Author's Note: As of 3/12/2018 I will start submitting a new, rewritten version of this story here. It is currently available in full on my AO3 profile under the same username. I wasn't sure if I'll do that, but it's still getting some traffic (for which I am really, really grateful – you are awesome!) And you all deserve the know the story in its improved form.

Summary: Fate forges tangled paths for us. Often leading us to the least expected destination. One step in the wrong direction, one seemingly insignificant decision can push us down the path there is no return from. The path that will either change us... or break us.

This is tale about a life-changing journey, loyalty, friendship and staying true to your word as the world you once knew is falling apart in flames. AU because of an OC, book/movie-verse; my attempt at creating a believable OC, firmly rooted in the Tolkien's lore. The story will contain some mature content from explicitly described violence to referred sexual themes.

Chapter 1 - A Simple Courtesy

The hours preceding the dawn were always the dullest. No sound came from within the forest and the horizon laid motionless beneath the slowly brightening sky. Once more the night has passed in peace. As did the night before. The recent months have been calm, more so than usual, and there was no need to fire even a single, warning arrow. Days blended into one another, the passage of time measured only by sun and moon, sailing across the sky.

The guard, clad in green and brown and barely visible among the leaves, shifted on their perch, gazing towards the distant mountains. As much as one could grow tired of the routine, no one was going to question it. Dullness meant peace. And they should be grateful for it, because there was no telling when it might end.

The sky bled purple and the dawn flickered across the wide expanse of Andúin with first, pale rays of sunlight. The forest behind their back exploded with the cacophony of sounds, long before the sun even raised above the surface of the water.

A soft rustling in the bushes beneath turned the warden's attention towards the noise. A fox, its bright orange fur a splash of colour amongst the leaves, emerged from the woods, its posture wary, its slim, triangular head turned up and nostrils flaring in obvious curiosity. It knew they were there but it trotted along, sensing no danger, its fluffy tail waving above the tall grass. The guard's eyes followed the swift movement for a while, before they turned toward the rising sun, enjoying its warmth.

The day went on, the sun climbing across the sky. It was almost noon. Soon enough someone should show up to relieve them from duty and they will get the chance to stretch their muscles, tensed after the night spent among the branches.

The warden sighed softly, playing idly with the thick braid of dark hair, hanging over their shoulder and shifted again, letting their legs dangle on either side of the branch they were sitting on and raised their arms over their head, feeling some tension rolling off of their back. With a scrape of tiny claws over the bark, a squirrel ran up the trunk of the tree and stopped abruptly, turning its beady eyes toward the elf. It sniffed the offered hand cautiously and then allowed one, long finger to brush along its ginger fur, before scurrying away. The warden's lips stretched in a smile – on a calm day such as this one it was much easier to remind oneself about the beauty of the world and the way to properly appreciate it.

A slight movement across the horizon disturbed their thoughts. It could be nothing of consequence. But it was a while since the last incident and their fingers instinctively reached toward the white-feathered arrows visible above their shoulder, in tandem with their other hand stretching for the length of the bow laying nearby.

The movement revealed riders, a loosely formed group clearly heading in their direction. These days, travellers rarely crossed the lands of Rhovanion in such fashion, unless it was done out of a great need or in a hurry. It was neither wise nor safe. The bands of stray orcs grew bolder by a day. They did not keep only to their hideouts and high mountain passages anymore, and all wanderers traveling without any concern for secrecy were asking for troubles.

It only added to their confusion, when the raiders turned out to be Elves, clad in a fashion of their Mirkwood kin. It was all the more surprising – the visitors from the other elven realm were few and far between in the recent years. And they never came unannounced. Something dire must have happened – something that justified arriving at their borders without sending a letter before. The warden kept their eyes on the group, but they were too far to make out any further details. The elves disappeared briefly behind the line of low hills wrinkling the plains surrounding their forest and they resigned themselves to wait until they come within the shouting distance to figure out their motives.

But the minutes ticked by and there was no further sign of them.

It did not bode well.

When the first scream cut through the otherwise still air the warden jumped from their spot, rolling across the ground to soften their fall. Alerting their companions with a shout, they left the shelter of the woods and bolted for the hills, with two other guards following them.

