What's up, ya'll? Hehe. I hope you all liked the last chapter! I think the romance was a bit rushed but I guess that is okay as long as you all like it. Hehe. Enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter 27- Reunions

The plains were completely quiet and still. The skies were bright and blue yet no birds flew. Not even a breeze blew in the dry land. Everything was silent, undisturbed, that is until a ringing broke the silence.

The companions woke to the clanging of metal against metal. Some growled in annoyance but some were able to sleep through it. When the noise did not cease, some were forced to sit up and wake.

"It is morning!" Elladan sang as he danced around the makeshift camp, beating a spoon against a bowl.

"Time to wake up!" Elrohir laughed. Estel sat on a rock and watched his twin brothers rouse the camp, smiling in amusement.

Suddenly, Melyanna sprang from her blanket with a growl and crashed into Elladan. The ellon fell to the ground with a cry, the elleth on top. She glared at him.

"Do not get on my bad side, Noldor Elf!" She hissed. But much to everyone's surprise, she crashed her lips onto his in a passionate kiss. Elladan tried to wriggle away but his mind was lost on whether to escape or stay to enjoy it. The company laughed and whistled, excluding Mithrandir who just chuckled quietly. After a moment, the princess sat up and glared once more at the older twin. He wore a stupid looking grin and his eyes were glassy.

"I think I should do that more often." He breathed and they all laughed once more.

They quickly made a small breakfast and were on their way again, eating as they walked. Throughout the day, they would often travel at a swift jog and no one would complain about the pace they were taking. Even the old wizard was able to keep up with the younger members of the group. The need to find their three companions had given them the fuel that they needed to continue.

After a few hours of walking, they stopped to take a brief rest. Estel and the twins had gone off to search for any signs of Norui, Legolas and Jaimea. When they returned, they held some interesting information.

"About a half mile away," Estel began, "We stumbled upon a small fire and a midnight black stallion."

"It could be a traveler." Arwen suggested.

"But it is not." The human replied.

"Lady Turwaithiel was asleep by the fire." Elrohir finished for his foster brother. Estel nodded as did Elladan.

"Did you wake her?" Mithrandir asked and they shook their heads.

"Nay, we wanted to be sure that we wanted to continue with her." Estel said.

"Alright," The Istar said, "Let us go find her."

Just as the trackers had said, the distance was only about half a mile. The remainders of a fire appeared before them and a black horse was pawing at the ground. A woman with dark hair lay under a blanket, facing away from them. They slowly made their way towards her.

The stallion suddenly looked up at them with its ears pulled back against its head. They all froze in their tracks, holding their breath. It just stood there staring at them until it shrieked wildly. Turwaithiel leapt up from the ground, a knife in hand. Her eyes were wide and alert but she glared as soon as she saw the group not far from her.

"What do you want?" She spat as she replaced the knife in the sheath. They all exchanged glances before heading down to her.

"We have been looking for Norui, Jaimea and Legolas but we stumbled upon you." Mithrandir said, "We wanted to be sure you were alright." She only shifted her weight onto one leg and crossed her arms, appearing much as what would be considered a teenager in human years.

"Do I look alright?" She asked in annoyance. The wizard's brows rose to his hair line and Estel snorted. Turwaithiel glared at him but then quickly turned back to the Istar.

"Do you still wish to aid us, my lady?" He asked, still giving her a questioning look. She eyed the wizard and then the rest of the group. Finally, she growled and turned to stomp out the embers of her fire. She then bundled up all of her belongings and mounted Uhako. The horse snorted in annoyance but stayed still. Turwaithiel glanced at the others again.

"Where are your horses?" She asked bitterly.

"They ran off in the storm." Lothron replied and the woman's frown deepened.

"Then we must move swiftly." She said and nudged the stallion into a brisk trot. The companions quickly ran after her.

Along the way, Turwaithiel didn't even look back at them. Uhako kept a constant pace and seemed to move without instruction. She led them all day and they never rested. Mithrandir and even Estel began to lag behind. Only the elves could keep up but their breathing was still labored.

As he ran, Estel was reminded of a master driving his slaves endlessly in the scorching heat. Realizing this, he growled angrily but said nothing.

