FYI: This is NOT a Mary-Sue- despite the fact that it REALLY might seem like one, it's NOT. I can finally say that now that I actually know what a Mary-Sue consists of! (YEAH!) Although I don't exactly know what AU is. . . so uh. . . this might be AU . . . **shrug** Do I really care? (No, not really.) Do you really care? (Well how would I know, I'm not you!)

My life sucks . . . but before I tell you why you have to understand something, I obsess over LOTR. OK . . . got that? Good, now maybe you won't think I'm QUITE so strange when I tell you why my life sucks. (Or you might not think that I'm strange at all but whatever) I am going to be out of town on Aug. 26. That should be enough to tell you why my life sucks if you are a real LOTR fan AT ALL! **goes and sulks for the next hour but then remembers that I need to update so I come back to write the rest of the chapter** humph. . .crappy trip that I don't even wanna go on in the LEAST! **glowers evilly**

Yes, I know it's not correct to capitalize all the letters of a word, but you saw how messed up chapter 6 was, so I can't use HTML documents (crappy computer . . .grrrr). Which means no italics . . .**sigh** I like italics . . . and they help with writing too . . .which is why I need them . . . and plus, they're just plain fun! WhEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEe! Italics, italics, italics, italics, ital- oh wait . . .you won't see those will you. . .oh well. . .I'll just leave it there to give us both yet another reason to question my sanity!

Ya know what I just noticed? My fic has SOOO many plot-holes . . .

Also, this chapter has a SLIGHT (emphasis on the SLIGHT) thing that COULD technically be a PG-13 rated scene. But it's not THAT explicit, and it really just depends on your own interpretation. So . . . yeah . . . just in case . . . you have been warned . . . (you people will probably think I'm nuts or something but hey, I am!)

Disclaimer: C'mon people! Have some common sense: if I owned LOTR, my life wouldn't suck (which it does) so why would I have said it did?

{. . .} : translation

= . . . =: song

(* . . . *): me

(. . .) : not me

[. . .] : Elvish (I think you get why by now. . .)

ALL CAP. WORDS : italics (/emphasis)

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Chapter 7: Only the Beginning

Rinathen woke with a start. She was curled up on the balcony outside Aragorn's study. Rinathen buried her head in her hands and cried. She tried to wipe her tears away, but they would not relent; the tears blinded her.

She had dreamt of being back in her cell fifteen years ago. Legolas had been chained to the wall- just barely alive. At fist she didn't believe it was he, she just thought it was another of his brother's the orcs had caught to kill and torture her more. But then she had seen the look he gave her; it was the same look that she remembered Legolas giving her so many times as he told her how much he loved her. It WAS Legolas. She had begun to run towards him but then Erurbag had caught her by the arm. Globukh appeared beside Legolas, holding a long knife. She had opened her mouth to scream as the knife cut down towards Legolas to finish him off when she had been awoken by something hard hitting her in the back (*the doors to the balcony being opened*). Warm, comforting arms wrapped around her, "It's okay Ri, it's going to be okay."

She turned and snuggled into the person's shoulder. She whispered through her tears, "Legolas? Leggy, you escaped- you came back for me."

"I never left you Ri, I have always been here."

"No Leggy, the orcs came and took me from you, then I came back and they took you."

"Orcs have never taken you from me, and orcs have never taken me from you, my dear Ri."

"Yes they did, Leggy. I've missed you so much." The person pulled back slowly and softly placed their lips on hers. Rinathen happily accepted the kiss and began to kiss him back. But there was something strange about Legolas, he felt different to her. She ignored it- it WAS Legolas, it HAD to be. Her hands crept up around his neck and her fingers wound their way through his hair. Her hand brushed his round ear and her eyes shot open. She stopped crying immediately in pure fury. She shoved the Man away in disgust and stood up. "You," she hissed, her voice dripping with hatred and warning, "How DARE you even-"

Owacyn also stood (*Owacyn was one of the few in Kianorla that knew her first name*). "My dear Ri -"

"Do not call me by that name ever, ever again," her voice held a deadly malice. If looks could kill, Owacyn would have been LONG dead.

"Of course my dear-" her glare intensified, and in the pale light of the early sunrise she looked almost pure evil with the hated etched in her features.

"I am the Queen of your country. No more, no less. I am not 'your dear.' "

"My-" her glare intensified even more, "Your Majesty, may I inquire why you deny me my love for you, and why I am not permitted to call you 'Ri' in at least friendship?"

