Chapter 4 - Do Not Fall

Lithien woke up to the sensation of something warm and soft pressed against her cheek. It was comfortable. Pleasant even...

Someone was breathing softly just below her ear.

Her eyes shot open, but she stopped herself from jerking away. With sleep clearing from her mind, the events of the previous night returned to her, shifting every thought back in place.

Her face rested on Legolas' shoulder and she carefully pulled herself away. There was nothing to be embarrassed about - it wasn't uncommon for her to sleep beside her companions for warmth, and on more than one occasion it had led to similar situations. She wasn't going to make a fuss about it solely because she didn't knew him that well.

The prince did not wake when she rose, and she took some time to observe him, looking for any signs of damage she might have missed last night. She didn't find any, which eased her mind slightly, but she would have to wait until he wakes up to fully determine that. She slid away, leaving him in the nest of blankets. She stoked up the fire with the practiced ease and laid out a simple breakfast next to it: some dried meat and a few pieces of lembas. It wasn't much, but she was well aware that they needed to be careful with their remaining supplies now. They had barely crossed half of the way to Rivendell and with only one horse it would most likely take them twice as long to cover the remaining distance.

She stepped outside, lured by the pale light seeping through the visible part of the entrance. The rain cleared overnight, but the sky was still clouded. Pílin have left their hideout sometime during the night and was grazing nearby, on the patch of a wet grass. The heavy mist lingered between the trees, obscuring most of the forest from view. She sat on the rock near the entrance of the cave and tried to pierce it with her eyes anyway. She still hoped that there might be some hidden solution to their current troubles, even if she knew that there wasn't any.

She remained motionless, until she felt the morning chill through the thin fabric of her tunic. Her back was sore and she stretched her tensed muscles before going back in. She cheered herself with a thought that, if Galaren was to find out about what had happened to them, and she had no doubt that he would, she would not hear the end of it for at least a century.

Legolas glanced up when he heard the whisper of her steps. He was fully dressed and already pulled the dressing off - the area around the cut was still a little reddened and faintly bruised, but it was nothing unusual.

'Have you slept well?' he asked, when she walked past him to crouch by the fire.

She was glad that she didn't turn around instantly to glare at him. It was, after all an innocent question. No reason to make a big deal out of it, solely for his enjoyment.

'Better than I expected' she replied, her lips curving upward. 'I trust your wound is not bothering you, my lord...'

'It is not' he confirmed, sitting next to her. 'I should thank you...'

'There is no need… I wouldn't do any different, if I had to do it again. Which, honestly, I would like to avoid' she dismissed him with a smile. They shared their meal quietly. Outside, birds' chirping was so loud, it echoed within the cave.

'I've been thinking...' Legolas broke the silence, but seemed to think better of it. 'What are we going to do now?'

It was an important question, but it was also rather obvious, that he wanted to say something else entirely.

'Nothing has changed in our plans' she answered, tucking away the leftovers. 'We will continue towards Rivendell. Despite the weather we have gained some time to our advantage last week...'

'A time we will lose now' he said, failing to hide his grimace.

'I dare to say, your grace, that we had much more to lose last night' she admonished, but without even half of a bite she would normally pour in such statement.

She was not getting fond of him. It wasn't like that. He was still too proud and too stubborn to not be infuriating. Too much like her, at times, but she wasn't going to say that aloud. But he was also his own person, despite bearing the likeness of his father. Maybe she was wrong, attributing him someone else's vices.

Time would tell. They had plenty of it.

With the events of the previous night still fresh in their minds, their trek through the woods was much more careful than before. They didn't even try to hide their initial hesitation about delving into the thick mist beneath the trees. But it has never stopped either of them from anything, so they pressed forward cautiously, paying more attention to their surroundings.

As the day went on, the mist lifted, and even the sun started to shyly pick from behind the clouds, allowing them to finally relax a little. The forest around them bustled with activity and myriad of sounds, its inhabitants using fully what little reprieve the mountains were giving them.

It was surprisingly easy to get used to sharing the saddle. Lithien thought it was a little too easy for the prince who kept his arms wound firmly around her waist as it they belonged there. She probably should have objected somehow, but she was never ladylike enough to not enjoy a bit of pleasure and she wasn't going to start now. She only made sure she wasn't leaning into the inviting warmth of his chest too much.

