Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter of Resilience. Thank you all for your reviews, favorites and follows. I really appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for clicking on my story.

Chapter 11: Looming darkness

Previously on Resilience:

For now, I have all that I need... Elesia smiled softly as her minuscule hand came up to touch the necklace that meant the most to her, right here.

All the rest of her possessions could wait.

...

They all spent the better of the day, hiking over the little outskirts of the Shire wading through a shallow stream and tall grass. Elesia yawned widely on Frodo's shoulder and would have tipped over off of him if Frodo hadn't caught her and gently put her in his pocket to get some rest. He continued on, despite his own exhaustion, not realizing that Sam had stopped short to take in his surroundings.
After looking back the way that they came, Sam spoke then, "This is it."

Frodo turned his head to take note of the distance between them and moved back towards his friend, mindful of the Fae that wasn't quite asleep yet, and asked leading. "This is... what?"

Sam answered his question, longing to go back to the Shire and get some sleep. "If I take one more step... it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been." This was out of his comfort zone, leaving behind all that he knew for a quest. Frodo depended on him though, and Sam would not let his friend go through this alone.

Frodo gave Sam a pat on the shoulder, offering a tired smile. "Come on, Sam." He encouraged, watching as Sam took in a deep breath before letting it out as he deliberately took a step forward, physically forcing his body onward. Frodo smiled brightly at his friend after watching Sam shift his furry, brown foot and patted Sam on the back. "Remember what Bilbo used to say? It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's not knowing where you might be swept off to." It sounded funny to him, only now was he truly going to be able to understand what his Uncle meant by that.

Elesia listened to him, but finally was overcome by sleep before the words registered. She was going to wish she hadn't, for only nightmares would come.

Elesia danced in a field of wild flowers, her body stood as tall as the humans and her movements flowed with the her loose dress. Birds chirped merrily in a swirls of the sunset, dipping and diving, while adding to the music echoing within her head. Giggles not her own reached Elesia's ears as pixies flew around her with content, some sat on the wild flowers while others decided to play with her. Only one had come up to lovingly kiss her on the nose, Elesia laughed joyfully at the feeling; overwhelmed with being beside her kin once more. This seemed familiar to her, as if she had dreamed this once before, but for the life of her could not recall when.

"...Elesia?" A voice spoke then in question, bringing her to an abrupt halt, for the voice was one that she dreamed she would hear once more. She turned her body sharply to the voice and with the movement, Elesia's eyes widened a fraction for what she saw. There, standing one with the nature around her and clad in one of the layered 'Royal Robes' that she deemed as but a pixie was her - "Elesia?" The woman that looked like a older version of herself, with long dark hair that had a little bit of frizz that moved with the winds, questioned her once more as she stood in the soft blue fabric that curved around her form.

"...Mother?" Elesia couldn't believe it, she won't of course... but to lay eyes on her mother but one more time was what she longed for. She didn't seem to realize that her feet were taking stepped forward, seemingly on their own accord, until she stood right in front of her. The other fae around them were silenced in the wake of this reunion, as if they knew just how much she needed it. Elesia looked once more at the field around her, momentarily taking her gaze off of her mother, before she forced herself to take a step back. She painfully disregarded her name of her mother's lips in favor of looking at her mother and finally asking her own question, "...Am I dead?"

"No." Her mother shook her head, hair moving with the movement and with a frown upon her lips, "Why would you ask such a question, Elesia?" Her mother's voice seemed to be carefully controlled as she asked the question, as if Elesia's own had angered her in ways that were foreign to her child. It effectively made the hairs on the back of Elesia's neck stand up on end.

Elesia gulped in response even before her answer passed through her lips, longing clawing at her heart. "...Because you are."

"No, sweetheart. You're not dead." Her mother soothed, her soft thumbs danced across Elesia's cheeks to force away the expression that she must have. Her hands slowly moved to Elesia's locks before brushing down her arms in gentle movements, making the younger Fae close her eyes in contentment. For even if it was just for a little while, Elesia finally felt peace come to her weary soul. She didn't even know that this was what she needed, it was an impossible dream to be with the death whilst in the living. "...But you soon will be."

