A/N: Hey! :) I'm back! I really am trying to get back to a more regular schedule for updating, but I still can't guarantee an update every week anymore. It'd be really nice to get some reviews telling me which direction to go with this story, though… Hint, hint… :) Tell me what you guys think about Legolas joining them on the quest! Is it okay? How should he be portrayed? I need answers! :) Ignore that rant...

Anyway, thank you to Jayjay0815 for all the help and support, as well as Guest, ChinaxJapan101, Rose Nieman-Black-Targeryen, Tar-Ancalimae, grace-adalyn, jocahill, justcallmek, selenastarsparrow1230, Crazygirl18243, and bubblettrocks for following/favoriting.

Disclaimer: If I owned The Hobbit, everyone would have lived... Once again, we should all be thankful that I don't. :)

Chapter Nine

... And into the River

Ash was yanked away from the edge of the raft three times before they were even out of site of the spiders. They still kept their heads low, as the spiders were chasing them along the shoreline, but they were fast falling behind. With six of them, they had an interesting time trying to keep the raft level, and it wasn't helped by the fact that Ash seemed to be fascinated with the river, and spent half the time leaning over the edge trying to spot a fish. Eventually, it was decided by the group that she would be sandwiched in between them, an idea which Kiron, who had been in that place before, supported whole-heartedly. The river roared past them, drowning out any attempts at conversation.

Aneare's cries of, "We have to try to get to the bank!" could not be heard over the rushing water, however they all caught on eventually, realizing that if they didn't make it to the other side before the tide took them, it could mean taking a serious detour. The task was quite a bit harder than had been expected, seeing as the group was sorely lacking in paddles or oars of any kind. Kiron, Koran, and Ash attempted to use their boots as oars, and began paddling madly with them, only for Kiron to lose one of his shoes to the current.

"Hey, Silan?" Kiron shouted over the river, nervously glancing at his friend. Silan sighed and gave no reply, but looked at Kiron expectantly. "Can I borrow a pair of boots?"

Silan only glowered in return.

They eventually resorted to breaking branches off of the already dangerously-fragile raft to try to steer themselves to the other side, but eventually they did make it close enough to the riverbank to grab a root and pull themselves closer to shore. It proved to be quite difficult to get the raft close enough to actually get off, and the decision was made (by Ash and Aneare) to take a leap of faith, quite literally, and hope for the best. They almost lost both Koran and Ash after deciding that jumping would be the best option, but still made it out relatively unscathed, which was a better outcome than had been anticipated. It was once they were all once again on land that they began to encounter problems.

"We're alive!" Kiron yelled with a dramatic but ungraceful fall to the ground.

Silan laughed, glancing at the group. "That's relatively surprising."

They were battered and bruised, and all had suffered at least minimal cuts from the battle (with the exception of Legolas, although he was temporarily - and selectively, for some - forgotten by the children) and the twigs and dirt that they had picked up in the forest seemed a permanent part of their persons, but they were alive.

Ash grimaced and looked to the raft, which had not fared as well as them; it had been quickly yanked onto shore when the final person had jumped, and the impact of the raging river could be seen quite clearly. She gave it a disdainful glare.

"I can't believe we trusted that with our lives."

Koran grinned. "Those are my thoughts every time we follow one of your plans."

Ash continued to glare, though it was redirected to focus on Koran. "Hey, disagree with them all you like, but my plans are what's kept you out of the dungeons on the rare occasions that you don't get caught."

Silan opened his mouth to reply, however refrained upon seeing the amused yet wary look on Legolas's face. "Now may not be the best time to discuss strategies to avoid capture..." He suggested, however was met with only a grins and shrugs from the group.

"Better now than from in the dungeons," Aneare pointed out.

Ash looked genuinely curious. "And you would know?" She inquired, trying to hide her interest.

Koran answered before Aneare could. "She probably knows the dungeons better than we do," he admitted with an almost proud glance at his sister.

Kiron nodded. "Although the first couple times, we were the ones who got her caught..."

Aneare raised an eyebrow. "'The first couple times?' Try nearly half!"

Kiron waved a hand dismissively.

"The guards don't know the difference, therefore I don't care," Koran agreed with a smirk. It seemed to be a phrase they used often around their sister...

Silan once again attempted to steer the conversation away from dangerous territory. "Can we have this conversation later? C'mon! It's not like we don't have better things to talk about! I mean, anyone even remember the frozen river? That's actually a decent conversation to have in front of the prince... Talking about all the times we've been thrown in jail isn't."

It was at that point that Legolas joined the conversation, though it was more to stir up a bit of trouble than he was likely to admit. "'We'? Am I to take that to mean that you are no stranger to the dungeons, either?"

