The two young ones stood before Elrond, eyes downcast.

"I'm disappointed in both of you," the lord of Rivendell's voice was stern. " Legolas, it was foolish of you to taunt Estel. Estel, I cannot believe you would be so foolhardy as to intentionally allow Legolas to choose the wrong way home!"

Aragorn grimaced. " Sorry, Ada." Beside him, Legolas also murmured words of apology.

"At least this time neither of you appeared with any broken limbs…"

Aragorn and Legolas exchanged a look.

"Cracked heads…"

They had heard this before. Many, many times in fact.

"Or poisoned wounds." The elder elf raised an eyebrow. "But then again the day is young."

The two shifted uncomfortably.

Lord Elrond leaned back in his chair "The two of you," he remarked dryly, "are like flint and tinder."

Legolas relaxed slightly, but Aragorn knew his father too well for that…

"In a storeroom of dried hay."

Legolas winced slightly, but Aragorn grinned. He knew his father well enough to see the flickering of humor in those grey eyes.

" That is why," Elrond continued, " I am considerably pleased to have received this," He withdrew a letter from the sleeve of his robe and handed it to the Mirkwood prince."It arrived this morning."

Legolas took the letter and opened it, his blue eyes scanning the parchment quickly. His face fell. "It's from my father," he said unhappily, answering Aragorn's unspoken question. "He wants me to return home…" the young elf's eyes traveled down the rest of the paper. He froze. Blinking rapidly, he reread a certain section. A grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. "And he invites all three of Lord Elrond's sons to come and visit Mirkwood!"

Aragorn's eyes widened. "Eru," he breathed.

0-0-0-0

"Was he drunk?" Elrohir asked bluntly.

Legolas opened his mouth to protest, then shut it. It was a most logical explanation for his father's sudden extension of hospitality. " Possibly," the prince finally conceded.

"Whatever the reason," Elladan said with a grin. "I believe we will take him up on his offer."

"Ada is preparing our provisions even now," Aragorn said eagerly. "We should be able to leave by tomorrow morning." His silver eyes seemed to glow from a source deep within; lighting with the promise of the journey…

0-0-0-0

The light was gone…he could not find it. Only the memory was left to him…Legolas' blue eyes rolled back in his head as his lithe form shuddered convulsively.

A black clawed hand roughly grabbed the back of the prince's head, entwining its gnarled fingers in the golden tresses. "Elf scum," a harsh voice whispered as the hand jerked Legolas painfully.

The elf prince hissed through his teeth as another hand grabbed his chin, forcing his head up to meet the orc's yellow glare. In his nearly delirious state, the fair prince watched the hideous face before him twist and spin. He tried to turn away from the disorienting sight, but his captor would have none of it.

"Don't like what you see?" he jeered nastily, his broken nails digging into the smooth skin of Legolas' cheek. "Better get used to it, little elf." The orc released Legolas' chin, drawing his hand back to strike…

0-0-0-0

Elrohir silently drew an arrow from his quiver. Carefully, ever so carefully, the dark-haired elf laid the smooth shaft along his bow and sighted down its' length.

It was perfect…. His quarry was completely unsuspecting….

Elladan glanced at his brother, then realized where the younger twin was aiming. He drew a deep sigh and laid a restraining hand on Elrohir's arm. "I would not, if I were you."

Elrohir cast him a pleading look, grey eyes wide. "Please?"

The older twin shook his head in regret. "Lord Thranduil would not thank you for shooting his heir."

"What if I only wounded him?"

Elladan considered for a moment, but shook his head again. "No. Then we would be dragging a wounded Legolas all the way back to Mirkwood."

Elrohir shuddered. "You are right. That would be a deeply unpleasant undertaking." He shifted slightly; redirecting his arrow.

Elladan actually chuckled, but gripped his twin's arm a second time. "Ada will not thank you either."

" Consider, gwanor nin, we are far from Imladris. I can hide the body, and no one will ever know…"

" Until we return, at which point Ada will want to know what we have done with the hope of men."

"I hear Mirkwood is an exceptionally lovely place to dwell, despite the fact that our woodland kin live in caves." The last word was spoken loudly as Elrohir grudgingly lowered his bow, meant to carry into the small clearing where Aragorn and Legolas sat talking.

Legolas looked up with a scowl, catching the slight to his home, and realizing for the first time that the brothers were near. "We do not live in caves, Noldor elf."

"Of course not," said elf returned smoothly as he placed his arrow back in his quiver.

Aragorn cocked an eyebrow at his brother, his features curious. "What were you hunting just now?"

