A/N I almost posted chapter 5 instead of 4. That would have been interesting...luckily, I didn't. : ) Thanks one again to everyone reading. Yes, you. Thank you.

Disclaimer: not mine.

Chapter Four

"What are we going to do?" Gerda asked anxiously as she closed the door to her house firmly after glancing around to make sure that they were not going to overhear. Sitting down she watched Damrod pace energetically back and forth . They had left the elf up at the inn, thinking that it would take to much work to remove him immediately.

"Kill It." He stated without a hint of hesitation as if they were discussing a cow ready for butchering.

"But what about the human, and he is human. He's just a young, sick, boy. "Gerda asked, ever the healer to look after those in her care. "You don't think he did anything to him, do you?"

Damrod glanced back at her, thinking of all the stories he had ever heard about elves.

"The elf is sucking the life out of him!" he cried in realization and horror. "That's how elves live forever, by stealing life from mortals!"

"The poor boy!" Gerda gasped, feeling faint at the very idea of doing such a cruel thing. Jumping to her feet, she grabbed the man's arm with a strength that surprised Damrod. "He tried to tell us!"

Damrod cast her a look of confusion, shaking her hand off forcefully so he could continue to pace. "When that —that elf — brought him in, we found him clasped on the floor! He must have been trying to escape! The only words I have ever heard him speak where words like, stop, please, help, don't hurt etc." She explained in despair, pity written across her features. "And the elf must have been drugging him, that's how he knew what the herbs where used for!"

Damrod shrugged, not following what the old women was talking about. "There is not much we can do for him." He said to close the conversation. What it matter to him, afterall? Gerda, however, refused to give up, firing up at the every thought and bracing her hips with her hands in anger.

"My life's work is dedicated to saving humans. I am not going to sit by and lose this young boy!" she shot, her brown eyes narrowed.

"What do you suggest, Gerda. Elves are dangerous. I wouldn't know how to free him except for with the help of It." Damrod said in exasperation.

"Lock the elf up!" Gerda insisted, anger flushing her wrinkled face. "I know you know ways to make people talk! And why I may not approve of it, I will not let this boy waste away and give his life to another who does not deserve it!" she screeched, now shaking with the hatred. "Besides, you owe me. You wouldn't have never found anything else about the elf if it wasn't for me!" she persisted in a calmer voice.

The elf had upset her, and the mere thought of it doing something so evil had her parental instincts out in the open. This man, just emerged from boyhood from his looks, was not going to left alone in the world if she had anything to say about it.

"I beat that we could get most people to agree with me this time. In light from the threat of the elf, a stranger will seem very innocent and the people will take to him." Damrod muttered, thinking ahead to problems that might present themselves.

"Then we have a plan?" Gerda asked, a happy smile twisting her lips upward. She was going to save the man from that elf, she was going to save a soul!

"Yes, yes we do." Damrod replied with an evil grin and even eviler thoughts. "Just leave everything to me."

THEWORTHOFAFRIEND

Legolas stirred feebly, struggling to open his heavy eyelids. Something was wrong, horrible so, his mind screamed at him. Clambering clumsily to his feet, Legolas wavered for a moment as dizziness swept over him.

"Estel?" he called, holding one hand to his aching head while he glanced around the slightly swaying room. Fear was coursing what if yhe had teken Aragorn ftom hin? What woulf he do then? But then his eyes fell on the bed.

Aragorn remained where Legolas had so abruptly left him. Stumbling over to him almost faint with relife, Legolas lent heavily against it, ending up on his knees again. "Estel…" he whispered again. His tongue felt dried and swollen, making the words hard to form.

Reaching up, the elf brushed back the hair for Aragorn's brow. The human felt a little cooler much to the prince's relief. "Stay that way." Legolas muttered, still feeling a hazy disconnection from the world around him.

Lying his pounding head on the edge of the bed, Legolas allowed a low moan to slip between his lips. They had to get out of here, but Estel also needed attention…Just then something else caught his attention. Shouting —people where shouting angrily from outside.

Staggering dazedly up again he clutched at the window frame and started down into the dark street. What appeared to be the whole town was gathered below and where holding flickering torches that gave the scene and eerie glow. The shouting was growing ear-splitting, the tone escalating quickly to rage…the group was swiftly becoming a mob.

Legolas backed hurriedly away from the window and whirled around, feeling like a trapped animal. He knew that the mob was meant for him and there would be no escaping it, not with a sick and sleeping Estel by his side. Crossing to the door he locked it, though he doubted it would do much gooD against several strong men.

The voices from outside were echoing oddly in the elf's still foggy brain when the door to the inn burst open with a crash that shook the floor and the yelling increased ten-fold. A woman below screamed and Legolas knew that he was out of the precious little time he had started with.

Striding back to the bed, Legolas shook Aragorn, trying to wake him up. Thudding feet could be clearly heard echoing amidst the screams and curses of the men and a second later a body hit the closed door. Straightening up, the prince jutted his chin out proudly. He wasn't about to go down without a fight…just then, however, Aragorn's fingersm which he had been holding, grasped his and tightened

Swiveling back around so fast that he was a blur, Legolas dropped to a knee next to the bed, clasping the man's hands hard and gazing into his dim grey eyes.

"Estel, you have to listen to me, there is no time to explain!" Legolas whispered in a rush gently smoothing back the dark curls. In an instant the man's eyes flickered from confusion to concern, and opening his mouth he attempted to get his friend's name out. Legolas didn't give him time to, overriding his faint voice. "You have got to get out of here! If I don't make it then you leave without me."

