Answers to Reviews:

Auguruj: Well, a gal's got to have her fun every now and again XD And you'll be nice and give him back soon, right? I do have another chapter to post...and I can't do it without Thrandy...:( Ahahaha, you won't be finding out who it was in this chapter. You'll have to wait until I next post...but please try and stay clam. I need you for my reviews XD There probably was a name switch - i tend to make a fair few mistakes when I'm in the zone, and often can't be bothered to go back and check, especially when the piece of writing is now nearly 350,000 words long Xd And as for getting your hands on Dagalion...well, we'll see ;)

Christmas95: And this isn't even a chapter that's supposed to make you cry. Just wait until you get to the parts I've written specifically to make you guys feel as you've never felt before...whoo boy I'ma need a bunker when we get there XD Eyyyy my first shipper - nice to know I'm doing my job right, and that you guys are actually shipping her with someone other than Thranduil. means I've written Bainor as a believable character ^^ Nooooo leave poor Thrandy aloooooone :( Just you wait - I've got plans for you...muhahaha! Also, thanks for the blessing; may you write as fair and indly as you do in your reviews ^^

JadedBlueButterfly: Buhahaha, and this isn't even a chapter that's supposed to make you feel too hard! Oh lordy, as I said in the above review, just wait until you get to the chapters I'm writing at the moment. Even I cried whilst just thinking about writing them ;) Yeah it's a nasty dilemma, but diamonds are formed under pressure ^^ Both those relationships are progressing at a fair old rate, and though there was no kiss, let me tell you, things will be forging ahead even faster soon enough, though for whom I'm not going to say :P No, Fenna wouldn't even want to stay in Middle-earth if she didn't have those two, as they've become like family to her, although she doesn't quite consciously realise that at the mo. Yup, Damien's a douche-nozzle...but as you said, what's a story without a villan? Just another average story, no intrigue or anything like that...and that's why he has to be so horrible. Quiet fun to write, if you can believe it XD And never fear, the next chapter is here, and the cliffhanger is...well, it's still there haha.

inperfection: Mmm, it's a shame, but it has to be done for the sake of the story, else it'd be quite boring if everyone was all happy go lucky and holding hands. The cloaked figure is gonna be a mystery for a little bit longer...but it'll be worth it, I promise...and as for Damien's plan...again, you'll have to wait and see :)

BetaWolfSis: Jeez, none of you can deal with the previous chapter, it seems...which can only mean that the chapter I'm working on at the moment is going to break you completely...wonderful! Lol jk, it's not wonderful, because you'll all be wanting my head...but it'll be fun to watch it unfold XD Aww, thank you! It's nice to know that you like what I'm doing - I'll do my best to keep it up. And the bad guy in the darkness is...not going to be revealed in this chapter muhahaha!

GreenEyedSam: The wait is over! Enjoy ^^

Zzre: Thank you! Really means a lot to hear that! Also, I love Thrandy too XD

Me: *appears in a puff of black and blue smoke, absolutely furious and dragging Legolas with me* Oooh those two are so going to get it when I find them...leaving a dimension confusor in the path they knew I'd take *starts scouting around the forest we've appeared in* Hey! HEY! AUGURUJ! CHRISTMAS95! WHERE YOU AT YOU EVIL LITTLE CREATURES!?

Legolas: *trying not to puke* Oh Eru my head...what did you do...

Me: Dimension hopped...looks like we're on my Earth, in the middle of a forest...uuugh, I can't be bothered with this right now...need to go start packing for the holiday...but poor Thrandy's all alone, at their mercy...uuuuuughhhhh whyyyyyyy?

Legolas: Wait...what? My father...he's here?

Me: *looking around, trying to find the inevitable drag marks/hear the screams of pleading in Elvish* Yeah he got kidnapped by some of my reviewers who some how managed to get into my A/N-verse without me noticing...they even snatched him from my loving embra-ahh, I mean, they managed to take him from my side without waking me! Cheeky buggers-AHA!

Legolas: *flinches* No please, no more dimension hops or whatever the Valar that was.

