"But he did not do anything, Mirial!"

      The harsh crack of a whip and the distinct sound of flesh being ripped from muscle assaulted Vani's ears as she stood within one of the dungeon's many halls. She was bargaining for the Elf's release from a punishment he did not deserve.

      Mirial looked away, uninterested, as she listened to the harsh sounds about her.

      "Please! Have some mercy on him. He has not disobeyed you."

      The sound of a hardly stifled cry broke through the closed door, tearing at Vani's heart.

      'Oh, Legolas...' she thought.
      Suddenly, Vani's younger sister spun quickly, locking eyes with her older sibling. "He wanted my mercy shown to that human friend of his, and to you, dear sister. He will suffer the full force of my anger from now on. Be gone! And speak no more on his behalf, least I find my mercy upon you waning."
      Vani's eyes hardened, "How dare you threaten me... I am your elder."
      "You may be older than me in years, but father entrusted this city to me. When he left, he entrusted it to me!" Mirial cried, glaring at her sister. "If you had not been so quick to trust the Elves, none of this would have ever happened!"
      "But it is not his fault!" the sister replied, pointing to the cell in which Legolas was being held. "Father was killed, Mirial. But it was not the fault of the Elves."
      "Elves killed him!"
      "We do not know that."
      Anger boiled in the younger woman's veins. "You may not... but I do."

      Mirial knocked on the door and a guard quickly opened it for the girl. She stepped inside, dragging Vani in with her. The dark haired woman gasped as she took in the blood which covered the cell's walls. Legolas lay upon the cold stone floor, striped to the waist, and bleeding profusely. He drew in a quick breath, finally getting a chance to rest as the beating stopped. Vani could feel the rage radiating off the Elf as Legolas locked eyes with the younger sister.

      "Le lumbri Yrch..." he whispered, malice evident in his voice. ~[You foul Orc...]~
      Mirial glared at him, "Speak common servant," she ordered, "or is that another lesson I must beat into you?"
      "You have done none of the beating, child." he spat, watching her with an anger filled gaze. "That is what you are... a child and nothing more. I am older than you could possibly begin to imagine. The things I have seen pass through the years would rival that of over a dozen lives of men." He took a deep breath for his thirsting lungs, regaining his composure before he continued. "Do not speak to me of lessons learned."

      Vani watched in stunned silence as her sister suddenly slapped the Elf. No one had ever spoken against Mirial... no one. Such pride and defiance existed in this First Born that his will towered far above that of her sister's.

      "Do you wish me to kill you?" Mirial asked, her voice icy.

      Legolas said nothing, he simply glared at her. Vani stepped forward then, inserting herself between her sister and the Elf.

      "Mirial, calm yourself. He has not done..."
      "He has defied me!" the younger sibling shouted. "I believe I shall make an example of him for all to see. Not just Elves shall suffer my wrath, oh no, he shall show all who would dare to cross me an example of my power."

      Mirial spun, leaving the room until her sister's voice halted her.

      "What will you do?" Vani asked, still standing between the other woman and the Elf.
      Mirial smiled slightly, "He shall be hung at the end of the week. His body will remain on display for all to see and take heed." her eyes locked with the Elf's. "You have three days... Enjoy it."

      With that, the younger sister left the room. The guards followed, taking up their positions at the end of the hall. Vani immediately knelt before the prince, unbinding his hands and helping him to sit. With a wince, Legolas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For a long time he said nothing. The Elf reasoned that he would probably be confined to the dungeon, unable to see to Estel, to see if his friend was even safe.

      "Valar, berio nin..." he whispered before opening his eyes. ~*[Valar, protect me...]*~
      Vani lighty touched the prince's cheek. "Do not lost hope, Legolas." she smiled sadly. "This reminds me much of when you were first brought here."

      "Hide! Now!" Legolas hissed, shoving Aragorn back and to the side, behind a large boulder a little ways down the hill.
      "Legolas, I..."
      The Elf turned, his face deadly serious. "Stay there, Estel. Lord Elrond entrusted me with the task of protecting you, and I shall not fail in that task."
      "But I can help!"
      "No! Stay hidden until we know what we deal with. If all goes well, then that is good. If it bodes ill, you can escape." Legolas replied, turning back to the sound of approaching humans.
      Aragorn shook his head, "I will not leave you."

      The Elf smiled slightly as he hoped that would not be the case.

      Within moments a group of about thirty humans emerged from around the bend. All of them brought their bows and swords to bear.

      "What business do you have here, Elf?" one of them asked.

      Legolas guessed this man must be their leader. They were outfitted with uniforms much like a royal guard would wear, yet the prince knew of no such civilization within these mountains that had such a thing.