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Jaimea stared straight ahead as she rode atop Cuilpantiel in front of Legolas. His arm was wrapped securely around her waist and she leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heart beat. Norui rode upon Urúvion in front of them. Every once in a while, his shoulders would shake and both elleth and ellon knew that it was laughter. Even the falcon that was normally on the golden-haired prince's shoulder was resting on the Crown Prince's head, cackling quietly to herself as if laughing.

Jaimea's thoughts strayed to the night before. Never before had she felt as she did. Her heart had melted in her chest from his kiss and all feeling left her body. The way he treated her made her feel like her insides were flipping endlessly. True, they had agreed that it was innocent but doubt began to plague her mind. Was it indeed just a 'thank you' as it was intended to be or was it more? There was only one way to find out.

"Legolas?" The elleth asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" He responded quietly.

"What happened last night?" Immediately, she felt his chest constrict and he slowed their mare. Cuilpantiel sighed softly and leaned her neck down to a more comfortable position. Espenshade must have noticed their slow in pace and she screeched, alerting Norui. He looked back at the two and smirked.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked, grinning. Legolas glared.

"We are speaking to each other." He replied hotly, "Not you." Norui's grin grew and he shrugged.

"Alright, don't take too long." He said then trotted off.

The ellon and elleth continued to ride at a slow pace but didn't speak for a while. Jaimea combed her fingers through the mare's soft mane and glanced at the one hand Legolas used to grip onto the hair. The desire to place her hand on top washed over but she quickly shook it off.

"Legolas?"

"I do not know what happened but I do not think it remained innocent as intended." The prince said, "It was not your fault but mine. I lost control. What I did last night contradicted everything that I have said in the past."

"But did you feel anything?" She asked and he paused, as if contemplating his answer.

"No, Jaimea, I did not." He said. The elleth frowned despite herself, "Did you?"

"No." Was her immediate answer, "But what if it was something?" Legolas sighed and pulled Cuilpantiel to a complete halt.

"Nothing happened, Jaimea." Finally, the elleth dared to ask the question that had haunted her mind since that night.

"Was there love?"

"Do you think there was?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I asked you first." There was a brief silence until the prince urged the mare on again at a slow pace.

"No, I do not think there was love. True, I love you but not like a lover would. I love you as a sister, nothing more." He said slowly, "You are the younger sister that I always wanted yet never had."

Jaimea frowned and unconsciously gripped the mane tighter. She was only a sister to him. Even though she didn't know why, a wave of grief passed over her heart as if it were breaking. She quickly dismissed it.

"Do you think there was love?" Legolas asked her.

"No." She said with a tinge of bitterness, "And there never will be."

Legolas flinched slightly at her tone. He sensed the sadness and pain in her voice but he said nothing more about it. It would be best to work out his own thoughts and desires before attempting to help someone else's. He suddenly felt this desire to put his arms around her and kiss her, telling her that everything would be fine but he buried it deep inside himself before he actually took action.

With this to think about, he clucked to Cuilpantiel and they bolted off into a gallop, trying to catch up with the Crown Prince.

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Turwaithiel finally came to a halt and motioned for the others to rest. They all sighed in relief, even the elves, and dropped their packs on the ground. The plopped to the earth and began rummaging for food. The woman took the tack off of Uhako and set them on the ground. The stallion nickered in gratitude and began scraping at the ground for grass.

From one of the saddle bags, she took out the same map she and Norui looked over and set it on the ground. She took a small pack of some bread-like food and chewed on it thoughtfully as she studied the map.

"We have but a few more miles to go before we reach the White Mountains. If we keep up the pace, we should be there by tomorrow." She said out loud though mostly to herself.

"What road shall we take once we find the others?" Estel asked.

"We go east into Rohan at the feet of Ered Nimrais. There is a passage that goes under it that we shall take." Turwaithiel replied, still examining the parchment before her.

"East? But that side of the mountains is teeming with orcs and wargs. West would be the safest path." The human argued. The woman sighed exasperatedly.

"No, my lord, the orcs were driven out by the Rohirrim. It is safe now to take."

Her voice rang with finality and Estel glared at her. She continued to plot out their road, not taking any notice of the others around her.

Within moments, they had packed up again and were continuing at an even faster pace. Turwaithiel continuously urged Uhako on and he did so without fuss. His energy seemed endless, even to the elves, and they envied him. Of course, they quickly thought differently when they realized that the stallion had to carry the woman around and they only had to carry themselves.

