Into the Labyrinth

Author: Amorous (For now…read my author's note below)

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Recognizable characters and places are Tolkien's, all others are most likely mine.

Author's Note: IMPORTANT! I want to make everyone who follows this story aware that I'm going to be changing my name sometime after this post to Nashira. Read my messages after this chapter for more details!

*Chapter 14: Vahlia*

Legolas woke slowly, eyes closed, and the first thing he was aware of was the pounding pain in his head and the cold, hard surface beneath him. He heard a soft groan and realized distantly that it was himself.

"Legolas?"

He heard his name being called but it seemed far away. Trying to recall what had left him in his current state was not proving successful, so he forced his sluggish eyes open and lay staring at a strange stone ceiling attempting to orient himself. Memories suddenly rushed back in a flood of noise and color and Legolas sat bolt upright, deeming he had been knocked down and was still in the pit. This did nothing to improve his orientation.

"Legolas!"

The blonde held a hand to his throbbing head with a quiet moan as the walls of his cell swirled about him. Deciding it was over all not healthy for him to remain in this position, he carefully laid back down against the cold stone ground. This feeling was very foreign to him.

"Are you alright?" Came the voice again and Legolas realized it was Aragorn.

"Yes, Furn." He murmured his response as he closed his blue eyes again, remembering to use the young man's alias.

"No you're not." He sounded worried.

Legolas turned his head to the side and looked across the hall at his friend, who was gazing back with examining eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Many hours. It is almost noon."

A chilling chuckle floated into their rooms then. "It took two shots to get you." Derral snorted. "I'm not sure they expected that."

"Is it normal to wake with a headache?" Legolas asked, very slowly easing into a sitting position again and using the bars of his door for support.

"No. But then, you're not normal." The black bearded man responded bluntly. "How I see it, one shot seemed to almost put you out but wasn't quite enough. Therefore, two shots is like an overdose for you." After not getting any reply, Derral continued on, "You two are going to make the Brothers big bucks. They must be real happy to have you."

"We need to get out of here." Aragorn said earnestly in response while Legolas seemed content with leaning his hurting head against the cool bars of his door and listening. Derral sighed as though he'd heard Aragorn's statement several times.

"It's been tried. You won't get far."

"Have you tried it?"

"If I had I wouldn't be here talking to you if you get my drift."

"No one has escaped successfully?"

"If anyone had, don't you think they would have told authorities where the place is so they could do something about it?"

Aragorn'a gaze dropped, though no one could see it. "I suppose so."

"Don't let that get you down, kids." Seon called from his cell next to Aragorn's. Being unlearned in the ways of Elves, Seon, as well as everyone else they'd come in contact with in Rahma, judged Legolas' age from his young features. Legolas kept telling his pride that it wasn't so far from truth, since he was actually still relatively young for an Elf. "I can't tell ya too much, but something big is going down here that most people are unaware of. Just hang on for a while longer and all will be fine."

"What do you mean?" Aragorn inquired ardently. "Is someone going to -"

"Don't talk about it." Derral interrupted.

"You'll know in a bit. Just wait." Seon added more kindly.

Legolas had a strong feeling that they were talking about the same thing which Kenan and Rovion had been back in the pub.

"Come on, Kenan. Think of Vahlia. You know she needs all the help she can get if their plan is gonna work."

Legolas wondered who this woman Vahlia was and what exactly she was planning. With a glance across the hall, Legolas suspected that in Aragorn's youthful eargerness, he'd not made the connection yet.

The creak of a doorway at the far end of the fighters' cells met their ears then and footsteps marched echoing towards them without stopping until Sureim and several of his men stood outside Aragorn's door. The young man looked up at them questioningly. Silently, the guards unlocked and opened his door.

Legolas rose unsteadily to his feet, gripping the bars and trying to steady his reeling vision. "What are you doing?"

Sureim said nothing, and his face remained a stony mask as his guards led Aragorn out of his room. But Legolas did notice with some satisfaction that the leiutenant remained on the other side of the small hallway, well away from the Elf's grasp.

"He has no fight tonight. Where are you taking him?" He persisted, but got no answer. He was not liking this. Aragorn shot him a apprehensive glance before he was pulled away and Sureim turned and looked at him with a smirk before following. Mirkwood's Prince was beginning to find that man's smile extremely annoying and yet unnerving.

"Wait!" Legolas called after them angrily. "Where are you taking him?"

"It's okay, kid." Seon said gently as they heard the door slam shut at the end of the hall. "The Brothers probably just want to learn more about him, that's all."

Realizing dismally that there was nothing he could possibly hope to do at his time, the Elf warrior moved across his room somewhat unsteadily and eased down onto his cot to await his friend's return.

**

"Who are you?"

