Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, Tolkien does! I am not making money of it.

Summary: Who can you trust when you can't even trust your friends? That is the question continuously running through Aragorn's head as he is led on a mystery trying to figure out what happened to his friend, encountering one deceitful person after another.

I would like to thank you if you are taking the time to check out my story. It means a lot to me. Thanks!

The Scam

Chapter 1

As I looked into the eyes of my captor and all I saw was pure hatred and deceit. How she had managed to fool all of us, I do not know. But now as fate would have it, I was pressed up against a tree with a dagger pinching the skin on my neck.

"It didn't have to be this way Estel."

I started to smile, something I had not done in a long time, believe me. How could she act like it hurt her to do this? It didn't hurt her. Wait, wait, wait! You don't know the whole story do you? Well I guess it would help you to make an opinion of your own about my captor if you knew how we ended up finding ourselves like this.

Now keep in mind, for all of these events that you are about hear, I was only present for some of them. The others came to me from listening to my friends who were actually there to witness it. Let us just pray that I will have enough time to fill you in, before she does decide to end my life, which I guarantee she will do. Here we go…

*

"Legolas, are you almost ready?" called Thranduil. "Your mother and your siblings are getting restless. You can perfect you shooting skills later!"

The flaxen prince put his arrow back into his quiver as he walked back to the back entrance of the palace of Mirkwood where his father was waiting for him. "I've been waiting for you forever. It took you long enough" he jested to his parent who playfully swatted his head in return.

Thranduil had a very close relationship with his youngest child, actually he had a close relationship with all four of his children. I think he was even beginning to become fond of me, after all I was there quite often considering I was in fact Legolas' best friend. I'm 19 years old and Legolas acted like he about 10. We must have made his father laugh quite a bit. I wasn't there this day though, now I wish I had been. Maybe the outcome would have been different. Anyway…

All of the royal family mounted their horses. Queen Riandry got up and rode on the same stallion as her husband while each of their children had their own. Their oldest, Prince Thandarion galloped on his horse right beside them. The second youngest, Prince Rydel and Legolas rode beside each other behind them. The second oldest, Princess Thianna rode solemnly behind all of them. All of them had blonde hair except for Rydel, he had dark hair, I think that's why they matched his name with their mother's.

They dismounted their horses at a small clearing, by the borders of a breathtaking waterfall. I would go there with Legolas and Rydel when I visited.

Their family, being as close as they were had decided to spend the day with each other on a family picnic. It was a wonderful sentiment, but unfortunately someone had plans to tear this loving family into shreds. Why anybody would want to do that, I don't know. I don't care what her reasons are, this was definitely uncalled for.

"This is the perfect place for our picnic" Riandry exclaimed with a smile. The only dream that she had ever had was to raise a happy family that would spend…well forever together. I wish her dream could have come true. But as fate would have it, her dream was destined to be forgotten and disregarded by someone we all should have been able to trust our lives with.

"Come on you guys, sit down" Thandarion laughed as he watched his younger brothers chase each other around the open spaces or the clearing. Thianna took this time to approach her big brother and she rested her slender arm upon his shoulder.

"They're never going to grow up are they?" she grinned.

"Not today anyway."

"Everybody watch out!"

Upon Rydel's warning Thranduil immediately got to his feet to check out the area. It appeared as if they were being ambushed by elves. Now I found this hard to believe when I first heard it too, but it is the truth. I do not kid you about that, or anything else for that matter.

"Thianna go with your mother" Thranduil told his daughter as he unsheathed his sword and prepared to go to where his sons had already begun fighting not too far ahead.

She nodded and ran to where Riandry was concealing herself behind the stallions. "Don't worry mother," the young maiden said to her parent. "They will be able to take care of themselves."

Rydel was so confused as to why they were being attacked by elves. He knew about the history of dark elves, but he thought that it was behind them. He thought that the elves were united once again. A sheltered life he lived no doubt. Regardless that they were of the same race, these dark elves were going at him in hopes of killing. Apparently you could see the hate in their eyes. He cringed as he felt the tip of the blade dig into his shoulder, but he brushed it off with grace and continued fighting.

