Disclaimer: I own nothing except for part of the plot and the original characters, everything else is Tolkien's.

Chapter 20

A soft breeze fluttering across her face, alerting her to a wetness on her skin was what brought Faye back to herself. Slowly releasing her grip on Aidan she took a deep breath and stepped back, lifting a grubby hand to her chin. She felt a sharp stab of heat almost like an electric shock and jerking her hand back was alarmed to see her fingers coated with blood. She had been unaware that her dive for Aidan had resulted in an injury but as though the sight of the red stain was a trigger she felt both her chin and elbow give a painful throb.

Disregarding her own injuries for now she quickly turned to check that both Sasha and Christina were unscathed, to discover her sister both in tears. They sat huddled together on the ground, Sasha's arms wrapped tightly around Christina as tears gently dripped down her dark, smooth cheeks. Christina's face was buried into her sister's shoulder as great, heaving sobs wracked her body but apart from their obvious emotional distress Faye was relieved that they otherwise appeared okay.

In unison both she and Aidan stepped forward, crouched down and reached for them. Christina reached blindly for Faye, clutching at the front of her cloak as though desperately trying to ground herself as she tried valiantly to contain her sobs. Sasha moved almost numbly to Aidan and together they sat with arms wrapped around each other, silently mourning. Faye's own eyes were dry as she held Christina close and she noted that the fellowship themselves had taken this pause to grieve for Gandalf also.

With white clouds still drifting peacefully overhead as the sun crept past noon, the eight remaining members of the fellowship were laid low in their grief. The hobbits could not move, as they lay distraught and weeping. The men in their company had both fallen to one knee, heads bowed and Faye could not tell if they were weeping or not, yet sorrow screamed from them. She shuddered to think how Aragorn was feeling as it was clear he had known Gandalf best of them all, yet they had all been helpless at the end to save him.

Gimli stood still and silent, head bowed, his hands planted on the handle of his axe as the strong blade rested heavily on the paved ground below him. He wept openly. Her eyes then caught on a glint of gold as Legolas' hair fluttered in the breeze. He was stood slightly apart, gazing back towards the mines, his eyes unseeing and uncomprehending with grief etched in his every feature. Faye could not look at him for long, yet her eyes were always drawn back.

Christina shifted then to take a huge gulping breath as she finally managed to suppress her torrent of tears.

"I'm sorry", her voice was scarce louder than a whimper, "It was just he was so brave and wise and kind and it's just so unfair and I know it turns out good but I" her voice choked up again as she struggled to control her breathing and all Faye could do was to hold her close until Christina was again ready to speak.

"I was so frightened I-I thought – I- I thought you were both going to die!" she blurted the last bit out as Sasha gave a shudder as she croaked out a response

"So did I". Sasha's voice was gravelly and hoarse, a clear sign of the emotion she was supressing and Faye did not doubt it was for Christina's benefit. Her brown eyed sister might well usually have been the more volatile but she always had the sense to know that they could not all fall apart at the same time. Where one was struggling, the others would always be strong.

"I'm sorry" Aidan murmured it to Sasha and Christina yet his eyes were on Faye's. She did not ignore him as was her want and she nodded her head to him in acceptance. She could not be angry with him, she could not hurt him, not when every facet of her being was resonating with thankfulness that he was alive. With another gulping breath Christina moved towards him and then he held both of his sisters close, their heads all bowed together in mutual grief and relief.

Faye took the chance to stand and survey their surroundings. They were on a paved path of sorts, it had been broken and chipped away with time as pockets of grass and trailingcreeping plants had moved to claim it back, yet it must once have been a magnificent walkway. Glancing behind her and back to the mines she noted with some surprise that she could still clearly see smoke billowing out of the gateway and supposed they could not have run that far although it had felt like miles to her. As her companions all sought to contain their grief she took the moment to let her senses expand and to feel. Her vision blurred as she breathed in deeply. The breeze teased a loose curl of hair across her cheek, the nearby trees creaked gently in the wind and the acrid smell of fire was tangible in the air. Yet there was no malevolence, there was no him and she wondered at his lack of presence. Had their trek through the mines thrown him off their scent? She could only hope it was so.

