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
This
story is part of the Virtual
Village Sagas.
Disclaimer: None of the characters you know is mine. Actually, only M. is mine.
Sindohte nudged the muse. Viv betaed the rambling into coherency. Thank you ladies! I am rating this NC17 for later, just in case I manage to write some worthy smut.
Chapter 4- I am Legolas, you Jane … I mean Marian
“How could you act so recklessly, woman? Don’t you understand that the bear could have killed you?” Legolas snapped at the struggling bundle he put down inside the cave. He had summoned every possible ounce of patience and calm to keep his rage in check. The bundle seemed unaware of his patience.
“You were going to kill it! Haven’t you heard of animal rights? You can’t just go ahead and kill an animal who is just defending his territory! Aren’t you aware of this?” she yelled at him. Still high on adrenaline, frustrated, wet, cold, and humiliated, the least she could do to release her annoyance was to yell at the freak who had carried her off as if she were a sack of potatoes.
The elf took a deep breath and refrained of giving in to the impulse of shaking her again. “If I have to choose between his life or yours, I would not hesitate for a second, no matter how recklessly and foolishly you act.”
“How dare you? As far as I remember, I didn’t ask for you to come to my rescue and it was me who chased the beast away in the end,” she shouted, even as the logic of his statement entered her brain. He was right, so very right that it enraged her even further.
“As long as you continue to prove that you are unable to act sensibly, I am responsible for you. And I will protect you even from your own foolhardy actions if I have to,” Legolas yelled back, surprising even himself with the outburst. He concentrated on regaining control on his temper.
Marian looked up at him and felt her courage falter for a moment. She had almost forgotten that she was now at his mercy and that he belonged to the kidnapping cult. This beautiful man looming over her was one of the crazy freaks she was trying to escape from. But for the moment, she was overwhelmed, both by him and by the recognition that she was caught. Her shoulders slumped and she looked down.
Legolas recognized the brief momentary acknowledgement of her inferiority and said calmly: “Promise me you will not run away, woman, or I shall have to bind your hands and feet.
“Why in the seven fires of hell should I promise you anything like that? You are a damn kidnapper!” she snapped at him.
Legolas sighed. He was certainly not short-tempered by nature, but this woman was trying his presently very scarce patience. “Because I would respect your promise and it would be more comfortable for you if I don’t have you tie you down. You would honor a promise, would you not?”
Marian opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly again. She was sore and tired and not looking forward to be tied up like a yearling in a calf-roping event at a rodeo. “I always keep my promises. Do you?” she said testily.
“I certainly do. It is a matter of honor. Do you promise not to run away from me?” he said, sensing she was very slowly relinquishing space.
Marian looked out to the pouring rain. She had no chance to escape in this weather, especially since she had seen how quickly this guy could move. She would find her opportunity, but she would have to wait for it. “I promise I will not run away from you, for as long as it rains,” she said.
The half-promise was not what Legolas had expected, but it was better than nothing. “Fair enough. Until the storm ends, then, stay where you are while I build us a fire,” he said, setting his bow and quiver far from her reach.
“Let me help,” Marian offered, standing up to gather wood or whatever she could find to make a fire. Once they had managed to pile up branches and dry leaves from the bear’s lair, Legolas quickly lit a fire.
Marian crouched close to it, shivering in her soaked clothes, her teeth chattering. She clenched her jaws hard, to avoid the sound, but every time she loosened her bite slightly, her teeth began to chatter again. A chilly breeze swept in from the entrance of the cave.
She thought that maybe if she conversed with the guy she’d warm up, or at least stop thinking about being cold.
“What is your name?” she asked moving closer to the small fire. He had been inspecting the cave, weeding through the bear’s lair for clean leaves and branches.
“I am Legolas. And your name is Marian, I have been told,” he replied. His clothes were soaked as well, but he was not as sensitive to temperature as humans.
Marian was a pitiful sight: her navy sweatpants were drenched through as well as her sweatshirt, a puddle of water forming at her feet.
“Who …? Oh, Andreth, I suppose. Or that guy, the chief freak of the village,” she sighed, and then there was a little defiant shine in her eyes as she asked him, raising her chin: “It took you long enough to catch me, though. If it hadn’t started raining, I’d be still ahead of you.”
He felt a pang of sympathy for her. There she was, as uncomely and miserable-looking as a half-drowned rat, and she still had spirit . Legolas hesitated, as he pondered whether to indulge her pride a little or be honest. He decided on the latter, since she had to understand the dangers she was risking outside the village.
“You did very well, Marian, but you must understand that you were also extremely fortunate that you only ran into a bear. There are other dangers outside Imedhuir. You should not attempt to escape again,” he explained sensibly.
