Disclaimer: Check chapter one.
Natalya Brovinski: Thanks for your review. It really means a lot to the writers.
"My Lord, I'm afraid I come with ill news." Honora said once she was in conference with the Kind of Gondor. "Sauron was in control of things much fouler than Orcs. They were willing servants to his power rather than slaves to his will as the Orcs were. They are now bent on revenge against those who had opposed Sauron."
"We will call to Rohan then, and start training camps throughout Gondor to prepare us." Aragorn said.
"You do not understand, your swords and bows are useless against these foes." Honora argued. "What foes are we discussing then? If they cannot be slain by sword or bow?" Aragorn demanded.
"Do you remember the Balrog from Moria?" She asked.
Aragorns face paled as he took in this new information. "This cannot be true, Men cannot with-hold another attack, not this soon. And now you say we cannot even fight them! You must be mistaken."
"Sauron did not intend for the One Ring to be destroyed. He was merely toying with the peoples of Middle-Earth. These demons were his favorite, even the Nazgul were second to them. And these are worse than the Balrogs. Balrogs are weak in comparison to most." Honora explained.
"What chance do we have, Honora?" Aragorn asked quietly. Honora averted her gaze and stayed silent. A heavy tension filled the room and even the guards at the doors shifted nervously. "None? So this is it? The end of Men? To the demons of an ancient world who have long been forgotten? I refuse! I will not believe it! We will fight and we will be victorious!" Aragorn shouted.
Honora flinched at his anger. "My Lord, I would have it that you would leave Minas Tirith. Go back to Rivendell with the Elves, or sail to the Havens with the Evenstar." She suggested, bringing her eyes once more to level with the King.
"You would have me leave my people? In their time of need?" Aragorn yelled.
"I wish only for your safety. It is you and your companions that they seek. They are bent on revenge, not taking over Middle-Earth." Honora replied evenly.
"Get out of my sight, Honora. I wish not to see you. You would have me turn to a path of cowardice." Aragorn said harshly and turned his back on her.
Honora straightened slightly and took as deep breath. "As you wish, my Lord."
She turned and left the room in a little less of a fit than the great King Elessar. Honora angrily stormed to her room and packed her few things.
"I will not fail Men again. I will not fail Ulor." She swore as she ran down the hall with her pack towards the stables. She looked to the horizon and saw the faint light of dawn. "I must hurry." She whispered.
"Honora? You depart already?" She heard Legolas call from behind her. She ignored his voice and entered the stables. "Honora!"
"I have no time for this, Legolas." She said quickly as she began to lead Anarvende out of the building.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"To meet doom head on. Lord Aragorn has banished me from his sight." Honora growled and leaped onto her horses back.
"Banished? What doom do you travel to meet? Honora ...I am coming with you this time." Legolas said as he led another horse from it's place in the stable.
"Legolas! Go back to your chambers, I will not have you dead!" She ordered.
"Nor will I. Inye mel elye" (I love you.) He whispered as he took her hand. "What is it that we're hunting?"
"You do not love me, you do not know me. And you are not coming with me. I go alone, I will not allow you to come." She said stiffly as her eyes filled with tears.
"I will follow you whether you allow me or not, and you are my melda whether you wish it to be so or not." Legolas argued. "You cannot change my heart."
"No? How about I gouge out your eyes? I think that would accomplish both tasks at once." She snapped angrily and gestured Anarvende forward. Legolas stood angrily before the horse and glared at her. " Move Legolas. I am not in the mood for games."
"Nor am I, My Lady." He said, unmoving.
"Legolas, please! I cannot fail my brother once more!" She pleaded as tears of frustration began to fall.
"You killed your brother, do you not remember?" Legolas asked softly at the sight of her tears.
"I had two. I swore to Ulor that I would protect Men. And I will at any cost, Legolas. Including you. Now move, before I must fight you." She said and looked him straight in the eye. Violet against ocean blue battled in a game of wits, in a war of their own.
"You are not leaving alone. You may go if you allow me to follow, otherwise I cannot let you pass." Legolas said stubbornly.