Blinking her eyes a few times she came back to herself and fought to supress a shiver. Despite sensing no evil she did not like that they were stood so exposed. Glancing back at her companions she saw that the ranger was now stood with the elf and they were in murmured conversation. As though sensing her gaze they both glanced up and Faye felt annoyance flicker through her having been caught watching, yet all she did was to bow her head in a gesture of sympathy. Aragorn nodded his approval, sorrow still clear in every line of his face before he made off to rouse the rest of the fellowship.

Walking over to her family Faye extended her hand to help Sasha to her feet so they could begin to move once more, Aragorn making it clear that they had to remove themselves from the vicinity of Moria. Looking ahead Faye felt a slight thrill at the sight of the woods in the distance. Lothlórien. She could not quite tell whether that thrill was due to fear or excitement as she knew one way or the other they would get the answer to their question; could they get home?

Aragorn set a relentless quick march pace as they moved as swiftly as the broken path would allow, quickly moving out of sight of the trails of smoke behind them. Yet only two hours in to their journey it became clear that not all of them could continue. Aidan had developed a significant limp as his face grimaced in pain, yet when Faye raised her eyebrow at him in question he just shook his head dismissively. It was not until Legolas called out that Frodo and Sam were being left behind that Aragorn agreed to halt.

He led them to a small clearing next to a babbling stream that was leaping its way down to join another river, and it was sheltered on either side by tall trees. They took the time to stop and truly tend to their hurts as Gimli quickly set about getting a fire going. As the ranger moved to send to Sam who it seemed had suffered a cut to the head in their quick skirmish with orcs Faye turned her attention to her twin.

"You're hurt".

Aidan shot her an irritated glance as he moved to sit heavily on the pale green grass.

"I noticed".

She ignored his slightly sardonic reply as she knelt down beside him.

"Let me see", she murmured it gently and he gazed at her in silence as she set about removing his boot, doing his best and yet failing to hide a wince of pain. His ankle was swollen slightly yet it did not appear broken. Faye wrapped her hand around it to test its movement when she felt a rush of heat from her palm and even as Aidan let out an exclamation of shock she dropped his foot in surprise.

"Geez Faye, electric shock much?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, his mismatched eyes looking at her curiously as she smoothed her palm subconsciously on the smooth grass beneath them. Aidan gently flexed his ankle and a surprised smile spread over his face.

"Hey, you must have clicked it back in to place or something, it feels loads better".

Faye frowned inwardly, as she just nodded slightly at her twin, yet as she flexed her fingers she knew she hadn't done so. She did not have time to think on it further though as Sasha called her over to the pot of water Gimli, Merry and Pippin had been preparing.

"Faye, seriously, I would start to feel so much better if I could look at you without freaking out about how much blood you've got all over you" Sasha gestured to Faye's face and neck with a grimace. Faye blinked slowly having forgotten about the cut on her chin. She wasn't quite sure when it had stopped hurting, she just knew the only pain she felt now was the steady thrum in her elbow.

She retrieved a clean cloth from her pack and grateful accepted the bowl of heated water Pippin passed to her. Retrieving some dried athelas from her small healing pack she used the leaves sparingly yet could not prevent the soft smile spreading over her face as she breathed in its delightful and calming fragrance. Glancing around she saw that most had been distracted by the appearance of Frodo's mithril vest, yet despite even its amazing powers of defence it had not stopped as massive black bruise forming on nearly the entire right side of the hobbits midriff. She did not doubt it would hurt for days. Looking back towards the path she saw Legolas once more taking on the duty of sentry. He had not said a word since they had left the mines and she wondered how it was that elves handled grief.

