A/N: There is a memory sequence in this chapter, and as I was writing the song "Numb" by Disturbed was playing and it seemed to fit it very well…if this was a movie I think this song would be on the soundtrack…check it out if you want. Oh, and If you like the old version of the chapter better let me know and I will repost it. Thanks again everyone!!!

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After days upon days of traveling our dear company has finally reached Mirkwood forest.

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It was a particularly uninteresting day. Melenia divided her time between reading a book and watching the unchanging terrain through the small carriage window. Eowadia looked quite content as she kept herself occupied with some beadwork.

"So much for an exciting journey," Melenia said with a groan. "What kind of trip goes by without any surprise orc raids or giant spider sightings!?!"

"Are you really that bored?"

"Watching a snail make his way up a tree bark would be more interesting at this point Eo."

"I could always show you how to craft jewelry with beads," said Eowadia hopefully.

Melenia just gave her a look that said "you have got to be kidding me" and then turned her head back to the window. "It seems that Mirkwood has gone soft! I swear I will have been away from home for months and nothing unexpected or interesting will have happened to me!!" As soon as the last words left her lips the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

"Night has barely started to set in, why have we stopped?" asked Eowadia sounding somewhat disturbed, but Melenia looked ecstatic.

"Finally!" she yelled as she threw the carriage door open and jumped out ready to take on whatever it was that had stopped their progress. To her absolute and total dismay, the scene outside was as peaceful as can be. "What is going on?" she asked no one in particular.

"If it does not trouble you princess, we will be stopping here for the remainder of the day and overnight," answered Legolas as he got off his horse and started tending to it.

"Why, your highness?" Eowadia piped in as she emerged from the carriage.

"The palace is no further than another day of travel, and many of us would like to freshen up before we arrive. I am sure you ladies also wish to do the same. There is a stream nearby that we could all use," he pointed in the direction of the stream

"As you wish my lord," replied Eowadia. She turned to Melenia with a huge smile on her face, "Are you ready to go?"

"I've been ready for days!" she shouted as she grabbed Eowadia's hand and started running toward the stream.

"Be careful ladies! The forest is full of vile creatures!!" shouted Téril after them.

"We will be fine!!!" Melenia shouted back as she continued to pull Eowadia along.

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All of the party seemed to be in much better spirits after bathing and having some time relax. The idea of being home soon seemed to have lifted a burden off their shoulders, so that night they sang songs of joy and mirth before dozing into a very light sleep. As it was her custom, whenever they stopped at night, Melenia would wait until most of them were asleep before she slipped into the forest.

That night she decided to visit the stream once more. She walked quietly and took in the sights and sounds of her surroundings. She felt at peace as she approached the water and gazed at her reflection. Little did she know that she was being followed.

"So what are you up to tonight princess?" Legolas said to himself as he dodged behind a tree. He had followed her at other times, but all she had done then was climb a tree and sit in it for a while before returning to camp. Today it seemed that she would stand and gaze at the water for hours.

As Legolas watched intently a brilliant idea occurred to Melenia. "I think I am in the mood for a moonlit swim," she said to herself.

Legolas was confused to say the least as he watched the princess remove her sword from her back and move on to remove her sandals. "What is she doing?" he muttered to himself and then it finally hit him when her hands moved to the buttons on her dress. His eyes grew wide with shock, "She is going to bathe," he said in a very shaky voice. "What do I do?" he thought. "If I move she will hear me, if I stay I will have wronged her…maybe I could just close my eyes…"his train of thought continued. "Oh that's a good one genius, that way I can't see the spider before it tries to eat me!" he said aloud. He then turned his attention back to Melenia who was still struggling with her dress.

"You confounded thing!!! Why must you have so many buttons?" she yelled at her garment in anger as she continued to struggle with it. Legolas had to bite his lip to stifle the laugh that was building within him. Melenia just continued to tug on the dress unaware of his presence. Now quite frankly, I don't know how she did it. You could say that it was talent or lack of it, but in her frenzy she managed to trip over the dress, do an ungraceful flip in the air, and then land on her back with a very loud thud.

"Ow!" she groaned as she brought her hand to her throbbing head. She would have stayed like that until her pain faded if she had not heard very distinctive snickering coming from behind a nearby tree. Within instants she was up on her feet and her sword was in her hand. She quickly approached the tree, "Show yourself or meet an untimely end!" she snarled.

"Oh, you've done it this time. Father will have my head for this!" Legolas muttered to himself as he slowly emerged from behind the tree. Melenia's eyes grew wide with shock; prince Legolas was certainly the last person she had expected to be behind the tree.

"Prince Legolas? What are you…?" but she just could not find the words.

"My lady, please, I can explain all this," he said while motioning to her and then to the water.

"I bet you can," she said with voice full of sarcasm and anger.

"I saw you leave camp, and I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he said nervously.

"And after you saw that the water did not swallow me up, you still decided to guard me." She stressed the last two words as a mischievous grin spread across her lips. Legolas would have been very happy and relieved at the sight of that smile on her face right about now, but something about her grin was very unnerving.

"Princess you must believe me when I tell you that I had no intention of spying on you as you undressed or bathed," his voice filling with a tinge of anxiety.

She did not answer him. Instead, she turned around and headed back to the river bank to collect her sandals, the impish grin never leaving her lips. She took her sandals and slowly started to walk back to where he stood frozen with fear and anxiety, but she did not stop until she had walked past him.

