This story is set post-Hobbit. It also mainly refers to the films rather than the book, which is why characters like Legolas and Aragon are in it. Translations are at the bottom of the page for both Elvish and Carpathian.

There was nothing in the darkness save for the occasional dull throb of pain. It was only that which indicated I was still alive. Even then I was doubtful; surely there was more to life than this. I was tired, so very tired, of just everything. The weight of my life was pulling me into a downward spiral and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

It was only with this thought that I realised I did not know why I felt so tired. I did not know where I was, or how I got there. In truth I knew...nothing. That thought should have terrified me, and yet whilst it did, I felt detached from the feeling, it meant nothing to me. Rather, it was the knowledge of how I should feel, yet I was not actually experiencing it. This brought forth new questions.

Where was I?

What had happened to me?

Who was I?

The sun was barely brushing the tops of the trees when the girl stirred slightly. Elrohir and Glorfindel were watching over her whilst the others caught up on some much needed sleep. It had already been decided that either Elrond or Glorfindel would always ben on watch. It was not that they did not trust the twins or Estel; they simply had a lot more experience. Although neither of them could claim to be in their comfort zones either, this entire situation had everyone baffled.

As Elrond lay down and tried to fall into the elven sleep, his mind wandered over the mysterious girl. She was malnourished, painfully so, looked as though she had not been at rest for some time, and from the number of wounds decorating her body she must have been to hell and back. And there was no knowing yet the state of her mind when she woke, if she woke for that matter. With a sigh his mind finally quietened enough and he slipped into Elvish dreams, but it barely felt like five minutes later that he was being shaken back into awareness.

"Adar" Elrohir was bent over him, gently shaking his shoulder. "It is the girl, she is stirring."

Elrond was instantly alert and sprang lightly to his feel, thanking his son quietly as he made his way over to Glorfindel who was gently patting the girl's head with a damp cloth. He looked up with worried eyes. "Her temperature has risen." Elrond laid his hand down on her forehead, wincing slightly at the heat radiating off of her and noting her agitated movements, although she appeared no closer to waking than when he last checked on her.

"I do not have the herbs I need to bring down this fever. And we are too far away from Rivendell to turn back, she would not make it." He glanced up at Glorfindel. "We can only take her forward, with us to Mirkwood."

Glorfindel exhaled audibly, his frown deepening. "Is this wise Elrond? You know what he is like. He would more than likely bar the doors against us."

"I know mellon, but we have no other option. This is her only chance at survival."

By now the rest of the camo was awake, Elrohir having roused his brothers and the slumbering members of their party. Glorfindel handed the cloth to Elrond before rising, calling out orders to break up the camp and be ready to ride. They did not want to move the girl until it was absolutely necessary, afraid they may cause any of the numerous wounds to start bleeding again, or misalign the fracture Elrond had noticed in her arm a couple of hours previously. Once everyone was mounted Glorfindel led his and Elrond's horses over to his lord. Elrond then jumped lightly into his saddle whilst Glorfindel gently lifted the girl into his arms. She seemed to quiet a little, for which they were both thankful, her unconscious moving would only make it harder to keep a hold of her and control the horse at the same time. He passed her carefully to Elrond, cradling her in his arms in front of him, resting her head against his shoulder and making sure the fractured limb was resting securely in its bindings. Meanwhile Glorfindel mounted his own horse and had cast a quick look around their camp before giving the signal to move out. The horses all moved as one, Elrond and his sons in the centre of the group with Glorfindel just in front of them, and the guards surrounding them in a loose but strong circle.

It took them half a day to reach the outskirts of Greenwood the Great, although to most now it was known as Mirkwood. Evil seeped from the ruins of Dol Guldor, and contaminated the surrounding forest. Only the wood-elves, under the leadership of their King, were able to keep the darkness contained to the forests and away from the rest of Arda. Because of this however, these elves had become very reclusive, rarely straying from the borders of their kingdom, let alone from below the eaves of the forest. They shunned anyone who strayed past their borders and seldom communicated with their kin in Rivendell or Lothlórien.