Brow slightly furrowed she shook off the thought as she quickly set about cleaning her chin. The water in her bowl was soon stained rusty red yet Faye could not find the wound where all the blood had come from. She wiped across her chin and neck numerous times and felt along it carefully with her hand yet there was no wound where her jaw had made an impact with the ground in her desperate dive for Aidan. She half opened her mouth to raise the question but then what would she say? How could a wound just magically disappear?

Dismissing those thoughts for now Faye quickly turned her attention to her elbow as she gingerly rolled up the sleeve of her tunic. There was only a small cut, yet it looked quite deep and as Faye flexed her arm there was no doubting it was very painful. She made quick work of cleaning it out thoroughly before applying a salve and asking Christina to help her bind it. Bruising would be her biggest problem she surmised although any scab that formed on a cut on a joint was always going to hurt. Pleased that she had suffered no further damage she quickly set about helping her companions prepare a hasty meal.

She brought a plate of food to Aragorn who was busily tiding up his own healing supplies. He accepted the food gratefully yet his grey eyes froze as they landed on her chin and he stood quickly.

"May I?" he gestured towards her chin, confusion clear on his face. Faye did not reply for a long moment until at last, still unsure of what she could possibly say about her vanished would, she tipped her head back slightly and lifted her chin towards him. His fingers were rough and calloused on her jaw and his eyes were intent yet there was clear bafflement in his gaze.

"But you were wounded…" it was more of a murmur to himself yet he looked to her then with a question in his eyes, yet the only answer Faye had for him was a shrug. He sighed heavily before placing a hand on her shoulder, still shaking his head in confusion as he then turned to rouse the rest of their company. Faye felt the familiar weight of eyes on her and looking up saw that Legolas was no longer watching the road but was again staring intently at her and his face was utterly blank. She had the extreme displeasure of now knowing just how disconcerting it was to not be able to read a person's expression.

Dusk was quickly starting to set in as they made on with the journey, as the woods of Lothlórien seemed to rush up to greet them although it took them some hours and it was the deep dark of night before they reached the eaves of the wood. The tall strong stems of the trees were a deep grey in what little light emitted from the scattered stars in the sky and leaves glinted as they moved softly.

Legolas it was who spoke as they first crossed under the borders of the wood and as he drew in a deep breath it was as though some great burden Faye had not realised he was carrying slipped from his shoulders and a soft smile of relief settled on to his face. There was a slight delay then as Boromir seemed hesitant to enter, and Faye wondered how he could think there was any true danger in these woods. But then she heard Aragorn say it was only those who brought evil with them should fear it and she shivered. Perhaps the man from Gondor was right to be so cautious she surmised but he soon quickly followed.

They had not gone far, all of them walking gently along the soft ground as a calmness in the air about them settled around them like a cloak as the trees quickly hid them from view. The tinkling of water was soon again heard, passing swiftly nearby and babbling and murmuring to itself as it passed on its merry journey. Again it was Legolas that spoke, and Faye could not recall a time where she had heard him speak so much, not in all the time their company had been travelling. He bade them cross and bathe their feet.

Faye hesitated slightly before she moved to remove her boots and socks yet Sasha's expression of delight persuaded her to join in.

"It's brilliant Faye, cold but so soothing", Sasha's white teeth flashed at her in the darkness, showing off her smile and as Faye placed her pale feet in the rushing, cold water she felt as though all weariness was being washed away with her. They did not linger long however and quickly crossed to join the others on the far bank, who were taking the time to stop and rest awhile so they could eat and hopefully ease their aching hearts.

The voice of the elf drifted over all of them, although Faye understood only snatches of what he spoke of Lothlórien, yet she could see the others hanging on to his every word. Did he know that none of them wished for silence, to be trapped with their own thoughts that would surely be full of the evil and ill memories of the mines? She felt perhaps that he did, although a brief silence fell nonetheless. A lulling note, almost like a voice seemed to sound yet the more Faye tried to listen the harder it became to hear, and she saw that she was not alone in hearing it.

