Manlin walked in front of the four elves, looking at each of them.
"Shentree," he suddenly said.
"Yes, sir?" she asked, stepping forward.
"Go find Narcissis. She's overdue with the prince and I want him here as well. I want him here to witness his father suffering," he told her. "He's also becoming late with his appointment."
"Yes, I will go find her," she said, bowing her head before leaving the room.
Manlin looked at Banside and Sathed.
"As for you two, I require your help with something that I desire," he said with an evil smile.
The two nodded, waiting for him to give the order.
"Bring Thranduil forward," Manlin ordered the other two.
The two gargoyles obeyed, forcing Thranduil to his feet and back down on his knees before Manlin.
"You see, even though Legolas is not here, I still want to have some fun with you," he quietly told the royal elf. "What's the sense to have you here is I can't have any fun?"
Thranduil became more nervous at that moment as he watched the elf, who walked over to the chair sitting in the middle of the room. He grabbed something from the side of it and the four elves gasped once they saw what it was.
It was a metal rod whose end was red hot. Thranduil became tense at the sight, knowing what was going to happen.
"You know, this isn't going to hurt me at all. Actually, I've been waiting to do this for some time now," Manlin told him.
He laid the end of it against Thranduil's body, across his shoulders. Thranduil tried not to cry out in pain but he soon had to because it soared through him while Elrond, Arwen and Chimone looked on, helpless to do anything.
'And this madman has managed to keep these feelings from showing all this time. I don't know how he did it,' Elrond thought to himself.
***
Legolas carefully watched Narcissis as they headed back to the palace. She had been forced to walk since she got off the horse. He could tell that she was slowing down because of her injury. Soon, she caught him staring at her. She gave a snicker as she looked at him.
"My dear prince, why do you stare at me?" she asked him as she glanced away.
Legolas turned away from her, slightly embarrassed by this statement.
"I want to know why you and the others are doing this," he replied.
She laughed again before she faced him again.
"You don't understand what it feels like to be different from others. I do. You've always been protected by your father in the safety of your kingdom," replied Narcissis as they came into the view of the palace.
The elves and man gasped as they looked upon the place as the sun rose over the horizon. The once beautiful building had been changed in the few hours they had been gone. It had been overrun with gargoyles. There were no elves around and those that were, were being led into the building. Probably to be imprisoned
"We have to right this. Who's doing this? Tell us now!" Elladan demanded of Narcissis, roughly grabbing her shoulders.
She couldn't help but wince in pain and cry out. She gritted her teeth as she stared into the elf's eyes.
"Go find out yourself. I'm not telling you anything," she snarled back at him through gritted teeth.
"You are in no position to make demands like this," the elf told her, obviously angry.
He shook her shoulders and she winced again. She looked at him with a smile on her face.
"No, I'm not but I don't think you would do anything to me," she replied.
"What makes you think we won't?" Elrohir had to wonder from behind his brother.
Aragorn nodded in agreement as she looked between them.
"It's because you need me alive to get into the palace and bargain with my leader, that's what makes me think so," Narcissis explained.
Elladan took his hands off her shoulders and turned back towards the palace.
"We'll deal with her when we get this other situation dealt with," he muttered to the others.
Aragorn began to lead the gargoyle towards the building. He was wondering how she knew so much.
***
Manlin looked at Thranduil lying on the ground, his back, arms, face and chest covered in burn marks.
"We don't have to do this Manlin. We can talk this out," Thranduil quietly told the elf.
"Talk this out? Talk this out?" Manlin repeated, disbelief in his voice. "Believe it or not Thranduil, I like to consider myself the same way as my friends here. I was oppressed for many years! I had nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait for you to come for my guidance. Do you realize how much I wanted to leave this position? And yes, I know I didn't wait for Legolas to be here but I believe he will be here soon enough to see you die."
Manlin turned away from Thranduil. Chimone, who was forced to watch just a few feet away, couldn't believe that this was happening.
