Normally I'd update all of you on what's happening with our beloved Middle-Earth movies (AKA The Hobbit), but it's been such a long time since I've posted. I'm sure all of you are aware of everything anyway, including the first trailer for the third movie. If you have any questions though, just PM me and we can chat! So yeah! A short author's note means you all get to read this much delayed chapter. Huzzah!

Still need an Author's Challenge though! Our secret word is going to be "Gandalf" (or "Mithrandir" if you wish for bonus points) since he's leaving us for a bit. We need to show how much we'll miss the dear fellow!

Happy Reading! And don't forget to leave a review ;D

~MisticLight

~.~.~.~.

"Helm's Deep," Gandalf grumbled as we hustled through the streets of Edoras. He was clearly not happy with Théoden's decision. His brows have remained heavily creased and his face a slight shade of red ever since we left Meduseld. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the King either, but my anger dissipated greatly once he had my bow returned. My fingers proudly grasped its frame, refusing to have it taken from me ever again. A part of me had been missing during our separation.

Háma's announcement to the citizens repeatedly filled the air as I descended after Gandalf. The people took every word to heart as they stuffed provisions into baskets and made sure those unable to travel over the upcoming terrain were comfortably taken care of. Individuals shuffled from houses and through small clusters of people, but none dared cross between me and my companions.

"They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight," Gimli proclaimed beside me.

"Or at least the take time to be trained," I added. By merely scanning the crowed I could tell few had truly been taught, with only a handful of those even being fit enough to fight. "If they are called upon to wield a sword in battle, we will have a swift defeat."

Gandalf was still too livid to respond.

He led our party to a patch of dirt leading towards an opened room with two large, elaborately decorated doors. The smell protruding from it reached me long before I had the chance to glance inside. My nose immediately scrunched with displeasure, but that was more so because of the realization that we were about to enter the stables than the actual stench.

"They will have no means of defense," Legolas reiterated. His stride fell until it matched mine and Gimli's. "We cannot protect them all."

"And who will defend them if not their King?" Gimli grumbled.

I stopped before the stables, which ultimately halted Legolas and Gimli. They did not need to follow my action, but they did for some reason and turned their curious gazes onto me. I made no effort to clarify anything. My sole reasoning for not entering was because I wasn't too keen on being surrounded by horses. Surely by now they could put those pieces together.

"He's only doing what he thinks is best for his people," Aragorn answered, continuing into the stables with Gandalf.

"Then King Théoden has been asleep for far too long," I mumbled. "I have seen the mapped location of Helm's Deep. Even if we successfully escort the entire city there, if an attack happens at the fortress then surely it will become a massacre. There are too few of warriors, and even then we do not know their skill."

"And their horses will be of little help once we are inside," Legolas commented. There was the ghost of a smirk haunting his lips when I swiftly turned towards him.

"They are of little help in general."

Gimli softly snickered, "Which explains why we're standing out here rather than in the stables."

I knew they would eventually figure out my mind.

"No, I simply do not wish to be with those creatures any more than I have to. I can enter the stables if I willed it."

"Then I suppose you wouldn't mind following after me then?" The Dwarf didn't give me a chance to respond before entering, Legolas's stride immediately matching his. It was as though the two of them had this planned from the very beginning.

With a huff I followed after them, fingers clenched at my sides. I was not about to allow a Dwarf to lead me anywhere.

No sooner had I entered the stables than Shadowfax suddenly bolted out of his stall. I leapt from his path mere seconds before being trampled upon, nearly knocking over Gimli in the process. Legolas looked to me from across the way, but slid his attention after the horse the moment I noticed. I instead turned to Gimli with narrowed eyes.

"You see, Master Dwarf? Horses are of little help even in their keep."

"A horse is only as dangerous as its master," Legolas said. His eyes were still on Shadowfax, though he referred to the rider. "Where is Gandalf going?" he asked of Aragorn upon hearing the Man's footsteps.

"There are matters he must attend to, but he will return before the end," Aragorn answered.

I sighed, "As is his custom."

A moment of silence passed as we watched Gandalf ride from Edoras. When he was but a mere speck upon the horizon to Elven eyes alone, I heard Aragorn take a deep breath. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "We must stay with the King and his people. They will need us."