Me: Oh hush it, goldilocks, I'm just happy because I've managed to find some tracks that I can follow...lez go! *poofs into horse form, throws Legolas on to my back, and canters off after the tracks*

Legolas:...Please...make it stop...

36: Warnings

"C'mon sweetie, lift up that hoof for me…there's a good boy," I murmured, coaxing Aeolus to raise his injured hoof for me to inspect. I didn't know how it had happened – perhaps he had been frolicking a bit too much near the pebbled edges of the river, or perhaps it had become wedged there after one of our frequent rides – but somehow a stone had become stuck in his hoof, causing a nasty scratch to appear before I discovered it and removed it yesterday.

I winced as I accidentally gripped a bit too hard with my right hand, the one that had been burnt by my moonstone when…No, don't think upon that, I chided myself as, carefully holding Aeolus's hoof between my legs, I began to apply the ointment that Amalthea had procured for me yesterday over the scratch, which luckily wasn't too deep. Concentrate upon making sure your horse is alright, not upon what you almost did two days ag-

"Fenna," a voice, cold and sharp in the sweltering summer air, interrupted my musings. Glancing up to its source, my eyes widened. Thranduil was striding in my direction, emotions completely hidden behind a mask of haughty impassiveness. But that wasn't what gave me pause. No, that privilege was reserved for the pale green armour sat atop the moonlight hued clothes that Thranduil wore. A silvery brown cape trailed from the leaf shaped pauldrons covering his shoulders, and a crown of dark wood that twisted up to somewhat resemble antlers had replaced his summer one.

"…What's wrong, Thranduil?" I questioned as I carefully place Aeolus's hoof back upon the ground, frowning as, with a wave of his hand and a swift murmur of "Go," Thranduil commanded the eight guards who were following him – all fully covered in light armour and sporting bows and swords and daggers – to depart from his side to go and find their horses, or so it seemed. Everyone else who was in the horse field with me stopped what they were doing, curiosity upon their ageless features as their King called out for his elk.

"Thranduil?" I questioned again, now more than a little concerned.

"I have just been informed that Damien and a small company of Orcs are waiting just outside of my Southern border, demanding an audience with both you and I," he said, and though nothing was betrayed by his impassive tone of voice, his age filled eyes as they glanced down at me flickered with faint apprehension. My blood ran cold at the Elvenking's words.

"Did…did he say what he wanted?" I asked, voice trembling slightly as I leant against Aeolus for comfort. The stallion whickered softly, sensing my distress. Thranduil shook his head, pale hair swaying.

"No, only that he will not leave until he has spoken with the both of us," was the answer he gave me as Rîrandír trotted to his side, antlered head held high and eyes alert.

"…So you and I are going to have to go out and speak with him?"

"Yes," Thranduil answered shortly as he, after petting his steed's nose and murmuring a few soft Sindarin words to him, stepped to Rîrandír's side and sprang lightly up on to the great elk's back, sweeping his cape to one side and looking every inch the intimidating and powerful being he was. I closed my eyes, sighing shakily as I smoothed my hand over Aeolus's muscled neck. This is just what I need, I thought to myself. Barely two days after my will to protect this world nearly crumbled, and Damien's coming along wanting to speak with me and, no doubt, besmirch my name further amongst Thranduil's folk. Just perfect…and I can't even ride Aeolus for some comfort!

"You do not have to come if you do not wish to," Thranduil said quietly, drawing me from my thoughts. "I will tell that impudent fool of a human that you do not wish to associate yourself with someone such as he."

"…No, it's best if I come along so that I can defend myself in person should he try and turn more of your folk against me," I sighed after a moment, shaking my head, before remembering that there was a slight problem with that.

"Ahh, I can't be riding you for a few days, can I boy?" I murmured, stroking the storm coloured stallion as he turned to look at me. "And no-one's going to lend me their steed for the time it'll take to get to the borders and back…"

"What is wrong with Aeolus?" Thranduil questioned, sending a sharp, silencing glare towards one of the guards as she enquiringly called to him – all of them were ready to leave.

