Neithas woke up to find himself back in the dark room they were in when
they first arrived. But now, his hands were not bound, but he was also in
more pain. His back burned from the whips and it was painful to move. When
he moved his leg, a sharp pain shot up it and he could feel dried blood
crusted all around his thigh and down his leg. He sat up the best he could.
"Legolas." He whispered. His voice was soft and weak. "Where are you Legolas?" He felt around the floor around him the best he could until he felt something warm.
"Legolas? Legolas wake up." Neithas shook Legolas gently. Legolas woke up to Neithas' voice calling for him. He grunted softly as he painfully opened his eyes.
"Neithas? Are you well, mellon nin?" whispered Legolas.
"Yes, Legolas. As well as can be expected. Our hands are no longer bound. Here, let me help you sit up." Neithas gently pulled Legolas up to a sitting position. But as he did so, pain rushed through Legolas' sides and back. He let out a quick gasp of pain before falling back onto the hard stone.
"Legolas! Are you all right?" cried Neithas. It took a moment for Legolas to regain his composure as he started to focus on carefully controlling his movements.
"Yes. I'm okay. I think I just sat up too quickly. Let us try it again." Neithas nodded and once again helped Legolas into a seated position. This time he remained sitting up, although he was in much pain.
"Where are you hurt, Legolas?" asked Neithas as he surveyed Legolas' body the best he could in the darkness of the room.
"Only my back. From the whips. There's not that many, though. And a few places where the needles were. Nothing to be worried about." Lied Legolas. "And what of yourself? Where are you wounded?"
"My back the same as yours. As well as my leg. It was stabbed by a rusty knife. " Said Neithas as he placed a hand on the throbbing hole in his thigh. Legolas tore off a piece of his shirt. He found Neithas' leg and put his hand on the hole, resulting in a hiss of pain from Neithas. He tied the piece of cloth around Neithas' leg as tightly as he could.
"There. That should help." Said Legolas.
"Thank you. Why do you suppose they didn't bind our hands like before?"
"Let me ask you, do you think you can fight them off and escape now?"
"No. I certainly can't. Legolas, do you think we'll get out of here?" asked Neithas.
"I don't know, Neithas. But we mustn't give up hope." Legolas placed a shaky, yet reassuring hand on Neithas' shoulder. Neithas nodded, although he wasn't sure if they would ever get out of the caves.
Meanwhile, in Lothlorien, Lord Celeborn and King Thranduil were waiting patiently for the younger elves to return. The two elves walked along a balcony that over looked the forest.
"I told Legolas I didn't want him out for long. You have said orcs have been seen around this area, did you not?" asked Thranduil to Celeborn.
"Indeed. But there has been another evil lurking in the wild. Evil that is only a threat to the race of elves." Said Celeborn.
"And what threat is that?" asked Thranduil.
"A band of men that call themselves the Verdihir. They find elves that are alone or in small groups and torture them. Most die from their torture. They captured one of our soldiers, but he escaped. How, I do not know. But when he arrived back here, he was horribly wounded. It took us many days to heal him."
"Do you believe Legolas and Neithas could have been taken by these men?"
"I cannot say. But you must calm yourself, Thranduil. There has been no sign of them being in any danger. It is possible that they decided to spend the night out in the fields or in the forest. You know how you son likes to sleep in trees and Neithas is the same way. Now, calm yourself, friend."
"Yes. You may be right."
"My Lord Celeborn!" said a voice from behind them. Celeborn turned to the dark hair elf that ran to them and bowed.
"Yes, Cada?" Celeborn asked the elf.
"My Lord. Two horsed have entered here without their riders."
"Can you identify the horses?"
"Yes my Lord. One is Rairnol, the other is Trilith."
"Those are their horses." Cried Thranduil.
"The horses are very excited about something. They wish for us to follow them. Should I ready some riders, my Lord?" asked Cada.
"Yes. Call for Haldir and his guards. Get as many others as you can. And summon Neithas' father, Mufias. Surely he will want to join us on finding his son. I shall be at the stables shortly." Said Celeborn.
"Yes, my Lord." Cada bowed once again before turning on his heels and running to begin rounding up the riders. Celeborn then turned his attention to the now extremely worried and anxious King of Mirkwood.
"Thranduil. Are you to come along?" asked Celeborn gently.
"Yes. Of course. If something has happened to my son I wish to be there when he is found. So that I may punish if whoever took him has hurt so much as a golden hair on his head." Said Thranduil sternly but with visible tears in his eyes.
