Elthian and Thranduil stood just inside the tent and watched the Queen pacing back and forth. Sure she was angry but this behavior was very out of the ordinary. Her breathing was fast and when Thranduil tried to speak she snarled and turned her head quickly her eyes honed in on him like she was a predator and he was the prey. Her pupils so wide there was very little purple left to her eyes.

He straightened up and blinked. Elthian looked as if he were a deer that had been spotted by a hunter and had frozen unsure of where the danger truly was. She turned slowly to fully face them. Her gaze shifting from Thranduil now to Elthian. Her eyes drifted down then back up only to shift back to Thranduil.

The King had an idea of what was happening. This was not Juniper not entirely. She closed the distance between them quickly and with a mighty leap she was on his chest . Her feet against his abdomen and her hands around his neck before he could react she had pushed with her legs and arched back. Her wings flap and he found himself being pulled forward and flipped to the ground . She landing on top of him.

She was unusually strong and quickly had his hands pinned beside his head. His eyes widened and in the moments he thought to fight back her lips were in his, kissing him harshly.

Elthian rushed to pull her off of the King . She broke the kiss and as he lowered down to pull her away her hand snatched the collar of his tunic and pulled him down with force. Her lips upon his just as viciously as she had kissed Thranduil.

"Elthian don't fight her." Thranduil shook his head and lay prone on the floor. Elthian shifted an eye to look at Thranduil who seemed to understand what was happening. His struggles eased and she pushed him back then pushed him to the floor.

"Stay." She growled at him and he did not move . Her attention back on Thranduil. Her hands clawed at his tunic ripping the fine silk open and leaving it in shreds. She pushed it to the sides and looked down over his chest. She could see the faint scars over his left side that were hidden from most eyes but not hers. Soft finger tips traced along them down to his hips as she pushed herself back against his thighs.

Her finger worked the laces of his leggings loose. He obliged and lifted his hips as she tugged them down and freed his flesh from the confines of soft buckskin. If Thranduil was to be honest with himself he was finding this rather arousing. Submitting to the desires of Queen other than his own.

Slowly she crawled over him . Her tongue slides up over his stomach slowly. Tasting his flesh and almost purring when moved to stare down into his eyes. "I can see why she enjoys you but does she even know what to do with you?"

Thranduil's eyes narrowed a bit at that question but before he could respond she hand turned her attention to Elthian and pressed her fingers over the kings lips to keep him quiet.

Elthian lay silent on his side and lift a beast she crawled from Thranduil over to him. Planning on giving him the same treatment. Pushing him to his back Thranduil was working his boots off gently and watching her with Elthian. Elthian began to sit up and her hands push to his shoulders and with more strength than he realized the fae could possess she forced him back hard. He winced from the pain in his shoulder . His arm still in a sling.

"Do not think you can over power me. You are injured and you are a weaker male than he is." She shoved her chin towards Thranduil.

"Weaker? How dare.." He began to choke as her hand pressed his his throat.

"Elthian do not fight. That is not Juniper. She will hurt you." Thranduil said as calmly as he could.

Elthian looked her in the eye. Black eyes ringed in purple. She grinned and removed her hand from his throat then started to rip into his clothing but he stopped her. "Please I will disrobe if you will allow me." She canted her head a bit then nodded. Her body sliding off of his. Thranduil had completely removed his boots and leggings by now the remains of his tunic lay under him.

Her attention back on Thranduil Her body pressing against his . Her lips taking his once more. He could feel her sliding back further and the heat of her sex pressing against him . His arms encircle her and much to the Fairy Queens surprise he flipped her onto her back and loomed over her. "Please allow me to pleasure you my Queen." One hand held him up the other caressed over her hip and down to her thigh.

This seemed to be accepted as she smiled and pressed both of her hands to his cheeks and lifted to kiss him.

Minol grinned. He felt Rowena's presence and also her arousal. It was so strong He noticed many in the camp drifting off in pairs. Being affected by the fae's lust. He glanced up to the sky and it was not even a full moon. Celeborn had left him some time ago. Probably to seek his own form of comfort. Leaving Minol to his own devices for the time being.

He found Feren watching one of the healers from the darkness. She struggling to tend the wounded despite herself. "A coin for your thoughts Feren?" He turned to look on Minol and sighed and turned his attention back on the elleth. "You are all being affected by the Queens lust tonight. Some more than others. I promise she does not mean to do this. It just happens from time to time." He stepped closer and stood beside Feren who watched Radelia."

