The darkness was overwhelming. It pressed in on him from all sides, choking him. It swirled in front of him like mist, a mist that he was drowning in. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his vision. Why could he not see? Had something happened to blind him? The fear lasted for only a few seconds though, as Legolas realised with a jolt that his eyes had been shut.

Feeling rather foolish, but still wondering, the child opened his eyes, and gazed around. He was still riding on the horse, and could feel the warmth of Amarth's body behind him, but that made no sense. Surely he should be back at the palace by now? Had he actually been asleep? Where were they? It was dark, but despite that, he could see that the trees were becoming thinner, and that he was still in an unrecognisable part of the forest.

"Ah, you are awake."

Legolas looked up over his shoulder uneasily. "Where are we?"

"Still in Mirkwood," Amarth replied. "Why? You do not wish to be elsewhere, do you?"

"No, but…" The Prince tangled his hands in the horse's mane as she broke into a canter. "I thought you were taking me home."

"I am."

"But the palace is not this way!" Legolas cried. "It can't be. We should be there by now."

"You misunderstand me," Amarth said softly. "I am taking you to your new home."

Legolas' eyes widened, and he snapped his head around. "My…my new home? What do you mean?"

Amarth forced himself to stare straight ahead, too ashamed to look into the young face. "I am sorry," he murmured. "I wish that there was another way, but there isn't."

"Stop the horse," Legolas said desperately. "Stop!"

"No. We will not stop until we are out of this forest," Amarth replied.

"Please, stop! I don't understand!" The Elfling stared up at the man, searching his face for answers that he had not been given. "What do you mean by 'another way'? Another way to what? Please, don't-

Without any warning, Amarth raised a balled fist, and slammed it against the side of Legolas' head. His brown eyes flooded with regret as the child fell limply against him, but he forced himself to ignore the action he had taken. All that he wanted to do was get this job over with as quickly as possible, so that he would finally be able to carry on with his life.

The same could not be said for Legolas.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Back in Mirkwood, tensions and tempers were running high. The council rooms had been searched, the kitchens had been searched, the throne room, the gardens, the healing rooms, even the prison had been searched, and still there was no sign of the missing Prince. The King had left the palace and gone into the forest with two patrols, in the hope that there would be some sign of his Elfling, anything that could help him.

"Was he wearing a cloak when last you saw him?" Alondir pressed.

"No. He was dressed as he usually is, but was without his bow and arrows, though of course he could have picked them up," Thranduil sighed. "He had a book, which he said he was going to take away and read. I assumed that he would be in his rooms. Obviously I assumed wrong."

Alondir let out a slow breath as the patrols began to spread out. "Maybe. Legolas could have first of all gone to his rooms to read this book, and then who knows? There was a space of…how many hours between him leaving your study and the evening meal?"

"Four. No, five. I….damn it, I don't know!" Thranduil snapped.

The commanding officer's face remained impassive, but when he spoke, his voice was stern. "That will not help your son. It will not help any of us."

"I know, and I am sorry. Forgive me." The Elven-king looked away, and exhaled deeply. "There were maybe four hours between him leaving my study and the evening meal. But I cannot be sure."

"Alright," Alondir said softly. "And there is nothing to forgive."

Thranduil smiled weakly at his friend, before glancing to the side of the path. "We have not yet heard anything from the trees. If something was amiss, would they not speak of it?"

"Ask them," Alondir replied. "I will return soon. I must find out from Celorfyn which way he is sending his patrol."

Thranduil nodded absentmindedly, and turned to face an old oak tree. He placed both hands onto the trunk, hoping, praying that something would come of his efforts. "My friend, I am in need of your help."

"Ah, it is the young King from the palace," the oak replied. "It is a dark night."

"It is. In more ways than one," Thranduil sighed. "My son has gone missing. I fear that he is in the forest."

"You would be correct."

Had he been able to, the Elven-king would have grabbed the tree and shook it. But he forced himself to remain calm as he said: "Could you tell me where he is?"

"He passed this way. A very pleasant child he was, singing a song."

"When? Where is he now?"

"A few hours back. I do not know of his whereabouts, but there is a chestnut a way on whom you might find informative."

"Thank you for your help." The Elf removed his hands and turned away from the tree, wondering vaguely how many oaks, ashes and beeches he would converse with before the night was over.

"Did you gather any useful information?"

Thranduil looked up at the commanding officer, and shook his head. "Very little. Legolas passed this way a few hours back. He was a very pleasant child, singing a song. I am not sure how that helps us."

