everything-is-black-and-white - doesn't appear so...

Guest - I hope you see this! Been guilty of staying up late reading too! So glad you are enjoying the story that much!

ro781727 - this might answer some questions you had earlier.

Thanks for the messages and reviews!

- S


- Chapter 49 -


Opening her senses as much as possible, Shyloh stilled. Hearing nothing, she moved her bare feet forward as quietly as possible. Her heart hammered in her chest, pounding in her ears so she took another steadying breath to calm herself. She quickly went from hunter to prey in a matter of minutes.

Fool, she chided herself. You should have kept running...

Too late to turn back now, she moved silently into position. If her plan was to work, she had to have faith that all of her hard training with Glorfindel was not worthless.

She could hear his footsteps; his heavy boots tapping lightly on the stone beneath them. He was trying to be quiet but men were not as stealthy as elves and she was hoping to use that to her advantage. She eyed the dark brown boots she left behind as a trap, and sent a silent prayer that he would find them and she could take her shot. No sounds of hooves met her ears, telling her the other rider hadn't come back just yet. She still had time for this to work.

Lowering herself, she listened as much as possible. Below her, he walked along the trail. If he kept going forward he would eventually run into Boss, and she couldn't let that happen. Peering around the rock, he was probably twenty yards away from her, more than close enough to shoot.

"Come out and play," he growled once again. "I heard you were a pretty little thing."

She shuddered with disgust. Nocking the arrow, she held her hands as steady as possible. Suddenly he crouched down, catching her boots in his line of sight. She did not have a clear shot. Just as she drew the bow back, was when something felt all wrong. She was being watched. Just as that feeling registered in her senses, a tiny pebble bounced off of her shoulder and her insides ran cold with fear.

She looked up just in time to see a body right above her. Not more than twenty feet above her the second man had crept up on her. In one swift movement, he shouted to his companion and jumped down from the ledge. She tried to scramble out of the way but he practically landed on top of her with a sickening crunch, but the force of his landing sent the both of them flying down the side of the ledge.

It seemed to take forever to fall and her back slammed into the ground, knocking the breath out of her chest and her vision blurred when her head smacked against the rock. Coughing, she tried to regain herself just as the leader sauntered toward her crippled frame while his companion shouted out in agony, clutching his visibly broken leg.

It must have broken when he fell on me!

Scrambling to get up, the pain that seared through her only registered in her mind momentarily. Her bow was clearly broken so she reached for her sword just as he lunged for her. She twisted out of the way and drew her sword but he was quicker and grabbed her wrist. With a blow she never saw coming, he backhanded her right in the jaw and sent her flying.

"I heard you were a little elf," he sneered at her, his accent thick and grinding. "You will be good fun. The humans give up so easily."

His taunts continued as she scrambled away from him, her bare feet digging into the ground. The taste of blood was on her tongue but she cared very little about that. She might have lost her bow and sword but she was not completely defenseless. The small blade still hung at her hip but the knife she kept tucked in her boot was, unfortunately, still with her boot.

Stupid idiot! Why did you leave that behind! Didn't you learn anything!

Her back hit rock and she had nowhere else to go. She needed to get him close to her if she was going to kill him. The lack of her long blade was extremely unfortunate, and she completely dreaded letting him draw closer to her but what choice did she have?

Her head was still spinning slightly from his backhanded blow but she was trapped, he stepped over her and with a filthy hand he snatched her up by the hair and dragged her to her feet. In one swift movement, she snatched the blade from her hip and plunged it into his side. He released her hair in surprise and stepped back so she caught herself and, twisting the knife backwards in her hand, landed a blow straight into his neck before he could raise his arm to block her.

He gurgled and stepped back, shock crossing his face as blood pooled in the corner of his mouth. Raising her leg, she kicked him backward before he could stumble into her and he collapsed in a heap. He clutched his neck but there was no use; it was a fatal blow and slowly she watched him bleed out before her as tears welled up in her eyes and she swallowed a mouthful of blood. She must have bit the inside of her cheek when he hit her lower jaw.

Frozen to the spot, she almost didn't realize the second man had gone quiet and she suddenly felt eyes on her.

"Shyloh."

The voice startled her so violently that she jumped, the blade still in her grip. She raised her hand defensively when she twisted to the left, and then froze when she saw his face. He raised a hand and splayed his fingers wide, showing her he held no weapon and meant no harm, his bright grey eyes filled with fear and concern. In his other hand he held his bow behind him, but no arrow aside from those in his quiver were at the ready.

