A/N: The last part of this is a bit surreal and strange. It's meant to be so because it's mainly from Karalynn's pov. It'll become clear later but for right now, just float along with her mind and don't try to make sense of it. Oh- and I'm pretty sure Legolas did have more siblings and that he was possibly the youngest (there is an essay on his birth order, actually) child of King Thranduil. By the time I read the essay, I had already written ch.3 and so on. If you readers would like me to change this fact within this story, I could. It'll just take some time...

But anyway... twists and bounds ahead! Read on!

Chapter 12: Secrets

They rode along in silence for hours. The sun was now high above their heads but the trees blocked most of its rays from reaching them. They were among shadows and it seemed fitting to retain the silent air they were wrapped in.

Karalynn had now grown accustomed to being on top of Belleth for she often let go of her grasp on the thick white mane to reach out towards the foliage around them. Though Legolas did not like the way she wanted to touch everything, for the most part he allowed it. She was an inquisitive thing, wanting to experience everything around her and knowing his own elven curiousity, he indulged her own.

Yet when they had come upon a black squirrel, he pulled her hand gently and shook his head when she looked at him.

Some things were simply not to be experienced.

Karalynn was leaning wholly on Legolas for support, using him like a wall or the backing of a chair to rest upon but he did not mind. It only meant that she was at ease with being close to him. She often scooted closer to him and once or twice tried to tighten the leather cord that bound them together. She was fidgety and active but agreeable and quiet. At times, Legolas often found his face unbearably close to her hair or neck and he would lean back slightly to prevent brushing against her in that manner. Once or twice she had closed her eyes for long periods of time and at first he thought that she had fallen asleep. He hoped she could find rest, even if it was while riding on a horse but something inside of him told him that it wasn't sleep that beckoned her to close her eyes. It was as if she were listening to something inside of her, something internal that no one else could hear but her.

And that worried him more.

The wood was known to all Middle Earth to be a dark and dangerous one, true- but for some reason, they passed the beginning of that day in relative peace.

There was a warm and sweet smelling breeze at their back and many times, the branches above them would part to let down a solitary beam of friendly sunlight. They still had yet to find the first signs of the larger, more wicked creatures that lurked in the cold shadows of Mirkwood but that was fine by them. The longer they did without these dangerous things, the better.

Finally, they all decided to take a break- for the girl's sake alone, for it was well past noon and she had yet to eat or drink.

They found a small clearing and settled down there, not bothering to tie their horses down for elven horses were trained to be obedient to a fault.

Faran, Nuratar, and the girl sat down on a large felled log and Legolas was grateful to both elves for entertaining her as he fixed her meal.

Legolas unfolded the top of his bag and drew out a piece of bread, cheese and fruit. Fortinbas approached him, holding their water packs, with a curious expression on his face and Legolas looked at him expectantly.

"Is it true what they say about the girl?" he asked Legolas in a whisper.

"Is what true?" Legolas asked back.

"That though she looks to be a grown human female, she has the mind of child?" he said. "They say that she is one of the touched ones- one of the idiot creatures that Elbereth had pity on at birth and bestowed other gifts upon to make up for all that she lacked."

Legolas narrowed his eyes and willed himself not to express the rage he felt at Fortinbas' words. There was no malice in his tone and his expression was one of mere curiousity. Fortinbas had been nothing but kind to the girl and Legolas knew he meant no insult to her nature.

But still, it burned Legolas to hear Karalynn spoken of in that manner.

"She is not fool, if that is what you mean to say, Fortinbas." Legolas said, his tone much harsher than he meant it to be. "She has a perfectly good mind and eloquent speech, if you listen closely. Her spirit is troubled but she is not dull-witted and I will not have you speaking of Karalynn in that way again, is that understood?"

Fortinbas paled and looked as if the Prince had slapped him across the face. He lowered his head, much humbled, and closed his eyes.

"Your Highness, I apologize." he said earnestly. "I meant no injury with my questions. It is obvious that I have offended you. I meant no harm."

Legolas sighed and silently rebuked himself.

"I know, Fortinbas." he said, closing his bag. "But she is not a fool."

"That is my feeling." Fortinbas said and Legolas felt that he was being honest. "Her thoughts seemed scattered at times and she often looks as if her attention has wandered to things elsewhere but I feel that her intellect is intact nevertheless. And she is unfailing gracious and kind. I should not have asked the question, your Highness, because I knew in my heart that it be false."