“You are truly deluded, Legolas, if you think I’ll stop trying. Do you think that no one notices when you kidnap women? That the police aren’t looking for us? What you do is a crime, don’t you get it? Maybe if you help me get the police to the village, the judges would be kind with you …” she ventured. He seemed to be a nice guy, when he wasn’t yelling at her. If she could convince him …
The elf sighed. “Marian, there are no ‘police’ you can turn to here, believe me. Out there you will only find hunting traps, wild animals, and even wilder males roaming in groups, who will have no mercy should they encounter an unprotected female such as yourself. You are not on your world anymore,” he said.
She listened to his explanation, wondering how the brainwashing in this particular cult went, if the guy believed that they were in another world. Did he mean planet? Were the weirdoes actually aliens?
“It cannot be. You are not extraterrestrials. And there is … what do you mean by not on my world anymore?” she asked.
Legolas pondered how to phrase the truth making it believable to her. He had understood now that she was actually convinced she was going to find help for her and the remaining abducted females outside Imedhuir. Brave woman. Foolish woman. But then, this behavior suited her, as did the way she had attacked Daeron and him in the park as they were kidnapping Gwynneth.
“Marian, this is not Earth. This place is called Arda Reborn, and everything here is different than on your world. The ways of people, the customs, even the races that live here are different from what you have seen before. But you will be safe and taken care of in the village. We will make you happy, but you have to understand that you may never go back to your Earth. You have no choice,” Legolas told her.
Marian scowled, but let that comment pass. “How did I get here anyway? I remember the park at night … and there was one of you kidnapping a girl, Gwynneth. And I, stupid as I am, had to meddle. I attacked the kidnapper and then someone tackled me to the ground and knocked me out. Yes, I remember that too. And then … we were here. Wherever in hell here is. Explain again?” she said, upset, talking halfway with him and halfway with herself. There was something about the lean blonde man across the fire that gave her the feeling that, irritating as he was, he wasn’t lying.
Legolas had some difficulty following her words and her thoughts, but he could read the emotions crossing her face clearly. Confusion, anger, and confusion again. If he put himself in her situation he would probably feel similarly. Or maybe not. But then, he was an elf.
“You were brave, risking your well-being for a stranger’s sake. This is a world that exists parallel to yours. You were brought here at the same time as Gwynneth, and I think that Lord Thranduil explained to you why you were brought here . But I imagine I can try to explain it better.” He paused. The mental image of his father informing Marian of her purpose in Arda was clear in his mind. Thranduil would have not been sympathetic to her confusion, doubts, and fears.
“Do you fear me, Marian?” Legolas asked at last.
She looked intently at him. Legolas was bigger than her, though she was not small for a woman, and he was certainly in every sense very capable of overpowering her. Nevertheless, he wasn’t menacing. “Should I fear you?” she returned.
Legolas laughed out loud. “Do you ever let down your guard? I vow to you that I shall never hurt you as long as I draw breath. But I need you to trust me. Will you trust me?”
“Do I have a choice?” Marian blurted out, but her posture had relaxed slightly.
“You may choose whether you wish to trust me. But I am afraid you have no choice but to accept that you are not on your world anymore. Right now, I will tell you honestly about Arda Reborn and the village, but there is something else that needs to be taken care of before, unless you wish to continue suffering cold and discomfort. Are you willing?” he explained.
Marian looked down herself from her still soaked sweats to the small lake that had formed at her feet and the back to Legolas face. It was beautiful and sincere. “What do you want me to do, if I decide to trust you?”
“You have to take off your wet clothes, to dry them off, and I shall share my body warmth with you. I will not hurt you or touch you in any improper way, Marian,” he explained calmly, watching as her eyes widened in shock at his proposal. He had expected this reaction.
Marian took a deep breath. And another one. His proposal made sense, for her health’s sake. And he had explained it to her in a neutral tone, underlining his best intentions. Still, the idea of getting undressed and in a probably compromising situation with Legolas triggered two reactions: panic and anticipation. She would be making herself even more vulnerable, if possible, to her captor and then, the idea of laying next to a gorgeous male like he was, even with the most innocent designs, made her suddenly very aware of herself and conjured images from intimate fantasies and romance novels. Still hesitating about her decision, she scooted over to Legolas , searching in his eyes for the answer to her doubts and fears.
“You vowed you’d never hurt me,” she whispered.
“And I shall hold my vow, the Valar are my witness, Marian,” the elf replied softly. He wanted to reassure her, ease her fear away and make her understand he was being sincere. Still he didn’t dare to move, as to not scare her away. He needed her trust.
