"What do you mean 'I know'? You are not making any sense," Glorfindel said and gently rubbed on a healing cream.

            "It was last night. You were sitting on that tree over there when I got up and followed the voice into the woods. The voice told me that I had to save them. Whoever it was said that I had to help them, and they knew my name. I could not get anything else because 'he' came."

            "Who?"

            "The one who did this," Aragorn said and waved towards his injuries.

            He spat blood on the ground and wiped away the bright red liquid from his nose as Glorfindel bandaged his back wounds. Glancing down at his chest, he grimaced at the darkening bruises and gently probed them to get the extent of seriousness.

            "Why did you not get me to help you?" Glorfindel questioned and picked up another jar with a cream in it.

            He gently spread it over the bruises to cool the aching he knew the human felt. His mind was running over everything that occurred the night before and analyzed it, no matter how insignificant it seemed. After going over it three times, he still found nothing odd about the night.

            "I did Glor! My hand went right through you and the tree when I tried to touch you, and you ignored me when I spoke to you. I was like a ghost or a wandering spirit," Aragorn said and tensed when Glorfindel felt his tender ribs.

            "Well, whatever happened last night, it did a good job on you. Your back is in shreds, you have pile of bruises and one fractured rib while about four are bruised. All on the first evening; must be some sort of record for you," Glorfindel said dryly and knelt before the human.

            He held the human's head with one hand and instructed Aragorn to follow a finger from his other hand without moving his head. Glorfindel may have been well-known as a warrior, but being around a Master Healer like Elrond, one was prone to learn healing techniques and talents. Glorfindel was a bit more talented at healing than any other warrior or elf but not as well trained as Estel.

            "It is not as if I purposely go out and ask to be injured. Do I have a sign hanging on me saying: 'Please injure me'? Because if I do then it is invisible to my eyes," Aragorn snapped and blindly reached for his pack.

            "My, my; I never knew you could become this sarcastic. What would your father say?" Glorfindel joked and helped him pull on a new tunic.

            "He would probably look for the same sign I speak of," Aragorn mumbled and slowly stood.

            "Let us be on our way if you are well enough to ride."

            Aragorn nodded and started to pack up his bed roll. Slowing his movements slightly, he looked towards the forest and eyed the slight shadows amid the trees. It felt almost as if the trees were watching him; if not the trees then something had him in their gazes.

            Legolas carefully guided his mount down the steep trail while he leaned back to help his horse balance. The packs on both sides of his horse carried parchments that he was bring to his father. Thranduil had sent of some documents to Lórien by care of his son and now Legolas was returning with the desired information. He would have remained in Lórien for a bit longer, but he started to suddenly worry for Strider, his close human friend. It was a nagging feeling that wouldn't cease to worry him and the Lady of the Golden Wood only helped to increase that worry. He had gone to see her and hopefully get council of his worries but no, she had to say that Aragorn would need his help. She was then questioning why he wanted to leave so early and not stay longer. Sometimes Legolas just had to wonder and worry about those Noldor elves. Soon after leaving, he found that the most direct route to Rivendell was impassable; so now he was taking route b. A route he wasn't very happy about taking, especially not being a single elf and not one from Mirkwood and most definitely not as the son of Thranduil. The answer was a most obvious one when one thought about it. Dwarves were known to travel these areas, in packs. He did not want to tangle with dwarves.

            Reaching the bottom of the path and slipping into the dense forest, he reached forward and scratched behind his horse's ears. The horse pranced slightly in delight before they moved forward between the trees. His bow was loosely grasped in his hand and rested against his knee and thigh as he scanned the surrounding forest for any threats. The sun filtered through the tree tops as he rode through the forest and hummed a song quietly to himself. He should have known that his travels wouldn't be uneventful.

