AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it. I would like to apologize for taking so long to update. I seem to do that a lot, dont I? I'm very sorry. I had a busy summer, and then there was band and school. For all of you who have been in a marching band in Texas, I think you know how band is. Sunday is the only day you don't have practice. It doesn't leave a lot of time for homework (which I have massive amounts of) and writing. Sorry!

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY, KATIE! SWEET 16 ON FRIDAY!

Last Chapter:

Kneeling beside the hobbit, Gandalf instinctively checked for a pulse. Lo and behold, the pulse remained! Dizzy with shock and joy, the wizard promptly double checked his findings, to gain the same result. The resilience of the hobbit had saved young Pippin, though the severity of his wound still put him at risk of passing...

Meanwhile, Aragorn and Gimli were waking. Within moments both had assessed the situation and had both come to the conclusion that, alas, 'twas a rather bad situation to be in. Coherent thoughts were difficult to form amidst the agony of their headaches, but as both were well trained in the dealings of pain and hardship, they managed to push aside the pain to realize that the world was indeed upside down. Their wrists and ankles were bound tightly with thick ropes, and both were slung over the shoulder of an orc, in the most disconcerting position that one frequently sees a sack of potatoes. And a sack of potatoes they felt like, as well! Aragorn first spotted Legolas who was, to the man's great dismay, unconscious, extremely pale, and had a reddish-brown stain growing rapidly on his tunic, near a split in the fabric...

"All were taken by the orcs, save for you and the guards. We now have sent forth a party of elves to track them and assess their situation. Should rescue be a possibility, 'twould be a most favorable course," Sirolwen explained, deliberately leaving out the more likely course of action. She, like majority of the Mirkwood elves, disagreed with the present course of action. 'Twas dishonorable to stay hidden with a realm whilst renowned and beloved heroes were left to face the foes of their past. But none dared to speak publicly of it, for it was decided by Mithrandir, a Maia, whose decisions demanded the utmost respect and obedience...

Thus the plan was decided. Gandalf would provide the best distraction possible, whilst the Fellowship was left to its own devices to plot an escape, though by Thranduil's order a score of elven soldiers would be standing by to assist the Fellowship when the time came. True, 'twas not the plan that the elves desired, but the wisdom behind it could not be denied. Many more difficult obsticales the Fellowship had faced, and never had they failed. Between Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli a plot was sure to be formed, and the hobbits were both courageous and able. All that could be done now was hope, and have faith.

Unbeknownst to them at the moment, however, the group they were discussing was showing very little ability to think reasonably. Indeed, most of said group could only think of the agony they were currently experiencing at the hands of the orcs...

The bitter pains of sorrow and guilt burned in Merry for he believed Pippin to be dead. The mere thought was unbearable, for Merry had sworn that he would never allow anything to touch his dear friend whilst he still had a breath in him. No comfort could be found amongst his current surroundings for they had reached Saruman's lair the previous day and each member of the Fellowship had been separated, isolated upon arrival. There was nothing to keep Merry from dwelling upon dark thoughts except, of course, when the orcs arrived to have their fun. Thus, ironically, 'twas Merry who first fell to despair and darkness. When Saruman came to inspect the progress the next day, he was pleased to find the young hobbit broken. With a smirk, he whispered, "Where were you when Pippin fell? You have failed him. What you experience here is a fair punishment for your shortcomings."

With a strange, almost suicidal gleam in his eyes, Merry spoke, "I know. I will not fail him again, creature of shadow! Your words bring me naught but anger. Obedience from me you shall not recieve, not this day. I will soon join Pippin in death, whether it be your plan or not."

With that Saruman turned sharply, exiting the cell with a deliberately slow pace. How frustrating that even a broken hobbit would block out his words! Loyalty, the very trait the wizard had planned to exploit, seemed to be working against him. Surely not all the prisoners would be so difficult. The elf was the most likely to be twisted to Saruman's evil purposes, for without nature an elf's spirit is easily broken. Emotional turmoil, of course, helps as well. And plenty of that the elf had! An overwhelming sense of guilt settled over Legolas, not only for the death of Pippin, but for the capture of his friends as well. The wizard knew what his final steps to turning the elven prince to darkness would be.

