A/N oh, guys, I really need to stop using FF as a procrastination tool... Thanks for your part in that. :) No, I love this site, I just need to buckle down and do what needs to happen.

Disclaimer: not mine.

Chapter Six

Aragorn sighed heavily, toying with the edges of the blankets as he glanced round the room, looking for anything to distract him from the boredom that was plaguing him. Gerda refused to even so much as think about letting him out of bed just yet, even though it had been almost a full week since he had begun to improve and, as he was fond of telling Gerda, 'I am perfectly fine and would be even better if you let me up."

The healer women had not backed down, though, so there stayed Aragorn, laying in bed, with nothing to do but stare at a wall. This time spent in bed was different than all the other times his father had forced him to do so. This time Legolas was in danger and he merely sat around wheedling his thumbs and it hurt. It hurt that he couldn't help his friend; it hurt that the prince was could be injured while he spent time with the ones that where doing it, and it hurt the most that Legolas had probably chosen to go through all of this for him.

After the night that Gerda had found him on the floor, she had denied the very existence of the elf, telling Aragorn that he had been hallucinating things but the ranger knew the truth and was determined to break his friend out if it was the last thing he did.

Gerda glanced up from her sewing, eyeing the young man before her like a hawk, before glancing back down. Aragorn held back another sigh, his lips pressed into a thin line as he glared up at the ceiling.

The only problem was that Gerda had began watching him close enough to make even Elrond proud, hardly leaving his room. This presented a problem because Aragorn needed to scout the area, find the best escapes, where Legolas was at, how to break him free and so forth, but could not do this why the old women was breathing down this back.

As if sensing his annoyance the older healer smiled at him, stilling her task once more.

"Do you hate my company?"

"No." Aragorn lied, wanting to stay allies with whomever he could until he knew what the situation was.

"I seriously doubt that, me being old and you being young." She started, not noticing when Aragorn smirk, wondering what she would say if she knew how old he really was. "But it may be your lucky day because I have to go out this afternoon."

Aragorn insides gave a giant leap as excitement rushed through his body, but he remained calm and uncaring on the outside. Shrugging his shoulders he said with a tint of disinterest in hopes to make him sound like the moody young boy she sometimes thought he was.

"I care not either way. You won't let me out of bed even if you leave."

"Soon enough, Strider, soon enough." She said in exasperation, using the name Aragorn had given her. The man thought it was safe to use his name that the Breefolk called him, as she would have never been there. Sighing, she took up her needle again and Aragorn rolled over, hiding the widening smile on his face.

By time the afternoon rolled around, Aragorn was hardly able to contain his excitement and it was with a light heart that he bide her goodbye.

Sliding off the edge of the bed, Aragorn wobbled around the room from a moment, relieving his legs of the cramps that had come from staying in bed to long. But then at last and after he had found his shirt, he was able to escape.

The first plan of action: to follow Gerda to see what she was up to. He knew without a doubt that she had knowledge about Legolas and she was his first lead to finding his friend.

THEWORTHOFAFRIEND

A resounding smack resounded throughout the room and Gerda, who was standing in the corner of the semi-dark room, flinched. She did not enjoy forcing pain upon someone else even if it wasn't by her own hand.

Damrod pulled back his fist, a crooked smile adorning his otherwise handsome features.

"Do I have to ask again?" he spat, eyes boring into the steely blue ones that gazed back at him. Legolas shrugged as well as he could tied firmly to a chair, a smirk adorning his bruised and bloodied face as he let out a hollow laugh, derived of any real humor.

"If you have to remind yourself of what you asked in the first place!" he taunted smartly, earning himself another blow to the face. Blood began to swell up at the corner of his lower lip before oozing gentle down in a crimson stained path.

The prince had given up on convincing these humans that he was not evil, that he wasn't sucking the soul out of Aragorn and keeping himself alive. They were set in their ways and nothing he said was going to change that, so he didn't waste his waning strength in the attempt.

His many beatings had left him drained, both emotional and physically. The constant pain he was in didn't help matters, but he endure it for he knew that it would only be so long until either Aragorn rescued him, or he found his own way out.

"Why have you destroyed that young man? Is the gift of life really so worthless to you as that?" Damrod questioned, gripping the elf's chin forcefully so that Legolas couldn't move his head even if he wanted to. "Tell us how to break your cruse!"

Legolas rolled his eyes emphatically, impatience flittering across his face.

"I haven't cursed him. Is your memory really that faulty because I have told—" Damrod's swinging fist effectively stopped the rest of his insult and Legolas reeled, momentarily stunned by the partially harsh blow.

"You think this is funny, don't you!" the leering man snarled, his face a mere inch from the elf's. "Because I can assure you, it won't be that way for much longer."

"It never is…" Legolas muttered under his breath, trying to shield away from the man whose breathe smiled like whiskey. Damrod didn't appear to notice, going on with his speech.

"You see Gerda over there! You tell her what you did to Strider and how to fix him up!" the man yelled, yanking the elf up against his bonds by the collar of his dirty tunic.