They've stopped for a brief rest around noon. The easy path through the forested dell came to end and now they had to once again venture into the high mountain passages. Lithien trailed the road with her eyes, catching the sharp ridges where it cut into the mountains side up to the point where it disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

'You have surprised me last night' Legolas offered, standing next to her. She turned to face him, wondering if he was about to thank her again. She was tempted to push him into the nearby creek, if he decided to do that.

'I haven't expected your question to be serious' he continued. 'Your horse is truly something exceptional' he explained further seeing her confused expression. Not for the first time she wondered, if the half-smile he gave her was real or merely an act. Her intuition supplied her with an answer, but usually it was much easier to figure out.

She wasn't especially keen on making an idle conversation, but she could play pretend if he so desired.

Up to a point of course.

'I would not have asked otherwise' she replied with a smile. 'But I cannot disagree; she is a brilliant runner. Now, if we're quite finished, there is a long climb ahead of us...'

'Not willing to share any tips?' he guessed. They returned onto the narrow path, leading them through the thinning forest toward the towering walls of the mountains.

'I simply do not have any' Lithien countered. She walked ahead, with the prince at her side and Pílin obediently following them. She was planning to walk whenever needed to avoid unnecessarily burdening her mare. 'She is simply a natural talent. I'm just lucky she trusts me with her skills.'

'If you say so' he conceded. 'Some things still depend on a handler, though.'

'Yes, you have to trust your horse as much as it trusts you. It is simple as that, your grace...'

There it was again. A quickly disappearing frown, as if she just said something wrong. A thing that irked her from the very beginning. She has done nothing to deserve that. Maybe she should have done something about that after all - it was hard to look at him sometimes. He seemed to be blaming himself for every misfortune that has befallen the elves since the day of their birth.

She was tempted to see if he would open up to her, like Galaren did, after the sufficient amount of pestering. But she has promised herself not to make him her concern, before she left. Maybe they warmed to each other slightly. Maybe she even appreciated it. But whatever time they had left to share wasn't worth the hassle of stripping his defences.

The path was steeper than they thought it would be, to the point when Lithien had to push Pílin up several times. They reached another flat ledge of stone, revealing the towering walls of stone. And rows upon rows of wide steps cutting into the rock, leading up and into the narrow crevice between the mountains. Withered by ages of raging storms and whipping winds, there was no way of telling if they were created by someone's hands a long time ago or just simply were here from the very beginning.

'Is this another of the places no one really knows about?' he asked, the stone chipping away even under their delicate steps.

'Possibly' she nodded. 'But this one is, quite obviously a little hard to hide...'

'It is quite impressive' he agreed. Even if he wasn't overly fond of such places, the scenery in itself was something to be admired. 'Do you know anything about it?'

'Only that the stairs were here long before I've started using this road' she answered. 'But I was told, that it was once a part of a communication routes between Lindon and the dwarven Kingdom of Khazad-dûm...'

'I thought that we left the mines long behind... They surely cannot be that vast?' he wondered.

'I wouldn't say that we probably stand over some underground corridors right now' she replied, smirking. 'But it was the biggest dwarven realm back in the day... We might have passed several hidden entrances since we had ventured into the mountains and we wouldn't even know that. The passage we used last night? It was once a part of the watchtower...'

'So it was connected to the mines?'

'I never checked, but it's hardly possible' she grimaced slightly at the interruption. 'From what I have seen, the stairs leading down were mostly covered by the rubble. And as much as dwarven architecture is known for its sturdiness, how long it can stand while left unattended? Anyway, why does it disturb you so, your grace?'

'It does not' the prince objected. 'But I wonder why you are so unaffected? I am sure you have heard the stories about Moria?'

'Yes and I have even tested some of them in reality' she retorted. 'My outpost is barely two days ride away from the Eastern Gates. You can get used to such neighbourhood over time; you just learn to be cautious.'

'So you have never ventured into the mines?' he inquired. 'You have struck me as a bold enough person...'

'I have not say that, but I am surely not going to do that ever again... Are you going to ask me about the details now, my lord?'

'Only if you mean to indulge me' he smirked only to be levelled with an unamused glare. 'Which you are clearly unwilling to do...'

'I am glad we're starting to understand each other without words, my lord...'

It wasn't much different than their last trek through the similar place. Lithien walked first, with Legolas half a step behind her and Pílin trotting in a row. The passage was wider than the one that led them into the mountains and they were steadily climbing over the withered stairs, but the walls was still looming over them with only the narrow wisp of sky visible overhead. It was just as cloudy as the one they've seen the first time. It wasn't particularly inspiring for idle chat, so they remained mostly quiet, with only howling of the wind for a company.

