I had terrible dreams all through that night. I woke, over and over, the tiniest sounds making me jump and tremble, every nerve raw and on edge. Each time I woke, Shadow's eyes were on me.

The last dream was the worst. I was fleeing from some creature I couldn't see, a nightmare animal of teeth and red eyes that pursued me through the deep woods. I ran, but felt like I was bogged down in mud for all the speed I made. I thrashed awake, clawing at the tangled bedroll that had wrapped around my upper body as I slept. Shadow watched as I struggled out of the blankets and huddled, shaking and panting, by the fire.

"Do you always dream like that?" His voice startled me; he was closer to me than I realized, crouching beside me. I shook my head, raking my sweaty, tangled hair off my face with a trembling hand.

"No. Not since I was a child. I used to have the worst nightmares when I was four or five. My mother told me hardly a night would go by that I wasn't screaming and crying and rambling on about monsters. It just stopped, and I haven't had them since." I knew I was babbling but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I needed to hear a voice, even if it was my own, anything to push back the night a little. He gripped my shoulder unexpectedly; he was steady, his touch as reassuring as my father's. He held my shoulder for several minutes, then pushed me gently toward my blankets.

"You should try to sleep a little more. There are a couple of hours left before dawn, and we have a long day ahead of us."

~***~



He was right. The next day was, if it was at all possible, even longer than the first day. By the time we stopped for the night I was so exhausted I couldn't stay awake long enough to eat. I fell asleep sitting up by the fire, before dinner was finished, and had to be shaken awake the next morning.

After a few days, I began to adjust to the pace and the rhythms of riding, and I was not so sore in the evenings. Shadow seemed relieved once I started eating again, but I wasn't convinced that he wasn't only concerned about the possible loss of pay.

The road through the great forest was little more than a trail, a pale dirt track barely visible among the trees. Shadow told me that the forest was called Mirkwood but that the Elves that lived in it called it something else. He told me about those Elves, that they were fierce and warlike and often harassed travelers from one edge of the forest to the other. Their king, Thranduil, lived in a vast hall of stone buried deep inside a mountain cave; Shadow had not seen the hall himself, but his friend-the one who spoke Elvish-had. As for Shadow, he thought we'd be luckiest if we didn't see any Elves on our journey. I secretly hoped we would.

We were a little more than two days from the western edge of the forest when my wish was granted. We had stopped briefly; my horse stumbled over a root and started limping, and Shadow was worried that she had lamed herself. I stretched out under a tree while he poked and prodded at Gwenn's legs, searching for wounds. I must have drowsed a little, because I never heard the Elves approach. The first hint I had that something was amiss was a cold, sharp pressure at the base of my throat.

"Do not move, lady. It would be a shame to mar such a face." The voice was as cold as the pricking at my neck.

I opened my eyes slowly, willing myself not to jump or jerk at all. I had fallen asleep propped against the tree and was now pinned against the rough bark by a nocked arrow. I gasped slightly as I stared up the length of the arrow into a pair of deep blue eyes that regarded me as coolly as my Gram eyed potatoes at the market. His face was stony, a mask of threat and impassive judgement; I felt like a small child caught trespassing in a particularly cranky neighbor's yard.

I glanced at Shadow out of the corner of my eyes. Evidently he had not been caught napping like me; he was on his feet, hands spread unthreateningly but still wary. His eyes slid back and forth between the three dark-haired archers surrounding him and me. I caught his glance; he shook his head at me, a tiny motion to reassure me but not startle our captors.



"You trespass on the lands of Thranduil of the Greenwood Realm." The largest of the three archers around Shadow stepped forward to address him. I could feel my hands trembling as I fought to keep my composure. The fair Elf scrutinized me closely, his eyes sharp and searching; he seemed to find something about me interesting, and his close examination made me blush uncomfortably even as I became more afraid.

Shadow spoke, his voice clear and even despite the arrows at his chest. "We meant no offense, my lords. We are merely passing through these woods; I have a commission to deliver this lady to the Last Bridge. We will be clear of your realm two days hence."

The dark archer shook his head. "Intentional or no, you have strayed away from the Forest Road without permission of King or Guard. Long have we permitted Men to travel our woods unmolested, provided the boundary of the Road is observed. There are penalties for disobedience."

Shadow's face creased slightly; the flash of worry on his face made me even more anxious than I already was. "My lord, I pray you forgive our ignorance--"

"Her ignorance, perhaps." The fair Elf nudged my chin with his arrow, increasing the pressure on my throat. "You, however, have no recourse to such a plea. I have seen you in the Forest too often to believe you were unaware of our laws."

Shadow nodded cautiously. "You are correct, my lord. These are strange times, and there are strange creatures about. I preferred to avoid any trouble by staying off the road."