The sounds of fighting grew louder as they rounded the base of the first hill. A spooked horse burst from between the rocks, neighing loudly, before they could get a glimpse of the fighters. They barely had a time to dodge, the panicked beast nearly running them over, three black arrows dotting its side.

The skirmish was a mess. With caution lulled by the proximity of the forest, they've noticed the danger when it was already too late to run. Now, each of the travellers was forced to battle at least three opponents at a time, each fallen foe instantly replaced by another. It was obvious that without help the battle was not going to end in their favour.

But no one knew where they were. No one was coming with the reinforcements.

An arrow cut through the air, penetrating the side of the orc's skull. The beast fell, before the pale-haired archer turned towards it fully. He retraced the arrow's path with his eyes, both intrigued and relieved by the unexpected aid. Much to his surprise, he crossed his eyes with a woman, flanked by two other elves, who stared at him blankly from the top of the low hill.

A heavy wheeze of a sword slicing the air warned him just in time to narrowly dodge the assault and drive his own knife through the beasts' throat. When he turned his eyes back, the crest of the hill was empty, the path of the elves descend marked by dead bodies.

A strangled cry for help was barely audible over the clamour of battle, but the elleth threw herself in its direction the moment her ears caught it. She made her way over the battlefield with ease gifted only to the seasoned warriors. With enough force to make her teeth rattle, she barrelled into the orc bending over the fallen elf with his sword raised, throwing them both off balance. She was quicker to catch herself, the sway of her hips adding to her momentum as she slashed at the beast's chest hearing the crunch of the bones giving under the pressure.

With the vicinity cleared of foes temporarily, she reached and helped the dark-haired elf to his feet, her eyes instantly drawn to the way he was holding his injured shoulder. She simply shook her head, retreating before either of them spoke, rushing toward another elf locked in the battle with an overwhelming enemy. She sliced the orc's throat with one, clean sweep, her face drawn into a furious snarl and stalked away before the body hit the ground. She expected the rest of her units to be here soon, but for the time being she wanted to keep the causalities low.

If only they knew earlier. Someone could have waited here or at least make sure the area was cleared of enemies.

She drove her knife into the rags beneath a crude breastplate covering the orc's chest and skilfully avoided the last, sloppy hit, rising her blade to strike another of her attackers. Before she could though, the beast fell, an arrow stuck between its shoulder blades delivering him a swift demise. Beside her another orc was hit, then another, just several feet away. Arrows rained around her, deadly in their accuracy, sending the remaining orcs pelting back towards their hideouts. They were drawn out by an easy prey. When it lost its appeal, they didn't hesitate to back off. She followed them with her eyes for a while and when she noticed an injured one, crawling toward the shelter of the hills, she took a few, decisive steps forward and dropped her sword at its nape. The beast trashed momentarily and went limp, the air leaving its lungs with a gurgle. She wiped the gore staining the blades into the tattered cloth covering its back and straightened, looking back at the hilltop and the archers gathered there. When one of them turned to look at her she raised her hand indicating that she was unharmed.

A weak groan snapped her attention back to her immediate surroundings. Thinking it was another wounded orc, she'd only barely covered her surprise, when she saw a hand waving feebly above the grass.

She didn't know how she had failed to notice the fallen elf before, but she was next to him in a flash, pushing off the dead body that covered him. She knelt beside the ellon, quickly assessing his injuries. She took note of his laboured breathing and the deep gash running the length of his shoulder, but she focused mostly on the gaping wound in his side; the blood already staining the grass beneath him. She had no way to stem the flow properly, so she called for help, making sure that she would be heard over the clamour of other voices, and brought her hands to the tear. She pressed down, hard, hoping to at least slow down the bleeding. She flinched when he jerked under her grip, his hand latching onto forearm, fingers digging into the thick leather covering it.

'Stay still' she shushed him gently, when he opened his mouth to speak. She smiled, hoping that she was able to hide her concern well enough to offer him some small comfort.

Focused on the task at hand, she'd only noticed the approaching elf, when he had already squatted next to her. The warrior writhing under her touch tried to move, but a hand on his shoulder kept him in place.

'Let her help' the other elf said firmly, before turning his attention to her. 'How can I assist you?'

