Chapter Three

Escape and Reprimand

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A few weeks passed, and Legolas quickly learned his way around the palace. But he was never allowed to venture outside of it. He did not miss it though. It had been so long since he had seen the world anyways, it didn't really matter that much anymore.

He lay in his room, staring at the ceiling, thinking of what life would be like if he had been able to fight the men off, if his people had stayed free…

A loud ringing drew him out of his thoughts. He sighed. He was supposed to get up and go out, and wait hand and foot on Aragorn. But right now he just didn't feel like it. Granted it was the first time he had been rang for, he had seen Hadir rang for enough times that he knew what to do.

The bell rang again.

Remrethriel stuck her head out of her room, her green eyes flashing.

"Are you insane? Go to him before you get in trouble!"

Legolas looked over at her, then back up at the ceiling.

"Go away Aphara, do not concern yourself over me…"

She glared at him then sighed exasperatedly, closing the door to her room.

The bell rang again.

Legolas smiled to himself. He had been very stubborn over the last couple of weeks, and as each day went by he got worse. He planned on, in the end, refusing to do anything his master asked all together. Then maybe he would be sold someplace where he would die quickly, like the quarries, or maybe he would just be killed for his insolence…he smiled again as he looked up at the ceiling, enjoying his thoughts for escaping this life.

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Aragorn rang the bell again, puzzled as to why Inzil did not respond immediately. He sighed after a few moments and got up, winding through his rooms and into the servants quarters. He had only been here once before, when he had needed to order some new chairs from the workshops. He entered the living quarters and found Inzil lying there on his bed, his hands behind his head, quite happily staring at the ceiling.

Aragorn cleared his throat, and Inzil looked over at him. He sighed and sat up.

"Yes my lord?"

"You may not realize being new, all the procedures of this palace." Began Aragorn.

"When that bell sounds in your room, you are to report to me immediately."

Inzil smiled mischievously. Aragorn had never seen him smile before, as he had always remained so somber around him, but his smile was a thing of beauty, lighting his whole face and making his eyes shine even brighter. But the response took away the shine.

"Oh I know very well my lord, I just didn't feel like getting up."

"Oh."

"Is there anything you would like now that you are here?"

Aragorn looked at Inzil for a moment, then sighed. The fears and trials of a new master were usually over after a few days, but with Inzil, things had just gotten worse as time went on. But maybe if he had some time to himself he would get better…

"Yes, actually, there is something you could do. Take the day off, go explore, and try not to get into any trouble."

Inzil looked at him disbelievingly.

"My lord?"

"You heard me…just don't try to escape…the guards in this city are far to well trained to let you get out, and I don't want you getting injured by them. We have had a few try in the past, and two of them came back dead."

Inzil sat quietly for a moment, then nodded, a strange light coming into his eyes.

"Yes my lord."

Aragorn nodded, then left the room, leaving Inzil behind.

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Legolas sat in silence for a few moments. This was his opportunity. Others might have tried to get away, yes, but they had not been him. They had not been who he was. He knew exactly what to do…

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Faramir looked up at the boy dressed in green and gold livery. It was the new slave. He bowed slightly, then continued to stare determinedly at the floor.

"The Lord Boromir bids me to thank you for my services, and to say that he no longer requires me."

He looked up revealing the slight bruises around his face and neck. Faramir was sure they were all across his body, but he made no comment. The boy was lucky to be alive after nearly three weeks of Boromir's handling.

"Well then," said Faramir rising, "You shall join my personal staff, and take up your quarters here."

The boy nodded, then looked back down at the ground.

"You have nothing to fear from me, I am nothing like my brother." Said Faramir, sensing the boy's uneasiness.

"I know, my lord, I can tell."

Faramir nodded, and another slave escorted his new one out the door, and into his new quarters. He felt relieved that this one had lived for some odd reason. He never cared about whether or not any of the others had died…

Faramir just shook his head and went about his business, not wanting to dwell any further on unintelligent thoughts.

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Legolas had found his way out of the palace quite easily, without anyone seeing him. It had been a simple matter of sticking to shadows, and using the skills of his people to avoid human sight.

He could see the lower levels of the city clearly, the gates below…far to heavily guarded. He looked around, trying to find some other route. His eyes lighted on the abandoned path to the tombs…and to the easily climbable rock face below it…

An idea came into his head, a wonderful, easily workable plan, and one that would have him in the mountains of his fellow revolutionaries in less than a week.

He smiled to himself, and again hid himself deep in the shadows, headed towards the bridge, and towards freedom.

