Sapphire: Yes people! I'm very much alive! Sorry for the LONGGG update. I got too caught up with the rest of my fics…Hohoho!

A lot of you were interested in Yue and some even asked me who he is…Well he's an OC for starters and he's a total hottie! [blushes]. But seriously, if you want to know more about him…well [winks] just read the following chapters. Though I'm giving you guys a hint later in this chapter…but you'll have to read to find out! Hohoho!

A warning…this chapter will shift from Shadow's POV to Yue's from time to time…so I hope you guys won't get confused. Yue calls Shadow 'Serenity' while Serenity refers to still call herself 'Shadow'…confusing? I hope not…

Also…I hate to say this but I think this chapter isn't that great very much. [sweatdrops] I just have a really bad feeling that I'll receive more flames than good reviews for this chapter…Sigh.

Anyway, if you guys are still interested, just continue to read the chapter. Thanks for the reviews from the previous chapters though. I was so happy when I read them all. Thank you! Mwah!

Note: I changed Yue's eyes from blue to aquamarine.

Disclaimer: [groans] Do I have to really do this? Why would I write fanfiction if I do own LOTR and SM?

The Heir of the Golden Hall

Chapter two: Old Friends, New Foes?

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Much to the travelers' surprise, the young man named Yue suddenly wrapped Shadow in his arms and hugged her with much passion.

"It's been so long Serenity." Yue was saying as he placed his face at the crook of the silver-haired girl's swan-like neck. "We've missed you so much."

The white-blonde man's voice was hoarse and low, far from the deep but vibrant tone he had used a while ago. As the rest of them simply looked on, Legolas felt his stomach twisted as an unknown feeling surged through his body. Aragorn too felt the same way but the feeling wasn't unfamiliar to him. What had surprised him was that only one person before had made him feel this way.

'This is so strange.' Both elf and man thought.

Shadow, meanwhile, gazed her icy sapphire orbs at Yue with a sadden look. Her hair cascade down like a curtain and shielded the view of her face from the rest. If it wasn't for the fact that her hands were trapped in between their chests, she probably would've reached a hand up to caress the nape of Yue's neck and to hell with principles. Yue was (She didn't know if he still is) her friend for Lady's sake!

Demon Star's high whiny suddenly rang in the wind and the moment was shattered as the present reality came hurling back with a jolt of alertness.

Shadow…or rather Serenity; choose that moment to press her palms against Yue's chest, trying to loosen his grip on her.

"Let go of me now Yue." She semi-growled, pressing even harder.

Yue sighed as he felt the vibration of the young woman's growl deep in her throat. Still, he lifted up his face and a shudder involuntarily coursed through his body as icy sapphire met his piercing aquamarine orbs.

'Her eyes are so cold.' He thought. Yue felt his heart sink at the realization.

Serenity had changed so much. Gone was the carefree, lively girl he'd known since childhood; replaced by a seemingly-cold and emotionless young woman. The bright shining smile on his best friend during their pre-adult years vanished and her lips molded into a disapproving, grim scowl…like the one she had now.

Aquamarine orbs dimmed sadly as the owner released the young maiden in his arms. However, their unwavered gaze with icy sapphire persisted. The two colors continued to stare at each other until the pair of icy sapphire looked away first.

Shadow saw the look in Yue's eyes. They were practically swirling with sadness and some sort of betrayal. The silvery-haired girl had held onto their gaze but looked away after some time. She couldn't bear anymore to see the emotions showing in those aquamarine eyes. The same shade of eyes that Shadow had known since long ago…so long ago that it seemed almost like decades rather than years since she had gazed into those eyes.

"Serenity…"

The word was said in a soft, whispery voice and Shadow felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by some unknown force. The delicate and low tone that had passed through the man's tongue and lips to mutter her once-true name was far from the usually gentle yet rough voice she would often hear in her child years.

The pang of guilt Shadow had felt in her soul when she'd stared into Yue's eyes grew. She could not help but feel that she was the one responsible for the birth of this side of Yue. Shame flow through her veins as Shadow, for the first time since that day, reconsidered her thoughts of what others had felt those years ago…

Shadow shook her head, causing her silvery locks to sway in different directions. She pushed her thoughts at the back of her mind as she tired to regain her focus on the current situation. Now isn't the time to dwell in past resurfaced moments.

