Yup. So I know I said that Opposition Upon Meeting would be next, but since when does that stop me from being unpredictable? I worked on OUM for a while and have several pages of it done, but it will take longer than expected since I know what I'd like to accomplish in the next part. So I decided to whip out chapter 17 here, to give you something for the holidays. (Sure, like I can 'whip' anything out…)

The only other thing I have to say is…

James, I have officially jumped on the torture bandwagon. Forgive me. :)

**

Into the Labyrinth

Author: Mirfaen (Amorous)

*Chapter 17: Weakness*

"Derral?"

"What, kid?"

"Look into his room for a minute. Are his eyes closed? I can't see his face from here."

The creaking of a metal cot echoed in the stone hallway as Derral stood on the small bed and peered through the bars into the next room. A fair figure lay sprawled on an area rug, head tossed to one side and a dark crimson stain of dried blood beneath. Pale hair clung to several long open wounds that went down one shoulder and out of sight.

"Yeah, they are. But that's normal for someone who's unconscious, you know."

Aragorn did not answer the older man. What difference would it make trying to explain the sleeping habits of Elves to a man that had just recently seen one for the first time? Aragorn sat with his back against a wooden wall where he could look across the hall at his friend's motionless form. Feelings of guilt, worry, and anger warred within the young man as he stared. Self-blame ate away at his mind and it was all he could do to not let it take over.

The fighters in the rooms around Aragorn and Legolas were all silent but Aragorn could easily guess their thoughts. What now? The Elf just killed the Lavi Brothers' strongest beast. The Brothers would not take this lightly – they were probably at this very moment reconsidering the advantages of keeping Legolas alive. They knew that a completely unbeatable fighter would eventually bore the audience and business would slow considerably.

"You should be proud of him, Furn." Seon's gentle voice floated in from the adjacent room. "He's a champion level fighter now."

"I am proud. But I'm also worried."

"I know you are." Seon returned kindly.

"Why have they not sent any healers? You said they send healers to injured fighters within a half-hour of the fight. It's been at least three hours."

"They usually do. I don't know what to tell you. I'm sure someone will come for him soon."

"They're probably trying to weaken him." Derral added none too helpfully. "He can't be perfect; they need him to have a struggle in his fights every so often. I bet they're thinking if they can keep him injured then he'll have a disadvantage next time and business for The Labyrinth will increase."

Aragorn's heart fell. "But they don't know that Elves heal faster than humans." He said, unsuccessfully attempting to make himself feel better.

"The Brothers know exactly what they're doing. They never make mistakes, although even they would have to admit that they've hit a tough one to figure with your friend."

Aragorn was not particularly encouraged by Derral's words and there was a lull in the conversation as he sat staring at the wooden walls of his room. Then Derral sighed rather hopelessly and spoke again. "There's more to them than what you see. They like to play mind games and get people scared – they've been doing it for so long now that they've created an art out of it."

Aragorn decided that Derral was quite possibly the most pessimistic and discouraging man he'd ever come across. The young man felt extremely small all of a sudden, as though his actions had close to no effect. Or perhaps he had felt so all along and was just now realizing it. Everything had become so much bigger than he could even think to handle. He felt helpless; in his mind, Aragorn had become a windblown leaf battling the waves of a vast ocean expanse.

**

Elladan searched the pine trees around him with glowering eyes. Seeing nothing but more trees, the perturbed Elf growled softly in frustration and started the long walk back to where Commander Busker searched with some of his soldiers. If they could indeed be called soldiers. In Elladan's esteemed opinion, they no more than inexperienced farmers and eager young men who really had not much of an idea of what being a soldier really meant.

Elladan was lost in his thoughts as he stepped into the small meeting area in the woods outside of Rahma. The two young lookouts on either side of him jumped a foot in the air upon his sudden emergence. The disguised Elf strode past them without a glance, his eyes intent upon a figure on the other side of the small clearing.

"Cadell, this search is one of the more unsuccessful that I have yet been a part of."

The young Commander looked up from where he had been studying a map of the forest and met Elladan's storming eyes hesitantly. "I gather that you had little success?"

