Shining Hope
1 By: SunRose
Summary: Aragorn is a prince and Legolas is a poor beaten and broken servant who he saves. Can Aragorn help Legolas and his elven soul shine again? AU fic! Slash! A/L
(Legolas is kinda' OOC. In fact EVERYONE is probably OOC, but that's why it's an AU fic! Ha!)
Disclaimer: The boys ain't mine. But imagine the fun I could have if they were! ^_~
Rating: R (maybe more R-ish later)
Notes: The Italics are thoughts, and even though I refer to Legolas as 'boy' he's not really going to be that young. In this story, he'll be the youngest one, but he's not THAT young…. Yeah… just read the story. ^_^;;;
The sun was shining and the day was bright as Aragorn, son of Arathorn, rode along the crowded street with his companions. They had been in the woods for days and were very relieved to see other people.
"Unfortunately, my friends, we cannot linger here. For I must return to my father with the message we have brought."
Noticing the slightly sorrowful look on the young Hobbits' faces Aragorn continued,
"But we shall reach Gondor sometime in the morrow!"
They brightened visibly at that thought. Ever since they had first met Aragorn in the Shire, the Hobbits had followed him almost everywhere. His loyal friend, Boromir, and his father's chief advisor, Gandalf the Grey, usually accompanied them. Aragorn was a fun and fair friend, but was often sent on journeys far from home, and since his hobbit friends missed him too terribly, the logical thing seemed to be for them to escort him along his way.
The town was filled with bustling people, all hurrying to get their work done before the day was over. Many had to scamper out of the way of the Company's horses. Coming upon a small tavern, the Company decided to stop for a meal before riding, what might turn out to be, the last stretch of land before reaching the outskirts of Gondor. The inside of the tavern was filled with men, some who were already drunk. Boromir shook his head in disgust.
"And it is so early in the day!"
The crowd of men was large and unruly. They were constantly shouting their orders for beer and ale.
"Where is the service in this place?"
Sam looked around carefully, trying to discern anyone who could be the tavern's owner. Finally a rather heavy man with thinning hair and a shady look to his eye, approached them.
"And what'll it be, sirs?"
The man's voice wasn't much better than his looks. Aragorn wished to leave as soon as possible, but they must have themselves and their horses taken care of. He sighed.
"Seven ales and care for three horses and four ponies which are waiting outside."
The man nodded before taking a closer look at them.
"And, uh," he looked down at this hands, then back up again, that same sleazy smile still in place.
"With what shall you be paying?"
His eyes widened as Aragorn showed him the gold he carried. Wanting to get his greedy hands upon every single piece of gold that he could, the man quickly set about fetching the ale and the horses. He could be seen shouting for some servant, though his voice was barely audible over the crowd.
The servant tried to make his way through the group of men that always seemed to be blocking his path, but he just could not seem to make it. The bartender was growing angry. He yelled again, and the servant continued trying to push his way through the crowd. Apparently, one man did not like being pushed, so he shoved back and the servant and his tray clattered to the floor. Several beers were spilled in the process. The bartender stormed over, grabbed the poor boy by his collar and began to drag him outside. Seeing the look of fury upon the bartender's face, Frodo suggested that they should follow, to see that no harm comes to the boy. Aragorn nodded, and made his way through the crowd. Men seemed to recognize his authority and grudgingly moved for him and his friends to pass.
Making their way out back of the tavern, the friends saw a horrific sight. The bartender had proceeded to fling the boy upon the ground and beat him with whatever was handy: a piece of wood, fists, leather stirrups, anything. Sam and Pippin could no longer bear the sight, and turned away. The bartender was still shouting at the servant.
"You low-living whore! I should sell you to a worse master than I! In fact, I shall make sure that your new master will be worse! You don't even deserve death!" And the tirade continued until Aragorn had decided what he must do. Glancing at his companions, he noted their silent agreement. Taking a breath, Aragorn put a neutral look upon his face and walked up to the heavy-set man. The man instantly stopped beating the poor boy as soon as he noticed Aragorn.
"Did I hear you say that you will be interested in selling him?"
Remembering the gold, the man nodded eagerly.
"This one here, is very skilled and can do many things- if you catch my meaning."
Aragorn could barely contain his nausea at the man's suggestion, but he forced himself to continue the charade. Leaning down, he tilted the youth's head up. Green eyes avoided his own, as Aragorn brushed back dirt-caked blonde hair away from the youth's face. The hair fell back and Aragorn noticed something. Pointed ears! Could this boy be an ELF? Elves were very rare now in Middle Earth, but the ones that were there, were known to be great at whatever they set out upon. Whether it be healing, fighting, or one of the arts- they were the known best. Aragorn had now had his mind made up. Standing up straight Aragorn thrust out a small bag of gold coins to the pudgy bartender.
