A/N: This story has reached over 500 reviews :) That is amazing and I would like to thank all of you for reading.

Thanks to Uchiha no Kaori, Wunderkind4006, Alexandra, theviolinxx, KD Skywalker, Poison1234, SavannahMaethilwen, annafan, horseyyay, Fellowship of Avengers, Elleth of Mirkwood, Brigid the Fae, BabyPheonixPrime, petkt, LegolasGreenleafLove, sparklesaremylife, larisya, CaribbeanTrinidadian, lotrjesusfreak, soulsistersinaslan, Morwen80 and lilly for reviewing :)

To all of you who left unsigned reviews. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, I really do appreciate it.

There is quite a bit happening in this chapter so it's a bit longer than the last two or three that I submitted, but I hope you like it! A big thank you to KD Skywalker for helping me out with this one!

Note: Italic conversations are in Sindarin.

Worlds Apart: Chapter 28

"I need to stop for a bit," said Maya as she slowed her horse to a trot. Not only was she tired but she hadn't eaten a proper meal in days and her backside was clearly not getting used to the whole riding thing because it was the sorest it had ever been.

They'd been on the road now for several days, stopping only when necessity demanded it of them, and they'd managed to cover quite a bit of ground as they rode through the woods along the banks of the Anduin River. According to the map that Éowyn kept in her pack, they were closing in on the Gladden fields – a short distance from the Old Forest road which would take them through Eryn Lasgalen.

Éowyn watched as the sun hung low in the sky bathing the world around them in a gradually dimming light.

"It will be dark soon so we might as well find a place to make camp," she said, "I think we've earned our rest."

Maya sighed with relief; she didn't think she could go on anymore and sadly enough she was beginning to look forward to whatever meagre meals they'd been eating, no matter how unappetizing they looked.

Several leagues away, they found a small place in the woods just off the river bank where there was plenty of wood to make a fire and the ground seemed soft enough to lay their blankets for the night.

"I can't wait for a proper mattress," said Maya, dreading the feeling of waking up with a stiff back yet again. This couldn't be good for her, especially now that she was pregnant she had a feeling her back problems were only just beginning.

Éowyn smiled sadly, watching as Maya attempted unsuccessfully to start a fire. "Do you regret coming with me?"

Maya shook her head, "No, I don't. It's just a little harder on me than I thought. When people think 'adventure' they always forget how little glamour is involved. I guess I'm kind of guilty of that."

"You will be reunited with Legolas before you know it, we do not have much longer before we reach Thranduil's realm," said the Shield Maiden, "Another few days I reckon."

"I haven't even figured out what I'm going to tell him yet," said Maya, growing increasingly frustrated when all she managed to create with the flint was a small puff of smoke. Finally she threw the stone on the ground in annoyance. "I give up! This thing clearly hates me!"

Éowyn giggled walking over to pick up the flint and began to strike glancing blows with her small knife, producing deep red sparks. Maya stood there in disbelief as her friend effortlessly started a fire and fanned the flames to life.

"Oh sure, now it works," she grumbled, taking a seat by the flames.

"Where's Mithrin?" she asked after a few moments, realizing that he'd disappeared into the bushes shortly after they stopped to make camp.

Éowyn came to sit next to her, bringing what little they had left of the salted meats she'd packed; this was dinner tonight and they'd resorted to rationing the cookies after half of them 'mysteriously' went missing in the first few days of their journey.

"I'm sure he is fine," she said reassuringly, "He is probably just off exploring the forest, after all, he still has the instincts of a wild animal."

Maya shrugged, her friend was probably right but still, she didn't like it when Mithrin ventured off too far – especially now that they were a long way from home. Something inside her was uneasy about his sudden disappearance.

Moments later they heard a rustling in the trees. Out of nowhere, the wolf ran back into the camp at full speed and began to nudge the two women urgently before running around the fire in circles.

Maya and Éowyn exchanged puzzled looks as Mithrin continued to act out of character, looking agitated and continuing to nudge them; something was wrong.

