Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to Tolken. See, pretty self-explanatory.

Cyberwing: What to say in this chapter…hum. Well, I just wanted to say that this chapter is focused on Coire instead of Naire. Don't kill me!!! I know that you wanted to know what happens to Naire but we can't forget about Coire, after all, she's one of the main characters you know lol.

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I uploaded this at 2:30 in the morning! But then again, I guess that those weird quizzes at Emode are right, saying that I most like Dracula since I am most awake during the middle of the night. Well, this is Chapter 9! Now I really have to get to bed before my mother finds outshhh!!!

"" dialogue &thoughts

Don't Love me Too Much-ch9

Somewhere in Lorien, beside a small creek--

Coire walked up to the creek, carrying her wooden bucket, which was filled with clothing. She ignored the cold, icy stares from other females who were also washing near the bank of the creek. She bent forward at the edge and put up her long dress before she started to wash her clothes.

She was used to having people looking at her like that. She couldn't even recall the number of relationships she had destroyed. She felt herself snickering. No matter how strong a relationship was, it can be broken simply by a third person. And their third person was always her, Coire. She never once regretted about what she did. There was nothing wrong about being alone, but there was always a problem when you were in a relationship. You became vulnerable and you became too dependent. In the end, when your partner leaves you, you would become suicidal or cynical; she herself was a living proof. She didn't do anything wrong, in fact, she considered herself doing a great deed.

In society, it didn't matter as to who you are or what you do. The most important thing was to survive. No, she wasn't one of those chaste women, to her; one of her moral was to live a happy life, if possible. She didn't care about the fact that other people might suffer, that her happiness was built over someone else's pain.

"Oh Valar, I must leave. I can't stand being near that slut." One of the women next to Coire proclaimed. She packed her clothes, taking a last look at Coire; she held her head high and left.

"I can't believe that she is an elf." Another woman whispered. "She must have cast a spell on men or else why would they be crazy over her. They would turn their heads in her direction and forget about the one they loved. Sometimes, they were standing next to them too."

"I know, I simply can't comprehend why Celeborn and Galadriel didn't exile her yet. Instead, they treated her like she was one of their grandchildren. If she was my grandchild, I would've slammed the door in her face and disown her for what she did. I would have died from the embarrassment. Look at what she did to others; she brought nothing but pain and suffering ever since she ever came to Lorien."

Those women were badmouthing her again, knowing that she will be able to hear them perfectly.

Was that envy? Or was that jealousy?

She loved to hear these kinds of conversation. This was because she would be able to know the person who was talking well. Although most people might not realize it, but you can learn a lot from a conversation; they would reveal their morals and their most inner thoughts. Most of the time, they would use a harsh tone to talk about someone who they look down upon as if they were above.

Why envy? Why be jealous of those people who were not different, those who were daring and simply don't care about what their consequences would be? It was because these women cannot, they were tied down by society. They worried about what other would say about them and their actions. And they feared it.

Language was a horrible thing to be created, not only it could cut you deeply than the sharpest knife, it could also reveal your character as a whole. That was why Coire always stayed quiet, even before that 'incident', she hated the way in which words made her feel exposed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw others left. She stopped washing and looked at the clear water. She saw a woman with long brown hair eyes. Her cold brown eyes coincide with her blank expression. That woman looked back at her, as if she was looking at Coire's soul itself. That woman in front of her was so cold, so distant, as if nothing in the world has anything to do with her. Who could this woman be? It was only a matter of time before realization hit; the reflection was no one else but herself.

She touched her cheek, watching her reflection touching her cheek also. Since when did she become so aloof? Since when did she change so much, to the extent where she could barely recognize herself anymore? Who could answer these questions for her, when she didn't even know the answer herself?

"Coire." Someone hold her by her shoulders and spun her around. She saw a man with long blond hair standing in front of her. He was wearing a grey tunic and a dark brown cloak over it. Who could he be? Why did he look familiar, as if she had seen him numerous of times. But if it was the truth, then how come she had difficulties recalling his name?

"Coire," Haldir said in a worry tone, his hands rested upon her shoulders. "Are you alright?" He didn't know whether she knew about it or not, but she had been blanking out from now and then, looking particularly at nothing. He couldn't understand what was going on between them. Coire made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with him, but he couldn't stop himself from caring about her.

