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He's Gone

By Nefhiriel & Imbecamiel

Rating: T (PG-13)

Genres: Action/Adventure/Angst

For disclaimer and notes see chapter one. Reviewer responses at bottom of chapter.

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A/N: I'm so happy to be back! I didn't realize just how much I missed all of you until I started receiving reviews : D Thank you for indulging our obsessions ; )

So far, I (Nefhiriel) will be writing the authors' notes and responses, but Imbecamiel might take over in later chapters. -g- I'm trying to refrain from using "we" too often, because Imbecamiel thinks it makes me sound schizophrenic, LOL. But if it slips in here and there, be reassured I do not have multiple personalities. At least….I didn't the last time we checked, Precioussss…

One last thing…I have to apologize to Eleniel Ithil for spelling her name wrong on the last chapter. I've been such a scatterbrain lately (heh, I guess you can blame any mistakes in the chapter to my recent mental problems too ; ) Sorry Eleniel…Anything you don't edit, I just have to mess up somehow : P Ah, I guess we're back to "Apologetic Notes" again...Oh well.

-gulp- Well this is the chapter that makes this story merit a PG-13 rating. Angst-lovers enjoy! –sigh- I hope It's not too melodramatic… Review and let us know before Imbecamiel has a panic attack, LOL.


-Chapter two -

There was a momentary flurry of movement, as orcs snatched up favored clubs and knives. They had been anticipating this ever since they had first taken their captives. Now that the time had finally come, none of them had any intention of being left out of the fun. Blagrak, however, had other ideas. Motioning them away, he claimed first rights for himself. A few quiet murmurs of complaint arose, but, seeing as Blagrak was their leader's lieutenant, none dared object too openly.

Blagrak turned back to Legolas, delight fairly oozing off of him. With a grin, he began slicing the elf's tunic away, not bothering to be terribly scrupulous about differentiating between cloth, and skin. Still, the elf did not flinch. He turned away, growling to his companion as he did so, "Tie him to that tree good and tight. I'll be right back."

As Blagrak wandered off a short distance in search of the perfect tool to use on the infuriating elf, Zargut threaded another rope through Legolas' already bound hands. With this secured, he pulled the elf over to a nearby tree. Looping the rope over a low-hanging branch, he drew it tight until Legolas had to rise up slightly on his toes. Then, tying it off tightly around the tree, he stepped back slightly, awaiting Blagrak's return with anticipation.

When he did come back, he looked, if anything, even more pleased with himself than before. In one hand, he carried a small leather pouch, in the other, a multi-pronged whip with what appeared to be small bits of metal and bone attached to it. Tucking the pouch into his belt, he began shaking out the whip, taking his time to savor the moment, enjoying keeping the elf in suspense, waiting to see what his "punishment" would be.

Legolas stared at the bark of the tree in front of him, trying desperately to think of anything but what was to come. He had done his best with look and gesture to persuade his friend not to interfere or draw unnecessary attention to himself. For Strider's sake, he had to be strong, had to keep himself from showing how much it hurt.

He'll have a hard enough time as it is, without my… weakness making it worse. I've got to—

His thoughts ground to a sudden halt as thin lines of fire flared across his back. He jerked slightly and stiffened, but caught himself in time to keep from crying out. As line after line of agony layered, one on top of another, it grew more and more difficult to keep from showing any reaction. Still, he clenched his jaw and fixed his mind on his friend. He would keep silent for his sake, he would

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Aragorn leaned against a tree, hardly conscious of the grip of the orc, his entire focus on his friend. He clenched and unclenched his fists spasmodically. His mind knew that Legolas was probably right, that antagonizing the orcs, or trying to help him would only result in worse trouble for both of them. But right now his heart was telling him an entirely different story. He knew the lengths his friend was going to in trying to keep him from knowing just how bad it was, but he knew him all too well to be fooled by the stoic façade. He saw the tense set of the elf's shoulders, the way his wrists twisted in the ropes…

