(A/N: I am sooooo sorry for the long delay. I was having computer problems.
But they're all fixed now. And to guarantee that you will not have to wait
long for another chapter, I have posted the rest of the story for you! And
to all of you who reviewed, thank you so much. I hope you enjoy the rest of
my fic.)
Beldor walked down a long hallway. Feldim, Legolas, and Neithas behind him. The walls that surrounded them were jagged stones. They reminded the elves of a tomb. Dark and depressing, where no life was to be found.
"Do you know where you are, elves?" asked Beldor. The silence let him know that neither Legolas or Neithas knew where they were. He smiled to himself.
"You are in the Caves of Thurr. A maze of caves hidden deep under ground. They were made by a dwarf named Thurr and his followers. Hence the name. Thurr was the brother of Edurr who was Lord of Moria, many years ago. Thurr craved power and sought followers. He promised those who followed him a great fortune and together they made these caves. Within them they trained to kill. He led his followers into Moria to fight his brother but they were defeated. It was said that these caves were a mere legend. But as you can see, they are very much a reality."
"And how did you come across them?" asked Neithas. Beldor smiled to himself again.
"That, my dear elf, is a secret." Said Beldor. They walked once more in silence. Walking down the long, dark halls of the cave, they soon came to a large room. As they walked inside, Legolas and Neithas noticed men standing all around the room with each man holding an item. Some had whips, others had clubs, knives, hooks, hot pokers, needles, sticks, swords, or some other harsh looking device. All of them smiled devilishly. On the side of the room was a large fire where other pokers sat in the hot coals. Next to the fire, against the wall, laid their weapons. In the middle of the room were two sets of chained cuffs that hung from the ceiling but were a few feet apart. Beldor turned to the two elves. He bore a smile that was just as devilish as the other men if not more.
"Welcome, dear elves, to your place of education. Here, you will learn." He told them, the smile never leaving his face.
"And what will we be learning?" asked Neithas, his voice audibly shaky only to Legolas.
"To behave. Chain them up." Four men from behind Legolas and Neithas grabbed them and untied their hands, each man holding an arm of an elf. With many struggles from both elves, the men managed to cuff Legolas and Neithas. With their hands bound above their heads, Legolas and Neithas were now helpless and were soon to become victims of the men's hate. With one last smile to the elves, Beldor turned to the men.
"Gentlemen! Is not today a wonderful day? For we are in the presence of an elven prince." Beldor said the last words while placing his hand on Legolas' shoulder. The men instantly began to chatter amongst themselves. Legolas starred coldly at them, while Neithas shot a worried glance at Legolas. "So, let us welcome our prince and his companion with their first lessons. Shall we?" Beldor stepped away from elves. "You may commence."
A man brought up a whip and lashed it into Neithas' back. He gasped at the unexpected blow. Legolas looked over at him as another whip slashed into the elf's back. As Legolas watched Neithas, the metal tip of a hot poker met his right side. Legolas bit back the pain and closed his eyes as the hot poker burned through his tunic and shirt and made contact with his flesh. Another man bashed a club into his other side. The jolt pushed his already burning side into the hot poker, stabbing his flesh. Legolas let out a gasp of pain as his entire side burned. Blood slowly trekked from the wound. The man with the poker pulled the poker harshly out of his skin before putting the poker back on the fire to heat up again and grabbing another hot poker from the fire and placed it back into the burning hole. Two more men started tearing into his back with whips. Legolas closed his eyes, trying to pull his mind away from the pain as he dreamed his way back to Mirkwood. He willed himself not to scream, although silent tears streamed down his dirty face.
Neithas was having his own war with whips and clubs. As one man lashed him with a whip, another man slammed his club into his stomach. His back felt like it was on fire. A man with needles pushed the man with the whip away.
"Move for a moment, Alag." Said the man with the needles.