"No, it does help," Alondir said thoughtfully. "He must have felt confident that he was safe. So that means we can be confident that he was not running from anything. He was in no danger at this point."

"But we are close to the palace. Very close," Thranduil replied. "Of course he would be safe at this distance. The spiders would be taking a chance indeed if they ventured this near to us."

The commander shook his head slowly. "Maybe, but-

"King Thranduil! Captain Alondir!"

The two looked up to where the calls had come from; and upon seeing a group of soldiers beckoning them urgently, both broke into a run and sprinted over. They were directed through a cluster of thick trees and into a clearing, where another small gathering of Elves were huddled around a beech, all of them wearing expressions which could not be read.

"What is it?" Thranduil asked sharply.

"Your Highness, I spoke with this tree, and she told me that Prince Legolas rested here for a couple of hours," one of the soldiers explained. "He was reading a book."

The Elven-king closed his eyes briefly. "Go on."

"When he had finished looking at the book, it was dark. He panicked. The tree tried to comfort him, but he was too distressed to even notice, and he ran," the soldier continued quietly. "That was all she could tell me."

"Thank you." Thranduil turned to Alondir, and smiled grimly. "One mystery is solved, then. He came out here to read. But I do not understand why. He knows that he is forbidden to enter the forest alone."

Alondir nodded slowly. "But we are not far from the palace, as you said. He probably assumed that if he only came a reasonable amount of the way in, he would be in no danger. So I think it is safe for us to assume that he is still fairly close by. I do not think he would run too far, for fear of losing himself in the trees."

"These are just assumptions," Thranduil said. "We cannot be certain of anything."

The commanding officer inclined his head. "Maybe not, but that statement works both ways. Come. I will send a few soldiers further than this clearing and its surrounding area, but most of the search should be carried out around here. We cannot overlook anything."

"Are you saying that our search will not be extended until this area has been fully covered?" Thranduil hissed. "What if we are wasting our time here?"

"And what if we are wasting our time by moving further away?" Alondir challenged. "No, I am sorry. This area is where we look tonight."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Legolas' eyes fluttered open, and he slowly raised a hand to the side of his head. It hurt terribly, though he had no recollection of anything that could possibly have caused the pain. Wincing, he looked around, and drew in a sharp breath as he realised that he was no longer in the forest. Instead, he was lying at the side of a dusty road, the grass below his body serving as cushioning.

"Oh no," he whispered, sitting up quickly.

"You had me worried for a while."

The Elfling snapped his head around and stared at Amarth, who was leaning against a pile of large rocks a little way away. "Where am I?" he demanded. "And why have you brought me here?"

"I have some advice for you: keep your temper to yourself in your new home," the man said. "It will not be welcome there."

"I still don't understand," Legolas said softly. "Why am I going to a new home? Why was I asleep for so long? And how did we get here so quickly? It should have taken us hours, even a day or so to get out of Mirkwood."

"It did. I rendered you unconscious, and you were in darkness for quite a while. When you began to stir again, I gave you a sleeping draught," Amarth replied. "It was the same one that I gave you as soon as we left Thalion, though you were not aware of it when last you woke. You were asleep for many hours, little one. I thought that I had given you too much, and you would not wake at all."

The dark haired man smiled to himself, though Legolas did not find the idea even remotely amusing. Biting down on his lip, he looked around again, trying to find a landmark which would help to identify his location. A river flowed to his left side, and on the right was the road. Where flora and fauna were concerned, there was nothing. But geography had never been the child's strong point. He knew that even if there was more to help him, it would not.

"I have your book if you want it," Amarth said.

Legolas' eyes flashed furiously, and he jumped to his feet. "Why did you take it?"

"Calm yourself. You would have dropped it from the horse whilst asleep if I had not," Amarth replied. He reached into his pack and took it out. "Here you are."

"Thank you," Legolas snapped, as he snatched it back.

"Ungrateful little brat," the man muttered.

The Prince made a noise of anger in his throat, but did not rise to the bait. He was better than that. Instead, he held his head higher, and gazed at the mortal. "You might at least tell me why you have taken me from my home."

Amarth sighed deeply, though he could not refuse the request. An explanation was the least he could do. "I am…I am in love with a girl," he said softly. "We made plans to marry, but her father got in the way. He will not let her go."

"That is unfair," Legolas murmured.

"Yes. Anyway, he has a…interest, I think is the word, in children. He keeps them for himself whilst they are young, and then when they are old enough or brave enough to fight him, he sells them," Amarth said quietly. "When last I saw him, he told me that I could not marry his daughter unless I did a job for him."

Legolas bit down on his lip, and his heart sped. "What was the job?"

