Legolas peered through the bars at the dwarf laying in the cell, head facing the wall, hands chained to the floor with strong manacles. This one was odd, different from the rest and it wasn't just his fine features and dark hair that made him stand out in Legolas's mind. Out of all the dwarves, this one had remained the most quiet during the interrogations. The others, especially the blonde one, made no attempt to hide their distrust of the elves, or their disgust at being held as prisoners. This one had stared at them with a blank expression on his face, ignoring the jeer snibs and the questions thrown at him. It was like they were speaking a foreign language to him, and he didnt understand. It was his silence that had infuriated Thrandual to no end, and the dwarf had paid for it dearly. Legolas could see the bloody bandages on the dwarfs fingers from where the guards had pried off his fingernails, trying to force him to speak. But he wouldn't utter a sound. It was like he didn't understand what was going on. This is what confused Legolas, for they had spoken perfect westron to him, and to all the others and they all understood what was going on. Maybe this one didn't speak westron? Maybe only Khuzdule, like the older dwarf with the axe in his head. But even he seemed lucid enough to mutter dark insults.

Legolas rapped his knuckles on the cell door. "Dwarf!" he commanded harshly. The dwarf didn't move, from his position on the floor. Legolas sighed, and then knocked harder. "Dwarf! I have come to tend to you hands." he said loudly, in perfect westron. Still nothing.

It wasn't until Legolas lit a lantern, and it illuminated his shadow against the wall of the cell did the dwarf react. He jumped up in surprise at the shadow on the wall, and whipped his head around just long enough to Legolas, and then he scuttled backwards as far as the chains around his wrists would let him, quivering in fear.

"It's alright. I will not hurt you." Legolas reassured him, but the dwarf paid no attention to his words. He just yank harder on the chains and huddled into a smaller ball, eyes cast down away from the elf. Legolas took his keys and opened the cell door, bringing the lantern and basket of bandages with him. "I have come to tend to your hands." Legolas told him again, this time speaking louder than necessary. Still nothing. Legolas cautiously approached the dwarf, staying far back enough to avoid injury to himself. The chains weren't that long. Again, it was the shadow cast by the lantern that caught the dwarf's eye, and he once again startled in surprise at seeing Legolas so close to him. Legolas sat down beside the dwarf, and held out the basket of bandages for him to see.

"For your hands." he told him, the dwarf only stared at him, eyes wide and confused.

"Can you not understand me?" Legolas asked softly, the dwarf did nothing. Legolas though his behavior was rather odd, but at least he wasn't fighting tooth and claw, like the blonde one did when Legolas tried to tend to his broken nose.

Legolas started to reach for the dwarf's hand, but the dwarf jerked backwards against the wall, chains clinking loudly. Legolas sighed and scooted forward.

"Im not going to hurt you. I am here to help you." he told the dwarf slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly. As if speaking louder and slower would help with the dwarf's understanding of a language he obviously didn't know. The dwarf then did something very odd. He raised his hands as far as the manacles would let him, and moved his fingers in an odd gesture, wincing slightly as the bandages came loose on his fingers. Legolas stared at him. What was going on? The dwarf narrowed his eyes again and repeated the sign, and then jabbing a finger towards Legolas, who was beginning to feel confused. What was the dwarf doing now? Why wasn't he speaking? Legolas sighed, he had to get on with this. He still had four more dwarves to tend to, and none of them would be easy. He grabbed the dwarf's wrist and pulled it to him. The dwarf resisted, a look of panic on his face. Legolas didn't say anything else, and stared to tend to the bloody fingers and wrist. The dwarf stopped struggling, probably realizing that Legolas was helping him.

A sound of thunder boomed down from above and Legolas jumped. It must be storming outside. He winced slightly as another boom came down, he had always hated storms like this. He then noticed something odd, even though the dwarf had reacted to his presence, and to the light of the lantern, he had not even twitched when the thunder sounded. Legolas looked up from bandaged the dwarf's fingers, the dwarf was quiet, and besides the mutinous glare, he was still. Maybe dwarves don't mind thunder storms as much as we elves do.

Legolas finished wrapping one had, and gestured for the next. The dwarf sighed, but handed him his other wrist without a fight.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Legolas asked, but was met with a confused stare.

"You don't talk at all?"

A blank stare.

"Can you understand me?"

Still nothing.

Wait a second. Legolas then lifted his free hand, and snapped.

"Can you hear that?" he asked the dwarf, who remained silent.

Legolas snapped again, this time closer to the dwarf's ear. No reaction at all.

"Can you hear at all?" Legolas then asked, and then suddenly it all clicked; the blank stares, the reacting only to shadows and light, the weird gesture he made with his hand. Oh. He must be deaf! That's why he hadn't said anything during the interrogations, the guards had had the dwarf's hands bound behind him.

Legolas finished bandaging the dwarf's other hand quickly, and the scooted backwards a little bit, bringing the lantern up closer so he could see the dwarf in the full light. Another boom of thunder racketed through the small dungeon. Legolas then held up his hands, "You" he spoke, and pointed to the dwarf, "No" he shook his head, "hear?" pointing to his ears. The dwarf continued to glare, but then he nodded his head slightly, and looked down at his hands. Oh.

It all made sense now, Legolas remembered back to the day before yesterday, when the dwarves had been led from Thrandual's court to their individual prisons. The blonde one had made quite a fuss.

"Wait! Wait! Stop! You don't understand. We have to stay together!" the blonde shouted as the elves forced him and the small brown haired dwarf apart. The guards didn't listen as they separated the two. Legolas had been commandeering his own dwarf prisoner, one who had a peculiar shaped hat and looked on the brink of fainting. Legolas had tried to be careful, there really was no reason to be rough with them. He couldn't help but watch the blonde as he struggled against the guards, trying to get to the smaller dwarf.

"Somebody shut him up! He'll disturb the entire fortress!" Another elf shouted angrily, and another fumbled with his belt to get a gag. It was then that the blonde had made eye contact with Legolas, "Please, please you have to understand. We need to be together, he's de-mmmph." the gag silenced his pleas and legolas sadly shook his head and watched as the blonde was paraded down one hallway, while the brown hair dwarf went in the opposite direction.

It was odd, that the dwarves wanted to stay together. He had always thought of them as a solitary race. But then, Legolas never really learned about them. His father had forbidden him to ask questions about the children of Aule. It was a shame, really.

Legolas stared at the small dwarf in front of him. Now the blonde pleas had made sense, maybe he knew a way to communicate with this one?

Legolas than stood up, taking the basket and lantern with him.

He had another cell to visit.

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