"What's with him?" asked Maya, quickly getting to her feet, "Why is he circling the fire?"

The Shield Maiden observed with worry as Mithrin became more and more upset, whimpering and tilting his head in a motion that almost suggested that he wanted them to follow him.

"I think he wants us to leave," she whispered, "He must have sensed some kind of threat."

"We should douse the fire," said Maya, making for the small bucket next to her pack, "Whatever Mithrin saw is going to know we're here when it sees the light."

As she prepared to go towards the river, the ground began to gradually shake beneath their feet, gaining in intensity and the wolf's ears fell back as he growled, teeth bared.

Clearly it was too late – whatever it was had seen the camp and was making straight for them.

Maya dropped the bucket and huddled close to Éowyn; They waited, hearts accelerated for what seemed like ages as the sound moved closer and closer and out of the woods came three, large, horrid creatures with heavy faces and great stubby limbs to match. Immediately, Maya recognized these ugly beings for what they were as the firelight revealed their faces; trolls.

Of course, she'd spent so much energy worrying about orcs, but she'd forgotten about the damn trolls.

"What 'ave we ere?" said one of the trolls, "Looks like we got ourselves some dinner."

"There ain't no meat on their bones, Trolgar," whined one of the other trolls with clear disappointment, "Too skinny and I'm bloody starvin'!"

"They'll do just fine fer a snack. I'm gettin' tired of deer," reproached Trolgar as the three trolls closed in around a petrified Maya and Éowyn, "Manflesh is tender and tastier."

"An' look, they already got a fire goin' for us," said the third troll with a growling laugh, "We can roast 'em right now."

Maya felt her body begin to shake with fear, her eyes widening in horror as the three creatures began to discuss the best way to cook them. Mithrin had since then put himself between the trolls and the two women, growling and barking in warning, but it seemed that even a wolf was no match for these monsters – they were just too big.

Mithrin began to advance on the trolls, his stance making it very clear that he was getting ready to pounce, his barking becoming incessant.

"Razi Shut 'im up!" ordered Trolgar, bringing his stubby hands to his little ears, "I can't listen to this racket any longer."

As one of the trolls advanced on him, Mithrin's barking turned into a menacing snarl as he snapped at the creature. Razi took one of the large rocks beside the campfire and delivered a strong blow to the wolf's head.

Maya gasped and almost ran to her beloved pet as he lost consciousness on the ground. With their obstacle out of the way, the troll's attention was once again on the two women.

"You stay away from us!" cried Éowyn as she brandished her sword. Beside her, Maya took the dagger out of the scabbard at her hip; she knew it was useless to challenge these things but she wasn't ready to go down without a fight.

Trolgar laughed at Éowyn's attempt to be menacing; he saw her body trembling right down to her riding boots. Two women alone in the woods with no one to hear their screams; this was going to be easy.

As Razi and the other troll, Zenzal, took out a piece of rope with which to tie Mithrin's limbs, Trolgar advanced on his prey.

Helplessly swinging her sword, the Shield Maiden managed to nick the troll's skin, which only enraged the creature, and with one swing of his arm he easily disarmed Éowyn, sending her sword flying out of her hands.

Maya gulped as the troll smiled sadistically; bearing two rows of old, rotten teeth. Suddenly, her fleeting moment of courage was as history as Éowyn's blade.

This was it, they were going to die.

It didn't take long before Zenzal, Razi and Trolgar had their captives' legs bound and their arms tied behind them as they waited by the fire to be roasted alive. As the trolls made the preparations for their meal, Maya cursed her stubbornness. Why didn't she stay in Ithilien, in the comfort her talan? Why didn't she just wait for Legolas to return? Now they were going to die and she was never going to see him again.

"Remember when I said I didn't regret this journey?" whispered Maya, as she struggled with her bonds, "I take that back."

"I'm starting to feel the same way," said Éowyn, her eyes widening in fear as the trolls installed a spit over the fire.