"'I will not allow you to face death. What use were you against the Balrog of Moria? You cannot help me." She said coldly and tried to motion Anarvende forward once more but she would not budge.
"You go to fight demons!" He exclaimed in shock. "What use would you be?"
"You know naught of my strength." She said harshly.
"I know some. I can feel a power within you. It's feels like the blooming of spring." He said quietly.
"It is a power capable of much more than bringing plants back to life." She said snidely.
"Speak of it then, so I would know you and then have you accept my proclamations of love." He suggested stubbornly.
"Vanye!" (I won't!) She exclaimed and drew her brothers long knives. "Get out of my way, Legolas or the consequences will be severe."
"Vanye ruma!" (I wont move!) Legolas shouted.
"Please, Legolas, I do not wish to do this." She said sadly.
"Then don't. You can avoid a struggle by agreeing to my terms." Legolas said.
"We will compromise. I will allow you to follow me to the Dead Marshes if we are still alive by the time we get there. Once we reach there, I will continue alone. They will not have passed the borders of Mordor yet, so we do not need to fear them until then. They are slow and unorganized, all fighting for supremacy." Honora negotiated.
Legolas' nose flared in anger and he reluctantly agreed. "Why do we travel to the Dead Marshes? They are North of here, nearly parallel to the Falls of Rauros. Why not go straight East through Ephel Duath?"
"The road through Ephel Duath leads us straight to Minas Morgul, the City of the Wraiths. They have lost their purpose now, but they are still deadly. I wish not to pass near their doorstep. We will travel North along the East side Great River, past Cair Andros and the Mouths of the Entwash to the place where the Border of Rohan meets the river. From there we will travel Northeast through Nindalf to the Dead Marshes, avoiding Emyn Muil and its endless maze of rocks. There you will turn back and I will continue on through Dagorlad and past the Isenmouth to the dark Tower of Barad-Dur. They will either be somewhere between the pass of Morannon and Barad-Dur or they will have travelled East on the road I dare not take past Minas Morgul.
"Hurry and pack your things, Legolas. I need to leave now should I have any chance of stoping them." She ordered and led both Anarvende and the horse Legolas had chosen out of the stables.
She watched as he ran off back down the street towards the Citadel to put together a pack for their journey. She wondered at herself at allowing him to journey with her, it was not in her nature to give in to others in a disagreement. Why had she not just beheaded him and rode away? She was the Guardian of Men, not Elves, although Elven blood ran through her veins.
She also wondered why she did not ride off now without him. He knew her route but she knew she could hide from him if she wanted to. She could ride out and then leave blood on Anarvende making it look as though she had been attacked or had fallen from her horse. He would look for her and she could continue her journey in blessed solitude.
Was solitude a blessing? she wondered. She had been alone for most her life and she did not feel very blessed. Indeed, the happiest time of her life had been when Faramir had acknowledged their friendship. She had not felt lonely at that moment, although she had been about to ride away from him to offer her services to Lord Aragorn. She had felt peace at his statement and although her reaction had not shown it, she had been overwhelmed with joy. She had a friend, a true friend that she could count on. She supposed, though, that she was friends with Lokratara and Tzarinita as well, but that was much different. They were beasts that had passed into myth long ago, they did not know of the troubles of the day, they did not know of events either.
As she was contemplating on this Legolas returned with his bow from Lorien, his quiver and his twin blades. "Are we ready to depart?" He asked and placed a hand on her shoulder. She had not even heard his arrival.
"Yes, I am ready." She said and mounted onto Anarvende's back.
"Then we shall depart." Legolas said cheerily and mounted the second horse. They galloped side by side out of the gates and rode westward towards the Great River. "I left a letter for Aragorn and the others telling them of our departure."
Honora merely nodded as they rode on in silence. They spoke little until they reached the river a quarter of an hour later. "This way, we ride towards Osgiliath." Honora pointed to the north.
"Will you not speak to me at all?" Legolas asked after an hour more of silence.
"What is there to speak of?" She asked, not even turning to look at him as she replied.
"I don't know, the weather, your friends, your Kingdom,your family, your life?" Legolas replied sarcastically.
