Love to hear you all screaming!! He! He!
@PokethePenguin @ Lucy : Sorry. I had to do it! I just had to!
@Elenillor : Thank you for pointing that out. I'll make some adjustments later on. And yes, the orcs raid it after the incident.
Now, on to the story.
Legolas's eyes fluttered open as they hoisted him on top of a mare beneath the tree. Dazed, he was slow to react when a noose was placed around his neck. The other end of the rope was tied to a high branch above him. Then the prince saw Cayel's smirking face and he was immediately consumed with fury. "Cayel, you traitor!!!
Cayel grinned widely. "Traitor, little prince? I'm deeply offended."
"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" Legolas then realized that he was naked from the waist up and his hands were bound behind his back.
"I'm getting tired of this kind of conversation so I'll make it short; I want Mirkwood, and for that you have to die! Get it?"
Glaring at Cayel, Legolas struggled with the bonds. It wouldn't give, no matter how hard he pulled and stretched. It only made matters worse as his injured wrists bled heavily from his effort. "So long, dear prince." Cayel sneered. Then he slapped the mare's rump.
Startled, the horse neighed in fright and jumped ahead to run away. At first, Legolas was also jerked forward with the momentum but the coil of rope around his neck pulled him back. Hanging there like a string puppet with his legs kicking in the air, he choked and twitched in agony, desperate for air. He couldn't breathe for the rope around his neck was getting tighter and tighter. Greatly consumed with pure panic reflects, he could not stop trashing and twisting.
Smiling coldly at the dying prince, Cayel ordered his warriors, "Leave him here for the real orcs. We must return to the palace. The throne is now secure." Without waiting for Legolas to breath his last breath, the Mirkwood traitor and his warriors rode back towards the palace. They were so confident that the prince would not have a chance against the biting rope.
But Legolas would not give in. His head and lungs were near to explode from the lack of air but he kept on fighting to stay alive. Strange humming sound was buzzing in his ears and his whole body was trembling in great fear. He knew that death was near but he would not admit defeat; not now, not ever…not as long as he still had life within him.
With his eyes tightly shut as he bore the extreme pain, Legolas used all his remaining energy and weakening muscle as he valiantly struggled to jerk down the branch above. Break! Break, damn it! If he had had the breath, the prince would have screamed because his already bleeding neck was taking too much burden from the effort.
He jerked and jerked with all his might…until the old branch snapped and broke under the forced weight. The next thing he knew, Legolas had tumbled facedown to the ground, with his head struck hard against the broken branch.
I did it! His mind managed to cry out in relief…before deep oblivion claimed him…
****************
"If we keep this slow pace, we are not going to reach Mirkwood! Ever!" Aragorn grumbled. He pushed his mount to go faster.
"What exactly is bothering you, Estel? You've been so cranky all day!" Elrohir commented.
"I'm not cranky!" Aragorn snapped. "It's just that…" He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. There's something wrong. I can feel it!"
Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other, and shrugged. Ever since they broke camp that morning, Aragorn had urged his brothers to ride at a very fast pace. He didn't tell them the reason why, he just growled and grumbled in annoyance when the twins lagged behind him. The feeling of unease had mounted in the ranger's heart. The scar on his palm had not stopped throbbing. Something bad had happened to Legolas, I know it!
It was already past noon when they finally reached the gate of the Mirkwood palace. But to their astonishment, the guards wouldn't let them in.
"What do you mean you can't let us in?" Aragorn yelled.
The royal guards remained firm. "No outsiders are allowed within the gate of Mirkwood palace."
"Not even the friends of the crown prince?" Elladan growled in anger.
"Not even the sons of Lord Elrond or Lord Elrond himself. I'm sorry. We have our orders from Lord Cayel."
The brothers looked at each other in puzzlement. "Lord Cayel? Why do you take orders from him? Where's your king? Where's Prince Legolas?" Elladan asked.
At this, the guard briefly hesitated. "Prince Legolas is missing…"
"Missing?!!" Aragorn and the twins cried out in shock. "Since when?"
"Since yesterday," the guard replied. "We are not really sure what had happened but Lord Cayel told us that Prince Legolas had been swept away by the river after his failed attempt to save Lord Cayel's grandchildren from drowning. A search party went looking for Prince Legolas but they came home last night empty handed. The prince is nowhere to be found, not even a trace."
Feeling a terrible apprehension running down his spine, Aragorn asked, "Where is the king?"
