Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

A/N: Hey there people! The Chapter that you have all been waiting for is finally here. This, is where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. You have been warned. Thank you all for the reviews! I love you all! A huge thank you to my incredible beta enb2004 for all her help! Go read her story Acceptance (HP), it is so excellent! As promised, here is Chapter 14. Enjoy!

The next morning, Estel woke up with a vague sense of unease. He looked around the room and saw that his father, brothers, and Iaurdil were all sitting around and dozing in various couches. At the window, he saw Thranduil sitting and staring outside with a worried expression.

Estel pinpointed his unease to that he didn't see Legolas anywhere. Normally, when he was injured or sick, that stubborn elf wouldn't leave his side.

"Thranduil?" he said softly. He didn't want to disturb the King's musings but he needed to know where Legolas was.

Thranduil started and turned around. "Ah, I didn't realize you were awake Estel. Is there anything you need? Are you in pain?" he asked, looking concerned.

"No, no, I'm fine," Estel said.

At Thranduil's doubtful look, he sighed knowing that the King would never take that for an answer. "I am somewhat sore."

"Perfectly understandable. I would be highly surprised if you weren't," Thranduil said.

Estel sighed but nodded. He knew that he had been very lucky. It could have been worse, much worse. "Where is Legolas by the way? I had expected him to be hovering over me."

Thranduil grinned, hearing the concern in Estel's voice. "Fear not Estel, Legolas is just fine. Somehow, I'm still not sure how, Iaurdil slipped a sleeping herb into Legolas's wine. It worked like a charm and he's still sleeping in his room."

Estel grinned with relief. "That sounds just like Legolas. Worrying himself to exhaustion," he said as he started to get up.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Thranduil asked, his arms folded across his chest in a stern position.

Estel rolled his eyes in exasperation. "The bathroom."

Thranduil blinked. "Oh, go right ahead then."

Estel just grinned and shook his head as he creeped out of the room. "I'll be right back."

Quickly, he went to the restroom and headed towards Legolas's room. He knew that it was ridiculous but he had to see Legolas for himself. There was still a sense of unease trickling in the back of his mind, so he hurried towards the room.

Estel got there and saw the door was closed, but still entered. He knew that he was being paranoid but he just couldn't help it.

When he entered the room, he was suddenly very glad he was paranoid. Legolas's bed was empty. All that was on it was a simple letter addressed to Urchin.

Estel shivered and picked up the letter. He had a very ill feeling about this.

The letter read:

Urchin, if you are reading this then it means I have captured your little elf princeling. I knew you would be the first to search him out. I have observed you for a long time now and know how you react. Tell no one that youngest prince is missing. I'll know if you do. If you wish for the princeling to survive, meet me deep within the forest within an hour of finding this letter. Don't worry, you won't have to find me. I'll find you.

Estel couldn't help but shiver after he had finished the letter. He knew that Gorothdil was not jesting. Legolas would be harmed if he did not show or if he told anyone what had happened.

He could not allow Legolas to suffer because of him. If Gorothdil wanted to meet him, so be it. Gorothdil would not catch him unaware again. This time, he would be prepared.

-

Thranduil was pacing nervously in Estel's room. The boy still hadn't returned from the bathroom and he was starting to worry that something had happened to him. True, it had only been 10 minutes but still, with a mad elf on the loose, one could not be too careful.

He remembered Elrond's words from the previous night all too well.

"We must take extra care with Gorothdil on the loose. He is quite slippery and very dangerous. He is most likely desperate as well, which will make him all the more dangerous. We must all be on guard for another attempt on Estel. He will not wait long," Elrond had warned them.

Taking Elrond's warning into consideration, Thranduil was about to go the restroom and enter, Estel's dignity be damned.

All thoughts of checking on Estel were gone though when he heard the pounding of hoofs. Looking out the window, he saw Lord Celeborn and Haldir quickly approaching the gates.

Thranduil swore as he watched Lord Elrond and the Lady Galadriel greet them with surprise. This did not bode well. Why had Celeborn and Haldir come? Had they heard the news of Gorothdil? They must have. They were probably the ones who received the letter after all.

Looking at the door, he decided to give Estel another five minutes before he barged in to see if he was okay. He probably was just checking on Legolas if Thranduil knew the young man at all.

Thranduil sighed and sat back down on the bed wearily. Everything was spiraling out of control and the worst part of it all was that he had no clue what would happen next.

-

The moment that Legolas's senses began to come back to him, he knew that he was in serious trouble. For one, his eyes had been closed meaning he had been drugged or hit on the head. Judging by the lack of a headache, it had to been the former. Also, he found to his horror, that he could not move and there was something in his mouth which prevented him from talking.