It was to that kingdom that Lord Elrond and his company were headed, for talks had been arranged to try and bring the three Elven Realms closer. Everyone involved knew this really meant trying to pull the Woodland Realm out of its self-imposed exile. The threats from the South were becoming greater and it would affect the lives of all in Arda. They had to be ready. But now Elrond feared these talks may never take place; the delicate issue of them being welcome within the halls of the wood-elves alone could hang in the balance with the arrival of the girl. As their stopped their horses for a moment just outside the forest Elrond glanced down at her. His sharp eyes noted the sweat gathering on her forehead from the continuing fever. Earlier they had slipped a spare shirt one of the guards had over her body, and yet despite the cloths they had bound against her abdomen he could make out faint drops of red seeping into the shirt. He pulled his cloak further around both of them, trying to ease her shivering a little with the heavy material and his own body heat. Nodding at Glorfindel who had sent his a questioning glance Elrond moved his horse onward, entering the forest at a steady trot. Being on the Elven path meant they had to adjust the structure of their company; Elrond rode with Glorfindel and Estel on either side of him, Elladan and a guard in front, Elrohir and another guard behind them. In front of Elladan were two guards, and the rest were behind the younger twin and his companion.

Their steady pace would have meant they would cover a fair amount of ground had they been out in the open; under the trees it was a different matter. Even though they were on the path it was still dangerous travelling, tree roots mainly having burrowed their way under the stone and pushing up through the slabs. So as not to injure any of the horses they dismounted after a couple of mules, leading them along the path instead on foot. Elrond and the twins took turns in carrying the girl; Estel would have struggled navigating the path whilst bearing her weight and Glorfindel was leading the command of the guard. After several hours of steady travelling, stopping only twice for a break and to try and bring the girl's fever down with cold compresses, they came to a halt. The sun, barely penetrating the forest floor, had finally set, making the shadows of the trees darker and more threatening, if that were even possible. The question they had now was whether or not to carry on through the night, for their sharp elven eyes were able to see far better in the dark than a human's ever could. The problem with this though was Estel, who was human and already starting to struggle in making out the path. They also had their horses to consider; as great as Elven mounts were, they could not see any better in the dark. And there was the girl who, as the sun set has started setting, became more agitated and restless. When it became clear they could not continue any further they halted to make camp, careful not the stray off the path. Even though they would probably be able to make it to the halls of the King without following the road no one wanted to take the chance.

Elrohir and Estel gathered several blankets from the horses and piled them up on the ground close to the fire two of the guards were building. Elladan knelt and laid the girl gently on top of the blankets, taking the damp cloth his twin passed him and wiping it across her forehead. Her fever had not broken, if anything it was higher than a few hours before, making Elrond frown in concern as he examined her. To confirm his suspicions he gently pushed up her shirt and loosened the bandages wrapped around her abdomen, removing the soft cloth that was slowly soaking up blood. He sighed softly as he examined the wound; infection had set in, turning the skin around the wound black and pus was leaking from the site. He needed to make sure that the pus drained, so took a small sharp knife and carefully cut away two of the stitches he had made the night before. Normally he wouldn't stitch up a wound, but this one was deep enough that leaving it open simply hadn't been an option. Blood immediately welled up, dark with infection, along with discharge created by the infection. There was something else though, something more that worried him. Lowering his head Elrond sniffed the wound slightly, earning a raised eyebrow and questioning gaze from Glorfindel.

"Is this some new healing technique I have not been told about? Bringing out the infection by sniffing?"

Elrond smiled slightly, but it did nothing to ease the worry in his eyes. "There is something…I do not know how to explain it. Her blood smells different."

Glorfindel's eyebrow rose further. "Are you sure you are not just smelling the infection?"

Elrond shook his head. "Not, it is her blood." Glorfindel bent his head and sniffed cautiously, his eyes widening as he turned his gaze upon his lord. Elrond nodded slightly ever so slightly before wrapping the girl's abdomen back up. He pulled the shirt back into place and covered her with several blankets and cloaks before sitting back and resting his head in his hand, looking into the fire with weary eyes. "I think mellon, this girl is far more than she appears to be."

