RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)

22.

Legolas scanned the forest for the thousandth time since they had lost the trail. He wanted to scream; to kick himself – anything! Mostly he wanted to find some sign of which direction Dimnarion had gone. They had been stuck there for twenty minutes, not knowing which way to go.

Gandalf sat on a rock, stroking his beard and leaning on his staff. He muttered and hmmmed and finally settled back and lit a pipe. "Where is she?" he mused to himself. "Which way?"

Raion looked off into the distance, closing his eyes and speaking his simple prayer to the Valar. "Please… please let us find her." And no sooner had he spoken it than a Man appeared near them in the Wood.

Legolas' bow was at the ready at once for he had never seen such a Man. The dark skin, especially, was rare in Middle Earth, and he seemed to shine with some kind of inner light. "Who are you?"

"Someone who wishes to help," said the Man. "That which you seek lies over the rise and within the caves. Make haste, Legolas of Mirkwood, for Elenath is in great peril even now."

***

"You disgust me," said Elenath. She felt the warmth of blood trickling down the back of her head where it had hit the cave wall, and her cheek had gone numb, her eye swelling shut.

"Ah, but so do you disgust me, my dear. You and your arrogant, conceited family. You deserve to be humiliated. Come here."

She glared at him and would not move.

His eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth. "Come here now or I shall make you obey me!"

"You cannot force me to do anything, you lowly pile of horse dung."

He stretched his hands out to her and began to chant in that strange language again. "Xachta le lach tezkartle mo vel…."

At once she felt the darkness descend about her, invading her mind like a drug and she felt her feet moving forward, one tiny step at a time.

"You see?" Dimnarion grinned. "I could make you want me, you know. But I would rather hear your mental screams. So I give your thoughts free reign while enslaving your body to my will."

She fought the darkness with every fiber of her being; fought like she had never fought before, yet she could not budge one muscle of her own volition. To her horror, she placed her arms around him and kissed him gently.

"You may have guessed, Dear Elenath, that I am not who I seem. In fact, I am not what I seem, either. I am not an Elf, but a powerful Wizard – the same who killed your infant brother and cast Rivendell into utter desolation." He twined his hands in her hair and trailed them down to caress her bruised cheeks. "Imagine your Granddaddy seeing you now, like this. How ashamed he would be at the wanton acts of his beloved Princess!" He spat the last words out as he willed her to reach up to unfasten the toggles on his tunic.

She could not allow him to do this. She would not! Managing at least to close her eyes she prayed silently for strength as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against the wall of the cave once more. His hands strayed to the toggles of her tunic and she trembled with the effort of trying to resist.

Then suddenly her keen Elven ears picked out the sound of movement in the passages above and her heart was filled with new hope. Slowly, steadily, she managed to move her arm slightly and to close her fingers about the dagger that the Prince of Mirkwood had given her. Silently thanking the Valar, Iluvitar, and all the powers that be that the Orcs had not bothered to search her for weapons, she readied herself.

"Oh, Dimnarion," she purred as he revealed her shoulders, "I have waited so long for this moment!"

"As have I, My dear," he growled, rather pleased with himself. He bent to kiss her again and she stiffened with disgust and regret as she plunged the dagger into his heart.

Such a scream as he issued had never been heard in or near the realm of Rivendell. She broke free from his spell and covered her ears, watching as Dimnarion aged before her eyes, finally turning into a pile of dust. Only then did the awful noise finally stop.

Elenath was deeply relieved to see him crumble until she looked up to see the gang of Orcs eyeing her hungrily. Their master was gone and he had not paid them. She quickly realized that they considered her to be their payment and cried out for help as they closed in upon her.