Look! An actual chapter! I am so sorry for that incredibly long wait. You
have no idea what my week has been like. Ahhhg. . . that's all I have to
say about that. This chapter's kind of long though, lol. (Comparatively.)
Our v-ball season is over, so I should be able to upload more often than
once a week. And wow, no one picked up on the foreshadowing hint last
chapter. It was a huge one too. . .
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Legolas kept his eyes in front of him at all times. As such, he could see only the stone in front of him, and it made life a little more bearable. He couldn't see the endless mines, the work that still needed to be done that could keep him there for many lifetimes.
He watched his hands as they numbly chipped away at silver blocks. He had been working in the mines now for a week, though time was beginning to slip from his grasp. He no longer wanted to know how long he had been a prisoner here. He was slowly beginning to let go of the hope that his father would find him. Things were just more bearable if he gave in.
"There he is! Get him!"
Legolas closed his eyes. 'Please, don't let them be talking about me.' He was used to the guards coming in, quite often, and tormenting a random slave. He had been chosen once already, and the fact that he fought back was not looked upon kindly.
His prayer was cut short by rough hands pulling on his shoulder, spinning him and shoving him into the wall. He begrudgingly lowered his eyes.
"Jerilan wants you."
A jolt of fear ran through the elf's veins.
A man moved in front of him, gripping the elf's jaw tightly, bringing his head up. The blue eyes of the elf met the dark ones of the man.
"This is the one?"
A man nodded. Legolas let his eyes wander between the both of them, curious as to what they meant.
Jeralin was sizing him up. A glimmer of defiance shone in Legolas' eyes before he nodded his head to the side, forcing the man's hand off of him.
"Ah, I see Merithol did not fabricate when he spoke of your stubborn nature."
"I am not stubborn, but I have my pride."
A smile spread across the human's thin lips. "Indeed? We'll see how long it lasts you. My name is Jerilan."
Legolas said nothing, and Jerilan only nodded at the silence. "Very well. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again. Continue on."
"Yes, run off, you target of far away laughter," Legolas mumbled to himself in elvish at the retreating forms of the guards.
Jerilan halted mid step. "Pardon me?"
Legolas froze. "Nothing, sir." He cringed. Every time he said "sir," he broke a little bit more.
"Far away laughter, hm?"
The man knew elvish. Legolas was stone still, having no idea how to react now.
Jerilan smiled, very slowly. "Bring him to the animal house. I believe we have work to do."
Legolas cringed as someone landed a fist in his stomach, causing him to double over. The guards pounced on him.
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Jeralin smiled at the elf being drug into a small stable. He was struggling valiantly, and several of his men had bruises appearing on their skin. "Take off his tunic."
The words only made Legolas fight harder, though he had no idea what was going to happen. Something deep inside told him to get away, as soon as possible.
The guards continued to struggle with him. Jeralin watched the whole time, his smile only growing wider. "Hold him still."
He crouched down to Legolas' level, who was being held on his knees. "Do you know what we do to slaves who disobey? We punish them. Now, there are two punishments that I am thinking of. Answer me one question, and it will decide your punishment. Who is your master?"
Legolas, temporarily stalled from struggling to get free, looked at the man with hatred in his eyes. "I belong to no one, and I listen to none other than my king."
"I thought you might say that." He snapped his fingers, and a beefy man appeared from somewhere to Legolas' right. He was carrying a long iron.
A branding iron. Legolas resumed his struggling, fighting desperately to get away.
"Sir, it isn't suppose to be red," one of the guards said, looking at the glowing iron.
"I am well aware of that." He stepped back to allow the beefy man room.
Legolas felt the heat near his left abdomen before the iron ever touched him. He braced himself, thinking of anything he could to take his mind off of this. 'Just don't scream. . .'
He couldn't help the piercing cry that escaped his lips as the red-hot metal made contact with his skin. He bit his lip, but it was to no avail. He screamed in terrible agony, so that even some of the guards felt sorry for him.
Jeralin smiled cruelly, kneeling in front of the prince. He pointed to the burnt flesh. "This marks you as mine."
Legolas grit his teeth against the searing pain, not quite comprehending what the man meant. At the moment, he was far more concerned with the pain.
"Take him away."
Legolas was too far within his own world to fight against their hands.
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Aragorn gasped, clutching his left side, for a sudden pain had erupted there. Berin looked him curiously over the pile of weapons they were making.
"You all right there, Strider?"
Aragorn looked at his hand, as if expecting to see blood, but the pain subsided to a dull ache. "I don't know. That was weird. I feel like I've been burnt."
Berin raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "You okay now?"
Aragorn nodded, but a hunch in his mind quickly turned to certainty. Legolas had been hurt.
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Legolas did not move that night as he lay near to Aragorn. The others thought the two to be sleeping. Only Aragorn was. Legolas remained silent, and for their benefit, kept his eyes closed. His hand moved absently to his side, where a scar was forming, in the shape of a J. He had put his tunic on before he saw Aragorn him that evening. No one would have to know of it.
