A/N: things are going to get very very dark for Legolas in the next few chapters. Just a warning. Oh, and I suck at elven names
"So, are we going to tell him we're going to go to war or are we just not going to respond?" Erestor asked. Elrond sighed. He didnt know which one would be worse. If he waited, Thranduil would come to get him-if he told him outright he wasnt handing Legolas over, they would have to have a standing army prepared for the King's arrival.
"Tell him." Glorfindel said quietly. "Just tell him we are willing to do ANYTHING to keep that elfling." Elrond realized that was the best thing to do, so he took out a pen and parchment to begin writing.
"Should Legolas be informed?" Erestor asked Glorfindel quietly. Glorfindel glanced back out the window to where Legolas had one of the twins pinned underneath him while the other was getting ready to sneak up on him.
"No, there is no need to worry him in advance. He will know soon enough."
When Thranduil read the letter from Elrond, inviting war, he was overwhelmed with relief. Now he had a perfect excuse not to have to go and claim his son. He would tell everyone Elrond was intent on keeping him and he wasnt worth getting a whole army out to try and retrieve him. Thranduil crumpled up the letter and carelessly tossed it in the direction of the wastebasket. Now he wouldnt never have to worry about that child again.
While Thranduil was at a meeting later that day, one of the servants went to clean his study. While he was emptying the wastebasket, he picked up the crumpled letter. He could see the word 'Legolas' and 'war' and his curiosity got the better of him and opened the letter. When he finished, a slow grin crossed his face.
"So, that HALF-ELF thinks he can take our property, huh? Thinks we wont mind? Think again!" the servant, Gwynden, was pacing in the winecellar with some of the other servants. "We're going to get him back, we are!"
"How are we going to do that?" Kutifa, the maid, asked doubtfully.
"We're going to kidnap him, thats what were going to do." Gwyndeth declared.
Legolas was suspicious. Something was wrong. He picked up a tense vibe from most of the adults and they always spoke in hushed voices when he was around and stopped talking all together if they saw him, so he knew it had to do with him. Something was about to happen, he could feel it.
"Whatever is going to happen, I wont let it!" he declared outloud. He looked out the window at the starry night, feeling satisfied. He'd find someone and make them tell him what was going on tomorrow. Right now, he dressed for bed and quickly fell asleep, unaware of the impending danger.
Downstairs, Elrond, Glorfindel, and Erestor were relaxing in the library when someone knocked on the door.
"Enter." A young servant rushed in.
"Yes?" Elrond's eyebrows contracted, seeing the worry on the younger elf's face.
"Sir, a group of human AND elven travelers have just arrived. Their leader says one of them is very ill and request a place to stay for the night!" he breathed. Elrond and Glorfindel jumped up.
"Of course; have rooms on the third floor prepared and I will see to the ill." Elrond said. The elf nodded and hurried. "This cannot be good!" Elrond shook his head. He went to the Healing Ward to prepare herbs for the ill. He went to the Great Hall where Glorfindel was kneeling beside an very young man who was very pale and barely conscious. A few of his traveling companions stood by, looking nervous. They looked relieved when they saw Elrond.
"Please step aside." Elrond said, getting down beside him.
"What is his name?" Glorfindel asked.
"Thymine." "What are his symptoms?" Elrond asked, opening his emergency kit. "Nothing." one woman said, looking down at the ill young man. "We were riding along and he suddenly groaned and fell sideways off his horse." Elrond and Glorfindel looked up in surprise. The others nodded to comfirm what she said.
"How very odd." Elrond mused. He felt Thymine's forehead and saw it was very hot. This worried him.
"We need to move him out of the drafty hallway." he stood. "Glorfindel, bring him to the Healing Ward. The rest of you might as well get some sleep; there isnt much you can do for him and even less if you arent rested."
"Sir? Rooms are prepared." the young servant said, reapppearing at the top of the staircase.
"Thank you." Elrond nodded to him before turning to the travelers. "Follow Feleo; he will show you to your rooms."
Once in the Healing Ward, Glorfindel frowned, turning to the door. "There is something odd about the elfs with the travelers." he said. Elrond looked up from where he was attempting to bring down the unconscious elf's fever down.
"Like what?" he asked distractedly. He was dabbing a wet cloth on the elf's forehead.
"Like something untrustworthy about them." Glorfindel replied. "I dont like them."
"Well, they might be outcasts or wanderers or something. That doesnt mean they're untrustworthy." Elrond stated. "Hand me the green herbs."
"Do you think Thranduil sent them as spies? Maybe this is all a trick." Glorfindel suggested as he handed Elrond the plant. Elrond rolled his eyes, crushing up the leaves and putting them into a glass with water.
"Do not be ridiculous, Glorfindel. No one can FAKE something this extreme." he scoffed. "They will be gone in a day-two tops. Nothing to worry about."
- Gwynden couldn't believe how easy this was going to be. It was purely by chance the man in the group he and his elves from Mirkwood met up with fell ill, but it was working in his favor. After Elrond took Thymine away and Gwyden and his travelers were showed to rooms, Gwyden snuck out to find Legolas. It wasnt difficult to find the elfling's room since he could trace people with his mind when he was close to them. (might be totally far out, but its my story)
Legolas was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the danger close by. Gwynden first covered the elfling's mouth to prevent him from screaming before seizing him by the arm and dragging him upright.
