I CAPTURE THE SUN

Pairings: Buffy/Legolas. I might as well point out that at this point, it will be eventual

Teaser: Buffy ends up in Heaven, which happens to be Middle-Earth. But not everything is as heavenly as it seems as she's come in the middle of a war and finds a piece of Heaven worth fighting for.

Rating: T, by the new fanfiction standards. There is a little blood and gore, but that is about it. It should be suitable for anyone who has ever read Tolkien or watched the show.

Summary: Buffy's version of Heaven is Middle-Earth. When she arrives, she is brought to a clan of fighting women. Seeing this as her eternal reward for fighting and killing on Earth, Buffy is only too happy to return to her roots - until she is captured by the Elves and begins to learn there's a whole lot more worth fighting for... in Heaven.

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon. The 'Lord of the Rings' book series belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. The plot is (hopefully) my own.

Timeline: The story is currently set approximately fifty years before the start of the Fellowship. Buffy has been in Middle-earth for roughly twenty-three years. To put this into perspective with current ME history, the One Ring has been discovered by Bilbo and Gandalf is currently on his way to Minas Tirith to discover the true origins of Isildur's death. Buffy, meanwhile, is still stuck in Mirkwood with a cranky Thranduil and a bunch of dead shadow men who want to make her one of them. That is basically the story to this point.

Gratitudes: I thank you guys for taking the time to read this story. I do not think I would have pushed myself to create it if it hadn't been for support. Except, I likely would have created it though… and when I write stories, they tend to be lumped into long boring sections. Hence, this has actually pushed me into the position to create chapters. For this, I am grateful.

Mama T – thank you.

Tommy14 – See, I am good with descriptions but forcing a battle to 'come alive' is still something of a work in progress. Thank you for your comments.

Gylzgurl – To answer your question, there is no sequel planned at this time. The point being, this happened after her death by the hands of the portal. I will reveal that her friends will resurrect her and I will also tell you that she will know she does not belong in Sunnydale anymore. Her role in Middle-earth is growing rather quickly now that the people who had "held her back" are gone. She will enlist the help of two individuals and they will learn the truth about where she has been. Because of time distortions, Buffy was absent five months from the lives of her friends while she has lived approximately thirty years in Middle-earth. Therefore, she will not necessarily die again, but she does know she serves a greater purpose than belonging in a world that she knows has no balance of power anymore. I hope this made some sense. Of course, I could just give you all of my notes and spoil the crap out of the end… but I will digress. Thank you for your question, though :)

Sukera – I will try, definitely.

Sparky24 – Oh, no. I could not kill them off quite yet. They will be back before story's end and their fate has not yet been decided.

Almadynis – I hope that this chapter clarified it to some extent. It is because that she is one, dead and second of all she possesses a great power. They do not know that she is a Slayer, but they can sense power. It is part of their greed to accumulate power, so basically she is like a flame drawing the nine Nazgûl moths to her.

Vampy, the chosen one – it will be awhile before the next sequence of battles, but until that time, there will be a lot of hard decisions and whatnot. There will be ass kicking, that much I will promise to you.

Jaguarmoon – hey, look, an update.

Part Summary: Buffy faces the Mirkwood alone after the passing of her people.

Notes: I am trying to return to a more proper posting schedule. I would like to have this story concluded by summer, which is a few months away. I still have quite a bit of editing to do, but the story is mostly finished. There are sections that I remain unhappy with and I am trying to "fix" them to the best of my abilities. This chapter contains a sequence of montages. I really try to get away from doing these, but they are part of the master plan. I also will reveal now that Buffy will not "be around" for the forging of the Fellowship or their journey to destroy the great Ring of power. I will not reveal all of the details, but I will tell you that she will see Minas Tirith with a King restored to the throne.

x-x-x-x

Part XII

x-x-x-x

The twilight was still high above them as the hunting party spread out. They had been given reports that the one known as Buffy had been last seen in this area from the previous night's patrol, but these Orcs were taking no chances. Their hunting raids had a habitually high probability of disappearing from the face of Arda whenever her name was mentioned. Considering that she was alone one woman and that her pesky band of brats was no longer holding her back, her full potential could be reached. The lead Orc lifted his hand and motioned for the others to use caution. Their hunting raids were usually set out to find Elven flesh but on this particular night, they had a deep craving for the flesh of this nuisance.