He flinched as yet another blow landed on his friend's back. A hiss of pain escaped the elf, instantly cut off. That was it. Foolish or not, he wasn't going to just stand quietly by and let them do this to his friend. He couldn't. With a cry of fury and pain, he threw himself forward, desperate to escape the hold of his guard. Unfortunately, the orcs were all to familiar with their captives' tendencies and despite the distraction of the day's "entertainment", the orc held firm. Another orc noticed the trouble the human was causing, and moved over to add his strength to the other's. Still, Aragorn fought on. Finally, one of the orcs landed a furious kick to his wounded ankle, sending sparks of agony shooting up his leg. The pain momentarily stunned him, and he sagged back against the tree, taking the weight off the leg. By the time he had somewhat recovered, the first orc was holding a knife at his throat. He had tired of playing with the man, and decided to end the struggle.

"One more move, and I'll cut your throat. Don't think I'm bluffing, 'cause I mean every word of it." The ranger stilled completely as the knife pressed even harder against his neck, drawing a fine line of blood.

So Aragorn watched in enforced stillness as his friend's pain stretched on for what seemed an eternity. Finally Blagrak pulled back, studying the elven prince's bloody back with satisfaction. Strider sagged slightly in relief. Knife or not, he didn't think he could have stayed still much longer. Now Blagrak had had his fun, maybe they would leave their prisoners alone for a while and… Or not. His heart sank as Blagrak stepped towards Legolas once more, tugging the leather pouch out of his belt. Leaning in close, he whispered something in the elf's ear, too quietly for Aragorn to hear from that distance. He saw the elf stiffen, and his heart clenched, wondering despairingly what the orc was up to now.

Blagrak dipped his hand into the bag, bringing out what appeared to be a sort of white powder.

What…

Suddenly his eyes widened as realization struck.

Salt! He can't mean to—O Valar, no!

But obviously the orc did "mean to". With one hand on the elf's shoulder, he began firmly grinding the salt into the elf's raw back with the other.

Legolas jerked away, the pained cry coming too quickly to cut off. Delighted at finally receiving a more satisfactory response from the obstinate captive, the orc only tightened his grip on his shoulder. Applying himself to his task with the eye, almost, of an artist, he took care not to miss a single cut in his ministrations.

Aragorn was trembling far worse than his friend. The elf's hisses of pain drove him nearly to distraction. Knife or no, there was no way he was putting up with this any longer. Stealing a glance sideways, he saw that the guards were totally absorbed in the spectacle before them, apparently believing their prisoner too cowed to try anything more, and trusting to the knife to prevent his entertaining any such ideas.

Unfortunately for the orcs, the lack of vigilance on the part of the one holding said knife had allowed his grip to relax, and it was now resting against Aragorn's collarbone. Barely controlling the desperate urge to simply throw himself forward and rush to his friend's side, the ranger carefully drew himself together. Suddenly lunging forward and to the side, he rammed his shoulder into the stomach of one of the guards. Spinning around faster than thought, he wrenched the knife from the other's hand, not giving it an instant to recover before slitting its throat.

Holding the knife in a defensive position, as best he could with still-bound hands, he started towards his friend, taking full advantage of the precious time left to him before what exactly had happened penetrated the thick skulls of the orcs. When it finally did break through, seconds later, the entire camp erupted into activity. Nearby orcs moved to intercept the human. Sharzag left to his feet, trying to discover the source of the disturbance. Blagrak spun around, distracted from his work on the prisoner by the sudden chaos that had so suddenly interrupted him.

Released from the rough hold on his shoulder Legolas twisted around in his bonds. He prayed fervently that his friends wasn't the cause of the disturbance, even while he knew in his heart there could be no other explanation.

Orcs lunged at Aragorn, their own numbers hampering their efforts as they stumbled and tripped over one another in their hurry to regain control over the human. Adrenalin surged through him allowing him to dodge faster, and with more certainty, than he would have thought possible. An odd, detached feeling came over him, bringing with it the sensation of moving in slow motion. His mind registered almost nothing of his surroundings, while, at the same time, his body seemed to respond automatically to every threat. Striking out left and right with the knife, he slid through the press of orcs.

