A/N: Thanks to the following reviewers –

Slowness: I know you are curious to know what happens. So, here it is! Cheers!

Anya7: thank you for the review. College starts on 30th. Thought you'd want to know. Meet you there.

Disclaimer: I don't own LOtR. So, you are looking at the wrong place for Faramir's address. Tee hee!

The Prophecy

Chapter 14 (Too late…)

"Legolas, we did the right thing. It is not like we will never return! We might go back to the palace of Vala when all of this is over. I shall have my daughter back then." Aragorn said smiling at the thought. Legolas smiled sadly as he nodded his head. They had been traveling for hours together. Silme would have woken up. She would have known. She would have cried. He sighed as he closed his eyes to stop his own tears. Shame on him that he should feel so weak emotionally! Especially when his friend needed his support.

He turned to Aragorn, "I know how it feels to be away from the ones you love, Aragorn. And I feel sorry for you." The king smiled as he patted the elf's shoulder.

"All this sadness will end one day, mellonamin. I am sure of it."

"Let us hope for that."

The summer light flitted into the room through the open window. Silme slowly stirred. She blearily came back to reality. She gently laid her hand across the bed to find an empty bed. She sat up straight to indeed see an empty bed.

"Legolas," she received no answer. "Legolas, where are you? Is it time for us to leave?" the same silence rang through the flet.

She quickly got up from the bed and opened the door of the flet. A calming breeze blew in. elves moved here and there but none of them was Legolas. She returned back to her room and wearing her boots and armour, walked down the steps towards the ground, where there was a better chance for finding Legolas. But just as she got down, she saw Mila approach her with the other elleth she had seen last night.

"Mae Govannen, Silme. So you're finally up. Feel fit enough for a race? I believe that Amrûn would give my Gorga, a run for his money."

Silme stared at the empty stables. She then turned to her aunt, holding her by the arms. "Legolas, where is he?" her heart beating fast, her breathing rapid. He wouldn't do it, she prayed.

"Oh, they left early morn. Gandalf wanted them to make haste. And since your part in this mission is over, you are free to come home." Silme's hold on her aunt tightened involuntarily.

"Silme, you are hurting me." She looked down at her grip and released it immediately. She then turned to look at the eastern direction. They were traveling in that direction as she stood there.

"Why wasn't I called?" her voice was calm. Mila stiffened a little. "Because for one, you were asleep and further more, Vala would never forgive me if I lose you to Nwalme." Silme turned abruptly to glare at her aunt.

"And as if I cared! I love him. With all my heart! He wouldn't have left me unless you asked him to. You questioned him his honour. You spoke of my supposedly safe journey." The other elleth just stood there with a steely look in her eyes.  Silme turned back to her flet,

"I am going after them. Right to the halls of Mandos if I must. And you can never stop me aunt Mila."

"Oh you're not. You're coming with me." Said a new cold voice as an iron grip held Silme to her place. Silme whipped back to glare at the other elleth.

"And you are?" she spat. The elleth smiled but it didn't make her look cheerful. "I am Wenya. Here to take you back to Edona."

Silme wrenched her hand free from Wenya's grasp as she laughed scornfully. She then raced back to her flet and collected her weapons. Fixing the last dagger into its sheath and adjusting her gauntlets, she came back towards the base. Wenya still stared at her coldly. Silme ignored the elleth who now she had begun to loathe and continued towards her horse. Wenya suddenly stood between her and the stables. Silme who was surprised for a minute, glared at the elleth.

"Yes?" she asked through gritted teeth. Wenya smiled again but this time it was more menacing.

"You cannot leave. It has already been decided."

"And who would you be to tell me that?" Silme felt her temper flaring. Wenya was smirking now. Mila was also looking at Silme in a funny fashion. Was it hunger in her eyes? Wenya slowly drew her sword out of her sheath and faced Silme in a fighting stance. She turned to see her aunt – nowhere.

"What is the meaning of this?" Silme was at the verge of explosion. Wenya smiled as she merely flicked the locks of Silme's brown hair back with her sword.

