Brownie24 – Glad you like it. Hm, I have something good planned for Pallando, don't worry.

Legolaslover – Hahaha…I love your idea!

Elvnchic9 – Here's more. I think I'm close to the end. Or maybe not? Hm, I'll just leave you guessing.

SofiaB – Thranduil's reaction will be in this chapter.

Aidan – Glad you like Leggy's spunk.

Sebstar – Thanks! But don't die! Your whole email address didn't come up on your review. Please email me so then I can respond and attach "No Control". You can find my email in my profile.

Meekah Greenleaf – Yikes! Sorry! But what good is a story without a cliffhanger? Hmmmm?

ElfPrincessLarien – Leggy is distracting Pallando in a way that makes Pallando unaware of anything else that's happening, so that's why he didn't realize Aleera escaped. I can't remember if I elaborated on that in this chapter or not. But thanks for the heads up because I will go back to chapter 26 and maybe change a couple things around to make it clearer.

Arwen101 – Thanks!

Amylikes2hug – Thanks! Please email me so then I can respond and attach "No Control". You can find my email in my profile.

Tia-blue – Don't die! Here's more!

Jessi – Okay, here's more!

Lady Ione Athene – Holy Moly! I got back from vacation and there were 26 reviews from you! I Love You! Your reviews are so entertaining. They cracked me up when I read them. So you stayed up until 5:30 in the morning? You go girl! I'm sorry to say that you predicted something in your review of chapter 23. Sorry…don't kill yourself…But I can't stop raving about your reviews. Keep them coming!

jackSparrowsLover – Okay, okay…here's more.

FanficVirgin – Sorry it took so long. Here you go!

A/N – Sorry for the delay. I've been on vacation and bombarded with work when I got back. Plus I had to go back and re-read all the other chapters to make sure I didn't have any loose ends I forgot about.

Chapter 27 – Deep Troubles

Legolas stared wide-eyed, with his good eye, at the elves battling the Kozari force. Three elves had fallen, but there were a larger number of dead Kozari. Aragorn fought side by side with Thranduil, both on their horses, but Legolas could see that his friend's leg was wounded, for the man struggled to maneuver his horse with it. His father was quite skilled with a sword and clashed with a vigor worthy of a king, golden hair flying with every move he made. As Legolas tried to pull away from the guards holding him, one Kozari wrapped a chain around his neck and yanked it hard. His breath was nearly cut off and he fought to free himself, still focused on the battle below on the dale.

Pallando was distracted by the battle going on below and the brief battle behind him where the elf was making every attempt to free himself from the five Kozari guards holding him with chains. His eyes darted around the figures, picking out the flowing grey robes of his fellow Istar, Gandalf. He knew Gandalf wouldn't use his powers in this situation because he always upheld the Istar rules of engagement. The Istari were not allowed to use their power to aid those of Middle-Earth and Gandalf was on good terms with the Maiar of Valinor, but it didn't mean that Gandalf was not allowed to use manual force, which he was currently doing as he fought the Kozari. Pallando on the other hand didn't like rules. He especially never followed the Istar rules. His attention shifted to the elven king, who was fighting rather brutally for an elf. The elves of Greenwood, or Mirkwood, as it was called nowadays, were not very conventional. They were not trusting of outsiders and had no qualms about killing anything that threatened the peace in their realm. Pallando recalled his first encounter with Thranduil. The elven king hadn't trusted him, but had maintained a small measure of respect because he was an Istar, thanks to Gandalf's dealings with the Mirkwood elves. But things had changed when Pallando met the elven queen. Her beauty entranced him. Never had he wanted another being as much as he wanted Alfirin. It was not like an Istar to feel desire, but something had possessed him the moment he had stepped foot in the elven colonies. His counterpart, Alatar had discovered love with an elf maiden of Lothlorien. He recalled her name. Aewen. But duty pulled Alatar away from her and Pallando followed Alatar onward until they came to the woodland realm ruled by Thranduil. When the fair Alfirin rejected him, Pallando left with Alatar, spurned and angry, only to return days later to claim what he felt was his to have. He was possessed by a dark force that spoke to him, telling him to take Alfirin by force, that the realm of Thranduil would fall in ruins without her. It was the same dark force that spoke to him now, telling him that the elven king needed to be destroyed. Him and his heir. Without them, the forces of Dol Guldur could successfully claim the woods and kill the remaining elves there. Then he would concentrate his efforts on the other elven kingdoms. The elves needed to become extinct…every last one of them. It needed to be done. And he, Pallando, would then be in good favor with the great Sauron. But first he needed to deal with the immediate situation. The presence of the other Istar could hinder his plans.