Aragorn looked up from his chair, surprised. "Furnerain."

"We know what your name is." Alymar waved a hand impatiently as he paced the floor of the Brothers' luxurious office room. Amadeo stood stoically nearby and a half dozen guards were lined rigidly behind Aragorn, in front of the door. "We want to know where you're from – what you do. And don't just say you're a hunter from the north. We want more than that."

Aragorn considered what to say to them. Informing the Lavi Brothers that he was Isildur's long lost heir was quite out of the question. But perhaps he could please them with the truth without giving them the entirety of his background…

"I am a Ranger." He finally said with convincing reluctance. "I have traveled most my life."

Alymar paused his pacing and scrutinized the young man for a moment before nodding as though this explained several things. Besides an inanimate glance at his twin, Amadeo remained coldly impassive.

"I assume that is where you learned to fight then – living as a Ranger?" Alymar continued.

Aragorn nodded an affirmative even though it was not completely true. Alymar resumed his pacing thoughtfully, a hand running over his pencil-thin dark beard.

"And what of your Elf friend?" Amadeo suddenly spoke up prominently in his rich, thick voice. Alymar stopped moving, taking interest. "Where is he from?"

Aragorn paused, unsure. The last thing he wanted now was to put Legolas in any more danger than he already had. Even so, it was obvious these men knew hardly anything about the world of Elves…"He is from Mirkwood." He finally replied and wondered even they'd even heard of that. It was only the largest most formidable forest on Middle-Earth.

"I heard Elves lived there," Alymar commented to no one in particular. "They say those kind are very secretive and sly. Like everything in that forest."

"You have been there?" Aragorn inquired, somewhat amazed, before he could think to stop himself. He'd assumed that the majority of people in Rahma seldom passed beyond the town gates unless they were traders.

Alymar gave him a sharp look. "I didn't say I'd been there." He retorted slightly defensively.

Just then there was a knock on the door and, Amadeo calling for him to enter, Sureim strode in purposefully. The attention of the Brothers was fully on him so he started right in, looking strangely zealous as he stood in front of them, feet spread.

"A potential fighter has been spotted in town. On the east side one of our spies, Lanin, reported having witnessed a street fight. That gangster Jase apparently did it again, only this time he got beat."

The Brothers instantly took interest. Apparently this Jase person did not get beaten in a fight often. "Has the other fighter been identified?" Amadeo asked with raised eyebrows.

"Not yet. Lanin says he's tried to track him but he moves too quickly and disappears in the crowd every time. Lanin also said you'd be especially interested when I told you that this potential fighter looks like the Elf and moves exactly like him."

Aragorn's heart skipped a beat and he drew in a quick breath. Amadeo glanced at him, not missing the reaction, but Alymar's attention was focused solely on Sureim. The delighted green twin was about to speak when his brother cut him off.

"I believe we are done here." Amadeo tipped his head in Aragorn's direction. Then he turned to his Lieutenant. "Sureim, please stay here so we may speak to you further on this matter."

"But Brother -" Alymar looked at the young prisoner, as though this new information needed to be tested on him.

"If we want more information we'll bring one of them back." Amadeo halted his twin's response again, but his voice was softer and considerably less severe. As he looked at his brother, his gaze was warm. Alymar nodded immediately and, watching the exchange, Aragorn was struck with a sudden insight. Despite their stormy, ruthless countenance, the Lavi Brothers cared deeply for each other. However, how a man could care for any form of life while playing such dangerous games and killing so many others without so much as a thought was beyond Aragorn's comprehension.

The interview over, Aragorn was brought promptly back to his cell where he filled Legolas in on what had happened. Legolas' reaction was similar to his own when he got to the part about this new 'potential fighter'.

"Isor," Legolas murmured with strong concern and sadness, dropping his gaze. "Trouble follows that Elf like stink follows an Orc."

"I can think of several other people with that problem." Aragorn commented and Legolas smiled half-heartedly.

Soon after, however, Legolas fell into a strange, thoughtful almost dispirited mood. After a while, Gondor's lost king pressed his Elven friend to confide in him, but Legolas continued to slide away from the subject. Aragorn gave up for the time being and they fell into an awkward silence, uselessly wasting away the hours left in the day.

**

Late that night, Aragorn was drifting off to sleep when he heard quick, soft footsteps. Several of the fighters murmured hushed greetings as the person in the hall passed their doors and the young man rose and craned his neck, trying to see out his own door. Legolas was already across the corridor, eyes clear and dark. Though his headache and odd ailments had left him hours ago, the Elf had yet to pull out of his afflicted disposition and Aragorn had yet to find the reason for it.

