A CONSPIRACY UNMASKED
By : mirkwood-elf-2931

CHAPTER 7

"Well, well, well...our little soldiers have finally decided to join us."

All three had been rendered unconscious and had just awoken not five minutes exactly, before the two entered their 'cell'.

Even though Nylaro and Evanyne were new to the palace, all three of them had seen these two around before and knew both were servants. The taller one was Wingdun and the other was called Rembaryn, and neither of them could have been much older than Landailyn or Legolas, if they were even older at all. It was hard to tell.

"Why are you doing this, Wingdun?" The captain demanded an answer from him calmly, but forcefully, assuming he was the 'leader' of this conspiracy, which in fact he actually was. Landailyn handled the situation, while the other slightly frightened Elves sat near her, staying utterly still and saying nothing. She had dealt with the betrayal of her kind before, but never quite like this.

In turn, Wingdun was surprised to hear that she actually knew his name. "Why do you think?!" He retorted with rising anger. "We're fed up with taking orders! Especially from Thranduil! The tables must be turned! We wish to be the ones to give them, to rule this realm! And the people will obey us...or else."

"You speak as though you are treated as slaves when you are not, and then you wish to do the same to others?! You will never get away with it. I do not even see how you think it will be possible."

"Oh? It will be." Said the 'former' servant assuredly. "And just who is going to stop us anyway? Apparently not you, and so far...you're the only ones who know." A huge smirk spread over him, as he could tell he was getting to her.

Landailyn broke eye contact with him, looking sadly away, feeling ashamed. She wished in heavy heartache she could have warned the two lords, but she had gotten herself captured before she'd ever had a chance. And now they had no idea what was coming and it was all her fault.

"We've been plotting this some time now and with any luck we were hoping Legolas was taken care of for us while you were all out playing 'Orc Hunt', but it was most unfortunate that any of you returned relatively unscathed. We're simply sick of our services, especially to a spoiled king and prince who don't appreciate them."

Landailyn glared up at him. "They do. More than you know."

"Really? You only defend them because look at the position you sit in! You are literally next in rank with the prince! And that shows you what kind of rulers they are, Thranduil letting his son pick a female for the duty of our army's leader! As far as I know it has never been done! And it shouldn't have been, with all the men you've lost us over two years. Why even for personal matters, like saving your new little friend."

She shook her head and sighed in full resignation. Males and their pride, she thought. Must they always be at competition with everyone and everything? "Don't you dare speak of what you do not know or understand." She warned at the highly sensitive subject. Along with so many of her soldiers, her friend too was dead. The mention of the Noldor Elf brought back pleasant and not so pleasant memories for her, and she could feel her breath increasing, and wetness welling in her fire filled eyes.

"Or you'll what?" He snorted a small laugh. It was funny to him how irritated he could make her with such simple threats. "Kill me? But I'm only a mere servant, for then you'd be charged with murder. Rem here would be a witness to that."

"That's right," His partner leaned his shoulder against the doorway, speaking up for the first time to their captures. "So let's see you try it. Oh wait, you can't, you're all tied up!"

The two laughed together, while Landailyn only stared up at them with a scowl. "Not if I kill him afterward." She directed her response to Wingdun.

"Oh, I wouldn't let that happen in a...millennia." Replied Rembaryn, still snickering.

"And any Elf should know that a thousand years is not so long." She smiled knowingly. Now she was enjoying their irritation.

Rembaryn narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, but Wingdun put an arm across his chest. "Can I kill her yet?" He asked darkly, no longer caring to have her for himself, now that she'd risen his level of anger.

"Not yet. I want her to see that this will work and we will rise to power."

~*~*~~*~~*~*~

"Father, have you seen Landailyn?" Legolas entered silently into the king's study.

Thranduil looked up from his reading, to see his only child standing in front of his desk. "I never saw her come in this morning, as I usually do."

Legolas' brows furrowed. "I've been all over and I believe I asked literally everyone if they had seen her. No one has...I couldn't find her."

The High-Elf nodded and considered the problem. "Well, don't get too worried yet; perhaps something came up at home and she was just unable to make it today."

His son agreed. "I'm going out to her house then, to see what's keeping her."

Legolas walked through the trees in a 'no hurry' kind of pace, thinking of reasons why Landailyn might not have shown up. It was the first time since taking the responsibility for the job almost two years ago, that she hadn't. But the matter was not really worrying him now, it was casual for some of the soldiers themselves not to show up at times. Everyone had things to do, whether it was with their family or other business and most of the time could not be helped.

Looking up from the ground, he found that he had reached her house and knocked lightly upon the beautifully carved, wooden front door.

"Prince Legolas," Her mother, Andolan had been the one to answer, surprised to see him there. "Well, come in! Is there something I can do for you?" She asked sweetly, peering slightly around him, as if looking for something, or someone. "Is Landailyn still at the palace?"