The Kozari numbers dwindled until there were only ten soldiers left and they retreated to the shadow of the mountain. Thranduil held a hand up to halt his squad before they could pursue and then he turned his attention to the mountain. With the return of the sun's light, the elven king was able to discern the figures near the front gate leading to the chambers inside. A path of endless steps lead to the front gate. But the bridge at the top had long since been broken, which meant that Pallando had used the secret door at the west side of the mountain. Thranduil's attention went to Legolas. He could clearly see that his son had been brutally handled. But Thranduil was thankful to see Legolas alive. After hearing that Legolas had been hit in the back with an arrow, Thranduil imagined he would find his son already dead.

"Legolas," uttered Aragorn. Even though the distance was great, Aragorn could easily pick out the golden-haired elf among the Kozari guards on the small cliff of the mountain. He nudged his horse up beside Thranduil's. "Now what?"

Thranduil momentarily turned his gaze away from his son to look at Aragorn. "How is your leg, Aragorn?"

"My leg is fine. I have had worse damage before."

"At the west side of this mountain is a secret door. You must find it and make your way through the tunnel. At the end of that tunnel is a stairway. Take it up to another tunnel. It will lead you to a chamber. From there you will find the front gate." Thranduil pointed up to the cliff. "I know not how many guards you will encounter along the way, but you must be there when I climb up to that ledge."

"I will be there," replied Aragorn.

"Take Celegmin with you."

Aragorn nodded and moved his horse away. He turned to Celegmin and motioned for him to follow. Then he turned his horse toward the west and raced away, Aleera's brother galloping behind him.

Gandalf turned to Thranduil. "The tunnels may no longer be passable. They may have collapsed over the years."

"I am aware."

"What do you plan, Thranduil?"

"I know not what to do, my friend." Thranduil turned to the captain of his regime. "Dagnir, remain a hundred paces behind. No closer."

"But sire…" exclaimed Dagnir. But a stern look from the king quickly silenced the elven captain.

Thranduil turned to Gandalf. "Will you ride forward with me?"

Gandalf nodded with a faint smile. He could see that Thranduil was deeply troubled over the condition of Legolas. Gandalf had seen the young elf when he had been mentally searching for Aleera. Aside from the wound to his upper back, Legolas had received numerous injuries from the guards that had beaten him senseless. But he still lived. As Thranduil rode forward, Gandalf fell in beside him. A moment later a young stallion charged ahead of them.

"Isilrö!" Thranduil called out. "Darna nin!" Legolas's devoted stallion reluctantly slowed his pace and fell beside him as they headed up the steep ravine alongside the steps. (Remain with me)

Legolas watched the progress of his father and Gandalf as they made their way closer, nearly reaching the broken bridge, his faithful stallion trailing close beside his sire. He would be lying if he said that he had no concerns over this confrontation between Pallando and his father and what the outcome would be. The evil Istar was adamant about seeing Thranduil dead. The turn of events made Legolas's head spin. What began as a Kozari's vengeance on him ended up being overshadowed by the vengeance of an Istar over an incident that happened three millennia ago. It was far from what he had imagined. Even from the current distance, Legolas could feel that his father's emotions were running high. He sensed Thranduil's concern over his condition and an utter rage at the way he was being brutally handled by the Kozari guards. Legolas wanted to shout out to his father, to warn him of Pallando's plans. Regardless of whether Thranduil agreed to take Legolas's place, Pallando planned to kill both of them. "Bad da," Legolas whispered to himself. "Saes, bad da, adar." (Turn back. Please turn back, father)

Pallando was curious about the horse riding alongside the elven king. Then he recognized the armor on the animal. Legolas had been riding this horse during the Orc attack. Thranduil obviously believed he could free his son and therefore brought the horse for Legolas to ride. "How touching," he said. "Your father brought you your horse."

Legolas narrowed his brows, wondering why the Istar had his sights on Isilrö. He turned to the approaching group and then back to Pallando.

Pallando turned briefly to the four Kozari directly beside him. "When they are within range, I want the four of you to take the riderless horse down with arrows."

Legolas panicked upon hearing the words and tried to break free. But the Kozari holding him tightened the chains. He turned his gaze back to the dale, fearing for the life of his faithful steed. If Isilrö came any closer he would be within range of the Kozari's arrows. "Noro drego," he whispered to himself, trying desperately to send the message to the stallion. Suddenly Legolas was gratified to see Isilrö slow his gait and then stop. An instant later the stallion turned and bolted away, just as four arrows flew in his direction, narrowly missing him. (Run away)

Thranduil and Gandalf quickly drew their horses to a stop, thinking more arrows would be coming their way.