"To find him an Elven child. He has never before had an Elf - he usually deals in mortal children," Amarth replied. "He said that if I could get an Elf for him, he would allow me to wed his daughter."

"Why does he want an Elfling?" Legolas whispered.

The man looked down, and smiled. "Elfling? I did not know that you were called that. It is a pleasant name." He paused, and drew a deep breath. "My love's father wants an Elven child because…. I do not know. Maybe he has tired of mortals."

"But what does he….what does he do?" Legolas breathed. "Why does he keep children?"

"I am not sure how to answer your first question. He is a cruel man, you should know that much. But if you manage to keep him happy, your life will not be too miserable," Amarth said slowly. "The normal procedure, so far as I know, is this: he will set you chores and jobs. This is only so that the suspicions of the people from the nearby town are not aroused. Young servants are no strange occurrence. After maybe a week or so, the chores will stop. And he will….well, you will find out."

"Tell me," Legolas said desperately. "Please!"

"No. I am not entirely sure myself," Amarth replied. "What was your other question?"

"Why?"

The man was silent for a moment as he thought, and he shook his head slowly. "Power. He has had power all of his life, control over his family and friends, but one day that control was taken from him. But that….that is not for me to tell you."

"It makes no sense," Legolas said.

"He had to regain the power that he lost," Amarth explained. "And so he turned to children. They cannot fight him, and if they do, they cannot defeat him. And he takes pleasure out of that."

"How did he lose his power?" the Elfling pressed. "What happened?"

Amarth shook his head violently. "Be quiet, I am telling you no more. You have enough information to go on."

Legolas turned away, and lowered his eyes to the ground. "And I am going to live with this man," he murmured, clutching the book close to his chest.

"Had you not been in the forest, it would not be you. It would be some other child. But you were there, so I took the opportunity," the man replied. He paused, and picked up his pack. "Come, we will leave now. I wish to get there by tomorrow."

Legolas looked down at the book he held, and shook his head. "Ada…" he whispered. "What if I never see you again? And Nana…"

As the realisation of what that really meant hit him with the force of an arrow, the Elfling spun around and began to run. He did not get far, though. Amarth took four long strides and grabbed the back of his tunic, pulling him away from the road. Legolas tried to fight, to escape, but his efforts were wasted against the strong man.

"Your situation is more dangerous than you know, and trying to escape will only make it worse," Amarth hissed. He pulled a water skin from his pocket, and pulled the child around to face him.

"No, don't do this!" Legolas cried. "Don't take me to him! Please!"

The mortal pushed his captive to the ground, and knelt beside him. "Drink this," he ordered, holding out the skin.

When the only reaction he got was a violent shake of the head, Amarth reached down and forced the child's mouth open, spilling the sleeping draught into it. Again, he poured too much, but this time, he found that he did not care. He knew that if pleaded with for long enough, he would turn back to Mirkwood, forsaking his love. With Legolas unconscious, that would not happen. He would continue on to his destination.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

There was very little in the whole of Middle-Earth that could be named as a weakness of the Elven-king of Mirkwood. Many would claim that he cared only for wealth, for jewels and for wine, and nothing else could compare. Although, those who made such claims would not be able to say – without speaking words of untruth – that they knew him.

For what he really cared for, more so than anything else, was his family. As a child, he had become firm friends with Laerwen, who happened to be the daughter of Oropher's chief councillor. And as each year passed, the two grew closer and closer, until, in their years of adolescence, Thranduil realised that he loved her with all of his heart. But he had kept silent, fearing that should he reveal his feelings, their friendship would end.

Little did he know that Laerwen felt for him what he did for her. And so the two kept identical secrets for many months, until the time came for Oropher to lead his son and warriors into battle, to the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. On the eve before they were due to leave, Thranduil revealed his love for Laerwen, as she did for him. They promised that when he returned from war, they would marry. It was that which saved him when he saw his father cut down and his friends slain, that which fuelled his spirit when fighting. For he knew that should he fall, never would he see his beloved again.

Soon after his return from war, the two married. They made no plans for more additions to their lives though, for they were young, and wanted to make up for the time that they had already lost. To see them apart was a rare thing - even when Thranduil had meetings to attend, she would accompany him and sit lovingly at his side, much to the chagrin of her father, who thought it most inappropriate. But neither of them heeded him.

And then a few centuries down the line, Laerwen revealed that she was with child. The whole of Mirkwood – for it was around the time of the end of Greenwood the Great – rejoiced that night, although it was in the comfort of their private chambers that the royal couple celebrated, entwined in each other's arms as they made plans for their future, and their unborn child.

