I'm back! Yes, life has decided that it got bored messing with me. Anyway, again, I'm sorry it took so long, but I just couldn't bring myself to update before now. Enjoy. (Next chapter is when the action really picks up!) (PS. For this chapter, if you haven't read any stories before, the lady who is introduced had captured Legolas a couple times, and she REALLY hates elves, especially the Thrandullions.)

PPS. and their stupid deleting of my scene breaks pisses me off. I may have to resort to using Brouhaha again.

PPPS. Okay, this is my third attempt at decent scene breaks.

PPPPS. Okay. . . fourth time's a charm in some countries. . . I give up. Brouhaha, as annoying as it is, is the only thing that works. Anyone wanna tell me how they do line breaks that work?

PPPPPS. Anyone else sick of this yet? Ever wonder what does during theses upgrades? Everything's blue now instead of yellow, so that's cool, but I mean, do they do anything useful?

The prince was momentarily awed by the room they had entered. It was lavishly decorated, more so than any royal room he had ever seen. In the middle was a large throne, now empty. Legolas was confused.

"Over there," Sherock said, pointing to the far corner. A desk was partially hidden in the shadows, a woman behind it, bent over paperwork. "Our queen works, she does not sit in her throne doing nothing, like your father does, I'm sure."

"And you would know of work?" The elf forced a laugh. If this was to be his end, he was not going to make it easy for anyone.

Sherock threw the elf to the ground, ready to kill him, had it not been for the Lady finally noticing them.

"Sherock, do not touch him. You've done enough, I'm sure. Is he finished?"

Sherock bowed low, his eyes on the ground. "No, my Lady. I am afraid he is too strong willed."

Legolas raised his eyebrows. Was Sherock admitting inadequacy?

"My favorite kind," She did nothing to hide the sarcasm in her voice. "You may leave, Sherock, but know that I am not pleased and you will be punished accordingly."

"Yes, my Lady, I am prepared, for I know that I have failed you."

Legolas, standing as Sherock left the throne room, was shocked by the change in the man. Did this woman cause that much fear in even her own guards?

"Legolas."

The elf turned his attention to the woman, now standing directly in front of him. She was a head shorter than the elf, something he quite appreciated.

"Listen well. Last time we met, I kept many things from you. Now, I shall tell you that my name is Erithia. Remember it well, for forgetting it shall land you in immense trouble. Wipe that smirk off your face. You may look down at me, but only from height, not from status. You would do quite well to remember that as well. I will show you no mercy. You took everything I held dear from me. You and that wretched brother of yours. Yes, I rule Evandeal, but I also rule a city just outside of Rivendell. You remember it, I do think. You had a run in with some wargs of mine. You have escaped my clutches twice, but not this time."

"I took nothing from you, save your wargs, but you set them on me, so that shall be your own fault. I will never be your slave, you would do well to remember that."

Her chin rose slightly, and Legolas braced himself for the blow that never came. She only smiled. "I don't want you to show as some trophy. I only want you so that I can repay the kindness you have shown my family. Your brother, too, will pay for the trouble he causes me. No, dear Prince, you will never serve me. You are here only to die. Your death will be slow and humiliating. If you break into submissiveness, all the better. Now, we shall begin. Bow to me, as your queen."

Legolas looked her square in the eye. She expected him to defy her. Fine then, he would make this as difficult as he could. He bowed.

His head was lowered so that he could not see her face, but he suspected a shocked look was there.

"Oh, come now, you are going to resist, I hope?"

Legolas said nothing. Erithia nodded to herself, then surprised the elf with her next question.

"Your braids, what do they signify?"

The elf still said nothing. Danger flashed in the woman's eyes. "Answer me." Her voice was lethal.

"My status," he answered, standing again.

"Which is?" Her voice was calm and almost kind again.

She knew; why should he lie? "Today? A warrior."

"Other days?"

"A prince."

"What else can they signify?"

"I don't understand?"

"I shall speak in simple terms so as not to confuse you, then." Legolas bit his lip to keep from retorting. Somehow, entering this room had given him a new spark, a new reason for defiance. "What are all the possible braids one can have?"

Legolas sighed. If talking kept her happy, he would talk. "All royal titles. . . warrior, royal guardsman, advisor, commoner," She stopped him.

"Then when next I see you, your braids shall be those of a commoner. I don't suspect you have anything lower than that. Don't lie about it either, I have ways of knowing if you do. You lose your status here, Elf. That shall be enough for today." She snapped her fingers, and two guards materialized out of the shadows. Legolas hadn't even known they were there.

"Take him to his new cell."

