A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed! I'm so glad that so many people enjoyed the story so far. And to those who read but didn't let me know how you felt about the story, I hope that you also leave a review so I know how you like it.

Chapter 4: Shadows at Night

"So where are we going?" Kelsie asked her new friends as they walked back though the forest of Fangorn.

It had been several hours since Legolas and Gimli had saved her from the spider, right when it was about to kill her. Since she had nowhere specific to go, they had willingly let her join them on their travels. Kelsie was slightly nervous at first, but soon she relaxed and started to talk to them a bit more. She was actually getting along with them quite well, as she was able to start conversations and learn more about her friends, as well as letting them know a little more about herself.

"We are going to Lorien," answered Legolas. "Because that's what Gimli desires."

"I just want to get out of this forest, that's all," Gimli replied quickly. "Better than getting attacked by those giant spiders from Mirkwood."

"Why can't you just admit the fact that you enjoy staying in Lorien?" Then he suddenly turned thoughtful. "What I'd like to know is why that spider was here. I thought they only stayed within the borders of Mirkwood."

"It's probably because they smelled some elf," said Gimli.

"Or maybe it's because they smelled some dwarf," retorted Legolas.

Kelsie would have laughed at their remarks, but this time, she thought differently. Here was a chance to prove her usefulness, so she did some quick analyzing and came up with a reasonable conclusion. "Or maybe it's because they decided that Mirkwood was too dangerous for them, because they keep on getting killed by the elves, so the remaining spiders decided to leave. And since the forest of Fangorn isn't inhabited by elves, they've been lurking around for a chance to grab any victims who travel there."

Both Legolas and Gimli were stunned by her intelligence for a moment. Gimli was the first to recover. "See, Legolas? That's the kind of answer I would expect from you. But turns out you got beaten by an elfling!"

Kelsie growled at being called an elfling, then turned to Legolas and shrugged. "It was just a guess. I'm not even sure if it's correct."

"Actually, that's a very reasonable explanation. I have to say, you do possess a lot of intelligence for an elfling," admitted Legolas. Then, he realized that he had said the wrong thing, for Kelsie then growled at him for calling her an elfling.

"Well, anyway, I think we should stop here for the night," she suggested. "It is getting kind of dark."

"We are near the edge of the forest," said Legolas. "I think that if we travel quickly enough, we would be able to make it to Lorien before midnight."

"I agree with Kelsie this time," said Gimli. "First of all, I can't remember the last time I've eaten, and I'm not going to let myself starve anytime soon. And second, didn't I tell you that dwarves are not made for cross-country running?"

Legolas sighed. "I suppose you are right. Although I wish to at least make it to the edge of the forest."

"So here's the plan," said Kelsie. "We are going to travel to the edge of the forest, where we are going to spend the night. Then, tomorrow, we are going to continue to Lorien. Correct?"

"That satisfies me," Gimli agreed. "As long as there's food left."

"We'll let you eat when we get to tonight's destination," Legolas answered shortly.

So the three of them spent the rest of the day walking until they reached the edge of the forest. By that time, the sun was gone. The sky was now a shade of dark-blue to navy blue. A few stars could be seen, but most were blocked by long stretches of dark clouds. The trees were now like dark, blurry shapes to those who did not possess the keen eyesight of an elf.

Usually, at this time, Kelsie would have been unable to see clearly. However, with her elven eyesight, she was able to everything as though it was daytime, only darker. Marveling at her ability, she kept her eyes open to see if she could name everything she spotted, which she was able to do with ease. If I had this eyesight before, I would have become the world's most famous artist a long time ago.

"This is where we stop for the night," announced Legolas.

"I'm still waiting for something to eat," said Gimli. "Do you, by any chance, carry with you any lembas?"

Legolas groaned as he pulled out three packages of lembas. He had been trying to hide them from Gimli, for fear that the dwarf would devour them all in one meal. Now he had no choice but to reveal them to the hungry dwarf.

Gimli quickly grabbed one and opened it. "I never knew I'd develop such hunger for elven food," he admitted through mouthfuls of bread.

"Finally you admit that you enjoy elven food," said Legolas. He held out a package to Kelsie. "Do you want one?"

