17.

When Celegorm finally broke through the haziness of half-sleep and the maelstrom of thoughts racing through his mind, he saw that the entire camp bustled around him. In a heartbeat, the Elf sprang to his feet and shook himself to full awareness, wondering what had caused such a commotion among the Wood Elves. Archers were milling in and out of the clearing and even Legolas moved restlessly under the trees.

"They're looking for Bilbo," Amras told him.

"Huh?"

Celegorm took the flask his brother offered and drank deeply, wondering how long before the taste of water would cease to be so heavenly. Celegorm crouched at Amrod's side and checked whether anything was different about his slumber, but Amrod slept motionless still, his brow smooth and his breathing even.

"You were saying about Bilbo?" Celegorm turned to his youngest brother.

"He's gone. He vanished sometime in the night and now the archers are all in a spot of bother. "

"Bilbo vanished, eh? Clever bastard," Celegorm smiled thinly. "I actually meant to ask him for that magic ring of his. Would have been a very useful thing to have where we're going. But it looks like he beat me to it and slipped off. Smart little bugger…"

"Quite. But what do you suppose he can do? Elves are not big, dumb spiders and they'll comb the forest for him. Even if they don't find Bilbo, what can one little Hobbit do to help us now?"

"You never know. He's proven his worth against the spiders, I think he may surprise us yet. But shhh! Not another word about this. And hopefully, the Dwarves will know to keep their mouths shut too. What about his Highness?" Celegorm looked at the obviously ill-pleased Mirkwood prince.

"Seems pretty ticked-off. And with good reason, I don't think having a prisoner give your whole company the slip is such a flattering thing for these stealthy Wood Elves. He'll want some kind of explanation from you," Amras said.

"Oh? But what could I possibly know? I've been asleep all this time. I didn't see or hear anything. In fact, I am shocked that our little friend has disappeared and goodness, what if he's in danger? What if a spider came and took him? Why, I can't stand the thought of that little Hobbit all alone in these terrible woods. I sure hope the Elves find him quickly," Celegorm replied in a high and affected voice that did not match his smirk at all.

"That's bloody good, Turko. And a minute after you woke up, no less" Amras poked him, returning the smirk. "Go. Work your magic."

"Mmm, just watch me," the blond sat up and patted his brother's shoulder. He walked over to the Mirkwood prince, ignoring the suspicious frowns and outward dirty looks that the archers treated him to.

Legolas was more than a little disgruntled by the Hobbit's disappearance and how such a thing could come to pass under the noses of his company, but Celegorm found it quite easy to convince the prince of his astonishment and worry. By the time he finished conveying his concern, Celegorm had Legolas promising him that they would find their friend and bring him back to the company safely.

Grinning inwardly, Celegorm could only hope that the sly little Hobbit would evade being snared and, at the very least, that he would convey the news of their captivity to Celegorm's father. To the Noldo's relief, he felt that his father and his brothers were not far and even though nothing logical could confirm it, Amras shared the feeling. Instinct told them that their kinsmen had all survived Dol Guldur and were riding north at full speed, the same way that Celegorm and the twins had known it when their family had been in great peril.

They would all be reunited before long, but if Thranduil insisted in meddling, things would undoubtedly take a dramatic turn. In fact, another kinslaying was not out of the question, if his father learned that the Woodland King mistreated his sons in the slightest of ways. Unless Celegorm found a way to avoid that confrontation, he did not put it past his kinsmen to storm Thranduil's halls. Of course, Bilbo's timely disappearance put the odds in the company's favor somewhat, but Celegorm was not foolish enough to count only on the Hobbit's cleverness. For the time being, however, there was not much he could do but cooperate and let Legolas escort them to his father's halls without much fuss.

