Title: Bonds of Family
Author: Andolin
Rating: T
Summary: Legolas and his younger brother are captured by orcs in an attempt to takeover Mirkwood, and it is up to Aragorn to rescue them. Meanwhile, Thranduil must salvage his relationship with Legolas.
Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable features of from the Lord of the Rings, they all belong to Tolkien.
Pertinent Information: Tolkien never really says anything about Legolas's family, so in this story, Legolas has a younger brother, Telmir. I explain how I present their family in this chapter, but if you feel that I have left anything important out or any questions unanswered, please let me know. Also, I assume (like many other authors) that Elrond raised Aragorn as a son and that Aragorn would view Elladan and Elrohir as his brothers.
Author's note: Hi! I'm back, and I'm so glad that it's Friday!! Well, here's the next chapter, as promised. Again, please review; I enjoy hearing any comments of suggestions that you might have. Every time I check my e-mail, I hope to find reviews. So those of you who are reviewing really make my day! But either way, thanks for reading. Enjoy the story!
Chapter 3: Captured
Legolas didn't have a chance, and he knew it. He watched the orcs approach him from all sides, and he doubted that Telmir would get away. They were on him in seconds, and Legolas became a blur. He slashed at the orcs without thinking, killing them quickly. It seemed, though, that for each one he killed, two more took its place. He wouldn't be able to keep up this pace forever. The orcs were pressing him hard; they wanted to take him down. That was normal though, the thing that disturbed Legolas the most was that they were aiming to injure, not to kill. He had to get out of there; there were just too many orcs. He began fighting his way forward, when he nearly froze at the sight before him.
Two orcs were dragging Telmir back towards the fight. Legolas's momentary lapse in attention was all the orcs surrounding him needed. An orc behind him slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of Legolas' head. Legolas fell to his knees.
"Don't move, little elf," one of the orcs holding Telmir said to Legolas, "or I'll slit his throat." He moved his blade to Telmir's neck. Telmir turned fearful eyes unto Legolas.
Legolas closed his eyes in defeat, he had failed.
"Drop your weapons."
Legolas held out his hands and dropped his knives to the ground. The orc closest to him shoved him into the ground and dug his knee into Legolas' injured shoulder. Legolas gasped in pain.
"Don't be given us no trouble now, ye hear? Or he," the orc gestured to Telmir, "will be the one to pay for it."
Legolas didn't answer.
"I asked," the orc said, digging his knee into Legolas' shoulder harder, "if you heard me, maggot?"
"Yes," Legolas replied through gritted teeth.
The orc tied his hands together painfully tight, within minutes Legolas began to lose feeling in his hands.
The orc smiled cruelly, "We did it, and now we have a pair of princes as our prize!"
With that, Legolas and Telmir were pulled to their feet and forced to run with the orcs to a fate unknown to them.
o-o-o-o
An unhappy Thranduil sat in the throne room, surrounded by his worried advisors. The crowned prince did not often enjoy attending to his duties his duties, but to be late to this meeting would likely merit death in the king's eyes.
"Furiner," Thranduil began coolly, "have you seen my wayward son?"
"He was last seen riding out with the ranger and Telmir this morning, Sire," Furiner, chief advisor to Thranduil, answered carefully.
The king's eyes widened. "HE TOOK TELMIR WITH HIM?!" he demanded furiously.
The advisors winced. The king's wrath was not something to be taken lightly.
"Were they alone? Did he take a guard? Has my son lost his mind?!" Thranduil had turned a brilliant shade of red. He was beyond furious, but his fury was quickly becoming worry. It was far past the time Legolas was due home, and he had a knack for getting into trouble.
The doors to the throne room burst open and a nervous looking squire darted in, "My lord," he said with a slight bow, "I have troubling news. The horses that your sons took this morning have returned, but they bore no riders."
Thranduil's closed his eyes wearily. His sons, the last of his family, were missing, "Send out search parties. I want to know what happened to them by nightfall."
"Yes, my liege," the squire said with another bow before quickly leaving the room.
o-o-o-o
Aragorn glanced at the just visible sun in the west. He was in foothills of the Misty Mountains and could be home within a few days if he kept up his pace. Legolas had warned him before he left to be watchful for orcs on the journey. They often made their homes in the caves of the mountains and liked to attack travelers. Legolas's concern that they may be in league with the orcs of southern Mirkwood was troubling indeed.
Aragorn had first noticed dark shapes moving on the mountains when the sun dropped below the horizon. Orcs, he though. They were very close to his camp, and Aragorn was wary of his precarious situation. He was alone, it was dark, and there were orcs about. He was hesitant to halt, but it was also dangerous to continue when it was becoming increasingly difficult to see.
Aragorn tensed as he heard voices ahead of him. He quietly dismounted and crept forward.
"…They'll be marching south; they'll never expect an attack from the north. Then Mirkwood will be ours…"
Aragorn's eyes widened. It seemed that the orcs were becoming smarter if they had indeed teamed up. The orc speaking was right too, Thranduil would never expect an attack from the north.
