"There is no escape. You will tell us where the treasure is hidden, or you will die."
Orophin turned to Legolas and kicked him. "Nice. 'Let's go explore the caves, brothers.' I'm not ever going to say yes to you again."
"If you would have told me what was down here, we wouldn't have come!" Legolas responded, shoving against the other elf with his shoulder.
"So you're the one who knows where the treasure is?" Delian smiled and crouched down beside Orophin. "Tell me where it is," she said, tracing a finger along his jaw, "and we can forget all about this entire incident."
Smiling, he leaned his head forward. "I have it with me," he smirked. Delian's eyes widened in victory. "Just a little lower and you're find it," he said. With a puzzled look, Delian moved her hand to the pocket of his vest. "Lower," he said seductively. She reached for the pocket of his pants. "To the left... no, more to the right... yes, center right there, and down just a wee bit," he said.
Delian narrowed her eyes. Standing up, she glared at the pair of elves who had been fighting and said, "Bind the feet of those two, I don't want them injuring any of us."
"We're not going to hurt you!" protested Legolas. "You're the ones threatening to kill us, and quite honestly, that's not very lady-like!"
Haldir made a noise of discontent and Rumil regarded him with a worried look. "Excuse me, but my brother is in quite a lot of pain," called out Rumil from the opposite wall that he and Haldir were sitting against. "Please, will you untie his bonds? He won't do a thing, honestly."
Throwing her head back in laughter, Delian shook her head. "Not a chance. He's the biggest one of the four of you," she said. "Now, I'm going to give you an hour to think about it, and when I return, either you will tell me the location of the hidden treasure, or I will slit the throat of the skinny little rude one," she said, pointing a knife at Legolas.
"What?!"
"Go ahead!" shouted Orophin. "I'll even help hold him down." Legolas glared at him and lashed out with both legs, managing to do little more than knock against Orophin's foot.
Delian gave each of the four a once over again, and repeated, "One hour," before she headed out of the alcove the prisoners were in. She shook her head as she directed two of the party to guard the entry and then took in the two new arrivals. "Ladies, I thought I made it clear what time we were starting," she said, playfully, and then exchanged hugs with the two elleths who had just joined them.
The red head shrugged. "Our husbands would NOT come to bed," she complained, adjusting her 'wizard robes'. "Lachien, Priestess of the Flame, reporting for duty," she chuckled. Beside her was a giggling elleth, with dark hair, dressed in warrior garb. Her curls were pulled back into a thick ponytail; quiver filled, and bow in hand.
"And Yavannis, brave huntress of the forest?"
"Aye!" answered the elleth, regaining her composure. "What have we missed?"
"We slaughtered a troop of orcs, and found a piece of a map that will lead us to the Treasure of the Blue Pheasants, a thieving guild from long ago. There are other treasure hunters here as well. I thought there was to be one party, but Ilmendin really outdid himself. He's leading one, and he got his brother to lead the other, although, they're doing a terrible job of it," she whispered. "Very unconvincing as actors, and one of them is outright lewd!"
Chuckling again, the redhead said, "Reminds me of my husband."
"Oh, trust me, you'd want to sock this one in the mouth," Delian said. "I have no clue who the other three with him are, but this has got to be their first time."
"Poor dears," laughed 'Yavannis'. "Should I go in and scare them a little?"
Delian considered this and then said, "No, I think the youngest one is about to wet himself already. Best to leave them be a bit, let Legolas have some time to sort it out. I'd like this game to be a little more interesting than it has been. Now, Ilmendin's group is still wandering - they call themselves the Laughing Dogs, so if you see any paw prints on the walls, it's their code. We've yet to break it, and they have a 'cave troll' with them."
"Oh, that is superb! Shall we follow with you, then?" asked 'Lachien'.
Nodding, Delian motioned that another torch be given to her, and then led the company down another tunnel.
- - -
Orophin counted the stalactites in the area again, and then glanced across the alcove at Haldir. "What?"