"Swine," the younger twin said completely seriously as he and his brother strode forward to join the two. "They often travel through these woods." He cast a dark withering glance at the pair before him. Three days away from Rivendell, and already they were behaving like infants. His grey eyes darkened considerably. They had stuffed his pack full of rocks. Rocks! Oh, and not only rocks. Sand as well. Which had then gotten into every spare tunic he had brought….which meant he had to pause to wash them out….and while he had been washing them out, the irrepressible duo had hidden his daggers….a small growl forced its way through the elf's clenched teeth. By the Valar he would have his revenge….

Elladan grinned broadly at his twin, as if sensing his thoughts. He could see the humor in this situation, even if it eluded Elrohir. He actually thought it very amusing. After all, it was not as if the fair prince and his youngest brother had singled him out for their jokes….not yet, anyway.

Legolas glanced at his human companion with a puzzled look. 'Swine?' he mouthed. The ranger merely shook his head, his dark hair swinging around his face. 'Don't ask' he mouthed back with a smile. He knew his brother well enough that he could guess the twin's actual meaning.

Elrohir stalked to his horse and quickly leapt up onto its back. "We had best continue on if we want to get into the Misty Mountains tonight. Of course," here he shot a very malicious look at his human brother and the golden prince. " Had someone not seen fit to fill my pack with rocks and sand, and then hide my weapons we could have already reached our stopping point."

"True," Aragorn sighed in what appeared to be heartfelt remorse. Elrohir snorted disdainfully. "However," the human continued, his silver eyes twinkling, "we would then have not been able to witness one of the finest expressions of outrage I have ever seen." The young ranger grinned as his older brother's pointed ears turned a rather unbecoming shade of pink. He opened his mouth to needle the elf further, but shut it with a snap as he hear Elrohir mutter something that sounded very much like, 'Dhagathon le as sen, Dunadan,'

Apparently, Legolas and Elladan heard the same thing, judging by the grins that threatened to split their faces from ear to ear. "Elrohir," Elladan chided as he swung himself onto his own horse. "How could you say such a thing to our younger brother?"

Elrohir snorted once more and cast a glance back at Legolas and Aragorn as the two swiftly mounted. "Very, very easily. I assure you." The younger twin raised his voice, calling back to the human and the prince. "Don't think I will forget this you two." A vicious smile spread across the elf's face as he urged his horse forward. Oh….Revenge for this would be so sweet.

0-0-0-0

Orchbeck opened his eyes and snarled softly. Curse the horrible light! The orc captain pushed himself to his feet and glared about him. His army lay mostly asleep, sprawled across the small copse of trees; the only cover they had been able to find before dawn had overtaken them. The sun was disgusting. He could not understand how men and elves relied on it so heavily. The thought of elves brought the twisted creature back to his current problem, and the reason he and his army were exposed to the filthy rays of light that beat down upon them.

Curse the elves! Mirkwood had been so perfect….a place of darkness, where evil reigned in the depths of the shadows. There had been no sun….nothing could penetrate the heavy network of branches. Not in the heart of the forest at any length. If it had not been for those elves….! Orchbeck snarled a little more nastily. They had been driven out. Forced to flee from the shadow into the brightness of the wretched orb overhead. Driven out by the elves….the orc leered nastily as he remembered the futile battles. He had lost many of his company, and the elves had lost few. Led by their golden king, the elves had pursued Orchbeck and his host until they had been forced to abandon the cover of Mirkwood's trees.

The sun sank slowly in the sky and the orc captain strode among his army, kicking them awake. It was time to be moving again. His yellow eyes lingered on the looming humps of the misty mountains and he smiled. Mountains meant caves. Caves meant no more sun. They would be able to tunnel into the very roots of those mountains….until the moment they grew strong enough to return.

As the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the orcs left the shelter of the trees and broke into a swift run. Orchbeck ran at the very front, his mind seething with evil resentment. Yes, they would run now, and they would hide in the cool darkness of the mountain's caves. But they would return. Orchbeck had a long memory, and he felt a thirst for revenge against the elves of Mirkwood.

The image of Mirkwood's king; strong, golden, and plunging into battle had burned itself into the orc captain's mind. He would do all he could to see that image altered. It would be beautiful, to his mind.

Mirkwood's king; weak, broken, with all hope ripped down around his pointed ears.

Oh, yes. Orchbeck increased his pace and yelled at his underlings to do the same. Oh, yes, it would be most satisfactory.

0-0-0-0

Aragorn sat at the entrance to the cave his brothers had decided to stop in, his cloak wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Spring though it was, the night was still cold, and the ranger shivered slightly. His brothers had done this on purpose. He knew it. They had made it quite clear that he would be the one to take the midnight watch, and he knew them well enough to recognize that it was part of their punishment for the tricks he and Legolas had played. He winced slightly. He would say one thing for the twins. They were incredibly loyal to one another….which meant that since Elrohir was plotting something sinister for revenge, Elladan would help most willingly.