Far above them in the treetops, the woman in question had just been settling back to sleep. She was weary after many long and tedious months protecting her small area from the likes of the Orcs. They seemed to have been gaining a lot of confidence as of late. The distance they covered seemed to swell as of late, especially as they spread towards the north and east. Buffy frowned as she studied the Orcs moving down below. It had to be another 'hunting' party. Normally, they would try to pick off a poor, unsuspecting Elf but they ought to know by now that the Elves completely left this part of the Mirkwood in her care. She'd certainly sent them enough of the message. There were times when only one or two Orcs would return from a party of a few dozen, speaking of the horrors of the Lady of Shadow. Even though she was nearly twenty feet above their heads, they still seemed to sense her presence.

The only reason that they would cover more distance would be if the Elves had retreated further into their own escape. The more Buffy thought about it, the more it concerned her. It had been quite some time since she'd last breeched Elven territory, and she wasn't looking forward to doing so again. She and Thranduil did not really get along that well, even though she had promised her loyalty to him alone. Legolas was still acting a pain in her very sore rear end, attempting to push her into working more with the Elves. But she needed the space and had given them her final decision. As she carried neither a watch nor a calendar, she had no idea how much time had passed. It had to have been considerable, though. She had spent a few months in the realm of the Woodland Elves. She had also spent a great deal of time with the Elves patrolling the northernmost borders of their realm. But she had been here for nearly three times that length in time. If she calculated using the sun as she had been taught by these exterior patrols, she would learn that more than three years had passed since she had last set eyes upon the people of Dunland.

She was shaken from her sleepy reverie by the grunts from below. She shook herself from her stupor and stared down into the darkness, squinting. There were twice as many Orcs in this particular party than were normal. Apparently the lord of Dol Guldur was a bit weary of having her kill all of his hunting parties. She was going to have to act on this, but she knew she was only one person. She could easily dispel half of their number, but the other half would gather reinforcements quickly. This had to be more than a mere hunting party. They were looking for her. She slowly moved into a crouch and leapt down into a lower branch, her eyes sharp and keen. The Orcs didn't see anything nor did they notice the fact that their greatest fear was threatening them from above. She was now a good twelve feet above their heads and gaining ground quickly. Within seconds, the ambush would be on and once again, she would have won out against this threat.

She was within jumping range of this small band when a horn suddenly permeated the night.

She should have known it was a trap.

She managed to pull out her long, slightly-curved sword as she jumped down. This fastidious band had no idea what had hit them by the time she had withdrawn her sword, stepping over their small, oily frames. There was now an answering horn and in the light from between the brambles, she saw flickering fire lights. With a heavy sigh, she turned and leapt back into the trees. She had no choice. She would wait until she found another small number of Orcs before taking them out.

The Orcs stopped when they found a round dozen slain upon the ground. Bending down, the Orc took the face of the fallen and twisted it, grimacing in anger when he saw the cross etched into the bloated skin. Lately, she had been marking her victims with her symbol, a cross. If there was time, sometimes she would add a sun below the cross, but normally it was only the cross. He grunted with disgust as the body fell from his grasp. She was somewhere close. He had taken his eyes off of the front guard for maybe a minute before she had taken his idiocy in stride and had dealt them yet another blow. His anger seemed to subside. The lord of Dol Guldur was forever telling them that they needed to take her alive. It would not make much sense in killing her, they had said. She was extremely powerful in her own right, but they did not have neither the skills nor the firepower to strike her down. She was as they were, alone and bound to the shadows. The Orcs needn't ask what that meant, for the lord had then spoken that she was already dead. She was an immortal being by her own right, a figure forced to fight against a darkness that was so very close to claiming her. Sauron knew of this power and knew that the prize she possessed would bring him great power now that the One Ring had been unearthed. The Nine would soon be recalled to the darkness of Mordor and they wanted someone competent to watch over Dol Guldur. Having a tenth within their shadows would do only that, they surmised. This was partially the reason why Sauron wanted her alive.