'I just hope that this entire family does not die. First, it was Legolas' and Nanaylia's mother, then Nanaylia herself. I just hope that Legolas and Thranduil aren't taken by this evil,' she thought to herself.
At that moment, Manlin faced the group again and began to laugh. Elrond, Arwen and Chimone were all slightly worried with what was said.
"Now I want to have some more fun. First, some more torment with Thranduil. Then with the rest of you," he told the trio.
The three gasped and looked at each other. Their worries increased with this news.
***
The group looked over the gargoyles surrounding the palace.
"How would we ever get past them? There's a lot of them while there's only four of us," wondered Elrohir.
"I was thinking the same thing," agreed Aragorn.
"Simple. We use her. They won't hurt one of their own," Elladan said, pointing at the gargoyle they had with them.
He led her out to the others. They took notice of them and growled.
"You come any closer and she'll get it," Elladan told them, pulling out a dagger and positioning at Narcissis' neck.
She gulped as she looked her the other gargoyles.
"We do not want to hurt one of our own. That is our way," one said.
The four walked into the building, taking Narcissis with them. Once inside, she became angry.
"You did your job with me, what else do you want me for?" she wondered.
"That's none of your concern at the moment. We will decide what will happen with you when this is all over," Elladan replied.
Legolas walked inside, an arm on his shoulder. He felt dizzier than he had before and he leaned into the wall. He cried out in pain. Elrohir hurried over to him as did Aragorn.
"Legolas! What's wrong?" asked the elf.
"It's my shoulder. It still hurts. A lot," he replied, pain lacing his voice.
Legolas slid down the wall. He was gasping for air as Elrohir moved the clothing covering the wound. He stared at it and was surprised by the looks of it.
"This does not look good. If we make it out of this, this wound will have to be taken care of immediately. It almost seems as if has gotten worse," Elrohir said.
"What? Worse? How can that be?" wondered Aragorn. "It shouldn't have gotten worse."
Elladan looked down the hallway to see a painting on the wall. He knew it was a picture of Nanaylia. He took his mind off the situation just for a moment, to Legolas' sister. His eyes appeared to be distant, as if remembering the female elf that he once knew. He missed her a lot.
That was all Narcissis needed. She elbowed Elladan in the stomach hard and he doubled over, gasping for air. She kicked him in the shins, making him fall to one knee and hurried as fast as she could away. Aragorn began to go after her but Elladan grabbed his arm.
"Let her go. It's not like she'll be going anywhere fast and she doesn't know this place that well," Elladan told him as he caught his breath.
"Are you sure? She might find her way out of here," Aragorn wondered.
Elladan nodded as he managed to climb to his feet.
"I remember reading about gargoyles. Their sight's not as good during the day as it is during the night," he replied.
Aragorn looked at elf and sighed as he looked down the hall the gargoyle had gone.
"Are you alright?" he heard Elrohir ask Elladan.
He nodded before straightening up more fully. Elrohir looked over his brother.
"We have to go find our father. He needs to look at this wound immediately," Elrhoir said as Legolas gave a groan.
"You're not going anywhere," came an evil-sounding voice. "I'm surprised to see the four of you here. I'm not disappointed but I am happy."
The four looked to see Shentree standing down the hall. Legolas groaned, from both the pain in his shoulder and the presence of the gargoyle. He really didn't want to be around another gargoyle.
Shentree walked up to the group. She could tell that Aragorn and Elladan were being cautious and were a bit tense. Suddenly, she plunged into the group and managed to grab Legolas by his injured arm. The elf cried out in pain. She held his arm up, making sure the pain stayed.
"I was sent to look for Narcissis but I think he will be happy with the four of you Especially you, dear prince," she said, a smile crossing her face.
Legolas looked at her with startled and pained eyes. Shentree quietly laughed as she saw the pain.
"You will be hurt more than this prince. Much more," she quietly told him.