"We need to search door to door in the town. Looking around at this Valar-forsaken foliage is not going to give us any sudden insight as to where the fighting ring is."

Cadell straightened. "We cannot do that." His eyes began to shift nervously, flitting from Elladan's face to the befuddled soldiers and back again. "That is – we already have. What I mean to say is…there is no possible place large enough for an organization of that size to successfully operate. In Rahma."

"Have you given thought to the possibility of it being underground?" Elladan inquired none too politely, fixing the over-sized cuffs of his overcoat and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, we have. But as I told you, we have already searched the town. We came up with nothing."

"Searching the woods like this is clearly no better."

Cadell lowered his head and scratched at his short blonde curls forlornly. Then, turning, he gave a command to the soldiers who stood nearby and they disappeared into the trees, leaving the two alone. Elladan stood motionless and without expression as Cadell stepped toward him and looked up despairingly into his eyes.

"Elladan, what should I do? I would not say this in front of my men for fear of disheartening them, but I tell you the truth now. I can see there is something different about you – there is a wisdom deep in your eyes that I have never seen and it staggers me. I caught a glimpse of the same in your twin and your friend as well but I have spent most time with you."

Elladan was staring at the young Commander blankly but inside he was heavily impressed. From the beginning it had been clear to all Cadell's unmistakable apprehension, almost fright, of the older twin's presence. And Elladan was painfully aware of his continual harshness with the young man throughout the past week. His worry for Aragorn and Legolas had been eating away at him for too long now and his emotions were running rampant, his short temper attacking anyone who was unfortunate enough to get in its way. For Cadell to say such things openly to one whom he feared and one who had not given the young man much reason to like him was cause for great respect.

"…Elladan," Cadell's voice became soft and his brown eyes seemed to grow large and trusting. "I don't know what I'm doing. I am no Commander – I have no experience in any sort of government or army and I know not how best to run one. This search is too much for me – whoever leads the gang is far more intelligent than I and they outwit me easily every time I think I'm close."

Elladan's hard masked expression melted at this desperate declaration of failure and he immediately felt badly for treating the young Commander with such severity.

"I can see from the wisdom in your eyes that you have the experience of such things. Please, I need your help. I cannot hand over the operation to you, but please, will you consider being my unofficial advisor? I will follow your direction; I need help that I see you can give."

Commander Busker stopped there and stood, unsure of Elladan's reaction. It looked as though he half expected Elladan to yell at him, but the disguised Elf was silent for several moments before speaking.

"You have what it takes to lead your men. I will help as best I can, but know that you yourself already have the raw abilities that are essential for a good leader. I can see skills and qualities in you that you perhaps cannot see yourself. You need only to hone your skills and that I will help you do." The sounds of men speaking in the woods a ways off alerted the two to the soldiers' return and Elladan took the young Commander gently by the arm, lowering his voice considerably. "Do not appear as though you are following my commands in front of your men. You must retain their full trust and your full authority. That you waited to speak to me shows your restraint and that you came to me at all shows that you have the gall to take risks in order to get aid when it is necessary. I will help you."

Cadell's face was alight with relief and hope and Elladan smiled reassuringly at him for the first time. For Elladan himself, Cadell's honesty was refreshing and his excited youthfulness was pleasantly cheering. The soldiers came into view and Cadell hid his youthful expressions of renewed hope well as they came close, but his big brown eyes shown brilliantly as he looked at Elladan with admiration.

"You are a good judge of character as well, Commander Busker." Elladan added without quieting his voice as the soldiers began glancing over the forest maps near them and marking off different points. "Perhaps a good talk with your aunt about my companions and I is in order."

**

When Legolas awoke, he had to lie still for a long while to allow his vision to clear and his head to stop swimming. His left shoulder and back ached fiercely where the Warg's dirty claws had ripped through his skin. The Elf noticed that he had not been given another shirt, nor had anyone come to tend his injuries.