Two months later, She came back. Legolas, to his own dismay, was almost happy. He had no interaction with any living creature since he had last seen Her in her throne room. That alone had shattered most of the prince's defenses. Food, even, was slid through a hole in the door to the room, for his "cell" was more of a room than the caged cells he was used to. He had finally resorted to talking to whoever slid the food through, but they never responded. He was growing almost desperate for contact, even human.

She smiled at him. "I am pleased with your hair," she said, noting the simple braids that now adorned his head. "Have you enjoyed your solitude? You've missed a lot, I can tell you that. Your human friend has already been broken."

'No!' Legolas' mind screamed. He refused to believe that.

"And he only needed three days of solitude. Of course, after that, there were other things to follow. But you shall soon find that out."

Legolas opened his mouth, but the woman raised her hand. "No, you shall not speak to me unless directly asked a question. In such cases, the answer shall come swiftly and will always begin and end with "Your highness"." She decided to test him. "Am I perfectly understood?"

Defiance flashed in the elf's eyes. Erithia sighed. "I suppose a month was not long enough." She turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Her back to the elf, she smiled. "I'm sorry? You wish to be given a second chance? Only because I am in a good mood, will I allow it. It is not a luxury you should get used to. But we will try again. Am I perfectly understood?"

His pride screamed at him to defy her, to spit in her face, but the utter solitude that he was faced with scared him.

"Your. . ." he stumbled in his words, but Erithia did not move. She may have been cruel, but she knew what she was asking of the elf, and the simple fact that he was trying was a big improvement.

"Your highness," Legolas closed his eyes. "I understand you, your highness."

Erithia was beaming. "Very good, Legolas, I am proud of you. I am pleased."

Legolas inwardly balked at being treated like a child, but he said nothing. It wasn't the solitude alone that pushed him, but the fact that the room was small and the air stale, and at times, it triggered his claustrophobia. He couldn't handle it for too much longer. If he had to face too much more of it, he knew he would break.

"I have a reward for you, for your obedience." She snapped, and two guards entered, dragging Aragorn. The human locked eyes with Legolas, and began struggling.

"Now, now, Human, don't start up with that again."

Legolas smiled. She had lied; they hadn't broken Aragorn.

She turned back to the elf. "You see? It isn't all bad here. You behave, and you will be rewarded. Though, in the end, I don't suppose it will matter, since your death is promised. Now, you shall thank me."

Legolas' eyes dropped, shamed to be lowered to this in front of Aragorn, but if he hoped to be close to the man. . . "Your highness, I am grateful, your highness."

Aragorn's eyes went wide at Legolas' show of submission. The guards released him, then all three exited the room. Aragorn waited until he heard the bolt of the lock before he moved towards Legolas.

He put a hand on the elf's shoulder. Instead of recoiling from the touch, like Aragorn expected, Legolas grabbed his hand and pulled Aragorn into a tight embrace.

"Legolas. . . are you all right?"

Legolas pulled back, tears running down his face.

"Legolas, what's the matter? What happened?"

"I. . . I haven't seen anyone in ages. Today is the first time since the last time I saw you. And this room, it reminds me so of a cave, and. . . I just don't think I could have handled another night alone."

"Have you eaten at all?"

"Stop being such a mother. And never speak of this to anyone."

Aragorn smiled. Yes, Legolas was okay. "Yes, Your Majesty. Did you just hug me?"

"Like I said, not a word, or I will make you pay."

The human laughed lightly. "Not a word. I promise. What happened to your hair?"

The smile faded from his friend's lips. "Another story I would appreciate staying within these walls."

A few hours later, Erithia came back—alone. "Get up, Legolas. It is time for another lesson."

Aragorn looked between the two, curious.

"No," Legolas spat before he thought about it. He immediately lowered his head.

"You've just broken two of my rules, Legolas. Tell me which ones."

"Not speaking and defying. . ."

"A third infraction of my rules for you. You do not speak unless told to, you do not defy me, and you will always address me as Your Highness. Has this short time with your friend made you forget everything? Come now.."

Aragorn watched as Legolas struggled internally over the command, but the piercing glare of Erithia finally forced him out of the room. Two guards immediately grabbed him.

The woman crouched followed after closing the door to the room. She ordered the guards to leave, who did so after forcing the prince to bow.

She crouched, now eye level with Legolas. "You've brought this upon yourself."

"Your highness, please-"

"I did not ask you to speak. Sherock," she called. The man came with a slight limp. Legolas smiled despite himself.

"Teach him his place. Do whatever you must, and realize that if you fail me, you will not see the sun rise. Am I understood?"

"Yes, milady, of course. I will not disappoint you."

