A/N: I am SO sorry about this late update, mellyn-nin! I truly did intend to update on Friday as usual, but my birthday was this week (seventeen! Yay!), we had a conference to attend, this chapter needed more work than I'd anticipated, and all-in-all these last few days were far busier than I'd expected. Um... (smiles hopefully) On the upside, I did manage to respond to reviews this time!That's got to count for something!(eyes sharp-object-wielding readers) Please don't kill me! (ducks)

(shoves chapter at readers) Here-it-is-hope-you-enjoy-it-bye! (flees)

See first chapter for Disclaimer. Reviewer responses are SENT. (If you didn't get one, please let me know!)

Chapter 17: Release

By now, Dagron's face seemed to have frozen in a perpetual snarl of defiance.

They wouldn't keep him for long. He would rather die than remain in the hands of these elves. He had to escape at any cost. Even if he had been content to remain captured, his life would, doubtless, be cut short. There would be no mercy for him this time. It wouldn't be like the last time. There would be no Acharndil to rescue him now. They would probably kill him right off, without even the pretence of a trial.

Besides, he didn't think the elves would risk any of their prisoners escaping a second time. Even with his limited mental powers, he could see that. They would give him a swift trial and execution—if he was lucky. From the looks the sons of Elrond shot at him every time they saw him, he was beginning to question whether his death would even be swift. In any case, he wasn't about to sit around and wait to die a slow death at the hands of these creatures. Elves were barbarians. He didn't even want to find out what they had in store for him.

No, he would escape—or die trying.

But how to escape… To his inadequate mind there appeared to be very few choices. He wasn't the kind of man to utilize either brains or stealth in his plan, and patience wasn't exactly among his foremost virtues either. He'd already established that he wouldn't wait, but now the question was, what would be the most direct route of escape? He considered his options.

Well, for one thing, he wasn't bound. He looked with distain upon the merchants that had captured him. The elves had shouted at them to tie up all prisoners—and pointed specifically at Kadrin—but in all the confusion, these merchants seemed to have lost track of things. He couldn't blame them, they were merely amateurs, and little experienced. Unlike him, of course. He had experience with such things. The fact that said "experience" consisted only of these two disastrous missions he had accompanied his cousin on was beside the point. Besides, being around a professional like Kadrin so these last few weeks, something must have rubbed off on him…

At any rate, Dagron wasn't about to let these inexperienced merchants interfere with his "plans". They could glare at him occasionally, and hold their swords and bows at the ready, but Dagron had already decided death was better than whatever they had in store for him. His arms were free, and as he watched, an opportunity unfolded.

The fire alone had been proving a most effective distraction as it was, but now everyone, merchants, warriors, and elves alike, were completely distracted. From the shouts, it would seem that the ranger and the prince had both been left on the wrong side. A smile began to spread over Dagron's face, and then he thought better of it as his broken nose screamed its protest. He scowled, hoping that the elven prince would be dead by the time any help reached him. With any luck, he ought to be crushed already…

Unfortunately for Dagron, this was not his day for luck. He'd barely finished his hopeful thoughts when he caught sight of Aragorn and Legolas exiting the building. He only just resisted the urge to groan aloud, figuring displaying his disappointment too obviously might not be beneficial to his immediate health. Why could nothing ever go right for him? And why wouldn't that stupid elf and ranger just die already!

On the upside, the elves were now very thoroughly distracted. All their attention was fixed on saving Aragorn and Legolas. The bridge was back in place now, and Aragorn was limping across it to the other side. The twins were carefully taking Legolas from him, and lowering him to the ground. Around them, the other men were hovering worriedly.

Any attention paid to the prisoners now was only fleeting, and often interrupted. The opportunity for escape widened considerably. The style of Dagron's planned escape wasn't brilliant by any means, and very much reflected his personality in many aspects.

After not much thought, and very little consideration, he'd decided that the only possible way to get away was to use violence. Preferably a lot of it. The idea struck him as singularly pleasurable. Yes, all he'd have to do was punch one guard, elbow the other in the gut. After that, he decided, there would be no sense trying to escape by land, the elves, at least, would be able to outrun him. He did realize that much. That left the lake. Dagron wasn't at all what you might call a talented swimmer. As in everything else he could do, he did it in his own clumsy fashion. In other words, he could dog-paddle.

