DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything created by Tolkein and Middle-Earth. I do not own the song "I Am Not Nothing" by Beth Crowley. This is for entertainment only.

A/N: Hey there lovelies; this chapter was hard for me to right for some reason so it is a bit fluffier than the others have been so far. I promise the next chapter will make up for it! Where that is good or bad... I guess we'll all find that out together. ;)
- P


Chapter 12 - I Will Be Your Rock
"Life is a comedy to those who think,
A tragedy to those who feel."
Jean Racine


"THRAK NA ZU DA!" The glass shattered against the stone walls of the cave. The Orcs around him backed away; although not the most intelligent creatures, they knew that getting in the Master's way when he was upset was the fastest way to arrive at the end of his sword. "If I do not have her here within a fortnight I will personally kill every last ONE OF YOU!" Without awaiting another outburst the orcs quickly left the Master alone.

He walked over to the curtain that split the cave; moving the fabric aside he sat at the desk and pulled the black chord from around his neck, absent-mindedly rubbing Burzum Gund between his fingers.

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, "Da nulgum zab-lat, Aurora."


"No one will want you now."

The words echoed in Thranduil's head as he sat in front of the fireplace in his chambers, the embers long gone cold. He could still see the horror in her eyes as he let her go; the way she recoiled from him had felt like a slap in the face. She had every right to run from him as she did. How had he allowed himself to lose control of his magic? She has been so afraid when the ember charred her skirt; all he wanted was to help calm her. Instead he had caught a glimpse into the source of that fear. Thranduil drank the rest of his wine. He knew that he would not sleep tonight.


Aurora let her fingers lightly skim over the surface of the water. The morning sun glistened across the pond as the waterfall caused a gentle mist to surround her.

"I thought I'd find you here." He walked closer; watching her fingers dip in and out of the water gently. "You left so quickly last night and I didn't even here you leave this morning." He sat down next to Aurora, "What's going on with you, Auri? Something is off with you, I can feel it."

Aurora looked into eyed that reflected her own. For as long as she could remember, Aurora and Augustus could always sense when the other one was troubled or in danger. They always joked that it was their twin-power.

"How are you so calm?" Aurora whispered, resting her chin on her knee. She looked up at her brother as he furrowed his brow. "All of this… Everything. We find out that we're elves. We're attacked by creatures that should have never existed. You find out that your sister has a magical destiny and evil is trying to hunt her. And you take all of it in stride… How?"

Augustus let out a heavy sigh and wrapped his arm around his baby sister's shoulders. "You know our deal, Auri… When one of us is struggling or about to break, the other one is their rock. I'll admit that I have had several private moments of freaking out; but I'm trying to keep that to myself as best I can. For you. We're both extremely out of our element here; but this has been much worse on you. So… For as long as you need me to be, I'll be your rock."

Aurora wiped a tear from her eye, "I don't know how I lucked out with you for an annoying brother, stupid."

"Yeah, well, you're stuck with me forever." Augustus nudged her with his shoulder. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"


Thranduil and Legolas made their way to the main courtyard with Celeborn and Galadriel. As they emerged from the building, Thranduil saw the courtyard filled with Lorien and Greenwood soldiers making their final preparation. His eyes scanned the group until his eyes fell on a thick braid of dirty blonde hair; Augustus, Elladan and Elrohir standing around her. She looked up at the three of them, her smile shining in the sun as she laughed at something they had said. Thranduil made his way towards the group.

The trio of men straightened slightly and bowed as the Elvenking approached them. Aurora turned, the smile dropping from her face. She offered a small curtsy and kept her eyes fixed on the ground. Thranduil wanted more than anything to apologize for his lapse in control; but he knew that now was not the time. He had wanted to say something to the small group, but the fear on her face had silenced him. With a respectful nod her carried onward towards his Elk who had been brought to the front gates.

As Thranduil busied himself with his saddle bags; making sure that everything was secured to his satisfaction, he heard a throat clear behind him and he turned, meeting serious jade eyes.

"Master Augustus," Thranduil stated indifferently, "what can I do for you?"

Augustus bowed his head once more, "I wonder, Your Majesty, if I may have a private word before we set out?"

Thranduil nodded and gestured his hand for Augustus to walk with him.

"I must apologize, Your Majesty, for the bluntness of this next question." Augustus paused as he and Thranduil stopped walking once they were away from the others. "What happened with Aurora at the bonfire last night?" Thranduil's eyes flashed to meet Augustus, the most brief expression of surprise across his face. "I found her by the waterfall this morning and she was upset. She said something happened last night when she was startled with an ember, you caught her and somehow saw… A memory."

Thranduil listened quietly to Augustus' words. A memory. So it had been real. Not a nightmare. "I do possess several powers; one of which is the ability to see memories. I saw Aurora stumble and fall; when I moved to ensure she didn't injure herself that ability connected briefly to her somehow."

"Somehow? Are you not able to control it?"

