Author's Note: As I said, I've been working, a lo' and behold, another chapter out! Yes we reach Mirkwood and yes we see Legolas. Oh, IMPORTANT! READ FROM HERE!

I took some liberty with the timeline regarding Gollum's escape from Mirkwood, so if it deeply offends…sorry! I've been mixing the movies and the books slightly, so the timeline won't ever be dead on, but oh well. :)

And the tid bits of Elvish that I know are from someone else, so if it doesn't match or isn't Elvish, I wouldn't know, so let's all just pretend the person I got it from was right. ;)

Oh yes, and what would you all like to see now? I have plans for Lorien already and a nice surprise I think you'll all like. So, any ideas at what you would like to see happen? How should the Fellowship members (and other council members) react to Alagi? After all, the only outside 'race' she's had contact with is Aragorn! Please tell me your ideas!

Enjoy, and thanks to all of you who have reviewed!

Disclaimer: The spiders of Mirkwood wrapped up the disclaimer in their webs!

Chapter Twelve: Mirkwood

by Dameon

We set off from there, and after leaving the mountains well past lunchtime, Elladan and Elrohir were more than happy to talk. In fact, it was hard to get them to shut up! Elrohir would take up a song and Elladan would join in, singing loudly as if they were flaunting the fact that they had gone through the Misty Mountains unharmed.

"Alagi, do you know any songs from your world?" Elrohir asked, dropping his horse to walk by mine.

I shook my head, smiling. "No, but that may be a good thing, hearing how you two sing!"

Elladan laughed at Elrohir, who was silent before understanding I was joking. "And I suppose you could do better, Alagi?" Elrohir's comment was given with a wink, showing that he to was joking.

"Probably not," I conceded. "When's dinner? I'm hungry!"

"We could stop now," Elladan said slowly, looking over a Elrohir, who nodded.

I took advantage of the lunch break as a chance to fly for a minute. My wings were cramping and I could feel my wing bones complaining at being pushed against a rock for a night. Flying upwards, I emerged beyond the trees and into a cold but welcome breeze. Up ahead I could see the shining of a river, as well as a brief pause between the woods. We were almost out, I noticed, of the mountain's reach and to the more open area before the river. No trees meant we could travel faster!

Feeling better, I settled back to the ground and tugged my cloak on tighter. "We're almost out of the woods."

"How much farther would you guess?" Elladan asked me.

"Another half hour, maybe an hour at the most," I replied, hoping my guess was accurate.

My guess was accurate, as about forty-five minutes later, we were leaving the yellowing leaves and coming into flatter, more prairie-like land. The horses were getting tired, so we camped at the edge of the woods for that night. The next morning, Elladan and Elrohir pushed their mounts into a slow trot, my mare following suit without me doing anything (to my relief).

We stopped before we reached the river. Elladan went ahead to wave over the ferry from the other side while Elrohir came over to me.

"Alagi, be sure your wings are covered up. We do not know what reaction other men would have to them."

I nodded, and part of me understood so well that I did what Elrohir asked without question. The ferry came over and as we urged our horses onto the raft, and owner came into view.

"Hello! Hello! Welcome aboard!" The man was tall and muscular, and was at least in his late thirties. He had a crooked nose, short, thick brown hair, and hazel eyes that were congenial and friendly. Lifting up the side panel, the man grabbed a pole as three younger men came out.

"The name's Lolpen!" said the older man. "These here are my sons, Tal, Josem, and Pakip. Where are you folks off to?"

"To Mirkwood," Elrohir answered congenially. "Thank you for agreeing to ferry so many of us at once, Lolpen."

"No problem, no problem," Lolpen shrugged as the three boys started to steer the raft across the slow river. "We've ferried more! So, Mirkwood, eh? Dangerous stuff in that forest. You sure that's where you want ta go?"

"Yes, we're sure," Elrohir grinned slightly. "But we thank you for the warning."

"I've heard stories of spiders n' black rivers n' ghosts," Lolpen continued. "Not many have returned from those spiders. I believe only old man Haros has, but that's about it. Course, if you stick to the Old Forest Road, you should get through all right! You taking the Old Forest Road?"

