A very great big thank you to all my reviewers. Glad you enjoyed my story. Note is that I have written the first part of this story some time ago, and I have since learnt a few other things about Lord of the Rings…. But thanks for your correction ,u don't need to know, I urge you all to correct me if you come across some mistakes. Sorry for the long time I have taken to update but I am a busy a lot lately… Thank you for your kind reviews and patience.- Alison (AllieScic)

Chapter 4 – To Fangorn

As the first rays of the sun gave Elrond's palace a golden colour, Evanwyn got ready to leave. Nemenia, her personal maid , who came with Lord Eolder's entourage on the journey braided her hair . She wore her riding dress and gathered a few necessities into a leather bag. Afterwards, she bid farewell to Nemenia, Arwen and Eowyn and hurried outside where Legolas , Gimli and Aragorn where already mounting horses provided by Elrond himself. Evanwyn mounted her own horse, Andaloth when she heard a familiar voice amidst the crowd which gathered to see them go.

The princess dismounted her horse and approached her father, who in turn embraced her and wished her luck. With one last look, she turned and joined the others. Lord Eolder glanced at Legolas, who nodded in turn. At that time, Gandalf riding Shadowfax approached the four of them .

"Head straight to Fangorn Forest. I already sent word to the hobbits, they'll be waiting for you at the edge of the forest , tomorrow at dusk . Afterwards, go to Lorien, I'll be waiting for you there in the company of the Lord and the Lady of the Woods." With these words, the wizard waved to the crowd and rode away towards the horizon until he was only a relatively small speck in the distance.

Aragorn, Gimli and the two elves set out soon after Gandalf, at the direction of the ancient forest. Gimli trying without succession, to maintain balance on his horse, rode beside Aragorn, mainly to avoid Legolas's taunts and comments. But the elf was more concerned about his elven friend, who was riding untroubled as if nothing had happened, the night before.

"Are you sure you're allright? " Legolas asked her, his face full of concern, but the princess just shrugged and smiled at him.

" Oh yes, I'm fine, don't you worry. I'm far away from him now. Stop worrying now!", she said as she rode closer to him and placed a small hand on his arm as a sign of reassurance. Evanwyn then stroked her horse's mane and Andaloth trotted forward under his mistress' caress. Legolas stared at her, touching the place where her hand rested, a few seconds earlier and feeling strange warmth flowing through his body.

At noon, the four companions stopped for a rest on a hill, overlooking most of the land. The sun was high in the sky and as the dwarf began his constant nagging about food, they agreed that a rest would be most appropriate. They let the horses graze on the grass and Legolas and Gimli sat down for a small snack while Evanwyn took out her sword and practiced a little aided by Aragorn. He praised the princess and showed her the right way to hold her sword.

"Want some? " Legolas asked Gimli while offering the dwarf some of the Lembas bread they had stored for their voyage. "I don't need any of your elven food " said Gimli proudly, eyeing the bread .

"Fine, suit yourself .. but it's the only food we have left" said the elf . At those words Gimli came to his senses and for a moment forgot his beloved pride. He laid down his ax and said:

"Well, it wouldn't do any harm if I tasted some.." But Legolas had not any time to respond, Aragorn was on his knees, his ear pressed firmly to the ground. Evanwyn looked at him bewildered and Legolas approached him questioningly.

"Orcs , many of them, heading this way" Aragorn said between breaths to the three surprised faces before him. He advised them to crouch beside him and look over the plain, so they could see every movement but still be invisible to any enemy. Soon afterwards, a small troop of Uruk-hai passed just underneath the ledge where they lay breathlessly.

When they lost sight of the ugly creatures, Evanwyn stood up and with a slightly shaken voice suggested that they should warn villages on their way to Fangorn Forest. The Company continued their journey, in silence. The sight of the Uruks was not a rare one these days, especially for Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn but when they each thought about the destruction, these monstrous creatures could create amongst innocent people, they felt shaken with just the concept of it.

When they saw a tiny glimpse of the first village, they practically galloped towards the habitual place. The village was habited by Rohan citizens and these were surprised to see two elves, a man and a dwarf ride through their quiet village. A rough looking man even brought a sickle near Gimli's horse, which resulted in the horse being restless and the dwarf tumbling to the ground. However, Aragorn explained their brief visit as quickly as possible and the people seemed to believe him as they began packing all their belongings while debating where was the best place for shelter.

The four travelers continued with their journey and throughout the day they raised the alarm in several other villages. As the sun began to set, the company saw something blazing in the distance. They rushed towards the fire and to their great dismay, realized they were too late . The Dark Lord had reached the village and destroyed it. Gimli , went into the half-burnt houses in a vain attempt to find at least one person alive. Aragorn uttered a strong cry and knelt to the ground feeling failure overcome him for at least the hundredth time since they left Rivendell, while a stricken-faced Legolas, pulled the princess in his arms, who was now crying uncontrollably.

