Avari: Sorry to disappoint you but the girl is there to stay. She plays a pivotal role in this fic.  The twins will be in later on…. In about two more chapters I believe.

Littlesaiyangirl: Thanks! Glad you like the story. Took long enough to get finished. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Nikki: Hey, it COULD happen. giggles I know I would be amazed to see wounds healed so quickly… course I would also be drooling over the specimen. EG Thanks for your great review!

Elenillor: Nope, this isn't a Legomance so that means there is something else pressing into the cute elf's mind. Wish it was subliminal messages to come to my house and submit to me, but unfortunately, that's not it. DAMN! You cried for OOTP too?  Of course Moony is a target…. But I'm hoping he wont die.. I have a thing for him too. blush But if you REALLY want to destroy your enemy, you strike their best friend.. I think for Voldie to really get Harry he's gonna kill Ron. What better way to inflict pain and suffering? And I think Lupin is lonely no matter what. I mean he's a wolfie and has to keep himself distant from the others. He and Snape have a lot in common. Yeah, I'm a fan of Orlandos. I have 15 auto'ed pics on my wall.. if that counts as a fan. LOL  You got to meet him in person? Oh I so hate you right now :P Have pics? I would LOVE to see them!!!  Please email me at  padawan_jinx@yahoo.com  and we can drool over our fave elf. EG   Hope you enjoy this chapter, though it is a short one.

Gwyn: Thanks for your wonderful review! I'm sorry the chapter ended, but unfortunately, I don't want chapters that are Too long. Though I must apologize for this one.. its rather short. But its difficult to find a good place to break the story and not lose its flow and not let the reader get a sleepy butt. LOL

=P :  THANKS! And yeah, she's already suffered enough. Its time for something new and hopefully a bit better.

Hex of the Unseelie: Yeah, its nice to get some Elf torture. EG And its better when they live through it. I will get more details about the elf torture later on in other chapters and the twins will be arriving in another couple of chapters I believe. Thank you for your wonderful review and I hope you like this one. :D

AN: Sorry this chapter is so short but it's difficult to find a good medium to give enough and find a good break.  Sorry again for making it so short but the next chapter is a bit longer so it will make up for it. :D I hope.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEW!!!  All negative Anon's are deleted.

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Chapter Seven

The thick veil of night shrouded the two figures descending the majestic peaks of the mountain as they made their way to the twinkling vista that was the Elven haven of Rivendell, its pale light being a beacon, calling the two wearisome beings to its refuge.

"I have been enslaved to Men myself, so I know of what you speak." Legolas said his voice rough.

Yarna waited quietly as Legolas pulled himself together and continued.

"I was forced to call a mortal…master," Legolas spat the word out, and involuntarily shuttered, "I had been injured and very weak, but once I regained my strength, I fought back and won my freedom."

"You killed him?"  Yarna asked quietly.

"No," Legolas shook his head, "Though I wanted to be the one to. I never looked back after my escape. A few winters later, he was traveling close to my home and was attacked by spiders. I remained hidden in the trees and watched them spin him into a silken cocoon and take him to their lair."

"That was horrible," Yarna breathed her eyes wide with fear.

"He was a detestable human that derived his pleasure from seeing others at his mercy." Legolas said rather tartly, bitterness layering his voice. "He was vile and a terrible human of Middle Earth, I find that his end was just, though I just wish I had the opportunity to watch him succumb to the fate he so richly deserved."

Yarna shook her head, "My last master was a cruel man as well. He did terrible things of which he swore me to secrecy of. I have no ill feelings about what I did."

Legolas felt his hatred melt away at what he was forced to endure and the

horrible punishment that awaited the malicious man. He walked quietly at Yarna's side, listening to her recount her tale.

"He was harsh in his punishments, but never punished me unfairly. I vowed to keep his secrets…that is, until I found out what a true monster he really was." Yarnas face, though adumbrated by the winking stars overhead, drew gray and mournful.

"He was a monster?" Legolas asked. He had remembered stories from his childhood about nighttime monsters and scurry creatures that lurked under beds, in closets, and in the dark places where parents would forget to inspect. He had seen his share of real monsters, most of them of Man decent like the one that had imprisoned him, to which he was almost sure of the answer.