He stepped toward her slowly and cautiously, like one might approach a frightened animal. She took a rattled breath and lowered her arm.

"Give me the knife," he said quietly as she automatically backed away a step, still on the defensive. He paused as the first tear dripped down her cheek, her bottom lip trembling. Behind him, she hardly registered another person standing there as her eyes locked on his.

"Shy," he said gently, chancing another step forward. "I won't hurt you."

Out of everyone in the world, he was the last person she expected to see here before her and when he took another step toward her she didn't retreat and let him take the knife from her hand. He passed it behind him quickly without taking his eyes off of her, giving it to the other person, then reached his hand out for her. To get to him, she would have to step over the lifeless body in front of her.

"Take my hand," he told her, his eyes bore into hers, completely captivating her.

What was he doing here, she wondered.

Her bottom lip trembled and though her fingers were visibly shaking, she reached out to take his hand and he wrapped his fingers around hers tightly and pulled her forward.

She stepped over the dead body and he immediately pulled her into a tight embrace, crushing her to him. She let herself fall against him and clung to his torso while the sobs racked her body. She had no idea how long they stood there, but she shook so much that her body hurt, and she was reminded that she literally dropped twenty or twenty five feet only a short while ago. She had no idea if she had any broken bones or not but she didn't care as she buried her face into his chest, clinging to him as if life depended on it.

He held her tightly, then murmured something to someone else when her sobs finally started to quiet down. He never let her go, but she felt his lips press to the top of her head and he spoke softly to her.

"You're alright," he said quietly in her ear. "I've got you."

She sniffed, suddenly realizing she'd gotten the front of him all wet with her crying and then she remembered something.

"Are t-they d-d-dead?" she sputtered. She could not bring herself to open her eyes to look for herself.

"Yes. Sidhel finished off the other one, and you killed this one," said Legolas. She could hear the finality in his words and felt a little more at ease.

He did not allow her to draw away from him completely just yet, and instead pulled her around so she was farther away from the bodies of her enemy. He took in what he could of her disheveled appearance, noting the dust and dirt that lingered on her backside and his mouth went dry as awful thoughts of what could have happened before he arrived filled his mind, and noticed that her shoes were missing. Dread, fear, and anger filled every fiber of him, and he drew back then, to take her in completely.

"Shyloh," he said firmly, his own voice trembling just the slightest. He gripped her shoulders just a little too much and she winced at his sudden change in demeanor. "Did...did they...," he seemed to almost choke on the words and she watched him look her up and down, and she suddenly realized what he was trying to ask.

"No," she croaked, and his eyes flicked up towards hers with hope. "No, they didn't."

His eyes flashed momentarily then filled with relief and he shut his eyes, squeezing them tight. He took a steadying breath then slowly nodded and looked back down at her feet.

"Where are your shoes?" he asked hesitantly.

"Up there, on the ledge," she said, nodding her head behind him. "I tried to lure the one into a trap but I didn't realize the second one came back. It worked for a minute but that was about it."

He nodded and let out a low sigh of relief. She started to turn to look back at the body behind him but he blocked her view.

"Don't look," he ordered, then stepped close and turned her away. Not once did he let her go as he led her away from the Wild Men, wrapping his arm protectively around her.

"Boss," she said suddenly, stopping in her tracks. "I can't leave Boss." She tried to turn back around but he held her firmly and drew her forward.

"He is with Nodron," he said. "He is the only reason we found you."

"What are you doing here?" she asked suddenly, it finally dawning on her that he was an awfully long way from home, and she stopped in her tracks again, looking up at him with wide eyes.

A frown creased his forehead and she realized she probably sounded rude, but it didn't make any sense that he was here with her when the Woodland Realm was so far away.

"It is a long story, but I am sure not as long as yours. I will tell you when we join the others," he said stiffly, and as they walked she was viciously reminded of the fact that every inch of her body was throbbing painfully.

She licked her lips but all she tasted was the lingering blood on her tongue, so she wiped her mouth on her sleeve gently.

"You look terrible by the way," he said grimly eyeing her once again when they finally reached Sidhel and Nodron. The two of them were really a sight for sore eyes.

She gave a hollow laugh and he scowled.

"I hardly think it is anything to laugh about," he said stiffly.

"Even you'd look a little dusty if you fell down a twenty five foot high cliff with someone on top of you," she grumbled and he raised his eyebrows.

"You fell?" he asked as they finally came to a stop.

"No, I wake up in the morning and my hair naturally looks this good," she said sarcastically.

