I DO NOT OWN LOTR OR THE HUNTERS OF ARTEMIS, ONLY THE PLOTLINE, SENNA, AND HAYLEY.

try listening to the song Gone - Ionna Gika (it's not a very famous song, but i heard it from Snow White and The Huntsman and it's really perfect for the atmosphere in this chapter. (also it's the song they are singing by the end ;) )

Senna looked upon the clouds above that brimmed with hidden light and radiance and beauty, from a hill not far from the city of Rivendell. A book sat open and unread on her lap as she read instead the remaining birds and the gathering stars in the sky. Being one of the many curious people in the world, her mind wandered to dangerous places that begged her to ask such questions as: would the world remember its fallen? Or, when would be the end of time? Or, even, will men ever try to be intelligent?

She kept her eyes up the whole while, wondering whether children liked their mothers or their fathers more, or whether the sun would win over a god, or even whether a young pup would outwit a fox…

… Or whether Hayley was getting impatient with her leave-taking ceremony. The elves were taking their time on it, and Senna was thankful that they were giving their effort on it, but honestly, all the whole company wanted to do was be done with it and leave. They wanted nothing more so special about it, just a bonfire, the words any of them had missed the chance to tell Hayley, and then that was it. Or, at least, that's how it's supposed to be. There's supposed to be nothing more with it.

Nothing more, and nothing less.

Twiddling the corners of the pages with her fingers, she thought of a time long ago, a time in which she still had not, nor needed,to see the death of her sisters-in-arms.

She thought of the time when the girls taught her how to make a fire.

Winter was already setting in, and the mountains were where she learned the Hunters' stayed at most. With these conditions in mind, the temperature was freezing. So, naturally, they collected some wood and set to it on building a campfire. Tents had already been pitched around a circular empty space, a hollow hole dug for the firewood to be put in and two handfuls of pebbles placed around it. All that was left was the kindling and the actual fire.

That was when Artemis handed Senna some kindling and a bundle of sticks.

"I don't know how, my La—"

"Learn."

Senna made it a point to obey because she had looked up to the goddess so much, it would have practically been a crime for her if she hadn't at least tried. So, doing the first obvious thing, Senna set down the firewood and the sticks, and piled the pieces of kindling beside each other, putting up enough space so that the fire would be able to breathe, inside the pit.

"Very good." One of the girls said behind her. She knew it wasn't Artemis. It wasn't her voice. But she didn't turn around to find out either. "Do you know what to do next?"

She then stayed quiet for a long while, just staring at the pile she had built successfully so far. "Uh…" How humiliating the feeling had been, to be sitting under a hawk's eye, just like that, ready to be preyed upon. Something caught her eye, then; two pieces of rough stray pebbles that had slanted away from the otherwise perfect formation. Finally getting the idea, Senna picked them both up into both her tiny hands, and, with one, very anti-climactic, rub, sparks flew and landed smoothly onto the kindling.

Clearly excited, as it had been her first time, her first try, she held back her giggle, cupped her hands in front of her mouth, and gave the slowly-spreading blaze a soft blow. And then another. Then another. Soon there was a warm fire burning through the thinly placed sticks in the pit.

Grinning from cheek-to-cheek, Senna gingerly put the two stones back into place before finally turning around and facing her instructor who hadn't actually taught her anything.

Senna was brought back to the present by the grass shift right beside her. And despite the fact that it had only been the slightest movement, she had sensed it. Such was the benefits of swearing loyalty to Artemis.

She did not sense anything malicious about the presence that had so bravely made itself known, however. The butterfly's wing brushed against Senna's wrist. Dipping the crook of her finger low, she was able to pick it up and settle it on her shoulder. It was much larger than the ones she had normally seen in places not in Middle Earth, also much more beautiful.

And Senna closed her eyes then, because the colour of the sunset-dipped clouds reminded her of the wonderful tone of the dying embers, and the sound of the wind blowing across the terrain whispered to her how much she had to lose if she lost the sky, and the feel of the butterfly's wings flapping against her cheek reminded her of the dewy grass that was the first thing she felt when she woke up in the morning the night-after her first time spending the night with the Hunters. She remembered how alive she felt the minute her eyes fluttered open because the first face she saw was her Lady Artemis'.

"Wake up," she had said, and it brought a smile to Senna's face just hearing her voice.

But then she saw Hayley's face cut into view, because that was the face she had seen when she turned around after making her very first fire. "It just comes naturally to you, does it not, little dove?" Hayley had ruffled Senna's hair as she said these words before moving on to help catch game.

A tear fell from Senna's eye, but she blinked the rest away before they could follow. Honestly, no more tears needed to be shed. Or, at least, until the ceremony was over with. She bent her head to the side and eyed the butterfly thoughtfully, looking at everything about it that made it so beautiful, because she wanted to remember it for as long as she could, before cupping both hands over and under it, taking one last look at it under her lashes, and letting it fly away.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Senna never looked away from the sun. It was now dipping low over the horizon, and she knew that as soon as it disappeared, she would have to stroll back to the city, and be strong. It was getting harder and harder to do that. But she knew that it was for the best of everyone else. It was something Hayley always used to tell her…

"Thou should be strong."

