Chapter Twenty - Life's Little Surprises

The sun's light was only visible when the clouds of smoke shifted with the wind. The once peaceful and serene forest surrounding the last community of the Shadow Elves was now just a blackened, charred skeleton of its former beauty, the city within still smoldering. The Guild, Legolas, and Caled were standing just within the burnt gates to a wasteland that just one night ago had been green. They were all slightly out of breath from running here yet no one felt fatigue, just shock and horror. Denya, standing at the back of the group and shielded by Clad's large frame, lifted the cloth around her eyes, taking in the wasteland before them.

The Sprite that had met them outside Mount Gundabad leaned against a tree that had survived, the fragile shell of the trunk creaking under his weight. "Just after Lady Caled-Veleg escaped, the Reapers appeared," he said, his gold eyes surveying their reactions. "There was some debate about what to do."

"Debate?" Aurora whispered, her eyes staring at the scorched body of a child not three yards from her. "Debate about what?"

"Whether or not they should evacuate the city."

Heads turned so quickly the Sprite blinked in surprise. "They debated around leaving?" Caled repeated in a hoarse voice, making several of them glance at her in concern.

The Sprite averted his eyes.

Caled did not seem to be breathing. She turned back to look around them and tears began to spill down her face. "Idiot!" she suddenly screamed. "Fools! Why did not they go? Why did they stay here? "

Legolas froze, her voice echoing in his ears. His mind recalled one of the visions that Meryl the fortuneteller had shown him so long ago. It was the same...

"Several wanted to stay because they feared for-for your safety," the Sprite said at length, still not looking at her. "They wanted to remain in case you returned."

Caled's hand clenched tighter into fists, nails biting into her skin. "Fools," she whispered. "Damned fools."

"Regardless," Auron spoke, "this tells us that the Reapers know far more than they're letting on."

The Sprite raised a thin black eyebrow. "And how did you come to this conclusion, sir?"

"They were waiting for us in the Unmanned Fortress, their supposed leader had a message for us-one specifically for Caled-they were very routine in how they attacked us, as if they had been given instructions on how we would react to them. It has been scarcely six hours since Caled met back up with us and yet the Reapers were able to destroy a community of this vast size, which means that they were very well aware of how this city functioned and had prior plans at how to destroy it, which they have succeeded in." Auron ticked off each point on his fingers, casually glancing around now and then as if to refresh his thoughts.

The Sprite smirked. "Forgive my doubting, sir."

"And ours as well."

Everyone jumped at the voice. Kurra stood not ten feet away, looking a bit bruised and worn but otherwise in good health. Behind her there was an apparent trapdoor leading into the ground. Several Shadow Elves were beginning to hesitantly climb out of it, looking around in horror. Kurra's father was one of the last, closely followed by Rynno. The captain looked far worse off than any of the others. His right arm was in a sling and his head was bandaged and bloodied, yet he looked relieved at the sight of them all.

The Sprite bowed towards Kurra and her father. His body shimmered then burst into dark flames that spiraled into Kurra's raised palm. When it all was absorbed, she closed her fist and tentatively looked at the Guild and Legolas. She seemed unable to look at Caled directly.

"We-we were caught unaware," Kurra said. "We barely had time to raise the alarm before they swarmed us. There was no way we could save everyone, but we tried. If we-"

"-Had not had a good portion of your Fire-Guard outside the city, we might have had a chance," her father cut in harshly. Kurra winced, but said nothing. "I am deeply sorry for what my daughter has done," he said to them. "She shall be reprimanded."

"It should not be to severe," Tan said offhandedly, assisting a woman with a broken leg onto his cloak he had laid out for her to sit on. "Even if you had any Guard twice the size it is it would not have been enough. They would have been inadequate to deal with an onslaught such as this. Besides, the Reapers seem to have a habit of making sure they get the job done," he added, giving the man a hard look that made the Shadow Elf pale.

"No doubt they already know that some of you survived," Anex stated, giving a half-shrug as several Shadow Elves looked at him in terror. "They will be back."

"Then-then what should we do?" Kurra's father stammered.