Of course, Aragorn had tried to find out what had happened, but the elf told him nothing. The man let the subject drop, seeing that Legolas still seemed healthy and without any obvious wounds.
The conversation of the slaves intrigued him, so he listened carefully.
"I don't know what to make of them," Kaenji said softly.
Berin nodded. "Strider has been here weeks, and still he has not let go of his emotions as we all did. He still believes that he will get out of this. Whatever Meirthol did to him worked its purpose. He had not talked back to anyone since that day, but he still manages to have that hope."
"You should have heard Legolas his first day! Talking of hope and escape. He was so passionate about it."
An elderly man spoke. "I don't blame them. I would have just as much hope as they do, if I was that young."
Another denied it. "Look at Kaenji. He's just as young as Strider, but he's hardened himself as much as the rest of us."
Another voice, calm and gentle, broke into the conversation. "We need to count on the fact that they are so sure of escape. It gives us a reason to go on. If nothing else, it makes our day a little more bearable. Why try to take that out of them sooner than this place would see it done?" He looked sidelong at Legolas, not quite sure the elf was asleep. He had dealt with elves before, but never so closely. He knew they were mysterious beings, so he didn't quite trust this one.
"Stop it. Why let them have false hope? They are not getting out of here, wouldn't they do better to learn that now, Mar? Besides, you know what is to become of it." It was Berin.
"For what? So they can be like the rest of us? Bitter, cold, without hope? What is wrong with letting them have that?" Mar started to raise his voice.
"They last person that tried to escape was tortured, and killed. I would not see that done to those two. They have so much going for them."
Kaenji spoke up. "Legolas told me he wanted death over this."
"Think of what sweet release it would bring to the hopeless."
"Mar, drop it. Let them keep their hope, but I do not want any of you encouraging it! Am I understood?" Berin growled. There were scattered responses.
Legolas sighed as the conversation moved to other things. Was it true? Did they have a false hope in salvation? Were they truly trapped here forever?
No. There had to be a way out. There had to be. He would find it. He didn't know how much longer he would last here. He sighed again, and let his body fall into an alert sleep.
Aragorn subconsciously calmed in his sleep as he felt Legolas relax next to him.
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"Get up, Legolas."
The prince tried to shut out the voices. Oh Valar, they were so familiar.
"Come on, you don't want them waking you up."
It was Orophir's voice. Orophir's and Tarduain's voices.
"Please, Legolas, you need to get up."
That one was Mithfalas's voice. It was sweet and melodical, drawing him closer to awareness.
Aragorn noticed the elf's eyes shift their focus. "He's waking up," he informed the others. "Legolas, are you all right?"
"Hmm?" Legolas said, trying to remember where he was.
"You gave us quite a scare last night," Berin interjected.
"What?" The prince was completely confused now. What was happening? Where were Orophir and Tarduain and Mithfalas?
All dead, in different senses of the word.
"You had a fever, and you were fighting us in your sleep." Aragorn was whispering to him, but Legolas could not comprehend what was being said.
"I bet it's the poison."
"Mar, would you learn when to shut your mouth!?"
"No, surely not?" Aragorn looked to Berin. The man sighed.
"He gave the elf poison when he first kidnapped you, didn't he?"
Aragorn nodded his head slowly. "But that was a long time ago."
"It's a fatal drug when given in high doses. Or when untended to." He looked at the elf, sadness creeping into his eyes.
"No," Aragorn said, somewhat distractedly. "He's not dying."
"He may be. You have to prepare yourself for that."
"No!" Aragorn shouted, standing now. "He is not dying!"
Berin remained calm and detached. "It happens to many of the slaves brought here. Especially the strong willed ones."
Aragorn sighed. He wished he had his supplies with him. "How long does he have?"
"I'd say a couple of days."
Kaenji shook his head. "No, Berin. The guards came for him yesterday. I don't know what they did, but I heard him screaming. We all heard it."
"Screaming?" Aragorn looked at his friend. "I am so sorry, Legolas. I should have been there."
Kaenji sighed. "The work he was put through yesterday had to have diminished all of his strength. I don't think he'll last the day."
"I hate this place more and more everyday. Is there nothing you can do?" No one moved. Several looked at their feet. "There has to be something! If it happens to so many, why have you not found some way to cure it?"
By now, only Mar was holding his gaze. Aragorn looked at him desperately. "Please help him."
The young man looked at the prince. "He's gone unconscious again."
"Please, Mar."
"All right, I'll see what I can do. But I can't make any promises. We have limited supplies down here, and he's pretty far gone and. . ." he let his voice trail off. He did not want to voice the end of the sentence.
"Just do what you can. I will not have him die."
"He will need you to be with him for this."
"I'm not going anywhere." He sat down, pulling Legolas' body close to him. His friend felt strangely cold after the temperature he had the night before.
Mar looked to Kaenji. "Don't let them see us."