From the pain that came with trying to sit up, Legolas realized with dismay that the bloody wounds on his back had dried onto the rug beneath him. Legolas groaned softly and reached his right arm over his head, holding the area rug down awkwardly as he lifted his body up and peeled the fur painfully from his wounds. Now sitting carefully upright, he felt a small trickle begin to flow warmly down his back from a reopened slice.

"Furnerain?" He called softly to Aragorn, holding his hurting head in his hands. A moment of silence passed and Legolas looked up. "Furn?"

His voice echoed down the stone passageway but the only sounds he heard in return were the noises of the other fighters in the great hallway; snoring, sighing, the shifting of cots and hushed conversations.

"Furn, are you there?"

"Legolas?" It was Seon who spoke from his cell diagonally across from Legolas' own, and he sounded sleepy. "Are you awake?"

"I am."

"I'm sure glad of that. Furn was very worried about you, you know."

"Is he asleep then?"

"No, son. He's not."

There was a slight pause and Legolas shifted so that he could see across the hall into Aragorn's room. He could not see part of the young man's cell but the half he could see into was vacant. His back felt as though it was burning up and he touched a part of his injured shoulder tentatively to find that it was indeed abnormally heated. "Is he not here?"

"I'm afraid he's with the Brothers."

"Why?"

"I couldn't tell ya. But no good will come of it, son. That much I know."

**

Aragorn glanced down at his wrists, which were presently tied to the arms of a wooden chair, and wiggled them about. He was in the Lavi Brothers' personal office, where Legolas and he had first met the twins, and the young man was at a complete loss as to the reason for his presence. He figured dismally that the fact that his hands were tied down did not say much in his favor.

Several guards stood expressionless at the back of his chair. With a reluctant sigh, Aragorn gave up his small battle with the ropes and looked across the room to where the two twins sat speaking to each other in hushed voices. Vahlia stood leaning against a wall nearby, her pretty face uncaring and hard as she watched the twins talk. She had not given Aragorn so much as a glance since he had entered and he was again impressed with her ability to school her features.

Amadeo stood suddenly, straightening his shining red sleeveless shirt and turned a scrutinizing stare in Aragorn's direction. "Very well, brother." He stated in a finalizing tone. "But I still say we should have gone with the Elf. He's the one we need to be at a disadvantage. And he's the one I'm angry with anyhow."

Alymar stood up as well and came toward Aragorn, his dark eyes showing his pleasure at the outcome of the conversation. "He is already disadvantaged, Amadeo. I have no doubt that his back is infected by now and an injury that large would greatly affect any man in combat."

"He's not a man, Alymar. You must remember that."

The green clad twin did not respond for he was now standing in front of Aragorn. He crossed his muscled arms confidently over his chest and leaned back ever so slightly. "Tell me, Furnerain of the north – have you been enjoying your stay at The Labyrinth?"

"It has been quite thrilling." Aragorn responded flatly.

Across the room, he could see Vahlia watching him disdainfully. Amadeo leaned in close to her and whispered something into her ear. She smiled and laid a kiss on the man's cheek before sweeping past him towards the door. Passing Aragorn's chair, she glanced down out of the corner of her eye and gave him a comforting look.

Alymar's glinting eyes followed her out and Amadeo appeared at his brother's side as the door closed, looking down at Aragorn with sudden contempt. "You have several friends in Rahma who are also Elves, correct?"

Completely taken aback by this unexpected question, Aragorn stared at him for a moment, thinking quickly for an appropriate answer. He shook his head. "No, Legolas and I traveled here alone. I told you that before."

Amadeo's arm shot out and he punched the side of Aragorn's face like a swift bolt of lightning. Reeling from the suddenness of the hit, the young man sat motionless for several seconds before slowly turning his head back to face the twins again. So this was how they were playing it.

"Wrong answer." Alymar stated darkly. "We know that there is at least one other Elf in Rahma. Another little blonde one who conveniently wears a bandana at all times. He will join you soon, by the way. We have been tracking him for several days now."

Aragorn stared at them silently and his face was hard now that he knew their intentions.

"Where is that Elf housed?" Amadeo asked as Alymar strode back a few paces to sit leisurely on the edge of a glossy wooden desk. After Aragorn did not respond, Amadeo again socked him in the jaw, sending a piercing pain into the young man's face.