But of course, the Dwarves had other ideas. When the frustrated archers turned to them, the scene promised to escalate into something very unpleasant. Legolas ordered the entire company searched and bound for the rest of the journey, to make sure that nobody else entertained any ideas of escape. They had been asked to surrender whatever weapons they still carried, but the Dwarves did not take being pawed by dirty Elves very kindly and more than one of them had to be forced into allowing it. Thorin glowered and had very harsh words to say about the incompetence and ill manners of Elves, which almost earned him a beating, had Legolas not been wise enough to stop his soldiers. Dwalin, of course, being louder and more brash and not Dwarf royalty, was not spared and he delivered a good few punches himself, before the Elves bound him with half the rope in their possession.

For their part, Celegorm and Amras endured the search quietly and were robbed of the little daggers in their boots under the dirty glares of their captors. But neither would suffer the Wood Elves to paw their sleeping brother and how stupid could those Elves be to think that anyone would leave weapons on a person who was likely to hurt himself when he woke from such unnatural sleep?! In the end, Legolas himself performed a perfunctory search of the sleeping Elf before Amrod was secured back on the bier.

That scene repeated itself a few paces away, where Fili struggled to keep the archers away from his brother. But, to Celegorm's surprise, his little lion hissed and glowered and turned away when the Elf tried to intervene in his favor. Fili was bound just as tight as Dwalin had been and the Elves strung them all in single file, muttering about how much they looked forward to being relieved of such foul prisoners. Bilbo's disappearance had obviously dispatched the smallest traces of kindness on the Elves' behalf.

"I am sorry," Legolas approached Celegorm and took hold of his hands, motioning one of his archers to bind them.

"It is a shame that circumstances allow for so little courtesy, but I understand," Celegorm offered the prince a small smile and squeezed Legolas' wrist before the prince withdrew his hands. He was secretly pleased to see Legolas averting his eyes and appearing even more ashamed of what he had to do.

"I suppose you'll string us along after the Dwarves as well," Amras grumbled. He had shaken off the effects of spider-poison and could thankfully carry his own weight, but Celegorm was determined to watch him closely for any signs of fatigue.

"Of course not. I really am sorry, I did not wish to have you bound and forced along, but you must understand... Father will be very angry when he learns that we have lost a prisoner and how lax we have been in our watch over you," Legolas said.

"He'll not want you to bring the likes of us into his house otherwise but bound and kicked and thoroughly humiliated," Amras shrugged. "Go on, lead the way," he motioned Legolas with a grimace.

The prince shook his head and walked over to inspect the two biers, giving his archers brief instructions as he went.

"Hey, if you're thinking of playing Curufin's part in the good Elf, bad Elf routine, you'll need some more practice," Celegorm whispered, leaning closer to his brother and smirking. "You don't have half of Kurvo's sneering abilities."

"Shut your big mouth. I'm not playing at anything. I just hate these bastards and I know what's going to happen when we get to Thranduil's court."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"Come now, even someone as frightfully blond as yourself can figure that one out. Thranduil will recognize Pityo and I. And even you, although I think he only saw you when you were already dead. He'll hiss and sputter and call us names and throw us in the dungeons and he'll also give our big secret away. Thorin will be furious and all the Dwarves will hate us, but they will hate Thranduil more and he will throw them in jail too. Everything we've worked so hard for will be ruined and father will kick our asses black and blue… after he's rescued us from rotting in some filthy prison, that is. So forgive me if I don't feel like playing the good Elf part and for not having much faith in whatever it is you think you're doing with the Mirkwood prince."

"When you put it that way…," Celegorm stepped back and shook his head slowly. "We're pretty much done for. But I'm not just going to resign myself to this fate. I'll figure something out. You'll see. Don't underestimate the power of my frightful blondness," Celegorm nudged his scowling brother, hoping that Amras would take some heart. For many reasons, their situation was dire, but moaning and wringing their hands would do them no good.

Alas… his little brother seemed to have acquired fortune-telling abilities in Mirkwood. Celegorm began to share his opinion as soon as he was escorted into Thranduil's throne hall and his eyes fell on the haughty king. After hours of continuous march and well into the afternoon, they had finally heard the sound of rushing waters and crossed the bridge arching over the Forest River. Many soldiers, heavily armed and with bows in hand guarded the bridge and the gates to Thranduil's halls. It all looked vaguely familiar to Celegorm, bringing back memories of Nargothrond, but on a much smaller and shabbier scale.

