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Chapter 2: Fading Hope

Pain. Agonizing pain was what he felt. Every muscle in his body ached and burned, his senses screaming and searching for comfort but there was none. He was also extremely tired disabling him on opening his eyes to watch for his surroundings. The last memory he could recall before recently awaking was a pair of green hues smirking down at him as its jaws parted and sunk its teeth into his shoulder once again…again? Ah yes his memories were beginning to return as he tried to push back the pain that his body was alerting him of.

/Flash back/

Thranduil stepped out and went to his now well-known 'lounging place', which was his son's garden. Ever since he heard of his sons departure for that fools quest he had grown very worried which left him with many sleepless and restless nights. His son's garden would bring him much peace to a certain extent, as he would recall the countless happy memories that were made there through the past two millennia with his son and late wife. He grew fond of this repeated routine and almost looked forward to it when he would realize that he would have another sleepless night. Galion had found him there once and scolded him for not being in bed and then continued to scold him for not having at least one guard out their with him, but the king only waved off his friends concerns and paid no heed to them.

Now he wished he had for that early morning that he decided to step out to the gardens, he was too busy thinking through the memories he had last recalled and tried to sort them out to where he had left off. His deep thoughts had distracted him from the change in the song, the trees warnings to their king, and the ruffling sounds behind him. As he neared the corner to the gardens gates he felt a hard blow to his head making him stumble forward, it was hard enough to give him a severe headache but that was all. He was about to rise quickly to see who it was that attacked him, and reaching for his dagger only to curse himself for having left it in his chambers thinking he would have no need for a weapon. Just as he was about to turn to see his attacker and ready himself to block the next swing, he felt another blow to the base of his neck making him fall quite ungracefully to the ground and pass out.

/End of Flash back/

He continued to tiredly curse himself for not paying attention to his surroundings that day as the memory continued to play out through his mind.

/Flash back continues/

After being captured he woke with a horrible headache and found that he had been tied to a tree with his legs and arms being pulled apart from wrists and ankles. The ropes wrapped around his limbs were tightened mercilessly behind the tree leaving marks. He had no idea as to how long he had been passed out and furiously looked around for his attacker and now capturer as well, his elven sight looking around his surroundings in a very detailed manner trying to pick up any sign of life, yet his keen sense of hearing caught the disturbance first coming from above him in the trees. The creature was shaded so he knew not of what race it was and frankly didn't care of who or what ever it was. They were going to be punished dearly and severely for what they have done. Their wide eyes were hungry and lustful and his grin was sly and crazed, sending shivers down the kings back though he kept his expression steady with a deep frown of anger and disgust along with his infamous glare that could make the proudest and strongest of men, dwarf, and elf alike bow and shake in fear in his presence. Yet the creature showed no reaction. He heard it screech out a chuckle making his ears ring and his frown deepen. It sat there throughout the day watching him with out making a sound, leaving only a few times for reasons unknown before coming back only to sit in the same position with the same stare and grin making Thranduil second guess himself about whether the creature had really left or not. Many times he tried to get a reaction from the creature but was only responded with occasional widened grins or more low and screech like laughter. Thranduil finally gave up and tried to think of a way to free himself from his restraints.

When the sun set in the horizon and the wood darkened and succumbed to the creatures of the night, that was when the creature suddenly pounced out of the branch it sat in and crawled up close to Thranduils face. He could feel its breath against his skin and its foul stench filling his lungs making him gag from disgust, and for a moment he almost, almost wished it were an orc instead for he had never smelt anything more awful than this before. He could no longer bare the creature so close and moved his head away in the opposite direction "Get away creature! Your stench is more foul than an orc!" At that the creature's eyes finally displayed a new reaction and narrowed at the elf. It stepped back with a whispered growl; so quiet that Thranduil almost hadn't heard it even with his elven hearing. "You should watch what you say my king. You forget that you are at my mercy now. I will let your words pass this once" the creature finally spoke; its voice was raspy and harsh from obvious lack of use. Thranduil was almost shocked that the creature finally spoke sense he had been ignored the whole day. He then glowered at the being in front of him "I am at no ones mercy but Eru and the Valar, and I demand that you tell me why you have kidnapped me. What is it you hope to accomplish creature" Thranduil spat his last words yet kept his calm, and reformed his cold glare to the crouching figure that now hid in the shadows of the night. Its eyes quickly went back to its hungry and craving stare as it began to step closer again. This time Thranduil felt something press against his chest and many knife like claws pressed against his neck trailing down to his collar bone "Oh dear king I only wish to accomplish what any other living thing needs" It leaned into him again now its warm breath rapidly brushing against the elf's ear, as it almost seemed to be panting "I wish to feast on your royal blood. I hope its not too much to ask" it whispered and the screeched in laughter making Thranduils head jerk away yet failing to save his hearing from the sharpness of the sound. Once he recovered from the loud ringing he turned to look at the creature that seemed to be pacing back and forth in glee, it's heavy breathing was like that of a panicked animal. "Disgusting… if you think I'd let you spill one drop of my blood without a struggle then you're as stupid as an orc. Besides my people will be on their way soon, and when they come I'll personally cut your head off myself" It turned almost too quickly for Thranduil to react as it lunged at him giving out a loud crack in the quiet wood. Thranduil dared not to let out a cry of pain as he felt his rib crack and shift under the creatures hold, its claws digging into his skin and ripping his tunic when it released its hold "Don't spoil my fun now great king of the wood. It is your duty to satisfy the needs of those who you rule and protect no? I only take my share of you as one of the creatures of your wood. Besides I do plan to send you back to your people when the time is right" it smirked and pulled away stepping into the dim moon light and licked away at its claws that were covered in the reddish silver elven blood. Thranduil let out a shuddered sigh careful not to disturb the broken rib more as he watched the creature lick his blood in revulsion. "I'll be taking my fill from you every night until you have satisfied my hunger and quenched my thirst. And if you do struggle then I'll gladly play along" it smirked and moved in closer once again licking its sharp teeth.

/ End of flash back/

It had been almost a week now sense he had been kidnapped, and just as the creature said, every night it would come and feed off of the elven king's blood, and with each passing night Thranduil gained more and more injuries from his constant struggle. Now he had lost too much blood and his body was covered in cuts, bruises and broken bones. He was too weak to fight back now and it seemed hopeless. No one has yet to find him and the trees around him had died many millennia ago, so he had no way of sending word to the woodland elves of his realm. He knew he was still in Green Wood but was in the oldest part of it where the trees hadn't survived the first shade that had come during the war of the Last Alliance. He now forced his eyes to open and looked up past the trees and saw that the sun was at its peak, giving him more time to think of what to do before night fall. Though there really was not much left to do. 'At this point with all these injuries…lack of food, water and blood…I wont survive another week…' he thought to himself as he let his head drop back forward too weak to keep it up long. He saw a withered green leaf at his feet and smiled softly 'My green leaf… if only I could see my son one last time…' His eyes fluttered shut with that last thought allowing his pain to pull him into a deep slumber.