Chapter 52

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(Thranduil)

"Morning, princess. Time for breakfast!" I shrink away as the guard throws hot oatmeal at me. I learned the hard way to never eat anything they gave me, I had nearly died of stomach pain a few days ago after I ate a piece of the 'salad' they gave me. I just hoped they were giving Legolas real food.

I knew every inch of these dungeons, I knew there was no way out other than with the key. I lean back against the grimy wall. There are claw marks from that creature that called himself Gollum all along the walls. I dared not venture into the shadows of the cell; fear of what could be waiting there keeping me in place.

I shifted my weight to the right, easing the pressure from my healing knife wound. That hurt the most right now, followed closely by my shattered knee. The guards loyal to Rivornor beat one body part per day, and yesterday had been designated to my left knee. I am almost sure it is broken, but I can still move it slightly.

I sit in my cell until the guards come back for my hourly beating. Today seems to belong to my back. They pin me to the ground and start whipping me. I grimace, but refuse to make any sound of pain. It only make them hit harder.

"Scream for me, princess!" The guards called. I kept my mouth shut. I will not give them the satisfaction of my pain. If I make it out of here alive, they will be the first to die.

After ten more minutes of lashing, they each take two turns kicking my abdomen, then leave. I try to lean back against the wall, but hiss in pain as soon as my bloody skin touches the wall. I hope I do not get an infection from the filthy walls as I lean my right shoulder against the gate.

As soon as I rest my face against the bars, a different guard kicks sand into my eyes. I turn away, rubbing at my eyes. It is little use. I try to sleep and keep my strength up for Annoneth. She had a plan, but it should have been carried out by now. I know that if she is alive, she is doing everything possible to free my son and I.

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After five more beatings and a nasty bowl of pasta, Umon himself joins in for my beating. Rivornor even throws a few weak punches with his left hand. Seeing him so weak gives me a small amount of satisfaction, even if I am not the one who cut his hand off.

When they finish beating me, Umon stays behind to talk.

"When is your captain coming back? I thought she would have staged some sort of rescue mission by now."

"I thought so too," I mumble.

"Perhaps she is not the elf you thought her to be."

"She is exactly the elf I think she is. I know she has found Rhovanel by now and that they are going to kill you."

"I'm counting on it."

"Excuse me?"

"You really are as dumb as I think aren't you? As soon as Rhovanel sets one foot inside this cavern, she is going to be taken to a cell dirtier than yours and left to rot. I will bring her out of her filth to watch you and your son die, then I will slowly torture her every day until she begs me to be merciful. Then I will take her family fortune and your treasury and build my own city and fill it with people who don't know me-"

"You are disturbed psychopath, you know that right?" I laugh. "Rhovanel is better at strategy than even you, she will see the trap a mile away. Good luck catching her."

"Your mockery will only earn you more beatings, Thranduil. Besides, Rhovanel and Annoneth are already here. In fact, they are lifting the keys to Legolas's cell right now."

"Liar!" I roar. I try to throw my self at him, but he easily steps out of the way as I crash to the floor.

"Good evening, Thranduil. I will see you in a week for your execution," Umon says as he walks out of my cell and gently closes the gate behind him.

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