LegolasLover2003 : Right. Self preservation is the best he can do for now.
Sailor Elf : Ah…have you a license for that bat you're holding? Be careful with that thing, will you, before someone like me gets hurt!
Neoma : Thank you. I'll try to be super fast then.
astalder27 : Of course. No angst story is complete without the orcs! The uglier the merrier!
Shannon : Oh, yes. Sauron will be very pleased with that cliffie. I'll try my best not to let you all fretting for long, though!
feanen : I just know you will hate that one! LOL!
Mellaithwen : Elf-torture it is!
Fire Breathing Ferret : I'm glad you are happy. So, how's the birthday party going? Any cake left for me?
coca : I'm so sorry you don't like POV's. I'll try to see if I can post another version of this story in 3rd person, all right? But I really can't promise you anything. Wait and see.
Musicstarlover : More evil cliffies coming up just for you!
Melissa : Yes. That's exactly how I want to portray Legolas. Young but noble, a little brash but unselfish. I'm very glad you noticed it.
Someone Reading : Thank you for that typo alert! I'll make the adjustment later on.
Lady Lenna : Why wait? Let Leggy suffer now!
Irish QT : More torture? Your wish is my command.
Snow Glory : That is why I try POV. It is easier for me to convey the emotions, like you said. Believe me, I cried buckets writing this fic!
farflung : Yep. A very lousy day for our little prince! And right. What plan? LOL!
Legolas Greenleaf : You will do anything for me? Are you really the Legolas Greenleaf? If you are, can you come over and be my date?
Young Storyteller : Thank you. It works that way for me too. Oh, no. I don't want Legolas to simply die or badly hurt. I want him to suffer! I want him to know what real pain is, the biggest pain which comes from the very heart! Muahaha!! (Evil laughter cracks in the air) Oops. Pardon me. My 2nd identity has taken over for a while there. 25th May is your birthday then? So, manis yang ke berapa pulak ni?
Gwyn : Leggy's other middle name is 'Stupid'. He! He!
Aranel of Mirkwood : Linden will 'make' something to make it up to Leggy. You'll see.
#########################
It was never a good experience to wake up after you had been badly beaten and abused by more than a dozen orcs.
I groggily lifted my head, and immediately winced at the way hundreds of nails were happily bouncing around in my brain. The left side of my face felt so swollen that one eye had gone tightly shut. I couldn't stop myself from moaning then.
No. Not good at all.
It took me several seconds to realize that I was slung over one orc's shoulder, bound and gagged. The beast's rapid steps were unmerciful to my throbbing head, and the way I hang upside down on my stomach was making it even worse. I began to feel nauseated, and my entire body screamed from all the bruises and lumps I had acquired.
Even before I could decide what to do to get myself out of this predicament, the orc that was carrying me suddenly barked, "He is awake!"
They all stopped, growling and grumbling among themselves. Without warning, the one holding me suddenly let go and dumped me at his feet. I cried out in anguish from the impact, my eyes watering.
They all surrounded me, staring at me with pure hatred and indefinable hunger. Their leader—a horrible looking orc with a short blunt horn sticking out of his forehead—came closer and leered at my face. "So, the little prince is awake," he sneered. "How do you feel, little prince? Enjoying your company with us?"
Gagged as I was, I could only glare in reply.
With a loud laugh, 'Blunt-Horn' jabbed repeatedly at my side with his booted foot, making me groan. Then he yelled, "Come on! Get up! We will not carry you all the way! Walk by yourself from now on!"
Two of them roughly pulled me upright and left me standing there, swaying on my feet. I was barely able to get my bearings when they shoved me forward. "Move it, scum!"
And so, my nightmarish journey began.
We walked non-stop for leagues and leagues all day, even after the sun had gone down to give way to the moon and stars. I was not familiar with the path they led me through, yet I have the dreadful feeling that they were taking me to Dol Guldur, directly into their lair.
I kept glancing over my shoulder, praying that Valahir had alerted my family so they would come to rescue me. But many hours had gone by and I saw no sign of my rescuers. There was no sign of any Mirkwood patrols, either.
I started to get extremely exhausted, weakened by the fast long trek. I had stumbled for countless of times, and fallen onto my face on one occasion. But the orcs had simply snatched at my hair and yanked me back to my feet before giving me a hard shove, laughing and jeering at my plight.
Once in a while, they would clout the back of my head just for the fun of it, only for the reason to hear me crying out in pain. I wanted to fight back so badly, but I knew it was a foolish thing to do considering how futile my effort would be, so I just suffered their abuse in complete silence, simmering with anger for the undignified position I was in.
My belly was grumbling, telling me that I had had no food since breakfast that morning. My throat felt so dry, overwhelmed by great thirst. The orcs offered me nary a sip from their waterskin, not that I was overly eager to accept even if they did because the residue of their foul lips on the lid were enough to make me horribly sick.
Yet another blow came from behind me, hitting me hard on the back of my neck. My eyes watered from the sudden agony. My knees buckled. I saw the hard earth came rushing up to me that instant, but I had simply lost all my strength to stop my hasty descent.
