Disclaimer: All rights belong to Tolkien, with exception of my OC's.
Darkness settled like a blanket over the cave's mouth. Bushes and boulders camouflaged it well. Only the four cloaked guards hinted that the opening was more than a yawning hole in the hillside. They were heavily armed and a horn rested on each man's hip. Their eyes ceaselessly scanned the area around them.
Little did the men know that someone's eyes were on them. The predator surveyed his prey in the trees above the cave. Shining like a pair of stars, his eyes tracked the men's every movement as he silently slid through the branches. He easily dropped down into a group of bushes near the cave's entrance.
The gravel barely shifted as the elf landed. He examined the humans for any sign they had noticed him. His free hand brushed his arrows, ready to draw one and let it fly at a guard's slightest twitch, but the sentries remained stoic, and Legolas breathed a silent sigh of relief.
He immediately sucked it back in at the sound of voices echoing from inside the cave. Pulling his cloak closer, he blended into the black vegetation just in time for the guards to turn their heads towards the cave's mouth.
Five burly, armed men marched out. Four of them walked over to the guards and exchanged places with them. The retiring guards' shoulders sagged, and two of them rubbed a hand over their faces. They're changing guards. Legolas thought absently as the fifth man immediately drew his attention.
The fifth human stood halfway between the others and the cave's mouth, surveying the guard change with folded arms. His imposing figure seemed uncannily familiar. Legolas' blue orbs widened as the man turned his head, revealing his sour face and unmistakable piercing eyes.
He drew an arrow and aimed it at Ahneus' heart in a heartbeat. So I was right. He is in league with the men who kidnapped Aragorn. Anger burned within him like hot coals, his fingers pulling the arrow back even further. Just a simple release and the human would drop dead. His lips tightened; Legolas glanced at the eight sentries, methodically contemplating the required moves to take them all out.
Swallowing a growl, he relaxed the tension on his bow. He was good, but it would take an act of the Valar to shoot them all without one raising the alarm. The elf shook his head. No, it was too risky. He couldn't risk them discovering his presence, or, worse, harming Aragorn at the first sound of trouble. Patience. I've come too far to ruin everything with one rash decision now, he reminded himself with a steadying breath.
The relieved guards' boots dragged along the rocky soil and tufts of grass with each trudging step towards the cave. A blonde brow arched as each man straightened momentarily and gave Ahneus a nod when they walked by him. The sour-faced man grunted at the first three, but he grabbed the last one's shirt with a meaty hand.
Legolas instinctively pulled his arrow back once again and noted the expression of fear that flitted across the guard's face. The man swallowed, "How...how can I be of service?"
"I hear you are close to Gresit?" Ahneus questioned in a rumbling voice. The prince's ears perked at the mention of Gresit's name. The four men's conversation at the end echoed in his ears. He's the one torturing Estel.
The man's tired eyes also lit up with recognition at the name. "Aye, sowed and harvested our crops together each spring and winter. Both lost everything. We share a drink every…"
A flash of annoyance curdled Ahneus's face at the man's rambling. He gruffly interjected, "And you're aware of how he can be?" He paused, searching for the right word, "Of his...hmmm...temper?"
The prince watched the guard's countenance fall and turn a shade whiter at Ahneus' mention of this Gresit's temper. "I am. Even seen it a few times," the guard muttered hesitantly.
"Good. Can you reason with him, even control him if the need arose."
The guard licked his lips nervously. "I might could do it if I had to."
Ahneus tightened his hold on the shirt in his hand and leaned in closer to the man. "See that you do. I want you in there with him when he interrogates the ranger. We've run out of time. We're moving out tomorrow night, and we need that location from the ranger. Gresit is under orders to use whatever means necessary to extract it from him, but he mustn't kill the man before he gives it up. You're to be in the room to make sure he doesn't go too far. Understood?"
Cursing inwardly, Legolas grounded his teeth while he listened to the sour human's words, his self-control hanging by a thread. Ten feet away, the man nodded as Ahneus released him. He looked at the cave and then back at Ahneus. "Um, am I to go straight to the cell? Or might I, with your permission of course, grab myself a piece of bread and a skin of ale beforehand?"
"That's right. You've come off watch." The sour-faced man scratched his chin irritably and grumbled, "Very well, I'll have Gresit wait an hour more. Go get some food and rest. Pulling information from the ranger will be long and unpleasant, and I need you fresh, ready to handle Gresit. I'll send for you when it's time."
"As you command," the guard inclined his head again and started again towards the cave's entrance.
Ahneus watched the man disappear into the cave's yawning mouth. With a huff and a shake of his head, he quickly surveyed the new set of sentries before following him.