A year on, they had a son. He was their golden child, the ray of sunlight in their lives as the Shadow grew in the forest. When reports came in of large Orc hosts gathering to attack, it was Legolas who gave them hope, Legolas who made their hearts glow with love and pride. But that aside, there was worry also; a worry that they did not speak of, but were all too aware of. As each day passed, the danger in Mirkwood only grew, Sauron's minions only increased in numbers and strength, and the King and Queen feared both for the safety and the innocence of their Elfling. They had once believed that their protection had been enough, but as they waited for any news on the third day of his disappearance, doubt was beginning to emerge.

"We failed him," Laerwen whispered, shaking her head sadly. "We failed our son."

"No. There was only so much we could do to protect him," Thranduil replied. "Do not give up hope. It was not even a week ago that he went missing. The patrols are still searching, and will not stop until he is back here with us. Laerwen, they will find him. Only a short amount of time has passed."

The Queen nodded, and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. "I know, but I cannot bear to think of him out there. He must be so afraid. Why did he enter the forest, Thranduil? Why? We have told him countless times that he is not to venture in alone, so… I just do not understand. He knew of the dangers."

"I can give you no answers, because I do not know how to. Though I wish I did, for those questions also prey on my mind." Thranduil paused, and sat beside his wife on the chaise. Gently turning her face towards him, he said softly: "Legolas will return to us. I know that he will."

"Can you be sure of that?" Laerwen asked quietly.

"Yes. The Valar are not cruel enough to take away our child," Thranduil replied. "They gave him to us, but they would not take him back. Believe that he will return, meleth-nin. Please, do not give up hope."

Laerwen leaned forwards and rested her head against the Elven-king's shoulder, blinking back the tears which had pooled in her eyes. She would pray every night for the safe return of their son; she would pray every night that wherever he was, he was not afraid. But she knew that would not be so. Pictures flew into her mind of the child huddled up against the base of a tree, sobbing for his parents, crying for someone, anyone, to come and rescue him. She swallowed, and closed her eyes tightly, willing the images to disappear.

There was a knock on the door, and Thranduil exhaled deeply as he pulled away from his wife to go and answer it. Part of him was afraid. What if it was a bearer of bad news? That was a possibility which, although he wanted very much to, he knew he could not push away. It was with a heavy heart that he pulled open the door and nodded for the report to be given.

"My Lord, the men you were to trade with have arrived," the guard said apologetically. "They have already been informed that now is not a good time, but their captain wishes to see you. He claims that what he has to say cannot wait, my Lord."

"Very well," Thranduil sighed. "Bring him here."

"Yes, my Lord."

As the door closed, Laerwen jumped up and caught her husband's arm. "Must you see this man? Legolas is missing. It is him we must focus our attention on, nothing else."

"I cannot send them away after they have journeyed all the way here," Thranduil said gently. "That is not courteous."

"Courtesy?" Laerwen said incredulously. "Our son is Valar knows where, and all you can think about is being polite to these men, and securing future deals! You should not even be here! You should be out in the forest searching for Legolas."

Thranduil sighed as his wife turned away in anger. "I have spent the last two nights out there, helping the patrols look for him. You know that. I would have spent all of today and all of tonight searching also, but Alondir sent me back here so that you would not be alone. Trading with the men is the last thing on my mind at this moment. All I want to do is get this over and done with so that they can leave again."

"I know," Laerwen said quietly. "I did not mean to-

The door flew open, cutting her off mid-sentence. A man swiftly entered the room and looked from one Elf to the other. "King Thranduil, Queen Laerwen?"

"That is us," Thranduil replied, glancing over to the door where two guards stood, eyeing the mortal distastefully. "Thank you," he said. "You may leave now."

"My name is Thalion, and I am captain of the group of men whom you were supposed to meet with, as I am sure you have already been told. We had planned to arrive here yesterday, but we encountered spiders. One of my comrades was injured, and that is why we are late. But that is of no importance now," the man explained quickly. "Half an hour back, we were met by one of your patrols in the forest, and they told us in brief that you cannot locate your son. Did he not arrive here the night before last?"

Thranduil snapped his eyes up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Your son is Legolas Greenleaf, am I correct? A little boy with blonde hair and blue eyes?" Thalion asked. "He was in the forest two nights back. My men and I came across him. Or rather, he came across us."

"What have you done to him?" the King snarled, leaping forwards and grabbing the front of the man's shirt. "I swear by the Valar, if you have harmed a single hair on his head, I will-

"My Lord, I have not yet finished the story," Thalion cut in swiftly. "One of my men volunteered to ride here so that you and your wife could be informed of Legolas' safety. But it was then decided that if he was coming here anyway, he may as well bring the child also. Are you telling me that neither of them have arrived?"

