Title: "Revenge"
Author: LegolasLover2003 aka Ashley
Category: Book - "The Lord of the Rings"
Genre: Angst/Adventure
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own any right to "The Lord of the Rings" or "The Hobbit". I just adore them to pieces! Legede, Tileng, Morlan, and Morfind are characters of my own invention. However, you may use them, but please ask permission to do so first.

NOTE: This story takes place after "Savior & Destroyer". You MUST read that story first for this one to make sense. It might also help to read "The Breaking Point" first as well as both "Secrets or A Six Year Old's Wisdom" and the Thranduil-centric story, "I Know It's Wrath".

REVENGE

How had it come to this?

Forced from the chair and onto his knees, Thranduil complied with the orders of the man who called himself Tileng. He did not fight back. No. There were too many lives at risk. His son was safe... and Legolas could lead their people in his steed. Legede would guard the prince well. This the king knew.

But to think... to have walked through dragon fire and battled more foul spawn than he cared to consider... a mere human was to be his downfall.

A mere...

"I think you'll like your new master." Tileng smirked as his guards bound the Elf's hands to metal stakes impaled in the stone. "He certainly knows how to treat someone of your... caliber." the man laughed, tapping his dagger on the metal poles to make them ring.

The Elvenking kept his head down, the crudely cut locks hiding his features... keeping the blood and the bruises from showing... preserving what small stroke of dignity he might have left. His jaw ached, the bits of flesh and muscle that he usually hid so well stung when the king's own blood ran down his cheek from a nasty cut at his temple. Certainly Thranduil's nose was broken and the agony of his shoulder was beginning to turn into a dull throb.

Every cut and scratch, every bruise and burn... was etched into his fair skin.

Tileng was speaking but Thranduil paid him little mind... until one phrase pierced through the haze of pain...

"The oncoming wall of night. At least that's what the Orcs call him. A rather lofty title but he paid well for your hide... and his wretches will fight hard for that hovel you call a kingdom." the man was saying, twirling his dagger in his fingers.

Thranduil's body stilled, his shoulders stiffening. Fear coursed through his lithe form... though thankfully Tileng could not see the terror in his one good eye. He could not face this again... not again... and certainly not alone...

Death... that is what awaited the Elvenking... pain and fire... the madness of the dark and the ash of burned out life...

The sound of leather assaulted the king's ears then, drawing him from the despair that started to consume him. Tileng was unfurling a whip, the end of which Thranduil could just barely see beside his right knee.

And it was the only warning he had before it bit deep into his back.

Chapter VIII
A Choice

Aragorn's grey eyes opened suddenly as he heard a cry. The man bowed his head, fearing what was being done to the king who was so proud... so seemingly perfect upon his throne...

He had to escape!

Somehow... some way...

Legolas was free... he knew it in his heart that the men had not caught his friend once more. No... the prince would have sought aid.

But how long had it been? Hours? Days? Time was of no consequence here...

If he could but get free of his chains!

Try as the man might however, the iron was too strong and the bolts embedded too deeply into the rock. He jerked on the chains, searching about for something... anything that could aid him...

Irritated, Aragorn realized that the chains were too short and too thick for him to break by hand, and while the man did not doubt his own strength to do so... there simply was not enough room nor maneuverability. The one about his neck allowed him to sit and nothing more!

Another cry caused the young man to close his eyes, hearing the sound and lamenting his own helplessness.

But then the door to the cell opened and, as Aragorn got to his feet, he realized things were surely going to take a turn for the worst as three guards entered and advanced toward him.

"Legolas, you must listen to reason." the Mirkwood captain spoke, his hand clamped down on the prince's shoulder, keeping him rooted in place.

Having returned to camp with their prisoner, Legolas was eager to ascend the mountain again, this time with their entire host, and free both his father and Estel.
But it seemed the elder Elf would have none of it.

Legede's fingers tightened on the archer's shoulder. "Our scouts say that the Lords of Imladris will be here by the dawn. If they can keep the Orcs and spiders at bay while we seek your father."

"By then he may be dead, Legede." the prince reiterated, wincing as he carefully put weight on his injured leg once more. "I can still fight. If ada..."