"Quiet over there!" growled Razi, before turning to Zenzal, "I think we ought to separate 'em."

Zenzal nodded in agreement and walked over to the two frightened women. Maya squealed as his large hand closed around her. It was bad enough that the troll smelled like old socks but then it began to drool on her and just like that, Maya had experienced the most traumatic event of her life. Before she knew it, and before she had time to gag, she was being plopped on the ground on the other side of the camp fire, far away from Éowyn.

"What of the beast? Did ye tie its mouth shut? I won't have 'im biting when he comes to," growled Trolgar.

"Do it yerself!" grumbled Zenzal, "I ain't going near it."

"Why do I always have to do errything myself!" cried Trolgar, clearly exasperated with his two companions.

He walked over to where the wolf was lying on the ground and gathered a bit of string before fastened it around Mithrin's snout. "Fools, the both of ye. It's a wonder we get anythin' to eat!"

This of course began a rather silly argument amongst the trolls over who was the stupidest, but in Maya's opinion it was a pretty close call – they weren't talking about a huge intellectual range here. She took a glance over at Éowyn and to her surprise the Shield Maiden was taking advantage of the trolls' distraction to struggle with her bonds. She was attempting to reach her pocket where she remembered she'd stored the small knife they were using to strike the flint. It wasn't an incredibly sharp blade, but it would be enough to cut her bonds if only she could reach it without alerting the trolls to what she was doing.

After a few moments of straining, she finally reached the tips of her fingers into the pocket and managed, though not without many close calls, to pull the blade out and hide it behind her back. Éowyn shared a knowing look with Maya and immediately she knew that the Shield Maiden meant to get them out of there, somehow, some way.

Soon enough the trolls grew bored with their argument and turned their attention towards Éowyn , who by this time had begun working on the rope that tied her hands together.

"I think we should eat 'er first," said Razi as he made to seize her.

"No! Don't eat her!" cried Maya, before she knew what she was doing, "Eat me first, trust me. I'm way tastier."

The trolls simultaneously turned their attention from the Shield Maiden as the voice reached their ears.

"Oh yea? How so?" asked Zenzal.

"Well for one, uh…she took a mud bath not long ago and I smell a lot better," stuttered Maya, watching from the corner of her eye as Éowyn resumed her escape attempt.

"We don't mind mud."

If Maya had been able to put her palm to her face, she would have. Of course they wouldn't mind mud; probably every repulsive thing in this world was appealing to them. She needed a change of strategy if she was going to give Éowyn a chance to save them all.

"Yea well, I have a bun in the oven, so I'll taste much better than she will!"

Trolgar scratched his head, "What does an oven 'ave to do with ye tastin' good? I don't like when my food plays games," he said, before turning to the other two trolls, "Do ye understand what she's meanin'?"

They shook their heads and Maya sighed in exasperation. Seriously? She had to convince a bunch of trolls to eat her? This was one for the books.

"It's an expression," she said, earning the trolls' attention once more, "I'm pregnant so you know, I eat more? Which means I have more meat on my bones and I'm gonna taste a hell of a lot better. Trust me, you wanna pick me first."

'That ought to do it' thought Maya, but apparently the trolls had other plans.

"If yer as tasty as ye say, we wanna savour it, so we'll be savin' ye for last," Razi replied stubbornly.

"Oh come on! Who saves the best for last anyway?" cried Maya, unable to believe that she was actually doing this. "What happened to instant gratification?"

Looking over, she noticed with great relief that Éowyn was gone from her place by the fire, leaving behind the ropes that tied her hands and feet as the only evidence of her captivity. It wasn't long before the trolls noticed her disappearance as well.

"Blast! She got away!" cried Zenzal, "Now we 'ave to share that one and the beast. I hate sharing!"

After a bit more arguing amongst themselves over who was going to get the first taste and whose fault it was that one of their captives escaped, the trolls came to the conclusion that 'blondie' –as they called her- had opted to save her own hide and was long gone.

