I apologize that this is a week late. To be honest, this is not quite finished, but I'm posting what I have so far up until a small time-shift, thus why this is called Part 1. I hope you like it!

Legolas awoke to the sound of groaning. He was confused. Where was he? He didn't remember ever being in this room before. Then again, it was still quite dark, and his eyes could not see well in the low lighting. He tried to remember what had happened, but every memory after their escape from the orcs had deserted him. So he laid on the ground in silence for a while, waiting for his memory to return.

At length, he resolved to light a candle and figure out what was making that noise. Upon seeing the room he was in more clearly, his memory of last night's events returned. The mysterious woman named Mist, her cottage, and Elhadril's situation gradually refilled his mind.

Elhadril! Legolas ran into the kitchen, which was adjacent to the room he had slept in. The elf-maiden was emitting low, pained moans, and she was writhing and doubling over in obvious discomfort. Moreover, she had worked her way accidentally to the edge of the table and was in danger of falling off. Legolas had no idea what was happening to her and panicked, shouting, "Mist, make haste! Elhadril has gotten worse! Can you not hear her moan?"

Within a few seconds, Mist had appeared with more herbs, none of which Legolas knew. She ground up some and cut others, placed some on Elhadril's wounds and threw some in water to soak. As soon as the herbs were pressed into her injuries, Elhadril screamed in pain and tried to move away, but Legolas held her down. It was unclear whether or not his friend was conscious.

Eldandil, awakened by her sister's wailing, soon hurried into the kitchen and began to aid Mist, but most of the medical lore was above Legolas's head. He was resigned to do as he was told, which mainly included fetching water, stoking the fire, and holding Elhadril still when her frantic movements became troublesome.

Eventually, Elhadril's writhing and groaning were replaced by steady breathing and a stillness that came with deep sleep, allowing the other three elves to catch their breath. After a few minutes of silence, Mist spoke up, "This is a good sign. She is healing well."

"That was a good omen?" Legolas exclaimed, not believing her. Eldandil patiently explained on the woman's behalf, "She is beginning to wake up. Legolas, this is great news! My sister is not lost!"

Eldandil looked so happy at this event that Legolas didn't have the heart to tell her that if Elhadril felt that much pain when she was waking, she was better off asleep. Mist quickly busied herself with taking stock of her remaining herbs. Legolas watched her earnestly. She had not told the truth when he had inquired about his mother. She knew something, and he was determined to get it out of her.

But before he could speak, she finished her work and informed, "I need more herbs. There is not much feverfew or goldenrod left. We must go to the village tomorrow to buy some more."

"Do you not grow them yourself?" Eldandil asked. Mist shook her head negative and tried to explain, "I am not a gifted farmer. I am a fighter, a shepherd, and, occasionally, a healer."

"You are a shepherd?" Eldandil asked, resulting in a conversation revolving around how Mist made her money and the perks of having her own wool. Legolas listened for a while and learned that Mist sold all of her excess wool at a nearby village for extra money, although most of the villagers give her their products for free because she protected them from orcs. Mist never took more than she needed and took care to treat the villagers in a friendly way, lest they turn against her. She was sure that once the orcs found out that she lived near the village - and even helped protect it - they would launch an attack that she could not defend them from.

While this interested Legolas, it did not hold his attention for long. He abandoned the conversation and walked outside to get some fresh air. The sun was rising, promising another beautiful day without his mother. He sighed and promised himself that he would get Mist to tell him about his mother's whereabouts. In the mean time, he just had to believe that the orcs had lied.

What else could he do? If he believed the orcs, then both he and his father would succumb to grief. Legolas and his father were already grieved, and neither of them would be able to stand it if Glawardes had really died. So it was better, in this instance, to hold onto what might be false.

Seeking to clear his mind of those depressing thoughts, Legolas began to walk through the forest, admiring the trees and wildlife. He could feel his mind calming, becoming more tranquil and relaxed. A soothing walk was just what he needed.

Legolas had just begun to smile at the wonderful scenes around him when one of the more unpleasant creatures that roamed the woods emerge, standing about twenty feet away. It was an orc.

Luckily, it hadn't seen Legolas, giving him enough time to duck behind a tree. What was it doing here? Had it found them?

Cautiously, Legolas scaled the tree, careful to keep his movements quiet and smooth. He could see than there were other orcs accompanying the one he had originally seen, totaling five orcs. Although he was itching to sink a sword into one of their torsos, Legolas didn't have his weapons with him, so he couldn't fight, unless he managed to pry one of their own poorly-made swords from them, but that would certainly give the others enough time to strike him down. And his appearance would certainly alert them that Mist lived nearby, as would their dead bodies if he did managed to slay them. He could do nothing but watch and wait for them to leave, and make sure that they didn't head towards Mist's cottage.