Maybe it was because they seemed to be so familiar, both of them refusing to show their inner feelings. The only exception was that his face remained blank while she put on different masks to hide herself. He didn't know how he could see through her. After some time, she didn't even bother putting up an act in front of him. But she was so different; he didn't know whether he should feel special about how she responded whenever he was around or just to shoot her with a bow. Even so, there was one thing he was sure of, he cared about her but at the same time he was curious.

She was like clay, which could be molded into anything whenever a situation called for. She could be friendly, talkative, like a next door neighbor but she could also be fiery, sexy and seductive. He often wondered which facet was the real her, or had she been acting for so long that she, herself didn't even know anymore. It was only when she was alone did she reveal an emotionless face. She would stare into empty space for hours before she would snap out of it. But that wasn't the thing he worried about; it was the frequency of it. Lately she had been blanking out more than usual, as if he would lose her anytime.

Coire blinked, "Haldir?" She gave a questioning glance before she narrowed her eyes. She slapped his hands away and stood a few feet away from him. "I hope you're not here to lecture me about my taste in clothing again."

Haldir gave a small sigh of relief, if she still had that snappiness in her, then she must be fine. He should head back to his job now; he had been slacking off lately because of her. He was about to turn around when he took one last look at her, and the thought about getting back to work was gone from his mind. He raised his eyebrows as he saw what she was wearing.

"By the Valar," he muttered. Coire was wearing a white tunic that was so large that it didn't even fit her. It had a wide collar and was currently sliding off her left shoulder. She was wearing a simple dress with no design. However the dress allowed others to see her legs through its thin, white, translucent fabric. "How many time—"

Coire stuck out her tongue, "Guess I shouldn't have said that." But she wasn't about to stay there to listen to his long speeches; she picked up her bucket and was about to turn when a pigeon caught her eyes. It landed a few feet in front of her. She reached for it, as she predicted there was a small note tied onto one of its legs. She untied the string and opened the note, reading its content. Haldir watched as her eyes widened and her clenching the note tightly.

She took off in a run, only to stop after a few steps. She turned around and ran back to him. She said firmly, "take off your cloak."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me take it off." Coire began to reach for his buckle when she saw him staring dumbfounded at her. She rolled her eyes; she didn't have time for this. 'She' was here in Lorien! When 'she' saw the way she was dressing, Coire could be the first elf that was ever killed in Lorien.

Haldir dodged swiftly from her advances as he backed away. He raised his left hand, motioning her to stop. "What are you doing?"

"I need your cloak," Coire said quickly, tapping her right foot. Crap, 'she' could be here any minute. She sighed in frustration, "I need your cloak because-- my friend is coming. In fact, she is probably heading toward to my tree house at this instant. You know that my house is located on the other side of Lorien. The entrance into this forest is located right between where I am now and my home. Therefore, I will have to pass my friend if I want to reach my place before 'she' arrives'."

"Who's 'she'?"

"That is not the important matter right now," Coire said as she advanced toward Haldir. Once again, he moved back, remaining a safe distance from her. "The thing that matters now is your cloak. I can't let her see me in this."

"Oh?" Haldir raised his eyebrows and smirked, crossing his arms. He lodged causally on the tree behind him. "I guess you should have listened to me beforehand. I remembered that I talked to you numerous of times about your dressing habits."

Coire rubbed her temple and took several deep breaths. She was not gaining the upper hand. If he was another man, she would have just seduced him, but NO, he was Haldir, he could see right through her. "I knew she was coming, it was just that she arrived a week earlier that what I have expected. Now, Haldir, you wouldn't want someone to commit murder in the woods you are suppose to guard now would you? It would look bad for you as the March Warden. And you wouldn't want me, a pretty and innocent girl to be killed too right? It goes against your morals."

Haldir shook his head as he continued to look at her. She was acting again; too bad he wasn't going to buy it. Suddenly there was a flash in her eyes, before he could comprehend what it was it disappeared. She ran toward the river, Haldir, fearing that she would do something stupid, pursued after her. She ran into the river and stopped when the water reached her waist. Haldir stopped by the edge of the river, trying to figure out what she was doing. She never ceased to surprise him, always doing crazy and wild things. She bent forward so that her whole body was wet. She came back up, flipping her hair to her back. Her brown hair shined brightly under the sun, the water droplets on her body made her looked like a goddess, like she didn't belong in this world.

