NOTE: I am sorry this is a day late, but I had a medical procedure done yesterday that will tell me if my cancer has returned. My hands hurt from the Ivs, the procedure took 2 hours instead of 30 minutes and I am still not feeling well. This probably will not happen again. Thank you for your patience.

A/N: Thoughts will be in italics.

A/N: It was established in the story Possession, that under the direst circumstances, when Aragorn's identity as Isildur's heir might become an issue, rather than have the enemy find Barahir and possibly discover his identity, Barahir will disappear off of his finger and go to Anayah. This is a grace that was granted to Aragorn because of a request made to the Valar by an extremely powerful individual a long time before this story happens.

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We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
-o-Martin Luther King Jr.-o-

Chapter 11

Hope and Despair

The bay mare, Hiril, danced in place as Aragorn held her back while he got a good first look at the little village. He had seen the wagon tracks when he had first turned west to follow the Ninglor River towards the mountains, but not wanting to start in the middle of the story, he decided to go exactly where Legolas had said to meet him. If his worst fears were realized and Legolas was not there, he would be able to put a story together as to what had happened and would be able to track his friend from that point. His instincts were telling him that Legolas was on the wagon that had left this little village, but his heart was hoping that for once, his instincts might be wrong.

He dismounted from Hiril's back and after taking her bridle off so she could graze, he started looking around for Legolas's tracks, finding them quickly and frowning for he could see that Legolas had not been alone. Aragorn spent the better part of the afternoon diligently following every set of tracks and looking at the other signs that told him everything his friend had done from the time he had entered the village to when he had left it.

The Ranger had found the newly dug graves and had followed the tracks to the cave. Climbing the little hill, he had looked down through the chimney at the top and had seen the casket inside and after looking closely, could tell that the landslide that had buried the entrance to the cave was recent and had been deliberate set off. He was also able to tell that the human with Legolas meant his friend no harm, for no being who would take such care burying the dead could possibly bear ill-feelings towards another.

It was when he found the torn up ground in front of the cave, clear evidence of a fight - of sorts - that he had really become concerned for his friend. There was much blood on the ground around the front of the cave as well as within the drag marks that led to the tracks of a wagon that his heart as well as his eyes told him that Legolas had been severely injured during the incident.

"Legolas." He said softly as he knelt beside the tracks. "I'm so sorry, my friend."

Legolas was gone, taken by slavers in their wagon but Aragorn knew that he would be able to follow the wagon and that only a heavy rain storm could destroy the tracks and prevent him from following the tracks to their destination.

Calling Hiril to him, he put her bridle back on, swung into the saddle and while still keeping an eye on the tracks of the wagon, he started east, determined to find and free his brother. He was frustrated when darkness fell, forcing him to stop for the night, but his Ranger senses told him that if he kept riding, he might miss something important, a mistake that could cost Legolas his life.

After grooming the faithful mare and feeding her an apple as an extra treat, Aragorn ate his own dinner and afterwards, he lit his pipe and thought over the events of the day. Legolas had to have had a good reason for following a perfect stranger all the way from Mirkwood to the village. But what was it? He guessed that it had something to do with the cave for most of the activity between Legolas, his human companion, and the slavers had taken place there.

Why had Legolas found it necessary to bury the entrance of the cave? The slavers had evidently been angry with him for doing so, for the fight had taken place after the entrance had been collapsed. The only object in the cave that he had seen had been the casket so why would slavers be interested in that? Or had there been something else in the cave, something else of value besides the casket, something that had piqued the interest of the slavers and had given them cause to visit the village a second time? Could it have been some kind of treasure?

Aragorn shook his head. There were too many unanswered questions. The thing that concerned him and angered him the most was that the slavers had abused his friend then had forced him to go with them - and for that they would pay - and pay dearly.

Hold on Legolas. Aragorn thought. I am coming.

He knew it was imperative that he find the Prince as soon as possible because Legolas had been held as a slave before, an experience that had marked his tender spirit for millennia after he had been freed. Aragorn knew that he had to find him and free him before he fell into despair and faded, for he truly did not know if the Prince could go through the same type of experience again. His heart clenched at the thought of slavers laying their hands on him. Oh yes - they would pay.

He knocked the spent tobacco out of the bowl of his pipe and after banking the fire, he pulled his blanket over his shoulders, then lay down and went to sleep, planning on resuming his search at first light.

