simbelmyne

WARNING: THIS STORY IS RATED NC-17

Not long ago, a group of authors of the Open Scrolls Archive gathered and started a Virtual Village based on the premise of a new world that resembled Middle Earth but wasn't Tolkien's Middle Earth. It was an Alternate Universe, where time and space had little meaning :

IImedhuir: The Valley of the Dark Dreams

This is the story of some of their citizens, it involves how Legolas got the mate he didn't want and Mirë found what she wasn't looking for.

In the wrong place at the right time

Disclaimer: None of the characters you know is mine. Actually, only M. is mine.

Immense thanks to Sindohte for her quick beta, to Andreth, Panneth and Jillian for their ideas and bouncing and to Viv, the better half of my brain. I am rating this NC17 for later, just in case I manage to write some worthy smut.

Chapter 2- I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore …

Marian woke up slowly, consciousness seeping into her brain in unsteady drops of sensations and thoughts.

There was a numb, throbbing ache from her jaw and even before she moved while awakening, flashes of images crossed her mind. The park at night, a hard fall to the ground and a surprising impact on her jaw, which sent shards of pain through her head before Marian lost herself in the void of unconsciousness. The pain was now radiating steadily, nudging her senses to acknowledge other perceptions around her even before she opened her eyes, to assess how much time had passed from the mugging or where she was.

She perceived soft sounds in the place, like the crackling of burning wood, but there were no sounds of nature. No breeze or bird-sounds.

Marian opened her eyes slowly, now certain that she was indoors and that it was safe to peek under her eyelashes. The room was a bedroom, with no windows, nevertheless transmitting comfort and warmth. Its furniture was strange to her, the wonderfully crafted carvings and the elaborate draping on the walls something she had maybe seen only in museums before.

In another bed, next to her, Marian spotted the girl she remembered having seen being carried away by the blonde guy in the park. She was small and curled up in the blankets with her wavy brown hair spread over the pillow.

Marian looked around again to be sure that they were alone and stood up, walking to the other bed. Gently, she shook the younger woman. "Hey, wake up."

The woman murmured in her sleep and her eyes opened very slowly. Suddenly she realised she didn't know where she was and froze. Her eyes opened wide with panic.

Marian saw the fear in the girls face and tried to ease her. "Shhhh, easy. We were mugged in the park and brought here. But don't worry, we will find a way out ... are you ok?"

The girl nodded. "I'm fine, thanks," she said quietly. She looked at Marian for a moment and then frowned. "Don't I know you?"

Marian smiled. "You work at Freddo's, right? I go there often. Maybe you saw me, the crazy gal in the corner booth with a book?"

“There are lots of crazy people at Freddo's," the girl mused. "Tea and chocolate cake, right?"

“Guilty as charged. My name is Marian ... you are ...?" she asked. While she talked to the girl, Marian was looking around and trying to recognize where they were.

"Gwyneth," the girl said. "Where are we?" she asked, getting out of bed.

Marian shot a look around them and shrugged. The place looked like it belonged to a medieval movie, there wasn’t anything she could recognize belonging to the modern world. "I don't know. Can you recognize anything in this place?"

Gwyneth eyes wandered over the room. She shook her head with defeat. "I've never been out of the city. I've never seen anywhere like this before."

"Do you remember your mugging? The guy's face? We should try to find a way to figure this out ... and escape," Marian said, while she searched the room for a weapon or something that might be useful for their defense or escape.

"No, I never saw him," Gwyneth said quietly, her voice quivering slightly. "Do you think it's a good idea to try and escape? It'll only make them mad. I don't want to make things worse."

The older woman smiled at Gwyneth. "Darling, don't be afraid. I won't let anything happen to you, but we should at least consider the possibility to get out of here, contact the police ... what do you remember of the attack?"

"I was walking back from Freddo's through the park. I thought I'd take a short cut. I heard a rustle of leaves then someone grabbed me and said something in a language I didn't understand. The next thing I know, I'm here."