"Run," Denya grunted from her place on the ground. "Reapers are ruthless. They will most certainly be back to finish what they started. But you might get lucky: you might not be their topmost priority now." She smirked as a few put their heads together and whispered to each other in confusion, a few pointing at her blindfold in question. She felt around beside her before her hands bumped against her bag. She opened it and pulled out a large unmarked bottle. She took a long gulp of the clear liquid, let out a satisfied sigh, and then said, pointing in the general direction of Caled, "She's caught the attention of the Reaper's master." Denya's smirk took on a slightly sinister tone. "Whoever it is, they'll be focusing on her for while," she chuckled darkly, turning back to her drink.

The better half of the day was spent in the forest wasteland. Aurora double then triple checked anyone for injuries, making sure to question them about what kind of Reaper had attacked them. Auron and Denya discussed various things with Kurra, her father, and Rynno about what the Shadow Elves should do in case they were found by the Reapers again. Denya left with them several weapons she stated would be quite useful in the event that they had to fight. Once they did all they could, the Shadow Elves saw them off, several with a tearful goodbye to Caled.

Caled had become very quiet and impassive since leaving the Shadow Elves. No one, not even Mornie-who was certain to have tried talking to her with his mind-had gotten more than a nod from her. Her distant behavior worried everyone, but none ventured to discuss it.

They began their way back down the path they had come, taking it with a bit more care than the first time. Though no one said it, their destination was clear: Caled and Legolas would return to Rivendell to report their findings to Lord Elrond and the Guild would accompany them to Rivendell where they would part company.

For a fortnight they traveled. The tension within the group began to ease, carefree conversation becoming the norm. Their practice sessions became routine once again, Caled choosing to sit out. Auron did not comment, nor did he call her out.

Denya seemed to throw herself into the practice sessions, often asking Auron for more time. While her few injuries healed quickly, her eyes remained behind the blindfold. Whenever Aurora asked to examine her, Denya would sharply decline. She seemed to avoid any opportunity of healing whatever her ailment was.

"Again!" Denya shouted.

Legolas scrambled to get upright, flipping backwards only seconds before a dagger would have struck his stomach. He twisted his arm behind his back, deflecting another dagger with his long knife in time. Denya deftly caught it though blindfolded and gritted her teeth.

"Again!" she hissed, taking a slow, measured step to the side

Legolas hesitated briefly, then knocked one of her daggers away with his long knife by a flick of his wrist.

From his place off to the side, Auron sat watching them with a slight frown on his face. Aurora was doing the last of the clean up after the meal. Tan and Dias were playing a dice game, Darin watching on in amusement. Caled was sitting near Aurora, absently stroking a sleeping Mornie while watching the session. Anex and Rali were seated in their chosen resting spots. Clad was sitting on the other side of the area designated for the practice session, hood ever present and hiding his point of gaze.

The sound of wood splintering pierced the air. Everyone looked up to see Legolas gaping in shock at his long knife, now imbedded in a tree two yards away where Denya had thrown it. There was a blur of movement then the loose dirt on the ground was kicked up, blocking the actions taking place. There was a gasp, then a grunt as two bodies collided.

The dust cleared. Denya had pinned Legolas to the ground by straddling his chest, pinning his arms with her legs. Legolas grunted with effort but could move her. She gave him a grin, saying in a teasing tone, "Better, but not quite."

Legolas resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"You have improved," Auron commented, "you were able to dodge the dagger she threw even though you were in a physically difficult position. I do believe this is a testament at how well you've developed, Legolas."

Legolas shrugged as best he could under Denya's weight.

Auron continued on, but Legolas did not hear what he said. A strange whisper was filling his ears, one he could not shut out. It was faint but he could hear it. It was soft.

Soft...and sinister.

/kill...them...

Above him, Denya stiffened.

/...kill them...all...

With a hard shake of his head, Legolas silenced the voice. But that became his least worry.

He felt a rough jerk from the top of his head as he heard Auron shouting "Denya! Stop!"

Denya was frozen in her place, one hand grasping Legolas' head and pulling it to the side, exposing his neck while the other held her dagger in the air, poised to bring it across his throat. She was breathing heavily, a small growl with in intake of breath. Her body language spoke her intent: if Auron had not shouted, she would have driven the dagger down.