"Thou should be strong for the rest of us."

"Thou should be strong like Lady Artemis."

Senna smiled. How I want to be so. It was over, the sunset, replaced by the glowing white ball now high in the sky, and the clouds replaced by billions and billions of stars. Though there were still some left. They glided slowly in the background, heading for nowhere in particular. Senna couldn't help but feel sentimental, because, in a way, the Hunters could be described like that.

Heading for nowhere in particular… Senna found her thoughts going to a gloomier direction, for the second time now. She decided to stop thinking all together. Staring at the moon, she leaned back, propped her feet over one another, put her arms behind her head, lied down on the grass, and sighed. She didn't need to go back into the city yet. The horns had not yet been sounded. She knew that her sisters would blow on them as soon as the ceremony was about to begin, because they would notice, and would know, that Senna wasn't there. It was their call to each other, during battle, and during the aftermath.

A bird flitted by, flying out of the confines of the leaves of a tree somewhere nearby. Senna gazed after it as it flew farther and farther away, its frenzied heartbeat the only thing she wanted to focus on to calm herself down. It worked, and Senna closed her eyes because she wanted the silence to never end. She could no longer hear the bird's heartbeat, or its flapping, or anything else. And she allowed herself to close her eyes, her consciousness wandering to the shallower depths of the void.

One of life's best moments passed her by when a loud sound interrupted the solemnity of the clearing. Her ears rang as the final strains of the vibration's waves ended, and Senna forced herself out of her doze.

It was time. And she hated that it was. Sitting up, she looked up one last time at the moon. It belonged to Lady Artemis, and it was holy, and was just as beautiful as she. Senna whispered a silent prayer for herself and her sisters. She didn't want to lose anyone else. And as the face of her fallen comrade, Hayley, pushed its way back into her head, Senna turned around and walked back to Rivendell.

The Hunters all stood in front of the huge bonfire their Lady Artemis had started, their tear-filled eyes following the body that was being brought into the clearing by a handful of elves. Senna walked behind them, her own eyes never leaving the fire. Because she didn't know if she could take the blow that was bound to arrive if she turned her gaze to Hayley's face. The tears were already threatening to spill. It took all her strength to keep them at bay. But it wasn't like the heat that radiated from the blaze helped at all. Stray embers pricked her skin as the elves set Hayley's body down.

Someone walked up to her then. Senna knew that it was Artemis. She did not turn to look at her, however. The pain was too much to bear. For both of them, she knew. But she also knew that it had to be done.

So, as she and her other sisters-at-arms said their final prayers to their dead ally, Legolas watched it all unfold, standing at the side-lines with Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen. His hands were fists that hung limply at his sides, while his eyes were stone that stiffly followed the movements of the girl who had appointed herself to be the stronger. Senna, whose hands had run through her hair distressfully as the elves picked up Hayley's body and were preparing to lay it in the fire, met his eyes for a fraction of a second. But that was enough. Every unsaid word, and every unfelt emotion, seemed to pass through the two souls and embed themselves into their already shattering hearts. A tear fell from Senna's eye, and Legolas' lips were curved into an ungraceful grimace as the fire parted.

And while he did not question it, the elves that carried Hayley's body did, their heads swivelling around to cast questioning looks to Elrond. The Lord nodded his head. From the corner of his eye, Legolas saw the Lady Artemis look up to the dark skies with tears in her eyes, three words on her lips. And during that moment Greenleaf's curiosity won out and he focused his hearing on the words that slipped through the goddess' mouth like honey. "Teque, Hestia, mater arula," she said.

He understood none of it. At least, not until Elrond leaned down and muttered into his ear. He said, "She is thanking Hestia, goddess of the hearth and the flame." Legolas did not need to ask why it was him whom she thanked. Because he understood everything; the youths who had joined hands as they started humming a tune he didn't recognize, Hayley's body that had not yet started burning—for the flames had not devoured her yet—, Senna, who had finally let the tears fall, and the unfamiliar weight that had started pulling his pocket down. It was where he hid the stone in, and he was aware of it starting to radiate a strange form of heat. A tickling sensation had started brushing against his pelvis, and Legolas knew that it originated from the heat coming off of the stone.

He could only hope that it wouldn't get any hotter.

A cold draft chilled Senna's tear-stained cheeks as the fire slowly started to close over Hayley's face. It was the only thing she could see, and the cracks of the flames the only thing she could hear. The more she stared, the more heartbreaking it became. She was aware of Artemis standing across the fire and doing the same thing as she, but maybe more wisely preserving her dignity.

The blaze licked at Hayley's arms, now, eating her up inch by inch. Senna was torn, half of her wanting to pull their lieutenant out of the fire, and half of her just wanting to let the body burn and the soul to be at peace. Either way, she didn't want to feel so broken anymore. She eventually had to look away, because the sight of her comrade's skin starting to blister killed her more than anyone knew. Senna didn't know how long she could take, now.