"Strange enough, I know we were mugged but I can’t recall any details, or how they captured us. Do I have a bruise? Whoever got me, knocked me out. ” Marian asked, rubbing lightly her swollen chin. “You were drugged? Any marks?”

Gwyn began to feel her neck and face frantically. She looked at Marian strangely. "There isn't one. I don't hurt at all. Oh god, do you think I was drugged?" She began to check her arms and legs for puncture marks. "There's nothing here!" She cried. "What does that mean?" She asked with fear.

Acting on an impulse, Marian hugged Gwyn. She was trying to stay calm, but to be honest, the whole situation made her as terrified as the girl, but she forced herself to keep a cool demeanor. "I have no idea, Gwyneth, but it feels better to know that there are two of us here, right?"

"I guess so," Gwyn replied. She was a little taken aback by Marian's hug, but she felt slightly more reassured and less petrified. The door opened and both women turned towards it.Gwyneth held the blanket tighter around her and stepped back, but Marian seemed more confident and took a step forward.

A tall, red-haired woman stood in the doorway holding a tray. "Good, you're both awake. Someone thought they heard voices."

"Why are we here? I want to be set free at once," Marian demanded. The woman observed Marian with sympathetic green eyes.

"You are far safer in here than you would be outside. Trust me," she said. The woman set the tray down on a little table and gestured to them to eat. Neither Gwyneth nor Marian moved."Please eat something. Have a drink at least."

"What is it?" Gwyneth asked, her hunger getting the better of her fear. "Just some meat and vegetables and a jug of water, nothing fancy."

"And how do we know you're not trying to poison us?" Gwyn asked.

"What is your name?" The woman asked her in a gentle tone, her gaze now fixed on Gwyn.

"What is yours?" Marian interjected before Gwyn could answer.

"Andreth," she said with a patient expression and pointed at the food. "Now please eat before this goes cold."

"Show us that it's not poisoned," Marian ordered. Andreth cut a piece of meat and held it up for them to see, then she put it in her mouth, chewed and swallowed. "See?" She asked.

Marian and Gwyneth exchanged a look and slowly walked towards the table. Gwyneth sniffed the food.

"I've smelt worse," she remarked. "I will if you will."

Marian picked up a knife and fork and cut herself some meat. Gwyneth followed suit and they both ate slowly.

Andreth watched over them silently. She began to wonder what had happened that evening.They were only expecting one new girl that night, but here were two.

"Do you believe me now?" she asked. The two nodded without looking up from their meal. "So will you tell me your names?"

"Marian," said one.

"Gwyneth," replied the other.

"Eat now. You'll need your strength," Andreth said and smiled as she left.

***********

Marian was lost in her thoughts, blatantly ignoring the language class.

Andreth was a superb, patient teacher, but she was close to give up on Marian. Not only did she ignore the Sindarin and Westron lessons, stubbornly refusing to participate, but she also resisted any effort to adjust to anything belonging to Imedhuir or the community. She still wore the clothes she had been wearing upon her arrival, and limited her intake of food to the minimum.

Nevertheless she was friendly and polite towards the other women at the Inn, especially towards Gwynneth, for whom she was fiercely protective. They had been in the valley for already two weeks, and while the other women had more or less accepted their seclusion in the Inn, Marian rebelled at every step she could.

Andreth thought of telling Thranduil about Marian, but she wasn’t sure of how the Lord of Imedhuir would chose to handle a human female defying his authority and will, considering that he certainly thought that all the women abducted to Imedhuir were fortunate to be there and only needed time to understand this.

She made a mental note of taking some time to talk to Marian apart and try to make the situation understandable to the other woman.

************

Marian was counting steps to measure distances, making mental notes of windows and doors in the upper level where they had their lessons and if there were any guards posted.

Not for a single moment she had abandoned her thoughts of escape, finding help and returning to get the other women out of the village.

By now she was sure she had been kidnapped by some weird sect of medieval-maniacs, but she still didn’t know for which purpose.

Everything in the building they were kept was amazingly crafted, the medieval style brought even to the tiniest details. She was sure she would have enjoyed visiting the place under different circumstances.