...What? Elesia's eyes snapped open in shock; her mind stunned with the image of the black, polished armor that was more spiked than smooth. The screams of the pixies resounded through the air before they took flight, fleeing for their lives. What broke through the incredulous image first was the pain of the man's sharpened claws digging into the tops of her forearms. Underneath the helmet that covered his face, spiking in six points at the top, flashed glowing red orbs in the eye holes. Her heart rate sped up, for she knew that they were shaped in the eyes of a cat and instantly she knew who stood before her. "Sauron." She breathed the name quietly, not quite sure if she should believe this. Looking around at her momentarily, she realized that the peaceful field was now a wasteland, burnt to the dirt that the plants had been planted therein. The once blue sky was as all the blood he had spilled throughout his life.

No, it's still a dream. Elesia thought desperately, her teeth clenched together as she fought to get out of his grasp. I need to wake up.

"Oh, no you don't." He sounded amused at her abortive attempts, as if he could hear her internal struggle to break free. "The sorcery that I have possession of... far shadows any will that you have, little fae. You are nothing; just like your kin that was made into snacks for the Orcs. Oh, how they screamed their deaths as their wings were pulled out at the spines. Just as sweet as the screams that came from your mother's throat... before I ripped it out."

Her fear swiftly turned into complete disgust and her blood boiled with enragement; the light of her wings shaded from white to darkened red in her anger. Elesia's lips curled into a scowl before, like a coiled snake, she decided to move. Using his grip against him, Elesia swung her feet up to place him against her chest plate, and with bent knees she pushed herself away from him. His claws dragging against her flesh to scar, she fell on her hind only a couple feet away from him and in pain. She was free from his grasp though; and that, as sad as it was, was something that even the strongest of Fae hadn't before achieved.

She picked herself up as soon as she possibly could, to discover that Sauron may have taken a step back at her movement, but he hadn't taken a step towards her. Nothing, huh? Do you want to bet on that? Elesia thought viciously as she glared darkly at his form, "You're wrong. You did kill my mother, my father and my kin," She growled with no shortage of pain, "and for that? You will die by my hand. I, however, will not extend that right to something like you. I may die in these future days; of a broken heart, of my wings pulled but my death will not be yours."

"How brave." He mocked her with those two words, even though they didn't move her, "Your parents possessed this as well. It didn't change their fates either." He darted at her then, and underneath his high pitched laugh... Elesia could have sworn she heard her mother calling her name in an equally high pitched shrill.

"Elesia!" Movement tore her from her dream, and Elesia was transported back into awareness; trembling in a fetal position within the palm of Frodo's outstretch hand. She tried to ignore the pity housed in Frodo's wide blue orbs that seemed to analyze her. "Are you... okay?" I am now, She thought with a expression she was sure expressed her relief; though the heaviness of her breath and the way her heart pounded against her rib cage said otherwise.

"Are you... bleeding?" Sam asked hesitantly of her as he moved closer to the both of them, his question instantly making her freeze.

"What?" Elesia murmured to herself, her tone too soft for the Hobbits to hear, before she turned her gaze slowly away from the pad of Frodo's hand. There, for her eyes to see, was a red liquid descending from both of her arms from her wounds. Even after a full minute, Elesia couldn't shake away her shock. No... No, it can't be.

"Did you scratch yourself in your sleep or something?" Frodo questioned her, unrepulsed by the minuscule amount blood that now dripped onto his palm, "You were moving pretty roughly in my pocket." Yeah... let's go with that. Elesia sighed to her before shrugging at them and tried to force herself to stand. Frodo, seeing that she was having some difficulty, curled his ring finger inward towards her to offer her stability. When she did, Elesia smiled at the duo to thank them for their concern and to let them know that she was relatively alright.

Looking around, she saw that while she was asleep not as much time had passed as Elesia previously thought. Everything was still, green as it just bordered the Shire but not quite. There was tall, untamed grass with large farm up ahead that was surrounded by a corn field. "Oh, we are almost passed the edge of the entire Shire now." Frodo told her brightly as he walked forward, telling her stories as he walked along the path that was made through the corn field. The name story was about the farmer whom lived here and how he always chased Hobbit away from his crops whenever they wandered in... mainly Merry and Pippin. The story turned out to have a humorous twist as Frodo accounted to her all the mischievous tales that the two got involved in, and soon her nightmare was to the back of her mind. "And so, Pippin decided that he wanted to... borrow one of Gandalf's fireworks and got hungry. Apparently, the Farmer's crop was much closer than his own home so-"

"-do. Frodo!" Sam's voice called out frantically, Elesia watched silently as Frodo's eyebrows pulled together in confusion before he turned them around and went back around the curved bend. Sam's facial expression shifted from panic to one of unspeakable relief. "I thought I lost you. Both of you."