"What for, Crannis?" asked Alag. Without answering, Crannis pushed a few rusty, thick needles deep into Neithas' back. Neithas gasping in pain as each needle was placed into his back. Each needle felt like a knife and blood oozed from the openings they made.
"That's enough, Crannis." Said Alag. "Save some for the prince." Alag returned to his position of whipping Neithas.
"Ah, yes. I forgot about the prince." Said Crannis, turning his attention to Legolas. "Vior. Hadaer. Allow me to place needles into the back of our prince." Said Crannis to the men whipping Legolas.
"Of course, Crannis. What ever causes him more pain. Reffed. Step away from the elf. Allow Crannis to do his work." Said Hadaer as he and Vior stepped.
"Indeed." Said Reffed, pulling the poker from Legolas' side and standing away from him as Crannis started pushing in the needles. Legolas was pulled out of his dream when a needle was placed into his back. He flinched as each needle was placed into his back. Although they hurt, they did not compare to the pain in his side. After Crannis pushed in the last needle, he turned to the other men.
"I'm finished. Proceed, gentlemen." Said Crannis. Legolas thought to himself. 'Gentlemen? Apparently men and elves have different opinions on the measure of a gentleman.'
"Wonderful. Grab a poker, Crannis. Push it into his other side. Make sure it goes deep." Said Reffed as he took his place back on Legolas' right side and pushed the poker into his side only in a different location than the first hole and Vior and Hadaer started with the whips again.
"Of course." Crannis smiled as he grabbed a poker from the fire. He continued to smile as he pushed the poker into Legolas' left side. Legolas hissed in pain, fighting hard to hold back his screams, although he could already hear loud, painful grunts from Neithas. Tears filled his blue eyes as the pain began to worsen and the laughter of the men rang in his ears. Now, even elven dreams would not save him from the pain. After a while, Neithas' vision began to blur as another man ran a knife into his right thigh. Blood ran in a swift river down his leg as he was no longer able to hold himself up on his legs. As he legs fell beneath him, he plummeted to the ground only to have the iron cuffs cut into his wrists, holding him in the air.
Within an hour, both elves lost consciousness and each were only held up by the iron cuffs.
Beldor walked down a long hallway. Feldim, Legolas, and Neithas behind him. The walls that surrounded them were jagged stones. They reminded the elves of a tomb. Dark and depressing, where no life was to be found.
"Do you know where you are, elves?" asked Beldor. The silence let him know that neither Legolas or Neithas knew where they were. He smiled to himself.
"You are in the Caves of Thurr. A maze of caves hidden deep under ground. They were made by a dwarf named Thurr and his followers. Hence the name. Thurr was the brother of Edurr who was Lord of Moria, many years ago. Thurr craved power and sought followers. He promised those who followed him a great fortune and together they made these caves. Within them they trained to kill. He led his followers into Moria to fight his brother but they were defeated. It was said that these caves were a mere legend. But as you can see, they are very much a reality."
"And how did you come across them?" asked Neithas. Beldor smiled to himself again.
"That, my dear elf, is a secret." Said Beldor. They walked once more in silence. Walking down the long, dark halls of the cave, they soon came to a large room. As they walked inside, Legolas and Neithas noticed men standing all around the room with each man holding an item. Some had whips, others had clubs, knives, hooks, hot pokers, needles, sticks, swords, or some other harsh looking device. All of them smiled devilishly. On the side of the room was a large fire where other pokers sat in the hot coals. Next to the fire, against the wall, laid their weapons. In the middle of the room were two sets of chained cuffs that hung from the ceiling but were a few feet apart. Beldor turned to the two elves. He bore a smile that was just as devilish as the other men if not more.
"Welcome, dear elves, to your place of education. Here, you will learn." He told them, the smile never leaving his face.
"And what will we be learning?" asked Neithas, his voice audibly shaky only to Legolas.