Still no word was spoken, though we did not need sound to agree with him. He was our leader, and I would much rather follow his word than that of King Théoden.

"Gather our horses, Nia," he continued with a smile. I sharply turned towards him, but he was already looking at Legolas. "We will collect our tack. Gimli," he turned a sympathetic look towards the Dwarf and his smaller size, "find a spot for us to ready them."

We all parted ways to carry out our assigned tasks, complaints uttered only from Gimli and me. However, since I knew I was assigned to get the horses merely because Aragorn thought I was frightened by them and therefore needed to conquer these false fears, I managed to hold my tongue the moment I stepped foot outside the stables. Any form of argument would accomplish little for us now since we were so dispersed.

Hasufel and Arod were tied on the other side of the stables beside some buckets of water. Although unsaddled, their bridles were still on, probably because we had only just arrived that day. The moment my toes grazed the shadow of the hill, Hasufel perked his head up and turned an excited eye towards me. Arod merely shook his head and snorted before taking another drink of water.

I agree with you completely, Arod, I sighed to myself.

Grabbing the horses, I led them back to a waiting Gimli and Legolas. The Elf stood with Arod's tack in his hand, causing a head tilt from me. "Where is Aragorn?"

"He disappeared into a crowd of emerging guards shortly after we grabbed our supplies." He tossed a blanket and saddle onto his horse. "He should be out shortly."

Unfortunately he wasn't.

In fact, not until Legolas had finished saddling Arod entirely did he finally emerge from the stables. He walked as though he hadn't been stalled at all, but I knew otherwise. Legolas did say he and disappeared after they both grabbed the horse equipment.

"Is there a reason as to your delayed arrival?" I asked him.

"One of the horses was causing problems."

"Well that is not surprising…"

"Brego, he was called," he continued as though I hadn't spoken, "the horse of Théodred." His eyes appeared clouded and faraway as he spoke, as though distracted by a thought or memory. He turned towards the stables and stared at its doors for a long while, though when I looked I failed to see why. I was about to question the Man's sudden strangeness when Hasufel's tack was suddenly thrust into my hands. "Did Legolas teach you to saddle a horse during your lessons the previous night?"

I blinked. "How did you…" My eyes trailed to Legolas, who shrugged. I decided to copy his motions and dismiss the matter as well. "No, but I closely watched him saddle Arod while you were missing. It does not seem too difficult a task."

"Good. Then you take care of Hasufel while I tend to matters of my own." The Man nodded at me and took off towards Meduseld before I could even attempt to make him saddle the horse instead.

Touching Hasufel was not something I wished to do, let alone give the horse another reason to like me. However, since we were travelling with Rohirrim, I might as well learn how to properly saddle a horse without any assistance. With a sigh I began my work, starting with the blanket. My hands repeated what I saw Legolas do, though my mind strayed on how many "matters" had to secretly be attended to this day.

"Nia," Gimli suddenly sputtered as I finished securing the strap on Hasufel's saddle. I saw no need to look upon him in order for him to continue, though he apparently felt the opposite. "Nia, I'd like to apologize to you and if you don't turn around you'll very well miss it. I've put a lot of thought into this and don't plan on doing it again." Shocked and uncertain of his motives, I lowered the left stirrup into its rightful place and turned to see his strangely sincere eyes. I noticed Legolas was already seated atop Arod, looking just as confused. "When I called you a traitor and a spy for Sauron, it was before I knew your loyalty. We had only just met, and ever since you joined our Fellowship I've regretted those words." His cheeks became a light read and he momentarily turned his eyes away from me. "So what I'm trying to say is now's as good a time as any to apologize. But that's all I'm going to say on the matter! All other insults to you and your kin were intentional. And you rightly deserved them!"

Gimli's words surprised me, just as seeing any Dwarf apologizing in general would have. Yet I was strangely touched. I had forgotten that he called me those words, and he being troubled by them for so long was also something I never would have expected of his kin. Boromir, I recalled, uttered even fouler accusations the night after when I asked to be part of the Fellowship, and I had already forgiven the Man in my heart.

I smiled down at the Dwarf. "I accept your apology, Gimli. We are friends now and those words were made before then." He sighed once I spoke, beaming with relief. I actually felt at ease for forming some sort of peace with him, though I knew altering our unique friendship by having us speak soft words would take away our fun. So my smile turned into a smirk before his expectant face. "However, I have no apology to give you in return." I hopped onto Hasufel amongst Legolas's chuckles and Gimli's angered huffs.