Pallando turned to Legolas, knowing that the elf had somehow transmitted some kind of thought to the horse to make it run away at the last second. "Now that was not very nice, elf. You cheated me out of my fun."

Legolas would have smiled in satisfaction if his face did not hurt so badly. But it was short-lived when he saw the wizard raise a hand to the sky. "Nay!" he yelled out. An instant later a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the fleeing horse, sending Isilrö sprawling to the ground…motionless. He knew Isilrö was dead and a sudden rage washed over him. As the guards tried to keep him from moving, Legolas swung himself around, sending one guard slamming into another. Feeling the hold on him momentarily lessen, Legolas slammed himself into the guard before him. The Kozari lost his footing and slipped from the edge of the cliff, crying out as he fell to his death on the rocks below. The other guards tightened their grip on the chains holding him and slammed him against to the wall. Legolas cringed from the pain and fell forward on his hands and knees. But he quickly forgot his pain as his gaze fell back upon the lifeless form of his four-legged companion, his eyes filling with tears.

Thranduil had watched the commotion on the cliff and knew Legolas had acted because of what had happened to Isilrö. The elven king regretted not attempting to convince Legolas's stallion to remain behind. But the animal's free spirit matched his master's and many times even Legolas had a difficult time controlling him. Thranduil's own stallion, Alagos, was extremely agitated over the death of his offspring and he snorted angrily and pawed the ground with his right foot. Thranduil reached down to caress Alagos's neck, trying to calm him. He turned his gaze back up to the cliff. "You resort to killing defenseless animals now, Pallando?" yelled Thranduil in the direction of the wizard.

"Defenseless?" countered Pallando, his voice carrying down to the two on horseback below. "I am quite certain the stallion would have trampled me to pieces if it had been given a chance!"

Legolas fought back the desire to weep outloud, the memories of Isilrö flashing through his mind. The day the colt was born and Legolas held him in his arms. And when he tried to ride Isilrö for the first time, the young stallion bucked him off thirty-seven times before finally allowing him to stay on his back.

"Well," Thranduil called out. "I am here! Release my son!" The elven king knew the wizard would not simply turn Legolas loose.

"Not so fast, king of Greenwood. Oh no, wait a moment. They call your woods Mirkwood now. How sad that you are not able to quell the evils that lurk around your realm. Perhaps your people should consider finding themselves another king. One that can protect them from the sudden attacks they face on a daily basis."

"You have staged all of this simply to debate the rule of my people?"

Pallando let out a laugh. "You do not rule, Thranduil. You merely exist until you see fit to sail into the west. Contrary to what everyone probably believes I did not stage any of this. Things happened to transpire in my favor and I have the upper hand over you. And so now I will have my revenge."

Gandalf studied the surroundings. They were near the steps leading to the broken bridge that would have led them to the cliff where Pallando and the others were. There was no way to cross on horseback. On foot one could negotiate the rocks and climb toward the cliff, but would be an easy target for the Kozari guards.

Thranduil helplessly watched as Legolas tried to regain his feet. The pain he felt was evident on his face. His heart clenched tightly in his chest at seeing his son suffering. "You were the one who came to my home and tried to rape my wife. Did you think I would stand by and allow it to happen?"

"If Alfirin left with me she would still be alive today. What kind of protector are you that you could not prevent spiders from killing her?"

Thranduil had attempted to keep locked away the memories of what ended the life of his precious Alfirin. Guilt had consumed him for centuries afterward, thoughts of all the things he could have done to prevent it. Everything always pointed to his own neglect. It was the main reason he built an army for the sole purpose of protecting the woods surrounding the kingdom. He found it difficult to trust anyone or anything and was consistently harsh and suspicious of outsiders. Thranduil continued to bear the guilt on his shoulders. But to have this traitorous Istar pointing out his failures was something he would not accept. "What is it you want from me, Pallando?"

Pallando raised his chin. "I want your blood spilt right where you stand."

"Will you release Legolas if I agree?"

Pallando smiled and gave a nod.

"Nay, adar," yelled Legolas. "Avo lasto na hon! Ho innas dago nin mae!" One guard yanked roughly on the chains while another swung a hard fist into Legolas's face. (No, father. Do not listen to him. He will kill me anyway)

Thranduil clenched his teeth and dismounted from Alagos. He came to the conclusion that he would have to climb to the cliff and deal with Pallando up close.

Aragorn and Celegmin reached the west entrance and left the horses outside. The passageway was dark, but with Celegmin's elven glow, they were able to see their way. It was not a difficult path since there were no other passageways that intersected. Several minutes passed before they saw two sets of stairways. One leading up and the other leading down. Just as Aragorn placed his foot on the first step leading up, Celegmin grabbed him by the arm and pulled him against the wall. When Aragorn gave him a questioning look, Celegmin put a finger up to his lips, telling him to keep silent. Then he pointed toward the stairway leading down. Someone was approaching.

