Disclaimer: Up to this point, I have not owned the Lord of the Rings. After this point I will not own Lord of the Rings. And right now, I do not own Lord of the Rings.

A/N: Hey again! I hope that this chapter does Lothlorien at least some justice, it stinks again! A note on the characters that I thought I'd share. Yes, I know, Maylin's kind of the Mary-Sue of the group, it is very sad, I know. Leigh is the front person, she has a tendency to throw herself or be thrown into the middle of a situation, and she's kinda a bit of a tough girl. But she will be a wonderful angsty character later on (that was a wee bit of a spoiler)! Jack has yet to show much about himself, but he's going to show a bit more toughness as time goes on, and there's going to be a development with him that (hopefully) no one's expecting (another spoiler!). Then there's Jaden. Let me just say this: she is going to have a LOT of development in later chapters! Well, my briefing time is over, and you probably knew most of that anyway! Enjoy this bit!

Lives in Lothlorien

"The Dwarf must be blindfolded as was agreed," Haldir announced, motioning the other Elf forward to perform the task.

"Such an agreement was made without my consent," the hardy Dwarf growled. "I will not walk blindfolded like some spy while the others are allowed to walk free."

"I do not doubt you," Haldir replied, "but this is the law of our land, and it is not in my power to grant you this thing."

"If I cannot walk free, then I will go back, and travel to my own lands, where I may walk with respect in the presence of those who do not doubt my honor!" Gimli announced.

"You cannot go back now that you have passed the river," Haldir told him icily. "To attempt to do so would result in death, there are many archers hidden in the brush that would shoot you should you try such a foolhardy thing. You must come and be presented to the Lord and Lady since you have entered their woods."

Gimli drew his axe and muttered something that none of the three even wanted to translate.

"A plague on the Dwarves and their stiff necks!" Legolas hissed.

"Come! Let us all be blindfolded!" Aragorn cried. "It is unfair to the Dwarf to be so singled out as he says. However our trip will be long and dull. Even Legolas shall be blindfolded."

"I would be content if only Legolas shares my blindness," Gimli chuckled. "Otherwise we shall all look like so many beggars being led by one string."

"But I am an Elf and a kinsman here!" Legolas protested.

"Now let's all cry: 'A plague on the stiff necks of the Elves!'" Leigh snickered. She couldn't help it, she'd always liked that line.

"We shall all be blinded," Aragorn told Haldir. "All of the Fellowship shall fair alike."

"Except for Jack," Jaden muttered to Maylin under her breath. "Hey, Leigh, looks like you're doing better about it now."

"Yeah," Leigh nodded, waiting for her turn to be blindfolded. "As soon as the Elves took him, I had this peace, like everything was alright. It was kinda weird actually." Jaden hummed the Twilight Zone theme in Leigh's ear, earning an elbow in the ribs for her antics.

Maylin noted to privately that Boromir had chosen to stand next to Leigh in line, it escaped her notice though that Legolas had chosen to walk by her. Neither incident escaped Jaden, though. Part of her was thrilled for her friends, the other part screamed warnings that generally said something like, 'This could mess up the story! Stop it! Not only that, but it could hurt your friends! Think about Boromir's track record here for a minute. Not exactly the safest guy in Middle Earth for your very powerful friend to be shipping with!' Of course, she never had the heart to bring up such details to them, and she assumed that they were both responsible beings who knew the risks... maybe. Crushes have a tendency to drive out most logical thoughts from one's head. Was she concerned? Absolutely. Was she going to do anything about it at the moment? Absolutely not.

After that, just about everyone's thoughts were focused on keeping their feet. True, Haldir was an excellent guide and the paths were smoother than any that the threesome had yet encountered in Middle Earth. But they (well most of them anyway) were still human, and humanclumsy.

To Maylin's delight, she found that she could focus more on the sounds around her instead of the sights and discovered that she was actually almost 'seeing' the woods around her. The footsteps of the Fellowship plodded and tromped ahead and behind her, enabling her to just about pin point every member's location. Birdsong flitted down from the trees over head in a happy medley that lifted her spirits for the second time since she'd come to Lothlorien.

