Disclaimer:  I own nothing, as you probably already know. 

            As the sun broke over the horizon, Gimli reached over to shake Inara's shoulder gently. Legolas already stood his eyes on the dawn. Despite the light the surrounding grasses remained silent. Not even the tiny creatures that made their home on this plain dared move today.

Gimli couldn't help but agree with them. The shadows of night may have passed, but others remained, not so easily banished. The last time they had journeyed across the open grasses they had been pursuing a company of Orcs and Uruk-hai. Now such as that were pursuing them. Gimli had to admit that such as that was not without irony.

Inara stretched, yawing. She carefully laid Nodin among the flattened grasses, still wrapped tightly in his confining blanket. Nodin, too sleepy to protest merely, squirmed slightly before settling with a tiny sigh.

Inara pulled the loaf of bread Gimli had purchased in the village. It appeared somewhat worse for its time in the pack, but then it had been hard to begin with. Legolas drew up beside her, inspecting the bread.

With a grimace he knelt. Few would have noticed, but over time Gimli had grown accustomed to his friend's mannerisms and saw that though the injury was finally healing it still pained the elf. Legolas apparently unaware of Gimli's scrutiny reached over, taking some of the bread from Inara.

He raised an eyebrow at Gimli and tasted. Gimli couldn't contain his grin at the grimace that resulted from that. Legolas swallowed his displeasure obvious.

"Not every place we stay will have food such as we found among our own people." Gimli reminded him.

"I think you are being overly optimistic in naming such as this food, Gimli." Legolas scowled as he forced himself to continue eating, "But then you are a dwarf. Your people are rumored to eat the flesh of dragons are they not?"

"Dragons? Dwarves can eat most anything, but not even we would touch filth such as that. It probably tastes already burnt." Gimli huffed in disgust.

Satisfied that he had won this round Legolas finished eating without complaint. Inara had spent the time feeding Nodin small pieces of this fare. The babe appeared to enjoy it greatly.

"See Legolas? Even the child can eat this good bread without complaining." Gimli waved his hand in Nodin's direction.

"I am sorry Inara, but your son must not have ever tasted elven food then if he can eat such as this without complaint."

"Indeed he has not, master elf, yet I believe him better for it. After all he is an easy traveling companion this way."

Legolas blushed slightly, his pale face flushing slightly, "You are right. I will not mention it further."

As they finished, Gimli gathered their meager possessions hoisting them onto their long-suffering horse; who merely gazed at them in mild reproach. Legolas stood at the edge of a rise in the endless grassland to determine their path.

Gimli couldn't help but feel his heart jump when he touched her. He also couldn't help but laugh at himself. To think a dwarf of his age making a fool of himself. And yet he couldn't seem to suppress it.

As he looked at Inara, her dark hair falling over her face as her questing hands found Nodin's blanket wrapped form, he found his answers. Inara herself was the reason. And she was worth making a fool of himself ten times over.

He dreaded to think what would happen if the elf found out though. He doubted Legolas would ever stop once he got started on this subject. Gimli concentrated on thinking back answers for that future game as he finished his preparations.

Finally prepared they made their way towards Legolas. The elf nodded to them as they approached, Gimli leading the horse and Inara walking beside him, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. Nodin, the horse's only passenger aside from their supplies gurgled happily.

"The center of Rhohan is there. If we wish to speak to its King or one of its Lords, that is where we must go."

Gimli squinted at the distant horizon, "If you are sure lad. We will follow that trail."

All that day they traveled. The path winding through the grass that they found led them over endless hills and valleys. Each seemed no different than the one they had just left. As the hours passed even cheerful Nodin grew quiet and weary.

Their shadows lengthened until they stretched far across the golden field. Finally, Legolas stumbled, barely catching himself. At which point Gimli ordered the protesting elf onto the horse.

Upon his reunion with his long haired friend Nodin immediately became more cheerful. He reached his curious hands up to this new source of entertainment. The things Legolas muttered for the rest of that day's ride made Gimli glad that Inara didn't speak elvish.

Though the dwarf himself knew little of the language he had made sure that those phrases were the ones he did learn. It was a source of endless entertainment to him to use his hard earned elvish curses where Legolas' relatives could hear him. The elf had one uncle who would look particularly strange when he heard the dwarf.

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Behind a distant rise but definitely within view Poshnak growled as he watched the small group. So Virag thought he was the only one who could make decisions? Poshnak would have a little surprise for him.

Once he had the baby Virag would give him whatever he wanted simply to have it back. Already Poshnak could imagine all the wonderful things he would get to eat. Virag had always ridiculed him for thinking with his stomach, but Poshnak thought it was a very pleasant way to live.

As soon as the shadows grew so that even the elf would be blinded they would come. A motley group of Uruk-hai, most of those without enough wits to fear Virag's wrath had followed Poshnak's mutinous plan. But there were enough to complete, bringing Poshnak what he wanted.

As night arrived the Uruk scouts crept through the tall grasses surrounding the small party. Poshnak grinned, tasting his blade, already able to taste the blood that would flow along it.

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Gimli couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine as the land around them grew dark. From his place on the horse Legolas also kept a wary eye on the grass.  All through that day they had felt uneasy.

            It may just have been the unfamiliar lands, but Gimli felt sure that it was their pursuers.  He hoped that they had not given up on their apparent desire to leave the unharmed.  It grated against his nature though to be harried across the plains like some sort of animal.  After he brought Inara and the child to safety, he vowed, the Uruk's would truly taste the steel of his ax. 