The other shrugged. "You three have already been taken to work."
"Thank you, Kane."
"Hey, if you get caught, it's your neck, not mine."
"What do I have to do?" Aragorn asked.
"Just be ready for him when he wakes up." He looked the ranger in the eye. "He will wish for death over what is about to happen to him."
"Will you explain it to me, so I know what to expect?" Aragorn was more nervous than he cared to admit. He thought the poison would have worked its way out of the elf's system by now.
Mar nodded. "I am going to give him a series of drugs that will counteract the poison in him. However, the drugs are about as bad on the body as the one in him, and. . . well, it won't be pleasant. If you want the truth, Strider, we never do this to newcomers because it usually ends up killing them." He sat back, waiting for the man's response.
"What are the chances of him surviving this without your treatment?"
"There is none."
"And with it?"
"The chances of him surviving this are one in a million."
Aragorn nodded. "There's still hope then. Do it."
"You're sure?" Mar knew what the man's answer would be.
Aragorn nodded, before he could change his mind. It may be a small chance, but it was the elf's only chance. He watched as Mar deftly mixed potions together in a tin cup. He wondered what they were, but decided that it did not matter. Perhaps he would ask later, when whatever the Valar had decided upon happened.
"Tip his head back, and plug his nose. He isn't going to want to swallow this."
Aragorn did as he was told, and Mar poured the concoction down Legolas' throat. He quickly closed the elf's mouth, and waited.
He knew, even in the uncomprehending state he was in, that the elf knew his choices. It was either swallow, or suffocate.
He swallowed. "Hold on, Strider. It's about to get bad."
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Reviewers: That wasn't too bad of a cliffie, now was it? ::Ducks as people start throwing things at her:: I'm dying to see how many 'Poor Legolas' s I'll get after this chapter. Last chapter was the most Aragorn's I've ever gotten in one shot.
Gwyn: Mm, somewhere in your nice little review lies the plot line of the next story. But that is all I am gonna say, considering you put several things in there that are all equally valid. Don't worry, Legolas will get back to Mirkwood with all those large, nasty spiders. . . er. . . I mean yes, he will make it home safely ::looks around hoping no one else saw that:: ::wink::
Arayelle Lynn: I don't know what rhymes with it either, but that's okay 'cuz the next title is Secret Alliances part two. Which doesn't technically rhyme, so forget it, no pattern then. It was nice for the first two stories. (Or Part two, Secret Alliances. At least Alliances rhymes with itself, lol.) YAY! I LOVE YA MAN! I was really trying to get that point across too, how they've bonded. I mean, Legolas just knew when Aragorn was being whipped. I mean, he didn't know what was happening, but he knew something was going on. And again in this chapter how Estel felt the pain when Leggy got branded. I'm so glad you noticed!
Das Blume: No, dude, I like the long reviews! There is no need to try and make them short, (though you never succeed when you try for that anyway, lol.) So much to reply to. Okay, if my Silm. memory serves me correctly, Valar is the group as a whole, all of them, Vala is just the women of the Valar. More specifically, he was praying to Nienna not to let Estel die. Though I suppose he should have actually been praying to Mandos for that. Or too, he could have been praying to Nienna to give comfort to Estel if he should die, because at the time, Leggy didn't know what was going on, just that Estel was in a lot a pain. However, I don't think "Valars" is any of them, sorry, lol. ::grins:: No, dude, I didn't mean read through all my reviews, I just meant my replies in that chapter. Sheesh. . . it means "Oh my Gorillas," since I tend to say "Holy Monkeys" a lot. LMAO also means Laugh My Apes Off. (Hey, college does this to you, what can I say?) I haven't thought of any others yet. I know! You were the 116th review! And the story's not even over yet! It makes me so happy! And there is just no pleasing you, is there? Don't worry, chapter ten has a lot of action. I promise. So does nine, but you may not think so. A lot starts to be revealed in the next couple of chapters. Elrohir: "Well, that and to get your best friend into all sorts of trouble and see just how many different poisons you can get him to try." Well, come on, SPEoD's is obvious. That's always the ending. But there are other close ones. . . alas, I have said too much. Ah, it's college. You bring a pad of paper and a pencil into the room and people look at you weird. Like, "What's that? Didn't I see that in the local museum?" As they type madly away at an instant message telling everyone else NOT in the room how weird you are. Hm, sorry. I'm done, lol. Looking forward to your next incredibly long review. (My replies are getting just as long, sheesh!)
Angel With No Wings: No kidding. Talk about a personal rain cloud. . . though they tend to share one, lol.
F h c: I saw someone with a license plate that was just f h c. I was like, hey, cool! Anyway, yes, I like torture. Uhm, especially to Legolas. But I thought, to be fair, Aragorn should get some owies too. Haha, they would be perfect poster children for Band-Aid. "I am stuck on Band-Aid brand. . ." Sorry, lol. I can just see the two of them with bandaids all over themselves singing the song. (It's late, what can I say?)