"He hurt his hoof on a stone yesterday, and I don't want to prevent the wound from healing by riding him or making him use it more than absolutely necessary." Thranduil frowned slightly, glancing around at the other horses scattered about the field before most likely coming to the same conclusion that I had about no-one wanting to lend me their steed. Nudging Rîrandír around to my other side, he paused, seeming to consider something.

"In that case, you will ride with me," the Elvenking said after a moment's hesitation.

"O…k, but I…uhh," I stuttered, taken aback as he then leant down and offered me a ringed hand. Thranduil tilted his crowned head to once side, all current worries seemingly forgotten as he raised an eyebrow at me, querying "Do you not wish to?" as I continued to stare at the proffered hand.

"It's not that, it's…ahh, never mind," I huffed, more to myself than to anyone else, before slowly reaching out and placing my hand in Thranduil's larger one. Giving me a faint smile, my friend then lifted me up and on to Rîrandír's back with barely any effort, and with me not really even needing to jump to help.

It was only as I settled on to the muscled back of the elk that I realised exactly how close I was to Thranduil, and exactly what riding behind him would entail. A warmth crept up to my cheeks as I stared at the pointed tips of Thranduil's ears. Since when did Thranduil not mind me being this close!? my thoughts questioned in a scrambled manner as I was momentarily distracted from my imminent second meeting with Damien. Yes, I had ridden like this before with the opposite gender, both in my world and here in Middle-earth, but those times I hadn't been riding behind a king whose trust had been hard earned and kept, and who was most definitely…well, usually, not the type for letting anyone get so far within his personal space, let alone being the one to actually put them there.

"Aeolus, you be a good boy and don't go frolicking about on that bad hoof of yours whilst I'm gone, ok?" I said to the stallion as he stretched out his neck to me, more to distract myself from where I was currently sat than anything else.

Aeolus snorted at me, seeming to roll his eyes and say, I'm not that silly, as he nudged my palm before hobbling backwards.

Seeing that I was now ready, Thranduil called out, "Let us go," in a commanding tone, urging his elk forwards with a light pat to his neck. I shifted slightly behind him, trying to hide my undoubtedly red cheeks behind my hair as we broke into a trot and passed into the exit tunnel, leaving behind the curious stares of Elves and horses alike.

The clatter of hooves became dull thumps as our company exited out into the warm morning air and headed out into the forest, towards one of the only-there-if-you-knew-how-to-find-it paths that lead through Thranduil's realm. I forced myself to focus on my surroundings rather than what was waiting at the end of that path, on the sunlight that flickered through the thick green leaves, on the late falling blossom that decorated the air like never melting snow. The shadows, though, always lingered at the edges of my vision, lurking beneath the leaves and the falling blossom, waiting for me to make a mistake-

My right hand throbbed painfully, jerking me away from such thoughts before they could drag me down too far again. I sighed softly as I swayed with the motion of Rîrandír, wondering just how much longer I would have to endure all of this before I could go home, or simply have a break from it all. I was just getting so tired of being an enemy to all but a few, so tired of being hunted by one of the evilest creatures in existence-

"Fenna?" Thranduil interrupted, glancing over his armoured shoulder at me. At my questioning look, he continued, the smallest hint of a smile in his voice as he said, "I suggest that you hold on."

"Wha-AIEEE!" I yelped as, with no more warning than that, Thranduil urged Rîrandír into a canter and then swiftly up into a flat out gallop along the barely there path. A second later my arms instinctively wrapped around the Elvenking's waist, my head ducking down against his armoured back as he bent low over the elk's neck. Damn him! Damn him and his bright blue eyes to hell!

We raced on at what seemed to be the speed of light, the trees blurring into one solid mass of summer drenched brown and green when I turned my head slightly to look…but, surely that couldn't be right? Yes, everything did blur when one was at a gallop, but not as much as it was doing now, nowhere near as much. It almost seemed as though our company of nine were merely statues standing still as the tide of time rushed past faster than I could blink, the trees twisting and turning our of our way without Rîrandír actually moving from the straight path that he was on.

