Once again, I was riding with the elf lord.

This is not a bad thing.

But I missed Carenloth and since the only person who knew her whereabouts was unconscious and tied to his horse, I wasn't going to find out soon.

He didn't wake until we stopped for the midday meal.

Elrond did not wake him. But I heard him groan as the elf lord was making tea and heating broth.

Taking the water flask to him, I carefully tipped some water into his mouth, which he slobbered down.

I really wanted to pour it all over his head and then hope it would freeze.

It was a cold day. Pale grey sky, pale grey landscape, great plumes of steam from the horses and ourselves.

"Wh-where am I?" Loran groaned hoarsely, trying to sit up.

"You are tied to your horse, you ground squirrel." (Couldn't think of anything else in Westron quick enough!)

"Why you bitch!" He struggled and then moaned when he felt his arrow wound.

I jumped back from his anger and then shook my head.

"Fine. See if I feed your sorry face."

Lord Elrond came up behind me and I only knew because Loran blanched and struggled again.

I whipped around and then smiled weakly. "Hello there."

"Trouble Marie?"

"No. No. The insect is just being rude." I replied in Sindarin. On purpose.

Elrond smiled slightly. "Has he had some water?"

"Yes. Some."

"Do you wish more Loran?"

"Not from you elf freak."

"All right then." Elrond lay his hand on the man's forehead and he went unconscious.

Wiping his hand on the edge of Loran's cloak, he said mildly, "The broth is ready."

Smiling I followed him back to the fire.

"Pleasant lad, isn't he?"

Sighing, the elf lord looked heavenward.

Grateful for the warm mug, I drank down to cups of broth and ate a piece of way bread. It made me feel sleepy and when it was time to mount up, I tried to keep my eyes open, but the warm soup and the warm elf lord worked against me, and I fell asleep.

Evening found us down in a dell surrounded by rocks and a few stunted oaks.

Feeling rested, I slipped off Rhean and went back to check on Loran. He was awake and his slightly blood-shot eyes glared at me fiercely.

Oh, I guess he was going to be pleasant again.

"Thirsty?"

He said nothing. Shrugging, I walked away and went and helped Elrond as much as I could, set up the camp. At least unrolling our blankets and picking up pieces of wood nearby.

My arm was still numb and weak, but I could wiggle my fingers some.

Elrond patted it when he finished changing the dressing.

"It is healing fine Marie."

I stared at the clean linen. "Ah, but if I was elvish, this would already be gone"

"No, not quite. Actually you heal quickly for an edain."

I laughed. "It's probably the healer my lord! Or maybe the food!"

Smiling he got up and poured himself some more tea.

We were enjoying a second cup of tea, when we both heard Loran groan. I was about to up, but Elrond put a hand to my shoulder and he went and dealt with the insect.

Elrond took the water flask and gave our nasty companion some water.

He returned and took a corner of lembas and fed it to a clearly unhappy Loran.

When he finished, he went to the spring and washed his hands.

"All settled for the night?"

"No I shall have to let him relieve himself."

"You want me to stand guard?"

"Thank you Marie, I shall manage on my own."

Nodding I hunched down into my cloak. It had gotten even more cold.

I wondered idly if it was going to snow again.

Tired, I sat watching the fire, my thoughts wandered a million miles away.

What was happening in my world? Or was that no longer my world? Would I ever return? And if I did, what would it be like? Years gone by? A few moments or days? No time at all? Suddenly the taste of a Coke filled my mouth.

That made tears come to my eyes: All this sealed up behind some magic wall..no Elrond, no Rivendell? No adventures?

Wiping my eyes, I heard the sound of small rocks falling and I turned to look towards where Loran and Elrond were.

Seemed like a lot of movement over there. I grabbed my dagger, which Elrond had put aside intending to sharpen it.

I moved closer to the horse and then saw, that Loran was struggling with Elrond!

That little.weasel!!

I ran up with my dagger, intending to run the despicable human through. He had dirtied the soul of Middle Earth for long enough.

Whoa!! Where did that come from?? I am not usually a blood-thirsty woman!! And I have never contemplated killing anyone, except intellectually.

But he was giving the elf lord grief!