Frodo looked at Sam suspiciously and in response his friend glanced down, clearly embarrassed. Frodo's eyes sparkled teasingly, "What are you talking about?"

"It... was just something Gandalf said." Sam mumbled underneath his breath, though it seemed that he didn't want either of them to hear him. He sighed and continued on after when Frodo questioned him about it, trying to get his voice as deep as Gandalf's was. "He said... "Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee." And I swear, that I didn't mean to." He stared at Frodo then, intently as if Frodo would try to disappear from his gaze. Wow, I knew that Sam would want to shadow Frodo in all of this but - Elesia cut herself on mid thought to listen to Frodo release a carefree laugh. Some of the blades grass twitched in their general direction, making her take pause even though she sensed they weren't a threat.

"Sam... we're still in the Shire! What could possibly happen?" Frodo shrugged his shoulders as he questioned his friend. Well, adding to the fact that we are supposed to protect a ring from the followers of an evil sorcerer bent on the destruction of all of Middle Earth? A lot. Suddenly, there came a figure crashing out of the hedgerow, knocking into Frodo. Elesia was sent flying in the disarray, and Frodo picked himself up whilst shooting her with an apologetic look... only to be knocked down once more, this time by Pippin.

"Frodo!" Pippin excitedly looked down at the the person he fell on, before calling out to the person he was with, "Merry! Look it's Frodo Baggins."

"Hello Frodo." Merry aimed a smirk at him even as Sam ordered Pippin to get off of Frodo. He, Pippin and Frodo swiftly picked themselves up from the variety of vegetables that were scattered among them. "Hello to you as well, Elesia." She was offered a smile in greeting as she flew over to him, before that smile shifted into one that was a frown, "...Is that blood?" Elesia released a sigh before waving a hand a him, letting him known that she was okay.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Sam demanded of the two newcomers before Merry cheekily told him to 'hold this' as he thrust a large, bright green cabbage in his hands. Sam's eyes widened before he glared darkly at the vegetable that he held, when he spoke next, there was an accusing underline present, "You have been into Farmer Maggot's crop!"

A large pitchfork could be seen racing towards where they currently were, angry shouts from Farmer Maggot reached their ears and Elesia could only guess that the Farmer tracked them based on how loud they chose to be. "Who's that in my field?! Get out of it! Get out of my field, you... young vermits! GET OUT OF MY CORN!"

Merry and Pippin hurriedly gathered their treasures, shared a look and raced away; the others following closely behind them. Merry looked behind him, seemingly put out by the big spectacle that the farmer was making, "I just don't get why he's so upset about this. It's only a couple of carrots." From his tone, one would think that both he and Pippin didn't have a history with wandering into the fields and stealing crops whenever they got hungry.

"And some cabbages..." Pippin added on, thinking while turning back to look at him with his right pointer finger up, "and those three bags
of potatoes that we lifted last week. And then the mushrooms the week before."

Merry in response huffed at the hobbit in front of him before he forced Pippin onward "Yes Pippin, we get it. My point is that he's clearly
overreacting!"

Elesia, whom had been following after them, laughed before she curved easily towards the front. She only stopped laughing gleeful when the sound of dogs reached her ears. Large dogs by the sounds of it.

"Run!" Pippin demanded of them all without wings, as if it wasn't obvious that was the only option for them.

From there it was a domino effect as one Hobbit had skid to a halt a a cliff and the others bumped into one another, blinded to how Elesia instinctively raised her hands in an attempt to stop them. However she only had time to move back before each one tumbled head over heels over the ledge, down the dead leaf ridden hill and came to an abrupt, painful halt onto a dark road. Elesia sighed before she too slowly traveled down, curving around the trees of the wood surrounding both sides of the road.