"Looks like yer gettin' what ye wished for," Trolgar said to Maya, taking her in his hand and walking over to the fire. She squealed and attempted with all her might to squirm out of his grasp as she loomed dangerously over the flames, the heat producing beads of sweat on her face.

"No I changed my mind actually!" she stammered, "Please don't eat me."

"It's too late now. Ye convinced us pretty well, I'm lookin' forward to this," said the troll and Maya squeezed her eyes shut, saying her silent goodbyes to Legolas and everyone she loved. Even if Éowyn managed to come back for her, it looked as though it wouldn't make a difference in the world – in a few moments she was going to be roasted.

The sound of a sharp cry caused Maya's eyes to snap open. After being freed from his bonds, Mithrin had charged at Razi, biting him in the leg while Éowyn jumped on the distracted troll's back and plunged her knife into its neck. As Razi's life bled out of him and he fell with a giant boom, Maya felt the grip around her loosening as Trolgar's attention became focused elsewhere. With a thud she landed on the ground and her eyes widened in shock as she watched her friend take on the two remaining trolls.

The only problem now was finding a way to undo her bonds. She began to struggle but soon almost as if answering her prayers, Mithrin came up behind her and began gnawing at the ropes that tied her hands. As he worked, Maya silently promised herself that if she made it out of this alive she would rub it in Belwen's face.

Finally, she felt the rope loosen around her hands and Mithrin proceeded to help her with the ropes around her feet. Her heart fell as she saw that his grey fur was matted with dry blood from being clubbed in the head; if they made it out of this, he most definitely deserved one big slab of meat. If she could find a brontosaurus burger in this world, it was his.

"Éowyn!" cried Maya, when she was finally free, "Come on!"

The Shield Maiden, who at this point was simply doing her best to evade the Trolls' blows, quickly dodged a giant fist and bolted as fast as she could towards Maya and Mithrin.

"Run!" she cried, "Run and don't look back!"

Maya didn't need to be told twice. Without chancing a look behind them to see if the trolls were giving chase, the two women and the wolf dashed through the dark woods as fast they could; leaving their camp and supplies behind them.

Thranduil paced his throne room amid the concerned looks of both his son and his advisor. He'd been mulling over the news that the Balchoth were behind the attacks for several days now and he'd gone far back into his memories. They were dealing with something far more sinister and hateful than anyone could have imagined.

Legolas watched as his father's brows knit together in concentration, and exchanged worried looks with Rissien; The King, was not one to worry needlessly, something was dreadfully wrong.

The great hall was still and empty save for the elven guards stationed at every carved rock pillar and not a sound could be heard over Thranduil's hurried footsteps as they reverberated off the cavern walls.

"This is worse than I feared," he said finally, his voice disturbing the drawn out silence.

"The Balchoth are a very powerful tribe," agreed the Prince, "The mere mention of their name strikes fear into the hearts of their enemies, but if we plan our strategies accordingly, we can surely defeat them."

"It will not be so simple," countered the King, "Hatred is not the only thing that drives them, they seek revenge for something that happened long ago. They have been planning this for millennia."

Legolas furrowed his eyebrows.

"It appears that someone was not paying attention to their history lessons as an elfling," said Rissien, attempting a small joke, but the serious look on Thranduil's face made him change his tone very quickly, "The conflict that your father speaks of occurred in the Second Age, before your time, when your grandsire Oropher was King of the Woodland Realm."

"The Balchoth were allies of Sauron," said Thranduil walking over to his throne, "Mere months before his death at Dagorlad, my adar met them in battle in the plains beyond the Celduin River and drove them back, decimated their numbers so that all in Arda believed that the end had come for the Balchoth. We could not have been more mistaken."

The King sat in his ceremonial chair, wrought of precious metals and the twisted branches of living trees. He pondered for a moment, as his mind recalled the very battle he spoke of – he'd been there, he'd seen it all for himself and he'd been one of those who believed that the fearsome tribe had been destroyed forever.

"They seek to avenge their defeated brothers and make us pay for our victory," realized Legolas.