"Yes, a monster," Yarna's fists clenched under her coat as she carefully descended down the mountain. "I had seen him kill several times. He would always give honest reasons for his actions and seemed to despise what he had done. Though I later found out he liked the taste of the blood, the fear in the eyes of those that knew they were about to die, the screams of mercy and pleads for life. Many of them were just innocents that got in his way."

Legolas stopped dead in his tracks and spun to stare at Yarna, "He killed innocent people? Made them beg for their lives?"

Yarna drew nearer to the elf and shook her head, "He had a hunger. He would imagine threats and trespasses onto his land, and think of terrible ways to punish those that had crossed him. One night, I watched him torture a family, ordering me to tie up the women for him. He forced himself onto a woman and her four children, and made her husband watch as she was humiliated. He… he…" Yarnas face drew down and tears leaked down her cheeks and her voice dropped to a near whisper. "He cut them. Several times," Yarna raked her right forefinger nail down her left inner forearm, indicating where the piercing had been inflicted, "It took all night for them to die. I was so scared. I threatened to tell the local constable but he said that if I said one word, he would do the same to me, and make me suffer longer. Weeks went by and then one night he drank too much ale and let slip his intentions, that the family had been innocent of their trespass and that he had enjoyed their deaths and was in the hopes of a new family soon. When he fell asleep, I picked up the watering kettle and hit him as hard as I could in the head."

"You did the right thing. No one faults you," Legolas assured. "You did nothing wrong."

Yarna's gray-green eyes looked up and squared off with the deep blue ones of the Prince, "But I did not stop there. I hit him several times, until the blood poured from his head. The side of his face fell, like someone had sucked the life out of it. When I realized what I done, I ran. The next morning, I was found and brought back to town to face judgment."

"And they sentenced you to die, even though the man you killed was a monster?" Legolas said, mainly to himself.

"They would not listen to my story. I was accused of lying and running away from my master, both punishable by death. When they found my master dead, I admitted to killing him and explained the reason, but I was not to be heard or believed. I was sentenced to die by Blood Death."

Though the elf was centuries old, there were still culture practices he was unfamiliar with. He cocked his head questioningly, "Blood Death?"

"I was to be stripped of clothing and tied to a rack in the middle of town. Everyone would have a chance to wound me in any way until I bled to death."

Legolas shuddered involuntarily, "That is a horrible thing. I always knew Man was cruel. What people would allow such a thing to happen, and call it punishment? And to inflict such torture on a soul that has suffered much?"

Yarna sighed and shook her head, her cheeks rubbing against the high collar of her coat, "For a long time I was told I would be taken to my execution, but the days wore on and the guards found amusement in my body and tricking my mind. That is, until you helped me." Yarna smiled and bowed her head, "I will always be in your debt, Elf Friend Legolas."

"You have no debt, Milady. I consider it an honor to have met you and assisted you in your time of need," Legolas bowed at the middle, then straightened up to smile broadly. "And it is a high honor I consider myself your friend."

Yarna smiled back, "Considering you are the only friend I have, a high honor indeed."

"Only friend?"

"I have never been permitted friends. I had my duties to perform and my masters to serve."

"You will never have to worry about duties and masters again. You will be allowed to go where you wish and do what you wish. You will not be in service to anyone."

"Sounds like heaven to me," Yarna's face grew distant in a dreamy expression.

Legolas gave the former slave a chance to dream of her new freedoms and imagine the new life she would be allowed to return. With a heavy sigh, he began to lead the way down the winding slopes of the mountain, to a duty-free life, to freedom, to a safe haven that twinkled distantly. The flickering of Rivendell remained nestled in the distance, its mere presence calling to the wayward travelers from afar.

"Legolas, may I ask you something?"

Legolas grinned, "Milady, you just have."

Yarna laughed and continued behind the elf, her steps wary as the mountain path gradually sloped out to more even terrain with pebbles strewn, still extremely precarious to those not light of foot like Elves, "I wanted to ask you about Rivendell. Is it nice there? Are the elves nice? Will they be mad at my arrival? What should I…"

Legolas put his hands up to stop the flood of questions and started to answer them, with a definite hint of mirth in his voice, "Rivendell is the second most beautifulest place in Middle-Earth."

"Second?"

"Second only to my home of Mirkwood," Legolas winked. He jumped lightly down onto a small ledge and raised his hands up, offering to help Yarna.

Yarna frowned, "I do not know what Mirkwood looks like."