Legolas tried to spit out the offending piece of material, but proved to have no luck.

"Ah, so the princeling is awake. I was afraid that you wouldn't be conscious for our little game," said an elf who was hovering over Legolas, smiling evilly.

Legolas shivered. This elf could only be Gorothdil. He knew of no other elf who could send out waves of evil without even doing anything.

Legolas glared at Gorothdil. This was the elf that had attacked his best friend twice. He swore to himself that the moment he was free of his restraints, he would kill the other elf for what he had done to Estel.

Gorothdil smiled at the glare that Legolas was giving him. "I can see it in your eyes that you hate me and would love nothing more than to kill me for harming your precious edain. Let me tell you something princeling," he said grasping Legolas by his hair and pulling him up by it.

"I don't care if you hate me, in fact, it will make everything all the more fun. I wonder which one of you will break first, the edain, or you? I am willing to bet on the edain but one never knows" Gorothdil said menacingly.

Legolas glared daggers at Gorothdil, inwardly cursing the dark elf and repeatedly thanking the Valar that Estel was safe and sound in the palace.

"I know what you're thinking prince. The urchin is safe for now, but once he finds my letter threatening your safety, he will come after you, alone, just as I instructed. By the time the others figure out what happened, he will be long gone," Gorothdil said, a large smirk on his face.

Legolas glared at him while his heart thundered in chest far faster than it should have. Estel could not fall for the letter, Gorothdil was lying. Estel would tell someone. Deep in his heart though, Legolas knew that Estel wouldn't if his safety had been threatened. He would come after him.

Gorothdil smirked as pain was reflected in Legolas's eyes at the though of Estel coming to rescue him. "Oh yes my prince, he will come. It shall prove to be a most interesting game. Speaking of which, the game has just started. I must go and collect the last game piece. Then, we can begin."

Legolas watched with fearful eyes as Gorothdil walked away from him and into the woods, supposedly to rendezvous with Estel. All Legolas could do was pray to the Valar that Estel was prepared for this. If he wasn't, Legolas seriously doubted that either of them would get out of this alive.

-

Haldir had been to Mirkwood many a time, but never could he recall the palace feeling this tense. At the moment, all was calm, but everyone was walking around as though they expected the calm to shatter. It was the calm before the storm and everyone knew it.

Everyone was worried, that was easily apparent. Lord Elrond, Glorfindel, and the Lady had recounted all that had happened to Estel to him and Lord Celeborn, and then had questioned why they were there.

It had been at that point in the conversation, that Haldir had made the wise decision to be anywhere else. The entire way to Mirkwood, Celeborn had done nothing but mutter about stubborn wives who didn't realize that they were too stubborn for their own good.

Haldir had recognized the sign of an impending explosion and had quickly made his excuses before Celeborn could start yelling at the Lady. Lord Elrond too seemed to have sensed what was coming, for he quickly left the room as well, only stopping long enough to instruct Haldir to check on Legolas for him. Apparent, Iaurdil had drugged his little brother so that he could get some rest.

Haldir had smiled at that. His own brothers were very similar and had done the same to him on countless occasions, although he always got back at them.

Seeing that Legolas's door was closed, Haldir was hesitant to enter but knew that he should for Elrond's sake. Entering the room, he was more than a little puzzled to see that it was empty. Perhaps Legolas had already awakened and had gone to see Estel. That elf was too stubborn for his own good as well come to think of it.

Haldir was about to leave the room when a piece of parchment on the floor caught his eye. Turning it over, he saw that it was addressed to someone called Urchin.

Haldir's heart pounded as he turned the letter over to read it. The only being he knew to use that term as a name for someone was Gorothdil. With shaking hands, he read the letter.

For five seconds, Haldir stood in shock at what he had read. Seconds later, he quickly looked around the room and saw the evidence that Estel had already been there. With keen eyes, Haldir quickly spotted Estel's night clothes shoved into a corner. That meant that Estel had already left.

Haldir was not someone who was prone to cursing, but at that moment, he did, several times and in several languages.

"THRANDUIL! ELROND! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" Haldir's shouted, his voice carrying through the entire palace.

The calm before the storm had officially just been shattered.

Translations:

Edain: Human/Mortal

A/N 2: Hehe, don't kill me! I promise that I'll update as soon as I can. Seeing though as I have a concert this week and then regionals, well, it might take me a week to update. Okay, well, maybe sooner! No need to throw sharp objects and boulders, really! Absolutely no need. Hmmm, okay, running away now! Ta ta for now!