That was about as far as his brain would take him. The plan would have to do. Never mind that the lake was already beginning to freeze over, and would be nearly frigid… Thinking ahead was not Dagron's strong point, and at the moment he was displaying the fact admirably.

Now to execute his masterfully laid out plain. He positioned himself, and sprung into action, punching the nearest man, and elbowing a second. So far, so good. He only wished there was an elf close enough to take out some of his frustration on… On second thought, maybe this was better. He'd had enough of matching his fighting skills against immortals. Pummeling his way past two more men, he thundered across the wooden walk-way, heading blindly for the edge.

The elves were alerted now. An arrow whizzed close by his face, and another one nearly caught him in the back as he went sprawling gracelessly forward into the lake. The cold water hit him like a frozen sheet, ripping the air from his lungs. But he was tough, and his body acclimated quickly. Ignoring the way the fingers on his remaining hand began to go numb, he began to paddle, kicking his legs and flailing his arms madly in an attempt to make up for the handicap of his lost hand. More arrows splashed into the water all around him, but he swam on heedless. His strokes were huge and clumsy, but they effectually carried him further and further away.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-

Well, the man was useful for something after all. If only in a minor roll. Who would have thought it?

Kadrin hadn't dared hope for such a perfect distraction, but between Dagron, and rescuing Aragorn and Legolas, all eyes were fixed elsewhere. Inwardly, he laughed a little at it. He'd finally found an actual use for that buffoon of a cousin Acharndil had dragged along: live bait.

He allowed himself the luxury of a moment to watch Dagron's clumsy attempt to reach the lake. Surprisingly, the man succeeded in that much, splashing into the water like a full-grown Oliphant, spraying water sky-high. Idiot. Arrows whizzed around the man, but he continued to swim, moving further and further out of reach at a unexpectedly fast pace.

Kadrin's eyebrows shot up, not so much in admiration, as in amazement. Interesting. He had heard before that Eru sent special protection to those who were left…deficient in other capacities. Dagron certainly qualified. He hadn't thought it possible for such awkward strokes to move a man so quickly. It didn't matter, whatever Dagron was doing, somehow, inexplicably, it was working. Of course, the man unfortunately appeared to have forgotten the fact that Long Lake ended in a waterfall and therefore all currents would almost inevitably carry him there…

But that was not his concern. He had to make his move now, before Dagron got too far away, and attention turned back to things closer at hand.

He shot a glance at his obtuse guard, and took a surreptitious step backwards. No reaction. The crackling of the fire they had by now lit nearby hid even what little noise his footfalls did make. Another step. Five steps. There was nothing behind him but the street, and then a connecting alley. It was dark and inviting. The shadows were only a yard away. A couple more steps backwards and he would be hidden. He turned and pulled up his hood to cover his blond hair, before stepping into the alley.

In seconds, he was swallowed up by the shadows and lost to sight. He smiled. Not for the first time, he was glad he had insisted that Acharndil deliver to him most of his pay in advance. Perhaps this little mishap wouldn't be a total loss after all. And now that he was free, there was always another day for victory… The thought made him pause.

Revenge? It was an interesting idea. Always it had been someone else's grudge or greed he had fulfilled. He had never before attempted to wreak his own revenge on someone. But, though he had made a career out of achieving other's desires for them, there was no reason he couldn't have a little fun on his own account as well. It would be frivolous, not to mention risky, but it would be an interesting challenge to undertake.

An interesting thought indeed. He would have to give it careful consideration.

TBC…

(peeks back in nervously) Um... hi. Did ya like it? Sorry it was mostly just bad guys this time... But next chappie is going to be a nice mush-fest! You wouldn't want to kill me before you get that now, would you? (looks hopeful)

A bit of an update on the rest of the story... I can now state with reasonable confidence that there is one chapter and an epilogue left to the story. Almost finished!

I will not be able to update on Friday this week, as I think I'm going to need some extra time to finish the next chapter. So, the next update will be either next Sunday (the 15th) or Monday (the 16th). Unless I get things finished early, that is, in which case I might update on Saturday.

Hehe, and now that I've thoroughly confused everyone... I'll just finish up with this - THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! All of you who review are very much appreciated (and you lurkers, too! Don't think I've forgotten about you!). You all totally make my day. Thank you!

-Nef