'What do you think about dwarves?' the prince asked, when the silence started to grow a little heavy.

The question made the elleth pause. She turned and looked at him as if she was unsure of what to say.

'Stubborn, the lot of them' she finally said. 'But it is a trace easy to find among other people too. They can also be courageous and loyal just like any of us.'

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow at her in disbelief.

'Speaking from experience?' now she was sure he was asking out of pure mockery. He wasn't even trying to hide it.

She could only do so much to not openly sneer at him. Maybe she shouldn't have been so surprised by his utter lack of respect, but it still jarred her to hear him say it.

'Would it have changed anything, if I'd said yes? I seriously doubt that' she scoffed. 'And it is not like it would have mattered to you, but my father wouldn't had have me nor my brother, if it wasn't for a one very brave dwarf' she all but spat out, but it was the only way to stop her voice from cracking.

'I...'

'Don't' she cut him off, before he could finish the sentence. 'Apologize only when you mean it.'

She stormed up the stairs. She wasn't going to leave him, but she couldn't look him in the eye right now. Every time he finally did something to warm her up to him, he ruined the good impression with the next words that left his mouth. Confirming that she was right for not trusting him from the very beginning.

Whatever he was trying to achieve, he still didn't know a thing about her. But he didn't recognized her the moment they saw each other and she wasn't going to help him come to any conclusions. She never felt like she has done something wrong or had anything to apologize for. Some part of her just wanted to quit hiding and tell him everything right there, straight into his face.

But, it would surely made the rest of their journey unbearable.

Maybe she would do just that. In Rivendell, when they would be able to easily avoid each other afterwards.

They've climbed up the stairs until the sky above their heads started to grow dim. The grumble of thunder announced that another storm was approaching them. Lithien visibly sped up, which reminded the prince about something she had mentioned earlier. That they could end up marooned in some places if the awful weather will catch them there. He wondered if they were risking that right now.

Her reasons became obvious when the stairs suddenly came to an end, seemingly straight into the sky. They climbed high enough to only see the peaks on the mountains on the other side of the wide canyon that opened before them. For a moment Legolas thought that they have reached a dead end and they would have to turn around, but then he saw another narrow crack in the wall of the mountain, similar to the one they stood in, way down below them, forming an entrance to the tunnel. He looked at Lithien for an explanation. She shrugged and pointed to their left.

'I honestly prefer that, to the narrow bridges dwarves are so fond of' she told him, smirking at the shock obvious on his face. 'After you, your grace.'

He didn't think it was a good idea, but he stepped on the narrow shelf cut into the rock. It run along the slope of the mountain and around the closer end of the rift. It was barely wide enough to walk comfortably away from the rock without risking walking too close to the edge.

When he glanced down toward the bottom of the chasm, he couldn't see a thing. A stone, loosened by Pílin's hoof fell away, cluttering against the stone. They didn't hear it hitting the bottom.

Predictably, it has started to rain before they crossed even half of the expected distance. Compared to yesterday it was a little more than a drizzle, but it came with the vicious gusts of wind that threatened to push them off their path.

'We need to go faster!' Lithien urged from behind him. 'If this gets any worse we will have to stop and wait for it to end...!

'No!' he objected, the heavy wing making it almost impossible to talk. 'It is difficult to walk right now and you want us to run' It's insane!' he shouted, turning around to level her with a harsh look.

The lightning struck the opposite end of the canyon, blinding them with the sudden burst of light. The air shook with the ear-splitting crash of falling stones. Píllin squealed startled and tried to bounce away. Lithien threw herself forward, following the frantic movement to stop the mare from toppling over the edge. At the same moment her own foot slipped on the wet stone and she wavered dangerously.

Her mouth opened around the horrified scream and just as suddenly closed, when the prince caught her and pulled her against him. They landed hard against the wall. Pílin scraped her hoof against the ground a couple of times nervously, but eventually calmed down.

Lithien found her arms still locked in Legolas' tight grip. When he didn't instantly release her she tried to push herself away and ended up with her face so close to his that their noses touched.

'Thank you, my lord. Recklessness is apparently a bad idea' she said with a smirk.

'Just watch your steps more carefully next time, my lady' he replied politely, but let her go only when he made sure she was standing steadily again. Then he turned around like nothing had happened and walked away.