Legolas's face flashed with momentary pain and nostalgia, but was replaced quickly with a bittersweet smile, "Mirkwood was once a great forest, full of large trees, unlimited game, and full of happiness and joy. My people used to be able to walk freely beneath the trees without fear or torment."

"And it is that way no longer?" Yarna asked, reaching for Legolas's outstretched hands and easing down off the sharp rock ledge, her feet barely making a sound as they landed on the rough terrain.

"Nay," Legolas shook his head lowering Yarna to the ground. "A shadow has grown over the land. The trees are no longer safe. The game is thin and spread far and wide. My people no longer sing and dance amongst the trees. We do not celebrate like we once did."

"That is sad," Yarna's voice was low with sorrow. "Can the elves force the shadow to leave?"

"It does not work that way Milady. A shadow can grow and consume, but can not be driven away unless its source is destroyed. Then light will prevail once more."

"Can you not destroy what is causing the shadow?"

"Elves alone are not capable. We have not the power. Our strength is in our people, and many have sailed to the Undying Lands."

"Undying Lands?"

"Elves long for the sea, from whence we came. We sailed many thousand years ago to Middle Earth and have watched over all its peoples. But now, the time of the Elves is coming to an end, and everyone is leaving. We wish to return home and reunite with our kin."

"Can you call them back to help?" Yarna asked.

Legolas laughed in spite of himself and shook his head, "They would not return even if they were asked. They are home and will not leave. They do not care if the evil of the shadow is destroyed or not."

"Is there any way to destroy it? Even if the elves will help, I am sure if everyone knows what is causing it and know that it will destroy them, then everyone will unite." Yarna stopped when she realized the Elf was laughing even harder.

She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, "And what is so funny?"

Legolas laughed turned into a tickled giggle as he surveyed the woman accompanying him, "There has always been mistrust and hatred between the races. If they united together to decide the course of action that must be taken, they would end up killing each other!"

"Not all of them. Someone would stand up and do the right thing!" Yarna injected stubbornly.

Legolas wiped a couple of stray tears from his face and added, "Though a noble idea, it still will not work. The combined strength of all the races still is not enough to defeat the shadow."

"What is needed then?"

Legolas sobered at once, his manner of utmost seriousness, his eyes haunted staring out into the distance, "What is needed has been lost for centuries. I doubt it will ever come back into knowledge. The shadow will continue to grow. What will happen with time, I can not know or even guess."

Yarna frowned as she stood before the Elf Prince, watching his expressions change from sorrow to anger, to pain and grief, "You never know. Someone may have found it and will be willing to use it."

Legolas remained quiet, but inside, he was churning with questions, thoughts, and possibilities. What if the Ring of Power has been found? What if the owner does not wish to save Middle Earth? What if they are using it right now, and for evil? What if the Ring was already back into the hands of its vile master? What chance would Middle Earth stand against such evil?

The elf's face remained impassive, but his mind worked and tumbled continuously with the same questions and 'what ifs', working and reworking the ideas and their possible questions until the very thought of it all made him feel sick. If the Ring of Power was indeed back into the world, then the consequences could be devastating, for everyone of Middle Earth. He secretly wondered if an alliance would once again be forged, or would Elves leave these shores and allow Man to face certain doom?

After a moment or two of silence, Legolas answered the hanging questions, "As to your other inquires Milady, Elves are generally nice. We may mistrust others, for which we have good reason, but will not turn away a burdened heart. As to whether or not you will cause unrest among the inhabitants, I doubt you will trouble them. After all, Lord Elrond has seen to it that those of Rivendell remain open and free of prejudges against other beings."

"Yes, you said he has a human son. How can that be?" Yarna asked.

Legolas sighed sadly as he retold the tale, "Strider's parents were killed and he was raised in the House of Elrond."

"Strider? Seems an unusual name for a child."

Legolas grinned and shook his head, "Oh, he *is* unusual."

Yarna didn't see the mirth, "And what is so unusual about him?"

"Elves by nature are very selective about their companionship. We work hard, travel fast, and take the world around us lightly. We enjoy our privacy and prefer to be left alone," Legolas glanced over his shoulder and his smile broadened. "So naturally, Strider has to go against all our wishes and customs."

"Basically, he causes trouble," Yarna added, smiling back.

