This is another short story in response to a contest. (For that check out aragorn-legolas.5u.com). It is just like my first one In the End, as in there were guidelines to follow and a word limit (which I went way over!) So I apologize ahead of time if it seems crunched or rushed or if anyone seems a little out of character, because some things in here I wouldn't normally do in a story, but had to to fit the guidelines of the contest. Phew. That's a long sentence.

A chapter of Labyrinth is next up, and I'm going to try and touch on all of our heroes in that, meaning good twins, bad twins, Legolas, Aragorn, and Isorfinduil, the whole lot.

Please enjoy, and feel free to drop a review when you're done! :)

Upside Down

Author: Mirfaen

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters or places. Those belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. All others I do own.

**

Aragorn was mentally and physically stunned as he stood in the Master of Lake-town's hall. Not minutes ago he had been engaged in a grueling swordfight with the Captain of Lake-town, who he had seen conspiring with the enemy earlier that day. The man had denied everything. But before Aragorn had the chance to bring the Captain in to be tried, the man had stumbled on a root and cut his throat on Aragorn's sword, dying not moments later. The startled Ranger had gone into town immediately to reveal what he had seen of the Captain with the enemy but it had not gone in his favor. There were no witnesses of the battle and the Master was quick to take his Captain's side.

"How are we to know that you are not after high rank in Lake-town and have simply made up these claims to justify the murder of my Captain? Did you hope to use your claims to take his place?"

"No," Aragorn shook his head quickly. "I am not after rank in the town. He was conversing with the Enemy, I witnessed the meeting not hours ago."

The Master nodded from where he sat at the end of a long feasting table. "I believe that you saw him with the Enemy. In fact it was I who sent him there. He was sent as a negotiator, not a conspirator."

Aragorn was left speechless at these words and his stomach felt twisted with dread. He had just killed an innocent man...the thought staggered him. The village people present in the hut murmured and looked upon the Ranger condemningly.

"You came here a stranger and we welcomed you in. I trusted that man more than any other in this village and he now lies dead by your hand." The Master continued, rising from his great chair.

A guard suddenly entered the hut. "Thranduil's envoy has just arrived, and they wish to-"

The man was cut off as six brown clad Wood-elves strode through the door without awaiting an introduction. Aragorn's heart filled with relief at the sight, for at the lead of the small party was Legolas. His friend was wearing a long garment of browns and subtle greens with a thin band of leather around his head. Faithfully at his side was Isorfinduil, who, with the other Elves, stood inside the doorway with his Prince. The Master bowed immediately to Legolas, who returned the gesture graciously.

The Prince looked quickly at Aragorn then, surprise flashing deep in his eyes. "My friend, what brings you here?" He asked in Sindarin, gladness swelling in his expression upon seeing the man.

The Master came forward, glancing between Legolas and Aragorn irately. "You are familiar with this man, Prince?" He asked Legolas and the Elf's eyes darted to the Master.

"He is a good friend of mine and my father's as well." Legolas let the words hang, sensing that there was something amiss. He had come to inquire about a large amount of trading goods that had been due to arrive upriver long ago, and had expected naught but a routine diplomatic stay in Lake-town.

"I regret to inform you that your friend is not what he portrays himself as," the Master said, turning an angry glance in Aragorn's direction.

Legolas remained as he was, with his hands behind his back. The party of Elves looked dubiously at Aragorn, who simply stared back. At long length Legolas turned back to the Master. "On what grounds do you base this assertion?"

"We have reason to believe he seeks to obtain high rank within Lake-town and possibly take control."

At this, Legolas' dark eyebrows shot up and he glanced at his friend, flashing an amused smile. The Master stepped forward furiously. "You think this a joke?"

Legolas' expression immediately became flinty. "This man has no wish of ruling in any way, of that I am certain."

"Then why has he murdered my second in command and made false claims against him?" The Master returned bitterly.

Legolas glanced at Aragorn questioningly and the Ranger turned his eyes away after a moment. There was a long uncomfortable silence.

