This was the first fanfic I ever posted. It has its flaws, especially in the first several chapters. I decided to update them fixed so you'll be seeing them come up regularly.

I don't own Tolkien's characters or world, nor the cover picture. I merely found it online though I don't know what the original source is.

Chapter one: A mysterious figure

Everyone in the camp slept deeply. It was the first time in over a week that they camped somewhere where they were sure they were safe. No one bothered to stay and watch. Everyone was far too tired and wanted to take advantage of being in a safe place as the forest of Lothlorien.

Legolas though did not need sleep as his companions did. He had woken before first light, and had sat back to enjoy the peace which they had lacked in so long. Not that it came as well as he would have wished, not when Gandalf had fallen to his death the day before.

The sound was so low that no one in his company could have heard it, but Legolas' keen ears caught it. Footsteps, human. Yet whoever it was, was being too careful, as if not to raise attention.

He rose slowly, and blending with the forest, went to look for the source of the sound. It wasn't long before he found the source of the sound. A hooded figure stood looking at what stars were left in the dawn. He could not tell what the figure was since the figure's body was covered with a light red, hooded tunic from head to feet. Legolas examined the tunic, and could tell that it was elven.

The person was armed with a bow and quiver on its back. Legolas could sense something emitting from the figure. It was a strange aura, mixed with both light and a strange darkness, one that was neither evil, nor good. Or was its evil masked with the light? It was confusing, and fascinating at the same time. Could a human possess an aura like this? But then, could an elf?

Legolas pulled an arrow and placed it on his bow. He slowly took a step forward before notching an arrow. Surprisingly, the figure heard the bowstring being drawn and immediately turned. They stared each other down, the face of the figure hooded in the elven cloak.

''What brings a human to an elven forest?" he asked, his tone even but with a stone that left no space for doubt that he meant business.

The figure did not answer.

"Do you speak the common tongue?"

''An elf?'' whispered the other but Legolas heard it. It was a female voice.

Legolas loosened the arrow to a slackened position, but ready to be pulled back immediately.

''I apologize, but these are troubling times where even a lady in the forest must be met with caution. Would you be so kind as to answer me?"

The woman stood silent and still, so still that the tension and fear was all but visible in her. He slackened his grip on the bow more so. He was about to speak again when he heard her mumbling to herself and caught the words "This can't be familiar!"

"Are you in trouble?" he asked, moving towards her. As he approached, he reached a hand for her.

The woman gasped and drew her blade, slashing in his direction with enough precision that he could tell she had some training with a blade. Legolas jumped back but was surprised when the woman crouched and swept the floor with a kick, faster than most humans could move, caught his legs, then twisted them, throwing him completely off balance. And in the mists of his fall, her leg shot up, straight, so straight that the sight of it was so new to him that the momentary distraction gave her enough time to kick him straight under his ribs. The air shot out of him with a violent sound caught between a gasp and a cough, and he fell backwards, then hit to the floor knocking out what little air he had left.

An arrow notched and was aimed at his chest before Legolas could recover from the blows.

Legolas remained still, his hands slowly coming to rest on the ground at his sides. From beneath the cape, he could make out very little of the woman's features, and he would have cursed for the first time the effectiveness of an elven cape to conceal its wearer.

"If I scared you," he began slowly. "I apologize, miss. I meant only to offer my help. You seemed lost." Though now that he thought of it, it might have been her plan all along, to appear vulnerable. He thought of the strange aura coming from her. Could she really be an enemy? A spy perhaps? If so, could she be after Frodo and the Ring? The thoughts darkened Legolas' mind, and he internally cursed himself for being a fool.

"You..." he heard her say, though he was sure she had not meant for him to hear. Her tone was thoughtful, wistful even. "But that's not possible." Legolas could hear a level of alarm and confusion in her voice. Had he met her before?

The arrow notched tighter. Legolas stared at her, wishing hard he could see her face.

"You seem confused," he tried, careful to keep any emotion out of his voice.

"Who-" she began, her voice trembling, but stopped abruptly to look at where Aragorn sneaked forward from between the shrubbery.

"Move another step and he dies!" she yelled, trying to put threat in her voice, but the tremble in it choked most of it out. Still, the notched arrow was threat enough and Aragorn stopped.

Legolas had seen the look of surprise cross his face when she detected him. A skilled hunter as he was, and a Dúnadan to boot, meant no mere human could have detected his approach.

"Come out where I can see you, slowly," she said, her voice cracking slightly as she tried to keep the tremor out of it. "Too fast and he'll have a hole where his heart is."