Buffy knew all too well the reason why the Nazgûl wanted her. It had something to do with the fact she was dead and somehow reborn into a position of power and prestige, only given this because she had saved a stupid child's life. She had been entrusted with the lives of a few thousand people. She was also in league with the Elves. If they could sway her to their ranks, she would be in a position to eliminate first the Woodland Realm and then the realm of the Lord Celeborn in Lothlórien in one fell swoop.

Lately, it seemed, her allegiance seemed to include the Rangers of the north. There were only a scattered few remaining, but there was one in particular that Buffy seemed to answer to. His name was Strider and he had given his reason for being within the area. While Buffy had spent only a little time with him, she learned enough from him. He had spoken of Gondor where he had served for a time under the Steward. It was also during this time that she came to meet Gandalf the Grey, a dear friend to this Strider.

She was in a great position to eliminate all of their enemies. Should they sway her to their end, she would easily defeat the Rangers and the Wizard. The Elves would take more work, but Dol Guldur had a great stock of evil things, and the forest didn't seem to be any safer. They could always call upon the Orcs from Hithaeglir and Moria. Their swelling numbers could easily defeat the arrogant Elves under Thranduil and in that time, sufficient reinforcements could reach them from Mordor. Alas, the victory would be swift and sound. All that would remain would be two forces of men. They already had the hidden White ally in the west and Gondor was at the mercy of Sauron as it would stand as Denethor was a weak man and his children, though young, remained to be no threat.

Buffy remained high in the trees, seemingly holding her breath until the party had passed on. What she didn't know was that they had achieved their goal; they had discovered that for the past few moons, she had not ventured far from this position. Her thoughts were more focused on the Elves. She worried for these beings, considering they were immortal beings of great power and authority. There had to be a reason why the Orcs could roam so freely. She could not hold back the darkness of Dol Guldur, nor was she entirely sure she wanted to. She didn't altogether trust the Elves and for this reason she knew she had to return once again to their realm. She would rest until sunrise, though. These Orcs had a tendency to run far from the bright light and she was high enough to the sky to feel the warmth of the light. Shifting slightly, she rested her head against the trunk and closed her eyes.

She felt strangely unsettled. Her stomach was growling, as well. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a hot meal. If this was the afterlife, it certainly wasn't a very enjoyable one. Had it really been more than twenty-six years since she'd first arrived? She hardly felt a day over twenty-one. She knew she appeared to be as young as she had when she'd died, as well.

All of these thoughts and more seemed to pass before her mind as she drifted off to sleep. In the distance, to the south, the leader of the Nazgûl raised his head, smiling coldly. Whether she would admit it or not, their fates were intertwined. Not even the purest legacy of the Elves could save her from that. She was as good as theirs.

x-x-x

The realm still looked as beautiful as ever, even as autumn deepened towards winter. The Elves who had been awaiting her signal saw it at last and led her at once into their realm.

Buffy had been passing to the north for some time now, taking a rather erratic route to throw off the Orcs she knew were trailing her. She could pick up that wretched scent from anywhere. The Elves on guard quickly gave her a horse and sent her into the realm along with word that she had come to speak to Thranduil.

Legolas was pleased to see her, as it had been quite some time since he had last seen her. She looked nearly the same as she dismounted gracefully, walking between the hoards of Elves, many who gazed upon her with curiosity. They knew of the animosity between her and their Woodland King, but they also knew of the deep level of respect and the growing friendship between her and their Prince. Legolas met her as she was about to retreat into the cave and took her to the paths.

