Eek!!! I'm dead! LOL!! I know you'll LOVE that cliffie! Thank you, everyone! Keep reviewing and make me a happy girl!!!

Ok, many of you who just stumbled upon my work asked me the sequence of this Manyan Series. So, here it is in order:

1. The Evil Bride

2. Traps In The Woods

3. Tiger, Tiger

4. Trauma

5. Through The Eyes Of Hawkeye

6. Take My Heart Away

7. Thicker Than Water

8. Thunder In The Realm

Now, enjoy the rest of the story.

Cayel and his supporters were at the cabin's front yard, staring at the burning structure. Cayel was smiling gleefully now that his mission had begun to flourish. To achieve his ultimate goal, he didn't even have any qualm or remorse for assassinating the king's family.

"My lord, look!!"

Cayel instantly looked up as a magnificent golden eagle flew just above their head, squawking and screaming angrily, attacking the Redwood elves with his sharp claws. Cayel fumed. "Well, don't just stand there! It's the prince's damn pet! Shoot at it! I want it killed!!!"

The elves nicked arrows to their bows and began to shoot at the great bird. Hawkeye, the eagle, cried out in enrage as he tried to avoid the flying missiles. One of the arrows grazed his chest. Another one came too close to his head. Hawkeye had no other choice but to retreat and flew further away from the area.

So immersed they were with the shootings, the Redwood elves didn't see the creeping figure at the back of the cabin…inching closer and closer towards the burning structure.

******************

Linden moved as fast as his injured body would let him. His wounded shoulder was bleeding heavily, and the head of an arrow still buried deep in his stomach; he'd broken off the wooden shaft to ease his movements. The pain was unbearable. Still, he held on. I must rescue the king!

The Mirkwood commander had pretended to be dead after the shooting. The Redwood elves had left the fallen Mirkwood warriors; totally convinced that every one of them no longer alive. Little did they know that Linden was a strong warrior.  It took a whole lot more to kill this highly experienced elf.

As soon as the Redwood elves had gone, carrying Thranduil away with them, Linden had proceeded to follow them under the shadows. When they reached the cabin, Linden had gone around to the back, only to find a sheer drop of a cliff just a few feet from the cabin's back door. Below the cliff was the flowing water of the great river; the said river that Legolas was supposed to be missing to.

A sense of deep worry hit Linden as he thought about the prince. He hoped that Legolas was still alive…somewhere. But first, he needed to get the king out of the burning cabin!

Linden had already reached the back door. The flame was beginning to spread here. As he expected, the door was sealed tight. Balancing precariously on the small ledge between the cliff and the cabin, Linden raised his foot and prepared to kick down the door. It splintered open after his third try. He immediately burst inside and seek for the king.

"My lord?!" Linden was instantly assaulted by heat and fume. He coughed heavily but didn't stop calling for Thranduil. "Where are you, my lord?" The smoke was thickening and it blurred his vision.

"Right here." Came a weak voice from the center of the cabin. Linden walked cautiously towards the voice, fanning the hot fume away from his face. Lighted by the glare of the fire amidst the thick smoke, Linden's sight fell on his king who was bound to a chair. He rushed over.

"My lord!" Linden reached down to untie the king but Thranduil shook his head. "No. Take Legolas…out first."  The commander then saw the prince lying unconscious on the floor a few feet away. "Take…him away," Thranduil wheezed. "Hurry! That's…an order!!"

Linden immediately knelt down beside Legolas. He gathered the limp form into his arms and started to head for the back door. "I'll come back for you, my lord. I promise."

Thranduil nodded, staring forlornly at his son. He tried again in vain to loose himself from the bonds, but his body was getting weaker from the exhausting fume. It's hard to breathe, and flames began to singe his skin as broken tinder fell from above. A burning beam collapsed very close to his chair and the king cringed from the heat. Thranduil prayed that Linden succeeded in taking Legolas to safety, and hoped that the guard would quickly return for him.

Linden, meanwhile, had stumbled out of the back door, and nearly went tumbling over the cliff into the river below. Legolas still had not stirred in his arms. The elder elf began to worry that the prince had inhaled too much fume. After several yards away from the burning cabin, Linden finally set the prince down on the ground just behind some bushes, hidden from the enemy's view. Then he ran back to the cabin.

Thranduil began to loose consciousness. The smoke and heat were too overwhelming. He was about to drift off to oblivion when a firm hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder. "It's me, my lord! I'm taking you out." Linden had taken out a small dagger from his boot and began to hack away at the ropes. It took only a few seconds but it seemed like forever. When Thranduil was finally freed from his bonds, Linden threw a supporting arm around his king and led the way to the door.

To their horror, flames had already licked the broken wooden frame, barring their way out. Except for the front door that will led them directly into their enemy's hands, this was their only way out. "We have to go through the fire, my lord. There's no other way," Linden gasped painfully. The smoke started to get to him too.

Thranduil grimly nodded. "Lets."

They were about to charge forward when there came a loud cracking sound, before a smoldering beam fell from above, hitting the two Mirkwood elves.

*******************

Cayel's smile grew as the whole burning structure collapsed. He waited a while longer until the embers had diminished before he ordered the Redwood warriors to search for Thranduil's and Legolas's charred remains. But strangely though, they found only one unrecognizable body instead of two. They were not sure if it was the king or the prince because the body was badly burnt and disfigured.

"Never mind," Cayel said. "Wrapped it up. The Mirkwood people will be told that their king is dead, killed and burnt by the orcs!"

Then a sudden call came from the bushes. "My lord! Over here!"

Frowning, Cayel strode towards the voice. A Redwood warrior looked back at his leader in uncertainty. "I was about to take a leak when I saw him!" The elf pointed at a still figure lying on the ground amid the thick bushes and brambles. Cayel's eyes widened. "What the…!!" he cried out. "How did he get here?!!!"

The warrior shrugged. "Beats me, my lord. The last time we saw him, he was inside that burning cabin."

Cayel grumbled in annoyance. A slight hitch in his plan like this annoyed him. Added to that, the prince started to come around now. Cayel's eyes narrowed as another form of evilness began to brew in his mind. He was greatly puzzled on how Legolas had managed to be outside the burning cabin. But that's not important. The main thing right now is I to get rid of the prince, and have some fun while doing so.

"Quick! Get me a horse and a length of rope. And take this boy under that tree," Cayel ordered, indicating an old big tree several yards away. "We are going to hang him."

TBC…

Jeng! Jeng! Jeng! Cliffie everyone?