"…It's only a matter of time before their king goes south himself, what with his kids down there and all, taking the city will be simple…"
His kids? Aragorn thought Legolas and Telmir? Somebody needs to warn him. Aragorn carefully went back to his horse and began to retrace his steps back down the foothills. He could make it back to Mirkwood before dawn if he rode hard.
o-o-o-o
The orcs threw Legolas and Telmir to the ground and swiftly tied Legolas to the tree. Telmir's hands were bound behind him.
"Don't try anything, little elf, or your big brother will pay for it," a rather large orc leered to Telmir.
Telmir shrank under his gaze and slid closer to Legolas.
They had been moving west at a good pace the entire day, the moon was high in the sky when they finally called for a halt. Legolas was grateful for the stop. His shoulder, which he had nearly forgotten during the fight, now throbbed without mercy. He had a feeling that the arrow had been poisoned, and he could only hope that it was slow to work. That would be significantly more painful, but it would buy him time to help Telmir escape. They were heading for the Misty Mountains, but other than that he had know idea where their specific destination was. He knew now that they had been right. The orcs had united, and that did not bode well at all. Presuming someone was to look for them, they would go south, not east. They were alone.
Telmir watched his brother silently. He saw the lines of pain and fatigue in his brother's normally strong face. Legolas was far too pale, and it all was his fault that this had happened.
"Legolas?" Telmir questioned softly.
Legolas opened his eyes, "What?"
"Are we going to die?"
Legolas looked downcast. "I do not know," he looked up to the orcs, who appeared to be arguing, "Not yet, at least."
"I caught him, Zearg; I want a piece of him!"
"No, Kalg! We are to keep them alive!"
"I won' kill him. Just rough him up a bit! Look at him," Kalg said, staring with envy at Legolas, who met his gaze and held it defiantly. Kalg scowled before looking away from the piercing blue eyes, "He needs to be taught some manners."
Legolas laughed softly.
"What's so funny, worm?" Zearg demanded.
"Just the thought of an elf learning manners from an orc, it's like a bird teaching a fish to swim," Legolas retorted.
Zearg growled slightly, "Alright! You can have him Kalg. Teach him a bit of respect, but make sure that he lives.
Kalg grinned wickedly before cutting the bonds holding Legolas to the tree. Kalg dragged him into the center of the ring of orcs. As soon as he was released, Legolas quickly rose to his feet, but was quickly shoved to his knees by the orc.
"Who is your master, little elf?"
"I have no master," Legolas replied calmly, "I serve Mirkwood and its king of my own volition."
"Wrong answer, my prince. You belong to us now, and you serve our master. But for tonight, little prince, you are mine," Kalg sneered as he pulled a whip from his belt.
He shook it menacingly before in front of Legolas before raising it and snapping it across his back as hard as he could. Legolas flinched, but did not cry out. He had endured this before, and he could do it again. He would not give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream, nor would he torment his brother with a cry of pain.
Kalg leaned in close to his face, the stench of his putrid breath made Legolas slightly nauseous. "Fight it if you want, but you will scream for me. You will beg for death," the orc promised.
"Never," Legolas replied quietly.
The orc frowned, and raised the whip again.
o-o-o-o
Legolas fell to the ground when Kalg dropped him back next to Telmir. Kalg didn't bother tying Legolas back to the tree; he wouldn't be going anywhere tonight. Kalg smirked at Telmir before joining the other orcs around a fire. Legolas curled into a ball and concentrated on breathing while trying to block out the pain. His shirt was off, having been torn to shreds by the bite of the whip before Kalg had barely gotten started. His back was a bloody mess. It needed to be cleaned, or at least bandaged, but there was no way for him to do that. His lithe frame trembled slightly; he had long ago slipped into a state of shock from the overwhelming and all-consuming pain.
Telmir hesitantly approached Legolas, his eyes wide with fear at the sight of his brother. He carefully placed a hand on Legolas' shoulder. Legolas tensed before remembering that Telmir was there with him. Telmir was unharmed, and that made tonight a victory in itself for Legolas. Gritting his teeth, Legolas forced himself into a sitting position, fighting back a wave of nausea at the movement.
"It's alright, Telmir. I'm fine," he reassured the young elf softly. Telmir stared at him for a moment before allowing a tear to slide from his eye.
Telmir couldn't hold it in any longer. In one day he had been forced to run from his brother's side like a coward, only to get caught and dragged back and used to force Legolas to surrender, marched as a captive of orcs, and then forced to watch his brother be tortured. "No, you're not fine Legolas. You're anything but 'fine.' We are anything but 'fine.' We are being held captive by orcs and you're sick. Don't try to hide it from me like you do from everyone else. You're pale, and you couldn't keep pace today. You're not alright."
Legolas sighed, "Nothing can be done about that now. Don't waste your worry on me. They still want us alive, if that is any comfort. They won't let me die yet. Sleep, Telmir, I will keep watch."
Telmir curled himself into a ball and rested his head on Legolas' lap, content to let his brother watch over him.
Hey! No cliffie! Sure, Legolas and Telmir have been captured by orcs, but they're still alive at least. (Please review!)
Have a great weekend, Andolin