A/N: Okies... all in favor of murdering the authoress say I!

Orli: I!!!

Me: Orli doesn't count!

Orli: ~curses~

Me: Well, the reason of you murdering me (or wanting to) is because I haven't updated in about...almost two months... I'M REALLY SORRY! I seriously found writers block hell in this chapter, and alas! Homework was doubled in the past few weeks! Now that I have a pretty week of nothing to do (and I mean NOTHING) I can update a whole bunch! ~cheer~

Orli: And her being home means ~sigh~ MORE of her friends ogling me.

Me: One is coming over tonight.

Orli: Again?

Me: Oh, and my new favorite reviewer Candy_Is_Yum (luv ya!) says that Lucky Charms is bad for your complexion... so you get Wheatabix now! ~evil laughter~

Orli: Noooooooo! Save me!!!!

Disclaimer: Orli is mine, not Kate's... MUAH HA HAAA!!! And oh, Fanya's mine too... MUAH HA HAAA! The rest belongs to Tolkien... MUAH HA- wait...

Chapter 21:

It was sunset, and Fanya sat quietly in the lonely oak tree outside of Ana's house. Only the flowers surrounded it as company. Fanya's legs dangled down, straddling the branch, and her back was resting on the thick trunk. Her eyes scanned the horizon, with it's dramatic oranges, reds, golds, and purples. She wondered whether her father was watching the sunset...whether Legolas was seeing the sunset. She closed her eyes for a minute, breathing in the cooling air, finding herself at peace. Finally, after days of worrying, she was calm.

A quiet voice spoke from the ground. "Fanya?"

Fanya's eyes were drawn from the sunset down to the ground. "Yes, Terra?"

"What are you doing up there?" she asked innocently.

"I'm thinking." Fanya replied, stealing a glance at the rapidly sinking sun.

"'Bout what?"

"About things..."

"About your daddy?"

"Well, no. I was thinking about Lothlórien."

"Lotfatdanethien?" the girl looked confused, it was so adorable.

"Loth-lór-i-en," Fanya said slowly. "it's a forest where elves live."

"Oooooh. Do YOU live there? YOU'RE an elf!"

Fanya chuckled, "No, little one. I do not live there." She snuck another look at the sun, which by now had completely disappeared below the horizon. "Terra, would you mind too much if I left here?" Fanya asked, jumping down to the flowered ground. She knew what she would miss most was Terra, and she wanted to make sure that Terra would be okay with her leaving.

"Why would you do that?" Terra asked, as if it was a stupid question with an obvious answer, although there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. "You grew up here, don't you like it?"

Fanya thought for a moment. She didn't exactly like it here; that was easy to answer. Humans were so stuffy; they didn't really appreciate space like elves do. She missed the forests of Mirkwood.

"Terra, I cannot stat here, it is not my home anymore." She knelt down and grasped Terra's tiny hands in hers. "I promise that I will come back to you, to visit. For you still have many years to live." Fanya was afraid that the little girl would cry for her to not leave... that would probably make Fanya feel guilty and stay.

Fanya kissed the girl's forehead. "Come, you need to go to bed, it is getting late," Terra nodded solemnly, and held the Half Elf's hand, as they walked back to Ana's house, where they met Gerin and Ana.

"Terra, dear, what is wrong?" Gerin asked, looking concerned for her daughter, (who was shuffling her feet, her head staring at her feet, which was making Fanya begin to feel very guilty.)

Terra mumbled something that only Fanya was able to catch. "Fanya is leaving..."

"What, dear?"

"Fanya is leaving." Terra muttered sadly, staring at the same spot on the floor.

Ana turned her eyes on Fanya, gazing at her as if to ask 'is she right?', which Fanya nodded to. "But why?" Ana asked. "You have been here only a day!"

"Gondor is lovely, but it is not my home. Home is where my heart is, and though part of it is here, with you, Gerin, and Terra, the majority of it is in Mirkwood, with my father. I am sorry, but I feel I need not stay longer that is needed." Fanya said, starting to regret leaving people she loved behind. All three of the humans wore sad faces, and Terra's eyes were getting misty.

"Fanya, just know that we love you, and you are always welcome back." Fanya nodded, and turned, smiling to Terra.