Aragorn sighed softly and drew a little closer to the fire beside him. The warmth just wasn't seeping far enough through his cloak. As he shifted his weight, there was a sound….something like small pebbles being dislodged. Immediately, the young human leapt to his feet, his eyes straining….looking….

Nothing.

0-0-0-0

Orchbeck led his troops onward. They were downright feisty now; the darkness and the promise of taking cover that very night quickly replaced the little energy they had spent traveling. Now, if he remembered correctly, there should be a cave not very far ahead….the orc captain froze in his tracks, causing the orc behind him to almost collide.

"What's the matter?" the orc grunted, peering around his superior.

"There's a light in the cave," Orchbeck sneered back. "See? Someone's taking shelter there. I'll take a couple of the boys ahead and check it out. If all's clear and there's not too many of them, I'll send back one to get the rest of you." He leered unpleasantly. "Perhaps we may get a bit of sport tonight." He jerked his head back towards the large group of orcs. "Find me three. Make sure they're quick, and quiet. I don't want to be found out before I'm ready."

The orc nodded in agreement and quickly picked three of the company out.

Almost completely silently, the four orcs crept forwards, hands to their weapons.

Orchbeck breathed a soft sigh of relief when the cave was in full view. He could see quite clearly what had taken residence there and a cruel smile twisted his already ugly features. This was too good.

A small fire burned at the entrance, fed by what appeared to be a human in his early twenties. He was wrapped in a cloak, and dark hair fell around his face.

The human would have been fun enough….

Barely a few feet away from the human were three sleeping elves. Elves! Orchbeck nearly hissed in excitement, but caught himself just in time. It wouldn't do to give away their position now…. He turned towards one of the other orcs, intending to send him back to the main group. As the orc captain turned, his foot shifted, sending several small pebbles bouncing. Orchbeck froze.

The human in the cave leapt to his feet, his hand flying to his sword.

Orchbeck made a harsh cutting motion to his orcs. They were well hidden among the rocks, not even and elf could see them….but that did not mean that they could not be heard. If one of his orcs so much as breathed and that cursed human caught the sound….

One of the elves stirred in reaction to the human's movement. The fair being rose quickly from the ground and came to the side of his companion, stepping into the fire's circle of light.

Orchbeck felt his eyes bulge as he saw the elf clearly.

The elf was speaking to the human, but Orchbeck was not attending.

That face….the orc ground his teeth together hard. He knew who this elf was! He had seen him before. This elf had fought against the orc horde, more accurately, he had led groups of elves against the orc horde. Orchbeck found it hardly coincidental that this elf also just happened to look like a younger version of the king of Mirkwood.

This was Mirkwood's prince. The son of the golden king.

Yes….his son….

The elf said something to the human and they both smiled. The prince laid a hand on the young man's shoulder, lightly shoving him back into the cave. It was obvious that the fair elf was suggesting he stay for the other, taking his place on the watch.

Orchbeck stiffened. It would be nearly impossible to sneak away with an elf on the alert, and he needed the rest of his army before he attempted to take this chance fate had so willingly placed at his feet.

The human shook his head, his dark hair swinging around his face. He patted the elf's arm reassuringly, then seated himself near the fire again. The elf said something else, then laughed lightly and returned to his sleeping spot.

The orc captain waited an hour before he risked moving back. The four orcs crept silently away until they were certain they could not be overheard, then took off at a run.

"What is it?" Orchbeck's second in command, Shaza, stood as he saw his leader and the other three return. "What did you find?"

"Elves," Orchbeck grinned maliciously. "Three elves, and a human."

Shaza laughed nastily. "Sport indeed! What are we waiting for?" There was a murmur of agreement from the group as they heard their leader's find. Gnarled fingers gripped twisted swords, and several of the creatures drew knives.

"Oh," the orc captain smiled evilly. "Oh, but there's a bonus. Do what you want with any of the others, I don't care. But the blond elf must be taken alive. Do you understand? Alive. I don't really care what condition he's in, but he needs to be able to survive the trip back to Mirkwood." Yellow eyes glared at the rabble around him. "That means if any of you have poison on your weapons, you'll get it off now, see? I'm taking no chances."

There was a pause as several orcs tore strips from their clothing and wiped their blades free from whatever venom they had smeared over the metal.

"Come on," Orchbeck said as they finished. "Quietly. I don't want them prepared any more than is necessary."

The orcs strode through the night, almost silent, their eyes glimmering with cruel delight in the light of the moon. Their leader was beside himself with glee. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the instrument for his revenge would be dropped almost into his lap.

0-0-0-0

Ada-Father(daddy)

Gwanor nin-my brother

Dhagthon le as sen, Dunadan.-I will kill you for this, Dunadan. (Dunadan means man of the West.)

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