"It has been some time," he said after a few moments. They were finally alone. He had managed to gesture to the remaining Elves that they should depart. He had need of speaking to this woman in private and knowing that they were being followed would only increase her anxiety all the more. Sure enough, she turned to him, looking confused.

"Yeah, it's been awhile," she said, shaking her head slightly when she saw that they were indeed alone. "Look, we have to talk."

"We do," Legolas confirmed, "but perhaps not for the reasons you have come."

"The Orcs are freely roaming these woods," she said, those firm hazel eyes resting on his. "For awhile, they kept around their fort, but now it looks as though they're going Elf-hunting again. It seems that it took me a bit longer to run into one of your patrols, so that means either the Elves are disappearing faster than the Orcs or else Thranduil is playing cautiously again."

"The reason for our absence lies solely on my Father," Legolas admitted, although by his begrudging nature Buffy could see that Legolas did not wholly agree with his father's actions. "He believes that we must look to our own borders. A war is coming and it will be the greatest of all of the wars, I fear."

"I felt it, too," Buffy said in a low, anxious voice. "Their numbers at Dol Guldur are growing. Your own borders might be in jeopardy. I have held off as many as I could, but there are far too many. I can't keep them away for long." She looked almost apologetic and for this, Legolas was shocked. Did she truly believe that she could hold the entire darkness at bay while the Elves could mount some sort of defense?

Apparently, she did.

"There is another reason," Legolas said after a long pause. "Come with me."

She followed him into the cave and through a catacomb of corridors until they at last reached a room that could only serve as a dungeon. In one corner and muttering pathetically laid a small creature. Buffy's eyes widened as she saw two large, sopping eyes glaring at her in the darkness.

"What is that?" she asked incredulously. She had seen many things in both the woods and in the plains in her many years in this land but never had she seen something like this.

"He calls himself Gollum," Legolas replied. "The name comes from a sound he makes when he swallows, I believe. The Rangers have brought him forth from the forest. He may have been captured and held at Dol Guldur. He is under our protection here."

The creature seemed to want to speak, but only a few loud, rasping noises were emitted. Buffy winced as the creature shook its head and slammed it painfully into the wall.

"What is he after?" she asked, tilting her head as she considered him more carefully.

"His precious," Legolas said darkly. Buffy quickly swung her gaze to meet his.

"This is the creature that came into contact with the Ring?" she asked sharply.

Legolas nodded. There was no need for him to continue. Buffy was a very intelligent woman in her own rights and she quickly deduced that this Gollum had been searching for his Ring, turned up in this forest and was now under watch from the once-powerful realm of the Woodland Elves.

"I need to see Thranduil," she said in her firmest tone yet. "Now."

Legolas nodded and quickly showed her out of the dungeon, taking her to the throne. Thranduil appeared to have aged very little, but there was a glimmer in his eyes, a tragic reminder of the despairing youth he had left behind. The glance disappeared quickly however as Legolas announced Buffy's arrival. "My Lady," Thranduil said, rising quickly to greet her. "It has been over a year since we have last—"

"Cut the crap, Thranduil," she said dryly, stepping away from Legolas and casting a glance at the King's guard. "I stay away because I can't stand you. You really can't blame me." She paused and glanced uncertainly at the guards. Legolas quickly went to dispel them as Thranduil gently gestured towards the gardens. Once the ruler and the former lady were alone, she turned back to face him. "The Orcs are once again roaming freely in your forest," she said quickly. "I thought they were only looking for me, but it appears that you have something of great worth within your grips and knowing that, you've just painted a huge target on your back."

"We know the repercussions of holding such a creature," Thranduil replied swiftly. "Yet he holds no threat to us. He remains only an enigma of what could be the greatest—"

"You don't understand," Buffy said, interrupting him. Her solitude as of late had changed her temperament, it seemed. "If this creature was the one that recovered the Ring since that last guy died, then you have a really big problem on your hands. I know that Dol Guldur is fortifying their area. The Orcs are out again, and their numbers are getting larger. I can't protect this realm."

