A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, especially the constructive critism....Also, I know my story is gonna go a little out of cannon, but hopefully not too much, because I have a plot of my own...sorta. I tried to make her slightly less mary-sueish- her eyes are grey, and her hair is short... In the previous chapter I said Legolas's eyes are green. I know that Legolas has blue eyes, but I wanted them to be green. So here's chapter three.

Chapter Three: A Needed Sit Down

You're a bitch, but I love you anyway,

You can sing, but you still put me to sleep,

Baby, You're a bitch, hey, hey, hey, hey,

You make me sick, but don't ever go away.

-Bowling for Soup, The Bitch Song.

Melanie woke up very stiff, and on her back. She sat up quickly and then really wished she hadn't. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas were already up and preparing breakfast. She then tried sitting up slowly. She found someone's Lothlorian cloak had been placed over her. Melanie smiled as she stretched. Her back was still very sore, but it was feeling better already. Looking around, she noticed Hasufel was gone.

"Where is Hasufel?" Melanie asked in an innocent voice. She hated that when she woke up she sounded like she was three. They all turned to look at her. As soon as they saw her, each broke into a smile, even Gimli. She was extremely, wonderfully adorable when she woke up. Her hair was slightly mussed, her eyes were wide in what looked like wonder and happiness, and her voice was light like a child's.

"During the night an old man came and stole him," Gimli said, trying to force his voice into gentler tones. He managed to make it slightly less gruff, "I believe it was Saruman."

Legolas smiled at Gimli's attempt at being sweet. He shook his head and walked over to Melanie, who was stretching and yawning. Suppressing the urge to give her a hug, he handed her a plate of meat. 'Where did that urge come from?' he asked himself in confusion as he settled himself next to Aragorn. Legolas decided to pass on the lucky catch they had made in the forest and settled on some lembas bread.

Melanie took one look at her plate and gave it to Gimli. It was the meat from last night. Just imagine. Disgusting, I know. Melanie wondered what happened to all the lembas bread in the movies, but she didn't ask. She really didn't need them all looking at her like she was some psychotic freak. 'Oh but, I am,' she thought to herself. Legolas passed on the breakfast too. Aha, now she knew he was being sarcastic last night when he said "delicious meat." Legolas came and sat next to her smiling. She reminded him very much of a hobbit. Still smiling, he said to her, "Do you know that you look like a hobbit lass when you wake up?"

"No, but I'm going to take that as a compliment," but as she said this, she ran a hand through her hair, attempting to help her situation a bit. The result made Legolas laugh.

"Okay, fine," she said, in her cute high-pitched voice. She cleared her throat in an attempt to make it normal, but to no avail, "If you're so cool, why don't you fix my hair?"

As soon as Melanie said this, she wondered why he stiffened like that. What had she said to offend him? He said, "I will fix your hair, if you wish," and without another word, he nimbly worked his fingers through her hair, picking out the knots as if it was second nature. Aragorn watched as he did this with amazement. Elves don't usually just do anyone's hair. Usually it was gesture of great compassion for one another. Surely Legolas did not think that way about this young girl?

"Now," Aragorn said, once Legolas had finished Melanie's hair, and she had smiled up at him in return, not aware of what she had asked the elf to do. She then turned to Aragorn. Melanie gulped. "I would like you to explain to us how you received that bruise and those scratches. And be warned," Aragon continued, "That Legolas and I can tell when you are lying." This frightened her a bit, as her father had once said the exact same thing, minus the Legolas part. She took a deep breath.

"Okay," was all Melanie could say. She rubbed her nose, something she did when she was nervous. She brought her hand away from her face. There was a dark smudge of dirt on her hand. She was ready to bet there was still dirt on her face too.

"So . . ." Aragorn said, "What caused those?"

"Right," she said, still in her own little world that she made for herself whenever she thought she was going to be hit.

Legolas turned to Aragorn. "This is not working," he said. Aragorn nodded his head. Gimli decided to use his own tactic before Aragorn or Legolas could stop him.

"Lass?" he said in a gruff voice. Melanie looked at him without seeing him. "Lass!" he said waving his hand in front of her. Thinking that he was about to hit her, Mel violently recoiled form him.

Gimli turned to Aragorn. "What-?"

Melanie shook her head fiercely, trying to regain control. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just-just I was only-" she said, not paying attention to what she was saying, and making a bigger ass out of herself.

"You are very strange," Aragorn said. "Something has happened to you, and we are curious to know what. Could you please just answer my question?"