"Get me on the horse," he barked. "Get me on the horse so I can better hit her with my axe!"

"Why should I help you up, then? I do not want you harming her." Legolas turned a humored face towards the sputtering Gimli.

The Dwarf's face turned a shade redder. "Elves!"

"What about Elves?" Aragorn's voice surprised us all.

"Well Nia- … Legolas-" The anger of Gimli had him struggling to find words. My eyes happily leapt towards my fellow Elf. "Those two-"

"Gimli, if you cannot form a sentence then perhaps you should not speak at all," I teased.

Legolas agreed with a nod of his head. "Nia is right. How are we to communicate if we cannot understand you?"

I could tell we had far surpassed Gimli's tolerance of us, and the laughter I shared with Legolas probably wasn't helping. However, the Dwarf failed to counter for fear his words would still be muddled. The approach of Théoden may have been an additional trigger, though. Legolas and I quieted down as he neared.

He stopped beside us, though his eyes only locked on Aragorn's. "It's time."

"If you lead, we will follow," Aragorn responded with a nod. Théoden returned it before taking his place a few paces ahead of us. Two guards on horseback rode up beside him. "For now, Legolas and Gimli will ride on his right. Nia and I will take the left. When we get further into the plains things may change, but we must always stay alert. We travel a dangerous rode."

We agreed with silence, taking his directions once he and Gimli were both situated on their horses. No more anger, mockery, or tension lied between us. Purpose was all we felt. With a simple encouraging kick from Théoden onto his horse, our trek to Helm's Deep began.

~.~.~.~.

The trek to Helm's Deep quickly turned from a serious matter into one of boredom. Although at first the King stayed near at hand, he soon began to ride beside his people, choosing at random when to merge with them. Attempting to follow him around constantly would have appeared foolish, especially since Théoden had his own personal guards around him at all times. I suggested we then travel at the back to better guard the people, but Aragorn promptly ignored my suggestion and instead led us towards the center of the group of civilians. "That way we can protect all if needed," he had said, though I suspected he chose the middle because of his new friendship with Éowyn. I did not fail to notice, however, the smug smirk Legolas sent me when he heard my suggestion for he had been the one who changed my mind on a preferred line positioning some time ago. I merely narrowed my eyes at him and looked away.

"Aragorn, there must be something else we can do," I deeply sighed hours into our trek, elongating my final word. He and Éowyn were chatting about something I did not care to listen to, and he appeared slightly displeased that I had pulled him away from it. I could not have him thinking I did so merely because I was bored, so I concocted a diversion. "With protecting the people, that is. We are far from Edoras and these plains are much too opened for my liking, especially with many a defenseless person unable to wield a sword."

Éowyn's posture straightened as I finished and I noticed her hands tighten around her horse's reins, but she remained silent. I traced her placid expression until another voice pulled me away.

"Perhaps Nia and I should circle the area as we did along the Anduin," Legolas suggested. "We will notice any threat long before the King's men."

I heard Aragorn take a breath to respond, but answered for him nonetheless. "We must set forth immediately then if we are to finish before dusk!" I smiled, aiming most of it towards Legolas.

"What do you plan on doing with the horses then?" Gimli challenged. "We can't have you taking both of them."

"I'll ride with Legolas on Arod and you can have Hasufel," I shrugged, easily exchanging Hasufel for one not so attached to me. Gimli agreed with a grunt, and soon the two of us were off our original horses.

I was about to leap behind Legolas when the Elf suddenly stopped me. "You should lead us since you're more experienced in this practice." He slid back and dangled the reins in front of me.

Although hesitant, I refused to let the emotion show and immediately took my rightful place in front of the saddle. My fingers clenched the leather much tighter than they should have, and I prayed no one would notice my only expression of uncertainty. Fortunately no one had the opportunity to notice my weakness because Hasufel began acting up the moment he noticed me sitting atop another horse. The jealous beast began bucking his head up in protest, nearly smashing into Aragorn multiple times.