The orcs took their time. They were scouring the area, overturning rocks and shuffling through bushes. They were obviously looking for something, most likely their missing prisoners. Fortunately, the possibility that the object of their search could be hiding in a tree hadn't seemed to occur to them, and if it had then they hadn't seen him through the branches and leaves.

The orcs finally left, heading back towards Tharbad, much to Legolas's relief. All the same, Legolas waited a few minutes to make sure that the orcs truly had left and hadn't turned back to continue their search. Then he ran to the cottage to warn Mist.

When he returned, Legolas found that Elhadril had fully woken and, though she was in pain, was doing well. He was anxious to see his friend, but first he needed to find Mist and inform her of the situation. Of course, she was in the kitchen tending to Elhadril with Eldandil, so he was able to do both.

"Legolas! I am alive!" Elhadril exclaimed upon seeing him. He was startled by how she had greeted him. Usually, it was in a less outgoing, quieter manner. She noticed his confused look and apologized, "Sorry, but I am quite confused about what just happened and where I am, and Eldandil just told me that I almost passed, and I don't know who this other woman is - forgive me if I am impolite - and my whole body aches as if it were experiencing the Valar's wrath, so I am bound to ramble more than I ought… like I am undoubtably doing now. I apologize. Just ignore me. I shall stop in a few seconds."

"Um, very well. I am glad to find that you are well," Legolas responded, turning to Mist. She immediately sensed that something was wrong, and after that assumption was made it was easy to guess what that problem was. She had an even look on her face as she stated more than asked, "The orcs have gotten closer, have they not?"

Legolas confirmed this, and Mist walked out of the room with a contemplating look on her face. Eldandil and Elhadril both looked confused, and the latter asked plainly, "What have I missed? How long have I been asleep?"

Legolas left Eldandil to answer her sister's questions while he went to find Mist. He figured that now was a good time to question her further about his mother, since Mist was alone and likely not doing much. He found her in a building next to the cottage that seemed to behave as a barn. The doors had been thrown open, letting loose some sheep, a donkey, a calico cat, Tinnuroch, and a single rabbit. Legolas ventured inside and found Mist holding another rabbit, resting on the hay. There were four babies snuggled up beside her. The scene was really quite cute and peaceful, but at the same time it had an underlying sense of distress.

"They do not need to stay here, you know," Mist whispered, her eyes never leaving the rabbit. "But these are so young… they will not make it. They have no place to run, but they can not stay."

"Why must they run?" Legolas asked. Mist's eyes became true to her name, and she answered softly, "Because my time here is nearing its end. I must leave ere the orcs discover me. They must find this cottage deserted."

"Why can you not take them with you, if they are unfit to be left alone? Will they not miss you?"

Now Mist was beginning to cry. Legolas was silent for a few moments, then pressed, "My mother was taken from me when I was still young. I miss her terribly. Not a day passes by that I have not thought about her."

Mist made no response, but the amount of tears streaming down her cheeks seemed to multiply. He asked once more, "Do you know what has become of her? Have the orcs killed my mother, or is she alive?"

The internal battle waging inside the she-elf was evident, and it was a while before she seemed to make up her mind. It was a while longer before Mist could answer, "The orcs have destroyed all that you know as your mother. I have no hope of her return."

Legolas could have sworn that a knife had just been plunged into his heart. The orcs would lie to keep his grief present, but why should a respectable elf lie to him? It must be the truth, then. His mother was surely, utterly, and totally lost. After a brief moment of succumbing to building emotions, Legolas quickly excused himself and ran into the woods, seeking solitude. He could no longer bear it. He could no longer hold on to hope.

He needed to find a quiet place to grieve. He needed to find a place where he could forget about his grief. He wanted to run from the realization that he would never see his mother again. He didn't want to know that all those centuries that his father and he had been searching had been wasted. He didn't want anyone to see him cry, which he knew he was about to do.

Eventually, Legolas found himself in a small rock formation in the middle of the woods. He blindly leapt behind the biggest stone and leaned against it, sliding down into a sitting position. He could feel a single tear sliding down his cheek, following the lines of his face. It became harder to breathe, and soon he was almost gasping for oxygen. His throat began to contract painfully, augmenting the hurt he was already feeling. His mouth trembled and stretched, but he made no sound.

And so Legolas sat there, with tears running down his face and body shaking with both immense hate and sorrow. For indeed, his anger and wrath had been stirred against the orcs tenfold. This fiery emotion slowly replaced his depression, filling him wit disagreeable resentment and stubborn determination.

With an expression bordering between emotionless and deadly, Legolas slowly pushed himself onto his feet and started off, heading for Tharbad. It wasn't long before a voice confronted him, "Legolas! There you are. I watched you run into the forest, and I resolved to find out if you are all right."