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By the time full daylight had arrived, Aragorn was already back on the trail of the slaver's wagons. He focused his attention on the deep wagon tracks on the ground, trusting Hiril to warn him if any other danger threatened their safety. The Ranger had already found the place where the wagons had stopped to let the prisoners out to walk about and stretch their legs and it was easy to find Legolas's faint footprints in the soil. It was also easy to tell that the slavers were tormenting him for he had found the tracks of a horse that were almost on top of the lighter prints of his friend, evidence that the horse had collided with the elf and had knocked him to the ground.

Aragorn's heart burned anew at what his friend was going through and again he sent out the words from his heart. I am coming Legolas. Just hold on a little longer. He knew he couldn't be all that far behind, for Hiril was setting a brisk pace - much faster than a lumbering wagon full of prisoners could go. With each day that passed he could feel himself getting closer to his heart-brother and could also almost feel the anguish the elf was feeling. He found it to be a feeling that he disliked immensely.

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His journey had been unremarkable for he had seen nothing of note other than the dust stirred up by passing wagons way off in the distance. He paid them no mind for it was only on the periphery of his Ranger's senses that he even noticed them - the rest of his senses were trained on the tracks that he was following.

When Aragorn exited the forest and first saw the city, he was just as surprised as Halgar and Legolas had been for it was a behemoth in a land he had always thought had been empty. Hiding Hiril among the trees, Aragorn dismounted and trusting that Hiril would let him know if anyone approached him from behind, he sat on his heels and studied the metropolis spread out before him.

For a few moments, he marveled at the fact that a city the size of the one before him could have remained hidden so long from any of the Rangers who always took great pains to know all the habitations in the lands they protected. He had certainly never heard of it at any time during his travels nor had he ever read of such a place in any of his father's books of lore. He chuckled softly when he wondered if Glorfindel, the elf halfway through his second life, even knew about the place.

He saw the semi-permanent tents that lined the perimeter of the city and guessed that the people of this place had probably been, and may still be, from a nomadic culture and probably Easterlings or at the very least, still had ties with those peoples. That fact told him a lot and he knew a bit more about the methods he would have to use - how he would have to look and act - when he finally entered the city to search for Legolas.

He shook his head at the palace that dominated the landscape, a truly brazen structure that looked out of place, almost like it had been an afterthought. Or, perhaps had been built to intimidate anyone who might come with thoughts of warfare in their hearts, for only a great leader would inhabit such a place, a leader to be feared - or so they would probably think of themselves. Aragorn shook his head again, for he had found that that particular type of arrogance oftentimes made these types of dynasties easier to overthrow because it oftentimes blinded the leaders to their own weaknesses. He wondered how many such leaders had inhabited the place since it had been built.

Then something happened that almost stopped his heart - he saw Legolas as he was being led away by two large guards to his new master's home. Aragorn sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Valar for they had indeed kind when they had led him to the one spot and at the correct time so he would be able to see his friend as he passed by and know what had happened to him. It was when he saw the cruel spiked collar that clung to Legolas's neck, that his heart clenched and he had to stop himself from drawing his sword and rushing towards his friend to free him. No, he told himself, an attempt to free him now could only end in disaster so he would have to be crafty - he would have to wait until dark to free him.

Leading Hiril deeper into the forest, Aragorn sat on the ground with his back to a tree. He would rest until nightfall then would make his way into the city to wherever Legolas had been taken and would free him. He let his eyes close and he was soon asleep.

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Full dark had settled on the land when Aragorn once more woke. Hiril still stood a faithful guard over the Ranger, and nickered softly when she saw that the he was once more awake. Though she was hungry and thirsty, she was an elven-trained horse and thought of her rider first before herself and would never have left the man when he was vulnerable. After removing the saddle and bridle from the mare and after a gentle admonishment not to go far, Aragorn once more turned his attention to the city.

He knew that he could not just ride in and demand that Legolas be released - not if he wanted to live to see the next sunrise. If these people were truly related to the Easterlings and even if not, he still got the impression from the common dress, that there were not many strangers among them and so they were probably wary of any stranger that passed their borders - he would indeed have to be cautious.

Aragorn decided that he would have to blend in - to appear as one of them - and to that end, he would have to borrow the appropriate attire from someone. As luck would have it, as he flitted from shadow to shadow around the perimeter, he happened upon some clean clothing that had been setting out to dry and after donning the dark colored robes, stepped out into the main thoroughfare and began his search.