Wildfire2: Hey! Hi! (I'm not usually like this, I'm just really energetic tonight.) Thanks for the review! (Interesting name, too. Do you live in California? Sorry, sorry, just kidding. . . that was a really bad joke.)
SPEoD: I think that's the shortest review you've given me, lol. Oh, two "poor"'s each! This is nice! I don't archive my stories on Cassia's site, though I suppose I should. Lol, I'm just too lazy to send it in. Plus, it's easier to get people to feedback on here. We will see Thranduil again. Merithol wants nothing with Leggy and Aragorn. ::Gasp:: Did the author just give away a piece of plot? ? ? ? Haha, how mysterious was that answer, though? Just brings up more questions, doesn't it?
Lulu Bell: Haha, yeah, that line reminded me of Gimli in TTT, "Don't tell the elf." I liked it too, lol, thanks. I know, is it even possible for Leggy not to be all defiant and do something stupid? Hm, well, I bet you didn't guess that this would happen to Leggy, huh? I'm evil. Lol, you should have asked for an extra medium pizza, and diet water. That's always fun to see what the waiters do. Yeah, you could say that Leggy got in trouble. Just a bit. My Halloween was good. I went to my friend's church because they put on a Harvest Fest for the kids, it was really fun helping out with. Little kids are so cute! How was yours? Das Blume meant that you wrote really long reviews. Yours are always 3k in my inbox, as are Das Blume's, but she sent me a 4k one, and I said she wrote long ones and she said you were trying to beat her. . . did that make sense? I confused myself so I may have confused you too, lol. Thanks for the great review!
Deana: Hahaha, or something that would drive everyone insane, like, "It's a Small World." Or "I am stuck on band-aid brand. . ." Lol.
Hellmarie: I'm sorry it's upsetting. They'll all be fine and happy and normal in the end, I promise. (Well, as normal as those two can be.)
Nenya: I'm not sure what Nienna means, but she was the Vala that went off to live alone in her sadness at what happened to the earth. (I think, someone's gonna yell at me if I got that wrong.) She visits the Halls of Mandos a lot to bring comfort to those there. She turns sadness to comfort. Kind of depressing, but she's my favorite of the Vala. (So I guess I should know more about her, huh?) See, no drug overdose. Hey, thanks! That's cool. So what, his name is like, True Grey Leaf? Lol. . . I do know all of my other OC elves' names, I swear it! I picked their names because of their meaning, actually. Thanks for that tidbit!
Nikki: Lol, that's my opinion too, there's no such thing as too much Leggy!
Sky: I'm glad it makes more sense because I went and skipped another week on ya here. . . sorry!
Leggylover03: Lol, quite defiant, yes. And there goes Legolas, he never learns when to keep his mouth shut, lol. Hm, and did you notice the elvin pride you mentioned in this chapter? And see, they now have help! (Well, not escaping help, but lifesaving help. That's important too!)
LegolasLover2003: That's weird, having your names right next to each other, lol. (If I sound like an idiot, please forgive me. I am so tired, it's not even funny.) Hey, I'm not complaining. Unique is quite a compliment, thank you! The elf can touch others, though he wasn't in much of a state to. Good question.
Lomiothiel: Yay! My tenth poor Aragorn. Leggy's already up in the forties. I guess that means I need to write my Aragorn torture! Lol, happy incredibly belated Halloween to you too! Thanks for the review!
Fire Eagle: Piles of homework. . . dear Lord, what I wouldn't give for piles. I'm working on mountains right now, lol. Extreme dismay. . . are you sure you're only sixth grade? That's so hard to believe. No, no, no. The SLAVES aren't allowed to touch Leggy. . . meaning they aren't allowed to HELP him. . . meaning major angst. . . lol. And hey, you were right one with the dreams/hallucinations. Kudos! And yes, I loved the length of the review! Sorry it took me so long to update!
Dimostiel: Grr, you and your sarcasm, lol. Haha, Bob. Gotta love Bob. How was the cliffhanger here? There are better ones to come, I promise!
And to those who reviewed to my author's note which faked a chapter 8:
Lulu Bell: Yeah, I pulled an all nighter. I finished it at 2:30 in the morning, and got three hours of sleep. One of my good friends ended up doing the same, but she only got an hour of sleep. I am a procrastinator, but I really wanted to get this one done early. I just honestly didn't have the time. Between school, life, and family emergencies, I haven't even had time to blink, lol! You and your battle scars. Jeez. Yeah, I have a few more, too, but I forget where I got them from. So if you're only in tryouts, good luck!
SPEoD: Here you are, an actual chapter! Lol, sorry for the false alarm.
Bec: I wondered if you had just stopped reading altogether. I'm glad you're still alive too! It seems like you missed more than one chapter, but my updates are so far apart now that I lose track of time, lol. Four more weeks until what? I need our Thanksgiving break soon. I need time to recoup.
Lizzie: Took me until 2:30 AM, but I did it! Lol, thanks!
