AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am sooooo sorry about the delay guys! I have been swamped at work recently. I was just released from training which means I went from 40 hour weeks to 56+ hours a week. It has been hectic. But I promise I will try and update this story more regularly if I can!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!

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Their cell was quiet after Ulunnor exited, all three of them lost in their own thoughts. Legolas spent his time wondering just what exactly this new villain of theirs had planned. He hated not knowing more about their captor but before tonight he did not even know such a creature existed. Dark elves were unheard of as far as he knew. If they ever did exist it was many, many centuries ago. He wondered briefly if his father knew these creatures existed. After so many years in Middle Earth he knew more than almost every elf out there.

Aragon spent his time taking in their entire cell and trying to find some way to escape from this place. He knew there would be torture coming and if they could be saved from the pain of it he would gladly choose to. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any plausible escape from this chamber. There were no windows and the door was heavy wood locked from the outside with a guard positioned on either side. The window was too small to try anything through, he doubted even Calwen would be able to snake a hand through the bars. Even if she could, there was nothing she could do. She wouldn't be able to reach either one of the guards from in here.

After what seemed like ages but could have only been a few hours, the door to their cell opened once more. Instead of the lithe dark elves though, towering stomping orcs walked in. Aragorn felt his blood run cold and when he turned to Legolas he could see the same apprehension and slight fear mirrored on his friend's face. Orcs were known for their torture skills and every time an orc put its hands on one of them they left with more than just physical scars.

Legolas tensed as the orcs turned their beady, hate filled eyes toward him. One of them approached him and grabbed at his manacled wrists. A key was inserted roughly and after a moment his wrists were freed. He glanced to Aragorn, briefly debating some form of attack but as if sensing his thoughts a sword was lowered and placed threateningly at his friend's throat, "Don't even think about it elf. The Master says you 'ave to be kept alive but 'e said yer friends 'ere are fair game."

Legolas' mind stopped formulating plans at his words. He would not risk his friends' lives with a stupid, ill-planned escape attempt. They could always plan an escape later, when they were certain they could all get away without anyone being killed. Waiting meant they could be injured but it wasn't anything new for him or Aragorn. He had faith they would find a way to either escape or survive until his father could arrive.

"Get up, elf! Yer comin' with us. Master wantsa talk to ya," the orc who unshackled his wrists was now grabbing them and yanking Legolas to his feet. He winced slightly as his shoulder gave a painful twinge from the earlier wound. Even with the limb back in its socket the joint was still tender.

He was shoved roughly forward and led out of the cell between two of the orcs. Two more followed close behind their group, swords clanking against their hips and their eyes focused on their prisoner. Orcs and elves had a long standing hatred and neither one trusted the other. Situations like Legolas' current one were not unheard of and more often than not the elf captured was later found dead. He only prayed Ulunnor would insist on keeping them all alive for some time. They could survive this if he thought their lives were important enough to his cause.

Legolas was led through one corridor after another until finally the space opened up into an antechamber as large as his father's throne room. Legolas could hear orcs moving through the entire structure and the moment he took in the massive building around him he knew where he was: Dol Goldur. He felt chills run down his spine. This was a place of great darkness and he could feel the evil all around him. Elves were not meant to inhabit such places. They were meant for sunshine and starlight and trees. Not rock and stone and madness. He could already feel his soul crying out inside him.

"My dear Prince. Welcome to the center of the future of our world. From here I will build my army and from here we will set out to make this miserable world ours. I will bring every race together as one under my banner and any who stand against me will be destroyed," Ulunnor's voice carries easily through the open chamber, overpowering the grunts and snarls of the orcs.

Legolas looks to the farthest end of the room where Ulunnor is standing atop a grand structure, arms spread wide. His black cloak appears to move, as if it is alive, and the shadows seem to crawl closer and closer to him. Again Legolas is struck by how wrong this creature standing before him is. He stands tall though, as he was raised to do, and does not let his fear or worry show, "You are wrong, this is the place you will perish."

Ulunnor smiles but there is no true emotion behind it, "Soon you will see this place as I do. As the beginning of a Kingdom, one that will unite or destroy all life until the world is perfected once again. Until then, you will have to be disciplined, made to see my way is the right way. The only way."

Legolas couldn't hold back his snort of derision, "That will never happen, uuvanimo (monster). I have already told you that. You are a foul creature of the darkness who is no different from the orcs filling this forsaken castle. You will perish, just as they will."

The smile dropped from Ulunnor's face and Legolas could tell he was working to hold in his anger, "Take him away. He needs to learn when to hold his tongue."

Legolas is grabbed roughly and lead back down the same corridors as before. The same dank, filthy corridors with the disgusting piles of waste in the corners and smeared over the walls. The smell is terrible, making his stomach curdle. He doesn't know how anyone can live in such a place and yet an entire army of orcs appear to have made this their home. Repulsive.