"Your love is not true love. I know true love, and what you offer me is not it. Only one calls me 'Ri', and it is to only that one that I give my heart."

"Then, your Majesty, who is it that you love?"

She met his eyes full on, her glare violent and unwavering. Why do I have to have such a stupid advisor? Did not he hear me whispering Legolas' name? she thought. "My love is given to Prince Legolas of Mirkwood- none other- and I am given his in return."

"Did he not abandon you to the orcs? Why give your love to one that leaves you to pain and torment, while another offers his love to you and could bring you true happiness and protection?"

Rinathen thought it had been hard not to attack Aragorn the past night, but she found that it was EXTREAMLY difficult to not kill Owacyn that very instant. She fought her inner battle for several moments, rage showed on her face as her brain won over her heart to not kill him. "Legolas NEVER abandoned me," she hissed venomously.

Owacyn began to open his mouth to say something as she shoved past him to the door but she quickly turned on her heel and gave him her worst glare yet. "Do not repeat this incident to anyone, and if anything even remotely close to this ever happens between us again, I WILL kill you," she hissed and stalked inside. She stalked through the halls of the palace for some time. Those that passed her quickly stepped out of her way as they saw the wild hatred etched into her features.

After stalking around the halls for a few minutes more, she was able to regain composure. Her face was expressionless as she wandered the halls. She was still seething inwardly, but she had to live with the fact that Owacyn "loved" her. She laughed cold-heartedly aloud. Owacyn, love her? No, he loved himself. He wanted Kianorla, and saw that a marriage to her would be an easy way to gain the throne. He figured that the lies about loving her would work quickly: she was alone and defenseless- yearning for love. He had found however, that she was tougher to figure than he had bargained for. She reached her rooms, her face grim and ridged. She entered and sat down on one of the comfortable chairs near the hearth.

Memories she had long suppressed rushed to the front of her mind. Scenes of Legolas teaching her to shoot an arrow, of him laughing, of him looking up at the stars as they took the long way through the gardens- all memories from their early friendship. Then memories as their relationship grew: the time Legolas first showed her his secret waterfall, how he always would surprise her with something new about him or the forest, how he would always show up at her door on the days she was feeling down. Finally memories that she both cherished and despised surfaced. There was the memory of their first kiss, the long days they would spend together at Legolas' waterfall- that had become theirs, not just his- the many times they would simply sit and stare into each others eyes, wanting to say something but not wanting to break the wonderful silence around them, how soft his lips were against hers and how wonderful his skin felt against hers, how beautiful Legolas looked in the moonlight, how beautiful he looked during the sunrise, how beautiful he looked at high noon; they all played out in her mind. The final memory that played through her mind was the pleading look for her to go inside in Legolas' eyes as he reluctantly pulled away from the good-bye kiss- their last kiss- before leaving her at the main entrance into the halls of Mirkwood, where she was supposed to stay as he left to fight the orcs that attacked on June 27.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Legolas shuddered, which surprised him. He normally would not have shown such emotion in the face of an enemy. But then again he also NORMALLY would have not been in the captivity of orcs. He surveyed Erurbag carefully. The weapons were dirty with dried blood, and the steel of the knife looked newly sharpened.

Erurbag stepped towards Arwen and motioned for Hodush and some other orcs to take Legolas away. He was led down a long, dark corridor and harshly thrown into a dank cell. There was somehow something familiar about the cell to Legolas. Hodush watched the elven prince for a few moments. "Yew know whose cell this used to be?" Legolas felt his stomach turn, he had a guess that he did know who the large, dried up splotches of blood on the ground belonged to. Hodush laughed at Legolas as he looked forlornly at the floor, "Yes, it was yer Rinathen that was held in here." He rubbed the stone wall fondly, "Good times, good times. We had 'er screamin fer help we did. Tortured 'er; we had lots of fun, got ter know yer name pretty well as she called out ter yew fer help. Once a few troops even were able to capture 'nother elf- looked a lot like yew- up in yer beloved forest. Told 'er it WAS yew. Made 'er watch us kill 'im 'n' everythin. She didn't believe us though, said she knew it wasn't yew. But watchin yer brother die was harsh on 'er all the same."

