Days have passed. Days. I have been avoiding Legolas. I know, I know, why am I avoiding him when I had been dearly missing him? I can't explain it, maybe it's because I feel like I have changed. Would he like that I have changed? Would he like this new me? Or maybe I feel like I would be letting him down. He left me here to stay safe and to build my power, only to come back to find that I am going on this perilous journey and I have not mastered my skill. I have only succeeded in harming myself and the people around me.

So when he goes out to patrol the borders with some of the Lórien elves, I stay behind and train and vice versa. It has become clear that Legolas has become slightly, if not more, irritated by my actions.

As of right now, I'm sitting high up in the crook of a tree waiting for Legolas and various other elves to get back from patrolling. I will be going on the next patrol while Legolas rests.

Just as the sun has reached its peak, it's sunny tendrils warming my skin, I see the elves exit the forest with blank expressions.

I guess they found nothing interesting.

I wait a moment for Legolas to leave and I jump down from the mallorn.

I twirl the ends of my braid in my finger as I wait for the two elves that will be joining me to arrive.

Then guess what happens? Legolas walks out of the woods.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had just patrolled?" I ask in the most polite way I could.

He quickly glances at me, then back out towards the woods where we will patrol, "I am not fatigued. And I thought that I would join you today, I have not had time alone with you since I got back. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that you've been avoiding me."

"What?! That's nonsense," I lie and immediately feel guilty. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

He looks down towards me, "pretty?"

Did I just—did I say pretty?

"Who else is joining us?" I ask, desperate to change the situation.

"No one. I suppose we can go now," he starts towards the trees.

But I don't follow, "no one? We are always supposed to go in groups of three or more, otherwise, it's not safe."

Legolas turned towards me and his face lights up with a smile, "I told Gantar that we'd be able to handle ourselves."

"But—" I stopped myself and marched into the woods after him.

"Galadriel would not deem what we are doing wise"

"So?" He remarked, raising an eyebrow.

I was at lost for words. I tried searching for the right words, "you are so foolish," I shake my head.

"And you are so pigheaded."

"Hey!" I punch his arm only to see him shaking from laughter.

"What is so funny?!"

All he does is shake his head while holding in his laughter.

"Fine! Don't tell me," I huff and pull out my daggers.

Legolas' eyes widened in mock terror, "you're going to use those against me?"

I narrow my eyes at him, "they're for orcs, you Dwarf!"

Suddenly, instead of my foot hitting the dirt, it falls through oblivion and I fall forwards, my hands catching my fall.

"Rhaich!" I curse and look behind at my foot to see it in a hole.

Legolas comes up to me laughing and holds his hand out for me. What a gentlemen. Note my sarcasm there.

"Looks like your training couldn't prevent you from falling in a rabbits hole," he laughs some more.

I ignore his comment and his hand. I gather my strength and push myself up.

"How did you know I train?" I ask without looking at him, I secretly look at the ground, now wary of more rabbit holes appearing.

"I've seen you, and you are quite good at fighting too." I look away blushing. Like I've said time and time again, I'm not that good.

"You're good with your blades, nice balance when you are twirling—which I recommend not doing, you'll end up getting killed—but you could do better with the archery."

"Oh, go kiss an orc!"

Legolas snickers. What is up with him? Has he always been like this?

I walk a few paces ahead of him, still looking down at the ground. But then suddenly the ground beneath me isn't covered in grass, but instead, is covered in dried out dirt. I feel energy pushing on me on all sides.

Frowning, I look up only to gasp in horror.

How did this place come to look like this?

When the incident had happened, this place had been full of life with mallorns and vibrant green grass. But now no tree littered the ground and no grass was to be seen. This dead area is a big thirty foot in diameter circle.

What have I done?

I'm too shocked to move by the time Legolas walks into the scene.

"What happened here?" He asked while looking around the dead place.

"Me," I whispered, "this is where Erlathan died and where I used most of my power."

I look over to Legolas, "this is where it all started."

Legolas' eye brows furrowed, "Erlathan? What do you mean? Who is he? What about your power?"

