A/N I never stoped being thrilled to reach 100 reviews! Of course, I am happy with whatever you guys choose to give me...Hannon Le to all my amazing readers!

Disclaimer: not mine.

Chapter Nine

The moment Aragorn stepped into the hallway that preceded the cellar the next night, he knew that something was wrong and felt his stomach drop like a rock. There was no guard. Why would they stop guarding Legolas, unless the guard had wandered off on his own? Still, it didn't make sense and the abnormality of it freighted the human.

Rushing forward he pulled at the cellar door and was surprised when it sprang open without any resistance. This was not right…

Sliding in, Aragorn hastily light the torch he had stolen (along with all the other supplies they would been in need of) and held it up, his hand shaking lightly, before freezing in place, shock coursing through him. The trap door had been thrown wide open, it depth's dark and devoid of any life.

"No." Aragorn whispered, knowing that Damrod had taken the elf again for questioning or worse. Had his visit to the prince become discovered? Stepping quickly forward to examine more closely what had happened, he pulled back, feeling a little bit sick. Blood splattered the ground at his feet in great drops and as he raised the torch higher, he could see that it lead out the door. His own boot prints had been indented into the liquid when he had accidently stepped into it.

"No!" Aragorn said again, his volume rising as fear coursed through him. Bending down he touched his finger to the blood. It was fresh, likely only a half-an-hour to an hour old.

He had to find Legolas now for the elf was obviously hurt and in danger, but to what extent the ranger did not know. So far Damrod had stopped his cronies from killing the elf, obviously wanting to prolong the torture, but maybe he had grown tired of the sport, or maybe it wasn't even Damrod who had removed the elf. The possibilities where just too numberless, he had to find Legolas and fast.

Luckily for both him and Legolas, Damrod had not been too careful about hiding his tracks and Aragorn was able to follow the blood trail long enough to come upon the tracks of several men who had come to join the fun with the elf, apparently.

What made Aragorn's heart do flips of fear, though, was that the men had taken Legolas out of the house and where dragging him out into the woods that lay around the had never done that before, and the man couldn't help but worry about the change.

So with a waning moon overhead and a strong breeze that fluttered through the cool night air Aragorn plunged into the trees without a backward glance at the village, knowing that he would never set foot there again.

THEWORTHOFAFRIEND

Legolas lay in a heap, to dazed by pain to comprehend what was going on around him. The ground beneath his crumpled from was cold and unforgiving, not even allowing him to sink into comfortable oblivion and forget everything. To forgot his most recent beating. This time they had dragged him out of town, hoping that this would weaken his "hold" on Aragorn.

Loud voice rang in his ears, but he was unable to make out what they were saying…it hurt too much to think. A small, white rock lying in front of his line of sight caught his attention. It was a pretty pebble, Legolas decided, all glossy and such a pure white with tiny streaks of lighter grey running through it. The more the elf gazed at it, the more fascinated he become with it and everything else faded, the distorted grabble beginning to die away.

I'm here alone. Legolas though hazily willing it too be true. All alone, left here to die.

Suddenly, however, a hand was gripping his hair painfully hard and yanking his face up, forcing him to stare into a face filled with anger and hatred.

Apparently I'm not alone…

"Damrod left you with me." The man began, a vile smile curling his lips as took in the prince's battered appearance. His breath stank of whisky and Legolas subconsciously turned his head to the side. "You see, your human slave was not where he was suppose to be and Damrod thought that a healthy man was much more dangerous than a weak elf. So he left me to guard you." The human continued gleefully and Legolas felt a thrill of terror shut up his spine.

"I'm suppose to drag your pitifully body back after you had recovered some." The man paused to spit in Legolas' face, obviously enjoying how weak and helpless the elf was, before speaking again, "However, I think, and I know that other of the men agree with me, that we should just kill you and get it over with."

"Damrod…left…alive." Legolas slurred in panic, his dull eyes widening as he tried to communicate that Damrod wanted him still. He weakly struggled, gasping desperately through the pain as the man cuffed hard around the head.

"Damrod doesn't have to know!" he growled, shaking the elf hard and evoking a grimaced whimper. The wind around them began to howl, growing ever louder and fiercer and Legolas felt a shiver go through him as he gave the man a strange look, stopping to struggle for a moment with surprise.

How was Damrod not going to notice that he was dead?

As if reading his mind, the man sniggered appreciatively.

"Not so quick on your feet know are you?" the human drawled, enjoying this far too much. "I'll just hide the body, pretend that you escaped. I mean, I'd put up my best fight, but who could possible defeat a dangerous, evil, supernatural being all by themselves." He mocked, his grin now showing all of his yellowing teeth.

Legolas began to struggle once more, earning himself another sharp smack. Now that the man had hauled him upright, he could see that they were on the over hanging over the lake that he had noticed when he had first arrived. He didn't like that, not at all, for he would beat an arm and leg that if he didn't get out of this bind that the lake would end up his watery grave.

"You will regret doing this!" he gasped out, licking his dry lips as the salty taste of blood filled his mouth from a split lip.

"What is there to regret? I am doing this earth a favor!"

"The earth and I are one." Legolas tried, attempting to bluff himself out of this because his body was too tired to be of much help if he had to fight his way out.