"Sure, thanks," said Kelsie taking the package and opening it. She bit of a small corner of the bread, tasting it to see if it really was as good as described in the book. The next thing she knew, she was cramming it all into her mouth, literally biting off more than she could chew. The lembas was the best bread she had ever tasted. The inside was sweet, and the bread was not too hard, but sturdy enough.

"You could have another one, if you like," offered Legolas. "I don't want Gimli to hog all the food." He didn't notice Gimli taking the third package of lembas with all the stealth he could muster.

"Behind you," warned Kelsie, after she had managed to swallow her mouthful. Legolas looked behind him just in time to see Gimli stuffing the last of the precious bread into his mouth.

Leaving them to their slapping contest, Kelsie found a safe spot next to a tree and sat down there with her knees drawn up. Her chance of survival had immediately gone up when she had been rescued by Legolas and Gimli. She knew that she could rely on them to help her on her journey. But still, she had a sickening feeling that she would eventually have to reveal her true identity to them. Would they still be willing to help her then? I should gain their full trust before I reveal myself. Then, they still might be willing to help me. Then, she wondered what she could do to gain their trust. It was not long before her chance came.

"We should go to sleep now," said Legolas. "I'll take first watch. Gimli, you can take second."

"Works for me," said Gimli. "As long as I'm awake, nobody would dare come near our camp, unless they want to be chopped by my ax."

Legolas rolled his eyes, then turned to Kelsie. "You should rest for the whole night. I don't think it's safe for you to take watch alone."

Kelsie was usually good at hiding her feelings, but this time, she let her anger rise. After all, it was part of her plan to gain their trust. "It's not like I can't do anything. And besides, I've traveled for a long time, and I was able to watch over myself. Why can't I keep guard tonight?"

Legolas was going to say that it was because she was still an elfling, but thought better of it. If she had traveled so far all by herself, then she must have been good at protecting herself. Then why couldn't she keep guard tonight? He couldn't think of a direct answer to her question. "Well...don't you want to get some rest?"

Kelsie almost wanted to give up and say yes, but she didn't let him read her thoughts. She stood still and spoke in her most confident voice. "I insist on taking watch."

Legolas sighed. "If that's really what you want, then of course you may. But if you sense any danger, do not go running after it. You have to promise to stay out of trouble. If you get attacked, you must wake us immediately so we could deal with it. Understand?"

Kelsie hated being treated like a little kid, but there was no other way. She couldn't miss her chance. "Yes, I understand," she answered.

She waited until Legolas had fallen asleep. This was a chance to prove her usefulness and she was not going to miss it. She knew that she would later have to apologize, but that didn't bother her much. They would forgive her and maybe even thank her if she did something helpful. So, for several minutes, she kept a look out for danger.

Suddenly, Kelsie saw something run past her. With a feeling that it was something bad, she pulled her sword out. She looked around to see if she could spot it, but it was already gone. She was about to put her sword away when another shadow zoomed past her. This time, she was able to tell which direction it was going. Promising herself that she would not let fear take over her, she ran after the shadow with her sword out in front of her.

Soon, Kelsie saw another shadow run past her. She skidded to a halt and hid behind a tree, hoping that it did not see her. Quietly, she managed to tuck all her hair into her hood and pull it over her head. Then, she sneaked out from behind the tree and ran silently after the shadow.

It wasn't before long that Kelsie started to feel a change in the atmosphere. It started as a small tinge of cold. But as she ran on, it grew to a freezing, numbing sensation. She came to a stop, shivering. This cold must have something to do with the shadows. Maybe I'm getting closer to them. Kelsie started to feel scared. But part of her told her to keep on going. After all, she did promise herself that she won't let fear take over. She tried her best to ignore the cold as she walked on.

After a while, Kelsie was forced to stop. The cold was too much to bear, and her fear was expanding faster than ever. I should have stayed back at camp, she thought. Now she wished that she had followed Legolas' orders. She started to go back the way she had come, but the cold had paralyzed her, making her unable to move. She narrowed her eyes and looked around for the source of the cold. That was when her fears were confirmed.

The shadows were everywhere. They swarmed all around her, making her vision turn blurry. They had no particular shape - they were evil disguised in the form of mist. Their purpose was to strike fear and cold in the hearts of their victims.

Kelsie was terrified. If she didn't act soon, then there was no way she was going to make it out of this nightmare. Her sword slipped out of her numb fingers. However, before it hit the ground, the blade grazed a shadow that was just passing by. As she watched, the shadow started to quiver, then it exploded into many small pieces that faded before her eyes.