"What is the point of driving us endlessly when you said we didn't have much time before we reached the Mountain?" Elladan complained breathlessly.

"You want to save Mirkwood and its people, do you not?" Turwaithiel replied, "And once we do reach the mountain, we still have to travel to the Muruién's city." The ellon didn't say anything more when he saw the pain and hurt etched on Lothron's and Melyanna's faces.

They continued riding and they covered many miles. Only when they heard the piercing screech of a falcon on the hunt did they pause in their run. The two princesses of Mirkwood looked high up into the air. Weaving in and out of the clouds was a golden falcon, screeching for all to hear. The faces of the sisters lit up in recognition. Lothron whistled shrilly and the falcon screeched in reply, then swooped down towards the elleth's outstretched arm.

"Espenshade." The princess breathed in relief and stroked the creature's head.

"That is a good sign." Arwen said.

"Maybe. It could also mean that the others are wounded or worse, though." Lothron replied though it hurt to do so.

Espenshade, meanwhile, had her piercing eyes fixed on Turwaithiel. The falcon's eyes glinted with distrust and hate. The woman returned the glare with a smirk. She cleared her throat, interrupting the discussions the others were having.

"Where did this creature come from?" She asked, gaining a quiet hiss from Espenshade.

"She was given to Legolas a long time ago by our Naneth and one of her closest friends." Melyanna replied, quirking one eye brow.

"How long exactly?" Turwaithiel questioned. The youngest princess tilted her head up to the sky in thought, counting on her fingers.

"It was about fifty years back, I believe, before Naneth died." She replied. Turwaithiel's smirk widened and Espenshade ruffled her feathers in irritation.

"Did you know that the average life span of a falcon of her species is only fifteen years at the most?"

"What are you trying to say?" Mithrandir asked.

"Nothing. I am just curious as to how she has lived so long and how she appears as if she was still an eyasse (1)." She said. Espenshade hissed at the lady and took off from her perch in the direction she came from.

"Espenshade!" Lothron called, "Come back!" The elleth bolted off after the bird and the others quickly ran after her. Turwaithiel glared at the falcon and gritted her teeth. She urged her mount on after them and soon caught up.

"Leave the bird be!" She ordered.

"No, she will take us to Norui and Legolas!" Lothron retorted. Turwaithiel growled in annoyance but followed anyway.

Soon, they heard a shrill whistle and Espenshade veered off her course suddenly. There was another whistle but the falcon paid no attention to it. Finally, someone shouted.

"Espenshade, come back!" A male voice shouted and the faces of the company lit up.

"Legolas!" Lothron yelled and there was a brief pause.

"Lothron?" The voice shouted back.

"Yes! Where are you?"

They suddenly heard the beating of two horses in the distance, followed by a small cloud of dust. Within a moment, two horses came up over a hill to show three elves. They galloped down to the company and the three were soon in the arms of their friends, the falcon forgotten.

"We were so worried!" Melyanna exclaimed as she threw her arms around Norui.

"What happened?" Estel asked.

"Well, Legolas nearly killed himself but other then that," He paused, glancing at Legolas and Jaimea with a smirk, "Nothing too interesting." Norui explained. The two elves glared at him and moved further from each other. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the twins.

"What happened to those two?" Elladan asked, gesturing to the two.

"Nothing!" Legolas and Jaimea exclaimed in unison. Elrohir smirked.

"Sure." He said. They glared at him and moved even further away.

Throughout this reunion, Turwaithiel stood off to the side, glaring at them. She hopped off of Uhako and draped an arm over her neck.

"They are all here." She hissed quietly in his ear. He snorted in response, pawing at the ground, "It didn't work!" From within the stallion's black eyes, a silver mist began to glow and his ears suddenly stood erect. Turwaithiel gasped and placed her hands over his eyes, "Not now! We need a different plan." The horse's ears slackened and he sighed heavily.

"I have been watching that prince and elleth. Something transpired between them." The woman continued quietly.

Uhako blinked and looked at the two young elves. They stood far from each other but when they were sure the other wouldn't see they would glance at each other nervously. Whether they realized it or not, their eyes showed longing and desire. Turwaithiel turned his head back to face her.

"Don't stare! They will suspect something!" She snapped, "We have to be sure that they continue to long for each other. It will prove to be a weakness later on."