Silan began to come up with a clumsy excuse when he was cut off by Ash, who sported a devious grin on her face.

"Oh, yes. He's no stranger to orc hunts, either. None of us are."

Silan stared at Ash like she'd gone mad, which, in all fairness, wasn't altogether out of the question, at least according to Kiron and Koran.

Ash just shrugged. "We've been caught wandering around Mirkwood without permission, miles away from the Elvenking's Halls. It really can't get much worse, so I figure I might as well make you suffer with us."

Silan smiled wryly. "Isn't that what friends are for?"

"The best ones."

The five of them allowed themselves a moment of laughter before turning to face the Prince. Aneare looked up defiantly. "So... are you going to try to make us go back?"

Legolas had to hold back a laugh; The way she had said "try to" had not been lost on him. "That depends on the nature of your... Quest." He decided.

"What of it?" Koran asked, with little of the timidness he typically feigned in front of royalty.

He was met with a raised eyebrow, and an expression which might have been amused or annoyed. There really wasn't a way to know.

"Why? Why, exactly, have five Elflings with promising futures as both warriors and diplomats left the kingdom in favor of the dark forest? What are you chasing?"

Kiron crossed his arms defensively. "We aren't chasing anything." They all nodded in agreement, stubbornness winning out over the initial wariness of royalty.

"Ah. So, then, what is it that you're running from?"

Kiron deflated a bit. "Well, I suppose that chasing would be the more accurate of the two, but in any case, we have everything under control."

"Then it will not trouble you to calmly explain the nature of the chase."

"It's still not a chase," Kiron replied rather nonchalantly.

"Then I am afraid that you are, in fact, running from something," Legolas said, although he didn't seem to be fully focused on the conversation.

"Actually, it's more of a chase."

. . .

They spent the next three hours discussing (or arguing about, depending on one's point of view) the frozen river. They had since moved past discussing the nature of their departure from their home, however hadn't yet resolved what exactly Legolas was going to do about it. They also hadn't yet revealed the nature of the quest, which the prince did not fail to notice.

"It wasn't a hallucination! We all saw it!" Ash insisted again, and although they were all fairly certain she was right, Silan thought that the possibility should at least be addressed.

"The fact that it could be seen doesn't necessarily make it real," Legolas pointed out. Ash shot him an annoyed look before realizing who it was and trying to hide it, however without much actual effort or change. Silan's rapidly developing theory was that he and Legolas were too similar for her to suppress all of her hostile (but somehow harmless) tendencies.

"And the fact that it's impossible doesn't mean it isn't real," Ash countered after taking a bit too much time to think it over.

Koran laughed. "A little slow with the comeback, eh?"

Ash glared. "The speed with which retorts are delivered depends upon the status of the victim."

Aneare grinned. "I guess the fact that you were so much faster that time proves it."

"Nah; Some people you just know so well that it really doesn't take much thought anymore."

Koran raised an eyebrow. "Then should I be offended, or...?"

"Take it however you want," Ash shrugged, "Just don't expect anything different."

Silan sighed. "Can we please -"

"No," Ash interrupted.

"You don't even -"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, then how -" Silan was cut off this time by a laugh. He glared at Kiron.

Kiron shrunk back a little, but continued to chuckle. Legolas watched the conversation that followed silently, although was more amused by it than he let on.

Both Silan and Ash glared at him, though they were mostly inquisitive.

"So?" Aneare asked, joining the fast-growing group that was looking at Kiron like he was crazy.

"So what?"

"What's this about?" Ash asked, sounding less amused than Aneare.

"Umm..."

"It's in your best interest to talk. You now have Silan, me, and Aneare against you; I'd explain."

Kiron shrugged, though it wasn't as nonchalant as he would have liked to think. "It's just, at this point, Ash just knows." He mumbled something after, however Legolas was the only one to catch it. He raised an eyebrow amusedly.

Ash looked over, not failing to notice his amusement. "What?" She asked cautiously. She was met with silence from Legolas and laughter from Kiron, as well as, rather suspiciously, his brother. Said brother hadn't actually heard what was said, however had seemingly drawn his own conclusions, no matter the validity.

Silan glared at the two brothers in question. "I didn't catch that. Come again?"

"Nothing," Kiron insisted. "You two need to get your ears checked. Aneare didn't hear anything, did she?"

Said elf looked a bit startled, however quickly recovered. "Hearing is a funny thing, you know. Anything can be misheard, for the right price..." Was the only support they got. In truth, that was as close to neutrality as she got.