Solange: Aw, thank you so much! That really meant a lot. Thanks for reviewing!
Das Blume: Here, an update! Lol. I'm so glad I have no siblings.
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Legolas kept his eyes in front of him at all times. As such, he could see only the stone in front of him, and it made life a little more bearable. He couldn't see the endless mines, the work that still needed to be done that could keep him there for many lifetimes.
He watched his hands as they numbly chipped away at silver blocks. He had been working in the mines now for a week, though time was beginning to slip from his grasp. He no longer wanted to know how long he had been a prisoner here. He was slowly beginning to let go of the hope that his father would find him. Things were just more bearable if he gave in.
"There he is! Get him!"
Legolas closed his eyes. 'Please, don't let them be talking about me.' He was used to the guards coming in, quite often, and tormenting a random slave. He had been chosen once already, and the fact that he fought back was not looked upon kindly.
His prayer was cut short by rough hands pulling on his shoulder, spinning him and shoving him into the wall. He begrudgingly lowered his eyes.
"Jerilan wants you."
A jolt of fear ran through the elf's veins.
A man moved in front of him, gripping the elf's jaw tightly, bringing his head up. The blue eyes of the elf met the dark ones of the man.
"This is the one?"
A man nodded. Legolas let his eyes wander between the both of them, curious as to what they meant.
Jeralin was sizing him up. A glimmer of defiance shone in Legolas' eyes before he nodded his head to the side, forcing the man's hand off of him.
"Ah, I see Merithol did not fabricate when he spoke of your stubborn nature."
"I am not stubborn, but I have my pride."
A smile spread across the human's thin lips. "Indeed? We'll see how long it lasts you. My name is Jerilan."
Legolas said nothing, and Jerilan only nodded at the silence. "Very well. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again. Continue on."
"Yes, run off, you target of far away laughter," Legolas mumbled to himself in elvish at the retreating forms of the guards.
Jerilan halted mid step. "Pardon me?"
Legolas froze. "Nothing, sir." He cringed. Every time he said "sir," he broke a little bit more.
"Far away laughter, hm?"
The man knew elvish. Legolas was stone still, having no idea how to react now.
Jerilan smiled, very slowly. "Bring him to the animal house. I believe we have work to do."
Legolas cringed as someone landed a fist in his stomach, causing him to double over. The guards pounced on him.
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Jeralin smiled at the elf being drug into a small stable. He was struggling valiantly, and several of his men had bruises appearing on their skin. "Take off his tunic."
The words only made Legolas fight harder, though he had no idea what was going to happen. Something deep inside told him to get away, as soon as possible.
The guards continued to struggle with him. Jeralin watched the whole time, his smile only growing wider. "Hold him still."
He crouched down to Legolas' level, who was being held on his knees. "Do you know what we do to slaves who disobey? We punish them. Now, there are two punishments that I am thinking of. Answer me one question, and it will decide your punishment. Who is your master?"
Legolas, temporarily stalled from struggling to get free, looked at the man with hatred in his eyes. "I belong to no one, and I listen to none other than my king."
"I thought you might say that." He snapped his fingers, and a beefy man appeared from somewhere to Legolas' right. He was carrying a long iron.
A branding iron. Legolas resumed his struggling, fighting desperately to get away.
"Sir, it isn't suppose to be red," one of the guards said, looking at the glowing iron.
"I am well aware of that." He stepped back to allow the beefy man room.
Legolas felt the heat near his left abdomen before the iron ever touched him. He braced himself, thinking of anything he could to take his mind off of this. 'Just don't scream. . .'
He couldn't help the piercing cry that escaped his lips as the red-hot metal made contact with his skin. He bit his lip, but it was to no avail. He screamed in terrible agony, so that even some of the guards felt sorry for him.
Jeralin smiled cruelly, kneeling in front of the prince. He pointed to the burnt flesh. "This marks you as mine."
Legolas grit his teeth against the searing pain, not quite comprehending what the man meant. At the moment, he was far more concerned with the pain.
"Take him away."
Legolas was too far within his own world to fight against their hands.
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Aragorn gasped, clutching his left side, for a sudden pain had erupted there. Berin looked him curiously over the pile of weapons they were making.
"You all right there, Strider?"
Aragorn looked at his hand, as if expecting to see blood, but the pain subsided to a dull ache. "I don't know. That was weird. I feel like I've been burnt."
Berin raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "You okay now?"
Aragorn nodded, but a hunch in his mind quickly turned to certainty. Legolas had been hurt.
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Legolas did not move that night as he lay near to Aragorn. The others thought the two to be sleeping. Only Aragorn was. Legolas remained silent, and for their benefit, kept his eyes closed. His hand moved absently to his side, where a scar was forming, in the shape of a J. He had put his tunic on before he saw Aragorn him that evening. No one would have to know of it.
Of course, Aragorn had tried to find out what had happened, but the elf told him nothing. The man let the subject drop, seeing that Legolas still seemed healthy and without any obvious wounds.
