Nin Chronicles: My Greenleaf

Tortured!

Scenes of torture ahead; read at your own discretion.

Thranduil and Legolas were jerked to a halt outside the opening to the cavern.

"Permission to enter, your lordship?" one man inquired.

From within the cave came a grunt.

The humans shoved their captives into the cavern. Flickering torchlight illuminated the room, and a man stood facing the wall opposite with his back to his men. His black cloak rippled and his greasy hair hung in tendrils.

"We captured Thranduil and his brat, your lordship," said the captain of the men, bowing to one knee.

The man spun around, his black cloak billowing out behind him. He laughed, malice embedded in each hollow chuckle, and his eyes glittered. "Wonderful! The dawn of my day has begun!"

"Lord Katar!" Thranduil hissed.

Lord Katar grinned, running a hand over Thranduil's smooth cheek. Thranduil recoiled in disgust, held firm by the arms of the men behind him. Lord Katar slapped him. "Yes, it is I. I never left your petty forest. I have remained her, waiting for my revenge! You will not die easily, son of a spider!"

Legolas, though he had displayed no fear before, began to tremble. Lord Katar grinned down at the elfling. "Hello, princeling. I am happy to see you again!" His fist connected with Legolas's cheek. Tears welled up in the soft blue eyes but Legolas made no sound.

Lord Katar snarled, "You will suffer like no one has suffered before! and when I am done with you, and your precious ada, you will be on your knees begging me for a death I will never grant!"

Legolas flinched but refused to let his tears fall. Thranduil's blood boiled at the sight of the red mark on Legolas's cheek.

"Take them to the cave," Lord Katar said. "Bind them with their friends. I will come later to here their screams."

Thranduil and Legolas were wrestled out of the room and dragged up the hall, down the intersection to the left. The humans holding Landion joined them. The tunnel ended at a solid metal door set in the stone. A solider unlocked the metal grate and pushed it open.

"Naneth!" cried Landion. He fore himself away from his guards and ran to Celebrail lying on the floor. He dropped to his knees beside his mother. Bruises covered her face and bare arms. Bleeding whiplashes scarred her back. She looked up at Landion with a teary smile and brushed a hand across his cheek. She dragged herself upright and held onto her son with the last of her strength. Landion buried himself in her embrace, weeping, "I am sorry, naneth. All my fault . . ."

Thranduil tore his eyes away with an aching heart as cold chains bound his hands to the wall behind him. Thranduil could not bear to see the heavy shackles on his son's small wrists. He looked at Legolas with pain in his eyes. Legolas met his father's gaze, fear screaming in his eyes. Then it fades, replaced by a coldness Thranduil had never seen before.

The humans left the cell, slamming the door behind them. The occupants sat in silence for hours. Dread filled the air and weighed down on everyone's heart. Thranduil did not want to imagine what Lord Katar would do to Legolas but horrible possibilities floated through his mind. He looked up as the door creaked open. Lord Katar and six armored guards entered the cell.

"Bring Legolas to me," Lord Katar said, jerking the whip out of his belt.

A human approached Legolas. Through his helm, his face appeared young and clean-shaven. He avoided Legolas's eyes as he unshackled the elfling and dragged him into the center of the room.

Lord Katar circled the still, tense elfling. "All your bruises have healed, I see. Well, it is time we fix that!" With unexpected brutality, Lord Katar brought the whip done across Legolas's ankles. Legolas tripped, stinging pain shooting up his legs, and collapsed to the floor. He curled into a tight ball, his body remembering the cramped position well from his early years with the man. The whip tore away the cloth on his back, then laid open the flesh beneath. His blood trickled from the cuts, cool against his hot skin. Each whiplash caused pain to ravage every nerve in his body yet he remained silent. He bit his teeth into his arm and sucked on the trickle of blood the cut created, concentrating on it rather then the pain. Screaming would please Lord Katar and Legolas would not give him one second of satisfaction.

Lord Katar let the whip fall across Legolas's back with a sharp crack. He took a break, panting, sweat standing out on his brow. With a grunt, he kicked Legolas between the ribs. "Stubborn fool! Grab him and pin him down!"

The same young guard, his eyes wide with horror, and an older man with cold eyes grabbed Legolas's wrists and ankles. Legolas struggled but the grips of the humans were strong and he found himself held down against the floor. His eyes met the pained eyes of the young human in front of him. Seeing pity he did not want, he pressed his cheek to the cold floor and waited. He knew what would come.

Lord Katar raised the whip. Without anything to bite his teeth into, Legolas struggled to keep his mouth closed. The pain built within him, tearing at his self control, and the blood loss made his head spin. His body wanted to move and flee the pain but it was held down. Tears coursed down his cheeks, wetting tendrils of his hair. The whip curled and sliced across the tip of one ear. Legolas let out a sharp cry and the world faded into blackness.

Lord Katar let a smile grace his cruel face. He strode out of the room with his guards, leaving Legolas sprawled on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. His refusal to utter threats made the heavy silence worst for no one knew who would be next.

Legolas raised his head from the floor and forced his trembling body to his hands and knees. He crawled to his father and dragged himself into Thranduil's lap. He huddled into his father's chest, trembling, his hands curled into fists. His pain seemed to fade slightly in the soothing presence of his father. Pretending to faint had always worked for him. And Legolas happened to have experience in the art of fainting convincingly. But it took all his courage to pull the trick for there had been times when Lord Katar had seen through the stunt and his wrath had been terrible.

Celebrail was vomiting again. Her sister lay still, her wrists fastened to the wall, her eyelids drooping. Landion sobbed, unable to take in what he had seen moments ago. The noises of grief and suffering drove Thranduil to despair of ever seeing light again. He could not hug Legolas to him for his wrists were chained to the wall but he could keep his peace. Legolas stopped trembling and listened to the soothing sound of his father's voice in his ear, murmuring elvish songs.