"Hasufel," I warned, yet the he continued to move his crazed head about. "Hasufel, calm yourself." This time my command was followed, though not without a protesting snort from him. He turned his eye towards me, jealousy and a fiery passion alighting them. I recognized that look. All he wanted to do was help me, and denying him only sparked that desire more. There were many times in Lórien that I felt that same emotion. So I pitied the horse, which was both strange and annoying. I sighed, "Ethelithon. ~I will come back. ~"

My promise calmed Hasufel down, though jealousy lingered within his eyes. I shrugged and turned my attention towards Legolas. "Shall we go?"

"Not until we settle this horse business," Gimli interjected before I could kick Arod into a gallop.

"We have sorted this, Gimli. Let Aragorn help you up so we can be on our way." I was tingling with the thrill of actually doing something useful. Having Legolas accompany me as opposed to going alone merely added to my excitement.

He grunted, "Not if your horse is going to act like that I'm not."

"Hasufel is not my horse!"

"He has calmed down since Nia spoke to him," Aragorn urged, seeming to sense my anticipation. "No harm will come to you."

"I will not be riding that horse. Nia and Legolas might as well take him because I will not walk all the way to Helm's Deep after days of sprinting across these very plains." Gimli crossed his arms, unmoving.

I held my anger in with a sharp intake of breath. Where is the apologizing, sympathetic Dwarf from before?

Noticing my clear frustration, Legolas placed a hand on my shoulder and lightly squeezed. For some reason he managed to absorb my anger with that simple action and I relaxed back into him. Not for long, though, for the voice of Éowyn soon took hold of the conversation.

"Gimli may ride on Windfola," she offered, motioning to her chestnut horse.

"Oh no, I couldn't," the Dwarf, eyes wide, lightly protested.

Éowyn was off her horse before he even finished his sentence, beckoning him over. Aragorn gently placed a hand on her shoulder, similar to what Legolas had just done to me. "You don't need to surrender your horse if you'd rather ride."

"I appreciate your concern, Lord Aragorn, but much like your Elven companion, I am restless and would prefer to walk," she smiled. "And I insist! Please, Gimli, take my horse. I will lead him for you."

Since Éowyn insisted, no other word of protest was uttered. Gimli shuffled over to Windfola before beginning his struggle to get into the saddle without any assistance. I chuckled at his effort, purposefully making Arod pass him before gallivanting off with Legolas. And though I meant to mock the Dwarf, I did not expect Éowyn to speak up.

"What will you do if you find something?" Her eyes flickered between us, resting them when they locked with mine.

"Fight the enemy away before it reaches the civilians. With our experience, we are more than capable of warding them off," I explained.

She looked to the bow strapped to my back and sword hugging my side. Her eyes held the same emotions Hasufel's did moments before, though her face was significantly more controlled. I was momentarily taken aback about how alike we actually were when Éowyn turned a smile full of admiration towards me. "Do what you must, my Lady."

"It's Nia," I quickly corrected," and I am no Lady."

With a kick of my heels Arod launched into a gallop, sending Legolas and I far from everyone in mere seconds. He did not have the same speed Hasufel did, but my only thought was excitement of being put into action. I smiled back at Legolas.

He smiled back. "I could tell you were becoming tired of merely riding on horseback."

"Was I so obvious?" I laughed, to which he easily followed. "Nonetheless, I am glad you thought of this. I treasured doing these small quests along the Anduin and have missed them greatly."

"I thought as much," he said, his voice quieting into a whisper. "There is no one else I would rather patrol with."

His breath tickled my ear, and it took all my might just to withhold the shiver pleading to be set free. Yet I would not allow it. I refused to let it show or have my suddenly lightened stomach restrict the air entering my lungs. My breathing was all I could focus on, and even then its rhythm was created by the pounding of my heart into my ears.

"We only have until sundown to patrol, so we might want to get started." My breath left me so quickly that my words toppled over the other. I kept my composure though. "Unless your wish is to fall behind."

I smirked back at Legolas, his head already humorously shaking by the mention of my reference. With an innocent shrug of my shoulders, I casted my eyes to the horizon in search of enemies. This was no longer a time to enjoy our freedom and purpose. We had an entire city to protect.

The hunt was on.

~.~.~.~.