"What do you want Minol?" He asked in a drone.

Minol observed the lovely Elleth. She wore a green dress. Her long auburn hair tied back into a braid. Her pale flesh seemed to glow in the light of the lamps. "I am on the prowl. You see I am affected as well. My my she is lovely perhaps I shall go ease her discomfort." He took a step and Feren grabbed his arm in a tight almost painful grip.

"You will not." Feren said lowly.

Minol looked at the hand on his arm then up to the eyes of ellon who's hand it belonged to. "Why not? It appears all the other ellyth are taken and most of the desirable males left have paired off. Leaving you and she. " He grinned coolly. "Oh! I see. You desire me. Well why didn't you just say something Feren."

Feren released his arm in disgust and walked towards Radelia. Minol just watched with a smile as Feren approached her and spoke a few words. Then she slipped her hand into his and she lead him away. "You can thank me later Feren." Minol said in a sing song tone as he spun about and right into Celeborn's chest.

Minol stepped back and sighed. "I am loosing my touch. I didn't even feel your presence."

Celeborn just shook his head. "I suppose there are worse games you could be playing." He looked Minol in the eye.

"Are you not affected by all the love in the air?" Minol asked.

"I am, that being said I am very much in love with my Queen. Petty dalliances' are something I have not engaged in since she consented to be my wife. Though I do not fault any who do those things. Especially when faced with a bloody war." He paused and motioned with his head for Minol to follow as he turned. "Are you not so affected?"

The demon walked beside Celeborn and chuckled. "I am, though there are only 2 beings in all of Arda that would satisfy me. One I promised the King I would never touch and the other is back in Greenwood. So everyone is safe from my advances."

They strolled through the camp in silence then. A bit of a smile on Celeborn's lips.

Juniper lay snuggled between The King and her consort. She was soundly asleep with Thranduil holding her against his chest. Elthian looked over from the corner of his eye. watching Thranduil lovingly pet her long silver hair.

"I feel rather used." He said softly and Thranduil just grinned without looking to him.

"I suppose I could feel that way too," He shurgged. "I choose not to."

Elthian turned to his side and rested his head against the heel of his hand. A concerned look in his eyes as he looked on his Queen. "What caused that to happen? Rowena has never come out like that or done anything remotely sexual."

Thranduil was silent for several moments before his eyes cut to look into Elthians. "Juniper had a point. She had every right to be angry. She has been saying Minol is not her enemy ever since her memories returned. Yet we treat him as if he is. That is because, to us he is the enemy but for entirely different reasons. She had to have been excessively angry and just like when she feels threatened Rowena slipped in and with Rowena apparently its fight or..." He grinned knowing Elthian would know what he meant without using such a crude word.

"Elthian she is not an elf nor human. She is more feral. We have somewhat tamed Juniper down I suppose but Rowena is truly what she is. You need to keep all this in mind when you are her caretaker in the upcoming months. I have learned many lessons where Juniper is concerned. I have made mistakes. I never expected that she would end up as my wife or Queen when Hannibal brought her to me. There is still so much you and I don't know. What I do know is we both need to listen to her and take her serious far more than we do or we will end up dealing with Rowena far more than we would like."

The suns light was just peeking up on the horizon. The camp was already bustling. Meals being eaten. Tents being struck. The army was moving on that day. Celeborn was over seeing the injured. Many were already able to ride but there were those that would be transported by wagon and tended on the road.

Juniper and Ryu shared a warm blanket and huddled at a fire. Ryu's slender arms wrapped around Juniper. She felt something was a bit off about her sister but said nothing. The previous day had been off to begin with. Finnola walked up with four of the first orc with her. One Juniper knew to be Narl. She smiled and squirmed out of Ryu's arms and ran to Narl. Her body hitting his as her arms wraped around him as far as she could get them.

His three companions and Finnola looked rather surprised. He felt a bit of heat rise in his cheeks though he could not blush. "My Queen?" He said as he lowered down to look her in the eyes. "Is something wrong?"

She was shaking her head. A wide smile on her lips. "I am happy to see you again." Her small warm hands pressed to his cheeks, making him gasp softly. "Why are you here my friend Narl?" He reached up and captured her tiny hands into his large coarse grip and held them gently down between them. "We are part of your guard now."

