Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings is not mine. Y'all should know that by now.

"Experience is the best teacher, but she sends in terrific bills."
–Someone Very Wise

Chapter Sixteen
Of Innocent Cooks and Elf Torture

Todd had really been minding his own business, namely, making dinner, when he heard some footsteps outside the kitchen. He looked out, and saw someone who was not a gleem. He was shorter, with no wings, and had hair, even on his feet.

"Are you Todd?" the little guy asked.

"That's me. Sorry dinner's late. I can't find the salt."

Sam looked around and grinned. This guy was definitely a cook. "I'm not here for dinner," he said. "My friends need help."

"Here," Todd said, tossing him a first aid kit. Sam stared at it blankly.

Sam looked around for anyone else who might be the spy besides this strange man, then sighed and pointed. "There's the salt," he said. "I need your help getting my friends out of here."

Todd waited a moment. "You're prisoners here?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"How'd you get out?"

"Long story. No time to tell it. Come on. Let's go." He grabbed the man's apron and tugged.

"I don't have any keys," Todd admitted. "You need them to open the door."

"Rats. There's no way you could get them?"

"There is a way, but you'll have to do exactly as I tell you."

"I'm listening."

"I don't understand."

"I know, Glorfindel. None of us do. I really don't know how even Tom Bombadil could manage to send you here."

"Or how all this could be written down here when it just happened in Middle-Earth."

Susan nodded. "That, too. I still can't quite believe I'm talking to an Elf."

"It gets weirder," Samuel admitted. "These books were written a while ago. And the movies, well, the first one came out over two years ago . . ."

"When this had just started,"Glorfindel finished for him.

"Yeah. Glorfindel?"

"What?"

"I want to try this one more time. Close your eyes." They did, and the wind started to blow in from Samuel's open window. It got faster, louder. Samuel smiled. For some reason, this time he was sure.

"Mithrandir, do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Not really. The Nightwatchers messed up my sense of direction."

"Now's a fine time to tell me. Come on. I think I hear something."

"I think I . . . see something. Light, over there."

"I see it, too! We made it!"

"And look–it's the others, outside the elf-village. We were going the wrong way, but that's what the Nightwatchers wanted. They knew where the others were."

"Wait a moment. Gandalf, someone else is missing. I've only got seventeen, including us." He paused a moment. "Where's Legolas?"

"That has to be what happened. Nothing else explains it."

"What did happen?" asked Pippin, who was close enough to hear.

"Something that shouldn't have," Gandalf answered, looking directly at Avanwë and Radagast, who still had a robin perched on his shoulder and a sparrow on his staff. "Avanwë, you've always been able to keep your power under control. What happened?"

"They would've killed Legolas if we hadn't interfered," Radagast said. Gandalf nodded.

"So it wasn't you?" Bergil asked Gandalf.

"No," the Wizard smiled. "Not even I am capable of rousing the Nightwatchers like that. You have Avanwë to thank for the lightning, Radagast for the darkness."

"How did you get the Nightwatchers to do that?" Eric asked, amazed. "From what I've heard, they don't obey just anyone."

"Only one other person I know could do it," Radagast admitted. The other was Athos' brother, . . ."

Latano stopped him. "You knew Aramis?"

"Legolas, do you by any chance want help with that?" Athos asked. The Elf ahd been trying without success to remove the gleems' arrow.

"No, it's all right. I've got it."

"Right. I don't think so." He went over to the Elf. Legolas saw his chance. As Athos gently pulled the arrow out, Legolas focused on the ain and was soon unconscious, his breathing so shallow even Athos couldn't tell it was there.

It was a hard gamble. He hadn't fooled Athos the last time. Why would this one be any different? Yet, for some reason, he knew he had to try.

Athos was shocked when he saw how close the arrow was to the Elf's heart, but even more so when he saw that Legolas appeared to be dead. "Legolas," he called quietly. He got no response.

"Yes," Radagast said. "Yes, I did know him." Before Latano could finish being shocked, Avanwë gave a cry and collapsed, for seemingly no reason at all. "This is what I was afraid of," Radagast sighed, kneeling by the Elf. "Her connection with Legolas is this strong. Something happened to him."

"Well, let's go storm the tower and find him!" Gimli suggested in a loud voice.

"Gimli, there are seventeen of us free," Eomer reminded the Dwarf. "Do you want to go try to storm a tower full of these monsters, try to find the right room, and try to get out of there without being killed?"

Gimli thought for a moment. "Yes!"

Aragorn sighed. "If we start attacking them, they could kill Legolas, as well as the others."

Eric shook his head. "I know Athos better than that. He doesn't kill willingly."

Avanwë slowly opened her eyes. "He's alive," she said. "He's trying to trick Athos into thinking he's not."

"Is it working?" Radagast asked.

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Pippin asked.

"I do." Before the young Hobbit could ask any more questions, there was a rustle in the leaves behind them.

"Glorfindel!" Elrond exclaimed.

"Samuel! Susan!" Noka laughed. "How did you get here?"

"And how do you keep doing that?" Eric demanded. "They didn't even say anything and you could tell who they were!"