When Legolas and I found the Rohirrim Company later that day, the horizon had nearly consumed the sun. A mixture of dark purple and pink surrounded its muted red glow, sending long shadows from the newly settled camp. Fires twinkled within these shadows and smoke filtered up. Chatter hummed above the overbearing silence, creating an unexpected sense of unease. The guards closest to us looked up briefly, but returned back to their bowls of soup upon recognition. The soft substances floating within the light brown liquid looked repulsive, and I wondered why the two Men had chosen that as their supper.

I felt Legolas slide off the horse behind me, his boots making a light sound as they reached the grass. Not wanting to remain on Arod alone, I quickly released the reins and made ready to leap off. I noticed Legolas raise a hand to assist me, but I ignored it with a humored scoff. Hoisting my body off the horse, I easily glided to the ground.

As soon as I stood beside him, I smiled and confidently raised my chin. "I no longer require your assistance with a horse."

"Then I have taught you well," he nodded, grabbing Arod's reins and attempting to pass them towards me. I most certainly did not want to lead Arod to the other horses and showed my unwillingness by crossing my arms. However, I could not control my eyes from widening with the distress I had not wanted to show. Legolas chuckled, "Do not worry, Nia, I will take care of him. Return to the others. I will find you after."

A mixture of relief and annoyance washed over me, though the latter held more power. I glared at him. "Worry? It is foolish for one to worry about something as simple as a horse."

He continued his smile, not knowing that it was making my glare more difficult to hold. "There is no need to thank me." Legolas sent another nod my way before promptly leading Arod in the opposite direction.

I relaxed my face the moment his back was to me, wishing that we could have circled the camp one final time instead of returning. However, we had found no trace of any pursuit all day. There was no need for another sweep. Still, I had enjoyed our expedition and wanted it to last until we reached Helm's Deep.

With a saddened sigh, I reluctantly turned towards camp. Even from my distance I saw where my two companions had decided to rest for the night, Gimli already being fast asleep while Aragorn leaned against a boulder and smoked his pipe. A small smile formed upon my lips despite them being unable to see it. I did not want them to see it. So I stopped and turned it in the opposite direction… towards Legolas. I gazed at him for a long moment, my thoughts turning to the whisper he uttered before we accepted our roles as scouts. My reactions, although still foreign to me, I had experienced only when I was around him. It was strange, and I could not determine how I felt about them. They made me feel light, yet also lowered my defenses, and I refuse to put my guard down so easily. I had to remain alert at all times even when the stirrings from within myself wanted me to succumb.

My mind returned to me once I realized his blue eyes had locked with my green ones. I could not tell how long we had been staring at one another, but nonetheless my breath caught in my throat. At least that was what my emotions had me do. I hated how they controlled me. And although feeling sudden hesitancy, I turned away from him to continue towards camp.

Aragorn didn't acknowledge my arrival when I passed by. He was probably deep in thought again, and so I chose to ignore him as well. Settling onto a patch of grass as far from Gimli and his snores as possible, I looked up at the stars shining through the night sky. The longer I gazed upon them, however, the heavier I began to feel. Darkness seemed to close in on the stars, but for some reason I was not afraid. I remembered feeling a similar sensation, but blackness consumed me before I could place it.

~.~.~.~.

Men shouting. Swords clashing. The whinny of a horse.

I am in the middle of a battle. The figures around me are but grey masses against the open valley. I cannot recognize them, and what enemy they fight I cannot tell. Neither can I assist them. My limbs refuse to cooperate. Only my eyes may move.

As I scan the area, my vision settles onto a particularly fast figure sitting atop the blur of a horse. By simply observing its stature and precision with the blade I determine he is of Men, and therefore most likely a man himself. His reflexes are much slower than what mine would be, and large droplets of dark blood spill in all directions with every slice he makes at the darker colored enemy. With each pivot he comes closer to my position. I can almost make out a face upon the figure, though the entirety of him is molded by shades of grey. Features are outlined, but nothing is distinguishable.

His empty eyes meet mine.

Aragorn?

Yet I cannot be certain. He is the only Man I've managed to form a bond with and therefore is my only association. The grey mass could be anyone, so I shake the thought from my head. He is only a soldier.

A gust of wind. The pull of my body.

I am forced to follow him once his horse passes me. We swerve through the battlefield, him taking off heads and stabbing shoulders in the process. It does not take long for the enemies to notice his strength. Ones riding the blurs of some form of beast soon challenge him, but even then they are not match of the Man and his skill.