Aha! So that's how you destroy these shadows! Only blade can pierce them. Now that she had figured out what she was supposed to do, she just had to get her plan into action.

Kelsie gritted her teeth and tried hard to move. At first, all she felt was the numbing cold, but after several tiring tries, she started to slowly bend down to pick up her sword. Triumphant that she was able to move, she picked up her sword. Now that she had broken free of the cold, she was able to move more and more freely.

Meanwhile, the shadows were furious that their victim had broken free. They were going to recapture her for revenge, no matter what. Confident that they were going to win this battle, they all swooped down on her.

Having seen this attack coming, Kelsie was not as surprised as expected. Gathering all the courage inside of her, she gripped her sword firmly and swung it in a full circle, knocking out the first row of shadows. Then, she ducked low as several shadows flew over her head. They tried to attack her again, but only succeeded in meeting their ends as Kelsie bravely sliced her sword through them. Then, using her quick elven reflexes, she whipped around just in time to thrust her sword through a shadow that had been creeping up behind her. She heard a whoosh right above her and quickly stepped to the side to see a shadow plummet down towards the spot she had just been in. She easily held the sword out in front of her and waited for the shadow to hit it.

Instead of hitting the sword, the shadow suddenly turned and crashed right into her. Kelsie immediately fell over, once again paralyzed with cold. However, this time she was not going to let go easily. Summoning up all her energy, she painfully forced herself to her feet. She knew that another attack was coming, and she had to be prepared. Kelsie looked up to see three more shadows coming at her from above. As they descended down on her, she swung her sword over her head, and destroyed all three of them. Then, she turned around a brought down four shadows that had been ready to attack from behind. Finally, she turned around again only to find nothing.

Kelsie scanned the whole area with her keen eyesight before she could confirm that all of the shadows were gone. She let out a sigh of relief. "Well that was quite epic," she muttered to herself. She put her sword back into her scabbard, then flopped down onto the ground. She had been so caught up in the fight that she hadn't realized how exhausted she was. So she lay on the ground for a several minutes to regain her strength.

She got up and slowly walked to the edge of the battlefield, keeping an eye on it. This experience had really shaken her. She had not expected such a fight and was obviously not looking forward to another one.

Once she had stepped out of the small clearing, she started to run back to camp as fast as she could. While she was running back to camp, she saw a shadow pass by. But she didn't care. She just wanted to get out of this nightmare. All the courage she had possessed when she fought had faded away completely.

Kelsie was more than relieved when she saw the two sleeping figures. She clumsily skidded to a stop next to them and sought out the shorter one. "Your turn, Gimli," she said, tapping him on the back. Then, too tired to care if he would wake or not, Kelsie sank to the ground and fell asleep.

Gimli stretched and woke up. "Thankfully Legolas didn't pour water over my head this time," he muttered to himself. As he walked over to the spot he would keeping guard from, something caught his eye.

He walked over to the two sleeping elves to investigate. He knew something was wrong. One of the elves slept with his eyes open and arms folded across his chest, just like all elves usually do. However the other elf slept on her side with her eyes closed and her long hair slightly tangled. Gimli frowned. Elves only slept on their side with their eyes closed if they were exhausted or injured. And wasn't Legolas supposed to be the one keeping watch? By the looks of it, it seemed as though it was the other way around.

Gimli was deeply confused. He would have to find out the answers to his questions tomorrow, once they awoke.

The wind howled and the trees trembled. A shadow emerged from its well hidden spot behind a particularly large tree. It had seen its comrades getting killed by an elf. More of an elfling to be exact. Seeing its comrades get beaten by an elfling made it more furious than ever.

The shadow did not care about the death of anyone or anything. After all, it had been using its comrades to fight for itself, while it stayed hidden, out of harm's way. But now all the other shadows were dead, and it had nothing it could use to defend itself. Of course, the blame was on the elfling.

Revenge. It was the only thing it wanted now. It desperately wanted to kill the elfling. Not just paralyze her - kill her. It could summon up all its strength and freeze the elfling completely. Then, she would be paralyzed for eternity.

And soon, she would die.

A/N: Well that was longer than I expected. I actually added a lot more details than I was planning to. And I literally tortured the poor elfling.