Thranduil nodded slowly, "There rarely is a force more powerful than revenge. A people driven by revenge is difficult to defeat; they have nothing left to lose. The Balchoth have become strong again and they strive for one thing; to raise this Kingdom to the ground and to do to our people what we thought had been done to theirs. They wish to decimate us."

Legolas swallowed hard, "This is my fault..." he whispered. He'd given the Balchoth the opportunity they'd been looking for and this thought consumed him with guilt.

Rissien placed a comforting hand on the Prince's shoulder, "It is not your fault, Legolas, nor is it Maya's. Neither of you are responsible for a conflict that originated thousands of years ago; they have been planning their revenge since Oropher defeated them and the falling out with Dorwinion has simply given them an opportunity that they might have found at any point in time. The blame is not yours to carry."

"Their bitterness reaches back far into our history," said Thranduil, "This was not something that we could avoid forever."

Legolas nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line – regardless of the revelation of an ancient conflict, he still felt he'd played a part in setting in motion a chain of events that placed his Kingdom in danger.

"May the Valar help us," he said, breathing a large sigh. He would spend the night going over his defence plans once again, making adjustments where he needed to. Legolas would find no sleep tonight or for several nights to come, but there was one thought which brought him peace; at least Maya was safe in Ithilien. At least he knew that she was in capable hands, far from danger.

xxxXxxx

Maya wasn't sure how long they'd been running, but she was too scared to stop, the adrenaline that coursed through her body was keeping her from collapsing on the forest floor. They'd only just escaped with their lives and neither she nor Éowyn were feeling brave enough to look back.

The three companions continued to run straight ahead through rows of pines and beeches, not knowing – or caring – where they were going. Anywhere in that moment was better than back at that camp with those trolls.

After travelling several more leagues, Éowyn felt a burning in her lungs and a pain in her calves from pushing her body to run. Feeling satisfied that they'd put a sufficient amount of distance between them and their pursuers, she slowed to a halt, doubling over to catch her breath.

Maya collapsed on the ground next to her, panting.

"Do you think we're safe?" she asked between ragged breaths.

Éowyn nodded, "Trolls are notoriously lazy, they would have given up the chase long ago. I just could not stop running."

"Neither could I," agreed Maya, "That was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me."

She lay on the forest floor completely defeated, staring at the tops of the trees while beside her Mithrin gently licked his fur, trying to clean away the blood from his wound.

"Where are we?" she asked suddenly, the shock from having almost become a troll's dinner slowly wearing off.

Sitting up in a hurry, Maya scanned their surroundings. She couldn't hear the river anymore and all she could see were trees for miles and miles on end. Her eyes widened as she realized that the trolls were only the beginning of their problems; they were lost.

Beside her, Éowyn had come to the same frightening conclusion and the worst of it all was that they'd been forced to abandon all of their supplies with the camp. They were out in the wilderness with nothing to survive on.

"What are we going to do?" asked Maya, panicking as the reality of their situation set in, "We have no food, no clothes, no weapons. What if we get attacked again? What are we going to eat? I don't know the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous berries!"

Éowyn watched as Maya erupted into hysterics.

"Let's not panic, yet," she said, trying to remain calm, "We can try to make our way back to the banks of the Anduin, at least then we will know where we are and we can plan from there."

Maya nodded uncertainly, "Alright, let's see the map. The faster we get out of here, the better."

The Shield Maiden searched her pockets and her heart stopped when she found them both empty. She searched again, trying to convince herself that she'd simply missed the small folded piece of parchment. When her hands turned up empty once more, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread as she realized one very important thing.

"The map was in my pack," she said with dismay, burying her face in her hands, "I placed it there for safe keeping when we stopped to make camp."

Maya sighed in defeat. This was exactly what she'd feared.

"I think that we might have an easier time finding our way tomorrow morning," she said resignedly, "Everything looks the same right now, it's too dark. I can't tell one tree from the next."

