Chapter Text
Trigger Warning—Non-Con/Sexual Harassment
Ori ran as fast as he could through the crowd, pushing his way past the bodies blocking his path to the guard house. He stopped in front of the door, and his hands shook as he reached for the door handle. He took a breath and stepped inside. The guards were laughing over drinks, their ruckus loud and uncouth, and a little bit bawdy. Ori walked closer, nerves nearly in pieces.
“Excuse me,” he said.
The guards turned to him, eyeing him like a pack of wolves on a sheep. Ori tried to stand a little straighter, act a little more mature.
“I’m here for Nori son of Riika,” he set the pouch down. “You’ll find everything in there.”
One of the guards picked up the bag, weighing it in his hand. “You’re a bit short, lad,” he sneered.
“That’s all we can spare,” Ori said.
“Come back when you have the proper amount for Nori’s bail,” he said. “Or we can find another payment method,” he reached for Ori, who backed away.
“Get away from him!” Nori shouted, banging on the bars. “Ori, I’ll be fine. Go home!”
“But Nori—”
“Go home!”
The guards laughed.
“Come now, Nori, your brother’s here for your benefit.” A guard seized Ori’s shoulders, pushing him forward. “You can’t say he’s not a pretty thing.”
The one who grabbed Ori pressed his nose into his hair. “Smells good,” he groaned. Ori shivered and his limbs locked. This was such a bad idea. He should’ve listened to Dori and stayed away, but who else would come for Nori then? Dori didn’t seem like he was about to any time soon!
“Get your filthy hands off him!” Nori shouted banging on the bars.
Ori shook the guard off, grabbing the bag. “Will you take the money and let him go or not?” he snapped.
The guards laughed. The first grabbed his shoulder. “Tell you what, lad: you and your brother can go home. But first, get on your knees.”
“Cranneg, you bastard!” Nori shouted. “Let him go! Ori, run! Just run!”
Ori’s eyes stung with unshed tears. “Please, let us go.”
“I promise I will,” Cranneg said, cupping Ori’s cheek. “As soon as you put that pretty mouth to work.” He traced the lines of Ori’s lower lip with his thumb. “So get on your knees.”
“What’s the meaning of this?”
Cranneg and the others backed away, revealing a tall Dwarf, a wall of solid muscle.
Ori felt lightweight and constricted at the same time. It was like being tied up with a rope and lifted into the air. It felt as though he was bound.
The Dwarf stared at him a moment, eyes widening for a moment. Then his gaze revealing nothing, as though he they had not registered any familiarity between them at all. He turned to the other guards. He glowered at them, crossing his thick arms over his broad chest.
“Well?”
“Nothing, Captain,” Cranneg said. “Lad wants to pay his brother’s bail. Doesn’t have enough, though.”
“Then send him home.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Nori shouted. “The bastard was going to make Ori suck him! Dwalin, you can’t just let him—”
“Cranneg will be disciplined,” he assured Nori. “And the lad can come back when he has enough to pay your bail.”
“Sir, it has to be today,” Ori said. “We need Nori at home right now.”
He turned to Ori again. “Lad, you don’t have enough to pay his bail.”
“Is there nothing I can do to convince you otherwise?”
Dwalin approached him, staring at Ori’s eyes. Ori stood his ground, refusing to look away from Dwalin’s gaze. “I’ll let him go for tonight,” Dwalin said. “But come to my office tomorrow morning and we’ll discuss an alternative payment method. All right?”
Ori nodded. “All right,” he said. “I will be here tomorrow.”
“Good lad,” he grabbed the keys and went to Nori’s cell. “Just so you know, Lad, if you don’t show up before eight o’clock tomorrow, I’ll have to arrest both you and your brother. Are we clear?”
“Or, you could leave me here until there’s enough money for the bail,” Nori said, refusing to budge.
“Nori, we have to go,” Ori said. Cranneg and his cronies were still eyeing him and he didn’t want to stay another minute here being ogled. “Please.”
Nori scowled at them and hooked his hand on Ori’s arm, leading him out. “You need to get out of Ered Luin tonight.”
“I’m not leaving! Unlike a certain Dwarf I know, I’m not dishonest!”
Nori groaned. “Damn it, Ori, what would you have done if Dwalin didn’t come when he did?”
“I don’t know.”
“Exactly! You don’t know! See: that is why Dori and I don’t want you coming down to the guard house!”
“We got out of there, didn’t we?”
“And now you’re going back to talk to Dwalin to figure out what you’re going to do about the whole bloody mess you put yourself in.”
“Can we worry about this later?” Ori begged. “Please? You’re the only one who knows where the rent is and it’s due soon.”
Nori muttered curses under his breath. “Fine,” he said. “But I don’t like this. I’m going with you tomorrow and if he tries anything, I’m cutting off his hands!”
