Disclaimer: LOTR and all related characters were created by J.R.R. Tolkien.  No money is being made off this fic.

Spoilers: Silmarillion spoilers in the author's note after the fic.

Chapter 4

It was already night before Rhaenyc managed to visit a tent on the edge of the large clearing.

"Laredith?" he called into the tent.

"Is that you Rhaenyc?  Come in," came a reply.

The man entered the tent.  Inside were a small woman and a boy in his early teens.  The woman was mending some clothing while the boy whittled away at a piece of wood.

"Hello, uncle Rhaenyc," said the boy, setting down his project and rising to greet him.  "Do you want something to eat?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Rhaenyc said with a smile.  "I've come to talk with your mother."

"Is it about the Elves?" the boy asked in a hushed voice.

Rhaenyc raised an eyebrow and turned toward the woman.  "You told him Laredith?"

The woman shrugged.  "You expected me to keep it a secret from my own son?  He is old enough to understand what is going on."

"I have not told anyone," Leoryn said.  "And I swear on my father's grave I will not."

Rhaenyc frowned.  "That is a serious oath.  Do not make such vows lightly."

"I do not," Leoryn insisted. 

Rhaenyc sighed and nodded.  "Very well."

"How did it go?" Laredith asked.  "As if I need to ask."

"Gur plans to kill them, as I suspected," Rhaenyc said, dropping down on a cot.  Leoryn sat down beside him.  "But it will be a while.  He has given the fair one some of that poison of his."

Laredith gasped.  "No! Not the boy.  He was already injured.  How could he do that?"  Laredith remembered the sight of the young one lying on the floor of the wooden cage, blood staining his once elegant clothing.  She had wanted to stay and treat him herself, but the older one had such an intense gaze that it had frightened her out of the tent. 

"It was the arrows," Rhaenyc said.  "He shot the boy.  Now he wants to see the effect."

"We have to figure out a way to get them out of here," Laredith said.

"Why don't we just let them loose," Leoryn suggested as he moved off the cot and onto the ground.

"To what ends?" Rhaenyc replied.  "They probably have no idea where they are and we have no idea which direction their home is to guide them.  If we can avoid it, we cannot just set them loose in this forest to fend for themselves, especially with the boy in his condition.  No, that will have to be our last resort."

Laredith shook her head.  "I can't stand the thought of the poor boy suffering with that poison."  She had witnessed the effects of Gur's poison, a substance he had invented himself.  She had seen full-grown men, hale and strong, crying out and writhing in agony after being given a dose.   "I'm going to see them."  She began rummaging through her things looking for the herbs she kept.

"I doubt Gur will let you in again.  I was surprised he let you in the first time," Rhaenyc replied. 

"He does not have to know I am there," Laredith replied, while filling a water skin. 

"He will probably be there all night with his 'experiment'," Rhaenyc said with no small amount of disgust.

"No, he's not," Leoryn said from his position on the ground, peering out through the opening of the tent.  "He's leaving and he doesn't look happy."

In an instant Rhaenyc and Laredith where beside him.  They watched as Gur stomped toward his tent.  They were able to follow him easily as the lamp he carried swayed to and fro.

"Perfect," Laredith said.

"I still don't like you going," Rhaenyc said.  "But since I'll only be able to stop you by tying you up,  I'll go with you. Going through the front is out of the question.  We'll have to go in through the back and crawl under the tent.

"I'll go with you, too" said Leoryn.

"No, it's too dangerous," Laredith said.

"But I am smaller than you, I can crawl under the tent easier," Leoryn countered.

Laredith sighed.  "Leoryn…" she began.

"Please," Leoryn said.  "I want to help them too."

There was a moment of silence.  Finally Laredith nodded.  "Very well.  Put on your cloak and come."

Rhaenyc smiled slightly.  Ah, little brother, he though.  You would be proud of your son.

--

Elrond stared up at the top of the darkened tent through the bars of the wooden cage.  Curled up beside him, his head resting on Elrond's shoulder, was Thranduil. 

Once the poison took effect, it had worked very quickly on the prince.  It had started with a fever that quickly rose and then Thranduil's muscles began to cramp up painfully.  Thranduil had lost consciousness fairly early on.  The blood loss had weakened his young body and he had been unable to take much pain before going under.  Though it worried Elrond, he was also thankful as it spared Thranduil from the pain.  Gur had, as promised, come to check on them at nightfall.  Elrond didn't know what the man had expected, but he obviously didn't see it.  He only remained for a half hour and departed with a disgusted look on his face.  Elrond had ignored the man, focusing on Thranduil, holding the young Elf protectively against him, offering as much strength he could.  Elrond regretted he could not offer more, but if chance to escape arose, Elrond would have to be hale enough to take advantage of it and would probably have to carry the prince.  He had already tried the bars, but found them strong and solid, but he refused to give up hope.

Thranduil had regained consciousness not long after Gur had left.  It had grieved Elrond greatly when he heard the young Elf softly calling out for his mother and father.  Not knowing what else to do, Elrond had gently stroked the prince's golden head and rubbed his back, whispering encouraging words to him.  This had soothed Thranduil and lulled him to sleep.

Now Thranduil was finally resting peacefully, it seemed, but he was still feverish and his eyes were closed, which was worrying to Elrond.  The older Elf sighed and absently stroked Thranduil's head.

Elrond suddenly heard voices from the back of the tent.  Being careful not to wake Thranduil, he gently lowered him to the floor of the cage.  He then sat up and turned to the back of the tent in time to see a boy's head pop in from beneath the wall of the tent and then suddenly disappear.

"Mother, they glow," he heard the boy said.

"Leoryn," came a woman's voice.  "That's just folktales.  Elves don't really glow"

"But look."