"You know," she said as she slowly turned her head in his direction, "I thought Téril was referring to the orcs and giant spiders when he spoke of vile creatures roaming the woods, but it seems I have misunderstood him." With that said she simply continued her peaceful walk back to camp.

Legolas still stood transfixed at his spot for a little while longer. "Well this is just wonderful" he said to himself. "I could just hear the rumors now, 'Prince of Mirkwood spies on bathing beauty of Aèrogar'. Then the next thing you know they will be saying that I ravished her and she is now bearing my child." He shook his head as he started making his way back to the camp. He walked behind Melenia, making sure that he kept some distance between them. He really could not decide whether he should try to talk her once more or leave the matter alone.

On the other hand, Melenia was fighting a brutal battle. "How on earth did I just walk away from him like that?!?!" she thought. The way she dealt with the prince surprised her very much. "The dirty worm deserved so much more than a simple verbal insult!!!" she thought as the suppressed rage started to boil once more. "ARGH!!! Princey better keep his distance or he'll get it!!!" The fury was taking hold of her. Legolas had made the mistake of bringing back bad memories, and Melenia did not take well to the sharp reminders of the past. Her steps started to make impressions in the ground as she continued to fume. Seeing this, Legolas decided that he should talk to her.

"Ok Melenia, just calm down. It was probably a harmless accident. Give him the benefit of the doubt," said the rational side of her mind. "I will if he keeps his distance!" replied her rage. Just then someone grabbed her arm from behind and started to turn her around. In a single instant she was gripped by fear, and then her rage boiled over the edge. Her reflexes and defense system took over. Legolas barely dodged out of the way as a sandal came flying at his head. He was more prepared as the second one tried to accomplish what the first failed to do. His eyes grew wide as the distempered princess dropped the sandals to the ground and drew her sword.

"My lady, it is only I. I did not mean to --," he was cut off as she lunged at him unexpectedly with the sword. He tried to avoid her blade as it sliced the air around him, but it had come very close to him much too often. He did not want to draw his sword, but it seems as if she left him no choice. So one would strike a blow and the other would parry it, both moving swiftly and with harmony. Melenia impressed and frightened him at the same time. The very same princess that seemed to quiet and withdrawn ever since he had met her now fought him with the skill of a well trained Elven warrior. The only thing that truly alarmed him were the emotions that danced in her eyes. "Pure rage… and hate? But they are glazed over like… ice," he thought. As he completed the thought he succeeded in flicking her sword out of her hand with his blade. He roughly backed her into a tree and held his sword to her neck as result of his warrior instinct and training. She flinched a bit at the closeness of the blade to her neck. Upon realizing the position they were in, he quickly dropped his sword to the ground and took her hand into his.

"I am so sorry princess," he pleaded. "I don't know what came over me…I suppose it was just instinct, but please I implore you, forgive me my lady." Remorse washed over him like a wave when she did not respond. "Please princess," he begged and then did the only thing he could think of doing, the only thing that had worked on others before. He brought her hand to his mouth and lay soft, gentle kisses on it. "I am sorry," he said between each kiss. "Forgive me your highness." He could feel her hand relax in his and relief started to sink, only to be ripped away as he felt her knee make contact with his stomach. He bent over to shield himself from further any further blows, only to feel a sharp pain explode in his side. Then he was sailing through the air and making contact with the hard ground. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by the pure ice in her eyes.

"I would keep my distance if I were you," she said in an icy tone. She picked up her sandals and sword once more and continued her trip back to the camp. "That should teach him a lesson or two about me," she thought to herself but the rational side would not let her feel satisfied for long. Guilt slowly started to slip into her mind, and then it grew exponentially. "That is no way to treat a prince Melenia!!! You are his guest!!," shouted her mind. "But he deserved it," she answered herself. "He should not have snuck up on me like that," she said softly as she climbed back into the carriage. She fought it as hard as she could, but she would lose this battle as she would any other fight she would have with her memory.

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"Nothing could make this day go bad," the freshly turned fourteen Melenia thought as she bounded down the halls of the palace. She was headed to the oldest library in the palace, which had become her new favorite place to spend her time. The only thing she did not like about it was that it was in a very dark and empty, deserted hallway. It was enough to make anyone paranoid, but she did not feel like that at all that day. She was very close to the library, in fact she was almost there, when someone grabbed her arm from behind and started to turn her around. Fear and panic flowed through her as she tried to extricate her arm from the stranger's tightening grip, but he only held on tighter and pulled her closer. She fought with all her might but she would not win. She tried to kick him but he easily avoided her legs as they flew through the air.

"Well hello dear, lovely princess. I never expected to see you here," he said with a sly smirk and mock surprise.

"Let me GO!!!" she shouted as she continued the struggle to free herself.

"I missed your company as well," he said as maliciousness grew in his eyes.

"I hate you!!! I hate you!!!" she yelled refusing to give up. He just laughed.

"And I love you, my most prized woman," he said emphasizing the last word. Melenia cringed at his use of the word. She continued to thrash about as he picked her up into his arms and carried her toward her favorite library.

"Please let me go, Please!" she begged.

"I am afraid I cannot do that, my lady," he said as he pushed open the door of the deserted library.

She did not visit that library anymore. She even refused to set foot in the hallway. The next Melenia started her warrior training.

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She did not cry then, but she could not stop the tears that were falling now. No one heard as the Ice Princess softly cried herself to sleep. Legolas did not pick it up as he sat with his back against the carriage, nor did Eowadia pick up the sounds of the mute tears as she slept right next to the princess. Melenia had mastered the art of silent tears.