I must have passed out for quite a while because the next thing I knew, I found myself half-slump sitting up, tied securely to a tree. My head throbbed incessantly as I slowly looked up, blinking in confusion, trying to make sense of my surroundings.
Darkness was all around us. The woods were terribly quiet. Even the critters of the night found no reason to sing, so offensive the orcs' presence was to the rest of nature. They were setting up camp for the night, and a fire was being built in the middle of the area. Interestingly, the vile creatures looked to be arguing among themselves about something, growling loudly at one another in that dark tongue of theirs.
Good! Fight between you! Kill one another so I can get the blazes away from here! I thought with glee, grinning at the scene. Orcs were so typical! Not only that they hated the elves, they also couldn't stand their own company.
My smile vanished when one of the orcs—the one with the biggest nose I've ever seen—came towards me. Squatting down on his haunches, he stared at me, licking his lips. "I wonder how you taste like," he said, reaching over to touch my face.
I cringed, trying to evade his filthy hands. But Big-Nose grabbed my jaw and held me still. "So pretty," he said. "Good enough to eat."
Without warning, he grabbed the left collar of my shirt and yanked, ripping the cloth away. I gasped in surprise at his action, wondering in fear of what he was about to do next.
While he openly ogled my bare shoulder, Big-Nose grinned with delight. "So creamy, your skin. Your flesh looks delicious! Oh, I just have to taste you!"
My eyes widened in horror as he opened his dirty mouth and buried his teeth into my upper arm. I screamed through the gag in my mouth from the sheer agony, jerking and bucking to get the monster off me.
Big-Nose held on, sinking his teeth deeper into my flesh. I also heard the disgusting sound of him eagerly sucking at my blood that was flowing in rivulets. He then looked up at me and grinned, my blood smearing all over his lips and dripping onto his chin. "I was right. You taste so sweet! A perfect dinner for me!"
Big-Nose reopened his mouth to gnaw on me again but someone suddenly kicked at his head, sending him sprawling several yards away.
"He is not for eating!" Blunt Horn snarled, glaring at Big-Nose who was scrambling back to his feet. "He is our hostage, our weapon against the elves! We shall keep him alive until Mordhuk has seen this little prince. Our chief will know what to do with him."
Turning to me, Blunt Horn smiled. "Start wishing you are dead, elf. When Mordhuk sees you, he will make your life so miserable you want to kill yourself. And what a nice pawn you will be in exchange for your father's kingdom, don't you think? Thranduil will not hesitate to give up his realm for the sake of his baby's life, yes?"
I swallowed repeatedly, as shame and guilt ran up my conscience. Valar! I should have just let them kill me then and there! Not only had I created troubles within my father's household, now I was to become the cause of downfall of entire Mirkwood!
"But I am hungry! We have been eating the same maggoty bread for days!" Big-Nose was whining as he scowled at his leader. His words were echoed by several other orcs.
Blunt Horn growled in exasperation. "Then go hunt like I told you before and bring back some meat!" he shot back.
Growling angrily in reply, Big-Nose whirled around and grabbed a crossbow before he vanished into the dark, followed by a couple his friends. Blunt Horn gave me a final sneer and walked away, heading towards the fire.
I released a heavy sigh of mixed relief and despair. My shoulders slumped. The vicious bite marks on my arm were bleeding and stinging like mad. To ignore the pain, I made a quick calculation around the camp and found out that only ten of the orcs remains. They were lying about on the ground, taking their rest. Some were already dozing, while the rest were eating whatever ration they had brought with them as they waited for the hunters to return.
I tested my bonds, trying to find some slack, but they won't give. My wrists were already chafing and bleeding. Another coiled of coarse rope was wrapped around my upper body against the tree, digging painfully at the skin of my chest that I had trouble breathing. They left my feet untied, though, but I felt too weak to even moving them.
Looking up at the sky, I saw Elbereth shining bright among the thousands stars. I hoped she was watching me now and sending guide to my saviors. But after an entire horrific day within the orcs' clutches, my expectation to be promptly rescued slowly sank with every league we took that dragged me further and further away from Mirkwood. To my chagrin, I started imagining the worst.
Maybe Valahir cannot reach home in time and dies before he could tell anyone of what has befallen me, I thought with growing dread. Or maybe Snow White has gotten lame and Valahir has no means to get home, badly wounded as he is.
Or maybe Father and Kel simply do not care anymore and refuse to come and save me.
I bit my trembling lips at that thought, forcing myself to stop the tears from welling over.
No! They won't be so cruel! No matter how angry they are, they still love me and will come for me! They will! They have to!
But what if they don't love you anymore?
I choked on a sob as the unkind thought came to mind. I couldn't stop the tears from falling then. Closing my eyes, I took a deep long breath and exhaled.
Enough, I told myself. Stop torturing yourself like this. It won't do you any good. Believe in Kel and father. They love you. They will come.
They will come…
TBC…
Guess what? I've seen TROY!! Ai, Brad Pitt looks like a Greek god! Oh, my! Orli is so delicious as the spoiled brat prince, but Eric Bana…WOW! He is smashing as Hector! Strangely though, Hector reminds me a lot of Kel! Really. It's true. You've got to see it to believe it.
Now I'm off to see the movie for the second round!