Elves have rather good eyesight in the dark, but this pitch black madness which the prince now waded through was nearly unbearable. Legolas had walked for long hours, but to no avail. Every path lead to a crossroads and no matter what he tried, he always ended up at a dead end. He was tired, thirsty, and the pain in his leg had begun to throb with each step.

      Carefully, the Elf set himself down against a dark corner of stone and covered his body with the Lothlorien cloak.
      "Gimli would be very at home here." Legolas thought out loud, setting his daggers against the ground. He leaned his head back, "If only I could find some sign that these tunnels indeed ended, maybe then I would have some hope."

      His rest was interrupted however, when the soft clink clink clink of a staff could be heard once more. It brought the Elf out of his peaceful thinking and into a near panic. His first instinct was to run, but to where he knew not. The sounds within the tunnels were so distraught that he could not tell if it came from the left or the right. The need to escape drove him. Legolas grabbed his daggers, re-sheathing them at his back, and began to run in the direction he had not yet explored. If there was an opening and the only way to find it involved running into the fallen Istar, then so be it.

      "Lord Thranduil, you must see that this is the only way to find Legolas." Aragorn said, pleading with the Elven King.
      Gimli stood beside him, his mere presence an annoyance to the Elf before them.
      "You want me to send what few Elves I have left in a suicide attempt upon a mountain stronghold. Are you daft?!" Thranduil roared, "It will not save my son. The Elves will die in the rescue attempt and then he will have no hope!"
      "So then you've given up all hope on Legolas?!" Gimli growled, trying his hardest to remember his place in this situation.
      Thranduil merely glared at him.
      The King of Gondor's eyes hardened, "Then I ask for twenty of your best warriors and Legede. A small distraction is all we need to get in and out of the stronghold safely. We will return in three days time, Legolas with us."
      Thranduil looked to the Elf who stood on Aragorn's other side, "Do you agree with this rash plan, Legede?"
      "Yes, my lord. It is, in my opinion, our only option." the Elven Captain replied with a slight bow.
      The King sat back on his throne, "So be it. But Aragorn son of Arathorn, if you do not return with my son..." he left it at that.
      Aragorn bowed, as did both Gimli and Legede.

      Moments later they left the King's throne room and met out in the hall.
      Gimli breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Aragorn, "Well, your plan has been set in motion. What will you do now?"
      The King of Gondor smiled as well, "We will gather the warriors. Legede, can I leave this charge with you?"
      "Of course." The Elf smiled, "It will be my honor."
      As he left, Aragorn turned to Gimli, "Grab your weapons, Master Dwarf. We go to cleave Orcs' necks!"

      "Foolish Elf! There is no escape from this mountain fortress." Saruman said with a smile.

      Only moments ago, Legolas had been caught in a deep tunnel of the mountain. The wizard knew however, that the prince had come very close indeed to escape and that, given another hour perhaps, he would have found his way to the sun's light. Elves were naturally drawn to it and that proved true in this instance.
      Legolas struggled to pull himself from the wall, but to no avail, the wizard's spell had bound him there tight.

      He glared at the fallen Istar before him, "How is it that you escaped the wrath of Sauron and then fled from Orthanc and the Watch Wood?!"
      "My magic, that is quite obvious." Saruman replied with a smile, delighting in the Elf's confusion.
      Legolas' eyes hardened, if that were even possible at this point, "I saw Mithrandir break your staff after the battle of the Hornburg. It is impossible to repair, even with your spells and trickery!"
      The wizard let out a laugh, "I thought it was you from the first moment you were brought here. So you were in fact one of those rag-tag which followed the Grey wizard, standing atop the steps of Orthanc on that fateful day, how jovial. I knew you were one who had close dealings with Gandalf and Aragorn, but I thought you merely as one who helped in battle. Now however, I know that you were directly responsible for my defeat. A hero of Helm's Deep, were you not? Now look at you, unable to defend yourself against a single enemy." Saruman shook his head, "It is a shame to see what you have become. A shame indeed." His eyes gave off a far away look once more but he soon snapped back to attention and smiled, "A dark power, beyond any that even Sauron could perceive, restored my magic and has given me a second chance for proving my worthiness. I cast a spell upon the Watch Wood and they fell into a deep slumber. It will all start here, in this realm of the wood, and spread throughout all of Middle-Earth. This land will be covered with my white hand!"
      "We will not allow it!" Legolas shot back, "Mirkwood will not fall to your devilry, Saruman. By my life I..."
      "But your life now belongs to me." The wizard smirked, "You cannot swear upon something that is not your own to give."
      The Elven Prince was about to respond with a retort but found himself falling into the hands of four filthy Orcs.
      "It is a long way back to your new cell. I hope that you find your journey most," he stopped for a moment, looking at the leader of this small Orc band, "enjoyable."

      Legolas was still being held under the wizard's spell and the foul creatures about him took this opportunity to bind his hands behind his back. A cry of pain escaped his lips as his right arm was pulled tightly behind. He feared that the bone would dislocate itself once more, but it refrained from popping, to his relief.
      The four Orcs had now grown to six, two before him, one on each side, and two at his back. Each held their own dagger, save for the two on his sides. They held, within their hands, whips that they had bound tightly about the prince's forearms, not wanting their quarry to escape a second time. Escape, thought Legolas, that seemed impossible to him now. His life had been turned into nothing more than a mere bargaining chip for a trade that would never take place. He knew his father loved him, very much, but he could not risk the entire realm over his son. But there was still Aragorn and Gimli... With this new found thought, Legolas clung to hope as the Orcs dragged him down the dark corridors of the mountain.

      Saruman watched as they took the prisoner back to his cell and knew that the Elf may not make it there in one piece. Just as the wizard expected, an agonizing scream issued from down the tunnel. But the fallen Istar just smiled and, turning, he put his attention on other more pressing matters.