Author's Note: This chapter is responsible for the R rating. It deals with mature themes and situations such as rape and violence. It also deals with a very unstable elf. Do not read if you are sensitive to any of these subjects.

The world was moving when Tinuviel awoke. She found herself bound at the hands and gagged, sitting astride a horse in a human saddle with a large body behind her. It had to be one of the humans that had her for no Elf felt that large nor rode that heavily. It didn't take long to realize they must have drugged her when they had finally camped. Punishment, no doubt, for trying to run off. She could still feel the sting of the blow that had landed against her cheek when the man caught her, stumbling through the woods.

Coughing at the gag in her mouth and wishing she had some water to cool her throat, she blinked her bleary eyes and looked around. They were entering into a more densely wooded area. *This must be Mirkwood* she thought, and thought it aptly named because the sunlight barely filtered through the already heavy leaved canopy above them. And somewhere deep inside the forest she could feel evil residing, sending its taint skittering along with the leaves that blew across the forest floor. It was hard, almost impossible, for her to picture Legolas here in this dark place.

"Ah, you are awake, I see." Tinuviel jerked her head around to look toward Aldan's voice, swaying slightly from the sudden spur of dizziness that swept through her. He laughed when he saw her trying to stay awake, the effects of the drug still making themselves known through her system. "I trust there will be no further attempts to escape?" Knowing she could not answer for the gag in her mouth, he chuckled and urged his horse forward to the head of the group.

The drug they had given her was strong and Tinuviel felt herself drifting in and out of sleep. She could not have said how long they had been riding before they finally emerged into an area without trees. The ruins of a large tower loomed in the bright light of the waning moon. "Dol Guldur." The man's deep voice reverberated through his thick chest. She could hear the awe in his voice and some half remembered memory stirred itself. She knew this was not a good place.

The small group began to make camp in the ruins and other men and creatures came out of the darkness to meet them. Other than Aldan and the two Elves with him, there were no other Elves to be seen. But even though there were only 3 Elves, there were at least a half dozen men and another half dozen orcs. There would be no way a lone Elf could stand against them all, even if he brought Boromir and Aragorn with him they would fail. The hopelessness of her situation began to sink in and she wished she'd been a hair faster jumping off the cliff into the falls.

The man she had been riding with jumped off his horse and lifted her easily off the saddle, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her like a sack inside the ruins to a small room that was still standing. Without a word, he dropped her in the corner and left, moving a heavy wooden door into place and throwing the bolt from the outside and leaving her bound, gagged, and alone in the dark.

As her eyes grew accustomed to the dimness of the chamber and the effects of the drug she had been given began to lessen, she realized that part of the upper floor and wall were missing, letting in a beam of silver moonlight. There were no windows in the walls, only the hole in the ceiling, but at least it was something to break the darkness. Getting herself awkwardly to her feet, she managed to hold onto the wall with her bound hands and walk, shakily, to the shaft of light.

As she reached the light, her legs gave out and she dropped to the floor, sitting now in the pale moonbeam. She looked up through the hole in the ruined tower and the moon seemed so large, filling the whole space of the opening with it's vanishing face. If she remembered correctly, the moon was just beginning to wane the night of her wedding, it was now down to almost half, so they must have been traveling for about five days. It flickered through her mind to wonder how far behind Legolas was, for surely he would come after her. She wished with every fibre of her being that she could warn him away, keep him safe.

Tinuviel looked around the room and saw it must have, at one time, been a storeroom for the tower. There were a few broken barrels and cut outs in the heavy stone where ice would have been kept to keep things cool in the summer months. A broken table lay on it's side against one wall and there was dry straw strewn about the floor. Other than that, there was nothing else in the room except her. She was utterly alone and she may die here, alone in this forsaken place, never having seen her husband's beautiful face again.

Lifting her numb, bound hands to her mouth, she tried to remove the gag but it was knotted tightly behind her neck and there was a knot in the fabric that nearly filled her mouth. Her jaws ached and she could taste blood as the fabric began to cut into the soft flesh of her mouth. Giving up any hope of removing the gag, she let her hands fall heavily into her lap, trying to flex the fingers and finding even that small movement painful. Unable to help herself, she began to sob silently, tears rolling down her face. Curling on her side, she lay down in the light of the moon and cried until the remainders of the drug coursing through her system took hold of her again and sent her into a heavy sleep.