"I could have been in a bed. I could have been sitting at the bar. I could have been lounging in a tree. But no, I'm stuck in a damp, dark, smelly cave. Thank you, Orophin, thank you ever so much."
"Oh, Balrog wings, you'd have pestered me about it later and claimed that you could have gotten us out of this mess had you been here!" Orophin countered. "At least you're here, and you can't say it later, and I'm glad! This is one time I won't have your arrogant 'I could have saved you' attitude. Besides, you want to blame someone, blame him," he said, nodding at Legolas. "That's what I'm doing. Oh, wait, that's right, you can't blame him," he added, "because you're in love with him again. You want me to crawl over and switch places so the two of you can lean against each other for support?"
"No." It wasn't Haldir, nor Legolas who spoke, but Rumil. "I get to sit by Halli. I know he won't bite."
"I don't bite," growled Legolas, staring at the wall, no doubt coming up with an array of things to do or say to Orophin once they had found a way out of the situation.
Haldir blinked and then turned to look at Rumil. "You're the biter! I know, you bit me numerous times when you were a child. And once or twice later in life as well!" Rumil grinned impishly.
"That's it, I'm finding my own way out of here." Legolas braced himself against the wall, and somehow, managed to get into a standing position. After that, he merely stood, looking around for a good minute or two.
"I have news for you, Legolas," announced Orophin. "You've yet to find a way out and you look like an ass."
"You are an ass," spat Legolas as he turned to regard Orophin, but his sudden movement landed him back onto the floor.
"And now, you're on your ass," Orophin said politely.
Rumil pouted and leaned against Haldir. "If they come in again, can we say we'll help them look for the treasure if they promise to gag those two?"
- - -
"I don't know how they got in, Adar. Do you want me to remove them?"
Thranduil peered down through the hole in the floor at the quartet below. There were the caves, and then there were the 'caves', a wide network above the caves themselves so that those in charge could watch the events that transpired. Ilmendin looked at his father intently as the elder elf sat back up again. Over the floor was a series of pinholes, left unnoticed by those in the caves. However, they served as lookouts for those running the events, and to keep control over what went on in them. Each was coded by color for location, and Thranduil sighed as he looked down at the orange-red splotch on the floor.
"No. Leave them in. I don't want to explain it to either side, and it's part of the game now. It would figure your brother would be too curious to wait."
Ilmendin nodded his head. "I must return, then." He stood and walked away, leaving Thranduil to look down another hole, this one marked the same color but with a symbol drawn to mark it as a doorway. "Excuse me, Adar?" he heard Ilmendin call. "Adar, the other two we were expecting have entered. Do you still wish me to leave Legolas and the rest down there?"
Thranduil pondered this carefully for a moment, smirking a little. "I think so. It will make it so much more interesting."
- - -
Yavannis drew back her bowstring and fired an arrow past her party and into the crowd of masked, laughing elves. She checked her grin as she heard it hit against the cloth of one of their opponents, and reached behind her to grasp another arrow. These were the kind used for practices, tips replaced with small sacks made from deer intestine, filled with red dye. Delian was further back, a 'wound' marked by a bluish dye being tended to by the party's healer. Two others with swords stood at the ready in front of her, and to her left, Lachien was mumbling something incoherent with an open book in her hands.
The second arrow flew, hitting one of the elves closing in on them - a good shot, one that hit his chest. He grabbed at the stain on his clothing and fell to his knees as those in the hallway clashed at the center with dulled blades. Suddenly, Lachien dropped her book to the ground and shouted something equally nonsensical to her party. All of the ladies ducked simultaneously, those with swords in the front taking a step back and readying for defense as Lachien thrust her arms forward with her fingers spread.
"Damn, we should have seen that coming!"
"Why weren't you watching the wizard?"
"I forgot they had a wizard!"
