Dusk was near as the Yellow Face moved slowly behind the mountain, giving way for darkness to cover the land. An army of Men walked silently through the forest of Mirkwood.

A man with a noble face led the group, his strides taken with authority. It was Aragorn, with Anduril at his side, the sword that had saved him in many battles he had fought, who walked along with Boromir son of Denethor, his friend from the South and Gimli son of Gloin in front of the others.

'I don't know why we have to go along with this. Why can't we just send an army or a messenger to inform Legolas of the battles that have happened? It seems like a waste of time travelling to a foreign land when we could have stayed and protect our kingdoms.' Boromir voiced his disapproval.

'How many times do we have to tell you! The fellowship has to be together, the rulers have to meet to find the solution to this sudden situation! Something evil has emerged . . . I can feel it! We must move fast!' Gimli said eagerly.

'Why hasn't Legolas been in touch with any of us yet? Does he know more than he revealed?' Boromir asked suspiciously.

'He must have been busy protecting his people! For all we know, his kingdom could have been turned to dust!' Gimli replied.

'Silence, both of you!' their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Aragorn's stern voice. 'We must proceed on our journey with encouraging thoughts and words and not presume anything until we have seen it with our own eyes.' He paused, and appeared anxious. He took a few steps forward and suddenly raised one of his hands to stop the rest.

In the silence, they heard the sound of swords clanging and the harsh voices of orcs. He quickly ordered one of his men to find the source of the sound and his man came back in less than a minute.

'Lord Aragorn, it is Master Gandalf and the four hobbits. They are fighting a group of orcs,' he said, trying to catch his breath.

Aragorn immediately ordered his army to move forward, and they did so in a swift and efficient manner. They quickly came to a clearing and prepared to meet a tense battle, which to their immense surprise, had ended. About a dozen orcs were lying on the ground and appeared to be dead while several others could be seen leaving the place in hastily.

The four hobbits were standing in a circle, backs to each other and swords clutched in their hands. The powerful Gandalf the White was standing beside them, his staff raised up high. The men's army came to a halt.

'What happened here?' Boromir asked, looking around. The wizard and the hobbits turned to them.

'Apparently we came too late. Gandalf has saved the day,' Aragorn said.

'We did too!' Pippin said pleasantly. 'Yeah, we did!' Merry joined in.

'I'm sure you did, and Frodo and Samwise as well.' Aragorn smiled briefly. He walked to Gandalf, who didn't look as pleased as his little acquaintances.

'They came out of nowhere. They shouldn't have been here but it seemed as if they belonged in this place.' Gandalf spoke darkly.

Aragorn remembered his encounter with Legolas, which strangely seemed as if it took place in another time. He tried to collect his thoughts, but began to worry. 'Where are you headed?' he asked, looking at Gandalf.

'I was about to ask the same thing,' Gimli the dwarf muttered.

'Legolas's fortress. We have been to Lothlórien and Lady Galadriel kindly allowed us to view the Mirror – which I wouldn't say was a truly delightful experience – and we saw things that shouldn't be.' Gandalf replied quietly.

'You viewed the Mirror? All of you?' Boromir asked incredulously.

Aragorn ignored him and instead asked, 'What is it that you saw?'

'Darkness – Sauron. He has awakened, or he might not be dead the first time after all, we cannot be sure.'

All fell silent. Aragorn and Boromir both looked at Gandalf disbelievingly, while Gimli was shaking his head.

'I thought once the One Ring was destroyed, he was, too?' Boromir asked slowly.

'Alas! That was the original belief but it is not impossible that someone has brought him back or his spirit was still around . . . just waiting for the right moment to strike back! Truth be told, the Wise have spoken about this, though I am surprised that they didn't foresee his return before the destructions occurred.' Gandalf responded.

'Then why are you on your way to Legolas's?

'Why are you, Aragorn? You are also on your way there.' Gandalf answered back. He stepped closer to the King of Gondor. 'You didn't tell us, but I am aware of Legolas's actions. You should have told us! Now he might be in danger since we know that the orcs are fiercely loyal to their master.'

'What are you talking about?' Samwise asked, baffled. Aragorn looked at Gandalf, who looked back.

'We are late, we should be going,' the Ranger said, starting to walk away.

'Explain to us what is going on!' Boromir said heatedly.

'We will, on our way there,' Gandalf replied curtly.

And so the journey continued, but with more caution and alertness as they prepared to encounter any forthcoming orc attacks. But there were none, and as the group progressed, their steps became sluggish as fatigue overcame them. The hobbits, particularly, were getting weary, as it is not in their nature to travel farther than their homeland.

Hesitantly, Merry asked Gandalf for a rest as they had been traveling continuously since the night before. The matter was important and needed haste, thus, the wizard said nothing and instead pretended not to hear. Merry looked dejected and walked back to the other hobbits.

Aragorn, who saw the exchange, looked at the tired hobbits and at his slowing army. He walked to Gandalf and stopped the wizard.

'Let them rest. It has been a long day and it will be a long and dangerous night. We need full strength if we are to face trouble tomorrow.'

Gandalf seemed troubled but then looked at the rest of the group. 'Very well. We will find a place for rest tonight and continue at the first light of dawn. Sleep well and dream of good things.'

The hobbits sighed with relief. Boromir reluctantly set down his shield, while Gimli grumbled, but settled down nevertheless. Aragorn arranged his soldiers to take turns resting and be on the lookout during the night. Gandalf looked at Merry.

'Thank you, Gandalf,' Merry smiled.

While the others slept soundly, Gandalf sat deep in thought. The night was blackened with emptiness. The forest seemed asleep as no sounds of creatures were heard, save for the sound of rustling leaves. The moonlight was covered by the veils of clouds.

Finally he stood up and walked to the hills, away to the north from where they had stayed for the night. Alone, the wizard went up to Dol Guldur.

'Gandalf!' the voice of Aragorn broke the stillness of the night.

Gandalf paused as a tall figure came to him. 'Go back to sleep. I need to think about certain things and need to be alone.'

'I am sorry if my presence disturbs you. But I had a sleepless night, and followed you here,' Aragorn said quietly.

Gandalf didn't reply, instead continued on his way.

'I sensed that you are still angry with me for not informing you about Legolas and his deeds. Isn't that the truth?' Aragorn asked, walking beside Gandalf, who returned back the question, 'What does your heart tell you?' (A/N – This line was in the ROTK movie! My friend and I couldn't believe it. We are psychics -D)

Deep inside his heart, Aragorn searched for the answers but found none. His words seemed stuck in his throat as if oppressed by an unseen power from the inside. The answers faded away, leaving his mind blank, not realizing that Gandalf had walked several paces in front of him.

Then the wizard spoke, 'What is in the past shall remain in the past, do not dwell in them anymore for it is better to look ahead. I am as worried as you and as the others concerning Legolas's whereabouts and safety, but we will not ponder it tonight.'

Gandalf looked back at Aragorn, who was still standing on the same spot as before.

'Well, don't just stand there! There are tales to be shared for the night. Memories of the last journey may brighten our hearts.'

Aragorn caught up with the wizard. 'So where do we begin? The meeting at Elrond's or the attack at Helm's Deep?'

'Both will be fine. But I will say, when Frodo first received the One Ring, is the beginning of all tales tonight.'

The fellowship is here…minus Legolas. Who we will meet in the next chapter! Reviews!