She stared into his eyes – eerily familiar ones – for a long moment, before the words found their wat out of her throat.

It couldn't be.

'There is a flask and a roll of bandage in the satchel at my hip' she shifted, glancing down to point him in the right direction. 'I need them. Pull them out.'

He blinked, surprised by her commanding tone, but there was no hesitation in his movements when he inched closer. His hand dove under the fabric of her cloak, pushing it aside as they slid down her side. He pulled back in the next second though at the sound of a rushed footsteps.

'Let me take a look at it first' a calm voice interrupted them as another ellon approached them, kneeling on the other side of the injured warrior. He already had a square of cloth laced with poultice in hand. The sharp herbal scent was a pleasant change from the coppery tang of blood. 'What had happened to this one?'

Taking care of the wound was a quick job between the elleth and the healer, even if they only exchanged a handful of words. She pulled her hands away, when the dressing was secured in place, and looked at the archer kneeling beside her again. There was some dirt and several flakes of blood his face, but he appeared otherwise unhurt. She was opening her mouth to speak, but her question was quickly overlapped by another.

'What do you think you are doing?!' there was an obviously angry note to the male voice, but she ignored it, looking up at the tall, dark-haired ellon, striding purposefully toward them.

'Someone had to do something' she countered, mirroring his tone. There were obviously more pressing matters to attend to right now. 'Was I supposed to sit and watch?' judging by the scowl twisting his features, she shouldn't have opened her mouth for the second time.

She hardly cared.

She felt a hand closing on her shoulder, hauling her up. Before she could make a sound of objection, the ellon had already pulled her several feet away. Only when she had tensed in his grip, he released her, turning her, until they were standing face to face. She itched to fold her arms in front of her, but they were still sleek with blood, so she just let them hang down her sides. She was probably dirty enough as it was.

And she was distinctly aware of the eyes following their every move.

'There was a direct order to stay within the forest' he began, exasperated. 'Why must you always...'

'Careful now, brother' she interrupted, lowering her voice, so her next words could reach his ears only. 'It would be most unwise to let the heir of Mirkwood be slaughtered almost within our range of shot' she could feel her lips twitching, when his eyes widened. 'I doubt, that they would accept your explanation to such an unfortunate event, however clever it might be.'

His eyes travelled over her shoulder, only to find the elf in question observing them attentively.

'Are you certain?' he whispered back, as the archer rose to his feet and approached them.

'Quite' she replied, smirking. 'The resemblance is uncanny. And standing face to face with the Woodland King is not something easy to forget...'

'And yet here I am, still wondering who left the more lasting impression' he chuckled and she replied with a grin. She wanted to respond to the jab, but the subtle shift in his expression was enough to tell her to be quiet for now.

'Go help master Callon tend to the wounded' he instructed firmly, adopting the pose of a commanding officer once again. 'I expect a full report on this as soon as you return to the camp.'

'Of course you do' she scoffed slightly, her mouth curled in a half-smirk. 'I will do as you say.'

She straightened formally, albeit with no real amount of respect, just to see his shoulders slumping in a quiet surrender. She turned to leave, only to come face to face with the prince inn question.

Very similar, indeed, she thought to herself, but then her brother cleared his throat pointedly, urging her to go. She bowed her head respectfully and retreated to her duties, hearing her brother greeting him politely.

Carrying out orders and clearing out the battlefield lasted well into the afternoon. Most of the wounded were capable of riding on their own or with only a little assist and departed with escort, soon after their prince. Then, they waited for the wagons to arrive from the forest, so the elves with most grievous injuries could be moved more comfortably. She also needed a way to transport those who did not survive the skirmish. Closing the glassy eyes was never an easy duty, but one possible to adjust to, given enough time. She kept wondering though, why they hadn't known earlier about the elves and their journey. If they did, maybe none of this would have happened.

Once the carts finally disappeared behind the hill, the only thing left to do was taking care of the mess. Soon enough, when the carcasses of orcs were piled up and burning, with a steady stream of smoke rising into the sky, she mounted one of the horses they managed to catch earlier and rode back toward the forest.

The camp was an unusual bustle of activity when she returned. Not that surprising, considering the recent events. Still, before she could even think about searching for the captain, she was once again swept off under the supervision of master Callon. She gladly joined him – she was by no means gifted but practicing healing arts always brought her much joy.