"Lady Turwaithiel, why are you speaking with your horse?" The woman snapped her head around to see the twins staring at her with quizzical looks.

"I have told you, my lords, that he has become my closest friend."

"Well, why don't you come greet these three?" Arwen asked, stepping next to her brothers. Turwaithiel suppressed a growl and joined the group. She approached Norui and bowed her head.

"It is a pleasure to see that you have escaped the storm unscathed, my lord." She said and he inclined his head.

"And you." He said.

Turwaithiel tore her gaze from the Crown Prince and smirked when her eyes found those of Jaimea. The elleth glared at the lady and took a tentative step back. Legolas watched this exchange in worry and anger. The woman walked slowly towards Jaimea and the young prince gritted his teeth. Without a second thought, he strode towards the elleth and promptly grabbed her hand in his, then moved her behind himself. Turwaithiel halted in her tracks and stared up at Legolas's cerulean eyes.

'So, I stand correct.' Turwaithiel thought, 'He does care for her.'

Legolas soon realized what he had done and immediately felt his cheeks and ears get warmer. He quickly dropped Jaimea's hand but remained in front of her. He could feel her staring at him in confusion. Norui then came before him, glaring.

"Be polite." He hissed, "I don't care how much you like Jaimea or dislike Turwaithiel. You will be decent to her!" Norui then stormed away, leaving a very angry prince behind. Legolas glared at the smirking woman in front of him.

"Nice to see you." He spat and strode away. Jaimea glanced back and forth between Turwaithiel and Legolas, then slowly walked away.

They soon found themselves walking once again. Norui and Legolas had given up their horses to their females in the group. Lothron and Melyanna were atop Urúvion while Arwen and Jaimea rode on Cuilpantiel. Mithrandir, Turwaithiel and Norui led the way and Estel, Legolas and the twins brought up the rear. Espenshade had returned to her master and was perched upon his shoulder, quietly chewing on his plaits.

"What are our plans?" Norui asked Turwaithiel, staring straight ahead. The woman patted Uhako's neck as she walked.

"We turn east and pass over the mountains that way." She answered. All bitterness had left her and she seemed cheery even. The Crown Prince furrowed his brow and looked over at her.

"East? But that way is overrun with foul creatures." He said.

"That is what Estel said as well." Mithrandir added. Turwaithiel sighed exasperatedly.

"Those creatures are gone now. Besides, the mountains there are smaller and easier to climb." She retorted.

"But it is longer." Norui said.

"You do not realize how much land we have covered, do you, Prince Norui? I believe we have time."

"We have not covered as much as I would have liked."

"But are you aware that we are within a mile of the White Mountains?" The woman asked with a smirk.

The Crown Prince stared at her in disbelief, then stared into the distance. Sure enough, the rocky peaks of Ered Nimrais jetted up in the horizon like a set of grinning teeth. Norui glanced back between the mountains and Turwaithiel, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to speak.

"You see?" The lady asked.

"How is this possible?" He breathed, "We should not be this far along."

"I do not know how this has happened. All I know is that there is magic among us." She replied, "But why can you not believe me? You saw where I told you to head on the map, did you not?"

"Yes but I thought that we would be traveling alone a long time. That was why I could not understand why you placed our meeting place so far away." He said, staring at her curiously.

"Is this a part of the 'short cut' you mentioned when we first met?" Mithrandir asked.

"Nay, it is not. I am only sensing this and had no intentions of using magic to get us to the forest quicker." Turwaithiel replied to the wizard.

"How much longer?" Norui asked, trying to keep his excitement under control.

"I would say about a week and another half, maybe two, if we do not face any troubles." She said, smiling at him. The Crown Prince's lips turned up into a grin.

"Do you think my Ada and Glithiel will have a chance?"

"If they are as strong as you are, my lord, then I believe so." She said.

Norui bubbled with excitement and energy. He looked to Mithrandir who was smiling at him and then he turned to the lady again. He quickly picked her up in his arms and spun her around, laughing. She chuckled and patted him on his head. He sat her back down on the ground and kissed her hand.

"Thank you so much, mellon-nin!" He exclaimed, still grinning, "I must tell Legolas!" With that, he turned and sprinted back to his brother to tell him the news.

Mithrandir smiled when he heard the cheering of the two princes. Even Turwaithiel managed a small smile and a chuckle. They continued walking, listening to the cheerful laughter of the elves.