What the fudge balls is going on! I screeched in my mind as, feeling slightly queasy from what was going on around me, I turned and once more pressed my face against the pale armour in front of me. I knew Rîrandír was fast, but not this fast!

After barely even five minutes our mad dash through the forest began to slow, first to a proper, non-light-speed gallop, then to a loping canter, a gentle trot and finally to a slow, stately walk.

"Are you alright?" was the question posed to me by the Elf I was clinging tightly to, this time more than a hint of a smile in his voice. I took a few deep breaths, calming my racing heart, before slowly leaning back and un-squashing my nose.

"I would have been better if you'd given me a little more warning before sending Rîrandír into top gear," I growled in annoyance. I would have continued my rant, had I not been stopped in my tracks by my surroundings. The shadows that had been nothing more than tiny flickers of darkness beneath the leaves and petals at the heart of Thranduil's realm had grown, now snaking around the trees like sickly vines and lurking in the jut of the roots that thrust up from the ground. There was still some light left, still slivers of sunlight that dappled over the pale grass and faintly brown leaves, but when I turned to look ahead even that began to fade into shadow. The only place the trees looked like this – a twisted cross between the shadows of the rest of Mirkwood and the vibrant life of that which was protected by Thranduil's magic was…

"N…no way we're already this close to the border," I breathed, eyes snapping to and fro over the sickening forest. It hadn't even been ten minutes, and yet here we were, so close to the true border of Thranduil's realm that I could smell the sickly sweetness of it from here.

"We are," Thranduil replied as Rîrandír continued on at a stately walk, antlers barely passing cleanly between some of the trees lining out path.

"But how? I mean, it usually takes a couple of hours just to get here…?"

"Everything within my realm, each tree and flower and blade of grass, is saturated with my magic," the Elvenking explained, "and because of that I am able to bend any path within it to my will, so that those who are not welcome will walk an endless maze between the trees, or a journey that should take hours will take mere minutes."

"..You can do that?" I questioned in disbelief. I had known, from the occasional times I had thought to ask him about it, that Thranduil's magic, or "force of spirit" as he sometimes called it, was more powerful than I could guess at, though not as potent as that of Lady Galadriel even without Nenya. He could keep anyone in or out of his home by sheer force of will, could keep a whole garden alive on it and, as I now knew, could shift almost the entire forest around us so that we could get anywhere he wished to within the span of a few minutes.

"Yes, I can," my friend replied with a quiet chuckle, before growing serious as he brought Rîrandír to a sudden halt that almost smashed my nose into his armour covered back. Oh, I thought, my cheeks staining red once more and thoughts turning from darker things as I remembered I still had a pretty tight hold around Thranduil's waist. He, though, didn't seem to mind. That, or he didn't notice as he turned to the Elven guard who had silently appeared in the trees to our left, eyes hard.

"Melethron," he greeted as the ellon inclined his head to him, his clothes making him almost indistinguishable from the shadowed trees he crouched in. "Are they still waiting at the border?"

"They are, my King, and another ten have joined and bolstered their numbers to twenty."

"And the human is still at their head."

"Yes."

"Good…Fenna?" Thranduil said after a silent moment spent with his head tilted to one side in a considering manner. I blinked a few times, having been trying to dampen the heat from my cheeks.

"Yes?"

"Which hand does Damien favour when fighting?" he asked.

"Uhh…He can fight using both hands…but I think he favours his left over his right…why?" I replied with a frown, wondering why on earth Thranduil wanted that completely random seeming piece of information. The Elvenking said nothing to answer my question, instead turning back to Melethron.

"Melethron, I would like you to keep an arrow trained upon the left hand of the human when we reach the border. When I give the command, shoot, and make it as bad a wound as possible," he commanded, and with another nod the Elf disappeared back into the trees without a sound that I could hear.

"Thranduil, that won't work. Damien has a barrier of magic around him preventing things such as arrows from getting through, remember?" I commented in confusion.