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Aragorn looked out at the swiftly setting sun and wondered where on earth Inzil could be. It did not take a whole day, or night to explore the palace. Against his better judgment, he was beginning to worry about him.

He rang for Varin, who came almost immediately, a rather bewildered look on his face.

"My lord?"

"Do you know where Inzil could have gone?"

"Inzil, My lord?" said Varin, even more confused than before.

"I gave him a day to himself, with strict instruction to return here as soon as he was done exploring, but he has to return."

"You gave him a day to explore?" said Varin incredulously, his eyes going very wide.

"Then he is most definitely gone."

Aragorn laughed good-naturedly.

"What do you mean, 'gone'? I told him there was no hope of escape, and he voiced his understanding to that…"

"No matter the understanding, he will be gone. He knows how to stay out of the sights of…your people, quite well. If he wanted to leave, he will have done it quite easily."

"What?"

"I'm sorry my lord," said Varin, bowing slightly, "But if you gave him the leave to explore, he will have explored himself right out of the palace, the city, and the country."

Aragorn stood, mouth agape, for quite a few moments, when a knock came at the door.

Both Varin and Aragorn stood there, staring at the door dumbly, until another knock came and Aphara and Nerin both came out to investigate. Aphara sighed after a moment, then went and answered the door, thinking inwardly that men were rather stupid.

A citadel guard stood in the doorway, a grim look on his face.

"Is your master here?"

"Yes my lord, right this way." She said softly, and led him in to Aragorn.

"Your Majesty." He said bowing shortly. Aragorn nodded slightly, signaling for the guard to continue.

"We apprehended a run away slave of yours."

Aragorn shot a sidelong glance at Varin, who looked rather grim.

"We actually found him outside the city walls, making a break for the woods. If there had not been an incoming patrol, he most likely would have gotten away."

"Where is he now?"

"We have him here."

Aragorn nodded, and then sent the guard to bring Inzil in.

The guards drug him in, his hands chained, and attached to a manacle around his neck. He looked completely fey, like some animal caught on a hunt, rather than the usually graceful slave he was.

"We had to double chain him he was fighting so hard to get away."

Inzil shot a look to kill at the guard, then looked back up Aragorn, a look of pure hatred in his eyes. Aragorn was startled by the look. He had never seen so much anger bottled up in one person.

Aragorn sighed, and then motioned for the guards to leave. They nodded, and left, closing the door firmly behind them.

He looked back at Inzil, and sighed again. "Do I need to even ask why you left? Or tried to?"

Inzil just glared at him.

"Did I not warn you that you could not escape?"

Inzil hissed strangely, and then began to utter what seemed to be curses at him in a language he could never hope to understand.

Suddenly there was another voice speaking in that same language, right next to him.

Aragorn looked around and was stunned to see Varin speaking the strange tongue back to Inzil.

Inzil glared now at Varin, and then said something that was obviously very insulting to him.

He was still for a moment, then exploded, yelling strange curses at Inzil, who was yelling just as vehemently right back. Both Nerin and Aphara scurried off, not wanting to get into the fray.

Aragorn pushed Varin away from Inzil. "Calm yourself Varin! I need you to keep your wits about you!"

Varin kept his eyes on Inzil for a moment who had gone quite as well, then nodded and stood there quietly, his acquiescent nature coming to the surface again.

Aragorn turned to Inzil, studying him. After a moment he sighed, then turned back to Varin.

"Confine him to his quarters until further notice."

Varin nodded, then led Inzil out, still chained.

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"I don't know what on earth you were thinking, trying to escape like that, and then to curse at me like it is my fault…"

Haldir lead Legolas down the hall and into his living quarters, where he sat him down on his bed, wanting to talk to him, to try and find out his reasoning.

"I was only thinking of how close I was to grasping freedom, and that if you were not such a …shameful excuse for our people, both of us could be free."

Haldir sighed, feeling sympathy for his younger friend.

"I wish we could leave, Legolas, but it is not possible, not yet anyway. You will get used to this life eventually, and then maybe it will not be so painful."

Legolas looked at him, shocked. "Do you not remember the days before man enslaved us? Do you not remember what it was like to be free?"

Haldir sighed, and took off the chains binding his friend.

"Sometimes it is all that keeps me alive."

"Then why do you sit back and do nothing?"

"Because there is no hope."

Legolas sat for a moment, staring at his hands, and then he looked up into Haldir eyes, a determined look on his face.

"There is always hope, even when you cannot see it plainly, there is always hope."

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