"How can I tell you something I don't know?" Legolas spat back, true irritation starting to leak into his voice. Gerda suddenly started forward, anger glinting in her soft brown eyes

"You think you are so funny!" She hissed and for moment Legolas half excepted her to grow fangs to go along with the sound. "You have the answer because you where the one who enslaved Strider in the first place. You hold his soul in your hands! I —I have never seen something so barbaric and evil!" she fumed, her voice increasing in volume with each word until she was screaming. Blotchy red spots decorated her cheeks and with a moment of pure hate, brought her shaking hand back and slapped the elf hard enough to jerk his head back.

Damrod stared at her with amazement, but Gerda didn't notice. She stormed from the room, nearly knocking into a cloaked man who was standing outside the door. The man jumped clumsily aside and backed up against the wall, his piercing grey eyes following her every step until she disappeared around the corner.

After he was sure she was gone, the man, Aragorn, leaned casually back against the wall, appearing to passerby's as if he was meant to be there. Returning his attention back to the room, Aragorn strained his ears to hear what was being said.

Damrod was speaking, cursing the elf in such vile language that Aragorn blinked in surprise, half tempted to reach up an cover his ears. However, it appeared as if Damrod was done for after a few more blows, the sound of him cutting the ropes could be heart.

That was when Aragorn fled desperately not wanting to get caught eavesdropping. The last sound he caught was a grunt of pain from Legolas that had his stomach churning.

Halfway back to the inn, he had to duck into an alley way in fear that he would be sick. Legolas had been hurt back there and he had done nothing to stop it. In fact he had hide like a coward in the dark, to scared to act, to frightened of discovery to move, too weak to risk it for his friend that meant more to him than his own life.

Sinking down to sit against a wall he buried his face in his hands, pressing his palms against his eyelids in attempt to clear them of the liquid that was trying to spill over.

He needed to get back to the inn, he had wasted too much time here already if he did not wish to be discovered gone, but he did not move from where he sat silently drawing in ragged breathes to clam himself.

Everything would work out alright. He told himself firmly, getting back to his feet and fixing the stolen cloak back over his features so that he could sneak to the inn. He just haf to have hope and hard work, both of which were two things he was quite good at, if he did say so himself.

Reentering the street, he set of a brisk pace.

THEWORTHOFAFRIEND

Damrod's piercing voice called a halt to the clamor and Legolas looked up at the man he had grown to hate. His arms tied securely behind him as a group of what appeared to be half the men in town gathered around him, blood lust clear in their eyes.

"I told you not to mess with me, elf." He said triumphantly. "Now the whole town is present to witness your punishment —and to inflict it upon you if that is their wish."

Legolas said nothing, his chest heaving unevenly as he met the cold stare with one of his own; though this time he didn't have any smart remake to make. His attitude from a few days ago had faded to almost nothing as the beatings increased and he only had the energy for the defiant glare.

Damrod leered at him, leaning in until he was so close to the elf that Legolas could see the individual hairs on his beard as he put his mouth next to the elf's pointed ear.

"To be honest with you, elf, you can withhold that secret as long as you like…it just means that I get to play with you more. And we both knew how much fun that is. And who knows, if you hold on long enough, I may just have the lovely pleasure of killing you." He breathed, before letting out a barking laughing and pulling away, tugging harshly at the unique tips. All the men laughed loudly, their jeering voice echoing thunderously in the room until Legolas thought his sensitive eardrums might burst.

"For mankind everywhere, let us punish this elf the way he deserves!" Damrod shouted over the racket, and the men responded by emitting deafening choruses of agreement. Suddenly a man from the back called forward,

"Drink afterwards on me!" and raised the noise another notch as the rowdy men greeted this idea with more enthusiasm than they had with Damrod and the noise began to filter through the walls and into the street beyond, causing the women and children passing by to glace inquisitively at it.

Legolas, meanwhile, felt his stomach dropping ever lower, a feeling of dread eating up his insides as he watched the crowd jostle forward in an attempted to be near the bound prisoner. Damrod held up his hand, a knife reflecting the candlelight in one hand, and stopped their progress.

"You two, get up here!" he called, pointing the two men in turn. They jumped forward, eager to see what the leader needed. "Hold his arm." Damrod directed, cutting through the rough ropes that had been tied tight enough to cut off circulation in the elf's hands. The skin underneath was raw and bloody, the rope having rubbed off the skin.

The two man cheered excitedly, each grabbing on of Legolas' arms and pulling them tight so that Legolas was forced to stand in-between them or have them stretched dangerously taut. The amount of pressure placed on his arms made Legolas' face pale and grew tense, but no sound was uttered from his lips.

Damrod stepped forward and savagely ripped the tunic that Legolas was wearing off his chest , baring the skin for the abuse to come. The prince closed his eyes, and drew in a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come.

TBC...

Oh no, ohdear. It appears as if, once again, I am leaving you hanging with a Legolas about to be beaten...that is pretty usual though. :)

Review Replies:

Nameless: I get that! Sometimes I know that I feel like I have been slain by the angst and drama! Legolas and Aragorn especially feel like they are about to die form the angst! Thanks!

Something: That is so like me! Except for I probably wouldn't even be at the game! Thanks!