The conversation of the slaves intrigued him, so he listened carefully.
"I don't know what to make of them," Kaenji said softly.
Berin nodded. "Strider has been here weeks, and still he has not let go of his emotions as we all did. He still believes that he will get out of this. Whatever Meirthol did to him worked its purpose. He had not talked back to anyone since that day, but he still manages to have that hope."
"You should have heard Legolas his first day! Talking of hope and escape. He was so passionate about it."
An elderly man spoke. "I don't blame them. I would have just as much hope as they do, if I was that young."
Another denied it. "Look at Kaenji. He's just as young as Strider, but he's hardened himself as much as the rest of us."
Another voice, calm and gentle, broke into the conversation. "We need to count on the fact that they are so sure of escape. It gives us a reason to go on. If nothing else, it makes our day a little more bearable. Why try to take that out of them sooner than this place would see it done?" He looked sidelong at Legolas, not quite sure the elf was asleep. He had dealt with elves before, but never so closely. He knew they were mysterious beings, so he didn't quite trust this one.
"Stop it. Why let them have false hope? They are not getting out of here, wouldn't they do better to learn that now, Mar? Besides, you know what is to become of it." It was Berin.
"For what? So they can be like the rest of us? Bitter, cold, without hope? What is wrong with letting them have that?" Mar started to raise his voice.
"They last person that tried to escape was tortured, and killed. I would not see that done to those two. They have so much going for them."
Kaenji spoke up. "Legolas told me he wanted death over this."
"Think of what sweet release it would bring to the hopeless."
"Mar, drop it. Let them keep their hope, but I do not want any of you encouraging it! Am I understood?" Berin growled. There were scattered responses.
Legolas sighed as the conversation moved to other things. Was it true? Did they have a false hope in salvation? Were they truly trapped here forever?
No. There had to be a way out. There had to be. He would find it. He didn't know how much longer he would last here. He sighed again, and let his body fall into an alert sleep.
Aragorn subconsciously calmed in his sleep as he felt Legolas relax next to him.
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"Get up, Legolas."
The prince tried to shut out the voices. Oh Valar, they were so familiar.
"Come on, you don't want them waking you up."
It was Orophir's voice. Orophir's and Tarduain's voices.
"Please, Legolas, you need to get up."
That one was Mithfalas's voice. It was sweet and melodical, drawing him closer to awareness.
Aragorn noticed the elf's eyes shift their focus. "He's waking up," he informed the others. "Legolas, are you all right?"
"Hmm?" Legolas said, trying to remember where he was.
"You gave us quite a scare last night," Berin interjected.
"What?" The prince was completely confused now. What was happening? Where were Orophir and Tarduain and Mithfalas?
All dead, in different senses of the word.
"You had a fever, and you were fighting us in your sleep." Aragorn was whispering to him, but Legolas could not comprehend what was being said.
"I bet it's the poison."
"Mar, would you learn when to shut your mouth!?"
"No, surely not?" Aragorn looked to Berin. The man sighed.
"He gave the elf poison when he first kidnapped you, didn't he?"
Aragorn nodded his head slowly. "But that was a long time ago."
"It's a fatal drug when given in high doses. Or when untended to." He looked at the elf, sadness creeping into his eyes.
"No," Aragorn said, somewhat distractedly. "He's not dying."
"He may be. You have to prepare yourself for that."
"No!" Aragorn shouted, standing now. "He is not dying!"
Berin remained calm and detached. "It happens to many of the slaves brought here. Especially the strong willed ones."
Aragorn sighed. He wished he had his supplies with him. "How long does he have?"
"I'd say a couple of days."
Kaenji shook his head. "No, Berin. The guards came for him yesterday. I don't know what they did, but I heard him screaming. We all heard it."
"Screaming?" Aragorn looked at his friend. "I am so sorry, Legolas. I should have been there."
Kaenji sighed. "The work he was put through yesterday had to have diminished all of his strength. I don't think he'll last the day."
"I hate this place more and more everyday. Is there nothing you can do?" No one moved. Several looked at their feet. "There has to be something! If it happens to so many, why have you not found some way to cure it?"
By now, only Mar was holding his gaze. Aragorn looked at him desperately. "Please help him."
The young man looked at the prince. "He's gone unconscious again."
"Please, Mar."
"All right, I'll see what I can do. But I can't make any promises. We have limited supplies down here, and he's pretty far gone and. . ." he let his voice trail off. He did not want to voice the end of the sentence.
"Just do what you can. I will not have him die."
"He will need you to be with him for this."
"I'm not going anywhere." He sat down, pulling Legolas' body close to him. His friend felt strangely cold after the temperature he had the night before.
Mar looked to Kaenji. "Don't let them see us."
The other shrugged. "You three have already been taken to work."
"Thank you, Kane."
"Hey, if you get caught, it's your neck, not mine."
"What do I have to do?" Aragorn asked.