"Hush, hush," called out one from the back of the group of elves, and Ilmendin, masked as the others, stepped forward. "Alright, close range, party of..." he counted those with him, "seven, and a troll, well, six," he corrected, looking down at the elf who was playing dead, "and... what's your level now?"
"Sixth," Lachien said proudly.
Ilmendin made some notes with a piece of coal on a small notebook he had. "Right... Morion, you're dead, Cirithor, you're dead, the rest of you, minus ten, and cave troll flees in terror down the passage."
"Retreat and bury the dead!" called out Cirithor as he dropped to the ground with a laugh. Morion scowled and sat down, obviously upset with the way things were going.
"We can't retreat, I have a blood oath against Delian," Ilmendin reminded them, but the rest were already gathering up the 'dead' elves and heading down the passage.
"That's your problem," called out one of the remaining 'wounded' elves. "She has fire, and we have to find our troll!" He gave a howl down the passage, and it was answered as they retreated.
Ilmendin snorted and stepped forward to follow them, but felt the dulled tip of a blade at his throat. "Where are you going?" Delian asked sweetly. "You haven't told us where the treasure is. At the very least, you could give us a map."
Tilting his head up proudly, he answered, "I've nothing to say to you, traitor."
Delian smiled. "Bind his hands," she ordered. "Lachien, Yavannis, take him back to the other prisoners."
- - -
"That is a very rude word to use, Legolas," Orophin informed him. "One I would not expect to hear coming out of the mouth of a prince."
"Truth hurts, doesn't it, Orophin?" Legolas spat back.
"A little, but not as much as my foot up your-"
"Stop it!" shouted Rumil. "I have a headache, and I'm tired, and cold, and hungry. So if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all."
"Fine," said Legolas.
"Fine," said Orophin.
Legolas shifted against the wall. "Fine, then."
"Right," replied Orophin.
"Yes, exactly," snorted Legolas.
"Why do you always have to get that last word in?" questioned Orophin.
"Me? What about you? You've had as much opportunity to shut up as I have," countered Legolas.
"Halli, if we're left forgotten down here, would it be unethical to kill and eat them just so they'd stop making so much noise?"
Haldir did not have the time to answer as the gate barring the doorway was unlocked. In walked a wizard, a fighter, and a priest who had his hands tied together. All of the four elves stared up in disbelief, while the two ladies stared right back with wide eyes.
"Val?" questioned Orophin, taking in the robe-clad elleth leaning on her staff. She said nothing, blinking twice, and then hardening her expression.
"Put him against the wall with those two," she instructed Yavannis, who nodded and approached Haldir and Rumil. Leaning down a little as she did so, she asked, "What are you two doing in here?"
"Nenniach, please, can you untie us? I don't know what happened, we were just exploring, and then-" began Haldir, but one of the guards from the door stepped in.
"What's going on in here?" questioned the elleth warrior, her sword drawn. Yavannis stood up, startled, and Lachien stepped back toward Orophin.
"Not a thing, just delivering one of the prisoners, as we were sent to do. Just thought we'd try to get a little information from the others," Lachien said.
The guard lowered her sword. "That's not what you were sent to do. I'm sure Delian is expecting your return in haste."
"Oh, of course," Lachien said, shifting her right leg back a little so that it was closer to Orophin and hidden from the view of the others. "We were just on our way," she added, discretely lifting her robe up from that leg to reveal a dagger hidden, tied loosely to her boot. Orophin did not ponder, did not hesitate - he twisted his back so that he could grab the weapon, slit the ropes on his hands, and had his feet unbound and the dagger to Lachien's throat in moments.
"Stay right where you are," warned Orophin. "I spent nearly my entire life on the Northern Fences, and I can tell you right now, I was in worse situations than this and made it out alive. Put down your swords," he ordered the two at the door, for the other guard had entered the room as well. "Kick them this way," he demanded, and they did so. "You," he said, nodding toward Yavannis, "against the wall with your hands to it. You two, as well," he said to the guards. As soon as they had done so, he walked, still keeping the dagger to his wife's throat, across to Rumil.