Aragorn gently rose from his hiding place, but cleverly kept his lower half hidden beneath the brush, his hand making for his sword. As he did so, the woman took a good look at his face.

Legolas heard the small gasp, heard the mumbles of "how?" and "crazy", shoot between a quick succession of words that let him know this woman was very confused, and very frightened for a reason he could not understand.

The woman began to shake visibly, her voice drawing in a whimper. She took a few quick steps back, her arrow still aimed, before running out into the forest.

Aragorn wasted no time before he was by Legolas' side. "Are you hurt?"

"No," he said as he rose.

"Should we go after her?''

Legolas thought of his suspicions on her possibly being an enemy spy sent after them. After her show, doubts dwindled that possibility, but he would not let himself hesitate like this again. Especially not when that puzzling aura seemed to nest itself in his mind. ''Yes.''

Both darted after her. Legolas' legs carried him faster, and he pushed ahead. For a moment he wa disoriented, seeing that ahead lied a chasm she could not have jumped, before he saw her making her way across a rope set from one side to the next, one that the Lothlorien elves had placed to cross no doubt. She was not running across it, but rather using her hands to carry her weight across. She was almost completely across.

Legolas looked back at Aragorn who was near catching up before he turned and began to cross. But as he began, the woman had pulled herself up and pulled an arrow to him.

"No, wait!" Legolas heard Aragorn's voice behind him.

"Turn back, now, and you'll live," she said, her voice still shaking, but hard. Legolas would not test her. He took a few steps back before his feet settled on hard ground.

The woman slashed at the rope and darted into the forest.

"Could you see who she was?"

"No. But it is the strangest thing. She has an aura that I cannot understand, both light and dark. And she seemed to know me and you. But she seemed confused about this, frightened even."

Aragorn considered what he said and what had happened in silence.

"And that is not all. You should have seen her, Aragorn. The way she moves, faster than a human, with grace and power. She used her body to fight in a way I have never seen before."

"She detected me as well. Could she be of the Dúnedain?"

"That you would know better than I. But what worries me more is if she could be an enemy, possibly sent for Frodo and the Ring."

Aragon considered this. "She did a poor job them, to let us both live when she had the upper hand. But, it could be a possibility. Whatever her intentions are, we must stay alert. If she knows who we are, it can make our journey more dangerous."

Both men returned to camp and informed the rest of the fellowship on the morning's events. Later they continued their journey entering Lothlorien. It was beginning to get dark again, so the fellowship decided to stop and rest. Everything was quiet in the camp, when Legolas' ears caught a sound.

"Aragon, there is something on the other side."

"Is it the woman?"

"I cannot be sure. Should I go and see?"

"It could be dangerous Legolas, and none of us can cross the rope after you."

"It can be dangerous for us to leave it unchecked."

"Then do what you must, for that is why you are here. But be careful."

Legolas made for the source of the sound, bow and arrow ready this time. He crept over the trees, silent as a mouse. Huddled around a small fire was a small group of twenty-three Moria orcs. Legolas didn't stop to think. He drew his arrow and let it fly.

The two orcs fell before the party caught wind of what was happening. Legolas shot two more arrows before darting to the next tree.

The party got up in a frenzy. One of them yelled to look for the trees.

Half of the part was already dead or dying. Legolas moved once more between trees and continued to shoot. Twenty dead. His focus was to the remaining orcs when he sensed someone coming up from behind below. He made to move, but a dart caught him in the side.

Poison.

Legolas turned to continue to fight. He had to if he wanted to win before the poison took over. But the remaining orcs had fled, and he had to move in order to get a good shot. He jumped between trees.

Another down. Three left. And one of them was still out of sight.

The two rearming orcs had taken to flighting the scene. Two arrows flew in quick succession, and they were down.

Now all that was left was the hidden orc who had shot him. He focused his ear as best as he could, but the creature was doing a good job at staying quiet. And another thing, another one crept from the side. Legolas turned, but his vision swayed. He held to the branch and fought to focus his mind. The trees swayed before him. The leaves blurred before his eyes, and before he knew it, he fell.

He managed to half break the fall with his hands, but the hit only added to the intense dizziness taking over him. An arrow flew past him, the whistle leaving cold fear in his heart. But before he could even see his enemy, his eyes closed, and even as he clung to consciousness with a vice grip, his thoughts vanished, and all was dark.

Again, this story is going through massive editing. I always love to read your thoughts if you want to share them!