Legolas did not find that funny at all, but Sidhel's mouth twitched in the corner as if he might have smiled.

"You're bleeding," Nodron said as his eyes swept over her face. Behind him, Boss stood quietly, his ears flicking back and forth to catch their voices.

She licked her lips again then looked down at herself. "Where?"

"On your cheek," said Legolas. "Did you get that when you fell?"

She touched her jaw gently where she'd been hit and when she drew her hand away there was indeed a red splatter of blood on the back of her hand. Wincing, she made to touch it once more but Legolas stopped her by taking her wrist.

"No," she said, then jerked her head back toward the trail. "He's really good at backhanding. Or was..."

Legolas' face darkened as did the others. "He is lucky he did not die by my hand then."

She could hear the danger in his tone and decided that she certainly did not want to see what death by the Prince's hand would have looked like. His protectiveness towards her was an unnatural feeling, and she hardly dared to expect it. Her ex boyfriends had not been protective of her at all; even Mack hadn't been an overly protective brother, despite his threats to pound her ex's heads into the ground if he ever got a hold of them.

But...Legolas and her were soulmates...would that make him naturally protective of her? She decided given the way he was hovering and had come to her rescue once more that yes, he would be, and she didn't know how to feel about that.

"We need to get you cleaned up," Sidhel said, then suddenly noticed her bare feet. His eyes trailed up her torso quickly then turned to Legolas, his thoughts clearly thinking the same as the Prince's only moments ago. Nodron was already looking distressed, having noticed her missing clothes but Legolas quickly put their minds at ease.

"Her boots were left as a distraction up on the ridge," he said tersely.

"I will go get them," Nodron said quickly, and Shyloh saw the relief that coursed over him as he sauntered away and disappeared.

Legolas had yet to let go of her, and now held his fingers wrapped around her left elbow carefully but firmly, as if she might collapse or run away screaming. She was still shaking and her knees felt weak. Sensing her distress, Legolas led her away from the bluffs towards the grassy area closest to them and settled her down on the ground. He crouched down next to her and gently tilted her head to the side to get a better look at her jaw.

"Did he break any teeth?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, but I bit my cheek," she admitted reluctantly, the iron taste still fresh on her tongue.

Nodding, he continued to check her over, noting the scratches on her palms and scraped up knees, to the scuffs on her bare feet.

"They did a number on you," he muttered and she frowned.

"I actually was fine until I fell," she said, looking over herself for the first time but he gave her a doubtful look. "These clothes were clean last night."

He nodded, then turned her left hand to face palm up, and he drew her fingers back carefully. The scratches from her fall a few days ago when she collided with the other horse and rider had started scabbing over but now they were reopened and red once more.

"I'm fine," she said, unable to look up at him when his eyes flickered to her face. "Really, I'm just scraped up a little."

His eyes hardened as he settled onto the ground in front of her, careful not to jostle anything of hers that might hurt.

"You are not fine," he said sternly, continuing to examine her palm.

She curled her fingers up, blocking his view.

"I'm fine," she repeated but he only gave her a disbelieving look.

"Did someone order a pair of boots?" Nodron had returned, and he held up her muddied brown leather boots as he approached.

"Thank you," she said as he set them down next to her.

He gave her an assessing look, then retreated back to his horse where Sidhel was rummaging through their saddlebags. He returned a moment later with a cloth and waterskin, handing both to Legolas who accepted them gratefully.

"Turn your head a little," he said as he dampened the cloth.

She did as she was told albeit reluctantly, and let him clean the cut on her jawline. Wincing, she tried to keep still as he gently dabbed away at it. Once determining it was clean, she turned to him once more and questioned him.

"You never answered me earlier," she said as he reached for her hands. "What are you doing here?"

"We came looking for you when we received word you did not make it to Lorien," he said but she could hear the slightest tremble in his voice. Had he really been that worried about her?

"But, I've only been separated from them for what, four or five days now," she frowned, easily doing the math in her head. "You couldn't have ridden that far in such a short amount of time."

"We were south of the Old Forest Road," he said, then quickly explained how they came to be so close to the Anduin and searching for her. "There is a Lorien search party looking for you too, though we did not see sight of them while we rode. It is possible they are closer to the river and farther north than we are."

She licked her lips again, and he held up the waterskin for her to drink.

"That doesn't explain how you found me," she said, looking back up at him.

"I don't really know how to explain it," he said slowly, wiping her hand clean carefully. "I sort of locked onto the thread that links us and it is like it led me straight to you."