"The weather is fine. My friends are few but the most prominent are Faramir, Lokrantara of the Eagles, Tzarinita of the Great Wolves, and Anarvende, of course." As she said this she gave her mount a friendly pat on the neck, " My Kingdom, since you continue to believe me a princess, is in Firien Wood, where if you follow the road leading East from Minas Tirith it will eventually take you. It is quiet and is rarely disturbed by violence. We trade peacefully with the Wild Men and in the history of our awareness of each other there has been only once a dispute between us.
"My family is a sad tale to tell and I will not speak of them at this time. Not so soon after my dear brother Kirok's death. I will tell you this much though, I once had two brothers, Kirok and Ulor. I have never in the course of my life been able to please my father. I was banished from his kingdom on my thousand and sixth year along with both my brothers for crime we did not commit. Holraldir never did want children, especially not those truly his own." She answered sadly and touched the handle of her brothers blade.
"What do you mean 'not truly his own'?" Legolas asked. "Is he not your father?"
"Ulor was a Man. He was oldest, then Kirok, then I, there is one more but once he was born we were banished. Holraldir wanted his own son as heir, not a Man. He looks upon them with scorn. A hatred with no purpose. I asked him once when I was a child why he hated my beloved brother so. He replied that he was not one of the Chosen, as he called the Elves, that we were superior to him because of our immortality. He is one of the Edain, he would say, not worthy of living in one of the Eldar Kingdoms." She said with scorn.
"Aragorn is of the Edain and yet he was raised in the Eldar Kingdom of Rivendell with Lord Elrond as a father. He was never treated any different than his other sons." Legolas commented.
"And I have met Lord Elrond once before and he is an extremely kind man. He would not treat one of the Edain any different than another of the Eldar. Holraldir is not so kind." She replied without emotion. "What of you, My Prince? What of your family, friends, and kingdom?"
"I am from the Kingdom of Mirkwood, now but a fragment of it's previous beauty but that cannot be helped. It is infested with spiders and we constantly hunt them, but their numbers still rise. My father is Thranduil, the King and I am his lone child. I am the youngest in the history of Mirkwood to wield a bow and I am said to be the best within my Kingdom with the twin blades.
"My friends are many, from the Realm of Rivendell to Gondor and Rohan." He nodded with a smile at the reminder of his many friends, all of those he held dear.
"So you never feel loneliness, then?" She asked in envy.
"No." Legolas replied as he watched the different emotions play across her face, they ranged from sadness to envy to what looked like despair. " Nar elye ilya vanima?"(Are you alright?) He asked when she said nothing to continue the conversation.
"I'm fine." She replied, avoiding the intimacy of their native language.
"Should we not stop for camp soon, or are we going to ride through the night?" He asked as he looked towards the setting sun.
"There is a cave only a mile or so more down this road. I have camped there before. we will stop there for the night." She replied as she watched all the leaves of the forest around them turn to gold with the reflection of the setting sun.
"I will take the first watch while you rest." Legolas volunteered after their small meal of dried meat and bread.
"A watch will not be necessary, you may get your rest. I have travelled through these woods for the last ten years and there are no evils within them." Honora replied. "Sere, Legolas." (Rest.)
"I would feel more comfortable if someone was watching while we sleep." He argued.
"The power you felt within me is magic. I have set the beacons I had placed here before, should anyone pass them, they will alert us. Now sleep, Legolas." Honora commanded as she laid out across her bed spread, turning her back to him to finish the conversation.
Legolas sighed and lay down upon his own spread next to Honora, barely making a sound as he did so. He half closed his eyes to make it look as if he had fallen in to reverie and waited. Honora did the same when she turned back onto her back, half closing her eyes and waiting until the moment was right.
Hours passed and neither moved and eventually Honora silently sat up. She looked to him and was grateful to see he showed no awareness of her movement. She quietly got to her feet and slipped out of the cave. She walked out into the darkness without so much as a dagger to aid her should she run into any trouble.
She knelt down on the ground once she reached a small clearing in the woods and looked skyward, both hands at her sides. "Illuvatar, please hear my call."