"Thank you, Ana. Terra? Do you want me to put you to bed?" Terra nodded, wiping her eyes, and jumping into Fanya's arms. Fanya bent a little so it was easier for the little girl. She laughed, and kissing Terra's forehead brought her into her room. She set her down on the small wooden bed.

"Fanya?" Terra whispered as she snuggled into the pillow.

"Yes, Terra?" Fanya replied softly, bringing the covers up to cover the girl's body.

"Could you sing me a song? In Elvish?" She asked, her voice starting to slow in her fatigue.

Fanya sang her a song about sunsets. The girl's breathing slowed eventually, and a little snore came from her mouth. Fanya whispered, "Terra, I promise I will come back to see you. I promise," she kissed the girl's forehead again and walked silently out of the room.

"Ana?" she said, as she emerged into the room where Ana and Gerin still stood silently.

"That was a lovely song you sang to Terra, Fanya," Gerin complimented.

"Thank you," Fanya replied. "Ana?" she repeated, gazing worriedly at her sister.

"Yes, Fanya?" she replied, turning her attention to Fanya.

"I regret leaving you again, I really do, but you must understand, being here brings back memories that I rather never surfaced." Fanya told her sincerely.

"Fanya, I do not blame you. I won't say that I understand you're situation, because I have lived her my whole life, and I see no problem with it, but as you know an other life, I could not force you to abandon it", Ana smiled sweetly at her.

"Gerin, it has been a pleasure meeting you and your daughter. I will never forget either of you," Fanya hugged her niece, then her sister.

Fanya went into her room, gathered her belongings quietly and stuffed them into her bag. She went back into the main room, where Gerin and Ana were talking. She gave them both a hug again, thanked them for their hospitality. She gave a last wave before walking out of the door.

~^~

The journey out of Gondor and through the endless plains was uneventful. The guards gave her a friendly wave as she left the last circle of Gondor, and she graced them with a smile... She didn't think they got many smiles as a guard.

Morion was a fast horse and she bore Fanya swiftly to Lothlorien. Fanya would sing little traveling songs to herself and Morion when she had nothing else to do. She was really in no hurry to get to Lothlorien, for she had no other plans in what to do or where to go.

It took her about two weeks to travel to Lothlorien. As Morion galloped up a final hill, Fanya gently stopped her and gazed into the valley below. It was a blanket of green trees unlike any other realm. Mirkwood was dark and had creatures haunting every silent step you took. Not like Rivendell, which is a valley of peaceful glory and celebration. Lothlorien had a certain beauty that you could not put your finger on. It was so peaceful and untouched by evil that it took your breath away. It looked new, yet had a certain timeless feel that you could not identify. Each and every tree was one of its own, but still looked like it belonged in a group. It was all so amazing that Fanya stopped breathing, and only when her horse snorted as if to say 'Are we going?' did she remember where she was.

She nudged Morion into a slow amble and slowly descended the hill. As she entered the forest, the trees seemed to envelop her. The magic around her almost seemed to magically enclose her mind, so she thought nothing of departing from the magical forest. She remembered something that her father told her once: 'Magic is a mind trick,' he had said. Somehow, she found she could finally relate to it.

"Traveler from abroad, what brings you here?" spoke a voice from above her. Down dropped a blonde haired elf from a tree, followed by two more elves looking quite like him.

"Heru en amin, I come for travels sake, if for any reason at all." She replied, bowing. "My name is Fanya Helyan, and I am an elf of Mirkwood."

"Fanya, are you related to Linque Helyan?" the blonde elf on the left spoke.

"Uma. He is my father." Fanya replied.

"My name is Orophin." The same elf replied. "These are my brothers Rumil and Haldir," he said, gesturing to the right and middle elves."

"Mae govannen," Fanya said bowing again.

"Come. We will take you to the heart of the wood," Haldir said to her, beckoning for her to follow the three of them.

Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin were honorable elves. Haldir, she learned, was Chief Marchwarden of the Galadhrim. He was quiet and serious, and slow to trust. His sharp eyes, Fanya presumed, were from centuries of guarding, and his chiseled figure with strong muscles were probably from fighting and protecting. Haldir was the oldest out of his brothers.

Rumil was very friendly, but slow to trust like his brother. She learned he was one of the Guard as well, but he was not as brave as either of his brothers and was not called to duty as often. He looked very much like his brother, though he had not the sharp eyes. Rumil was the middle child, but very close in age to the younger brother.