Legolas appeared delighted that they had and quickly began to sing the song that he knew of the stream and how it got its name of Nimrodel. His voice was soft and smooth and like all elves it had a musical quality to it, although he pitched his low and scarce loud enough to be heard over the babbling of the stream itself. Faye felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched as he sang with eyes closed for a while before his voice faltered and opening them his light blue eyes caught her gaze and she quickly looked away. She could have sat there for a year she felt and it would not have been long enough to listen to his voice.

She had it seemed missed a discussion between Legolas and Gimli following his song but she did not think it could have been important for the barbed tone that sometimes crept up between them was not to be found, yet it had appeared that Aragorn had decided it was time for them to move on. Faye was loth to move, the sound of the stream so soothing to her ears but she knew they were still too close to the woods edge.

They moved then from the path, deeper into the wood but always keeping the stream close buy until they reached a cluster of trees grouped together, and it was judged the elf should climb up to see if they could find places in the boughs above to rest for the night. Faye moved closer to her sisters and Aidan as they watched on, Christina's eyes intent and she wondered if something was about to happen that she should have remembered, yet the stories were becoming so vague to her now, it was getting harder and harder to see her companions as book characters, not now she had been living the very real dangers with him. She made a note to get her sister to refresh her mind during their stay in the woods, as she returned her gaze to Legolas.

He had not climbed more than two branches when a sharp word echoed out into the night.

"Halt!"

Legolas sprang back and warned the others to retreat yet it was gentle laughter only that reached Faye's ears, and she wondered why someone would seek to alarm them so greatly.

"My apologies if I frightened you, we meant you no alarm." An elvish voice called down to Legolas and Faye struggled to understand it, the accent was completely foreign to her ears.

"And we meant no harm or trespass, we would have tried a different tree had we known this one was already occupied!" the blonde elf called back and Faye heard the gentle laughter once more.

"We had word of your coming and were sent to meet you although we would have no fear of trespass. Your companions breathe so loud we could shoot them even in the dark! But come, climb up and speak with us and bring the Halfling with you, for his quest or part of it is known to us."

Faye herself was hugely suspicious of this voice yet Legolas and Frodo quickly moved to climb up the silver rope ladder that had appeared slithering down the tree, with Sam quickly on their heels. Short minutes passed before Legolas and another elf made their way back down the tree, both were smiling. It soon became apparent where their bed for the night would be.

"A tree? We have to sleep in a tree?!"

Sasha's whisper was incredulous as both Christina and Aidan snorted in amusement.

"Don't worry Sash, we'll let you sleep in the middle, that way you won't roll off" Aidan teased her and Sasha shot him what could only be described as a look. They quickly moved to hide their packs as Aragorn was doing in a large drift of fallen leaves before they made one last call of nature and then set about climbing the tree. The bark was smooth and soft to the touch and whilst Faye could not guess the full height of it the lower branches were still strong and wide enough to help them on their way as they clambered up the slim rope ladder.

They soon came to a wooden platform above their heads and they manoeuvred their way through the hole cut out in the middle to find most of their companions bar the hobbits already stood up and looking to place their sleeping rolls on the ground. The hobbits it appeared would have a whole platform to themselves to share with the Lothlórien elves that had already been up there. It was a tight squeeze for all of them but Faye managed to locate herself a spot near one of the corners as she and Aidan formed a barrier either side of Sasha and Christina, they were all on her right with Aragorn and Legolas on her left with Boromir and Gimli beyond them. The dwarf was already snoring.

Sleep seemed to fall quickly on her companions yet as ever it alluded her. As she felt her body relaxing and the remainder of the adrenaline that had coursed through her that day leave her system, a new pain began to make itself apparent. Her shoulders felt like they were on fire. She knew for certain it was due to her having had to support Aidan's weight as he slipped over the edge in the mines when the ground gave way, and she swallowed heavily at the memory of utter fear that flitted through her. She supposed it was some small miracle that she had not dislocated both her shoulders in the process. Still she could not rest on either side without severe discomfort so she settled for lying on her back, her eyes tracing the interlocking leaves and branches that stretched far above them.