"I have never asked you to," Thranduil said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "We are a proud race, Buffy. We have existed for thousands of years prior to your birth. If we cannot hold our own Realm, there is little chance that one woman, no matter her worth, could do the same. We have asked for your loyalty to ensure that you would not turn against us and nothing more."

He caught the expression on her face and blanched. If looks could kill, he would have been dead. "You just want to be sure I don't kill you," she said sarcastically. "Well, gee, that's really tempting right now." She paused again before scoffing and walking away. Thranduil sat atop his bench and watched her pace back and forth, her hands twisting as she muttered to herself. At last, she turned to face him. "Do you realize what you've done? You've given them an even bigger reason to hunt for me! I may not be able to protect your precious Realm from a lot of bad things, but you can't protect me from them, either."

"That was never my intention," Thranduil said calmly. "My son, however, had this intention. He believes that keeping you from the Nazgûl would ensure your safety."

Buffy was touched that she had become some sort of twisted liability to Legolas, yet she shrugged it off. "He can't. You and I both know that keeping Gollum here is dangerous. Dol Guldur will attack. And I can't help."

"You would be better protected within this realm, my lady," Thranduil replied. "We may not be able to protect you, but your sword-arm will be of great use to us."

"I have been keeping to the southern borders, staying out of your way," she said scathingly. "I have already pledged my so-called sword-arm to fight for you when the war comes. As far as I can tell, I haven't seen it yet. The war is still out there, just waiting to begin. It will, you know, begin. But I can't be here now. I can't be here when you're so willing to throw the lives of your Elves away for… th-that creature! He will destroy you!"

"It seems," Thranduil said in his damnedest calm tone, "that his intentions were to destroy you. It appears that he has succeeded in quelling your fears, Buffy. It would be best for you to rest and allow us to protect you."

"You can't protect me," Buffy said, sadly shaking her head. "You just… you can't."

Thranduil watched as she walked away, but made no move to follow or to call her back. He knew very well that when in this mood it would be best to leave her be. He would leave her condition to his able son, who quickly retreated from his place behind a tall shrub.

"You have heard for yourself her insistence that she cannot help us," Legolas said as he approached his father.

"Her insolence is most aggravating," Thranduil said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head in frustration. "She refuses our assistance and refuses her own skills in our greatest hour of need. Our realm could use her power and her protection during this time."

"She cannot give us either," Legolas confided. "She believes that to do so would spell doom for our Realm and she refuses to put our lives into jeopardy."

"You wished for her allegiance," Thranduil said, casting his son a dark look.

"If she were allied with the Nazgûl, Sauron would have a prize half as worthy as the Ring he created," Legolas said quietly. "She knows the price of her head as she knows the price of her heart."

"Her heart means nothing to me," Thranduil replied. "It may yet hold meaning to you."

Legolas watched as his father drifted back towards his palace before walking towards the bridge. Glancing down to the river shimmering below, he wished fervently that this would soon come to an end. He didn't realize how long he'd been standing there before he felt her presence. He felt her hand on his arm and turned to regard her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"There is no need to apologize," Legolas said quietly. "My father knows the price on your head and he knows the prize you might entail. He fears for his kingdom and for this, you must return to the woods. Would this not give the Nazgûl cause to chase you from one end to the other?"

"I realize now that they weren't exactly searching for me as they were back when I helped my people escape," she said, removing her hand from his arm. "Now I know why. They were looking for the one that had control of the One Ring." She stopped for a moment as she gazed at the realm beyond them. "The Nazgûl have been recalled to Mordor," she informed him. "I fear that Sauron now knows about Gollum."

"We have not been able to speak with him," Legolas admitted. "He is far incoherent and most of what we can tell is listless babble."