"Forgive me, I jumped to conclusions," Thranduil muttered. He stepped back, and shook his head. "No. They have not arrived. Did they leave you on foot or on horseback? How far from the palace were you? And who was this man?"

"Have a seat, Thalion," Laerwen said quietly. "You must be weary."

"Many thanks, my Lady," the mortal replied. He sat down, and exhaled deeply. "I gave them a horse to ride, for it would take them a long while to get here on foot. Your son managed to get very far away – when we discovered him, we were roughly five hours from these halls. And to answer your final question, the man is named Amarth. He is not a friend of mine, but that is only because he…well, that does not matter."

"That is where you are wrong. This man has my son, so it matters very much," Thranduil said sharply. "Why do you dislike him?"

Thalion sighed, and shook his head. "It is not that I dislike him. He is an honourable man. But he wishes to marry my sister. I think it is natural for a brother to suspect his sibling's betrothed."

"Laerwen's brothers despised me when they discovered I wished to marry her," Thranduil replied, nodding towards his wife. "I think that one of them still does. But back to this Amarth…do you trust him? Did you believe he would bring Legolas straight back here?"

"Without a doubt. If I thought for a moment that he would put your son in danger, I would not even have considered letting the two within speaking distance of each other," Thalion replied firmly. "I do not wish to cause either of you more fear, but it is my strong belief that only one thing would prevent Amarth from returning Legolas to you: death."

Laerwen drew in a sharp breath, and raised a hand to her mouth. "No…."

"I am sorry," Thalion said softly.

Thranduil turned away, and stared unseeingly at the wall. "Do you have children?"

"My Lord?"

"You heard."

Thalion sighed deeply, and shook his head. "I have not been blessed with them."

"Maybe this is something which differs from race to race, family to family, though that is a notion which I find hard to believe. When you become a parent, a link is formed between you and your child. It is unique, and felt always: in sleep, in sickness, in times of trouble. Only in death is it broken," Thranduil said heatedly. "The link that I have with Legolas is still strong, so I will not believe that I have lost him. Not yet. He still lives. Only when I begin to feel that our connection is breaking will I start to doubt his return."

"Then, what are you saying?" Thalion's voice was quiet, but the edge to it did not go un-noticed.

"Do you think that this Amarth came across a threat, maybe Orcs or spiders? Do you think that he tried to fight them, but did not emerge victorious?" Thranduil asked. "Because I most certainly do not."

"It is probable," the man replied. "He would have tried to protect your son, I know that much. But please, tell me what you are saying. Do you think that Amarth has taken Legolas? He has no motive."

"You might want to reconsider that until we can be certain of what happened," Thranduil said. "Now, I can find my son with or without your help. If you do not wish to be of service to us, then you and your men can leave. If you do, however, think that you can help in any way, then you are welcome here."

The man stood, and nodded once. "I will give you whatever help I can, for however long you need me. But I must send my men away. They have families to think of. I do not."

"We appreciate this," Laerwen said softly. "Thank you."

Thalion inclined his head at the Queen, before turning to Thranduil. "You mentioned that there is a link between a parent and a child. It is a nice thought. But you also said that you do not believe it is something which differs from race to race, family to family. You might want to reconsider that. Not all children are as lucky as Legolas. Not all children are blessed with parents akin to you and your wife."

The Elven-king's face remained impassive, but his eyes flashed silver. "I know. I am not blind to the misfortunes of others."

"Of course not. Well, I must go now and explain this situation to my men," Thalion said. "They will not be happy, but they will understand."

"Rooms will be provided for you," Laerwen said. "You are welcome to dine with us if you wish."

"Many thanks, my Lady," Thalion replied, bowing to her. "I take my leave."

As the man left, and the door closed, Thranduil turned, and sat down once more. "Well…"

"What happened to courtesy?" Laerwen asked. "You do not like him, do you? But try and be civil. We need his help."

"I know what we need," the King replied. "And besides, it is not that I dislike him. I am merely in no mood to make new friends today."

Laerwen nodded, and exhaled deeply. "Will he help us?"

"I hope so," Thranduil sighed. "I really hope so."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sorry this is a few day's late! I've just got a new job and I've been working every hour of my spare time, and what with college as well, it means that I have little time left to myself, and when I do, I'm so tired and all I want to do is relax in the bath or sleep! So I hope you can forgive the delay!

Anyway, see you next Sunday!

Misto

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