Master and Servant

By: WhiteGloves

Warning: Slash. Aragorn/Legolas relationship. To those who disapprove of slash between these two great characters, I suggest you navigate for another story.

Legolas/Aragorn OOC? Yes & No.

Again: May not be appealing to those who do not like the bending of these characters attitude toward each other so I am posting a warning. Do not read if you disapproved of the pairing but if you cannot help it then go on but do not blame me… XD

Chapter 1

It was raining very hard in the middle of the night and the man called Strider was walking briskly along the wet pavement of the Great East Road heading towards Bree. He had been traveling for five days now from Rivendell and the sudden rain had caught up with him ever since the night fell. His long black coat was dripping wet and his unruly black hair was almost sticking to his face. He hurried his footsteps for his soaked garment was making him uncomfortable and the thought of a warm soft bed was making his body itch.

Hours passed again and at last he reached Bree. He knew he was not long way from the Prancing Pony when he noticed a sudden commotion along the road just beside the long houses of Bree-folks. Men were all gathered into a corner, shouting and raising their hands and the ranger knew what happening, slave trade.

He moved a bit faster with a frown upon his face. These people never learned anything. Slave trade was something he had never agreed upon and having it in front of him was an insult. He strode toward the group to see what they were gathered for. He was not ready, however, to what he saw. A creature with pointy ears and golden blonde hair was curled on the ground with his hands and feet tied with a long rope around his neck that ties him to his owner.

"I bought this from a slave trader! Ain't he beautiful?" boasted the tall man around, waving the end of the rope with a menacing grin on his face, "I will not sell him to any price! He is mine! Hah!"

Strider walked passed the noisy man and knelt down the Elf. The Elf shrank away from his touch but Strider soothed him,

"Av-'osto, Ni sí an edraith achen,"(Do not be afraid, I am here to save you)

The Elf's eyes opened wide and Strider saw two clear blue orbs staring up at him, full of hope. He managed to touch the Elf's pale face.

"Pedich edhellen?" (You speak Elvish?), the Elf asked in disbelief.

"Ta thand," (Yes)

"Oi oi! What are you doing!" cried the owner and Strider felt someone grip his shoulder, "Do not go touching other's properties you-"

"How much?" growled Strider, shoving away the man's hand and standing up, pulling his pocket of coins, "I'll buy this Elf. Name your price."

The tall owner was surprised at the sudden offer and turned defiantly to Strider,

"I do not sell him!"

Strider glared at the man with his most dangerous piercing look and the owner fidgeted at the gaze. Other men around swiftly ran away when they sensed danger and Strider raised his eyebrows.

"You will sell him to me or you give him up without any compensation?"

"I- I will sell him- yes, yes…" gulped the owner and Strider handed him the bag of coins. The man grabbed the money and ran as far as his feet could get him, leaving Strider and the Elf on the ground.

Once they were alone, Strider bent down to untie the ropes from the Elf's body. The Elf did not fidget this time but stared at his rescuer with bleary eyes. Strider noticed the Elf's weakened state and immediately carried him in his strong arms. The lightweight made the man feel he was carrying but a little child.

"We must get you some warm clothes… to the Prancing Pony," said the man, walking against the wet pavement once again.

"Th…Thank you…" whispered the Elf in normal tongue before fainting on the man's shoulders. The man frowned and hurried more.

----------------------

Strider saw the familiar place at once after a few more moments. The Prancing Pony looked welcoming with the cold breeze. Even from the outside the inn looked a pleasant house to familiar eyes. It had a front on the Road, and two wings running back on land partly cut out of the lower slopes of the hill, so that at the rear the second-floor windows were level with the ground. There was a wide arch leading to a courtyard between the two wings, and on the left under the arch there was a large doorway reaches by a few broad steps. ... Above the arch there was a lamp, and beneath it swung a large signboard: a fat white pony reared up on its hind legs. Over the door was painted in white letters: THE PRANCING PONY by BARLIMAN BUTTERBUR.

Shifting the light weight he carries on his arms, the man headed for the Inn, banging the door open with his feet. The once noisy bar fell silent upon seeing him enter. Paying them with little attention, Strider headed toward the familiar owner.

Barliman recognized him by one look and Strider gave the proprietor a stern nod, making the man lead him up to a room.