Within his cell, Legolas had no way of knowing what Saruman was plotting, nor did he care. His body raged with fever, for infection had set in on his many wounds, making him incapable of a rational thought. Visions of Pippin's death ran through his head constantly. The only reprieve from those images where the images of the rest of the Fellowship dying slowly, painfully, within this prison, and Mirkwood being utterly destroyed by rain that burns. Indeed, that was no reprieve at all. The images, of course, had been planted in the elf's mind by some foul spell of Saruman's. Pure agony tore at the unfortunate elf's body and soul while he was powerless to do anything about it. In the cell next to Legolas was Aragorn, who was being torn apart by the elf's anguished cries. The only one who had yet to come near the breaking point was Gimli. Whilst the Fellowship fell apart from the inside out, Saruman could feel naught but satisfaction with a touch of impatience.

The door to Aragorn's cell burst open, revealing one of the more hideous orcs, who also happened to be rather large. The beast grabbed the man's arm, practically dragging him out of the cell and into that of his neighbor's. Aragorn kept his face impassive, whilst inside he was filled with relief, for he now had the opportunity to see to Legolas' various injuries. With a careless toss, the orc sent Aragorn tumbling into the cell and straight into a wall. After the ungraceful landing, his pack hit him in the head. The door to the cell slammed, and the man was left alone with Legolas. The elf, however, remained oblivious to his friend's presence, for he was in the throes of a nightmare. When the elf began thrashing at the walls, further injuring himself, Aragorn hurried to his side, murmuring words of comfort. Once the elf settled down a bit, Aragorn began treating his numerous wounds.

Hours later, the elf awoke, finding that for the first time since his capture his thoughts were no longer muddled. Another shocking discovery for the recently stabilized elf was the man sitting next to him, whose voice was undeniably familiar. These facts Legolas welcomed gladly. At least, whilst the situation was by no means desirable, he knew that the man still lived and was well enough to bring the elf from his delirious state. After a few moments, the man seemed to realize that the elf had awoken. "How do you feel mellon nin?"

"I've been better," Legolas admitted reluctantly. The elf's voice was not as strong as it normally was, though Legolas did his best to appear to be fine. Slowly the elf attempted to sit up, only to be overwhelmed by pain that seemed to come from everywhere at once. With a small grunt Legolas returned to his original position on his back. A frustrated sigh to his right indicated that Aragorn was none too pleased by his current state.

"We will get out of here," Aragorn declared vehemently. When the door opened mere moments later, revealing Saruman standing menacingly before them, the look of pure loathing given to him by Aragorn unnerved him. Which is quite a feat, when all is considered. Unfortunately, this only made the insane wizard more angry.

With an unbecoming sneer, the wizard snarled to the orcs behind him, "Take him back to his cell. The elf and I have matters to discuss without his presence or yours. Have fun with our precious king."

A struggling Aragorn was dragged from the room, whilst Legolas sat in a stunned and somewhat frightened silence, though he allowed neither emotion to be shown. Saruman turned toward the elf, his expression cold and empty. The glare that was returned was quite unsettling. For a moment, the wizard couldn't help but think that Legolas had been over exaggerating his previous state simply to get his captor to lower his defences. With a bit more thought about his knowledge of elves, the suspicion was dismissed and replaced with the suspicion that if anything, the elf had downplayed his injuries and was still doing so. This notion, of course, made his irrational fear of the elf dissipate. A small smile was spreading across Saruman's face, causing a flicker of fear to shine in the elf's eyes. In a mocking tone, the wizard taunted, "Do you realize, foolish prince, that even as you sit here, your home is being destroyed? Not even the trees shall survive. It is your doing, foolish one. For if it were not for your asinine heroic tendencies, your kingdom would be left untouched. You, fatuous elf, by your well intended actions, have condemned those you wished to save. For at this moment, Mirkwood burns from deadly acid rain, and there is naught you can do to stop it."

"Stay your foul tongue, flagitious wizard! Your lies sway me not, as your words have never proven trustworthy in the past. My only regret from my quest is that I did not slay you whilst I had the chance. Leave me in peace, pernicious one," Legolas retorted coldly, with much more conviction than he truly felt. For a great sense of unease had worked its way around the elf's heart, along with a much deeper sense of fear than he would ever care to admit. Behind the wizard's words, Legolas sensed the some semblance of the truth. Whilst it was undeniable that his dreams of Mirkwood's destruction could be another foul work of Saruman, it was equally possible that the wizard had spoken truthfully. As the prince of Mirkwood Legolas had a connection to his home, and he sensed the distress of Mirkwood more strongly than he had even in the War of the Ring. Though the elf desperately hoped that Saruman was once again weaving despicable lies, he knew the wizard's tendencies well enough to know that it was not impossible for him to destroy Mirkwood without shedding a tear. It was, in truth, a very likely course of action for the wizard. For what would hurt the Prince of Mirkwood more than to escape only to find his home in ruins? Or to live with the knowledge that his home was destroyed and he was unable to even reach it to pay his final respects?