Legolas woke immediately, struggling hard against the tight hold. Gwynden released his arm long enough to send a crashing blow to the side of Legolas' head, knocking him unconscious. Then he dragged him to the balcony where one of his men, Elbereth, was waiting below. Gwynden lowered Legolas before dropping him the short distance to the ground where Elbereth caught him. Gwynden jumped down too.
"Lets move." he whispered. He knew they had little time before the guard patrol caught them. Elbereth dragged Legolas behind him until they got to where they hid horses.
"I'll take him." Gwyneth took the unconscious elfling and set him on the horse, careful to have a good grip in case Legolas decided to jump when he woke up.
Legolas felt his head going up and down and wondered where he was. His head hurt terribly, but he knew it would go away soon. Pain never lasted. But the question was: why did it hurt?
Legolas slowly opened his eyes and saw the sky and the sun glaring accusingly at him, making his shut his eyes quickly. Legolas couldnt remember what happened the night before. He couldnt remember anything!
Suddenly, the bouncing stopped and he heard the murmuring of voices before he was roughly handed down and landed on the ground. Legolas yelped when he landed unceremonially on his rear. His eyes flew open and he saw he was in the forest and he saw two blond elves walking around the clearing. "Where am I?" Legolas called loudly. The elves stopped what they were doing and exchanged a grin.
"Well, well well. Look who is awake." Gwyneth stalked over and lifted Legolas' chin so their eyes met. "Sleep well, little slave?"
"Slave?" Legolas repeated slowly, his eyes held confusion. "Who are you? Better question: who am I?" Gwyneth and Elbereth exchanged a worried glance.
"You don't know who we are?" Elbereth asked, coming over and sitting down next to Legolas. Legolas looked at him for a second before shaking his head.
"No, I dont." "Oh...this is not good." Gwyneth started pacing, wondering how he was going to tell Thranduil he knocked the memory out of his son. Gwyneth was the only person besides Thranduil who knew Legolas' true identity.
"Now what?" Elbereth asked after a few minutes. Gwyneth threw his hands in the air.
"I dont know!" Legolas was sitting quietly, watching. He didnt know what had happened to him, where he came from, or where he was going. But he did know he was hungry and his head still ached. Maybe these elves would help him.
"Excuse me." he pulled on Elbereth's sleeve. "I am hungry; can we have breakfast?" Elbereth stared at him.
"Um..." he glanced at Gwyneth, who wasnt paying any attention. "I guess so." he got some food out of the saddle bag and handed Legolas an apple, taking one for himself.
"We shall take him back to the castle and keep him hidden." Gwyneth finally decided. He turned to Legolas. They would need to find a way to put him under disguise. Gwyneth fingered a piece of Legolas' blond hair. Then he pulled out his dagger and in one swift move, sliced Legolas' hair off at his ears. Then, with an afterthought, hit Legolas over the left eye with the blade. Legolas cried out, grasping his eye. He didnt know why he just cut him but he knew he was in a world of pain and he couldn't see.
"Now no one will recognize him." Gwyneth smirked. "Elbereth, clean the blood. Then we are traveling." Elbereth felt a pang of guilt as he knelt down beside the crying elfling. He gently tilted his head back and held a rag over it. It wasnt bleeding very hard, but there was a danger of infection, so he made an eyepatch for him.
"Why did he do that?" Legolas choked, tears falling down his face. Elbereth looked at Gwyneth, who was getting the horses ready for travel.
"Because he is evil." he muttered. He pulled Legolas to his feet and guided him back to the horses. He hoped Legolas wasnt going to be permanently blind, but he was going to be blind in the one eye, probably forever. -
The next morning at breakfast Elrond was uneasy. The man made it through the night and the travelers left early, but he couldnt help being ill at ease.
He glanced around the table. Everything seemed to be in order. "Elladan." Elrohir said with muffled giggles. "Look what I can do." Elrohir took two spoons and stuck the handles in his ears, making his brother dissolve into giggles as well.
"Elrohir." Elrond reprimanded gently. His youngest son immediately put the silverware down and smiled sheepishly. Elrond nodded and turned back to his plate when warning bells went off. He quickly looked back up and realized Legolas was missing from the table.
"Has anyone seen Legolas? Is he ill and sleeping in?" Elrond said, forcing the panic out of his voice. A murmur rose from around him, mutters about how no one had seen the child since they bad him good night the day before.
Elrond exchanged an alarmed look with Glorfindel and the blond hurriedly got up and went to Legolas' room, knocking on the door.
"Legolas? Are you awake?" when he got no answer, Glorfindel went in and saw the bed was a mess and most of the blankets were in a heap on the floor. But what made him frantic was the balcony doors were swinging open. "I knew there was something I didnt like about those elves." Glorfindel muttered as he went back down to the dininghall. He was careful to keep any emotion off his face when he entered. He went to Elrond and whispered, "he's been taken."