Chapter 11

                Elven Translations: annon lle mellon nin, an pan – thank you my friend, for everything [lit. all]

                                                   trenar enni na e – Tell me he is

Selinde froze when she heard Kao's voice. She slowly turned to face the bed, surprise and concern on her face.

"Y-y-your sorry?" Selinde was incredulous. "I should be the one apologizing," she said. "I'm the cause of all this." She had yet to move away from the door as she watched the young girl. Needing desperately to find their friendship still whole. She had finally acknowledged that there was something truly amazing between the two. She knew they were close, that they were 'sisters', but it went beyond even that. Their spirits were also connected. It then hit what Kao had said. "You know who I am?"

Kao rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, silly." She decided to leave out for the moment that it comes and goes. "And if I was strong enough, I would walk over there and slap you upside the head for taking all the blame."

"But, " Selinde started. She wasn't given the chance to finish.

"But nothing!" Kao was getting angry now. "We chose to follow you. You didn't make us, and you could never have anticipated what happened." Selinde started to talk again, and was silenced just as effectively as the first time. "As for the arrow," Kao watched her friend as color lit her cheeks, and her shoes became very interesting, "It is not like you aimed directly at me." She paused again, letting her friend know that the others had told her of this. "Quit thinking you can control everything. How were you to know that I was going to be thrown in front of that arrow? Think about it another way. Maybe that arrow saved my life. If I had still been fighting, maybe I would have been killed later. Neither of us can know this."

Kao watched as an array of emotions and thoughts passed over her friend's face. She waited with patience, hard for her as it was, while her friend decided how to proceed. Kao was relieved to see the guilt and pain ebb from Selinde's shoulders as the she-Elf stumbled to her friend's bedside and collapsed into Kao's arms in tears.

Grimacing in pain at the new weight, Kaolith gritted her teeth and hugged the Elf more tightly, letting her sob. Tears in her own eyes, thinking of all the things that had happened to bring her family to her, the Ranger tried to quiet Selinde. "Shh, thel nin, it's all right now. All is forgot...forgiven, and it's going to be fine." She smiled through the tears when she noticed the glazed over eyes, and wondered if the she-Elf had slept at all since waking in Mirkwood.

Letting Selinde rest, keeping her in a protective embrace lest she wake up, uncertain of what had happened between them, Kaolith settled back against the pillows, resting impatiently, wishing for the Elven ability to heal. She almost laughed out loud when she happened to glance out the window, catching sight of five faces, all trying desperately to hide behind the half-closed curtain.

"Oh, come in already, you can't hide that well, apparently. I thought that Elves and Rangers were supposed to be able to go unnoticed if they wished." Kaolith grinned as the window was opened and the bemused males stepped into her room, taking up residence in the easy chairs that were scattered throughout. Closest to her bedside, Aragorn reached to dry the tears, not knowing exactly what had caused them, but assured that they were not tears of sadness.

"Annon lle, mellon nin, an pan." Kaolith knew that she owed her life to everyone in the room, from one time or another, and that brought them more closely together, especially when something happened. She knew that she was truly an orphan no longer.

As Selinde shifted slightly in her sleep, the Ranger could not stifle the cry, and before she knew what was happening, ten hands were reaching to remove her burden. "No. Leave her; I am fine, it just startled me is all."

"Kaolith, your ribs aren't going to heal with you holding onto her. She will understand, but she wants to leave for Bethune as soon as possible, and we need you well if we are to follow." Elladan was insistent, knowing that his father would be making his rounds soon, followed closely by Mithrandir, neither of whom would be happy with any of them if they left the she-Elf there.

"No; please."

Everyone in the room froze, as Selinde cried out in her sleep.

"Please do not hurt me again," she cried.

Followed closely by, "Kao, Hagley is dead. Please try to remember." Kao winced when she heard that name, but was more shocked by what came from Selinde's mouth next.

"No, please, I beg you. Do not tie me up again. It hurts. Please, I will do anything."

"Kao, don't you ever do that again! You could have drowned."

