""I don't like this place," Gimli growled, gnawing on a rabbit leg. They had a fair catch of rabbits that night, but rabbits were a poor meal for twelve growling bellies.
"Do not defile our Lady!" Legolas snapped, "If anything she can help us,"
It had been a least a month since leaving Moria. Grief and loss had taken their toll on the fellowship. Everyone wanted the quest to be over, so Aragorn decided the easiest and safest way would be through the Golden Wood.
Strider stripped his piece of its meat and threw it to the side and rose to his feet.
"Come, if we travel quickly we can be halfway through the Lothlorien by tomorrow,"
"Strider, we've been marching harder than with Gandalf. Let us rest if we are so safe. If you are not tired, think of the little ones," Boromir said wearily. Brom was nodding off at the borderman's side and the hobbits looked worn and barely nibbled at their food.
"We can't, we are still prone to danger here on the edge, we will travel in a bit further and then we will rest,"
"You'll not go any further,"
I stood near the top of the stairs as the Lady and Lord Celeborne greeted a group at the bottom. Rash stood by my side once. Once again he passed up the opportunity to wear clothes.
"The only clothes a shadowen needs is a body," He had said.
"Meia," Celeborne's musical voice shook me out of my thoughts. He had moved and I caught a glimpse of the group.
"Frodo!" I gasped and flew down the stairs.
Frodo could hardly believe his eyes when Meia came running down the stairs, her long hair flowing behind her, unbound and she wore a gauzy green dress.
She nearly tackled the hobbit.
"Meia! Lady Meia!" Frodo cried, wrapping his arms around her. She had sunk to her knees, her face buried in the crook of his neck. "Oh, Meia, we thought you-we -I -" He couldn't finished and twined his fingers in her hair. The fellowship swarmed around the hobbit and Meia.
"Well, they remember her, but do they remember me, Lady of the Wood?" Said a voice from the top of the stairs. From the shadows materialized a young, naked man with skin the shifting color of midnight and glittering red eyes. He smiled handsomely and Allanon said his name in a hiss, "Rash!"
"So you do remember me," The shadowen grinned and walked past the Lady and Lord.
"Now that your fellowship is whole again, rest and do not worry, your are safe in these woods.