Disclaimer: Anything you don't recognise is mine and everything else belongs to Tolkien.
A/N: Here is the next instalment. Sorry it took so long coming, but I have a lot on my plate at the moment, namely A levels!
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The next day, when Galwyn was still asleep Elrohir once more sought out Celeborn, who was sitting alone beneath the trees, sharpening one of his knives. He looked up as Elrohir approached and addressed him immediately.
"Gandalf saw you come back last night. What happened?" With a sigh, the younger elf explained all that had occurred the previous night, and Celeborn listened intently, occasionally asking a question. When Elrohir had finished, he nodded slowly.
"Galadriel warned me of this, but we had not seen it for centuries until now…not since the Great War…"
"Seen what? What is it?" Celeborn turned to Elrohir with a grave look on his face.
"Wherever dark powers go, dark things follow them… dark things that do not always manifest themselves in a solid, physical form. Orcs and evil men we can fight against, but these we cannot."
"But what are they?"
"They are called night-ghasts, Elrohir: fearful, evil, terrible things that come from the fearful, evil and terrible dark powers that still remain. They can exist both in the dream world of mortals, and the real world. They prey on sleepers, entering their dreams and leading them away from safety towards danger. They kill, not for sustenance, for they need none, but for the fact that from each victim, a new night-ghast is born. I did not think that it would happen here, but now we know, we must be more careful. I will make some sleeping draughts, for a dreamless slumber is the only thing that can lock them out."
"But she will be alright?"
"Yes, because of you. If you had not gone after her and reached her in time, then…" He turned away, "I do not like to think what may have happened."
* * *
A knock at his study door caused Thranduil to jump slightly, for he had been somewhat engrossed in the letter he was writing. He replaced his quill in the inkpot and called out permission for the visitor to enter. He was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Legolas, and stood up, coming round to greet him with the customary kiss on both cheeks.
"Good morning, Legolas." He said, gesturing for him to come and sit with him on the window seat.
"Good morning, father." The younger elf said with a smile, his flaxen hair gleaming in the morning light as he took his seat, reclining against the soft cushions and basking in the warm rays of sunlight.
"Was there something you needed to…?" Thranduil was interrupted in his sentence by a sudden tap at the window behind them, and both turned to see an eagle waiting patiently on the window ledge with a piece of parchment attached to its leg. Legolas stood up, opened the window to allow the small eagle in, and removed the roll of paper. The bird bowed its head in recognition, then flew away again through the open window. The prince handed the letter to his father with a curious expression on his face.
"It must be from Gandalf."
"Yes," replied Thranduil, "it bears his seal." He opened the letter and began to read it out loud. Together, prince and king learnt all that had been discovered the previous day, and when he had finished reading it, Thranduil laid it down on his knee and sighed. "Well, it seems that it is as we feared, Legolas. Are the troupes ready?" At this, his son smiled wryly.
"That is what I was coming to tell you this morning. They are ready for your inspection. We can march on your orders." Thranduil smiled tenderly at his eldest son, and reached out a hand to place on his shoulder.
"I knew I could trust you to do a good job, my son. Well done." Legolas smiled back, the pride obvious in his shining blue eyes.
"But what do you propose to do? Wait for them to come to us? Ambush them in the forests? Pre-empt the attack with one of our own on their soil…?" Thranduil raised an eyebrow and held up a hand to stop the barrage of questions.
"Easy, Legolas! Gandalf tells us they need two days, including today, to retrieve Vilya and find out some more information. Until then, we cannot make a final decision. That would still leave us four days or so. My immediate impression is that an ambush would not be the best course, for it seems there are a large number of them, not so large that it would endanger us, but it would be hard to contain large numbers on the west side of the forest, but perhaps if they took the eastern border…" He was once again startled from his thoughts by a knock at the door. He sighed and called out, "Enter!", his frown quickly melting into a smile as he saw Glorfindel standing in the doorway.
"My Lord, forgive the intrusion, but I was outside in the gardens, and saw the eagle deliver the letter. I was just wondering if there was any news from Gandalf?" He asked, his green eyes curious.
"Of course, Glorfindel. I was just thinking of sending for you. Come." He gestured for the other elf to join them, and he did so, seating himself on the other side of Thranduil, who was sitting in the middle. Legolas shot him a smile in greeting and he quickly smiled back, before turning his attention to the letter handed to him.
