AN: Thanks for everyone who reviewed…I think I'll be kind to you all who'd been waiting for this one to come. Yes, it's a romance coming up, but nothing on Alfirin yet. I think I'm gonna make you wait longer for that one. Redefined the cliff-hanger a bit, you know, not knowing what happen straight away. ; ) Well, read and enjoy…

Chapter 8: Web Of The Past

Er-Galadh looked at her and many thoughts entered his mind. Many doubts and many unanswered questions. She was an elf and yet from what he gathered, she came not from any elven kingdom. Her master was Radagast, that was obvious, but apart from that she did not mention other. Yet something was amiss and he could sense it.

Something of her past has changed her and he could not understand the feeling of longing in his heart. It was as though he knew her. Knew her once upon a time and loved her. But there was only one that he ever loved. She was a mortal and he had left her for a reason he did not has chance to explain. He left her, though his heart will always belongs to her alone.

He knew her from the war. Her father saved his life during the battle and he had accompanied her ever since. He thought of her as his sister then, but his feeling grew as the years went by. He thought that it was only an affection of a brother but it turned out to be quite different. And although she was a mortal, at times he would picture her as an elf. Perhaps it was a result of his imagination or maybe because he wished her so much to be one.

He sighed. Firiel had evoked so much past, so much memories. And so, remembering of his first intention, he picked her up.

He had not even walk a pace, when Firiel woke up. Er-Galadh saw something coming towards his head from the corner of his mind and called out her name. The staff stopped in mid air, just an inch from hitting his head. Just a few more second and he would be a dead elf but it seemed that he would become one nonetheless should they were alone, judging from the way she looked at him.

He put her down, trying nothing more than to keep his life intact and said, "I am sorry. I did not intent you any harm."

"Why did you do that then?" Firiel looked at him accusingly, boring through his eyes to his soul.

"I was going to put you away in a place where the wind could not come, or at least less than where you were before." He replied, pointing at the spot next to the remnant of the fire.

Firiel said nothing more and simply looked at his eyes but the wind blew, making her shivered involuntarily. Er-Galadh remembered at the pained expression on her face, offered her some wine. "Here. It should keep you warm."

Firiel saw the phial and looked at him in disbelief. "I'm sorry but I cannot drink this."

"Drink some so at least you will be warm," Er-Galadh argued. Firiel put the mouth of the phial to her lip and put it down. Now it was Er-Galadh that looked at her in disbelief. "That is barely enough to wet your lip."

"I dare not drink anymore," Firiel replied and started to walked away but Er-Galadh pulled her close and turned her around.

"You cannot survive this mountain. How long can you stay in this condition? Go back to the kingdom, Firiel. How important does this task that you would risk your life for?"

Firiel looked straight into his eyes and said, "My life, what does it worth, Er-Galadh? Compared to the outcome of this battle, it worth nothing. I do not wish to save Middle-earth or any other noble cause that you may think. Indeed, I hold little love for any race in Middle-earth to concern myself with their salvation. It is my revenge, Er-Galadh, my only chance. I have waited for too long for this opportunity to let it go now." Her words was as cold as ice and her face was a mask, covering any emotion it hide inside. She said it with such calmness that it shook Er-Galadh deep to his inner core more than what anything else could possibly do.

"I don't understand," he said, not wanting to belief that this was the same person that he had thought before. "Why?"

"I don't ask you to understand," Firiel replied coolly.

She was starting to walked away when Er-Galadh asked, "Is it about your father?"

The question seemed to caught her attention for she turned around immediately and asked, "What is it that you know of him?"

Er-Galadh was surprised at her reaction but from what he gathered, he could made up the reason. "You were calling him in your sleep. Did Sauron…?"

"My father died in the war of the Last Alliance," Firiel interrupted. "I vowed that I will avenge his death."

"Yet he might not die in the hand of Sauron."

"I promised him that I would fulfil his wish. His last wish was that if Sauron win, if he failed…" Her voice trailed off, unable to finished the sentence without showing her feeling. After she composed herself, she continued, "I promised to end this war. This evil has caused too much sufferings." As she said so, he could see compassion and love in her usually cold, void eyes. Despite of what she told him earlier, she still care.

Er-Galadh, wanting to speak more with her asked, "Who was your father? I also fought in the war. Perhaps I knew him."

"Perhaps indeed. He was a knight of Gondor, a mortal. He lost his life saving the life of an elf and he, the elf, came back, bringing the news." Er-Galadh gasped as she said these but Firiel, lost in her own mind, did not hear and continued, "He then took care of me. I cannot remember his name now for it was so long ago but still I can remember him well. He was like a brother to me and I love him. Love him more than a brother but he didn't for…"

"I left, without a note, nothing. Leaving a question unanswered between us," Er-Galadh finished, looking at Firiel in astonishment. Firiel looked back at him and, although no other words passed between them, the eyes knew. They understood.