"I must thank you, Lady Turwaithiel, for bringing those two such joy." The Istar said, "They need good news in a time like this."

"I was only telling him the truth, nothing more. It was not my intention to make them happy again even if it did so."

The wizard smiled brightly at her and continued walking, eyeing the lady out of the corner of his eye. He took his pipe from his pouch and lit it carefully, then took a long puff. Turwaithiel stole a glance at him and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Must you do that, Mithrandir?" She asked, waving her hand in front of her face to blow away the smoke. He chuckled.

"You are much like the elves, I see, especially the twins." This caused the lady to smile.

"I must admit that I have taken a liking to those two. They can be very spirit lifting in dark times."

"Indeed, they can. But because of this trait that they possess, they have become known as the worst troublemakers of Imladris. It has gotten them into trouble in the past."

"But it is all in good fun. Their father and mother must remember that." She replied with a small chuckle. Mithrandir sighed and she furrowed her brow, "What is it?"

"They lost their mother a very long time ago in the hands of the orcs." The Istar said and she gasped.

"She has died?" She questioned, "But surely she must come back. I do not know much about elves but do they not have the choice to return to Middle-Earth?" Mithrandir took another puff from his pipe and blew it out slowly. He ran his hand through his gray beard, smoothing it out and then finally turned back to Turwaithiel.

"It is something like that." He replied, "But no, she was not killed. She was taken captive and then tortured. Elladan and Elrohir rode out to save her and they brought her back to Imladris but it was too late. She sailed to Valinor not long after Estel was brought to Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrían."

Turwaithiel looked away from him and to the ground. She had never imagined that the seemingly carefree twins would have suffered such a huge thing. And, for a brief moment, she thought, 'Maybe I should not do this…they have suffered enough.' But she quickly shook it away, 'No, he has them and they are more important then this group.'

"That is horrible, Mithrandir." She replied, "I never would have thought that." Espenshade screeched suddenly and swooped overhead of them. Turwaithiel looked up and watched the falcon come swooping down in her stoop (2) only to level out again.

"Why were you questioning about Espenshade earlier, my lady?" The wizard asked suddenly, breaking her from her thoughts.

"I find it strange that she has lived so long. Is she special?" She asked. Mithrandir sighed.

"I can not deny that she is indeed a unique bird but it is not my place to tell you why." He replied.

"Why can you not tell me?"

"You will learn in time, Lady Turwaithiel." He said and spoke no more, watching the playful Peregrine Falcon create her own dance in her swoops, cries and dives.

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For those of you who don't know a lot about Peregrine falcons…

1. An eyasse is a baby Peregrine falcon.

2. When a Peregrine Falcon stoops, it is when they reach a speed of over two hundred miles per hour in a complete vertical dive.

Love the Peregrines!

Whew, that is over. But I am suffering from major deja vú. I am not particularly fond of this chapter. I feel like I have done it before. Hmm, oh well. I hope you liked it and I am sorry it wasn't very eventful.

Aranel Toroniel- A new reader! Yay! Welcome aboard! Hehe, well, I have every intention of completing this story! I have a fun time with it so I won't quit. Thank you for the compliments! I hope to hear from you again! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Jousting Elf with a Sabre- Good morning! Lol. Yes, you are going to be in the story! And you know what else? As long as I get my butt off the computer and write in my book, your character will be here in the next chapter! Hehe! I hope you like her once you see her. Also, did you say that you wanted her to have magic? I thought of something that I could use it for so that would be fine. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Lasien- Hehe, yes, you did spell that right! Lol! Of course she and Legolas would get that way, you silly! But, of course, I threw a wrench in it this chapter! Muahaha! An exam at 6:30! My Lord, that is rough. Have a great summer and thanks for reading and reviewing!

Legolas's Girl 9- Hey, what's wrong with being blonde? I'm blonde! And so is Legolas! Pbbbbt! Hehe, no, you are not an idiot. Just…forgetful. Hehe. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Swasti- Hehe, I am glad you liked it. I hope your face is alright, lol. I don't want to be sued for putting too much cute stuff in it that my readers start getting face injuries! I'm sorry there isn't a lot of cute in this one but I hope you liked it nonetheless. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Well, that is about it! Talk to you all soon! (Am I doing good with these updates? I hope I am getting them out sooner then normally!)

Until Next Time,

Manwathiel