A/N whew! It has been a long day, thank goodness I can finally sit down and post! Thanks a billion to everyone out there for making posting relaxing rather than stressfull!

Chapter Seven

Aragorn's stomach twisted nauseously as he played with his spoon, pulling it through the thick porridge before twisting it in his fingers. Something was terrible, horrible wrong, his gut was telling him so.

"Eat your breakfast, Strider." Gerda motioned from across the room, where she still sat, now knitting. Aragon shrugged, moving his food to the other side of the bowl as he stared listlessly down at it. Dark shadows lined his eyes, indicating that he had not slept well as of late.

"Eat up!" the old women ordered again, putting down her needles and watching the man intently. "If you don't eat, you won't get better." She reasoned.

Aragorn gave her a weak smile, his thought drifting to Legolas as they often did these days. That wrong feeling had to do with the young elf, he was sure of it.

Sighing Gerda got to her feet and sat next to Aragorn, who was sitting on the bed fully dressed while he ate. Reaching out she pated his hand gently, kindness reflecting in her dark orbs

"I think I know what this is about." She whispered, a new emotion flittering across her face to fast for Aragorn to catch. "And don't you worry about it. Everything will turn out fine, in fact today I think will be the beginning of a new life for you." Gerda was careful to avoid any exact mention of the elf, still believing that the less Aragorn knew or was reminded of, the better. "Damrod swore that this would be the time."

Aragorn lost all his color, his hand clenching unyielding around the spoon he was still holding as he heard Gerda's words, misinterpreting their meaning in fear as a mental image of Legolas lying the a pool of blood jumped to the front of his mind. They were going to kill Legolas, to 'free' him!

Jumping up, Aragorn sent his bowl of porridge flying in all directions. Gerda let out a surprised squawk as she flung her hands up to protect herself from flying flakes and ducked instinctively.

The human didn't care in the slightest. Racing forward towards the door, he yanked it open and took off at a run, his feet only just touching the ground as he seemed to fly down the stairs. If his best friend was going to die, then Aragorn planned to be right there, either dying side by side or stopping it all together.

Gera screamed his name, attempting to keep pace with the fast footed ranger, who was managing to set a good pace despite his still weak body, but it was too no avail. Aragorn had soon out stripped her and was flying past the houses, heading straight towards the building Legolas had been in before when Aragorn had sneaked out.

Within minutes, Aragorn was within earshot of the building and knew that he had found the right spot as he could easily hear the din that was rumbling froth from it.

Bursting through the rough, knotted, door Aragorn paused, breathing heavily, before taking off towards the left door where all the racket was coming from, a plan forming in his mind.

A soft, achingly familiar crying of pain reverberated in the man's ears and Aragorn no longer cared about anything but getting to the elven prince's side and stopping whatever was causing him anguish.

"STOP!" Aragorn shouted, forcing his way in through the closed door and causing it to ricochet against the far wall. To everyone's surprise, the heavy-set man beating Legolas did stop, before turning with a nasty sneer to face the ranger. When he did, he revealed the bloody Legolas who was hanging limply in the arms of the man holding him straight. His face was swollen with abuse, his midriff heaved for breathe around stunned lungs; his hair was stained red with blood.

Aragorn growled lethally, leaping forward to attack the man and throttle him for what he had done. Legolas had not yet opened his eyes, not made any sign that he knew the man and it was scaring the human.

"You. Do. Not. Touch. Him. Again.!" He snarled, but before he could get farther than a few feet to carry out the punishment the man deserved, his arms where grabbed roughly and pinned behind his back by two menacing men.

"Why Strider, what is the matter?" An all too familiar voice called before Damrod appeared at the distraught human's side. He studied Aragorn keenly, walking around him with his hands clasped behind his back. "Why would you want to defend this monster?"

"He is NO monster." Aragorn hissed with such ferocity that the men in the room shifted uncomfortably. Damrod, however, seemed unfazed and scoffed.

"You have no idea what you are talking about." He stated confidently, placing a calloused hand on the other's shoulder. "See, you have been cursed and don't know what you are saying." Aragorn struggled violently against the men holding him, a fire brewing his grey eyes.

"He is my friend." He said jutting his chin out defensively as he met Damrod's eyes.

"Take him away. Back to his rooms." Damrod dismissed without emotion, turning his back on the future king of man and waking towards Legolas.

The men holding Aragorn began to drag him backwards, ignoring his frantic attempting to escape as he wiggled and thrashed in their grip. He snarled, letting out vile curses in both common tongue and Sindarin.

The heavy man who had been beating Legolas cracked his knuckles ominously before swinging his fist in a giant swing. The sound of flesh hitting flesh made Aragorn fear that he was going to be ill, but his protested where drowned out by the sound of cheering.

Suddenly one of the men holding Legolas's sweat slick arms lost his grip when the elf slipped lower and sent the elf plummeting to one side. The side of his head cracked painfully loud the steel toe on the man's boot and the man kicked him off with disgust. The other man laughed cruelly and let go of the prince's other arm, sending his dead weight to the floor with a thud.

Blood began to trickle onto the dusty ground for the gash at the elf's temple.

Aragorn let out a roar of rage and pure hate. Reenergized with fury, the ranger yanked his arms free with what seemed to be superhuman strength and punched one of the men squarely in the face, shattering his nose.

