Elrohir�s body wakened fully at a soft rapping on his door. He looked to where he thought a window ought to be, but there was nothing but stone. Where then, was the light in his room coming from? Whoever was at the door knocked again. �Who is it?� Elrohir asked tentatively. �It is I, Legolas.� Elrohir faltered, and the person on the other side of the door seemed to sense his hesitation. �I swear it is I. My grandfather possesses many powers, but none of them include disguise of the voice.� �And what of body switching?� �Elrohir, honestly. What is it I have to do to prove it to you?� �Your name.� �Pardon?� Legolas tried not be annoyed. He would be just as wary if he heard Elrohir on the other side of his door at such an hour. �What name did I give you when we were little?� �Cemendur.� A moment later, the oak door parted. �I�m sorry I doubted your word.� �Do not apologize. I would have done the same. Come, it is time for the morning meal.� The prince turned to leave. �You�re hurt,� Elrohir observed the slight stiffness with which his friend moved. Legolas said nothing, but tried to relax his body more as he walked towards the great hall. �I�m honored that you came to dine with me this fair morning!� The smile on the old elf�s lips did not quite reach his eyes. He clasped Legolas roughly on his injured shoulder. The elf grimaced, and spots danced in front of his eyes from the pain. He felt consciousness failing him as his grandfather worked both old and new injuries. Then, his grandfather simply let go. To any spectator, the action would have looked like an innocent gesture of affection. Orophir knew this. He was very deliberate in his actions, and he thought them out very carefully. Elrohir jumped forward as Legolas� knees seemed to buckle under him, but the prince caught himself gracefully. �You must tell me later what he did to you,� Elrohir whispered as the two took their seats. Legolas nodded. �I suppose I must.� �Tell me, did you both sleep well?� Legolas said nothing. Elrohir thought it wise to do the same. Orophir raised an eyebrow at them. �Well?� �Well, if you must know, I could not sleep last night.� Legolas said this with more bite than he intended. �I am sorry to hear that.� To anyone else, it would have sounded sincere, but Legolas heard the threat in his voice. �I am sure you are.� �Still completely without manners, are we? We must change that. If you are to be a� a part of my castle, you must behave properly.� �This is my castle. I will be a part of it. I will govern it until my father returns. You must face that.� Anger flashed dangerously in the current king�s eyes. �May I have a word with you?� �I have not finished my breakfast yet.� Legolas looked up and smiled pleasantly. Elrohir glanced between the two elves. �Then you may return to your meal after I have a word with you.� He had stood by now, quickly crossing to where Legolas and Elrohir sat. He placed a hand on his grandson�s shoulder. It was a subtle threat, but Legolas picked up on it. He pushed his seat back, rising to his feet. The king took his grandson into the hallway, where guards lined the wall. �You will not cross me again. Am I understood?� Legolas nodded, but held his silence. �I could take it from you, you know.� Legolas held the elder�s gaze squarely. �Take what?� �Many things. Your life. Your friend. Your father. Your dignity. Your pride. Your ability.� �My ability?� He tried to seem disinterested. �Your telepathic ability. I didn�t appreciate that conversation you had with your friend last night.� He tried to hide his fear and surprise. The one thing Legolas had thought to be safe from his grandfather was now invaluable. �I kept your secret.� �That you did.� He circled the younger elf. Legolas stared straight ahead, holding himself in a very dignified manner. His grandfather scowled. Even in the face of death his grandson managed to hold a better air of nobility about him than he himself could. He snapped his fingers. At once, two guards appeared at his side. �Bind him. Take him to the bottom-most dungeon.� Legolas� mind was spinning. He was not going to go down without a fight. And he had to warn Elrohir! The two guards made a grab for him, but he easily spun out of their reach. More guards sprang forward, sensing that they would be needed. Legolas reached for his daggers, twirling one in each hand, though his injured arm protested. �Minastir! Mellon! Don�t do this!� Legolas pleaded as one guard advanced on him slowly. He looked sadly into the prince�s eyes. �We don�t serve you anymore, Legolas.� Minastir replied. Legolas hid his panic well. There were easily 20 guards nearby. If he were in a human realm, it would not matter. But he was not in a human realm. These were elven guards, all just as agile and quick as he was. Throw an injury into the matter? Legolas didn�t have a chance. His hope lay in the fact that he knew all these guards. He was friends with most of them. They wouldn�t really imprison him, would they? They advanced on him, each having drawn their own weapons. A horrible realization struck Legolas like a ton of stone. They would imprison him, if given the chance, and he was powerless to stop them. His one hope became his one downfall in a matter of seconds. They were his friends, and for that reason, he could not cause them injury. Now, it was 20 to 1, and he would not hurt them. It was impossible odds. He thought briefly of calling for Elrohir, in his mind, but his grandfather stopped that. �Go ahead. Bring him out here.� And that was that. He was doing quick thinking now- there had to be something he could say� �You swore!� The advancing elves hesitated. �What?� �Minastir, when I was born, you swore to protect me, no matter what!� Orophir was slowly starting to realize his mistakes. He never swore in Thranduil�s guards as his own. He definitely had not anticipated what Legolas had done. A promise, to an elf, was binding. Once it was made, never could it be broken without some great personal cost. Breaking a promise to royalty at that would cause more than a personal cost. And so, the odds were now 19 to 2. And Minastir would fight. �Can you hold them off?� �For how long, my prince?� �As long as you can. Long enough for me to get into the courtyard and start a vote.� �Yes, my lord.� There was a somber quietness to the elf�s voice. Legolas looked at him. �Minastir?� �They will kill me, my lord. They were held by no such promise.� Legolas sighed. �Then come, we run together.� He took off then, making for the open courtyard. He was so intent on his destination that he did not notice the lack of footsteps behind him. The guard looked at Legolas before turning back to the elves that would be pursuing them. He knew that if he ran with Legolas, they would both die. His job, as it always was and always would be, was to make sure that didn�t happen. �What are you waiting for? Get him! Kill this one if you must!� Orophir could not afford to let the elf enter the courtyard. Or could he? He rushed suddenly into the great hall, heading for Elrohir who was on his feet and very aware. Minastir cried out. �No, don�t do this! Look at yourselves! What are you doing?� �You know as well as we that we cannot defy the king�s word.� �Nor could we defy our true lord�s word: we would be doing that if we so much as laid a finger on Legolas!� �Minastir, listen to yourself! Lord Orophir would hang us all!� �Then that is the death we should go to. At least we would die honorably!� �We�re elves! It�s our nature to prevent our death! Lord Thranduil is not coming back. You know this.� Minastir spoke slowly. If nothing else, he was buying Legolas time. �I am willing to go to my death for my prince. I am willing to go to my death in the faith I have that Legolas could find his father and overthrow this tyrant. Why aren�t any of you willing to do the same?� �It is Lord Orophir�s orders!� �So you would turn on Thranduil, only because he�s not here? Because of fear? What wrong has he or Legolas ever done to you? What gives you reason to turn your backs on them? We were chosen as guards because we had proven our loyalty to the king and his family! Why abandon that now?� Elrohir pulled on his bonds, trying desperately to escape them. He forbade his mind to think of what this would do to Legolas. Orophir could now use him against Legolas, which was precisely what the prince had tried to avoid in the first place. Where was Legolas? He wished that his friend would try to contact him, but he heard nothing for a very long while. That in itself both worried and soothed the Noldor elf. Soothed because it meant that Legolas was busy doing something- that he was not held up in a cell similar to Elrohir�s. Worried because he had no idea what Legolas was busy doing. Overthrowing the king? Or fighting for his life? |
| Part 5 Go on to Part 6 |