Auron and Anex were on their feet, hands poised over their sword hilt and eyes set on Denya. Dias, Darin, Rali, Tan and Aurora all stared at the scene, horrified and confused at why. Caled was rigid, eyes wide. Mornie looked up at her quickly, surprise on his cat face.

"Denya," Auron said in a calm voice. "Get off him."

Denya did nothing. If anything, her grip on Legolas' head tightened.

"Denya," Auron said again, taking a small step towards her.

Denya's ears perked and her jerked her arm back, ready to plunge forward.

Clad suddenly appeared in front of them, catching Denya's hand with the dagger before it could do damage and grasping her other in an iron grip. Ever so slowly, he turned her wrist until she was forced to release Legolas' head. The Half-Berserker then hefted Denya off Legolas and, when she began to struggle quickly wrapped his arms around her, restraining her against his broad chest.

Denya was fighting for all she was worth, kicking and hitting Clad as best she could. "Let go!" she roared. "Let me go!"

Clad spoke, but it was words none of the others understood. It was rough and guttural, his native tongue. Denya seemed to understand him for she stopped struggling long enough to reply. "I felt it, Clad," she said softly, her hand gripping the arm he had around her waist tightly. "There was one here." As if sensing the others exchange glances, she spoke louder, "I didn't meant to attack you, Leafy. Honest. This stupid...stupid-" she made a vague motion to her blindfold, "-I forgot about it. I forgot we were practicing. I...sorry," she mumbled.

"What was it you felt?" Legolas asked, wishing to know what had caused her to nearly obstruct his breathing passage with half a foot of steel.

Denya opened and closed her mouth several times, each time ending in a frown. She finally said, "Too complicated." With a sigh, she relaxed, her head falling onto Clad's chest. "Too freaking complicated."

Aurora checked to make sure no one was following then quietly made her way to Denya's lookout point. It had been four days since that practice session, and Denya had finally removed her blindfold earlier that day. Aurora had checked her over and announced her healthy yet Denya waved off the statement with a small smile, saying there had been nothing to worry about. Aurora, however, had seen the meaningful glance Denya had thrown Anex as well as the Avari's answering silence. She shook her head, reddish-blonde hair swirling around her in the light breeze. Some times she wanted to just take Denya by the shoulders and give her a hard shake. Maybe that would rattle her brain enough to make it work the right way.

"What do you want?"

Aurora giggled at the remark, leaning back in order to look up into the tree's branches to see Denya's face. "Just making sure you're still here," she said, winking.

Denya's humped reply sounded as Aurora climbed the tree to sit one limb over from her. For a while, neither said anything. The only sound came from the breeze and Denya's ferret as it scuttled along the branch she was on, periodically scratching at her boot.

Aurora withheld a sigh, looking up at the moon. How could she approach the subject? She knew both from experience and from her earlier examination, that nothing had been wrong with Denya's eyes. Not as far as her vision being impaired. She had been keeping the blindfold on in order to hide them. There could have been only one reason for that.

Aurora drew her legs up to her chest, hugging them. Denya had never hidden her eyes when they glowed. If anything, she was proud because it was a sign of her mother's bloodline. It was proof of who she was. Denya had never shied away from something that told others who she was. So...why had she blindfolded herself for so long?

The swish of liquid on glass and a satisfied exhale caught Aurora's attention. Denya twirled a bottle in one hand, gazing off into the distance absently. Aurora stared at the dark bottle, eyes widening a bit. "What is that?" she blurted.

Denya blinked, looking between her and the bottle. Then, she burst into laughter.

"Answer the question," Aurora said, frowning.

"It-It-It's just water, Aurora!" Denya managed to say through gasps for breath. "What did you think it was?"

Aurora sputtered, "Well, I just thought-I mean-it was-"

Denya broke into new peals of laughter at the expression on her face. Once she finally calmed down, Denya tossed Aurora the bottle, who sniffed it suspiciously. "Satisfied?" Denya said when Aurora tossed it back.

