Author's note:

Lady Elizabeth: thanks again for the awesome comments. I realized about the sleeping thing… I just wanted to put my own twist on it. I probably shouldn't have *frowns*

sHaMaN qUeEn NaTaKu: I'm really glad that you liked the story so far… and I am here to feed your addiction… I'm trying to update as quickly as possible… but well; it's not always possible. Hope you enjoy!

Leanne: Thanks very much… please don't threaten me! I WILL PROVIDE! I PROMISE! *afraid for life*

Jess: Wow! Thanks so much for the compliment… that alone will keep me writing! Thanks again!

ElvenStar5: I'm glad that you're enjoying! And to fulfill your request… here's a new chapter!

Chapter 19

Laramin had vanished the next morning, surely having left during the dark hours of the night, but Aragorn gave little notice to his disappearance. He, King of Men, trembled with excitement at the prospect of battle as a hobbit child would have at the thought of fireworks. All morning, while others cleaned camp, he sat by the fire, looking at his sword. He felt the edges of it, imagining his enemies falling upon them. So sharp, a death by blade would be painless. He could now smell the salty blood, and hear the screams, feel the dust rising from the motion of his opponents. Aragorn could feel the cold sweat dripping down his temple; his muscles ached as if he fought for hours.

"Aragorn," Eomer interrupted, "Are you alright?"

Aragorn blinked once, then looking at his friend, answered, "Yes, of course, I was simply in my own world, deep in thought," he smiled.

"Then there are two of us who have been deep in thought." Eomer kept a somber tone.

"What is on your mind?" Aragorn asked.

Eomer slowly sat down beside Aragorn, and looked around him to make sure no one eavesdropped.

"There is an imposter among us," he whispered hoarsely and to his surprise, Aragorn laughed.

"She is not an imposter, dear friend, she has simply concealed her identity, which must remain concealed."

"So you have known all this time?" Eomer asked, his eyes wide in shock.

"Certainly you did not think that I would not have recognized my own god daughter!" he laughed. Eomer's eyes remained large and filled with many questions. He sputtered a little before being able to formulate the sentence that he had in mind,

"But you have not portrayed evidence of knowing!" he exclaimed.

"I am a keeper of many secrets," Aragorn told him simply, with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Aurora," he whispered almost to himself, "I have long wondered of her fate."

"It has not been kind to her," Aragorn answered mournfully.

Eomer now looked at Aura again who sat in a corner, packing her belongings. Now that he knew, Eomer could see the little girl he knew in Aura. The same blue eyes, the same blond hair, the same blond hair and the same smile, it all belonged to the precious little girl.

"You needn't wonder any longer," Aragorn told him softly before he stood before all of them, "If you are ready, we should leave," he told them. Without an answer, they picked up their baggage and headed to their horses. Through all this, Eomer gazed at Aura in amazement at his new findings, but his were no the only eyes looking upon her. Legolas stared at her as well and his mind reeled. The events of last night confused him and visions haunted him. He seemed to be in a trance when he awoke to face Aura. Her eyes were cold as ice, her face was unforgiving. However in the time it took him to blink, her face changed, perhaps it now held a hint of relief, but then her eyes became cold again.

"Go back to bed," she had told him, and he did but not without worry. Although at first, he cared more of her well being, he had been fooled into doing so. True she had the exterior of a sweet charming young woman, slightly naïve; at least she had tricked everyone to see her as so. However since last night's events, Legolas was not so sure. For one, the strange mark on her neck was strikingly familiar, something that he had seen in history books. Was it the mark of an enemy? He could not quite remember. Secondly, her behavior was becoming more and more strange and erratic. No one truly knew much about her; the possibility still remained that she could be a spy. For some strange reason, Aragorn had not questioned much about her, and because of this, Legolas tried to trust that she could also be trust worthy. However he suspected some sort of sorcery behind her, although he could not explain it.

While his mind poisoned him, his heart revolted. He had begun to develop strong feelings for the girl, something that he did not quite understand. For a while, he believed that it was the sort of love that he had heard of in folk tales, but he did not think it possible for him to have felt it. Perhaps he was in love with her this, his heart told him, yet skepticism still plagued his mind.

Without the intention of doing so, he began to advance towards her.

"Aura," he whispered softly in her ear, "last night, I…"

But Aura turned to him with cold eyes, telling him "Leave me be Legolas! Nothing happened last night. Harass me no longer!" Her heart wrenched at her very words. She had been so afraid the night before, of losing everyone whom she cared for. Clearly this was who Meranlaughk attacked, people whom she loved, her friends, family. She had hatched a plan after those events, if she distanced herself, if He saw that she did not care for her friends, He'd let them be. Legolas would be safe.

However, when she saw the pained look written on his face, she was ready to abandon her plan. Before she could crumble to her emotions, she decided to walk away, perhaps think of something new.

Legolas was indeed hurt by her abrupt words, but his suspicions were also aroused. His eyes would only become sharper on her. He would become her shadow until those suspicions were soothed.

They set off towards Bree soon after, and it had become a silent trip. The laughter had left the five, only to be replaced by a somber mood, and frowns that etched their faces. Only Aura was certain of the reason, Meranlaughk gained control of them, slowly as his power grew.

Aura's heart still sighed at the sight of her surroundings, the lush green grass and bright blue sky, but she concealed it, still hoping to alienate herself. She had realized that this was her only way to keep the overhanging death at bay, for Meranlaughk saw all, and he now saw that she had no one whom he could hurt. She became an accomplished actress as the days went on, even Gimli began to sneer at Aura's snide remarks and grumble dwarf curses. Eomer held much disdain for the "brat". However Aragorn looked upon her with a smirk at her craftiness and Legolas with that same nagging suspicion as he had before. The elf also had that same confusion as before. He couldn't deny that he had liked the girl before, and that her new attitude hurt him, he simply did not understand it. This was a new feeling and it made him feel very young.

Aura continued to cook for the men at night, and was happy to do so, but for the sake of her charade would add a "Lazy males, always expect me to do all of the work"

She held herself away from the others and no longer conversed with them. She only confided in Aglar, for the sake of companionship.

Aura had never felt so alone, or hated. Upon hard times, she would have hoped for the support of her friends, but she could no longer. They thought the worse of her, so her plan had worked well, but perhaps she wished that it hadn't.