It was hours later before Thranduil woke again. He felt much better physically, but emotionally, he was torn. Aragorn approched the Elvenking as he noticed he was awake.
“Lord Thranduil? What befell your homeland?”
The Elvenking looked up at the man and shook his head slowly, but soon put his head in his hands and swallowed.
“Men of Harad. They were looking for something that they could not find.”
Aragorn sat in a chair beside Thranduil and looked at him carefully. He could sence the anger and sadness in the elf’s voice and could only pray it did not mean what he thought it ment.
“Where is Legolas?”
Thranduil did not move. His head remained in his hands and he spoke softly.
“Most likely, he is dead. The Men of Harad took him for questioning.”
Aragorn sat back in the chair, his eyes wide with shock. His mouth opened, but no words came. Legolas was gone? This had to have been days ago. Was he still alive? Thranduil looked up at Aragorn and broke the silence.
“The Haradrim are searching for your son, Aragorn. They want to know a way into the city without getting caught. They know how close you are to Legolas and they know he knows how to get into the city. They are going to try to beat it out of him.”
Aragorn looked at Thranduil and his jaw dropped. They were after Eldarion? But why? Aragorn stood suddenly.
“We must get back to Minas Tirith with haste. There may be chance to save Legolas yet.”

——————————————————-

Legolas’s fists were clinched into tight fists as the whip cracked across his bare back once again. Yet he still refused to utter a word. He was lifted by his neck and shoved into the wall. The man’s grip was strong enough that he couldn’t breath. He began trying to struggle for air.
“The whip doesn’t seem to be helping much, does it?”
The man asked another whom stood nearby.
“Nope. But we have more. Sharper whips, perhaps, or something more?”
The man that was holding Legolas finally let the elf go. Legolas was unable to hold himself up as he dropped hard to the stoney floor. The man that had held him up grinned evilly.
“Something more. And I know just what that is.”
He lifted Legolas by his arm and cruelly held it behind his back.
“Let’s let him play with the orcs for a bit shall we?”

——————————————————-

Aragorn helped Thranduil onto a horse before mounting his own. They had to hurry and get to Minas Tirith. The guard rode surrounding the two Kings as they took off at a swift gallop. They were racing time, but time may have all ready run out.

——————————————————–

Legolas lay in a broken heap on the ground. It was finally over. He licked his bleeding lip as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Why did he even bother? He could just give up here and all this would end. But that would be the easy way out. He tried to sit up, but the pain was simply unbareable. He could feel his own blood pooling around him and he could feel his muscles tighting up from the harsh treatment. With a hard swallow, he closed his eyes, just becoming lost in dreams when the man entered his cell again.
“Did you have fun today, Elf? The orcs sure did. Pity you didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as they did. But that is all right. You will like our next game much better. But of course, if you don’t want to play, all you have to do is tell me what I want to know.”
The man drew his dagger and held it to Legolas’s neck. He wanted to pull away, but did not bare the strength to. He shivered due to the cold steel.
“I just want to know what you know. You are making it so much more difficult than it has to be. All you have to do is tell me how to get into Minas Tirith without being seen.”
Legolas looked hard into the man’s eyes and glared.
“I told you before, and I tell you now. I will not tell you how to get into Minas Tirith. I will not allow you to get Eldarion.”
The man hissed with anger and pulled his dagger away from Legolas’s throat but buried it deep into the elf’s stomach. Legolas cried out in suprise and pain and the pool that had already formed around him grew a deeper, thicker red.
“So be it. Our next ‘game’ starts at dawn. And you get to play it right in front of your little friend, the King.”
Legolas wanted to reply, but instead he clutched his bleeding side. The man gave Legolas a kick before walking out the door and locking the cell. Oh, Eru… What is it going to be?