Éowyn nodded, knowing that Maya was right. It was no use trying to find their way through the forest in the dark.

The two women eventually settled on the idea of formulating a survival plan in the morning and when Éowyn managed to start a small fire by rubbing small branches together, they were provided with some comfort. Mithrin slept between them that night, his fur acting as a protective blanket for both of them as they cuddled against him for warmth.

The next morning, Maya and Éowyn were greeted with the strangest sight either had ever laid eyes on. The wolf sat by the dying embers of the fire, proudly guarding the small carcasses of little woodland creatures that he'd caught while his charges were sleeping. Realizing that they were awake, Mithrin picked up one of the animals and walked over to Maya, dropping it before her.

Maya's stomach lurched as she examined the dead squirrel. She looked up at Mithrin who was staring at her expectantly. When she did nothing, the wolf gently nudged the animal closer to her.

"He wants you to eat it," said Éowyn, scrunching her nose when Mithrin brought her a squirrel of her own.

"Ew...I can't eat that. It's disgusting," said Maya, shaking her head as she tried not to look at the dead animal in front of her.

Her heart went out to Mithrin; it was incredibly sweet that he was trying to feed them, but there was no way she was going to eat a squirrel.

"We can skin them and cook the meat over the fire," suggested Éowyn, "It is better than starving to death and at the moment, this looks to be our only option."

"No way," Maya replied stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"You need to eat for the baby," said the Shield Maiden, "If you will not do it for yourself then do it for your child."

Mithrin continued to nudge the squirrel towards her and Maya sighed. She placed her hand over her belly, knowing that if she didn't eat her son would suffer the consequences. She'd promised to do everything in her power to protect him and if that meant eating a squirrel, she would just have to do it.

"Alright," she said, "But we have to cook them because I can't eat raw meat."

"That's more like it," said Éowyn, taking the two squirrels in her hands and readying her pocket knife. She'd seen her brother skin animals after his hunting trips and so she was no stranger to the process.

When he was satisfied that Maya was going to eat, Mithrin took one of the squirrels for himself and began eating to his heart's content – unlike his charges, he had no problem with raw meat.

After their meal, which to Maya's utter surprise didn't taste half bad, they sat down to formulate a plan. The objective was to somehow find their way back to the Anduin so that they could follow it to the nearest town. Once there, they would stock up on fresh supplies and be right on their way; the whole thing seemed easier said than done, after all the difficult task of locating the river lay directly ahead. If they couldn't do this, they were very well done for.

Looking down at her clothes, Maya realized to her utter horror that she still had drool on her tunic from when Zenzal had slobbered all over her.

"I smell like troll," she said sniffing a lock of her hair with disgust and Éowyn managed to laugh despite their dire situation.

"I saw a small pond beyond those trees," said the Shield Maiden, pointing ahead of her, "A bath might be good for your feet as well, you said they were hurting."

"Yea, I think I need a bath," said Maya, wrinkling her nose, "I need to wash this troll slime off me, it's so gross."

Éowyn laughed once more as her friend stomped off in search of the pond, grumbling about how much she hated trolls. She and Mithrin were going to watch over what was left of their camp until Maya returned and then the three companions would set out again, hoping for the best.

When she finally found the pond, a small smile crept onto Maya's face. The thought of a bath, even if it was a cold once, seemed absolutely heavenly at the moment. Looking around her, she slowly undid the clasps of her tunic and slid out of it, her skin tingling as it came in contact with the cool morning air. When she'd removed her pants and her boots, she tossed her clothing to the side and walked towards the pond, dunking her toe in to check the temperature.

Maya gasped as she realized how cold the water really was, but she was determined to have this bath. Taking a deep breath she marched into the pond, trying not to yelp as the cold water caressed her abdomen and then her chest. She gradually submerged herself, delighting in how clean she felt already – it was true what they said; cleanliness was next to Godliness.