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As Legolas passed through the outer trees of Mirkwood, he jumped down off of Arod. The horse was tired, his sides heaving from the exertion of carrying his rider as quickly as he possibly could. Legolas had stopped along the way, long enough for his old friend to rest, but Arod had pushed himself without Legolas asking.

Legolas ran a hand down Arod's face, laying his cheek against the old horse's neck. "I'm sorry, my friend, but I must go on alone." Arod nickered and pawed at the ground with his hooves, butting his head against his master's shoulder. Smiling, Legolas stroked his graying coat. "I must use the trees, old friend. They will be looking for me to come on horseback." He ran his hand over the horse's soft nose. "And the woods are far too perilous now," he looked around him, frowning. "I sense an evil here the like of which I have not felt since Sauron's minions were driven into the black valley." He turned back to the horse and gave him a light slap on the shoulder. "Find a safe resting place by the river. When I return with Tinuviel, I will find you." Arod looked at him, whinnying for a moment before finally dropping his head and turning away. Legolas watched him go and wondered if he'd ever see him again.

He made certain the horse was safely away before dropping back into the trees, making himself as invisible as he could. Legolas could not believe Aldan had many Elves helping him in this. He knew from Arien's sleepwalking vision that he had at least two, but there couldn't be many more. Still, before he found the note on his bed, he never would have believed Aldan capable of such malicious deceit. But Elves or not, he would have some sort of army, even if it was just a band of humans and orcs. Aldan was not the type to fight his own battles.

Regardless of how many men his cousin had with him, Mirkwood was Legolas' home and he knew these woods well. He also knew exactly where Aldan would have taken Tinuviel, to the ruined tower of Dol Guldur. All Legolas had to do was get there, rescue his bride, and make it back alive. The Elves could be a fairly optimistic race, but Legolas was having a hard time staying optimistic about his current situation.

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Boromir sighed, taking a drink from the waterskin they had filled at the last clear running spring they had come across. "Do you truly believe we will catch him?"

Taking the water skin from Boromir, Gimli growled. He had been on the horse with Boromir for a week now, more time than he cared to spend on a horse, and his backside was protesting loudly. "Why could he not have waited for us?"

Aragorn was about to answer when he saw a swift movement through the trees. Suddenly alert after the lengthy and hasty journey, he pulled his bow off his saddle and an arrow from his quiver, notching it against the bowstring and sitting at the ready for any further sign of movement. The others had drawn their swords and were shooting furtive glances into the thick woods. Aragorn turned quickly when he heard someone speaking behind him.

"He did not wait for you because he was told to come alone." Aragorn turned to find Legolas standing there, an angry look on his face. "And I knew that I could go more quietly alone. Why did you follow?"

Letting out the breath he had been holding, Aragorn released the tension on his bow and replaced the arrow in its quiver. "You know we could not let you go into this alone, Legolas. You must know it is a trap."

"What does it matter if it is a trap?" Legolas asked calmly. "This is about saving Tinuviel's life, not mine."

Still grumbling, Gimli jumped down from the horse and marched over to look up at his friend. "And what if we choose to save both?"

"It is more complicated than that."

The dwarf put his hands on his hips. "And I suppose you no longer trust us as warriors?"

Legolas sighed heavily. "You know that is not true, but he said he would kill her if I did not come alone."

Boromir, who had remained silent until now, jumped down from his horse and walked to where Gimli and Legolas stood next to Aragorn's horse. "Do you truly believe that if you go there, alone, and he kills you, that he will allow her to go free just because you kept your end of the bargain?"

"No." Legolas shook his head sadly. "But I see no reason for any more of the people I love to die."

Aragorn dismounted, coming to stand with his small group of friends. He clamped a hand on Legolas' shoulder. "I assure you, we have no intention of dying."

Legolas studied their faces, he knew they intended to stay whether he gave them leave to do so or no. Well, they would be safer, and less likely to draw attention to themselves, with him than without. "If you insist on going you will have to set the horses free. They can find shelter with Arod by the river."

