Hi, fellow readers! Sorry for the long wait. A lot has been happening, had hit some writer's block, and meanwhile, I can't believe how many favorites and following there are now. Thanks for finding this, and I hope you are liking it so far!

Today is my birthday, so now seemed like a good time for a good new update! Enjoy!

(Elanor)

The whole day had been a blur. The whole time I felt numb, as I trailed beside Father with my hood up as it had started raining. I felt like an empty shell, my legs automatically moving under my father's guidance, my tears spent. Watching the cold rain beat around us helped a little.

The warm feel of Mother's sun-star pendant tapping my chest gently felt strange, but somehow comforting.

We had buried our family near the Black Gate. I never saw Grandfather's body, because when Father came back, he had Hallas wrapped up in his own cloak, blood stained and limp. I did not want to imagine how badly my grandfather's body was mutilated by the Uruks. The burdened look on my father's face was enough to not make me ask.

I can still remember my father's singing, the send off of all those who had served Gondor. I remember seeing tears fall down his face when he sang for Mother and Dirhael. I could not bear to see him in so much pain.

We walked in silence. My eyes peeked up and watched the back of my father's head. Not once did he turn around, nor stop walking, showing no signs of exhaustion or hesitation like I felt, but then again he was a Ranger Captain. His black hair was soaked from the rain, dead and limp like his torn cloak, and even though I could not see his face, I could sense the cold, determined expression still in place. I worried that he would catch his death if he did not attempt to cover himself, like he insisted that I should before, but the familiar, stoic tension in his body kept me from pointing it out. I thought about how freezing cold his skin was whenever he touched me.

And his eyes...icy blue instead of his hazel brown. The strangeness was unsettling.

Could it have anything to do with...?

I hardly saw the elf wraith again. I had not seen him since before Father had set off to bring back my grandfather's body, but it still made me shiver to imagine the invisibility of his presence still lingering nearby. So tangled was I in my numbed grief for my family and for the all the Rangers of the Black Gate that I was too drained to ponder the wraith's haunting.

But now...who was he? What was he doing here? Why now, of all times?

And...where in the name of Mordor are we going?

When night had fallen, we had eventually made camp in beneath the crevice of a protruding rock from the mountains to shelter from the rain.

"We'll rest here for the night," announced Father.

Since it was too wet to create a fire, we just settled with try to stay dry. Shivering, I huddled in my damp cloak, rubbing my chilled hands together before pulling out my sack. "I managed to get some food while in the Morannon," I said quietly. Pulling out a loaf of bread, I ripped to pieces, my hands still shaking. Father noticed this and came closer. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to his body. Grateful for his comfort, I huddled closer, taking in whatever warmth he provided.

"Here." I held up a piece of bread.

Father shook his head. "I'm not hungry," he whispered, his eyes now gentle.

"But you haven't eaten all day."

"Neither have you. Besides, you need it more I do. You have to keep up your strength."

"But so do you! Papa..."

Shaking his head, he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "Go ahead and eat it, Elanor," he whispered in my hair. "I swear that I'll be fine. Go on."

After some hesitation, I nodded and started nibbling on the piece of bread. Satisfied, Father looked away and started staring at the falling rain in silence.

"Papa?"

"Hm?"

"Your eyes...They're different color. Why are they blue?"

He frowned. He reached behind his back and pulled out Dirhael's broken sword, before holding it up at eye level. His new pair of frosty blue eyes stared back from the steel of the blade, seeming to flash with a certain brightness that seemed unnatural. Finally his eyes lowered along with the blade. "I do not know," he murmured.

"Could it be the elf wraith?"

"It is very likely."

"Do you think he is here now?"

"Aye."

I bit my lip, staring the piece of bread between my fingers. To be honest, however selfish it was, I hoped that the elf wraith wouldn't appear right now. I was still slightly terrified of him, but more than that, he was annoying. Whoever he was, he seemed to have no regard to neither me or my father's feelings toward the situation that we are in, cold and calculating as he was.

