Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the story except my original characters and I'm not making any $ on it.

Summary: Au Legolas sacrifices himself to save Aragorn but he doesn't know someone else did the same thing.

Thanx to all my reviewers, you guys rock. Thanx to my new reviewers: randomramblings, Saint and NaughtyNat

Consequences

Chapter 11

When he was thrown back into his cell he hit his head on the bars, but Aragorn could care less. He thought Legolas was dead, and Elladan was going to die as well.

"Please take me instead" he prayed. "They didn't do anything to deserve this." He was so caught up in begging for his friend's lives to be spared he didn't hear someone open his cell and enter.

He didn't even realize someone was there until he felt something cold on the back of his head. "That's a nasty cut you have there" the man said. Aragorn looked up to see Pityon, the old man who had been here before. "I wish I had the supplies to stitch it up."

"Why are you helping me" Aragorn asked puzzled. "Because unlike Thartel, I think what he is doing is wrong, but I can't help what I have to do."

"Well thank you" the Dunedin said still a bit shocked. He was surprised anyone in this place had a heart, or thought different from Thartel. "Don't worry about it, young man. I am sorry about your friend." Pityon said, the sadness in his voice being genuine.

"Him, he is hurt a lot worse than I am, can you help him?" Pityon looked away from Aragorn to see Elladan. When he turned his attention back to the worried man next to him, it appeared that there was something he didn't want to say. "I am sorry, but I have already tried, there is nothing I can do for him. Thartel gave him that confounded powder and I know not the cure."

This put a strain on Aragorn's already hurting heart. It had been a day since Thartel told him of Elladan's fate. "Now if I could see that cut again" Pityon asked politely. "Do not worry lad, he is in no pain right now, he has lost consciousness. I am sure that doesn't help the anguish that you are feeling, but I am also sure that your friend wouldn't want you to grieve."

"I thank you for your condolences, but can I ask you a question?" "Of course lad." Pityon replied. "You said you had no choice but to do what you are doing, what did you mean by that?"

Pityon looked away as if embarrassed by what Aragorn had asked him. "Well you see, Thartel's father Vegan…" he paused, and it seemed like he didn't want to continue, but he did. "He is my brother."

Pityon was going to continue but he heard Thartel coming so he quickly got his stuff and prepared to leave. "Be strong lad, your friends would have wanted you to." He left the prison area and didn't look back.

"How do you feel Aragorn" Thartel asked wickedly. "How do you feel after realizing that you are the reason your friends are dying, I would like to. How do you plan to live with your self?"

He walked into Aragorns cell, and held his sword to the Dunedin's throat. "I hate you" Aragorn spat. "and I always will for the rest of my life no matter how short."

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"We're close Gandalf, I can feel it." Kementari said. "I can to" the wizard replied. They were right. The company was only about fifteen minutes away from the city where Estel, Elladan and Legolas were being held.

The minutes seemed to pass like hours, but to no ones disappointment they reached their destination. "Do not go into the city" Gandalf commanded. Confused elves turned their attention towards him. "But why?" Kementari asked. "I think it would look a little suspicious if a wizard and a group of armed elves walk in there together. We will circle the village through the forest. That will lead us to the prison. That is my best guess as to where our friends will be held captive."

The companions made that their path. They knew they had to hurry, but they had no idea how fast they had to go.

They had been traveling for about a half an hour when the figure of a house came into view. "Gandalf you said it was a prison, not someone's house that this path would lead us to." Kementari said truly confused. "Do not always judge something by it's outward appearance, t'is not wise my friend." This only confused the elf even more, but he decided it was best to trust Gandalf.

The group dismounted their horses, and left them in the woods. Four elves stayed to keep an eye on the beloved animals.

The rest of the companions made their way to the house or prison, what ever it was. "To the back of the house" Gandalf ordered. All of the fair folk followed him. There they saw some sort of door. It was in the ground, almost like a trap door. Kementari used his sword to break the lock. He hit it as hard as he could. Doing this caused his long twilight coloured hair to fall into his eyes. He quickly brushed it away and moved aside so Gandalf could have a look.

He opened the doors to reveal a cement staircase. Gandalf led the elves down the steps. Once inside it no longer looked like a home, it looked like a prison. "Do not judge something but its outward appearance" Gandalf repeated to Kementari, proving his point. "Okay, I was wrong" Kementari said, realizing that he was indeed wrong. It was a prison.

The first borns followed the grey one down a long dark hallway. Stray rats moved out of the way as the group came through.

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"You know I was never really one to keep my promise" Thartel said to Aragorn, hoping that he would know what he meant. Aragorn knew very good what Thartel was talking about.

"I could just kill you and no one would ever know. I mean your 'brother' is dying and your friend already is. I could get away with it." Thartel said, whist pushing his sword deeper into Aragorn's throat causing the skin to break and blood to spill. "You will never get away with this. You will have all of Rivendell's and Mirkwood's wrath upon you, you won't get away with anything" Aragorn relented.