"Will this do?"
Grinning from ear to ear, the man had a very malicious gleam in his eye.
"So you've…. Taken a liking… to that one have you? I suppose your whole group shall enjoy what he has to offer, hmm?"
Aragorn was thoroughly disgusted at this man but he forced himself to make some reply, before bidding the youth to rise and follow him and his company to the stables. They had not yet drank their ale, or had their horses treated, but they would rather leave immediately than stay even one moment longer in that horrible place. Boromir slowed momentarily to walk next to Aragorn.
"I saw what looked to be a nice inn, some ways back. We could go there and rest till the sun rises again and we can continue home."
During their conversation about the inn and home, both men stole glances back at the youth who trudged behind them, head down and hands folded. Boromir wondered if the youth could speak to them, or if maybe he was a mute, or if he even knew their language.
"Boy," Boromir called to him. The youth glanced up quickly before settling his eyes somewhere slightly below Boromir's own.
"Do you understand this language, Boy?" Boromir proceeded more gently. The boy slowly raised his hand to his mouth and shook his head, but then pointed to his ears and nodded. Boromir look to Aragorn, puzzled.
"My lord?"
Aragorn thought for a second.
"He says that he understands, but he does not speak it."
Boromir nodded before once again turning towards the youth.
"Can you speak at all?"
The boy nodded. Boromir looked at him in surprise.
"Then why do you not talk! Tell me, Boy, what is your name?"
The boy, who was obviously nervous, spoke softly.
"Legolas."
Aragorn frowned at Legolas' fear. Had humans treated him that badly that he was terrified around them? He did not wish to worry Legolas further.
"Boromir, I think that should be all the questions for now. At least until we reach the inn."
The men climbed onto their horses, and the Hobbits to their ponies, but Legolas still stood. Head down and hands folded. He made no sign that he wished to ride any horse, he only stood slightly behind the horse of Aragorn, the man who had bought him. Aragorn gestured for him to climb up in front of him, and Legolas did so, slowly and carefully, for his arms and back still hurt from the beating.
The inn was indeed nice, and the host was very friendly. They got three separate rooms: one for Gandalf and Boromir, one for the Hobbits, and one for Aragorn and Legolas. After finding the room, Aragorn began to unpack several of his things. He wished to find his herbs to treat Legolas' wounds. Finally succeeded in having found them, Aragorn turned to the youth who had sat down on one of the two beds and looked very lost. Aragorn walked over to him slowly.
"Legolas?" he questioned.
Legolas turned to look at him, absentmindedly clutching his arms around himself. Aragorn proceeded softly.
"Take off your shirt, Legolas."
Aragorn could have sworn he saw a tear run down the boy's face. Legolas removed his shirt and Aragorn could see many scars, cuts, and horrible bruises. When Aragorn reached for the herbs that were in his pocket, much to his shock, Legolas kneeled down before him and began to undo the laces on his pants. Aragorn was so surprised, that for a second, he could not speak. Shaking himself mentally, he stepped away from the boy, who looked very confused.
"He must have thought- oh dear god- and when I reached for my pants pocket- oh…"
Legolas, who must have thought he had done something wrong, bowed down low on the ground, showing his submission. Aragorn could see that the boy was shaking.
Reaching down, Aragorn picked the boy up by his shoulders and placed him down onto the edge of the bed. Legolas made to lie onto his stomach, but Aragorn stopped him. By now the boy was extremely bewildered. He tried to voice his thoughts with what little of the human's language that he knew.
"You…. No want…me?"
Aragorn was surprised that Legolas had spoken. He shook his head vehemently. Legolas looked both relieved and hurt.
"What you want?"
Aragorn felt that Legolas knew more of the human language than what he thought he did.
"I want to help you. You're hurt."
Legolas looked wistful.
"Help…. Me?"
With the tone of voice that he spoke in, Aragorn assumed that Legolas wasn't used to being helped. He was mostly the one who did the helping.
"Yes, Legolas. I'm your friend."
Legolas looked up at Aragorn, meeting his eyes for the first time.
"Friend?" he questioned.
Aragorn nodded, smiling.
"Friend."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter two coming soon!