Sharzag growled his disgust as he watched his underlings' attempts at recapturing the human. One human! One pitiful, weak, injured human was all they were asked to guard while he watched the day's entertainment. But could they do it? Of course not! Shoving his subordinates out of the way, he stalked towards the escaped prisoner. If they couldn't get him back under control, he'd just have to do it himself.

As he reached out to grab Aragorn, the man spun around, reacting instantaneously to the new threat. Sharzag recoiled slightly in surprise, his right hand gripping a newly-acquired gash on his left shoulder. Recovering almost instantly, however, he took advantage of his close proximity to land a solid kick to the man's injured ankle. Smiling with cruel satisfaction, he watched as the prisoner's leg buckled, sending him to his knees. Several orcs rushed to roughly subdue him―after having kicked the knife safely beyond his reach.

Stomping over to where his subordinates held Aragorn on his knees, Sharzag glared down at the now-panting man.

"I've had about as much as I'm going to take out of you, human!" He spat. Even in his helpless position, Aragorn's defiant gaze infuriated him, and he furiously backhanded the man, snapping his head to the side. "You've done nothing but make trouble and slow us down from the start. Well it ends now! Boys, do what you like with him, but don't go easy."

"You mean we can kill 'im now?" One orc piped up, hesitant hopefulness in it's voice.

Sharzag paused a moment, thoughtfully. "Try not to. But," he continued at the sighs of disappointment that arose, "if he does die… well, I wouldn't get too upset over it." With that, he stalked away to bind up his arm.

The orcs grinned at each other. Blagrak had got all the fun with the elf today, and they had all been itching to try their own hands at it. Now that their leader had all but told them to kill this one… He need hardly have told them not to go easy.

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Aragorn fixed his eyes on the ground in front of him. He had no desire to watch the orcs, and he couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. He knew how upset the elf must be. Upset? Judging from his own experience the word hardly described the magnitude of that he knew he must feel. He only hoped Legolas could forgive him his recklessness.

So he knelt there, no longer struggling against the hands that held him. I was not that he had given up―far from it―he was just as determined to somehow get himself and Legolas out of this as ever. But he knew that to continue fighting now would only enrage the orcs further, lessening whatever, admittedly very slim, chances he might have of surviving this.

He flinched, drawing in a sharp breath as the first blows struck him. Biting his lip hard, he refused to give them any satisfaction. Soon, however, keeping himself silent ceased to be a problem, as repeated blows to his chest and stomach left him with no breath to cry out with.

Gasping for breath, he sent up a silent, desperate prayer.

Eru please… please help me survive this…

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Legolas had thought his heart would stop when he heard Sharzag's calloused orders. Now, it seemed determined to pound its way out of his chest. Valar, they were going to kill him. They were too eager, even, to tie him or put any organization or forethought into what they were doing.

Why? Why does he always have to do this? Why can't he just leave well enough alone?

But really, he knew perfectly well what had driven his friend to do what he had. Those same feelings were tearing his own heart out now, and the utter helplessness of this whole situation was nearly enough to drive him mad. He jerked feverishly against his bonds.

But however furiously he protested, his curses, shouts, and pleadings all fell alike on deaf ears as the orcs continued to beat Aragorn, occasionally adding a club or axe-handle to the merciless blows they delivered with fists and booted feet. Legolas continued to twist and pull frantically at the rough ropes around his wrists, heedless of the trickles of blood now running down his arms. Finally he was forced to admit defeat. He slumped weakly against the tree at his back, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. He watched the scene before him with sickening horror, not wanting to see, but unable to tear his eyes away from it. As he watched, he whispered his own prayers to Illúvatar. He was the only one who could help them now.

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Legolas could feel a rising panic welling up inside him. How long had this been going on? Minutes? Hours? It felt like an eternity. Even with the clouds covering it, he knew that the sun must be drawing near the western horizon. Just how near he couldn't guess. A fain stirring of hope rose in his heart. They would have to leave off soon if they wished to travel with the approaching darkness―wouldn't they? His heart clenched at the thought of Aragorn again being forced to keep up with the orcs' relentless pace tonight.

But perhaps tonight, at least, they will allow me to aid him…

He had no desire to see his friend forced on a march anywhere after this, but at least he would still be alive.