            His horse and he caught the scent at just about the same time causing his horse to stop and toss his head with a snort. Legolas soothed the horse and easily slipped off to land silently on the forest ground. Commanding his horse to stay, he slipped an arrow from his quiver and notched it but didn't draw. Sniffing the air, he slowly started to follow the stench and followed it for a while till it almost became overpowering. A while later he found the source and lowered his bow slightly in confusion. A chunk of rotting hunk of meat hung at the opposite edge of the small clearing where he stood as flies and gnats buzzed around the rotting meat. Turning his gaze to the edges of the clearing, he looked for anyone waiting in hiding before stepping into the clearing. He walked cautiously closer to the hanging meat while keeping his senses focused around the clearing.

            "Some forgotten provision from travelers no doubt," he muttered before turning away.

            His brain registered the click a second too late and by then it was all over. A snare caught his ankle and tightened before jerking him off his feet. A net suddenly caught him up and bundled him up tightly as his foot remained tied above him. The net held most of his weight but the position his leg and foot were in kept him pretty much immobile.

            "Valar, why me?" he muttered before starting to look for his weapons to cut himself loose.

            He groaned to himself when he found them. Everything was on the floor under him. The bow had fallen from his hand when he had been jerked off his feet while his arrows and twin blades had been knocked from his quiver.

            "You must be kidding me," he muttered to the silence and vowed to never tell anyone of this.

            Everyone he knew would possibly die of laughter. Grumbling to himself, he started to try and get himself out of this latest predicament.

            Several hours later he was still in the net and noose but now he was even more tangled than before. The sun was setting and he starting to get dehydrated. The last water he had taken was from the night before in Lórien and he had been hanging in the sun for most of his hanging time. His leg was cramping up and the stench of the rotting meat was starting to severely bother him. His movements suddenly stopped when he caught sounds of a conversation nearing.

            "I wonder if the trap caught anything."

            "It is a very ingenious set up that she created."

            "I am standing directly beside you Drumin; please do not speak as if I am not here."

            "I apologize my lady. It is very rare that a woman comes trapping with us."

            "Check the traps Master Dwarf and we shall see how well my trap did."

            Legolas wanted to slam his head against a wall or tree or something hard that might have a chance to knock him out. This could not be happening to him. He was about to be found hanging in a net by a group of dwarves; his level of pride was about to be knocked down a few levels. He listened to the heavy footfalls as they neared his location until the footfalls stopped directly behind and under him. Something caught the net and slowly turned him around as he looked down at the dwarf with a glare. The dwarf's hair and beard were a solid black as he lowered his axe to his side in shock. He definitely did not expect to see an elf caught up in the net. An elf that looked very angry.

            "We snared an elf?"

            "Let me down, dwarf," Legolas growled and tried to assume a more dignified position.

            Drumin cocked a bushy eyebrow at the elf's demand. He thought that the elf was in no position to be making demands.

            "Yomin…would you and the others please come up here," he called and looked over his shoulder to the tree line.

            "Oh Valar, is it one of the Eldars."

            Legolas looked up at the figures that emerged from the shadowy tree line. Three dwarves came out with axes by their sides as they glanced at him and then to the one tall figure behind them. She was a young woman that dressed very much like Strider did. A pair of soft suede boots, dark brown leggings, a dark red tunic, and a black leather jerkin tied with a leather belt. Her hair was extremely short for a female, almost bordering on spiky. A bow was held in her hand and he could see the fletching of arrows over her shoulder. The handles of two daggers peeked out from the quiver along with the arrows and a dagger hung at her waist where three rabbits also hung

            "Are you Legolas of Mirkwood?" the short haired woman asked suddenly and Legolas recognized something about her.

            "I am and who are you?"

            "Oh Valar, I am so sorry," she yelped and started talking to the dwarves in dwarvish.

            The dwarves apparently followed her orders and started to get the elf down from the net. Legolas looked confused as the dwarves cut the rope and carefully lowered the bundle. He was very surprised that the woman could speak dwarvish and apparently speak it well as the net was removed from him. She started to unknot the noose around his ankle as one of the dwarves handed him a flask of water.

