She felt her heart stop, breath caught inside her chest. In a split of a second every thing was still. It was as if no one dared breathe, no one dared move, even the trees hovering tall above their heads stopping their gentle sway. She did not even blink, her large eyes remaining glued to the scene unfolding in front of her, shocked, bewildered, as if not really able to believe what they were seeing.

For that short fragment of a second neither the guard nor the King moved, the silver dagger still pressed firmly in between the two of them, blade curled inside the Elvenking's crushing grip, the later not even seeming to notice the crimson blood that had started to drip onto the inert grass below. And it was his eyes, the utter power and rage the seething like blue fire inside the coldest of glaciers what she was sure was making the guard freeze in place. Never before had anyone seem so menacing to her, never before had her father seemed so dangerous, so powerful. And the utter cold fear she could see in the guard's eyes was confirmation to that.

The whistle of an arrow cut through the freezing air, too fast for her to even register it, only noticing it once it lodged directly into the guards neck in a perfect clean shot, the latter falling instantly to the ground, the blood-stained silver blade still in hand. And then it was chaos. Everything happening so fast she could even see, could barely understand her surroundings. Screams of terror shot through the air, echoing in the swaying leaves. Elves were suddenly running in every direction, seeking to disappear into the denser areas of the forest, trying to grab any loved ones or family on their way, all the semblance of a structure that had remained on the small clearing suddenly vanishing. She could hear guards yelling out orders over the screaming crowd, as if trying to establish some order, trying to make the panic lessen, but it seemed as if the elves were running away form the guards.

She barely even noticed as she was hauled quickly to her feet, Elladan yelling something that she could not hear among the screams, his hand holding tightly onto hers, pulling her to run along, but where? There was nowhere to run, the crowd was going crazy, running in every direction, colliding into one another. Something, or someone, slammed onto her side, sending her rolling through the grass and another wave of terror dashed through her body as she felt her fingers slip from Elladan's ever steady grip, her eyes looking frantically around her but all she could see was the grass in between running footsteps. And it was all she could do to try to avoid being stepped on, trying desperately to get back on her feet before anyone else ran over her. The screams was the worst, loud desperate cries echoing all over the place, merging in a single terrifying howl that drowned even the now raging wind.

" ELLADAN!" She found herself yelling, trying to run in the direction in which they had been separated before the unexpected collision, but she no longer knew where that was, more elves colliding forcefully against her, her hands and arms instantly flying to protect her head and face. "ELLADAN!" The chaos was maddening, and if Elladan had been calling her name in return there was no way she would be able to make it out in the midst of the rest of the screams.

Then, suddenly fingers curled tightly around her upper arm, the grip forceful, secure, and she screamed once more as she was suddenly being pulled violently in the opposite direction her green eyes searching frantically for the owner of the hand, her heart nearly fleeting in momentary relief as her gaze landed on a very familiar pair of piercing ice blue eyes. Yet before she could even register what was happening, the King was pulling her by the arm through the crowd, dashing among the running elves with a speed an agility that made it almost impossible for her to catch up, and then he was suddenly grabbing her by the waist hoisting her up one of the lowest branches. She did not think it twice, everything moving too fast for her to think, and she climbed, barely even aware that the Elvenking had quickly climbed in a single swift move behind her, his arms once again grabbing her and nearly carrying her up the intricate branches. He moved with incredible speed, as his feet knew the branches better than they did the ground below, jumping up and up with a surprising ability, not once hesitating, not once even wobbling. She could no longer see the ground below, the braches too close together, tangling with another like a woven cave, and she could no longer tell to which tree they belonged, they seemed to make their own endless labyrinth.

Her head turned violently at the sudden sound of footsteps following them, panic racing momentarily through her veins before she noticed who it was that followed so closely behind. Impenetrable emerald eyes met hers briefly, long light blond hair flying messily in the wind as he pulled himself up the branches closely at their heels. Arahaelon. But where had he come form? She had not seen him down in the clearing. It was then that her eyes landed on the expertly crafted bow that lay securely in the Crown Prince's hand, still held as if it had just been used. Her eldest brother moved as quickly as the King through the maze of branches, as if he too knew the trees better than the ground. And then, when she had finally felt that they could not possibly keep climbing nay higher or any farther, the Elvenking stopped, finally letting go of her as they landed on a thick branch high above.

And the first thing she noticed was the silence. She could no longer hear the screams, the running footsteps, the frightened cries. Everything was once again still, as if they were suddenly in the deepest core of the forest, were even nature remained asleep at this late hour of the night. There was barely any light around to see, the moon and stars nearly completely blocked out by the thick canopy around them. Arahaelon was the first to move, carefully throwing his bow on his back before whispering something softly in elvish to his father, the latter only nodding his head at whatever it was that had been said.

"Are you hurt?" The Elvenking's voice broke the silence, words low, as if someone could possibly hear them, but there seemed to be no one around, they seemed to be too deep in the forest to possibly be found. Seven through the dim light she could see her father's penetrating ice blue eyes studying her carefully, and even through their power, their sudden alertness they remained soft.

She shook her head no, not trusting her voice to speak, her heart still racing inside her chest with the last of the adrenaline rush. Not knowing what else to do she lowered herself to sit on the branch, the wood so old and thick that she was sure the three of them fit comfortably sitting side by side against the trunk without any of them even being close to the edges. It was like a massive wooden bridge more than a branch, and for a second it only made her feel incredibly small in young in the midst of this ancient, grand forest.