They reached the entrance to the tunnel without further surprises. It took quite some time and they were once again soaked to the bone. The rain ceased by the time they stood before the entrance to the cave, the clouds chased away by the wind, showing the pieces of a darkening sky. Glancing inside the tunnel revealed nothing but darkness.

'I don't like this part either' he felt her hand squeezing his shoulder, but it was too fleeting to be sure. 'But it's shorter than the last one.'

'Let's be quick about it, then' he muttered, stepping inside. Before it could get too dark to see anything, he heard Lithien digging through her bags. Before he turned around fully, the bright orange glow filled the narrow space, sliding over the uneven surface of the stone in dance of light and shadows. The elleth handed him the torch and gestured toward the tunnel in a parody of an invitation.

'Is there anything you haven't got in there?' he asked, only half-heartedly trying to tease her.

'I wouldn't when I won't be able to find it when needed' she made a face. 'Watch out for the steps ahead. I'm not very fond of tending to broken bones...'

'I am not sure if it is you, who should be telling me this...'

'At least I am looking ahead' she quipped and Legolas finally turned around, if only to hide his own smile.

The passage was narrow, with a low ceiling, obviously carved by someone of a much shorter stature than the average elf. Lithien had no doubt it was done on purpose, despite the fact that this road was once used by both the dwarves of Moria and the elves from Lindon. The corridor didn't run straight for long - it soon turned slightly and descended into the fight of long steps. It was so quiet, that they not only heard the clatter of Pílin's steps, but also the whisper of their own, soft footfalls and the sputtering of the torch.

'Are you sure it won't lead us anywhere unpleasant?' Legolas asked when he was no longer sure how long they were walking.

'As sure as I can be' Lithien teased lightly. He wasn't trying so hard to hide his uneasiness anymore and she thought she could keep his mind away from the narrow space. 'This one at least, is leading outside. I have never checked where the other halls are going...'

'There are other halls?'

'The stairs will lead us to the underground crossroads' she explained. 'We will go straight and into another dell. We should stop there for the night. There are two other corridors; one to the east has collapsed about three hundred years ago. The one leading west is passable, but I was never interested in checking where it leads exactly. And never stayed around long enough to find out if anyone else was using it.'

'You have been using this road for so long?'

'Longer even.' she smiled at his back. 'I was always inclined to travel to Rivendell alone, so my brother had shown me this trail, hoping that it will keep me away from much more dangerous roads. He succeeded so far.

She knew that she had promised Galaren to tell a different story. But the longer she thought about it, the less difference it made in the long run. From what she heard, Lagolas was a man of his word. She had no reason to not trust that opinion, yet.

'He surely cares for you a great deal' there was a thoughtful note in his voice. As if he was speaking of something else entirely. Or bringing up a memory.

'It is a natural thing between siblings, even if we usually argue a lot over his desire to protect me' she answered, encouraged by the feeling of companionship. 'Have you got any?'

She was expecting a denial. Simple as that, another strip of polite, but otherwise not really meaningful conversation. But when he stayed quiet for a moment too long, Lithien immediately understood that it was probably one of those questions that shouldn't have left her mouth. Or should have been thought out better at the very least.

She knew, without much detail, about the passing of King Thranduil's wife. But she had always thought it was the end of story. The sudden realization that it wasn't, didn't sit well with her. No matter what she thought, no one deserved to be forced to endure so much pain.

'I had a younger brother' he said, before she could push the conversation elsewhere and say anything that would sound even close to the sufficient apology. The last thing she wanted was to pry into his private life like that.

'Don't think about it' he said, his tone dismissive. 'It was a long time ago.'

I was hard to sound unaffected around the lump in her throat. She decided not to speak at all.

It was a kind of a lie one could told themselves forever. And no one would ever believe it.

The stairway led them out into the crossing Lithen had mentioned, but she couldn't bring herself to break the silence yet. She didn't want to start talking about trivialities, just like that. It felt wrong. But maybe, if she let the conversation sit for a while, she would be able to continue it without saying something deeply personal; a thing she was trying to avoid from the very beginning.

Legolas was so deep in his own thoughts, that he probably wouldn't have heard her anyway.

