Just a Bargain by chrissystriped

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Just a Bargain

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Ecthelion lay exhausted on his pallet, his whole body ached from the unfamiliar motions. They made him work the ore mill because he was still strong, freshly captured. They didn’t know who he was and Ecthelion knew better than to tell anyone. If Morgoth or one of his Maiar found out that they had Ecthelion of Gondolin in their power... He shivered. The work was hard and he had more than one burning welt on his back, but that would be nothing against the agony that awaited him if they found out.

He called himself Aeg, the other survivors of Gondolin knew better than to tell tales - and the orcs didn't ask. He rubbed the place on his forearm where they had inked a number under his skin, the healing wound was itching. A number, that was what he was for them. 125830. He didn’t know what it meant. Was there someone who had the number 1 on his body? Were there that many slaves in Angband or was it the total number of all there ever had been? Ecthelion didn’t have the energy to ask someone. He only knew that he had to react to that number, instantly, or get beaten.

One of the elves in the hut they were sleeping in started to cough. A dry sound that came from the depth of his lungs and shook his skinny body.

Ecthelion stood up and filled a cup with water, then he helped Thalas to sit up and drink. The fit subsided and Thalas’s head sank on Ecthelion’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Aeg”, he croaked weakly.

Ecthelion squeezed his hand. Thalas had been here longer than anyone else he knew. How he had managed to work despite his cough was a mystery to Ecthelion, but it had gotten worse in the last few days. Thalas’s strength was running out.

They’d be able to feed him for a few days longer, as the others had done with Ecthelion after he had been foolish enough to talk back to one of their masters, but what Thalas needed was medicine. Something that would help him breathe easier. Ecthelion helped Thalas to lie down again.

“Gil will be back soon”, he murmured and hoped that it was true.

Some of the orcs weren’t without sympathy, the elves who’d been here longer than him, said. Gil had went to ask for medicine. Thalas closed his eyes and Ecthelion dragged himself back to his pallet.

He had nodded off but was widely awake immediately when Gil entered the hut with an orc behind him. Ecthelion struggled to his feet, his muscles protesting painfully, and lined up with his roommates. He wondered for a moment why, but then he saw the way the orc looked at them. He was choosing one of them – as payment for the medicine Ecthelion hoped.

“You, come here.”

Ecthelion felt the blood drain from his face when the orc pointed at him. It was the first time that one of them...

‘You are doing this for Thalas', he told himself.

Thalas, who had washed his bloody back after he'd been punished and had given him a part of his ration when he had been too weak to stand up the next day. Ecthelion stepped forward and allowed the orc to touch his naked skin – he only wore a loincloth. The orc’s clawed hands slid over his muscled chest, Ecthelion bit his tongue when his nipple was tweaked painfully. He’d expected the orc’s breath to taste bad, but when he kissed him, it wasn’t as repulsive as he had thought. The orc was stroking his thighs now, kneading his buttocks and Ecthelion held still. Thalas needed that medicine.

“You're new, aren’t you”, the orc said, fondling his cock through the loincloth.

“Yes. Master.”

The orc grinned as if he could hear how hard it was for Ecthelion to call him that.

“Fine. I’ll explain to you how this will work. I’ll have the medicine for your friend by tomorrow evening. You’ll meet me behind the forge after feeding time. I’ll have the medicine with me and if you do exactly as I say, you’ll get it after I’m finished with you.” The orc licked his neck and squeezed Ecthelion’s cock, Ecthelion wanted to throw up. “Do we have an agreement?”

The orc stepped back and offered his hand, Ecthelion shook it. He’d known it was only a matter of time until he was raped, better to do it for a comrade.

“You don’t have to do that, Aeg. I’ll die anyway”, Thalas said after the orc had gone.

“Nonsense.” Ecthelion looked sternly at him. “Do you think I could let you die, knowing that I could have helped you? And even if this medicine only eases your pain...” He choked on his tears. “Of course I’ll do it.”

Gil patted his shoulder. “I have something for you.” He reached under his pattress and pulled out a small tin. “That’ll make it easier.”

Ecthelion opened the lid and wrinkled his nose. It was filled with a greasy, black substance.

“What is that?”, he asked in disgust.

Gil gave him an appraising look. “Have you ever been with a man?”

Ecthelion laughed despite everything. “Yes, I mean. I know what you want me to do with this, but what is it?”

The thought of using this stinking substance as lube... he was inclined to do without.

Gil shrugged. “You know I maintain the machines, and they need lubricant. I can’t take fresh one, that would be noticed, but when I clean the parts, I can scrape off the used stuff. No one notices.”