Assisting the healer with stitching up wounds and setting a few splintered bones also allowed her to delay the tongue-lashing she expected to get for her disobedience. Her brother had every right to be angry or even punish her, if he felt so inclined. She not only endangered herself, but also those who had followed her. She acted on impulse and it was unacceptable. Maybe she wouldn't have done that, if she wasn't feeling bored out of her mind lately.

When she had finally left the healer's tent, it was already getting dark. No wonder she was feeling so hungry. At least she managed to change, and she no longer had to parade around covered in dried blood. Seeing that the camp has almost returned to its usual rhythm and that she missed the midday meal, she thought about getting some leftovers before looking for her brother, but then she spotted him, a familiar figure leaving the tent they shared. He was obviously vexed, but she was quite sure that her attitude wasn't the only reason for it.

If that was the case, he would have make a better job of keeping his face calm.

'There you are!' he exclaimed, walking up to her the moment he noticed her looking at him. 'Where the hell have you been?!'

'Doing precisely what I have been told to, for once' she snapped back. She wasn't going to start apologizing, for something she didn't feel sorry for. 'And then a few other things. Giving master Callon a pair of extra hands to work with. Making sure our guests have a place to rest for the night. Nothing overly important...'

'Fine, now cut it out' he interrupted her. Probably harsher than he intended, considering regret filling his eyes almost immediately.

It was all she needed to let her expression soften in an instant. Most of the time, her defiance had a sole purpose to irate him further, but clearly, there was no need for that now. She had every reason to believe, that Thranduil's son inherited more than just his father's looks.

'The prince wasn't grateful, I take it?' she mused, trying to dissolve his frown with a fond smile. 'Told you, that they would have been fine on their own?... Galaren?' she urged softly, when he didn't respond.

'You would be surprised, but he did thank us' his lips twitched when she inhaled sharply, feigning shock. 'Extensively so. He is, however, completely immune to reason. He insists, that he and his men have to be on their way before sunset' he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, untangling small braids holding them out of his face.

'That would be quite hard to do' she pointed out. 'Some of them are unable to do as much as sit up without aid. Travelling of any sort is out of question at this rate.'

'You think I have not told him that? I have also told him that we can provide them with shelter and every help they might need. I even offered to take him to Caras Galadhon so he could speak with Lady Galadriel. He refused and demanded to be left alone.'

'And you just left?' she asked, eyebrows arching. 'Fine, forget I have said anything' she conceded under the weight of his unimpressed glare. 'What are we going to do about it?'

'I thought, that he might be more approachable, when he will get some time to stew and understand his situation properly. I will not allow him to endanger his people though, if he will still feel inclined to do so...'

She wasn't expecting any less from her brother. As a captain of a border patrol Galaren was always putting the safety of the people under his command before anything else. It resulted with being overly cautious sometimes, a thing they often argued over, but at the same time, there was probably no other commander, who had earned similar devotion from their people.

She agreed with him fully this time, though. She didn't know where the other elves were going or why, but the sole idea of such swift departure spoke either of utter desperation or downright foolishness.

'Well, we don't get any answers just by standing here' she smirked at her brother. 'Don't you have a report to write, by any chance? You should also berate Gelon and Rhonir for joining me instead than trying to stop me, don't you think?'

'Whatever you are thinking about' his expression was openly suspicious. 'It is probably a bad idea.'

'Surely not worse than allowing yourself to get kicked out of your own tent' she wouldn't be herself, if she hadn't made a jab out of that, and Galaren could be sure she wasn't done using it, yet. 'Worry not, brother, I am just going to nudge him a little' the grin on her face was all teeth.

For a moment she thought he would forbid her to do anything. She could clearly see conflict on reflecting in his eyes as he was pondering what their next move should be.

'Fine' he finally said, obviously not completely certain of his choice. 'But, you are to behave!' he added quickly, as if it could somehow change her attitude.

'Aren't I always?' he only sighed heavily in response. 'You definitely fret too much. There is no dungeon he can throw me into here, after all.'

Her last words were spoken in a light-hearted manner, but Galaren didn't find them reassuring in the slightest.

