A/N: Hey there everyone! Sorry for the delay but this has been one heck of a week. Yeesh! Things are really heating up around here for me. You do not want to know my schedule, it is scary to look at let alone do! AHHHHH! Still, I always make time to write and update. Thank you all so much for your reviews! I love you all! A huge thanks to my beyond fabulous beta enb2004 who has a wonder HP story that you must read! As promised, here is Chapter 15. Enjoy!
Estel had been able to sneak out of the palace without any problems. No one suspected that he would be insane enough to even try it. In hindsight, they should have realized but what was done, was done.
Walking through the dark woods of Mirkwood, Estel laid a very careful track for his brothers to follow. He knew that once he was discovered missing that they would follow him.
He was counting on it actually. He didn't think that he could take Gorothdil alone but by the Valar he was going to try. If he would be able to stall the dark elf, hopefully, it would give his brothers enough time to follow.
Even if they didn't though, Estel knew he had to do this. At least it would keep Gorothdil from harming Legolas, all though how long that would last if he was captured remained to be seen.
Estel shivered as he recalled what Gorothdil had written in the letter. "Don't worry, you won't have to find me. I'll find you."
That did nothing to reassure Estel at all of his chances of coming out of this alive. He had to do this though. Legolas needed him and by the Valar, he would not fail him! Not while he still had breath in his body.
Suddenly, a chill shot up and down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on edge. He was being watched and it didn't take a genius to figure out who was doing the watching.
"I know that you are here Gorothdil. Where is Legolas!" Estel shouted to the trees. There was no answer however. "I know that it's me you want Gorothdil. Let Legolas go and take me instead. Do you really want to harm one of your own kind? Isn't it just the edain that you wish to kill?" Estel tried desperately.
This time, a chilling voice answered him. "I no longer care who gets harmed as long as the edain are gone. If a firstborn chooses to befriend an edain, then they must go," Gorothdil hissed from somewhere in the trees.
"Not all edain are evil Gorothdil! I am not evil. What have I ever done to you?" Estel shouted. He knew that he was sounding desperate but he frankly couldn't care less. All he cared about was getting Legolas away from the insane elf.
"You are edain, that is enough," Gorothdil hissed from above Estel, while aiming his specialized arrow at the unsuspecting mortal.
Estel could feel that he was being targeted and quickly darted behind a tree just as as Gorothdil released his arrow. "Are you going to shoot me like the coward you are? First you attack me in my room while I am completely unarmed and then you attempt to shoot me while hidden in the trees. Come down here and fight me like an honorable elvish warrior is supposed to!"
"Very well," Gorothdil hissed as he descended from the tree. For a few tense minutes, the two opponents sized each other up until Gorothdil broke the silence.
"How's the arm urchin? I left a rather nice hole I suppose," he said as he drew out yet another long sword.
"Actually, you didn't," Estel said, lying through his teeth as he pulled out his own sword. If this was the way that Gorothdil wanted to play it, so be it.
"Hmm, pity. Let's find out just how truthful you are," Gorothdil said. Before Estel could even blink, Gorothdil was upon him.
Instinct taking over, Estel parried the blow with his own sword, making a mental note to watch out for Gorothdil's unusual swiftness, even for one of the eldar.
Gorothdil backed away. "Not bad, for one of the edain."
"Why thank you," Estel said sarcastically, taking the opportunity to lunge. His sword only struck thin air though. He whirled around just in time to catch a blade that would have gone right through his stomach.
"Is that the best move you have?" Gorothdil taunted in hopes of making Estel angry enough to lose his focus.
Estel knew that trick though. The twins had trained him to ignore all barbs while fighting. Grimly, he kept moving his sword in order to parry the blows. "How long shall we keep this up, hmmm? My brothers and half of Mirkwood are probably already on their way here," he said.
"Nice try urchin. As I said, I have been watching you very closely and know your tactics. The trail you left behind, I have gotten rid of. Why do you think I waited for more than half an hour to 'find' you? No one shall ever find you nor the elf brat," Gorothdil sneered.
Estel felt his heart stop and then start again at five times it's normal speed. Gorothdil could be lying. He wanted him to give up hope. Something told Estel though that this was not an elf who made idle threats. On the outside however, Estel kept his face perfectly calm.
"Is that so? Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Estel said, grunting as his injured arm took the force of Gorothdil's blow.
Gorothdil grinned when he saw the wince. "Ah, so I did injure you more than you let on. By the time I am through with you, that injury will seem but a paper cut."
"Oh, goody," Estel muttered, swinging his sword around and successfully landing a blow on Gorothdil's leg.
Gorothdil hissed but continued to block and parry Estel's blows. "You will pay for that urchin! This ends here, now!"
"If you say so," Estel said as he lunged.
In one swift, and unexpected move, Gorothdil had grabbed one of his arrows and as Estel lunged, he shoved it with all his strength into Estel's shoulder, just above the collar bone.
Estel cried out and stumbled back from the force of the blow. For a moment, he looked down at where the arrow was impaled. Dimly, he wondered why he couldn't feel the pain.
Seconds later though, he fell to his knees as fiery pain suddenly overwhelmed him. The last thing he saw as unconsciousness claimed him was Gorothdil's sneering face.
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Thranduil had been sitting in Estel's room, waiting for the young man to get out of the bathroom when Haldir's panicked shout rang clear across the palace.
"THRANDUIL, ELROND! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"
Thranduil jumped up, as did the previously sleeping elves. "Ada? What's going on?" Iaurdil asked, eyes still half glazed over.