Legolas silently sat up and followed her out of the cave. He walked in the shadows and pulled his golden tresses into the hood of the cloak he had put on before departing. He watched silently from behind a large oak tree when Honora stopped in the middle of a small clearing. The moon light shone down on her giving her a serene but unnatural look, as if she truly was not there, but was just a mirage. Like something you would see in a dream, something that could disappear at any moment.
"Illuvatar, please hear my call." He heard her whisper into the darkness as she looked towards the heavens.
Then, as if he truly was in a dream, she disappeared from sight. There was no trace of her at all, the clearing was simply empty. Legolas sprang forward into the clearing looking for tracks that would be leading away from the clearing but he found none.
"Honora!" She called, the fear and worry for her safety clearing sounding in his voice. "Honora, where are you? Nar elye ilya vanima?"(Are you alright?)
There was no reply in the dark woods except for the far off hoot of an owl in the darkness. Suddenly, for the first time since his childhood, he felt very lonely afterall. He ran back to the cave as fast as his legs could carry him, planning on grabbing his weapons and beginning to search the woods for his missing beloved. But as he ran in he saw the sleeping figure of Honora on her sleeping mat.
For a moment he began to think it had truly been only a dream, that he truly had fallen into reverie and was caught between the waking and sleeping worlds, but then he turned back and clearly saw her tracks leading away from the cave. He knelt down beside her and rudely shook her awake.
"What? What's going on?" She demanded as she jumped to her feet, her head only just missing the roof of the cave.
"Where did you go?" He demanded.
"What? Why are you dressed to leave? I told you we had no need of watch tonight. Where have you been?" She asked, noting the flushed color of his cheeks and his quick breathing, as though he had been running.
"I awoke when you left. I followed you into a clearing and then you disappeared. Where did you go?" Legolas demanded, more angrily this time.
"I know not of what you speak. I have been sleeping in here, as you yourself saw." She replied in complete shock.
Legolas shook his head and sat back upon his mat, glaring at her. "I will take the first watch, Princess."
Natalya Brovinski: Thanks for your review. It really means a lot to the writers.
"My Lord, I'm afraid I come with ill news." Honora said once she was in conference with the Kind of Gondor. "Sauron was in control of things much fouler than Orcs. They were willing servants to his power rather than slaves to his will as the Orcs were. They are now bent on revenge against those who had opposed Sauron."
"We will call to Rohan then, and start training camps throughout Gondor to prepare us." Aragorn said.
"You do not understand, your swords and bows are useless against these foes." Honora argued. "What foes are we discussing then? If they cannot be slain by sword or bow?" Aragorn demanded.
"Do you remember the Balrog from Moria?" She asked.
Aragorns face paled as he took in this new information. "This cannot be true, Men cannot with-hold another attack, not this soon. And now you say we cannot even fight them! You must be mistaken."
"Sauron did not intend for the One Ring to be destroyed. He was merely toying with the peoples of Middle-Earth. These demons were his favorite, even the Nazgul were second to them. And these are worse than the Balrogs. Balrogs are weak in comparison to most." Honora explained.
"What chance do we have, Honora?" Aragorn asked quietly. Honora averted her gaze and stayed silent. A heavy tension filled the room and even the guards at the doors shifted nervously. "None? So this is it? The end of Men? To the demons of an ancient world who have long been forgotten? I refuse! I will not believe it! We will fight and we will be victorious!" Aragorn shouted.
Honora flinched at his anger. "My Lord, I would have it that you would leave Minas Tirith. Go back to Rivendell with the Elves, or sail to the Havens with the Evenstar." She suggested, bringing her eyes once more to level with the King.
"You would have me leave my people? In their time of need?" Aragorn yelled.
"I wish only for your safety. It is you and your companions that they seek. They are bent on revenge, not taking over Middle-Earth." Honora replied evenly.
"Get out of my sight, Honora. I wish not to see you. You would have me turn to a path of cowardice." Aragorn said harshly and turned his back on her.
Honora straightened slightly and took as deep breath. "As you wish, my Lord."