"Has he told you who he is?"

Father shook his head. "He claims that he doesn't remember. Not even his own name."

"Why is he here, Father?" I looked at him. "And why do you say that he is with you? What happened?"

"Elanor, I do not know. Please, do not ask me that again." His tone became harder, and I was instantly silenced. Father sighed and placed his hand on my head. "Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow, we will need both our eyes and ears for where we are going."

"You still haven't told me where we are going," I said, my eyes narrowing at him.

He pursed his lips, but after some hesitation, he murmured, "We are heading Udun. There is someone we have to look for. A slave."

"Udun? But..." My eyes widened. "Father, are you saying that there will be Uruks there?"

"An Uruk camp. They always move around to avoid the eyes of the Rangers, but an Uruk I recently interrogated has given me information on someone knowing of the Black Hand's whereabouts. I cannot let this opportunity slip." He looked at me, worry clouding his eyes. "If I had any other choice, I would not take you with me, but Elanor, if you had already learned anything of last night's attack, you will learn well that these monsters will not hesitate to defile you in the worst way possible. You must stay close to me and stay alert at all times. Never let down your guard, for that is the first rule of a Ranger. Do you understand me?"

Nodding, I reached up and touched his hand. It was still icy, so I took it in both my smaller hands. "Father, why are you so cold? You are as cold as death." Father was gravely silent as I looked up at him with worry. "Are you sure you are well?"

Father's expression softened. "Go to sleep, Elanor," he whispered.

Annoyed by his refusal to answer, I obeyed by hugging my cloak around me and then leaned my head down in his lap. "Good night, Papa," I whispered.

"Good night, love."

Though my father's hand was cold against my face, it still somehow brought enough comfort as his fingers brushed aside the strands of hair from my cheek, lulling me into almost an instant slumber.

That night I dreamed of Mother brushing my hair, singing her tune...before then the dream faded...

...with me staring into the eyes of the Black Hand, his dark smile, his beckoning finger...

...and I was frozen. My nightmares have only just begun.

(Talion)

Talion watched his daughter quietly fall asleep in his lap, gently brushing the hair out of her face. Like this, she looked so like Ioreth that he had to close his eyes and swallow the lump in his throat.

Her words stirred his thinking. He felt neither hungry nor sleepy, though tiredness did take over his mental state. She said he was icy cold and pointed out that his eyes were frosty blue.

Already she begins to suspect, the wraith's voice echoed in his mind. The dead are never hungry again, and sleep is never needed. A corpse eventually goes cold from lack of life. You may shed tears, but you can no longer bleed, for that alone will give you away. How long will it be before she discovers the truth on her own, Talion?

You stay out of this. Talion growled. I told you before, what concerns my daughter is none of your business.

I would if I could, but through your eyes, I see everything. Even your child. It is impossible to ignore.

Then do me the favor of trying to stay at the back of mind, unless you will do the honors in keeping watch. Talion frowned. Will I ever be able to sleep?

I have such knowledge of the possibility, but since I am able to keep your body animated, perhaps it is the shell that wears down, not the soul within. Heed your own advice, Talion, and rest. It is likely the slave we need to find will require a long search.

Aye, you are right, there. Talion sighed, looked down at Elanor once more. She started stirring in her sleep, her face twisting as she whimpered. Knowing she was having a nightmare, he leaned over and kissed her face, stroking her hair. He started humming a soft tune of hi own in her ear as he continued to brush her head. Finally, she stopped whimpering and her face started to relax into a slightly more peaceful expression. Nodding to himself, Talion studied every detail of her childlike face, finger tracing the freckles of her nose bridge.

She was growing up so fast, so beautiful...but in his eyes, she was still a little girl. His little sun-star. His heart twisted horribly as he refused to think of what he would do if anything happened to her. He couldn't die, so the possibilities were far out of his comprehension, and no thought could be any darker.

