Alright, I'm (obviously) continuing. As long as I get a hint of interest, I'll always keep going, unless my muse dies. That would really bite. Anyway, I went back and fixed some errors, and hopefully Nea and I caught them all in this chapter. Thanks, everyone! (And Nea, of course)

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Nenya tilted her head, hearing clearly the various sounds of her group as they headed to where she was hidden by the shadows in the corridor near where she had instructed they meet her.

"Why'd she choose you, anyway?"

That was Dareklien, undoubtedly speaking to Oleydya, since the others she had chosen had already been friends. Oleydya was new to the area, and though she had been treated well by the golden-haired descendants of Thranduil, she had not yet made any friends, though she was quite talkative when alone with someone. As they passed where Nenya had halted to hear them, she shot her foot out, tripping Dareklien as Oleydya visibly struggled for an answer to his accusatory query.

Dareklien looked up from his prone position on the floor, his eyes snapping with blue flame as he looked for the one who had tripped him. When he saw her he gave up some of the anger, but more remained for a time, unabated by her future position as his commander.

She looked steadily down at him, watching as the anger slowly seeped out entirely as he met her cold black gaze. "If anyone questions my choice in the members of my group, they question their own presence. Does anyone wish to be released?" At the last words she looked around slowly, fastening her gaze on each one in turn for a long moment. Most shifted uncomfortably and looked away after an instant, but one held her gaze until she looked to the next.

When no one said anything, she walked over Dareklien to the entrance of the cavernous palace. There Thranduil was waiting to wish them all farewell, and a safe one at that. She almost regretted her decision to include the prince when she saw the misty-eyed farewell given him by both his father and younger sister, but knew it was the right call as he shouldered a bow that was more functional than many she had seen in the halls. There was virtually nothing ornate about it, which she found eminently preferable to Teraien's silver and jewel encrusted bow, which she doubted he knew enough about to keep from shooting himself in the foot.

Thranduil looked at her for a long moment, and sighed softly. "I know of nothing you would find of value to give you. Therefore I can only give you something I value a great deal. I give you command of my middle child until this business is settled. I shall pray you all come to no evil or harm."

Nenya bowed her head, and saw the looks of speculation on the faces of the weapon masters she had ignored when choosing her group. They didn't know if she was worthy of such an honor, one, she heard one whisper to another who was doubtful of her skill or worth, he had not bestowed upon anyone else in any circumstances.

Saying nothing—and what was there to say?—she left the hall, left the mountain, trusting her group would follow, but listening for their footsteps nonetheless. Argile was circling above them, and would remain in the sky until they stopped for the night. She confidently walked into the welcoming forest, unaware of the hesitation behind her.

Miranol and Oleydya hung back the longest, finally gathering the courage they needed to enter the dark forest. The others, Nenya excluded, had drawn their weapons the instant they stepped inside the woods and were warily watching the world around them.

After a few minutes Oleydya couldn't stand it anymore and raced to Nenya's side. "Milady, why—"

"I am not a lady, Leyda. I am Nenya."

Oleydya blinked, but quickly recovered. "Why do you refuse to draw a weapon?"

"This section of the forest is unoccupied by evil. Only the trees here are dark, and they cannot harm any who realize that." Nenya's dark eyes took in the frightened ones of the young elf beside her and a frown came to her brow. A quick glance behind her informed the elf the entire group of elves she had brought with her were somewhat frightened. The tracker and prince were the least among them, and hid the fear they did feel behind better masks than the rest. Miranol and Oleydya were obviously as nervous as rabbits that ran into a wolf den by mistake. "You need not be so wary," she informed them all. "Argile shall warn us if anything approaches."

Dareklien looked up with a frown. "How can he see anything if he flies above the trees?"

"He isn't," she countered, nodding her head at the dark shape flying quickly through the trees at the edge of elven sight. There were other ways she would know if anything approached, but they needn't know that. If ever they found out, it wouldn't be for a good while.

