You really, really made me happy! I love your reviews soooo much! Thank you! :)

ElvesAreEpic: Well, you can start dreaming how you will torture her... after I've been finsihed with her *evil grin again* :P Yeah, a cage. Don't know, seemed fitting :) Ah, that's good. Hopefully you didn't have to wait too long for this update ;) And if you need any distraction, I recommend 'Diamonds in the Sands' (personally, I think it's the best of my stories -and the shortest for sure) or 'A Little Nudge out of the Door' (can't remember the author unfortunately, but it was a really good one) or -the last one- the stories of WhiteWolf1. She's amazing! :)

Gleca: Thank you! :)

GRuth: Just a little... :P I surely intend to finish this story, wouldn't dare to let you down! :)

Nourss: I do admit I'm tempted to let him in there and just steal the cage from Dinemîn... Nonono, must-give-Legolas-back-to-Thranduil... grrr, tempting :P You do have a golden bird? Nice! Reminds me of a phoenix! :)

sassyfriend: Well, he is on his way. The only question is; will he be in time?

TheButterflyCurse996: No problem! My mail has decided to use auto-correct from now, so he just changed all my words into completely absurd sentences, as you may have noticed yet :P I know that one song too! What a coincidence! It has a beautiful singer, doesn't it?

Hope you all enjoy it!

If he could have felt such a sentiment, he would have said he was bored. But since his feelings had been taken away from him, he just contented himself with floating, and staring at the darkness, absolutely emotionless.

And he pondered.

He pondered about his body. There was a lingering thought in his mind that normally, he should have hands, and arms, and a head, and legs, and a torso, if he remembered well. But he couldn't see nor feel anything, so he didn't' have a body – correct?

He wasn't sure, for at that moment, another question was raised in his mind, and then he pondered about his sight. Did he actually see? There was darkness around him, yes, but if he had closed his… eyes –yes, eyes, that was the correct word for those strange windows of the soul-, he would have seen darkness too. So the question was, had he or had he not closed his eyes? But since he didn't know whether he had eyes, he couldn't answer it.

He thought about those questions a long time – though it could have been a split moment too, he wasn't completely certain- and when he couldn't figure it out, he decided to get back to the beginning.

So he pondered about the memory of a body. Had he ever had a body? He didn't know, but if he hadn't had it, then how could he remember it? And if he had been in this darkness for all eternity, then how could he remember that other, strange word, Aragorn?

Aragorn.

He was certain he had heard that word before. He just couldn't remember what it was.

While he was pondering about these and many other things, something seemed to change. The darkness around him wasn't that dark anymore. His thoughts became clearer, and more logical. A vague sense of panic started to spread through his veins as memories of trees and the sun and stars and air started to come back. This eternal night wasn't normal. He should get out of here.

At the moment that thought had entered his mind, he felt ground beneath his feet. He became aware of a swinging feeling and a murmuring, female voice. And then, something in his head clicked, and he fell out of his trance.

A cage.

He was in a cage.

He, an elf, was in a cage.

It took some minutes before his numb mind could register that, but after he had processed the fact, he felt anger for being imprisoned as a mere bird, and curiosity for the one who had managed that.

"Fileg? Are you awake?" A slender girl was standing before him, her eyes great and admiring.

"Who are you?" The girl clapped and made a sort of rudimentary dance.

"You are awake! You are awake! Now you can sing for me!" Drowsily, the elf wondered what she meant. Did she really think he was a bird?

Wait a second. She doesn't seem surprised of having an elf in a cage. Could she be the one…?

"Did you imprison me?" His tongue had difficulty forming the words, but the girl apparently understood him, for she stopped dancing and turned to him, beaming.

"Yes, I did! Now you can sing for me, Fileg!" His mind really wasn't cooperating, so he vaguely decided to ask any question that he could come up with, and try to examine the answers later.

"How did you call me?"

"Fileg! Bird!" He was getting quit annoyed now.

"I'm not a bird."

"But you can sing as one!"

"But I do not wish to sing!" The transformation was astonishing. From one moment to the other, the girl was standing ramrod, with a threatening pose. Her voice was low and dangerous, almost growling.

"You will sing for me." The elf was slightly taken aback. While he was trying to decide what to do, the girl pushed against the bars very hard. The cage started to swing. The elf, not prepared for that kind of reaction fell back against one of the bars and cried out as dozens of needles pierced his back. Quickly, he withdrew himself from the steel and looked at it. Every bar was covered with little, sharp spines, all around him. He'd better not touch the sides of the cage again.

Even while he was registering this, a burning pain started to spread our over his back. It was as if little flames were licking his skin. He hissed as the pain started to deepen. This was torture! There must have been some kind of poison upon the needles! He started to shiver and closed his eyes. Sweet Elbereth, let this stop! he prayed. But the pain swelled and swelled, as the sea that is being whipped by the wind. Soon, he couldn't hold back the moans anymore. Everything seemed to have disappeared beneath this torturing pain. He wanted to scream, to run, to do anything to be released from this, but his body didn't obey him anymore. The only thing he could do, was shaking, and waiting until the torture passed.