"Here you go, Master," said Barliman, opening the fifith door from his right, "There is a warm fire place here where you can relax…" he looked down at Strider's arms and saw the pale unconscious Elf. He looked up with inquiry to Strider but the man dismissed his questions.

"He needs a rest. Bring me some medicine, a basin of warm water and something to eat." he replied instead, striding inside the room and gently placing the Elf on the bed.

Once the fragile being was safe on the bed, the man worked on his dirty tunic, unbuttoning it slowly and pulling it off gently. However, what he saw under the dirty linen made him gasp.

The Elf's slender body was full of whip marks from every direction. The wounds looked so fresh; Strider could still see it reddening over the pale body.

His jaw tightened as he saw red marks from knives as well and had to grit his teeth when he recognize signs of broken ribs.

Cursing under his breath, Strider heard footsteps from the outside and a soft knock on the door made him slide toward the door. He opened it and saw Barliman standing there, carrying basin of water and a pack of medicines.

"Give it here," Strider said, taking the basin and the medicines from the owner while thanking the man in the process.

"I'll get your meal ready after awhile, Young Master." said Barliman bowing and Strider nodded at him, closing the door in a hurry and placing it beside the bed.

He immediately began to clean the wounded body of the Elf with the medicines he had recognized inside the pack. The broken ribs were his first priority and dealing with it was a bit tricky. He gently searched for the broken ones with his forefinger and was glad the bones were just detached. He pressed it as careful as he could to connect the broken joint. The Elf gave a whine of pain and Strider instantly soothed him, whispering something in his ear in elvish tongue. After he was sure that the Elf was all right, he gently applied the needed ointments to stop the reddening and secured the wounds with a clean bandage. After making sure that the wounds were on healing state, he quickly began wiping the Elf's damp face.

Strider could feel the Elf's uneven breaths and this made him frown. The creature sure looked as if he suffered from his previous captors. Remembering the wounds made his inside boil and Strider pressed his eyes close to calm his body. He had known Elves all his life and knew that these creatures were paramount when it comes to kindness and love for every being. Elves do not deserve this kind of treatment and demeanor, they deserved to be well taken care of and respected.

Vowing to avenge the fate of this unknown Elf, the man softly dressed the unconscious Elf with a clean top and continued to wipe the elven hands with the clean fabric on his hands. There was another soft knock on his door and Strider knew it was what his empty stomach was waiting for.

--------------------

He felt something move out of his grip and this awakened him straight away. Strider looked up at once after the elven hands he was holding had slipped out of his own only to find himself staring at the clear blue orbs he had seen last night.

The Elf was wide-awake; he was staring at him from the bed with wonder on his eyes. Strider was mesmerize by the gaze but immediately caught himself. He stood up with a crease on his eyebrows as he scrutinized the Elf's wounds.

"How do you fare?" he asked urgently. The Elf gave him a long strange look before responding softly,

"Painful."

Strider nodded and turned towards the pack of medicine, he was halted, however, by the Elf's hand. The man looked at the hand holding his own before looking at the Elf questioningly.

"You spoke in sindarin… last night…" whispered the Elf, "and you helped me… may I know your name…?"

Strider blinked and cleared his throat as he answered,

"Call me Strider."

"Strider…?"

The man shook his head and knelt down beside the bed, clasping the elven hand firmly against his, he said,

"You need to rest. Keep your inquiries for later and wait until you regain your strength. I am not going to hurt you. You must not doubt me."

The Elf looked at him and after a moment shook his head as he responded solemnly,

"I do not doubt you. I have trusted you from ever since I heard your voice…"

They locked gaze again and Strider nodded feeling slightly pleased.

"What is your name, fair Elf?"

The Elf looked at him and seemed to hesitate for a while before answering,

"Legolas…"

Strider nodded and saw the Elf smile. The man returned the smile with a slight bow and he continued to rummage on the medicine pack.

------------------------

It was a fast recovery on the Elf's part. Be it for the Valar's miracle or to the unique abilities of the elves to heal themselves, Legolas' wounds quickly mended and he regained his strength a few days after under Strider's care. Although Legolas was sure that he was strong enough to move, Strider did not allow him to push himself; the man had received a few glare from the fair being and some hint of stubbornness but the Elf obeyed him nonetheless. They would talk from time to time about themselves with both saying nothing much about their background but their past activities of the week before. Strider listened with slight impatience to the Elf's story of how he was captured and was tempted to hunt the group of men who did him wrong.