Time seemed to crawl by but her eyes refused to close and she knew then that sleep would not be found that night. As Gimli gave another snort of a snore in his sleep she closed her eyes briefly with irritation and made the decision to move yet she had hardly shifted when a hand settled on her lower arm, freezing her. Glancing to her left it was to see Legolas staring at her and he shook his head slightly and held his fingers to his lips for silence. Faye slightly raised her eyebrow at that given that she was hardly known for her noise and a quick grin flitted across his face before he tilted his head to listen as his hand slid down her arm to squeeze her hand gently, before he let go.

His fingers were long and supple, yet smooth, all bar two of his fingers that had hard callouses worn into their pads from what must have been untold years of archery. Faye's eyes were distracted from gazing at her hand then as sounds that he must already have been hearing reached her. The clanking of mettle, the dull thuds of heavy boots on soft earth and awful croaking voices. A troop of orcs was passing close by and Faye subconsciously held her breath, releasing it heavily once the noises of their enemy drifted off into the far distance. A squeeze of her hand once more brought her gaze back to Legolas and he raised an eyebrow of his own at her but she understood. It was not safe for her to wonder from the camp tonight. Nodding slightly in acknowledgement she settled back down on the platform, eyes focused once more on the tree tops above her. Sleep did not come for her yet her eyes blurred and her senses dulled so for a time at least she was able to find some sort of rest.

They departed early the next morning and Faye finally got a chance to examine the two new elves that had remained with them throughout the night. They were clothed all in grey tunics, with strange cloaks that seemed to change colour from dark brown, to lightest grey to a palest green depending on how the dappled morning light flitted across them. They were both blonde, not the golden blonde of the elf in their own company, but much paler and their eyes seemed to be more grey than blue. They were introduced as Haldir and Rúmil and whilst they gazed at Faye and her family curiously they made no comment.

They moved swiftly then, the Lothlórien elves leading them by some path that was hidden to Faye's eyes. She marvelled at the woods around her yet all the while she could feel a dull headache forming at the back of her head. Soon enough they heard the sound of rushing water a lot faster and deeper than that of the Nimrodel they had left behind. Haldir named it the Celebrant as he quickly showed them how they were to cross it.

"Err Faye, I can't walk a tightrope" Christina murmured worriedly, chewing her lip. Faye was unsure what to say to that; she was not sure she could walk across a rope unaided either. A relieved sigh escaped her sister's mouth however as they soon saw that two other ropes were fixed at different heights above the first for them to hold on to as they crossed.

"I can't believe I forgot about that" Christina murmured, more to herself than anyone else as they all took it in turns to cross. Sam had a frightful time of it, yet the rest of the company even Gimli managed to navigate it with little trouble, yet Faye could not help but ponder on Christina's words. It was most unlike her sister to forget anything about these tales and a worry started to niggle at the back of her mind. Would they begin to forget that this story had already happened? Would they forget the outcome? Would that not put them at a much bigger risk of accidently changing something? She would have to speak to her siblings about it, and soon.

Distracted completely by her thoughts Faye almost missed the mutiny that was about to break out in front of her. Gimli had drawn his axe and Haldir and Rumil had their bows drawn facing him, and Legolas had a flush of anger to his cheeks.

Quirking her eyebrow at Sasha, her sister roller her eyes before whispering to explain, gesturing at a dark cloth that another Lórien elf that had appeared the other side of the stream held.

"They want to blindfold Gimli, he won't be blindfolded unless Legolas is. Legolas does not see why as an elf he must wear one. I think Aragorn's ready to hit them both."

Glancing at the ranger Faye had to bite back a smirk; Sasha hadn't been exaggerating. It was decided however that they should all go blindfolded so that Gimli was not singled out. Whilst Faye could not argue with the sense of that she did not like to be deprived of one of the senses she relied on the most, especially not when they would be under the power of absolute strangers. It was Haldir that approached her with an apologetic smile yet it quickly slid from his face as she gazed back at him blankly. He studied her seriously for a moment, his own face now as blank as hers before he shook his head slightly and quickly blindfolded her.

