4Lord Elrond stared out the large window in concern; he had heard nothing of his twin sons or of Legolas since they last wrote weeks ago from a campsite hours away from the ranger camp. And he hadn't heard anything from his foster son either. The moonlight cast a deeper glow around the Half-Elf as Gandalf watched him silently.
"I fear they have met with trouble again," Elrond told the wizard, turning to face him.
The old man murmered softly and then sighed in agreement. "I will find out what I can," he offered his friend.
"Hannon le, Mithrandir!"
Soon the wizard was on horseback riding from Rivendell.
In the long nights and days that followed, everyone in Rivendell prayed for their safe return. Meanwhile, the three friends were still at the mercy of the Orcs; each day, the evil beings beat them and the three comrades suffered more injuries. They tried their best to stay strong for each other and comfort one another with memories and songs, but they truly wondered if they would ever see their fathers again and it ate at their resolve.
Aragorn lay weakly on the cell floor, curled up beside Legolas, while the other two curled against them. They were in too much pain to move very often and more than once one of them would break down. Legolas' glow had waned so much, as had the twins', that Aragorn feared that none of them would last through the very long and lonely nights.
Legolas was often heard whimpering in his sleep, which kept the others awake as they tried to comfort the young Elf. The bruises were marred with blood, and deep welts lined their backs. Their broken bones kept getting worse all the more while they were kept in the cell. With hardly any light shining upon them and the gross food and drinks that the Orcs forced on them was more than any of the companions could take, and more than once they ask their friends to kill them so they could escape the pain and find true healing.
"Aragorn wondered what was happening to the twins and his friend, Legolas. Being Elves, they were naturally stubborn, of course. Or at least that was what Aragorn thought. And they clinged to life with a stubborness to be envied at most times, though that same stubborness often more or less drove him insane. But the will to hold onto life could only take one so far, and it was Aragorn's paralyzing fear that his beloved brothers and Legolas had already been forced past that point, past the point of endurance. But he just had no idea."
He felt several tears slip down his cheeks as he thought of the good friends he had lost at the ranger camp. The attack from the Orcs was unexpected and though they all fought hard many lives had been lost. It tore at the young ranger, making him angry and vulnerable. He remembered one young man who loved sitting with him late into the night sharing stories of family, funny moments and anything else that interested both of them
Aragorn knew he was in really bad shape too. He could tell he had broken bones in several areas and felt light headed, dizzy and ill. He laid down on the cell floor and closed his eyes, wishing the room would stop spinning. He could hear the sound of Legolas gasping for breath as he tried to hide the fact that he was indeed weeping. He could hear the sounds of his brothers moving around and the gentle sound of their voices as they tried comforting their friend. Aragorn burried his face onto his arm, trying to fight more tears; he wanted so badly to be with them that it hurt.
Aragorn lay there, shivering in fear. He felt as if the whole place was filled with malace and evil. He didn't know how long he lay there, but when he heard the Orcs' cackles he knew what was happening and he hated it beyond imagine. He wished he could fight them and help the others escape, but he had no strength to spare and was too wounded to be of any help. A tear dripped from both eyes as he heard the painful screams as his brothers and Legolas were dragged out of their cell. He heard the thumps as the Orcs threw them down the stairs.
Aragorn tried to control his breathing, but not knowing what was going to happen made it all the harder for him to calm his racing heart. He hated the uncertainty of it all and it was wearing him down within his head and heart.