"Perhaps…" was all the answer I received as Thranduil once more urged Rîrandír forwards. Does he not remember the results of trying to shoot at Damien? I thought, frowning up at crowned head of the Elf I rode behind. I don't particularly want to see anyone accidentally shoot one of their comrades again…I don't want to see any more death.

Though our pace was calm and controlled now as we came nearer to the border and to Damien, the dread that began to grow inside me with every step was anything but, and I found myself once more drawing closer to Thranduil.

What does he want this time, I wonder? I mused, leaning forwards and resting my head against the pale armour in front of me. And why does he need to speak with both Thranduil and I? Does he not understand that, because he works for Sauron, no-one will have anything to do with him or give him what he wants? I closed my eyes, ruffling the strands of silvery-gold hair that draped down Thranduil's back with a sigh. …He will still do everything in his power to get it, though…even if he has to risk the wrath of the King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood to do so…oh I wish I could simply go back to Thranduil's halls and play my violin, or ride Aeolus, or speak with Thranduil or Bainor or Legolas or Amalthea and forget about all of this…about the very real risk of me being harmed, or of the small chance that Thranduil will simply hand me over and be done with me…

As if hearing my despairing thoughts, Thranduil murmured, "They will not take you or harm you, Fenna, whilst you are under my protection," in his lilting voice, no doubt in it whatsoever.

But what will you do if Sauron himself comes after me? I questioned, before shaking my head. No, I cannot think about that. I took a deep breath, the faint scent of pine needles and crisp mountain air whose origins I couldn't place steadying my dark thoughts somewhat, before slowly sitting back and loosening my hold somewhat around Thranduil's waist. I could show no weakness to Damien lest he fix upon it like a fly to a rotting carcass.

As we continued on our way, drawing ever closer to the border, I began to get the strangest sensation running through me, or more specifically through my head. It was faint, at first, like a feather brushing against the back of my mind, but with every step we took it grew closer, though not by much. I twitched slightly as it felt like it attempted to dig in, wondering what on earth it could be. Thranduil, sensing my discomfort, turned slightly and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"…It feels as though something is trying to get into my head, though as I've never had any experience with that before I can't say for sure that it is that," I frowned.

"Does it feel as though there is something other than your own thoughts occupying your mind?"

"Sort of, though rather than being inside my mind it feels like its outside and trying to make its way in…like a fly trying to get through a closed window," I replied, my frown growing as whatever it was continued to attempt to get into my head. As I had said, I had no experience of these things, what with being almost completely immune to magic both physical and mental, so I had no way of knowing if what I was feeling was just in my head, or was actually happening. Thranduil, though, soon solved that mystery for me.

"…It seems that, for now, not even dark thoughts can penetrate through your immunity, even if they can, to an extent, bypass my barriers," he murmured, and I shuddered slightly, not liking the thought of what lay on the other side of said immunity.

It was a few minutes before we arrived at the true border of Thranduil's realm, but it was easy to see the moment we did. The division between those trees protected by Thranduil's magic and those that weren't was clear – not as clear as it had been when I had first arrived here, but still unmistakably present – and even the air, I knew, felt and tasted different even if you only took a few steps from one place to another. If that wasn't enough, though, then the company of twenty Orcs standing in the twisted shadows of the sickening Mirkwood trees, covered in black, spikey armour and headed by a human with messy blond hair was a definite giveaway.

My stomach clenched in an unpleasant way as I beheld Damien for the first time since that ambush, noting how much confidence he seemed to have gained in that expanse of time, at how a hand rested on the sword at his hip as if he were already preparing for a fight. As he turned from the already numerous Elves scattered along the border and looked to the Elvenking, his pale eyes widened perceptibly in a way that reminded me of how I had been when first meeting this enigmatic being I was sat behind. The Orcs quailed under Thranduil's undoubtedly sub-zero gaze, hiding their faces from he whose kind they had been made in twisted likeness to.