Their trek that day was a long and strange one. Smells and sounds reached Faye clearer than they ever had before and she noticed that if she concentrated she could identify where nearly all of her companions were. There was the heavy tread of Gimli and the occasional grumble under his breath, Sasha and Christina were close by with their quicker tread and one of them was humming under her breath, Christina she thought. The hobbits appeared grouped together, their footfalls so light she had to strain her ears to hear them. Boromir and Aragorn were behind her, the sound of their boots and the faint trace of athelas and pipeweed especially giving the ranger away. Aidan was beside her and she did not even need her ears or nose to know it, she could simply tell that he was near. Of Legolas she could find no trace no matter how hard she tried.

Faye felt a shift in the air then and as she inhaled deeply she found she could smell even the crushed stems of grass being trodden underneath her feet. Insects hummed and the very air seemed alive. Haldir called for a halt then and as the blindfold was removed from her and she blinked her eyes slowly she had to contain her gasp of amazement. She had surely stepped into a dream. The light was golden, almost hazy as the dappled light shone on the trees that were so tall it was beyond imagining. Bright yellow star shaped flowers littered the floor beneath her feet, with paler taller flowers nestled in amongst them. The colours were so vivid it did not seem real, it was as though she had stepped foot inside a painting. But there could be no shadow she was certain, no darkness could taint this most delicious light of Lothlórien.

It seemed as though all of her companions were experiencing a similar affect. Sam and Frodo had trailed after Haldir yet Pippin and Merry lay nestled amongst the flowers, almost dream like smiles of contentment on their faces. Boromir, Gimli and Aidan were wondering aimlessly gazing about them in awe. Sasha and Christina were stood stock still, mouths agape and eyes practically popping from their heads and Faye had to supress a smile to see them, they looked so childlike. Aragorn has moved swiftly away to half climb up that reared up before them and he brought about him the air of solace, so that no one of their company nor the elves with them approached him. Legolas had moved slightly off to one side, his keen eyes taking in all that was around them. With one last glance in her direction he too then turned to make his way up the hill and there had been wonderment held in his blue eyes.

Faye for her part could not move. She simply stood and let the waves of what seemed like pulsating light drift over her as her weariness departed and the headache that had formed was supressed to a dull throb. Yet her mind felt muggy and she had to wonder at the shift in the air around them, surely it could not be real.

"You feel the power of the lady".

The words were soft and she saw that it was Rúmil that had spoken to her. As with all the Lothórien elves she had seen he was pale blonde, tall and strong in stature. From a distance they appeared almost identical yet close up she could see their differences. This elf had a twinkle to his eyes that belied a cheerful character carefully hidden by his serious façade. She gazed at him a while before nodding once, swiftly and he smiled softly at her and she wondered at his words. In order to create something such as this, just how powerful was Galadriel? The thought gave Faye pause yet it also gave her encouragement. Surely then this would be the person to help them on their way home, if indeed that path was still open to them and Faye found herself wondering with a sudden alarm if that was a path that she even still wanted to take.

Peace. Safety. Wonderment. Oh Lothlórien. Would that I could have stayed there. But that was not an option for me, the golden lady made that clear. There could be no such thing as safety for me, not whilst my enemy still lived.

I wish I could remember what she told me. Maybe if I could I would fix things, escape here. Maybe I could start again, get things right. But it keeps slipping from me, the more I try to remember the more it-its-

What's happening to me? I must tell you, I must, you must understand but how can I when I – I don't –what do I – I –

I'm lost. Please, where am I?

A/N: Another chapter, and only a week's wait, I hope you all enjoyed it, and hello to my new followers, it's lovely to have you.

Must admit that the lack of reviews is just a tad demoralising.

Better news is that I already know what's going to happen for the next five chapters at least, and let's just say there will be a LOT of conversations long overdue coming up. Still undecided as to whether to split the next chapter in two or not or make it super long for their time in Lorien – let me know what you'd prefer!

Diolch,

~ Yav