There is still some hope, he…

Zargut put a swift end to such optimistic thoughts. Or more precisely, what he held in his hand as he approached Aragorn. Legolas' eyes widened, and he gave a shout of alarm. At the sound, his friend struggled to raise his head and fix his gaze on the knife held tauntingly in front of his face.

"You're getting rather boring, ranger. How's about trying somethin' new?" Zargut grinned menacingly.

Moving with slow deliberation, he placed the dagger against Aragorn's upper right arm. Then, he pushed it, drawing it sharply downward as he pulled it back out. Aragorn was too weak to try to disguise the pain that flashed across his face. He tensed, and a cry broke from him as the dagger was jerked free.

Finally receiving a more satisfactory response from him only served to excite the orcs further. They urged Zargut on, shouting and pressing closer, as he began cutting shallow slashes across the man's chest. Standing back a moment, he studied the human, considering what he should do next. At last, deciding that tried-and-true methods were best, he started forward, thinking to cut Aragorn's left arm as he had the right. As he stepped forward, his boot caught on a tree root, knocking him slightly off-balance. Unfortunately, another orc chose just that moment to bump into him, sending him sprawling into Aragorn. Zargut scrambled back again, but not before the damage had been done.

For several moment they all simply stared stupidly at the knife which now protruded from the humans chest. Then the orcs that had been restraining him released their hold on his arms, and he fell limply to the ground. No sound came from either the orcs, or the human.

At last one of them spoke up.

"Zargut, you idiot! He could've lasted a long while yet. Now you've gone and killed 'im!"

"I killed 'im?" Zargut protested, gesticulating wildly. "It weren't my fault! 'e pushed me!"

At that, a shouting match broke out, which threatened to have become and all-out fight among the orcs, had not Sharzag chosen that moment to reappear.

"Isn't the prisoner enough, you've got to start on each other too! What's all this about?"

"He killed the prisoner before we was through with 'im!" whined one of the orcs, pointing accusingly at Zargut.

"Did he now?" Sharzag walked over the limp man and kicked him over onto his back. For a moment he studied him, then he turned away with a snort. "Just as well. We're moving out tonight. You three," He pointed at a group standing nearby. "I want you to scout ahead. See if you can find an easy place to cross that cursed river. The rest of you," He turned back to the group at large, "get ready to move out, we leave as soon as it gets dark."

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It couldn't be him. That bloody, beaten form with a dagger sticking out of it's chest was not his friend. It just couldn't be. Not Aragorn.

An irrepressible sob broke free from Legolas' heaving chest. The orcs around him laughed at the prisoner's display of emotion, but Legolas didn't hear them. Right now the grief he felt was all too consuming. Anger would come later, but for the moment all he could feel was grief. There was an inexplicable ache in his heart, and the pain in his chest grew so intense that it stole his breath away. With each beat of his racing heart, his mind repeated, Not Aragorn…No mellon-nín, no… But the irrefutable proof was before him.

He didn't know how long he stared at all that was left of his friend, lost in his shock and grief. Finally the orcs decided it was time to break camp and move on. Rough claws grabbed his arms, and as he was physically torn away from the sight of his friend, a single tear welled in his clear blue eyes and slid down his cheek.


Eru! –shakes Cami- Imbecamiel, when did you do this! –clears throat- My dear readers… You must excuse my sister. She's a new rookie and really hasn't learned all the rules about not killing off characters… -eg- Poor Aragorn. And I'm afraid we're not nearly done with the…er…fun. –smiles evilly at Legolas-

Responses to Reviewers:

Erulasse: Hey mellon-nín! –huggles- Thanks for the lovely e-mail : D Yup, you're right, you were the first! -hands trophy- My turn to give prizes for admirable lightening-speed reviewing ; ) Oh thanks, we're both so happy to hear that everyone's enjoying the beginning so much. I must admit, we were just a tad worried : P -g- Well, like I said, the sequel is defiantly in the works (it'll be called Return to a New Place). I'm already on chapter 12 I believe – so yes, it won't be too long, hopefully.

