Chapter 8

"We'll get out of here..." Legolas whispered, "we have to escape."

Tauriel looked at him and nodded. As her hands gripped the bars that kept them in, she almost shuddered at the coldness of it.

"How do we do it? These doors are sealed shut!" she whisper yelled. That got the prince wondering...how are they going to get out?

"How long have we've been here?" asked the prince.

"Six hours..." said Tauriel, "Do you think somebody might have noticed our absence?"

"I highly believe so." said the prince, "but..."

"But what?" asked Tauriel.

"What if they think it is nothing serious? What if they think we were just in a mission?" said Legolas, growing worried. "I...I don't know what to do anymore, I am sorry."

His head hung in shame as his hands grilled on the bars. His hold was so strong it caused his knuckles to turn pale. Tauriel sighed and placed a hand on his knee.

"I know you Legolas..." she said, "you never give up."

"This situation is different Tauriel!" he said, "I really do not see a way out of this!"

"But you can't give up now!" countered Tauriel, "you have fought for Mirkwood before and I have seen you fight and succeed!"

"That is always why I fight!" he replied, his tone hardening, "I don't want to sound selfish but Mirkwood is the only reason why I fight! I'm the prince and I protect my people, but I just...I just want to fight for something else for once...something that I really want to protect not because my father said so, but because my heart says so."

Tauriel's eyes showed acknowledgement and she knew that the prince she thought was mean and cold hearted, actually was just like her: he had feelings, he can get hurt as well, he can be misunderstood... and he wanted the one thing everybody wants: the ability to prove oneself, not to others, but for himself.

"Legolas..." she sighed, her voice full of understanding. "I know that one day, you will find the reason to win...to fight. So when your heart speaks to you...follow it."

Legolas gave her a faint smile. "I will..."

He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her frailty against his chest.

"Thank you for being here for me..." he whispered and held her tighter. At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a thin but firm stick jutting out of the stony wall.

All of a sudden, a bolt of determination hit him, and he hurriedly stood up. "I know how we can get out of here." he said.

Tauriel smiled. "That's the prince I know."

"First," said Legolas, "I need you to trust me."

Outside, the orcs guarded every entry way, every exit. Those two elves must never escape. As they stood there with weapons in their hands, they all failed to notice that Legolas and Tauriel have already gotten out of their prison cells and were now making their escape route.

"What now?" asked Tauriel, she still couldn't believe that it took them six hours to come up with the old jig n' jam method. All Legolas had to do was jam the stick into the lock and jig it around until it set off.

"You see that?" he said, pointing to a hollow in the wall, it was a sleek and narrow crack. "That is our ticket outside..." With that, he slipped something into the back of her bodice, and they set off.

They were almost there-their stealth and light footedness made it possible for them. The two were about to go in and disappear forever when a deep voice came behind them.

"Where do you think you're going?"