Elrohir shook his head. "No, we are taking the Northern Road."

"Why you takin' that? It doesn't go anywhere!" Lolpen exclaimed, surprised.

"We won't be long in Mirkwood," Elrohir tried to assure him. "Any words of advice though?"

"Other than not to take the Northern Road?" Lolpen asked. Elrohir nodded, and Lolpen continued as the other side of the river started to come closer. "Well, don't drink any water from any unnatural colored stream, keep a constant fire going, don't stray off the path, and don't sleep in the forest. Oh yeah, and if you see lights, run, cause those are the ghosts of those the spiders killed and will lead you to death."

Elladan looked faintly amused, and Elrohir nodded politely. "Thank you, Lolpen. We shall be sure to take your advice to mind."

As Lolpen went on about the forest, one of his sons, the tallest of the three, looked over at me and gave me a kind smile. "You're going into the woods with those two?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"It isn't much of a place for a girl," the boy said. "I'm Tal, by the way."

"I'm Alagi," I said, choosing to ignore his previous comment. I felt a faint twinge in my chest, as Tal looked a little like the Bobby from my dreams…

"You're not from around here," Tal commented a minute later, staring at my blonde hair.

"No," I agreed. "Where are you from?"

"Just up the River, in Beorn," Tal grunted as he helped adjust the raft towards the shore. "You ever been there?"

"No, is it nice?" I asked. So that was the name of the town on Elladan's map!

"Sure, it's ok," Tal shrugged. "It ain't much." I got the feeling that Tal didn't think much of Beorn. "My family's been living there since my great-great grandfather built the house."

"It doesn't sound that bad," I tried to smile.

Tal just shrugged as the raft hit shore. "It's ok. Someday, I'm going to see Gondor."

The way he said Gondor made it seem as if I should know where he was talking about. "That would truly be an adventure."

Tal looked into my blue eyes and smiled. "I'm glad someone agrees."

Elladan and Elrohir paid the still talking Lolpen, and Tal came over to help me with the horses. "It was nice meeting you, Alagi."

"Same to you, Tal," I smiled. "Thanks for the help!"

As soon as we were out of earshot, Elladan and Elrohir started to chuckle. "Ghosts! My, my, I wonder who started the rumors!"

"Probably Thranduil himself!" This caused more laughter between the twins.

Elrohir caught my confusion and explained, "There are not any ghosts of any form in Mirkwood. It was probably one of Thranduil's elves who started the rumor, to keep people out!"

They didn't explain the 'Thranduil himself' part, and I took it to be an inside joke between the twins. We trotted the horses again, then let them run for a short ways, and I enjoyed the rush of wind in my face and hair. I let my wind wander during the horses' run, and a memory suddenly surfaced in my mind.

I was flying in strange clothing that fit tightly yet were padded, either for protection or against the cold, I didn't know. But I could feel my wings working and pushing me through the air, and suddenly, with an extra push of my wings, I was flying much faster. Things whizzed by so fast my brain could barely register they had gone by. I swerved to miss a metal structure, then tilted up through a hoop and started towards the ground-

"Alagi?"

I shook my head as my sense slowly came back to reality. The twins were staring at me, their faces clearly showing interest as to what I was thinking.

"Sorry," I apologized as I felt a blush creep up my face. "I was remembering something…"

"About what?" Elrohir asked.

"Flying," I said as I tried to remember everything from the flashback. "I was going fast. Like, really fast. Faster than the horses were going. And even though I was going that fast, I wasn't hitting anything and seemed to be going through an, an, obstacle course of some kind."

Elrohir was quiet and Elladan said, "Faster than the horses?"

"Yes." I was sure it was faster. In fact, it had been a LOT faster than the horses.

"Do you think you would be able to go that fast again?" Elladan asked. He was staring at me in wonder and I could almost see his mind working behind his blue eyes.

I sighed. "I don't know. It was a result of some weird muscle movement. I didn't recognize the feel of it."

"In time maybe," Elrohir said gently. The younger twin smiled, then announced, "Alagi, look up! That is Mirkwood."

My first impression of Mirkwood was an unsettling eeriness. Unlike the forest around the Misty Mountains, Mirkwood was gray and skeleton-like. The autumn leaves left on the trees looked brittle and old, and moss hang off branches like extra large clothing on a skinny child.