Glorfindel nodded in agreement. "Aye, but what could she be? I have never seen anything like this before."

"Neither have I. Valar, what a time to stumble across whatever this mystery is."

Glorfindel laughed softly. "I know. I blame the twins. Something unexpected always happens when they are around."

Elrond had to laugh at that, for it was nothing but the truth, much to the chagrin of his Elven sons.

The next day passed much as the one before, the only difference was the condition of the girl. She was steadily getting worse, the fever not letting up and the infection continuing to spread within her body. Nothing that Elrond could do would let either up even a little and he was growing more concerned about her continuing state of unconsciousness. On the one hand it was probably a blessing as he was sure she was being spared copious amounts of pain had she been awake, but on the other hand he could only guess as to how bad she truly was. Even knowing her name would be of some benefit as it would give an indication of where she had come from and he might be able to help her a little more. As of right now, Elrond could only do what he was doing for her, and that was barely anything.

Because of where they had entered Mirkwood, it was not taking them quite as long to reach the Woodland Realm. It was just under an hour away from the main gates that they passed the official borders. Everyone's senses heightened, which was impressive as they were already on high alert travelling through the dark woods. Barely ten minutes later Glorfindel lifted a closed fist, signalling everyone to halt. Eyes were upon them, and although he was sure they would be from their woodland kin, one could never be too careful these days.

Sure enough, barely seconds later several forms dropped from the trees around them or emerged from the bushes and shadows. One figure detached from the group and stepped forward, a hand over his heart in welcome, for he instantly recognised the travellers.

"Mae Govannen Hîr Elrond."

Elrond stepped forward with Glorfindel at his side, both bowing their heads respectfully, Glorfindel a little more than his lord. "Mae Govannen Caun Legolas. It has been far too long since we last met."

Legolas smiled slightly in agreement. "That is has Hîr-nin. We have been kept busy these last few years keeping our lands free of the darkness. But this is not the place to be talking of such things. How fared your journey? Uneventful I hope."

Elrond sighed and shook his head slightly, causing the prince to tilt his head slightly in question. "I am afraid that I must ask for your help, and that of your healers."

Legolas' brow furrowed. "Healers? Were you attacked?"

Elrond shook his head and motioned for Legolas to follow him as he turned back to his companions. They made their way over to Elrond's sons; Elrohir and Estel were kneeling whilst Elladan stood just behind them. As Estel moved slightly to the side Legolas caught sight for the first time the girl cradled in Elrohir's arms, Estel sponging her forehead gently.

"Ai! What happened to this woman?"

"It is a long story Legolas, and one I fear I will tell only a hundred times more. I have to ask if you will allow us to bring this penneth to your father's halls with all haste and I will try and answer all of your questions when I speak with the king. She is desperately ill and becoming worse with each passing minute."

Legolas had knelt next to his old friends and ran a hand lightly over the girls face, recoiling slightly at the heat coming off of her. Nodding he straightened up, looking over to his woodland companions and murmured a string of orders. A few disappeared back into the gloom of the forest whilst two turned and sped off in the direction of the Halls to warn of the imminent arrival and request for healers to be ready. The remaining few moved among Elrond's companions and helped collect belongings, making the remainder of the trip as short and quick as possible.

The Prince of the Woodland Realm offered to carry the girl so that his friend could walk unhindered for a while but Elrohir shook his head with a smile, standing with ease and cradling her against his body. "It is fine mellon. We are not too far from our destination and she is not that heavy a burden." Legolas nodded in reply and walked to the front of the group, from which he started to lead them towards the lighter parts of the Woodland Realm, and to the Halls over which his father, Thranduil, ruled.

Elvish Translations:

Adar - Father

Mellon - Friend

Mae Govannen - Well met

Hîr - Lord

Cund - Prince

Hîr-Nin - My Lord

Ai! - Hail!

Penneth - Little one