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Arien sighed in relief as Shadowfax slowed to a halt. They had been riding for days, stopping only for the briefest periods of time to allow for sleep and then they were off again. The two had ridden the lightening fast horse around the outer edge of Mirkwood to the north and down the eastern side until Gandalf was certain it was safe to enter the dark woods.

"Are we there?" Arien asked as Gandalf helped her to the ground, then dismounted himself.

"We are where we need to be." He saw the frustrated look on Arien's face and smiled. "It will not be much longer, Arien, but you must be patient."

Arien rolled her head from side to side, trying to loosen the tension tightened muscles of her shoulders. "It is hard to be patient when I do not even fully comprehend why I am so compelled to help this girl."

The wizard lay a callused hand against her cheek. "I know, child. This world is such an uncertain place, especially for you and Tinuviel, foundlings as you are, not knowing your past, not understanding your future. But your heart is good, Arien. Let it be your guide, even though it may not always lead you down the easiest path."

Arien sighed heavily and sat down on a large rock, taking her waterskin out and drinking a bit as Gandalf lifted their meager bundle down from the horse. He gave Shadowfax a pat on the neck and spoke something into his ear, and the horse was off. To where she did not know, but she knew well enough that he would return whenever Gandalf called him.

The two of them settled themselves for a rest as night fell, finding shelter in a small, shallow cave. They did not risk a fire, but the night was warm and they had a dim, easily cancelable light from the glow of Gandalf's staff. Arien lay, her head pillowed on the pack she had carried, covered in her traveling cloak, listening to the sounds of distant thunder. She fell asleep as the rain began to fall.

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Legolas and his small party had been traveling for two days. It had not been easy going, having to move undetected through the heavy wood. There were times they had been forced to change directions to avoid patrols of humans and orcs. This, more than anything else, told them they were getting closer, they were almost there. Legolas was becoming ever more anxious. It was no more than a day's march from where they now stood to the ruins of Dol Guldur and he could almost feel the closeness of his bride. His heart constricted in his chest, he wanted nothing more to hold her in his arms again and hear her whisper his name, the sound of her voice washing over him like water over the stones of the river.

"Soon, my friend. We shall find your bride." Boromir came to stand beside Legolas, looking out into the dark woods.

"And when we do, I shall kill Aldan." There was something like a sad defeat in his voice.

Boromir frowned, wondering at the tone in his voice. "And is that not the justice he deserves?"

"It is much less than what he deserves," Legolas said quietly.

"Then why do you seem so saddened by the prospect?"

Legolas was silent a moment before answering, not looking at Boromir but out into the woods, seeing shapes and creatures in the dark that the human could not. "I have never taken the life of another Elf, nor have I ever wished to. And Aldan is my cousin, the same blood flows in our veins, but I want nothing more than to see him dead. I find that part of my heart has become cold and hard in the short journey here, the part that remembers playing with Aldan as a child. He was like a brother to me and the next time I see him, one of us will die." He turned to his friend and smiled sadly. "Selfish though it may be, it is not for him that I am saddened, it is for myself."

Boromir put a hand on his shoulder. "You are only doing what is right, Legolas. You know that."

"Knowing a thing does not make the task easy." Legolas looked back to where Aragorn and Gimli were sleeping, taking refuge from the coming storm under the low hanging boughs of a group of large pine trees. "Go back and continue your rest, I will take the watch tonight."

"Come take shelter with us, Legolas. We shall both watch from the cover of the trees."

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Tinuviel sat in the corner where she had made her bed, watching the rain as it began to fall steadily through the hole in the ceiling. She had been here for three days, or possibly four. She was certain they had been giving her small doses of the drug they had used on the trip to Mirkwood in her water, but she had no choice but to drink it. Still, she tried to drink as little as she could. Her hands were still tied, though they had loosened the bonds enough that some of the feeling had returned to her fingers. And even though her voice was all but gone, they continued to keep her gagged, removing it only three times a day to let her drink.

None of her captors had spoken to her since they had thrown her into this makeshift prison, and she had no idea what they planned to do with her. Whatever it was, they must want her alive. Why else would they even bother with the water. But the fact they seemed to want her alive did not lighten her heart. The only thing that kept her going was the thought that somehow she might be rescued and might be in Legolas' arms again.