The she-Elf's voice lost all sign's of life when she spoke again. "Yes master, if that is what you wish of me. I will see to his every need."

"Dammit Kao! I have already explained that memory to you. Must you make me do it again?"

When Elrond and Gandalf entered the room, they were surprised at the looks on all the faces. Elrond was just about to talk, when his eyes were pulled to the bed with Selinde's anguished cry.

"No not the whip, please." She actually moved as if she had just been struck. "He's lying master. I did everything he wanted. Noooooooooooooooooooo!"

With the last memory, the she-Elf slumped to the floor. Kao was too weak to keep her from falling.

Each outburst had startled Kaolith even more than the previous, and the blood was slowly draining from her face. When Selinde finally fell, she could not move quickly enough to catch her, and it was only the twins' reactions that prevented further injury. Lifting the female into the large bed, they waited for the Ranger's reaction.

"I...I...I did that to her?" She looked to Aragorn, realizing what the she-Elf had gone through, and understood why she couldn't go through it again. She was shaking, and turned to look down at Selinde. It was then that she became caught up in more of her memories.

"Kao, how could you say that? I wouldn't lie about your parents being dead."

"Yes sir, I will do what you ask."

"Kao, thel nin, I'm sorry, I know it's hard, but..."

"Please, please let me go, don't do that to me anymore, please." The pleading in her voice was too much, and Kaolith buried her head into Aragorn's shoulder, covering her ears with her hands.

"Please, Estel, wake her up, please. I didn't mean to do that to her, please." Sobbing, she didn't notice Elrond motioning Legolas and Aragorn to take her into the other room.

************

It was too much, when the doors were closed once again, and Kaolith simply stared back the way they had come. "Strider, what's wrong with her? What did I do? I didn't mean it, make it better." A few moments passed, and she dried her eyes, looking baffled. She then looked up into Legolas's face, and jumped back. "Who's he? Strider, that's an Elf, what is he doing here?"

Legolas closed his eyes and dropped his head, nodding to the elder Ranger and turning back to Selinde's room, to see if he could be of any help there.

"Strider, what did I do?"

"Oh Elbereth Kao. You didn't do anything." He paused for a moment thinking how to word what he wanted to say. "What is happening to Selinde, well, she likes to hide her past. Her exhaustion has brought it out. Yes, she has mentioned you, that is because your memories have triggered her own. And it seems now, that she is living them both. Ada will help her, and I hope you."

"Oh," was all Kao said for a few minutes. "I hope he can help her also." She paused once again. "You don't have to worry about me Strider, I'm fine."

Strider just raised his eyebrows at the young girl, wondering if she had already forgotten what had happened in the other room.

************

Legolas reentered Selinde's room to see that she was finally resting peacefully. Looking at the healer's he could tell that she had been given something to help.

Tanad looked up at Legolas. "Can I see her now?" He was uncomfortable with all that was going on, and wanted to see his mentor.

Legolas nodded, but spoke to him on his way out. "Do not be surprised if her memory does some jumps." Tanad said okay on his way out.

Legolas then turned his attention to the conversation Elrond, Gandalf and the twins were having.

"Estel has told me where Bethune is supposed to be," the Elf Lord was saying. "And I don't like it anymore than you, but I think she needs to confront her past, to put it behind her." He paused briefly to change subjects. "Then I started thinking of Kao. Maybe seeing the village she grew up in is what is causing her memory problems. I think she needs to return once again, and confront her past as well. Selinde wants to go, Kao will be much harder to persuade."

The five in the room turned and looked at Selinde one more time. "The question is, which of you will go with them?"

Legolas took that instant to butt in on the conversation. "I don't know about your sons, Lord Elrond, but I for one will go with them. They won't split up, so it looks like another long journey for us."

"Ada, it all depends. I mean, we'll follow them, but…"

"Can you convince Kao to go back there?"

"Get out of my head!"

"You get out of mine. Anyway, Ada, it's not going to be easy to convince her,"

"It was hard enough for her last time."