Thranduil clenched his jaw at the impertinent question. Although the question was out of line for one addressing a King; he understood the inquiry. He would never admit that he didn't fully understand why his control had slipped; he attempted to respond as indifferent as possible. "I am able to maintain control; however, in the moment it would appear I was more focused on making sure your sister did not injure herself."

"For that I thank you." Augustus looked back to where Aurora stood with Egg; the elegant horse had pressed his head into her chest and she had wrapped her arms around his face in a loving hug. Thranduil saw the look in his eyes. "She's tough and can hold her own. But; that leads her to not asking for help… She often tries to handle everything on her own; including trying to deal with what happened."

"What did happen, Augustus?" Thranduil asked, following the boys gaze to watch her.

"With all due respect… It is not my story to tell. Aurora has never even told me everything that happened; all I know about what she went through is from what the doctors told me." Augustus looked away from his sister and out into the nearby garden. "I apologize if I have been to direct in asking you, Your Majesty. But you must understand… Her suffering and pain causes me pain. I need to make sure that she is okay… She's all I have left."

Thranduil saw a deep sadness cross Augustus' face. The love for his sister was undeniable; the two seemed to have endured so much in their short amount of time and that had made their bond stronger.

"I can promise you, Master Augustus," Thranduil's voice seemed to lighten, "I would never intentionally harm her."

Before the conversation could continue another voice joined them from behind. "We must take our leave." Thranduil and Augustus turned to see Lady Galadriel. Augustus gave a slight nod to her and the King and returned to where Aurora was mounting Egg. Thranduil held Galadriel's eye contact for a long moment before striding by her. "Thranduil."

The Elvenking rolled his eyes and turned to meet her eyes once more. "Lady Galadriel?" He retorted coldly.

"I saw what happened last night; at the bonfire."

"I'm glad to see your Elven eyes are as keen as ever."

"Thranduil," Galadriel sounded exasperated, "You must tread carefully. Eventually, we will need to know the extent of what happened to her in order to better shield her from the darkness. But you know what it is at stake should she get pushed away."

"Do not speak to me of the stakes." Thranduil growled through gritted teeth and without looking back at her he turned and strode towards his Elk; climbing onto his back in one swift motion.


The group of elves, totaling 28, had traveled all day until the sun had begun to lower and the decision was made to make camp for the evening next to a small river. Most of the elves opted to simply find branches surrounding the fire that had been started. Augustus and Aurora found a tree to lean their stuff against while Egg and Odin grazed nearby with the other horses. Augustus had gone with Legolas and Haldir to secure the perimeter.

Aurora had wandered over to the river; lightly washing her hands. She let her hair down from the braid, the long curls falling around her face and down her back.

"You should not go off alone, Lady Aurora. The mountains are very dangerous."

Aurora turned to meet the piercing blue eyes of the Elvenking. She had avoided him the whole day; not wanting to have the awkward conversation that she knew was inevitable. She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes trained on a stone next to her boot. "I needed to wash my hands…" She murmured.

Thranduil watched Aurora as she walked passed him to return to the tree where she had set her stuff. He lightly touched her upper arm with a gloved hand, he felt her arm tense under his grip. He looked down at her and was momentarily entranced. He had never seen her hair completely let down before, it was beautiful. Her dirty blonde hair was accented with simple curls that shaped around her face, seeming to accent her jade eyes even more. He had an urge to run his hand through her hair; to feel the curls twist and dance between his fingers. He shook the thought from his mind almost as quickly as it hand arrived. "Lady Aurora, please…"

Aurora took a step back from him, "What can I do for you, Your Majesty?"

"Forgive me." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them; a look of surprise crossing both of their faces. "I did not intend to see… I should've controlled myself more and I... I apologize Lady Aurora and I implore your forgiveness."

Aurora stared into the King's eyes for a long moment; his eyes held sincerity and a glimmer of sadness. Aurora sighed heavily and looked away from his gaze. "You have my forgiveness; but I ask that you promise me something."

Thranduil cocked his head slightly, seeing the way she unconsciously wrapped her arm around where her scars lay underneath her tunic, "Name it."

Aurora met his gaze once again, "What you saw, I'm not strong enough to relive it again. Please… Just forget what you saw."

Thranduil's grip protectively tightened on her arm, "Lady Aurora…" He trailed off as he saw the desperate look in her eyes, "Consider it forgotten."

Aurora gave a weak smile and began walking away. She stopped by the edge of the trees, she turned back to meet his eyes one last time, "I know you're lying. But thank you for trying, Your Majesty."

Aurora left the Elvenking standing alone, his Elven eyes memorizing how she moved as she walked away. He couldn't remember the last time that someone had openly called him on a bluff. He smiled to himself; he hadn't fixed everything, but it was a step in the right direction.


TRANSLATIONS

*Black Speech*

Thrak na zu da! - Bring her to me!
Da nulgum zab-lat - I will have you