"He witnessed a negotiation between my Captain and an emissary of the Enemy," the Master continued, "and tried to use it as an excuse to kill the Captain, who he claimed was involved in some kind of treachery. I do not believe it for an instant. This Ranger has taken advantage of our hospitality and murdered a good man. He will be punished severely for this."

Aragorn shook his head. "I did not mean to kill him. I meant only to bring him before you to be judged."

Stony silence descended upon the entire gathering as the Master motioned for guards to be sent for. The Elves stood motionless at the doorway, those who knew Aragorn clearly not in agreement with what was happening. For a split-second, Legolas' eyes closed and his arms tensed strangely.

"You are wrongly accusing this man," He stated, the moment quickly past.

The Master shook his head. "He came to us himself and admitted that he fought with the Captain and killed him."

"It was not he."

All eyes turned to Legolas. Aragorn looked at his friend warily, seeing that his mind was working.

"I came myself for the very same purpose," he started and the other Elves stared at him, puzzled. "His story is truth save that I was with him and it was I who killed the Captain, not he."

Gasps sounded throughout the hut and the previously silent Elves erupted into a clamor.

"Legolas. You know that is not true." Aragorn said steadily, his eyes pleading. "You did not even know I was here."

The Prince shook his head. "You need not defend me anymore, Aragorn."

"You just arrived here!"

"How do we know you aren't simply defending him and hoping to evade the consequences because of your importance in the kingdom?" The Master said in a tone that suggested that such a thing wouldn't be tolerated.

The room quieted and stared at Legolas, who met the Master's eyes squarely as he pulled his hands from behind his back and held them out before him. The pale skin was smeared with glistening blood. The room once again burst into noise and Aragorn's jaw dropped. The Elves looked at their Prince like he had just suddenly materialized before their eyes. Isorfinduil spoke quickly to Legolas and tried to back him out the door but Legolas stood firm.

"You will find no blood on his hands, I presume, nor his sword." Legolas said, tipping his head in Aragorn's direction. "He must have been trying to take the blame for me. I killed your man, though it was not purposeful. I indeed believed him a traitor."

The Master's face reddened in fury. "All the long years of harmony between our realms so carefully built up and you kill the Captain without second thought. This will not be taken lightly because you are Thranduil's son. Indeed, the Ranger would've been better off than you for we have no history with him."

Guards entered then and there was a small scuffle as the Elves attempted to defend their Prince and convince him to give up his charade but he called for them to be still. Legolas stood quietly and allowed the woodsmen to take his weapons and tie his bloody hands behind him. He turned subtly and whispered into Isorfinduil's ear, who began shaking his head.

"Legolas, stop this!" Aragorn burst. His heart was wrenching within him. How had it come to this in a matter of minutes? He couldn't allow his friend to take the blame for him. He turned quickly to the Master. "He has just now arrived. He was not with me." His words were not heeded however, the blood on Legolas' hands speaking strongly against him.

The Master stared at the bound Prince with open ire. "Never would I have expected this from you." Then he shook his head. "An eye for an eye," he stated firmly and waved a hand. Legolas' blue eyes widened in surprise. The Elves and Aragorn protested and started forward, but Legolas was pushed out the door in a matter of seconds.

**

"I must leave to get help. Stay with him and try to delay the execution as long as possible." Isorfinduil said briskly to Aragorn, adjusting the weapons on his back.

"Nothing could make me leave him now," Aragorn returned darkly, glancing about the surrounding trees. "What are you planning to do?"

"Either get to Thranduil or get proof of this man's treachery. Don't lose hope, I think there may be something to your claim. The Enemy doesn't negotiate, that we both know. I'm hoping proof will come sooner, however. If Legolas is executed, the King will not stop before every person responsible is brought to justice."

Aragorn knew what Isorfinduil was speaking of and it shook him to the core. Not only was Legolas' life severely at risk, but they now played with the idea of open war between the Wood-elves and Woodsmen.

"Fight for him, Aragorn. Greenwood cannot lose their Prince." Isorfinduil continued with anxious eyes as two other Elves came up, preparing to leave with him. "And beware of the Woodsmen. Though the core of Lake-town means well, Legolas is now viewed as a murderer and betrayer and there are those who would mean him ill."