"It is not as bad as it looks," Elladan spoke up. "The outer rim is not the same as Thranduil's Halls. I promise." It was the first time an Elf had promised me anything.

"We should ride while it is still light," Elrohir said, looking over at Elladan, who nodded his agreement.

We rode until dusk, then made camp at the tree line of the forest. Elladan and Elrohir were talking about keeping watch, and knowing that I didn't either on the mountains or on the prairie, I offered to.

"Are you sure?" Elladan asked, and I saw the uneasiness in his face, despite the fact that he was trying to conceal it.

"Well, I'll have to when I'm alone, won't I?" I pointed out. "Besides, what better time to practice than with you guys?"

So I kept watch for the first part of the night, under strict instructions to wake either of them if anything happened. I wondered what the point of that was, knowing that with their heightened senses, they would most likely hear if something happened around the same time I did. I mostly kept my back half towards the forest and half towards the prairie.

In the distance I could just make out the Misty Mountains. My gaze drifted towards where we had just come from, the river. Tal, he looked like the Bobby from my dreams. Bobby…the name comes so easily off my tongue, like I've said it everyday of my life. He seemed so at ease, and talked to me like he had known me forever. But he knows about me and I don't know about him. I wonder if he was my boyfriend. You'd think I'd remember something like that. Maybe my father? No, he had blonde hair and I'm pretty sure my father was older than Bobby.

Shifting as a rustle came from the woods, I stared into the trees, scanning slowly, but saw nothing. With a sigh, I settled back to looking at the river. This whole mess started with a river. The Bruinen. But where would I be if this mess had never happened? I love hanging with the Elves, even if they are kind of stiff, and I love horseback riding, and learning to fight with a sword, but sometimes I wonder: am I better off here or where I originally came from?

I tried to imagine where I had originally come from, but all I got was some vague pictures of tall buildings with windows and stone rising high into the sky. They were rather ugly buildings and I had no idea where these buildings were.

Looking up at the moon a while later, I noticed it was halfway through the sky, at the point where I was to switch with Elrohir. Feeling the effect of staying up, I quietly stood and woke up Elrohir, who always slept on the left. He woke quickly and nodded, and I took my place on the opposite side of the fire. Sleep didn't take long in coming.

Elladan woke me the next morning and handed me breakfast. "We should get to Thranduil's Halls today, if we go fast enough."

I nodded, understanding what he was saying. Today would be little time for talking and mostly going as fast and as quickly as we could. Mounting Brownleaf, we started off following the tree line at a gallop. I kept low to the mare, trying to make it easier for her to run, as my wings added more bulk to her running.

We reached the North Road before midday, and though Elladan said we would be ok, I sensed that he wasn't pleased with our progress. His eyes kept darting farther into the woods, and I felt that the reason we weren't farther was me…

Lunch was taken on horseback and as we entered the woods. Inside Mirkwood forest was worse than outside. Elladan informed me we were only seeing the outer rim that followed the paths, that Mirkwood was better than it appeared. I was starting to doubt him the farther we got in. Branches swayed in the slightest breeze, and despite the few leaves left on the trees, little sunlight reached the path. The bark on the trees was actually gray in some places, and the branches up close looked like long spider legs.

Shrugging my cloak closer, I put up the hood and urged Brownleaf to follow Elrohir and Elladan. I didn't need to bother, for the mare was feeling as anxious as I and stayed close to the other two horses. I kept glancing nervously into the woods, and though Elrohir and Elladan had told me there were no ghosts, I could understand quite well how Lolpen could believe the tale.

We got to the Enchanted River as the sun was starting to go down, and the water, though not black, was dark and clouded. The horses wouldn't go near the river bank and with Elrohir and Elladan avoiding coming close to the water, I figured I would do well to follow their example.

It wasn't far to the Forest River, which was cleaner and slower but still sinister looking. This time there was no ferry to meet us and Elladan and Elrohir looked worriedly at each other. The Enchanted River broke off from the Forest River, so we were stuck at the junction.

"Up the river?" Elladan raised an eyebrow in quest to Elrohir.