Her eyes pulled away from his gaze and she looked to the other three. He released her small hands and she stepped up to the larger of the 3 . Her head tilting up to look at him He too lowered down to a crouch. "I am Hock."

She reached out and cupped his cheeks in her small hands too. Her eyes locked on his. He felt , calm and peaceful locked in her gaze. She learned much about him in those moments. "You and the two twins came looking for us. You helped the elven trackers. Hock brother to Narl. Thank You." Her arms wrapped around his back and she hugged him as well. His shocked eyes looked up to his Brother who grinned at him. She stepped back and looked to the two younger orcs.

She stepped closer to them and they both lowered down . She hugged the first one and smiled. "Thank you Krugge." He blinked because she was right and when she stepped back and looked at him his lips trembled. "You're welcome my Queen."

She then hugged the brother. "Thank You Grugge."

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. "I will protect you with my life." He promised.

She let him go and smiled to him. "Lets hope it does not come to that. I don't want to loose any of you."

Finnola was grinning to them when she felt the tug on her sleeve. Her eyes lowered to see her friend gazing up at her. So she lowered down to be more on the Queens level. "You will be near us at all times right?" Juniper asked.

"Yes we all will."

Juniper nodded and hugged her friend. Then whispered, "You all stay safe. No more losses."

Finnola held onto her diminutive friend and whispered back. "No more."

Juniper stepped back and spun around. She scampered back towards Ryu who held open the blanket and he dove back into the warmth of her sisters arms.

Elladan and Kree rode hard. She was surprisingly tough and kept up without complaint. They often did not stop at night but kept riding until the horses needed rest. Through sparsely treed forest and past beautiful lakes the reflected the sky. Then onto vast plains filled it dried grasses and large herds of musk oxen and various other herd animals Elladan had never seen before. Large wool coated beasts with small horns that Kree told him were called buffalo and smaller deer like creatures that Kree called antelope.

Where herd animals were that also meant predators. Which meant the horses had to be kept close and watched. On one such occasion Kree lay on a small hill along with Elladan watching a herd of Antelope mixed in with Buffalo. She had spotted the predator before Elladan. After all it blended in with the terrain perfectly.

He had seen mountain cats before but this large cat hunted the plains. Larger than a mountain cat and the color of the dried grass, it stalked its meal. It inched closer and closer, Unseen and unheard. It went perfectly still.

Kree whispered, "It has made it's choice."

Then the beast sprung forward at an incredible rate of speed. The Buffalo and Antelope began to scatter and run. The cat honed in on the one it had chosen and the chase began. Elladan held his breath. He did not know why. He had never witnessed such an apex predator in action alone. Wolves and the like hunted in packs. Mountain cats were hardly ever observed hunting the goats on the craggy cliffs.

It took a few moments for the cat to catch up to the quick Antelope. A large paw swiped out at the hind legs tripping it and in the seconds it took for it to get its footing again it was all over. The large powerful cat was on its meal. His mouth around its throat. When the struggles stopped it drug its meal off.

They crawled back and rose up. Elladan was speechless. He looked to Kree and swallowed hard. "That was frightening." He spoke and looked to her his stunned expression made her laugh.

"How do you know all of this?"

She looked to him as they walked back towards the grazing horses. "We did not always live in the city Elladan. Many of us walked there from plains just like these. My mother was human. I never knew my father. We were part of a nomadic tribe. We followed the food as it moved across the plains. There was a mix elves like myself and humans."

She sat down near their small fire and poured herself a cup of tea. Elladan listened intently because she had never really spoken of her origins. "I learned how to hunt and track. I learned how to defend myself and my people. I watched my mother grow old and pass on while I stopped aging. Then a few hundred years ago the raids began. At first we were able to defend but then their numbers grew and then we couldn't keep everyone safe."

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "So we moved further and further away from the herds. We began to stave. So we decided to move into the cities and now they come and raid the cities."

Elladan was silent as he listened and when she stopped he finally asked. "These raids were by the same ones that raided the city?"

She nodded. "Dark things." Was all she would say about them.

"You never married?" He asked.

She just lifted her gaze and looked at him then laughed. "No I never married. I was always too bust swinging a sword to think about love. I kept telling myself that when we found true peace I would think about it." She grinned at him.