Legolas didn't even slow down to acknowledge that Eldandil had spoken to him. He just continued his trek to the orc stronghold, forcing Eldandil to either catch up or leave him alone. She chose the former and walked alongside him in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Legolas spoke up, "Do you still have that dagger?"

"I do. May I ask why?" Eldandil replied, holding it out to him. He took it without answering her question. It was a little longer before either of them spoke again, but Eldandil's eyes suddenly widened with worry and she grabbed his arm, stopping him, "You aren't… going to Tharbad, are you?"

Legolas made no comment and started walking again, which was answer enough. Eldandil struggled to keep up with him as he doubled his pace, protesting, "You can't go to Tharbad! It's a death wish! The orcs will kill you!"

"Then so be it! They have already felled my mother, why not me? I would rather die fighting them."

"But you must not! What of your father? He will not be able to bear the loss of both his loved ones. What would become of him? And what would become of Mirkwood?"

For this, Legolas was silent. He had no answer, and Eldandil was beginning to make him feel guilty. Nevertheless, he kept walking.

"There is more to think about than yourself, Legolas," Eldandil told him. Then she seemed to register something else that he had said, "Do you seriously believe what that orc filth told you? Elhadril informed me that she believes he was lying. It makes sense, really."

"Perhaps he would lie, but would another elf? Mist finally told me of my mother's fate. She is gone."

This made Eldandil stop talking for a while, but soon she again tried, "Legolas, your father will not want to be informed that both his son and his wife had been slaughtered by orcs."

"I know," Legolas replied after a period of silence. He had stopped walking and hung his head slightly, staring at the ground ahead of him. Eldandil put a hand on his shoulder and suggested patiently, "Let's go back."

"All right."

So they turned around and headed back to the cottage.

So, I'm back, and a week late. I would have actually finished this chapter, but I had to write an essay for Honors Physical Science, and that took up my WHOLE WEEKEND! Ugh! But now I have at least this much done, and I really didn't want to be three weeks late, so here's what I have. I hope you enjoyed it!

Oh, and before I forget, I will always update on Monday. That will save you the trouble of having to check for an update every day.

Thanks to DD, Uruviel Phoenix, Roxanne, and Shadow of Mirkwood for reviewing! Seriously, it means a lot! Also, I think that I have been forgetting to do this, but I'll respond to everyone's review with a PM - except the guests, of course. Their's will be listed below.

To DD: I'm glad that you are happy! Yes, they are in a bit of a hole, aren't they? Haha, that's called DRAMA! :D It's how you get emotion from people. I look forward to your next review!

To Roxanne: Well, metaphorically... or theoretically... or whatever word I'm trying to use, yes. Oh, well I'm glad that you found it! Yeah, that gets really, really annoying. I used to review on my phone, too, but now I have a computer! YAY! Great, I love throwing curveballs. I figured that it would be nice to have Thranduil's POV again, since we hadn't in a while. I'm glad I did, too, because now I have something planned... ;) Well, I figured that since they are immortal, they would be more patient than us. Now you can stop wondering, because SHE LIVES! Out of curiosity, what would you have done if I had killed her? That's ok, I forgive you. *wonders why forgiveness is necessary* I LOVE your long reviews. It reminds me of myself, because I would write a long review like yours, then write another one because I forgot something, then another... then another to apologize... yeah... I rant too much to care if you stay that much on topic. X)

To Roxanne: Hello again. *gasp* IT WAS WORTH A REREAD! Yay! Thranduil was intimidating? *does happy dance* Now my life is made. Not even the Nazrul could rival us? Hmm... Sauron, you have some competition. Haha, anyway, do you want to give Thranduil a hug? He probably needs one... but then again he'd probably glare at anyone who tries. Yeah, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but I am the recorder of the story, not the author (blame my brain for that). Is that what it's called? *sounds out word* SOCIAL LIFE. What is it, precious? What is it? I'm glad that you are experiencing feels, but don't die from it! Then you won't read the rest of this chapter! Give them courage and hope? Ok. *hands Legolas, Glawardes, and Thranduil cookies*

To Roxanne: Haha, shorter. It's fine, really. I like your reviews. What do you mean "finally?" Didn't you give him a pep talk at some point? Maybe... but they multiply like flies... Well, this still has a way to go, so don't fret over the end yet. No, not mental help. Well, let me take hat back... yes, you need mental help, but not for that reason. XD Just messing with you. If anything, I need mental help for making them go through this and hating how they suffer.

Ok, so... What was I going to ask...? Oh right, was the dialogue better? I've been trying to work on it (not that I really had the time, but still). Also, I didn't have time to proofread this, so please inform me of any errors you see. And... there was something else... yes, I will post the next half as a separate chapter (part 2) and then combine them later. Thanks! Have fun reading!