Aurora glared at her. "Look, I was worried about. For nearly a month all you've been eating or drinking is liquor-"

"That's a problem?" Denya smirked.

"-and that can't be healthy for anyone," Aurora finished, ignoring her remark.

Denya shrugged, taking another drink. She sighed deeply, raising the bottle and looking through the glass to the moon. The glass was dark enough to reflect back her image. She frowned slightly. The blue flecks in her eyes seemed more pronounced now than they ever had been; she could even make out several news flecks scattered across the whites of her eyes. "It was pretty stupid, huh?" she whispered.

"Does an Orc stink?"

Denya chuckled, lowering the bottle. She felt Aurora's gaze on her yet did not look over as she said, "Nearly four thousand years of life and I still have the emotional control of a child."

Aurora shrugged. "No one's perfect."

"But at least people don't let their minds run amuck by thinking they know everything."

Aurora winced at the bitterness in her friend's voice. "You want to talk about it?" she said gently.

Denya shook her head. "I'm fine. If this is any indicator," she added with a motion to her eyes.

"You sure?"

"I'm fine."

Denya's tone was enough to tell Aurora that the conversation was over. Aurora sat still for some time, in case Denya said anything else, then made her way down the tree and back to the campsite.

Denya followed her progress, gaze lingering on the form she had come to memorize sitting around the fire. She stared at him, the familiar questions running through her mind. When she did look away, it was to focus on the one sitting beside him, silently stroking a black ball of fluff in her lap. Denya was able to see him look over the other, saying something that was replied to with a nod.

A word echoed in Denya's ears.

Coramin...

Denya's eyes narrowed in resolution.

The forest seemed darker than it normally did to Legolas. He dismissed it as nothing, shouldering his bow and keeping his eyes and ears trained for sounds of an animal to give itself away. It was his turn to hunt that night and so far he had not gotten even the tiniest hint of any game about to cross path.

Legolas had just about given up and started in a different direction when he saw it. A large buck, big enough to feed everyone for several days, was grazing just yards away. Silently, Legolas gripped his bow and loaded an arrow. As he raised it to take aim, the buck raised his head, ears flicking back and forth, then trotted further into the forest.

Legolas bit back a curse and followed the buck. It was too good of a kill to pass up. Deeper and deeper he went, the animal flitting into his vision before disappearing again. Then he saw it standing in a clearing, head bowed to its shoulder level. Legolas frowned, but raised his bow just the same and took careful aim.

It was then that the space in front of the buck shimmered before a figure came into view. The figure was petting the buck's head and neck, murmuring soft words to it. The buck rubbed its head against the figure's own before cantering off into the forest. The figure turned and looked at Legolas, who blinked in surprise. It was Denya. She stood in a long light blue cloak he had not seen her wear before, gazing at him with a heavy expression in her eyes.

Denya raised a hand out to him, palm up. She softly said, "Come," and curled her fingers into her palm.

Legolas felt as if someone had taken a fistful of his shirt and pulled. He lost his grip on his bow and arrow and they clattered to the ground as he was half-dragged half-led to where Denya stood.

"Evening, Leafy," Denya said, laughing softly when he stumbled as the invisible fist released him.

"Denya, what are you doing here?" Legolas said, confused. When he had left the campsite she had been there, teasing Tan along with Dias about his latest attempt at pick pocketing. She had given no indication that would was going to go out into the forest. Why was she here?

Denya smiled. Raising her left hand she whispered something. Three bracelets glowed before evaporating into mist, spreading out around the clearing. He grimaced, the odor the mist had was pungent and made his eyes water.

"I was waiting for you," Denya said slowly.

Legolas shifted. The way she was looking at him was making him uncomfortable. He sniffed shortly, the smell in the air once again annoying him.

"I've been thinking," Denya said, titling her head to the side. "You never did answer my question."

"What question?" Legolas asked, deciding to humor her. He winced, his head feeling a bit fuzzy.

"The one I asked after we introduced ourselves as the Guild," Denya replied. "I'm sure you remember it. I asked if you were married, and if not, if you had anyone in mind."