She laughed. "I should hope not. I will be back in a few hours."

"We'll go back to your cell. I'm sure your friend would like to be present. With the slamming door, Legolas' heart sank. After a long struggle, Legolas' arms were restrained above his head, held by chains to the bars of the window far above. The elf was furious, and Sherock did not escape untouched.

The guards holding Aragorn were having a hard time restraining the man, whose only intention was to kill Sherock.

The evil man walked towards Legolas, but the elf gripped the chains and kicked out with both feet. "Get away from me, you scum of Mordor!"

"We will try a different approach," he said, turning towards Aragorn.

"No!" Legolas shouted. Aragorn had stopped struggling, suddenly realizing that the attention had been turned to him.

"Do not hurt him!"

"Every time you do something brash, he will pay for it. Now, shall we try this again?"

He moved towards Legolas, who stiffened, but did not attempt to hurt Sherock. "That's better, now." He glanced at the other guards. "We could have some fun with this." Turning back to Legolas, he smiled. "Stand on one foot."

"I will not perform for you like a merchant's monkey!"

Aragorn was punched in the stomach, causing him to double over. A guard grabbed the man's hair, pulling him back up.

"No!" Legolas jerked against his bonds. "Don't hurt him!"

"Do as you're told, and we won't have to."

Legolas cast his eyes to the side, but gently lifted one leg. Sherock and the other guard laughed. Anger surged through Aragorn, but Legolas' cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

They quickly tired of that game, and Sherock motioned for the ranger. Aragorn was pushed forward and handed a small dagger. "Your friend needs to learn some manners. You shall teach him."

"No!" He dropped the dagger as if it burned him. "I will not harm him."

"That is your choice," Sherock said, picking the knife off the ground. "But if you don't, I will." With that, he turned and drove it through the muscle of the prince's forearm.

"No! Stop it!"

Legolas' eyes were closed tightly against the pain. "Saes, Estel."

Aragorn couldn't do it. . . but Legolas was begging him to. "Legolas. . ."

Legolas opened his eyes. "Saes, Estel, saes."

He nodded, gently taking the dagger from Sherock. He looked at Legolas, begging for forgiveness for what he was about to do. Legolas nodded his consent.

Aragorn placed the dagger against Legolas' skin, but stopped.

"Get on with it," Sherock muttered.

The ranger's hands were shaking. He finally dropped the knife. "I'm sorry, Legolas. I can't do it."

Sherock growled and threw the man out of the way. He grabbed the knife, walked to the door, and threw it. Legolas fought the urge to try and move. He stood perfectly still instead. The dagger lodged itself in the wood barely an inch from the elf's right eye.

By the time Erithia came back, all three guards were gone. Legolas was unconscious on the floor. "Strider?"

The human looked up, tears in his eyes from what he had seen done to his friend.

"Is he alive?"

"I don't know. I mean, yes, but I know not for how long. Please help him. Please, if you have any good in your heart, show him mercy and help him!"

The woman knelt next to the man, who was covered in the elf's blood.

"What was done to him?"

Aragorn shuddered, tears flowing.

"Tell me."

Aragorn nodded and rolled Legolas onto his back. There were jagged wounds on his arms and legs. "They stabbed him and then. . ."

"And then what, Strider?"

Was she being compassionate? "They dug into the cuts with their hands. . . and they were. . . ripping at them!"

He was shaking with sorrow, rage, and guilt. If only he had done as he was told, Legolas wouldn't have been hurt so badly. How could he have cut his own friend, though? How could he have been the cause of his pain? And yet, he had been. He would have caused his friend pain no matter what he did.

Erithia ran a hand over one of the injuries. It was hot to the touch. There was a lot of blood everywhere: on the ground, on the ranger, covering the elf. . . .

"Strider, if I get you what you need, can you help him?"

She was looking right into his eyes, her beauty causing him to forget how to form words. She was gorgeous now, with kindness in her eyes.

"Yes. I think. If it is not too late."

"Then tell me what you need."

Aragorn followed her out of the room, almost running to keep up with Erithia's long strides. They passed Sherock and some of his men, but Erithia only nodded at him.

"Aren't you going to punish him for what he did to Legolas?"

"As long as your friend doesn't die, and pays attention to what he's told, Sherock did exactly what I asked him to do."

"But-"

"Do not argue with me, Estel. Why does Legolas call you by that name? It's Elvish."

"Yes. It was-" He paused. "It is just a nickname that he gave to me."

"That's a lie."

Aragorn recovered quickly. "I'm sorry, I meant my father gave me that nickname." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Here," she said, as if ignoring him, and pushed a door open into a small room. "Take what you need."