Once the gates snapped shut behind them and their eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom, Celegorm's impression solidified even further. He plastered a suitably impressed look on his face as he studied the corridors and halls they passed through, but behind it, he sneered at the simple souls inhabiting that cave. Such rudimentary people, with no finesse and no artistry, barely earned the name of Elves. The heart of their kingdom was little more than a maze of natural caverns and dimly lit passages with only the most elementary signs of craftsmanship. How could an Elven king be so proud and act as mighty as Celegorm had heard Thranduil to be, when he inhabited an Eru-forsaken cave that was too dank in places and too drafty in others and dark and dreary and… Celegorm smiled pleasantly and nodded approvingly when Legolas caught his eye and seemed rather anxious. But he could not walk at Celegorm's side to seek his impressions, the prince needed to guide his string of disgruntled prisoners and present them to his father.

'Nargothrond was a disorganized dump before Kurvo and I took over management of it, but this place… I could wither and die in this place before the week is out!' Celegorm groaned inwardly. He sought for his brother, but Amras watched over Amrod and muttered at the guards carrying him to have a damned care as they maneuvered the bier along the maze of narrow tunnels.

At length, when even Celegorm's keen sense of orientation had taken a beating, they emerged into a wide, high-vaulted and better lit hall. There, Celegorm finally saw some signs of artistry at work in the carving of pillars that supported the roof, making the hall appear like a beech-encircled clearing. Torches blazed along the walls and a great fire crackled in an enormous hearth in spite of how summer still lingered in the outside world. But deep under the hill, the cave was cold, and the ethereal creature sitting on the throne at the far end of the hall made it even more so.

Celegorm saw the king gracefully rising from his seat and taking in the group that advanced toward him with only the faintest narrowing of his eyes. The archers formed a tight circle around their prisoners, weapons at the ready and all eyes on the fuming Dwarves, as their king strode up to them. Celegorm's lips quirked into an involuntary smirk as he took in Thranduil's appearance and how he practically floated over the polished floor, in a swish of shimmering robes. His silver hair hung loose beneath a crown of mithril branches and copper leaves, and from his exquisite features, his cold, blue eyes stood out the most.

'What a glorious creature,' Celegorm mused, teeth clamping on the inside of his lip in his effort to keep a straight face. 'Gliding on the floor, each gesture studied and oozing superiority as he deigns to gaze at us lesser beings… How I would love to tear you down and break you, smug little king!' Celegorm smirked inwardly. But his less than savory thoughts were soon diverted to more pressing matters, as a deep and menacing growl erupted where Thorin stood bound in the middle of his company.

Thranduil stepped closer to inspect the prisoners and flinched visibly when he discovered Thorin among them, although no doubt, he must have been warned beforehand.

"Thorin Oakenshield, I never thought I would see you again in this part of the world," Thranduil said, earning himself nothing more than a grunt in reply. "And in such colorful company as well," the Elf added, eyes sweeping over the others with barely veiled contempt.

Thranduil recoiled and sucked in a sharp breath when he discovered Celegorm and Amras at the back of the group. Celegorm followed the king's astonished look and saw that Amras was staring him down with a sneer so alike their father's that he seemed almost a red-haired version Fëanor.

"You!" Thranduil shuddered. "So the evil rumors are true…"

A defiant smile spread over Amras' face, prompting the guards to raise their weapons and shift closer to him.

"What are you doing?!" Celegorm hissed and elbowed his brother. "You're not helping!"

"Ah, what is the point? Obviously, this little king recognizes us. Why spare him the joyful reunion?" Amras continued to grin coldly, his eyes never leaving Thranduil. "Yes, Thranduil, it is us, the kinslayers. We have returned and misfortune has forced us to visit your halls much sooner than planned," Amras bowed mockingly.