Viggomanic: Yay, I can't tell you just how happy we were to get your review. Your reviews are always so helpful and insightful : D Heh, well, this story will definitely fill your angst-quota. We made sure of it. -double-checks- Yup: angst, pain, emotional trauma, and overall misery. Should do the trick. Oh, and btw, I'm eternally grateful to you for your fabulous C2C! You update it so often, I'm rarely left without a good fic at the end a hard day. ROTFL! You must crack-up every time one of our stubborn heroes gets hurt, and refuses to admit it. There's something terribly hilarious about the way guys hate to ask for help… LOL! You actually read our reviews? Imbecamiel and I laughed so hard when we read that. Good, I'm glad you think we're handling this well. I know how it can be; with some stories it's a nightmare trying to follow the plot…simply because there isn't one. I hope the story ends up meeting expectations. It's really quite short (I think it's about ten chapters). Thanks for your faith in it : ) Oh, and thank you, also, for reviewing "Sleep Now, Tithen Muindor" – it was very encouraging to get a new review on it!

polingly: -g- I'm so happy to be posting too, mellon-nín! (oh, btw, the plural is mellyn-nín ; ) Hehee, yeah, you've figured me out… Just can't wait to get my hands on the poor ranger. But you see, Imbecamiel really balances me out, preferring Legolas angst as she does. This whole story went so smoothly with her writing most of Legolas, and me writing most of Aragorn. It's rather difficult to get back to writing by myself after only having to do half the work! I think I'm spoiled now. –sighs- Ah, the joys of co-authorship… -hugs- Hannon le, gwathel-nin. You and Leeanne never cease to encourage me (and Imbecamiel now, too : ).

elvingirl3737: The button is your friend, the button is your friend…Just keep repeating that, over and over… LOL. No, it's not so bad, and really quite painless too! -shocked- Legolas in trouble? Whatever gave you that idea? -g- Yes, yes, Imbecamiel and I tried our hardest to make this a guaranteed "angst loving psycho" pleaser. Hope it doesn't disappoint ; ) Thank you so much for the review!

Lady Leeanne: Hey! Suliad, mellon-nín! -eg- KILL Legolas! Now why would we do that, and ruin your lovely wedding plans? Permanently damage... Well, er, you know how us fanfic authors get carried away with the angst… It does happen, you know. -sighs- But… I suppose we could promise not to mar his wonderful looks. I mean, you're not going to let a missing limb or two spoil your marriage, are you? Wow, you're getting to be the president of quite a few little foundations! -bows in respect to the Founder of the Fellowship For Flat-Footed Females- (that's a mouthful!) LOL. Thanks for the review : D

jacquelinestel: Yay! –huggles- You have no clue how much I've missed your reviews, mellon-nín! ROTFL! Yes, Legolas, say that whole thing about rats again… -giggles- Oh, I'll always remember that review. I was scanning through LG's reviews, and fell in love with your little skits when I found that one…Heh, you'd better not go and die of joy on me! Then I wouldn't get to read anymore of your hilarious reviews – and you wouldn't get to read the rest of the story! -g- So the two of them are down to stuffing socks down each other's throats? -sighs- How adorable. It's so cute when they start taking everything you say literally… Oh you poor dear! How many times have you had to hide their weapons? -shakes head- Hehee…Oh Estel, you're so cute! "I never, ever want to hear that again. Elves practicing inflection is just scary." LOL. And what a grand-finale: scrambling for the Disney souvenir bucket -g- Hope you have fun trying to get those two to share. Thanks for the review!

Deana: -g- Thanks! We're both really glad you like it. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter : D

Ainu Laire: Ah yes…the poor ranger… It is another one of those stories, unfortunately for him (and Legolas, too). Hehee, yup, angst will certainly be high! -eg- Thanks so much for taking the time to review – we both really appreciate it!