The last brother, Orophin, was like in appearance, but not in spirit. He was quickly a friend and she could see that he dealt out trust as if they were playing cards. He was humorous, witty, intelligent, and friendly. Fanya was most attracted to this brother, the youngest one, and though it was not a romantic attraction, she could tell he would be a friend.

Haldir led the group down paths and through the beautiful forest. Fanya had lost what ever tense feelings she had felt earlier, and was chatting lightly with Orophin.

"You said that you were from Mirkwood. What's it like?"

"Creepy, dark, spider-infested, but still home. I presume that it would be lovely to live there if all of the evil wasn't there." Fanya answered thoughtfully.

"I've never been there, although I would love to go." Orophin answered.

Their conversation continued on for quite a long time. Amazingly, Fanya found that there were almost no lags in conversation. Her and Orophin seemed to have a lot in common.

Hours and hours of walking (Morion ambling behind the group,) brought the party to the outer part of Lothlorien. Haldir guided the group of them into the city. "Orophin, Rumil." He addressed his two brothers. "I have to return to the post. Orophin, can you take our lady guest to temporary quarters?" Haldir asked. Fanya was still quite surprised at his formality... had they not just spent the last couple hours in each other's presence? Haldir was averting his eyes from Fanya and he quickly bowed himself out of the party.

Fanya looked at Rumil and Orophin questioningly. Both of them shrugged. Rumil excused himself, muttering about going to meet someone, and that left Fanya and Orophin. "I guess it's just us," Orophin laughed. "Come on, I'll show you to the area where guests stay.

The two of them walked side by side quietly. Fanya was still wondering about Haldir's actions. When she ran that by Orophin he laughed and waved it aside.

"My dear brother always has mood swings. Just ignore it, mellonamin." He advised. But Fanya could not stop thinking of it... Orophin guided her to a little glade. It was not quite a house; it had no roof or protection except a few little places where trees hung low and densely. It was at ground level, not a talan, which were up in the trees. It was quite a big area, about 50 yards across both ways. She asked about this, and Orophin chuckled. "Sometimes, we have so many guests that residents have to give up their talans for quite a while," but he said that it had not happened in quite a while. "Just make yourself comfortable, and sleep wherever you want to. I don't expect many people will be coming for a while, although, we have a few guests as it is."

"Where can I bathe?" she asked politely. "I feel disgusting," she added, with a bit of humor. Orophin pointed at the other end of the enclosure.

"Past those two trees is a hot spring which guests use. There are cloths to dry off around the area." Fanya thanked Orophin and turned around, but he stopped her gently. "How about I come around later and take you to dinner," he suggested.

"Sounds great, thanks." Fanya smiled and dropped her stuff beside a tree root, and walked over to the two trees that Orophin pointed out. Behind them, steaming, was an enormous hot spring. Fanya stripped herself of her dirty clothing that she had been wearing for what seemed forever. She had left Gondor in such a hurry that she had not washed her clothing as she intended to. So, instead of leaving them in a pile on the side of the spring, she carried them in with her, knowing that at the bottom of the spring was probably a bunch of dirt anyways...

She stepped into the spring and felt instantly relaxed. 'It must be something in the water...' she thought. She waded into a relatively deep part of the pool and started to rub her body clean. When she had cleaned herself as thoroughly as she could, she waded back over to where her clothes were sitting, and grabbed her tunic. She dipped it into the water and watched as an amazing explosion of dirt erupted from the small piece of clothing. When she had managed to get out quite a bit of the dirt, she held it up and squeezed most of the water out of it. Holding it up, she was amazed that there was actually a color under all of that grime. She repeated the same process with the rest of her clothing, and lay them all out on rocks so that the afternoon sun might dry them.

When she had gotten out of the hot spring and wrapped a towel around her, she stepped back between the trees and found a dress folded neatly over her pack. She picked it up and held it up, examining it closely. Pinned to it was a note.

'Fanya- I didn't want to give you this in person, you may have not been decent. This is a simple dress that I bought for you, because I knew that you did not have anything nice to wear to dinner. -Orophin'

"Well, that's sweet of him," Fanya muttered to herself. The dress was just a plain white gown, with little to no pattern or uniqueness. Fanya dropped the towel on the ground and slipped on the dress. It wasn't a perfect fit, and it was a bit longer than she would have preferred, but it made her feel positively ethereal. There was a sort of elegance in it that she couldn't explain, quite like everything else in this forest.

