Sorry for the delay, between college and NaNo I just haven't had any time to write… but I'm almost done with chapter 5 so you'll have more after this really soon.

Chapter 4

Elrond smiled slightly as he felt the warm morning sun shining across his face. He had had such a horrible dream, but knowing that he was now in his own bed made him feel much better. He kept his eyes closed for a moment longer, savoring the warmth and calm of his bed and enjoying the feel of the sun on his face.

He frowned and opened his eyes as he heard what sounded like a large group conversing outside his door. They seemed to be very agitated and worried, but he couldn't pick out any of their words. Too many of them were talking at once and he was just about to get up and find out what was going on when the door burst open and a very worried looking healer rushed into the room through the crowd.

Elrond glared at him as his face turned from one of worry to pure delight. He didn't find anything very delightful about being woken up by a crowd outside his door. He must have noticed the glare because his expression suddenly became stoic as he continued to walk calmly towards the bed.

"What is going on?" Elrond asked, crossing his arms as he sat completely up in bed.

"I'm sorry, my lord?" he asked.

"Why is there a crowd outside my door at this hour? And why are you here at all? I'm not sick or dying." He waited for him to give a reasonable answer, but he just fidgeted for a moment.

"You don't remember, my lord?"

"Remember what?" he asked as his nightmare came back to him, but he pushed it aside. He paused, obviously thinking about the best way to say whatever it was that Elrond was supposed to remember.

"Just say it, I'm not an infant."

He sighed. "My lord, your son and the ranger…" he paused again, not sure how to go on.

"What about them?" his nightmare returned again and a sinking feeling entered his stomach.

"They were captured by a creature in the forest," he said, looking away. "Legolas was taken while on a scouting mission and Aragorn was captured while trying to rescue him. They have been missing for five days now."

He sat up in bed as it all came back to him. If they had been missing for five days that meant that he had been unconscious for two and that was two days that he couldn't afford. If what Irina had said was true, then they didn't have much time. But first he had to find her so she could lead them to the cave.

"Where is Irina?" he asked, getting out of bed.

"Who?" he asked, trying to keep him in bed.

"Irina, the woman who brought me news of Legolas' capture." He pushed him away and walked towards the door only to be bombarded by the swarm of elves waiting outside his door and all vying for news of his well being. He spotted the captain of the guard in the corner on the fringe of the crowd and made his way towards him while the healer tried to get him back to bed. The captain saluted as he drew near and motioned to his men to disperse the crowd.

"Where is Irina?" Elrond asked, nodding to the salute.

"Who, my lord?" he asked, glancing at the healer to make sure he was in his right mind.

"The woman who brought me news of Legolas' capture."

The captain sighed, glad he wasn't insane. "She's in the dungeon, my lord."

"What? Why?" he asked already moving towards the dungeons.

The captain ran to keep up. "We didn't know what had happened, my lord. We saw her talking to you and then you were on the ground. We didn't know how she was involved either so we decided to detain her until you awoke."

Elrond didn't reply as he continued on towards the dungeons, his mind already thinking about the upcoming rescue mission. He grimaced as he came within sight of the door and sighed as he thought about Irina sitting alone for days in the dark. He grabbed a torch from a sconce on the wall and descended into the darkness. He could hear the drip of water off in the distance and the scuttle of tiny feet on the stone floor. He paused as he reached the bottom of the stairs and nodded to the guard on duty.

"I'm looking for the human woman named Irina," he said, glancing at the nearby cells. "I need you to take me to her immediately."

He nodded, confusion clouding his features before he grabbed the key ring from the wall and led the small group down a side corridor and further into the darkness. He made a mental note to destroy the dungeons after everything was over as the guard stopped at a lone cell at the end of the corridor. He had to concentrate on his breathing to keep himself from exploding at the cell that Irina was in. The initial cells had been cold, dark, and damp, but her cell was also smaller than all of the others. Elrond had to actually kneel down to see inside the door and what he saw almost made him cry. Irina was in a ball on the floor, her face and clothes covered in dirt and soaked from the giant puddle on the floor. He could see that her dress had been ripped in several places and a giant bruise covered most of the left side of her face and her shoulders.

"Unlock this door," Elrond said standing up. "Now!" The guard nodded and moved past him to unlock the door, the squeal of the hinges deafening them in the quiet of the darkness. He crouched to move inside the cell and flinched as Irina turned her tear-filled gaze on him. The hurt and pain and betrayal in her eyes stilled his movements and he took a deep breath before moving any closer.

She shied away as he held out his hand to her and the only imagine in his mind was a wounded, caged animal. He pulled it back and sighed as he looked at the floor. He stared at his reflection for a moment, noticing the tired and careworn features that marked his face. He remained this way for several moments until a voice startled him out of his reverie.

"Why are you here?" He looked up at Irina as spoke and tried not to grimace at the state she was in.

"I need your help," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Why? I tried to help you, and all it got me was a stay in this horrible pit." The disdain was evident in her voice as she spoke and Elrond flinched at her tone.

"I'm sorry, Irina. I never meant for this to happen to anyone. My guards simply got carried away... they were trying to protect me." Irina looked away, tears coming to her eyes as she saw the bruises on her arms.

"That doesn't mean I want to help you."

"No, it doesn't," he said as he inched closer to her. "But I know you want to, otherwise you would never have come here in the first place."

She looked up at him as he said this and sighed. "I can lead you to them." He smiled and nodded as he reached to help her up but she pulled her arm away. "But when this is over I never want to see you again. The only reason I am helping you is because of Legolas and Estel, my heart won't let me leave them there." Elrond nodded before backing out of the cell to give her room to leave.