A/N: With the kids' ages, I assume that they age the same as humans do on Earth, so that's the scale I used. Let me know if the humans in ME age differently than the humans here.

In 3 days the weary company reached a wall, and Legolas got off his horse and looked at it closely. He put a hand on it and followed it for a bit, then found what he had been looking for. The tunnel.

"This is where the children are our most important assets," he told the others. "This is why we had to take them along. Ohtar, come here." Ohtar was arguably the best-built child of the 7 children with the broadest shoulders. That is why Legolas picked him.

"See if you can fit through this opening," Legolas instructed. Ohtar looked at his father for a moment like he was crazy, then he got down on his hands and knees and poked his head through the hole. He then tried to propel the rest of his body through, but he had to do it slowly and squish in. After trying to get fully in for a few minutes, he gave up. He wouldn't fit.

"Yrinvan," Legolas said, and motioned for the boy to come forward. He dismounted and came to the tunnel. "Try it."

Yrinvan did as Ohtar, and he was able to just barely make it through. But he was certainly squished and if the tunnel got any smaller ahead, then he would get stuck.

"I don't think I can make it," he said.

"You will," Legolas replied. "It gets larger as it progresses. If you are able to enter, you will be able to exit. Amethyst, how old are you?"

"Nearly 16," she answered.

"Why don't you try as well? Yrinvan is larger than Zerameth, so she will make it and so will the young children. But I want to make sure you can make it as well." Amethyst also got off her horse and tried to fit into the tunnel, and she failed. She was older than Yrinvan, and he was also quite scrawny.

"All right," Legolas said after she was done. All children except Ohtar and Amethyst, come here. This is your time to help out."

Zerameth helped Galia down from her horse and they all went over to Legolas. He then told them what they were to do… to crawl through the tunnel, and at the other side they were to find the fairy home and ask them for help. They were to mention Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood, for he was a friend of theirs and they owed him a favor.

"Is everyone clear?" Legolas asked. They nodded.

"How long is this tunnel?" Laesien asked.

"It is a bit over 4 miles." The children instantly looked surprised and devastated at the same time.

"4 miles?!" Laesien demanded. "Crawling in a tunnel?"

"You will be fine. It gets larger later on and it will be easier. Now, I want Anywien in the front, then Galia and Laesien, then Zerameth, and Yrinvan in the back. If anything happens, you must help each other out. I warn the young ones, there may be bugs and other things that will disturb you, but none will harm you. You must try to get through before nightfall, for the fairy home can only be found in the sunlight. And be careful of your hands and knees… they may get scraped up from the jagged floor. Wien, if you find anything you will want to warn the others. Stay as close to each other as you can. It is a good idea to talk to each other so that you have a better idea of where they are. And be careful. Wien, Yrinvan, as the eldest, you two are in charge."

Zerameth looked at Anywien. "How old are you?" she asked, thinking that she was older than the elf. For, she was only a few months younger than Yrinvan, and if he was the eldest then she thought she would be, too.

"1,574," she replied, shocking the princess.

"Oh."

Legolas smiled. "You must waste no time. Go now."

Anywien got down and entered the hole, then Galia, Laesien, Zerameth, and Yrinvan in the back. It wasn't too dark at first, for it was high noon and they had a bit of light creeping in between them from the opening, but soon the darkness choked the light, and it disappeared to leave a long line of nothing but black.

Legolas was correct in saying it was jagged. So far none of them were bleeding, but it was certainly rough. Anywien was careful at where she put her hands, for she did not always know exactly where the floor was. Now and again she would set her hand on a beetle of some sort and it would startle her and she would let out a small yelp, but then she quickly told the rest that there was nothing to worry about, she was simply surprised. And now and again the tunnel would turn, and unaware of this, Anywien would crawl right into the wall. Then she would have to tell them which way it was turning, once in elvish for Galia and once in the Common Tongue for the rest of them. None of them had noticed, but the tunnel was getting gradually larger. It was so subtle, however, that it couldn't be noticed until they'd been crawling for 2 hours and Yrinvan suddenly realized that he wasn't as tightly squeezed as he had been before.

"It is getting bigger," he stated.

"Yes, it is," Anywien replied. "The extra room is pleasant."

"I'm tired," Galia said.

"I'm cold," Laesien added. "I don't think that I can feel my hand, but that may be a good thing. I think it's bleeding."

"My knees feel like they shall crack open any moment now," Zerameth agreed. "Might we stop?"

"You heard my father," Anywien answered. "We must hurry. If we reach the other side and it is nighttime, then we shall have to stay the night until daylight and we can find the fairy home."

"Legolas possibly expected us to take rests," Yrinvan said reasonably. He wasn't sure if he agreed with his statement, but he wanted to stop as well. "He didn't think we would crawl in a stone wall for 4 miles straight. And we must be halfway through."

"And for all we know it is dark already," Anywien replied. "No, we will continue."

Zerameth bumped into Laesien and stopped crawling, realizing that her sister had done the same. "Then why have we stopped?" she asked.

Anywien noticed that the voice sounded further off, and knew that someone had disobeyed her and taken a rest. She slowly crawled backwards to where the rest were. She ended up kicking Galia accidentally.

"Baul!" Galia yelped when her nose was hit. (Ouch!)

"What?!" Zerameth demanded, thinking there was something seriously wrong. She had no idea what Galia had said, and she didn't like the note of alarm in her voice.

"Nothing!" Anywien said quickly. "Everything is fine. Im balch, Galia." (I'm sorry, Galia.)

"What are you saying?" Zerameth asked, still not calm. "What happened?"

"I kicked her by accident, I only apologized. Nothing's wrong."

Galia began to cry softly and Anywien tried to calm her down by speaking soft elvish to her. Zerameth knew that she should feel bad for Galia, but she couldn't help but smile. Hearing the smooth, flawless elvish in a soft cooing voice was so soothing. She loved it.

Galia stopped crying and Anywien sighed. "All right, that was our break," she announced. "Let's go." Then she continued on down the dark tunnel and the rest followed into the abyss.