Halting Rîrandír under the frames of two tall trees and waiting for the eight guards to fan out around and behind him, Thranduil eyed Damien for a moment before speaking, wasting no time in getting straight to the point as he questioned, "What do you want, mortal?" the river of his voice oozing power and majesty.

Damien, who seemed slightly awe struck, took a few moments to reply, and when he did there was the tiniest tremble in his voice.

"To…ah, to speak with you and with Fenna about the fate of your kingdom," he replied, trying to collect his thoughts. Thranduil sat silently before me, and I could easily guess that there would be no expression upon his pale features, and if there was then it would be one that was cold and unforgiving.

When it was clear that he would be getting no answer, Damien shifted uncomfortably, not used to being on the back foot. "For some time now, the forces under the command of myself and my master have been harrying your borders and the guards who so valiantly protect them," he continued after a moment. "Now, normally, we would have avoided this, as we know that you are not someone to be trifled with lightly…but I am afraid that you have something of ours in your keeping, something, or rather someone, that I…that we would very much like to have back."

Damien's eyes flickered to me as I peered around Thranduil's shoulder, my eyes narrowed with distaste and right hand clutching at my moonstone despite how much discomfort it brought to me. The thoughts that weren't my own continued to try and penetrate through the seeming barrier around my mind, but thankfully didn't seem to be having any success. Lord knows what would happen to all of us if they did.

"And who would that be? I certainly doubt it would be she who rides behind me, as she holds nothing but hatred for you," was Thranduil's faintly strained reply, again seeming to set Damien back slightly.

"Ahh, but that's just the thing…she is pretending to dislike me so that she can continue to stay in your favour, can continue to stay away from where she ran from. I can assure you that she and I are quite amicable with each other – I even helped her persuade our master to let her be when she wished to get out of Dol Guldur for a while…but now the time has come for her to come back to where she truly belongs, at my master's side," Damien answered, and at his words several pairs of Elvish eyes swivelled to fix upon me where I sat behind their King. I could almost feel the distrust and accusation in them, and shrank closer to Thranduil, though I kept my eyes fixed upon Damien and was able to hiss out, "Don't lie, you son of a bitch. You and I both know that I belong as far away from his side as possible," in Westron.

Damien laughed softly, eyes dark with malicious intent that I knew only I could see. "Oh come now Fenna, there is no need to keep up pretences any longer, though you have done well to do so for so long and in such perceptive company. I am sure our master will be pleased to know all that you have learnt in the time you have spent with the Elves, and am sure he will forgive you for not returning to him sooner," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Go to hell, power hungry bastard, and drag that filthy master of yours down with you whilst you're at it," I snarled, somehow slipping into true English in my anger. And of course, this was just what Damien had been waiting for, for no-one but the two of us could understand the words I had just said.

"Of course our master will understand, dear Fenna. He helped you and Aeolus to get to where you were found, did he not?" I made an incomprehensible sound of anger and clenched my fists against Thranduil's sides, knowing that whatever I said would just be twisted against me and hating how helpless to defend myself that made me. Smiling faintly, Damien then turned back to Thranduil, who hadn't moved so much as an inch during this confrontation of ours.

"And now we come to why I wished to speak with you, King Thranduil," he began, the faint emphasis upon Thranduil's hard kept title causing the Elf to stiffen slightly. "As you now know, and may have known for some time, Fenna is loyal to no-one but herself and our master, who resides within Dol Guldur. She has brought no good to you since she arrived within your halls, and I am sure that she will continue to do ill should you keep her within your kingdom, which is why I ask you to allow her to return to where she belongs. If you do so, I can promise you that you and your kingdom will be left in the peace you had before she arrived within your borders."

"You would promise me peace…?" Thranduil questioned, and for a moment, just a moment, my thoughts flashed with fear. He wouldn't hand me over would he? He believed me when I said that I wanted nothing to do with Damien ever again unless it was to capture him, right?