"Lle naa vanima," a voice spoke from behind her. She turned and saw that Orophin was smiling at her.

"Diolla lle, mellonamin." She smiled at him.

He walked over to her and playfully offered his arm to her, bowing and looking very serious. He plastered a funny accent on his voice and said, "May I take you to dinner, Arwenamin," Fanya laughed and Orophin dropped the mien, laughing along with her.

"Of course, Heruamin." She said, taking his elbow. They both walked out of the glade giggling.

~^~

For the first time in forever she actually felt like she had eaten her fill. In Mirkwood, she got by on a fair amount of food. Traveling, she ate lembas, which got quite boring after a while. In Gondor, she felt so shut- in, in the stuffy world of humans. Fanya, Orophin, Haldir, and Rumil, as well as Rumil's wife, Vanithil, ate dinner together that night.

That night, after all of the meal was resting peacefully in their stomachs, the group spent the rest of the night laughing away and telling jokes. Fanya quite enjoyed their company, but something there were some things that were just a bit unsettling. Haldir would not take his eyes off of her. As Orophin was pouring the last of the wine bottle into her glass, she politely asked to be excused. She threw a glance at Orophin, who excused himself as well. Haldir started to rise from his chair, but Rumil grabbed his arm and forced him back into his chair.

"Haldir, sit! We are not yet finished!" He said. Fanya silently thanked him. As they left the talan and climbed down the ladder, Orophin asked, "Fanya, pray tell. What is wrong?"

Fanya sighed, thinking of all of the wrong that had been going on in the world. The war, Haldir, Legolas... It was all very confusing... "Nothing, I just... needed to get some air."

"Well, now that we're out of that boredom-chamber, lets say that we have some fun." Orophin said. Fanya raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"Fun? Orophin. It's nearing midnight!" she exclaimed.

"Well, that's when all of the fun, starts, mellonamin!" Orophin said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Come on! You go get out of that dress and put your tunic on, grab your weapons, and meet me here when you're done... I'm going to introduce you to some of my friends." He told her. She nodded, and dashed off.

~^~

"Orophin? Orophin!" she called out. Her clothing was clean and dry, and she had just finished strapping her quiver onto her back, and her sword to her waist. She was staring out into the enchanting darkness of the forest. Orophin walked under a patch of moonlight, and smiled. "Orohpin, where are we going?"

"To the training fields." He answered. "My friends and I hold nightly contests and practices, just for fun. It will be interesting to see whether a she-elf can beat any of us." He smiled.

"Sounds fun!" Fanya said, walking alongside him, examining her own bow. It was nothing much, just a long bow that Lenwe had let her use. Orophin's bow was long, sleek, and quite impressive. It looked very reliable.

Orophin noticed what she was doing. "How are your archery skills, Fanya?"

"Well, I only started training recently. My father put me through a crash course for me to learn how to use weapons. I'm fairly good." She answered modestly.

"Well, if you're any good, you deserve another bow. This one is a bit worn..." he said, taking it from her and examining it closely.

"It's one of the bows that my friend uses to train people... it's been used with many apprentices." She replied.

"I can tell. Look how the handle has worn down." He said, examining it even closer.

The two of them walked on in silence for another fifteen minutes. Orophin was occasionally glancing up to make sure they were going the right way (he had traveled this path almost every night), and Fanya was off in her little world thinking about Legolas. Her thoughts must have conveyed on her face, for Orophin voiced the question, "Who are you thinking about?" she realized she must have had a dreamy expression on her face.

"No one in particular..." she lied, not wanting to think about how she had left Legolas all alone.

"I can tell that it is a someone," he teased, though not pressing the subject. "Look over there, do you see the camplights?" he said, pointing ahead of them about 50 yards away.

"I can see them, easily." She answered. She could also see shadows of elves and she heard soft conversations... every once and a while, she would hear a twang of a bowstring and the thud of an arrow hitting a target.

"Vinyar! Tiri! Cerimon! Yuldar! Finwe! I have brought a friend!" he called into the darkness. All of the motion stopped, and Orophin beckoned Fanya forward with a smile. Five elves were standing in a quite big tree enclosure. There were five or six campfires lighting the area. To one side was an empty stretch of land (she presumed for sword fighting) and along the other side was three targets hanging on trees.