Gods-girl2004: -huggles- Hey, mellon-nín! -g- I'm so glad you like it. -shakes finger- Now, now, Pip, just because you're not exactly…normal, doesn't mean you can't at least pretend ; ) Insane people can't have all the privileges just because they're "special", you know (I've learned this from experience…). -beams with pride- Yes, Pip, that was a gloriously long review, if somewhat filled with insanity : D But, by now, you know I don't mind… Aww, Will misses me? -huggles Will- I miss him too! We need to IM more often : ) Hehee, you could never embarrass me! Well…at least I don't think so… -g- Just remember Pip, pretend to be sane, pretend to be sane… Keep repeating that over and over, you'll get the hang of it ; ) Oh and one other thing… -glances around nervously- You've read several chapters forward so, don't be spilling the beans to the other reviewers? Shh… LOL. Thanks for the review, mellon-nín!

goddesscal: Oh, hello again, I remember you (really I DO)! Just having you pop in to tell me you have, and are, enjoyed my (and now our) stories is wonderfully encouraging! LOL, you have that right, there certainly is plenty in store for our poor heroes… -eg- Thank you so, so much for taking the time to review!

Puzzler: Aww, thanks so much! I'm really glad to hear you're liking it so far : D LOL, you'll find out soon enough who's "gone"…sort of -eg- Well, thank you so much for taking the time to review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter : )

crazyAZN kid: Hi again! -blushes- Wow, I'm glad you found my story so exciting : D LOL, well, I think Imbecamiel's…calming influence always improves what I write. We're very compatible ; ) She's the logic, and I'm the drama, so to speak. Anyways… I'm happy to hear you see a difference: progress is always the goal of an author. Thank you so much for the review – we both appreciate it a TON! Hope you enjoyed the chapter : )

Nietta: LOL, nope, I don't think this will qualify as "run of the mill". Yes they're captured by orcs…but we worked hard to add a little different twist to it. Thank you so much for the review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter : )

Tinorial Peredhil: YAY! I was excited to see "Review Alert" come into my inbox…I was just about frantic with joy to see "Tinorial Peredhil" at the top of the review -g- Whenever Imbecamiel and I got nervous about the kind of response this story would get, we'd both just say in unison: "Well, we know TP will review…". Yup, you're my constant (FEEL the pressure! LOL). Oh! -squeals- Guard AND Moldy! I'm so glad you brought them both along : ) Calm? -smiles sweetly- I AM calm, mellon-nin. If I got any calmer why I'd… -ponders- Well, I'd probably be writing short humor vignettes. Besides, in comparison to my next suspenseful story, this story is extremely calm! LOL. Hmm, I do have to agree with you on one point though: if they're giving them so much trouble, why don't the orcs just let them go? Hmm…Perhaps because they're brain-dead? Or maybe… -pauses- You know, I think I'd better stay away from orc psychology―I'll leave that to Saruman ; ) All I know, is that orcs are extremely stupid, and it's actually quite fortunate for us angst-lovers. I mean, what other creature than an orc would recapture THESE two over and over again? Oh yes, how could we forget "the Voice"! It just kept sneaking in, and we finally gave up and let it stay. –g- Besides, we knew you'd miss it. ROTFL! So you remember "Mr. Cleanion", do you? Well, I'll tell you now, he makes quite a major role in my next story (although at the moment he's being so frustrating he may not LIVE through the next story : P). Such strict rules! –scans list- Er…you really mean to tell me that these are the general feelings towards cliffies? Well you don't say… Ah, and as you've doubtless already guessed, I'm afraid I cannot abide by your "not killing canon characters" rule either…So sorry. Aww, how cute! –gives UR honorary position next to computer- UR: -screeching- Update! Update! Update! Hehee… -covers ears- I don't think you have to worry about me forgetting anymore... Yikes, look at the length of this response – I just can't shut-up today! Don't worry, I'll close before you die from a fatal overdose of rambling, mellon-nín ; ) Thanks so much for the review, I've been in need of a good TP read for a loooong time.

HarryEstel: Hey, suliad mellon-nín! -g- Yeah, it starts out intense, and this chapter was only more so. LOL, glad you like it though! Hope you enjoyed this chapter : ) Thanks so much for reviewing.

-wipes forehead- Yikes that was a hard chapter to write! Despite what you may think, neither of us likes writing the brutal parts of stories. What? What're you all looking at us like that for! OK, so maybe just a little bit…

- Nefhiriel & Imbecamiel -