Andreth’s lessons of the strange languages were for her only the first step into some kind of indoctrination to join the freaky sect. And she would not submit for as long as she could resist.

*********

Marian was summoned to meet Lord Thranduil in the afternoon, shortly after her Sindarin lessons were finished.

Once she entered his office, she couldn’t help but be dumbstruck by the beauty of the carved panels, the tapestries and furniture in the place. It was the closest thing she could imagine to a faery-tale-palace. And when her eyes fell on the man sitting behind an ornate desk, she couldn’t help herself but to draw breath and forget to exhale, for he was the most magnificent male being her eyes had ever met.

He was tall and slender, clothed in a brocade robe that enhanced his height and the elegance of his movements. Long, silver-blond hair fell way beyond his shoulders, framing a beautiful face with chiseled features, from which intelligent eyes were examining her with interest … and arrogance. Marian found her composure and stood firm, waiting for the man to speak to her.

“So you are Marian,” he said in Sindarin.

She understood what he said but suppressed any reaction, so that he would think he couldn’t understand him.

Thranduil assessed her reaction. So it was true, she either failed to learn or refused to respond. For this once he could be accommodating. As he spoke, his deep voice was firm, speaking in English with a slight accent.“Marian, you are Marian.”

“Yes I am,” she said. Maybe he would tell her why they were being kept there.

He walked to a side-table and poured some wine in a cup. “I am Thranduil, your Lord and ruler of Imedhuir.”

Marian’s eyes flashed in outrage. ‘MY Lord? You wish!’ she said to herself, but didn’t reply.

“I have been told that you are not participating in your lessons. And I see that you have chosen not to wear the clothes you have been given. Why?” he said and turned to her offering her the wine.

“Because I have been brought here against my will. I am being held captive here and I don’t even know what for. Care to enlighten me, Lord of Imed…whatever?” she replied, ignoring the offered cup.

He laughed. Oh yes, rebellious and stubborn. A really difficult female. “You have been chosen among millions of females to be brought here and spend the rest of your life with us, in a community of superior beings. You shall find your place among us, and with time a mate with whom you shall share your life as well. That is your purpose,” he explained.

‘Smug pompous bastard’ she thought. “And what happens if I don’t want to be chosen to live among superior beings and prefer to return to my prior life?”

“That is out of the question, Marian. You shall adjust yourself to your life here with some time, but you don’t have any other choice, I am afraid,” he said with a self-confident smile. He tucked an errant strand of his magnificent hair behind an ear and Marian recognized then that he had a perfect, lovely pointed ears. ‘What the fuck?’ She thought. She had not only been abducted by a bunch of freaky maniacs who wanted her to join a medieval sect, but they were also some kind of “Star-Trek-Spock” geeks with surgical changed ears? The nightmare was getting more ridiculous by the minute.

“And what if I don’t want to adjust?” she almost purred, tensing her stance.

“We should be able to find a way to help you adjust, woman” he said and with light, powerful strides he walked up towards her and his fingers caressed her cheek. She moved away from his touch taking a fast step back.

“Don’t touch me. Don’t you dare touch me.” Thranduil laughed out loud, his rich laugh filling the room and making Marian tingle. “It is unfortunate that you chose to resist, woman. But I think you are intelligent enough to recognize your situation. Your resistance won’t be good for you. Abide by the rules and you shall find joy and pleasure in our community.” “And if I chose not to comply?” she said. “Then it will be harder for everybody involved. But you will comply in the end, believe me,” he whispered now into her ear, his warm breath making her skin pimple and a shiver wander her spine. The Lord of Imedhuir was aware of her reactions, and a satisfied smile settled on his luscious lips. “You will accept the lessons and wear the clothing provided to you. And when you have completed your schooling, we will meet again. Now leave, Marian” She didn’t reply but turned around and left, her eyes inspecting the doors and windows she could see on her walk towards her chamber in the cellar. She would leave no matter what. If possible, that very night.

***********************

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