Caged Bird by chrissystriped

Caged Bird

Read Caged Bird

Reviahûn sat on one of the roots of Telperion, his back leaned against the trunk, and watched the hypnotic fluttering of his leaves. From far away he could hear singing and the noise of the festival. He had drawn the lot of being the honour guard today and although he would have liked to spend time with his friends, he didn't mind.

Eonwe had been disappointed that they couldn’t be together when Reviahûn was in Aman for a change, he had had to stop him from staying here with him. Manwe had promised to relieve him later and then he would pull Eonwe to a quiet place and...

Reviahûn sat up straight when he heard a song he knew. But the one who’s song this was, wouldn’t... and what was this... unlight in the south? Reviahûn reached out to Manwe. He needed to hear of this! Whatever his brother was planning, it couldn’t be good. Melkor caught his mind and although Reviahûn fought against him with all he had, he couldn’t breach the invisible wall that kept him from  Manwe. And the unlight came ever closer.

He changed shape, became a falcon. If he couldn’t reach his Master with his mind, he would fly to him. He flapped his wings quickly to gain height. His heart raced with fear. He had to hurry. Reviahûn already thought that he’d gotten away when something hit him in the back. It wrapped itself black and sticky around his wings and Reviahûn fell to earth like a stone. The unlight enveloped him and he lost consciousness.

 

Melkor lifted the limp bird up and threw the unconscious Maia to Sinthoras. Sinthoras caught him surprised. They hadn’t intended to make prisoners, but they wanted to leave in all secrecy after Melkor had achieved his revenge and if the Maia alerted the Valar, they’d be immediately on their heels.

Sinthoras didn’t like the whole business. He understood Melkor’s anger at his siblings, but the Trees were so beautiful... and he didn’t trust Ungoliant.

“Go now, Sinthoras. Prepare Artano and the others for my return and ensure that this Maia doesn’t escape.”

Melkor reached for the Maia’s music and applied a binding of the soul that would stop him from leaving his body.

“Are you sure...” Sinthoras threw a distrusting look at Ungoliant. He didn’t want to leave his Master with the spider.

“That was an order, Maia!”, Melkor growled and Sinthoras winced. Before Melkor’s imprisonment, before the war, he had never talked to him like that. Now he didn’t tolerate him questioning him anymore.

“As you wish, herdir”, Sinthoras answered and bowed deeply. He hoped Melkor would become a little more like he had been when they were back on Arda. He gripped the falcon tighter and turned north. He would hurry and come up to meet Melkor when he reached Arda.

 

Reviahûn woke with a start. His body - no longer a falcon but the elvish body he usually wore - felt heavy. He was cold and his body hurt. Reviahûn opened his eyes, his heart started to race. He was chained by his wrists to a cold, wet wall. The memory of Melkor’s appearance on the day of festival came suddenly over him. Where was he? How long had he been unconscious. What had Melkor done?

He tried to shed his shape, but he couldn’t. Reviahûn’s gasped for breath. What had Melkor done to him?! His body had always been just a clothing for his being, something to wear, change and shed as he wished. Somehow Melkor had caught him in this body. He was alive, he was incarnate. Reviahûn tensed when the door to his cell opened.

It wasn’t Melkor. The Maia who gave him a cold smile, was vaguely familiar, but Reviahûn needed a while to recognise him. He hadn’t known Artano well, but the way he had left Aule and defected to Melkor had stayed in his mind.

“Melkor brought me a present.”

Reviahûn shivered as he ran his fingers down his naked chest. Only now he noticed that he was naked. It wasn’t that he felt ashamed but the way Artano looked at him made him feel helpless.

“I think I’ll have a lot of fun with you, little bird.”

Artano drew a knive and slowly cut a horizontal line under Reviahûn’s collarbones. Reviahûn whimpered.

“Please”, he whispered. “No, please.”

Artano laughed cruelly and licked across the bloody cut.

“Your fear sounds beautiful”, he hummed. “You haven’t had any reason yet to beg for mercy, little bird. I intend to find out if your pain sounds as sweet as your fear.”

Artano kissed him with bloody lips and Reviahûn tasted his own coppery blood.

“Melkor clipped your wings, little bird, you know that, don’t you? You are caught here, you are mine, you’ll never leave this place.”

Reviahûn sobbed, Artano dragged the knife along one of his ribs and the sob turned into a scream. Hot pain flared through his body. Artano’s pleasure made his stomach roil.

 

Reviahûn woke slowly to a throbbing in his head, he moved and whimpered as his many injuries started to hurt. He had a splitting headache that made him want to curl up and he was so cold. He jumped when a hand touched his shoulder, but it wasn’t Artano and Reviahûn opened his eyes warily. A haggard, dirty elf was bowed over him and looked at him with pity.

“They fucked you up pretty bad, hm? Can you stand up?”

Reviahûn slowly sat, blackness threatening at the edges of his vision, but he nodded.

“Good. They won’t go easy on you because you’ve been hurt.”

Hurt... Reviahûn stifled a sob. The word didn't start to describe what Artano had done to him.

“Where are we?”, he had to concentrate on the present. He didn't remember how he'd got here.

“You must have been gone really far. Poor sod. We are in the mines. We have to mine ore for them. My name is Finban, by the way.”

Reviahûn shook his hand. “Reviahûn.” He didn’t know what to think. He had expected to wake in a cell, instead he lay in a cave with many other elves, who started to move now.

Reviahûn realised that the dull throb wasn’t in his head. Drums. They were woken for work. He didn’t understand why Artano had done this. Was he already bored with him? He didn’t dare to hope. Finban helped him to his feet.

“Stay close to me”, he said. “I’ll help you through the day.”

Reviahûn leaned against him until he felt secure on his feet.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, we have to stick together.”

Finban patted his arm in a spot where he wasn’t hurt. Reviahûn had never had much business with elves, but now he was glad that he wasn’t alone. He didn’t feel up to walking, let alone do heavy work.