Aleera kept her eyes and ears open when she realized that the walls of the passage she had recently entered were smooth. The pain in her chest had lessened considerably. She knew she was getting closer to Legolas and hoped that she would not run into a large number of guards that she could not possibly deal with. The fact that she felt the energy sizzling at the tips of her finger gave her the confidence she needed to proceed. If anyone came at her, she would simply slam them into the wall and use the arrow she held in her hand if needed. She regretted not grabbing Gwinn's sword before leaving the small cavern she had been trapped in earlier. Aleera heard no sounds as she made her way down the long corridor. When she reached a stairway leading up, she took a deep breath and began to climb it slowly. At the top of the stairway she glanced down another long corridor of which a pinpoint of light could be seen. Somehow going in that direction did not seem right to her. She felt around to her right and came upon another set of stairs leading up. The minute she began to climb, something slammed into her from around a rock wall and tackled her to the ground, forcing a scream out of her. A hand quickly clasped over her mouth. She opened her eyes and stared up at Aragorn.

Aragorn removed his hand from over her mouth. "Forgive me, Aleera. I mistook you for a Kozari."

Aleera's eyes shifted to the right where Celegmin came out from the same rock wall Aragorn had been hiding behind. "Celegmin. What are you two doing in here?"

Aragorn pulled Aleera up on her feet. "We came to rescue you and Legolas. I see you need no rescuing."

"But where did you come from?"

Celegmin pointed down the corridor to where the pinpoint of light was. "That is the west entrance."

"Where are the guards?" asked Aleera suspiciously.

"We saw no guards," replied Aragorn. "They must all be at the south entrance, whatever is left of them. We battled their forces in the dale and killed a great portion of their numbers."

Celegmin pointed to the stairway leading up. "Let us continue on before it is too late."

Aragorn took the lead up the stairs with Aleera behind him and Celegmin bringing up the rear.

Aleera noted Aragorn's movements. He was favoring his right leg. "You are injured, Aragorn. What has happened to your leg?"

"Just a minor break. I am fine." Aragorn continued up the stairway, his sword in hand in case he needed it. The top of the stairs revealed no guards. He motioned for Celegmin to come forward. "Do you see or hear anything?"

Celegmin concentrated further down the corridor. "There is a curve not far ahead and I can hear two Kozari just beyond it."

"Just two?"

Celegmin nodded and withdrew a dagger from his belt. "I will take care of them."

As Celegmin moved forward, Aragorn and Aleera followed several feet behind. All three of them were walking lightly to prevent any sound from reaching the Kozari guards around the curve of the corridor. When Celegmin held a hand up, both Aragorn and Aleera paused. Then he disappeared around the curve. But Aragorn could not stay put, concerned that Celegmin might become injured. He moved forward and realized his concern was misplaced. He watched as Celegmin quietly moved behind one of the Kozari guards and silently sliced the man's throat with his dagger. When the second Kozari began to turn, Celegmin rushed forward and buried the knife into his throat, preventing the Kozari from crying out in alarm. He turned and signaled for Aragorn and Aleera to follow. Up ahead, standing at the archway leading outside was another guard, his back to them.

The three of them moved quietly forward. Aragorn signaled that he would take care of the guard. He pulled his dagger out of his boot and snuck up behind the guard. Before the guard knew what was happening, Aragorn buried his dagger into the back of his throat. Only a small strangled sound came from the Kozari's throat before Aragorn dragged him backward and out of sight of those outside.

Aragorn waved Celegmin and Aleera forward. Then he peered around the edge of the doorway. What he saw was Pallando standing near the edge of the cliff, Legolas being held with chains by four Kozari guards and five other Kozari guards standing nearby to help wherever they were needed. He glanced over his shoulder at Celegmin and Aleera. "There are a total of nine guards, four of them holding Legolas. The other guards are armed with bow and arrow. And then there's also the Istar."

"What do we do?" asked Aleera.

Aragorn shook his head slowly as he glanced at his sword and dagger, then at the bow carried by Celegmin. "I know not. We do not have enough resources to kill them if we make our presence known."

"They do not know that you and Celegmin are here. I can lure them into the corridor where they can be disposed of properly by you," suggested Aleera. "I will make my presence known."

Aragorn exchanged a glance with Celegmin. There was no other way. If Aleera could draw their attention, the guards would come through the archway, not expecting him and Celegmin. The element of surprise was in their favor. He turned to Aleera and gave her a nod.