The prince finally eased the tautness of his bow. His body thrummed with tension, and his head almost swam with the information he had just overheard. He's alive. They haven't killed him yet. Looking up at the stars, the elf sent up a silent prayer of thanks.
The bush's leaves brushed his calves as he sank into a squat, further digesting the conversation. So they're keeping him in some cell. Now, I just have to find it, dispose of the guards, free Estel, and escape. And all in under an hour before this Gresit discovers us. Legolas dragged a hand over his face. Ai Elebreth!
His fingers lightly drummed the smooth wood in his hand as he thought deeply. Everything had to fall into place perfectly and his timing had to be impeccable if he and Estel were to both make it out of the cave undetected. The slightest mistake…The prince shut his eyes tightly and quelled the grief and guilt that bubbled just beneath the surface. He had already made too many misjudgments during the past year of fighting alone. A few had even cost good elves their lives. Legolas's free hand clutched pieces of gravel in a death-grip for a few moments before letting them fall back to the ground.
Blue orbs shot open. But not tonight. Tonight there would be no mistakes, there couldn't be. I will not fail Aragorn like I failed the others.
He rose with determination pounding in his heart. He cast a glance at the sentries to make sure they weren't looking in his direction before bursting out of the bushes toward the cave's entrance. The archer's feet flew across the ground, and he covered the short distance within seconds.
A rush of moist air greeted Legolas upon entering the yawning mouth; the sound of a human's gasp immediately drew his attention to his right. Before the guard could raise his weapon to attack the shadow, the prince's bow rammed into his throat, crushing his larynx.
Legolas grabbed the stunned man's neck and head and ended him with a quick maneuver. He then soundlessly propped the body against the stone wall. A speedy search of the cavernous room yielded no other enemies. He came to stand in front of four different passageways. The elf suppressed a frustrated groan, I really hate caves. He glanced between them for several seconds, trying to decide on a path.
His gaze landed on a middle tunnel that sloped downward. Most cells are located in the lower levels...at least I pray they are in this place, he reasoned uneasily, plunging into the passage's inky depths.
Eriphael's mood was as stormy as the blustering weather that was threatening the little town. Fingering the handle of his blade, he muttered darkly, "I don't care that he's the heir of Mirkwood or that it's my sworn duty to protect him. The moment we find him I'm going to tear him limb from limb and feed him to the spiders."
Lord Elrond rolled his grey eyes in exasperation and called behind him, "Are you muttering to yourself about all the ways you're going to kill Legolas again?"
"Why? Do you care to join me?" The archer growled, stopping to pull his boot out of the heavy mud that threatened to swallow it for the thousandth time that afternoon.
Elrond wisely ignored the comment and kept trudging towards the next building. Eriphael's temper had been thin from the moment Elrond had arrived back at Imladris days ago to find the brunette wood elf frantically pacing the entry with a paper in his hand. After deciphering Legolas' note, he, Glorfindel, Legolas' company, and a few of his best warriors had set out to Bree, meeting up with Elladan and Elrohir along the way. Now, they had split up into groups and were searching the town for Legolas, Estel, or anyone who had seen the two. So far, they had had no luck.
The pair came to a halt in front of the next shop, and the elven lord instructed, "Let me do the talking again. Try to come off as non-threatening as possible, and put your knife away. You look like you're looking for trouble."
"I am looking for trouble; his name is Legolas," Eriphael retorted.
The smirk that tickled the corners of Elrond's lips died quickly. Instead, he frowned as the younger elf flipped the blade into the air. His frown deepened upon noting the wood elf's snarl, taut muscles, and the feral look in his green orbs. Eriphael was like a bowstring about to snap. Elrond knew their Mirkwood kin could be more "wild" than the Noldor elves, but that didn't make witnessing it any less disconcerting. Elrond refused to sigh, I should've ordered him to stay with Glorfindel.
Clearing his throat, he walked up the step and knocked on the door. "Just put it away before they come to the door," The older warrior warned.
Eriphael deftly caught the weapon behind him without looking. "I might need it."
The elf lord quirked an eyebrow, "In the dressmaker's shop?"
The brown-haired archer stared at him for a couple of seconds, narrowed his eyes, and then sheathed the knife in one fluid motion.
"How may I help you, masters," a scrawny, middle-aged woman with wispy hair questioned while tugging the door open.
"Well met, lady." Elrond bowed his head, "My companion and I are searching for our friend, and we are wondering if you or one of your customers may have seen him recently?"
The woman gave Elrond a cursory glance and moved to size up Eriphael during Elrond's bow. She gulped at the intense, challenging glare he leveled her with, and shrank back into the doorway, pushing the door so that it was between her and the visitors. "Pardon me, what, uh, did you, did you need?" she stuttered.
