New chapter! So stop with the poking!

A Monkey's Harp: Yup, that's exactly why.

The three elves with Nenya froze at the odd sound that suddenly reached their ears.

"What's that??" Dareklien asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You must be joking. You don't know what it is?" Nenya blinked at him.

"It sounds like… wind. But wind doesn't usually get this far down into the trees."

She laughed softly and shook her head at them. "Haven't you ever been outside when it rains?"

"Sure. But it never rains very much, and certainly not enough to reach the ground. Why else would you have constructed an aerial garden?"

She sent him a glittering smile. "Hope you know how to swim, since we're on the wrong side of the river. Even if we were to run back, we'll probably get soaked, unless the wind changes."

Legolas shook his head and clapped Ertelen on the back. "Aren't you glad you joined us today?"

"Well, since Miranol and Oleydya always disappear about now, it seemed like a good idea at the time," he grumbled.

Nenya chuckled softly and looked up, grabbing a branch to pull herself up. "Well, it's up to you guys. Do you want to wait it out, or try and get back in time to put the roof up on the sleeping rooms?"

They all groaned. "Lead the way," Ertelen sighed.

She smiled and checked the sky for a moment longer, then nodded once. "Looks like I was a bit off. We might just make it."

"Will we have time to cover things?" Legolas frowned, thinking of her bookshelf, before reminding himself that flet had a permanent roof. "What about the ones that only have two sides and a roof?"

"I have sides that can be put up, but the storms usually come from the same direction, making it not worth the effort. Let's go." She landed in front of them, already heading off.

With a collective annoyed look, the males fastened their still loose weapons onto their backs and raced off after her. They reached the flets not long after she probably did, and found her in the flet Oleydya used, working quickly to unroll the leaves.

"How can we help?" Legolas asked, shoving his sleeves back to his elbows.

"Grab an end and haul it up," she muttered, giving him one of those looks she had perfected which made any receiver feel rather like an idiot.

With a sigh he took the other end and held it as she leaped up, catching the overhead branches to haul herself up. Dareklien handed up the end she had supported until dumping it on his shoulders, and she unfurled it quickly, before shimmying down a side branch, reaching for ropes the guys had never noticed. She quickly tied the roof in place, her fingers flying through the overlapping leaves.

"How old are these things?" Legolas asked, sneezing from a shower of dust that had covered him when she unfurled it over them.

"Later," she snapped, racing down to the large flet they used. "Come on! I can't get this thing into place in time alone!"

"Did she just admit she needed our help for something?" Ertelen asked with a slight smile, even as they ran down to help. After all, it was where they were planning on sleeping in a short while.

"Think about it later," Legolas muttered, trying to figure out where he would be of the most help. Finally he grabbed at a lower branch and pulled himself into the crisscrossing branches that would work as supports for the roof, helping her pull the very large, thick, and—he found while sneezing—dusty roll of leaves up where they could unroll it.

"Go on down and help them tie it in place," Nenya called over the increasing rushing of the approaching rain and coming winds. "You don't know the roof well enough to stay up here when the supports aren't visible,"

He blinked and realized the truth of that statement, dropping down. He picked up the bits of heath-line she directed them to as she ran lightly over the roof, helping fasten them.

"What else do we need to get done?" he asked, holding a handful of hair out of his face as the wind threw it around. He grabbed a bit of leather chord from his hunting gear and tied his hair back, seeing the others had already done so.

"That's all that concerns you. If you would enjoy watching the storm, there are several good places in the tops."

Her voice was already receding rapidly. "Right," he grumbled, clawing at the branches until he was behind her. He shook his head and hefted the roll of leaves up to her as she was about to hang upside-down to reach for it. "You could have asked for help, you know," he muttered, handing her the ties.

"Why would I do that? I've done this hundreds of time on my own."

"Probably with a bit more time," he murmured, looking at the branches around them. "Now where?"

She looked at him for a moment, then shook her head and sighed, tilting her head towards another flet.

"And now?" he asked when they had covered that one.

"The others are fine," she murmured.

"So, now what?"

She smiled slightly. "Now, we watch."

"Watch?"

"Have you ever just sat and watched a storm?" She tilted her head at him, then shook her head when he paused to consider. "I doubt it. It's something you wouldn't quickly forget." Without looking back she took one of the branches up to a place where she could watch the wind.

"It looks like a hand, stroking the trees," he murmured behind her.

"Yes," she agreed quietly. "And just behind the first touch—the rain."

He was silent for a moment. "Wow. We got back just in time," he murmured as the torrential rains came racing along the trees until it was around them. A bit annoyed, he held his arms out and watched the water pour from his limbs. "And then didn't put the covered flets to use," he grumbled, absently running a hand through his hair, unintentionally pulling the leather cord from his soaked locks.

"We shall use them later. You can dry easily enough, but how often can you see this in the mountain?"

"Never. You know that."

"Mm-hmm," she agreed softly.

Legolas was about to say something else, but he paused with his mouth open, and found himself just watching her. For her talk about watching the storm, he'd expected she would at least have her eyes open. Instead her eyes were closed, her lashes matted together in soft spikes, her head tilted back, black hair streaming freely behind her. A faint smile was on her lips, and he found himself wondering… "What do you see?"

