disclaimer: I don't own any of this, I'm not making any money.

A/N: I want you to understand that, at this point, Legolas and the twins are about half a day ahead of Thranduil and crew. They will catch up to one another at the beginning of the next chapter, I think.

Special thanks goes to Abby, who helped me write the fight scene. Also thanks to Bill the Pony and Tux, who both beta'd for me. Appreciate it tons girls!!!

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Lightning flashed in the sky, briefly silhouetting the graceful figure perched in the large oak tree outside the seaside shack. Glittering eyes studied the building silently, waiting patiently for the opening necessary to accomplish the assigned task.

Unmoving, the figure watched as four masculine forms moved about the shack, until finally the lights went out.

Now was the time to act.

~*~

Legolas stretched out on the pile of old clothes that had served as his bed the past few days. Nearby, Elladan and Elrohir were already asleep in the bed they were sharing, silvery eyes half-lidded as they rested peacefully. As Legolas relaxed, waiting for sleep to overtake him, he listened to the sounds of Middle-earth.

Outside, the ocean rolled up to the shore, the primal rhythm of the waves melding with music of the wind, and the occasional rumble of thunder. As the thunder grew louder, it was joined by the lighter sound of rain pattering on the roof and windows, and the visual spectacle of lightning.

Legolas smiled, his mind drifting back in time to the stormy night he and his wife had chosen to conceive their daughter. His eyes began to lose focus as he dozed off with the memory of fiery red hair falling all around him, and the silky caress of her skin against his.

He was almost there, almost back in dreamland, where he could hold his wife all he wanted, when a terrible sense of impending doom struck him square in the chest. Blue eyes shot open just in time to see the flash of a dagger as it came down towards his vulnerable form. Acting on pure instinct, Legolas flipped over on his stomach as the blade landed with a soft thud in the pile of fabric where he had been laying.

He grabbed the dagger, and rolled to his feet in one fluid motion. It wouldn't be much help in a fight; it was slim, and weighted for throwing, not hand to hand combat, but it was the best weapon he had at the moment. Quickly scanning the room, Legolas located his would-be assassin crouching next to the twins' bed.

They regarded each other with almost identical expressions of shock, the assassin because she had been certain that knife would mortally wound her target, Legolas because, well, she was female.

She was petite and of a slender build, with waist length jet black hair pulled back from her face in a single long tail. Her dark eyes tilted up at the corners, marking her as one of Easterling descent. Clad entirely in black, her clothing clung to her figure, leaving little to the imagination. He couldn't help but admire her, for she was an exotic beauty, the kind that some of his fellow Elves who had traveled to Easterling territory had told tales of for centuries.

Legolas was only granted an instant to observe the woman though, for she lunged at him almost immediately, with a long slender sword aimed at his heart. Legolas parried her thrust deftly, catching the hilt of the dagger on her blade, and slid his weapon down towards her fingers. Her sword had no hand guard, so she was forced to release her weapon, or lose a digit or two. It clattered to the floor between them. Legolas kicked it deftly aside.

The girl didn't miss a beat, with a single fluid motion, she swept her right leg across his body in a graceful crescent kick. Her foot connected painfully with Legolas' knuckles, knocking his arm across his body, and sending the dagger spinning from his grip. It landed with a soft thunk on the bed, awaking the twins who both sat up, prepared for a fight.

Realizing she was outnumbered by opponents whom she had clearly underestimated, the assassin drove the heel of her hand into Legolas' jaw while he was still recovering from the crescent kick. Then she vanished out the front door, her tabi boots making no sound on the wooden floors.

Legolas followed in short order, leaving two slightly muddled twins still climbing out of bed. He reached the porch, and scoured the darkness for her with his sharp elven eyes. He saw no warrior maiden, however, only a hail of silver that flew at his face from out of the darkness.

Reacting instinctively, he flung his right arm up over his face, and was rewarded with fiery pain down his forearm, across his cheek and bare chest as the throwing stars embedded themselves in his tender flesh.

Grunting in pain, he yanked out the star that had lodged high on his cheek, nearly in his eye, and searched the night for his attacker.

She had vanished.

~*~

"Well?" Melkor leered in Thranduil's face, clearly enjoying his prisoner's discomfort.

Thranduil merely turned his head away, to escape the stench of the foul being's breath. "I don't know what it is you speak of."

Melkor smiled, and stepped away from the former elven king. "Very well, I can see that torturing you will have very little effect. I will simply have to try another tactic."

He turned his back on Thranduil and stepped in front of Elrond, who looked up at him through tangled locks of jet hair with weary eyes. "What is it you want, Melkor?"