He smiled at her kindness and stepped inside. Then with a start, realized what her latter question had been. "You mean...Landailyn's not here?"

"No," The elder Elf shook her head, looking a little confused. "Ere we bedded down last night, she never came home. We only thought she had to stay late, as she has done many times ere this. You have not seen her?"

It was Legolas' turn to shake his head. Now worry was beginning to eat at him. "No, she...I did not see her leave last night, nor show up for duty today. No one else has either."

Suddenly, their sharp ears could hear hoof beats from outside. The sound rose and fell in volume, heading past the north side of the house, turning directly into the backyard.

Having the same idea, the two bolted for the back door, Andolan in the lead.

The woman burst from the rear of the house. "Landailyn?!" She called, hurrying toward the stables.

But it was not the young girl at all.

"What's wrong?" Mylthar emerged from the stall he had just put his horse in. "Oh, Prince Legolas..." But stopped the greeting abruptly, when he saw the looks on both their faces.

Andolan took a deep breath and closed her eyes, on the verge of tears. Never would Landailyn have gone anywhere without telling her parents or Legolas first. Something had happened to her child, she just knew it.

"My dear, what...?" He eyed his wife, not quite understanding.

"I should be heading back...getting a search party started." Announced the prince quietly. He did not want to alarm his friend's mother so, but didn't exactly have the choice of anything else helpful at the moment. Something needed to be done, as Landailyn was obviously missing.

"Search party? What is going on?"

"No one can find Landailyn!" Blurted Andolan. "She did not have late duty as we thought! Legolas came looking for her; he says he did not see her leave last night, and she did not show back up today at the palace!"

Mylthar's eyes grew. His wife came to embrace him and he pulled her close, staring straight at Legolas over her shoulder. "My...my daughter is missing? What do you think...?"

Legolas had no answer to this, but he certainly intended to find it out. He fully intended to find Landailyn himself. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew." He replied to the unfinished question.

Before taking leave, the prince noted that Athron was not in his stall; the reason for Andolan's suspicion that Mylthar might have been Landailyn on horseback. He would then need to check the stables at his home. "I apologize for this news. I hope the next time I return I will bring Landailyn...or at least better news."

~*~*~~*~~*~*~

"Prince Legolas!" Another male voice greeted him, while he was closing the main doors of the palace upon his return.

"Yes, Echorren?" He answered distractedly, but to the part of him that was paying attention, the shorter, darker haired Elf seemed afraid of something, so he tried to turn at least most of his concentration on him.

"I must tell you this, since I cannot find Captain Windsong. My two friends, Nylaro and Evanyne...they did not show up today. I went to both their houses, they're parents had not seen them since yesterday!" His words came quickly in a slight panic.

Legolas was taken aback by this revelation. "Captain Windsong did not show up either and I too just came from her house. She did not go home last night."

"They're all three missing?! What do we do?!"

"Slow down. We can't jump to conclusions. Now, do your friends ride their horses here?"

"Yes," Echorren nodded and explained. "The four of us, myself, Alathyn, Nylaro and Evanyne meet at each other houses every morning and ride here together."

"Have you asked Alathyn since this morning if she has seen them yet?"

"Aye, my lord, I've been with her all day."

Legolas thought a moment. He needed to check if Athron was in one of the stables and now that there were two more Elves missing, he would need this one to identify their steeds for him. "Come with me."

TBC ...

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mirkwood-elf-2931 :
Good, I'm glad you all think Alathyn is creepy! LOL I wanted her to be the mysterious one. And I'm also glad everyone likes Evanyne! And to conclude your wonderings, MC, as I don't believe I ever really describe her appearance anywhere, Evanyne is blonde like most of the Mirkwood Elves and so is Alathyn, Nylaro and Echorren. I know we don't know if all of them were suppose to be blonde anyway, cuz' Tolkien never even told if Legolas was, that was just in the movies...but that's how I see them in my story, as being most all of them light blonde like Legolas, or maybe golden blonde like Galadriel. *sigh* I personally just can't wait for The Hobbit movie to come out...if Peter Jackson decides to make it that is! Cuz' we'll get to see how Mirkwood and Thranduil and everything is portrayed!
Also, thank you everyone that said Tony was a jerk! It makes me feel better! :) And Kate you might just get your wish...hehe...this friend of Beth and Stephen is suppose to kick Tony's ass sometime...the guy has a few other reasons, but now that Tony broke up with me...that just adds to it. LOL And I really wish I could say I was going to Prom after all...but I've found out that Beth can't find a ticket for me. And it was gonna be so cool too! The theme was 'See You at the Oscars'! Where you have to get out of a limo and walk the red carpet, while people are taking pictures on the sides, just like at the real thing. :*( But Beth said we could do something else together in place of it, like taking Stephen's new Neon out and shopping all day! hehe