"Answer." Amadeo ordered, his dark hair spilling over his shoulders and his black eyebrows narrowing. Aragorn moved his jaw from left to right as the ringing in his ears began to subside.

"We came alone. If there is another Elf here, then we have no knowledge of him."

"Different answer."

"What do you want me to say?" Aragorn said in frustration. "I know of no other Elf in Rahma, neither does Legolas. As I told you, we came alone looking for a friend of ours."

Amadeo did not move for a long moment and silence hung poised in the air. "I most definitely don't believe you. I suggest you tell us about your friend. Whether you do or don't does not change the fact the we will get him, but the more you tell us the more pain you shall be spared."

"I cannot tell you of what I do not know. Ask me something I know about." The young man retorted darkly. He hoped with all his heart that they would take his lead and move away from the subject of Isorfinduil. He would not risk slipping up and revealing something that would get the Wood-elf captured.

Amadeo watched him stonily for a long moment, one hand running abstractedly up and down a pair of nunchuks that were fixed on his broad belt. Aragorn glanced quickly at them - two thick metal rods connected by a length of sturdy chain. The young Ranger had only seen such a weapon in drawings and books while growing up in Rivendell and they were significantly more imposing when seen not three feet from his face.

With his thoughts drifting, Aragorn was again unprepared for the sharp blow that snapped his head to the side.

"Very well." Amadeo stated with a slight shrug. Then he leaned in close as Aragorn swallowed against the aching pain in his cheek and jaw. "Every living being and animal, no matter how majestic or skillful or strong, has a weakness. Nature's way does not allow perfection. Which means the almighty Legolas has a flaw somewhere. A weakness. Your job now is to tell us what that is."

Were he not under such close scrutiny, Aragorn would have shook his head and sighed at this turn of conversation. It was no better than the last subject was – possibly worse for there was no way that he could deny knowing Legolas.

He knew indeed of several ways in which an Elf could easily be weakened. Destroy someone close to him and his heart would naturally be torn with grief; it was not a rare event for an Elf to die of a broken heart. Lock him in a room with no light and little room to move and his mind as well as his body would suffer from the lack of contact with the natural world. Deal numerous injuries faster than his Elven body could have a chance to heal…

One thing Aragorn knew was that he would die and go through any amount of pain before he told the Lavi twins any of what he knew.

"He has no weakness." He said confidently, gazing fixedly into Amadeo's dark eyes.

The red twin's face slowly transformed into a mask of boiling anger. His hand shook as he rested it on the back of Aragorn's chair and the young man could see unwillingness to believe in the man's eyes. "Everything has a weakness." Amadeo ground out between his teeth before tightening his fist and slamming it hard into Aragorn's stomach.

Aragorn gasped and doubled over, the muscles in his stomach stiffening against the pain. Amadeo pushed him back and pinned him to the back of the wooden chair with a hand and laid another solid punch into the young man's middle. Aragorn grimaced as the walloping pain impacted his mid-section. The blows continued to come, growing fiercer in intensity as Amadeo's rage ignited.

When the rain of punches finally stopped, Aragorn was left gasping for breathe and curled over slightly as Amadeo's holding arm left his shoulder. He sat for a moment with his head down to hide the grimace on his face as he fought the deep throbbing in his stomach. He felt like he would throw up from the pain and the twisted feeling inside.

Aragorn had slowly begun to lift his head when it was pounded sharply to the side. He turned back quickly only to be punched again in the jaw. He felt blood seep down his chin from an open cut on his mouth.

**

Isorfinduil entered the stable behind The Stone Troll and was greeted with the scent of hay and horses. The air was musty inside and dense, for the heat of the day had brought no wind with it. Strolling down the center of the straw-hewn shelter, Isorfinduil heard a familiar nicker and turned aside to greet Merencil. The mare tossed her gray head up and down in excitement upon seeing her master and her large eyes twinkled with a longing to be out of the stall and running over grassy plains.