Thranduil and Thandarion were fighting back to back. King and future king. It would have been sweet, if under different circumstances of course. All they were trying to do now is save the lives of each other and those that they loved.

Legolas, a renowned fighter he was, was still being pushed further and further towards the edge of the cliff and towards the waterfall drop. Though it would have been most definitely a frightening experience, my friend had encountered worse in his life. Rydel badly wanted to aid his little brother, but he was being cornered by about four dark elves.

Blow after blow Legolas was able to block, which well wasn't much of a surprise to anybody. He may have been the youngest child, but one could argue that he was the most skilled in combat. But regardless of the fact that he wasn't getting a scratch on himself he was still being forced to go nearer to the edge of the rocky cliff.

At this point Riandry couldn't stand to watch her youngest on the brink of falling to his certain death. She stood up from where she was hiding and prepared to do something about it herself.

"Mother, don't! They'll be fine." Thianna begged her mother not to show herself to the enemy. It was absurd, wasn't it? To put yourself out in the open when you are unarmed. But look at the other outcome. Would you really want to watch one of your children disappear? I can only imagine what must have been going through the queen's mind at that moment.

"I have to go Thianna" the queen responded as she brushed away her daughter's hand. "You stay here and don't move an inch."

Riandry then ran through the combat field to where Legolas was fighting for his life. When he saw his mother coming…Rydel said you could see the fear etched on his face. It kills me just to think about what he must have been feeling then and there. However that little pause cost him the advantage in his fight with the dark elves. A laceration across his chest cost him his footing and he slipped from the edge. It was a miracle that he was able to grab hold upon a rock. Riandry dove and took hold of his hand with her own two regardless of Legolas' pleas to let him go and save her own life. Evil smiles crossed their enemies' faces when they saw this predicament and they inched closer and closer.

"Mother, let go. Let go of me, please" Legolas begged as a solitary sparkling tear fell down his pale cheek.

"I will never let go of you" Riandry responded. But it was then that she felt a hard foot jam down so hard on her back.

"Legolas, Mother!" Thianna cried, which finally alerted Thranduil and Thandarion to the circumstances that the other members of their family were in. They had yet to even notice because they were so intent on taking down their opponents.

However it was far too late. The blow to her back had caused Riandry to loosen her grip on Legolas' hand and he fell. She, herself was then kicked from where she was precariously perched upon the edge and she was lost to the royal family of Mirkwood.

"No!" Thandarion screamed as he watched them fall. "No!"

The dark elves managed to stab him through the lower midsection, which caused him to fall to his knees from the shock of the pain. But the evil individuals were not through. There was only a few of them left and they knew unless they took off soon, they would not have the chance to do so later. So before Thranduil reached them, they stabbed the crown prince once more, through his chest. Then they fled. Cruel they may have been, but not stupid, no far from it.

Rydel, Thranduil, and Thianna all ran to Thandarion's side. They knew these were his last moments. As much as they wished they could have saved him, it was impossible.

"Mom…L..Legolas…" he mumbled through tears of pain.

"They're fine, absolutely fine" Rydel responded hesitantly, glancing at his father, who nodded with consent. "They'll be okay."

"That's good. That's good" Thandarion said weakly. "I love you guys." His brother's words made Rydel start to weep, something he always tried not to do. And when Thandarion's hand fell limp, Thranduil and Thianna began to cry as well.

Three of their kin had been lost in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Crying may not seem like the most 'royal' thing to do, but what would you do? No doubt what they, and I, and everyone else did. We all wept, we wept for the loss of our friends.

Well what do you think? A good first chapter? I hope you like it. I have never written a story in first person so I thought I would give it a try. It can't hurt right? Anyway, let me know what you think and tell me if I should continue with this fanfic. Flames will be burnt. LOL…never mind. Review please!

~*Judy Greenleaf*~