"...That was close." Pippin was the first to speak as he murmured, winded with nose scrunched up in disgust at the smell of the large pile of horse dropping that was inches away from his face.

Frodo picked himself up and quickly scanned his surroundings, only half listening to Merry's groaning that mixed in with Elesia's near quiet jingle. "Ow... I think that I broke something." Merry shifted when Elesia started to come forward to make sure that he was okay and pulled out a large carrot that was broken through the middle from his back coat pocket. He blinked at it before responding, "Oh."

Sam in return got up and turned to glare at Merry and Pippin, as if the two of them were the response for his own aches, "Trust a Brandybuck and a Took."

Merry, understandably, took offense. "What? That was just a detour..." He too got up and brushed off the dirt from the front of his vest, before explaining further, "a shortcut."

"A shortcut to what?" Sam grumbled at him, unmoved by Merry's commentary though he knew that he should be. Spending his life with Merry and Pippin in his life made him quickly unaffected by just how far the pranksters would go. As soon as he thought they pushed too far, they would push even further. They also had an answer to everything, and as if on cue, Pippin spoke up from where he still laid on the ground. His eyes widening with glee as he spied something underneath the trees on the a few feet away from him.

"Mushrooms!"

Elesia sighed once more from where she hovered within the air, watching with almost fondness as each Hobbit besides Frodo rush toward the small brown mushroom that were growing among the loamy undergrowth. She turned her attention to Frodo and she too realized late that there was a reason why the Hobbit was quiet, tense and watchful. They were deposited upon a road, just like Gandalf had told them not to. Scattered leaves rose into the air then, spiraling down the road towards them as they were blown by the invisible winds.

All too late, the sound of hooves carried toward them, bringing danger with it. The trio of munching Hobbits gave it no mind as they reached their hands for more food, disregarding Frodo's statement of "I think we should get off the road." Elesia, trying to redirect their attention, flew quickly over and started to pull a few locks of their hair. Pippin, single minded with food, swatted at her like she was not but a fly and she was thrown backward. Landing on her wings with a soft thud and grunt of pain just before a long, drawn out wail sounded then; the cry of a vengeful creature cried upon the winds.

"Get off the road... quick." Frodo demanded of them now, though his voice was no without fear. It seemed to shake them out of their trance, and Merry quickly scanning for Elesia scooped her up before scrambling along as well. They just situated under the shelter of a hollowed, mossy log that the roots of the tree next to it overtook the top of it before descending back into the earth; with one hand holding her and the other digging through the bag with Sam and Pippin, the sounds of the horse drew closer. Frodo, she saw in the corner of her right eye, turned his head back to peak through a small hole and froze. I don't even want to know. Elesia shivered before the sniffing of the rider could be heard, as if he was trying to track down some elusive scent that now invaded him. In response to it, every single one of them shifted back into the log for cover. Beads of sweat gathered on Frodo's brow as the rider slid off of his horse with heavy heels. Moving the dirt beneath him without care until it too was silent.

Oh my... It's looming over us. Elesia didn't dare to even breathe, though her breath was probably not the one that would be detected. ...But still. A near silent movement caught her attention and she turned her head to Frodo. Reaching to cup her mouth both hands as he drew that horrid ring out of his pocket with trembling hands. His face was fevered and sweating as if he were in the grip of some internal struggle that pulled him into different directions. The sound of sniffing intensified then, just as Frodo's squeezed his eyes shut.

Sam looked at Frodo with concern, whispering Frodo's name in question before Merry thought quickly. Shoving Elesia in Pippin's grasp, he sneakily and desperately hurled the bag of mushrooms across the tree roots and the looming presence spun around at the sound, and darted to the far side of the road with frightening speed. Frodo instantly slumped back, as if the darkness housed within the rider was effecting him as much as Elesia felt that it did her.

"What was that?" Merry spun to look at all of them when no one answered him. Pippin was previously eating with one hand and favored to place Elesia down to eat with two hands. Sam was still regarding Frodo with concern and Frodo himself? His gaze was locked on the golden ring lying in the palm of his hand with a look of shock etched on his face.

His question echoed within all of their minds and it was one that all would beg to know the answer to.

I hope that you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.