"I would like to be rid of this town as much as you," The Elf murmured quietly, scratching her broad cheek. "But we cannot abandon Legolas and Aragorn, nor can we desert the mission we set out to do."

The horse stilled her excited movements at the mention of the Prince's name and came forward several steps. Leaning her head over the stall door, she sniffed loudly at Isorfinduils's face and then began to lick at the blue cloth that was tied over his forehead. Laughing, the Elf pulled back from the slobbering tongue and wiped his face with a sleeve.

"I don't like it either, but I must wear it for a time." He told her, straightening the bandana to be sure it covered the tips of his ears again.

Merencil whinnied and dipped her head to chew at the collar of the black overcoat that Isorfinduil had received from Aragorn. Then she snorted in disgust as though to say that Isorfinduil smelled and tasted like filthy humans and retreated back into the stall. Isorfinduil laughed lightly and was ready to say farewell when the barn door creaked open.

"My, that is a musical laugh ye've got, dearie! Not surprising though, knowing what I do now." Juda Busker hustled in, her face a rosy red and her brown hair straying out at odd angles. "Pleasant on the ears, it is."

"Thank you," the Elf replied, not quite sure what else to say. He went over quickly to help the woman with a large jug of water that she had hauled in. She nodded gratefully at the help and wiped her plump hands on her apron with a sigh as Isorfinduil began to fill the horses' troughs.

"Have you spoken much with my nephew?" Juda asked lightly, as though wishing to simply make conversation.

Sensing a hidden intent behind the matter of subject, Isorfinduil gave her a questioning glance as he lifted the jug to fill up another water trough. "I have spoken with Cadell several times. However, Elladan has spent more time with him than I because I cannot be seen much on the roads for a time."

"Yes, my boy." She replied with a chortling laugh. "You created quite the raucous in town with that Jase character."

Isorfinduil gave a short, clipped laugh before falling silent. Then he looked over at Juda pointedly. "Commander Cadell seems to be doing fairly well."

She was quiet for several moments and gazed back at him as though she lingered on the edge of deciding whether or not to tell him something. "He does alright…but I'm sure he'd be grateful of any pointers you three can give him." She began to rub her hands followed him from one stall to the next. "Truthfully, dear, he's not got much experience in leading an army. Poor boy tries his hardest and he's got the heart, for sure…but I think he needs help. I don't suppose ye would mind giving him a bit of guidance every once in a while? It sure would do him good."

Isorfinduil smiled at her as he set the empty water jug on a bed of hay. "I will certainly do what I can. And the twins as well will be happy to help him, I am sure of that."

Juda's rosy face lit up and she clasped her hands before her excitedly. "My, but that's good to hear! I'm mighty grateful, my boy. You three are doing this town a great service."

**

"Tell me how he can be weakened. It does you no good to hold out." Amadeo stated, his calm poise having returned, as he stepped back and stared at Aragorn.

The young man was leaning wearily on an elbow and his wrists were raw from where he had unintentionally pulled against the ropes. His head was hot and pounding and it was all he could do to hold it partially upright. His stomach throbbed and the muscles were seizing and cramping painfully in protest. "Elves have no natural weakness." He said, and was shamed by the tremble that was evident in his voice.

Shaking the dark wavy hair from his face, he set his hurting jaw and fixed Amadeo with as bold and defiant a gaze as he could muster. The tall dark twin seemed quite unimpressed but behind him, Alymar smiled. Pushing off from the desk, the green twin came forward with a grin, running his fingers over the pencil-thin beard that defined his jawbone.

"It is always the same with you young heroes." Alymar declared as he moved to stand next to his twin. The small black braids and beaded ends slid back and forth over his broad shoulders as he stepped. "You try to hold out as long as you can, thinking you're doing some great deed by it. But don't you see, Furnerain of the north? It doesn't matter what you tell us. We get what we need by other means. Here, you are nothing. We need you for nothing. Killing you at this very moment would be like sweeping dirt out the door." He pulled a curved dagger from his belt and placed the tip at Aragorn's stomach. "I could slide this into your belly at this very moment without blinking. I have done so many times at this point of a fighter's career."