When they caught sight of her reason for being so calm, they released their white knuckled grip on their weapons, but held them for many hours. She said nothing about it, deciding if it made them feel safer, they by all means, let them wear themselves out for nothing. They would likely sleep well tonight, at any rate.

As Oleydya felt herself about to collapse for exhaustion, Nenya turned and motioned for them to halt.

"What is it?" Dareklien asked softly, looking warily around them.

"I thought you might be hungry, and wish a break," she murmured in answer, glancing at them for only an instant before she let out a shrill whistle. Argile swept lower, taking the bit of meat she had held out for him before returning to the trees to eat it as she reached for some of the travel food she had bought with her. A form of way bread that lasted longer than those made by the beings in the palace, it was a family secret, one of many that would probably be relinquished to this group of elves before all was said and done.

The four male elves looked at each other in some confusion, but slowly dug out their own way bread. Oleydya had already eaten hers, and was drinking from her water skin. Then she rested with her back to a tree, and watched as the others ate.

Or in Nenya's case, stood silently, waiting for them to be ready to continue.

Dareklien sighed softly and got to his feet, sensing Nenya was just waiting for them all to get to their feet to continue. She didn't even have the decency to appear a little tired from the last several hours of fast-paced walking.

Not that it seemed fast paced when one watched her. She had a long, fluid gait that reminded him of some wolves he had watched for a time when they wandered near his village. It was effortless movement, pure grace and controlled power. He got the impression she was slowing the pace for their sake… and failing miserably.

"How much farther are we going tonight?" he asked as he wiped some of the water from his mouth with his sleeve.

She didn't look back. "As far as we get."

All right… "How far would you like to get?"

"A lot farther than we shall."

Dareklien rolled his eyes and looked back at the others ruefully, who smiled at his attempt to get her to talk to them about anything.

Oleydya got up and approached the silent she-elf. "Why did you choose me?"

Nenya smiled faintly. "You wished to go," she responded simply.

"But someone with skill in the art of war would be more helpful, wouldn't they?"

"Not necessarily," Nenya denied, shrugging slightly. "If nothing else, you can be their laundress and cook, since I'm pretty sure their stench would attract the spiders if they didn't die of starvation before their predators would arrive if they were left to their own devices." Still, a quick glimmer of a smile suggested to Oleydya that making sure the males were fed, clothed and clean wasn't the only reason a she-elf had been chosen as the final member of the small group. It also said that was all she was going to be told for a while.

She sighed softly and shrugged, falling into step beside Nenya, who had started off once more. "Where are we going?" she asked after what seemed like an eternity of walking, giving a little half-jogging leap to catch up again.

"Deep into the heart of the forest. Where anyone traveling must walk for at least two weeks to reach or leave."

Legolas frowned. "Then how did you make it so quickly?"

She smiled faintly, turning to look at him. "I travel quite quickly when alone."

"You want to go faster? We can."

She looked at Ertelen for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. If you fall behind, follow Argile." She took off at a run.

The elves blinked at each other for an instant, and then raced after her, but it was a losing battle. One by one they fell behind, not one being able to get close enough to see her to be certain they were in fact running in the correct direction. By the time Argile had rounded most of them up, a fire was waiting where she had eventually stopped, and a few bits of meat were cooking. As her lagging group slowly showed up she handed out bits of meat, frowning slightly when Oleydya didn't appear with the rest.

When the minutes drew out too long, she let out a short whistle, which the resting bird woke to with a soft flutter of long feathers. She spoke with him quickly, the words going into one ear and out the other of the elves present, since none spoke to birds. Argile stretched his wings, and took off once more. A few minutes later he returned, speaking with her in quick tones. She replied at once, extracting more information.

With a muffled curse she ran off once more, calling over her shoulder for them to go ahead and take some rest. The male elves looked at each other, out at the black forest, their small fire that didn't seem to wish to be there, and back at each other. They shivered and huddled closer to the fire and each other, none even thinking about truly taking rest even before the melody of the wolves lifted in the air, piercing their ears and chilling their bones.