Legolas nodded simply and said nothing. Fortinbas seemed hesitant to say his next words and Legolas peered at him closely.

"I feel that your questions are not finished." he said and Fortinbas nodded.

"Aye, Prince." he said. His voice dropped down to a volume barely above a whisper. "Something troubles my mind about the past few hours we have spent riding."

"What is it, Fortinbas?"

"The wind, your Highness. Have you noticed that it is at our backs?"

"Yes, but what of it?"

"Well, this time of year, it usually comes from the opposite direction." Fortinbas said. "During these months especially it hails from the south but... it seems to be coming from the northeast now."

Legolas said nothing, pondering over this. A dim part of his mind had known this and troubled over it, but with the girl in his arms he had pushed it away as a mere trifle.

"It seems as if the wind is with us, your Highness." said Fortinbas. "And it is a warm wind too- not the normally chill air that comes this time of year. It parts the branches and clears the way for us. 'Tis an odd thing."

Legolas looked into his friend's eyes and frowned.

"And why do you think this is, Fortinbas?" he asked sternly, in a slight tone of command.

Fortinbas lowered his head, as if ashamed of his reply.

"Your Highness, perhaps the girl is blessed by some sort of spirit guardian." he said weakly. "There are tales about such creatures, as you know. Immortals and mortals who have somehow found favor with the spirits and are protected by them. They are said to be endowed with great beauty and..."

"Nonsense, Fortinbas." Legolas said, shaking his head. "Mere tales. I am sure that there is another explanation for the direction of the wind, one that does not involve spirit guardians or spiritual favors."

"Of course, your Highness." Fortinbas said. Legolas closed his bag and turned around to walk back to the rest of the group with Fortinbas behind him. Karalynn and Faran were involved in some kind of game and Nuratar was watching them with a faintly amused expression on his face.

"Now, you place your hands over mine." Faran said, holding out his hands and Karalynn did as he said. "And I will try to hit your hands. You must not let me touch you or else I win. Understand?"

Karalynn nodded, grinning. Faran smiled back at her. His hand twitched and she moved away, giggling.

"You didn't even try to hit me!" she cried out and he laughed.

"Nay, I tricked you, little one." Faran said. "That is the point of the game. You must try to anticipate my movements. Feel my body with all your senses, not just your eyes."

"Okay." Karalynn said, placing her hands over his again. He stared into her eyes for a long time, without moving or blinking and suddenly his hands moved like a blur. She tried to move away but he was too fast for her and hit her lightly on the tops of her hands.

Karalynn burst into giddy laughter and the elves looked at one another, smiling at the contagious sound.

"Ah, let me try again!" Karalynn exclaimed and Faran nodded, holding out his hands once more.

"Before you continue on with your game, Karalynn, you must eat lunch." Legolas said, sitting down next to the girl. She smiled at Faran and shrugged and he patted her on her shoulder.

"After lunch, little one, we shall play again." he said, smiling. He stood up and walked away to give them privacy.

Legolas broke off a small piece of bread for her and she ate it without question, chewing as she looked around. When she had swallowed, he gave her a piece of cheese and she took that without question too. Legolas studied her in wonder. She seemed happier in the woods, despite the thick limbs of the trees and semi-darkness of the place. Most creatures, elf and human alike, found the dark wood to be oppressive and heavy. The open air seemed to do her good- in fact, a bit of color had returned to her cheeks and her eyes sparkled brightly as she munched.

To Legolas' amusement, she began to swing her legs from the large log they sat on.

"You are happy." he said quietly. Karalynn looked at him in surprise, swallowed her mouthful and then grinned.

"I feel better." she said, tilting her head to the side. "The voices have died down a bit and... and the baby has stopped crying. It's happy too, I think."

Legolas' smile faded from his lips and his stomach sank to hear her words.

"The baby you speak of..." he said, his voice faltering. Karalynn continued to smile.

"It comes and it goes." she said, blinking. She seemed unaware of his discomfort. "Sometimes I hear it crying but right now.... it's cooing. I think that's the word for it. Cooing? Yes. The holes have stopped getting bigger and that's a comfort, you know. There's less chance of me falling if there are less holes. When I close my eyes the field is the same. At least I'm not being forced to jump anymore. I don't care what wonders await me. I don't want to jump."