Legolas drew a sharp breath. His brother, Nefmacilion, had disappeared six months after Rinathen had first been taken. Another month later, Nefmacilion appeared tied to a tree, dead. It had obviously been the work of orcs, but his father, Thranduil, had never allowed him to read the note attached to his eldest and closest brother. Now that he thought about it, he and Nefmacilion had looked VERY similar, in fact they were almost identical. He clenched his hands as he realized that that was the only reason his brother had been killed. It was simple: the orcs had captured him and brought him here to torture Rinathen even more by making her think she was watching her love be killed- or at least watching her love's brother be killed. Legolas gritted his teeth against the urge to say something in response to the orcs evil laugh that now resounded through the room that would more likely just get him into more trouble than help his situation.

Hodush nodded towards him and the other orcs unbound him. Legolas was shoved to the back wall. There were chains on the wall, which were efficiently clasped over his wrists. The orcs left, but Hodush lingered. He stepped close to Legolas, his foul breath repulsed the elf but he stared the orc straight in the eyes. Hodush chuckled, "Yeah, she did that tew, before we got through with 'er that is." The orc walked cockily through the door and slammed it behind him, leaving Legolas in the dark with his thoughts and misery. He thought he heard some cries coming from the main chamber, but he choose not to think about what was happening to Arwen.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Erurbag dropped the unconscious body of Arwen carelessly in her cell. Blood was flowing from her several wounds that he had delivered to her with the knife. She had cried out in pain loudly as Erurbag had inflicted many blows with the club to her. A large circle had formed, gleefully watching their captain torture the elven prisoner. They had protested loudly when he finally stopped and then denied them to follow him as he made his way to dispose of her in her new home and to begin torturing Legolas.

Arwen cautiously opened one eye to make sure she was alone. Erurbag had only assumed she was unconscious, as Arwen wished she had been; it would have saved her from having to feel every blow, every sharp jab of the knife and hear every jeer from the crowd. She sighed, and a great pain shot through her chest. She gently raised a bloody hand to her side and winced, one of her ribs was broken, maybe two. She groaned and screwed up her eyes as she lay in pain. She knew that this was only the beginning.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Legolas' head shot up at the sound of the door opening. It was Erurbag, smiling slyly. He was wiping fresh blood from his knife. He did not have his club Legolas noticed, but he did not ponder on it long. The orc pulled out a whip from his belt. Erurbag's eyes met Legolas' and they held. They're staring contest lasted some time finally though, Legolas broke the silence, "You blinked."

Erurbag chuckled (*Have ya noticed how much my orcs laugh? Hum **shrug** *) and stepped closer to Legolas. He lashed the whip against the stone floor at Legolas' feet. Legolas arched an eyebrow, "That's it?"

"No little elf, no. It is but barely the beginning. But first tell me, how much do yew know about yer little queen?" Legolas was slightly confused, 'his' little queen? But Erurbag apparently hadn't thought Legolas would have been able to answer the question. "Yer Rinathen elf. She's the queen of Kianorla- the only eastern not to completely fall to Lord Sauron's power." Legolas said nothing; he both hoped and feared that the orc would continue. "I've gotten word from my spies of where she is. She's safe, no one there'll be hurtin 'er."

Legolas' eyes narrowed. He didn't like where the orc was going with this, but he felt- by their 'connection' that Rinathen actually was safe, at least from physical pain. Much different from me, he thought as Erurbag lashed the whip across his neck and face.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Rinathen needed some fresh air. She opened the window and looked at the sky. She gasped; the sky was red. "[Legolas! Valar, do not let him be dead . . . let me be with him just once more . . .]"

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

"Legolas!" his father said happily.

"Good morning adar {father}." Prince Legolas said groggily. He was tired, he had not slept at all recently, but that was not why he was annoyed with anyone that talked to him lately. It was that he missed Ri too much. After he had finally first recovered from her disappearance- although he had always felt the scar left from her missing from his life- he had thrown himself into becoming a warrior, especially working on his archery skills, which at the time had been lacking and then he became one of the Nine Walkers. But now . . .now there was nothing to distract him from the fact that Rinathen was gone.

"Good morning son. How are you? Feeling good today?"

