Chapter 5

Once again they were running. Not that Iris minded the running at the moment. She was tired, but the tiredness helped her from thinking about the situation they were in. Her legs seemed to be running on their own and Iris didn't think about much, except the wind in her face. Far ahead Iris could see a large forest.

After some time Legolas noticed that Sam and Frodo were falling behind. Stopping only so that Aragorn and Boromir could go back and pick the two hobbits up, they continued towards the golden haze that was Lothlórien. Reaching a stream not long after, the company stopped.

Slumping against a tree Iris watched as Gimli and the two youngest hobbits started a small fire and drew water so that Aragorn could tend to Sam and Frodo. While Aragorn cleaned their wounds some of the others prepared the food. Holding up a glittering shirt Aragorn said something, trying to break the tension. But Iris simply closed her eyes and leaned her head back, resting it against the trunk of tree.

"Ya okay, kid?" Wolverine asked softly. Iris opened her eyes and turned her head towards him. He was sitting a few feet away from her with Gambit, who also seemed to be wondering how Iris was coping with it all. Watching them for a moment Iris gave them a reassuring nod.

Once they had eaten, they put the fire out and hid all traces that they had been there.

Three hours later, when night had already fallen, they reached the edge of the Golden Wood. Hesitant to enter the forest Boromir asked if there was no other way.

"What other fairer way would you desire?" Aragorn said. As they continued talking Iris got the feeling that they were being watched. Peering among the trees as the rest talked, Gambit asked her if there was something wrong.

"No, I don't know. There's just something off with this place" Iris said, trying to explain the feeling she had. As Boromir caved in, they walked in to the woods. They had walked a little more than a mile when they came across yet another stream. They heard it splashing over a fall away among the shadows on their right. Wading across the water they settled on the other side, resting and eating a little while Legolas spoke of how the elves of Mirkwood still kept tales of Lothlórien in their hearts. Listening to the sound of the waterfall, Legolas started softly singing a song about the female elf the waterfall was named after. Having sung only a part of the song, Legolas' voice faltered.

"I cannot sing any more" he said. "That is but a part, for I have forgotten much. It is long and sad, for it tells how sorrow came upon Lothlórien, Lórien of the Blossom, when the Dwarves awakened the evil in the mountain"

"But the Dwarves did not make the evil" Gimli said.

"I said not so; yet evil came" Legolas answered sadly. As Legolas continued to talk, Iris reached out with her mind as the feeling she had grew stronger. Scanning the area around them, she found nothing. However, when she reached further she noticed that her suspicion was accurate. She felt the presence of what it seemed like, elves. They didn't seem to be hostile, but it was better to be on the safe side. Putting up her shield Iris sent a mental message to the two X-men, warning them that there were elves nearby, and that there was something on the astral plane, so they should check their mental shields as well.

"Stay close young hobbits! They say there's a great sorceress lives in these woods, an elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under her spell and are never seen again" Gimli said. Noticing that Frodo seemed startled at nothing and was looking around, Iris's theory that there was a telepath nearby was confirmed.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, also noticing the slightly distressed look on Frodo's face. As Sam asked that, Iris reached out to the mind of the elves approaching.

"Well, here is one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" Gimli said. Just as he finished his statement, elves with notched arrows suddenly appeared. They were aiming at everyone, except the three mutants. Iris had made it so that the elves simply 'overlooked' them.

"The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark" one of the blonde elves said, pissing Gimli off. Walking up to the elf that had insulted Gimli, Aragorn bowed and addressed the elf who seemed to be in charge.

"Haldir o Lórien. Henion aníron, boe ammen i dulu lîn. Boe ammen veriad lî." Aragorn said. Having tapped into the language part of Aragorn's mind, Iris could understand what he was saying; Haldir of Lórien, we come here for help. We need your protection.

"Aragorn, these woods are perilous! We should go back" Gimli said.

Taken to a 'flet' or 'talan as the elves called it, the company climbed up on a wooden platform build up in one of trees. When everyone was up on the platform, the golden haired elf in charge turned towards Legolas.

"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion" the elf greeted Legolas. Tapping into Aragorn's mind Iris could translate and understand what was being said. What the elf had said was: 'Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil'.

