Fifteen

Evening was approaching as Legolas was shoved to the ground in the middle of the clearing.

Brigus dumped the woman beside him. She cried out as she landed on her back, her eyes closed, her jaw clenched tight. It was clear she was in pain, and Legolas doubted she could gain her feet with her hands bound. Brigus must have come to the same conclusion. He left her lying there without further bindings.

Then he stepped over to Legolas and looked down at him, hands on his hips as he frowned. Legolas glared back, but said nothing.

"Prem!" the man finally called, and one of the younger men approached. "Tie his legs too."

The younger man swallowed hard, but complied, tying Legolas's legs together at the ankles. Brigus checked the bindings, then with an nod, he called the men together to one side of the clearing where they could easily keep an eye on their captives as they decided what to do with them.

Legolas scooted back, closer to the woman. She lay on the ground where she had been dropped, frightened and in pain, but she did not weep. That lifted his spirits. He needed her to be level headed, not hysterical. He wished to ask her how badly she was hurt, but he felt it more important to listen to the men and try to come up with a plan. He could do nothing for her injuries at the moment in any case.

The men were back to arguing about what to do with the elves. She shuddered at some of the suggestions, and Legolas offered comfort to her in the only way he could, by placing himself between her and the men as they continued to talk.

Even as he listened, he became aware of eyes on them and scanned the trees, searching for the source. He could see nothing, yet something out there watched them. He could feel the gaze, curious, inquisitive; there was no malice in it.

The wind blew, rustling through the trees, similar in sound to waves of the sea. He closed his eyes, and willed the song aside, forcing himself to focus his attention on the men and their arguments. As he listened, several things became apparent to him.

Brigus might be the leader of the group, but he did not have complete control of the men. One of the younger men named Torel appeared to be Brigus's younger brother, and he did not agree with raping the woman or harming anyone.

The other young man, the one Brigus had called Prem, was of the same mind. But neither of the two could be a day older than Eldarion by Legolas's estimate, and neither were any match for the older, harder men of the group.

The twin brothers were named Sirk and Nirk, and they had definite opinions of what to do with them…at least to the woman. They argued ardently that they be allowed to take their pleasure before going on to the halls of the elves. It was only fair.

But what disturbed Legolas the most was the dark look in the eyes of the man he had stabbed in the shoulder. Jasper, one of the men called him, managed to bandage up his shoulder unassisted, all the while casting glances their way that made Legolas's blood run cold.

It was just after dusk when Brigus approached them with Torel at his side. It seemed they had finally come to some sort of an agreement.

The two men stopped before Legolas, and Brigus was the one to speak. "You will lead us to the halls of the elves, and she," he nodded at the woman…

Legolas did not let the man finish his words. "I will do nothing to help you if you touch her."

He paused and looked Brigus dead in the eye. "But if you do not touch her or harm her in any way, I will lead you to the King's halls and show you what I know." He held the man's eyes and watched as Brigus looked away after a few moments.

"That's more than fair, Brigus," Torel agreed softly.

Brigus turned and studied his men for a moment, then he nodded. "You'll tell me what I wanna know, and you'll lead us to the treasure. I'll keep the men from touching her, as long as you do those things."

Legolas inclined his head in agreement, but voiced one more thing. "Her bonds are causing her pain. Tie her hands in front so she can sit more comfortably, then, I will answer your questions."

Brigus stared hard at him a moment, then nodded his head at Torel. The young man moved forward and knelt beside her, easing her to a sitting position and untying her wrists. He gave her a minute to hug her arms to her chest, to wiggle her fingers and restore some feeling in them, before retying them in front of her.

She cast Legolas a grateful look, meeting his eyes for the first time, and he blinked in surprise. Her eyes were the same blue-green as the sea off the shores of Dol Amorth.

The irony was not lost on him. Only he would see the sea in the eyes of a forest maid. Gimli would be amused.

He smiled back at her, then turned back to Brigus, who still loomed above them.

"Thank you," Legolas told him.

Then the questions began. "Who are you? Why did you not leave with the others?"

Legolas blew out a breath, stalling as he scrambled for a story that would sound convincing. He would never give his true identity to these men. From beside him, he heard his fellow captive whisper so softly only another elf could hear.

"Caeri."

She had offered him her name, or a portion of her name.* That pleased him, for the less untruth he had to tell, the easier it would be to remember his story.

When he addressed Brigus again, he had pieced together a convincing and mostly accurate tale, at least for his part. He had no clue why Caeri was in this portion of the woods alone.

"My friends call me Lass, and this is Caeri. Our family departed, but we did not wish to go West yet. I was going to Prince Legolas's realm in Ithilien, but Caeri did not wish to go."