" You still don't understand do you?" Silme's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Sulé was a formidable opponent. Lets see if you live up to your mother's valor." Silme's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a whisper. Wenya smiled as she slowly circled Silme without taking her eyes off the elleth.

"Do you have any idea how your mother died? Or who it was that spilt her blood?" Silme felt the world stop for a moment.

"No." she breathed. "It can't be. Aunt Mila told me Nwalme killed mother. You – you are from Edona."

Wenya smirked as she stood in front of Silme. "Fool! Your mother was never important enough to be killed by Nwalme in person. I killed her. And your darling aunt Mila led me to her. Both of us serve the future of Middle Earth – Nwalme. Now, I am afraid you will have to go."

Silme felt rage and hatred surge through her body as she drew Eledhwen, her mother's sword just in time to block Wenya's strike. Wenya was thrown back at the impact. She stared shocked at the younger elleth. She was breathing hard but the sword in her hand seemed to glow white.

"I have waited long enough, Wenya. Now it is time." She moved closer to the elleth. Wenya almost backed away. Silme looked menacing. Almost like Sulé, back from the grave. Silme raised her sword with incredible speed and almost brought it down on her head. Wenya screamed and moved away from where she stood and the sword fell harmlessly away. Silme turned to glare at her.

"Are you afraid? Huh? I shall show you what it is to die. Ai! Elbereth! Aid my purpose." 

She then ran towards Wenya who again barely stopped her attacks. She had imagined Silme to be emotionally unstable after the unexpected departure of Legolas and the revelation about her mother's death. But it had only made her angrier. They fought on. With every strike, Silme seemed to get even more aggressive. Her blows seemed to get harder and faster. Then with amazing force, she disarmed Wenya. Her sword flew from her hands and landed yards away.

Silme pinned Wenya to the ground and placed her foot on her.

"This is for my mother." She then with one fluid stroke, plunged her sword into Wenya's heaving chest. The fallen elleth's grey eyes widened with pain and shock, as she lay there motionless. Silme knelt beside the fallen elleth as tears welled up in her eyes. She felt alone. She was alone. Everybody she had trusted had left her. As she pondered this, anger rose again. Silme let out a loud shout as she drew her sword from Wenya's chest. It had penetrated even her armour. She had been that angry.

"Mila, where are you, you filthy excuse for an elf!" there were movements in between two trees to her left. Silme jumped onto one of the neighboring trees and disappeared.

Legolas looked at the horizon around them. It was getting dark and increasingly barren. Something in his heart made him uneasy. Gandalf stopped his steed to look around.

"Doesn't this place look familiar?" Aragorn who stopped his horse beside Gandalf frowned as he examined the surroundings.

"We have been here before. We left these plains hours ago. But we have been traveling straight. It is impossible for us to move around in circles."

Legolas narrowed his eyes in a distance. "Well, it is not all the same! A small party of orcs is heading this way. Get ready Gimli."

The dwarf nodded. "It has been long since I have slain an orc. Let them come."

Gandalf however seemed agitated. He turned to Legolas, "I believe we just left the fort."

"What?" Gandalf turned his horse around and started to go in the opposite direction. Aragorn and Legolas stared at each other and then urged their horse to follow the Istari. When they had caught up with him, Legolas took it to his mind to ask him,

"What is it, Mithrandir? What is wrong?" Gandalf frowned.

"The orcs are not real. Look behind you and you'll know." Legolas turned back and saw the orcs loom far away and then vanish. Legolas looked at Gandalf with surprise well etched in his face.

"What do you mean?"

"The mission we seek to do is the mission we just left behind. Silme is in terrible danger. We must hurry." Legolas felt blood drain from his face. He kicked Arod who neighed and galloped in the opposite direction. He cared not what happened to him. He had been foolish to leave her back. She could fight! She was a warrior for Eru's sake.

They were quickly approaching the glade where Mila housed Silme for the present. Only that there was no glade. An ugly stone castle loomed in view. The atmosphere turned misty almost suddenly.