"Our fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien" Legolas said in return. So that was his name, Haldir. As Iris thought that, Haldir turned towards Aragorn.

"Aragorn of the Dunedain, you are known to us"

"Thank you" Aragorn said, giving Haldir a slight nod.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand" Gimli said, irritated.

"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days" Haldir said coolly in the common language.

"And you know what the Dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul"

"That was not courteous" Aragorn said, a little shocked. Changing the subject, Haldir turned to Frodo, telling him that he was bringing great evil with him.

"We need your protection" Aragorn said seriously to Haldir in elvish. "The road is very dangerous" Looking around, everyone seemed very worried. "Please, understand, we need your support" Aragorn continued. While Aragorn and Haldir talked, Boromir told Frodo that Gandalf's death was not in vain. That he would not have wanted Frodo to give up hope.

"You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead" Boromir said, sympathizing.

"You will follow me" Haldir said once he and Aragorn had finished talking. However, they would have to spend the night up in the talan. Since not all of them could fit in the talan, some would have to climb up in another talan nearby. The four hobbits and Iris were to stay, while the others climbed back down.

As a couple of the elves guided the Men, the Elf, the Dwarf and the Mutants to the other talan, Haldir offered the hobbits and Iris something to eat. The hobbits gladly accepted the second, and far better, dinner. Iris ate a little and wrapped the cloak she had been given around herself. Once they had eaten, the hobbits lay down to sleep. But it was easier said than done, since it turned out that hobbits aren't very fond of heights. And the fact that the talan didn't have any rails or walls didn't help. The only thing it had was a light plaited screen that could be moved and fixed in different places according to the wind.

At last the hobbits one by one fell asleep. Iris sat looking up at the patches of sky through the canopy, hearing the wind blow through the treetop. While she did so, one of the elves returned. Despite being able to move silently, Iris sensed Haldir coming and turned her head towards the hole in the talan. No longer holding up the illusion of having normal eyes, Iris startled Haldir. He blinked a few times before climbing up through the hole. Iris followed him with her eyes as he moved to the other end of the talan, right across from her. Growing tired of him staring at her, Iris spoke.

"I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that" she said quietly. As a few moments passed, Haldir nodded. He even moved a little closer to risk talking to her; after all, she hadn't said a word so far. And if Aragorn, a man in Lady Galadriel's favour, trusted her enough to let her join him, surely she couldn't be that bad…

"How is it that you are here?" he whispered, not wanting to wake the hobbits. Iris stared out into space for a while before answering that she didn't know. He asked if they by any chance rescued her from the enemy or so. He said that they had heard from the messenger from Rivendell that there was a company of coming, but they had said nothing about a woman coming as well.

"I don't know about this Rivendell, but we meet the others only a few days ago. About a day before we went into the…" Iris said, her voice faltering at the memories of the mines.

"The mines?" he asked. Iris nodded. Thankfully he dropped the subject of the mines and asked her about her eyes. "How is it possible? You had normal eyes before"

"Let's just call it magic" Iris said, giving him a faint smile. After thinking a little, Iris started to feel the urge to eat some comfort-food. Grabbing her bag, she carefully opened it and brought out a chocolate bar from her little stash.

Haldir watched as the girl brought out some strange kind of bar from her bag. She opened the wrapping and took a bite of the thing inside. Closing her eyes she let the chocolate melt in her mouth, sighing. Ah yes, this is what she needed. Opening her eyes again, Iris saw that Haldir was watching her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You want some?" she said, offering him a piece of her precious chocolate. Haldir eyed the bar Iris was holding. "Come on, just take a bite. It's just chocolate"

Taking the bar of chocolate, Haldir cautiously smelled it before actually taking a bite. Taking Iris advice, he let the piece of chocolate melt a bit in his mouth.

"Good, isn't it…" Iris said, smiling knowingly. Well, it tasted, different. It wasn't that bad, but it was nothing he had eaten earlier, and he had lived for a few thousand years. Talking for some while, Iris grew more and more tired. Wrapping the fur cloak given to her by the elves, she laid down to sleep.

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Author's Note: It might seem like I have been neglecting this story to some, but be asured that I have no intentions to do so. I have been busy with university and such, but I have been writing on future chapters and am currently plotting though TTT. Enjoy and remember your little friend, the purple button.