She blinked in confusion.

He shrugged in confusion himself. "I honestly don't know how it worked, but we rode straight south and then we cut southwest until we reached the bluffs. I just, followed the pull and when your horse showed up I knew we were in the right area."

"How did you know he was my horse?" she wondered, looking over at Boss.

"I have never seen a horse like him before in all my years," Legolas said, following her gaze. "His confirmation alone speaks volumes. The horses of Rohan are tall and built for speed and swiftness, much like our own horses. He is stockier and more compact, with long legs and a strong neck. He carries himself much differently, and his stride is smooth and swift from what I have seen. He certainly looks like a horse from another world."

She pondered his words thoughtfully, then compared Boss to the three elvish horses that were currently grazing next to him.

"Yeah," she sighed. "He's really something else."

Legolas hummed as his eyes flicked back to her face once more, then down to her knee that he was tending. The scratches were superficial at best and only needed a cleaning. When he touched her foot to check the heel she jerked her foot away from him and he frowned, thinking he'd hurt her.

"Don't," she said bashfully. "They're horribly ticklish."

Raising his eyebrows, he smothered the amused grin that played at the edges of his mouth and handed her the damp cloth instead, letting her tend to her own feet.

"Legolas," Sidhel called suddenly, drawing the Prince's attention away momentarily. "Did you wish to set up camp here for the night or perhaps we should consider moving?"

"I think we should move further south," he replied. "I would hate for them to attract unwanted attention."

She watched his eyes flick back towards the bluffs where the bodies still lay and she shuddered.

"I'd actually like to move, if that's alright," she said, not taking her eyes off the path they came down earlier.

Legolas watched her carefully, then nodded his agreement.

"Then we will move," he said, and with a look at Sidhel and Nodron, it was confirmed and the two guards went to work gathering up anything that they might have missed.

"My bow," she said suddenly, feeling her heartstrings jerk a little. "It's broken. Should I leave it?"

"Perhaps not with them, just in case the others happen upon their site and think something bad happened to you. They're probably worried sick enough as it is, but anything that belongs to you should be accounted for."

"Should we not go north then, to meet them?" she wondered as he stood up suddenly, offering her the waterskin once more before capping it and tossing it to Sidhel.

"The next crossing is a few miles south of here," said Legolas as he passed her the boots. "We should reach it tomorrow around midday and meet up with the western search party if we do not run into any trouble."

"Did you run into trouble on the way here?" she asked, attempting to pull her boots on while wincing.

"Luckily no," said Legolas. "Although we saw many tracks north of here belonging to the men."

"I didn't know Wild Men roamed these areas."

Legolas sighed. "It is not unheard of for Dunlendings to cross over the Misty Mountains into the east. They have villages in the mountains and have been known to travel into the south towards Rohan; raiding villages and attacking at will. Sometimes the Woodmen come across them but they have not ventured into Mirkwood for quite some time. My guess is they heard of the war in Erebor, of course by now most have, and it has drawn them out. The plains around here have been used for cattle and farmers, but raids from orcs and Dunlendings have drawn the farmers closer to the villages in the south."

She nodded to show she was listening, but she was failing to get her boot on properly.

"Perhaps leave them off for now," he suggested. "You will not need them while riding."

Frowning, she slouched her shoulders in defeat then kicked them aside. "Alright," she sighed. "Do you know what happened to Elladan and Elrohir?"

The question he expected, and so was the hesitant tone she used to ask it, as if she didn't want to know the answer to the information she sought.

"I do not know," he admitted sadly. "But I have no doubt they are out there looking for you right now."

She nodded, feeling slightly reassured. He reached a hand down to help her up and she let him pull her to her feet. Her muscles ached, especially her backside, but she said nothing as they walked back to the horses. She meant to ride Boss, but he directed her to his own horse and gave her kind of an awkward look.

Sidhel was already ponying Boss alongside his own horse and Nodron was following, leaving the two of them behind momentarily.

"If you don't object?" he asked her quietly, stepping up to her side.

She shook her head and he had to help her up into the saddle because her muscles screamed at her. Swinging up behind her, she blushed furiously when he wrapped an arm around her waist and took the reins from her.

The light of the day was slowly fading, drawing long shadows across the hillsides, and a cold wind nipped at them from the west. They rode for a while before her eyelids started to droop and she felt the exhaustion from the last few days finally start to settle in. It wasn't long before it overwhelmed her completely and she felt herself be pressed into the chest behind her before she fell into a sound sleep.