* * *
It felt to Galwyn, when she woke up that morning, that she was suffering from the biggest headache she had ever experienced in her whole life. There was a pounding throb in her temples that felt as though there was an army trying to break free. She groaned as she sat up, holding her head between both hands and immediately became aware that Gandalf was sitting next to her, holding out a small beaker of a bluish liquid.
"Celeborn told me you might wish to drink this." She looked at him quizzically and he smiled. "It will help with the headache." She smiled ruefully and took the beaker, draining it in one go and grimacing at the bitter taste.
"What happened last night, Gandalf?" He looked at her with some surprise.
"You do not remember?"
"I remember a little, but it is all confused. I remember waking up and being very cold…Elrohir was there and I was crying. There was water too…but that is about it."
"It is a very good thing that Elrohir was there, Galwyn, for he undoubtedly saved your life."
"I was in danger?"
"Yes, of the gravest type." He began to repeat what Celeborn had told Elrohir, and she listened silently as he did so, nodding to herself as small snippets of memory came back to her. When he had finished, she remained quiet for several moments before speaking.
"Is Elrohir alright?" Gandalf smiled and nodded.
"A little tired, perhaps. But no worse for wear." She nodded slowly then turned to look at him.
"Thank you for the draught, Gandalf. I feel much better now." He smiled and stood up to leave.
"Think nothing of it." He turned to go, then stopped and looked back, a twinkle in his blue eyes. "I believe you will find him, should you seek him, by the stream." Galwyn smiled and raised an eyebrow and Gandalf chuckled before walking away.
Alone once more, she hastily pulled some more clothes on and combed the tangles from her hair, deftly pulling it into one long braid that hung down her back like a black, shiny rope. She did not feel particularly like eating, for, although the headache had been dramatically reduced, it had left behind a slight nauseous feeling in her stomach, and the thought of food did not really appeal to her at that moment.
She wandered slowly in the direction of the stream and, after a few moments, was able to see Elrohir's form through the trees. She could tell by the sounds that he was washing some clothes, but as she watched, he ceased his actions and sighed, leaning back on his heels and running a tired hand through his hair. She began to walk towards him and he turned at the sound, his face immediately breaking into a smile. He stood up and placed the wet clothes on the bank, drying his hands on the bottom of his tunic before holding his arms out to her. She virtually fell into them, flinging her own arms around him tightly, and burying her face in his shoulder. After a moment, her hands came round and gently took his face between them, drawing him into a long, passionate kiss that left them both pale and gasping for breath, and rather surprised as well.
"Well… I haven't been greeted like that before…" Elrohir managed to get out after a moment.
"I'm not really sure what came over me." She replied sheepishly, before her expression turned rather more serious. "What I really want to do is to thank you… for saving my life. If you hadn't been there…"
"I have been thanking Elbereth every minute since then that I did follow you last night. If I had lost you, I don't know what I would have done…" He tailed off as she raised a finger and gently touched it to his lips.
"Shhh…don't say it. Let us not speak of 'ifs'. Everything is alright now."
"Yes, you are right." He said, and sighed, pulling her into her arms and gently stroking her back. She laid her head against his shoulder and inhaled the sweet scent of his hair that was moving across her face in the breeze. Neither moved for some time, just revelling in being together.
* * *
Night came sooner than anyone had wanted, knowing what it was bringing, and there was a tenseness in the air that was almost tangible. Galwyn had spent the better part of the day in the company of Elrohir, attempting to forget what she knew what was coming. But the inevitable happened, and she stood side by side with the dark-haired elf as they watched the sun sink from the sky. Dusk came and went, and the stars began to grow more and more bright in the darkening sky. The rest of the group began to light the fires, and Celeborn with a look to Gandalf, approached the couple as they stood some distance away from the others. They drew apart as they heard him approach, and he stopped in front of them, a neutral expression on his face.
"It is time." They nodded and he left them alone once more. Elrohir turned to her and sighed.
"Be careful."
"I will be careful."
"Promise you'll come back."
"I promise." With that he smiled gently and pulled her closer for a last, sweet kiss before she walked away and disappeared into the night.
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A/N: The more reviews, the more inspired I am to update quickly!