            The wind blew around them, lifting Inara's hair from her face and making the grasses whispered all around them.  Legolas turned as if hearing something besides the grasses voices. 

            Before Gimli could speak the elf had his bow in his hands, an arrow straining against the taut string. 

            "That is not the wind that moves the grasses."  His eyes darted over the waving, shifting grass. 

            Gimli squinted, trying to discern what the elf had seen, yet in the approaching dark he could see nothing.  Inara turned, using her eyes in hopes of catching the sounds. 

            "The elf is right.  That is not the sound of the wind."  She tensed, her hand reaching beneath her cloak to clasp the hilt of her short-sword.  Beside her Legolas strapped Nodin to the horse and slipped carefully to the ground, loosening his arrow only for a moment. 

            Gimli couldn't help the grim smile that tugged at his mouth, he would have preferred to take his price from the Uruks after she was safe, but so be it.  His hands tightened on the axe-haft.  Whether this was from anticipation or fear he didn't know, but as the battle grew near the thought slipped from his mind.  

            Before Gimli could draw a second breath the Uruk-hai descended upon them.  They seemed no different than before, except perhaps even more brutish and clumsy. 

            Gimli laughed out loud as one of the approaching beasts stumbled over its own feet going down in a tangle of armor and weaponry.  The second he caught as his axe swung over his head connecting with the Uruk as it tried to race past him. 

            He tugged his axe free swinging it up to connect in the stomach of another.  Around him he caught glimpses of the others.  Inara was on one side of the horse and Legolas on the other.  The elf had nearly emptied his quiver already and the grass before him was carpeted with dead and dying Uruks. 

            Inara also accounted for herself well.  In fact one of her throwing blades stabbed through one Uruk's eye as it reached over the horse's head for Nodin.   By then though Gimli was distracted as two Uruks bearing heavy sword breakers bore down on him. 

            Poshnak growled.  The fools!  They were going to ruin everything!  He certainly had no desire to become involved in the massacre that was happening bellow, yet if they did not succeed Virag would be sure to kill Poshnak anyway. At the very least he could kill the elf. 

            Legolas looked up from the arrow he was pulling from the corpse in front of him in time to see a small Uruk-hai racing towards him.  It grinned as it pulled its arm back preparing to throw the spear it held. 

            Legolas leapt back, twisting away.  He ignored the fire that burned up his injured side, pulling out his blades as he came back up.  He smashed the hilt of his fist blade into the Uruk's face, making him stumble.  Legolas swung the second to kill it, but the Uruk ducked. 

            Legolas was amazed; he had never thought the clumsy beasts could move so fast!  The Uruk by now held a short stabbing sword of its own.  It growled in its throat, thrusting the blade before it. 

            The elf blocked, twisting the two together so the sword slid down his blade.  The two strained against each other until Legolas heaved, using his height to upset his opponent, knocking him to the ground. 

            The elf dropped down, putting his knee on the Uruk-hai's chest and his blade to his throat.  However, just as he was about to part the Uruk-hai from Middle Earth forever it squalled something out in their foul tongue. 

            The others around them broke off, shrinking back.   Gimli spun around, panting, looking for more.  Inara merely wiped her forehead with the back of her already dirty sleeve.  The Uruk-hai turned, fleeing into the grasses.  One of Gimli's hand axes and one of Inara's blades each brought down one though. 

            Legolas turned back to the one he captured, as the others backed towards him, their eyes still on the now night black plains. 

            "Now, Uruk you will tell us why we are hunted."  Legolas stared down at him as the Uruk-hai began to choke in what was either sobs or mad laughter. 

Author's Note:

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Roseblade22:  I'm glad you like my poem.  On the Gimli thing, I don't think that will matter, they'll just have to be sitting or something.  Next chapter I'm going to have fun with Legolas.  Embarrassing the elf is always fun. 

I have to do a debate case yet tonight!  And we have to be at school tomorrow before 6 am!!  I suppose that's one way to start off the debate season…  Oh well, at least my fan fiction chapter's done….

Star-Stallion:  Well, I tried to put some action in there.  I hope that helps.  I'm also glad you like the Gimli bit, and hey, the way dwarf women look, he deserves the girl for once!

Alina11:  Why thank you!  I hope it stays that way, this chapter's kind of mindless, but the next one will be back to the intrigue!

Yaeb:  Hey no one's perfect!  Even elves have their off days and he's young for an elf, there for not all-knowing and undefeatable.  Not to mention it makes the plot a lot easier.  I'm glad you still like it though.

littlesaiyangirl:  I like the elf and dwarf jokes too, they're my favorite part of the books and the movies.  And I'm updating as fast as I can!

Kali:  Very cool.  And believe me, I don't think it will limit Inara in any way.  It's way more fun when she fights after all. 

Lathanna:  I won't stop, don't worry.  I haven't written the end yet (though I've planned it out) so I want to finish as much as you.  Thanks!

itarilde-elenastar:  Yay!  That's the best compliment I've gotten.  It's hard to be original since there are thousands of LOTR fics out there, thank you very much!

White Wolf1:  You're right, ever leaving them in peace would be one boring fic, way more fun this way.

... :  Thanks!  I'll do my best to be fast. 

the bountyhunter:  *from behind bullet proof shield*  Umm, hope this was fast enough for you.  If not, take it up with my math teacher!  I was reading your bio and had a question, will 'The Bounty Hunter' be about Boba Fett?  Just wondering, because Boba Fett rules, little bit of Star Wars there, couldn't help myself…