Legolas looked dryly at the woman who managed to look at him in surprise and blush on cue. Perhaps the tale was true for her as well.

"I have been searching the woods for her for several days, as I cannot leave her here alone. There seems to be dangerous men in the wood, after all."

The last line was spoken with much sarcasm as Legolas smirked at the man, but found to his surprise Brigus had believed every word.

"And you know where the halls are?" Brigus asked. His only concern seemed to be to find elven treasure.

Legolas nodded. "I do."

"And there is treasure there?"

That gave Legolas pause. He supposed to poor men, there were things that would be of value, perhaps even considered treasure. But if they were looking for gems or gold, they would find little.

Even the thought of these men rummaging around the home in which he had been born rankled. Yet, if that was what it took to save Caeri, then he would take them there, unless he could manage their escape between here and there. And if escape proved unsuccessful in the wood, it would not elude him in the Halls. He knew those caverns like the back of his hand: every niche, every secret tunnel.

"You may find things of value there, but I do not think you will find what you seek."

Brigus smirked. "We will see what I will find. You will lead us there at daybreak."

The man did not wait for an answer, but strode off to inform the men of what had been said. There was some more arguing, but in the end, it seemed Brigus convinced the others that it was better to have a guide to the halls and the treasure than to touch Caeri.

With darkness upon them, they set up a temporary camp by laying out some blankets and lighting a fire. Legolas took the opportunity with the men scurrying about to move closer to where Caeri had managed to find a somewhat comfortable position lying on her side facing him. Her eyes were closed, but the slight movement of her head as the men bustled about gave away that she was aware of all around her.

"How badly are you hurt?" he asked softly, not wishing to draw any attention from the men.

She did not open her eyes as she answered, "I am not certain. Badly bruised, at the least. I have never fallen from a horse before."

He blinked. "A horse? You fell from a horse?" He glanced about the clearing again, but saw no animals with the men.

"Yes, I have two of them, but I am not used to riding so fast through the trees. When Rani told me to get on the horse and ride fast, that is just what I did! But a branch knocked me off, and I landed on my back and could not breathe for several minutes. And then the men caught me!" She brought her bound hands to her face, shaking her head. "I was such a fool!"

Legolas glanced back at the trees, searching for any sign of little Rani in the twilight. But if she were out there, she had made herself scarce. He focused back on his companion.

"Tell me what hurts."

She took a shuddering breath, but dropped her hands and opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. "Everything is a little sore, but there is a sharp pain in my lower back, just above my hip. I landed on a rock."

"Is it near your spine?" he asked, concerned. If she had injured that bone their circumstances could prove far more complicated.

But she shook her head. "No, It's more to the side, above my hip and below my ribs. It hurts terribly to move. Even laying like this is painful."

But her words caused him some relief. The area she had described could take a blunt blow of force. There was no bone there, unless she had fractured her hip, which was possible he supposed, given the way her leg kept collapsing from under her. "Is there sharp pain in your hip itself? Can you walk on it?"

"No, my hip does not hurt. It is higher. I can walk, but it hurts…a lot."

That was good news to Legolas. "If your hip does not hurt, then it is unlikely you have broken any bones."

"I broke my arm when I was a girl. This does not feel the same. It is deeper, in the muscle, probably a fist above my hip."

Legolas winced. He had once taken a blow to that area from an orc's club. He knew how painful and crippling such an injury could be, but in dire enough circumstances, it was possible to make the body do what it did not wish to do. He was no healer, but in their current situation he had to draw from what he knew of his own experience.

"I have injured that area myself. I think you will be fine with some rest," he told her. "Unfortunately, I am not sure you will get much. I will see if they will get my blanket from my pack for you to lie on."

Brigus grunted at his request, but complied, moving the elves closer to the fire and having Prem spread Legolas's blanket on the ground. They were given a few sips of water, but nothing to eat.

Torel took the first watch, and the rest of the men settled down around the fire, their snores soon drowning out the rustling sound of the trees. The sound annoyed Legolas, and yet he was thankful for it. The snores reminded him of Gimli, and helped him keep the faint sounds of the gulls he always heard in his heart in perspective. He would find a way out of this predicament and get back to where he belonged.

He would even welcome the angry lecture he knew would be forthcoming.

To Be Continued…

*In my verse, it is common for the Silvan people to shorten a longer name to a form of nick name. I am aware some people believe the elves did not do this, but I am of the opinion that elves, separated by great distance and time, would NOT have the same customs. So in regard to the use of elven nick names, I ask for some grace and creative license.