Out of the three elves, Roquen was probably the most startled. He dropped his sword onto Legolas' foot in surprise and whirled around as the prince gasped in pain.

"Gilrael? You were supposed-" "I know, but plans change." Gilrael strode into the room and gently pushed Arkanil's bow to point to the ground.

Roquen narrowed his eyes, but turned back to Legolas, who had tossed the sword across the room. "Well, now that you're here, you can help me kill this annoying-"

"Roquen, no," Gilrael sternly ordered. "The prince stays alive."

Roquen frowned. "That would not be wise. Why not kill him while he's injured and weak?" "You're injured and weak," Gilrael pointed out.

Arkanil hollered, "You do realize Legolas is standing right in front of you, do you not?" Both ignored him.

Roquen scowled. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but we'll figure it out when we finish this." He whipped out a knife from the inside of his tunic and stabbed forward wildly, but Legolas had the sense of mind to simply duck. He was very grateful Gilrael did the rest for him.

Grabbing Roquen's shoulders, she pulled him backwards, causing him to lurch unstably and yell in pain because she had dug her fingers into a deep bruise scored by the prince of the Woodland Realm. Legolas slipped out of the corner as Gilrael snatched the knife out of Roquen's grasp and took another one from the inside of his sleeve.

"Now, I advise you to calm yourself so we can talk like civilized beings." She quickly stepped to Legolas, and he could see the worry in her eyes as she scanned him.

"You are very wounded," she observed. Legolas waved a hand dismissively. "Now that you are here, you can tell me where Etrielle is and we can leave."

Gilrael glanced behind at Roquen, who had just finished gulping from his flask. "Ah, you see, I don't know where Etrielle is."

Legolas glared at her. "You don't?" Arkanil gasped. "You don't?" Roquen looked smug. "She doesn't. Because she's evil."

Gilrael whirled around, clearly infuriated. "I'm evil? Roquen, it's time you learned your place." She raised her bow, but Legolas gently pulled it down. Out of the four warriors, he was the one who would have to act as diplomat. The other three would likely kill each other off.

"Stay, Gilrael." He turned to Roquen. "And I would like to hear why you think Gilrael is evil, why you accused me of being a kidnapper, and what you were telling Arkanil before I arrived."

"I was trying to help Etrielle!" he protested. Arkanil called from his position on the floor, "He was!" Legolas calmly declared, "Then you have nothing to fear from the rest of us who also wish to help her."

"Except from her." Roquen pointed at Gilrael with disgust. "She is a despicable monster, Sauron's favorite, which tells you a lot. It's unfortunate his power was bestowed upon her, otherwise I would have killed her the first chance I got." He glared at her hand, the one with the ring, which she swiftly hid in her cloak.

Legolas frowned. "What do you mean? How does that explain the way you ranted in Gilrael's room?"

Roquen rolled his eyes. "That was an act so Gilrael wouldn't kill me."

Gilrael looked shocked. "Roquen! I would never kill you!"

He grunted. "So you say. Unfortunately, I cannot trust a single word out of your mouth."

Roquen sighed, and turned to the prince. "You see, Legolas, you were right when you said I was but recently captured. It was only a few centuries ago, when I was already grown and mature. Gilrael tried to groom me into an evil Elf like her, to come back and betray our kin, but it didn't work. I had to put on an act, of course, to avoid torture, but I never believed it."

He took a shaky breath. "Still, what I did haunted me. So when this assignment came, I could not for the life of me harm Etrielle."

Legolas demanded, "Then why did you try to kill me?"

Roquen pursed his lips. "Oh, um, you see, I knew Gilrael had doubts about my true loyalties, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she, or someone else she ordered, would kill me."

"Not true!" Gilrael insisted.

"And she already assured me that you were, um, completely under her spell. So when you burst in, I had to act all evil so you wouldn't go back and report to her my betrayal. But I also had to kill you, since you were supposedly under her command and therefore evil."

Arkanil summed up, "So it was all a big misunderstanding."

Gilrael peered at Roquen suspiciously. "I told you Legolas was resisting me, not completely under." Roquen shrugged. "You lie a lot. I had to read between the lines."

Legolas glanced at Roquen. "But surely you know Gilrael has changed-"

A horn blew, followed by shouts and roars. Gilrael's face paled, and Roquen groaned. "I'm in no condition to fight!"

Legolas frowned. "Fight what? What's wrong?"

Gilrael nocked an arrow and tossed Roquen a flask. "Drink up. It has extra powerful healing herbs."

That sounded ridiculous, but after gulping it down, he started collecting his weapons with renewed strength. Legolas received another flask from Gilrael, who had produced it from a cabinet in the room and gave yet another one to Arkanil.

However, she ordered the general, "Stay here and rest. The healing tonic will not fix your broken knee." Arkanil was too spent to argue, and collapsed in a cushioned armchair.

After finishing the drink, Legolas felt energy flow through his veins. The pain from his wounds, though none were serious, subsided, and they stopped bleeding. He would have to find out what the herb was.

Gilrael tossed him a quiver of arrows, the contents of which Legolas transferred to his quiver while he asked, "What exactly are we fighting?"

She glanced at him as she tightened her sword belt. "The worst of Dol Guldor. My reinforcements."