A few minutes later, she sauntered into the tent in the same way she usually did. She wanted it to be obvious, that she wasn't going to do a double take and back off at the barest hint of grimace on his face. He was facing away from the entrance however and didn't notice her posture nor her over-confident expression. She stood silent for a moment, observing him, her eyes almost instantly drawn to the torn, bloodied sleeve of his tunic.

She wondered why Galaren hadn't told her about it. Probably one more thing he was forced to ignore. Fortunately for everyone involved, she was much more persistent than her brother. And it was giving her something to work with.

'I have said, that I wanted to be left alone' his voice cut through the silence, proving that he was, in fact, aware of her presence. He didn't turn to look at her. Expecting her to leave, no doubt.

'Too bad that I live here, then' she replied, completely ignoring him. 'And someone should take a look at your injury' without waiting for his response, she moved to the narrow table standing against the wall to prepare some bandages.

'It's nothing serious' the slight hitch in his breath allowed her to guess, that he was probably checking the wound out at the very moment. She smirked to herself, glad that he couldn't see it.

'It is still bleeding' the elleth pointed out. 'So I would say it is serious enough. It needs to be cleaned at the very least' she turned around, a loaded tray balanced between her arm and hip and found him staring intently at her. She returned the attention with similar intensity.

'It's you' he confirmed, his look changing to that of recognition. 'I thought you sounded familiar.'

'Ah, yes' her smirk got a little wider as she placed the tray on the one of the narrow beds. 'The one who shot that orc, before it cleaved your head in half. That's me. Now, my lord, come join me, we do not have the whole day' she lowered herself onto the mattress and looked at him expectantly.

She could barely hide her satisfaction, when the ellon rose from the chair and moved to sit next to her. He tensed slightly when she pulled his arm into her lap, brushing the tattered sleeve away, to assess the damage properly. He could consider himself lucky – the cut was long and deep, and just an inch away from seriously impairing his mobility. She had enough experience with wounds to know that this one probably hurt. A lot. The muscle twitched beneath her fingers as she carefully probed the injury, but he remained otherwise motionless.

'You should have told someone' she chided, wringing the excess water from a piece of cloth, so she could dab the blood away.

'I haven't got your name before' it was her turn to be entirely ignored. There was a barest trace of strain in his voice. She pretended she hadn't heard it.

It would be rude not to answer him. She wasn't about to repeat her own mistakes. Galaren would not be amused, if she did. She only wondered, if he had heard her name before.

'There is no reason to thank me personally, my lord. I was not alone. And every warden would have done the same thing' that wasn't entirely true, but she would soften the patronizing impression left by her brother, while having a chance. 'But, if you insist, it is Lithien. An easy one to remember, wouldn't you agree?'

The bait was obvious, and she did not expect him to actually take it. Ask a question perhaps; one of those she had already heard and didn't wish to answer to, yet again. But nothing more.

'I have heard, that you ignored your commander's bidding, in order to help us' he smiled at her. 'That requires courage and deserves a praise, don't you think, my lady?' he had a very charming smile. One she felt compelled to return.

It was a polite answer and an obvious attempt to please her. She wouldn't expect any less from a member of a royal family. Thanking him quietly she focused on the task at hand. Neither spoke again, while she cleaned and dressed the wound, though she was keenly aware of his eyes tracing her every movement.

She took one more appraising look at her work, before she stood up and moved to set her supplies away. She wondered if the little distraction will allow her to gain, what Galaren could not.

'The wound should heal just fine' she assured, arranging the vials on the narrow table. She turned around to look at him again, propping herself against the piece of furniture. 'It would be wise to give it a few days to recover, though. I can also...'

His face hardened visibly, and he raised his hand to silence her. There went her chance for making a peaceful conversation. She resisted an urge to glare at him. He was likely blaming himself for everything. The misfortune of getting attacked and the death of his men had probably affected him greatly. She could sympathize with that, at the very least. And she didn't have the right to berate someone for reacting strongly to such hardship.

'Your Captain had already suggested the same thing and I declined. I have no time for that and no amount of convincing can change that' he waved his hand to stop her from interfering. 'We need to depart with the first light tomorrow at the latest' his voice carried a tone of finality. Galaren rarely got mad without a good reason, but if this is what he had to deal with, his reaction was completely justified.