Orophin repositioned one arm around Lachien's neck, and then tossed the dagger to the ground near Rumil's hands before gathering both of Lachien's wrists and holding them to her back. Rumil easily cut away his bonds, and then Haldir's. He glanced across the way at Legolas. "Do we have to bring him with us?" he asked as he walked across the alcove.
Legolas said nothing, merely narrowing his eyes as Rumil sliced through the rope binding his feet, and then his hands. He turned to look for Ilmendin, but he was gone. "Sneaky one, your brother is," remarked Rumil as he made one more check around. He handed the dagger back to Orophin, and picked up a sword. "I think we should take one more prisoner, just in case," he said, and after disarming Yavannis, he firmly placed his hand around the back of her neck. "Come on, then, if you don't fight back, I won't have to tie you up," he said.
Haldir retrieved the last of the swords, and Legolas took possession of the bow and arrows taken from Yavannis. He also yanked a torch from the wall as they began to make their way down the caves. They only made it a hundred or so paces before hearing some sort of calls from the direction that they came. "Dammit, we should have done something with those guards," Haldir realized, limping slightly and keeping one hand against the wall for support.
"No time now," Orophin replied. "Valarda, my love, which way is out?" he whispered into the ear of the wizard.
"Take a left, straight down the tunnel, a right, and then-"
"Oh, you are sly," he said, leading them down the right passage. "Still playing the game, but making it interesting. Please, love, how many times more have I played in these caves than you? Sometime, we'll have to have an adventure together," he mused.
"Aren't we already?" she asked.
"So, you're a warrior down here, then?" Rumil was having a similar sort of conversation with his own wife.
'Yavannis', or rather, Nenniach, confirmed this. "It was a nice change of roles. I'm getting to be quite a good archer."
"We'll have to go out on a hunt together sometime, then," suggested Rumil. "I think it would be a lovely time, just the two of us."
"I'd like that," she said as they made their way quickly to the exit from the caves. Bright light greeted them as they emerged, and so did Thranduil and Ilmendin.
The King of the Kastle took one look at the party, shaking his head. "What IS it about the four of you that makes you so impatient?"
"Well, with us," explained Orophin, "it has to come from our mother. With him," he said, nodding back toward Legolas as he lowered the dagger, "are you sure he wasn't adopted?" Legolas narrowed his eyes and looked at Orophin darkly. "Oh, I don't really mean it, you old grouch," said Orophin. He practically pounced a surprised Legolas and hugged him. "You really need to lighten up a bit," he said.
"We are going to have so much explaining to do to Delian," said Nenniach, removing the tie in her hair. Valarda was shrugging off her heavy robes, revealing her usual tunic and leggings beneath.
"I think," said Valarda, "that right now would be a great time for us to leave, think of a good excuse for what happened, and come back for the next round in six months or whenever it's planned."
"Explaining to Delian? Excuse me, slightly confused husbands and brother-in-law here," reminded Haldir.
"Later. I need a drink first," said Valarda, and Nenniach nodded in agreement. As they walked away toward the stairs that led to the bar, their husbands following them.
Haldir turned around to look back at the opening to the caves. "So, it's a complex game is what it is," he said, putting aside the fact various members of his family were pretending to be wizards, priests, and warriors.
Ilmendin nodded. "If you're interested in going back in," he said to Haldir and to Legolas, who was examining the structure, "my own party is dwindling in numbers."
"I'm not sure, being injured, I probably shouldn't," said Haldir.
"So are nearly all the members of my party," smiled Ilmendin. "Besides, it's this, drink at the bar, or sleep."
Haldir weighed the possibilities and looked at Legolas. "What do you think?"
"I think," Legolas said with a cunning grin, "that it's time to introduce a dwarf into the game. I shall be right back!" he announced, and ran up the stairs to find Gimli.