All Celegorm could do was groan inwardly and if his hands had not been so effectively bound, he would have covered his face. Way to see them all thrown in jail before a proper hello could be said…

"What are you doing here? Why do you trespass my woods?! How dare you enter my domain when you know that I would never allow the likes of you to pass?!" Thranduil's voice boomed through the hall and the torchlight seemed to flicker in answer.

"Your domain, Thranduil, is that of darkness and spiders and death!" Thorin retorted contemptuously.

One of the guards growled and made to correct Thorin for his outburst, but the others shifted to protect their king and from the midst of glaring Dwarves, Thorin stared the Woodland King down defiantly.

"What is your business here?" Thranduil glowered, turning his attention from his ancient foes to the more recent one. "Speak, Dwarf!"

Celegorm held his breath for Thorin's outburst and wondered whether Fili or Balin would intervene. But the young Dwarf frowned darkly and Balin seemed as filled with hatred for the Wood Elves as his companions were. Perhaps Celegorm himself should have said something, but his brother had instantly severed all attempts at diplomacy and all Celegorm could do was to stare at Legolas intently, hoping that the prince would meet his eyes.

"I have no business here, Elf!" Thorin growled in reply. "Certainly not in this filthy cave where your soldiers have dragged us like dogs on a leash. We fell prey to those charming pets you keep out in the woods, though I am afraid we've killed most of them. It was never my intention to come anywhere near your people, and we were on our way out of this accursed forest when your archers caught us. We were wounded and starving and defenseless when they came upon us, else I assure you, I would not be standing here, bound like a common criminal for your twisted pleasure."

With great effort, Celegorm held back an appreciative grin. Thorin Oakenshield was apparently very good at scathing rhetoric as well as fighting with weapons and for a good few moments, Thranduil gaped at him, searching for a proper reply.

"What right have you to take us prisoners and mistreat us?" the Dwarf carried on. "We've caused your people no harm and asked nothing of them, even though we were hard pressed to survive the journey through your forest."

"No harm?!" Thranduil finally snapped out of his momentary daze. "The whole of Mirkwood is alive with evil things pushing past our borders. We have not seen such disturbance in hundreds of years! Many of my archers have been wounded and killed trying to fight off spiders from invading our very homes and you tell me that there has been no harm done?! Or that you have not caused this disturbance yourselves?"

"Father…," Legolas tried to intervene, but Thranduil brushed him off with a violent sweep of his hand.

"Your coming here must be at the root of all this trouble, so I ask you again, WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS HERE?"

"My business is my own!" Thorin shouted.

"You are in my halls and under my command here, Dwarf. You will tell me all I want to know or else the only thing you will ever scowl at is the inside of a dungeon. Why have you come here and what are you doing in the company of murderers?" the Elf king's eyes returned to Celegorm and Amras and plain hatred lit his otherwise impassive features.

"Murderers? You dare call someone else that?" Thorin growled.

"Do you not know who they are? Do you not know that you have taken up with traitors and liars and killers? You bring them here and you expect me to welcome it?!"

"Oh, but I do know," Thorin shoved through his companions and stepped closer to Celegorm and Amras, in spite of the bonds that restricted them all. "I know everything I need to know about these Eves!" the Dwarf thundered, glaring back at the Woodland King and mirroring his contempt. "All those years ago, when you stood by and took your pleasure in watching my people perish, I was convinced that all Elves are foul and my enemies. But since then, I have learned that your kind are not all alike. Not all Elves are selfish cowards and you are the only one who puts your people to shame," Thorin glared defiantly, planted firmly on his feet and looking seven feet tall by sheer force of his commanding presence. "You call these Elves liars and murderers but I will tell you this… they have fought and bled for me and shown me more loyalty than a would-be ally and friend has ever done it! If they are your enemies, Thranduil King," Thorin spat out the name. "That is all I need to know for them to have my undying friendship!"