Legolas laughed shortly, shaking his head. "I don't believe this is the time or place-"

"But it is," Denya cut in, stepping closer to him.

Legolas took a step back, intending to go back to the campsite. He did not like where this encounter was leading. When he started to turn, his vision swam. He faltered, catching his footing before he fell.

"There's no running away, Legolas," Denya said, a light chuckle in her voice. "Do you think I would let you have a chance to leave? I want my answer, Legolas: is there someone you have your eye on?"

Legolas frowned at her. "Why does it concern you so much?"

Denya blinked. "I would have thought that would be obvious." She leaned in close to him, her breath tickling his ear. "I have my eye on you," she whispered.

Legolas pushed her away. "Denya, I won't say it again. This isn't the time or place." He tried to turn away again but this time a feeling of disorientation hit him so hard he nearly retched. He felt Denya's hand pushing him down to his knees. He allowed it, being closer to the ground helped him regain some of his sense of balance, but waved her away.

He heard her 'tsk' somewhere above him. "It's not a good idea to lie, Legolas. You'll get sick if you make a habit of it."

Legolas scowled at her. "What did you do?" he said accusingly.

"Made sure I would get my answer," Denya said firmly. "You know, it's only hurting yourself. I know you do have someone in mind. Make it easier on yourself and tell me. Then I'll let you go back."

Legolas clamped his jaw shut.

Denya clucked her tongue. "Not gonna tell?" She chuckled. "That's all right, I think I can guess who it is. Hmm. Let me think," she made a show of tapping her chin. "Who could it be? I know it isn't Aurora. You're not the kind of guy to take a girl who's already been claimed. And the way you keep denying this tell me it isn't me." She shook her head, giving an exaggerated sigh. "So, who could it be?" She began to pace around him with slow steps. "Who could possibly be the recipient of your affection, secret as it is? Who could it be that has always been watched over by you? Who could you have trusted so much that you would be willing to give them your heart?" As she spoke, her voice became cold as ice. She stopped in front of him, looking him in the eye.

"Do you really expect her to open up to you?" Denya whispered. "Do you actually think she'll want to have any sort of relationship further than what you already have? Do you?"

Legolas looked away from her.

"Do you believe you'll be able to win her favor?" Denya scoffed, throwing her hands up. "That's a laugh! Yet maybe you will. Who knows? Things happen. But..." she trailed off, making sure he was paying attention before continuing, "you do know you could never have all of her." She smiled at his confused look. A smile that spoke volumes. "You're an Elf, Legolas. She won't let you touch her. You would never be able to claim her as your own."

Through the haze his head was in, Legolas saw her hands reach up to the clasp holding her cloak shut. A few deft twists and Denya opened the cloak. Legolas' eyes widened when he saw she had nothing on underneath.

"Would she ever be able to offer this?" Denya whispered, the smile still playing on her lips. "I'm willing and able, Legolas. All you have to do is say the word and I'm yours. You won't be able to have this from Caled."

Silence hung in the air, Denya with her heated gaze on the Elf at her feet and Legolas staring into her gaze and all it promised. Tense second after second ticked by and neither moved.

Then, slowly, Legolas rose to his feet.

His hands reached out and Denya held her breath.

His fingers brushed her cloak.

His eyes closed as he took a deep breath.

"I can't."

Legolas reattached her cloak to its fastenings, then gently gripped her shoulders. He met her eyes and said, "I love Caled. Not just her body, but everything she is. I will not go as far to say that I do not care if she never returns my feelings, but I will not pressure her to do so. I do care for you, Denya, but not as I do for her." He reached up and cupped her cheek. "I never will." He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Denya smiled though tears brimmed her eyes. "I know," she admitted. "I know you won't. I just had to know if you were still willing to love her. She needs you, even if she won't admit it. She needs your love more than I ever will."

Legolas chuckled, embracing the blue-haired Elf. "So, you were testing me?" he said lightly.

Denya laughed, hiding her face in his shirt. "Yeah. Valor, I'm almost embarrassed!"

"Almost?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before," she pointed out, stepping out of his embrace.

"It was an accident," Legolas said, rolling his eyes.