Melanie nodded. She was in Middle Earth, her father could never get at her here. "It was my old man," She said trying to keep her voice emotionless.

"Old man?"

"My father."

"Why? What did you do?" Aragorn asked.

Melanie scrunched up her face in mock thoughtfulness. "Dunno," she said finally.

Aragorn put his hand on his hip. Although he did not approve of it, he knew some parents administered beatings on children. But he also knew the child would have had to done something extremely terrible to be deserving of such a punishment. "Do not lie," he said.

"I don't know what I did to make him angry!" Melanie said loudly. "I 've never knew what I've ever done to make him angry!" Legolas clapped his hands to his ears. "Sorry," Mel muttered, and then turned back to Aragorn. "Maybe it was because I was born!" She yelled before she could stop herself.

Legolas closed his eyes in horror. She was not sure if it was horror at what she said, or horror at the noise. "Why do you not value your life?" he asked.

"Because it isn't valuable," Melanie said in annoyance, "Actually right before I came here I was planning to commit suicide."

Legolas's mouth, along with Gimli's, and Aragorn's, dropped open. The silence that followed was very, very, uncomfortable.

"Does this uh- happen regularly?" Gimli asked uncomfortably.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "What, me wanting ta kill myself?"

"No, the other thing, the-reason-"

"Shoot, Gimli, I think I get hit at least once a day," she said uncomfortably.

"How many times does he beat you?" Legolas asked quietly. Somehow, Melanie could not look at him as she said the answer.

"Whenever he feels like it. All the time."

"But-" Gimli interrupted.

"Okay, for the most part I don't know why he hits me. Sometimes I'm a little bitch and I say I deserve a good ass kickin' and-" But Legolas interrupted her.

"I don't believe you could do anything worth being hit for."

"Really?" she said, thinking he was kidding, "didn't you think I was a little bitch when I sat my ass on the forest floor and told y'all I couldn't go on?"

Before anyone could answer her, Aragorn exclaimed, "Please Melanie, control your tongue! I've heard better language from men at pubs!"

Melanie smiled, "If you don't like the way I talk, you can just take it in the balls."

Gimli raised his hand to give her a hard slap across her face, but Melanie was too quick and dodged it, laughing. "See?" she said, "I told you I'm a little bitch! I don't know when to shut my fat mouth..."

"Now would be a good time," said Legolas, but Melanie thought he was holding back a laugh.

"Are you laughing at me?" she turned to him.

"Possibly," said Legolas, and his mouth twitched. He really was holding back a smile. Aragorn seemed astounded at their behavior. Sure, this child acted like, well, like a child. But one of his oldest and dearest friends? Legolas was acting as though he was some young and empty-headed fool . . . Aragorn decided this little chat was over. "We must keep searching for Merry and Pippin, two of our companions that have been lost," he said looking at Mel, "for the sun has already risen."

For a long time Aragorn crawled on the ground, searching for clues. They did a lot of backtracking. Finally, Aragorn said, "Here at last we find news! Hobbit prints!"

"These woods are old," said Legolas for the first time, "They are old and they are angry, but I do not think them to be evil, like the old stories say." He stooped forward, listening. "No, they are not evil. I catch only the faintest echoes of dark places where the hearts of the trees are black. There is no malice near us, but there is watchfulness, and anger."

"Well it has no cause to be angry with me," said Gimli, "I have done it no harm."

"That is just as well," argued Legolas, "But nonetheless it has suffered harm. There is something happening inside, or going to happen. Do you not feel the tenseness? It takes my breath."

'Yeah, well, you take my breath elf-boy,' Melanie thought.

"I feel the air is stuffy," said the Dwarf. "This wood is lighter than Mirkwood, but it is musty and shabby."

"It is old, very old," said the Elf. "So old that I feel young again, as I have not felt since I journeyed with children," he looked straight at Melanie, who rolled her eyes, "It is old and full of memory. I could have been happy here, if I had come in days of peace."

"I dare say you could," snorted Gimli. "You are a Wood-elf, anyway, though Elves of any kind are strange folk. Yet you comfort me. Where you go, I will go. But keep your bow ready to hand, and I will keep my axe loose in my belt. Not for use on trees," he added hastily, looking up at the tree under which they stood. "I do not wish to meet that old man at unawares without an argument ready to hand, that is all. Let us go!"

With that the three hunters and Melanie plunged into the forest of Fangorn. Legolas and Gimli, and of coarse Melanie left the tracking to Aragorn. As Aragorn walked ahead, Melanie turned to Legolas and Gimli. "How old are you two?" she asked.

