A/N: Hopefully, all of you are over 13 as the rating suggests so I can speak to you frankly. The next several chapters Annowe and Legolas will discuss their relationship in more intimate detail and I want to warn you of this. (But it will still be all mushy so I guess I should warn you about that, too!)

As you may have seen, FF.net has posted a zero-tolerance policy of mis- rating stories. I have no intention of becoming too graphic either in their discussion of their relationship or the physical aspect of their relationship. However, since I am not sure where that line is between PG13 and R I'm stumbling in the dark and will need your help. (Yes, I have asked FF.net to clarify the line but so far I have not heard back from them).

Please let me know if you believe I have overstepped the line and I will remove the offending chapters and re-write them. I trust you, my readers, to keep me on the straight and narrow.

They set off again the next morning, still tired from their interrupted sleep. The following day they would be in Edoras and everyone was anxious to return to the city. Annowe for one wanted a hot bath and a soft bed (with a fat pillow, of course) to ease the last few months of sleeping on the ground. The others were anxious to begin mustering for the signal from Minas Tirith.

Annowe had tried to comfort Merry as best she could but he was nearly despondent over Pippin. She understood his pain since she had felt much the same way when Legolas had left her in Rivendell. But Minas Tirith was much safer than Mordor. For the time being, at least, she reminded herself.

The small company was grim as they continued west towards Edoras. The disturbing incident from the night before was still weighing on everyone's mind.

Annowe could no longer stand the tense silence and decided to ask about the stone. It was on everyone's mind but no one wanted to talk about it.

"Aragorn," she began and the ranger slowed his horse until they were next to each other. "What are the Palantiri? How many of them were there?" She asked curiously. The others drew discreetly near to listen to his answer.

"Originally, there were seven of them. They were a gift from the Eldar to the Faithful Numenoreans. They were a means of communicating between the cities of the kingdom – the king could look into his stone and see what was happening near the others," he began.

"Is there one 'master stone'?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, but it is in the Tower of Avallone upon Eressea now lost in the sea. The others that remain are equal," Aragorn clarified.

"So it was sort of a long range seeing device, yes?" She wondered.

"Yes, of sorts. But only certain people could use it as the stones were very powerful," the ranger told her.

"Where are the others?" Asked Theoden, drawn into the conversation.

Aragorn shrugged. "No one knows. We can guess that the one from Minas Ithil is the one that Saruon has in his possession. Another is the one we obtained from Saruman. Legend has it that there is also one in Minas Tirith but I have not heard of its discovery. The others are lost to time."

"It is possible, then, that one or more of these stones are still in use," Theoden stated.

Annowe felt a shiver creep down her spine. What if someone found it and looked into like Pippin had? Would they go mad? Sauron obviously had one so it was possible that he could see what was happening near the others. What if the one in Minas Tirith was still there? Sauron would be able to see into the city! Could they be walking into a trap?

"It is possible, but unlikely," Aragorn admitted. "If the stone were found and used by someone who did not understand what it was or know how to harness its power, then it would quickly consume them. It is a very powerful device and not to be used by the uninitiated."

"So, would it drive someone mad to look into it?" Merry asked anxiously, worried for Pippin.

Aragorn smiled at the hobbit. "No, not after only one time," he assured Merry. "But if he were to gaze into it maybe two or three more times then it is possible. However, I doubt if Gandalf will permit him to see it ever again."

Silence settled back over the group, each contemplating what Aragorn had revealed about the stones. Certainly they would be very useful for governing from afar. But they could also be used for spying. Annowe had a suspicious feeling that one or more of the Palantiri were still being used by a party yet unknown to them.

They rode until it became too dark to continue, much like they had the previous evening. Annowe and Gimli gathered firewood while the others prepared the fire pit and their makeshift camp.

As he had promised, Legolas was waiting for her when she finally slipped away from the others. She hugged him and buried her face in his chest, remembering his smell. It was a sweet torture for her to be so near him and yet unable to be physically affectionate to him during the day. She felt that it would make the others uncomfortable and she was a warrior first for now. So she saved all of her affection for their quiet times away from the rest of the party.

She stepped out of his embrace and playfully produced his silver comb. He chuckled at her and she motioned him to sit. She sat behind him, sliding her legs around his hips and unbraided his hair. Slowly, she ran the comb through his silken hair and they spoke in quiet voices about the Palantiri, Sauron and the inevitable battle.

Legolas felt his eyelids growing heavy with the soothing strokes of the comb. She sat the comb aside and ran her hands over his well-muscled shoulders, feeling the built up tension in him. Slowly she began to massage his shoulders and neck. He moaned with pleasure. Her touch was firm and sure on his tense muscles and as she worked her way toward his shoulder blades, he could feel himself relaxing more and more under her skillful touch.