"Just be ready for him when he wakes up." He looked the ranger in the eye. "He will wish for death over what is about to happen to him."
"Will you explain it to me, so I know what to expect?" Aragorn was more nervous than he cared to admit. He thought the poison would have worked its way out of the elf's system by now.
Mar nodded. "I am going to give him a series of drugs that will counteract the poison in him. However, the drugs are about as bad on the body as the one in him, and. . . well, it won't be pleasant. If you want the truth, Strider, we never do this to newcomers because it usually ends up killing them." He sat back, waiting for the man's response.
"What are the chances of him surviving this without your treatment?"
"There is none."
"And with it?"
"The chances of him surviving this are one in a million."
Aragorn nodded. "There's still hope then. Do it."
"You're sure?" Mar knew what the man's answer would be.
Aragorn nodded, before he could change his mind. It may be a small chance, but it was the elf's only chance. He watched as Mar deftly mixed potions together in a tin cup. He wondered what they were, but decided that it did not matter. Perhaps he would ask later, when whatever the Valar had decided upon happened.
"Tip his head back, and plug his nose. He isn't going to want to swallow this."
Aragorn did as he was told, and Mar poured the concoction down Legolas' throat. He quickly closed the elf's mouth, and waited.
He knew, even in the uncomprehending state he was in, that the elf knew his choices. It was either swallow, or suffocate.
He swallowed. "Hold on, Strider. It's about to get bad."
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Reviewers: That wasn't too bad of a cliffie, now was it? ::Ducks as people start throwing things at her:: I'm dying to see how many 'Poor Legolas' s I'll get after this chapter. Last chapter was the most Aragorn's I've ever gotten in one shot.
Gwyn: Mm, somewhere in your nice little review lies the plot line of the next story. But that is all I am gonna say, considering you put several things in there that are all equally valid. Don't worry, Legolas will get back to Mirkwood with all those large, nasty spiders. . . er. . . I mean yes, he will make it home safely ::looks around hoping no one else saw that:: ::wink::
Arayelle Lynn: I don't know what rhymes with it either, but that's okay 'cuz the next title is Secret Alliances part two. Which doesn't technically rhyme, so forget it, no pattern then. It was nice for the first two stories. (Or Part two, Secret Alliances. At least Alliances rhymes with itself, lol.) YAY! I LOVE YA MAN! I was really trying to get that point across too, how they've bonded. I mean, Legolas just knew when Aragorn was being whipped. I mean, he didn't know what was happening, but he knew something was going on. And again in this chapter how Estel felt the pain when Leggy got branded. I'm so glad you noticed!
Das Blume: No, dude, I like the long reviews! There is no need to try and make them short, (though you never succeed when you try for that anyway, lol.) So much to reply to. Okay, if my Silm. memory serves me correctly, Valar is the group as a whole, all of them, Vala is just the women of the Valar. More specifically, he was praying to Nienna not to let Estel die. Though I suppose he should have actually been praying to Mandos for that. Or too, he could have been praying to Nienna to give comfort to Estel if he should die, because at the time, Leggy didn't know what was going on, just that Estel was in a lot a pain. However, I don't think "Valars" is any of them, sorry, lol. ::grins:: No, dude, I didn't mean read through all my reviews, I just meant my replies in that chapter. Sheesh. . . it means "Oh my Gorillas," since I tend to say "Holy Monkeys" a lot. LMAO also means Laugh My Apes Off. (Hey, college does this to you, what can I say?) I haven't thought of any others yet. I know! You were the 116th review! And the story's not even over yet! It makes me so happy! And there is just no pleasing you, is there? Don't worry, chapter ten has a lot of action. I promise. So does nine, but you may not think so. A lot starts to be revealed in the next couple of chapters. Elrohir: "Well, that and to get your best friend into all sorts of trouble and see just how many different poisons you can get him to try." Well, come on, SPEoD's is obvious. That's always the ending. But there are other close ones. . . alas, I have said too much. Ah, it's college. You bring a pad of paper and a pencil into the room and people look at you weird. Like, "What's that? Didn't I see that in the local museum?" As they type madly away at an instant message telling everyone else NOT in the room how weird you are. Hm, sorry. I'm done, lol. Looking forward to your next incredibly long review. (My replies are getting just as long, sheesh!)
Angel With No Wings: No kidding. Talk about a personal rain cloud. . . though they tend to share one, lol.
F h c: I saw someone with a license plate that was just f h c. I was like, hey, cool! Anyway, yes, I like torture. Uhm, especially to Legolas. But I thought, to be fair, Aragorn should get some owies too. Haha, they would be perfect poster children for Band-Aid. "I am stuck on Band-Aid brand. . ." Sorry, lol. I can just see the two of them with bandaids all over themselves singing the song. (It's late, what can I say?)
Wildfire2: Hey! Hi! (I'm not usually like this, I'm just really energetic tonight.) Thanks for the review! (Interesting name, too. Do you live in California? Sorry, sorry, just kidding. . . that was a really bad joke.)