Elrond kept his tone soothing and repeated, "We're looking for our friend, and-"
"I haven't seen him." She gulped again as the angry-looking visitor's scowl increased at her answer.
"I see." The elven lord held up a hand to stop her from shutting the door, "Wait, might we trouble you to answer another question or two?"
"No, I...I...cannot. I've got mending, and my man isn't home...and, please I don't want no trouble. Please go, leave!" she cried, slamming the door shut. Both warriors heard the door's bolt slide into place.
The elven lord stepped off the step and turned coolly to the elf behind him, "Staring daggers at them will not make the humans talk to us, Eriphael. You're scaring everyone away. Might I suggest you refrain…"
"Do not dare tell me what to do! You have no idea of what's at stake right now for me and my realm. My lieges' fate rests on my shoulders and I'm failing because despite countless hours of searching my prince is still missing!
"So is my son!" the older elf burst, shocking Eriphael into silence. Elrond's features became pinched, and he shook his head, blinking. "Ai! I know exactly what's at stake, for everyone, and it's more than even you know."
Eriphael opened his mouth, but instantly closed it, visibly deflating. After a few moments, he bowed his head, "I'm sorry, hir nin. Forgive me, I don't know what's come over me. I...I…I can't lose him, I mean I can't lose them..."
"Peace, penneth. I've felt what you're feeling a hundred-fold this past week. But trust me when I say that you cannot let your emotions rule you. My warriors and I, along with the ones now under your command, have to know we can depend on you to maintain a level head, no matter what.
"You can!" Eriphael vowed, "I won't let it happen again. I'll do whatever I have to to find Legolas and Estel."
"As will I. I swear to the Valar, nothing will keep me from finding my son," Elrond laid a hand on the younger elf's shoulder, "both of them. And I will turn over every stone in Arda if I must." The elf lord smiled as he watched some of the wildness leave the other firstborn's green eyes at these words, leaving behind a bright, steady clearness in their depths.
Elrond nodded, "Come, let's visit the blacksmith in hopes that Legolas' mare threw a shoe and he paid the smith a visit."
"Not a chance. Legolas takes the utmost care with Mithelen and makes sure she has the finest shoes our smiths have to offer. He had her tended to before we left Mirkwood." Eriphael clenched his fists, heaving a heavy sigh, "Let's face it, the odds that he stopped at the town's cobbler for a new pair of boots are greater."
Their elven ears abruptly honed in on the sound of one of the twin's voices calling from the other side of the town. "That's Elrohir!" Elrond confirmed as they both hurried towards the calling elf.
In a matter of minutes, they had located Elrohir. The twin's face lit up the moment he laid eyes on his father, and he ran to meet them. "Ada! Hurry! Someone's seen him!" he exclaimed.
Eriphael demanded eagerly, "Who! Which one did they see?"
"Easy, both of you." The elven lord directed calmly, "Now, Elrohir, who is this someone, and was it Estel or Legolas they saw?"
Elrohir nodded and pointed, "There's a man at the inn who hasn't seen Estel, but he says he has seen someone matching Legolas' description no more than two nights ago. Elladan is there speaking with him now."
The wind stirred around them as Eriphael took off towards the inn, his cloak fluttering behind him. People darted out of his path and he effortlessly leaped over the carts and crates that stood in his way.
Elrond groaned and motioned for his son to follow him, "Come on, we have to catch up to him."
Elrohir looked at his father puzzledly, "Why?"
"Because I'm not sure Elladan will be able to handle Eriphael on his own and I want to question this man in one piece."
A look of concern marred Elrohir's countenance, "What do you mean?"
"Have you ever seen the wildness of our woodland kin?"
Legolas hastily shut the makeshift door to yet another crude room - this one full of rudimentary weapons. He growled with disgust and continued his mad dash down the winding passage. All of his senses were on high alert for the presence of an enemy or anything like a crevice or opening that remotely looked like a place where they would keep a prisoner.
After rounding a corner, he skidded to a halt. "No," the archer whispered as he stared before him, "no, no, no!" The passageway opened up into a mid-size hall spotted with several sparring circles, but with no further openings or tunnels. It was a dead end. He had chosen the wrong one.
I've wasted all of this time… Legolas picked up a rock by his foot and hurled it with all of his strength at the stonewall sitting mockingly before him. He didn't wait for it to clatter against it though. With a curse, he spun on his heels and ran back into the passage.
Frustration provided a burst of adrenaline to his slightly tiring limbs. He resolutely pushed all thoughts of weariness, and even his disappointment, from his mind. Instead, he began calculating how much time he had left to get back to the entrance and search a new tunnel before Gresit would visit Aragorn.