And then it was over. The pain flew out of him, as water falling out of a flask. Panting, the elf looked up.

"Are you better now, Fileg? Will you now sing for me?" The innocent voice didn't betray anything of the cruel creature inside her. He stared at her for some moments, catching his breath.

"Who are you?" he asked softly. She smiled.

"You called me Dinemîn."

"I called you like that? Did I know you?"

"You don't remember, do you? Wonderful!" Her face was filled with merry excitement once more. "I was very clever, you see. I gave you a weed! In you food, for I was the one who prepared your food! And now you have forgotten everything, so you won't be sad for not being with your father! So now you can sing for all eternity for me without missing them!" Incredulously, he just looked at her.

"You poisoned me?"

"Oh, no, Fileg! I just helped you not to be sad for being here! With a weed." She looked positively hurt that he had dared to accuse her for poisoning. He decided to let it rest. He didn't get a thing of it anyway.

"Then who am I?"

"Fileg!"

"I am no bird!" This conversation was going in circles. "What is my name?"

"But Fileg, if I say, then why would I have used the weed?"

"Right," he mumbled. The girl didn't look too clever, but she could be surprisingly eloquent at times. Dinemîn went back to the cushions and nestled comfortably in them. Then, she looked at the cage again.

"Now sing, Fileg!" One moment, he wanted to refuse. He was too stubborn and too proud to be commanded by a lithe girl who had poisoned and imprisoned him. But then he thought back at the soaring pain, and he cringed. What did it matter, anyway? He didn't even know his name. Perhaps there wasn't even anyone who missed him.

And he started to sing.

"He can not have disappeared like that! There must be a trace!"

"My lord, I assure you…"

"I do not need your assurances! I need a trace that leads to my son!"

"But my lord…"

"No buts! Go and check the forest once more! Increase the perimeter with 5 miles!" The door slammed open and the king appeared. He looked furious.

"My lord?" Aragorn came forwards, slowly.

"What?" the king snapped. Then he saw the man. "My apologies, Estel. Please tell me you found something." He sounded quit desperate.

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"You did?" The Ranger nodded and mentioned him to follow. They went all the way to the heart of kitchen. There was a small corner there, filled with some dolls and toys, a pillow and a blanket. Here, Aragorn halted. Surprised, Thranduil examined the corner.

"This is the place where the little Dinemîn sleeps. She refuses a bed, instead she always curls herself up here, so we decided to make it at least a little more comfortable. What does this have to with Legolas?" Aragorn took a closed metal can from beneath the pillow and opened it.

"Look at this." Curious, the elven king bowed closer.

"Leaves," he stated. The Ranger nodded solemnly.

"Eruglîr. It takes away feeling and memory." Thranduils eyes widened.

"You mean that it was this weed that caused Legolas' illness?"

"Yes."

"But why is it lying beneath Dinemîns pillow?" Thranduil refused to accept the most plausible explanation. He had taken the girl in the palace, had made sure she was treated well, gave her food and warmth. He even had taken her on a trip sometimes! And this was how she thanked him? Aragorn saw the anger flaring in the king's eyes, and knew he had understood.

"My lord, do you know where Dinemîn is at the moment?"

"No, I didn't see her lately. Naurelleth! Have you seen Dinemîn?"

"No my lord," a gentle-looking, brown-haired maiden answered. Tawartegi, Calarcyll, did you?"

"No, my lord."

"I fear not, my lord." Thranduil frowned.

"Did anyone of you see Dinemîn since the day that Legolas disappeared?"

"Not that I can remember."

"I think not."

"Was she not searching with Nelladel in the cellars?"

"No, that was me!"

"Oh, excuse me, Ergliri!"

"We did not see her since that day, my lord!" Aragorn and Thranduil exchanged a worried glance.

"So either Dinemîn too was taken by that invisible force that kidnapped Legolas… or it was her doing." Thranduil was still leaning to denial, but the Ranger pointed at the Eruglîr.

"Don't forget the weed, my lord. I'm fairly certain that this was her doing. We should go and search for her too." The king nodded.

"I will order my soldiers to scan the palace and the area around it once more."

Aragorn didn't look agreeing. "Shouldn't we focus upon the palace? You saw the condition Legolas was in. Do you truly believe that a young girl can support both herself and Legolas in the forest? Wait a second…" Quickly, the man stepped towards Naurelleth.

"Could you please check the provisions? See if anything has disappeared?" The maiden made an elegant genuflection and hastened away, behind a door. Mere minutes later she returned. She looked excited.

"You were right, my lord! A bread, a pound of cheese and a litre of milk are missing!" Aragorn looked as if his suspicions had been confirmed. He turned to Thranduil.

"She must be in the palace somewhere. As I thought, she cannot hunt in the forest. The only thing she can do, is stealing food at night."

"So she will return?"

"Yes. And when she does, she will lead us to Legolas."

Please let me know what you think and review! You really make my day!

xXx Archiril