"If I am so worthless to you, then why have you brought me here at all?" Aragorn murmured darkly, without so much as glancing at the dagger at his stomach.

Alymar paused and then sheathed the gleaming knife. "Several reasons. Some of which don't even concern you."

**

"Storm season's on its way quick, my boy." Juda Busker sighed as she took the empty jug and collected several other items that hung from the stalls nearby. "I sure hope this fighting ring business is finished before the big one hits."

"The big one?" Isorfinduil asked with a questioning glance as Merencil nibbled at bits of dried apple from his hand. "A storm?"

"Aye. Every year it comes. Or – most every year. Anyhow, it's what builds up in the mountains yonder," she tipped her head in the direction of the Misty Mountains, "We can see it building itself up in the peaks until it's too big to stay there any longer and it comes rushing down quick into our little valley here. Terrible swift it is, when it starts. Lots of lightning and thunder and rain. The town floods lots of times."

Isorfinduil was silent in wonder. He enjoyed storms and could not deny that being present for such a tempest would be remarkable. However, if the storm was damaging then he would rather it not come. "When does it hit usually?"

Juda stopped her bustling next to him and sighed dismally. "This week or the next. But last year nothing came at all. That's why folks are a bit on the edge for this year's storm. They're all sayin' that this year'll be twice as bad because we got nothing last year." She shook herself and looked up at him with her usual rosy smile. She patted his cheek lightly. "Don't mean to be scarin' ye, my boy. If ye get scared of anything. Best be getting on my business, then." She headed for the barn door, her arms piled high. "You be careful, now. Shouldn't be alone, you know." She mumbled and with that she was gone.

Alone again, Isorfinduil turned back to look at Merencil with raised eyebrows. The mare snorted happily, having no idea quite what was going on at the moment, save the fact that her master had apple chips. She took a mouthful of his coat and yanked him forward to get a better reach into his pockets and he pushed her searching nose away with a smile. "I have no more today." He apologized and rubbed her shining gray neck. "I shall bring more tomorrow, but I must go now. There is much work yet to be done."

He heard a small whinny nearby and saw Legolas' horse poke her white head out of the next stall. She seemed to stare at him accusingly.

"I shall bring some for you as well," he said with a nod. "I'll bring enough for all of you."

His job done for the day, Isorfinduil left the peaceful barn and had turned his back to close the door when he heard hurried footsteps coming up behind him. He spun to find a hooded figure walking swiftly towards him and he stepped away from the barn door warily.

"Go back inside, now!" The person called to him and began to run.

"No." Isorfinduil replied sharply, backing away.

"Please, I must speak with you quickly and we cannot be seen!" The figure called desperately.

The Elf paused where he was and gazed at the person skeptically. Thinking fast, he opened the barn door and stepped in, drawing both knives from his back as he did so. The figure rushed in after him and closed the door swiftly. Isorfinduil danced back from the person several steps and held his knives at the ready. Merencil lifted her head and stamped upon seeing her master in such a defensive position.

"Please, I do not wish to harm you." The person lowered his hood to reveal a young man with brown hair that reached just below his shoulders. He lifted his hands to show that they were empty and made no move towards the dubious Elf. "I am an undercover guard at The Labyrinth and have been sent to contact you."

Isorfinduil stared at him blankly for a moment and then narrowed his golden brows and glanced behind him at the door on the other end of the barn. The boy was speaking riddles and he would not allow himself to be distracted into any sort of trap by Jase.

The young man looked at him expectantly and when Isorfinduil did not respond, he stepped forward. "Do you not know what that is?"

"I don't, nor do I wish to."

The young man paused and gazed at him strangely. "Why do you wear that cloth on your head?"

The Elf's eyes widened at the abrupt question, then narrowed again. "Why do you want to know?"

"You're an Elf."

Isorfinduil's heart skipped a beat and began to race. "That's ridiculous. No one's ever seen an Elf in Rahma."

"I have."

Isorfinduil stopped.

"He is blonde. With blue eyes. His name is Legolas. And of course I know of another, whose name I have yet to know."