"So you say," Denya said, snapping her fingers. The three bracelets reappeared on her arm. "I'll head back now. There should be some deer up that way," she said, pointing a ways to their left.

Legolas nodded, going to retrieve his bow and arrows.

"Just so you know," Denya called after him, "if anyone can help her, I hope its you."

Legolas smiled. "So do I."

After another six days of travel, they began to grow wary. There had been no sign of Reaper or Orc. The quiet that followed them did more to unnerve them than any attack could. In fact, several expressed their wish that they were attacked because that might give them some notion of what the Reapers were planning.

"It's almost as if they want us to think we'll forget them," Anex said.

"Catch us off guard?" Aurora suggested.

"They should know by now that we're never off guard," Rali pointed out.

"True."

"Still, you've got to admit, this is a bit boring," Darin grumbled.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth that Clad and Denya stopped, heads jerking to look around them. "You got your wish," Denya said grimly, black and silver daggers appearing in hand.

"Where?" Auron said, cautiously looking around as he took hold of his sword.

"Ahead," Clad answered, drawing his sword.

"They aren't advancing," Deny said with a frown. "Why aren't they advancing?"

"Let's go see," Dias said.

They positioned themselves in a form that was by now familiar: Auron in the lead, flanked by Denya and Tan on the left with Anex and Rali on the right, Legolas and Aurora behind Auron, Darin behind them, Dias and Caled behind him, and Clad bringing up the rear.

They moved slowly in case there were any Reapers hidden in the trees that would attack from above when they passed. It seemed hours before they heard it: a hiss of whispers and laughter. The air around them shifted before a host of Reapers appeared. Directly in front, facing the Guild, Legolas, and Caled, were the Reaper Elite.

"Isn't this a familiar sight?" the lead Reaper Elite chortled. Ke'Dab motioned around itself, the other Elite snickering. "I wonder who will come out of it this time?" the red-eyed Reaper purred.

"No one can guess," said the sea green Elite, nodding his head towards Denya.

"Enough," said one with gray coloring. "Go!" it ordered, snapping an arm out at the group before them.

The Reapers obeyed. Like a dark wave they moved upon the Guild, Legolas, and Caled. They were forced to separate their positioning yet kept each other within sight. The Reapers hissed and laughed, even if they were cut down their faces still retained a twisted smirk. The Elite hung back, watching with interest yet making no move.

Aurora had used all of her arrows, already half-way through her reserve supply, when she took fired and the arrow that not only struck its target, it went through and connected with one of the Reaper Elite in its torso. She gasped, certain she had spurred it to retaliate.

The Elite looked curiously at the protruding arrow; pink eyes alit with humor. Then, it broke off the shaft and the remaining arrow sunk into the wound, the dark blue skin healing over it without a mark.

Aurora stared in amazement at what had happened. She was so dumbfounded she did not see the other Reaper advancing on her.

Caled, however, saw. Hefting a now dead Reaper off her dagger, she spun, throwing the weapon. She held her breath. The dagger's flight was true...

/THUNK\

It sunk into the hilt in the back of the Reaper's head. Aurora jumped, startled out of her shock. She looked at Caled, who gave a one armed shrug. She smiled in thanks.

Then Aurora's face paled as she saw the large, blue eyed Reaper raising behind Caled.

"Caled!" Denya yelled, seeing the Reaper as well but being too far away to do anything. Caled was in her line of fire, there was no way she could get a clear shot and there was no time to change positions.

Caled snapped around, staring at the opposing creature. Mornie jumped in front of her, snarling in his wolf form, but to no avail. The Reaper backhanded him so hard there was an audible 'snap' as some bone broke when he fell to the ground, whimpering. The Reaper looked at Caled, grinned, then backhanded her as well to the opposite side.

"Shit!" Denya swore, trying to catch Caled as she sailed by. The Reaper she had been facing reached up from its place on the ground and grabbed her foot, pulling her back down before she could reach Caled. Denya growled, slashing off the offending appendage before looking to see where Caled had landed. Her stomach fell.

Caled had been thrown into the waiting arms of Ke'Dab.

"Oh, no," Denya whispered.

