"I wish I had my CD player," complained Demi a few hours later, wiping the sweat off her brow. She stumbled as a root snagged her foot and the man named Boromir grabbed her arm to steady her. She smiled awkwardly and thanked him. As he walked ahead of her she rubbed her shoulder feeling uncomfortable. Was he coming onto her? Demi couldn't tell and that bothered her. As he ambled to the front of the line Demi shook off the feelings and tried to think of something else. Randomly she recalled the incident under the gnarled oak. The girl, she thought, What had happened to the girl? They had all forgotten about her, and with all that was happening who was to blame but still….. Could she be back by the river? All alone?

After crossing a river-stream named Nimrodel, and listening a wistful, solemn song (whose title seemed to have slipped her mind) from Legolas, they turned off the path into the darkening woods, to the west along another stream whose name she forgot. There are too many odd names here, she though glumly and stopped bothering to remember any of them at all. At length they stopped under a group of tall branching trees that stretched over the water and up to a height she couldn't accurately guess. The trees, she noted, had VERY large trunks and had to be fairly old.

As they stood there beneath the sprawling branches, Demi turned to get Connor's attention and ask him about the girl. She nodded at him signaling the need to talk and he made a small gesture to show her he understood. This wasn't a code they were using but both Demi and the others didn't feel like discussing things out in the open where the rest of the party could hear. A little secrecy never hurt anyone. Besides, she wasn't sure she could trust these people of whom she knew next to nothing about. It was in her nature and she didn't fight it. Luckily Loren felt the same way and spread the silent word. I feel like a conspirator.. A conspirator that doesn't know what she's talking about. But the quicker I find out what's happening the faster I have some sort of foothold here. I simply refuse to be pushed around and I need to know: what next? Circling these thoughts in her head, she realized thinking about it was not helping at all and she forced herself to stop, as best she could. Demi and Connor retreated subtly behind the trunk of a larger tree, and neither Loren nor Alyssa paid them any attention. Only a few curious glances followed but they were soon forgotten as Legolas leaped suddenly into the branches above them.

As Demi opened her mouth to speak, a single word was uttered from above. An Elven word, for Legolas recognized it and dropped back down to the ground in fear. The word was "daro," and Legolas whispered for his friends not to move or speak. Demi held her breath in anticipation and fear as she felt adrenaline rushing through her veins. Connor narrowed his soft eyes and she guessed he felt close to the same although he was better at hiding it. Demi didn't admit to being brave or anything like it, she wanted badly to run but might as well been frozen in ice for all she moved.

None of her friends faired any better because for all the movies and books they read and watched, they were sheltered like most people and never found themselves in life or death situations, or even situations that threatened their health. Or sanity. Demi was more worried about the latter. Legolas answered when another commanding voice spoke and light laughter filtered down to them.

"Who are they and what do they say?" asked Merry. Sam answered indignantly. "They're Elves," he said, "can't you hear their voices?"

Legolas sighed. "Yes they are Elves, and they say that you breath so loud they could shoot you in the dark." Demi was sure this was bad news, but seeing as no one had mentioned the woods being full of Elves she felt that none of it was her fault. Still, it was probably her loud breathing that alerted them, and her pounding heart they could hear. Still, Sam was the one to put his hand over his mouth, and so Legolas finished his translation. "But they say also that you need have no fear. They have been aware of us a long while. They heard my voice across the Nimrodel, and knew that I was one of their Northern kindred, and therefore they did not hinder our crossing; and afterwards they heard my song. Now they bid me climb up with Frodo; for they seem to have some tidings of him and our journey. The others they ask to wait a little, and to keep watch at the foot of the tree, until they have decided what is to be done."(Quote from Fellowship of the Ring, pg. 333)

Demi wasn't at all sure if this comforted her.

After a silver-grey rope ladder was let down, Legolas, Frodo and Sam-although he hadn't been invited-climbed up leaving the rest of them on the ground, waiting. Finally Demi got a chance to talk to Connor.

"Connor," She whispered hesitantly, " Do you remember the girl we saw before being sucked into psycho land?" She gestured around them for emphasis. There was abrupt realization in his expression. "Do we have any idea what happened to her?" It was more of rhetorical question than anything else. Demi shook her head, "I haven't gotten a chance to talk to anyone else." She paused, "Maybe they know something." She actually doubted it but there was no point in discarding an option only because it was personally uncomfortable. She didn't understand these people, so she didn't like them. But that wasn't any reason to put the girl who may be lost and all alone at risk. Connor agreed because he didn't see any other options.

 "Why don't you ask Boromir," he offered, "you might be able to get more out of him then me or Loren. I don't think Alyssa's very good choice for the job either and Ryan's really in no shape to do anything." When she raised her eyebrows, he raised his hands in defense. "He just seems to like you better than any of us."

"So I'm not the only one who's noticed," she grumbled in annoyance.

* * *

Boromir noticed that after awhile, the two strange foreigners who were deep in a secret conversation started sneaking glances in his direction, when they thought he wasn't looking. The young man Connor and his lady friend Demi (strange names, he thought) gave the man the odd feeling that the topic of conversation they were so engrossed in had something to do with him. He turned to Aragorn apprehensively, to distract himself from the unnerving feeling of being the topic of a discussion that he couldn't hear.

"I tell you these woods are dangerous, nothing good can come from the Elves who live here. Already I feel the dread of ill fortune on the horizon. This waiting around is making me worry."

Gimli nodded his head, "Aye, that I agree with. Elves cannot be trusted; they lack the strong loyalties of us Dwarves. Or of men," He added as an after thought.

Aragorn sighed at this and shook his head. "There is nothing here you need to fear," he said, "We are safe as long as we respect the Elves that go out of their way to keep us from harm. They did not shoot us back by the Nimrodel and I doubt they would be so fast to change their minds now."

The sound of footsteps made them all glance in the direction of Demi, who was making her way to them with cautious assurance. Pausing before Boromir she clasped her hands in front of her in a formal gesture and cleared her thought.

"I have a question," she started. Boromir waved a hand, "then speak for we do not have all night." Demi frowned at that and Pippin came to her defense although she did not want it.

"Give her some room Boromir," he said crossly, "You should show the lady some manners." She fidgeted and gave him some thanks before continuing on with less tentativeness than before. 

"Did you ever see anyone else before you found us?" Although she was talking to Boromir, the question was directed toward everyone. Loren raised her eyebrows, and then mouthed a long oooooh, as she remembered.

"You mean the girl with black hair," she conferred. Demi nodded and Aragorn looked troubled.

"There was another?" He asked perplexed and Loren nodded along Alyssa and Ryan who, in sudden understanding, agreed. Out of the corner of his eye Ryan spotted a moving shadow.

"Duck!" he cried at Connor, but it was to late, the arrow flew strait.