Legolas sighed. He hated that question: 'Feeling good today?' He almost hated it as much as he hated the question 'How are you?'. The healers were constantly asking him that now days- he knew his father had warned them to watch him for signs of being suicidal- when they came to attempt to coax him to eat something and his family was no better. Can't they all just get it through their heads? Can't they tell that no, I'm not feeling good and in fact I feel as if there's no reason for my life anymore, because the only person that ever really understood me is gone? I wish I could die- that doesn't sound like I'm all that good to me!- but there's no way that I can die and live with myself knowing that I never saw Ri again. . . he thought,

King Thranduil sighed at the scowl that had appeared on his son's face. It was a look that appeared all too often, but he had to admit, it was better than the deathly silence, accompanied with the lifeless stares and listlessness for life in general.

Legolas noticed his scowl and his face automatically fell into its regular expression of underlying grief. But gradually a hint of a scowl returned as father and son sat in silence.

"I was hoping that tonight you would be up to joining the rest of the family and I for dinner. There are some. . .friends of your mother's and mine that-"

The bare shadow of a scowl on Legolas' face turned into a full-fledged glare at his father. Why does he always have to do this to me? Legolas wondered. "No."

"But Legolas, their daughter is the perfect age for-"

"No father," Legolas said icily, "I won't go just so that you and naneth {mother} can go on and try to convince me that whatever lord's daughter your trying to get me to fall in love with this time really is important, or special, or good for me or whatever new reason you've come up with for whoever she is today." He cut of his father, as he was about to open his mouth to defend himself, "NO!"

King Thranduil pulled up one of the chairs in the room and sat down. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and put his head in his hands. Legolas was still glaring at him; he could feel his son's eyes boring into him. Finally he looked up at his son; Thranduil missed the Legolas that had loved life. "Why my son, why must you refuse to marry? Your mother and I want you to take the throne, you are strong and know how to rule Mirkwood, won't you please marry? For me; for naneth?"

Legolas' glare turned into a look of pure hatred and disbelief. "Adar, I will not give up on her. I WILL find her."

Now it was Thranduil that was angry. He was fed up with his son. "Legolas! It is a fool's dream! Rinathen is dead- you will not see her again. Give up looking and mar-"

Although his body still screamed for rest, Legolas stood. He would not listen to his father anymore. Before leaving though, he turned and faced his father with a glare full of malice; "Do you know why I refuse to attend any of these 'meetings' you and mother plan? Why I refuse to even consider loving anyone else, let alone marriage?"

In shock of how much hatred could be seen in his son's face, King Thranduil was silent.

"I love her, and there is no way you can stop that- EVER. That is why, I do not do it out of spite for you or naneth. I love her . . . I love her too much." With that, Legolas leapt out of his window and ran towards the forest. He ran for what seemed like miles. Finally, when he was deep in the forest, he slowed down to a walk and thought. He was glad that Gimli wasn't there, his friend wouldn't have been able to relate. (Although little did the elven prince know, Gimli could relate very well.)

Legolas' feet took him to a small stream that flowed through the forest of Mirkwood. He followed it on a path that had been fairly well trodden until partially recent events caused Legolas great pain to return to the small pound and waterfall closed off from the rest of the world by old, gnarled oaks. He stood under one particular tree near the water. He looked up at the blue sky; it was a change from the last time he had stood in that spot. The sky had been deep blue in the darkening twilight and the full moon and stars shone brightly in the clear sky, but he hadn't been staring at the sky. Instead he had been watching the stars reflected in the beautiful eyes of his love, as she accepted his marriage proposal.

Legolas' mind wandered to that time; it seemed so real. She said yes quietly, her eyes staring deep into his soul, seeing the passion, lust and love burned thorough his veins that very moment. He raised his hand to her cheek and pulled her closer to him, which didn't make much difference, taking into consideration how close they already. He felt her breath on his neck as she leaned into him, snuggling into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. He gently leaned away from her slightly and lifted her chin. She lifted her eyes to meet his; infinite love shown through them, but there was also fear. Legolas smiled at her, and saw the fear disappear as he leaned into kiss her. Their kiss was long, wild and passionate. When she finally had to pull away for air, Legolas opened his eyes to look at her radiant beauty. When he did, he saw two yellow eyes. Eyes full of evil and malice. Legolas fought from the orc, but found that his arms and legs were bound. Laughter of pure evil escaped the orc's sneering lips.

"What have you done with her!?" Legolas yelled, "Where is she?!"