"Oh, that is putting it mildly," Legolas sighed. "He has been known to carry survivors of towns into Rivendell. Pick a fight with any miscreant that seems a worthy candidate. Thrown some of the best parties in history, agreed by all elves that attended. Has invited others to Rivendell, either for a party, a joke, or just to blame the trouble on his twin Elven brothers, who by the way, have corrupted him far beyond understanding of mortal and immortal alike. He worries his father with his human ailments and frailty. He has had more broken bones, stab wounds, poisons, bleeding from just about every part of his body, than most elves thousands of years older!"

"So he is a pain?" Yarna's grin widened.

"Not at all," Legolas smiled as he glanced over at Yarna ambling along at his side.

"I think he would irritate you and cause nothing but harsh feelings."

Legolas raised a brow at her and said, "He may cause trouble and make some elves upset, but he certainly makes things a lot more entertaining, not to mention, keeping elves on their guard."

Yarna cast a sidelong glance at the elf, her mouth slightly open as if wanting to voice a question. Thinking twice, she closed her mouth and stared hard in front of her.

Legolas sensed she wanted to ask more questions, but refrained. Perhaps frightened or wary of the prince should he tire of her endless queries.

After a few paces, he began with an even tone. "Elves like peace and quiet. We enjoy our parties, but only with guests we invite. Strider has made it his mission in life to test the bonds of friendship and hospitality among his brethren. But for all the frustration and torment he puts his Elven kin through, we would not have him any other way. We may argue and fuss over him, but we like the fresh energy and his fierce nature that seems to boil within him."

Yarna drew her brow together in confusion, which Legolas correctly interpreted as need for explanation.

"Sometimes as we get older, we lose our spark of life," Legolas said, trying to find the best way to describe how life would be for an immortal to someone who would have no clue as to the staleness of what ordinary life can bring.  "Strider reminds us all that we need to keep our youth, as well as our wisdom. Both go hand in hand, and when you deny or forgot a part of yourself or your heritage, you tend to be rigid, hostile, and as Strider puts it, one great big mass of boredom."

Yarna giggled and shook her head in amazement, listening to the elf at her side talk about the grief Strider had caused in the past. How he always found a way to escape punishment, mainly because he would argue his case with the most ridiculous reasons that seemed to amuse his adopted father. Or how he would fall victim to his Elven brothers taunts and practical jokes, in which case, caused the Lord of Rivendell to punish his twin sons for their misbehavior, and his human son, for listening to them in the first place.

Hearing Yarna laugh made Legolas feel more at ease and he started to recollect the many adventures he had been made an unwilling partner in, making sure to edit out the parts that were too embarrassing or not polite for conversation with a lady. Yarna was a great audience, gasping, laughing, and even had her eyes full of tears when Legolas told of when Strider was a child and refused to eat a deer he watched be fallen from an Elven arrow.

Night completely and protectively shrouded the two as they made their way down the side of the mountain, the rocky terrain giving way to long, scratchy grasses that seemed to lie in waiting to snag unsuspecting travelers.

As soon as the duo found themselves at a fairly level ground, free of snow and tangled brush, Legolas glanced around and said, "We should rest here for the night. You need to regain your strength."

Yarna lowered herself non-too gently onto the ground and yawned, "I think that is a great idea." She looked up quickly to the elf, "Do you not need to rest?"

"Nay," Legolas shook his head and shed his heavy overcoat and draped it over Yarna. "I will keep watch and wake you when it is time to set out again at dusk."

Yarna yawned again, curling up in the thick coats wrapped around her. Her eyes drifted to the sight of the elf, now seated on a rock keeping watch. Her gaze lingered on the lines of his face, the perfect curves of his profile and she wondered to herself how she could have ever believed him to be like the others that had harmed her all those years ago.

Every line and movement of the fair being said compassion and safety. Not pain, suffering, hardship, and cruelty. With a small smile, her eyes drooped shut and a deep slumber overcame her, knowing that she was truly safe from the things that tormented her.

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Oh my golly gosh, that really was a lame chapter eh? Sorry about that but I thought some more background info would help and lets face it, it's not a hop, skip and a jump over to Rivendell. Had to find something to pass the time as they made their way down the pesky mountain.

I promise, next chapter will be better…. They get close to Rivendell and meet their first sentry as worry rises and emotions start to intertwine and cause some havoc. And NO, nothing romantic.  If you want to know more.. ya just have to wait until the next posting. :D