"To behave. Chain them up." Four men from behind Legolas and Neithas grabbed them and untied their hands, each man holding an arm of an elf. With many struggles from both elves, the men managed to cuff Legolas and Neithas. With their hands bound above their heads, Legolas and Neithas were now helpless and were soon to become victims of the men's hate. With one last smile to the elves, Beldor turned to the men.
"Gentlemen! Is not today a wonderful day? For we are in the presence of an elven prince." Beldor said the last words while placing his hand on Legolas' shoulder. The men instantly began to chatter amongst themselves. Legolas starred coldly at them, while Neithas shot a worried glance at Legolas. "So, let us welcome our prince and his companion with their first lessons. Shall we?" Beldor stepped away from elves. "You may commence."
A man brought up a whip and lashed it into Neithas' back. He gasped at the unexpected blow. Legolas looked over at him as another whip slashed into the elf's back. As Legolas watched Neithas, the metal tip of a hot poker met his right side. Legolas bit back the pain and closed his eyes as the hot poker burned through his tunic and shirt and made contact with his flesh. Another man bashed a club into his other side. The jolt pushed his already burning side into the hot poker, stabbing his flesh. Legolas let out a gasp of pain as his entire side burned. Blood slowly trekked from the wound. The man with the poker pulled the poker harshly out of his skin before putting the poker back on the fire to heat up again and grabbing another hot poker from the fire and placed it back into the burning hole. Two more men started tearing into his back with whips. Legolas closed his eyes, trying to pull his mind away from the pain as he dreamed his way back to Mirkwood. He willed himself not to scream, although silent tears streamed down his dirty face.
Neithas was having his own war with whips and clubs. As one man lashed him with a whip, another man slammed his club into his stomach. His back felt like it was on fire. A man with needles pushed the man with the whip away.
"Move for a moment, Alag." Said the man with the needles.
"What for, Crannis?" asked Alag. Without answering, Crannis pushed a few rusty, thick needles deep into Neithas' back. Neithas gasping in pain as each needle was placed into his back. Each needle felt like a knife and blood oozed from the openings they made.
"That's enough, Crannis." Said Alag. "Save some for the prince." Alag returned to his position of whipping Neithas.
"Ah, yes. I forgot about the prince." Said Crannis, turning his attention to Legolas. "Vior. Hadaer. Allow me to place needles into the back of our prince." Said Crannis to the men whipping Legolas.
"Of course, Crannis. What ever causes him more pain. Reffed. Step away from the elf. Allow Crannis to do his work." Said Hadaer as he and Vior stepped.
"Indeed." Said Reffed, pulling the poker from Legolas' side and standing away from him as Crannis started pushing in the needles. Legolas was pulled out of his dream when a needle was placed into his back. He flinched as each needle was placed into his back. Although they hurt, they did not compare to the pain in his side. After Crannis pushed in the last needle, he turned to the other men.
"I'm finished. Proceed, gentlemen." Said Crannis. Legolas thought to himself. 'Gentlemen? Apparently men and elves have different opinions on the measure of a gentleman.'
"Wonderful. Grab a poker, Crannis. Push it into his other side. Make sure it goes deep." Said Reffed as he took his place back on Legolas' right side and pushed the poker into his side only in a different location than the first hole and Vior and Hadaer started with the whips again.
"Of course." Crannis smiled as he grabbed a poker from the fire. He continued to smile as he pushed the poker into Legolas' left side. Legolas hissed in pain, fighting hard to hold back his screams, although he could already hear loud, painful grunts from Neithas. Tears filled his blue eyes as the pain began to worsen and the laughter of the men rang in his ears. Now, even elven dreams would not save him from the pain. After a while, Neithas' vision began to blur as another man ran a knife into his right thigh. Blood ran in a swift river down his leg as he was no longer able to hold himself up on his legs. As he legs fell beneath him, he plummeted to the ground only to have the iron cuffs cut into his wrists, holding him in the air.
Within an hour, both elves lost consciousness and each were only held up by the iron cuffs.