SPEoD: I think that's the shortest review you've given me, lol. Oh, two "poor"'s each! This is nice! I don't archive my stories on Cassia's site, though I suppose I should. Lol, I'm just too lazy to send it in. Plus, it's easier to get people to feedback on here. We will see Thranduil again. Merithol wants nothing with Leggy and Aragorn. ::Gasp:: Did the author just give away a piece of plot? ? ? ? Haha, how mysterious was that answer, though? Just brings up more questions, doesn't it?
Lulu Bell: Haha, yeah, that line reminded me of Gimli in TTT, "Don't tell the elf." I liked it too, lol, thanks. I know, is it even possible for Leggy not to be all defiant and do something stupid? Hm, well, I bet you didn't guess that this would happen to Leggy, huh? I'm evil. Lol, you should have asked for an extra medium pizza, and diet water. That's always fun to see what the waiters do. Yeah, you could say that Leggy got in trouble. Just a bit. My Halloween was good. I went to my friend's church because they put on a Harvest Fest for the kids, it was really fun helping out with. Little kids are so cute! How was yours? Das Blume meant that you wrote really long reviews. Yours are always 3k in my inbox, as are Das Blume's, but she sent me a 4k one, and I said she wrote long ones and she said you were trying to beat her. . . did that make sense? I confused myself so I may have confused you too, lol. Thanks for the great review!
Deana: Hahaha, or something that would drive everyone insane, like, "It's a Small World." Or "I am stuck on band-aid brand. . ." Lol.
Hellmarie: I'm sorry it's upsetting. They'll all be fine and happy and normal in the end, I promise. (Well, as normal as those two can be.)
Nenya: I'm not sure what Nienna means, but she was the Vala that went off to live alone in her sadness at what happened to the earth. (I think, someone's gonna yell at me if I got that wrong.) She visits the Halls of Mandos a lot to bring comfort to those there. She turns sadness to comfort. Kind of depressing, but she's my favorite of the Vala. (So I guess I should know more about her, huh?) See, no drug overdose. Hey, thanks! That's cool. So what, his name is like, True Grey Leaf? Lol. . . I do know all of my other OC elves' names, I swear it! I picked their names because of their meaning, actually. Thanks for that tidbit!
Nikki: Lol, that's my opinion too, there's no such thing as too much Leggy!
Sky: I'm glad it makes more sense because I went and skipped another week on ya here. . . sorry!
Leggylover03: Lol, quite defiant, yes. And there goes Legolas, he never learns when to keep his mouth shut, lol. Hm, and did you notice the elvin pride you mentioned in this chapter? And see, they now have help! (Well, not escaping help, but lifesaving help. That's important too!)
LegolasLover2003: That's weird, having your names right next to each other, lol. (If I sound like an idiot, please forgive me. I am so tired, it's not even funny.) Hey, I'm not complaining. Unique is quite a compliment, thank you! The elf can touch others, though he wasn't in much of a state to. Good question.
Lomiothiel: Yay! My tenth poor Aragorn. Leggy's already up in the forties. I guess that means I need to write my Aragorn torture! Lol, happy incredibly belated Halloween to you too! Thanks for the review!
Fire Eagle: Piles of homework. . . dear Lord, what I wouldn't give for piles. I'm working on mountains right now, lol. Extreme dismay. . . are you sure you're only sixth grade? That's so hard to believe. No, no, no. The SLAVES aren't allowed to touch Leggy. . . meaning they aren't allowed to HELP him. . . meaning major angst. . . lol. And hey, you were right one with the dreams/hallucinations. Kudos! And yes, I loved the length of the review! Sorry it took me so long to update!
Dimostiel: Grr, you and your sarcasm, lol. Haha, Bob. Gotta love Bob. How was the cliffhanger here? There are better ones to come, I promise!
And to those who reviewed to my author's note which faked a chapter 8:
Lulu Bell: Yeah, I pulled an all nighter. I finished it at 2:30 in the morning, and got three hours of sleep. One of my good friends ended up doing the same, but she only got an hour of sleep. I am a procrastinator, but I really wanted to get this one done early. I just honestly didn't have the time. Between school, life, and family emergencies, I haven't even had time to blink, lol! You and your battle scars. Jeez. Yeah, I have a few more, too, but I forget where I got them from. So if you're only in tryouts, good luck!
SPEoD: Here you are, an actual chapter! Lol, sorry for the false alarm.
Bec: I wondered if you had just stopped reading altogether. I'm glad you're still alive too! It seems like you missed more than one chapter, but my updates are so far apart now that I lose track of time, lol. Four more weeks until what? I need our Thanksgiving break soon. I need time to recoup.
Lizzie: Took me until 2:30 AM, but I did it! Lol, thanks!
Solange: Aw, thank you so much! That really meant a lot. Thanks for reviewing!
Das Blume: Here, an update! Lol. I'm so glad I have no siblings.