**

"What is the other Elf's name? Does he go by an alias?"

Aragorn didn't answer the tall man in front of him and received a hard punch in his already throbbing stomach. Alymar had gone back to the desk again, leaving the rest to his more aggressive twin. Amadeo had begun the questioning again and Aragorn longed for it to end, to at least get a moment of rest.

"Where does he stay?"

"Why do you keep asking me questions if it doesn't matter what I say?" He asked with a hiss as he tried to straighten.

"To save you some pain, hero." Alymar replied from behind his brother.

"Would you like to save yourself some pain?" Amadeo asked flatly.

"Yes," Aragorn admitted.

"Good. I'll even give you a choice. You can decide whether to tell us where the other Elf is staying, or one way to bring down Legolas' defenses. Tell us one of those and we shall return you to your room."

"No."

Amadeo smacked the side of Aragorn's face. He continued to do so again and again until the young man's vision began to blur from the pain and he could not hold his head up any longer.

**

"You must tell me where The Labyrinth is!" Isorfinduil pleaded, his knives sheathed and his eyes alight now that he had gotten the full story of Legolas and Aragorn's capture.

"I cannot." Kenan shook his head quickly.

"Why?"

"Because they are after you!"

Isorfinduil fell silent, confused. "Me? How do they even know of me?"

"The Brothers have spies all over Rahma. One of them saw your fight with Jase and saw that you moved like Legolas and they want you now. Legolas is one of their top champions and he brings in good business. To get another Elf would be...incredible. Their business now would nearly double. The Brothers would make you fight each other; it would be the biggest thing to happen there since The Labyrinth was started."

Isorfinduil shook his head slowly, taking in all the information that had been laid upon him so suddenly.

Kenan seemed to grow fidgety. "I can stay here no longer. I do not think I will have time to contact the Commander. I went to his headquarters before I came here, but he was not there and I would not risk speaking with any of the soldiers. If you could inform him of all that I have told you, about the revolt inside The Labyrinth and all, that would be very helpful." He started for the barn door and beckoned for Isorfinduil to follow. "You must meet me three days from now at dusk in front of the Sleeping Demon. Do you know of that bar?"

"Yes, it is not the western side of Rahma, correct?"

"Yes, will you come?"

"I will be there at dusk."

Kenan nodded, his eyes bright with anxiety. "You must tell no one of this meeting. Already I have risked the entire operation in coming here. Things have become very complicated at The Labyrinth and we are at a precarious state. You must watch your back wherever you go and be always armed." Then he paused and seemed to calm for a moment as he looked at the Elf. "Those of us who are secretly against the Lavi Brothers shall do all that we can to ensure the safety of your friends."

Isorfinduil dipped his head in gratitude. "Please do. I will see you in three days. Please know you have my deepest appreciation."

Kenan nodded and drew the hood about his face before opening the large barn door and disappearing into the nearby trees. Isorfinduil closed the door quickly and leaned against the wood, lowering his golden-brown head. Please do. You know not the importance of their safety.

**

Legolas lay gingerly on the thin bed in his room, on his stomach so as to not agitate the ragged claw lines on his shoulder and back. Though his exposed torso was chilled, the wounds emanated heat. The bleeding had stopped once more and he had tried to fall asleep but found he could not because of his worry for Aragorn.

The door at the end of the stone hallway opened and several footsteps came trudging down the passage. Hopefully, Legolas eased off the bed and had taken a step toward the door when he heard the clang of a cell door being opened far down the hallway and some other fighter being led away.

Legolas returned to the cot in disappointment and carefully lay down once more. What seemed like hours passed by, and though they were only minutes in reality they dragged on sluggishly. Legolas was beginning to feel as though he would not be able to stand it any longer when the door creaked open again and more footsteps followed.

Legolas did not move this time, so as to save himself the pain and trouble in case it was not Aragorn. But the footfalls kept coming. Soon they were but yards away and the Elf heard the door to Aragorn's cell being opened, followed by a thud and the metal door closing and locking into place again.