A hush fell over the entire gathering and they all stared at Thorin Oakenshield with various degrees of astonishment. His kinsmen grinned proudly and even Amras had a pleased smile on his face, while around them, Thranduil's soldiers all but shook with anger at the barrage of insults directed at their king.

As for Thranduil himself, he sat very still and was likely not even breathing, but his eyes blazed in a lethal way that Celegorm did not like at all. Or, truthfully, he did like it quite a bit, but would have rather faced it with hands unbound and a weapon to defend himself with. Legolas approached his father hesitantly and touched his arm, opening his mouth to say something placating. That put Thranduil in furious motion and blood suddenly flowed back into his pale cheeks.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" he bellowed, yanking his son's sword out of its scabbard and pointing it toward Thorin. "Take them all to the dungeons! NOW! Remove this filthy rabble from my halls!"

Although he can't have been too pleased by the treatment his father had been subjected to, Legolas tried to tell him that two of the prisoners needed to be taken to the healers and watched over, not cast behind bars. But Thranduil would have none of it and wanted everyone gone, before he became more enraged and ordered a sound beating to be administered to them all.

Torn between arguing with the obviously mad king for the sake of his brothers and keeping his head down for the sake of whatever help he might secure later, Celegorm shifted from one foot to the other and struggled not to fight back as Thranduil's soldiers shoved at him. In the end, he said nothing but thank you and well done to an angry but also very satisfied Dwarf King. Thorin may have just made their situation a lot worse, but at least he'd had his say and had given Thranduil a piece of his mind that had probably festered inside him for more than a hundred years. However, a very disquieting question arose… Just what did Thorin mean when he said he knew enough about them? Had the Dwarf very timely dismissed a full reveal or was one actually unnecessary? Celegorm did not know and could not ask either. He had to file the concern away and suspected that he would have a lot of time to ruminate over such thoughts during the following days.

At their king's orders, Thranduil's soldiers yanked them away and pushed them along more dark corridors, taking a lot less care to guide them than they had on the way to the king's hall. Threats and insults flew back and forth and if the Dwarves hadn't been so neatly bound, there would have also been bloodshed. But one by one, the prisoners were pulled away and carried off down different corridors. Thranduil had ordered them separated and isolated from each other, knowing that it would be easier to break their spirit and have them talking that way.

As for the three Elves, the guards set Amrod down at a junction between several tunnels and there, they waited for further instructions. They did not speak to their prisoners and Celegorm was busy quietly upbraiding his little brother for his untimely outburst when Legolas caught up with them, looking quite distressed.

"That could not possibly have gone worse!" the prince cried out. "I thought you and your Dwarf friends would have enough sense not to enrage my father so."

"I thought so too, but it was foolish of us both to expect it," Celegorm shook his head. "I asked Thorin Oakenshield to keep his pride in check and try to avoid this exact situation, but he takes neither orders nor suggestions from anyone. He'd sooner rot in a dungeon than plead with your father for anything."

"That is precisely what you are all to do! Rot in our dungeons. I am to throw the three of you in the deepest and darkest pits that we save for the worst offenders," Legolas sighed, passing a hand over his face. "I had hoped that it could somehow be avoided. It is madness for Elves to treat other Elves in such manner."

"Your father does not seem very sane, to be honest with you," Amras said.

"Be quiet!" Legolas hushed him, casting the glowering guards around them wary looks. "Please, do not make your situation any worse than it already is."

"I don't see how that can happen," Amras grumbled.

"Shut up!" Celegorm hissed. "Hold your damned tongue, Telvo, or I'll have the guards untie me and whip you myself. Just shut the hell up!" he stared his brother down until Amras backed away and turned to the blissfully unconscious Amrod. "Legolas, please… I know you have a duty to perform and we will not fight it. But I must ask you for one small favor. If you can, please let my brothers be imprisoned together. If Pityo wakes alone, he will be disoriented and frightened and he may need help. He should not be locked up and abandoned in a dungeon with nobody to look after him. So, if you can, please do this for us."

