CHAPTER 3

As the sun set that same day the soceress walked around her fortress deep in the North land. She was thinking of ways to get the young prince to talk. She had tried almost everything: whiping, starvation, even killing his protectress in front of his eyes giving him an example of what would become of him if he did not do what she asked. She had hoped that, that would give him an idea of how things stood. But nothing seemed to be working.

A noise broke her line of concentration, she sent out her magic like a net around her searching for the cause of the noise. Further and further she send it into the woods, till finally she caught something and pulled it in. It was Sife, looking none to happy about being caught like he had been.

"What is it?" she asked in a tone that could have been anger if she wasnt smiling at the look that was upon his face.

"My dark lady, word has reached the lord Elrond of the elf rats disapearence. And he has sent out a search party." Sife stampered out with satifaction on how sly and cleaver he had been.

"How do you know this?" she looked at him with suspicious eyes. A wicked grin flashed over his face makeing him look more like a demon, then the elf he really was inside under his orcish covering.
"Little creatures say anything when you persuade them right!" turning his grin to a broad smile.

"Who leads this search party my dungeons master?" His smile faded a little "Well? who leads it?" her voice raiseing in anger.

"Mistress," he began slowly, "Lord Elronds sons do! You know what this means dont you my lady?!"

"Of corse I do you fool! I understand better then you ever will!!" Her voice seemed to shake the very eath they were standing on, makeing Sife cower in fear.

"Im sorry Mistress, of corse I knew you understand. How stupid of me to think otherwise." He recovered his composure. "Shall I send out Gribdnik and his warg riders to intersept them?"

"No," her voice calmed and soft now "send only one person. It only takes one person to kill two men if they are seperated." She looked down at the creature that served her. "You know of whom I speak, now go find him and send him on this mission."

Sife bowed and turned to carry out her orders without a nother word. She watched him till he was out of site, by then it was dark, so she turned and walked back to her fortress for the night. She could only imagine what tomorrow would bring.

Small village on the borders of Mirkwood

Robin walked along a well worn path that weaved its way through the small village of Tatenaur. His body bore many bruises and cuts, the remnants of a severe beating. As he walked back towards his small cottage he began to wonder if playing the village idiot was really worth it. Sure no-one would suspect that an absolute dull-witted, idiot would ever be a deady assasin working for the most evil mistress to ever walk the face of Middle Earth. But, all the beatings, teasings, and jibes were getting a little old. Perhaps his Mistress would allow him to play the part of an Inn Keeper, anything was better than an idiot.

He was just mounting the stairs to his home when he realized the door was open. He could have sworn he had closed it when he left. He was just going to investigate when he saw a flash in the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look nothing was there. He was truning back towards the door when he came face to face with Sife. Much to his dissapointment, he was wearing a wicked grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?"
Sifes smile became wider, "Mistress has a job for you Assasin!"

It took Elladan and his search party close to two days to catch up with Elrohir, by that time he had sunk into a deep depression and was riding on by will alone. When her heard the sound of horses hooves behind him, and some one calling his name.

"Elrohir! Wait!" he stopped his horse long enough to see his brother rideing like mad with a group of elves the scene so comical he managed a small smile and waited for them.

"You did not seriously think that Ada would let you do this on your own did you? Besides we dont even know were they may have been taken to!" Elladan pushed out before Elrohir could interupt.
"You need our help admit it!" Elrohir looked as if he was about to jump off his horse and kill his brother. With caution Elladan finished,
"Well any way it was lucky that we caught up with you when we did. Because the nearest town is just over that rise and once in there would never had found you! And its getting dark so we had better hurry up if we are going to find a room to stay the night."

So together the small group of elves rode into the busy village. Exhausted and hungry, the weary elves found an Inn to stay the night in and stabled their horses. Once inside they found a table in the corner of the room where they could eat. Soon after a group of six men came in and sat at a table nearby.

"Strange things been happenin' as of late my friends, no doubts there." One of the men stated as he drank hes ale.

"Aye, strange things indeed Ervan. Why, just a few days back I heard them orcs caught a couple of poor souls in the woods and took 'em away." another man across the table said, a troubled look upon his face.

"Did they now," Ervan said in surpise, "do ya know by chance who it was that got takin Rilo?"

"Na, I just heard it was a couple of elves, a young boy and a girl if i I remember correctly." At this Elrohir jumped up and ran to the mans table.

"Where?! Do you know where they were taken?" he demanded as Elladan came up behind him and laid a hond on his shoulder. The villager jumped up in surprise.

"Only rumor my good elf!" he said sitting back down. "Im not sure ya can rely on the source though, seeming who the information came from." he shook his head slowly.

"Well tell me these rumors any way! Or if you are not willing, show us to some one who will!" Elrohir said with determination but softly.

"North into the mountians." Rilo replied.

"North?"

"Aye thats what I said. Now if thats all ya want I pray ya leave us to our ales." Clearly annoyed the village men turned back to thier drinks and began to speak in hushed voices occasionly glancing at the elven twins a shaking thier heads.

"Hmmm now he was Mithirill mine of information my brother." Elladan said smirking at Elrohir.
Nearly an hour later the Inn's bar began to fill with the villages work men comeing for a drink before going home to thier families. So the elves got up and made thier way to thier rooms and fell asleep. The six men watched them go, and once they were up the stairs and out of sight one of them got up and walked out into the street. He took off his wig to reveal short cropped sandy blonde hair, also releving himself of they heavy working jaket he had used to hid his brightly colored tunic.

As he walked to the outskirts of the village he smiled, his plan was working. He had captured his preys attention. They would be looking for more information tomorrow, and he was the one to give it to them. The hard part was seperating the twins. He sighed, "untill tomorrow then my friends." and dissapeared into the night.

A/N : Sorry it's taking so long everyone. The school year so far is soooo hectic and Dseao and I are hard pressed trying to find time to write.