Unforgiven

Opening

Hours passed as Anodien tried every torturous thought that came to mind on the defenseless Elf, his screams feeding her fervor.

Legolas wanted to beg, to plead with her to release him, or at the very least let him die. However, he knew that a single word would break their deal and condemn his people. With this in mind, he kept his mouth shut as he was forced to endure each and every whip and burn. He told himself over and over again that it was worth it, that he'd made the right decision.

Still, as Anodien skewered his shoulder with the white-hot iron, he wished he could believe it himself.

...

How many days passed, Legolas could not be certain. One hundred, one thousand, or even just one month-- the agony Anodien constantly put him through made the time inconsequential. His dark cell was all he knew, and the memory of sunlight was fading. He lived in fear, constant terror of the next session.

Anodien would speak to him every so often, but never allow a reply unless it was a direct question. She'd go on about this and that, and yet it was never pleasant. Sometimes, he'd glean information about the outside world, which was all he had to remind him that agony was not the only thing in this lifetime.

It seemed to him that torturing him was the only joy she held in her life anymore, and though he longed to ask her, he was far too afraid to do so. He could only look up into her dark face, her evil sneer, the approaching torture devices, and pray that things would change. Prayer seemed to be the only thing keeping him sane. What else could be done in his situation? Absolutely nothing.

Lairiel was the only other one to visit. She brought him his meals, hardly more than a few spoonfuls of wet oats and dirty water. Sometimes, the food would be crawling with bugs, and it was sheer disgust that drove him to pick them out. At that point, he might have been willing to eat meat as the Fae did, but never did he see anything but the mush he was constantly served. He occasionally tried to speak to Lairiel, but the few times she tried to reply, she ended up crying, forcing out an apology and fleeing.

Due to everything he went through, every stab and burn he was forced to endure, he had lost hope that he would see Anodien again. Not the demon.

The demon he'd created.

...

Lairiel's attempts to open the box continued for all that time, and her fear that Anodien would notice its absence grew more with every day. Without magic or permittance to leave the castle, her choices were numbered. She told no one about her finding, nor did she approach the queen with it. Of course she wouldn't-- there was a fair chance she'd be killed just for asking the question, let alone stealing the box.

It was one day while bringing the emaciated Ellon his daily meal that an idea occurred to her. She needed something hot enough to burn through the metal, and though the torches throughout the palace were just magical projections, the irons Anodien burned her prisoner with were quite real. While Legolas ate, she grew impatient, eager to find out what her old friend had hidden within the strongbox.

The second the Elf had finished, Lairiel was already gone. She set up a plan-- next time Anodien finished a torture session with poor Legolas, she'd quickly sneak down the stairs and use the iron on the opening. Hopefully, that would prove enough to melt the gold. It's a fairly soft metal, Lairiel reasoned to herself, dumping the dirty dishes off in the kitchen. This... this has to be important. Why else would Anodien lock it away?

Instead of sitting in her room and covering her ears to protect herself from the screams, she remained in the throne room. Vilkas hid the box underneath his thick mass of fur, so when Anodien came back upstairs, she simply offered Lairiel a wicked smile and headed on her way. When the She-Elf was certain the demon-queen had left the room, she whistled for Vilkas to follow and stepped silently down the stairs. Her direwolf held the strongbox in his massive jaws.

"L-Lairiel?" Legolas whispered, trying to stand up. Lairiel simply put a finger to her mouth and looked around. The most recently used iron wasn't hard to find, given that it glowed a bright white. She covered her hand with cloth and lifted it up before quietly commanding Vilkas to drop the box. With the utmost care, the Elleth trailed the burning metal over the box, celebrating mentally when it split open.

She did not take the time to check inside just yet. This was not the right place, especially not with Legolas as witness. For all she knew, Anodien could figure something out and torture the information out of him. She whispered another apology and scurried back upstairs, avoiding everyone on the way to her room.

Vilkas stood guard outside the door. If anything should go wrong, he'd alert her. As for that moment...

Lairiel placed the box on her white marble table and slowly opened the lid. At the unexpected sight, she let out a screech and fell backwards. Her breathing quickened, and her mind raced as she tried to figure out exactly how this was possible. She knew what it was, and what the absence of it had meant for Anodien.

Taking a deep breath, Lairiel stood again and walked closer, avoiding touching the box. Her mind raced. How is this possible? This just isn't-- why-- The longer the She-Elf looked, the less she was able to comprehend it.

Inside the box was the beating blackened lump that remained of Anodien's heart.