"Well, well," Ke'Dab smirked. "Isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

Caled glared at the Reaper Elite, struggling against its surprisingly strong hold on her.

"So feisty!" another of the Elite said.

"We'll change that," said the sea green one. It grinned maliciously, grasping her by the hair as Ke'Dab released her. It raised her effortlessly off the ground until they were eye to eye. "You'll soon learn to obey. Just like the old days."

Caled's eyes widened.

"Ah, I see you remember them," the Elite said, causing the others to snicker. "I'm sure you'll be broken much, much quicker this time around."

Caled snarled then spat in the Reaper's face.

A low rumble came from the Reaper Elite. "I think we'll start breaking you in now!" it shouted, tossing Caled roughly to the ground. The back of her head struck a prominent three root, causing her to wince and curl in on herself reflexively. The sea green Reaper Elite strode over to where she lay, kicking her hard in the stomach. She tumbled to the ground, rolling before she came to a stop. Her head was bleeding now and she struggled against the urge to throw up.

"You!" she heard the Reaper Elite shout. "See to her now!"

Caled managed to look up. A Reaper was bounding towards her, easily avoiding the others as they tried to stop it. The Reaper skidded to a stop just before reaching her. It cracked its knuckles then splayed its fingers out. Slowly, its fingers began to extend, lengthening to sharp claws. It crouched, readying to pounce on her.

Caled scrambled to get out of the way but her head injury was hindering her from moving too fast. She was trapped between the Reaper and a boulder. She tensed, the Reaper leapt. She shut her eyes tight, bracing herself.

It did not come.

Cautiously, Caled opened her eyes, then gasped.

Legolas stood between her and the Reaper. His dagger parried with one of its clawed hands. But the other claws-

Caled felt her heart leap into her throat as her gaze slid down to see the crimson spattering on the ground below the Elf, slowly growing larger.

Legolas spared a glance back at her. "Are you all right?" he grunted, wincing.

The Reaper hissed in anger at missing its target. It knocked his dagger aside then pulled its other hand back.

Legolas coughed, spitting more blood onto the ground. The Reapers claws had cut through his abdomen fairly deep. He was already becoming lightheaded.

A rustle of movement was his only warning before the Reaper slashed its claws again, ripping into his chest. Legolas toppled backwards.

Caled caught Legolas as he fell. She was shaking, eyes wide at the sight of his wounds. "Elf?" she said softly, voice trembling with tears.

Legolas managed a half smile before he started to cough again.

"Why?" Caled said, taking a fistful of her sleeve and wiping the blood off his face gently. "Why did you do that?"

She felt him shrug. "I must admit," Legolas said, his eyes slipping between focus, "it was good...to hear your voice...one more time..."

"Elf?" Caled gasped, feeling him going limp in her arms.

Legolas' blue eyes slid back into his head, yet the smile was still on his face.

Caled was trembling, staring at the still form in her arms. "Elf?" she whispered. She shook him. No response. Her placed her hand over his heart, fingers sliding on the blood. It was still beating, yet it was slowing down with each beat. "No! Don't! Don't leave!" she sobbed.

A crunch of a footstep made her look up. The blue eyed Reaper was there, raising his hand to strike.

Caled ducked her head down and buried it in Legolas' chest, screaming, "NO!"

The world turned white.

A. N. - For those a bit miffed at the scene between Denya and Legolas, let me state this: Denya is not a whore nor is she really that casual with her body. In reality she was testing Legolas (what do you think those bracelets were for?). She cares deeply for Caled and did not want to see him hurt her, intentionally or otherwise. And, if you notice from the visions Legolas had been having, this scene has been in mind for a LONG time.

Also, I received an e-mail from a reader asking why it was that Caled allowed the Guild members to call her simply 'Caled' from the beginning unlike with Legolas when he had to earn the right to do so. Well, that has to do with the fact that a) the Guild made a Pact with Gandalf, so in Caled's eyes, Gandalf considers them highly trustworthy and therefore they could call her what they wanted (Elrond was the one that suggested Legolas accompany her, though Gandalf approved, this partnership was still somewhat forced) b) the Guild wouldn't have listened to her anyway if she complained.