"Er-Galadh?" Firiel looked at him, unable to string words together. She fell into silence, remembering her past, their past. Tears filled her eyes when she remembered at how she had treated him the last few day out of her fear and this brought another realisation to her mind and her soul recoiled in fear again. Fear for losing the one person she loved. After all this time, was she to find him just to lose him again.

Er-Galadh looked at the elf in front of him. She had changed, he thought, physically and mentally. And as he thought of this, he wondered at what had befell her. "You have changed so much I cannot recognise you anymore," he said, affirming his thought.

"So have you," Firiel replied and warmth slipped to her voice. The warmth that Er-Galadh has not heard since he left Gondor thousand of years ago. "The past was not kind to you." The tone of worry was in her voice as she gazed deep into his eyes, looking at the sorrows that was contained within.

"The past was not kind to both of us," Er-Galadh said, recognising her again as though the past few days had never happened. From the day they met until now. Taking her face in the palm of his hand, he caressed it softly and said, "I believe I owe you an explanation. I has to leave as my father was wedded and I was to stay for a while. I was intending to come back as soon as possible but darkness fell upon Mirkwood and I was needed. I never came back for I thought you were a mortal and therefore are beyond my reach. I could only hope that you had a wonderful life." I'm sorry."

Firiel placed a finger on his lip, stopping his sentence. "You owe me no explanation or apology," she whispered before breaking from his embrace. "It is I who owe you them."

"You owe me nothing, Firiel." Er-Galadh walked closer to her, knowing that she could not stand the cold but Firiel walked back.

"Yes I do, Er-Galadh. I understand if you will never want to see me again after this but you must know. I…" Firiel took a deep breath, trying to summon a courage that she hope she had and said, "I'm not pure anymore." She closed her eyes as a tear threatened to drop. When she opened her eyes, Er-Galadh was standing right in front of her and she closed her eyes again, ready for any assault that he may intend to inflict upon her.

The attack never come and instead, he held her shoulder gently and asked, "Tell me what happen."

Firiel looked at him fearfully. She did not know where to start. The words that came out from her mouth was a broken sentence, leaving scattered clues for Er-Galadh yet he heard it nonetheless. "I was drunk…I never knew…He seemed to be nice and I thought he would do no harm…I couldn't run away." Tears streaming down her eyes as she said these. The scene was played over and over in her mind.

Er-Galadh trying to calmed her and told her to start again slowly and she did though it was painfully slow. "I was inside an inn, eating when a person sat in front of me. The inn was full and there was no other place and so I let him. He was very nice the whole time and I started talking to him. He also offered me to drink though he did not drink himself. He kept on talking until I could not understand anything that he said then he brought me up into one of the room, telling me to get some rest and he will pay for it. Or at least that was what I thought he said. And I did, knowing nothing about his intention. I was asleep when I heard a noise and when I woke up, I saw him. He…He was…" Firiel buried her face in her hands, shutting all the light, trying not to remember what happened next.

Er-Galadh was enraged, unable to say anything and instead, held her close, trying to ease her pain. Firiel flinched but she did not break away. And when he spoke, his voice was calm and controlled, covering all the turmoil he had inside. "Firiel, is that the reason why you isolate yourself from the elves, from me? Why you stubbornly refused the wine? And why you were going to kill me if you could when I held you then?"

Firiel shook in silent sob, nodding slowly. "I shouldn't have leave. I could have spared you all the pains," Er-Galadh whispered, his voice was husky.

He expected another emotional outburst but to his surprise she turned around to face him, her eyes were wet with tears yet her voice was calm when she said, "You were meant to leave. The kingdom needed you and so was Alfirin. And there is no point in regretting the past again for there is nothing we can do within our power to changed it. I tried to forget about it Er-Galadh but I think you should know. I feared that I cannot trust anyone anymore."

Er-Galadh cupped her chin and lean it slightly so that her eyes met his before saying, "Will you trust me, Firiel? Will you love me again?"

"Love is but a gamble," Firiel replied. "I have lost so much, I fear I do not have much left. If I stake all of it, will I win?"

Er-Galadh gazed deep into her eyes and said, "I don't know but I'm willing to risk what I have with you." And with that, he placed his lip on hers in a soft kiss. Their very first kiss. Her kiss was so demure, so submissive and he kissed her tenderly, as though she was made of porcelain, delicate and fragile.

And as they kissed, his light enveloped her, the way no other can. It parted the veil of darkness, revealing the secret it held inside. The storm stopped, letting the sun rays through the foliage, promising a beautiful day ahead.

I got a little confession to make, I've never kissed anyone before in my life, so plz pardon me if the story is a bit unrealistic on that point. I tried to do it as real as I can, but there's always a mistake in writing. So any criticism will be greatly appreciated. Even a polite flame will be fine. As long as it's polite though…