Ya' know…. Reviews DO help the chapters come out faster…
::hint:::hint:::nudge:::nudge::: ^_~
1 By: SunRose
Summary: Aragorn is a prince and Legolas is a poor beaten and broken servant who he saves. Can Aragorn help Legolas and his elven soul shine again? AU fic! Slash! A/L
(Legolas is kinda' OOC. In fact EVERYONE is probably OOC, but that's why it's an AU fic! Ha!)
Disclaimer: The boys ain't mine. But imagine the fun I could have if they were! ^_~
Rating: R (maybe more R-ish later)
Notes: The Italics are thoughts, and even though I refer to Legolas as 'boy' he's not really going to be that young. In this story, he'll be the youngest one, but he's not THAT young…. Yeah… just read the story. ^_^;;;
The sun was shining and the day was bright as Aragorn, son of Arathorn, rode along the crowded street with his companions. They had been in the woods for days and were very relieved to see other people.
"Unfortunately, my friends, we cannot linger here. For I must return to my father with the message we have brought."
Noticing the slightly sorrowful look on the young Hobbits' faces Aragorn continued,
"But we shall reach Gondor sometime in the morrow!"
They brightened visibly at that thought. Ever since they had first met Aragorn in the Shire, the Hobbits had followed him almost everywhere. His loyal friend, Boromir, and his father's chief advisor, Gandalf the Grey, usually accompanied them. Aragorn was a fun and fair friend, but was often sent on journeys far from home, and since his hobbit friends missed him too terribly, the logical thing seemed to be for them to escort him along his way.
The town was filled with bustling people, all hurrying to get their work done before the day was over. Many had to scamper out of the way of the Company's horses. Coming upon a small tavern, the Company decided to stop for a meal before riding, what might turn out to be, the last stretch of land before reaching the outskirts of Gondor. The inside of the tavern was filled with men, some who were already drunk. Boromir shook his head in disgust.
"And it is so early in the day!"
The crowd of men was large and unruly. They were constantly shouting their orders for beer and ale.
"Where is the service in this place?"
Sam looked around carefully, trying to discern anyone who could be the tavern's owner. Finally a rather heavy man with thinning hair and a shady look to his eye, approached them.
"And what'll it be, sirs?"
The man's voice wasn't much better than his looks. Aragorn wished to leave as soon as possible, but they must have themselves and their horses taken care of. He sighed.
"Seven ales and care for three horses and four ponies which are waiting outside."
The man nodded before taking a closer look at them.
"And, uh," he looked down at this hands, then back up again, that same sleazy smile still in place.
"With what shall you be paying?"
His eyes widened as Aragorn showed him the gold he carried. Wanting to get his greedy hands upon every single piece of gold that he could, the man quickly set about fetching the ale and the horses. He could be seen shouting for some servant, though his voice was barely audible over the crowd.
The servant tried to make his way through the group of men that always seemed to be blocking his path, but he just could not seem to make it. The bartender was growing angry. He yelled again, and the servant continued trying to push his way through the crowd. Apparently, one man did not like being pushed, so he shoved back and the servant and his tray clattered to the floor. Several beers were spilled in the process. The bartender stormed over, grabbed the poor boy by his collar and began to drag him outside. Seeing the look of fury upon the bartender's face, Frodo suggested that they should follow, to see that no harm comes to the boy. Aragorn nodded, and made his way through the crowd. Men seemed to recognize his authority and grudgingly moved for him and his friends to pass.
Making their way out back of the tavern, the friends saw a horrific sight. The bartender had proceeded to fling the boy upon the ground and beat him with whatever was handy: a piece of wood, fists, leather stirrups, anything. Sam and Pippin could no longer bear the sight, and turned away. The bartender was still shouting at the servant.
"You low-living whore! I should sell you to a worse master than I! In fact, I shall make sure that your new master will be worse! You don't even deserve death!" And the tirade continued until Aragorn had decided what he must do. Glancing at his companions, he noted their silent agreement. Taking a breath, Aragorn put a neutral look upon his face and walked up to the heavy-set man. The man instantly stopped beating the poor boy as soon as he noticed Aragorn.
"Did I hear you say that you will be interested in selling him?"
Remembering the gold, the man nodded eagerly.
"This one here, is very skilled and can do many things- if you catch my meaning."
Aragorn could barely contain his nausea at the man's suggestion, but he forced himself to continue the charade. Leaning down, he tilted the youth's head up. Green eyes avoided his own, as Aragorn brushed back dirt-caked blonde hair away from the youth's face. The hair fell back and Aragorn noticed something. Pointed ears! Could this boy be an ELF? Elves were very rare now in Middle Earth, but the ones that were there, were known to be great at whatever they set out upon. Whether it be healing, fighting, or one of the arts- they were the known best. Aragorn had now had his mind made up. Standing up straight Aragorn thrust out a small bag of gold coins to the pudgy bartender.