"I don't know ion nin, but I am going to go and find out. All of you, stay here and wait for Estel to return. He went to the restroom and has yet to come out. I saw him head into Legolas's room though, so I bet that is where he is. If he doesn't come back within the next few minutes, would you go and fetch him please?" Thranduil said hurriedly as he left the room in a dead run.
"Of course Ada," Iaurdil said watching his father's retreating form with some shock. Something big was going on around his home and he did not like it one bit. Sighing, he turned to Elrohir and Elladan who wore equally puzzled and worried expressions.
Together they settled down and waited for Estel to return.
Thranduil hurriedly left Estel's room, knowing that the young man would be in good hands when he eventually returned from Legolas's room.
As he was running through the hallways, he ran into Elrond and Glorfindel, both of whom had heard Haldir's panicked call. It would have been hard not to have, no matter where they had been.
"Thranduil? What is going on?" Elrond asked as he joined his old friend.
"I wish I knew. I think we will have to ask Haldir that," Glorfindel said, pointing to an unusually unhinged looking Haldir who was running right for them.
"Milord's, forgive me, but we have a very large problem," Haldir said, his crystal blue eyes wide with panic.
"Calm down Haldir, tell us what the problem is," Elrond said calmly. The last thing any of them needed was to be unhinged right now. Haldir needed to be at his best if he was to help Elrond protect his son.
Haldir looked between Elrond, Glorfindel, and Thranduil with anxious eyes. "I'm afraid that we have a very large problem. I, I found this letter in Legolas's room Thranduil. It is from Gorothdil. I think that you should all read it."
Thranduil, Elrond, and Glorfindel's eyes widened. His hands shaking, Thranduil took the letter with Elrond and Glorfindel reading over his shoulder.
Haldir watched them as they anxiously read the letter. As they read it, their faces reflected the horror that they felt.
After the letter had been read, Thranduil let it drop to the floor as he sank down in shock. Gorothdil had taken his youngest son. When he got a hold of that bastard he would regret ever being born!
Elrond was the first to break the silence. "We must not share this letter with Estel or even let him know that Legolas is missing. We will simply tell him that he is still sleeping."
Haldir shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that is not possible Lord Elrond. I found Estel's nightclothes in Legolas's room. I'm afraid that he has already left."
At this, Elrond sank down on the floor next to Thranduil, who had his head in his hands. His worst nightmare was coming true. Not only was his youngest in extreme danger, but Thranduil's youngest as well. There was a very real possibility that both could lose their lives.
Glorfindel and Haldir looked between the two elven lords helplessly. How did one comfort a father whose son was in the hands of a traitor who had already proved that he was more than willing to kill?
"Haldir, go inform Galadriel and Celeborn of what has happened. I'll break the news to the twins and Thranduil's children," Glorfindel said sadly.
It was not even noon and already, this day was shaping out to be one of the worst days imaginable. Sighing, Glorfindel looked down at the two anxious and horribly frightened elf lords. He knew that this day was only going to get worse as it progressed.
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Within the forest, Legolas was struggling valiantly to free himself of his bonds, knowing that Gorothdil could be back with Estel at any moment. He had to free himself before Gorothdil could get to Estel! If Gorothdil hurt Estel because he wasn't able to free himself, he would never forgive himself.
Muttering curses that couldn't be heard from behind the gag, he tried to untie the knots that held his hands together.
It was no good though. The knots were tied far to tight and being an elf, Gorothdil knew how to restrain one and had done a damn good job. Cursing inwardly again, Legolas looked around for any kind of sharp object that could cut through the thick rope, but saw nothing.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Legolas renewed his attempts at removing the bonds, but it was not to be.
Slowly, Gorothdil came into view. As he came closer, Legolas felt his heart leap out of his chest and into his mouth. For there, slung over Gorothdil's shoulder carelessly, was the limp form of Estel.
"Still here my little Prince, I see. Did you honestly expect to escape my bonds? I did not think so. Now that everyone is here, we may begin," Gorothdil said grinning maliciously.
Legolas glared at him as he dropped Estel hard onto the ground. Crawling over to his friend as far as his bonds allowed, he examined the wound with his eyes and winced when he saw that the arrow was impaled deeply within Estel's shoulder.
Legolas swore inwardly and glared at Gorothdil again. When he got free, he would take great please in tearing the cowardly elf apart limb by limb.
Gorothdil didn't seem to be affected by the prince's glares though. On the contrary, he seemed quite pleased.
"Oh yes, I shall make you both suffer endlessly. Let's see who shall break first hmmm?" he said looking through various torture devices.
When Gorothdil picked up a nasty looking whip that looked as though it had been taken from an orc, Legolas's anxiety went through the roof. He was not afraid to take the lashing from the whip. He knew he could bear it. It was Estel that he was worried about.
The young man was already weakened between the fresh arrow wound, the stab wound, and the exhaustion that had never truly gone away. Legolas was terrified that the bodily harm the whip would cause would prove to be too much for Estel's body.
Gorothdil noticed Legolas's anxiety and grinned as he fingered the whip lovingly. "So the game begins." With an evil grin, he raised the whip over Estel's prone figure while all Legolas could do was watch with horror as the whip came down.
Translations:
Ada: Dad/Daddy
Ion nin: My son
Mellon nin: My friend
A/N 2: Hehe, should I start running now? Hmm, judging by those very sharp and painful looking objects, I would have to say yes! Just so you all know, my dentist is to blame for this cliffy. I just got back and I found out that I have to have my wisdom teeth pulled out! GAH! So, he is to blame for this cliffy, not me, understood? Ducks as heavy and sharp objects are thrown. Tata for now!