The smells of the forest were so different from what Jaden was used to. Usually, there was a perpetual smell of decaying leaves and trees, not that those smells were bad, it was just that there seemed to be a... fresher smell here, as if death hadn't entered the wood yet. All in all, it was rather enjoyable... except for the fact that she couldn't see anything, and the tantalizing thoughts of the natural beauties that she was missing gnawed away at her belly in frustration. Blast the Elves! If they weren't so prejudiced against Dwarves, then she would be enjoying this little trip all the more. 'Now that's not fair, Jaden, and you know it,' she reprimanded herself. 'The Elves are saving Jack's life right now so stop it!' Fighting with herself, she continued plodding along with the others in the dark.

The whole thing might as well have been a game of blind man's bluff to Leigh if it weren't for the knowledge that they had to keep going in a straight line. It was fun. Really. Merry and Pippin were just ahead of her and she was having endless fun flicking at their heads every time she heard the guardian Elves walk off along the line. Of course, they responded with whacks at her legs or an occasional kick in the shins whenever they paused for a moment. Aragorn eventually caught on to what they were doing and barely contained his snickers.

"Ah! It is good to be sleeping on the ground again!" Gimli roared in pleasure as they halted for the night. Still being blindfolded, it wasn't really possible to climb into a tree to sleep. They had enough trouble doing that when they could see.

"And on grass too!" Merry added, also happy to not be slumbering on hard stone like a turtle or roosting in a tree like a bird.

"I could be sleeping next to a lava flow and I wouldn't care," Leigh moaned as she flopped over onto the sweet, soft grasses of Lothlorien. She decided that when it came to sleeping, she liked the grass much better than the trees. Even if they had been forced to spend yet another night in the trees, nothing could have come between her and a good, solid night's sleep. She had been running, climbing unsafe ladders, and scooting over perilous 'bridges' for the past two days... with next to no sleep. If one of her friends tried to strike up a conversation, they would die. In about two minutes, she was asleep. Food didn't sound anywhere near as good as some good ol' shut eye.

The next day came far too early in most of the Fellowship's opinions, but they hauled themselves (and each other) up to continue on their walk with the coming of the untimely sunrise. Soon though the warmth of the sunlight and the joy of full stomachs added a little more bounce to their steps.

Jaden jumped when she realized that the Elven host had come. She hadn't heard them at all until they were right beside her! That was so unfair, why couldn't she walk like that? With baited breath, she waited for Haldir's announcement that they could take off their blindfolds and actually see the forest they were walking through.

As Leigh's bindfold tumbled off, she gasped in astonishment at the natural splendor of the land around her. The trees towered over head in magnificent glory while the elanor and niphredil beamed up happily from the emerald grass like joyful little stars that had grown from the ground instead of the sky.

Jaden realized first and foremost with a slight start that there wasn't a single dead leaf anywhere in sight. That would explain some things. Everything here was so alive and pure, like nothing they had seen as of yet on their journey. With a bubbling happiness, she threw herself on the grass along with her friends and breathed in the rich scents of the woods.

The first thing that Maylin decided to do was really kind of childish, but she didn't care. In the summer, she had made flower chains for herself and her friends from first dandelions and then wild violets. At first, she had tried to teach Leigh, but that had been a failed attempt. She quickly gathered together a mass of the pretty little flowers and began twisting their stems together in a long wreath. The Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, watched in fascination as she tied the ends together with a blade of the lovely grass to make a crown of elanor and nephredil.

"Jay!" she called, waving her over, "I made something for you!" Jaden came over and sat again in the grass beside her, then Maylin plopped in on her head dramatically with a giggle.

"Leigh, you're next!" she yelled.

"Wake me up when it's time then," Leigh muttered into the grass.

Maylin shrugged, twisted together a crown of niphredil, and kicked Leigh in the leg to get her attention.

Lastly, she put together a wreath for herself of just elanor and happily crowned herself with it. Leigh, now awake and active, noticed a certain Elf looking toward Maylin and her pretty wreath. She stifled a grin.

The three got up and raced across the grass to where the great tree bearing Cerin Amroth. There were some things that had done and would do that were just fun things, that held no real importance except to laugh during dark times. But then there were things like the flet above them that held a stronger, emotional power that demanded respect and awe, and they felt that they needed to see this side of Middle Earth.