Quickly, Legolas rose from the thin mattress and hurried to the barred doorway. Across the way, Aragorn laid on the floor in a heap.

"Furn!" Legolas hissed and Aragorn moved, curling over and laying his head in his arms.

"Aragorn, are you well?" The Elf spoke this in Sindarin so as to hide the young man's true name.

"Not at the moment," Aragorn mumbled from under his arms. "I will be fine in a little while."

"What did they do?"

"They asked me where Isorfinduil is staying. I did not tell them. They also wanted to know how they could weaken you."

"I thought we brought in good business for them by winning, why would they want me to be at a disadvantage?"

"They are afraid that you will bore the crowd if you are not properly challenged."

They fell silent and Legolas eased down onto the ground, sitting where he could look across the hall at Aragorn's still form. The young man suddenly lifted his head.

"You're awake!" He declared, as though the thought had just struck him. Then he moaned and rested his dark head back down. "Is your back well?"

"Yes, it is well." The Elf replied, though in truth he feared that it might be infected. It was flushed with heat and ached fiercely.

"Did a healer come to tend to it then?"

Legolas paused before speaking. "No, but it is not needed."

"Yes it is."

"You need a healer now."

"No I don't."

Legolas could not help a small laugh at the young man's willfulness. They were quiet again for several long moments and Legolas watched as Aragorn pulled an arm down from over his head and wrapped it around his middle, shifting uncomfortably. The Elf lowered his head. "Furn, you must forgive me."

"You?"

"Yes, I was not able to prevent this. Not just tonight, but the first night we came here. Or perhaps I was able and did nothing. I should not have let us continue on that night. I was neither sensible nor attentive and for that I am sorry."

"Don't say that, Legolas. I was the one who forced you into following me."

"I followed willingly."

"Because I said I would go and leave you!"

The Elf was silent and shook his head in sorrow. "I fear for the others. Isorfinduil is an able warrior but his tongue and his combative streak gets him into trouble. I only hope that the twins are able to stay out of sight and that Isor can elude the guards long enough."

"So do I."

**

Phew, that was a long one. I feel like apologizing, but I'm sure you all don't mind its length. :) I couldn't really cut it off anywhere before, so…

Reviewer Responses:

TrinitySheDevil - *looks out onto doorstep* Why hello, Trin! I certainly hope you liked this chapter. Lol, I know, I bet sometimes Elves would rather not have all those extra senses. I think in general I like TTT soundtrack better as well. But RotK is growing on me! Hope you liked it!

Leggylover03 – There you are, Aragorn pain….*sigh* …poor guy. Lol, I'm just kidding. Hope you enjoyed.

Elda Kuruni – I'm very proud of Isor, actually! And I'm so glad that you like him too. I set out determined to make an original character that people liked, and look what happened! I really like him too…(der). I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!

Libby – Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it! I hope you like this one, too. Yeah, I try to not do the typical "criminal description" as they say, when you describe everything all at once in one big paragraph. That's good in some cases, but I try to avoid it in general. Thank you!

ASL – I'm sorry to make you wait! I hope you keep surviving! :) I like how you think through things in your reviews, it's good to see what thoughts you're having. I hope you like it, and thank you!

Elenillor – Thank you so much for reviewing, I love getting new reviewers! And you said such lovely things…I originally did not plan on giving the twins or Isor so much time, but they grew on me a lot. And thank you, I really work hard on getting characterizations right, so I'm glad youmentioned that! Thanks for the review!

James – Hehe, you'll just have to wait and see what I'm going to do to Isor…I am planning on doing something to him, by the way. Mwahahahaaa! *ahem*…excuse the evil outburst…No, there's no story behind the girl that Elrohir mentions. I figure he just came up with that on the spur of the moment. Haha, yeah, I'm kinda trying to portray the twins as being sort of trouble-prone in their own ways. Thanks for reviewing, of course!

Thithen Min – Here's Legolas! I'm so glad you're liking this story so much! Yes, I'm quite happy that they finally let me change my name! I love exclamation points!! Thanks for reviewing!

**

Everyone have a Happy Holidays and tell me how you liked this chapter!

Mirfaen