            "I am so sorry Legolas. I hope you have not been hanging here for a long time," she said as she worked on the knot.

            "If your definition of 'a long time' is several hours then yes. Who are you?"

            "Forgive me Master Elf. You must not recognize or remember me. I am Lina from Tharbad."

            "Lina? Little Lina?"

            She nodded and Legolas was momentarily shocked into silence. Of course he remembered Lina; well he remembered the young, little Lina, not a grown woman. Thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized how long it had been since he had seen Lina. About…seventeen, no eighteen years. He leaned back slightly in shock at the young woman and finally saw the resemblances.

            "These are my good friends Drumin, Yomin, Clydus, Mutac. I know they are dwarves and they are very good friends of mine so get over it. They will be respectful to you if you are respectful to them."

            Lina loosened the noose finally and slipped it off his foot. Standing up, she offered a hand to him and helped him to his feet.

            "Evening is coming upon us soon. Would you like to camp with us tonight Master Elf?" Clydus asked and handed the bow to the elf.

            Legolas was so confused by this point that he didn't even realize it. His mind and thoughts were being pulled in every direction and he struggled to organize all of them. The dwarves did not look overly hostile towards him but they did not look overly friendly either. Realizing that everyone was waiting on his for an answer he called over his horse and agreed to camp with them. A few of the dwarves actually looked pleased that he was coming along which was a shock to him. He followed the small group and split his attention between the dwarves and the one woman.

            The dwarves talked of their kin that resided in Moria. Legolas mentally shuddered at the thought of living in a mountain like the dwarves did. He loathed close, dark areas and with very good reason too. Stone was hard, unyielding, and cold; no song of life could run through the stone. The coldness would seep to his bones and chill him to the core and then if it went further he would experience what Aragorn named an anxiety attack. He scoffed at the name but knew it was some kind of attack upon him.

            He focused on the back of Lina and quickly appraised the young woman. Eighteen years had changed her much as it did to all the members of the mortal race. Her back was straight and proud with her head held high with pride. She was not inexperienced in the wilds, he could tell by her light footfalls and gait as she walked beside one of the dwarves and talked with him in dwarvish. He wondered if she still remembered Elladan and Elrohir from their brief time together in Tharbad the many years before. He wished that Elladan could actually be here to see her again. The son of Elrond would be shocked at the dramatic change in the young woman. She was definitely no longer a little girl but a grown woman that could obviously take care of herself.

            The dwarves led him out of the trees and started up a hill where more dwarf voices were heard. The mouth of a cave came into view where several small fires could be seen and loud laughter trickled out. Nearing the cave, Legolas slowed until he came to a complete stop and stared. He didn't think he could go in there, not so soon after Tharbad. Eighteen years was soon for an elf, especially for an elf with a long memory span.

            Lina turned to look back at Legolas and saw the expression on his face. She understood the fear the elf had about entering small places. The fear sometimes struck her in the worst of times and most inconvenient of places. Speaking a few words to the dwarves, she turned and walked back down the slight incline to Legolas and stood beside him.

            "Why must they always reside in a cave?" he muttered as his horse gently nosed his arm.

            "Most of all the fires are towards the front of the cave. They keep the food and pipe weed stored in the very back to keep it dry. The dwarves sleep mostly towards the opening, near the fires. Mutac is actually terrified of dark, cramped places and he is a dwarf. He can only handle it for a few hours until he must get into the open. He and I joke that he has a bit of elvish blood in him. The others could not understand why I was so reluctant to go deep into the cave," she rambled on to get the elf's mind off the cave.