A slam to the chest.

Although he is the one forced from his horse by the dark blur of a beast, I feel it in my chest too. We topple to the ground, but we do not stay there for long. The Man is immediately on his toes and grabs onto a passing enemy. He tries to take over the beast, and I am dragged after him, forced to watch his struggle.

At first he is winning. The enemy is struggling to hold onto his blurred beast, but one lucky hit sends the Man to the ground once more.

He fell yet hasn't fallen. The Man fights on.

He holds onto the side of the beast, still attempting to push his enemy off. Only when both pull out a dagger do I wish I could assist with my bow, yet I am caught. There is nothing I can do.

Fortunately the Man is able to gain the upper hand and wedges his dagger within the enemy's throat. Yet even as the enemy falls, the Man stays with the beast. He neither attempts to climb upon it nor drop to the ground. I start to question his motives, but then I notice his hand.

He is caught.

The edge of a cliff. A darkened abyss.

I am pulled somewhere else and cannot move away from the edge, though it is not because I am forced to look. Even if I could move, I would not be able to. I am frozen with fear. Never before has fear taken over me so strongly, but I am too petrified to fight it off.

Deep growls. Heavy steps. The call of a man.

Hearing his call gives me the strength to ward off the darkness. He needs help.

I manage to spin around, but to my horror I see the Man and the blurred beast heading my way. He does not know of the cliff! I try to run towards them and prevent the fall, but something is preventing me from doing so. When I try to shout a warning, words do not fill the air despite my lips forming them. The Man has no way of knowing his fate.

They slip of the edge.

The Man and blurred beast are consumed by the darkness. I fall to the ground after them, but am prevented from toppling over the cliff by its stones. My hand reaches after him, but it is too late to. I cannot save him. All is lost.

I have failed.

The darkness bubbles and begins to rise.

With the blackness rising, I reach for Luinil. Its leaves jab my palm.

"Galad Enni," I whisper, this time hearing the words. Immediately the light from within the blue stone appears, though it is fainter than usual for some reason. Before I can call upon Luinil a second time though, darkness explodes into my face.

I roll onto my back. I felt grass, instead of stone.

Blackness closes in.

I rolled over again in an attempt to escape. At some point in my shuffle I lost hold of Luinil and I reach for it again. My hand tightly clutched it in order to preserve the faded light it emits.

Yet the necklace is softer than the silver it was forged from. And it was moving, as though breathing.

Breathing? My last thought completely pulled me from the strange dream I was thrown into, snapping my eyes open as the realization crossed my mind. I immediately searched for the hand I thought was clutching Luinil, finding dark green fabric within my grasp. The same shade as Legolas's jerkin.

That was when I realized my head was also lying atop something as soft as the fabric and moving at the same breathing speed.

The thought of both resting my head on Legolas and of clinging to him by his jerkin was enough to make my heart stop. Not because of the stirring sensation arising again, but because of the strangeness of the entire situation. I was definitely flat on the ground when I had mysteriously fallen asleep, and Legolas certainly had not been anywhere near me at the time. So I had no explanation for anything. However, the reasoning was not as important to me as immediately returning to where I was before that dream had taken over.

Slowly, I released my hand and drew it back to my side. Moving my head would be far more difficult than the hand, especially if Legolas's mind was resting. I hoped it was, but just in case I decided to maneuver my head so I could see his face. There was a chance he would never know I had briefly rested somewhat on top of him, but I was not entirely surprised when I saw him staring right back me.

I immediately jolted away, but opted out of apologizing for surely my reaction was evident enough that I had not meant anything by it. "I had one of those dreams again…" My recognition of it slowly came back to me. "Similar to the one I had before the Company entered Lothlórien. And I witnessed another death."

Legolas sat up beside me. "Whose death?"

"A man's… though I could not make out a face. Everything had been a shade of grey." The undistinguishable Man from my dream flashed across my mind, and again I thought of Aragorn. I was not about to tell Legolas about that, though, if I myself was not certain the Man was him. "He fell off a cliff. I tried to save him, but darkness followed me… I failed." I looked to Luinil, still glowing from when I had called to it in my dream. "Do you suppose Lady Galadriel is trying to tell me something? Will someone die because of my failure?"