Buffy's face tightened as she stood next to him, her hands twisting. "It's only a matter of time before they get their hands on me, you know," she said in a voice that would suggest to Legolas that she was afraid. Well, wasn't he surprised? Legolas had never seen a trace of fear on this woman except in regards to her own people, but never regarding her own safety.

"There are things in motion now that cannot be undone," Legolas agreed. "There is a great need for you to escape our Realm, but even greater need for your return once the war begins."

Buffy closed her eyes, as though listening to the sounds of song on the wind. "I can feel them," she confessed. "It isn't as strong here as it was before, but they're there. I can't stay here. They'll come soon because they want Gollum. The Nazgûl will soon return to Mordor. And that will leave Dol Guldur in the hands of the Orcs."

"They would rather it be within your hands," Legolas said, realizing where she was going with this. "Do you believe you could deceive them to believe that you are indeed one with them?"

"All I have to do is scream," Buffy said, waving an impatient hand. "The point is, if Dol Guldur is under the control of one loyal to, say, the Elves, Rangers and Wizards of this world, well… they can't exactly attack your realm, Celeborn's realm or anyone else, right?"

"Did you speak of this to my father?" Legolas asked, watching her face carefully for a reaction. He had to hand it to her… she certainly knew how to make an impossible situation seem doubly dire.

"Of course not," she said, almost laughing. "Could you imagine the look he'd give me? Oh, and by the way Thranduil, I plan on tricking Sauron so that I can have control of the fortress that keeps kicking your ass. He'd never let me leave."

"Would that be so bad?" Legolas asked her, almost casually.

"I have no problem with it, actually," Buffy admitted. Legolas turned to her, surprise clearly showing in his azure orbs. She never would have thought she could surprise him, but she assumed it had something to do with the fact she willingly acknowledged she'd rather spend time with the Elves. "You have no idea how lonely it is, spending all that time alone."

"I perhaps have some idea," he said quietly. She gave him a smile that said clearly she did not quite believe him. "The time may come when the wars are over and you alone stand victorious over the Nazgûl who claim you as their own."

"It'll be a victory for us both, then," Buffy said, her face brightening.

"It is a victory that would be clear to celebrate," Legolas suggested.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said. "I can see a few parties coming from that."

For a moment, there was only silence between them.

"It isn't going to be easy though, is it?" she asked uncertainly.

"There is still much we both must do," Legolas replied. "This war could destroy all that is good and pure and beautiful. But you should know that the Elves will fight until the end."

"I had no doubt," Buffy said dryly. "Hell, with you as their Prince, I'm thinking they'll come back from the grave and keep fighting, or else haunt the Orcs so badly that they'll surrender to shadows and thoughts."

Legolas had to admit that he liked this line of thought. Once again, though, it plunged them into silence, but it was one they both seemed comfortable with. They both had their destinies set before them but, for a little while at least, they had the comfort of one another.

x-x-x

Luckily for them, the Orcs didn't dare attack the Elves. They knew they still had numbers far too few for such a prolonged assault. Buffy did keep her word though, promising to surrender herself to the Nazgûl only as a last resort. She had no intentions of becoming a dark shadow thing, however. Her intentions had been clear from the beginning.

What little word she received over the next few years was hampered with word from Strider and the rest of the Rangers. They had called her to a summit.

She had been tracking the movements of the Orcs carefully over the past few years. Their numbers had been growing at an unbelievable rate but it was one that Thranduil yet remained confident his Elvish army could defeat should the need arise. Buffy was more cautious however and she quickly shared her concerns with Legolas. He was acting as liaison now between the King and the former ruler of a broken people. He entrusted her with the most guarded secrets of the Woodland Realm and she confessed to him the dealings of the Nazgûl. Since they had been recalled now to Mordor, the forest seemed silent. The Orcs still went about their hunting parties, but since they had not made one move to remove Buffy to Dol Guldur, she was perfectly happy working at taking down the tiny bands, one by one.