The orc did not answer, but instead pulled out a knife and brought it to Legolas' cheek. A shooting pain cut through him and the knife drew blood. Legolas' cried out in pain and fell to the ground as the orc slapped him harshly with the back of is hand. Legolas lay on the ground motionless. Once the orc was satisfied that Legolas was in pain, he left the elven prince to lay there, helpless. However, the physical pain he felt did not stop him from calling out to Rinathen in anguish. "Ri! Rinathen- Rinathen!" he yelled out into the empty forest. No one came to help him. No one - at least no one that could hear him calling - cared.

"Rinathen!" Legolas woke himself up suddenly. Legolas was sweating profusely. He felt odd, he felt something that he faintly remembered feeling in the past, especially recently, but never this much. His whole body seemed to tingle with an odd charge. There was a wrongness about the tingling sensation that shot through him- he couldn't have explain it even if he had tried. But he felt oddly aware of everything around him, as if his senses had somehow been hyped up; he could see every speck of his blood on the floor, every fleck of dust on the empty torch bracket. There was no doubt in his mind that the agonizing prickle had been what had woken him up.

Legolas lay on the dirty floor of his cell; he could hear the guards outside the thick oak door yelling at him to shut-up. It had only been a dream (*and a flashback- the whole thing with Thranduil was just before the first chapter*)- despite whatever had caused the lingering tingles. The yelling of the orcs outside lasted a few more moments until they were finally satisfied that he would be quiet again.

As his heartbeat slowed to normal, he lowered his voice to a whisper, "[Ri . . .Ri where are you?]," he asked the deafening silence that now enveloped him. The beating from Erurbag had defiantly taken its toll on Legolas. He looked at himself, he was bloody and weak- the pitiful shell of a strong warrior and prince of Mirkwood. Everything but his leggings had been taken from him. His chest and back were raw from the whiplashes. Blood was flowing from several deep cuts from the multiple knives the orc had used on him. The worst wound was the one that began just above his right eye and continued down his face to his chin. Legolas knew he was extremely lucky that it was a shallow cut. His body screamed in agony as he twisted, trying to find a more comfortable position on the thin layer of straw below him without putting too much pressure on his newly broken arm. He lay in silence for a few moments, and turned again. He finally gave up and sat up painfully, even though he knew it was a stupid thing to do. The room spun around him.

Legolas swayed slightly, but he gained balance and glanced up to see the stone ceiling and stone walls towering over him, cold and cruel. The room began to spin again. His golden hair hung limp at his shoulders, in places matted with blood and tear-mingled sweat. "[Ri . . .Rinathen, please- Ri . . .]" he whispered to the darkness that engulfed him. He did not know how long he had been kept in the cell. It was doubtless the guards outside his prison, as well as any that passed, thought he was going insane- with how he called out to Rinathen, powerless to do anything else. In fact he questioned his sanity as well, as he hung onto life barely, knowing that Erurbag had only reminded him about Rinathen just to see how crazy that would drive him.

How Erurbag knew where Rinathen was, did indeed almost drive him over the edge of sanity- almost. It actually was a help to know that Erurbag could not hurt her and that Rinathen was safe. But where was another question altogether. Legolas actually questioned how safe 'safe' really was, as the orc that had brought him a piece of moldy bread and a vile drink which Legolas 'accidentally' spilt, smelling the foul scented poison in it, said that Arwen was 'safe' when Legolas had asked. But his thoughts quickly returned to Rinathen and the pain of not knowing where or how she was. "[Oh Elbereth, please spare us. Let me see her once more . . .]" and with that he passed out, falling backwards onto the cold stone floor.

~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~ ^ ~

Eh . . . one day late . . . no ones perfect . . .and the stupid Internet not working correctly doesn't help me at all . . .

Gosh, only two reviews about the last update? I thought more people would want to yell at me for pointing out that I could kill Legolas.FYI: I most likely won't kill Leggy, or maybe I will . . . or maybe not . . . although I could no problem . . . the point of saying all this? To tell you that I'm not making ANY promises. Mauhahahahahahaha. 0 ; ~)

Personal Review Thing-A-Ma-Bobber:

Cutie: You should know that I'm evil by now, but I never tire reminding you of that fact. Thanks for reviewing!

Misao Shinomori: Thanks! I'm glad to hear that you like the fic. Eh, I haven't decided if Ri will fight or not . . . I'll keep it in mind though. Hehe, Legolas is hot isn't he . . .but as I said: I'm not making ANY promises! ^.^

**gives cookies to reviewers even though there's only two . . .hint hint** Be a kind person, review!