Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or Lord of the Rings, I never will.

A/N: Hey! It's been forever! I've been really lazy this summer, and I came back to this story today and went "Ah, shoot." So, I'm writing again! Amazing, right? It's a little shorter than normal, but I'm going to try to work really hard on these next few chapters to make them REALLY good. I'm not estimating how many chapters left yet, and I'll hopefully update sooner this time. But do me a favor and review; let me know you like it (it took reading through all my old reviews to inspire me to write this again) or dislike it. Whatever.

Chapter 11

Legolas paused in his packing. He knew he should be quick, as they- the twins, Glorfindel, and himself- were supposed to leave in an hour. But he had found the small portrait of him, his mother, and his father. Sitting down on the bed, he looked down at it. A sharp pang of homesickness washed over Legolas.

He hadn't realized, in the excitement of his new friends and a new place, how much he truly missed his father. Legolas wondered if Thranduil was looking for him; if his father was worried about whether or not he was safe. But he pushed these thoughts aside, rethinking their argument: the reason he left in the first place.

Gently, he tucked the portrait into his bag. He looked up to find Erestor in his doorway. Unsure of how long the Noldor elf had been present, Legolas offered a half-meant smile.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Legolas inquired.

"The picture," Erestor began, choosing to ignore the young Sinda's question, "Is it of your family?"

"Aye," Legolas confirmed, "My mother, father, and I."

"Do you miss your father, Legolas?" Erestor asked.

Legolas glanced down, "I suppose so."

Erestor didn't speak aloud. When Legolas glanced back up, the dark-haired advisor caught the other's eye. Erestor gave him a look that said "tell me the real story, not what you think I want to hear."

"Yes," Legolas voiced after a moment, "I do miss him a little. I miss Mirkwood, and the trees, and the people."

Erestor nodded, "Do you figure you'll go back?"

"Sooner or later, I suppose I probably should." Legolas murmured.

Erestor met Legolas's eyes again and proceeded to slowly nod, "Very well."

"Why are you asking me these things?" Legolas inquired.

"I'm wondering when I should visit Mirkwood and beg your father for a job as your tutor." Erestor answered.

With that, he exited, leaving Legolas trying to figure out if he had been serious.

Thranduil pulled his stallion to a stop, less suddenly than he had at the Ford, "The Sîr Ninglor, can you see it?"

"Aye," Faeron answered, looking down from their place on the top of a hill less than a league north of the river, "We should stop for the night, Thranduil; it's getting dark."

Thranduil sighed, sounding disappointed, but he knew his advisor was right. In the dark, one could miss a sign of someone veering away from the Anduin or run into Orcs or Goblins. Thranduil dismounted, looking around for a good place to camp for the night. Faeron landed beside his king, doing likewise.

"Over there," Faeron said, pointing down the hill a ways and to the right, "We won't be seen before someone comes over one of the hills, and we should be able to see whoever- or whatever- is there before they reach us."

Thranduil nodded in agreement, "That would be a good enough place to camp."

The two elves hurried down the slope, leading their horses after them. The sun was sinking lower into the red sky as they reached the spot Faeron had chosen, which was nestled among some rocks between two green and rather large hills. If one of them sat at the correct angle, he would be able to see the top of both hills and the way into the rocks. The other side of the rocks was extremely uneven and dangerous looking.

Thranduil immediately went to work on finding firewood as they walked. Faeron moved ahead, scouting around for anything that could present possible danger. Thranduil led his horse carefully through the rocks to a small clearing in them that had obviously been used previously for campsites. The Elvenking set down the firewood and set to work building a fire. Faeron led his steed in after Thranduil and looked around on foot.

"I can't see anything that would harm us." Faeron reported, "The worst we should have to worry about is a possible snake being drawn to the heat of our fire."

"Good," Thranduil said, forcing a smile, "And tomorrow we can ride hard for Lorien."

Unknown to both, they were indeed being watched, by a being much more dangerous than a simple snake. The rocks on the other side of them weren't as perilous as they thought, at least, not to those who had scaled them before. A set of eyes gleamed in reflection of the fire, watching the king and his escort.

The figure rose and hurried through the rocks silently and quickly, his thoughts dark. Another being waited at the edge of the rocks, crouched low to the ground, dressed in dark colors to hide himself. The first figure crept over to the second.

"Eriden, what have you found?" The second asked in a low voice.

"Two elves are camping just through the rocks." The first, Eriden, answered in a quiet, raspy voice, "They are heavily armed, and while they're together, taking them would be next to impossible. How can we separate them?"

"We don't need to do anything. They will enter the Gladden Marshes early tomorrow and there will be fog over the land. The marshes will separate them easily enough, and we shall capture whichever falls behind."

"Right." Eriden agreed, smirking evilly, "That's easy."

The other nodded solomly, not amused nor one to smirk in nearly any situation, "Watch them; make sure they don't turn around without us knowing about it."

"Of course," Eriden muttered darkly, walking back through the rocks and the two elves.

Please review!