Suddenly, the energy that was pushing on me intensified and I struggled to keep it out.

I gasped and fell to my knees as the energy hammered me. I put my hands on the gritty ground to steady myself and my body racked with coughs.

Legolas came to me and kneeled down beside me, "Lumornel?"

I continue the coughing fit and I felt something warm and sticky coat my lips and leave my mouth.

Blood dribbled from my lips and splattered the ground.

I fought to keep up my walls, but the energy keeps trying to drill into me. I fell onto my side I rolled onto my back, groaning and wrapped my arms around my torso.

I felt blood run out of my nose.

Legolas leaned over me saying something urgent, but I couldn't hear his voice. I can only hear the blood rushing in my ears and the static of the energy pushing on me. I struggled to keep my walls up.

With my last breaths, I gasped, "get-me out-of here."

My world went black.

•••••••••

I woke slowly to being held by two strong arms. The world swayed as if the person carrying me is walking. My eyes fluttered open and immediately I felt a headache coming on.

But then I remembered what had happened.

My eyes shot open wide and I flailed about, wiggling in my captor's arms.

"Lumornel! Would you stop moving?! I don't think you would appreciate it you fell to the ground."

I stiffened and looked into Legolas' eyes panting, "what happened? Where are we?" My eyes darted around the trees that we passed. I know I should recognize them, but I don't. They are all just normal mallorns.

"You fell to your knees gasping in the uncanny clearing that we walked into. You were in pain. You bled from your mouth and nose. Then you blacked out only to awake to thrashing around yelling that orcs were coming for us, I had no choice but to knock you unconscious, you were frantic."

I returned my eyes to Legolas, although his voice didn't show it, as per usual, his face showed that he was worried. I wanted to tell him not to be worried, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was glad he worried for me. I know, I'm a messed up freak.

"Legolas put me down."

"But—"

"I assure you I am fine. My strength has returned, although I don't think it left me, and I am back in my right mind, so, please, put me back on my own feet." I meant what I had said about having my strength returning to me, in fact, I felt alive with energy. I could feel the energy buzzing around inside of me, like fuel for a fire.

Legolas sighed but reluctantly let go of me carefully.

I stretched out my limbs and cracked my neck. I continued walking but found that Legolas wasn't following.

I turned around, "are you not coming?" We still had a patrol to finish, we had to keep our lands safe.

"We are going back to Caras Galadhon. You need to see a medic."

Now it was my turn to sigh, "I assure you that I'm fine."

Legolas drilled me with a persistent stare.

"Are you trying to make me collapse under your stare? Because it's not working."

Legolas shook his head, but I saw the slight smile touch his lips.

He opened his mouth to say something, but froze mid-word and whipped his head around.

I made a gesture with my head as if to say, "what?"

One soft word came out of his mouth, "orcs."

My eyes widen, "orcs?" Okay, yes, orcs. I know I have fought orcs in these woods, but it rarely happens. The last time I fought orcs had not been that long after Erlathan died.

At Legolas' slight nod of the head, I pulled out my unusually long daggers.

I really should start calling these something else other than daggers, I thought to myself.

After a couple tortuous seconds listening to the rustle of the leaves, I finally heard the cries and grunts of the orcs.

The sheer number of them frightened me. I have never seen so many orcs in my life. They flood into the area like water, filling every crevice and surrounding us before I could even think. They didn't fight, although it looked like they were itching too.

How did we not notice these orcs before? How did no one else see them?

I looked over at Legolas, but his gaze wasn't on me, it was on a particularly ugly looking orc. The orcs around that orc parted as it made its way towards us.

Legolas, as quick as lightning, notched an arrow in his bow and aimed at the creatures forehead. But he didn't release.

Part of me was screaming at him to shoot the darned thing! But another part of me saw that this orc appeared to be the leader. If this Orc were to fall dead, the others would attack, and no matter how good Legolas and myself were, we would never be able to defeat this many orcs alone.

The leader by now had broken through the sea of orcs and is standing several feet away.