"Of course. You would be left alone," Damien replied eagerly, seeming to believe that Thranduil was considering his offer. A silence then enveloped our little gathering, one that was as full of tension as a fully drawn bowstring for me, and one that was broken after a minute by Thranduil. He laughed softly, a sound that held nothing but the chill of deepest winter.

"You are more foolish than I was led to understand, boy," he murmured softly, and I wasn't alone in shivering at the tone of his voice, though the strained edge from earlier seemed to have grown. "Why would I believe you, a mere pawn in a game you are attempting to disrupt for your own ends, over someone I have known for nearly three years and come to think of as a friend?"

The faintly smug smile that had appeared on Damien's lips before these words had been spoken disappeared, replaced by a narrow eyed frown even as I breathed a sigh of relief at Thranduil's words.

The Elvenking shook his crowned head and said, "No, I will not cast Fenna from my kingdom and into the dark embrace that would await her, not unless she wishes to leave. And as she has not yet expressed that desire, or the desire to voluntarily be anywhere near you, you will have to continue to pit yourself and your 'forces' against my border guards if you wish to take her." This time, for me at least, there was no mistaking the strain in his voice, but now there was also a faint note of triumph as well. Thranduil then lifted his chin slightly. "And what sort of ruler would I be if I allowed Fenna simply to walk free from my realm with all that she now knows of it? I would rather take her life than do so."

…He'd do it without really flinching, as well…I'm so glad that I'm not secretly on Damien's side.

"So that is your answer then? You will not allow me to return with Fenna to Dol Guldur?" Damien questioned, and had it not been for that uncomfortable sensation that something was trying very hard to worm its way into my mind, I would have found the incredulity in his voice almost funny.

"It is," Thranduil replied, remaining where he was even as Damien's expression grew cold and dark, and the Orcs around him hissed in their foul language. The heavy, tense feeling in the air grew as Damien took a few steps forwards until he was within a pace of us, and I could have sworn I heard the faintest creak of string as a bow was drawn somewhere above us.

"Then I'm afraid we'll just have to take what we want by force," he said, his voice low with suppressed anger…but not as much as I would have expected there to be.

As he spoke those words, the air around Thranduil seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature, and I could almost feel the frigid glare he was giving the man I had once considered a friend.

"Melethron," Thranduil called. There was a faint movement in the branches to our left, only perceptible to those who were not our enemies, but nothing more. Thranduil paused, seeming to consider Damien as he stood there, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the Elvenking. I sensed Thranduil smile slightly, a cold, uncaring thing, before he spoke again. "Lethio i pilin."

I, just about to yet again question why Thranduil was doing this when he knew there was a barrier surrounding Damien and protecting him, was cut off as an ear piercing scream rent the air. Leaning as far around Thranduil's armoured side as I could without falling off his elk, I stared in shock at the scene before me.

Damien, who had just seconds before been standing haughtily tall as he tried to bargain with one of the most powerful creatures that had physical form in Middle-earth, was staggering backwards, clutching at his once whole left hand. Now, though, blood was oozing from between his grasping fingers, along with the black shaft, fletching and wickedly sharp tip of an arrow.

What the….what the hell just happened? How did Melethron's arrow get through that magical barrier of his? My thoughts span wildly as Damien's cries of pain trickled off into tearful curses, and as Thranduil spoke in a now almost noticeably weary voice.

"Threaten my kingdom or my guests again, whelp, and next time it will be your head and not your hand that is pierced by an arrow of Mirkwood," he said before, without further ado, turning Rîrandír and asking the great elk forwards. I swivelled my head, still not believing what my eyes were telling me despite the blood dripping to the ground and cries of surprise and anger from the Orcs.

"You'll regret this, you bastard!" Damien yelled after us as the rest of Thranduil's guards filed in behind us, his voice trembling with pain. "All of you will!"

"Perhaps…" Thranduil called back, not sparing Damien another glance as he raised his hand into the air. Next moment, the soft whisper of arrows in flight sounded, swiftly followed by gargling cries as death stooped on sudden wings to snatch whatever form of soul inhabited the bodies of the Orcs surrounding Damien. "But not for a while."