As the day grew dark, they began to look for a place of shelter. With a heavy heart, they spent the night in a cave and as they were all very tired, they slept soundly huddled together to avoid the freezing chill in the air. They awoke the next morning, at dawn and after regaining their strength, they set off to Fangorn Forest. The day passed quickly. Legolas and Aragorn led the way while the dwarf told the princess, every story he had learned about the ancient forest. Evanwyn listened eagerly as she was always fascinated by the legends and myths of Middle-Earth. Every now and then, the blond head in front of her would turn and smile at her and she wondered why Legolas was extra protective of her on this journey then ever before.

The princess was not the only one, to have noticed Legolas' glances towards herself. Aragorn looked at the elf riding beside. Legolas was often particularly quiet but judging from the looks the elf was giving to the princess, Aragorn sensed something.

"How long have you known her?" Aragorn said looking directly at the elf and searching for information in his bright eyes. The elf looked startled and looked at Aragorn questioningly.
Aragorn repeated the question and after a slightly tensed pause, the elf replied.

"Well, I vividly recall the first time I saw her. My father and I visited Eldorien and I met her there. We've been friends ever since and I found out that under her graceful appearance she has a stout heart and is very brave. She grew up with 3 older brothers, who constantly adored her. Gal-adar was especially fond of her. Pity is that she lost them all" Legolas tone seemed to change as he recalled Evanwyn's stricken face when she had learnt about her brothers' death. He had seen it all and had held her in his arms as she mourned her brothers' deaths.

Aragorn felt pity for the princess and he looked at her. She was laughing at Gimli's antics unaware that Aragorn and Legolas were talking about her. She sensed Aragorn's eyes on her and smiled at him.

" How did they die? " Aragorn inquired, turning back to Legolas.

"They were slain in a battle against orcs, while defending fair Eldorien. Lord Eolder returned home with only the bodies of the older and younger sons, Veroniel and Elesder. However, Gal-adar's body was not found and he was assumed dead because he didn't return home. The shadow lingered in the valley of Eldorien and soon afterwards, Evanwyn's mother, Queen Evalien died of a broken heart, having experiencing the loss of her three sons at one time. "

Aragorn felt at loss of words and the two companions continued their journey silently, listening to Gimli's tales and the princess' frequent laugh. As the land that stretched before them took a reddish colour and the nightly chill began to increase, the four companions reached a high ridge. They stared at the vast land before them and they could clearly see that Fangorn Forest was now very close. Aragorn turned to Gimli who was now finding difficulty again to adjust balance on his own horse and rushed to his aid while the princess approached Legolas who was leading the company, faithfully to where they were all heading.

"Legolas," she called him in a soft voice as she searched his face for an explanation of his silence. He looked at her, and it seemed to her that his eyes shone even brighter than they were. "Is everything fine? "she inquired, "You seem kind of distant" .

"Well, you seemed perfectly busy with Gimli, a while ago" he told her sternly as he broke the gaze between them and looked ahead. However, he couldn't resist not taking a peek at the princess' face. She was unsurprisingly shocked at Legolas' reply and hunged her head. Legolas stern face softened into a smile which immediately led to a hearty laugh. Evanwyn looked at him slightly annoyed with him for succeeding to trick her and shoved him playfully. His laugh lingered on his lips and seeing this Evanwyn started to laugh too. Suddenly, something brushed against Evanwyn's horse and the two friends stopped laughing, only to start once again when they saw that Gimli's horse had done a runner and was dragging the poor dwarf with him, at the forest's direction, which was now standing majestically before them.

Aragorn reached Evanwyn's side, laughing at the sight of the dwarf and Evanwyn smiled to herself as she saw the two warriors on either side of her, laugh at this time of war. Suddenly, to her surprise, two small figures came running out of the forest, right to Gimli's side who was now on the ground, muttering in a language she could not understand. Legolas and Aragorn smiled to each other sprang from their horses and walked cautiously to the small children-like figures. These little people ran to Aragorn and Legolas and they could be heard squealing with excitement as Aragorn knelt to hug them and Legolas petted one of them on his back, while he smiled at him.

The princess dismounted Andaloth and approached the cheerful sight. The small figures had a peculiar appearance. They were short in size, even shorter than Gimli and they were clad in grey and green robes. They wore no shoes and their feet were big and furry. However, they had kind, smiling faces and Evanwyn, felt herself attracted to them. "Merry, Pippin! " said Legolas, "This is Princess Evanwyn, my best friend"