Nothing will happen to her. Nothing. He made a promise to himself, though in his heart, there was some doubt of whether his vow will stand. He had once been confident that he could protect his family, ready to lay down his own life to ensure their safety...and now they were dead. All except for his Elanor.

She was the only one truly left alive. He was just here because of a curse. A shadow of his living himself. A vessel for a strange, cold spirit with a goal that nearly matched his own.

Talion sensed a stirring in his soul, feeling the wraith watch the scene with discomfort...and something else. Confusion? Uneasiness? Curiosity? Talion grew more irritated with continuous intrusion.

Is something bothering you? he demanded.

After a long moment, the wraith seemed to jerk back to reality and started to pull back from Talion's mentality. So far back that he was barely there. No...

The wraith didn't bother him for the rest of the night, which was fine with Talion.

The Ranger stayed awake the whole night, his hand still stroking Elanor's hair in her sleep to keep her nightmares to a minimum.

When he closed his eyes, listening to the rain fall, he could see his wife and son looking back at him, perhaps wondering when he will come to them.

When the night had passed, so had the rain. After a quick bite to eat for Elanor, who was gloomy and silent the whole time, they gathered their things and took off to Udun. The whole time Talion made sure Elanor stayed by his side, one hand ready to grab his sword while the other was ready to grab his daughter for protection.

They were dwelling deeper into the interior of Mordor, the realm of the Uruks.

Our travels in Udun after a whole day and night led us to an Uruk camp. Father kept me close by the whole time, eyes darting everywhere for any sign of an orc.

Suddenly we heard the scream of a man. Father hastily pushed me until we both pressed behind a wooden barrier. He peeked over the edge to watch two Uruks beat down a defenseless man continuously.

Looking away, he winced, as the elf wraith appeared by our side suddenly, sending a shockwave through my bones. I had a feeling that I was not going to get used to his entries anytime soon. The man's screams and pleading continued, but Uruks only laughed and spat. I was tempted to cover my ears.

"Well, this doesn't bode well," muttered Father, frustrated.

"Shouldn't we help him?" I asked, wincing from the man's screams

"Don't you see?" said the elf wraith, just as the man's screams faded. "The prisoner created a distraction."

We both all looked and watched the Uruks drag the slave away, until they were out of sight. My father studied the surroundings. I noticed he was weighing his advantage on stealth. I smiled, knowing what he would do.

"There is more of where that prisoner came from," he murmured, glancing back at me. "I am going to set them free. One of them will be the slave we're looking for, and then we leave."

"What can I do to help?" I said.

Father shook his head. "I need you to stay here. Hidden."

"But-"

"Elanor, you will do as I say," he said more firmly. "If you wish to help, be my lookout. If you see an Uruk coming, you run and hide. I am not asking, I am ordering you. I will be right back." He took my shoulders and looked me in the eye fiercely, but with desperation. "Promise me you will do this. Promise me!"

"I promise," I said, shaken by his bold demands and the tightness in his grip, but I saw the grief in my father's eyes and realized that he was afraid of losing me, like the way he lost my mother with his back turned. As much as I wanted to help, my father's sanity mattered to me even more. "Just...be careful, Father."

Nodding, he kissed me on the forehead in the shadows and then turned to face the rugged camp.

(Talion)

"Why use your human sight to track the Uruks? I see more than any mortal," the elf wraith's voice echoed.

An Uruk in the camp was speaking gruffly, "...nothing at all. I know it ain't that. I'm no idiot. But I'm telling you..."

"Slay an orc captain. Cut off the head of the snake and the body will wither."

Archers, thought Talion, eying the Uruks standing on the high platforms over the encampment. I must take out the eyes of the camp.

Talion then turned for one last look at Elanor, who was crouched low with her cowl up in the tall weeds, her eyes wide with alertness and worry. She looked small and vulnerable, even with her arrows and knives, but unnoticeable to any wandering eyes, so long as she didn't move. He gave her a small look of reassurance, his eyes hardening before setting off around the barrier and climbed the ladder of the high platform. The first orc archer stood there, as if waiting for Talion to strike from behind.