"I see." Elladan started, "We never talked about that night. The night we defended the caravan."

"What about it?" She spoke matter of factly.

"Well we... kind of had a moment." He looked at her and saw her smile.

"Yes we did, didn't we."

"Well maybe, if we survive all this and there is finally peace, You and I could think about..."

She cut him off with the lifting of her hand. "Are you making a proposal to me?"

Now Elladan found himself grinning in a goofy manner and blushing. "Yes, I would love to have the chance to get to know you better but so far You are unlike any elleth I have ever met. I am drawn to you. Not on just a physical level but from within and..."

"Yes." She cut him off again.

"Yes?" He said unsure if he had heard it.

"Yes if we survive I would like to get to know you better too."

The conversation drifted off and they remained sitting there just smiling at each other.

The fellowship for the Arda had traveled for quiet some time now. The sparse forest gave way to thicker cover. The rolling hills were now giving way to steeper climbs. It was Bynsarda that had noticed something strange about the land.

"Why are there sea creatures turned to stone here?" She asked when they had stopped to rest the horses and eat. She was sitting on a rock. The rock was covered in fossilized shells. "We are no where near the sea."

Elrond walked over and looked at the rock she was sitting on. "Long ago. When the first elves awoke in the lands of the east, under a sky filled only with stars this was a sea. An inland sea that was vast. The first elves build a harbor on it and sailed it and in fact when they started to move west it was that sea they crossed."

Bynsarda looked to him in confusion. " Well where is this sea now?"

Gandalf grumbled a bit. "It is long gone. There was a great war. It was so devastating that the very land was changed. Much of the land in the west sank beneath the sea and the sea that was once here drained out into the gulf of the eastern sea."

Tauriel was listening and she asked softly. "Are you speaking of the war of wrath?"

"Indeed." Gandalf said lowly. "Let us hope that this war does not devastate the land like that."

Bynsarda looked down at the rock and he fingers trailed over the shapes on it slowly. "It's hard to imagine that I am sitting on a rock that was once at the bottom of a sea."

Elrond sighed softly, "Indeed, The Arda was marred by the great evil we are going to be facing. It was marred more than once. I remember the war. I was very young then." He sat down beside Bynsarda.

"See there was another war being waged at the time. The sons of Feanor were deep in their madness over the silmarils. All of this caused by their father. He created these powerful jewels and wanted them back. So he made his sons swear and oath to retrieve them at all cost. Even if it meant killing their own people. My father and mother had gone to find the Valar to ask for their aid in the war. During that time the war came to our haven. We were captured if you could call the capture of children a capture none the less were were captured by Maglor one of the sons of Feanor. He never wanted to do any of the things he had done. He refused to slay us. Instead he took us as his own. Protected us and raised us. I would even say he loved us. That war blended into the War of wrath where the remaining sons battled against the great evil. My mother and father were successful in finding Aman and convinced the Valar to help in the war. So the great evil was defeated and cast into the void."

Bynsarda was only able to follow bits of this story. "When this is all said and done Elrond you are going to have to sit me down and give me history lessons because I only understood small parts of that."

"I would be happy to." Elrond said with a smile.

"This Feanor guy sounds like an asshole." She said and nearly all those gathered began to laugh.

"That would be a correct statement My Lady." Gandalf said as his eyes twinkled.

Jeven, Glorfindel and Minogos returned from scouting. At bit out of breath and with a strange look on their faces.

"What is it?" Elrond asked.

Glorfindel spoke first. "Up head the forest thins out a bit but, then there is a thick fog on the land and I nor Minogos can see past it. That being said Jeven doesn't see this fog at all."

They looked to Jeven. "I see nothing but more trees and a road that seems to go on into the horizon towards mountains."

"Show us." Gandalf said and they all got to their feet and mounted their horses. Bynsarda with Minogos.

They rode to the hill where the scouts had stopped before.

"I see a thick fog." Tauriel said.

"I too see a thick fog." Said Elrond.

Bynsarda blinked. "I see nothing but fog."

"I see the road and the mountains." Said Hiroc who looked to Hannibal. "I see what Hiroc sees." Hannibal spoke firmly.

Then all eyes turned to Gandalf. "I see the fog. This is an illusion. A trap set by something to keep others away. Though this illusion does not work on the eyes that were created by the mother. We need to take that road and we must not leave it."