"I heard their voices a ways off. You were al too busy debating whether or not to storm the tower, which might not be a bad idea."

"What do you suggest?" Frodo asked.

"Listen carefully."

"Which way, Todd?"

"Right. Now, if we run into any trouble, who are you?"

"Your prisoner. You're trying to take me back to the dungeon but forgot the way."

"Good. And I don't need help. Just directions and the keys."

"Right. Okay. Except there's a gleem right ahead."

Todd grabbed Sam's arm and pretended to be dragging him along. "Right or left, right or left?" he mumbled to himself. Sam pretended to struggle.

The gleem bought it. "Need some help there, Todd?" Sam was surprised at how friendly the gleem seemed now.

"Yeah. I can't remember which way the dungeon is. This shrimp here escaped."

"Come on. I'll show you."

"No, you can just tell me. I'll remember."

"You? Remember? You should never use those two words in the same sentence, my friend. Come on. It's this way."

Todd nodded. It wouldn't help the situation at all if he blew his cover.

When Sam was tossed back in the dungeon, the first thing he noticed was the eery silence. Not even Merry was talking. Then he realized Merry was the only other one there. "Did they escape?" Sam asked.

"I wish. No. The gleems came again, and . . . Sam, Legolas is dead."

'Morgan. Morgan, wake up.' The teenager groaned in her mind, but said nothing. 'I heard that,' the voice said. 'Come on, Smeagol, wake up.'

"Athos!" Morgan said out loud as she opened her eyes and sat up straight, but then collapsed back onto the couch from pain.

"Easy, Smeagol, easy," Athos said. "You're hurt, not to mention exhausted. I'm sorry if I startled you with my mind-talk, but it was the only way I could reach you. I need your help."

"Go ahead. Just don't call me Smeagol around the Fellowship. Especially Sam."

"You got it."

Just then, for a fraction of a second, Athos' control dropped. Morgan noticed, noticed his grief and his guilt. "Athos, what did you do?" she asked compassionately. Athos just dropped his gaze.

Morgan knew that look. He had it whenever he talked about his brother, Aramis. The gleems had killed him because he tried to keep the Undiscovered Island a secret, safe. From then on, he'd been careful to warn the gleems not to kill their prisoners. It was too much of a burden for him. This look of pain could only mean one thing. It had happened again.

It couldn't have been intentional, so it wasn't anyone who had been in the tower before. It had to be in the battle that was going on outside. It wasn't Peter, Faramir, Sam, Merry, or, obviously, her. That left . . . everyone else. 'Too many people to just take a wild guess,' Morgan decided. Trying not to let Athos know what she was doing, she opened her mind to the other Woodland Wanderers.

As Morgan guessed, Peter felt it first, in a room down the hall, but he had no answers for his friend. She needed to go farther.

"Eric, what is it?" Eomer asked.

"It's Morgan," Eric said, closing his eyes so he could hear her better. "She insists Athos killed someone and that she needs to know who."

"How good an act can she put up?" Avanwë asked.

"Good enough for what you're thinking of," Radagast answered. "You can tell her; Athos will still have no idea."

"All right. Tell her Legolas isn't dead, but not to tell Athos that no matter what," Avanwë told Eric. "He won't throw a dead body back in the dungeon."

"You're sure he's still alive, Avanwë?" Eric asked. "I know firsthand what the gleems can do, and it isn't nice."

"I'm sure. He's unconscious and badly hurt, but alive."

"Okay," Eric said. Then, after a moment, "She got the message."

"How?" Bergil and Pippin asked at the same time.

"Morgan has a . . . strange talent," Latano answered. "She can talk to people without anyone else hearing, and from any distance. Only some people, though. As far as we know, only us Woodland Wanderers and Athos."

"Athos?" Eowyn exclaimed. "Why in Middle-Earth would she have any kind of connection with him?"

"Birds of a feather flock together, mellon nin," Samuel answered. "They have a lot in common. They both enjoy a good fight, but they also enjoy art, and poetry and writing, which makes me wonder if . . ."

"Point taken, Samuel," Noka said. "I'll ask her to try."

Legolas made sure the coast was clear before he opened his eyes. Sure enough, the only sounds were distant bird calls coming from the forest. He was outside the tower, face-down in the snow of the mountains, but he was safe. And he was free.

The Elf slowly got up and looked around. He tried to walk, but a sudden surge of pain in his head and chest blurred his vision and almost forced him to the ground. A cry of pain was stifled only by Legolas' determination not to let the gleems know he was alive.

He wanted to run to the green woods in the distance. He wanted to rush back in the tower and rescue his friends. Yet he couldn't. Something was terribly wrong. The wound was bad, but not this bad. Unless . . .

Legolas realized there was only one answer. "Avanwë, please hurry," he whispered as he collapsed and decided to keep playing dead.

'So you can't tell Athos until we're certain he's safe. Got it, Morgan?'

'Got it, Noka, but can you hurry? I've honestly never seen Athos this shaken up.'

'We're on our way. How're you guys holding up?'

