A/N: Hope you enjoy this update! Thanks for all following and favouriting my story! Let me know what you think x

Chapter 16

After the incident with Boleslaw Emdiril had spent months training, she worked on her endurance by running within the woods, practiced using the blades and swords with Orophin and Rumil during times they were off guard duty and attempted developing more bow and arrow skills. Her relationship with Haldir had remained uncertain, there had been days where he fought for her attention, however there had also been days he avoided her. It utterly confused Emdiril so she had chosen to leave him alone unless he approached her. The Marchwarden had spent the majority of his time at the border, guarding his home. It had helped him keep his thoughts and feelings to himself.

Taking in a deep breath she aimed an arrow at a tree when thoughts of Legolas plagued her mind. He was the elf who had initially taught her how to hold the bow and how to aim back in Greenwood. He was also the elf who had stolen her heart and still held it in his very palms. Her heart felt heavy in her chest at the thought of the elven prince and she closed her eyes, remembering the words Legolas had said when he taught her.

"Something plagues your mind," Rumil observed as he watched on, still waiting for her to fire her arrow. He was slunk against one of the trees in the area.

"I am fine." Emdiril gave him a pointed look before she aimed the arrow once more. She shot the arrow and it landed near the centre of the target.

"Forgive me, mellon…" Rumil said as he approached his friend and took the bow of her. "I have been in deep thought about your bow and arrow training…" he continued.

"A terrible idea," Emdiril joked, earning a laugh from Rumil.

"Usually, yes," he smiled down at her, he had grown quite fond of Emdiril during their training and he saw her as a trusted companion. Emdiril raised a delicate eyebrow, urging Rumil to continue.

"Why do you work with this?" the elf gestured towards the bow in his hand, "When you could work with this?" he poked her forehead. The redhead swatted his hand away from her head, her face scrunched up in disgust.

"Do not poke me as though I am a pet." She warned him in a playful manner.

Rumil gave her a stern look and folded his arms across his chest as she had completely ignored his suggestion.

"To be truthful, I have never looked at things this way," Emdiril admitted. She knew she could move and control objects with her mind but she had not thought about using those powers during combat.

"I suggest you try," Rumil gestured towards the arrows which remained in the quiver. Emdiril's emerald eyes fell upon the arrows and she closed her eyes and concentrated. She slowly lifted her hands upwards resulting in the arrows slowly lifting off the ground. Rumil watched her, amazement evident in his wide eyes. Soon they were surrounded by many sharp arrows floating in the air. Emdiril's eyes flickered with determination as she gestured her hands aiming each arrow at a different tree before shooting them, arrows flying with unmatched speed. Impressed with herself Emdiril sent Rumil a toothy smile and gestured towards the spread out arrows. "Like this?" she asked him, a smile still tugging at her lips.

"Incredible…" Rumil drifted off before a smirk spread across his face, "Your aim is as bad as when you used the bow."

"Rumil!" Emdiril gasped before hitting her friend's chest, laughter escaping them both.

"Why are you here?" Haldir tried, the tone of his voice was softer now. He tilted his head to the side and watched her. Had the circumstances been different, he would have smiled at her stubbornness.

"I am leaving Lothlórien," she replied simply as she glanced away into the far distance. Haldir saw a glimpse of determination and excitement in her eyes and his jaw clenched.

"You cannot," the Marchwarden exclaimed as his eyebrows knitted together in a frown.

"You cannot stop me, Marchwarden," Emdiril growled as she narrowed her eyes at the elf. She once again tried to side-step him and stopped when she felt a hand grab hers. Looking upwards she noticed Haldir's eyes soften and her throat tightened. She had missed him, too. She had longed for him to approach her, but he had stayed away and it had upset her. The redhead believed he would have stayed in her life after she had sustained her injury, but he had abandoned her once more.

"Please, Emdiril…" the elf drifted off, searching for the right words, "Stay. Danger is too great. I am sure the Lady Galadriel does not approve of you travelling by yourself."

"I know my way. I will walk through Drimrill Dale until I find the Gladden River, then follow a path through the mountains…" Emdiril forced a small smile in an attempt to reassure him.

"Orcs are known to travel through the Misty Mountains…" Haldir scrunched up his nose at the thought of those nasty creatures until suddenly his eyes widened in realisation, "You're going- "

"Home." Emdiril interrupted the elf before she averted her gaze once more. While in Lothlórien she had heard many stories about the beauty of her fallen city. The way their people used to co-operate and live in peace with dragons, the way their city was led by beautiful people, her parents.