Ash gave a dramatic sigh. "Fine, then. I guess that I'll go to my grave (which might be sooner than anticipated, in the current circumstances) with no knowledge of whatever it was that-"

It was at that point that she cut off, and lunged forward, and soon had Kiron in a head lock. Legolas, who hadn't had much experience with their group in the past, looked mildly surprised at the sudden turn things had taken, though still looked to be mostly disinterested. The initial strike led to a large scuffle breaking out among them. Aneare appeared to be fighting for no one but herself, while Ash and Silan had forged an alliance against Kiron and Koran. They were, apparently, quite good with swords (or in their case, sticks), as that was the chosen weapon for the duel. No side appeared to be winning.

"We shall make you our prisoners!" Koran shouted with a grin as he ducked a swing from Ash. "We'll see how you like it, Silan!"

"Gladly," Silan retorted as he blocked an attack from Aneare. "You know how good Ash is at planning escapes."

"But we know your tactics," Koran pointed out, pushing Silan back toward the river.

Aneare gave a wicked grin. "Not mine!" She yelled as she kicked Kiron's feet out from under him. She held her "sword" to his neck, and Kiron proceeded to fake an extremely dramatic death (which involved quite a bit of "Avenge me!'s" and dying oaths), and finally lay still. The "lay still" part of it lasted about two minutes, which was actually quite a long time for him.

Ash was the next to die at the hands of Aneare, which she was absolutely livid about, but did manage to do a better job of lying still than Koran. Silan, Aneare, and Koran were engaged in a fierce battle, and it appeared that Aneare had still not chosen a side. She would assist Koran in cornering Silan, only to turn the tide and jump to Silan's aid. It made for an extremely interesting battle, to say the least.

"This is better than combat school!" Koran grinned, lurching forward as he tried to avoid a fierce swing delivered by Aneare.

"But probably a lot more dangerous..." Silan pointed out, and winced as he was pushed into a tree.

"So, then, much better," Aneare concluded with a grin.

Ash broke character as she was nearly stepped on by Koran, and Kiron was trying to grab Silan's ankles when he thought no one was looking. Legolas watched the proceedings with a slightly interested amusement, acknowledging the fact that they all knew many sword maneuvers only used on the orc hunts or in real battles, yet claimed that they had never snuck off to witness any. He had always suspected the group, but upon seeing them in actual combat (or as close to it as they had gotten) when he wasn't preoccupied with spiders, he realized that it probably happened more often than he'd like to believe.

"Hey, Aneare, you can have some of my arrows if you'll help me kill your brother," Silan offered.

"What is she, a mercenary?" Koran demanded. "She wouldn't betray her own -"

"Sold!" Aneare shouted happily. "I expect payment immediately after the battle."

The two of them cornered Koran against the river, and soon Silan managed to disarm their remaining opponent. Still, Koran refused to surrender, and jumped out of the way whenever one of them would try to deliver the "death blow". In the end, the fight turned to more a battle of spells which none of them had the power to perform, and both Ash and Kiron were miraculously resurrected. Koran was still surrounded and defenseless, but fought like a cornered dwarf (which is to say exceedingly well...).

They all fought along the side of the river, though were fast growing tired of the battle, and any of the actual fighting tactics which had been earlier put to use were abandoned for sloppy tackles and good-natured shoves.

"Treaty?" Ash suggested after about twenty minutes of this.

"Sure..."

"Maybe..."

"Never!"

The responses were varied, to say the least. Ash stood on the edge of the river, having been pushed back farther than she would have liked, and Silan fought beside her. She ducked a blow as it was delivered and attempted to dodge another, however slipped on the muddy ground near the river and was grabbed by Silan (just in time, too) to keep from falling in the Enchanted River. At this, three sticks that had been swinging towards either of them abruptly halted in air, however not fast enough. Ash was just regaining her balance and most likely getting ready to snap at Silan for grabbing one of her hands when a stick went hurtling toward her, and she managed to duck it, though not gracefully. Unfortunately, Silan did not.

There wasn't time enough for any of them to process what was happening, no less do something about it, and so it was approximately three seconds after they heard the splash that the frantic yelling started.

A/N: So sorry for the little cliffhanger! Well, that's to those of you who know what happens when you fall into the Enchanted River. I'll just let the others be blissfully unaware 'till next chapter, lol. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a review telling me what you think, because a little advice is always nice.

I also sort of feel like Ash and Aneare clash a little bit character-wise, meaning they're almost too similar, so if you have any suggestions please feel free to give them. I was also wondering what you guys think about Silan/Ash, because Jayjay0815 gave me a little nudge in that direction, and I've since decided that I like it, but still want to know what you think. Also, expect to see some big brotherly-Legolas in later chapters, because, once again, Jayjay0815 gave me an idea I really liked. Thanks! :)

Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading; I hope you like what's to come!

Until the very end,

CarverEdlundtheLast