Legolas lowered his eyes feeling the old pain wash over him. What if.... what if she was crazy? Or an "idiot creature blessed" as Fortinbas had said. She hadn't seemed so in the beginning but now it was hard to ignore. What if it wasn't any dark or sinister force that was behind her strange babblings but merely the condition of her weakened mind?

What if she had been born that way?

He felt her soft hand on his cheek and he raised his eyes to find that she was looking at him sadly, with an expression of gentleness in her gaze.

"I've hurt you, haven't I?" she said softly.

"Nay, dear one. I.. I am merely tired." he said in a whisper. Her mouth curved down slightly and she shook her head.

"Legolas, you weren't made to lie." she said. "How many times have you told me that elves don't get tired?"

He said nothing but pressed her hand firmly against his cheek with his hand.

"I should keep my mouth shut, shouldn't I?" she said. Her shoulders drooped slightly and she seemed to wilt like a flower deprived of water. "I'm sorry. Next time I won't tell you about it. I promise."

"No." he said, sitting up. He took her hand and kissed it gently before bringing it down to his chest. "Listen to me, Karalynn. I want you to tell me everything you feel or see or hear. You will not hurt me with anything you say and you know I could never think less of you."

Something flickered in her gray, gray eyes as she looked him. There was nothing even remotely childish or child-like in her gaze and Legolas suddenly felt as if, in that one moment, her mind was whole and complete.

"No, you wouldn't think less of me, would you?" she said quietly. "It's not in your nature to be so cruel. But I worry you and I do hurt you and I don't want to do that. You have been nothing but kind to me from the beginning, Legolas. Thank you. But I guess there are some thoughts that I have to keep to myself from now on."

He shook his head but she only smiled that sad, slight smile of hers and pulled her hand back from his grasp. Before he could say a word, she took the loaf of bread from his lap and broke off a small piece, popping it into her mouth.

Her eyes suddenly grew playful once more and her smile became impish and sweet.

The moment had passed and Legolas wondered if it had happened at all.

Karalynn ate a bit more after that and Fortinbas gave her the water pack to drink from. She dripped some onto her chin and dress and Legolas had to wipe her clean with with the edge of his own cloak. When they ready to depart once more, he wrapped her cloak tightly around her, pulling her hood over her head. She fussed a little when he did that but was as agreeable as always.

Without the stool, it took longer for Karalynn to get up onto Belleth's back and she scrambled up his thick side in fearful expectation of a fall. After she had finally gotten up on the great steed and Legolas had walked away a little, she glanced furtively around before leaning forward and whispering a sincere apology into the horse's ear.

"I'm sorry, Legolas' horse. Didn't mean to scratch you like that and thank you for not kicking me away. Oh well, you probably don't understand me anyway and I should stop talking to you because Legolas might get mad and think I'm talking to myself. Oh, he's looking this way...."

She sat up and pretended to tug at her cloak while Legolas walked back from Faran, Fortinbas and Nuratar. They all had heard everything she said to Belleth and Legolas tried to hide the smile that was threatening to burst from his lips. Belleth bent his head and looked up at his master with an equally amused sparkle in his eye.

Legolas swung himself behind Karalynn without trouble and tied Lohr's leather cord around them once again.

"We shall not be resting until late into the path of the moon." he said to Karalynn as he urged Belleth to move forward. Faran and the rest moved behind him. "We shall ride faster to cover more ground before the shadows completely overtake us. It will not be a pleasant trip in the evening, dear one, so try to get some rest."

"You mean, as much rest as I can from a moving horse?" Karalynn teased lightly, twisting her head around to look at him.

Legolas nodded seriously.

"Yes, Karalynn." he said. Though he was glad that she was still light-hearted, he meant what he said. "Sleep. I shall sing to you if you want."

She shook her head and frowned.

"No sleep, Legolas. No." she said stubbornly. "Tell me a story instead. I'll close my eyes if you do but I won't sleep."

Legolas sighed. He would have liked it if she slept but he knew that she would fight against slipping into unconsciousness no matter what he did. She was very strong-willed and determined for someone who was supposed to be so simple and child-like.

"Aye, Karalynn. A story you shall have then." he said. He felt her shift her body into a more comfortable position and she leaned against him snugly, eagerly awaiting his tale.