A slight figure came into view then, lit by the flickering torches lining the passage, and drew closer until the friends recognized the features of the young lady who sat at Amadeo's side during every fight. When she stood directly between their barred doors, she stopped and looked back and forth between them. She wore a flowing crimson gown and her loose dark curls hung lazily down her back. With a glance at a composed Legolas, Aragorn was wondering what she could possibly want with them when she spoke.

"Please listen to me and do not speak until I am done." She began in a rushed whisper, continuing to eye each of them in turn. Her pretty face was set, though not severe as it had been before. "I am working to free you. All of you. My name is Vahlia, I have been here a long while and the Lavi Brothers have taken me into their confidence. I have led Amadeo to believe that I love him. I know all that they plan and so am able help fighters where I can. Many of the guards here are working with me and we are close to getting contact with the outside."

Aragorn was stunned. So this was the woman that Kenan and Rovion had spoken of. This was certainly good news. Legolas on the other hand showed to sign of hope. The Elf appeared as though he'd known what the woman was going to say and it did not seem to affect him. Then again, Elves were known for their ability to mask their features when the need arose. But even Aragorn, who had grown up in an Elven family and knew this particular Elf well, could not surmise what the woodlander was thinking or feeling.

"How close?" Legolas whispered without moving a muscle from his fixed stance. The torchlight wavered orange over his face, lighting in the long straight hair that fell far down his chest. The muscles in his bare arms were defined in the yellow light and ashen shadow that played over them.

"We are planning to attempt our first run in the next several days." Vahlia responded immediately.

"How successful do you deem it will be?" The placid blonde asked. Aragorn was still taking in the information, astonished and slightly taken aback at the casualty with which his friend spoke. Had the Elf somehow known about this and not told him?

"It will be extremely risky, I will not deny that." Vahlia was saying softly. "Only once has this been tried and all who were directly involved ended up dead one way or another. It was not something that we want to repeat, to say the least. This is a very delicate process and one misstep could destroy all that we've worked for."

No pressure on the messenger, Aragorn thought to himself idly.

"Do you trust who you are planning to send?" Legolas pressed quietly and Aragorn was again finding his friend's behavior odd.

"Kenan is new here, but I knew him long before this ever happened." Her voice had dropped significantly, and she began to glance down the dark hall.

"We have friends in Rahma and they will be searching for us," The Wood-Elf whispered quickly. Aragorn realized where Legolas was going with this subject. "Is it possible that Kenan could contact them somehow? They will be a great help to you."

Vahlia was silent for a moment as she thought about his and then slowly nodded. "He could try." Then she gasped as though she had remembered some vital fact. "Is one of your friends an Elf like you?" She asked Legolas.

"Aye." His response was despondent, knowing most likely what she would say.

"He was seen on the east side in a brawl. The Brothers want him. Badly. They will try to capture him."

Legolas was silent and, thinking that perhaps the subject ought to be changed for his friend's sake, Aragorn decided to pose one of the many questions that had been formulating in his mind. "How often do you come here?"

"When I can." She turned to gaze at him and her dark eyes glittered in the torchlight. "I can only come when the right combination of guards is set."

Aragorn nodded in understanding and Vahlia glanced down the hall again. "I must leave now. But know that we are working hard to bring them down and it will not be long now. Stay strong and do not despair. I will return when I can and I will try to have Kenan contact your friends." With that she gave them each a final, reassuring glance and swept down the corridor. Legolas stepped out of Aragorn's view and the young man could hear Vahlia as she passed each doorway, stopping to give words of encouragement to the fighters.

**

Near the center of Rahma, Elrohir, Isorfinduil, and Elladan stood inside security headquarters. Standing erect in front of them was a young man of perhaps 25 with a mass of blonde curls atop his head.

"Thank you for coming. I spoke with your friend here yesterday at midday." He gestured stiffly at Elladan in an official manner. "We would be happy for your help in the investigation of the fighting ring that we are attempting to locate." Soldiers bustled here and there around them, seeming slightly helter-skelter.

Elrohir could tell immediately that the place was not very organized and that this man, supposedly the chief was quite flustered. He glanced at Elladan and then back at the man. "What is your name?"

"Oh!" He exclaimed and his face flushed from embarrassment. Then he stood tall again, back straight, and held out a hand. "I am Commander Cadell Busker."

"Are you related to Juda Busker then, at The Stone Troll?" Elrohir asked, taking the man's hand.

"Yes, she is my aunt." Cadell relaxed slightly at the mention of his relative, then straightened quickly again as though just remembering he was a Commander. "If you will follow me, we can discuss the investigation where it is more quiet." He said formally and led them to a small back room where they sat at a round table and the young commander began to fill them in on what was being done about the fighting ring.

"Well," Cadell cleared his throat, looking slightly sheepish while trying to remain professional. "We have been working hard at this for some time and have concluded that the whereabouts of this lawbreaking group is somewhere on the west side of Rahma."

