Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 10 – Confusion All Around

Noticing the elf’s reaction, Aragorn reached out and touched his uninjured arm. "What is it my friend?" The human’s frown deepened when the prince did not respond. "Legolas? What’s wrong?!" The panicked tone in the ranger’s voice brought the elf out of his stupor.

The elf blinked a couple of times and shook his head to get rid of the frightful feeling but regretted immediately as pain exploded inside his head. Grimacing at the headache, Legolas waited for the pain to pass before continuing. "Nothing. I just felt something brush pass me. Maybe it’s just a draft," the prince shrugged and tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling. "Let’s see what’s in the box," he changed the subject casually to draw Aragorn’s attention away from him and was glad when the ranger fell for it and did not push him for details.

Forcing the tip of the chisel into the gap, the human pried the lid off forcefully. Peering into the box, Aragorn raised an eyebrow.

"What’s in there?" Legolas’ curiosity peaked at the human’s expression.

"It’s empty!" the young man showed the box to the elf prince. "All our trouble for nothing," the ranger grumbled disappointedly.

"At least you get a nice box. It would make a good collection," Legolas teased jokingly, the feeling of the earlier tension slowly leaving his body.

The man gave the box one last check and then stuffed it back into their pack. "Oh well, I’m sure we will find some use for it back home. Now, finish your food and get some sleep." Aragorn laid down on his mat and stared up at the rafters, wondering why someone would guard an empty box but no answer came to him. He felt Legolas shift next to him as he adjusted his body into a more comfortable position. The prince’s condition seemed to have stabilized and he hoped that the elf’s natural healing abilities had mended his internal injuries. Slowly, his eyes drifted shut.

Legolas sat silently as he listened to the ranger’s soft snore and smiled to himself. Not feeling tired at the moment, the prince wished to get out and sit under the stars for a while before retiring for the night. Pulling himself painfully up from the floor using the crutch the villagers had made for Aragorn for support, he limped wearily towards the door. He was surprised that the short distance to the door had taxed him much of his strength forcing him to lean against the doorframe to gather his strength before moving on again. Panting slightly, the elf settled down upon the grass outside the hut and took in the much-needed fresh air. Enjoying the night view, he let his body relax in the evening breeze. Suddenly, the chill that he had felt in the hut returned and Legolas shuddered involuntarily. All his senses went on alert as he scanned the area around him frantically, searching for the cause of his uneasiness but except for the unnatural silence, nothing was out of the ordinary. Closing his eyes, Legolas tried to calm his frayed nerves and persuaded himself that it was only his overactive imagination.

The elf sat there for a moment longer before making his way back to the hut but when he returned, he noticed that Aragorn’s bed was empty. He wondered where the ranger went and was surprised that he did not hear him leave but knowing that the ranger would take care of himself, Legolas did not worry about his absence. Happy that he was finally able to see the stars, the elf settled in for the night.

*****

As the sun rose up from the horizon, her soft rays illuminated a prone figure lying on his side beside the river. The man’s dark brown hair fell loosely across his face, hiding his handsome features. A small bird landed beside the man, chirping happily as the figure groaned and flipped onto his back, the morning dew from the grass sipping slowly into his tunic. The man rubbed his eyes and wondered why he was lying on something wet when he was supposed to be indoors but the sounds of shouting brought him to his senses immediately and he jolted wide awake and found himself to be sitting at the river bank. Turning hastily towards the commotion, he saw a group of villagers running towards his direction. Not knowing what had transpired, the man pushed himself up from the ground and stood unsteadily, favoring his broken ankle.

"He’s there!" one of the villagers shouted and pointed at the confused ranger as he made a mad dash towards the man, closing the distance between himself and Aragorn rapidly. The rest of the villagers followed closely behind.

"What’s happened?" Aragorn croaked, his throat parched and dry for some unknown reasons.

"Seize him!" the leader of the crowd shouted as the group of angry people approached him. Suddenly, Aragorn found himself facedown on the ground, his hands twisted painfully behind him and a boot wedged behind his back.

"What’s going on?!" the ranger demanded an answer but all that he got was a hard kick to his side. Aragorn curled up and groaned painfully as the boot connected with his injured rib.

"Take him to the Square!" the leader commanded. "And bring his accomplice!"

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: Okay, sort of a cliffie but at least no one is dying :P Please R&R!