The wall of the tent was pulled up again and two faces appeared.  Elrond recognized the woman as the one who had brought in the water and bandages earlier that day.

"Goodness, they do glow," she gasped.

"Would you two hurry up before we're caught?" came an impatient male voice from somewhere near the front of the tent.

"Hi," said the boy as he squeezed inside.  "I'm Leoryn.  Who are you?"

Elrond blinked several times, taken off guard by this turn of events.  "I am Elrond," he said.  He placed a hand on Thranduil's forehead.  "This is Thranduil."

Leoryn frowned as he looked at the unconscious Elf.  "Is he going to be well?" he asked.  "Mother is very worried about him."

Elrond couldn't help but smile at the boy's concern.  "I believe he will be just fine.  He just needs rest."  He sighed.  "And he would be able to rest more comfortably if we were not trapped in this small cage."

The boy grimaced at that.  "We're still working on that," he said as he pulled off the water skin at his side.  "But we've brought you some water."  He handed the skin to Elrond through the bars.  Then he pulled a small leather pouch out of his pocket.  "This will help if he's in pain," he said.

"I thank you," Elrond said as he took the pouch from the Leoryn.  "And I thank your companions as well."

Elrond was loath to wake Thranduil up, but he knew the young Elf could use a drink of water.  But before he did, he took a drink of the water himself, partially to make sure it wasn't contaminated and partially because he was thirsty himself.  The water was warm, but pure.

"Thranduil. Thranduil," he said, gently rubbing the prince's face.  "Wake, Thranduil."

Slowly, Thranduil's eyes opened and focused.  "Wha-" he tried to speak, but his throat was very dry.

"Do not try to talk," Elrond said as he helped Thranduil sit up against him.  He held the water skin to the young Elf's lips.  "Drink this."

Thranduil drank deeply, which Elrond took for a good sign.  It seemed that the worst was over. 

Thranduil finally pushed the water skin away and his eyes fell on Leoryn.

"Hello," Leoryn said with a cheerful smile. 

Thranduil looked at him blankly and then turned to Elrond.  Elrond quickly explained what had happened and that Leoryn was greeting him.

"Mae Govannen," Thranduil said with a small smile.

"Thranduil says, 'Hello'," Elrond said to Leoryn.

"Mother will be happy he is well," Leoryn said.

"We have tarried too long," came the male voice again.  "Get Leoryn out of there and let's go."

The back of the tent was pulled up again.

"Leoryn," said the boy's mother.  "Come."

"Yes, Mother," Leoryn said. Elrond passed the water skin back to him, but kept the pouch of herbs, as it would be easy enough to hide  "We'll try to get you out of here," he said as he moved to the back of the tent.  "We'll try to come back again and bring more water and maybe some food."  He crawled under the tent wall and was gone.

"How do you feel?" Elrond asked as he leaned back against the bars of the cage, pulling Thranduil with him.

"Not as bad," Thranduil said, settling against the older Elf.  "I would feel better if we were out of this place."

Elrond placed a hand on Thranduil's head.  They sat in silence for a while, and Elrond thought that Thranduil had fallen asleep again.  He was surprised when the prince spoke.

"Why are they doing this?" he asked, though not really expecting an answer.  "We did them no harm."

Elrond sighed.  "I do not know," he admitted.  He paused when a thought occurred to him.  "Have you ever had dealings with Men before?"

Thranduil shook his head.  "I have seen them, when I was much younger.  But my father dealt with them.  He sent my sister and I out of the room.  I did not even know what they were there for to begin with.  Father and Mother never spoke of them after they left."  He hesitated slightly before continuing.  "But if they were like that Man, it is no wonder Father did not want us around them."

"I have had dealings with Men before," Elrond replied.  "And not all of them are like Gur.  Take Leoryn and his companions.  They are trying to help us.  Do not let the ill actions of a few taint your opinion of the whole.  There are good and bad among all races, even Elves."

Thranduil shuddered slightly.  "I just want to get out of this place," he murmured.

"We will get out," Elrond said, gently stroking Thranduil's hair.  "It seems that even in this dismal place, we have allies.  King Gil-galad and you father are most likely searching for us.  Do not give up hope."

--

"It is too dark.  If we continue to search, we will risk missing something that could be of importance.  We will have to set up camp."

Oropher glanced over at Gil-galad as the Noldor king began giving order to the soldiers.  He did not want to stop, but knew Gil-galad was right.  They would do his son and Elrond no good if they went off in the wrong direction because they missed their tracks in the dark.

He was about to dismount his horse when on of the soldiers that had gone to scout ahead came racing back to the group.

"King Gil-galad, Prince Oropher," he said, an unhidden urgency in his voice.  "Come quickly, I have found something."

Oropher felt his heart begin to race as he followed the soldier down the darkened path.  His heart sank when he saw what lay in the middle of the path a little ways up.

"Lagor!" he gasped out as he leapt off of his horse before the steed even stopped.  He ran to and knelt down beside his son's fallen horse.  "No," he said as he noticed the arrow that was still in its neck. 

They had been ambushed, that much was evident.  Elrond's horse escaped and Thranduil's horse had been slain.  But what of their owners?  What had they done to his son?.

Oropher felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Gil-galad standing beside him.

"I am having my soldiers scour the immediate area as best they can," he informed him.

Oropher merely nodded, not trusting his voice.

"We will find them," Gil-galad continued, giving Oropher's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, hoping that he would be right.

Aye, we will find them, Oropher thought.  But will they still be alive

*********************

Author's note:

1. Elrond knows first-hand about the evils of Elves.  In The Silmarillion, he and his twin brother, Elros, were captured by Maedhros and Maglor (the eldest sons of Fëanor) during their mad quest to reclaim the Silmarils.  Though, they did later become friends with Maglor.