PART 11

Gavin sat in his office and looked out of the window, a smug smile playing across his cruel features. When Dolar had first come to him and told him that Manet and his men had only managed to capture one of the elf brothers he was furious. And the fact that they had caught a human instead… but now everything was alright. The other brother was stupid enough to get caught apparently and now he had three prisoners instead of just the two he had wanted.

But he wondered about the human. There was something about him that he did not understand, something that just didn't seem right. Manet had said that the he was the elves' brother, but that confused him even more. How could the human be their brother? It didn't make any sense, and Manet was no help to him.

He was no more than a fun challenge, a puzzle that he could crack. And humans were so much fun to torture because they only lasted so long, but they tried to be brave past that point. Although it never worked, it was fun to listen to them try.

His thoughts on the human were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. He motioned for the men standing by to open it and turned to see one of his servants, he had no idea what the man's name was, bow himself into the room. About the only nice thing he could say about his servants was that they knew when to bow and to keep their eyes averted and all that formal, master-servant crap.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding annoyed. One thing his father had managed to drill into him was that you never let the servants or prisoners know that you were expecting them, make them feel like a nuisance.

The servant fidgeted slightly, but kept his gaze averted. "I gave the prisoners your message, master."

"And?" Gavin turned towards the servant and raised an eyebrow in expectance. He had hoped that the elves, if not the human, would have asked about him or questioned their captivity.

"M-master?" the servant stammered questioningly. Gavin scowled and walked over to the servant and slapped him across the face, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

"Did they say anything?!" he yelled at the servant who was still lying on the floor, a look of intense fear on his face. "Did they ask you anything?!"

"I d-don't kn-know, m-master." he stammered quietly. "I l-left af-after I d-delivered the m-message l-like you t-told me t-to, m-master."

Gavin grabbed the servant by the collar and pinned him against a wall. The guards on either side of the door tensed on their weapons but did not move to draw them. "Don't blame me for your incompetence!" he screamed through clenched teeth. "I specifically told you to stay outside the door and listen to them talking, or wait until they made a reply!"

The servant could only cower in fear in Gavin's grip and Gavin gave him a cruel smile before dropping him in a cowering heap on the floor.

"I grow tired of your inability to complete my demands." he circled the servant slowly, hands clasped behind his back in a nonchalant manner. The servant shook his head slowly in fear.

"I'm sorry, m-master. P-please don't hurt me! I can d-do better, I p-promise!" the man was nearly crying now with the force of his pleas and he bowed low to the ground.

"You know, I've been waiting for someone to test my new inventions on." the servant's eyes went wide with fear and he shook his slowly, mouthing no over and over again. "You'll do just fine."

XXXXXXXXXX

Elrohir awoke with a yawn and looked over at his brothers who were still sleeping next to him. Elladan was sleeping soundly, but Aragorn was not and it worried Elrohir. He had awoken periodically during the night and had noticed Aragorn tossing and turning in the corner.

Suddenly Aragorn started thrashing madly, whimpering as if he was in great pain. "No, no, no…" Aragorn murmured quietly in elvish. Elrohir moved quickly over to his younger brother, trying not to jostle Elladan as he did so, and pulled Aragorn protectively onto his lap.

"Edlosto, muindor-nin. Wake up my brother." he whispered soothingly, keeping Aragorn from hurting himself against the wall.

Aragorn jerked awake at the sound of his brother's voice and sat up with a gasp. Elrohir laid a hand protectively on Aragorn's shoulder and gently pulled him back down next to him.

"Calm down, Estel." Elrohir whispered soothingly. Aragorn looked around him for a second like he was seeing it for the first time before looking back at Elrohir.

"I dreamed we were back at the clearing and I was watching you and Elladan being beaten." he said softly in Elvish. "I couldn't do anything to help you and it was tearing me up inside." Elrohir sighed and looked over at Elladan who was still sleeping soundly.

"It was just a dream Estel." Elrohir whispered back in Elvish. "There's no reason to worry." But Aragorn only shook his head and sighed.

"How do you know that?" he asked accusingly, his voice raising as his anger grew. "How do you know that tomorrow we won't all be taken to some room to be interrogated or Valar knows what and I'll have to watch you two being beaten senseless? Huh? How do you know?"

"Stop yelling Estel." Elrohir said calmly as Elladan stirred awake and sat up looking at his brothers. "Nothing is going to happen, and if it does we deal with it. I watched you being beaten twice already remember. How do you think I would feel if I had to watch you being beaten again?" Aragorn dropped his head and nodded.

"You're right Elrohir, I'm sorry." Aragorn said quietly in elvish as he brought his knees up to his chest, resting his head on them in a casual manner.

"Did I miss something?" Elladan asked questioningly as Elrohir and Aragorn settled back down to sleep. The brothers laughed quietly to themselves and Elrohir shook his head.

"It's nothing, Elladan." Elrohir said quietly as sleep began to claim him again. Elladan shrugged and fell asleep as well. Aragorn however did not fall asleep so quickly. He lay awake for a moment more thinking about what Elrohir had said. Although he knew Elrohir was right, he just couldn't stop thinking about his dream.

"I won't watch you getting hurt, muindor-nin." Aragorn said quietly before sleep finally claimed him once more.