“I... thank you.” It was disgusting but Ecthelion knew that Gil offered him what he had. There simply wasn’t anything else. He could have kept it for himself, surely it took a lot of time to fill that tin.

“Thank you”, he repeated.

 

Ecthelion sat on a stack of timber beams behind the forge and waited for the orc. His dinner, as meagre as it had been, sat heavy in his stomach. He had used a bit of that disgusting lube to prepare himself, barely enough to make two fingers slide in easily. That wasn’t enough, he knew that, but he didn’t want to waste Gil’s supply. It would hurt anyway, he wasn’t used to this. He’d usually been on top.

Ecthelion rose when the orc came around the corner.

“There you are.”

The orc pulled him forward, his calloused hands stroked Ecthelion’s body and opened his loincloth. He forced himself to not shrink back when the orc cupped his cock. Gil had impressed on him again that he mustn’t fight. Ecthelion hoped his reluctance wasn’t too visible. He winced when the orc pressed a finger against his entrance.

“Made yourself pretty for me?” The orc grinned and rubbed the slick skin. “Hands and knees, slave.”

Ecthelion obeyed, glad to not have to look the orc in the face. He heard the clinking of a belt buckle that was opened and spread his legs wider when the orc pushed them open with his knees. A hand rested on his hip. Ecthelion gritted his teeth when the orc entered him, slowly but without stopping until he was completely inside him.

“Melkor’s black hand, you are tight!”, the orc grunted and started to move.

Ecthelion couldn’t stop a soft, pained whimper. It hurt, like white fire shooting through him with every thrust. Thankfully, it didn’t last long. The orc’s nails dug into his skin when he came, then he slid out. Ecthelion stayed on his knees, it still hurt and he didn’t want to show the orc how hard it would be to stand up.

The brown bottle chinked softly when the orc put it down beside his head.

“Medicine for your friend, I honour our bargain. A pleasure to do business with you.”

The orc patted his backside then he left. Ecthelion waited for a while longer to make sure that he was alone – and for the trembling that had seized his body to stop. He came groaning to his feet and grimaced when the orc’s semen ran down his thigh. He looked around and found a dirty rag that he used to clean himself before 'dressing' again and picked up the bottle. To his surprise, he didn’t feel dirty or like something had been taken from him.

‘Bargain’, the orc had said.

It wasn’t personal, just a deal. It had hurt, but that hadn’t been the orc’s intent, he hadn’t cared either way. He hadn’t wanted to torture or humiliate him, Ecthelion had simply paid the price for the medicine. Nothing more and nothing less. He couldn’t feel bad for that. He couldn’t even hate the orc that much for it. He had honoured their bargain, after all. Ecthelion had half expected him not to do that. He was only a slave, no one would have cared if he’d just taken him.

He limped a little, when he walked back to their hut, but he wasn’t bleeding, the soreness would go away. He heard Thalas’s coughing from outside and was relieved that he wouldn’t disappoint them. Gil looked up when he came in and sighed relieved when he saw he wasn’t hurt.

“Do you have the medicine?”

Ecthelion nodded and crouched down beside Thalas. The elf looked bad, his eyes sunken and his skin covered in cold sweat. Ecthelion pulled the cork from the bottle and held it to Thalas’s lips when he wasn’t coughing for a moment. He had no idea how much was necessary, so he gave him a generous swig before pulling the bottle away. Gil helped him to lie down and gave Ecthelion a worried glance.

“Are you okay?”

Ecthelion nodded. “I’m fine. He didn’t want anything I couldn’t give.”

“I didn’t think he would, but every elf reacts differently to...”

“It was only sex”, Ecthelion interrupted. “I’ve had a lot of sex, and with people who didn’t mean anything to me, too. This isn’t so different, although usually it was me, people wanted a favour from.”

Gil blinked at him. “Who are you, Aeg? I’ve heard rumours...”

“What rumours?” Ecthelion snapped and tensed in alarm.

Gil’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t worry, our masters won’t hear about it, whether it is true or not. Rumour has it that you are from Gondolin and you hold yourself like someone high born. Opinions are divided on who exactly you are, but I bet on Ecthelion.”

Ecthelion gulped and nodded almost imperceptibly. “But no one must know. Least of all the orcs, but I’d be happier if it doesn’t become common knowledge among the slaves, either.”

“No one is going to hear it from me.” Gil patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry.”

“Thank you.” He gave him the jar back. “For this, too. It helped.”

“You’re welcome. We need to help each other. No one else will.”