"Right, you except me to belief that mumbo jumbo." The man laughed, shaking his head before hitting the elf hard in the stomach and knocking him roughly back to the ground where he lay, coughing and wheezing.

Another hard hit to his head and Legolas saw stars, momentarily blacking out. When the elf came back to himself, the man was trying his hands roughly in front of him.

"You have a long trip to go on, elf" he sneered, giving the rope one last tug before rolling the elf over with brutality towards the cliff edge. Legolas squirmed, now desperate to break free, but the human had done a good job of tying him up and the man snarled, having lost his good mood from before. He smacked Legolas' head hard into the rocky ground.

The next thing that the prince knew, he was falling through nothing, the air gripping him tightly and yanking at his limp body, tugging at his hair, whistling in his ears. And then he hit the water with a resounding smack.

The sharp slap of the ice-cold water sent absolutely agony coursing through every nerve, every inch, and every bruised muscle that resided in his body and the shock made Legolas inhale quite a bit of water. Spluttering, he attempted to spit it out, only to find that he could draw in no air.

Panicking with the last bit of strength that he had, Legolas struggling against his bonds as the water grew ever darker around him, the light fading to a mere memory as the rock that the human had tied around his feet while he was unconscious pulled him ever down. His limbs began to freeze up, the cold and lack of air sucking away their movements.

His struggling grew ever weaker, becoming little more than strange jerks. Strands of golden hair floated up eerily around him, as if in one final attempt to reach the surface. His eyes rolled back in his head as the last of his precious air escaped in a torrent of bubbles that floated slowly up.

THEWORTHOFAFRIEND

Aragorn breathed in a deep breath, pressing himself back against the large oak tree he was using for cover. Yelling could be heard along the path he had been following and the ranger cautioned a glance out from behind the trunk and caught sight of several men, all from the village. Damrod was in the lead, his dark features easy to pick out.

Fear jolted through his heart and Aragorn leaned farther out, trying to get a look at all present. Legolas did not appear to be among this group and Aragorn bit his lip, slinking back into the shadows. That could be either good or bad, he just didn't know.

It seemed to take forever for the group to pass, their pace horrifically slow to the human behind the tree and he briefly wondered whether these few minutes could determine life or death for the prince. The thought had him on edge and he poised on the balls of his heel, ready to dart out as soon as he could.

Finally, their heavy footsteps and loud voices faded and Aragorn hurried on, following the first set of tracks. They did not have Legolas, which meant that he was still out there somewhere.

Gradually the trees began to thin out, revealing down below a large, shimmering, and faintly rippling lake that reflected the stars. To his left several yards and several feet high was an the beginning of an overhanging and the man changed direction. He could have the best view of the land from up there and that was what he needed right now, along with stealth.

Ducking behind a tree, he dropped the single pack that carried all the belongings that he and Legolas had brought into this town, which wasn't much, and all the supplied he had stolen, as well as his tattered and worn coat. He didn't need any of it at the moment and it might prove to be a hindrance if he had to fight. He would collect it on the way back down.

Quickly scaling the hill, Aragorn suddenly dropped low to the rocky ground, freezing as a loud splash broke the stillness. Either someone was throwing things or large objects where just falling off the cliff and Aragorn knew which one he would place his money on.

Cresting the top low like a cat hunting his prey Aragorn crept forward, ducking behind a prickly bush as a man turned around and began to stride in his direction, a creepy smile adorning his face. Aragorn frowned. That man knew something…

Just before the man passed him, Aragorn made his move. Leaping out of the undergrowth, he bowled into the man with the force of a wild, enraged, animal.

The other human let out a high-pitched scream and threw himself back on the ground, trying to scuttle away as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him, Aragorn was already on top of him, flattening him to the ground with one quick move. The man screamed again, writhing beneath the ranger and begging for mercy.

Aragorn growled, jerking the man into a kneeling position and wrapping his arm tightly around the other man's wind pipe, allowing him only a portion of what he needed.

"Where is the elf?" Aragorn snarled, tightening his grip and shaking the man .

"Don't hurt me, please, don't." the man gurgled, gasping for breath. Aragorn swore in frustration, tightening his hold and cutting off all words.

"I'm not asking again. Do you know where the elf is?" the man sniveled, pawing at Aragorn's arm weakly. "TELL ME!"Aragorn roared his patience past the breaking point. The man nodded hurriedly and Aragorn released his hold enough for the man to be able to talk.

"The lake, the lake. He's in the lake." He mewed pitifully, his voice rough from lack of air. "Don't kill me, please!"

Aragorn wasn't listening, however. His face blanched and he gave a sharp intake of breath, his mind replying the splash he had heard over and over again as he tried to calculate just how long it had beej and if Legolas even had a chance.

Almost as if he was going in slow motion, he slammed the man's head down hard enough to send him sprawling into unconsciousness before charging towards the cliff edge. Within seconds, he was flying through the air and hitting the water with a mighty splash.

TBC...

Well, you all must know that I am back to normal because there is the cliffie! :)

Review Replies

Nameless: You have sold your soul for the Feels! Haha! No, I didn't see that last line no, of course not. :) Thanks!

AspiringDirector: Haha, those are all good suggestions! I don't think I could stand to see Boromir die again though, he is such an amazing character! :) I elected to take the way of further pain instead. Thanks!