"I merely wish to impart some information to you, Peredhel. You've led such a difficult life, do you ever wonder if Eru hates you?"

Elrond did not respond, he merely lowered his smoky eyes to the ground, and studied Melkor's overly shiny shoes.

"When I think of all you've suffered..." Melkor sighed, an exaggerated expression of his 'sorrow'. Thranduil had to resist rolling his eyes, there was no reason to provoke the former Valar.

"Your brother died, chose mortality. You'll never see him again, will you? What of your daughter? What was her name, Arwen? Lovely creature, pity she chose mortality as well. Both of them, long dead, never to be seen again." Melkor caressed Elrond's cheek gently, but the Elf Lord yanked his head away from the Ainur's touch.

"What about your parents? They're dead, you know, and Celebrian as well, she suffered so greatly at the hands of the orcs." Melkor tsked, resting his hand on Elrond's shoulder, as he tried to fight back the sobs that threatened.

"What do you mean my parents are dead? I know for a fact they are not! Celebrian lives as well, I saw her just a few days ago!"

Melkor smirked, and reached into his pocket, producing a pair of jewels that lit up the room with their brilliance. The orcs that guarded the door shielded their eyes from the light even as Elrond stared at them.

"This is the silmaril you and your companions so kindly recovered for me recently," He held up one jewel in his right hand, and the other in his left. "This one, I took from your father's forehead, after I slit his throat."

Elrond groaned, fighting the despair that threatened to overwhelm him. "No..."

"Oh yes, and your sons are dead as well, Peredhel. Lost at sea, how very tragic." Melkor chuckled, "Perhaps they are with the third silmaril!"

"No!" Thranduil could hold his tongue no longer, "They live! I know they do, Elrond, do not give up hope!"

Melkor turned his attention to the former Elven King once again, pocketing the silmarils as he strode across the room to stand in front of the struggling Elf. "How do you know this?"

Thranduil ceased his struggles, and met Melkor's jet black eyes with his defiant blue, "You have many enemies, Morgoth. You will fail, just as you have before."

Melkor struck him across the cheek with the back of his hand, "Tell me how you know those worthless peredhil live? I want to know!"

Thranduil let his dirty blonde hair fall around his face, and glared up at the primeval being. "I know, I know it for a fact! They live, and you will die."

"I want to know HOW you know, Oropherion, and you WILL tell me, one way or another." Melkor reached into one of the crates, and produced several objects. "In the meantime, we will explore a few more methods of human torture." He gestured to the orcs who guarded the open doorway.

"Untie this one, but hold him tight, I don't want him running around. Not just yet." Melkor smirked, anticipating a delightful afternoon of Elf torture. "Oh, and have someone contact Xiaoli, I have a job for her."

~*~

"Ouch!" Legolas glared at Elrohir, as the younger twin pulled yet another throwing star from Legolas aching forearm.

Elladan perched on the edge of the couch, examining one of the small blades the warrior maiden had left behind. It really was a surprisingly effective weapon, three sharp blades in a concentric pattern, making it incredibly aerodynamic, and potentially deadly.

There was a bit of white crystal along the edge of it, Elladan experimentally tasted it, and grimaced. "She put sea salt on these blades, Elrohir. That is why Legolas is acting like an elfling with a scraped knee."

"I am not!" Legolas turned his glare to the older twin, and resisted flinging one of the stars at his smirking companion. "It burns like fire!"

Elrohir smiled sympathetically, and gently rinsed the small wounds with cool water. "Yes, but on the bright side, the salt will clean the wounds quite well."

Legolas gave his companion a dirty look, and focused his attention on the far wall.

"What is going on out here?" Logan leaned in the doorway, his typically unruly hair even more tousled than usual. "It looks like a war zone!"

Legolas and Elrohir looked at Elladan for help, who, in turn, gave Logan a slightly sheepish smile. "Um, well... Some woman came in, and tried to kill Legolas, but don't worry, I doubt she'll be back tonight."

Logan picked up one of the throwing stars from the dish sitting beside Elrohir. It still had a bit of Legolas' blood dripping from it. He looked from one elf to the other, then sitting down beside Elladan on the couch, he lit a cigarette. "Start talking."

Elladan gave his companions a rather nervous look, "Man innas Im trenar-i adan?" //What shall I tell the man?//

"I don't know, he probably deserves an explanation, I mean, we were attacked in his house!" Legolas quirked an eyebrow, Elrohir nodded in agreement.

Elladan nodded, and turned to Logan. "You should get comfortable, I have a very long story to tell you."

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TBC...

Evil words, yes? No? Review and let me know!!

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