They pulled themselves up the ladder just before Haldir, with Frodo and Sam, turned to come down again. Haldir laughed with joy when he saw the three of them with their garlands on their heads.

"It has been long since girls wove the flowers here into garlands to wear," he smiled, obviously thinking back on all the things he had seen here, so many ages ago. "I thank you for this gift of joy you have brought to this place."

"I think the gift was given to us, actually," Maylin replied. "I at least haven't felt this happy since... I can't remember."

"We have had little time for wreath-making in the recent years," Haldir explained. "And it has been long since this place has gazed upon such joyful tasks."

"Well then," Jaden said, thinking aloud, "I think I'll give this place something back." She walked forward and placed the flower chain she wore on a protruding branch of the tree. As her hand touched it, it was almost like the tree was happy.

"That's a great idea, Jay!" Mayin remarked. Then she and Leigh also hung their wreaths on the branches of the tree.

"We should probably go back now," Sam piped up.

"Indeed," Haldir agreed, looking away from the flowers that hung on the tree.

They returned to the others and the first thing that came out of Pippin's mouth was, "What did you do with your flowers?"

"We gave them to a tree," she laughed, feeling silly now that the moment was over.

"I thought they were very pretty wreaths," Merry commented.

"Thank you," Maylin bowed. "I've had a lot of practice."

"We should continue," Haldir announced.

Almost reluctantly, the others followed him away from their resting place. Now that they could see the woods that they were walking through, it seemed that they all wanted to stop and drink in every little detail about it.

The city of the Galadhrim was even more stunning than the woods in which it had been built... or grown. Much of the buildings looked as if they had been grown from the very trees that supported them and gave them their lofty height above the ground. Lights glimmered like twinkling stars from the flets above them and from the stairways that wound up towards them. The air was pleasantly cool, not cold, and there was a shivering breeze that floated around them in a silent greeting.

"Here dwell Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel," Haldir told them solemnly. "I will go first, then Frodo, with Legolas as well, shall go. The rest may follow at their own leisure. There are places to rest along the stairs, it is a long climb to those who are unaccustomed to it."

Pretty much everyone paused to get a breath before they tried their legs on the stairs. After about half a minute, though, Leigh came over to her two friends and whispered to them, "The sooner we meet the Lord and Lady, the sooner we can see Jack." They nodded enthusiastically and all three headed for the winding stairway.

It was a long walk indeed, and only Maylin had no need to stop and rest during the assent. Jaden called the first halt, and they plopped down on the side of the stairway, out the path of any passerby.

"This is worse than when I climbed the Great Wall of China," Leigh wheezed. "At least there was something to help pull yourself up with!"

"Just think of the wonderful shape you'll be in after this!" Maylin encouraged.

"Yeah," Jaden muttered, "and all the wonderful pain we'll have in the morning!"

After that they continued their upwards trek toward where the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien awaited them. There was no debate about how they would be greeted, no one had any breath for such things as 'speaking'. That was a luxury to be enjoyed from a chair or some other resting position. White lights shown out of the flets they passed on their way up, like there were Silmarils hidden inside each one, beaming out at the walkers who passed by. The lights pricked Jaden's curiosity. They weren't the color of flames, nor did they leap and flicker like fire did. A mystery better debated in one's bed before sleep, she decided. For the time being, she decided that it was 'Elf magic' as Sam put it, and that would do for a conclusion in her mind.

Maylin, naturally, was the first to step into the hall where the great Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim awaited their guests.

"Welcome, Maylin, Elf and archer of Rivendell!" Lord Celeborn greeted. "You are most welcome here." Maylin bowed with a slight blush of embarrassment at the titles. Jaden came next.

"Greetings to you, Jaden scholar and warrior of the race of Men, may you find rest here in our kingdom." Last of all came Leigh.

"And welcome as well to Leigh, leader of the Four Wanderers. You have come far." Leigh bowed in acknowledgment.