But approaching footsteps interrupted Legolas' thoughts minutes later. The elf paused and quickly hunted for a hiding spot. Unfortunately, he happened to be in a narrower part of the passage, where there were no stalagmites and only crevice-less walls on both sides. Cannot one thing go right for me? Shaking his head, he huffed imperceptibly, "Valar, all I need is one little hiding spot. Is that too much to ask?!"
That left one option. He needed to be fast, silent, and leave no trace of a skirmish for someone else to find - no blood or anything else that would alert them to his presence and further endanger Estel. Gritting his teeth, he unsheathed a knife with the hand that wasn't holding his bow and charged to meet the oncoming threat.
A tall, muscular man turned the curve and saw the cloaked figure just in time to duck the blow to his head and unsheath a short sword. Both blades bit into each other with a "clang," making Legolas grimace at the noise from underneath his hood.
Their steel parted as the human opened his mouth to sound the alarm, but Legolas delivered a vicious kick to his midsection before he could emit a sound. Though the wind was knocked out of him, the man didn't double over as the prince expected. Rather, he went down into a roll, once again dodging Legolas' attempt to render him unconscious with his sweeping bow. He scooped up a handful of shale and sand and hurled it at his cloaked opponent.
Legolas staggered back as the cloud of grit engulfed him and assaulted his eyes. He hissed and rapidly worked to clear the dirt from his eyes.
Forcing his lungs to work, the man took advantage of the elf's disoriented state and swung his sword at him with a grin.
Though he couldn't fully see yet, his elven ears heard the shrill whine of the enemy's weapon. He brought his blade up to counter it with lightning speed. With a slick flick of his wrist, he used his knife to twist the sword in a way that sent it flying from the human's grip.
The human didn't even blink at his empty hand. With a guttural yell, he lowered his shoulders and tackled the elf's knees.
Legolas fell at an awkward angle and dropped his bow just in time to avoid falling on it and breaking it. He aimed the end of his knife at the man's temple, but the agile man grabbed his wrist an inch away from his own face and wrenched it ruthlessly. The prince swallowed a cry and felt his fingers disobediently release the blade. He punched his opponent's nearest body part; the human let go with a pained moan.
Legolas' hand immediately searched the ground for his knife, but his enemy kicked it out of reach. The elf tried to roll towards where his bow was. However, the other's weight on top of him prevented him from moving more than an inch. Fine. Fists it is then, he thought as he landed one against the man's rib cage. The man grunted but didn't budge.
They blocked and traded blows, fighting on the ground for the upper hand. Again, the human started to yell. The prince's battle-calloused hands found and quickly wrapped themselves around the man's throat, cutting off all sound and air.
But, in an instant, his own air supply was obstructed as his opponent latched onto Legolas' throat and it squeezed relentlessly.
The sound of jangling keys outside the door jerked Aragorn awake. With sleep dissipating from his eyes, he shot up automatically. His body to hollered loudly in protest. He lowered himself back down to the ground as soundlessly and painlessly as possible, wincing and breathing through the hazy pain. Gripping the chains so they wouldn't rattle, his other hand swiftly searched the ground for his one hope of deliverance.
The key sharply cranked the lock open. His heart felt like a galloping horse trying to burst through his chest. He forcefully swallowed the bile rising in his throat just as his hand grabbed the stone he was looking for. It was a large one with small jagged edges, barely fitting into his hand. It was the perfect size for bashing in a head. He had noticed it only hours earlier, lying nearly hidden underneath another rock. The ranger had nearly dislocated his arm and the chains had further torn up his wrists while retrieving the stone, but he'd managed to grab it. Now, he fervently prayed it would be enough to knock out his torturer with.
Aragorn heard the door being pushed forward, and he hurriedly hid the stone from view. A yawning creak filled the small room as the door was slowly opened. He kept his eyes closed and steadied his breathing, feigning sleep. His insane, simple plan flashed before his mind - wait until the orcish man leaned over to jerk him up, catch him off guard and slam the rock into his head, use the keys to free himself, and run for his life. His chance of success was slim, but he had to risk it, too many lives depended on him. He couldn't fail.
Every fiber in him tensed as a hand suddenly grabbed him. Sucking in a breath, Aragorn shifted, opened his eyes, and swung at the other's head with all of his strength!
And the story continues! I haven't abandoned this story, and I have all intentions of finishing it. I don't plan on leaving our favorite heroes hanging. I really appreciate your patience and would love to know your thoughts (just no flames please). Stay safe, stay strong, and love well! - M.B. Anchor