Elrohir blinked. With a glance to his left, he saw that Isorfinduil's face was blank as well. Elladan looked appalled. "Is that all you know?" He wondered aloud.

Cadell gazed about the room over their heads, as though searching for an answer and not wanting to meet their gaze. "Well we also know that they…they are very dangerous."

"Have you even been actively looking for this place?"

"Oh yes, we have, I assure you." Cadell nodded vigorously, the thick curls bouncing. "Search parties have been sent out often in the past. But as I mentioned, these lawbreakers are quite dangerous and many times our men run into complications…"

"Such as…" Elladan leaded.

"They die. To put it bluntly." The worried commander's face was somber and the Elves detected underlying fear. "This is by far the most difficult group to break in Rahma's history."

**

Hello, everyone! Just in case you didn't read my author's note at the top, I will say again that I am going to attempt to change my screen name. Here's the story. (You may want to settle in and prepare yourself for a long tale.) See, I was using a certain name generator and the darn thing was describing someone as being amorous….and I, in one my more blonde moments, (I mean no offense to all my blonde friends out there…I am one too), and not at that time knowing that it was an actual word, thought that the lovely name generator had generated me a wonderful name! Only later did someone I know imply that it meant sort of lovey-dovey. So at first I was like "Well, maybe it just means friendly love…that's okay…" And only after that did I see it used in several books…and then I looked it up in the dictionary…and without going into too many details, I'll just end my story by saying that I don't really want to portray the meaning of the word in my name.

And so I'm going to attempt to change it. I don't really know how successful this will be, and I'm hoping they let me do it easily and that it doesn't ruin anything that I've already gotten set up here. So be on the lookout for Amorous changing to Nashira (which means 'she who brings good news'…much better, in my opinion). I'll do it sometime after this post and I honestly don't know what will happen so I apologize in advance for any problems it may cause!

Okay then, now that that's out of the way…

Oh, and also…I know this chapter doesn't have much action, but I think the next will. Looking back on this story with an objective mind, I realize that the beginning towards the middle is sort of unnecessarily drawn out. I am making sure now to keep things moving along without any unnecessary scenes or parts. So…you may notice things picking up the pace from now on.

Special thanks to AilciA for reviewing 'In the End'! (Thanks for your comment on that line! It's always great when reviewers tell you specific parts that they like, it's so helpful!) And if anyone else here did as well and I never thanked you, then I do now! I appreciate them all!

Tithen Min – Yes yes, Elf angst is good, I agree! And It's okay, I go wild with exclamation points from time to time, too! !! !!! !!! You see?! Haha, anyways, thank you so much for the encouragement!

Marianne and Callie – Thank you, Callie! I really am very glad you like it. Ack! A plot bunny! That's a very interesting thought, though. I actually had not thought of that. Hm…

Libby – Oh, I know you're not bloodthirsty…*steps a few feet away* …lol, no don't worry. If it works out the way I'm planning, I think you'll be happy with chapter 15!

Leggylover03 – Thanks! Here's more!

Chris – That's right, it's survival of the fittest as they say. Yep…thank you I did have a nice vacation…and I'm ready to write more!

Nightcrawler's girlio – Yes, Legolas' fight wasn't that long…but he has a lot more in store for him and…well, you'll see. Thank you so much!

Luthien5 – Thanks for dropping a line! I'm not sure what Isorfinduil means…I think 'duil' means 'oak' and 'fin' I know means hair…so great, my Elf means "*blank* oaken hair" What a powerful name, don't you think? I dunno, I'll try to find outmore. Thanks again!

ASL – Yeah, it's good that the Elves now have someone they can trust. Sorry for the cliffie, I didn't leave one this time! (Did I?) Thanks for being so faithful!

Elenillor – I know what you mean about being into a story and it ending all of a sudden. Sorry! Here's a little more! Thank you though. You're not the only one to say that I have a clear writing style…I hope that's a good thing… :)

Yaavannie – Wow, thank you! That's a lot of compliments…I'm glad you liked Legolas' fight, even though this one wasn't very long or dramatic. And you're right about the twins (the bad ones) having difficulty presenting him to the public!

Elvulia – Don't worry, I know for sure how school can reallyget tough. Work loads after work loads. Oh, and um…about the warg thing…see, I don't want to give anything away, but uh…I don't think I'll be able to promise you that he won't fight one. Hehe…I'm good at not giving things away, hm? And if you don't mind my asking, are you a Christian? I am and I noticed you saying God bless on your reviews. Thank you for that!

Thank you all so much and I really hope to hear from you again! Thanks, and remember to stay on the lookout for Nashira, 'kay?

Have a great week!