She turned and left the room in a little less of a fit than the great King Elessar. Honora angrily stormed to her room and packed her few things.
"I will not fail Men again. I will not fail Ulor." She swore as she ran down the hall with her pack towards the stables. She looked to the horizon and saw the faint light of dawn. "I must hurry." She whispered.
"Honora? You depart already?" She heard Legolas call from behind her. She ignored his voice and entered the stables. "Honora!"
"I have no time for this, Legolas." She said quickly as she began to lead Anarvende out of the building.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"To meet doom head on. Lord Aragorn has banished me from his sight." Honora growled and leaped onto her horses back.
"Banished? What doom do you travel to meet? Honora ...I am coming with you this time." Legolas said as he led another horse from it's place in the stable.
"Legolas! Go back to your chambers, I will not have you dead!" She ordered.
"Nor will I. Inye mel elye" (I love you.) He whispered as he took her hand. "What is it that we're hunting?"
"You do not love me, you do not know me. And you are not coming with me. I go alone, I will not allow you to come." She said stiffly as her eyes filled with tears.
"I will follow you whether you allow me or not, and you are my melda whether you wish it to be so or not." Legolas argued. "You cannot change my heart."
"No? How about I gouge out your eyes? I think that would accomplish both tasks at once." She snapped angrily and gestured Anarvende forward. Legolas stood angrily before the horse and glared at her. " Move Legolas. I am not in the mood for games."
"Nor am I, My Lady." He said, unmoving.
"Legolas, please! I cannot fail my brother once more!" She pleaded as tears of frustration began to fall.
"You killed your brother, do you not remember?" Legolas asked softly at the sight of her tears.
"I had two. I swore to Ulor that I would protect Men. And I will at any cost, Legolas. Including you. Now move, before I must fight you." She said and looked him straight in the eye. Violet against ocean blue battled in a game of wits, in a war of their own.
"You are not leaving alone. You may go if you allow me to follow, otherwise I cannot let you pass." Legolas said stubbornly.
"'I will not allow you to face death. What use were you against the Balrog of Moria? You cannot help me." She said coldly and tried to motion Anarvende forward once more but she would not budge.
"You go to fight demons!" He exclaimed in shock. "What use would you be?"
"You know naught of my strength." She said harshly.
"I know some. I can feel a power within you. It's feels like the blooming of spring." He said quietly.
"It is a power capable of much more than bringing plants back to life." She said snidely.
"Speak of it then, so I would know you and then have you accept my proclamations of love." He suggested stubbornly.
"Vanye!" (I won't!) She exclaimed and drew her brothers long knives. "Get out of my way, Legolas or the consequences will be severe."
"Vanye ruma!" (I wont move!) Legolas shouted.
"Please, Legolas, I do not wish to do this." She said sadly.
"Then don't. You can avoid a struggle by agreeing to my terms." Legolas said.
"We will compromise. I will allow you to follow me to the Dead Marshes if we are still alive by the time we get there. Once we reach there, I will continue alone. They will not have passed the borders of Mordor yet, so we do not need to fear them until then. They are slow and unorganized, all fighting for supremacy." Honora negotiated.
Legolas' nose flared in anger and he reluctantly agreed. "Why do we travel to the Dead Marshes? They are North of here, nearly parallel to the Falls of Rauros. Why not go straight East through Ephel Duath?"
"The road through Ephel Duath leads us straight to Minas Morgul, the City of the Wraiths. They have lost their purpose now, but they are still deadly. I wish not to pass near their doorstep. We will travel North along the East side Great River, past Cair Andros and the Mouths of the Entwash to the place where the Border of Rohan meets the river. From there we will travel Northeast through Nindalf to the Dead Marshes, avoiding Emyn Muil and its endless maze of rocks. There you will turn back and I will continue on through Dagorlad and past the Isenmouth to the dark Tower of Barad-Dur. They will either be somewhere between the pass of Morannon and Barad-Dur or they will have travelled East on the road I dare not take past Minas Morgul.
