Hey guys!

Thanks so much for all your support! I didn't expect all this so fast…

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Tolkien's stuff, blahdy, blahdy, blah…

Mirial's mine, Cunir's mine, Seidron's mine, Thorondal's mine, Galdar's mine. I think that covers all the bases. Don't use those guys and girl without permission.

As a warning: I don't know if I've already said this or no, but later chapters will be more—violent and gory.

Also, once I get to like, chapter 15, I will be out of already-written chapters, so I may not be able to pump them out so quickly… I'll have to write them all from scratch from there.

Okay, chapter three…

South-East

Haldir ducked into the low tent, shaking the rain from his hair. He found that Cunir had already left, leaving Seidron to take care of the wounded soldier.

"How is he? Has he said anything about the battle?" Haldir asked, slipping onto a stool.

"Well, he's said a lot, but it's all been nonsensical." Seidron said, shaking his head. Haldir looked at the soldier, seeing his pain clearly in his uncomfortable twitches and uneven breathing.

"Can I talk to him?" Haldir asked.

Seidron nodded. "You can try, but he might not wake up. If you can get him awake, you shouldn't keep him long. Cunir said that the more he rests the more chance he has." Seidron explained.

"Hey," Haldir shook the elf's shoulders gently. The elf's eyes flew open and he looked around the room, panicked. "Settle down, it's okay. It's Captain Haldir." The elf calmed when he was told the name. "I just wanted to ask you a few things. Firstly, what is your name?" Haldir spoke slowly and clearly for the elf.

His lips moved over some soundless words before answering: "Thorondal." He said this with a few nonsensical words thrown in on the end.

"Do you remember anything exceptional about the attack besides the fact that it was elves and not orcs?"

"I- I- There was- I don't know- But the…" He faded off into gibberish again.

"I think that might be enough questions for now." Seidron said, wiping the babbling elf's sweaty brow with a wet rag.

"Would you like a rest? I could take over for a while." Haldir offered.

"Only if you won't pester him and let him rest." Seidron said. Haldir agreed and Seidron filled him in on all he had to do for the next hour or two.

Haldir let the elf rest during his shifts until the next night before waking him again.

"I have just one more question: do you remember what direction they headed in?" Haldir asked, hoping he could get some sort of reasonable answer.

His hopes sank as the elf began babbling again. After a few minutes it stopped, though.

"Har-Rhun." (South-east) Haldir smiled slightly in triumph, but it faded as the elf continued to speak. "Please, you have- please can you- I would like a favor… p-please, put me out of m-my misery." The elf stumbled over the words.

"What? No, I could never do such a thing." Haldir said, shaking his head.

"Haldir?" Haldir turned as he heard his name at the entrance to the tent.

"What is it, Legolas? Can it wait just a few minutes?" Haldir asked.

"Well, I guess…" Legolas backed out hesitantly.

"Please, Captain- Hir Haldir…" Thorondal begged. "I'm in so much pain, I- you can see that- make it stop, please. I'm begging y-you, Hir… make it stop!" He gasped in pain and clutched his wound as the pain increased again.

"No, I couldn't…"

"Haldir, this is kind of urgent…" Legolas pleaded from the door.

"Not now, Legolas! Please just wait!" Haldir didn't realize how stressed he was until now. He still hadn't made it better with Legolas, but he hadn't meant to yell. "Just please wait outside, Legolas." Haldir said more gently. Legolas obeyed, though he obviously didn't like how he was treated.

"There's my s-sword. Use it, H-Hir Haldir. Make it stop!" Thorondal pointed at a saber laid on a table off to his left.

"No, I-"

"Do it!" Haldir looked at the elf, then back at the sword. This job was so hard…

Legolas paced outside the tent. He had wanted to apologize to Haldir for yelling at him the day before, but now he had been yelled at again. Somehow, he didn't like what was going on in that tent, either…

Legolas was startled by a quick scream from the tent. But as soon as it started, it was gone.

A few seconds later, Haldir walked out of the tent. Now it made sense to Legolas.

