DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything belonging to Lord of the Rings. They are all the works of the fabulous J.R.R Tolkien :) I do own Orel (who appears in later chapters) and the story line is mine but pretty much everything else it his.

WOOO! Second Chapter! :) I didn't think I would get any hits or anything but I did! That makes me incredibly happy!

Thank you so so so soooo much to everyone who reviewed my story - it was such a nice feeling to read all the lovely comments. Thank you also for all the tips that people left; I will do my best to improve! XD

I'm only 14 (and I know that my age shouldn't be an excuse for bad writing) and I have my heart set on being an author when I'm older so any tips or constructive criticism is much appreciated

Now! On with the story! ENJOY! :D

Aragorn awoke with a pounding headache; as if a small army had run him over. He kept his eyes tightly shut as waves of pain washed over him and bit back a groan. When he finally felt as though his head wasn't going to drop off, he opened his eyes. At first, he could hardly see at all because his vision was blurred and the ground was titling at crazy angles. Then, as his vision settled down, he made a horrific discovery. He was hanging, slung over the shoulders of a short creature, with his face dangerously near the ground. His heart leapt and his breath caught in his throat.

We've been captured! Aragorn thought in alarm. Sharp pain suddenly shot through his head and he winced. His head was tender at the back and he could only assume that this was from a strike, probably made by capturers. The thought of his capturers made him wonder as to who was actually carrying him. Carefully, he turned his head to the side and what he saw surprised him.

Orcs, clad in leather armour and clutching weapons, were trekking alongside him. Aragorn closed his eyes in despair. Captured by orcs! He would never live this down. Legolas would...

As his friends name surfaced in his thoughts, Aragorn felt a jolt of fear. What had become of his elfin companion? Again, turning his head in a way that wouldn't exaggerate the pain already there, Aragorn searched the orcs around him for his friend. When he finally spotted Legolas, the sight alarmed him slightly. The elf's eyes were closed - such a thing only happened when he was in a weakened state - and he was limp, unresponsive as he hung across the orcs shoulder. Aragorn wanted to call out to Legolas but he was too far away for a call to go unnoticed. Instead, Aragorn let his head drop again, the motion making his head scream in agony. The pain increased immensely and Aragorn felt him self slipping into an almost welcome oblivion.

When Aragorn woke again, he found himself being carried into a large clearing, outlined with nothing but a wall of trees. He assumed this to be an orc camp. A large fire burned in the centre and around the edge, what appeared to be several huts, were scattered. Then realization dawned on him. It wasn't a camp. It was a village.

But how? he thought. Orcs are not capable of building villages in the middle of empty woods!

As his groggy mind struggled with this new concept, the orcs carried their prisoners towards a large cage with thick bars. When Aragorn saw what was coming, fear clutched at his heart. The prospect of being caged up like an animal was a terrifying thought. The orc who was carrying him suddenly grasped Aragorn by the legs, and Aragorn quickly closed his eyes, not wanting to alert the orcs to the fact that he was awake. He held back a cry of pain as the orcs threw him and Legolas into the cage, locking the door shut behind them. Aragorn lay painfully on the floor, listening to the orcs laughter as they walked away. The floor was rough beneath his cheek; hay or straw littered the ground. He wanted to do nothing better than sleep but he knew that he could not rest until he was sure Legolas was alright. Lifting himself up on his elbows, he looked closely at his friend, who lay nearby.

"Legolas," he whispered.

No reply.

"Legolas!" he said, a little louder.

He got a groan in response. Aragorn watched as Legolas's eyes flickered open and looked around in confusion. His eyes roamed his surroundings and then settled on Aragorn.

"Please tell me I'm dreaming," he said softly.

Aragorn chuckled and then shook his head. "Sorry, mellon-nin, but this is as real as it gets,"

Legolas sighed and also pushed himself up, wincing when the pain increased and a wave of dizziness hit him.

"Slowly," advised Aragorn, taking his friends arm.

Legolas shook him off gently. "Thank you, but I'm fine,"

Aragorn smiled slightly at his friend's natural stubborn streak and watched as Legolas rubbed the back of his head.

"What happened?" Legolas asked at last.

Aragorn sighed. "We've been captured," he said.

Legolas shot Aragorn an exasperated look. "I know that."

"We've been captured by orcs,"

Legolas looked almost amused. "Then why do you look so worried?" he asked.

Aragorn looked out through the bars of the cage, at the clearing around them. "These aren't like any orcs we've faced before. One look at this clearing tells you that. They're advanced enough to build a village and a cage for prisoners,"

Legolas snorted. "Orcs are naturally stupid creatures," he pointed out. "We will be able to get out easily,"

Aragorn laughed softly at that. "So I believed. But tell me, do you see any means of an easy escape?"

Legolas glanced around at the cage. The bars were thick and close together so that not even someone of Legolas's slim build could fit through. Aragorn was right.

"Maybe we should just wait..." murmured Legolas, leaning back against the bars.

Aragorn looked at his friend, concerned at his sudden quietness. He was about to ask if he was alright when the door to the cage slid open, the rusty metal making a grating noise.

One of the orcs entered and put three bowls of food on the floor.

"Eat," he grunted.

Aragorn opened his mouth, planning to distract the orc, but the orc was shutting the gate before he got a chance to speak.

"Hey! Wait!" he called.

The orc didn't turn around.

Aragorn sat back down with an angry grunt.

Whoever heard of orcs with a cage? he thought angrily.

"Food?"

Aragorn turned. Legolas was holding one of the bowls out towards him.

Aragorn sighed and took it. Inside, was what appeared to be meat of some kind. There was very little and most of it was fat anyway.

Aragorn pulled a disgusted face but reached to pick what looked to be the best piece.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you,"

The voice came from the back of the cage.

Translations:

Mellon-nin = Friend

Wow! So, second chapter is done! To be honest, I think this chapter is better than the first. I just kind of wrote this one where as with the first one, I took me ages and I had to actually, like, THINK about it. :P

I hope you enjoyed this and more chapters will be up soon. Please review because that will encourage me to write more XD