The sun came up bright and early in the east the following. Legolas awoke to find a dull ache in his head. Perhaps he had drunk too much wine the previous night; he had ingested more than usual at dinner. Still, he was no mere elfling that could not handle his liquor. He grimaced as a fresh throbbing pounded in his head like a hammer against the anvil. Half stumbling with his bleary eyes, he reached the water basin at the opposite end of the room and laved his face in the cool water. Feeling a little refreshed, he quickly decided that for the day at least, he would drink no more wine.

Now he stretched and dressed, ready to greet the day. There was much for him to do, for the very next day, the execution of the man and dwarf would take place. Nay, only the dwarf, Legolas reminded himself. The man was still missing within the palace walls. Feeling annoyed at the obvious incompetence of his guards, the prince made the mental decision to take up the hunt himself. The day before had been an excusable mistake, for he had spent the time helping his brother become comfortable with the kingdom. His father would not have had it any other way and Legolas had found it enjoyable taking a day to relax and get to know Alandor. But now all thoughts of relaxation and fun had vanished from his mind, for he had put too much faith in his guards. He had expected that Aragorn would have been found and been the cellmate of Gimli by now. The guards had failed utterly; it was time for him to take matters into his own hands.

He dressed quickly in dark greens and got ready his weapons. His twin knives were sheathed across his back, the hunting dagger at his side, the full quiver of arrows slung onto his shoulder. The small white pill left by Aragorn remained unnoticed on the table. Picking up the bow given to him by the Lady Galadriel, he made ready to exit his room. Throwing a second glance about the room for fear that he had forgotten something important, his eyes lit upon the counter drug. He picked it up and sniffed suspiciously. It had a faint bitter odor to it and part of Legolas desired to throw it away.

Only a nagging feeling in the back of his mind saved the pill from being discarded. For a few moments, the prince stood torn in his mind. On the one hand, the pill could have been some trick of the enemy – some poison with which to kill him. On the other, he felt compelled to swallow it – some gut instinct that told him he needed to ingest it. He bit his lower lip in thought, but eventually the power of the serum coursing in his veins was too much. The suggestion of Aragorn won out and Legolas swallowed the pill, taking a sip of water from a pitcher on his desk. Whatever happened to him now, it was too late to change his actions. If the pill were poison, he would die.

Now he felt suddenly as if nothing was wrong and with long, swift strides he made his way to the dining hall. His father and Alandor were already there and the household servants were just beginning to set out the morning's meal. Legolas slackened his pace and entered into the hall, greeting all inside as he came. Thranduil looked up and Legolas could see the look that passed over the elven king's face.

"You are leaving already?" Thranduil asked. "You only just came home again."

Legolas smiled and shook his golden head. "Nay father, I am not leaving as of yet, though I greatly desire to rejoin my soldiers. Instead I fear that our guards have failed to capture the traitor. Their inability to do so has led me to take matters into my own hands. For today, I hunt neither spider nor orc, but the king of Gondor."

"Very well then," Thranduil replied and the strange look passed. "The hunt cannot fail if my son picks up the trial. Shall Alandor accompany you?"

Again Legolas shook his head. "It would be better if he stayed this day with you. You have been robbed of one another for so long. I daresay there is much he can learn still from you."

Alandor nodded. "I am not skilled in the ways of hunting or tracking. I fear I would only hinder my brother's progress."

"Then it shall be thus. Legolas shall hunt for the traitor and bring him to the prisons to await tomorrow's execution. Alandor shall spend this day with me and I shall teach him the ways of the kingdom. Proposals have come from the Lake Men that I must soon answer and Alandor shall watch and learn, prince that he is."

The rest of the meal passed, though Legolas heard naught of what Alandor and Thranduil spoke of. His mind was busy elsewhere, in forming a plan with which to search the palace for Aragorn. When he was finished eating, and that was quickly, he took his leave from the dining hall and went in search of his captains. He found them in one of the meeting halls, talking softly to one another, exchanging news. Legolas approached them and saluted them in elf-fashion and they did the same.

Now Legolas laid his plans to make the palace one large trap. He ordered all available guards to be brought to the palace and strategically placed so that Aragorn could not move within the palace without being caught. It was true that the man had to still be within the palace walls, for the door had remained shut and guarded, and the man knew not the command to open and close the magical locks. Those guards not placed on watch would be given specific orders – routes to follow. All would start at one end of palace and work their way to the other, which would flush the man out of hiding. With guards behind him and others watching the way ahead, he would be caught in a matter of hours.

Or so it seemed to Legolas, who had not known of the secret ways between the thick walls of the palace. Never before had they been spoken of, for the secret of them had been lost in ages past, long before any of these guards had been born. Nay, even Orophor, Legolas' grandsire, had not known of their existence.