"No," Elrohir said after a moment. "It'll be slower at the junction because it breaks off."

"Alagi, we need to ford the river," Elladan explained to me as Elrohir dismounted and started untying the saddlebags. "We need you to fly to the other bank with the essentials."

I nodded and did the job with ease, gripping the bags tighter as I passed over the raging waters of the Forest River. I settled the bags into a neat pile on the other side, in plain view of where we were going to cross. Once I got back to the other side, Elladan and Elrohir were ready.

"Hang on tightly to Brownleaf's halter," Elrohir instructed me gravely. "If she goes down, try to grab onto a bank or a rock, but DO NOT get swept down the Enchanted River!"

I nodded. "I will-won't-I understand."

Elladan started out first, the horse showing trouble at getting its initial footing, but managed in the end. With Elladan holding onto one of my reins, I went after Elladan, and the first thing I noticed about the Forest River was that it was just as cold as the Bruinen. As I was holding onto one of Elrohir's reins, Elrohir came last. Brownleaf got her footing easily but was unwilling to continue. I squeezed her sides hard before she would go, and by then Elladan was almost halfway. Holding onto Brownleaf was hard, as the water took advantage of the extra mass on my back and pummeled me relentlessly with rushing water. I leaned into the mare's neck and held on tightly.

I felt a tug at the rein in my hand and looked back quickly to see Elrohir had stopped. He was whispering to his horse, who snorted, but didn't continue. I yelled up at Elladan who stopped and waited for Elrohir to get his mount going. It seemed like a long time before we got across the river, and at one point I almost got swept off, but I held on and constricted my wings to my back until it hurt. By the time Elrohir had reached the opposite bank, I was already pulling on my dry cloak.

"We must keep moving," Elladan said as he tied the saddlebags back on to his mount.

The sky was almost dark and the horses were walking slower and responding less. Elladan stopped briefly to collect three sticks, which Elrohir lit and handed out. Keeping the torch out of direct view of the mare, I felt my arm grow tired quickly from holding the torch.

As darkness found us, Elladan stopped and held his light up. Suddenly, out of seemingly no where, an Elf materialized. He seemed to recognize Elladan, as he bowed slightly before speaking in rapid fire Elvish.

I caught a typical greeting and something about where we hailed from, but my mind was sluggish in following the conversation. The Elf Elladan was talking to nodded and Elladan clicked his stallion forward. Elrohir nodded to me, and I started forward, but two Elves appeared and crossed their spears in my path.

Elrohir stepped up and spoke quickly, and the Elves stepped aside slowly. As the path widened, Elrohir rode up next to me and whispered, "Be silent, Alagi. They are more suspicious of strangers at night than during the day."

I nodded and hid deeper in my cloak. We rode up to a large castle like structure near the Forest River bank. A large drawbridge came down with loud creaks, and other Elves appeared with lights. Some recognized Elladan and Elrohir as they dismounted, and these ones came and started the rapid fire talking again. Though the twins were met with a warm reception, suspicious eyes were trained on me, and feeling cold, tired, and nervous, I moved closer to the twins.

Elrohir felt my arm brush against his, and he turned to me with a small smile of reassurance. He didn't say anything, only continued a conversation with another Elf. Three Elves took our horses away and I followed the twins as they walked through the now open front entrance. The drawbridge groaned as it came back up, and we were left in darkness.

"We will not be seeing Thranduil today," Elrohir spoke softly to me as we waited for lights to be lit. "Do not worry, none of these Elves will harm you."

"They're suspicious," I told Elrohir. "I can almost feel it, it's so strong."

"Simply follow your manners and you will be fine," Elrohir assured me. "No one will harm you."

"Legolas!" Elladan cried from in front of us, and Elrohir turned from me to greet another Elf coming towards us.

I waited as the twins spoke in Elvish to a tall, long blonde hair Elf, who I supposed was Legolas. He wore a gray tunic and leggings with a band of silver adorned with a green leaf on his head. The silver flashed every time he talked.

My mind slipped into a haze and was only jerked back out by Elrohir touching my shoulder. "Alagi, I would like to introduce you to Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood."