'And my brother was right, but it seems, that he had failed to get his point across' she wasn't about to coddle him further. Her politeness only stretched so far. 'Most of your men were injured in the fight. Few of them severely enough to be unable to travel in the foreseeable future. Leaving now is not an option regardless of what you might be thinking. We have offered you our support and…'

She straightened when he suddenly moved and crossed the small space to face her. At least she deprived him of an advantage of leaning into her.

'I am aware of that! Do you really think I would have not accepted it, had I not had a good reason?!'

She didn't expect him to raise his voice so quickly. If he thought it would make her step down, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

Maybe she just had an aptitude for annoying people.

'Then you may want to explain yourself more thoroughly' she retorted. 'Because right now, we are not sure, whether you act out of a great desperation or a simple foolishness?!'

That was certainly one of those things she shouldn't have said. Then again, she was never particularly good at respecting an authority. Unless someone had earned it. The heated glare the prince was levelling her with, was not going to get him far. She set her jaw and stared back just as fiercely.

'My business is my own!' he snapped. 'Or is it a habit of yours to interrogate everyone crossing your border? Does your brother often drop his responsibilities on you like that? Does he really think he can hide his intent behind your pretty face?'

It was her turn to take a step in his direction. Lithien wasn't bothered with the way he talked about her; he could throw any insult he wanted, and she would be able to ignore them. But he had no right to speak of Galaren like that, when he knew nothing about either of them. And she thought him charming a moment ago.

Her first impression on people were often mistaken, but that was a bit too much of a stretch.

'Maybe we wouldn't have to, had the times been different' she corrected, closing the distance even more. 'Or we would have been informed about your arrival before it all went to hell. But I am sure you are aware of that, my lord. You cannot blame us for wanting to keep our borders and kindred safe. By whatever means necessary.'

He retreated, but only slightly. Just enough to maintain some space between them. His expression remained angry, but his eyes were calculating.

'What is that supposed to mean?' he demanded.

'I believe I have made myself clear, my lord' she replied. 'You vehemently refuse to accept the help you very obviously need. No responsible leader would put his pride before reason. Therefore, for your sake as well as for the wellbeing of the men you lead, you should be stopped from dooming the lot of you. And if there is no way to accomplish that, other than by putting you in chains, then we shall do that...'

'You cannot be serious...'

'Without any hesitation' she finished calmly. 'Even if it would grieve us greatly' not overly so in her case, but she didn't want him to think they would seize him up the moment he'd turn away.

That, at least, seemed to give him a pause. He glowered at her first, but after a moment her words finally seemed to take roots and his face gradually softened into the guarded indifference.

'There are important news that I must deliver to Lord Elrond of Rivendell as soon as possible' he said at last, not really meeting her eyes. 'I've already been delayed in crossing the Misty Mountains and I have no more time to spare. Is that a satisfying answer?'

He finally chose to defend himself against her accusation, rather than continuing to argue. Should Galaren have just call him a moron sooner? Had he finally listened to reason? Lithien didn't care as long as it produced results.

'There is no need to be so sour, my lord' she smirked, hopefully stopping her satisfaction from being too obvious. 'We are not interested in knowing any more than that. And we have only your best interest in mind, whether you believe it or no. There is no shame in accepting help, when someone offers it freely.'

'I have already said, this is not a matter of reluctance...'

Lithien sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She wanted nothing more, than to step up, grab his shoulders and thoroughly shake him. Make him act reasonably. Shut him up, if possible.

'And what if I told you, that I can make your journey swifter?' her mouth spat out the first thing her brain had come up with. And promptly closed, when she realised the true implications of her offer.

Foolish, foolish idea. She thought she was well beyond having those. That path was a closely guarded secret. She shouldn't have known about it. And she just spilled it to an elf she barely knew, just so he would stop complaining.

There was no way of taking it back now, when she had his attention piqued, all traces of hostility suddenly wiped off of his features.

'And how is that?' he was obviously ready to accept her offer on the spot, even without knowing any details. A prime example of someone desperate, if she had ever seen one.