I cautiously moved around where the two were struggling.

Peering hard, I determined which one was Loran and dove into the fray. But before my blade could make contact---he bolted and Elrond fell on his rump.

I helped him up and untangled the rope Loran had thrown over Elrond.

The minute the elf was free, he took off after the fleeing human. I started to run but realized I didn't have the night vision the elf lord had and stopped in frustration.

Damn. Staring into the dark I shook my head. Lord Elrond should just let the idiot go. Maybe the rest of the wolf pack would like him for dinner.

Slapping the elven blade against my thigh, I slowly went back to the fire, all thoughts of sleep having fled. But I held onto the blade and tried to watch in all directions. You never know, the bastard might try to circle back.

Well, duhhhhh! That's just what he did. I mean, we had the food and the horses and all.

Damn it! He threw a rock and beaned me good again. Thank goodness I didn't fall into the fire, but slumped sideways.

When I came to, I was laying on the ground. Only a few minutes could have passed. I brought a hand to my head and slowly sat up.

Looking around, I was about to get up, when, with a rush, Loran came and grabbed me around the throat, having picked up my dagger in the process. He started to drag me towards the horses and I tried to pull free, but he brought the blade to my throat and I could feel the cold metal slicing into my skin.

"That is far enough Loran. Let Marie go and you may have your horse back and ride where you will." Elrond said calmly coming into the firelight, his face cold and serious. I saw the glitter of metal in his hand.

"If I do that, you'll just hunt me down."

"I will let you go. I will not hunt you any further." Of course, what would stop him from sending out archers?

I struggled to bite Loran's hand, but I couldn't get around the blade at my throat.

"No! I need her as a hostage! If I let her go, I am a dead man."

I tried kicking the scum. He ignored me.

"You are a dead man any way you look at it Loran."

Faster than the eye could see, a flash of silver gleamed and Loran dropped to the ground, his blade slicing me deeper as he fell.

But his arm dropped and I rolled off of him and turned to stare at him.

Elrond had caught him neatly in the throat and as I stood there in shock, he coughed his last in a gout of blood. A lot of it got all over me and I turned in horror and staggered away.

Bringing a hand to my throat, I collapsed to my knees and lost my supper in the dirt.

Shivering, I crawled away from the body and the elf lord who was calmly removing his dagger, perfunctorily checking the dead man's pulse, and cleaning the blade on the edge of Loran's cloak.

Loran was dead!

I had never seen a dead person before!

Pulling myself up against the log near the fire, I continued to stare at the dead man.

Elrond came up to me and removed my hand from my throat frowning. He helped me up and led me to my pile of blankets. I just let him. I couldn't think past the fact Loran was dead, and Elrond, my nice humorous elf lord had done it calmly.

I shuddered again taken by a chill as I lay down. Finally my eyes latched onto his trying to see what he felt..all I could see was the same warm expression he always had for me. As if nothing untoward had happened. I wanted to say something in my confusion but I fell asleep.

Water.

I heard the sound of water chuckling over rocks, making me very thirsty.

I could feel my throat all stiff with bandages. (surely, the elf lord was running out of linen!)

I was lying near the campfire. I desperately needed to relieve myself and I staggered up and almost fell, but I stopped myself on a nearby boulder.

The light was all different and it was not the dell with the spring..where.Loran.had.been killed.

By Elrond.

Shuddering again, I noticed Rhean and Loran's horse cropping dry grass near the water's edge.

No elf lord visible.

Sighing, I went and did what I needed to do and stumbling back to my cloak, I wrapped myself up again.

But I could not sleep anymore.

I knew intellectually Loran had asked for death. I would have killed him too if he had had the elf lord in such a hold. He had made it abundantly clear he was slim mold of the highest order with no compunction about hurting people to get what he wanted.

I guess I just didn't expect to see anyone killed right in front of me! (all right: in BACK of me!) By Elrond!

But this was a bit rougher world here and decisions had to be made and acted upon quickly.

A mug of tea stood near my head when I turned to glance at the fire when it crackled suddenly. The tea was cold but I was thirsty and drank it anyway.

Uncharacteristically, I was hoping it was a sleeping draught.