The fair Elf spoke again. "It seems you have miscalculated, Ranger." I wasn't sure, but I could have sworn he sounded amused. I was too busy trying not to weep from sheer nerves, a battle I was quickly losing.

"I offer most humble apologies, Highness. I will gladly pay whatever price you and your men demand." Shadow sounded defeated; I slid my eyes toward him, but my view was blocked by one of the other archers. The first archer studied Shadow at length, his eyes occasionally flicking to my face.

"And which life will you offer, Ranger? For death is the penalty for violating our borders."

I cursed inwardly as I felt the first tear gather and slide down my cheek. I blinked rapidly, struggling to clear my eyes and only succeeding in squeezing more tears out. I was trembling violently by that time, my breathing shallow and rapid, my head curiously light. The fair Elf narrowed his eyes at me; he seemed puzzled by my tears. I wondered if Elves did not cry or display fear.

Shadow was talking, just out of my range of sight, arguing with the guards. I clenched my fists until my nails cut into my palms. The fair Elf glanced quickly at the others. Shadow's voice grew steadily more agitated; although I could not hear what he was saying, he seemed to be incredibly upset. He stepped toward me, but as he came into my line of sight, one of the dark archers shoved him against a tree. The others tightened their grip on their arrows, ready to shoot.

"Stop! Do not hurt him!" The Sindarin burst out of my mouth before I could stop myself. The fair Elf swayed slightly, startled. I turned my eyes to him again, directing my speech toward him, assuming him to be the leader.

"Please. Truly, we meant no harm and no offense. This man is in my father's employ, and so I take responsibility for his actions. If we have broken your laws, I will pay the penalty."

The fair Elf stared at me still, amazed. "How do you come to speak our language?"

I swallowed hard before answering. "My mother taught me. She thought it might be useful some day."

He nodded curtly. "Do you understand that a life must stand forfeit for your crimes?"

Suddenly, I felt terribly light-headed. What had I gotten myself into? He waited, watching me closely, gauging my reaction to his words. I took a deep breath.



"Yes. I understand." I paused, my thoughts racing. "Will you let him go, if I stand the forfeit?"

The fair Elf lowered his bow, easing the arrow away from my throat. I rose unsteadily until I could face him directly. His dark blue eyes pierced into me; I couldn't look away from him, but the coldness in them frightened me. He would not hesitate to kill me, of that much I was sure. I felt a brief twinge of regret that I would never see the great city my mother loved so much; my eyes clouded with tears at the thought of my mother. I blinked rapidly again, forcing the tears back down.

The Elf spoke to his companions in a dialect or tongue that I couldn't follow, conferring rapidly amongst themselves. The others nodded and lowered their own weapons. He turned back to me, his face softer than before, but no less serious.

"You would give your life to protect a man you hardly know?" I nodded slowly. "You are very brave, for a human, and very generous."

He slung his bow over his shoulder, motioning to the others. In one quick, fluid motion, the other archers melted back into the forest. The fair Elf watched them go, then bowed to me, a short, mocking yet still elegant movement.

"Perhaps your bravery should be rewarded, for now. Do not forget that you were spared this day- a time may come when you must pay this debt."

I levered myself to my feet as he moved away into the forest. "To whom do I owe repayment, my lord? That I may know when the time comes."

He smiled, a flash of sunlight under the dark trees. "I am Legolas, son of Thranduil. And you are Merowyn. You and your companion have free passage. See that you are clear of our lands by sunset two days hence."

He darted into the treeline while I was still gaping in surprise. My knees went weak with reaction, and I sank against the trunk of the tree, shaking even harder than before. I couldn't stop the tears that poured down my face; my breath caught in my throat in terrible sobs. Suddenly, strong arms were around me, pulling me against a broad chest. I turned my face into Shadow's shoulder and wept like a child.

He le me cry myself out, holding me until I could compose myself again. Pushing me gently to arm's length, he studied my face with troubled eyes.

"What happened, Merowyn? My Elvish is poor- what passed between you?"

I shook my head, scrubbing the tears from my eyes. "I don't know. I offered to stand the forfeit. I don't know if he was amused or annoyed or impressed, but they're going to let us go. We have to be out of the forest in two days. Can we do that?"

"It'll be a hard ride, that's certain, but we'll be able to make it. Is that all he said?" Shadow seemed suspicious, and perhaps he was rightly so. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed, that the band of Elves had left with little more than a promise and a subtle threat. Their behavior didn't match what I'd been told of Elves, and I wondered if we'd be ambushed or attacked in our sleep.

I shook my head, uneasy with the lie even as I spoke it. "No. That's all he said. Just to be out in two days."

Shadow nodded slowly, then turned back to the horses.