Disclaimer- Middle earth and everything that concerns it came from the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien. I only own the characters and the plot.

Chapter Three

Three weeks after leaving the palace, the two travelers where being pelted with rain drops as they struggled down the path. The path was wet and slippery. Along both sides there were wet, dark gray rocks, the rocks were all covered with a light green springy moss. If the moss hadn't been socking wet and slippery it would have been pleasant to lie on. In sunnier months gone past, any elf traversing this path would see many an elf lying down enjoying a good book, or picnicking elves on the sides of that path.

Kierriea closed her eyes and remember long ago when her mother had taken her to this spot to tell her a story. She could remember lying in her mother's warm embrace hearing about her niece Arwen who had died with her love across the sea. After the story ended and night had fallen, Gandalf had entertained them, (and every other family in the area), with a wonderful display of his famous fireworks. That was so many years ago. Long before the entropy of middle earth. Long before her mother was brutally murdered, and long before she was sent on this crazy mission.

Kierriea slid her gaze to the young elf riding beside her, searching his face for some sign of the thoughts running through his head. When she couldn't find even the slightest hint of emotion on his face, she sighed and looked ahead again. She wondered what Julietta had seen in this rather peculiar elf. She would see why she was attracted to him with his light blonde hair and his blue eyes, but there was nothing extraordinary about him. If he had a personality then maybe he would be more enjoyable, but he was always silent in her presence.

After a few more hours of wet, oppressing silence, the two elves arrived at a tattered inn. Since they where both tired, and sore from riding for three weeks straight, they decided to spend the night in the inn so they could have a bath, and sleep in a real bed. After they where both bathed and dressed in fresh clothes, they went down to the tavern to get some dinner.

While they where eating (once again in silence) Kierriea noticed a pair of dark eyes intently watching her every move. Nervous se averted her eyes to her plate and didn't look in the direction he was sitting at all. When she finally got the courage to look again, the mysterious stranger was gone.

Later as she prepared for bed, Kierriea heard a knock at her door. When she finally got to the door and opened it, she was facing an empty hall- way. As she turned to close the door, a little slip of paper that had somehow eluded her before caught her eye. She picked it up, and slowly began to open it. Inside was a hastily written note from Searedas.

Kierriea-
After you went to your room to get ready for bed, I went back to the
bar to get a drink and a strange man I had never met before came up
and began to talk to me about our quest to find this killer. He
informed me that the killer was in our midst and that we should watch
our backs. I need to talk to you as soon as you can get dressed! Go
to my door and knock twice. I'll be waiting.
-Searedas

Kierriea quickly balled the note and threw some trousers and a shirt on. She ran down the hall to what she knew was Searedeas's door and knocked loudly two times. She impatiently waited for 10 minutes for him to open, and turned form the door to leave. As soon as her back was turned a pair of strong arms grabbed her and pulled her into the darkness of the room behind her.

"Be silent and don't say a word." A sharp voice hissed into her pointed ear.

"Who-"

"Silence!" The voiced hissed again.

"But-"

"If you are silent you will understand."

Once the man was satisfied that she would not say another word, he picked Kierriea up and carried her into a room next to the one they currently occupied. He threw her into a chair and began to speak in a soft voice.

"Your companion sent me to get you.He may have mentioned me in the note he sent you, but I'm not sure. He told me to tell you what I told him about your..quest.to find that assassin who killed your Queen."

"So who are you then?" Kierriea whispered.

"Just an elf.no one of great importance."

"What did you tell him that you where going to tell me?"

"Simply to watch your back. And that the death of the lady was not a coincidence.It all corresponds with the will of the dark lord across the sea. Even here across the sea, we can not be free of his reign."

"We are elves in our own land, and subject to the will of no man, we govern ourselves."

"No, you do not. You are all governed by a force that you are too niave to comprehend. You could not understand."

"How-"

"We are all controlled by his will regardless of what you think. The dark lord controls all with in his gaze and grasp. Even the lands across the sea are under him. The death of your lady is no coincidence. It all corresponds with the oncoming war. Don't you see it? With her dead, then the race of men have almost no chance of survival. She was the only ruling elf who cared. With her gone the war is lost."

"There are others that this lord knows not. There are other who can control the elves. There are other rulers who can and will lead us to the battle. He just can not see them."

"Then watch your back if you intend to lead the elves."

After a long awkward silence, Kierriea rose from the hard floor, and silently exited the room. After he was sure she was gone, the other elf rose and looked into a mirror.

After a few moments flames rose in the mirror and the shape of a man could be seen. The elf bowed his head and said "Master".

"So you found the lady's daughter did you?"

"Yes, Master."

"Then get her trust, and use her to get close to Elrond, her brother."

"Yes, Master."

"He is next. Remember-if the elves come back over the sea to fight then ALL IS LOST!"

"Yes, Master"

"You must not fail on this mission, Belrigris. If the elves come back over the sea, then all you have worked to defeat, all that the men who tortured you as an elfling, they will survive and it is you who will feel the whips on your back again."

"Yes, Master. I will do as you ask and I will not fail."

The mirror flashed and went dark, and all the red flames disappeared with a crack. The elf covered the mirror with a dark tarp, and went to a chest in the corner of the dark room. He slowly unhooked the clasp, and pulled out a pair of steel blades wreathed in silver fire. With out a word he slid them into their sheathes on his belt, and walked out the door into the dark hall way

Big Red Jimmy-Thanks buddy for all the nice things you wrote

Mariel - I am not sure if Elrond was her son by marriage or her blood son, but I know that she regarded him as her own son. But I can check up on that if you want. I also killed her because she said that she was alone because of the ring. I can't understand why she would want to live forever if she was all alone.

Read and review please =)