But it wasn't,

My headache went away though.

I just stared at the grey sky. Oh, damn it! I wished I had more God- given sense than a goose! I should have never, NEVER left Rivendell.

Look what had happened!

A man had been KILLED! And I was once again wrapped up in bandages, a victim of my own idiocy.

While mulling over my miserable thoughts like a piece of tasteless gristle, Lord Elrond walked back into camp, his bow and quiver over one shoulder, carrying two small birds. They sort of looked like pheasant, but they had shorter tails.

I was frightened! I quickly smiled at Elrond as he went to the other side of the fire and lay the birds on a rock.

Coming up to me, I couldn't stop myself and I cringed away as he made to touch me.

"Marie, I am not going to hurt you." He stopped and looked at me in concern.

"I-I know that. I do. I, I am just.sorry, I am not feeling well. Sorry." Dumb thing to say to a healer, but I couldn't think of anything else.

He hunkered down at my side and stared at me a minute. I stared back at him, leery of him. And I knew he wasn't going to do anything, but, but I was afraid. He had killed Loran so easily. And the feeling of his hot blood made me pinch my shoulders together.

"Marie. You are frightened. Of me."

I nodded almost imperceptibly but he caught the movement.

As he brought a hand to my face, I closed my eyes.

He just brushed the hair off my face and then his hand slipped down to my throat and it lay there a moment as he sent healing energy into the wound, which really helped with the ache and stiffness.

When he lifted his hand, I opened my eyes, but his expression was unreadable. I swallowed nervously. He put a hand to my shoulder and then stood and went to the other side of the fire and began to pluck and clean the birds for dinner.

I watched him for awhile trying to sort through my feelings, but the heat of the fire (and perhaps the tea after all) made me tired and I closed my eyes and slept again.

A knife! It was coming straight for me! Glittering with the angry orange light of a big campfire and there was the leering face of Loran behind it! I brought up my hands and tried to fend off the horror, but it wouldn't stop. I tried to scream, but I was gagged and I could not get anything out!

I struggled harder and then I found myself being held close and a soothing voice in my ear. My struggles settled down and shuddering, I relaxed and opened my eyes.

I was propped up against the elf lord, who had wrapped his arms around me to keep from hurting myself.

Gasping, I awoke completely.

He said quietly, "Sh, Marie, you were having a bad dream. It is all right now."

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "But you killed him! You killed Loran!"

"Yes, I did. He was going to kill you. I could see the madness of death in his eyes."

Shuddering at his calm words, I looked out into the campfire sightlessly.

"He, you did it so fast and I.and all that blood."

Finally tears came and I started sobbing out all my fear and uneasiness. He said nothing but held me.

"I-I've never seen any one killed before. I have never been-been dragged around and-and.tied up.And I tho-thought I was helping out Hennar. All I did wa-was get a man killed. Oh my God!" I buried my face in his cloak.

He rubbed my back and said nothing further.

I settled down finally, tired, but thirsty.

Elrond lifted me away from him to look down at me. Smiling slightly he just shook his head. "My world is just different than yours Marie and takes different skills to handle. This is the way things are here. And you have been working so hard to fit in. And doing an admirable job. But every now and again, something comes up and trips you, sometimes literally and reminds you how new all this still is for you."

He hugged me and then got up, laying me back. "Are you hungry?"

"I am very thirsty. Only a little hungry." I yawned like a cave.

"I am roasting mountain hens and there is roasted potatoes as well."

"All right." I yawned and sat up. He handed me his little flask of miruvor and I took a healthy swallow of it, made my eyes water. But I felt a lot better.

He went back to the other side of the fire and turned the birds on a stick. Suddenly, they smelled wonderful and my stomach growled. He smiled down into the coals as he turned the potatoes.

I was tired and did not say much the rest of the evening. I was still trying to deal with Loran's death and it was hard to square away in my mind.

As I drank some tea, I glanced across at Elrond, the fire shining in his hair and sparkling in his eyes as he tidied up around the fire.

I had not told him the other reason I had left Rivendell: to release him from his care of me.

And I did not know what to do about it now, dinged up as I was.

I went to sleep with a heavy heart.