As he walked among the people of the city, he learned that its name was Hoth and its main source of commerce lay in the buying and selling of slaves. Though there were many merchants who sold other types of wares - food, clothing and pottery, etc. - he saw far too many vendors that were selling humans. He watched with disgust as their new masters put collars on cowering, beaten and half-starved humans. Slaves walked beside their masters as the richly robed humans strolled leisurely down the wide thoroughfares, parading their slaves before them, and making it appear that owning a slave was a sign of status. Aragorn shook his head for he could never understand how any race could live with themselves after they subjugated another being to their will - it was one of humankind's less desirable traits.

Aragorn had been walking for what seemed like hours when he finally found Legolas sitting inside a fenced compound next to another human who seemed to be quietly talking to the Prince. His heart almost broke for he could tell by the way the elf was sitting, with his forehead resting on his knees, that despair already had him firmly in its nightmare grasp. He would have to get him out of there - and quickly.

The main compound consisted of one of the larger, semi-permanent tent structures, making Aragorn think that the man that had bought Legolas was someone of importance. There was a large, fenced in 'yard' to one side of the tent with some kind of structure that he supposed was meant to provide shelter for the slaves. A guards' hut also stood inside the structure and in front of it stood two guards with long, thin buggy whips in their hands which they probably used to punish the slaves and keep them in line.

Aragorn stepped into the shadow of a nearby tree then sat on his heels, studying the enclosure, the people inside as well as on the outside of it - their patterns of movement and behavior - then began to formulate a plan. He waited for the opportune moment, when the guards inside the enclosure were distracted then stepped onto the thoroughfare, mingling with the other residents. After passing the fenced-in yard, Aragorn once more ducked into a darkened passageway then doubled back until he was behind and to the side of the structure where Legolas was sitting not more than 15 feet away from him.

He hissed quietly, so quietly that only sharp elven hearing had any chance, whatsoever of hearing him and was pleased when he saw the blond head suddenly start, then slowly raise until the elf was looking in his direction. A look of hope blossomed on Legolas's face, which soon after turned to a look of horror. Aragorn's head suddenly sagged and his own eyes closed for that particular look on the blonde Prince's face could mean only one thing - he had been discovered and that those who had found him were probably standing right behind him.

As he turned to face whoever was standing behind him, he felt a strange tingling sensation on the index finger of his left hand and when he felt with his other fingers he found that his ring, Barahir, was gone. He knew that help would come and only prayed that it would be in time. One of the big humans was tapping the palm of his hand with a club while the other human, the one with the whip in his hand, spoke to him.

"Do you want to know what gave you away?" The human smiled evilly at him.

"Not really but I'd bet that you are going to tell me anyway." Was his sarcastic reply.

The human pointed the end of the whip at Aragorn's feet then at his own. Aragorn closed his eyes in frustration for both humans in front of him were wearing sandals - quite unlike the elven boots on his own feet. When the humans chuckled, he looked up at them once more.

"Now, stranger, I will ask you this only one time - what are you doing here on the Chieftain's property?" The human raised his eyebrow as he waited for a reply to his question.

Aragorn shrugged his shoulders.

"Admiring the scenery?" Was his sarcastic reply.

The two humans looked at each other then at the compound where the elf and the smaller human were sitting and listening to what was going on and being said. They both misinterpreted the man's sarcastic comment and a look of realization lit up their faces.

"Oh, you were admiring the pretty one. Were you just going to steal him or were you going to take his friend as well?"

Seeing the look of confusion on Aragorn's face, he took a step closer and put a companionable arm around the Ranger's neck.

"Let me explain something to you, stranger. Chieftain Tarag has no tolerance whatsoever for those who try to steal from him and have authorized us," he indicated himself and the other human, "to deal with all intruders and would-be thieves in any manner which we see fit."

With no warning whatsoever, the man dropped the long whip he had in his hand and after tightening the hold he had of Aragorn, drove his fist into the young man's midsection, driving all the air out of him. When he was bent over, the big human grasped Aragorn's head and slammed it onto his raised knee after which Aragorn fell to the ground, stunned and barely conscious. They weren't finished with their 'lesson' and proceeded to kick the young Ranger while he did what he could to curl into a ball to protect himself as much as he was able.