(Elanor)

Scooting for a peek, though I couldn't see Father, I watched in awe as the Uruk archers were pulled out of view. Then I spotted him walking across the rope bridges with quiet balance. Not once did the Uruks notice him. They were too busy surrounding the small group of slaves near an iron-spiked cage. One large green Uruk with a thorny metal helmet was taunting them with a hovering sword as they crouched in the corner, "I like a slave begging for mercy. If one more runs, we'll be out..."

He whipped them and the slaves cowered from him, bearing bloody marks. The Uruks laughed. My face became hot with anger.

That Uruk had to be no other than Gimbub the Slaver, based on the way he was treating those poor prisoners. I ached to help them, but I promised Father and there were too many Uruks.

How on earth is he going to take down eight Uruks?! I thought suddenly in horror. Looking up, Father stabbed an Uruk deeply into the back with Dirhael's broken sword, covering its mouth before it died. Talion then crouched across the ropes above the Uruk group intently like a hungry cat as Gimbub kept growling.

"Thought you were fast enough to escape, eh? No weakling man can outrun an Uruk! See those slaves!" he shouted at his minions, who howled and nodded. Gimbub smiled and started toward the slaves, who were tied up next to the scared ones. "They tried to get away! Now they will die!"

At that moment, my father Talion leapt from the rope line with his unsheathed sword and landed on an Uruk with a loud crunch, killing the creature by plunging his blade in from above. When he charged at the startled slaver, who had killed one of the slaves to my horror, Gimbub spat, "Maggot!"

Then while clashing blades with my father, he sneered, "A pity I have to kill you. You would make a strong slave."

Talion said nothing in reply. He merely shoved him back and started fighting all the Uruks with such speed and agility that amazed me. In the struggle, I could have sworn I saw the bright form of the wraith flash over my father's form, mirroring his movements each time Father cut down an Uruk.

As he fought, Gimbub kept dodging away. He parried blows with Father, who ducked his swings before swiping his long sword across the monster's belly with such force that the slaver flew backwards and his body crumbled like a bag of broken bones.

To my surprise and relief, the Uruks cried out when seeing their leader fall and retreated like scattered cockroaches. The breath I had been holding released.

Standing up, I crept out of my hiding place and walked over to my father, who was now crouching over the dead body of the poor slave, his ice-blue eyes sad as he stared ahead and found me.

Sighing tiredly, he stood up. "Good girl," he said.

I shook my head sadly, staring at the body with a sheen of tears in my eyes. "I didn't do anything," I croaked. "I should have shot him, before he..."

Father shook his head. "He still would have been killed, and you would have been next," he said gently, before turning to walk over to the tied up slaves, who were leaning forward weakly from the poles. Concerned, Father placed a hand on the slave's shoulder, who looked up with silent relief in his weary eyes.

Feeling pity for the strangers, I went over to the ones still crouching in the corner. They flinched, shaking with bleeding gashes on their arms and backs.

"It's alright," I told them softly with a smile. "We mean you no harm. You're safe now."

"Elanor, help me untie these men," said Father grimly.

Nodding, I went to help, but someone appeared around the bend suddenly at the corner of my eye. I let out a sharp gasp when seeing he was armed. At my sound, my father whipped around with a hand on the hilt of his sword...but froze when the two men met eye to eye. I stood frozen in between them with uncertainty, waiting for Father to make a move.

But instead, his eyes hardened and looked away, his hand dropping. "So you didn't die ten years ago," he said tightly.

My mouth dropped in surprise.

The tall man with a red mane of hair and beard, gray eyes, and a leather-furred outfit that looked suspiciously Gondorian, scoffed and raised an eye at my father with a knowing look. "I take it you did not come here to arrest me for treason, Captain."

For those of you who played the game, I think you can guess;)