"Will this do?"
Grinning from ear to ear, the man had a very malicious gleam in his eye.
"So you've…. Taken a liking… to that one have you? I suppose your whole group shall enjoy what he has to offer, hmm?"
Aragorn was thoroughly disgusted at this man but he forced himself to make some reply, before bidding the youth to rise and follow him and his company to the stables. They had not yet drank their ale, or had their horses treated, but they would rather leave immediately than stay even one moment longer in that horrible place. Boromir slowed momentarily to walk next to Aragorn.
"I saw what looked to be a nice inn, some ways back. We could go there and rest till the sun rises again and we can continue home."
During their conversation about the inn and home, both men stole glances back at the youth who trudged behind them, head down and hands folded. Boromir wondered if the youth could speak to them, or if maybe he was a mute, or if he even knew their language.
"Boy," Boromir called to him. The youth glanced up quickly before settling his eyes somewhere slightly below Boromir's own.
"Do you understand this language, Boy?" Boromir proceeded more gently. The boy slowly raised his hand to his mouth and shook his head, but then pointed to his ears and nodded. Boromir look to Aragorn, puzzled.
"My lord?"
Aragorn thought for a second.
"He says that he understands, but he does not speak it."
Boromir nodded before once again turning towards the youth.
"Can you speak at all?"
The boy nodded. Boromir looked at him in surprise.
"Then why do you not talk! Tell me, Boy, what is your name?"
The boy, who was obviously nervous, spoke softly.
"Legolas."
Aragorn frowned at Legolas' fear. Had humans treated him that badly that he was terrified around them? He did not wish to worry Legolas further.
"Boromir, I think that should be all the questions for now. At least until we reach the inn."
The men climbed onto their horses, and the Hobbits to their ponies, but Legolas still stood. Head down and hands folded. He made no sign that he wished to ride any horse, he only stood slightly behind the horse of Aragorn, the man who had bought him. Aragorn gestured for him to climb up in front of him, and Legolas did so, slowly and carefully, for his arms and back still hurt from the beating.
The inn was indeed nice, and the host was very friendly. They got three separate rooms: one for Gandalf and Boromir, one for the Hobbits, and one for Aragorn and Legolas. After finding the room, Aragorn began to unpack several of his things. He wished to find his herbs to treat Legolas' wounds. Finally succeeded in having found them, Aragorn turned to the youth who had sat down on one of the two beds and looked very lost. Aragorn walked over to him slowly.
"Legolas?" he questioned.
Legolas turned to look at him, absentmindedly clutching his arms around himself. Aragorn proceeded softly.
"Take off your shirt, Legolas."
Aragorn could have sworn he saw a tear run down the boy's face. Legolas removed his shirt and Aragorn could see many scars, cuts, and horrible bruises. When Aragorn reached for the herbs that were in his pocket, much to his shock, Legolas kneeled down before him and began to undo the laces on his pants. Aragorn was so surprised, that for a second, he could not speak. Shaking himself mentally, he stepped away from the boy, who looked very confused.
"He must have thought- oh dear god- and when I reached for my pants pocket- oh…"
Legolas, who must have thought he had done something wrong, bowed down low on the ground, showing his submission. Aragorn could see that the boy was shaking.
Reaching down, Aragorn picked the boy up by his shoulders and placed him down onto the edge of the bed. Legolas made to lie onto his stomach, but Aragorn stopped him. By now the boy was extremely bewildered. He tried to voice his thoughts with what little of the human's language that he knew.
"You…. No want…me?"
Aragorn was surprised that Legolas had spoken. He shook his head vehemently. Legolas looked both relieved and hurt.
"What you want?"
Aragorn felt that Legolas knew more of the human language than what he thought he did.
"I want to help you. You're hurt."
Legolas looked wistful.
"Help…. Me?"
With the tone of voice that he spoke in, Aragorn assumed that Legolas wasn't used to being helped. He was mostly the one who did the helping.
"Yes, Legolas. I'm your friend."
Legolas looked up at Aragorn, meeting his eyes for the first time.
"Friend?" he questioned.
Aragorn nodded, smiling.
"Friend."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter two coming soon!
Ya' know…. Reviews DO help the chapters come out faster…
::hint:::hint:::nudge:::nudge::: ^_~