"I am Shadow, not Serenity." She replied coldly. "Not anymore."

Yue cringed at the iciness of the silver-haired maiden's voice. Serenity had truly changed so much. The same voice that had warmed his whole being and made him sensuous with songs now sounded empty, void of emotions and familiarity. It was as if she was speaking to a stranger and not a long-time friend.

It hurts.

"No…" Yue persisted. "You're Serenity and you'll always be Serenity."

He refused to let things be this way. Yue didn't train vigorously day and night to the point of total exhaustion, didn't practice in secret the forbidden art of sorcery he had always known he'd possessed. He didn't work and train hard to be strong enough to be considered as one of the mightiest in their clan, no matter how lithe and un-bulky he is. He didn't joined the army with only to find her as his sole purpose and he didn't chose to be in the scout patrol with the hope that he would one day find her only to see that she, Serenity his closest friend and companion, treats him like a stranger…worse yet like a potential enemy.

That would simply not do…but, what if it's too late? What if he'd found her too late to undo the cold human statue that had been his most beloved friend?

Yue, with half-hearted hope that he knew was foolish, took hold of Serenity's (he refused to call her as Shadow) pale hands and gazed deeply into her icy sapphire eyes. He noticed the looks of surprise then barely-noticeable gentleness that crossed those icy sapphire depths and fought down a smile as his whole being (figuratively) soared hopefully. Maybe it wasn't too late after all.

A spark of hope and renewed determination filled his heart. He would bring back the fun-loving, sweet Serenity. This he vowed with all of his might.

Then, Yue felt a sudden tinge of pain in his arm. His aquamarine eyes looked at his arm to see that the cut which Serenity had graciously 'bestowed' upon him. He had forgotten about the wound and consequently, hadn't cleaned and bound it. Blood continued to slowly drip out of the possibly infectious wound.

Shadow's eyes widen slightly at the sight of the bloody wound. She too had forgotten about the cut she herself inflicted upon Yue.

With a small thug, the silvery-haired girl freed her hands from Yue's grasp. She then began to inspect the wound. Shadow noted the young man flinching slightly when her pale hand brushed against his fair skin and fought the urge to chew on her lower lip. A habit she had since she was young and whenever she would feel nervous, intimidated, anxious, annoyed or likewise.

However, she breathed a small sigh of relief when she realized the cut wasn't seriously deep, considering how sharp Eagle Light is.

"The cut isn't deep enough to need stitches." She concluded. "However, we still need to clean it to prevent further infection. Do any of you have a spare towel and some water?"

The group of men with Yue jumped up in attention at the firm tone. One of the men, a very muscular, very tanned, large man with long blonde hair that fell below his shoulders and jade green eyes, stood upright and bowed slightly at Shadow, earning them confused looks from Gandalf and his group.

"We have a clean rag and little extra water." The man answered in a deep, vibrant voice. "I shall fetch them for you, milady."

Shadow scowled slightly at both the gesture and formality but didn't comment. Instead, she ripped a piece of her cloak, much to the others' surprise. She simply paid no heed to their reaction. She needed a new one anyway. It was starting to fade from the deepest black to a light grey already and it was too tattered and weather-blown to still be comfortable with.

She took the ripped piece and tied it securely around the area a little above where the wound was.

"It's to keep the rest of the blood from flowing out." She answered to the silent question, icy sapphire eyes still focused on the wound and not on the pair of aquamarine orbs that stared down at her.

Shadow fidgeted mentally under Yue's gaze. It took almost all of her will not to snap her head up to meet his' and yell "What?" with the deadliest glare she could muster. The staring was making her more uncomfortable by the minute. Add it to the fact that she got captured, the possibility that her secret was discovered, and that she'd injured an old friend whom she still was unsure of if he felt that way now…To think it all started with her saving an old man from a troll-orc…

She sighed inwardly and wished that she'd just stayed an extra day at the waterfalls. That way, she wouldn't have been in this mess. Oh well…no use crying over spilled milk. Perhaps she could still escape if she somehow got their attention diverted from her.

Shadow shook her head mentally. But that would mean that she would place Gandalf and the others' life right into their hands. She wasn't a coward and she'd promised that she would get them safely through this land. And she always keeps her promises.

