All the rest of that day, the wood elves patrolled every corner of the palace, with nothing to show for their efforts. It was true that the missing food had been discovered from the pantry, but there was evidence enough that the man had taken enough food to last several days. Still, Legolas placed a guard schedule on the room, a precaution should Aragorn return there for any reason. As for the prisons, there was no need to search them, for Gimli's guards kept vigil over the area. Aragorn would not have gotten past them unnoticed.

Still, there was little else to tell of the man's tale and the elves felt themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. None had ever eluded the elves for so long, save for Bilbo Baggins, and that was because the hobbit had used the One Ring to make himself invisiable. It was late evening when Legolas finally called the search to a halt. Several times the palace had been searched, top to bottom, east to west. And still no clues had been found. It was as if the former ranger had merely vanished into the air. It was a strange puzzle and Legolas knew that he would not be sleeping much that night. He was extremely uneasy knowing that an enemy could hide so well from his warriors and himself. What if the man came in the night to harm his family?

"We must remain alert this night," he told the warriors that had gathered back in the meeting room. "The man is still loose despite our best efforts. Still, he may feel bold during the night. Keep to your posts and keep watchful! I want two elves to guard the doors to my father's room and that of Alandor. I do not know if he is foolish enough to attempt to get to them, but I would rather caution be used." Here several of the warriors came forward to volunteer. Legolas smiled his approval; they were the very ones he had intended on asking.

Now the elves were dismissed and Legolas found that he was feeling weary and hungry. His father and brother would have eaten by now, but that was of little concern to him. He had no qualms in taking a quick, solitary supper. In truth, the idea was quite appealing. This way he could avoid having to admit momentary defeat to his father. It was not that Legolas felt that the king would fault him; Thranduil maintained pride in Legolas despite the circumstances. But rather, it was a personal pride that Legolas felt. This was not Dol Guldur he was trying to subdue. This was a man, a powerful man to be sure, but despite the Numenorian lineage he held, he was still a man.

Lost in his thoughts, Legolas soon found himself at the kitchen. A few torches burned inside and two female elves were seated at the table. They stood as soon as Legolas entered, offering to prepare him some food and wine. But Legolas just waved off their offers, leaning his bow against the wall.

"It is late and my lateness my own fault. Take your rest now. I shall be well enough on my own." One began to protest but Legolas laughed and shook his head. "Truly you take your job too seriously! Do you fear that I shall perish in the night? Starved to death for having refused your help? If that be the case and I do wither away, my father will believe you if you say that I insisted on it." He laughed some more; he knew both elves very well and often joked with them.

But in the end he won out and when the women had left the room he prepared himself a small plate of food. Wine he did not pour, but instead drank only the last of the water from a wineskin he had been using all day. In actuality, Legolas ate nothing more than a small portion of what had been leftover from dinner and a few pieces of fruit, but it suited him well and he ate the remnants of an apple on the way back to his room. There he dismissed two guards that stood on watch.

"I will be safe enough," he assured them. "I am restless this night and shall be my own guard. You both have worked tirelessly this day and are freshly returned from our battles in the forest. Please, take your rest, or if you be not weary then aid your fellow comrades."

When the two warriors had finally turned down the hall, Legolas entered into his own room, softly shutting the light wooden door behind him. He froze as he turned around, for by his bed, sitting in a chair, was Aragorn. Legolas' grip tightened on his bow and the other hand ached to reach to his quiver and grasp an arrow. But for some reason, he could not. Aragorn sat still, relaxed.

"You wish to kill me?" he asked the elf before him.

"I do not know," answered Legolas, who was torn between two states of mind. He placed his bow on a hook on the wall. "Why have you come here?"

"To speak with you. I carry information of utmost importance. My hope is that you will hear me out. Do you not remember our friendship and the trust you once had in me?"

"Those days are passed Aragorn. Listen to you, you say! And be a traitor to my own father? Nay. If I remain not loyal to him, who then shall?"

"If you wish your father's life be spared, then you will listen to me," Aragorn said, mustering authority in his voice. Never before had he needed to converse with his friend thusly.

"You mean to kill him then!" Legolas exclaimed, half accusing, half asking.

"No, but I do know of a plot against his life. Legolas, listen to me." Aragorn's mind was racing. Why was Legolas still trying to thwart his efforts? Had the suggestions planted in the elf's mind the night before not taken effect?

Suddenly the young prince sighed and sat upon his bed. It seemed as if a wave of tiredness overcame him and he no longer wished to fight with the man. He laid his weapons to one side.

"It is true I once trusted you and know not why I do not now. I will listen to your tale, but do not try and deceive me, for if you do, I shall not wait until the morning to see you dead," he said.

Quickly, Aragorn told of his wanderings within the palace after the finding of the secret paths. He told of finding the prison and of the cells filled with the strange colored spiders and of the plot he had overheard. Legolas sat unmoving as the man spoke, his face unchanged and Aragorn had to wonder if the elf believed him. At the end, he showed the sword wound to Legolas that the elf had dealt him the night before. Sudden remembrance came over Legolas and he lowered his eyes, all malice towards the Gondorian gone.

"I remember the fight last night. The serum you speak of must be true, which means that my father and brother are in great danger," Legolas said at length. "I am sorry for all the trouble that it has brought upon you, my friend."

Aragorn shook his head. "You are not at fault. I bear no ill will towards you, nor does Gimli."

"Aragorn, have you any idea who is behind this plot?"

"I do. I did not make mention of it before out of fear that you would not believe me. I believe that the leader is Kyno. He has three other elves under him. Two are Gimli's guards, but the other I could not see."

Legolas' face fell slightly at the revelation of Kyno, but he nodded. "He is the only one with such knowledge of spiders," he admitted, more to himself than to Aragorn. "And two guards as well. I have a fair guess as to who that might be, though I dare not make any accusations yet. The unknown elf bothers me. Still, I think there may yet be a way to uncover his identity. But we must make plans first."

"I agree," said Aragorn. "A plan has already begun to take shape in my mind. It will be dangerous though."

"Somehow, I expected nothing less," laughed Legolas.