"See that's where you are wrong. If they knew it was me who has you, don't you think they would be here already, or maybe they just don't care. Or maybe elves aren't as smart as people make them out to be. They will never find out it was me."

"See that's where you are wrong" a voice bellowed. Thartel turned to see All his guards dead and Gandalf standing in the door way. With nothing else to do, Thartel grabbed Aragorn and held him as a shield with the sword still held to his throat.

"We do know it is you, and we are here and you will pay for the pain you have caused" Gandalf almost shouted. Thartel and Aragorn had walked out of the cell by now.

"The only thing I'm not sure about is if there will be anything left of you for Mirkwood to punish, because I might take you out right now" Kementari yelled at the man who had caused his Lord so much misery.

This only caused Thartel to laugh. "Well then if you plan to do that, Mirkwood's king might be a little angry, for his son is dead."

No one wanted to believe what this madman was saying. No one wanted to believe that there was one they couldn't save.

"Then that will only cause our rage upon you to be greater" Gandalf shouted. That surprised the elves, but also Thartel and Aragorn to be surprised. Kementari had never seen him this angry. "You will perish by our hands" Kementari said, his words directed to Thartel.

"I don't think so" he said. "I will perish by my own, but so will he" and before anyone even realized what he was going to do, Thartel's sword had went through Aragorn and into him.

Thartel fell back, and since the sword was in him, Aragorn also fell. This only caused Aragorn more pain, his already hurt stomach. He cried out, as Gandalf and the elves ran to his side.

Kementari pulled out the sword, and pulled the Dunedin off Thartel. Gandalf knelt beside the person who had captured his friends.

"It didn't have to end like this" he said. There was a pause before Thartel answered. "Yes it did. I had to avenge my brother's life, and I have, my time is over" and with that Thartel passed and would never return. He would join his brother and he would remain there forever.

"Oh no" Gandalf said as his eyes were set upon another cell. The cell that contained Elladan. He broke the lock and went inside. The elf's hair was matted and covered with blood. He had blacked out. Gandalf quickly crouched down and checked for a pulse. Thankfully he found it.

He picked up Elladan and carried him out of the cell. He knew as long as Elladan was breathing, his brother would as well.

"We have to get them both to Rivendell to be healed or I fear they will be lost." Aragorn refused to be carried, but he did lean heavily on Kementari for support. It made him happy to see Thartel dead, but also his guards dead. One of the guards that lay lifeless on the ground was Laeander. Aragorn was glad to see this man not breathing. He didn't deserve to. No one that followed Thartel did.

"Wait we have to get Legolas" Aragorn said wanting to turn back. "I am sorry Estel, but he is dead. We will come back for his body, but right now we have to get you home." Gandalf said. Aragorn wanted to argue, but he knew it wasn't wise.

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Pityon heard the commotion, but there was no way he was going to help Thartel. No way.

He made his way upstairs to serve Vegan his dinner. This is what he had become- a servant to his brother. But he wasn't going to jeopardize the life of his only daughter. Thartel had her locked up somewhere he knew not. But he had been told to do his job or his child would pay the consequences.

Pityon knocked on the door to Vegan's room. "Come in". Pityon obeyed. "I just brought you your dinner milord" he hated to call his older brother that. "This is not what I ordered, Pityon" Vegan complained. "I am sorry, but this is all we had" Pityon explained. "Fine, and what was that noise, I can't stand the racket". He knew what the noise was but he wasn't going to tell Vegan, because he knew that would probably only get his daughter in trouble.

"I do not know milord" he answered. "Then what good are you, we give you a good job and this is how you repay me!" Vegan shouted.

Pityon had had enough, he couldn't take it anymore. "A good job, you call this a good job. I do not know what you are talking about dear brother because this is not a good job. And this is not a good life" Pityon was now shouting. He was shouting all the things he had to keep locked up for so many years.

"And you are not a good brother, first you kill my beloved wife, and lock up my only daughter, just so you could have me as a servant. You tell me every day if I do anything wrong you will take the life of my daughter. But you can't anymore, your guards are all dead, and so is your evil son."

For some reason Vegan just began to laugh. "Well I'm glad I already had it done then" Vegan said. "What are you talking about" Pityon demanded. "I'm glad I already had your daughter killed". This outraged Pityon, his only daughter, his beautiful daughter was dead. So without another thought he took Vegan's sword from off his dresser, and stabbed his older brother in the heart, killing him instantly.

He then left his brother's room and walked back down the stairs to the prison area. He didn't want to leave through the front door, because that would only cause attention to himself. Instead he would leave through the trap door. He was about to go when he heard a moan come from the Torment Area. Becoming curious he went there. His eyes were a bit blurry from crying, but he still saw it.

He saw an elf's limp form attached to the wooded table. He speedily ran over to it. He felt for a pulse and it was there. Pityon then undid the straps that were holding the being down. He recognized this elf as one of the captives Thartel had. He picked up the light body and whispered something to it. "I will not fail you like I did my daughter. I will get you out of here. I will not fail you."

Like it? There will only be a few more chapters, 1-3 at the most.