"And who will lead if you fall?" Legede asked seriously, grasping his young lord by the shoulders and looking deep into blue eyes that he had known since the prince were a mere Elfling. "If they have killed your father. Who will lead should you fall?"

Anger and rage boiled behind those blue eyes and for a moment, it seemed as if Legolas would push the older Elf away. But the prince stared back. "I will not fall. Someone must show you the way, mellon nin. Go first. You and your guard. But let me BE there, Legede."

Sighing, the Mirkwood Captain nodded. "So be it. But you will be far back. Do you understand? I can risk no further hurt to you."

Aragorn could hardly bear to look upon the proud Elf who knelt before him. Staked into the ground, Thranduil's form barely moved, his body shivering slightly with each intake of breath. Blood ran like rivers beneath his knees and over his shoulders. There was no magic here. Nothing to save the onlooker from the horrors of war... from the horrors of men...

"Why?" Aragorn whispered, his grey gaze turning to the human who held them captive. "What good does any of this do you, Tileng?"

The man shrugged, "I enjoy it." he replied nonchalantly, as another guard dragged in one of the Elves from the second scouting party.

There was movement from the king then. "You said... you would set them free..." Thranduil whispered through bleeding lips.

"Did I?" Tileng asked with a shrug, moving over to grab a fistful of the Elvenking's short blond hair and jerk his head up so he could see the two prisoners before him.

The Elven scout paled in horror, unable to look away from his liege.

"Now... my lord," he teased. "You have a choice before you. Spare the man... or spare the Elf. I wonder which you will choose..."

Aragorn struggled against the hands that held him, his hands bound behind him. "Stop this! He is their king! He will choose his people and you know it! You..." but then the young man saw the look in Thranduil's eye... and he shook his head in disbelief. "Aen gwaith lin..." he whispered, unable to understand... ~([They {are} your people...])~

A small smile came to Thranduil's lips and he nodded ever so slightly. "Aye, Estel... Aen gwaith nin." the king's voice was soft as he spoke, his blue gaze fixed on the Elf who seemed petrified in fear. ~([They {are} my people.])~

But then Thranduil closed his eyes in reverence for the scout, before fixing his one good eye back upon Aragorn. "Ach... Natha Estel lin..." ~([However... You will be hope...])~

Shaking his head, Aragorn struggled again. "No..." he whispered, looking to the frightened Elf near him. "Thranduil, no..."

But the king looked away... he had made his choice... and once more innocent Elven blood flowed upon the stone.

TBC...

TRANSLATIONS:
Ada = Father
Mellon nin = My friend
Aen gwaith lin... = They [are] your kin/people...
Aen gwaith nin. = They [are] my kin/people...
Ach... Natha estel lin... = However... You will be hope...

AUTHOR'S NOTES:
- Anything I use for Elvish comes directly from "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien or from one of the following sources; David Salo's book "A Gateway to Sindarin" (ISBN #0874808006), the online dictionary "Parf Edhellen", the downloaded dictionary "Dragonflame", Ruth S. Noe;'s book "The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-earth" (ISBN #0395291305), the extended edition trilogy movie dialogues cataloged online by "The Elvish Linguistic Fellowship", and the LOTR complete recordings lyrics cataloged online by "A Magpie's Nest".

- There is no word for "Are" and most of the time I see it as an omitted word. Case in point the phrase "Le abdollen." which Legolas says in TTT. It is translated on screen as "You're late." but in reality it is saying "You [are] after-come." which is just basically "after / ab-" and "to come / -dollen". The word "are" is not used. Therefore when I made the sentences, I basically made sentences without the word but in the translation that word is implied.

- The only real point to this chapter of the story is to bridge one moment to the next in regards to Legolas and Legede's preparations. But it is also to show that Thranduil has accepted the same faith that Legolas has in Aragorn. I know the chapter is short, but the conclusion is on the horizon.

MUSE MOMENTS:
"Really, Thranduil... I am just having this one last hurrah before..."
Nil winces as the Elvenking throws a vase at her head.
"Wait, where'd that come from?" she asks, looking at him quizzically.
Thranduil is positively livid still. "You... do you delight in this?!"
"Well..."
"Don't answer that!" Paris shouts from the bathroom where he's still locked inside.