Without opening her eyes her smile widened. "I see the rain has nearly reached the pond, that it has begun touching the ground, that the funnels that hold the water for future use are beginning to fill—"

"Beginning? But they're usually nearly full."

"I knew it would rain soon, so I released most of the water this morning."

"What if it hadn't rained?"

"You wouldn't have noticed for a day or two, and if need be, we could fetch water from the river or the pond." She opened her eyes and tilted her head at the rain-washed world. "It doesn't matter, since it's rained. They should be full in a matter of moments."

"Mmm," he agreed. "How long will it last?"

She shrugged. "As long as there is water to be released," she murmured.

Lifting a brow, he tried again. "How long do you think it will last, based on past experience?"

"Until nightfall it will probably be heavy, then it will taper off to a light drizzle by dawn."

"Will the leaves keep the water out?"

"They should," she agreed softly.

"And how old are they?"

"Well, those I use more are newer, since the leaves need to be replaced from time to time. Those they assisted in putting up haven't been used in many years, so I may have to repair them in patches before they can be rolled up again."

Legolas lifted a brow but resisted comment, watching the rain instead as the wind continued to stroke the trees. He shoved some wet hair out of his eyes as another swell slapped him in the face, and sighed in disgust.

Nenya's soft chuckled echoed in his ear as she stood up behind him, her fingers easily securing his hair in a few small braids that she knotted together at the back of his head, using a small piece of twine that had come loose from a bit of rope to keep them in place. "Better?" she teased.

A muffled laugh came from below before he could answer.

It was followed quickly by a shriek.

Nenya frowned and raced down to a low branch, pausing so suddenly Legolas couldn't stop in time. She caught him before he fell out of the tree, covering his mouth with her hand as she hauled him up. "Shh," she hissed, before pulling him slightly higher in the tree as she stalked whatever or whoever was on the ground.

"Who—"

He was cut off as he saw who they were following. He was about to call out to them, but she put her hand over his mouth again.

"Shh," she insisted, before tilting her head up, ordering him to leave.

Once they were in the flets again, he leaned over and looked down. "You're encouraging them," he frowned.

"And why not?" she murmured with a smile.

"So, you know what they've been doing all these mornings when we haven't been invited along?"

"Of course," she agreed. "Nothing to get upset about," she soothed.

Legolas looked down at the muddy elves. Oleydya's dress was dark brown with mud, both her and Miranol's hair matching it, along with their skin where the rain hadn't washed the mud away. "Are you sure?"

"They are old enough, are they not?"

"Yes, but…"

"But? But what? She recently lost her parents? He hasn't struck out on his own in his chosen field? He shall, and she is overcoming her grief. They build confidence in each other."

He frowned. "So… he's why you chose her?"

"Not really. I'm a 'spider specialist', not a matchmaker. I thought a she-elf would be useful—since she would undoubtedly know more about the ins and outs of dealing with male elves than I do. Oleydya wanted to help in any way she could. That she and Miranol are getting along quite nicely… who am I to stand in their way?"

"Who indeed?" he asked, looking down as more laughter came from the couple who were having trouble climbing up, so wet and muddy were they. "Still, won't this make them both more vulnerable, when we go hunting?"

She looked at him over her shoulder, and slowly shook her head with a sad look. "Why do you fight, prince?"

"What?"

"Do you fight because it is your duty?"

"I have no such duty," he dismissed it, knowing he could have chosen as Teraien had to stay out of the guard.

"They why?"

"Because I want to know those I care about are…" he trailed off and thought about it for a moment. Slowly he tilted his head. "I see."

"Good," she murmured with a faint smile. "Then you see it is good for her, as well."

"Good for her? How? If this doesn't turn out well—"

"I was not speaking about their relationship," she murmured, flicking it away with a movement of her shoulder as she climbed back up to one of the places they could watch the storm. "But rather about the strength she has regained by coming here. She has a reason again, she has friends. You have all pulled together to deal with this, and her inclusion has given her a reason to carry on, even if we leave Miranol out of the running."

"I doubt he'd like being left out."

"I would be surprised if he didn't," she agreed. "But her independence has been her greatest achievement here."

"How can you be so sure? How do you know it isn't his friendship that has been the best thing for her?"

"Because she was better off even before we entered the wood the first time, Legolas. She had a reason once more—to keep others from knowing what she had known. The strength she found when defending her home left her when she thought she no longer had a home to defend. Coming here, gaining friends and respect… changed that."

"So now she's a great warrior?" he murmured tartly.

"No," she shook her head. "But she is no longer in danger."

He stared at her for a long moment. "I thought you said you didn't know much about the ways of elves?"

"I know too much about some sides of elven life," she whispered sadly, her eyes darkening as the stars began to fade. She started to turn away, but he caught her. She looked down at his hand in annoyance. "Legolas—"

"What really happened to her?" he insisted, tightening his grip.

"I don't know what you're talking—"

He shook her lightly. "Your mother, Nenya. Where is she?"

"I don't know!" She tried to rip her hand loose.

"Yes you do, Nya. You know where she is… or isn't. She isn't in the Undying Lands, is she?"

Nenya bit her lip hard, a bit of blood trickling from her lip, which trembled for an instant. Then she kicked her leg out, swiping him off his feet before making good her escape as Legolas stared up at the dusty roof with a sigh before hauling himself up as a few rotting leaves gave way and let the rain into the flet, soaking him all over again.