Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 10 – Confusion All Around

Noticing the elf's reaction, Aragorn reached out and touched his uninjured arm. "What is it my friend?" The human's frown deepened when the prince did not respond. "Legolas? What's wrong?!" The panicked tone in the ranger's voice brought the elf out of his stupor.

The elf blinked a couple of times and shook his head to get rid of the frightful feeling but regretted immediately as pain exploded inside his head. Grimacing at the headache, Legolas waited for the pain to pass before continuing. "Nothing. I just felt something brush pass me. Maybe it's just a draft," the prince shrugged and tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling. "Let's see what's in the box," he changed the subject casually to draw Aragorn's attention away from him and was glad when the ranger fell for it and did not push him for details.

Forcing the tip of the chisel into the gap, the human pried the lid off forcefully. Peering into the box, Aragorn raised an eyebrow.

"What's in there?" Legolas' curiosity peaked at the human's expression.

"It's empty!" the young man showed the box to the elf prince. "All our trouble for nothing," the ranger grumbled disappointedly.

"At least you get a nice box. It would make a good collection," Legolas teased jokingly, the feeling of the earlier tension slowly leaving his body.

The man gave the box one last check and then stuffed it back into their pack. "Oh well, I'm sure we will find some use for it back home. Now, finish your food and get some sleep." Aragorn laid down on his mat and stared up at the rafters, wondering why someone would guard an empty box but no answer came to him. He felt Legolas shift next to him as he adjusted his body into a more comfortable position. The prince's condition seemed to have stabilized and he hoped that the elf's natural healing abilities had mended his internal injuries. Slowly, his eyes drifted shut.

Legolas sat silently as he listened to the ranger's soft snore and smiled to himself. Not feeling tired at the moment, the prince wished to get out and sit under the stars for a while before retiring for the night. Pulling himself painfully up from the floor using the crutch the villagers had made for Aragorn for support, he limped wearily towards the door. He was surprised that the short distance to the door had taxed him much of his strength forcing him to lean against the doorframe to gather his strength before moving on again. Panting slightly, the elf settled down upon the grass outside the hut and took in the much-needed fresh air. Enjoying the night view, he let his body relax in the evening breeze. Suddenly, the chill that he had felt in the hut returned and Legolas shuddered involuntarily. All his senses went on alert as he scanned the area around him frantically, searching for the cause of his uneasiness but except for the unnatural silence, nothing was out of the ordinary. Closing his eyes, Legolas tried to calm his frayed nerves and persuaded himself that it was only his overactive imagination.

The elf sat there for a moment longer before making his way back to the hut but when he returned, he noticed that Aragorn's bed was empty. He wondered where the ranger went and was surprised that he did not hear him leave but knowing that the ranger would take care of himself, Legolas did not worry about his absence. Happy that he was finally able to see the stars, the elf settled in for the night.

*****

As the sun rose up from the horizon, her soft rays illuminated a prone figure lying on his side beside the river. The man's dark brown hair fell loosely across his face, hiding his handsome features. A small bird landed beside the man, chirping happily as the figure groaned and flipped onto his back, the morning dew from the grass sipping slowly into his tunic. The man rubbed his eyes and wondered why he was lying on something wet when he was supposed to be indoors but the sounds of shouting brought him to his senses immediately and he jolted wide awake and found himself to be sitting at the river bank. Turning hastily towards the commotion, he saw a group of villagers running towards his direction. Not knowing what had transpired, the man pushed himself up from the ground and stood unsteadily, favoring his broken ankle.

"He's there!" one of the villagers shouted and pointed at the confused ranger as he made a mad dash towards the man, closing the distance between himself and Aragorn rapidly. The rest of the villagers followed closely behind.

"What's happened?" Aragorn croaked, his throat parched and dry for some unknown reasons.

"Seize him!" the leader of the crowd shouted as the group of angry people approached him. Suddenly, Aragorn found himself facedown on the ground, his hands twisted painfully behind him and a boot wedged behind his back.

"What's going on?!" the ranger demanded an answer but all that he got was a hard kick to his side. Aragorn curled up and groaned painfully as the boot connected with his injured rib.

"Take him to the Square!" the leader commanded. "And bring his accomplice!"

*****

To Be Continued…

A/N: Okay, sort of a cliffie but at least no one is dying :P

To the reviewers:

iverson - Thank you! Thank you! :D This fic has plenty of angst to go around and it's pretty much down from now on until they reach the house. Then there will be a little quicker-picker-upper and then more downs *eg* Bad things just can't stay away from them for long. They seem to have this magnetism for trouble. *g*

Kelly L. K. - I'm trying as hard as I could but I can't get a plot out. *sighs* I do have a page of random thought and I think I've written myself into a dead end. But I'll try to think real hard and see if I can get my stupid muse to start working again LOL!

Iawen Londea - *unslaps you* :P No self-abusing :P Yes, creepy feeling creeping all over Legolas. Strange that Aragorn didn't fell anything. Hmmm… Legolas is still in a lot of pain and the pain would be with him for quite some time but I promise I'll make him well soon :)

Pirate-chicha - Noooooo cliffie. You must still be dreaming. Pinch yourself. :D But this chappie does have a small cliffie but hey, no one is dying here so it's not evil :)

ittybittykitty - Not entirely named after drugs. I mixed and matched the names so the drug companies won't sue me. LOL!! I'm a poor student and don't have any money. If they sue me, I'll have to declare bankrupt. Hahaha!! And nooooo evil cliffie! It's just an uncomfortable feeling. Nothing bad. Maybe it's Legolas' imagination *eg* As for this chapter… well… maybe a small cliffie. ;)

True-Slytherin-gurl - Oh yes, I've hit my fingers many times and I don't like it one bit! LOL! Poor Aragorn will be teased to no end if Elladan and Elrohir find out about it. :D Wonder if Legolas will tell…

Lelgalad - OMG!!! LMAO!!! *falls of chair laughing* *deep breath* Are you trying to kill me with your reviews?!! You made me laugh so hard that people are giving me funny looks! ROFL!!!! Hey! No chucking heavy objects at author! And I'm most definitely NOT evil *vbeg* *gets hit on the head by flying box* Owww! *glares at Lelgalad* I'll get you back for this. :P *goes make evil cliffie to torture Lelgalad* Heh heh heh

ChristineIstari - So, you're Chris 2 and a half eh? Nice meeting you. ;) Is there any other personalities that I should be aware of? LOL!! So, you think poor Legolas has had enough of torture and you want me to switch my torture to Aragorn? Well, your wish is my command. *bows* One serving of Aragorn torture coming right up!

leggylover03 - LMAO!!! The box! The box! Ahhh!!!! What's in the box?? :-X Never Tell! Never Tell!!! Muahahaha!!!! *rolls on floor laughing*

Rabbit of Iron - Woohoo!!! New reader!!! *helps you off the floor and sets you back into the chair* Now, now, don't sit on the floor. It's not good for your health. *g* Evil thing in the box? Are you sure there's something evil in the box? Hmmm… *peers inside box* Nope, it's empty. :D And yes, more pain to come. I love elf torture too especially this particular elf. Yesssss preciousssss…