The dell opening behind the exit was narrow and overgrown by the dense forest. The first time she got here, Lithien thought it was a dead end and that she would have to go back and search for the missed landmarks. She knew better now and she led the prince toward another cave, where they would rest for the night. This one was obviously cut into the stone, with the arched entrance still marked by the traces of ornaments almost entirely eaten by time. She wondered a few times, about the hands that created it, but have never found any clue about its origin. Right now, it was yet another place shown to her by the Rangers, back in the day when she was travelling with them.

She was a little worried, when Legolas declined the supper and turned in for the night, stretching on the further end of their shared bedding. Anyone needed some time alone with their thoughts from time to time. And since she was the cause of it, she wasn't going to complain now.

Her attitude changed completely, when she woke up a few hours later and noticed that the space beside her is empty.

She threw the crumpled blankets off and stood up, reaching for her sword. Maybe she was overreacting, but they didn't need any more troubles. But his weapons, discarded by the fire, spoke exactly of that.

She could wonder later, how he was able to sneak out without rousing her.

The sky has cleared overnight, dipping everything in the pale glow of the moon. Lithien has no idea where the prince could go. Alone and without his weapons. Thankfully, the wet earth was much softer and with some effort she had managed to find one shallow footprint several feet away from the entrance to the cave. And then another. She was by no means a brilliant tracker, but Legolas obviously wasn't trying to hide. Maybe he should have, considering that she was about to tell him a thing or two.

He didn't go far either. He sat at the edge of the small clearing, where the trees grew far enough apart to reveal a wider piece of sky. She stopped within the shadows beneath the leaves and waited to be acknowledged, but when he didn't turn to look at her, she stepped forward with an irritated sight.

'Would you mind telling me what...' she ducked just in time to avoid a small, throwing knife aimed at her face. 'What the hell are you doing?!'

He satred at her, eyes wide. She had obviously managed to sneak up on him.

'I didn't recognize you...' he started to explain, but Lithien wasn't having any of it. Was it not for her reflexes, that blade would have killed her. She was done.

'Enough!' she cut him off, brushing the dirt off her pants. She didn't care if he had done it on pure instinct. It was too much, she wasn't going to tolerate his behaviour a moment longer.

'You are either going to tell me what have bitten you in the ass or you are going to continue your journey on a leash, because I have no intention of losing you to your inability to deal with whatever it is!'

'Don't you dare to speak to me like that!...'

'Or what?!' she stormed toward him, until they stood chest to chest. 'You're going to throw me in jail, just like your father did?! Cut my hair to humiliate me?'

The words came out too fast, and too bitter. And completely not in the way she has planned.

At least they have managed to silence him.

It was too late to do anything about it, anyway. Legolas stared at her in disbelief. Apparently, she wasn't lucky enough that he never had heard about her. Her carefully arranged attempt to hide has went to hell rather quickly.

'Why help me then?' he asked and it was the last thing she had expected to hear. 'If my father had slighted you so?'

She let out a short, mirthless laugh. Slighted. Why that didn't surprised her?

'Because I made a habit of helping people in need' she replied, carefully avoiding his eyes. 'And I thought that maybe you will prove to be a different sort of a man than your father. Thank you for curing me of that illusion... Thankfully, we will be rid of each other soon enough' she turned around to leave. He still has no other choice than to follow her.

Maybe lord Elrond will be able to convince him to not give away their secret.

'How can you judge that, when you obviously don't know anything? Not about me, nor about him?'

He really didn't know when to stop. But if he insisted on hearing the hard truth than she could give him that.

'I know enough' she barked. 'I've been caught and thrown in front of him like the worst of criminals. Placed in cage and shamed only because I chose to stand by what I thought was right. Is that honourable in your eyes?' she wanted her words to sting. As hard as she could make them. 'And you? From the moment we have met, you act as though everyone should bow down to your whims. With ne regards for other people. Coddle you because you've made a mistake. One mistake. I am not sure if anyone had ever told you that but people learn to live with a lot more weighting them down.'

'If you would try for a second to look past your prejudice, then maybe I would've found your words truly wise' Legolas said, his features hardening. 'But you are guilty of the same crime. You cannot expect to be understood, if you refuse to even try and understand others.'

Lithien's jaw clenched as she accepted the blow on her own. She knew it was true.

'I do not need your understanding' she scoffed. 'Nor I want it. I gave you my word and I am not going back on it. I will deliver you safely to Rivendell, no matter what I think about you or about your father for that matter. Once we are safe within the valley, you may do as you please.'

She walked away, before he could say anything else. They might as well leave right away. Neither of them was going to sleep now. And the night was bright enough to travel.