AUTHOR'S NOTE Again, totally don't know if anyone's reading this, but if you are, thank you so much! If not, *shrugs* your loss…

DISCLAIMER You should know whom I own and whom I don't. I don't own Legolas or any of Tolkien's characters or SADLY Orlando Bloom.

I walked all through the night. The land was flat and made walking relatively easy. As the palest glimpse of the morning's light appeared beyond the horizon, I reached a second river. It bubbled cheerfully along, flowing southeast, presumably joining the Anduin later on. Leaning down, I trailed my fingers through the clear water and felt its purity.

While I replenished my water supply, I studied the river and how I would get across. It was far too deep to wade and too wide to jump. There I sat on the riverbank, one hand idly letting the water flow through my fingers as I pondered the situation. The cold water was soothing on my hand, weary already from carrying a pack. An idea dawned on me suddenly and I felt stupid for taking so long to realize it.

My plan only had one problem: I really didn't like the idea of traveling for the rest of the day in soaked traveling clothes. If only there was some way to keep my clothes dry while getting across the river. Of course, I could swim naked, but I didn't particularly want anyone to see.

"Sweet Valar!" I said out loud after a minute. I surveyed the plain. Not a single living thing was visible. And I could sense no others hiding or watching from a distance. "Rae, this isn't like Lothlórien," I told myself aloud, rolling my eyes. "There aren't guards hiding in every tree watching your every move!" It may sound strange talking to myself aloud, but I was horribly lonely already and it made me feel better.

I took my shoes off and threw them across the river. To my relief, both landed safely on the other side. I then slipped off the leggings and tunic I wore and stuffed them in my pack. That I also threw to the far bank and it too landed safely across the water.

Standing on the riverbank covered in only my green cloak, I studied the heavy material. Galadriel had told me to never take it off while I was unprotected, but what if the water did it harm? What if getting it wet destroyed its protective power?

I mentally smacked myself for worrying so much. Pushing away my irrational paranoia, I walked down the bank and stepped naked into the river, the cloak billowing behind. At the midpoint, the water level reached my shoulders. I saw the cloak flowing behind me, rippling as if it were part of the river itself. My teeth chattered as I continued wading toward the opposite shore. Judging by the frigid deep water at the middle, I figured that this had to be a mountain stream froom the snows of the Misty Mountains.

The opposite bank was steeper than the first, but I managed to climb up. My head swam and spots danced before my eyes. The cold of the water penetrated to the core of my bones and my lower torso felt like a great stone of ice rested inside my hips.

I attempted to climb from my knees into a standing position, but immediately regretted it. My only consolation was that I pulled my cloak over me as blackness took me and I fell.

**********

I dreamt of a woman. She looked kind and gentle. Her hair was long and curly. A man with dark hair stood with her. I could feel the love between them. With tenderness in their eyes, they both stared down into a basket. The woman reached down, picking up a small bundle.

With a start, I awoke on the riverbank. I kept my cloak wrapped tightly around me as I sat up and tried to clear my head. I still felt woozy from the cold, but other than that, everything was ok.

I grabbed my pack and dressed again. That dream played heavily on my mind as I started walking again. The sun hadn't even begun to rise when I crossed the river and judging from its position now, I hadn't been unconscious for too long.

The newly risen sun was warm and welcoming as I walked. But for some reason, I kept dwelling on the dream. I could not explain it but I felt the dream inside me. It was a part of me. But how, I could not tell. As I continued to contemplate the vision, deep feelings started stirring inside. It almost felt like guilt. Guilt? That didn't make sense.

As I crested a small hill, the scene before me broke me out of dream analysis. Plains stretched out before me as far as I could see. Rohan. It was breathtaking.

And it was depressing too. I had to cross that! There was no end in sight. "Ugh!" I groaned. "Legolas Greenleaf," I muttered as I descended the hill. "You had better be worth this!"