Elrohir seemed to stress the title, and I realized what was expected of me. Pulling down my hood, and bowing low, I replied in the best Elvish I could muster/Greetings from the West, your majesty, Prince Greenleaf. I am Alagi, and I am honored to be in your realm./

Straightening slowly, I glanced over at Elrohir to see if I had gotten right. I didn't need him to respond, for the Prince was quicker. "Lle ume quell1. You are still learning Elvish, are you not?"

He said I did well! I nodded, then caught myself and answered, "Yes, your highness."

"Keep up your diligent studies, for they are paying off," the Prince smiled. Turning back to Elladan and Elrohir, the Prince continued, talking in English this time. "My father will see you in the morning, as you are obviously tired and strained from your journey."

"Thank you, Legolas," Elladan nodded.

Legolas nodded and disappeared and was replaced with different Elves. One came up to me and started gently leading me down a different hallway. Looking back at the twins, Elrohir caught my eye and nodded, then smiled a reassurance once more before disappearing.

The Elf leading me was cloaked and silent. He or she, it was impossible to tell, led me to a room and though they opened the door for me, they still said nothing and left the minute I thanked them. The room was plain yet comely enough and surprisingly, my saddlebags already lay at the foot of the single chair. All I cared was that there was a bed, and changing quickly into my warmer clothes, I climbed into the bed and laid on my stomach.

I woke up to knocking, and shouting a hasty, "Just a minute!" I threw on my clothes and opened the door to find the twins. Evidently, we were granted an audience with King Thranduil before breakfast. The twins weren't nervous at all, but then again, they had visited Mirkwood before.

While we were waiting, Elrohir spoke with me. "Alagi, the purpose of this visit is to establish why you are in Mirkwood and why you're staying in Rivendell. The impression you make on King Thranduil is what will stay with him."

With that, the doors opened, and with a quick check to make sure my cloak was safely fastened, I stepped into the room with the twins. Seated on an ornately carved marble throne, a tall, light gray skinned elf with long legs and blonde hair. On his head was a crown of leaves and silver, and he wore green clothing with gray woven into leaf patterns all over. A black cloak billowed over the arms of the chair, and through this air of regality, the Mirkwood King stared at us with measuring gray eyes and a taunt, long face. The room was illuminated by windows along the two farther walls, the heavy drapes pulled aside and tied carefully with silver rope. Other than the throne and torch holders, the room was empty.

Elrohir and Elladan gave a military bow of their head, and the King's solemn air was broken when a soft smile appeared on his face. "My friends, what brings you to Mirkwood's beautiful realm?"

"I fear we are not here for long, your majesty," Elrohir said, his voice attaining a new level of silkiness. "We are more of passing through than anything else."

"Then please accept my hospitality for as long as you are here," King Thranduil said, waving a hand as if to accept the news.

"Your majesty, we do bring news from Rivendell," Elrohir continued before the king lost interest. "Over two months ago, Master Elrond healed a young lady with the ability of flight." The king didn't move but his eyes suddenly seemed to focus on Elrohir. "This lady is not only fully healed but has now been employed into the services of Rivendell. Master Elrond seemed it fit that she act as a long distance messenger between the Elven lands. She is fast and of good spirit, and we would like to introduce you to her. If you deem her capable and fitting of the role Master Elrond has approved of, then she is under your service as well."

Looking at me, Elrohir moved aside and taking a breath, I stepped up and bowed low, remaining that way as I attempted to say in Elvish/Greetings from the West, your majesty, King Thranduil. I am Alagi, and I am honored to be in your realm. My services are available for your use./

I straightened slowly and looked directly into the Elf-King's eyes. He was staring at me with his light gray eyes, no expression on his face what-so-ever, but I knew I was under intense scrutiny. It didn't feel right to smile, so I bit my cheek and waited.

Finally, he spoke in his somber, almost mournful speech, "I do not doubt Elrond's claims, yet I see no way as to how you fly."

I stiffened slightly. I knew what he was asking and I knew what I was to do, but it was almost like asking to see something personal, special, held sacred to me. Was I just another thing to look at, to stare at, to wonder at? I had the sudden urge to say something biting back, but closing my eyes and attempting to push my anger aside, I unpinned my cloak. If he was so curious, he would see for himself!

