Second chapter to the new story. I hope you guys are liking it so far!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Lord of the Rings.

Chapter 2: Journey to the City

Ana's hand were bound and a rope was tied around Sadie's collar as she walked with the evil guy, as she took to calling the man that hurt her wrist. The guy that spoke kindly to her and showed her where the ladder was walked behind her and led Sadie. Ana tried to tug at the rope that was wrapped around her wrists, the binding was too tight and made her left wrist ache even more than it already did from the evil guy's death grip.

"How much further?" she asked tiredly. Evil guy seemed to have no problem walking forever, but Ana was growing tired. Evil guy didn't answer and in the hours that they had been walking she figured out they couldn't speak English and she hadn't the slightest idea what language they did speak. She closed her eyes briefly as she walked and found out that that was a big mistake when she tripped over a rock or a tree root, what she didn't know for sure and fell the ground. Sadie barked and Ana sighed tiredly before she spit the leaves from her mouth and slowly moved to her knees. She felt Sadie's wet nose on her palms as they were tired behind her. The kinder of the two spoke quickly to evil guy and she heard him sigh. She looked up at him and he smirked at her before he pulled her to her feet.

"I do not care if she is tired, Rumil," Haldir said sternly. "We are nearly to Caras Galadhon, she can continue." He steadied her and he noticed the dirt on her clothes and face thanks to the fall. He adjuster her arms so she was standing up straight and as he did so, he noticed her wince and she whimpered slightly.

"Haldir, her bindings are too tight. You've already injured her wrist, why aggravate it?" Rumil asked tired of the way his brother was treating the woman when she had done nothing but appear in the trees. Haldir met her eyes again, however, unlike the last time there were no tears and she glared at him. She spoke in her sharp language and shook his hands from her shoulders. He raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head and looked at his brother.

"She is fine. We continue." No more words were shared between the three that walked. Haldir listened to the woman behind him. They were only a few more hours from the city and her breaths were becoming labor some. He had increased the pace of their walk and he knew she would probably collapse from exhaustion once they were within the city. A part of him wanted to stop and let her rest, but the majority of him pushed that thought aside and continued on. However, he stopped when he heard her fall once again. With a roll of his eyes he turned around to see what she had fallen over that time only to see her sitting on the ground. She spoke in her sharp language and he winced slightly. "Get up," he said and she looked at him. She spoke again and he sighed as he stepped over to her. He picked her up and put her on her feet. "You will walk now!" He looked her over and saw her forehead was damp from sweat and her skin was hot to his touch and her face was deeply flushed.

"If I don't get either some rest or water, I'm going to pass out," Ana said as she looked up at him after he finished scanning her. He just looked at her and she wanted to cry. She wanted to know what gave him the power to make her want to hit him and then make her want to cry. "Please," she whispered and she saw something in his eyes. Evil guy sighed and looked back at the other man who was looking at them curiously. Evil guy spoke quickly and Ana looked back at the other guy and saw him smile briefly before he nodded. Evil guy looked at her and pointed to where she had just been sitting. Ana gave a nod before she sat back down.

She twisted her wrists to try and get some feeling back in her left one. Evil guy asked her a question and she looked up at him. "I thought we established that I don't understand you and you don't understand me," she said tiredly. He asked her the question again and she sighed.

"Haldir," he said as he pointed to himself. "Rumil," he said as he pointed to the other. It clicked then what he was trying to do. He was telling her their names.

"Ana," she said clearly. "My name is Ana."

"Ana," evil guy, or Haldir, said. Her name sounded weird coming from him, but he said it nonetheless. She nodded. He looked to Rumil and spoke quietly. For a moment the coldness seemed to disappear from his face as he spoke with the other man. She didn't get the pair, they weren't men she knew that for sure, their ears were pointed like elves, but they were tall, at least six inches taller than her and she stood 5'5½". Haldir was cold and distant with her, even acted as though he hated her and she had yet to do anything to him. Rumil, however, was kind and to her it seemed like he tried to reason with Haldir to be easier on her, but that could have been her imagination.

"Sadie," she whispered and the dog slowly made its way to her. Rumil had let go of the rope and she was free to move. Sadie nudged Ana's face and Ana sighed as she armlessly hugged her dog. If anything, Sadie was going to be her piece of reality in the mess she was in. Deep down, she thought that she tripped when she went to look for Sadie and she was dreaming everything, but with each ache and each scrape from various branches made her believe that it was all too real.

"Ana," Haldir said and she looked up at him. He spoke again only to have the coldness return to his face. She looked at the other man who shook his head at the other. Haldir pulled her up and she winced again.

"You really need to stop doing that," she said dryly, but knew he didn't understand.

As the woman, Ana, sat cuddling with her animal Haldir turned to his brother. "Are you having a change of heart about her, Haldir?" Rumil asked. Haldir scoffed.

"No, but if we would have continued one of us would have had to carry her the rest of the way," Haldir said. He found his eyes moving to the woman again.

"It seems you cannot stop watching her," Rumil teased. Haldir's eyes snapped to Rumil.

"She is to be guarded at all times, why would I not watch her?" Rumil shook his head.

"You are an elf, brother, or did you forget? You can sense her before she even breathes; there is no need to keep your eyes on her." Haldir glared at his brother and turned back to the woman.

"Ana," he said and she looked at him. "We move," he said as he walked over and lifted her from the ground. She winced again and spoke. Her tone was dry, and the sigh that followed the words he knew that she was probably telling him something he didn't really want to hear in the first place.

He nudged her shoulder and the small group made their way to the city, all the while Rumil laughing to himself at his new found ability to get under his brother's skin.