Guess what! Yes... UPDATE! I'm so sorry it took so long, I promise it won't take as long between chapters from now on. Enjoy!
The man sat by a fire. He stared into it for as long as he could stand before his eyes started to water, and he looked away. He knew why he had to do this. For his brother. For his men. For his pride. He knew he might have to hurt the young ones. He did not want to, but some things are worth more than retaining ones values.
Aridel slowly opened her eyes. She was disoriented for a moment, wondering why the tree was sideways. It was then she realized that the tree was in fact upright, she was just lying crooked. She reached to rub her eyes, and gasped when she saw the rope binding her wrists together. She looked down to her feet to see her ankles also tied, and at that moment remembered what had happened. Legolas went missing and... Legolas! Where is Legolas? She thought. She frantically looked around to find she was in a small tent with the flap wide open. She couldn't see her brother anywhere, but when she scooted back to try and turn around, she felt something soft and warm.
"Legolas! Legolas, is that you?" She desperately squirmed, and finally got herself turned around to see the little elfling lying there, a small gash on his cheek and a bump on his head.
"Legolas. Legolas, please, wake up!" Aridel was close to crying now. Her throat was parched from a night without water, and her voice came out gruff and husky. She felt a tear roll down her cheek, and nudged her brother's head with her own.
"Legolas! Gwador... please, gwador, wake up..." She whispered to him this time, and felt herself start to drift off into the blackness once again.
Thranduil paced the hall of his bedchambers. The night before he hadn't gotten out of his meetings till quite late. He figured that his children had gotten their dinner from the cooks, and Legolas had gotten tucked in by his sister and Galion. He thought it best not to disturb their sleep, being only children and needing it; so he had gone to bed. When he woke that morning, he had bathed, dressed in some casual clothes, and went down to the kitchen, expecting to find his elflings laughing at the table; Legolas sticking his fingers into his porridge to make sure it was just right, and Aridel laughing at him and getting her second glass of juice. Instead he found the cooks keeping breakfast warm, and an empty table set for three. It was late; he knew this. Later than his children had been know to wake.
"Where are Legolas and Aridel?" The Elvenking asked his cooks. The head cook, an elf with bright green eyes and golden curls half-way down his back looked perplexed.
"I don't know, sire. We expected them a half hour ago, as usual. I thought perhaps they wanted some extra rest." Thranduil stared hard at the cook.
"Thank you, Hanlim" He mumbled before turning and walking briskly to his children's rooms. He had knocked on Aridel's door. When he received no answer, he barged in to find her room un-slept in. The dress she had abandoned for riding clothes was tossed hap-hazardly on her bed. He rushed from the room, and didn't even bother to knock on Legolas' door. As he feared, he found it just the same. The elves who tended the palace had made the prince's bed the day before, and it hadn't been touched since. By this time he was extremely worried, and ran as fast as he could to the stables. He ran down the lines of horses till he came to Melpomaen's empty stall. He wasn't one to panic easily, but he was on the edge of it now. He forced himself to gather some composure, told himself they just fell asleep in the woods. But still, he ran as fast as he could once more to alert the guards, and send out search parties. After an hour of fretting, yelling at this guards, and blaming Galion for not watching them, he found himself pacing in his bedchambers. He sank down onto his bed and stared glistening-eyed out the window.
"Oh Illuvatar, protect them..."
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