However…if she could escape with all of them…

Shadow was broke out of her reverie as the man who spoke to her earlier handed her a dry cloth and a canteen full of water. She took the two items and looked up to thank him only to have the words in her mouth cut off. The jaded green-eyed man was very tall. His whole physique towered over her own.

The man gave a wide smile, showing his white pearly teeth. His jade green-eyes sparkled merrily. The look in his face was so friendly that Shadow almost smiled in return. Instead, she cocked an eyebrow.

The man, who also happened to look a few years older than Shadow herself, felt familiar. But she couldn't quite remember where she'd met or seen him so she just shrugged carelessly and turned to focus her attention instead on Yue's injury; muttering a 'thank you' beforehand.

Shadow opened the canteen and dipped a fair amount of water in half of the spare cloth. She then pressed the now-wet cloth on Yue's wound and began to clean the blood off it.

Once she had finished washing the cut, Shadow closed the canteen and laid both the cloth and container in the soft earth.

She brushed a hand inside her cloak and took out a small black pouch from an inside pocket. The young woman untied the golden thread that closed the pouch and opened it. She took out a small, blue-colored bottle and twisted the plug open.

Shadow tucked a stray silvery lock behind her ear before she cautiously dipped the rim of the bottle near the dry part of the cloth and clear blue liquid flow through the rim and into the cloth. She was careful not to use too much of the liquid.

"This is going to sting a little." She muttered softly as she applied the medicine on Yue's wound.

After Shadow was sure that the wound is disinfected and clean, she closed the bottle and slid it carefully inside her pouch. She then took out a bandage roll and began to wrap it around the white-blonde man's wound. As the silvery-haired maiden tied the ends of the wrappings, she said.

"There. The wound's cleaned and bound. The medicine I had given you is very effective so the cut should disappear in a few days."

Shadow re-wrapped the remaining bandage roll and placed it inside her pouch. She then closed and re-tied the pouch before putting it back inside the folds of her cloak.

No sooner than she had done this, Shadow felt something hitting the pressure point at her nape and her vision became dimmer.

"Sorry about this Serenity." said a voice as darkness unfurled the silver-haired maiden's whole world.

----------------------(AN: Hmm…should I continue? [gulps as agitated readers took hold of pick-forks, mallets, guns, swords, etc…] Err….maybe I will…

When Shadow regained consciousness, she found that she was in the place where she was most dreaded to be in…her old room.

Shadow let out a horrid gasp and clambered to get out of the queen-sized bed. In her haste, she fell down to the cool marble but carpeted floor none-too gracefully.

Shadow muttered out a curse as she rubbed her sore bottom. At the same time, she glanced down at her clothes. Her breeches, shirt, tunic, and cloak were replaced by a familiar long flowing white and gold-trimmed night-gown. Her legs were bare aside from a beautiful silver, blue and gold anklet on each side of her ankles.

The young woman slowly got up to her feet and was about to put on her boots found beside the bed when the door suddenly burst opened and a slightly younger-woman with long, shoulder-length black hair adorned with a simple violet and silver ringlet wearing a violet and blue princess gown.

The younger-woman's deep violet eyes shined with glee and outmost delight as she approached and practically glomped Shadow, a wide smile on her pale face.

"Sister! It's been so long," cried out the younger woman as she hugged Shadow tighter.

"Hotaru…" muttered Shadow softly, tears threatening to spill down her sapphire eyes which had lost its iciness.

Shadow smiled genuinely for the first time in years and hugged her sister back. She would forget everything else in the mean time; she just wanted to hold her sister for now.

However, Shadow's sapphire depths regained their coldness when another figure appeared in the doorway.

"Welcome back Serenity," replied Theoden, the ancient ruler of Rohan. His back was humped due to old age but nevertheless was taller than Shadow herself and was leaning on a black bone-handled cane to support himself. His piercing blue eyes, nonetheless, still had that lively blue spark in them as he gazed at them.

"My daughter…"

--------------To be continued

Sapphire: Well? How was it? I hope it's good. I haven't seen the second movie nor read the second book in a LONG time so I had forgotten almost everything about it. That is why I'm going to watch the Two Towers again so I can remember...

Review! Review! Come'on don't be shy…click the lavender button below. [gives puppy-dog-eyes look] Onegai?