"Even when you are a captive you dare to give me orders. You impudence astounds me, though it should not, for it has defined your character since you were an elfling. I can see you know the truth of my words, though you choose ignorance over reality. How will the foolish elfling react when ignorance is no longer a possibility?" Saruman responded evenly before sweeping out of the cell. The silence was broken by the locks clicking into place on the cell door. Then, there was nothing to distract the elf from his thoughts and impending despair.

This was not the first time Aragorn found himself at the mercy of orcs. There had, indeed, been several such occasions since he was old enough to leave Rivendell on hunting expeditions and the like. None, however, had been quite as painful as this experience. The vile creatures took to heart the words of the wizard. Using nearly every torture implement within the confines of Saruman's lair, the orcs had given Aragorn quite an unpleasant beating. The man's back was covered in bloody lines, while everywhere else seemed to be either bruised or bleeding. Aragorn was also fairly certain he had no less than three broken ribs, and several more were cracked. Thus, Aragorn found himself in a similar state to the one he had just pulled Legolas out of. Unfortunately, there were no healers as adriot as himself, thus it was unlikely that he would experience the miraculous recovery that his friend had. Add to that the fact that he was not an elf, and thus did not have the elven ability to heal at an increased rate, Aragorn was facing quite a dilema. Unconsciousness soon claimed him and his dreams were haunted by the murder of his beloved wife, Arwen, and Gondor's fall.

Aragorn awoke to a rather disturbing sight the following day. Saruman and two of his ugliest orcs were hovering over him, staring. As soon as he registered what he was seeing, the man sat up quickly, barely containing a shout of surprised disgust. With mornings like this, it's no wonder I've been having such bad days! Aragorn thought in annoyance. The day did not improve much for the poor man after that.

"I bear bad news for Aragorn, King of Gondor," Saruman declared mockingly. In a menacing tone he continued, "You have failed to protect your wife, the lovely Lady Arwen. For it 'twas just last night that the news came, your wife left for Mirkwood, intending to find the reason for your extended absence. She fell into the hands of orcs, and was tortured for hours before death took her. 'Tis your fault, imbecilic man, for you were not there to protect her, and it was because of you she left. You have caused the deaths of two whom were dear to you, how many more must die before you will admit to your erroneous ways? You cause death and destruction at every turn, and never realize it until it's too late."

Aragorn made no response as he stared blankly at the floor. Saruman, believing he had succeeded in breaking the man, left. Even after his abrubt departure, Aragorn stayed still for hours before passing out.

Of all the prisoners, Gimli seemed the least affected by Saruman's torture. He was, undeniably, in a good deal of pain, but he never allowed the wizard to mess with his mind. The arrogant wizard contributed his failure to the extremely stubborn nature of dwarves. This was only partially true. Had it been only Gimli that were captured, the torture inflicted upon him would have long since broken him. As it was, Gimli happened to be extremely angry. Thus, the anger protected him from the psychological torture. The source of his anger was that that bastard was cruel enough to not only kill one of his companions, but to try to use Pippin's death against everyone! He was trying to make the Fellowship blame themselves for the evils that he worked. This, to Gimli, was unforgiveable. Thus, when the nightmares of the fall of the glittering caves haunted Gimli's dreams, he refused to believe they were true. And if they were true, he refused to believe it was his fault. It was the wizard's fault for bearing a grudge against them, imprisoning them, and attacking that which they held most dear.

The dwarf was now planning a solution to the current situation. He only hoped it wouldn't come too late to save his friends. Escaping would be by no means easy, but surely there was a way. He would find it, and reveal Saruman's words for what they truly were- lies.

TBC

AN: Please review...I'll write faster. Seriously...and there are only a few chapters left. Then, there will be a sequel. If enough people want one. If not, I'll have an evil ending on this story and you'll have to live with it. HA! Let me know if you want a sequel, though, or you won't get one.