Gimli laughed and said, "I am 140 years old."

Melanie opened her mouth, shut it again, opened it once more, and then shut it. Legolas laughed his musical laugh and said, "I am 2,931 years old." At this Melanie promptly had a coughing fit.

"How old are you?" Legolas asked innocently.

Melanie abruptly stopped coughing. "Seventeen," she said quietly.

"Pardon?" Legolas said in amazement.

"I. Am. Seventeen," she said slowly and clearly. Before Legolas could respond, Aragorn halted.

"This is good tidings," Aragorn said, pointing to the hobbit prints at the water-side. "Yet the marks are two days old. And it seems that at this point the hobbits left the water."

"Then what shall we do now?" said Gimli. "We cannot pursue them through the whole fastness of Fangorn. We have come ill supplied. If we do not find them soon, we shall be no use to them, except to sit down beside them and show our friendship by starving together."

"If that is indeed all we can do, then we must do that," said Aragorn.

They came at length to the steep abrupt end of Treebeard's Hill, and looked up at the rock-wall with its rough steps leading to the high shelf. Gleams of sun were striking through the hurrying clouds, and the forest now looked less grey and dreary.

"Let us go up and look about us!" said Legolas. "I still feel my breath short. I should like to taste a freer air for a while." They all climbed up. Aragorn came last, moving slowly; he was scanning the steps and ledges closely. Melanie took a great breath to steady herself. It was beautiful.

"I am almost sure that the hobbits have been up here," he said. "But there are other marks, very strange marks, which I do not understand. I wonder if we can see anything from this ledge which will help us to guess which way they went next?"

Legolas said, "We have journeyed a long way round. We could have all come here safe together, if we had left the Great River on the second or third day and struck west. Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end."

"But we did not wish to come to Fangorn," said Gimli.

"Yet here we are - and nicely caught in the net," said Legolas. "Look!"

"Look at what?" said Gimli.

"There in the trees. Someone is approaching." They all watched the someone drew closer. Finally Gimli spoke.

"Your bow, Legolas! Bend it! Do not let him speak, he will put a spell on us!"

Legolas bent his bow. He fitted an arrow to it, but held it loosely as though some will resisted him.

"Legolas is right," said Aragorn quietly. "We must not shoot an old man so, at unawares and unchallenged, whatever fear or doubt be upon us. Watch and wait!"

At that moment the old man quickened his pace and came with surprising speed to the foot of the rock wall. Then suddenly he looked up, while they stood looking down. There wasn't a sound.

They couldn't see his face: he was hooded, and above the hood he wore a wide-brimmed hat, so that all his features were overshadowed, except for the end of his nose and his long grey beard. Yet it seemed to Aragorn that he caught the gleam of keen and bright eyes from within the shadow of the hooded brows.

At last, the old man broke the silence. "Well met indeed, my friends," he said in a soft voice. "I wish to speak to you. Will you come down, or shall I come up?" Without waiting for an answer he began to climb.

"Now!" cried Gimli. "Stop him, Legolas!"

"No Legolas!" said Melanie, "Don't."

"Listen to the child. Did I not say that I wished to speak to you?" said the old man. "Put away that bow, Master Elf!"

The bow and arrow fell from Legolas's hands, and his arms hung loose at his sides.

"And you, master Dwarf, pray take your hand from your axe-haft, till I am up! You will not need such arguments." Gimli started and then stood still as stone, staring, while the man sprang up the rough steps as nimbly as a goat. All weariness seemed to have left him. As he stepped up onto the shelf there was a gleam, too brief for certainty, a quick glint of white, as if some garment shrouded by the grey rags had been for an instant revealed. The intake of Gimli's breath could be heard as a loud hiss in the silence.

"Well met, I say again!" said the old man, coming towards them. When he was a few feet away, he stood, stooping over his staff, with his head thrust forward, peering at them from under his hood. "And what may you be doing in these parts? An Elf, a Man, a Dwarf, and a child, the first three clad in elvish fashion, the fourth clad in a trend unknown to this world. No doubt there is a tale worth hearing behind it all. Such things are not often seen here."

"You speak as one that knows Fangorn well," said Aragorn. "Is that so?"

"Not well," he said, "that would be the study of many lives. But I come here now and again."

"Might we know your name, and then hear what it is that you have to say to us?" said Aragorn. "The morning passes, and we have an errand that will not wait."

"As for what I wished to say, I have said it: What may you be doing, and what tale can you tell of yourselves? As for my name!" He broke off, chuckling. Melanie thought that laugh sounded familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

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