Legolas ran to the fence, grabbing onto the wire with both hands and yelling at the two men to stop. The two big guards continued to kick the human viciously, literally lifting his body with each impact while a part of Aragorn's numbed mind wondered just how sandals could hurt so much when a person got kicked with them. His movements to protect himself became more and more feeble until finally he lay on the ground, almost without moving.

"Stop it! You're killing him!" Legolas yelled at the two.

Legolas's plea was a double-edged sword. First, the man with the club hit the fence with it, bruising the elf's knuckles and causing him to cry out and stumble backwards until Halgar caught him and pulled him away from the fence. Second, when Aragorn heard Legolas cry out, he somehow managed to push himself to his knees and tried to crawl to his friend at which time, the man with the club hit him brutally in the head and knocked him away from the fence as well.

"So, there's still some life in you. Let me see if I can fix that!"

Halgar had trouble restraining Legolas as the big guard then started beating Aragorn with his club. Things may have gone ill for the young man if not for the timely return to his home by Chieftain Tarag. Hearing the commotion, he came around the end of the tent until he could plainly see what was going on.

"HOLD!" The Chieftain commanded.

Like any well-trained toadie, the two guards immediately stopped beating Aragorn and stood quietly while Tarag walked up to them. The man stood for a moment, looking down at the bleeding and still body of the unconscious Ranger then reaching down, he felt under the man's jaw line and sought for a pulse and found it although he could feel it growing weaker. He looked up at the two guards who were now both shifting from foot to foot as they squirmed under the piercing gaze of their master.

"And what started this?"

The guard with the club caught himself tapping the palm of his hand with the now-bloody piece of wood and quickly lowered it to his side.

"We caught him here at the fence, Chieftain Tarag. He was trying to get the elf's attention and we thought he was going to try and steal him. You told us we could handle thieves however we saw fit."

Tarag shook his head.

"Aye, I did at that." He raised his eyes and fixed both guards with his steely gaze. "But I did not tell you to kill someone standing at my fence who was making eyes at my merchandise! You should have brought him to me!"

He waived his hands dismissively.

"No matter - he's too far gone now."

He looked at Aragorn one last time.

"You may as well put him out of his misery."

When the Chieftain had given the death order, Halgar had rushed to the fence and as Tarag had turned around to leave and as the guards approached the Ranger to carry out their Master's bidding, Halgar interrupted him.

"Excuse me, Master - a moment of your time please?"

Tarag turned around and looked at Halgar and seeing that he had the man's attention he began pleading.

"Sir, I don't mean to intrude on your affairs or go against the orders you have given, but if you allow this man to die, you will be passing up a grand opportunity. I can tell just by looking at him that he is strong and would make a wonderful slave and if you think about it, Master, you have gotten him for nothing! Even if you decided to sell him, you could make a tidy profit off of him but if you let him die, it would be a waste of money."

Seeing that he had piqued the man's interest, he continued.

"I am a healer, Master, and if you let me see to the man's injuries, I will save him for you and you will have a valuable slave."

Tarag stood for a moment, both hands on his hips, thinking about what Halgar had said. After some time had passed, he turned to his guards.

"Take the healer and this …" he looked down at the Ranger, "this piece of meat to the infirmary hut at the quarry compound. Put my collar on him then tell the head boss there that I want this man to have whatever he needs to save the human." Shaking his head, Tarag then moved on into his own tent.

The guard with the bloody club motioned for Halgar to come around to the gate then walked there himself to wait for the human. As Halgar walked by Legolas, he stopped for a moment and knelt in front of the elf.

"Legolas, I must go and save Strider. I know that I said that I would stay with you but you have to understand why I am doing this - you do don't you?" He was almost pleading with the elf to understand.

He lowered his voice even more.

"I must save the Heir - you know this. Please, my friend, be strong for Strider and do not lose hope that things will sort themselves out in the end. Just do not lose hope."

The stricken look on the elf's face almost broke Halgar's heart and it was one of the most difficult tasks of his life to again get to his feet then turn and walk away. He almost lost his resolve when he heard the whispered words, the plea that had been born millennia before when a young elfling had found himself in a similar situation.

"Don't leave me alone."

TBC

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Star-Stallion: Well … uhm … Aragorn got there. Don't worry though, help will soon be on the way! Thanks for the review. Keep that quirt handy - you will definitely need it in this chapter.

Deana: Yes, Legolas is going through a lot and it's far from over. Thanks for the review and hope you enjoy this chapter as well.