"What the hell happened back there?" I questioned after a few minutes, sighing quietly to myself as, at last, the feeling of something probing at my mind disappeared as we decreased our proximity to the border. Thranduil was silent for a few minutes, head bowed and shoulders slightly slumped in a tired manner. I frowned, concern lacing my voice as I murmured, "Thranduil…?

"I was able to remove a portion of the magical barrier surrounding Damien for a small window of time," he answered slowly, and I was startled to find that the weariness of his posture was really leaching into his voice now, something that rarely happened unless the Elvenking was almost completely overcome with emotions or fatigue that his well perfected masks couldn't hide completely.

"With your own magic? Why did you not remove the barrier around his head so we could…could kill him and be rid of him?" Thranduil sighed softly, making an effort to straighten himself in his seat.

"Because the barrier over essential parts of his body is too strong for me to contend with," he admitted, and I felt my lips form into an 'o' of understanding tinged with surprise. "As it is…"

"As it is, doing what you just did drained a lot of your strength, huh?" I asked softly, and a slow dip of Thranduil's crowned head confirmed this for me. I shuddered slightly. Heck, I thought Thranduil, Galadriel and the like were powerful, and perhaps, if it had been Galadriel contesting with that barrier of Saurons' she would have been able to destroy it completely…but I think even she would have a hard time doing so….oh, I do so hope I can keep things on track! I thought quietly, resting a cheek against Thranduil's armoured back and closing my eyes. Else my world could, if Sauron finds a way to get between the two, be experiencing something that no amount of nukes, guns or people can defeat.

Next Time...

37: TBA Next Time (muhahaha)

I hummed out the start of a new piece of music I'd been trying to write for a good couple of days, wondering when it would finally let me take note of it, making sure that my violin case was tucked next to my dresser, and that my violin was sat on its stand, ready for me to pick up as soon as the notes became more than just part of my thoughts. As I did so a cramp twisted my stomach this way and that before calming down slightly. Grimacing – my monthly visitor had been slightly late this month, so my cramps were lasting longer than usual – I flopped down on to my bed and reached for the little bottle sat on my dresser next to my music book.

It was a wonderful mixture that the healers had given me, soothing away my aches and pains within about five minutes and leaving me with no side effects whatsoever, much to my delight. It was almost like pain killers from my world, apart from the fact that it actually tasted nice and didn't make me gag halfway through trying to swallow it. It didn't, however, remove all the pain, and like that time Thranduil had had to come and sit with me it would sometimes be completely ineffective.

Shaking the bottle, I huffed slightly at the pretty-much-empty sound it made, knowing that I'd have to go and get some more tomorrow. It wasn't that the healers weren't nice to me, though some of them did seem to go out of their way to avoid me, and most spent as little time talking to me as possible; rather, it was the fact that I would actually have to get up and move rather than just lying in bed clutching my stomach.

Translations:

Lethio i pilin = Let arrows fly (rough)

A/N: Not telling you the name of the next chapter as it will give too much away. You won't have to wait long for it, as I'll put the next chapter up next week before I go away for 2 weeks ^^

Me: *still in horse form* How the hell did they manage to drag him all the way out here? He's an Elf for crying out loud...did they drug him or something? God damn it WHERE ARE YOU THRANDY!?

Legolas: *little bit less likely to puke now* If...they've kidnapped him, won't they have gagged him- *is interrupted by a terrified cry of 'SAVE ME' from a little way ahead*

Me: THRANDY I'M COMING! YOU MINXES BETTER BE READY FOR A WHOLE WORLD OF PROVERBIAL HURT! *launches forwards to where Thranduil's voice came from, Legolas clinging on for dear life*

Legolas: Do you really think they'll be there after your-*stops short as we skid to a stop, staring at the clearing we've entered*

Me:...Wat. Teh. Fook?

Legolas:...You're actually making more sense than what I'm seeing. *blinks, trying to clear his vision, but nothing changes* Really...how? How!?

Christmas95 and Auguruj: Welcome, friends. You've arrived just in time :)