Within seconds, the human had become a raging whirlwind of destruction. No man that got in his way lasted long in Aragorn's desperate attempted to get to Legolas's side.

Meanwhile, only a few feet away, Legolas lay with his head in a small pool of blood. His vision was spinning around and around from the blow, making him dizzy and jumbling his thoughts.

He knew he should get up, should make a dash for freedom, but he just didn't have enough energy…all his strength was being used to fight against the ever growing blackness that threatened to take him.

Distantly, as if from under water, he could hear voices, yelling and shouting. A familiar tone drifted in through the haze of pain that Legolas had sunk into, but he didn't believe that it was possible. Aragorn was sick, much too sick to be shouting like that…The voice continued to crash over him in tantalizing waves, growing more and more desperate as Legolas' head swirled, his hearing now cutting in and out.

Just then, there was a whoosh of air above him and Legolas tensed, expecting a fist to slam into his body. The blow never came. Instead a warm body was thrown across his own, shielding his top half as ragged, rushed, breathing brushed his face and the achingly familiar voice echoed in his ears.

"Lay a hand on him again and you'll have to go through me first!"

"Estel…?" Legolas whispered lowly in shock, prying his heavy eyelids open.

Aragorn had spread upper body over his own, their brows touching, and the sea of men had crowded in around them, looking at the pair with varying emotions. They did not, however, make a move towards them, waiting for Damrod's leadership in what to do.

"Lay still, do not move." Aragorn whispered softly, lightly touching Legolas' bloody and bruised face. Glancing up, the dark haired ranger gave the other mend a deep glare, a low growl emanating from his throat as Damrod toke a step towards the pair.

"Peace, Strider, I will not hurt you. I am your friend." Damrod whispered in a gentle tone, though there was an underlying hardness to it.

"You are no friend of mine!" Aragorn sneered, arms tightening around Legolas' body. The prince seemed to be struggling to remain awake; his face chalk white against the crimson, and the man didn't want him to think he was alone in all this hate.

"Oh, but I am. You see, I am trying to save your soul. But you can't understand that can you?" Damrod tried, softening his tone even more, mocking speaking to a young child that could not understand him. "The elf has taken control of your mind. There is no way to see reason."

Aragorn pulled back, disgust written across every inch of his face. Abruptly he stood, hauling Legolas up as well and supporting him when the elf threatened to slide limply back down, despite the groan of protest that came because of his tight grip.

"Just hang on." Aragorn whispered into the elf's ear backing swiftly away and glancing wildly around for the door through which he could escape. The men around him leapt into action, quickly encircling them and blocking any hope of escape.

Damrod stepped into the circle, leering evilly and dropping all pretenses of kindness.

"There is nowhere to run and hide now, elf. You are trapped." He sneered. Aragorn panicked, fearing the words to be true and made a dash for the chance to escape.

Instantly the men surrounding them reaching out and grabbed for him, though to Aragorn dismayed the prince was the main object of their focus, tugging at any part of the injured prince that they could and prying him free of the man's protective embrace.

The ranger howled in anger, fighting the men off as best as he could while still keeping both arms firmly wrapped around Legolas's mid-section as he dragged him back. The prince began to slip out of his arms, the men around him jerking him for his grasp and Aragorn shook the half-consciousness elf harshly.

"Legolas, you must help me!" he cried frantically knowing that he would never be able to free them on his own. The elf raised his head sluggishly and took in the situation with glazed blue eyes, and then they rolled back in as he passed out, finally giving in to his body's desire.

Aragorn let out a grunt at the extra weight and his grip slackened just enough for the men to wrench Legolas free. He was pushed back roughly as the men rushed in and he hit the floor and remained kneeling there, staring with despair at the place the prince had been.

"Legolas!" he yelled, no longer able to see his friend as the men piled atop, and he slammed the floor angrily with the flat of his hand, the other curling up into a tight fist. He had been so close…so close to the door that stood only inches away.

"Take him to the cellar." Damrod ordered, his voice dark with irritation. Aragorn looked up, scrambling to his feet, only to have his arms seized once more as he was pulled to the side and forced to watch as Legolas' limp body was dragged from the room, leaving a trail of blood behind.

When he looked back into the room, Damrod was standing before him, anger simmering in his gaze.

"Tell the elf that controls you that if he tries to do so again…he will be the one suffering for it. And when I say suffering, I mean that he will wish for death before I am done."

Aragorn didn't say anything back, staring at the man with unrestrained hatred. He was going to be the person to pay, not Legolas. He was the one who was going to suffer…but the man held his tongue, fearing to say it unless Damrod made true on his threat.

Damrod laughed at the look, and Aragorn felt a shiver go up his spine.

"Men, take our friend here back to his room. Someone stand guard so this does not happen again." Damrod ordered easily, frowning as Aragorn's mask slipped into place, not allowing him to see the distress there at the last sentence.

TBC...

They finally got see each other! I don't know what else they could want form me? Its not like I could stop torturing them or anything... ; )

Review Repy:

Guest: Aragorn beat them up! Yay! :)Thanks!

Nameless: yes, Iam finally getting around to posting. Life! Well, hopefully this chapter won't make you cry...:) Thanks!