A/N: Hi, everyone, how are you? Missed me? Sorry for not updating lately, but I had some things to do and I also didn't know exactly how to go on, but here we are again. I warn you, this chapter is full of drama, because Castiel is packed by her memories and we also learn what will happen to Gondien, the guard who helped her escape (if you don't remember him, see Chapter 1).

Lavender-wash- Thank you for reviewing :) To answer your question, Castiel has chestnut brown, wavy hair that reaches the middle of her back and green-brown eyes.

Amber14- Hannon le, I'm glad you liked it.

WriteWithFeeling- First of all, I must say you have a great username :D I'm happy you like it so much, I hope you will like the new chapter as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR, only the characters I create.

The next morning, Legolas decided to go to the archery field and practice, something he had not done for a long time. The weather was perfect for that, for it was clear, sunny and without wind, something that would be an obstacle for his aim.

On his way, he heard a distant sound coming from the archery field. He presumed that some of the young Elves had the same thought with him and smiled. Tutoring the younger ones was something he loved to do, especially when he was seeing in their eyes the same passion for archery he had.

But he realized at once that he was wrong. In the field there were no elflings, only Castiel, who was practicing by taking position opposite random targets, some near, some far, and shooting arrows at them. He could not help but be impressed by her aim and her concentration. She was so focused, that she did not hear him approaching her and turned to him only when he spoke.

'I see you are very skilled'

His voice startled her and she looked at him with fear, as if she was afraid it was someone else, someone, Legolas thought, from her past, that was scaring her. Only when she saw it was him, she smiled with relief and made a small curtsey.

'Hannon le, my Prince' she replied.

'Please' Legolas laughed 'feel free to call me by my first name. After all, from now on you will live with us and there is no need for formalities, do you not agree?'

'Yes, of course I do' Castiel laughed as well. 'I will try'

Legolas smiled and a few moments passed in silence, during of which the prince's eyes fell on the arrows the young maiden had shot, hitting the centre every time.

'I hope I did not disturb you from training' he quickly said, thinking that she may wish to be alone. It was something he could not understand about her, on the one hand she was making clear that his presence was not unpleasant for her, but on the other hand she was reacting mysteriously, as if she was sensing a threat he could not. He had not seen something like this before and he was trying to interpret her strange behavior.

'No, do not worry' Castiel answered, seeing the quiver that was hanging around Legolas's shoulder. 'On the contrary, and if you also wish, we could train together'

'It would be an honor for me' Legolas said with a polite nod and took position next to her.

They spent an hour like this, practicing in different ways and showing to each other new ways at shooting arrows. Castiel remembered Almaarea and how she used to train archery secretly, always in Gondien's company, because her father had once found her and had forbidden her to do it again. But, although both she and her close friend were extremely careful, someone had found out and had informed her father, who was very furious.

" He moved so quickly that the only thing she could see was a flash of light. The next moment, she was lying on the ground, with a small stream of blood running down her face and with him standing over her"

The memory packed her and she had the feeling she was suffocating. Her breath became difficult and her bow slipped from her hand. The noise made Legolas turn to her. Seeing her situation, he dropped his own bow and ran to her.

'Castiel, what is it?' he asked worried. 'Tell me, what is wrong?'

But the only thing she could do was shake her head and close her eyes as the first tears escaped from them. The dread and the fear she was feeling back home returned, even harder than before. Legolas, now terrified, helped her to sit down on a bench. Then he sat next to her, caressing her hair, like a loyal companion would do.

'Are you better?' he wanted to know after she had taken some deep breaths.

She nodded, blushing deeply, ashamed that she had shown such a weakness in front of him.

'Forgive me' she whispered. 'I do not know what happened, I only felt so dizzy'

I can not tell him the truth. I simple can not, it is over my strength.

'Do not apologize' Legolas comforted her. 'I promised I would not pressure you and I will hold to that. Try to calm down and I will fetch you some water, alright?'

Castiel nodded again. With a last stroke on her hair, Legolas stood up and turned to leave, but her hand packing his made him stop.

'Thank you, Legolas' she told him, her beautiful eyes looking at him as if it was very important for her. Legolas smiled consoling at her and squeezed her hand lightly before leaving.

In the realm of Almaarea, the streets were full of people who were talking to each other, treading or showing their new weapons. Children were swimming in the lake and the boys were training in archery and fencing, laughing loudly.

At a dark corner, a tall, hooded man was hiding, listening to the random conversations without being spotted. The hood was very useful to him, for it was covering his long hair and his pointy ears. Nestaron, one of the two messengers Legolas had sent to learn about Castiel's friend, was looking with concentration at the street, hiding even more if he had the impression there was danger of being found. In a sudden, he heard Gondien's name and quickly listened to the man who had mentioned it.

'I heard Lord Gondien will be executed' he said to another man. 'Tomorrow evening'

'Executed?' the other man repeated. 'But why? As far as I know, Lord Gondien is very trustworthy and gentle'

'Apparently, he has something to do with Lady Castiel's sudden disappearance' the first man explained. 'Rumors say that he helped Lady Castiel to run away by taking the post of another guard yesterday night. Lord Alarois was very angry when he found it out and the guards told him about Lord Gondien'

'I do not know what others say, but I have heard nothing negative about Lord Gondien' his friend commented. 'And if you ask me, Lady Castiel must have a very serious reason of running away. I wonder if she will learn about Gondien's death and how she will react'

Nestaron had heard enough and carefully ran to the small forest that was nearby, where Veryan, his companion, was waiting for him. Veryan gasped at his friend's shocked expression.

