Disclaimer: In chapter 1. Nope still don't own anything except my OC's.
Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Falling into the Black
The stonewalled room was very cold. Winter had begun to settle in and the barred window provided no protection from the freezing wind. Legolas sat in his usual corner, almost directly below the window. Elves normally didn't feel the cold, however, due to the fact that he was malnourished, physically and emotionally drained took their toll. Now he sat, curled up as small as he possibly could, shivering from the cold.
Legolas knew that a year had passed by and was becoming increasingly more difficult every day to keep the hope that someone would find him. His heart held as tightly as it could to that hope, but his logical side told him that he shouldn't even bother. No one was coming.
The Prince sighed and looked at the wall, which contained elvish words carved into the stone. When Legolas first arrived at the fortress, he didn't understand why he was brought there. His confusion vanished one day when an Orc suddenly demanded the identity of Isildor's heir. It was then that he understood why he was there. Somehow, the Witch King knew that he held the knowledge about who was Gondor's King.
Legolas shut his eyes in pain when a memory of a terrified Aragorn when they were prisoners at Agmar. After many hours of torture, the Ranger had confessed that he didn't know how much longer he could go before he finally cracked. The Prince remembered his response very clearly. "Leave it with me, Estel, and I promise that it will be kept safe until you return." Now, years later, Legolas continued to keep that promise. One night, he spent many hours locking away everything that could lead the Witch King to his best friend.
The cell door opened and Aesto entered. The head servant knelt down in front of the elf and gently placed a hand on his forearm. Ever since the night that Aesto spent time with the elf, the two had become fast friends, but they both knew that if their friendship were discovered, it would all be over.
"Legolas, He wants to see you." Aesto didn't even bother to sugar coat it. There was no point; the elf would have figured it out any way. The Prince nodded and slowly stood up. His body still hurt rather painfully, but he was much too proud to allow anyone to help him alleviate his pain.
They slowly made their way to where the Nazgul was located. On the way, Legolas fought against the despair that was trying to take hold. Each day he was spent here, the more he felt like his spirit was slowly falling into an endless black void. A place where he was afraid that he might never leave or be the same person ever again. The Prince hoped that he would be able to hold his ground and that his enemy would not see through the mask that he had carefully constructed over his emotions. It was fragile at best, but he was sure that he could keep it in place.
They finally came upon an ornate double set of doors. Aesto rapped his knuckles on the door and waited to be allowed to enter. After a moment the door cracked open. The head servant carefully walked in and bowed. "I have brought the elf as you have requested, Master. Where would you like him?"
The Witch King said nothing but merely pointed to a chair that was set 15 feet from where the Nazgul stood. Aesto turned and opened the door wider, motioning the Orcs to bring in the elf.
As soon as his eyes latched on to the black clad figure that stood in front of him, Legolas began to panic. He wasn't sure what had come over him or if he merely snapped, but he fought as hard as he could to just get away from the evil presence that seemed to roll off the Nazgul. The Orcs were ready and both had gotten a strong grip as they dragged the struggling being into the chair. The two foul beasts held the elf as the head servant bound the Prince to the chair by leather straps. There were two for his hands and one for each ankle. A large strap was then secured around the elf's chest. When he was done, Legolas was unable to move and they both knew that he would just have to endure whatever the Witch King had in mind.
The Orcs left, now that they were no longer needed. The Nazgul glanced at Aesto briefly then turned his attention to the elf. "Leave." He commanded the head servant. The man bowed and forced himself to leave the room. He could feel the elf's eyes boring into his back, pleading for him to not leave him alone. As soon as he reached the door, Aesto quickly closed it behind him, blocking the elf's desperate gaze from him.
Legolas took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing pulse, when he saw the door close. He was to deal with this alone. That annoying logical side of him suddenly made its' opinion known. Just like he wasn't going to be rescued, he was also going to be left alone with one of his worst nightmares. Legolas couldn't seem to stop the shaking that had engulfed his entire body, as the Witch King got closer. "Tell me who Isildor's heir is." The evil being demanded.
Legolas shook his head. "I will never tell you." He was surprised at how confident his voice sounded, even though he hardly felt any.
The Nazgul laughed, a hissing sound that grated along the elf's ears. "We'll see about that."
~S~
A shorter chapter than the others, but I think it is a good length. Thanks everyone who is following this story and for being patient. Also thank you for everyone who has reviewed. I love reviews, so please continue to send them. See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*