"We cannot be certain of Lady Galadriel's intentions, but you must not think she means for you to fail. Perhaps her message is that the darkness in Mordor is rising. You are very skilled and have helped greatly since joining the Fellowship. The thought of you failing is impossible," he reassured me. Although I believed his words and trusted his council, I was too preoccupied with uncovering the meaning of my dream to look towards him. And, secretly, the consuming darkness still alarmed me. I did not want to look away from Luinil's light.

Yet I was gently forced to look away by Legolas's hand. His fingers hesitantly brushed my right jaw, turning my head back towards his. "I do not know what you saw during your dream, but when I returned from to camp, you seemed distressed in you sleep. Your face was troubled and your fingers continuously twitched. I wanted to help, but knew waking you would ruin the purpose of you having a dream. So I took a place beside you. You called for Luinil and began moving my way. When you reached me, peace seemed to finally find you. I have never seen fear upon your face before, and so dared not move in case it caused you to resort back. It pained me to see you in such a state."

I looked at him for a long while, neither knowing what to say nor realizing his hand had remained on my face until I felt his fingertips leave my skin. The lingering warmth left a sense of longing in my chest.

"Fear had consumed me," I found myself saying, "though it is not easy for me to admit. I trust you, Legolas. The weakness I showed this night is something I wish no one to know of."

"I will tell no one, Nia. You have my word," he nodded.

Silence quickly befell us as we looked to one another, not knowing what the other would do. I appreciated what Legolas did in an attempt to calm me and his following council, but something about him still made me anxious. We were friends, hunters, and Fellowship members, and I trusted him more than any other member. Yet still my stomach tightened when moments like this arose: when we closely sat in deep conversation, acting as though the rest of the world and its perils did not exist. His presence warmed me, his gaze lifted me, and his touch held me. I did not want these emotions and the weakness they brought with them to control me. Almost, it seemed, I feared its unknowingness.

Legolas moved closer and my lips parted, but I forced myself to lie back down in the grass. "We should still attempt to rest before dawn comes. Another long day of trekking across the plains awaits us."

"Of course," he softly replied, lying down beside me. We were silent for a moment and I returned Luinil's light back to me, but then Legolas took a breath. "Fear is not a weakness, Nia. When we avoid it or fall beneath it, that is what traps us. But if we were to fight and conquer, we find the courage to live with it yet continue without it. Fear is what brings us strength."

My vision traveled from the night sky to Legolas as he spoke, taking every word to heart. What he said was true, yet fighting fear was a difficult journey. All my life I had been avoiding it, and only recently had fear found its way back to me. I did not wish to have it near me any longer.

So with a deep breath I shut my eyes. While my right hand held dancing fingers as my thumb leapt across each one, my left found its way to the top of Legolas's, palm lightly grazing the back of his hand. My fingers found a place between his, and he accepted them with a light squeeze. And this time I felt no fear. Only comfort.

~: Wellllllll… :~

So yeah, this has been a while… how's it going? Heh. Yeah. I don't really know what to say. I'm sorry for having you all wait nearly a year for an update, but I also can't make any promises I will now update sooner because I just don't know what will pop up in my life next. What I can promise, however, is that I will see this story through to the end no matter what. Even if we all turn eighty-two. (I seriously don't plan on us being that old though, my goodness. Haha!)

So there are two things I really want to say before I end the chapter and you review (because you will review, right? ;D): 1.) Windfola is actually the name of the horse Éowyn used in the book when she was disguised as a man and rode into battle. So don't think I'm not some cool name-maker person or anything. Haha! 2.) I do not see a love triangle in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. All I saw was that Legolas cared for Tauriel, perhaps even liked her a little at the beginning there, but then lost interest once she became fascinated with Kili. That's it. I mean, if he truly liked her, then he wouldn't have left her in Lake-town. You know what I'm saying? If you have an opinion, then go ahead and say it in a review! However, I do not want to see any major hate/praise over Tauriel or her relationship with Kili. Please and thank you :)

OKAY WELL THAT IS IT! I hope you all enjoyed the extra "fluff" I added in this chapter. I wanted to make it up to you all for such a long break. Heh. And as a second Author's Challenge, I'd like to know what your favorite Nia/Legolas moment is so far in this little story. And if you feel like it, let me know some predictions of what you think will happen to them next.

Until next time, my beautiful/handsome/lovely/awesome readers!