"Could you get any information?" Legolas asked casually.

"Aye. The attackers went south-east." Haldir said wearily.

That's when Legolas noticed the blood on Haldir's clothes. He had proof now.

"You killed him?" Legolas inquired the captain.

"I had to." Haldir said firmly, not wanting to go to this conversation.

"What do you mean, 'you had to'? No one ever 'has to' kill anyone, not even orcs!"

"He begged me to. He was in pain, he wanted to make it go faster, so he wouldn't have to lie there and endure that pain." Haldir snapped.

"So? That doesn't give you a good reason to kill him! You shouldn't have done that, and you know it!" Legolas yelled, giving Haldir a push.

Haldir sighed, rubbing his temples. "There was something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Legolas stopped. He didn't want to apologize anymore. "Aye," Legolas shoved Haldir against the wall to make sure he was paying close attention. "Most importantly, stay away from my sister, you hear? Secondly, stay away from me." Legolas gave the older elf one last shove before storming off. He had gotten all he wanted now, even if he hadn't apologized to Haldir. He knew which direction to go. South-east.

"What are you doing?" Mirial asked as she watched her brother pack all of the things he had left along with some food and water into a pack.

"I'm leaving." He said shortly.

"Can I come?" She asked.

"No. I can't have you getting hurt. I want you to stay here with Seidron and Cunir, okay?" Legolas said, throwing the last of his things into the bag.

"What about Haldir? You didn't say Haldir."

"Like I said, I don't want you getting hurt; stay away from Haldir." He said firmly, caressing his little sister's face with his soft fingers.

"But I don't want you to go!" Mirial hugged her brother tearfully. He picked up her small body, holding it close to him before carrying it to Cunir.

"You'll take care of her, won't you?" Legolas asked as he handed her over.

"Aye. I'll guard her with my life." Cunir assured.

"Don't let Haldir get too close to her, okay?" Legolas said.

"Haldir? Why?"

"Just do it." Legolas said finally. He kissed Mirial on her gold head and ducked out of the tent.

"Hir Thranduil!" A servant ran, flustered, into the king's study, a paper in his hand.

"What is it?" The gold-haired king asked. The servant simply handed the letter to him.

He opened it, finding it without a seal. It read:

King Thranduil,

I'm sorry to report that the village that your children were staying at has been assaulted. I write this in haste, so that I may continue to fight for it and them. Your son has been taken by orcs, though the Lorien soldiers went after him and I have confidence in them.

At this point there was a large, dark smudge over some of the words, which looked like it was probably blood.

Attackers… elves rather, much stronger th… I don't think we can… Mirial only one… I will try to get her out alive even if I can't make it myself.

Your faithful servant,

Galdar

The writing was shaky and hard to read, but once he figured it out, Thranduil was extremely anxious.

"We need to form a search party for any survivors immediately!" He ordered.

"What happened, Haldir?" Cunir asked as he surveyed the tent that he had been using for Thorondal. The inside of the tent was covered in blood, but the elf was nowhere in sight.

"I- He was- I had to, okay?" Haldir wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"You had to what?" Cunir asked, folding his arms in front of his chest and tapping his foot on the floor.

"I- He was in so much pain, and he begged me to end it. It seemed reasonable, I would have wanted it too, and you would have if you were in that much pain." Haldir argued before the disagreement even came about.

"You killed him?" Cunir asked in disbelief. "No, Haldir, I would not want to speed up my death! What would make you do such a thing?"

"He was begging me! It seemed like the right thing to do!"

"Right thing to do? Killing is never the right thing to do. You, of all people, should know that, Haldir!" Cunir burned.

"You sound just like Legolas…" Haldir said to himself, really.

"Aye, Legolas was right to tell me to keep Mirial away from the likes of you." Cunir turned as if to leave, but stopped. "This was your choice. This is blood on your hands, Haldir. It will be your responsibility to tell his family that you 'had to kill him'." He said without turning, just before leaving.

Haldir sat down on the bloody sheets, putting his head in his hands.

"What have I done to deserve this?"