**

Legolas inspected the interior of the hut that he was taken to. It was poorly lit and smelled of dried blood. Shackles lined the wall and he was pushed up to one of these, the guards locking his wrists and ankles into manacles that were attached to a length of chain and then bolted into the wall.

There was only one other prisoner in the hut and he was so dirty and smelly that Legolas wouldn't have been surprised if he'd grown up there. The man stared dully at him as the guards mocked him and spit on the ground near his feet. Legolas took the abuse silently and crouched with his back against the wall as though waiting for a storm to pass from the shelter of a cave. The guards were put off, but they left him alone for the time being and settled on the ground near the door. One pulled a liquor flask from his coat pocket and raised it in honor of their dead Captain, shooting a dangerous glare in the Elf's direction.

Keeping one eye on the drinking guards, Legolas fell into his own thoughts on the bizarre happenings of the last hour. He thought of Aragorn and the utterly forlorn expression that he'd worn in the Master's hall. He realized he didn't even know what exactly had happened between Aragorn and the Captain that had got him locked in the prisoners' house as a murderer.

Stepping in for Aragorn was something that he was ever prepared to do and he didn't regret it, though he had to admit he hadn't expect such a dire result. He'd presumed that the punishment would be lightened because he was the Elvenking's son and that they would not risk the wrath of his father. He'd not thought they would sentence him to die without even considering that the Captain's death was accidental. One thing Legolas knew for sure, however, was that even had he known the consequences ahead of time he would have done the exact same thing if it meant saving Aragorn.

Had the Captain been a traitor to Lake-town? He didn't fully know. The man had always been appropriately respectful to him in the past and Legolas knew he'd been held in great regard in the town. However, Legolas also knew Aragorn and he trusted the Ranger's judge of character and observation skills.

He'd just come to the conclusion that he couldn't rightly make a conclusion at all without speaking to Aragorn when he detected muffled noises from outside. As the sounds grew closer he made out the voice of a man yelling in a rage, "Where is the bloody bastard?!"

Legolas groaned inwardly and quickly stood up as the door to the prisoners' hut flew open, nearly toppling the drinking guards. A wild-eyed man stood in the doorway, his face flushed and twisted in anger. He took one look around and was at Legolas' side in a flash. He bashed the Prince into the wall of the house with his body and laid into him with his fists. Surprised, the Elf twisted out of the man's grasp but could not escape because of his chains. He cringed as a blow hit his stomach and attempted to get a hold of the man's arms.

The man began screaming swears at him and the guards by the door rose unsteadily to their feet. They watched as Legolas snatched the wild man's hands in his own and then as the man heaved his body back and again slammed the slender Elf into the wall. The guards glanced at each other with glazed, eager eyes and then slowly came towards the struggling forms, one of them closing the door to the outside.

"He was my brother, you bloody freak!" The wild man shouted furiously, his breath smelling of liquor. "Did you think of that when you slit his throat?!" He yanked from Legolas' grip. His eyes burned with delirious grief and fury as he pulled a dagger from his belt.

**

Aragorn's heart was in turmoil. He'd spent half the night trying to convince the Master to see the folly of his decision and the falseness behind Legolas' claim. But the Master's mind would not be deterred. Aragorn had returned to his hut with the last two Elves and wracked his brain for ways to incriminate himself. But he found nothing; not even the Captain's blood remained on his sword, for he'd cleaned it at the first possible moment.

Through the long, trying years of their friendship, is this how it would end? The thought alone of Legolas' death tore at his mind and soul, not only of living life without the Elf's strong steady spirit, but also of the guilt that he would never be rid of. He should be the once sentenced to death, not Legolas...

He slammed his fist against the wall, bitter desperation eating at his heart. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe his friend was taking the fall for him like this...not when they all knew what it would cost. The Prince would die and Thranduil's Realm would be thrown into despair, hungering for justice to be served. His only hope now lied in convincing Legolas to go back on his claim - a losing battle, he already knew - or Isorfinduil.

A thought suddenly struck him. How had Legolas done it? The blood on his hands...

**

Aragorn quietly stepped over several guards that lay in a drunken slumber inside the prisoners' hut and saw Legolas' blonde head against the far wall.