"Do you have Kingsfoil?"

"We should. Check the third shelf."

He found the herb almost instantly. "Is there anything about this place you don't know?"

"Nothing. For instance, I know that your friend just woke up."

Aragorn started, staring at the woman, whose eyebrows were raised. Shaking himself out of the shock, he grabbed a few other medicines and ran back to the small room. Sure enough, Legolas was awake. He was shaking violently.

"Legolas, are you okay?"

"I thought you left me."

"Never! Look, I brought medicine. Erithia let me get it." He looked behind him, but the woman had not followed. "Everything's going to be fine." Oh, Valar, Legolas was going to go into shock soon. It was a miracle that he hadn't already. "Stay with me."

"I feel like an Oliphant speared me. Several times."

"Close enough," Aragorn responded, hoping vainly that maybe Legolas didn't remember what happened.

"You didn't stop them."

"I couldn't hurt you myself, Legolas. I couldn't do that."

"I know."

Aragorn knew he couldn't do much to help his friend. It was up to Legolas now to fight for his life. He had lost enough blood. . . 'No. It won't end like this,' Aragorn told himself. After doing what he could, he just held Legolas and rocked back and forth. "Stay with me. Keep talking to me."

Wow, I have a lot of reviews to answer to. . . two chapters worth, so look, your name might appear twice! Thanks for being so patient!

Deana: I think, deep down, he knows that Aragorn wouldn't betray him, but the circumstances keep pointing him in the wrong direction. He's angry, but he's not sure what or who to be angry at.

Ak-stinger: Aw, I'm glad you thought it was sweet. Yeah, he reminds me of a LOT of little kids, lol.

Sky14: Ah, what good is life without a cliffhanger here and there? Lol.

Jazi: Ah, man. . . your reviews are so long. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE them. . . but when you're trying to be quick, replying to them is a bear. Well, I've emailed you, so I'll let that count, and I promise my reply to you for chapter six (assuming you review) will be really long!

Faerlain: Lol, nah, I couldn't actually let him betray Legolas. Even I couldn't do that. I couldn't update for a while 'cuz I was really busy, and life kind of sucked, and there were just more important things that I needed to get in order first.

Smurrfy: Wow, déjà vu, I feel like I've replied to you already. Weird, no, Estel didn't betray him. Even I'm not that heartless. Two poles: one for each arm. Sorry I confused you!

Mornflower: Gah, I hope you still like it 'cuz I'm throwing in a little twist here soon. . . Aw! You checked the box! I feel so loved! Thanks! Man, now I really hope the twist doesn't screw it up. No pressure, lol.

Happyface 72: You know the guy that invented the happy face died a while back? That's sad. I wonder if they had happy faces all over the place. . . lol, anyway. . . No, I'm the author, so if you'r egetting confused, it's because I'm not being clear. Let me know what confuses you and I'll explain to the best of my abilities.

Lindele: Ah, don't die. Here, it took me a couple months, but I finally posted!

Mellaithwen: Hey, no, you're twisted like me. I like that in a person! Thank you so much for the review. I really appreciate it!

Deana: Wow. . . feel bad for the elf, did ya? How bad do you feel for him now? Lol. . . ah, I'm demented.

Lindele: Lol, I can't tell you what happens, then you won't come back and read it!

Sky14: Thanks for your support. It was appreciated. The trainwreck that was my life has been cleaned up, and now it's back on track. (Wow, that was a horrible metaphor. Bleh. . .)

Smurrfy: Reading your review again (after what, two months?) just made me smile. Thanks! Hopefully I should be updating fairly regularly now. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Gah! All these people that love the story so far and now I'm really scared that the twist I'm throwing in is gonna turn out very badly. . .

Faerlain: Aw, thank you so much for your kind words. If it weren't for you and reviewers like you, I may have just quit fanfiction altogether. As it is, life has returned to normalcy (as normal as that is.) Thanks again! Oh, by the way, I have an excellent picture of Mithfalas if you're interested (for the fanclub.) Email me

Happyface 72: Ah, I hope you didn't forget that I existed! That would make me a sad face. (Sorry, am I having too much fun with your name, lol?) Yes, Aragorn has to save Leggy to make this work, but will he be able to?

Jazi: Lol, I swear, your next review reply will be outrageously long! But yes, that episode did make me laugh.

F h c: Thanks. You know, there was a month in there when I considered quitting. . . but no worries, I'll keep writing until you people start throwing tomatoes at me. Ah, no, it's gonna REALLY different. How was Europe? I'm going in March. And you better not have forgotten me!