“You are really not human, are you?” Marian whispered, her fingers itching to touch the feature that made look him less human, that little bit of flesh just beyond his almost otherworldly beautiful face.
“I am not human, Marian. I am an edhel … Humans calls us elves.”
“No way.Elves are supposed to be different but … not like you. Elves are small and childlike and they help Santa Claus for Christmas… are you sure you’re an elf?” she said, laughing.
“I am sure that is what humans here call us. We are not small … those are the hobbits. And who is Santa Claus?” Legolas asked.
“I’ll tell you some other time … I was thinking … about you being so different,” she explained and blushed.
It did not take much effort for Legolas to read that particular thought. He asked her softly, “Do you want to touch me, Marian?”
For a moment, she blushed even more and took a step back. “I … am sorry”
His hands took hers. “You may touch me. I trust you,” he said, lifting her hands to his face and putting her palms against his cheeks.
Marian smiled timidly. “I … are your ears real?”
Legolas laughed.“They are as real as I am. Are you intrigued by them? Do you want to touch them?”
She didn’t reply but her hands moved slowly from his face and back, to his ears.
Her touch was hesitant, soft, her fingertips barely brushing the edges of the ear shells, tracing them in their unusual form, stopping at the pointed tips, caressing the soft skin. Even as Marian’s hands explored, she watched in awe how Legolas reacted to her touch.
He was still, his breathing calm, his entire body not moving a muscle. But his eyes were deep blue pools that showed clearly the way her examination was affecting him. His pupils dilated slightly and she felt her own response in the form of a tingle starting at the base of her spine. It was clear that the pointed ears were sensitive. Extraordinarily so.
Marian let that information seep into her mind, and she became aware of the almost electrical bond forming between her and Legolas. Wrong, it wasn’t electricity; it was pure and open sexual tension, outright desire flowing back and forth between them.
At the brink of a moan, Marian let her fingers slide off his ears. Legolas took one of her hands and kissed the palm, sending another bolt of awareness through her senses.
“Do you trust me?” asked the elf.
“Yes. I trust you,” Marian whispered. Even though her blood ran warmer and faster after the short interlude between them, her skin felt clammy and cold beneath the soaked clothes. She made up her mind in an instant.
“I will take my clothes off. Would you please turn around?” she said, turning away from him.
“Turn around?” asked Legolas.
“Yes. Please?” Marian insisted. “I will undress and … well … nevermind.”
Even as she told him she realized the stupidity of her request. She would have to strip down to her underwear at least, and he would strip as well, if they wanted to share body-warmth, as he had succinctly explained it. It made sense, so much that she focused on the necessity, took a deep breath, and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. Then she took off her sneakers and peeled away the heavy socks. Finally, with a sigh she let the soaked sweatpants fall, so that she stood, stripped down to a tank top and her panties.
She peeked then to see if Legolas was watching her, but he was busy arranging his almost dry tunic on the pile of leaves, improvising a makeshift bed by the fire. Marian focused on wringing out her clothes and laying them out by the other side of the fire. Then she turned around and approached Legolas.
He had added his shirt to the tunic, and was waiting, clad only in his breeches and boots.
“I am ready,” she announced, tugging slightly at the hem of her tank top, as if to try and cover herself a bit further.
“Lay down, Marian. I shall join you in a moment,” he said.
He had understood her shyness at undressing before him, and guessed that she would probably also be embarrassed when he shed his clothes as well.
Marian lay down on his clothing, closing her eyes. Was she scared? Not really. At least not scared of the elf. Anticipation tensed her body, even as she shivered as the next gust of cold wind entered the cave.
Was it minutes or hours? Marian didn’t know, but she felt Legolas’s warm naked body stretching next to her and his arm crossing her stomach, pulling her close to him, spooning her body against his.
“Rest now, Marian. I shall keep you warm and guard your dreams. I thank you for your trust,” his voice rasped in her ear.
“Than you for your warmth,” she replied, feeling as the elf’s body heat enveloped her and slowly seeped through her clammy skin. Unconsciously she snuggled closer to Legolas and closed her eyes, her mind drifting slowly into slumber.
“Legolas?”
“Yes?” he replied, his arms tight around her.
“You feel and smell very good,” she muttered, before falling asleep.
“Thank you,” he replied with a smile.
Having the woman cradled against him reminded him of the long forgotten joys of physical love. Concentrating on controlling the reactions of his body to hers, Legolas prepared himself for a long night, and the sounds of the storm raging outside their shelter grew louder once the storm within the cave had been mastered, at least momentarily.
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