Strider's invitation was beguiling at best. She decided to take it up and during her last visit to the Mirkwood realm, she confided in both King and Prince about this meeting. Legolas offered to ride with her under guard, but she refused, saying that it was far too dangerous for Legolas to ride through the forest even with protection. He referred to her as going through unprotected, but she also declined that, saying she was strong enough to take care of herself. He knew this, but also knew not to push such argument further and this one ceased without violence or bloodshed.

The meeting with Strider and Gandalf went rather smoothly by any other standards. They did not fall under attack once, although she knew that the Orcs were there, beyond the ridge of the tree-line, waiting in pursuit. After realizing that some of Gollum's babble hadn't be as fruitless as originally thought, she quickly made the decision to head straight back towards the Elven realm.

Little did she know that the lord of the Nazgûl had returned. The time for waiting had come to an end. It was time to act now while her defenses were unguarded. He sent four fleets in a rather straight line to the Elvish realm and with the order to extract both the creature and the Slayer. She rode quick, ignoring the warning signs that she was being followed in more than one direction. She knew that haste was most needed because she knew now why the Nazgûl had waited to attack the Elves. She didn't know, however, that she was still a part of their master plan.

As usual, she was welcomed into the realm and was given top priority to see the King. She was the one visiting dignitary that he found most important to see to. When he saw the anxiety on her face this morning, however, his perspective began to change.

"They're coming," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "They're coming and there's nothing you can do to hold them back."

Apparently, he took her words to heart. She had never really misled him. He added more guards and began to secure his position by calling the rear guard from the Lake Town and soon Elvish guards two to three lines in length began to defend the great realm, but Buffy knew that it wouldn't be enough. Years had passed since she had given her first warning about Gollum and though she knew she should have taken his neck as it were, they needed him alive. Legolas had told her this at their last visitation. Gollum was the only one that truly knew the One Ring's location. But now that Gandalf also knew, Gollum was no longer necessary. Once she dined and sat at yet another conference with the King and his advisors, she told them that she had come to execute the creature once and for all. He was a grave liability that could spell the end of the Mirkwood forest. Even the Rangers knew of this, and they were quickly coming to help defend this city, but Thranduil was no fool. He knew now the consequences of holding onto such a creature for so long, but it was under the insistence of his son that they do so.

The mood that night was apprehensive at best. Buffy quickly made for her ready-made room to rest. She was exhausted, that much was certain. She had ridden for nearly five days on no rest and quickly collapsed into her cot, eager to sleep away these worries to face yet another day of possible death and destruction.

She had only been asleep for a few hours when she felt a presence suddenly stir into her sleep. It was comforting; her dreams had turned to agonizing nightmares as once again she dreamt of the death of the former Prince she had served. She opened her eyes to see Legolas standing in her doorway. "Is something wrong?" she asked sleepily.

He shook his head. "I sensed that you wished for another presence," he said calmly.

"You caught me," she said, a small quirky grin alighting her face as she turned onto her back, stretching. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Yes," he said, considering her words. "But I wish to remain here."

That was good enough for her. "It's your neck on the line, Greenleaf," she teased as she rolled over again, her eyes blinking warily up at him. "Did you see your father?"

"He told me everything you have said to him," Legolas replied. "Do you feel our situation is this grave?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, her eyebrows rising slightly. "Your father is an idiot if he thinks we're safe here. We've held onto him for too long. The numbers at Dol Guldur have reached the point where they can wipe out this kingdom. The only chance you have is to surrender the creature and likely your King."

"You and I both know that this is not an option," Legolas said firmly.

Her face relaxed as she tried to hold back a gathering yawn. "I know this," she said sternly. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I plan to take Gollum out of here and then I plan to dispose of him. He is no more use to us. As I said before, you are now a target. The last thing I want is for you to get yourself killed over something as pathetic as a creature that used to be a Hobbit."

"You will need to act quickly," Legolas said, arching a fine golden eyebrow in response.

"In the morning," she said, laying a hand over her face. "I need sleep now."