“I don’t think he’ll let you get away with that,” Ori said, but it was comforting to know he wouldn’t have to go back to the guard house alone in the morning. They returned home and Nori went upstairs to retrieve the rent, running downstairs the moment their landlord arrived while Ori told Dori what transpired at the guard house and waited for him to finish his ranting.
Knocking cut Dori off and his jaw tensed. “Ori, go upstairs.”
“But—”
“Now,” Nori and Dori snapped, pushing him toward the staircase. Nori went up with him to grab the rent. Ori waited in the hall, arms crossed over his chest. He heard Dori speaking with their landlord, a noble named Zamnil.
This sucks, he thought as Nori ran past him, his hand around a cloth purse. Ori peered over the stairs to watch. Nori handed the bag to Zamnil.
“Thank you,” he said. He didn’t leave. “If you don’t mind, I would like to stay for tea if I may.”
“Of course,” Dori said.
Ori sighed, watching from the stairs where Zamnil couldn’t see him and playing with his braid—the one that marked him a bearer. Dori had one, too, but he hid it well all his life, hiding it from prying eyes. No one guessed Dori was a bearer.
Ori tried to hide it, but Dori told him he should get married one day since he was the family’s hope. He hated it. If he was to marry, it would be after he had his long sought for adventure and he’d marry no one but his Sanzeuh.
“We have black tea and chamomile, my lord.”
“Black tea will do, thank you, Dori.”
“So what do you want?” Nori snapped. Ori could imagine him leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and lip curled in a snarl. “You wouldn’t stay unless you had a reason for it.”
“I heard that your youngest brother is about to come of age,” Zamnil said. “And that he has suitors vying their interest in him already. You’ve probably had many offers by now.”
“We have,” Dori said.
“I’ve come to offer my hand as well. It may have been a long time since I saw the lad, but rumors of his beauty has spread through all of Ered Luin. The three of you could live quite comfortably, Ori would want for nothing.”
“I’m afraid that Ori is not accepting any offers at this time, my lord,” Dori said, “Especially not before he is of age. I will tell you what I have told the others: you have to wait until he is a legal adult. Until then, please leave him alone.”
“Plus, you’ve not seen him since he was a lad,” Nori said. “You said as much yourself.”
“No thanks to you two, I’m sure. You hide him well.” Ori heard the chair scrape back. “I will come back when he is of age, then. And at that time, I hope you will have stopped keeping him hidden from sight. Thank you for the tea.”
The door closed and Ori stepped down the stairs. His brothers look at him. “No,” he said. “Anyone but him.”
Nori smirked and Dori nodded. “Want some tea? There’s some more in the pot.”
“No thanks. I should go to bed.”
Dori nodded. “I do wish you didn’t go to the guard house today, Ori,” he said. “We’ll both walk you there in the morning.” Ori accepted this. The likelihood he’d be able to say goodbye to his brothers was rather unlikely unless they did come with him.
#
His brothers entered with him. Cranneg was there again and eyes roamed over Ori, who all but hid behind Dori. “Where is Captain Dwalin?” Dori asked, effectively shielding Ori from Cranneg.
“In the back,” Cranneg said, nudging his head toward a shut door.
The brothers walked toward it and Dori knocked. Ori gripped his bag tighter and stared at his feet. He could feel Cranneg’s eyes on his back and he felt as though they were burning into him.
Finally, the door opened. “Come in,” Dwalin said, standing aside.
And there was the pull again. That nameless feeling of being tied down. Dori pushed Ori into the room. Once all of them were inside, Dwalin closed the door.
“Good morning, Captain,” Dori said. Dwalin gave him a nod. “First, I would like to thank you for understanding yesterday’s situation and for coming to Ori’s aid. Hopefully you’re men will be taught how they ought to treat a bearer?”
“They will be,” Dwalin assured him. “I don’t tolerate that behavior. As soon as we’re done here, Cranneg and his friends will be disciplined.”
Dori hummed, pleased with Dwalin’s assurance. “And how exactly do you plan to have Ori pay for Nori’s bail?”
Dwalin leaned against his desk. “Indentured servitude for a month,” Dwalin said. “He will work for a noble house in that duration.”
“And you’ve already selected a noble, I take it?” Dori asked, narrowing his eyes at Dwalin.
“I have,” Dwalin said. “He will work for me.” His brothers gaped at Dwalin. He could hear Nori’s teeth gnashing. Ori wanted to shrink or disappear.
This was worse, wasn’t it?
“Now see here…”
“You think we’re just going to let you put our brother to work for you?!” Nori shouted.
“Ori is underage and still in his apprenticeship!”
Ori cleared his throat. “I just have to work for you? Nothing more?”
“Nothing more,” Dwalin assured him. Ori sighed.
“All right. I’ll go with you.”