            Legolas recognized what she was trying to do and focused all his attention to what she was saying. She continued to ramble about random things as she slowly started to walk towards the large cave. She knew that he would remain close to the opening but she may be able to make him comfortable enough to venture a bit deeper. She pointed out where her own horse was and helped Legolas pull off the packs on his horse before his horse trotted off. Carrying the packs into the cave, they set them against the wall to be out of the way. Lina handed the dead rabbits to one of the female dwarves that were cooking dinner. She accepted two mugs of liquid from one of the dwarves and handed one to Legolas before sipping hers. Legolas sniffed the liquid to decipher what it was as Lina smiled.

            "It is wine. Fear not Master Elf, it is not the ale that dwarves are so fond of. Of course if you would like some I am sure the dwarves will grant you a mug of it if you request it," she suggested with a grin.

            "No, the wine is quite fine enough. The ale is to powerful for my senses," he said, partially guessing even though he had never tasted dwarvish ale.

            The closest thing he had ever tasted was human ale from the taverns and inns he visited with Aragorn on their travels. The brackish, bitter taste did not sit well with his delicate tastes so only a few sips would normally be his tolerance level. He sat on one of the well worn smooth logs situated around a fire and sipped the warm wine as Lina sat next to him.

            "Where did you learn to speak dwarvish?" he asked the woman as she set aside her bow.

            "A few years ago a bad snow storm brought a group of traveling dwarves into my father's tavern. They stayed for a few days until the snow let up and during that time I learned some basic words. Every time I encountered more dwarves, I learned more until I had a pretty good grasp of the language. When meeting new people it is always a good idea to know a bit of their language," she replied and took a sip of wine before setting down her mug.

            "How is your father?"

            "He is good. He still works around the tavern but my brother pretty much runs it with his wife. They are expecting a baby soon."

            "That is marvelous. It is always such a blessing for a new child to be born into the world," Legolas commented and looked down at his mug. "What of your friend? Sali was her name."

            Lina looked down at her hands and blinked rapidly to rid her eyes of her tears. She had thought that she had gotten over this.

            "Excuse me please."

            She stood quickly and grabbed her bow to walk out of the cave quickly. The dwarves looked up from their conversations at the abrupt departure. Legolas stared after her in shock before quickly putting down his mug and hurrying after her. He knew she could probably protect herself but still worried about what kind of evil creatures lurked in the forests. Stopping outside the cave, he scanned the ground for any hint of which direction she may have went. His tracking skills weren't the best but sometimes he got lucky. He didn't this time but his ears caught a sound very familiar to him. Walking down the hill and past the horses, he moved among the trees until he found Lina. She had her back to him while she shot arrows into a dead tree.

            "What ever did that poor tree do to you?" he asked as she released another arrow.

            "Give me a moment and I am sure I could think of something."

            "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked and leaned against another tree as he crossed his arms across his chest.

            "I should be over it by now. Eight years is long enough," she said and walked to the tree to pull out the arrows.

            "Eight years since what?"

            "Sali's death. She was taken during an orc attack. They raped, tortured, and killed her before we could save her," she said emotionlessly and walked back to her previous position and continued to fire arrows.

            Legolas glanced down and murmured a few words of respect. He understood her pain all to well. He had seen what effect it could have on a person. Elladan and Elrohir had almost been destroyed when the same thing happened to their mother. Legolas had worried that the twins would never recover and regain the sparkle that once resided in them. The sparkle eventually came back but it was dimmed slightly.

            "I am sorry about Sali but you can not change what occurred."

            "I know, but it hurts. After eight years and it still hurts."

            "And it will continue to hurt. The pain will never go away; just fade and weaken but it will always be there."

            "I assume as an immortal elf you know this."

            "I do. Some of my kin have fallen in battles and others have died from heart break and I have grieved for them.

            "Why must people die?"

            Lina pulled out the arrows and slipped the projectiles into her quiver.

            "I wish that I had a answer for you Lina but even elves do no know the answer to that."