"Ah, I will keep my end of the bargain if you keep yours." he said, looking down at her impatient eyes. "Rest your eyes and I shall speak, but no sooner than that."

He allowed himself a small smile when she rolled her eyes, irritated, but she did close them with a sigh.

"Good." he said. He glanced up at the thick branches above them and decided to use a quieter voice for the story- one that would not attract too much unwanted attention. He brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her cheek and positioned his mouth at the very edge of her ear.

"Once upon a time... " he began in a faint whisper.

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They rode hard and fast for the next four days.

The branches grew thicker together though they did not bar the path that the riders were following.

As they reached the heart of the dark wood, they began to see signs of the deadly gossamer strands, floating inbetween the limbs of the trees. They saw no sign of the sun now and though they did not admit it, the elves were anxious at its loss. At night, they were kept safe by virtue of their elven fire and during the day, it seemed that a warm wind sped them along their way.

Legolas was beginning to see the sense in Fortinbas words. It was beginning to gnaw at his mind- how good luck and fortune seemed to be with them as they traveled. Though elves usually had no trouble using the things of nature, they expected to have some difficulty in building a fire. The fallen limbs were somewhat damp and scarce. Yet, each time Nuratar or Faran would attempt to make the fire, the pieces of wood they had would spark together with barely a touch.

And the way the wind seemed to part the small obstacles in front of them, as if urging them on....

There should be no wind in the forest. None at all. Not in the very depths of the wood where they were.

It was not right.

Karalynn had fallen into a frequent unsettling silence. During the day, she would close her eyes more and more but Legolas knew that she wasn't sleeping. She was listening to that internal 'something' that he suspected grew stronger within her. At night she would stare at the fire in a slight daze and the flames would dance in her eyes. Sometimes the corners of her mouth would tilt upwards, in a smile and she would mutter things that Legolas could not understand. Physically, she remained frail but relatively well. Nuratar would check over her everyday to make sure she was carrying on as usual.

But it was not her physical state Legolas fretted over.

"What do you hear?" he would ask her, at random times during the day.

"Nothing." she would reply, though her eyes would dart away revealing her lies. "Nothing at all, Legolas. Please don't worry."

As they rode on Belleth, she would sing softly sometimes. Short, simple songs that Legolas had never heard of.

"Twinkle, twinkle little star...."

"Are you sleeping, are you sleeping? Brother Jon... brother Jon... "

"Row, row, row your boat..."

Stranger than her silences were her songs.

They had all noticed this change in the girl but none so keenly as Legolas. There was a distance growing between them and he disliked that more than the thick spiderwebs that were growing more and more frequent alongside them.

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( ..."Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank,"... )

This voice was kind and sweet and familiar. It seemed to ride on the wind.

In fact, she thought that it might be the wind itself. Speaking to her through the air.

Karalynn enjoyed listening to it and she closed her eyes to block out everything else around her.

This was her favorite story. She knew it by heart. She stopped wondering how she knew she liked it- she just did.

Her favorite part was when Alice was in the Queen's rose garden.

( ... "A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden: the roses growing on it were white, but there were three gardeners at it, busily painting them red." ... )

Imagine that!

Gardeners painting white roses red! It was such a funny idea and it tickled her mind to think about it.

She listened to the voice (such a comforting sound really) as they rode along and it eased her entire body to hear the tale retold over and over again. It was like a soothing balm to her ears. Sometimes she would hear the baby laughing at the parts that she herself thought were funny and that made her smile. Karalynn had long stopped wondering who the baby was or where it was or... anything else really. She had long let go of the questions that had plagued ever since she had arrived-

(fallen)

-into Mirkwood. Middle Earth. Wherever she was now. But still... she missed her momma and daddy, whoever they were. Something seemed to nag at her mind though she tried to push it away. There was some distant sort of pain that she did not want to think about. Actually, it was frightening and scary and-

( ...fall into the rabbit hole, Alice... )

-and she did not want to think about it. But it occupied a small, dark part of her mind no matter what. She ran from this pain, hid it away so that she would not have to bother with it and wrapped herself up in the warmth of the kind voice.

( ..."Alice did not much like keeping so close to her: first, because the Duchess was very ugly; and secondly, because she was exactly the right height to rest her chin upon Alice's shoulder, and it was an uncomfortably sharp chin. However, she did not like to be rude, so she bore it as well as she could."...)