As far as she knew, the other girls were holding their ground, and, despite their chest-racking sobs, they had started humming the melody of nature's song. It was something that had been passed down to the Hunters from Artemis, something that was never supposed to escape any Hunters' lips under the eyes of a mortal, something that could only be sung to earth's servants. It was everything that made up the world. And, like the world, it had its beginning strains.

Senna waited for someone to start singing, but no one did. She was also aware of the godly aura that emanated from Lady Artemis, who was just beside her and looking down at the oldest member of her sisters-in-arms. Senna stared back. None of them needed to say a word. She started:

Dark the stars and dark the moon…

Legolas snapped his head up as soon as he heard the voice. How high-pitched it was, how fragile it seemed to be coming from the mouth of someone who must have been old and strong. There were no weaklings in their presence. But what surprised him was when he found out that it was Senna who was singing, melodizing so beautifully that even the chirping of the birds and the clicking of the crickets and the crackling of the fire had stopped and listened. Legolas soon found himself carried to another world as she continued.

Hush the night and morning loon.

Tell the horses and beat on your drum,

Gone their master, gone their sun…

The fact that she was singing didn't erase the fact that her heart was being torn into a million pieces. As her voice rung in the air with the final notes of the last line of the previous stanza, her chest denied her request in not hurting anymore. In fact, it started hurting more than it did before. However, she didn't stop singing. She couldn't stop singing. It was imperative for the melody to be finished as the lost one burned, the soul being carried to the heavens by the sounds of the song. She made herself think of this fact, that if she didn't sing then Hayley wouldn't reach Olympus. They all knew how much her father meant to her. She would have wanted to say goodbye before going to the Elysian Fields. It didn't lessen the agony in her chest.

Dark the oceans, dark the sky…

Legolas noticed that her voice seemed to have dropped an octave, but didn't question it. No one dared to speak; not even the Lord Elrond. He watched and listened with sad eyes and attentive ears.

Hush the whales and the ocean tide.

Tell the salt marsh and beat on your drum,

The fire blazed brighter as they sang, he observed.

Gone their master, gone their sun…

The melody picked up a notch, the girls' mouths opening to create melodies with their tongues, not at all humming anymore. He noted the tears had gone from their eyes, but the sorrow in the air was undoubtedly still there.

Dark to light and light to dark,

Three black carriages, three white carts…

What brings us together is what pulls us apart.

Gone our sister, gone our hearts.

Senna paused, surprised to hear that Artemis had started singing the lines with her. It eased her heart a bit, being reminded that she was not alone.

Hush the whales and the ocean tide.

Tell the salt marsh and beat on your drum,

And so, before finishing the final strains of the song, she gathered herself and looked around, taking in the sight of her sisters melodizing with her, being there with her. Just being.

The ghost of a smile crept up her lips as she sang the final line of the hymn, savouring the feel of it escaping her throat and the taste of the words on her tongue. She closed her eyes.

Gone their master, gone their sun…

Nothing else remained in the flames; nothing but the empty ashes that meant nothing to anyone anymore. Senna looked up, watching as the last sparks of the fire flew up, knowing that the final residue of Hayley's soul was soaring upwards as well.

Up, and up, and up… she watched on until they were gone from her sight, tiny specks of light in the vast blackness of the night sky. Her heart ached, then ebbed, then ached again until when the pain came it was nothing new to her. To her, this seemed horrid. Senna made up and believed the fact that she was just tired, and that she needed to rest for the night.

Alas, the night was not over for her yet. Because, as Legolas stared up at the stars, he lowered his gaze back down to the ground as Artemis stepped forward, right into the pit that's fire had stopped burning, stepping on the ashes as if it had not previously been the body of their fallen comrade. Legolas did not understand. But she stood taller still, her voice low and not as loud as Legolas would have hoped. He knew why. He understood. What she was about to say was not meant for the ears of the elves.

"Lord Elrond…" he heard her murmur. Elrond heard this, apparently, and a few minutes later all the elves but he and Legolas had left the clearing. Why he had not been forced to leave, he knew not why, but no one denied him his right to keep his feet on that ground, and so he minded it not.

"Hunters!" she stated clearly, not holding back anymore since they were the only people there. "We have suffered a terrible loss, the loss of one of our sisters." She gulped before continuing. "May she rest in peace in Elysium."

"Quae pax, requiescat in." This line was recited by each and every one of the youths at the same time, much like a prayer. Legolas grew curious as to what it meant.

"But now," Artemis said, "is also the time to choose a new lieutenant."

Legolas stilled, and turned his head to look at Elrond. The elder elf nodded his head, and no other words were spoken by the two as Greenleaf waited for a name.

translations:

"Teque, Hestia, mater arula" - "I thank thee, Hestia, mother of the hearth"

"Quae pax, requiescat in" - "May she rest in peace"

reviews please! :((