She fidgeted, knowing that they would have to wait until all were assembled and the entire story about how they had gotten there and what in Middle Earth they were going to do now without Gandalf had been completed before they could go see Jack. That bugged her. She had been patient, she hadn't made a scene (after the Haldir incident), and now she wanted to see Jack, and she didn't want to wait until after this entire meeting to see him, she wanted to see him now. Part of her said that she was acting like a little brat, but the leader side of her demanded that she be able to see Jack, know he was safe, and know that everything was good again.

A light voice laughed pleasantly and Leigh looked up with a start. No one had said anything, that voice had been inside her head. She gave Galadriel a startled look, Jaden and Maylin did as well.

"I know that you wish to see your friend again," Galadriel said to them. "You already know what is about to transpire here, do you not?" The three nodded. "Then I see no reason why you cannot go to him." Then she turned to her husband, and seemed to say something telepathically to him. Celeborn gave a small smile a twinkle shone in his eyes.

"You three may go and see the fourth of your little company, Jack," he told them gently. Their faces lit up. "This Elf, Nirielen," he motioned to an Elf woman who stood nearby, "will show you to him, and then lead you back to your friends. We may call you later, if we see the need." Maylin, Leigh and Jaden nodded excitedly and quickly followed their guide out of the room.

The city seemed even larger now as they hurried off to meet Jack again. Why did there have to be so many corridors and stairs here? Maylin shot Leigh a glance that said, "He's alive." Up stairs, down stairs, around flets, across grassy clearings, it was all very beautiful, but it was also between them and Jack, and right now they would prefer to see Jack rather than the glories of the Elven city. At least the floors were smooth, and they didn't have to worry about tripping up over every little thing that protruded from the floor.

At long last they came to the Elven equivalent to the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith. The walls were white as pearls and the air felt softer as they stepped inside the flet. Their guide indicated a gauzy, white curtain, and then stepped back to let them pass. Leigh sucked in a deep breath, praying that they hadn't interpreted the signs wrong, and Jack was really dead. Surely not, he had to still be...

"Jack!" Jaden cried, leaping toward the bed where he lay, obviously sleeping... well... at least he was sleeping.

"Yikes!" he yelped. "Oh! You made it! You're here! Ow! Watch out, Jay!"

"Sorry."

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Maylin told him, sitting on the edge of the bed he was lying in.

"So am I," Leigh said quietly, fighting back the tears of relief that misted over her eyes.

"It was so weird waking up here," Jack laughed. "All of a sudden there were all of these Elves around me, and I thought I'd died or something. I almost did. The Lord and Lady came, I think they were the ones that saved me."

"How are you feeling?" Leigh asked, feeling a little better.

"I hurt like the devil," Jack replied honestly. "Ouch. I guess I got too worked up. 'I'm no longer in danger' according to the Elves. But I still hurt."

"I should think so," Jaden snorted. "You had us scared stupid! We thought you'd died even before we'd gotten out of Moria."

"And then of course you had us all worried with your little 'I'm gonna die' speech when we stopped," Leigh added.

"Oh, I wish you could've been awake for Leigh's little tirade with Haldir!" Maylin squealed.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing," Leigh told him.

"She pretty much told him to cut the chitchat and then called him Longtongue," Jaden guffawed

"Darn! I would have enjoyed seeing Leigh bash and Elf to their face," Jack whined.

"If it weren't for you," Maylin pointed out. "She wouldn't have said anything in the first place. So if you hadn't gone and gotten yourself skewered, she wouldn't 've even said anything. It was a lose, lose situation for you, I'm afraid."

"It's great to see you guys again," jack smiled. "But if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get some sleep. Even though 'I am no longer in danger' I still feel awful and I hurt like you wouldn't believe, so I think I'm gonna go to sleep now."

"Alright, Jack," Leigh smiled. "Enjoy your nap, 'night!"

"'Night, Leigh," he answered.

"See ya tomorrow!" Jaden chirped.

"You too."

"Talk to ya later!" Maylin waved.

"Lookin' forward to it," Jack replied.

"Namarie!" all three girls called as they stepped through the curtain.

"Go away won't you?" Jack laughed.

A/N: Hello again! I see that you have survived another awful chapter! Fear not! Amon Hen and onwards things are much more interesting... there's some cool stuff in Lothlorien... maybe. Bear with me here! We've almost gotten to the good stuff!