"Stop it!"

"You stop!"

"Boys! Enough. Honestly, you'd think you were both Tanad's age!"

"Sorry, Ada." They chimed in unison and glared at each other for it.

Legolas just shook his head. "I don't think we need to ask Estel if he will come too, we'd have to beat him off with a stick to stop him. And even then…" he didn't have to finish the sentence.

"Yes, Ada, we will all go, and Tanad will follow whether we let him or not. Speaking of which…" Elladan turned to the door, wondering how it was going in there.

************

It was not going well for the humans. Kaolith just couldn't keep her memories straight, and she was beginning to scare the fourteen year old.

"I don't get it Strider, I just don't. Why can't I remember stuff? I don't like it…I'm sorry Tan, I don't mean to scare you."

"It's all right Kao…lith."

"Just Kao, young one, and what's your name again?"

"Tan…its Tanad."

"Right…Tan…I'm sorry, how do I know you? Wait, never mind, I remember."

Suddenly, and for at least the third time, she tensed and turned, crying, into Aragorn's shoulder.

"Strider…he…he…he said my father was dead. He said he…he…he killed him. He's lying, isn't he mellon nin, trenar enni na e."

Lord Elrond finally traversed the rooms, hearing the cries, and handed his youngest a draught to help the child.

After giving the draught to Kao, Elrond ordered everyone to get some rest. He also had to give young Tan a draught. The poor boy was getting anxious over everything that had happened to his friends. Posting Estel with Kao and Elrohir with Selinde, the Palace settled in for a peaceful night. Or so they had hoped.

************

The alarm sounded in the middle of the night, and several Elven warriors returned injured.

"What has happened," King Thranduil demanded to one of the guard leaders.

"Humans, My Lord, they attacked Terach's group."

"We heard them scream sir. When we got there, they were gone. We followed the tracks, but, sir they just disappeared. Almost as if the ground swallowed them up."

This did not make King Thranduil very happy. "Organize search parties," he ordered. "I will not let Elves be captured."

His subjects ran off to do their King's bidding.

Lord Elrond moved to speak with the King. "We will do whatever we can to help."

"That's right," Elladan stepped forward. "I would like to join one of your groups."

"As do I," both Elrohir and Strider said.

Legolas sighed and smiled. "I will take them in my group father. We will take Nondil and Amolas with us."

"So be it," the King announced. "If these are the same men who have stolen our horses, retrieve them also."

With a few last words from the King, the warriors set off.

Elrond wasn't sure what he would say to the two young women. But knew that his sons needed to help.

Legolas and his group found a set of tracks and followed them. And soon, as had been reported, the trail ended. The six of them poked and prodded around the bushes and tress where the tracks stopped and Legolas yelled out as the ground swallowed him up.

To the Reviewers:

Kar – Yes we dared you, so now you gotta own up to it…where's the next chapter, hmm???  And of course it's going to get worse, we're only just over halfway through…if it got better, it'd be boring…and why? Well that's easy, 'cuz it's more fun that way…and you know it too

Sparx – Bide your time and it'll get more interesting for you *cough* more injuries *cough*, and we don't blame you for your 'sick fascination'…'cuz if we did, we wouldn't be writing this, so…

Cathy – An army of readers? Cool…now to get them to review…hmmm…Aww, Cathy, we're sorry, they aren't gonna get all better just yet…gotta wait for the end for that…now which end you ask? I dunno yet…lol

Wannabe – Who said she was going to Lorien?  Anyway, I think Kaolith would follow if she had to crawl across Middle Earth to do so, but…*ponders* oooh…good idea…hehehe…anyway…thanks for reviewing again…

Trish – Look!  A new reviewer! YAY!!! Welcome, and thanks for reading both stories so far…Evil? Us? NEVER!!! We aren't evil, don't write cliffies, and don't give readers heart attacks with what we come up with…nope, not us, you must have us confused *looks to see if the horns are still holding up the halo*  Thanx for the kind words, and glad you like Selinde and Kao…