            She laughed and stepped forward just a moment before something whizzed by her head. Spinning, her eyes locked onto the long shaft of a spear as it quivered in the tree. She heard the distinct sound of Legolas' bow as she swung hers around and notched an arrow. A goblin ran into her arrow just as she released and the arrow sliced through the goblin and into the one behind him.

            Legolas pulled out his twin blades and twirled them over his shoulders before cutting down a goblin. His hair swirled around him as he spun and gutted a goblin coming up behind him. Twirling, he lashed out with a foot and felt the skull crush under his foot. Lunging towards a goblin, his vision suddenly bleached white and Aragorn's face loomed in front of him. His feet back pedaled as quickly as he could and tried to use his hearing to avoid goblins.

            "Legolas! Down!"

            He dropped to the ground just after Lina said to and felt the air disturbance over him from a blade.

            "Roll!"

            Tucking in his arms against his chest, he rolled and gasped a something heavy fell onto his back. He heard Lina scream just before something slammed painfully into his head and unconsciousness swallowed him.

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I feel it necessary to apologize to my readers for the time it took me to update. It did take me a bit longer than normal to get this chapter up for you readers out there and I am sorry. I have had some bad few days lately and everything just was not working out the way that I wanted it to and I was like buckling under the weight of exams coming up.

NOTICE: I am putting out an ad for a beta reader! I have been a member of Fanfiction.net since July 11, 2002 and I have never had a beta reader. And truthfully told, after writing the story I really do not want to proofread the chapter for errors. I am lazy, I know this. So anyone interested in betaing for me please email me or put it in a review.

Roz- I have no idea what movie you are talking about. I have never seen any of the Freddy Kruger movies. I hope you like this story as much as the other one.

Dha-Gal- I have been munching on skittles while I have worked on this story. The bag is still sitting on my desk next to me. I ate the wild berry kind. Poppy is still primping himself whenever he gets near a mirror. *shakes head at rabbit* Now my plot bunny has a big ego.

Star-Stallion- I watch the Simpsons but I do not know that episode or at least I do not remember it. And the elfie is here but he probably wishes that he was not. Heehee. I am so bad.

Grumpy- Yes, the dragons are here! I just love my dragons. My parents and I were watching the extended version of TTT and my father saw the things the Nazgul guys fly on and he asked if those were dragons. I could not believe it but I actually became offended. *shakes head* I can not believe that I became offended. And what it was that attacked Estel is part of the mystery.

Elvendancer- *chuckles* Yes, I do sleep. Honestly I do. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays my earliest class is at ten o'clock and on Tuesdays and Thursdays my earliest class is at twelve fifteen so I pretty much can stay up kind of late and still make my classes. Well I usually get up at light eight so I get…at least five hours of sleep. And look it is only a few minutes after eleven and I am about to update! GO ME!

Astievia- *stares blankly for a moment* Well that really was not where I got it from. I read it in Jane Eyre and now that I look back at the page I do realize that it did come from the Bible. But you got it! *gives cookie and huggle* And I love that quote, so much that I intend to have it in the story later, much later actually. It would fit in nicely to my story.

Ringmarciel- YEAH! Aragorn angst! Just have to love it. Heehee.

Balrog Lover- *holds up her own sword and helmut* BRING 'EM ON! Heehee. Thank you so much for the compliment and I hope you liked this chapter as much as the others.

Little Iris- *blushes* Well thank you very much but I really do not need that kind of compliment. I am an average writer. I hope Glorfindel likes the character that I gave him.

Lauren- Yes, you are my official lurker. I have beaten Mr. Fear down to a little pulp. I am the same person that has been stabbed in the throat by a fellow fencer and ride around a thousand pound animal and take them over jumps and the same one that wants to skydive, bungee jump, and fly. This one time I was rock climbing with a bunch of my friends and the friend that was belaying me is like one hundred pounds when soaking wet. Yeah, and she did not tie in and when she is lowering me down I look beside me and she is hanging right next to me. Looking back at it, it is very funny.