"I believe we have reached our destination." Gandalf said grimly.

"But, Mila said-"

"Forget what that deceiver said! Now hurry."

The fort looked sinister. But surprisingly there were no great security measures placed around it.

"She does not expect us back." Gandalf said to the surprised look that Legolas and Aragorn traded.

There was a small group of orcs who were both surprised and disoriented on seeing the warriors back.

One of the orcs brandished a scimitar. But the next moment his head rolled on the ground.

"The villagers – where are they?" Legolas yelled as he whipped his knives at two more orcs. Gandalf smirked as he blasted half a dozen of them with his staff.

"You're fighting them." Legolas' brows shot up as he plunged his dagger into another orc. With the last orc decapitated, they burst through the front gates. There, an elleth lay dead on the ground.

"Wenya! She came here to take Silme back to Edona." Gandalf knelt beside the elleth and moved the hair off her face. Her grey eyes were open and filled with shock. Her mouth open as though she died mid cry.

"Not sent to take Silme to Vala but to Nwalme." Gandalf moved Wenya's sleeve up to show a dark mark of a Nwalme in Tengwar.

"Silme." Legolas breathed as he walked towards one of those many doors that castle housed. He opened to see Mila stand there with Silme on the floor weeping.

Mila removed a dagger from her belt as she advanced towards Silme who had her back towards Mila.

"Forgive me, Silme. My allegiance is with Nwalme. She will soon rule Middle earth. And I cannot betray her."

She would kill Silme any time now. Without further thoughts, Legolas notched his bow with an arrow and aimed at the elleth before him. For Silme, he thought as he released his arrow.

It hit Mila at her back. Silme was safe. Mila had died.

Mila ran. She knew her time had come. Silme had been so angry. And that fool of an elleth had blurted out everything. She was always impatient. Had she just waited till she had left with Silme, at least she would have survived. Now she knew that Silme would hunt her down. This sent her faster into the deep heart of the forest. Towards the city. Towards her only route to escape. But just before she could enter into the flets, Silme jumped down from the tree before her.

Her brow had been cut and was bleeding a little and there was a cut in one of her arms. She looked tired but angry nevertheless.

"Silme, you don't understand."

"Lle wethrine amin!" she growled. (You deceived me!) Mila gulped. Silme glared at her aunt before tears ran down her eyes again. "Why?" she asked almost in a whisper. "Why aunt Mila? Why did you do it! Onsinta amin." (Answer me.)

"Silme – Nwa – Nwalme is a formidable enemy." Mila muttered. Silme glared at the ground as her hold on her sword tightened,

 "You have been telling that for so long, I have begun to HATE it. Why did you betray my mother?"

Mila remained silent. Silme fell down upon her knees as she wept. She looked up and saw Mila look at her surprised.

"Why did you betray my mother? Why did you betray Vala? Why did you betray all those who loved you?" Mila closed her eyes.

"I am sorry, Silme. I-" Mila flicked her hand and the entire forest seemed to dissolve. Instead, they stood in a stone room. There were torches that gave light to the otherwise dark room. Silme got up from the cold stone floor and looked around.

"What is this?"

Mila removed a dagger from her belt as she advanced towards Silme who had her back towards Mila.

"Forgive me, Silme. My allegiance is with Nwalme. She will soon rule Middle earth. And I cannot betray her."

Mila raised her hand to plunge it into her back when there was a loud twang of a bow. Silme turned back in time to see Mila fall down with her dagger-laden arm still raised. There was an arrow with yellow feathers sticking out from her back. There, by the door stood Legolas. His hands still rested on his bow as if he had just released an arrow.

"Legolas." She whispered as he rushed towards her. But she knew nothing more as darkness took her world.

TBC…

Ah! Gandalf saves the day! Good thing the wizard uses his head when needed. Go Gandalf! So, what will happen now? Where is the child of prophecy? Will they win or will they lose?

Booming foreboding swelling music

To find out……… Read and review!

- Anarya of Lorien