Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or anything that is originally the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.

A/N: I had to change something in Chapter 5, Memories of the Past. At the end of the chapter, I mentioned when Idril had passed by the goblins' cave. I had said that it was when she traveled from Gondor to Lothlorien. I had to change that for the story to flow better. It is now changed to the following: "She remembered seeing a cave in those mountains when she had traveled with her father from Rivendell into Gondor. It had been by accident and she had almost forgotten. They had stopped for a rest when suddenly the light of the moon cast an eerie glow on the mountainside. It was the entrance to a cave. That had to be the one the goblin had talked about." Sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for understanding. Please read and review.

Chapter 7

The Orcs' Lair

Legolas silently listen to his surroundings. It was now the third night since he had been in Rivendell. The orcs and goblins had been traveling at their quick speed with hardly any rest. Legolas was weary. The only food he had eaten was a few scraps the orcs had tossed him. His shoulder was healing, but his side still caused him pain. The wound was deeper and it hurt with every step.

It was now about the middle of the night. Still the orcs kept traveling. They hardly slowed their pace, even in the daytime. Now at night, they continued with full speed. Legolas wearily followed. He had no other choice.

Suddenly the orcs stopped.

"The time isn't right." One of the orcs snarled barely above a whisper.

"Be quiet and wait!" one of the goblins snapped back.

Legolas was suddenly shoved against a wall. It was a stone wall with sharp jagged edges. Legolas quietly sat on the ground. He could hear the orcs around him growing impatient. They were waiting for something, but Legolas had no idea what they were waiting for. He could feel the presence of one of the goblins quietly watching his every move. Legolas wanted to know what was happening and why the orcs had captured him. Where were they bringing him? Was he going to be tortured or killed? Legolas had been silent the whole journey, but all these questions were in his mind so he dared to ask the goblin beside him.

"What do you want me?" Legolas asked as calmly as he could.

Suddenly Legolas was hit across the face. "Keep silent, prisoner!" the goblin hissed.

Legolas cringed in pain from the blow. He knew he should have expected that.

For how long they waited, Legolas didn't know. Suddenly; however, he heard a rumbling sound. He was jerked to his feet and the goblins forced him into some type of cave. Legolas could hear many orcs and goblins voices echoing throughout the cave. His only guess was that this cave or dungeon was the orcs' lair.
~~~

Idril carefully examined the mountain wall. She had been silently following the orcs and she had followed them to the mountains. She tried to remember were the cave entrance was hidden, but she feared she it was too late. The sun would be rising in an hour and the moon had to be in the right place for the entrance to be revealed. For over an hour she searched, but to her dismay, she could not find the entrance. She had; however, found one place on the wall that looked suspicious to her elven eyes, but she couldn't be sure until nightfall. She would have to wait an entire day until she could find the entrance. Idril's only fear was that by nightfall it would be too late.
~~~

Elrond silently sat on the ground staring at the stars. They were beginning to disappear for the sun would soon rise. They had stopped for a short rest but they would soon set out again. Elrond knew they couldn't linger long. They had covered some of the distance by riding, but that was only in the daytime. At night, Elessar carefully studied the ground to keep them on track. Elrond looked over now to Elessar. Elessar sat silently starring at the ground.

"You have been very quiet. What's on your mind?" Elrond asked.

Elessar looked up. " I'm trying to think where the orcs are leading Legolas. I have heard stories of a cave in the mountainside. The entrance can only be seen at a certain time of night when the moon hits it. I don't know if the stories are true, but I have heard that it is the orcs' hideout."

"I too, have heard these stories." Elrond said as he looked out over the land. "Perhaps there is some truth to the stories for the orcs seem to be heading in that direction."

Elessar nodded. "Then perhaps our only hope of finding Legolas would be to travel toward the mountains and find the cave."

Elrond nodded. "It will not be easy, but I might have an idea where the entrance is. If we ride out now we can be there before night fall." Elrond said as he stood.

Elessar followed his lead. He mounted his horse and rode off toward the mountains. He only hoped that Elrond was right and that they could find Legolas before it was too late.
~~~

Legolas was lead through the cave. Then he heard the creaking sound of an opening door. In a matter of seconds, his blindfold was off and he was shoved through the door. The door quickly slammed shut.

Legolas looked around. He was in a dark, dank prison cell. The only light came from a small lantern that hung in the corner. The cell was small and there was a stagnant smell in the air. Legolas sighed as he sat on the ground. His hands were still tied, but he managed to cut the ropes with the jagged stones on the wall. Then silently in the dark prison, he waited.
~~~

"I told you to kill Idril." The head goblin hissed at the goblin that stood a few feet in front of him. "Instead you brought back a worthless prisoner."

"The prisoner is not worthless." The goblin said calmly. "He is Prince Legolas of Mirkwood."

The head goblin starred at his brother with unmerciful eyes. "And what would I want with the prince. I want Idril dead just like her father. Then my revenge of our father's death will be satisfied."

"Yes, but perhaps you would rather kill Idril yourself?" The goblin inquired.

The head goblin continued starring at him. "Stop blabbing on and tell me your plan." He snarled.

The goblin snickered. "I have found that Idril is in love with the Prince of Mirkwood."

The head goblin looked at his brother confused, but remained silent as he continued speaking.

"We tried to kill her, but when she fled, I came up with a new plan. If we captured her love, we could lure her into following us. Then we would have her right where we want her."

The head goblin began to pace. He hated when his brother proved that he was smarter. He was supposed to be the smart one. Turning back he said, "And what do you plan to do if Idril does not come alone."

The goblin smiled at his brother, infuriating him with anger. "I planned for that. Four elves and one human have followed us. We picked up speed, but they have probably found our travel and have continued following. Idril; however, has been following us more closely. We haven't seen her, but we have smelt her. She is probably already trying to find the entrance to the cave now."

The head goblin smiled with an evil grin. Now he had a plan. "We can take them all by surprise. We can use the Prince as bait."

"My plan exactly."

"Hurry we must prepare. We don't have much time." The head goblin said as he began to leave the room. He turned around and glared at his arrogant brother. "And this time stick to my plan or I might be killing you too."