'I'm fine. Faramir's adjusting to the gleems' idea of a good time. And you know Peter.'

'Oh, yes. Mr. I'm-going-to-pretend-I'm-not-hurt-no-matter-what-the-gleems-do-to-me. What about Merry and Sam?'

'Good question. He hasn't done anything to them for some reason.'

'That's unusual. Bring it up if you can. And . . .'

'Sure. As soon as Athos moves his rook in my queen's path.'

'You're playing chess?'

'Yeah. It's helping him, really. He talks easier when he's doing something else. He's a little preoccupied, but still winning. Probably because you're distracting me.'

'Only you.'

'I know.'

'Faramir. Hey, Faramir.'

"Morgan?" Faramir asked out loud. A mistake. It let the gleems know he was still conscious.

"Nice act," one of them sneered. "Now shut up or we'll teach you a lesson like we did that Elf."

"Legolas?" Faramir asked, startled. A wave of pain hit his shoulder. The gleem hadn't been joking.

'Faramir?' the voice in his head asked again.

'Morgan, is that you?' Faramir asked, careful not to say anything out loud.

'Yes. You can hear me?'

'Yes. How?'

'I'm not really sure. For some reason, it works with you.'

'I'm not even going to ask. The gleems said something about an Elf. What's going on? There are three humans and two Hobbits here.'

'They think Legolas is dead. He's not, but he's a good actor. Where are you.'

'I don't know.'

'Well, that rules out the dungeon. Just don't tell them Legolas is alive or Avanwë's gonna kill me and you.'

'Got it, mellon nin. Where are you?'

'With Athos.'

'You two are real friends, aren't you?'

'As close as we can be. It's kind of ironic, really. He truly believes what he's doing is right. I'd be the first to disagree, but also the first to tell him to follow his heart.'

'That is strange.'

'Faramir, I'm losing you. What's going on?' She got no reply, no answer of any kind, but she knew anyway. Faramir had fainted. The gleems had gone just a little too far. Morgan took a deep breath, moved her rook, and focused on Faramir and Peter, opening her mind to what they were feeling. It wasn't gradual or slow in the least; everything hit the young teenager at once. She had been doing it for Athos. One person was easy, especially when the pain was purely emotional. Three people were tough, and almost too much. She collapsed back into her chair. Athos immediately knew something was wrong, and stopped his connection with her. It didn't help. Morgan had blacked out along with Peter and Faramir.

"It's not far now," Avanwë said. They had reached the edge of the forest.

"Do you know where he is?" Gandalf asked.

"Not really. All I know is that he's outside the tower. But with seventeen of us looking, it shouldn't take long to find him."

Noka quietly counted to ten and refrained from saying sixteen people would be 'looking' for him. He tried to focus on listening for the sound of an Elf's breathing, but that was no easy task in the first place, let alone when he was surrounded by others' breathing.

Rona noticed him trying to concentrate. "Go on ahead with Avanwë," she suggested.

"Thanks. C'mon, Avanwë." The two elves headed off towards the mountains.

"Anything?" Noka asked after they were far enough away from the group.

"He's over this way," the Elf replied.

Noka held up his hand. "Quiet a moment," he said. "I hear something. Breathing, very quiet, and very shallow. Over here."

Avanwë nodded, and followed Noka. "This way!" she called to the others.

That's where they found him, lying in the snow, almost unconscious. Avanwë knelt by his side and took his hand.

"Avanwë?" he asked in a weak voice.

"Yes. We're all here. We'll get you out of here."

'The others . . . still in the tower . . ."

"We'll find a way to help them."

Gimli and Aragorn rushed to their friend's side. "Master Elf, Gimli whispered, taking his other hand. "Sixteen."

"The same–sixteen," Legolas whispered. Gimli smiled and pressed his friend's hand gently like no one thought a Dwarf could. The Elf's hands were cold, and not only from lying in the snow for so long.

"Legolas, what is it?" Aragorn asked. Something was definitely wrong with his friend, or else he would've gotten up by now.

"The arrow was poisoned, mellon nin. I'm not sure . . ." His voice trailed off and his eyes closed.

"No," Avanwë whispered. "There has to be something we can do."

"He's still alive," Aragorn said.

"I recognize this poison," Latano said. "This is exactly how Peter was after our battle with the gleems last night. But that can't be the only thing. It didn't come this soon, or this strong, and he was poisoned twice."

"They changed it," Eric explained. "Once the gleems know what a poison does, they can make it work faster or slower, make it more aggressive or milder, or even deadlier."

"Eric, that is not what we wanted to hear," Balo sighed.

"Well, someone had to say it. I'm sorry if I was too blunt. Learned it from the gleems."

"You know them, Eric," Eomer said. "Would they make it strong enough to kill?"

"Under Athos' direction, no, though they easily could. He doesn't do killing. Under Angelica's instruction, however, they might have."

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xWhiteXstaRx – :) Yay! Someone actually reviewed this! Actually, it was okay that people weren't reviewing because I already have this completely written and am only posting it in chapters for my amusement and in the hope that someone would someday decide to review this thing. And someone finally did! Yeah!