The guard was even more disturbed. "King Thranduil…our king…is dead. He was also in the search party. But when his team separated from Lord Cayel's, they were attacked by a group of orcs. "
The brothers stood there with their mouth hanging open; struck dumb with extreme shock. "D…dead? Thranduil is dead?" Elrohir whispered in horror.
"That can't be…" Aragorn was shaking his head. "Are…are you sure?"
"They had brought back the burnt remains of our king. From what Lord Cayel had told us, the orcs had stabbed our king before they burned him by the river. When Lord Cayel and his team arrived, it was already too late."
Aragorn and the twins felt so terrible. Valar! What's going to happen to Mirkwood now?!!!
The guard sighed, looking over his shoulder. "Please, my lords. You need to leave. Lord Cayel is very adamant with his orders. No one is to enter. He fears for the safety of our people following this horrific event. He's afraid that the realm has become too vulnerable now that we have no ruler. "
"Why is he taking charge now? Where's Linden, your commander?" Elladan asked.
The guard looked over his shoulder again, sharing a despair look with his fellow comrades. Turning back to the brothers, he answered, "You may not believe this but…Commander Linden…he is also missing. And to make it even more strange was that Lord Cayel returned home with a troop of Redwood warriors!"
***************
It was night again; the second night that Legolas lay there under the tree that had been the tool for his cruel execution. Just like the night before, he was not moving, didn't even stir. The only signs that the elf prince was still alive were the shudders that ran down his body, and the slight rises of his back as he took one painful breath after another. His eyes remained close but at least his neck and wrists had stopped bleeding, as well as the big gash on his right temple. He wouldn't die of blood loss…but infection would surely set in. Even now, the still form was already wreaked with high burning fever.
***************
"Where is he?" Aragorn wondered out loud in frustration. "He couldn't be missing just like that!"
"We will find him, Estel. I'm sure of it," said Elladan firmly, even though his heart was bursting with fear for their friend's safety.
The three brothers had left the palace gate after all their demands and coaxes for entrance were denied. The royal guards were too frightened to let anybody else enter the palace. Lord Cayel had warned them of harsh punishment if they disobeyed him. Aragorn and the twins had rode towards the river; their intention was to continue the search for Legolas. They had been looking for hours, taking the route downstream.
"This is too much a coincidence, isn't it?" Elrohir commented. "Thranduil is dead, Legolas and Linden are missing. Mirkwood is now without a ruler, not even an heir! And the head of their army also vanished like that? I'm afraid something is amiss!"
Elladan nodded. "And Cayel taking over sounds so fishy to my ears. Why would he bring along the Redwood elves to Mirkwood?"
"And where is Hawkeye when we need him the most!" Aragorn was fuming. "I believe he's the only one who can tell us where Legolas is!"
A familiar cry suddenly broke through the silence of the night. The brothers looked up in disbelief as the said golden eagle came flying from the darkness towards them. "Well…I think he heard you just now, Estel," Elladan said, still staring in wonder as the eagle landed on Aragorn's right wrist.
Aragorn couldn't help smiling in return, and then his smile fell flat as he noticed the bleeding slash on Hawkeye's chest. "He's hurt!"
"What?!!" The twins came closer and they inspected the eagle's injury.
"It looks like a graze of an arrow," Elladan said, stroking Hawkeye's head comfortingly.
"I believe so too." Aragorn was staring deeply into the eagle's eyes. "Who would have done such a dishonored act to a great bird! And why?"
Elrohir was grim. "Maybe they wanted to kill him, so he would not tell anyone of his master's whereabouts."
The brothers stared at each other in rising horror. They find it hard to accept the fact that somebody was trying very hard to destroy the ruling and governance of King Thranduil. And what's worse, it looked like that somebody had already succeeded!
"I knew something is not right!" Elladan blurted out. "But what matters the most right now is Legolas. We must find him before it's too late!"
"But what if we're already too late?" Elrohir looked at his twin, anxiety burning bright in his dark eyes.
Elladan put each hand on Aragorn's and Elrohir's shoulder. "Knowing Legolas, he will never give up! If he's lying injured somewhere, he will keep holding on until help arrives. Remember all those terrible things that had happened to him? It has made him stronger and more resilient than ever. We will find him alive!"
Aragorn and Elrohir nodded before they all turned their attention back towards Hawkeye.
"You know where Legolas is, Hawkeye?" Elladan asked. The bird replied with a short cry.
"Are you well enough to show the way?" Aragorn stared worriedly at the bird's injury once again. It was not too deep, only a graze, but the eagle must surely be in pain. Squawking in answer, Hawkeye spread his wings and took flight. The brothers hastily followed.
TBC…