It startled her when the door opened. It had only been a short time since they had last come to give her water, and usually there was quite a long stretch between the last drink of the evening and the first of the day. Blinking her eyes, she tried to make out who might be entering the room. As if in answer to her question, he spoke. "Tinuviel. I trust you are finding your accommodations comfortable."

*Aldan. The bastard himself.* If Tinuviel had not been gagged, she would have spat at him.

Aldan chuckled, seeing the contempt in her eyes. "Oh, good. I see you still have some spark left in you after all." Dropping down into a crouch, bringing him to her eye level, he smirked at her. "I was afraid you might be one of those simpering, human women who know only how to busy their hands with needle work and produce squalling babies."

If she had been able, she would have told him exactly what she thought of him. Moving closer to her, he reached a hand behind her and she pulled away, pushing herself against a wall.

"Do you enjoy wearing the gag?" She finally shook her head grudgingly. "Then come here and let me remove it."

She leaned forward a bit, trying to keep an eye on him at all times as he loosened the knot that held the gag in place. Tinuviel sighed a heavy sigh of relief as the knotted material fell free from her mouth. Her jaws ached, the skin on the sides of her mouth was raw and red, and being gagged for many days, plus whatever drug they were giving her, had stripped away her voice. Taking a drink of the tainted water, she cleared her throat. Her voice was little more than a husky whisper as she spoke. "You Bastard! What do you intend to do with me?"

Aldan chuckled as he continued to look at her. "Well, I intend to deliver you to The Master. But that is later. For now, I have other plans."

He acted quickly, his hand reaching out to grab her bound hands before she could even react to what he had said. Suddenly, it became quite clear what he intended. Struggle as she may, his was the far superior strength. It didn't take much for him to pull her hands over her head and secure them to a rung that was set in the wall.

"No!" she pleaded, still struggling, pulling at the bonds of her hands until she could feel blood running down her forearms and kicking out with her feet, until he captured them and began to spread her legs, settling himself between her creamy white thighs. In this position there was no way to fight him, even though she tried.

"Spirited even when you have no hope of winning. Interesting." Aldan cupped his hands over the mounds of her breasts, laughing when she turned her face away in disgust. "No need for that just yet" Sliding his hands down her sides, he gathered the skirts of her dress in his hands and pulled them up to her belly exposing the silky undergarments she had donned for her wedding night. "Pretty," he said, as he stroked his hand over the soft fabric covering her.

Tinuviel struggled, trying to move away, trying to kick at him, anything that would make him stop but the water he had given her had been laced with a larger dosage of the drug than usual, and she found that she was not able to fight as well as she normally might. She tried to cry out, but her voice was stifled, making them sound like no more than pitiful mewlings that seemed to excite him the more she struggled. Taking the silver dagger from his boot, Aldan cut into the soft, silken fabric, slitting it up one side and then the other until he could remove it completely, exposing her.

Hot tears flowed down her face and she squeezed her eyes shut as he stared openly at her exposed body. She could not see him, but she felt his movements, knew that he was loosening the fastenings of his pants. In the dark she cried, her heart in agony, as he pressed the head of his shaft against her, spreading her legs apart until they ached. "I will enjoy taking this from him." With that malicious statement, he drove himself into her, ripping through her maidenhead, destroying the last bit of innocence left to her.

The scream that tore from her did not sound remotely human. Born from some depth inside her she never knew existed, the sound of it shook the walls, startling Aldan with it's intensity. She had no idea how far the cry carried. But it was a fleeting thing, gone almost before it began to be replaced by broken sobs and hoarse cries for the man she loved.

When Aldan was finished with her, he moved away, cleaning himself with the hem of her wedding gown. When he had righted his clothes, he loosed her from the wall and replaced the gag. As he was finishing the knot, he leaned close to her, his mouth hovering next to her ear. "I never dreamed you were still a maiden." He brushed his knuckles over the rise of her cheek. From the sound of his voice he sounded incredibly pleased with himself. "I had intended to allow my lieutenants to use you until we delivered you to the Master, but I think I shall keep you for myself until then."