Celegorm raised his bound hands in a further supplicating gesture, his eyes wounded and pleading enough to dispel whatever misgivings the price might have had. Legolas nodded and gave the guards some brisk orders, instructing them to take the twins to a larger cell and lock them up together. Amras protested no longer and merely thanked the prince when Legolas assured him that they would be given supplies and a healer's assistance if need for one arose.

The prince took it upon himself to escort Celegorm to his prison and allowed only one armed guard to accompany him.

"I am so sorry that it has come to this," Legolas apologized, his hand hesitant but warm when he took hold of Celegorm's arm and guided him deeper into the maze of his father's dwelling. "It is not how I envisioned I would welcome such legendary Elves into my home," he whispered with a self-deprecating smile.

"Well, our reputation still precedes us and perhaps, this is a proper welcome," Celegorm smiled, leaning slightly into the prince when they rounded a corner and started down a narrower tunnel.

"Nonsense! That is not true. I don't see what you have done to earn such treatment. You have certainly not wronged us in any way and if my father were not so heavily prejudiced, he would see it too. But he is enraged now and I am afraid that between Thorin Oakenshield and your brother, you have made him the angriest I have seen him in years. He will take days to cool and listen to reason. Until then, I can't do much but see to it that you are not further mistreated."

"I could not ask more of you. Thank you. And… now that I think of it better, perhaps you should try to keep Thorin's nephews together as well? They are inseparable even when healthy and well. I think it would break Fili's heart if he could not be there for his brother and if he does not know whether Kili is alright or not."

"I will see to it. We are not cruel and heartless people, Tyelkormo. I hope you will see this soon. I have faith that this can be resolved, but I must also ask you all to be more diplomatic. Father will have questions once his temper is subdued. My advice is to answer them truthfully and appeal to his reason, rather than wound his pride. I will help you in any way I can and once everything is cleared up, I am certain that father will have no grounds to keep you imprisoned," Legolas said. "We are here," he stopped before a windowless cavern barred with solid steel and shackles hanging from a hook in the far wall.

"Surely, you don't mean to…," Celegorm pointed to the chains and shackles.

"No, of course not! I'll have proper bedding and food sent to you in a moment. And again, I am really sorry," Legolas freed Celegorm's hands, blissfully unaware of how easy it would have been for Celegorm to grab him and smash his skull against the crude iron bars. Obviously, the prince did not see him as any kind of threat. On the contrary, Legolas could be an ally in that filthy place and a way out of there, if Celegorm played his cards right.

"Worry not, we shall be better acquainted under more fortunate circumstances, I am certain of it," Celegorm said, turning toward the prince after he had walked into his cell and the guard locked him in. "Please make sure that my brothers and my friends are not treated poorly. And thank you," he smiled gently.

Legolas shifted from one foot to the other, lowered his eyes, shook his head and muttered something to himself. Celegorm caught only 'absurdity' among the prince's words and his smile broadened. In spite of his run-down appearance and being locked up like some kind of exotic animal, he knew that he made a sight the Mirkwood prince was reluctant to be parted from.

"Come see me sometime?" he inquired sweetly and nearly held his hand out between the bars before mentally smacking himself. Enough was enough, overdoing it would only rouse the prince's suspicion.

"I will, yes," Legolas nodded. He took a step toward Celegorm, then thought better of it and tilted his head in farewell, repeating his promise that the whole situation would be resolved before long.

Celegorm watched him disappear down the dim corridor and drew back to inspect his new lodgings. Chuckling quietly, he propped himself against the wall and flicked the rusty shackles, wondering who on earth had been the last lucky person to wear such charming bracelets.

'Well… this is quite a predicament we're in. From the jaws of foul beasts to the hands of even fouler ones masquerading as fair beasts. Now think, you idiot! Bilbo Baggins is out there, but the chances of him getting you out of here are practically non-existent. You'll have to use your head and get it done yourself. Think! What would Curufinwë do if he were in your place?"

In spite of the predicament in question, Celegorm folded his arms across his chest and smirked broadly at the still and silent guard that watched him from the other side of the bars.