TBC...
"Shentree," he suddenly said.
"Yes, sir?" she asked, stepping forward.
"Go find Narcissis. She's overdue with the prince and I want him here as well. I want him here to witness his father suffering," he told her. "He's also becoming late with his appointment."
"Yes, I will go find her," she said, bowing her head before leaving the room.
Manlin looked at Banside and Sathed.
"As for you two, I require your help with something that I desire," he said with an evil smile.
The two nodded, waiting for him to give the order.
"Bring Thranduil forward," Manlin ordered the other two.
The two gargoyles obeyed, forcing Thranduil to his feet and back down on his knees before Manlin.
"You see, even though Legolas is not here, I still want to have some fun with you," he quietly told the royal elf. "What's the sense to have you here is I can't have any fun?"
Thranduil became more nervous at that moment as he watched the elf, who walked over to the chair sitting in the middle of the room. He grabbed something from the side of it and the four elves gasped once they saw what it was.
It was a metal rod whose end was red hot. Thranduil became tense at the sight, knowing what was going to happen.
"You know, this isn't going to hurt me at all. Actually, I've been waiting to do this for some time now," Manlin told him.
He laid the end of it against Thranduil's body, across his shoulders. Thranduil tried not to cry out in pain but he soon had to because it soared through him while Elrond, Arwen and Chimone looked on, helpless to do anything.
'And this madman has managed to keep these feelings from showing all this time. I don't know how he did it,' Elrond thought to himself.
***
Legolas carefully watched Narcissis as they headed back to the palace. She had been forced to walk since she got off the horse. He could tell that she was slowing down because of her injury. Soon, she caught him staring at her. She gave a snicker as she looked at him.
"My dear prince, why do you stare at me?" she asked him as she glanced away.
Legolas turned away from her, slightly embarrassed by this statement.
"I want to know why you and the others are doing this," he replied.
She laughed again before she faced him again.
"You don't understand what it feels like to be different from others. I do. You've always been protected by your father in the safety of your kingdom," replied Narcissis as they came into the view of the palace.
The elves and man gasped as they looked upon the place as the sun rose over the horizon. The once beautiful building had been changed in the few hours they had been gone. It had been overrun with gargoyles. There were no elves around and those that were, were being led into the building. Probably to be imprisoned
"We have to right this. Who's doing this? Tell us now!" Elladan demanded of Narcissis, roughly grabbing her shoulders.
She couldn't help but wince in pain and cry out. She gritted her teeth as she stared into the elf's eyes.
"Go find out yourself. I'm not telling you anything," she snarled back at him through gritted teeth.
"You are in no position to make demands like this," the elf told her, obviously angry.
He shook her shoulders and she winced again. She looked at him with a smile on her face.
"No, I'm not but I don't think you would do anything to me," she replied.
"What makes you think we won't?" Elrohir had to wonder from behind his brother.
Aragorn nodded in agreement as she looked between them.
"It's because you need me alive to get into the palace and bargain with my leader, that's what makes me think so," Narcissis explained.
Elladan took his hands off her shoulders and turned back towards the palace.
"We'll deal with her when we get this other situation dealt with," he muttered to the others.
Aragorn began to lead the gargoyle towards the building. He was wondering how she knew so much.
***
Manlin looked at Thranduil lying on the ground, his back, arms, face and chest covered in burn marks.
"We don't have to do this Manlin. We can talk this out," Thranduil quietly told the elf.
"Talk this out? Talk this out?" Manlin repeated, disbelief in his voice. "Believe it or not Thranduil, I like to consider myself the same way as my friends here. I was oppressed for many years! I had nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait for you to come for my guidance. Do you realize how much I wanted to leave this position? And yes, I know I didn't wait for Legolas to be here but I believe he will be here soon enough to see you die."
Manlin turned away from Thranduil. Chimone, who was forced to watch just a few feet away, couldn't believe that this was happening.