"Hurry and pack your things, Legolas. I need to leave now should I have any chance of stoping them." She ordered and led both Anarvende and the horse Legolas had chosen out of the stables.
She watched as he ran off back down the street towards the Citadel to put together a pack for their journey. She wondered at herself at allowing him to journey with her, it was not in her nature to give in to others in a disagreement. Why had she not just beheaded him and rode away? She was the Guardian of Men, not Elves, although Elven blood ran through her veins.
She also wondered why she did not ride off now without him. He knew her route but she knew she could hide from him if she wanted to. She could ride out and then leave blood on Anarvende making it look as though she had been attacked or had fallen from her horse. He would look for her and she could continue her journey in blessed solitude.
Was solitude a blessing? she wondered. She had been alone for most her life and she did not feel very blessed. Indeed, the happiest time of her life had been when Faramir had acknowledged their friendship. She had not felt lonely at that moment, although she had been about to ride away from him to offer her services to Lord Aragorn. She had felt peace at his statement and although her reaction had not shown it, she had been overwhelmed with joy. She had a friend, a true friend that she could count on. She supposed, though, that she was friends with Lokratara and Tzarinita as well, but that was much different. They were beasts that had passed into myth long ago, they did not know of the troubles of the day, they did not know of events either.
As she was contemplating on this Legolas returned with his bow from Lorien, his quiver and his twin blades. "Are we ready to depart?" He asked and placed a hand on her shoulder. She had not even heard his arrival.
"Yes, I am ready." She said and mounted onto Anarvende's back.
"Then we shall depart." Legolas said cheerily and mounted the second horse. They galloped side by side out of the gates and rode westward towards the Great River. "I left a letter for Aragorn and the others telling them of our departure."
Honora merely nodded as they rode on in silence. They spoke little until they reached the river a quarter of an hour later. "This way, we ride towards Osgiliath." Honora pointed to the north.
"Will you not speak to me at all?" Legolas asked after an hour more of silence.
"What is there to speak of?" She asked, not even turning to look at him as she replied.
"I don't know, the weather, your friends, your Kingdom,your family, your life?" Legolas replied sarcastically.
"The weather is fine. My friends are few but the most prominent are Faramir, Lokrantara of the Eagles, Tzarinita of the Great Wolves, and Anarvende, of course." As she said this she gave her mount a friendly pat on the neck, " My Kingdom, since you continue to believe me a princess, is in Firien Wood, where if you follow the road leading East from Minas Tirith it will eventually take you. It is quiet and is rarely disturbed by violence. We trade peacefully with the Wild Men and in the history of our awareness of each other there has been only once a dispute between us.
"My family is a sad tale to tell and I will not speak of them at this time. Not so soon after my dear brother Kirok's death. I will tell you this much though, I once had two brothers, Kirok and Ulor. I have never in the course of my life been able to please my father. I was banished from his kingdom on my thousand and sixth year along with both my brothers for crime we did not commit. Holraldir never did want children, especially not those truly his own." She answered sadly and touched the handle of her brothers blade.
"What do you mean 'not truly his own'?" Legolas asked. "Is he not your father?"
"Ulor was a Man. He was oldest, then Kirok, then I, there is one more but once he was born we were banished. Holraldir wanted his own son as heir, not a Man. He looks upon them with scorn. A hatred with no purpose. I asked him once when I was a child why he hated my beloved brother so. He replied that he was not one of the Chosen, as he called the Elves, that we were superior to him because of our immortality. He is one of the Edain, he would say, not worthy of living in one of the Eldar Kingdoms." She said with scorn.
"Aragorn is of the Edain and yet he was raised in the Eldar Kingdom of Rivendell with Lord Elrond as a father. He was never treated any different than his other sons." Legolas commented.
"And I have met Lord Elrond once before and he is an extremely kind man. He would not treat one of the Edain any different than another of the Eldar. Holraldir is not so kind." She replied without emotion. "What of you, My Prince? What of your family, friends, and kingdom?"
"I am from the Kingdom of Mirkwood, now but a fragment of it's previous beauty but that cannot be helped. It is infested with spiders and we constantly hunt them, but their numbers still rise. My father is Thranduil, the King and I am his lone child. I am the youngest in the history of Mirkwood to wield a bow and I am said to be the best within my Kingdom with the twin blades.
