-chan: I think I should throw Ruksyn to all you readers - you would probably do more damage to him that Legolas or Estel ever could! LOL. And there shall be some more little Estel/Legolas moments soon!

Shadow: Here is more, and there shall be more coming! Lol, thank you for leaving your review - it does inspire me to write more!

tapetum lucidum: Oh, wait till later on - something happens that gives a whole new meaning to 'being tied to the bed' LOL. Ruksyn, insane? Never! HA! Oh, I like your reasoning on the shadow in the library thing! Very clue-y! *evil grin about the punishing thing* you shall have to wait! Lol, but thank you!

Wow, that took awhile! I have a habit of talking far too much! With that in mind, I wish you all well and until next time, good bye!

Minka.