"I just want to remember…" she looked towards the ground as she pulled her hand away from the elf's. It was many years ago that she had last been there, she had been so young. She barely remembered where she came from and part of her felt disappointed in that fact. The woman had so many questions she needed answers to – What did it look like now? Did other people live there now? Thoughts whirled in her mind and she pressed her lips together, still avoiding the Marchwarden's gaze. She knew he was watching.

He watched her with soft, yet calculating eyes. Trying to understand her point of view was all the proud elf could do and so he took one step out of her way. Emdiril looked at him, her eyes wide in surprise before she looked down the path. Her answers would be there and excitement flooded her being. A smile spread over her face as she looked back at Haldir. Though concern was still evident on his face, he motioned his arm towards the path with a nod, granting her permission to leave. Emdiril returned his nod with one of her own before she started walking up north. This time it was Haldir who watched her disappear within the trees and he sighed softly. A long journey laid ahead.

"That was surprising," Rumil mumbled lowly, his words only intended for his brother Orophin. The two of them still sat in the tops of the trees and had watched the interaction between their brother and the redhead. Orophin snorted and shook his head, a smile tugging at the ends of his lips.

"Oh Rumil," he started, a small laugh escaping his lips, "If you believe that our brother would let her leave on her own, you truly are a fool."

Rumil furrowed his brows before he placed his eyes to the spot Haldir had stood to find that their brother had disappeared.

"Oh…" Rumil said, more to himself as he realised what Orophin had meant.

The wind was whistling around her and Emdiril wrapped her arms around herself in order to keep warm. She had not anticipated the weather to drastically change and she wished she had taken a second cloak with her. Travelling for almost two days straight had made her feel tired, but she knew she could not sleep. Resting for too long would make her vulnerable to threats such as orcs or even trolls. A sigh of relief escaped her as she saw a river in the distance, signalling that her journey would soon be over. She adjusted the belt on her tunic and kept marching on. Her breath was a little shaky due to exhaustion when she arrived at the river. Emdiril felt it was safe to take a small break so she grabbed her flask from her belt to fill it up with water. She knelt down at the edge of the river and used some water to wash her face before she looked to the left. There were several large rocks and the woman felt as though behind them was a good place to hide from any danger. She stood and walked over there. The redhead undid both of her swords on her back before she sat down against one of the rocks, taking a sip of water. Her legs were aching from the walk and Emdiril held back another sigh as she leaned her head against the rock. She could feel the breeze against the bare skin of her face, hear the water running down the river and Emdiril felt at peace.

Emerald eyes snapped open as Emdiril felt something shift in her environment. She thought she had felt someone's presence a few times during her journey, but whenever she had turned around to look for the source, she was met with nothing and no one. Part of her had felt delusional, as though it was her head playing games with her due to the lack of sleep, but she had been sure there was someone or something else out here with her. Shaking her head, she stood up slowly from her position and kept hiding behind the rocks. One of her hands instinctively reached for her dagger as she waited. When Emdiril thought the intruder was close enough, her other hand reached out and grabbed him by the collar, using one leg to trip him up. Moving swiftly and quickly, she straddled her follower and held her dagger to his throat.

Her emerald eyes immediately softened as they met familiar blue ones and her eyebrows furrowed in a frown.

"H-Haldir?" she questioned him, her head tilting to the side. He held his hands up and laid beneath her before he pointed at the dagger at his throat. The distraction worked as Emdiril looked towards her hand and the elf grabbed it firmly, before using his other arm and body weight to flip them over. He held her hands above her head and snorted.

"Poor training. You would have been better off if I had taught you how to fight." Emdiril scoffed and rolled her eyes as the Marchwarden stood up from the ground. He stood above her and extended his arm to aid her which she refused.

"What are you doing here?" annoyance filled her voice, "I did not ask for anyone to follow me." She stood up, still glaring at the elf for his arrogant behaviour.

"You did not have to," Haldir replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

Emdiril scoffed as she turned around on her heel and put the dagger back in its halter. She walked to her hiding place and picked up the swords to place them back on her back and picked up her small bag and flask. She continued walking down the path and through the mountains, completely ignoring the elf's presence. She knew he was still trailing behind her, she could feel him and his presence. She had wanted to be on her own, had wanted to do this for herself and he had ruined it. A soft sigh escaped her – she knew he meant well. However, having one nice interaction did not mean what had happened between them was forgotten.