"My friends are many, from the Realm of Rivendell to Gondor and Rohan." He nodded with a smile at the reminder of his many friends, all of those he held dear.
"So you never feel loneliness, then?" She asked in envy.
"No." Legolas replied as he watched the different emotions play across her face, they ranged from sadness to envy to what looked like despair. " Nar elye ilya vanima?"(Are you alright?) He asked when she said nothing to continue the conversation.
"I'm fine." She replied, avoiding the intimacy of their native language.
"Should we not stop for camp soon, or are we going to ride through the night?" He asked as he looked towards the setting sun.
"There is a cave only a mile or so more down this road. I have camped there before. we will stop there for the night." She replied as she watched all the leaves of the forest around them turn to gold with the reflection of the setting sun.
"I will take the first watch while you rest." Legolas volunteered after their small meal of dried meat and bread.
"A watch will not be necessary, you may get your rest. I have travelled through these woods for the last ten years and there are no evils within them." Honora replied. "Sere, Legolas." (Rest.)
"I would feel more comfortable if someone was watching while we sleep." He argued.
"The power you felt within me is magic. I have set the beacons I had placed here before, should anyone pass them, they will alert us. Now sleep, Legolas." Honora commanded as she laid out across her bed spread, turning her back to him to finish the conversation.
Legolas sighed and lay down upon his own spread next to Honora, barely making a sound as he did so. He half closed his eyes to make it look as if he had fallen in to reverie and waited. Honora did the same when she turned back onto her back, half closing her eyes and waiting until the moment was right.
Hours passed and neither moved and eventually Honora silently sat up. She looked to him and was grateful to see he showed no awareness of her movement. She quietly got to her feet and slipped out of the cave. She walked out into the darkness without so much as a dagger to aid her should she run into any trouble.
She knelt down on the ground once she reached a small clearing in the woods and looked skyward, both hands at her sides. "Illuvatar, please hear my call."
Legolas silently sat up and followed her out of the cave. He walked in the shadows and pulled his golden tresses into the hood of the cloak he had put on before departing. He watched silently from behind a large oak tree when Honora stopped in the middle of a small clearing. The moon light shone down on her giving her a serene but unnatural look, as if she truly was not there, but was just a mirage. Like something you would see in a dream, something that could disappear at any moment.
"Illuvatar, please hear my call." He heard her whisper into the darkness as she looked towards the heavens.
Then, as if he truly was in a dream, she disappeared from sight. There was no trace of her at all, the clearing was simply empty. Legolas sprang forward into the clearing looking for tracks that would be leading away from the clearing but he found none.
"Honora!" She called, the fear and worry for her safety clearing sounding in his voice. "Honora, where are you? Nar elye ilya vanima?"(Are you alright?)
There was no reply in the dark woods except for the far off hoot of an owl in the darkness. Suddenly, for the first time since his childhood, he felt very lonely afterall. He ran back to the cave as fast as his legs could carry him, planning on grabbing his weapons and beginning to search the woods for his missing beloved. But as he ran in he saw the sleeping figure of Honora on her sleeping mat.
For a moment he began to think it had truly been only a dream, that he truly had fallen into reverie and was caught between the waking and sleeping worlds, but then he turned back and clearly saw her tracks leading away from the cave. He knelt down beside her and rudely shook her awake.
"What? What's going on?" She demanded as she jumped to her feet, her head only just missing the roof of the cave.
"Where did you go?" He demanded.
"What? Why are you dressed to leave? I told you we had no need of watch tonight. Where have you been?" She asked, noting the flushed color of his cheeks and his quick breathing, as though he had been running.
"I awoke when you left. I followed you into a clearing and then you disappeared. Where did you go?" Legolas demanded, more angrily this time.
"I know not of what you speak. I have been sleeping in here, as you yourself saw." She replied in complete shock.
Legolas shook his head and sat back upon his mat, glaring at her. "I will take the first watch, Princess."