"Who is this she-elf you have brought?" asked a blonde elf with dark eyes, standing yards away from a target.

"Her name is Fanya..." he looked at her for help.

"...Helyan. Fanya Helyan." She answered.

"Yes, I knew that..." Orophin muttered sheepishly.

"Any relation to Linque Helyan?" asked an elf to the left of the first one, also blonde, though with blue eyes.

"I am his only daughter." She answered.

"I am Finwe Telemnar," the first elf spoke, bowing his head.

"And my name is Tiri Veneanar," the second elf spoke.

From the other side of the enclosure came a third name. "Mae govannen, I am Cerimon Cuthalion," She looked at a third blonde elf. Cerimon bowed his head as well.

"Yuldar Anarion," spoke the elf on the left of Cerimon, repeating the bowing gesture.

"And my name is Vinya Tasatir." The final elf, on the right of Cerimon spoke,

"Saes a'omentien llie," (Pleasure to meet you) she said, bowing her head as well.

Orophin spoke. "I have invited Fanya over here to measure her skills in a competition," Orophin's eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

"Competition?" Fanya hissed, so only Orophin could hear her. "You didn't say anything about a competition! You said we would practice!"

"Oh, didn't I mention it?" he asked in a normal tone, grinning from pointed ear to pointed ear. Fanya sighed and huffed.

Yuldar and Vinya were sniggering over on the long stretch of land. Yuldar had his sword out, and Vinya was twirling around his twin blades. Fanya sent a glare in their direction and they stopped.

"It seems that our new friend has an attitude," Cerimon joked.

"Oh, she's harmless enough." Orophin answered. Fanya took off her quiver and set her bow on the ground. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Orophin.

"Well, are you sure of that?"

A/N: Okay... finally. Like it? If I get 10 reviews for the next chapter, I'm giving Orli back his Lucky Charms!

Review Responses:

The Lady Elessar: Geez, I tried to spell it wrong *again*... Thanks for the review, you're the super-est beta dude person I've ever known! :)

Feanen: Thankies! ^^

Shivvers: Why would I stop writing about His Royal Hottness?????! (and another response below...)

Loveroflegolas: Thanks for your so-overly-cool review! :)

Shivvers: Again, I love you for reviewing!!!

Kika1: Lol, internet curfew... mine during the summer is whenever I can't keep my eyes open! Lol! You get another response down the list too!

Mercurial: Lol! I rock! Thanks!

Bane of the Mary-Sues: Harharhar! I loved your flame it was HILARIOUS! All the bad language was a hit with my friends and I!!!

Kika1: Here's your second review response... About the Arwen/Leggy pairings, I really don't mind them, but I knew that it would fit well in here for little... well, plagues of the past would hit His Royal Hottness. :) Thanks!

YueMichiruNaragisawaMiko: It's okay that you couldn't have reviewed in the past, I'm just glad that you're still reading. ^^ Thankies!

Kelse: Lol! More romance coming soon, I swear! And Orli is currently being obsessive about me not letting him have his Lucky Charms. ^^ Thanks for reviewing!

Orlando's-gurl13: That was one of my favorite reviews, you really brightened up my day with that one! Thanks!!!

BB: I'm glad you found it too! Thanks!!

Leah: Oh, I love you for all those reviews! 1: Yes, I'll teach you elvish! 2: Yep. Orli does that a lot! 3: Ah, blue eyes are *definitely* sexy... ~dodges blow from Orli~ 4: And Orli doesn't get Wrinkles! And I completely agree with you. MS's aren't bad, they're just stories written by normal people. 5: I try to keep it as real as possible instead of 'Hi my name is Fanya' 'Hi, I'm Legolas' 'I love you'... lol. And Kate noticing he's gone? Pfft! She's too blonde! 6: Wow, I love you for all those compliments! ~hugs~.

The Cynic: WTF is a review whore? Oh, and yes, people relate to Sues... who doesn't want to be perfect? AND HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CREATE AN UGLY ELF!? THEY'RE ALL BEAUTIFUL BEYOND HUMAN UNDERSTANDING! Have a nice day! ~flicks off~

And here's my question-of-the-chapter....

Next chapter is going to be Legolas' POV... should I describe the sword competition in full, or should I do brief flashbacks or whatever? VOTE! And... REVIEW!!! The purply-blue button needs a friend!

~The Hobbit Ivy