Hello everyone! This is my new story, I'm afraid this first chapter isn't very action packed as I am setting the scene. I do not own the characters that Tolkein created but the ones that will come into the story later are made up by me. Also this fanfic will contain some violence and torture, so if you are a younger reader please be aware, although it won't be horrifically graphic! Reviews are most welcomed, I hope you enjoy the story.

Stay together or die alone:

No one had expected the events of Moria, the darkness, the grief, the great fire of the Balrog and the untimely death of the Fellowship's dear wizard Gandalf. The truth was it affected every single member of the party even if they wished against it, he was their leader, their source of safety and wisdom and in a shocking turn of events he fell, into the darkness. Frodo was affected the most, this came as no surprise; Gandalf was a foundation for the Hobbit, a place to turn to when things where unclear and without the restraint of Boromir he would have considered going after the wizard himself.

When darkness came into light and the air became clear, the remaining members of the Fellowship sighed in relief. Four days they were trapped in that mine, that tomb. Gimli seemed less affected by the darkness being a dwarf but his grief of the death of Balin and his fellow kin was easy to see upon his face. He hunched over onto the floor, a single tear streamed down his cheek, the peaceful landscape surrounding them was filled with the dwarves' angry bellows. However he was not the only one who showed despair; Merry and Pippin held one another in a pathetic attempt of comfort. Boromir consoled the grieving dwarf, he himself was not as close to Gandalf as the others but he feared what would come of the Fellowship now that their leader had passed on. He turned to Sam and saw the sadness in his eyes as he gently clutched his pack. Surprisingly to the man's eyes he was not with Frodo, in fact Frodo was nowhere to be seen. His thoughts were stalled when he heard Aragorn's voice.

'Legolas, get them up'

Boromir's eyes turned to the elf, who perhaps struggled the most in the dark mines, though he wouldn't admit it. He noted the sadness and confusion that was placed in Legolas' expression, perhaps it was due to the fact of being immortal that Legolas could not understand the concept of death. Nevertheless the Fellowship had to move and after much encouragement from Aragorn to move them along and after finding Frodo by the water's edge, the Fellowship carried on their journey.

Their arduous task continued and soon nightfall fell upon the land. By this time they had reached the forest edge, however Lothlorien was still miles away, it would take at least another two days to be in safety, something which would be very much welcomed within the Fellowship particularly with the Hobbits. Aragorn stopped their silent march when he came to a small clearly amongst the trees and decided that it would be a suitable enough place to sleep, much to the delight of Merry and Pippin. The Hobbits dropped their packs heavily onto the ground and all sat down together against a large Oak. Sam made sure Frodo was warm enough as the temperature in the forest dropped dramatically; Frodo still hadn't spoken since Gandalf's death but he smiled gently at Sam to thank him. A little way from the Hobbits were the rest of the party, Aragorn paced in thought while Legolas stood scanning the perimeter with his elven sight. Boromir and Gimli seemed to have taken a leaf out of the Hobbit's book and sat down heavily onto the ground. Aragorn ceased his pacing and looked at his companions, how exhausted they all were.

'We all need rest; tomorrow we must reach Lothlorien, it will be a long walk but we cannot linger any more than we already have.'

Legolas nodded in agreement, 'The sooner we reach Galadriel's borders the better. I can sense great danger.'

All eyes faced the elf at his sudden confession. It was not wise to ignore the wisdom of the elves and Legolas was no exception. Aragorn frowned in confusion.

'What do you mean Legolas?'

With his eyes still penetrating the area for danger he answered, 'Since we reached these woods, I have felt a presence, that we are not alone. I understand that my kin are not far away but it is not them I can feel. Even the trees are telling me of this danger.'

Aragorn sighed deeply, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. 'We will not be able to fight with depleted strength, we must rest. We will not make a fire tonight and only speak in whispers to hide our cover. We set off at dawn, however we will need two people to take watch tonight.'

'I will take watch'

Aragorn turned to the elf who stood attentively, however the man shook his head in disagreement

'Legolas, you have not slept in four days. You cannot deny this, for not only am I aware of this information.'

Legolas scowled at the man.

'It is true Master Elf, I know elves do not need as much sleep as the rest of us, but even you tire after 4 days without rest.' The dwarves' words were shocking to Legolas as they held no resentment only pure fact. Legolas finally nodded and stubbornly agreed that he should take some rest. After much debate it was decided that Pippin who was surprisingly alert would take the first watch with Boromir taking over afterwards.

However the elf's words began to play upon everyone's minds.

Hope you enjoyed that, not much to go on, but now my story can begin!