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He rarely took elves prisoner. Morgoth and Sauron had done so often. It hadn’t taken Adar long to realize the vala hated elves, blaming them for something he rarely discussed in Adar’s company. The vala enjoyed corrupting them and torturing them, making them into uruks or thralls. At first, Adar had thought Sauron’s hatred lesser, that the maia was simply following his master’s whim. But overtime, Adar had realized that Sauron’s hatred merely seemed less because the maia preferred to torture elves through deception and manipulation rather than physical means.
Adar didn’t share their hatred, but nor did he spare elves out of love for the race he’d been born into. He wasn’t opposed to harming them, though he didn’t have the stomach to go to the lengths Sauron and Morgoth had. This had a cost. Whereas the elves Sauron and Morgoth had taken prisoner usually became thralls who were too terrified of their masters to even consider disobeying them, the elves Adar had taken prisoner never fully submitted. Their rebellions often led to his children’s death. So, unless the uruks had a need for hostages or temporary labor, they usually killed the elves rather than imprison them. Such would have been the fate of the elvish garrison even if they had not attempted an escape.
Arondir was a special case.
It had been a mixture of pity and desire that had made Adar claim the omega. Morgoth had thoroughly corrupted his children to the point that the scent of elven omegas filled them with all of the desire an elven alpha might feel, but none of the protectiveness. Combined with the fact that the uruks hated elves...well, the things they’d do to elven omegas made even Adar shudder.
The scent of one in heat had startled him. He hadn’t expected the elves to send omegas to war, even if it was merely to guard a land that had been peaceful for over a century. Any alpha would have been aroused, and Adar was no exception. He had ordered the omega brought to his cot immediately, before his children could do too much harm.
Arondir had been just as lovely as his scent suggested, and it had been far too long since Adar had felt the warmth of another next to him. But Adar had been keenly aware that to take him then would be cruel in more ways than one. He’d doubted that the omega would want it, and while such things happened in war, Adar would have preferred a more willing mate. And also, Adar had scarcely been in a position to protect an omega for long.
He’d had another omega once. Oh, so many years ago. He hadn’t even known their name. Morgoth had bound them together for some purpose. Adar didn’t know if the vala had accomplished what he wanted from that, but his omega had died, and Adar had been unable to stop it. Adar hadn’t been nearly as corrupted by darkness back then, and the pain over being unable to protect his mate, no matter how little they knew each other, had been excruciating. Adar had known he couldn’t bind an omega to him lightly. Prisoner or not, an omega should be able to expect some level of protection by their mate.
So, he’d released Arondir and given him fair warning. A chance to run. He had expected the fear of what had almost happened to the omega to drive Arondir away, but Arondir had proved far braver (or perhaps more foolish) than Adar had thought. It had been clever how the elf had caused the watchtower to collapse, and how he’d managed to train the villagers well enough to put up a fight. Adar respected the omega’s courage and skill. Had Adar been kinder, he might have given Arondir yet another chance to run. But Adar wasn’t kind, and the part of him who would have restrained himself from taking the omega as a prize had died long ago.
Adar held no illusions as to the nature of his and Arondir’s relationship. Theirs would never be a love match. The alpha had wanted someone to lie with and to stay by his side, and he’d gotten one. That Arondir hated him for it was a pity, but also unavoidable. The omega would adjust overtime. Adar knew all too well that people could adjust to anything, and his situation had been much more painful than he ever planned to make Arondir’s. But there was a difference between acceptance and happiness.
Still, Adar couldn’t bring himself to regret claiming the omega. He relished having Arondir beneath him while the omega was in heat, legs wrapped around his waist as if to draw him on deeper. Uttering all types of promises and endearments the omega would never have so much as thought at any other time. And even when the heat was over and Arondir avoided him whenever possible, it was pleasant having another elf by his side to share his life. He wouldn’t trade it for anything.