Disclaimer, Notes and Acknowledgements: Please refer to Chapter 1

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Chapter 5 – Let The Game Begin

The door to the house opened slowly.

“Took you long enough!” the man in the house snarled. Marching out of his alcove, the man brushed passed his employees and approached Elladan and Elrohir. “Well, well, well, look what we have here.” The smile on his face turned into a crooked grin as he scanned the twins from head to toe.

“Who are you!” Elladan spat out the question.

“And what do you want with us?” Elrohir finished his brother’s sentence.

“Patience is a great virtue,” the man grinned. “I have waited for many years and now you shall have your turn.” Digging into his tunic, the man removed a small pouch and tossed it to Leader. “Take your money and go.”

Leader poured out the gold coins into his palm and counted his earnings, making sure that the amount was correct before tossing them back into the pouch again. “Nice doing business with you.” Leader threw him a half-hearted smile and motioned for his companions to leave.

The dark haired elves stood on unsteady legs beside their new captor. The man was young, perhaps about the same age as their human brother. He seemed familiar, although they could not quite put a name to the face. The man threw them a mirthless smile as he picked up the leash, yanking the rope sharply and causing Elladan and Elrohir to gasp in surprise and pain. Leading his newly acquired trophies into the hut, he shoved them into the far corner of his hideout.

“Sit,” the human commanded shortly.

Elladan and Elrohir stumbled into each other and crumpled to the ground unceremoniously, but they were glad that they were finally off their feet, even though their elven prides were badly bruised. Performing a quick visual examination, Elrohir was relieved that Elladan’s shoulder wound had stopped bleeding, but the paleness of his brother’s face worried him. Tilting his head towards the human, who now stood looking out the window, Elrohir whispered softly to his brother.

“Any idea who he is? He looks like someone we know.”

Elladan shook his head. He had silently gone through all the humans that they had known and sorted through their names, but nothing came to his mind.

Letting out a low growl of frustration, Elrohir turned his attention to his surroundings. The house was simple, equipped only with the bare essentials. A table, a chair, and a bed were the only furniture in it. A small candle stood in the middle of the table, the flame flickering dangerously close to extinction as a soft breeze stirred the room. Beside them, a wooden pole was planted deeply in the ground, and Elrohir knew that that would be how his brother and he would spend the night, tied and secured to the wood. Shifting to a more comfortable position, the younger twin let out a weary sigh. His fingers had gone numb, and his ribs ached dully. Silently he berated himself for letting his guard down at the campsite. Because of that, he and his brother had been taken captive to be used as bait for some foul plans.

“I have a bad feeling that this man is after Estel and Legolas.” Elladan leaned his uninjured shoulder on the wall, his voice shaky and laced with pain. “He seems to be waiting for someone, and he also told the mercenaries to leave tracks after our capture.” This was obviously a trap to lure someone in.

“Don’t be so paranoid. Besides, Estel and Legolas won’t be back for another three days. Maybe we can find some means of escape before they come searching for us.” Elrohir hoped that their presence would not be missed too soon. “We might have already gotten free by that time.” The young elf tried to be optimistic, but he knew that there was little chance that they could get away in the condition that they were currently in. Even if they did run, they would not get far before being recaptured again. Elrohir sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

The man stepped away from the window and walked leisurely back towards Elladan and Elrohir, happy that the first half of his plan was in motion. All he needed to do now was wait for his prey to take the bait. Crouching down beside the twins, he picked up the leash and tied them securely to the pole, leaving little space for movement. Elladan and Elrohir complied without struggling, knowing that it would do them more harm than good.

And so the game began.

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“You know, this will be one of those rare moments that we enter your father’s house unscathed,” Legolas laughed as he rode into the compound of the Last Homely House.

Aragorn snorted as he brought his horse to a stop beside the elf. “Father will be proud,” the human joked as he dismounted. Handing the beast to a servant, who took the animal away promptly, the human swung his pack over his shoulder.

“Yes, he will be,” a deep voice from behind startled the young man, and he snapped around, coming face to face with his father.

“Father! You startled me!” Aragorn complained. After so many years, he still could not get used to the stealth of elves. Taking another step forward, Aragorn threw his arms around his father and wrapped him in a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you, Ada,” he said as he buried his face in his father’s shoulder.

“I’ve missed you, too, my son,” Elrond replied, affectionately stroking his foster son’s long wavy hair. Breaking the hug, the elf lord turned to Legolas and grasped him by his forearm. “Welcome back, Legolas. Thank you for taking care of Estel.”

“Thank you, Lord Elrond,” Legolas smiled warmly and returned the gesture. “It was a pleasure having Estel with us these past few months. His presence brought much joy and laughter into my house.” The elf prince stole a quick glance at Aragorn and winked at him.

The human caught the tease and rolled his eyes. He knew that Legolas would not let him off so easily. Fully prepared to be humiliated by his brothers, Aragorn wondered where they were.

“Where are Elladan and Elrohir?” he asked, looking around the garden to see if the twins were hiding somewhere ready to pounce on him.

“They are on a hunting trip, although they should have returned yesterday evening. Maybe they were delayed.” Elrond frowned. “Weren’t you supposed to arrive tomorrow?”

Aragorn grinned. His father was so glad to see him that he did not noticed his early arrival until now. “We left a day early to surprise you, Dan and Ro. Too bad they’re not back yet.”

Beside him, Legolas shuddered lightly as a chill ran down his spine. The same sense of foreboding he had felt in the forest flooded through him. Trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling off, he was disappointed when Elrond eyed him suspiciously.

“Is something wrong, Legolas?” the Lord of Imladris asked the elf prince.

Legolas shrugged. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling this way, but something tugged at the corner of his mind about Elladan and Elrohir’s delay. “I think that we should go look for them.”

“What is it?” Aragorn asked anxiously, looking at his elven friend intently.

“I’m not sure, but…” the elf trailed off, not entirely certain about why he suddenly felt such urgency. “I just feel that something is not quite right. We need to go look for them.” Legolas sighed deeply, having no idea how to explain his uneasy feelings to the others.

“You have traveled long and far. Even if you want to go, have some food and rest first,” Elrond suggested as he rested his hand on the younger elf’s shoulder.

Legolas nodded reluctantly, but complied. He was weary, as much as he hated to admit it. They had ridden non-stop since morning, and he had taken full watch the past few nights because the cold would have been unbearable for the human. Thinking that he would be able to rest when he reached the Last Homely House, Legolas had disregarded his own weariness until now.

“Come, I’ll have Celboril prepare some food for both of you.” Elrond placed his hands on Aragorn’s and Legolas’ back, ushering them swiftly into the house.

Legolas smiled appreciatively. The mention of Celboril’s food lightened his spirit somewhat, and he quickened his pace, eager to quench his hunger.

TBC…