Freed from Galadriel's gaze and dismissed from her presence, the remains of the Fellowship were led to pavilions beneath the trees. Rhian, weary but not in pain, was soon asleep on one of the soft couches in the smaller of the two, but Erin sat beside the fountain, her mind twisting painfully about the one image that had become the center of her thoughts. Legolas, dark green eyes flecked with gold, looking at her. She drew her knees up to her chest and wished desperately that her sister weren't asleep. It was strange not to share in Rhian's hurt. Always they were sick at the same time, managed to hurt themselves simultaneously; Aunt Lianne claimed they were jinxed. The same but different. It was only in this world that they could see what those differences meant. Closer than ever, but no longer interchangeable. Like two statues that match, but may be set on opposite sides of the room. She pushed her mind into thoughts of her sister but the green eyes invaded. She lifted her head from her knees to look around. The Fellowship had gathered together, but they were silent and no one met anyone else's gaze.

Abruptly Legolas shoved himself to his feet and walked away into the woods. To the surprise of all, shortly thereafter Gimli followed. As the dwarf stepped into the trees, he looked at Erin. Almost without realizing it, she too got up and went into the green shadows. She walked without really thinking about where she went, until she heard voices. She stopped- one of the great trees stood between them and her. Fingers trailing against the rough bark, she went softly around it, until she could see. But not be seen.


The Elven-prince was sitting with his knees drawn up and his elbows resting on them, his slender hands dangling to the earth. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was grim. Gimli abruptly sat down opposite him. At the noise he made, Legolas' eyes flew open.
"I wish to be alone," he said bluntly.
"I'll bet you do," Gimli replied, making no move to get up.
Legolas sighed in exasperation and turned his head away.
"It's the Lady Aria, isn't it?"
"I don't know what you mean." But Legolas' voice betrayed him.
"I was afraid of that."
"What? What were you afraid of? Now you've come here and won't give me peace; say what you will and leave me be." With the last word Legolas stopped quickly.
"I might have known this would happen," Gimli began. "Never involve an Elf in anything but they ruin it, is what I always -"
"I did not ask for your prejudices, filthy dwarf! If you have nothing better to do with your breath, then I suggest you use it for breathing and nothing else!" Legolas stood angrily and made to leave, and Erin ducked back around the tree, pressing her back to it, but she did not hear footsteps, and Gimli's voice commanded him to wait. There was silence, and as the silence deepened she could hear Legolas' angry breathing, rough, wrathful gasps. When Legolas' breathing became slow once more, the dwarf spoke, softer than he ever had before. "You love her, don't you?"
Erin flinched, and let her head drop back against the tree, suffering through the breathless pause the followed the dwarf's declaration. "What did you say?"
"Aria. You're in love with her. What do you mean by it, I'd like to ask?" Erin bit her lip, and slipped around the tree once more, looking with just one eye. Gimli glared up at the tall elf, his voice become hard and gruff again.
"I... I..." Legolas cast his eyes everywhere and finally sighed, and leaned his head against a mallorn-tree's trunk as if in defeat. "Is it so plain as that, that a dwarf should notice?" he murmured, half to himself.
Another time, Erin might have smiled to see Gimli's beard bristle. "Watch yourself, elf. I'm not blind, and I'm not thick-headed. What in Middle-earth do you mean by it, I ask again, since you seemed unable to hear it the first time?"
"Mean by it? Mean by it?" Legolas grit his teeth. "What would you understand of me? Leave me be, I tell you!"
"And I tell you, I shall not! If you ever so much as lift a finger to come between them, why I'll --"
"Dwarf!" Legolas' countenance was white-hot. "Judge me not! You know nothing of me if you think I would be so low as to put myself before her! It is the last thing I would do. Perhaps you only weigh matters by how you would act were you in my place. And indeed I would not find it hard to believe of a dwarf. I would never speak of this thing to her. She is happy with... with Frodo. And I ---" suddenly his voice broke and he hid his face in his arm. "Leave me be, I say," he said quaveringly.
Gimli paused. He turned, before Erin could duck away, and looked straight into her face. Not at all surprised to see her eavesdropping where she had no business, it seemed.
Legolas did not move.
"All right," Gimli said at long last. "All right, then. I'll go." And he left the elf alone with his thoughts. He looked into Erin's face as he passed her- she had put her back to the tree again, and sagged against the bark. She met his eyes and then bowed her head and did not watch him go. Behind her she heard Legolas sob.

Erin had walked soft, careful steps away from where Legolas wept alone. But when she could no longer hear him she broke into a run. She ran to nowhere in particular until she stumbled and fell. Stunned, she lay very still for a moment, until she could breathe again. She pushed herself up, swiping at wetness on her cheek to find that it was tears. Gaining her feet, she heard voices and realized she had run in some sort of circle, and come back to just out of sight of the fountain where the Fellowship rested. Slowly, walking unsteadily and limping slightly, she left the shelter of the trees- the talk was quieting, and she saw Frodo cast himself down on his couch in the men's pavilion. She turned her face away, not wanting to see if Legolas was there, not wanting to meet Gimli's knowing eyes, and not wanting to speak to anyone. The curtain that served for a door had been drawn across the entrance to the second pavilion, and she stepped around it quietly. Aria was sleeping already, curled into a corner of the couch that took up half of the pseudo-room. Rhian, in the middle of it, was breathing evenly. Erin sat on the edge beside her and began fighting her boots off. She dug out a clean shirt, one that had been worn to a comfortable thinness, and began to brush her hair.

"Erin?" Rhian sat up next to her. She looked into Erin's face and reached over for her hand. "It's all right," she whispered. "I know it will be." Erin nodded. Rhian took the brush from her and finished smoothing the tangles out of her hair, then let Erin take it back and undo the black braid. Long hair meant brushing, and lots of it, and it was a habit from their mother that they found touching hair, and having their own touched, soothing. Erin put the brush away and came back to find Rhian half asleep again already, and she crept onto the couch beside her carefully. As she wadded the pillow up to suit her, Rhian came partly awake.

"Erin?"

"Mm?"

"We're going to be all right too."

"You know it?"

"I know it."

The two sisters slept, and their hair was spread across the pillows between them, and the strands swirled together, dark and light forming patterns against the white sheets.