"Then let us make haste. Come, mellon nin. To the stables." Said Celeborn as he turned and ran off the balcony. Thranduil close behind him.
"Legolas." He whispered. His voice was soft and weak. "Where are you Legolas?" He felt around the floor around him the best he could until he felt something warm.
"Legolas? Legolas wake up." Neithas shook Legolas gently. Legolas woke up to Neithas' voice calling for him. He grunted softly as he painfully opened his eyes.
"Neithas? Are you well, mellon nin?" whispered Legolas.
"Yes, Legolas. As well as can be expected. Our hands are no longer bound. Here, let me help you sit up." Neithas gently pulled Legolas up to a sitting position. But as he did so, pain rushed through Legolas' sides and back. He let out a quick gasp of pain before falling back onto the hard stone.
"Legolas! Are you all right?" cried Neithas. It took a moment for Legolas to regain his composure as he started to focus on carefully controlling his movements.
"Yes. I'm okay. I think I just sat up too quickly. Let us try it again." Neithas nodded and once again helped Legolas into a seated position. This time he remained sitting up, although he was in much pain.
"Where are you hurt, Legolas?" asked Neithas as he surveyed Legolas' body the best he could in the darkness of the room.
"Only my back. From the whips. There's not that many, though. And a few places where the needles were. Nothing to be worried about." Lied Legolas. "And what of yourself? Where are you wounded?"
"My back the same as yours. As well as my leg. It was stabbed by a rusty knife. " Said Neithas as he placed a hand on the throbbing hole in his thigh. Legolas tore off a piece of his shirt. He found Neithas' leg and put his hand on the hole, resulting in a hiss of pain from Neithas. He tied the piece of cloth around Neithas' leg as tightly as he could.
"There. That should help." Said Legolas.
"Thank you. Why do you suppose they didn't bind our hands like before?"
"Let me ask you, do you think you can fight them off and escape now?"
"No. I certainly can't. Legolas, do you think we'll get out of here?" asked Neithas.
"I don't know, Neithas. But we mustn't give up hope." Legolas placed a shaky, yet reassuring hand on Neithas' shoulder. Neithas nodded, although he wasn't sure if they would ever get out of the caves.
Meanwhile, in Lothlorien, Lord Celeborn and King Thranduil were waiting patiently for the younger elves to return. The two elves walked along a balcony that over looked the forest.
"I told Legolas I didn't want him out for long. You have said orcs have been seen around this area, did you not?" asked Thranduil to Celeborn.
"Indeed. But there has been another evil lurking in the wild. Evil that is only a threat to the race of elves." Said Celeborn.
"And what threat is that?" asked Thranduil.
"A band of men that call themselves the Verdihir. They find elves that are alone or in small groups and torture them. Most die from their torture. They captured one of our soldiers, but he escaped. How, I do not know. But when he arrived back here, he was horribly wounded. It took us many days to heal him."
"Do you believe Legolas and Neithas could have been taken by these men?"
"I cannot say. But you must calm yourself, Thranduil. There has been no sign of them being in any danger. It is possible that they decided to spend the night out in the fields or in the forest. You know how you son likes to sleep in trees and Neithas is the same way. Now, calm yourself, friend."
"Yes. You may be right."
"My Lord Celeborn!" said a voice from behind them. Celeborn turned to the dark hair elf that ran to them and bowed.
"Yes, Cada?" Celeborn asked the elf.
"My Lord. Two horsed have entered here without their riders."
"Can you identify the horses?"
"Yes my Lord. One is Rairnol, the other is Trilith."
"Those are their horses." Cried Thranduil.
"The horses are very excited about something. They wish for us to follow them. Should I ready some riders, my Lord?" asked Cada.
"Yes. Call for Haldir and his guards. Get as many others as you can. And summon Neithas' father, Mufias. Surely he will want to join us on finding his son. I shall be at the stables shortly." Said Celeborn.
"Yes, my Lord." Cada bowed once again before turning on his heels and running to begin rounding up the riders. Celeborn then turned his attention to the now extremely worried and anxious King of Mirkwood.
"Thranduil. Are you to come along?" asked Celeborn gently.
"Yes. Of course. If something has happened to my son I wish to be there when he is found. So that I may punish if whoever took him has hurt so much as a golden hair on his head." Said Thranduil sternly but with visible tears in his eyes.
"Then let us make haste. Come, mellon nin. To the stables." Said Celeborn as he turned and ran off the balcony. Thranduil close behind him.