No, Legolas was not at all like the Duchess of Wonderland. He was beautiful, just like an angel and soft and gentle with her. His blue eyes reminded her of someone. Someone who had been kind to her as well- perhaps a long, long time ago and this reminder made her happy. Legolas made her feel safe and she liked him for that. Had she been afraid of him once? That was nonsense now- there was nothing frightening about the golden haired elf...

( ...but elves don't exist!... )

...who took care of her and sang to her in his melodic voice. She missed Lohr and Kythe though-

( ...momma, daddy, where are you?... )

-but it was okay because Legolas was here.

Her kind, sweet friend Legolas.

She shifted a little in her seat. Her thighs hurt and her back was beginning to get sore. Legolas softened his body against her, simultaneously wrapping his warmth around her and taking a bit of her discomfort away. She leaned her head against where his shoulder and collarbone met and snuggled happily there.

Ah, that was better.

The things she knew for sure she separated into two categories- what she liked and what she didn't like. She liked the story of Alice. She liked the sound of the baby laughing. She liked Kythe and Lohr and Legolas. Faran and Fortinbas, even. She liked blue eyes (such a familiar color!) She liked the short, little songs that ran around her head sometimes.

( ..."Yea, though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death,"...)

No. No. No. She did not like that. In fact, she positively hated that little... poem, or whatever it was. She hated that other voice- the one that beckoned to her in her sleep. She hated the white rabbit and its pink eyes and watch.

Above all, she hated the nightmares.

( "In this hour of grief and sorrow, I call on Heaven with all its power!" )

Which was why she kept herself awake all the time.

"Karalynn, is something wrong?"

She opened her eyes and looked up to find those comforting blue eyes looking at her. She smiled and sat up.

"No." she said. "I'm fine."

"You started to moan a little and you looked unhappy for a moment. Did you dream again?"

"I wasn't asleep."

"But you were upset nevertheless."

"No."

"Karalynn..." Ah, now he was getting annoyed at her so she smiled sheepishly and hoped that would be enough to make him soften.

It was.

He smiled back and kissed the back of her head without saying another word.

There were many things she had to keep secret from Legolas.

Karalynn raised her hand and the wind grew stronger. She glanced at Faran and saw that his light brown hair had lifted up from his shoulders and he was fighting to keep it behind him. She dropped her hand and Faran's hair settled back down on his shoulders.

Karalynn giggled.

"What is so funny, dear one?" Legolas asked.

She shrugged and said nothing.

She had discovered on the first day of the trip that certain things happened when she wanted them to. She could make the wind grow soft or fierce with just one movement of her hand. Her mind felt clear and refreshed when the wind blew through her hair and so she welcomed its presence. It seemed to help keep the pain and the darkness away from the surface of her mind where it hurt the most and that was good. It was like having another companion along for the trip, one that seemed to watch over her and only she could hear.

She thought about the previous nights that had fallen upon them. She liked fire and had discovered that by concentrating on the bright flames, she could make them dance merrily for her. It was like the flames were there for her own personal amusement. The more she concentrated, the higher they grew and so she helped the elves make fire as soon as possible. She didn't really know how she helped them- only knew that by thinking really hard she could create a spark when Faran or Nuratar tried to start one. The fire was also her friend- a funny, lively friend somewhat unlike the protective wind.

She didn't want them to find out she could do these things. She liked having her secrets and it made her feel powerful to have them. She cared not for the things she could do for she assumed that everyone else could them too. She just wanted to have something to call her own- even if it was only knowledge of a few simple things. There was nothing that she kept back from Kythe or Lohr or Legolas and because of this, she felt exposed and weak. And Legolas obviously did not like it when she told him things so she decided to keep silent on this small and insignificant matter.

Karalynn felt Legolas stiffen behind her and she looked to the road. A large pile of logs was sprawled across the path and even she could see that the horses could not pass over it.

"What shall we do?" Fortinbas asked Legolas, as they slowed down to a trot. Karalynn glanced at the other riders and saw that they all had slowed down as well. "'Tis too large for even the three of us to move one log. I can see that from here."

"We must go around it." Legolas said.

"But that would mean straying from the path, your Highness." Faran said. "You know that if we stray but an inch off of our road, the darkness...."

"There is no other way." Legolas said firmly.

As the elves talked amongst themselves, Karalynn glanced at the logs again.