'What did you learn?' he wanted to know, sure that the news were bad.

'I heard two men talking about this man, Gondien. Lady Castiel's father has connected her disappearance with him and they will execute him tomorrow'

'What?' Veryan yelled and Nestaron looked around worried. 'They will kill him? But why? According to Prince Legolas, Lady Castiel ran away because something terrible must have happened to her'

'Well, this is confirmed by Gondien's execution. Something is going on in this castle, mellon nin, I can feel it'

'How will we tell it to her?' Veryan wondered sadly. 'You saw how she was when we found her, as if she was scared, and the prince said that Gondien is a person very important for her. She will not endure the news'

'I think we must sneak into the dungeons of the castle tonight and find him' Nestaron suggested. 'We must tell him that Lady Castiel is alright. This will make it easier to him and, if he has a message for her, this will help her as well'

Indeed, the same night and after making sure that everybody was sleeping, the two Mirkwood Elves managed to sneak into the castle of Almaarea with the help of a rope. They walked down the stairs they assumed were leading to the dungeons, grateful to her elven eyesight, for they did not need a torch to see where they were going. The guard who was standing in front of the door, who was an Elf, like them, pointed his spear towards the two companions.

'Who are you and what are you doing here? For your own sake, say the truth!' he demanded.

Nestaron and Veryan removed the hoods and the guard gasped when he realized they were from his own kin. The three of them put their right hands on their hearts and lowered them slowly. It was the greeting of the Elves, that was showing mutual respect and appreciation.

'My name is Nestaron and this is my companion Veryan. We come from the Woodland Realm and we wish you no harm. We only want to speak to Lord Gondien'

'How do you know him?' the guard asked surprised and they exchanged worried looks. Castiel had run away, but this guard seemed to be friendly.

'We have a common friend' Veryan answered after a small hesitation and the guard's face lightened.

'Lady Castiel. You know Lady Castiel. Is she with you?'

'She is in our realm and she is well. But she is worried about Gondien, so we came to see how he is. Nae, we learned about his execution and we wish to see him and tell him that his lady is well. To the blood of the kin that connects the three of us, please, let us in'

'Of course I will' the guard said willingly, while opening the door that was leading to the cells. 'Follow me'

He led them to the last cell on their left hand and opened the door. Gondien, who was standing at the window, turned to them and his eyes widened at their sight. He was young, with black hair and youthful face that was marked with worry.

'I will take my leave now' the guard whispered. 'Be careful and you have my word that nobody will ever learn about your visit'

'Hannon le' Nestaron said sincerely and looked at Gondien, with the sadness growing bigger inside him. This Elf would die because he had helped a young maiden to escape a dreadful life. How cruel was Lord Alarois to take such a decision?

'My lord' he said politely 'do not fear us. We are friends of Lady Castiel'

'You are her friends?' Gondien's voice had a joyful tone. 'Where is she? How is she?'

'She is alright' Veryan consoled him. 'She is in our realm, the Woodland Realm'

Gondien's heavy heart filled with relief when he heard this. Castiel would be treated with kindness by the royal family of Mirkwood, something that was making the thought of tomorrow much easier.

'She was attacked by spiders. We saved her and took her with us' Veryan went on. 'We look after her, you have my word on that. Although, she gave us the impression of being very cautious'

'It is not a surprise, considering everything that happened to her here' Gondien whispered bitterly.

'What happened to her?' Nestaron took the chance. 'Could you give us a clue? Only that way we will be able to help her stand on her feet again'

'Her father, Lord Alarois, is behind everything. Many consider him a perfect ruler, but this because they do not know who he really is, that he is cruel and evil. When Castiel begged me to help her run away, I agreed at once'

The two visitors looked at each other, as if they had suspected it. If Gondien was right, then this was explaining Castiel's fearful eyes.

'Come with us' Veryan said. 'You may come with us and your guard as well. You will live and we will do anything we can to keep you and Lady Castiel safe'

'I am honored by your concern, but I do not think it is a good idea. Castiel is a very closed maiden and she does not want to say anything about her, I know her well. And if two more Elves from her realm appear, then I am afraid Lord Alarois will start searching for her. Besides, I am willing to die for her, knowing that she is well'

Nestaron lowered his head, wanting to make him change his mind, but knowing he would not have any success. Gondien took a sheet of parchment he had hidden in a hole on the wall and gave it to them.

'It is a letter for Castiel' he explained. 'I would give it to Maeron, the guard who led you, and he would find a way to send it to her. But now that you are here, would you be so kind to give it to her?'

'Of course' Nestaron gave his word. 'And I will tell her how lucky she is to have such a loyal friend'

'Thank you for coming' Gondien put the conversation to an end. 'Your visit was the best way to give me courage and faith for tomorrow. I will leave this world happy, because I will know that my friend will be safe'

'Nothing will happen to her, we promise' Veryan put a hand on his shoulder. 'King Thranduil, Prince Legolas, Nestaron and I and many others will care for her'

Minutes later, the two Elves were riding back to Mirkwood, with their hearts heavy from their conversation with the young guard and his refusal to be saved.

'May you find peace in death, Gondien' Veryan whispered.

'Stay strong, my friend, stay strong' Nestaron advised him. 'We must be strong when we will tell her the news, for only then we will stand by her side'

Elvish words/phrases used:

Hannon le- Thank you

Mellon nin- My friend

Nae- Alas

A/N: Ok, guys, that was it for now. I hope you liked it, even if it was too dramatic. I will try to post the next chapter within the next two or three days. xx