I spread my wings with a snap, flashing the feathers in the sun, and with little effort, hovered for a second in the air before coming down. The King's face showed no emotion during my show, and when I landed I bowed again, this time curving my wings with my body. I knew it was flashier than the rather ordinary bow I had given before and I have to say I was rather pleased with myself.

"Your majesty," I said in the silence following. "I owe my life to Master Elrond, and as you're the same race as he, I see no reason as to why I can't be of service to you as well."

I glanced over at Elrohir, who wasn't giving me any clue as to how I was doing. I looked back at the King and saw him nod.

A very faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. "I see. Where are you from? Alagi is certainly not a common name, even among Elves."

Thinking quickly, I answered. "Alagi is a shortened name, your majesty, and was given to me simply because I don't know my true name or origins. I received a blow to the head a few months ago and know little about my life prior to Rivendell."

The Elf-King's eyes narrowed. "Your origins are unknown?"

I nodded, sensing what was coming next. "Yes, your highness. But I would rather be killed than discover that I'm from…" the name escaped me but I shrugged, hoping to show I didn't know and went on "some evil place than betray your trust."

I stared at the King, and as he stared back this time, I knew he was weighing what I had said against the vibes he felt from me. Whatever he felt, it pleased him, because he relaxed. "Do not give me reason to believe this was a mistake."

I nodded, bowed, answered, "Yes, your majesty," then backed off to the door. Elrohir and Elladan gave their military bow again, then left, me trailing them.

As soon as the door closed, I sighed with relief. "Man, I felt like I was being tested!"

"You were," Elrohir said.

I slapped myself mentally for not noticing. "Well, then, how did I do?"

"Almost full marks," Elladan said. "The "evil place" you were speaking of is Mordor, and it was not wise to bring up your unknown origin."

"What was I supposed to say?"

"You should have simply said you were from Rivendell, which is true…for the past few months," Elladan shrugged.

"You are still learning, Alagi," Elrohir softened the criticism. "You'll have plenty of time to practice etiquette, trust me!"

I wanted to ask why Mirkwood Elves were so distrustful, but we emerged into a hall where there were Elves everywhere, eating breakfast and talking. The Elf from last night, the Prince, came over as soon as we entered.

"Elladan, Elrohir, Alagi, please join me!"

So we ate with Legolas. I didn't say much, as the trio seemed to know each other from before and were more than content to talk about the finer details of fighting styles. It was only until Aragorn's name came up did I start listening.

"-and Aragorn went off a few weeks ago in search of him and had to break off."

Elladan stopped eating, a grape halfway to his mouth. "Break off! Why!"

"The Ringwraith had been spotted, riding horses of black and dressed in flowing black robes," Legolas said solemnly. "They were headed for the Shire."

The last mentioning of Bilbo's homeland seemed to deeply trouble the twins, though I didn't know why.

Elrohir spoke next. "We will pursue the creature, Gollum. I do not like the idea of him being loose."

Elladan nodded in agreement. "We will leave today."

Legolas nodded slowly. "I know nothing I say will determine you otherwise, yet the creature's path has been tracked by only a few. Those who went with Aragorn have not come back of yet."

The twins looked at each other and Elladan spoke, "As long as we know the last location of the hunting party, we shall go."

"I can help you with that much," Legolas said. "I'll have your saddlebags packed and tied." Legolas got up and left, leaving me alone with the twins.

"Who is Gollum?" I asked.

"A despicable creature," Elladan replied with a scowl.

That's how I came to be in the Mirkwood Elves kingdom alone. Elladan and Elrohir didn't answer any of my questions because they were to busy talking to Elves, getting information and packing. When I saw them again, it was to say goodbye. I was outside with the Prince and a few others, watching as the twins swung up onto their horses.

"Alagi," Elrohir called me over. As I looked up, he leaned down and said softly, "Do you remember the way home?" At my nod, he continued. "Be on your guard, things are amiss in Middle-Earth. And do please try not to get into TOO much trouble."

With a wink, Elrohir straightened and talked to another Elf before the twins left. It had only been a day since we arrived in Mirkwood and I was already alone.

Elvish Translations

1 You did well