"I will stand watch over you," he offered. She nodded and after a moment returned to a position with her back facing him. "It is the least I can do for your word."

They both knew that there was something else that had passed between them, but neither one had spoken of it until now. "At the first sign of danger, I want you out," she said, half-turning back. "I can't risk your neck as well as my own."

"Our fates are tied together," Legolas replied. "This war will affect us both."

"It doesn't matter," she said firmly. "I don't need you to get killed. And, if you remember correctly, I'm not exactly that killable myself."

"Perhaps not," the Elf murmured, "but your allegiance can be swayed elsewhere. I would hate to consider you an enemy. In fact, that is a decision that I would not be able to live with."

"Neither could I," Buffy admitted, and then turned back and closed her eyes. All at once, it seemed, her troubles seemed to dissipate. At least for tonight, she could rest easily.

x-x-x

It was the sound of screaming which drove her from her dreams. She sat up with a sharp gasp, swinging her gaze to the doorway. Legolas was no longer standing there, so there had to be something going on. There was a distant cry and the sound of thundering steps.

"This is just great," she muttered, throwing herself onto her feet and quickly dressing. Reaching for her armor, she was tugging it into position as she left her room behind. From this locale, she could see a faint line of red smoke on the horizon.

The Orcs had made their move.

"Damn it," she muttered, taking her sword and quickly running amidst the Elves who were standing there, gazing fearfully at the fire-line. The last thing she needed there to be was a panic, but these people were far too trusting in their meager defenses to ever believe their city could fall. Legolas was still nowhere in sight and neither were any of the palace guards, she noted. Something seriously bad must be happening.

She was about to move off into the distance when a strange movement caught her eye. It was a small creature and it was running to the south, away from the screams and the sounds of swords clashing. She glanced to the west and saw the smoke and the silhouettes of Elvish archers fighting against the Orc swordsmen. Making her decision, she dashed to the south, trailing after the hideous creature. Two guards luckily took notice and began to follow her.

"We were about to have him moved to a secure locale so that you would be able to take him, my Lady," one of the guards said quickly as Buffy ran before them.

"Lucky me," she snapped. "You'd better hope I catch him and kill him or there won't be much point to this discussion."

"We must inform the Prince immediately," the other guard said in a low voice.

"Do it."

Buffy continued to run, following the sounds of the creature in its desperate attempt to escape his captors. She had finally come to a clearing and she paused. It was suddenly very still even as she trod on the dead leaves which crunched beneath her boots.

There was a sound on the wind, almost like a whisper. As she turned hither and thither, she caught sight of the creature and made to follow it when suddenly there was an icy blast of air which nearly blew her from her feet. The leaves began to spiral around her and the voice in the wind grew louder. She half-recognized it, and with it came the promise of destruction, for both herself and these beings which had been protecting her.

"Son of a—" she muttered, but she felt a great wrenching pain from her head as the sword fell from her grasp, quickly covered by leaves. Hearing the sounds of Elf-folk approaching, she turned to call out to them, saying she was ensnared in some sort of magical trap. This couldn't be happening now. She had a job to do. She had her destiny. There was a war to fight. She couldn't leave now, not when she had made such an oath…

Legolas had been clearing the last hill as he watched the rest of the guards spread out. Once the Orcs had realized that Gollum and the Slayer had escaped, they had withdrawn from their assault and had gone south to await their newest prizes. Little did they know that the Slayer would soon be taken out of the game once and for all.

He had just come to a clearing when he saw her frame twisting in agony. For a moment, he feared that she had been trapped. He heard her scream once and then again, a distant scream quite unlike her normal scream, like the one the Nazgûl cried. There was a great flash of white and then the scream was cut abruptly off as the wind seemed to fade away. The voice in the wind fell to a distant whisper and the leaves fell harmlessly back to the earth.

But the Slayer was no longer there.

x-x-x-x

The next part is sort of the 'what comes next' part.