He stood and walked briskly to the door, shutting and locking it behind him. Pushing the hem of her skirt down, Tinuviel pushed herself back into her corner and cried hard, wracking sobs that left her drained and left her throat aching.

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Arien was wakened to find Gandalf kneeling over her, concern on his face, a scream caught in her throat. The images she had seen were beginning to fade, but the sound of Tinuviel's scream still echoed in her ears. Breathless, she sat up and clutched at her skirt. "He raped her. That bastard raped her."

Gandalf closed his eyes, the look on his face pained, and sat back, leaning his back against the stone wall of the small cave. Eyes still closed, he said something in a language that Arien could not understand. When he opened his eyes again, they gleamed with unshed tears. "We will go in at first light."

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Legolas watched the rain as it came steadily down, making the branches and leaves of the trees sing. He had just stood to make a pass around the small fort of trees where they had sheltered when he felt, more than heard, a scream echoing through the night. The force of it vibrated through him, shaking his very bones, and he had to throw his hand out to steady himself against a tree. He knew without a doubt that it was Tinuviel.

It marveled Legolas that he seemed to be the only one that heard the cry, as loud as it still sounded in his ears, but then again, he knew it would be impossible to hear a scream from Dol Guldur here, especially during a rainstorm. Just as it would be impossible to hear someone singing from Rivendell when you were camped miles away. Only he could hear it, for he was connected to her, his heart to hers, his soul to hers. Leaning his back against the tree trunk, he slid down to sit on the ground, drawing strength from the tree. He brought a hand to his heart as the strange feeling began to pass. He knew what he had felt had been from Tinuviel. He also knew that she was in great pain. Closing his eyes, he felt tears spill over the edges of his lashes, dropping down his face to stain the front of his tunic. He whispered into the night. "I am coming, indonya. Hold on."

AN: This chapter mentions being able to hear someone singing from miles away. This was a little snippet of a scene I thought of after I'd put together a manipulated photo that I titled Longing from Afar. It is set after Tinuviel is taken to Rivendell but before she and Legolas get married and before Aragorn and Boromir find Arien. Hope you like it.

Aragorn looked over to where Legolas was sitting on a rock across the fire from them. He was not participating in the dinner conversation, instead he was gazing toward the north. Aragorn chuckled a little at the faraway look in his friend's face and looking at Boromir saw that he too had noticed the elf's uncharacteristic distraction of late. "Ah, behold, Boromir," he said in a loud whisper, "Legolas looks to Rivendell. I fear he has no love of our company any longer."

Boromir nodded, a mockingly grave look on his face. "I fear you are right, Aragorn," he whispered huskily. "We have lost him to a woman. Perhaps we should find another elf to accompany us, this one seems to have lost all his senses." He smiled at his own joke.

The corner of Legolas' mouth kicked up but he continued to look north. "I can hear you. My ears are as keen as ever they were, I have just not found anything worth listening to." Still smiling, he turned back to the fire and his friends. "You will both ever be my friends, but she is far fairer to look on and her voice is more pleasing to my ears," he wrinkled his nose, "and she smells much sweeter."

Aragorn laughed heartily, handing the tall elf a flagon of ale to share with their supper of rabbit and potatoes roasted over the fire. "We could all use a bath and a warm bed to sleep in. I for one will be happy to make it to an inn soon." He tore off a chunk of the savory meat and gestured toward the general direction of Rivendell. "And does she also think on you while you are gone?"

Legolas took a small dagger and cut some meat from one of the two rabbits he had shot for their supper. They did not often hunt for their food, but they had been away from a town longer than expected and their rations had gone low. "I cannot say. But I sometimes think I hear her voice on the wind, calling to me. It pleases me to believe she may be thinking on me at those times."

"Ach, you are lost," Boromir scoffed. "Save me from lovesick elves." He took the flagon and drank before passing it back to Aragorn.

"Leave him be, Boromir," Aragorn said as he took the flagon and drank some of the ale, letting it warm his weary bones. "It may happen one day that you too shall lose your heart."

The larger man snorted goodnaturedly. "I've seen what it does to a man to lose his heart. I shall keep tight hold on mine."