She swam out to the middle of the pond, watching the clouds roll by as she floated on her back. Maya slowly closed her eyes and pictured herself in Legolas' arms. In a perfect world, he was right there with her, holding her, kissing her, swimming with her in the cool, fresh waters of the pond. Sighing sadly, she wondered if she would ever see him again, if she would ever bring this baby into the world.

'You have to' she told herself, 'You have to survive this. You have to be strong for him, you have to fight for him.'

This helpless little life growing in her womb was relying on her to protect him and she couldn't fail him now. Not while she had strength left. She'd set out to do something and she was going to see it through; they were going to make it or she was going to die trying.

As Maya conversed with her inner self, she was unaware that two figures stood watching her from the edge of the pond with looks of amusement on their faces.

"Would you like these back?"

Maya's eyes snapped open as she heard the male voice and she quickly ducked her body under water, bringing her hands up to cover her breasts. She stared in complete horror as an elf with long, dark locks held up her clothing with the tip of his sword. The elf beside him looked almost identical; spread across his face was the same childish smirk.

"My, my, I do believe we've rendered her speechless," said the second elf.

Maya slowly sank down into the water, hoping to god that the water was murky enough to shield her body.

"Give them back!" she shouted, her cheeks flushing.

"What is a young woman doing alone in the wilderness?" asked the elf who held her clothing hostage. He began to swing her clothing on the tip of his blade, almost as if to tease her.

"Give me my clothes!" demanded Maya.

"Not until you tell us your name and what brings you into these parts."

"It's none of your business," she retorted, "Now give me my clothes!"

"Clothing for information," offered the second elf, "I think that's a fair trade. What do you think?"

At this point, Maya was absolutely livid, but being stark naked she was trapped in the water and she wasn't about to give them a show by charging out of the pond.

"How about you give me the clothes and I'll refrain from hanging you both up by the ears when I get out of here!" she said through gritted teeth.

The elf with the sword tsk tsked her. "Now that wasn't very nice," he said, mockingly, "You won't tell us who you are and we won't give you your clothing until you do. It appears we've reached a stalemate."

Before Maya could reply with another demand for her clothes, Mithrin jumped out of the bushes and began to growl, startling the two elves as he slowly advanced on them, ears back and teeth bared. The elves exchanged uncertain looks before beginning to back away, their eyes locked on the menacing creature.

While their attention was focused on the wolf, Éowyn made her way through the bushes as quietly as she could. Maya watched in amazement as her friend moved towards the second elf. By the time he became aware of her presence it was too late; she had the blade of her knife pressed up against his neck.

"You make one move and I will not hesitate to slit your throat," she said.

The elf wielding the sword looked on in disbelief as she pressed the knife into the flesh of his brother's throat.

"Drop the clothing," demanded Éowyn, "And your weapon."

The elf sighed and released his grip on the handle of his blade. He surrendered the clothing, putting his hands up above his head.

"I must say," he said, looking utterly perplexed that a woman had managed to pull one over on him, "I certainly wasn't expecting that one."

xxxXxxx

When Maya finally emerged from the pond, she threw her clothes on as fast she could and confiscated the sword of the elf who'd taken her garments hostage.

"It's my turn to ask the questions now," she said pointing the sword at him, "Who are you?"

The elf smirked; he knew that the young woman was inexperienced simply by the way she held the weapon.

"I will answer your questions if you call off your beast," he said, looking with uncertainty as Mithrin continued to snarl, "I do not like his proximity to my...um...well you know."

"Mithrin, it's okay, we've got it from here," she said, looking suspiciously at the elf.

Though he wasn't certain, Mithrin obeyed her and backed away, making sure to keep a close eye on the the intruders.

"You have my gratitude. Now to answer your question, I am Elladan and this is my brother Elrohir." said the elf, gesturing to his brother, "We hail from Rivendell."

"You're Lord Elrond's sons," whispered Maya, unable to conceal the awe in her voice.

Elladan furrowed his eyebrows, "I see our reputation proceeds us. But now as you seem to know who we are, I request that you return the favour by giving us your names."