"Legolas?"

The head lifted and Aragorn drew in a sharp breath.

"Who did that to you?"

Blood trickled down the Elf's forehead. A cut ran from one side of his hairline to the other just under the leather band and blood dripped downward, creating a cruel, upside-down crown. Aragorn reflected angrily that upside-down described the situation perfectly.

"The Captain's brother. It looks worse than it feels, Aragorn."

The Ranger stepped quickly to his friend's side. "Why are you doing this?"

Legolas' face was unreadable. "So you don't have to."

"I killed him, not you. You cannot take the punishment that was meant to be mine."

"Yes I can."

"You're a Prince, Legolas. Do you realize what kind of turmoil your kingdom will be in if you die?"

"I do. But it far outweighs the amount of turmoil Middle-earth would be in if you died."

In response, the Ranger leaned forward to the Elf's manacled arms. Since Legolas could do nothing to prevent it, he pulled back the Elf's sleeves and found a deep laceration on his forearm. Aragorn was silent as he looked at his friend. The Elf had used his own blood to smear his hands and condemn himself. Emotions stirred deep within him at the sacrifice the Elf was willing to go through for him.

"Legolas, you're immortal. Don't give your life up so easily."

Legolas shook his head. A line of blood trickled down the center of his forehead and ran next to his eye. "I am not doing this on a whim, Aragorn. Do not think it was simply an impulsive decision."

"That's not what I meant." Grief shone in the man's eyes. "Too many trials have we gone through together to have it end like this. You're like a brother to me, Legolas. If you die now, I will not live on."

"You will, Aragorn," Legolas returned, his own eyes like open windows showing the sadness in his heart. "We both know what you're meant to be. Whether you wish to accept it or not, I must do this with the hope that one day you will."

Aragorn shook his head wordlessly, his throat clenching. "There's still time to deny it. Please, do not do this."

"I must."

"I will not be able to live with myself."

"That you must do for me. Do not make my death be in vain."

**

The sun rose on the day of the execution and help had not arrived. Aragorn's mind was racing desperately for a solution and he decided that if Isorfinduil didn't arrive in time, he'd attempt a rescue with the two remaining Wood-elves, no matter how foolish it might prove to be.

He stood amidst a crowd that had gathered at a sunny clearing. In the center stood a single tree, to which Legolas had been tied with his arms behind his back. Guards stood nearby, each with a bow in hand.

Cheers broke out when the Master entered the clearing. He spoke of a murderer being brought to justice, but Aragorn's mind was in such distress that he hardly heard it. A drumroll began and the guards moved in front of Legolas, raising their bows and simultaneously notching arrows. The Ranger quietly pulled his own bow off his back.

Then he suddenly found himself staring into his friend's eyes, their gazes locked. Legolas seemed to be trying to tell him something, but too late did he realize it was only a distraction. The drumroll stopped and the twang of arrows being released split the air.

Aragorn cried out and jumped forward, but then something strange happened. The line of guards lurched to one side, their arrows going wide and the crowd opposite him dove to the ground. Isorfinduil shoved his way into the clearing then, still holding the bow that had sent an arrow into those of the guards.

Aragorn and Legolas both watched stunned as a weary Isorfinduil made his way up to the Master and shoved a handful of papers into his chest. The Master glared at the Wood-elf before leafing through the papers. His face immediately became stony and the pile fluttered to the ground.

"Letters...to the enemy..." He stammered, turning to stare at Legolas. "He betrayed me. He was - my god, you were right..."

Instantly, he was untying Legolas from the tree and apologizing profusely, not daring to look the Prince in the eye. He was clearly frightened of what he had done and how close he'd come to killing the Elvenking's only son.

Aragorn rushed to Legolas' side, relief washing over him, as the Prince abated the fears of the Master and backed away as though nothing had happened.

"Let's get out of here," Isorfinduil said and they started away, Legolas dabbing at the dried blood on his forehead. Isorfinduil glanced between Legolas and Aragorn and shook his head ruefully. "I swear you two shouldn't be allowed within one hundred leagues of each other."

**

The End