And maybe that was her chance, she mused to herself as her mind scrambled to find a way out of the troubles she just put herself in. She only had to come up with something that would prove to be too much of an obstacle. Simply dismissing him was not an option, since she had made her proposal freely.

'There is another way to cross the mountains' she answered. 'A secret path, leading through many dells and valleys, known only to the selected few. While I cannot promise it will be safer than the one you are planning to take, it will shorten your journey by half at the very least.'

'Your words make me wonder, why are you telling me all of this, when you obviously should not?' he still appeared curious, but there was a hint of the underlying wariness in his voice.

'I just said that we want to help you, didn't I?' she countered with a question on her own, only to see him glowering at her. 'It is a matter of a simple courtesy, my lord. However, my offer does not come without a price...'

'I should have expected as much' he muttered to himself rather than to her, his expression visibly crumbling. 'What do you want in return?'

'You have said yourself, that I should not tell you about that road and you are correct. If anyone were to find out, I would be in a great deal of trouble' she could only hope, that she had judged him correctly. 'But my request is simple. I want you to give your word that you will never, no matter the circumstances, speak about that passage to anyone. And to leave your people behind.'

Silence that followed her words almost brought a smile to her face. He didn't look so ready to take her as a guide anymore.

'You expect me to travel alone, through the lands and with a person I scarcely know?' he barely masked a waver in his voice. 'This is a lot to ask for, considering that you want me to take even more at face value.'

'And to me, it still seems like not enough' she responded, shrugging. 'But I understand your hesitation, my lord. Such decisions should not be made rashly' his expression was even more conflicted than before. 'My brother and I would be honoured if you would dine with us tonight she declared, bringing an end to their conversation. 'I hope it will be a sufficient time to think about my offer.'

He nodded in acknowledgement and she took her leave after exchanging the necessary pleasantries. She wasn't entirely pleased with herself. She has acted without thought once again and this time the consequences could be much more dire than a few nights in prison. But she gained what she wanted to, one way or another, and she was almost sure, that the prince would rather take the help Galaren had offered than risk it all and agree to her terms.

She found her brother nearby, resting against a tree with his hands crossed over his chest and a deeply thoughtful look in his eyes focused on something in the distance. Of course, he would stay close, just in case.

'Getting ready to save me from my own potty mouth, brother?' she teased, approaching him. The ellon tensed briefly, before shifting his attention to her, his mouth curved in a half-smile.

'It only proves how well I know you' he replied, mirroring her tone. She pouted, scrunching up her nose in a feigned offence, which earned her a half-hearted shove in the shoulder. 'Care to tell me, what took you so long?'

Lithien looked at him carefully. And hesitated a second too long.

'What have you done?' was Galaren's immediate reaction as he let out a tired breath through his nose. It wasn't the first time they were having the exact same conversation.

Only because he was such a worrywart, if she was allowed to have an opinion.

'You are making that face again' she felt her own sigh rather than heard it. 'I did what you wanted to happen, mind you. He is not leaving today. Also, he will probably be much more open to your offers of help right now.'

'And now, you are evasive' the ellon countered. 'That doesn't ease my worries in the slightest. You have one last chance to spit it out, before I will get in and ask him.'

'I...' the elleth knew her brother wasn't going to like it. 'Might or might not called him an idiot at one point...'

'Wonderful' Galaren snorted. 'Do I find him bound to the chair as well?'

She would have laughed at the very notion normally, but Galaren was already displeased enough. He would have read such reaction in the worst way possible. And at this rate his mood could only get worse.

She opened her mouth to explain herself further, but no sound came out. His attention suddenly shifted to something behind her back, effectively silencing her. She tensed, before turning to follow his gaze.

A nervous knot formed in her chest. The prince was approaching them, wearing a look of quiet determination as his eyes fell on her. This didn't bode well. She felt Galaren shift beside her, unsure of what to do.

'You drive a hard bargain, lady warden' Legolas was first to break the silence. 'But I agree to the terms of our arrangement' he didn't look pleased with himself as he spoke. 'We shall leave as soon as you are ready.'

She shifted her eyes from one ellon to another. Galaren's face was quickly morphing from confusion to angered resignation and the prince was looking at her expectantly.

Lithien worked her lip between her teeth and cursed her luck.