Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or anything mentioned within it.

A/N: Ok, so a few of you were grossed out by that last chapter and I understand why I just couldn't think of any other way for the spy to find out, ok?

Chapter 32

Choices

Eryn Lasgalen's military commands a certain respect. Other elves will move out of the way of someone in military garb and if a soldier is seen talking to someone, no one will be an eaves dropping. So when the spy who had watched Legolas and Tigerlily dressed as a soldier, he guaranteed himself privacy when reporting what he'd seen. He watched as elf maidens stopped talking when they saw him pass by. It was in one of the public gardens that he saw his leader, an advisor to Thranduil and the reason the rebel's hideout hadn't yet been discovered. Ainion had been feeding false information to Thranduil and had been doing a good job of it. His name may have meant 'Angel' but he most certainly wasn't one. His halo had defiantly slipped. "Ah, Alyan, my son," said Ainion, "What news have you got for me?"

"Father," said Alyan, bowing with respect. Yes, his name was Alyan, so very similar to the name of the she-elf who had almost succeeded in killing Prince Legolas. "I have great news concerning the Prince," he continued.

"What is it?" asked Ainion.

"The Prince, it seems, has fallen in love and remarried," said Alyan, "A woman, human by her appearance, I believe her name is Tigerlily." Ainion smiled and then laughed.

"This is perfect, my boy," said Ainion, "We can kidnap her and hold her until our demands are met. Thranduil will be hard to convince, he's never been too fond of humans."

"I know more," said Alyan, "Something which will make even Thranduil give in to us."

"What?" asked Ainion, "Tell me, boy, what will make Thranduil give in?"

"The Prince and his wife have a son," said Alyan, "I watched them all yesterday. His name is Oropher, he's only about seven months old and this child besots Thranduil, as well as the Queen. We all know how the Prince acts towards his children. The Royal family would do anything to see Tigerlily and Oropher safe. I dare say they would abdicate peacefully and leave the throne to ANYONE!"

"You, my son, are a genius!" said Ainion, "This is perfect, all too perfect. We kidnap the prince's wife and child and we can demand anything! And they will do it! When I'm in charge, you will be leader of all the armies! While the prince and his wife shovel the excrement of your horse for a living."

"No," said Alyan, "Not Tigerlily, no, I want her to be my personal servant. Who knows? I may decide to get rid of Legolas and banish their son, if you catch my drift."

"If what you say is true, I can see how she caught the prince's attention," said Ainion, "Two days! Then we strike!"

Two days later, Tigerlily was still blissfully unaware of the danger she was in. For the first time in a thousand years, the room joined onto Legolas' chambers was being used. It had once been Melda's nursery but now it was Oropher's. Tigerlily laughed as her son giggled. "You are such a clever boy," she said as she lay him down, "Yes you are, my little man." She smiled as her son waved his arms at her. She went and sat down in a chair not far from the crib. She picked up her book and began to read it. Oropher lay silently in his crib. Now, being born of an elvish father and a mother who no doubt had a bit of ranger in her as well as being solar-blessed, he knew when trouble was coming. Even at this young age. So when he felt what he would later call 'bad' coming, he began to cry and scream to get his mother's attention. Tigerlily set down her book at the sound of her son's distressed crying. She rushed over to him. Normally he was good when she put him down for a nap and went straight to sleep. Something was defiantly wrong. "What's wrong?" she said softly trying to calm him down. For a brief moment she hated the fact he was so young, he couldn't even try to tell her what was upsetting him. "Come on, hush now," she said, bent over the crib, "What's wrong?" Oropher continued to cry and scream in a futile attempt to tell her what was wrong. "Oropher, what's…" Tigerlily didn't finish her sentence. Alyan had knocked her unconscious. She fell to the floor next to her screaming son's crib. "You," said Alyan, pointing to an elf, "Pick her up and take her back to our base. I'll take care of the child." The elf lifted Tigerlily up and lowered her to an elf stood below the balcony. Alyan bent over the crib and looked down at the baby. "Hello there," said Alyan, "Gods, you look like your father, weak and pathetic! Let me tell you now, boy, your father is going to lose you if he doesn't listen to me. So if I don't get what I want, you know who to blame." Oropher had stopped crying. He was too scared to cry and scream. He knew this elf was trouble but couldn't do anything about it. They'd already taken down half of his world when they had taken his mother. Alyan reached into his pocket. "Can't have you crying now can we?" he said. He poured the content of a bottle and poured it on a cloth. He gently lowered it down. In the bottle was a very light sedative, enough to put the baby out for about an hour, so he wouldn't cry and alert anyone.

It was hours later that Legolas walked into his chambers. He was immediately suspicious. He couldn't hear Tigerlily or Oropher. He knew Tigerlily wasn't stupid enough to go out with or without Oropher. "Tigerlily?" he called, "Tigerlily where are you?" He pulled back a tapestry on the wall, to reveal a hidden door. He opened it and stepped through into the nursery. What greeted him froze his blood and almost made his heart stopped. The crib had been overturned and smashed. Oropher's few toys had been ripped apart and scattered about the room and the chair had been thrown against a wall. Even Tigerlily's book had been ripped apart and written on the wall were the three words Legolas dreaded the most: We have them! He was about to run when he spotted something next to the smashed crib. It was Tigerlily's pendant. Legolas picked it up and traced the symbol of the Solaris family. It looked like it had been ripped from her neck. It was then that he turned and ran. He ran out of his rooms and to his father's study, grabbing a very confused Andaer along the way. Not that it was difficult; Andaer was considered a little slow on the uptake. He burst into his father's study. Thranduil looked up when Hurricane Legolas came bursting in. "What do you think you're doing?" roared Thranduil but he fell silent at the sight of his son's face. "Legolas what's going on?" asked Andaer.

"They've been taken," said Legolas, his eyes filling with tears, "Tigerlily and Oropher, they're gone!"

"What?" said Nimwen as she came in with Turin. She saw the state her son was in and made him sit down. "Legolas, take deep breaths and tell us exactly what happened," she said softly. After a few moments Legolas had calmed down enough to talk properly. "I went back to my rooms and I couldn't see Tigerlily so I went in the nursery," he said, "It had been completely trashed and written on the wall were 'We have them'."

"That explains this," said Gelmir as he came in, "I was given this by a maid, she says a soldier gave her this but can't put a name to his face." He handed a scroll to Thranduil, who opened it and read it aloud, "We, the Free Fighters of Eryn Lasgalen, have taken your son's wife and child. They are alive and well. We will only free them if our demands are met. Our demands are that both King Thranduil and Prince Legolas abdicate. Prince Legolas must also abdicate on behalf of his son. We also demand that the rule of Eryn Lasgalen passes to the family of Lord Ainion, our leader. Be warned, if our demands are not met within five days, Tigerlily will be killed, if our demands are not met within ten days, Oropher will die too. Do not attempt to find us, you will fail. You have five days to make your decision before Tigerlily is left to our mercy." It was too much for Legolas who fell forward out of his seat in a faint. Gelmir caught him and whispered, "May the Valar protect and have mercy upon Tigerlily and Oropher."

A/N: What do you think? Can I think of a plot or have I just lost it? Let me know!