She reminded him of Siren, a beautiful mystical creature who sat on the rocky shore all day long, singing and luring men to their deaths. The men would die without even knowing what the cause is. But Haldir wasn't any man, and he sure wasn't interested in dying in anytime soon.

Coire could be manipulative when needed. And what was worse? She knew her influence in men and was not afraid to use it. She was a deadly woman indeed.

"I'm wet! I'm wet!!" Coire cried, as she stood before him. "I'm going to be sick soon, I might even catch a deadly disease and die from it! Give me your cloak!"

Haldir rolled his eyes, "elves don't get sick." Then he looked over her, the tunic and dress stuck to like a second skin, revealing every curves. Not even the 'dress' that she wore last time can be compared to this because the water made the thin white fabric to become translucent…

"That's because they are not me!" Coire argued and planted her hands on her hip. Then she noticed the odd expression on Haldir's face as he looked away from her.

Was he…blushing?

"You alright?" Coire asked, waving her hand in front of him. She tired to move to the direction he was looking at as he quickly turned his head to the other way. She looked down at the direction he was avoiding—.

Coire leaned close to him, face-to-face, she smirked "Like what you see Haldir? So, do you want everyone to look at me in this state or will you give me your cloak?"

Elrohir ran toward the main entrance of the forest. He just got the news that Narie would be arriving today, he was currently racing with Elladan to see who would be the first to arrive. He turned his head and saw Elladan who was a few meters behind him. When he turned back he saw a cloaked figure walking in front of him. By the time he realized, it was too late for him to stop. Elrohir slammed into the figure on the back, they both lost their balances and he lay on top of the figure, with the figure prostrated on the ground. The smell of herbs filled his sense, it was refreshing, and it reminded him of the mountains.

"I'm so sorry." Elrohir said, getting off the person quickly. He stood up and pulled the person up. He watched as Elladan past him and ran on, giving him a wink.

At that time, he didn't notice how odd the person's attire was, in fact, he didn't even care about the person for he had a race to win. He ran after his brother, leaving the figure behind him. It was much later did he realize that the figure would play a major role in his life.

Well this is the end of Chapter 9 . So now what will happen next? Could the 'she' which Coire mentioned be Naire? Who was the cloaked figure? Will that person play a major role in this story? And most of all, where in the world is Legolas? Don't worry, he will find Narie, it was only a matter of time, lol. Anyhow, please click the bottom left button and tell me what you think of this story!!

Elentari-Taure: Legolas will show up soon so read the next chapters! (yes I am promoting my story )

Feanen: Thanks a lot for reading my story! I hope you like this chapter

Vicious Kitty: Well the caffine worked indeed, but I can't drink anymore since I have to sleep soon lol. To tell you the truth, I was dared by my friend to do the scene where Legolas and Naire -- you know. It was because she thought that I couldn't write those stuff lol. Well, she had a reason to believe that since I am a bit tomboyish. But I was planning for that to happen anyway. Now, just don't tell my friend that…

Eveningstar5: Thank you so much for this! You don't know how I appreciate this. You just say the things I wanted to say all along. Once again, thank you so much!! I love you!!

Darlene5: lol same as before, Narie will show up in the next chapter but I am not sure about Legolas. As you can see, I am one of those lazy people who post as I type. Now I just need to figure out how the story should go.

Telpedilwen: Thank you so much for reviewing!

Lady of the Squrriles: Thanks a lot for reviewing. Well, I just wanted to show that Narie was confused as to the turn of events. After all, one minute she hated her fiancé, then the next, she found out that he wasn't as bad as she thought anymore. And about that part on whether she wanted him or not, well she thought that she'll never see him again. Also, her friends will be revealed soon.

Dunthonwen: lol, thanks a lot for reviewing! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter also

Honolulu: I did!! lol

Kiwi05: lol, thanks for reviewing! I must say, you read my mind about Legolas wink wink lol. The question now is, should I make Legolas pay for his sins (aka: playing female) hehe

Kaelyn4: Thanks for reviewing!