The door behind them bucked and strained behind the weight of several heavy and determined men and Legolas knew that they were out of time. "Don't blame yourself, it was my entire fault. I'm sorry." He whispered in elvish while offering up a brave smile and squeezing Aragorn's hand tightly.

"Legolas?" Aragorn asked, panic dripping from his hoarse voice. The door flew open with the crack of splitering wood and ricocheted back against the wall.

All havoc broke loose.

Legolas smiled one last time and then surged to his feet.

"Legolas!" the ranger yelled a loudly as he could, which wasn't very loud. Legolas didn't have time to reply as the first wave of furious men hit him hard.

The elf ducked down low, hitting the ground hard for the second time that day, and rolled to the side, trying to get the fighting away from Aragorn. Jumping back onto his feet, Legolas wacked his head hard against a man's face and knocked him back to the ground.

Gracefully avoiding a long knife, Legolas knew instantly that he would not triumph here. A sea of fist where raining down on him from all sides and for every time that he hit one of them, ten more of them where ramming into him. The suffocating presences of his enemies heightened when Legolas was finally forced to drop back to the floor.

That was when it becoming truly terrifying. Curling into a tight ball to protect him, Legolas surrendered to the sharp blows and tried to block out Aragorn's terrified voice as he screamed out his name. This both comforted the prince and tore at his heart for it meant that the men were focusing their attack on him and not the ranger, but he also knew it was never easy to watch your friend be beaten.

Suddenly everything went abruptly quite. The yelling stopped, Aragorn grew quit mid-sentence and Legolas become the only thing making any noise as he wheezed air in and out between bruised ribs.

A heavy tread resounded impressively throughout the room, coming closer and closer to where Legolas was lying.

"Get him up." A low, gruff, voice snarled, dark malice dripping from the words. In an instant rough hands where dragging the elf upright, face to face with a grinning Damrod. Legolas glared back, eyes bright and dangerous despite the cut below his hairline that was spreading blood across his face.

"You, elf, are the most despicable creature that I have ever laid eyes one." He hissed, before drawing his arm back and slapping the elf hard enough to make his head snap to the side.

Legolas remained silent, staring frostily forward with his mask of indifference in firm place. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Aragorn on the bed, held back by the healer. Tears where streaming down his face, but he appeared to exhausted to do much else. Gazing up, the man attempted to lock his desperate grey eyes with the prince.

"Stop!" he begged, resuming his weak struggling against the healer."Stop, please!"

Damrod glanced around, lowering his arm slowly he gazed at the sick man with a deep frown. Then he began to address the angry crowd, twisting their minds and shaping their thoughts. "See men! See how this demon has taken control of the boy! No man in their right mind would defend such an evil being! WE MUST DESTORY THIS EVIL!"

The agreeing roar from the crowd was deafening and Damrod joined in, clearly enjoying it all. After a moment he raised his arms for silence and began again. "But before we free this world of the evil, we must save another soul, another human being just like us! This young man has been forced to supply his life and soul to this —this animal!"

Outraged cries drowned out Damrod's deep voice again, but this time he waited for it to die down before starting to shout again."We must find a way, if at all possible, to save our fellow man, but there is only one who knows how to do this! What should we do?!"

"Beat the truth out of him!" Someone yelled and the mob began to chant the sentence till the window pane shook with the racket. Damrod grinned, leisurely rotating to face the elf. Raising his fist high, the strong man brought it down and into the elf's stomach, forcing the poor prince to double over and gasp for breath.

Without giving him a chance to recover, Damrod began to rain punches down on him, the evil grin never leaving his face.

By the time they had finished with him, Legolas was edging on unconsciousness. Blood was dripping from his nose and into his slightly parted mouth, staining his lips an unnerving red. Several bruises darkened his pale skin.

Damrod sneered at the sight, running his fingers down the elf's cheek before gripping the blood splattered chin hard enough to leave bruises and yanking it up.

"How do we break your curse on the human, elf?" he spat.

"There is no cruse!" Legolas gasped out, blinking rapidly in an attempt to bring everything into focus. The cooper taste of blood filled his mouth and he swallowed with difficulty, feeling himself going a little slacker in his captive's arms.

"You lie! And you must never lie to me!" Damrod hissed, spraying the elf with spittle. Brining his fist back once again, he smashed into the side of the elf's head and watched with dark amusement as the fair being was slammed back into the wood wall behind him.

A second later, the elf's eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp. The two men holding his arms let go in disgust and all watched as the prince slid like a rag doll to the floor. A trail of blood marked his way down.

"Good work, boys!" Damrod said, satisfaction and pride lining his voice. "Take him to the cellar, let him think about all that has happened." The other men's faces seem to fall, realizing that all the excitement was over for now, and muttered darkky, Several more kicks where aimed at the elf when he was roughly dragged out.

One by one, the men followed filtered out, their high spirits returning as they headed for the bar, laughing cruelly about what had just happened. Damrod, meanwhile, went over to Gerda, who was sitting next to the now slumbering man,subconsciously rubbing at his bruised knuckles.

"I had to drug him." Gerda explained, running her hand through the dark curls Aragorn whimpered and tried to move a way, discontent lining his face "The poor boy was in hysterics, it was the only way to calm him down."

TBC...

This is just going from bad to worse! Now they been separated, and Estel is to sick to do much...no, I am not evil, not at all, if you where wondering!

Review Replies:

Nameless: It is a word now! : ) The evil person I am is slightly glad that you can't wait to read the chapter. So no, thst is not a fail on your so much! :D

Saphira: I LOVE that soundtrack! Howard Shore did such an amazing job with LotR/The Hobbit. Brownie points to you! I bet you saw Legolas getting captured ad well. : ) Thanks so much!