"Hold them," the orc barked and motioned to some of his followers.

Ten orcs rushed forward, low to the ground as their kind normally do, and grabbed Legolas and me, five for the each of us.

While I admired the fact that they thought that they would need five to hold us, I was a bit annoyed by how they tossed my blades away and at how roughly they grabbed me.

The leader sauntered forward towards me, "so this is the poser-girl. 'Hair of winter, eyes of green.' I don't see nothin' special 'bout her, do ya, boys? This poser-girl is a coward, nothin' special," the orc gave a harsh laugh.

The orc, obviously upset that he didn't see any emotion on my face, roughly grabbed my face with one hand and forced it up towards him. I tried not to cry out in pain as an orc pulled on my braid.

"Rhachon le (I curse you)," I spat, even though in the inside I am trembling in terror. His words are true, I am a coward.

The orc, obviously having heard the phrase enough to understand, sneered. "Your curses don't affect me, poser." My brows furrowed in confusion at him calling me a 'poser.'

But my confusion didn't last long because the full stench of the orc hit me full on and I struggled not to gag.

The orc reached for something but I could not see where he reached; my face, which contains my eyes, is still being forced to look at his face.

Suddenly, the orc's hand is being shoved into my mouth, leaving a folded piece of paper, "give this to your elf-witch, poser-girl."

My first reaction is being totally grossed out, my second is:what in the name of Arda is this? And my third is: confusion and anger, Galadriel is not a witch!

The orc stepped away, letting go of my face. He never moved his eyes away from mine as he said, "bound they're hands and feet, leave them, and let's go!"

•••••••••

I breathed out a breath of frustration into the ground as soon as they left. They pushed us over, making us topple to the ground. So not only are the ropes they tied around my wrists and ankles digging painfully into my skin, but I'm also cheek-down on the ground.My face is facing the left, so I cannot see Legolas.

I hear the noise of someone—Legolas—shuffling on the ground, and suddenly, I can hear his breath about me, "crawl over there to your knife." I started at the sound of his voice, but I soon recovered and looked over, about three feet away, to see one of my knives that the orcs threw away from my body. I crawl, well, more like inch, my way over to the knife and grab it with my bound hands.

Legolas then bends his knees, and very carefully, rolls me over and puts me into a sitting position. He looks slightly silly doing so, what with his hands and ankles being bound.

Next, he grabs my hands, carefully avoiding the knife, and pulls me up, almost falling over in the process.

He holds out his wrists, "cut the ropes." I do so, only slightly annoyed at his lack of manners.

Once his wrists are free, he grabs the knife from me and cuts his ankles free. Then, he cuts me free.

I reach up to my face and grab the folded paper out of my mouth. I have this great urge to gag, but I repress it.

The paper is torn at the edges and has been folded several times. And it's not the cleanest of paper either, which make me want to gag even more.

The paper is damp, due to it being in my mouth.

I finger the edges, do I open it? Or do I not?

"Are you okay?" I looked over at Legolas as he looks at me with concern.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I hesitated. "We should take this to Galadriel."

He nodded. "Don't want to look at it first?" He added jokingly.

I smiled while shaking my head at him.

"Let's go," we started walking.

•••••••••

I watched in silent horror as Galadriel's face paled as she read the letter.

I saw her hand squeeze Celeborn's and he squeezed back in support. Legolas and I shared a confused, yet concerned look. What could be so bad that it makes Galadriel pale?

"What is it?" I ask, forgetting all my elven manners.

Galadriel's eyes flitted from the paper to my face to Celeborn. She drew in a ragged breath and sank into her throne, a hand covering her eyes.

My eyes widened. This could not be good.

Celeborn, who had followed Galadriel and also sat in his own throne so he could hold her hand, looked up at Legolas, then at me, "you leave tomorrow. All of you must leave."

•••••••••

"In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit,"
-J.R.R. Tolkien

Eh? Eh? Do you like? Do you like?

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Sorry for the long wait, I had to wait for my computer to work so I could use grammarly to check my grammar. whoops.

Novaer, melloneamin!