"My name is Maya, and this is Éowyn and my wolf Mithrin," she said pointing to her companions, "We've come from Ithilien and we're trying to get to Thranduil's Kingdom."

"Thranduil's realm, you say?" mused Elrohir, "Well I hate to tell you this, but you seem to have missed the mark, Eryn Lasgalen is East of here."

"We didn't mean to come this way," Éowyn said wryly, "We got lost after we escaped the clutches of some hungry trolls."

Elladan raised his eyebrows and looked to his brother, who appeared to be just as intrigued. "You've piqued our interest. Do tell."

The twins listened intently as the two women recounted their tale from the very beginning. From the moment they set out on their journey to their unfortunate run-in with the three trolls and the subsequent escape into the woods. Elrohir got a real laugh out of the fact that they'd been forced to eat roasted squirrel for breakfast, earning him a glare from Maya.

"Where are we anyway? And why are you two out here?" she asked.

Elladan shot his brother an amused look before he gently grabbed the point of the sword that Maya still held to his chest, slowly lowering it.

"That is better," he said, "As to our current location, we are at the base of the Misty Mountains. On the other side of these peaks lies Rivendell."

Maya and Éowyn exchanged disbelieving glances as they realized just how far they'd drifted from their original route.

"Now, as it turns out," continued the elf, "We are also on our way to Thranduil's realm. You see, it is rumoured that his son Prince Legolas has returned after having gone missing for months. Most of Arda believed he'd perished and now we hear that he has come back from the dead."

"We wanted to confirm the rumours for ourselves," added Elrohir.

At the mention of her husband's name, Maya's heart raced. "You're going to see Legolas?"

The two brothers furrowed their eyebrows. "You know him?"

Maya bit her lip, "Yea, I'm his wife," she hesitated, "I'm pregnant and I wanted to tell him in person instead of sending him a letter."

Elrohir and Elladan gave her blank looks, remaining silent for what seemed like ages before erupting into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

"That's a good one! Legolas? Married?"

"There is not a chance that he's managed to marry, much less impregnate a female," managed Elrohir as he attempted to compose himself, "He could barely kiss an elleth last I saw him."

Maya frowned. "It's true! I am his wife!" she said, shooting a frustrated look over at Éowyn. The Shield Maiden simply rolled her eyes at the two elves. Men were idiots, no matter what race they belonged to.

"Right, and I'm one of the Valar," said the elf, smirking, "Really, that was a good one."

Maya groaned, putting her palm to her forehead. "Fine. Don't believe me," she said, "It's been real nice but we're going to pack up what's left of our camp so if you would be so kind as to point us in the right direction, we'll be on our way."

"I have a better idea," said Elrohir, "Why don't you travel with us? It makes no sense for us to separate now, especially since you've lost your provisions. We have plenty of food and some fresh clothing."

"We can protect you, and bathing certainly wouldn't be an issue. After all, we've already seen pretty well everything," Elladan teased, winking at Maya.

She felt herself blush scarlet, "You saw nothing!"

"You can keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better," replied the elf, grinning.

Maya bit her tongue. As much as she wanted to ring his neck, she and Éowyn needed to find a way to Eryn Lasgalen and the twins appeared to be their only chance. She glanced at the Shield Maiden who seemed to be struggling to make a decision regarding their new acquaintances as well.

Éowyn did not trust them, but the only other option was being left to die out in the wilderness. Realizing their choice had long been made for them, she nodded resignedly.

"We will travel with you, but if you make one false move, I will cut you," she said showing them her knife.

Elrohir smirked, "Alright then, it is settled."

xxxXxxx

A/N: Trolls! Elladan and Elrohir! I wonder what our two heroines will encounter next, especially since now they are travelling with the twins.

Would love to hear from all of you, so please review and share your thoughts with me. Did you love it? Hate it? Got some suggestions for the next chapter? I wanna hear it! :)

Also check out these other stories: Reflections: Beginnings and Reflections: Family by KD Skywalker and Wanderlust by Raider-K.

I'm absolutely hooked!