      "I am merely passing through. I was chasing a herd of deer when they bounded into these hills. I knew not that this place was inhabited. Forgive me." he replied politely, placing his right hand over the left of his chest then slowly sweeping it out in the human's direction and then down to his side.

      It was a proper Elvish bow, reserved for the highest of Lords and Ladies, but the humans did not seem to know this.

      "Then that deer now belong to us." the man replied, taking a step forward. "Put down your weapons."
      Legolas eyed him for a moment, "Then I shall be leaving. I have no intention of fighting you, nor of trying to kill that which you claim as your own." He turned, about to head back down the mountain in the direction he had pushed Aragorn.
      The men however, had other ideas. "Halt there or we shall shoot!" the leader called out. "Put your weapons on the ground... Now."
      Turning, Legolas's eyes narrowed. "I am leaving. Be at peace with that and allow me to depart."
      "We cannot do that, Elf." the man replied, "Put your weapons down or we will take them from you by force."
      "Why?" the simple question was all Legolas could come up with.

      This was strange behavior indeed for humans. They could be untrusting, yes, Legolas had seen that himself, but to detain a traveler even after that stranger has bid them farewell was most unusual.

      The man laughed, "You will be coming with us, Elf. 'Tis a crime for any Elf to trespass through this land. Our Lady forbids the First Born entrance into these hills. We would have thought the disappearance of that Rivendell lot would have told you that much."
      "I will not." Legolas stated stubbornly, though he did not reach for his bow nor his knives. "You have no right to capture travelers, human."

      Suddenly, from behind, Legolas heard a rustle before Aragorn was pushed out from behind the rock, causing him to fall onto his back. Another human walked out from behind the boulder, his own blade pointing at the young man's chest.

      "Look what I found!" the man called up to their leader. "Looks like this Elf was not traveling alone as we thought."

      Legolas found himself cursing in Dwarvish for a few moments. They had found Aragorn. Now he had no choice but to submit to their wishes. If he did not, Aragorn would be forced to fight behind him, which could bring over twenty arrows to bear in their direction. The odds were against them, and luckily, Legolas knew when not to pick a fight. He held his temper in check before tossing his quiver, bow, and twin knives to the ground.

      "Release my companion. He is no Elf."
      The man behind Legolas laughed, "Aye, that is easy to see. A human, an incredibly young human, perhaps a Dunadain, traveling with an Elf. Looks like Mirial will be having guests tonight."
      "Indeed..." the leader replied. "Bind their hands and gather their weapons. We shall return home with our catch."

      Legolas and Aragorn had been separated once they reached what looked to be an immense dungeon. The Elf had lost sight of his charge and his close friend. Now, locked within an anonymous cell, his hands bound behind him, the prince could do little but remain alert for any sounds at all. He heard nothing and, after over an hour of listening, he relaxed. Perhaps nothing terrible would befall them, at least not this night.

      How wrong he would turn out to be.

      Soon, the door to his cell opened and in stepped a figure. Legolas stood, using his shoulder to help him balance as he regained his footing. The form in the doorway was not very tall and, by the outline, he could tell that his figure was actually a young woman.

      "An Elf... Well, is this not just my lucky day?" she spoke, walking into the cell even further. "You, tell me your name, Elf."

      Legolas searched his mind. Should he tell her his true name? If she knew anything of Elves, it would be easy to learn that he was the King of Mirkwood's only son and heir.

      "Finnelmathen." Legolas spoke, watching this woman closely. ~[Hair of Gold.]~
      She crossed her arms over her chest, "Interesting name. Now, tell me why you were caught trespassing within our land."
      The prince nodded toward the guard at the door, "Men dressed as he, captured my friend and I. We did nothing wrong and did not harm anything. We were simply following a herd of deer. I told those men the same thing, yet they seemed bent on imprisoning us anyway."
      "As they should." the woman replied. "I have given all my men strict orders to capture any Elves found in these hills."
      "But why?" Legolas asked, slightly perplexed.

      He had never heard of such a thing.

      The woman smiled, "Simple. I hate Elves. Guard! Take this one down to the next chamber."

      As Legolas looked at the woman in confusion, the said guard and a companion of his, grabbed Legolas by his elbows.

      "You have two choices, Elf. You can either serve me in my house as a personal servant or you can be taken downstairs and tortured until you agree to serve me. Either way, it is your own choice. I must warn you however, that if you do not agree before nightfall, I may have to take your punishment out upon another."

      Legolas knew immediately that she meant Aragorn. He had not seen his friend all day, at least not since their capture. The prince longed to know how he faired.

      "Why do you hate Elves?" Legolas asked before being shoved out of the cell door.
      The young woman shook her head, "You will not get that information today, Elf. I am Mirial, learn that name well, for it is the name of your master."

      With that, Legolas was dragged out of the room.