'I just hope that this entire family does not die. First, it was Legolas' and Nanaylia's mother, then Nanaylia herself. I just hope that Legolas and Thranduil aren't taken by this evil,' she thought to herself.
At that moment, Manlin faced the group again and began to laugh. Elrond, Arwen and Chimone were all slightly worried with what was said.
"Now I want to have some more fun. First, some more torment with Thranduil. Then with the rest of you," he told the trio.
The three gasped and looked at each other. Their worries increased with this news.
***
The group looked over the gargoyles surrounding the palace.
"How would we ever get past them? There's a lot of them while there's only four of us," wondered Elrohir.
"I was thinking the same thing," agreed Aragorn.
"Simple. We use her. They won't hurt one of their own," Elladan said, pointing at the gargoyle they had with them.
He led her out to the others. They took notice of them and growled.
"You come any closer and she'll get it," Elladan told them, pulling out a dagger and positioning at Narcissis' neck.
She gulped as she looked her the other gargoyles.
"We do not want to hurt one of our own. That is our way," one said.
The four walked into the building, taking Narcissis with them. Once inside, she became angry.
"You did your job with me, what else do you want me for?" she wondered.
"That's none of your concern at the moment. We will decide what will happen with you when this is all over," Elladan replied.
Legolas walked inside, an arm on his shoulder. He felt dizzier than he had before and he leaned into the wall. He cried out in pain. Elrohir hurried over to him as did Aragorn.
"Legolas! What's wrong?" asked the elf.
"It's my shoulder. It still hurts. A lot," he replied, pain lacing his voice.
Legolas slid down the wall. He was gasping for air as Elrohir moved the clothing covering the wound. He stared at it and was surprised by the looks of it.
"This does not look good. If we make it out of this, this wound will have to be taken care of immediately. It almost seems as if has gotten worse," Elrohir said.
"What? Worse? How can that be?" wondered Aragorn. "It shouldn't have gotten worse."
Elladan looked down the hallway to see a painting on the wall. He knew it was a picture of Nanaylia. He took his mind off the situation just for a moment, to Legolas' sister. His eyes appeared to be distant, as if remembering the female elf that he once knew. He missed her a lot.
That was all Narcissis needed. She elbowed Elladan in the stomach hard and he doubled over, gasping for air. She kicked him in the shins, making him fall to one knee and hurried as fast as she could away. Aragorn began to go after her but Elladan grabbed his arm.
"Let her go. It's not like she'll be going anywhere fast and she doesn't know this place that well," Elladan told him as he caught his breath.
"Are you sure? She might find her way out of here," Aragorn wondered.
Elladan nodded as he managed to climb to his feet.
"I remember reading about gargoyles. Their sight's not as good during the day as it is during the night," he replied.
Aragorn looked at elf and sighed as he looked down the hall the gargoyle had gone.
"Are you alright?" he heard Elrohir ask Elladan.
He nodded before straightening up more fully. Elrohir looked over his brother.
"We have to go find our father. He needs to look at this wound immediately," Elrhoir said as Legolas gave a groan.
"You're not going anywhere," came an evil-sounding voice. "I'm surprised to see the four of you here. I'm not disappointed but I am happy."
The four looked to see Shentree standing down the hall. Legolas groaned, from both the pain in his shoulder and the presence of the gargoyle. He really didn't want to be around another gargoyle.
Shentree walked up to the group. She could tell that Aragorn and Elladan were being cautious and were a bit tense. Suddenly, she plunged into the group and managed to grab Legolas by his injured arm. The elf cried out in pain. She held his arm up, making sure the pain stayed.
"I was sent to look for Narcissis but I think he will be happy with the four of you Especially you, dear prince," she said, a smile crossing her face.
Legolas looked at her with startled and pained eyes. Shentree quietly laughed as she saw the pain.
"You will be hurt more than this prince. Much more," she quietly told him.
TBC...