"Forget them." said Legolas when he noticed the sudden change of mood of his companion, "They can harm me no more… you are here…"

Strider was thankful for the darkness that was enveloping them that night for he knew how red his cheeks must have become. He cleared his throat afterwards and head on for another topic…

Strider found it amusing how Legolas seemed to be listening to his every order. He had watched how the Elf redeemed himself from the weakened state, how the rosy color of his cheek had returned from its paleness and witnessed how enchanting the Elf's true features were. He had to admit to himself that among the fair Elves he had come to know, this being here was the fairest of all. He had come to realize this after one night of being out in the rain once again and returning in the inn dripping wet. He quickly went up to the room on the fifth door to find the Elf wide awake and was waiting for him.

"Strider?" came the strong voice of the Elf from the dark. The man looked up and saw in amazement the brightness of the Elf illuminating the darkened room. That was when he appreciated all beauty in the world. Legolas' fair features were stunning; the Elf had the fair of face beyond the measure of Men and his bright elven-eyes were of glowing honesty and kindness. He was sitting on the bed and when he saw Strider enter, he immediately got up and made his way to the man. "Your soaked." he commented with a frown on his face.

Strider blinked for a while and shook his head as he looked at Legolas uncomfortably, "It was the rain, nothing more. Go back to your bed, I can manage myself."

Legolas opened his mouth to argue but close it after some thoughts. He gave Strider a meaningful look before walking back to his bed. Strider watched him go and draw in a sigh. He was not sure what he felt but in his heart a beast was roaring for something. Something troublesome.

He dismissed the feeling and decided that it was mere fondness for this particular Elf. He knew the Elf would have to move on soon after his recovery, and he was resentful for their upcoming separation.

It was the six day of their stay in the Prancing Pony. Legolas fully recovered from his shortcoming and was at last ready to embark on his own journey. Strider did not say anything for the past days for he knew what must happen, Legolas will leave him and they will go on their separate ways. Setting it aside, he greeted Legolas that morning when the Elf awakened from his slumber.

"The sun is up, Legolas, and there is no sign of any bad storm. You will make a fine journey today."

Legolas lit up at the news and smiled, making the man squirm for a while.

"That is indeed good news, Strider. To where are we headed to?"

Strider strained his ears for he knew what he heard had deceived him.

"What?" he asked frowning.

It was Legolas' turn to frown, as he understood at last.

"You meant to leave me here?"

The Elf's eyes turned into a look of dejection and he stared at the man with sadness. Strider shook his head instantly,

"I thought you have something you want to do on your own, Legolas. Do not bind yourself to me just because I have saved you…You are free to go."

Strider saw Legolas' face went pale and asked himself if there was something wrong with what he said. Legolas shook his head and before Strider knew what was happening, the Elf had knelt down the ground before him with his head bowed.

"Legolas-?"

"You have given me this new life, Strider," the Elf spoke seriously; "it is rightful that I pay you the equal amount. I will follow you to wherever you go and serve you with utmost loyalty, you are responsible for my life, and thus I will be your servant, I will abide your every will, Master."

Strider watched in astonishment as the fair being kneeling before him said these words. He held his breath for a moment for he could not believe what he heard. He was torn for the offer seemed appealing but he knew it was wrong.

Sighing, he knelt down the ground before the Elf and clasped his shoulders,

"Legolas, do not be foolish." he started ironically, looking at the Elf in the eye. "I cannot have you give me this offer. It is not right. I helped you because you need it; I am not expecting anything in return. You are stepping on my honor. Please stand up and regain your freedom."

The Elf did not move but stared at the man hard. After a few moments, he slowly stood up and head for the door.

"You speak as if I am a nuisance." came the Elf's voice.

Strider's head snapped in attention; when he looked up, however, the Elf was gone.

"Legolas!" he called weakly, feeling strangely tired.

~TBC~

Note: Sorry for the mistakes.

This is my first slash fic- *_*

Little OOC between the two, I'm trying to stick to their characters. Just more intimate than before.

So far nothing 'slashy' has happened yet.

Thank you for reading!