They stop and Legolas realizes they are back in front of the cell he was taken from. He doesn't like where this is heading. The door is pushed open and Legolas is forced inside. Aragorn is watching the movement of the orcs like a hawk, as if sensing something terrible is about to happen. Calwen looks equally concerned, her eyes focused on Legolas himself. He watches as she looks over every inch of him, no doubt searching for some form of injury. When she finds none she appears confused. Legolas gives her a small reassuring smile as he is brought into the center of the room.

"Listen up! Master wants us ta teach ya a little manners. Yer friend 'ere decided to mouth off at the Master. Master don't take kindly to such disrespect. 'Member this when ya feel like bein' rude to Master in the future," says the orc who seems to be the leader of this small band. He's the tallest and meanest of the bunch and so far, he's the only one who's really spoken. Legolas hates him the most.

"What are you planning to do now, foul creature?" Aragorn is angry. Legolas looks to his friend and sees his eyes have hardened into steel.

The orc chortles and shoves Legolas to his knees. Manacles are clapped over his wrists, tighter than the first set and digging into his flesh slightly, and then his arms are yanked above his head. The orc holding him lifts him high until his toes are just barely brushing the ground and the chains of the manacles are attached to a hook he didn't notice hanging from the ceiling before. Once the orc lets him go his whole body weight is suspended from his wrists and already he can feel the skin breaking under the cold metal.

Aragorn is directly in front of him and his friend's eyes are wide which makes Legolas wonder what's going on behind him. Another orc approaches Aragorn and unlocks his manacles. Aragorn is yanked to his feet and Legolas truly begins to worry now. Why would they unlock Aragorn as well?

"'Ere's 'ow this works. You," a meaty finger is levelled in Aragorn's direction, "Are gonna be the one to do the punishin'. If ya don't, we'll do it ten times 'arder than ya and we'll enjoy it much more."

The color drains from Aragorn's face as a whip is placed in his hand and he is led behind Legolas. This isn't the first time one of them has been forced to torture the other but it never gets any easier. Every time the pain is near unbearable for both parties and while they know there's no malice behind the blows it does not diminish the hurt.

"How many?" Aragorn's voice is soft and Legolas can hear the anger lacing it.

The orc snorts, "Until we feel satisfied."

Legolas sighs and closes his eyes, braced for the first blow. The snap of the whip behind him makes him flinch slightly. Another moment and that snap is on his back. It takes a second or two before the pain sets in but when it does its blinding and hot. He can feel blood coming from the wound, winding down his back in a warm line. Another lash. Then another.

Every time he flinches but he never cries out. He refuses to cry out. It would only make the orcs happy and hurt his friend deeply. So he bites his tongue, both literally and figuratively, as the lashes are rained down on his back. The blood is beginning to puddle on the floor already, more and more joining it with every strike to his flesh. Soon his tunic is nothing more than tattered fabric hanging from his body.

Calwen was thrashing in the corner and he could faintly hear her cursing at the orcs and demanding they cease their actions. Every time she protests the laughter of the orcs only grows louder. He turns his head to her finally, locking eyes with her, "Daro Calwen! Áva quetë!" (Stop Calwen! Be silent!)

She did not seem pleased with the order but she also did not say another word after that. The orcs were upset by this sudden change of course and that only made them thirsty for even more bloodshed. Legolas did not care though, so long as it was his blood and not either one of his friends'. He could handle the physical pain torture brought but watching as another was tortured was too much for him.

After some time his mind began to grow fuzzy and he knew if this continued for much longer he was going to pass out from the blood loss. That, or he was going to finally cry out from the pain. He didn't think there was much of his back left by now. It couldn't be more than tattered flesh just barely holding on to muscle and bones. Sweat was running down his chest and his breaths came in uneven little pants, ragged and painful. Every breath in stretched the torn flesh on his back just a little bit more and brought him even closer to the brink of either passing out or screaming until his voice was gone. At this point, he had no idea which urge would win out over the other.

"Stop!" the command made Legolas whimper softly in relief before he could stop himself.

He heard the whip drop to the floor and he could almost imagine Aragorn throwing it away like some poisonous snake. A moment later his friend was being dragged back to his spot in the cell and shoved forcefully to the ground. The manacles were clamped back over his wrists with some struggle. Aragorn's eyes were bright with anger and Legolas knew if there were any way to fight back all of these orcs would be dead already.

The same orc who did all the talking before was in his face now, grinning from mangled ear to mangled ear. His eyes were beady little things and seemed to hold only hatred in their depths. The flesh on his face was rotting and he had boils across the top of his head where stringy pieces of hair were trying vainly to poke through. He was the most disgusting creature Legolas ever laid eyes on and that was saying something. Legolas saw more orcs than he cared for in his lifetime already. This one would forever be ingrained in his memory though. Foul creature.

The orc, Legolas decided to call him Ulban (monster), reached out and grabbed Legolas' jaw and squeezed painfully, "Ya didn' scream for me, filth. I need ta hear ya scream or I won' be satisfied. Ya 'ear me?"

Legolas glared and spit in his face, "You won't get anything from me, urch scum."

The orc smirked and released Legolas' chin with a rough jerk, his hand smacking Legolas' cheek before he disappeared behind him once again, "We'll see about that, filth."