As an elf, he was accustomed to be less aware of his physical being than other creatures were. With Annowe, he greatly enjoyed the physical side of his being whether they were wrestling or she was combing his hair. Now the physical sensation of her hands moving over his muscles was delightful and he murmured his thanks to her. She laughed softly at the languid pleasure in his voice.

"Where did you learn that?" He asked her drowsily.

"You don't actually want to know," she answered, slipping her arms around him and placing her chin on his shoulder then lightly nipping him on the earlobe.

He raised his head and clasped her arms in his hands. In one cat like motion, he had turned around to face her, his hair hanging loose about his shoulders and her arms still in his hands. She drew her legs up so that he could sit closer to her.

"So many secrets you keep," he murmured to her, holding her gaze.

"I do?" She asked, genuinely surprised that he would think she was keeping something from him.

"Yes. I know what you have seen, Annowe, and I wonder sometimes how you have managed to cope with it," he said with a hint of admiration in his voice.

"Oh," she lowered her eyes and squirmed uncomfortably in his grasp. She wished he wouldn't ask her these things.

"Are you having bad dreams?" She asked tentatively and returned his steady gaze.

"No," he answered. "But sometimes I cannot think of anything but death and destruction. It makes me feel dirty and foul. I need to know how you manage."

She cleared her throat. He deserved to know and if anything that had happened to her could help him in any way then she would admit to everything.

"At first I cried a lot. Then I drank a lot of wine to numb the pain and keep the dreams away." She grew quiet for a few moments and watched his reaction fearing that he would be repelled by her darkness.

He said nothing but squeezed her wrists in understanding as he studied her intently, neither repelled nor disgusted by her admission only curious. Then she shrugged as she searched for a way to explain it to him.

"It is rather like living in Lorien – you don't know how beautiful it is until you're out of it. I didn't think it was bad because I could still take it. Now I kind of wonder how I made it but the truth is, a lot of it is a blur. Does that answer your question?"

He nodded and realized for the first time how old she actually was. What choice do we have? Eowyn's words came back to him. She did what she had to do to survive. He shivered at the thought. There was so much more to her than he had ever imagined.

"Does that bother you?" She asked quietly, seeing the intense expression on his face.

Legolas smiled slightly. "No. It would have worried me more had you not been troubled by what you have seen."

"Well, at least we're together and it could always be worse," she said, abruptly changing the subject.

He arched a delicate eyebrow questioningly. "And how is that?"

"We're both alive and not captured," she said philosophically, trying to lighten the mood and get her mind off of war if only for a short while.

"Ah, but I beg to differ with you, Annowe. You, it would seem, are firmly captured in my grasp!" He held up her wrists so she could see that there was no escape from him.

She snorted at him. "But that will not last for long!" She tried to stand defiantly but he held her wrists fast, keeping her close to him and preventing her from rising to her feet.

Growling playfully, she used her legs to bodily push him over into the ground and the two struggled to get the upper hand. After several minutes of wrestling on the soft earth they lay still, Legolas pinning Annowe under him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, feeling the weight of him pressing down on her, his lean body completely covering hers.

"Legs," she whispered. "I missed you so much. I thought I would never see you again." She stifled a sob.

"What are you crying for? I'm here," he soothed and tenderly brushed the hair from her face.

"I am so happy but I'm afraid it won't last for very long," she confessed, the memory of Darion welling up in her. "Everything was going perfectly between me and Darion and then it went horribly wrong."

"And you're afraid the same thing will happen with me?" He asked softly. "We've had this conversation before, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes. I know you think it's madness but I can't lose you, Legolas. I won't lose you!" She said fiercely and squeezed him tightly to emphasize her determination.

"You won't," he promised, kissing her forehead. "We are forever. Death cannot tear us apart," he said simply. "And neither can Sauron."

"I would walk through Mordor for you," she said softly and he kissed her again.

"I have feared that," He grinned wolfishly down at her. "However, there is one connection we have not yet made which would make us permanently bonded so that neither death nor Sauron could ever touch us again."

"Oh?" She teased. "And what would that be?" She asked, knowing perfectly well what he meant.

He nuzzled her neck trying to hide his eager smile. "Our physical union. To make the bond permanent, of course!"

She giggled. "Oh, of course!" She said with mock surprise.

Then she began to giggle delightedly again at the thought of physical intimacy with the most wonderful creature she had ever known and she shivered involuntarily with desire for him.

He laughed, the tips of his ears turning pink at the thought of their physical union. "Of course!" he agreed, still grinning into her neck.

He was feeling rather naughty and it was strangely pleasant. He wondered what it would be like and when they would finally have the opportunity to take that last step.