Could she move them? Would they be too heavy?

Why didn't they just move it themselves? With their own minds?

Karalynn frowned and moved her finger up, testing her own strength. The wind around her grew strong and one log rolled just an inch or so from its original spot.

That was too easy.

She stifled another giggle and flicked her entire hand up in one swift movement.

A great gust of wind blew past them and for a moment there was confusion among the elves. The wind had blown their hair past their eyes and stray leaves and branches whirled around the legs of the horses. It was like the sudden attack of a whirlwind.

But Karalynn did not let her hand down.

The logs ahead of them began to roll off of their path, slowly but surely, and there was a cackle of movement in the air as they resettled into new spots beside the road.

When they were all gone, she let her hand fall back to Belleth's soft mane. It took a few seconds for Legolas, Nuratar and the brothers to find their bearings but when they did, Fortinbas let out a small, strangled cry of surprise.

How very unbecoming of an elf! Karalynn thought, amused.

"Your Highness... the obstacle... it is..." he said, looking at Legolas with large eyes. "Legolas!"

They all stared at the now clear path, stunned to silence and Karalynn picked a stray leaf out of Belleth's hair and let it fall to the ground.

"Legolas, did she...."

Karalynn felt his hand touch her cheek and she raised her head to look at him.

"Karalynn, what happened to the pile of logs in front of us?" Legolas asked. There was no play in his eyes now and they seemed darker than they had in the days past. She had the sinking feeling that her friend was angry with her and so she hunched over and dropped her eyes.

"It rolled away." she said quietly. She wanted to cry- he was mad at her! His face was too serious and devoid of any other emotion. With Kythe and Lohr, it was easy to read their faces because they were like her. But the other elves, like Legolas, always seemed to be so... blank. She liked it when he smiled or laughed because then she knew what he was feeling. Right now, all she had to go on were his eyes and they were filled with trouble. She felt sick to her stomach and she wanted to jump off of Belleth and hide but the cord was still wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Did you see the logs roll away?"

"Yes."

"Did you make the logs roll away?"

"No."

"Karalynn."

She looked at Legolas and shook her head violently.

"No, I didn't." she insisted, needing him to believe her lie. She didn't want him to be mad at her. "I swear, the wind did it. It blew them away."

Legolas remained silent and she was painfully aware that all of them were staring at her now. She could feel their eyes on her like little needle pricks on the back of her neck.

"Did you make the wind blow them away, Karalynn?"

And then it hit her- they couldn't do the things she could do. The wind didn't obey them as it did her and that made her panic. She was even more different than she thought she was and the knowledge of that increased the pain that had suddenly invaded her chest. It was just another reminder that she was not of their kind and that she didn't belong there.

Karalynn felt herself grow limp and she blinked back the tears that were stinging her eyes. She stared hard at Belleth's white mane. Such pretty hair for a horse. White hair against brown skin.

"How could I do that?" she asked him, staring at the horse. "How could you ask me that? I can't make the wind do anything, Legolas. That's... that's silly, isn't it?"

Though she despised herself for it, she brought her hand to her mouth and began to chew on her fingernails nervously.

"Legolas, let us think over this matter when we settle camp tonight." Nuratar's voice said smoothly. "We must continue to ride on, no matter what has occurred right now."

"The girl, Legolas..." Fortinbas said in a hush. "She is one of the blessed ones, isn't she?"

"Don't be foolish!" Faran said sharply, but Karalynn detected a hint of fear in his voice. "She is just a mortal child, Fortinbas. How could she possibly move a pile of logs from atop a horse? There is magic involved but it does not come from her, brother. It's obvious we are upsetting the girl...."

They continued to talk for awhile and Karalynn shifted uncomfortably in her place.

"Nuratar is right." Legolas said after awhile. "We must ride on. Let us talk of this later, when our minds are over the shock."

Without waiting for a reply, she felt him urge Belleth onward and the rest followed suit in silence.

After they had ridden for awhile, Karalynn found the strength to turn her head a little to the side.

"Are you angry with me?" she whispered.

She felt his grasp on her waist tighten slightly and then loosen with a sigh.

"No, dear one. I am not angry with you or with anyone." he replied.

But she couldn't shake off the feeling of dread that had settled in the air between them.

Now more than ever, Karalynn was determined to keep her secrets from Legolas.