Disclaimer: Yes! I own EVERYTHING you THINK belongs to JRR Tolkien...mwahahaha! Okay, okay, okay. I own nothing. NOTHING. Well, I do own the lint in my pockets, but that's still about it.

A/N: YAY! I got a review! I'm so happy! THANKYOU! This is also the chapter that clears up some of the mystery that surrounds the reason why the crew is on the run. Enjoy!

Pixie-person: Yay! My first review! I feel special now (broad grin). Yes, Legolas still has responsabilities back home in merry old Mirkwood, and since he is gone, it falls to his faithful companions...hahaha. I wrote the end of this chapter just for you. Hope you like it!

Chapter Six:

That evening, the Seahawk bobbed easily on the calm sea, drifting only as the currents would take her.

Erin sat on the railing at the prow of the ship, leaning against the forecastle. Sounds of laughter drifted to her on the breeze, the men enjoying a relaxing evening with the taps flowing.

The sun sank into the west, turning the sky into a palate of many-hued reds, oranges, and yellows. She closed her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that caressed her face, salt scenting the wind.

Taking a sip of whisky from the mug she held loosely in her hand, leaning her head against the wood behind her, Erin felt relaxed for the first time in a while. She heard soft footsteps, barely audible, and knew who it was.

"What can I do for yeh, Master Legolas?" She opened her eyes, looking up at the Elf with her piercing gaze.

"There is talk that we are sailing in uncharted waters," he said softly.

The deep, bottomless green eyes searched his face, seeming to bare his soul in their intensity, gleaming in the silver moonlight.

" 'Uncharted waters' says yeh," she drawled. "Uncharted accordin' t' who?"

Legolas floundered for a moment. "The crew," he hedged at last.

"Ah, my crew," she nodded. "Accordin' t' some, we be in strange waters. T' others, our exact position is known."

The Elf's face was expressionless.

The young captain sighed. "Nae map is th' same, yeh ken," she began. "Each sailor has a different area mapped, for each hails from a different port. So, my map says we be lost, but my private charts know exactly where we are- right on course. Yeh ken?"

Legolas nodded. "So you know where this ship is at?" Erin nodded.

"Aye." She looked out over the water thoughtfully. "Aye, we are right on course," the youth said, almost to herself. "And there are nae signs o' anyone behind us."

"Who would be following, and for what reason?" he blurted out.

Erin looked out at the water again, pain in her eyes, anger making them glint. "Anyone after th' price on my head," she replied, looking straight at Legolas as she spoke, holding no shame or remorse in her tone nor features.

"You are an outlaw?"

She nodded, the pain still in her eyes. "Aye."

"How?"

"I killed a man, two, t' be exact," she replied clinically.

He remembered the pirate attack, and was not surprised that she had killed before. The cool indifference with which she had gone about killing the pirates had almost made him cold, and the battle lust in her eyes that day, he fought back a shiver that threatened to run down his spine. But he knew that he, too, was just as cold, and the battle lust shone just as bright in his own eyes.

"They must have been important men for you to have been proclaimed an outlaw," he commented.

"Aye, th' sons o' a Sassenach earl," she replied in a low voice. She saw the question in his eyes that he left unasked. "They killed my brother."

"I'm sorry," Legolas said.

"Did yeh know him?" Erin asked, almost demanding.

"No," he answered, taken aback.

"Then why are yeh sorry?"

Legolas was silent for a moment. "What was his name?"

Erin felt physical pain as memories washed over her, and she mourned her brother's death truly for the first time. Only a tear had she shed for him in the almost six months he had been dead, and she felt her throat constrict painfully. Her eyes burned, as if on fire, and she could hardly speak for the ache in her throat.

"Jamie," she choked out quietly at last. "My twin's name was Jamie." A single tear traced a damp streak down her tanned cheek, and she quickly dashed it away with the back of her fist. Clearing her throat, she took a swig of her whisky, then looked back out over the ocean, letting Legolas know that his time of speaking was over. Obeying her unspoken command, he went back into the galley, suddenly in need of more of the fiery liquor with the odd, salty tang that did not flavor the drinks of his homeland.

Meanwhile, back in Middle-Earth...

"Legolas? Legolas!" Aragorn shouted, searching the forest for his friend. The Elf-prince had been missing for several weeks, and it was growing increasingly difficult to cover his vanishing. If his father, Thranduil, King of Mirkwood, found out...Aragorn shook his head, his mind shuddering away from the thought. No, it would not be good if the King found out his only son was missing.

"Legolas! This isn't funny anymore!" Elladan's voice drifted through the sun-dappled trees towards the left to the Man. The Elf-lord and his twin, Elrohir, were searching their own section of Lórien, the Wizard Gandalf to Aragorn's right.

The passing thought of how easy it would be to pull a prank on the twins brought a frown to the Man's face. If Legolas had been there, it would have been different, but he wasn't. No one knew even where he was at.

It was all his fault, Aragorn knew. If he hadn't of goaded Gandalf into sending him across Lórien, none of this would ever have happened.

Sighing, the heir of Gondor went back to searching, hoping that soon Legolas would be found. He was sorely missed by both his friends and by the Galadhrim, his skill with a bow against the Orcs only an added incentive to find the Prince.

A/n (sings) ...And another one bites the dust! Sorry, I have been listening to Queen alot while I posted this, can you tell? lol. Another chapter, finished, complete, done. Drinks all around! I am still looking for someone to co-write and/or proof this fiction for me...I think it's an unknown written part of Murphy's Law that states that no matter how many times you spell and grammer check something, there will always be errors that you don't see until it's too late. Well, I hope this chapter is to y'all's satisfaction, and please, review! I like hearing what you awesome people think about my stuff. So, just click that little button on the bottom, left-hand side of the screen...And, hey, I take bribes! The more y'all review, the faster I'll post, lol.