The King followed her example, lowering himself to sit next to her, however the second his hands pressed upon the branch as he lowered himself he suddenly hissed, his left hand flying to cradle his right hand against his chest, eyes closed tightly in obvious pain. Arahaelon was beside him in an instant, alert emerald eyes trying to see the injury but the King continued to hold his hand tightly against chest and away form view.

"Ada, let me see to it. You are injured." The Crown Prince pressed in an equally lowered voice, eyes now looking concerned, but her father only rose his left hand in the air in a signal to wait, and Arahaelon did, waiting in silence beside her for a few seconds until the worst of the pain seemed to pass, The King once again opening his ice blue eyes as the marbled features on his face somewhat relaxed. And it was then that she understood that he had most probably not even felt the injury before now, the pain finally catching up now that the adrenaline from the sudden chaos had dissipated.

Slowly, carefully, the Elvenking extended his hand for his son to look at the injury, and the sight that met her eyes made her had to stifle a gasp in surprise as she felt her stomach tying in painful revolted knots. Her father's entire right hand was coated red with blood, the thick cloying liquid sliding down his arm and staining his long elegant robes all the way down his elbow, still flowing in rivers from the large cut, but it was not the sight of the blood what made her stomach lurch. No. It was the mangled remains of what used to be flawless skin on his palm what her own blood turn to ice. The cut was so deep that se could even see the muscle and bones of his hand exposed, fingers cut at the way to the bone, making her somehow wonder who they were still there. The sole sight of the mangled hand was testament to how much force had been inflicted in attempted murder, how much force had been required to stop the blade. And elven blades where sharp, sharper that anything she knew. Her eyes instantly flew to her eldest brother, but if Arahaelon was as shocked by the sight of his father's remains of a hand he did not show it, emerald eyes as impenetrable as ever, ever so steady and secure.

Instead, she watched as the Crown Prince silently tore the ends of his deep green cloak, eyes carefully searching on his father's eyes for permission before pressing the torn pieces of fabric tightly to the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Her father hissed again, eyes instantly scrunching in pain as his jaw suddenly tensed, but he did not pull his hand away from his son's gentle grip, and she wondered at how did her eldest brother have the strength to keep pressing the cloth to stop the bleeding. She was sure she would have let go the second the King flinched in pain, even if she knew the bleeding needed to be stopped. And then, after what felt like the longest of minutes, she noticed Arahaelon tearing another piece from his cloak before tying it tightly around his father's right hand in a makeshift bandage, the cloth quickly turning red with newly oozing blood, but it would have to do for now. The King had not yet opened his eyes, still tightly shut in pain, but he had not made any sound, his face not relaxing until a couple of minutes after Arahaelon had finally let go of his now bandaged hand. She crossed her arms against her chest, bracing herself as she let out a silent sigh, and for the first time she noticed that there was blood also smeared all over her arm, from where the King had gripped her in order to escape the crowd of running elves. It was a lot of blood, spread all over the fabric of her sleeve and having dripped in more than one place on her skirt.

"Arahaelon." Her father spoke, his voice surprisingly steady, the usual calmed yet royal sound, even though his eyes remained tightly closed. "Do you have your knife?" The King's left hand extended expectantly, and she saw as the Crown Prince immediately deposited the weapon on his father's waiting fingers.

"You take my sword." The King commanded, and once again her brother was quick to react, easily unsheathing the long silver sword from his father's hip with a swift move, the weapon seemingly weightless in his steady hands. And even such a simple small action seemed to carry so much meaning as she suddenly realized that King's right hand, his injured hand, was his sword hand. In any occasion of a fight, he would now be an easier opponent than Arahaelon.

"I will take first watch. You sleep for some hours, Ada." There was no space for argument in her brother's gentle voice, and contrary to what she had expected the Elvenking simply nodded his head, his eyes still close as she watched him rest his head back against the robust tree trunk in complete silence, right hand still cradled against his chest. And she had to close her own eyes momentarily as she saw that the makeshift bandage across her father's hand was now drenched in fresh blood, thick drops of crimson once again slowly sliding down his arm.

For long moments silence settled once more over the forest, her eyes absently watching Arahaelon's still figure sitting some space ahead of her, feet dangling form the edge of the branch and down to the blackened abyss below. Her head continued to spin in circles, trying to understand what it was that had just happened but to no avail. A guard had attempted to kill the King, and not even discretely. It did not make sense. And it had created chaos, once the elves saw that not even their King was safe from his own guards, why should they believe that they were? And what about Lossenel? Where was her sister? Was she even all right?

"Elladan?" She called through their bond, she could feel he was unharmed, but still she felt as if she needed to hear it from himself. "Elladan are you all right? Where are you?"

"Rina?" A warm felling of relief travelled down her body as the soft sound of his voice echoed inside her head. "I am fine, I am with Elrohir, my father, Tadion and Legolas. Where are you? Are you alone? Are you safe?"

So Legolas was also all right. She had not seen him either in the clearing below. They were all safe for now. It was a relief. But then, if they had not been in the clearing, did Legolas and Arahaelon know that their mother was not dead? Did they know that she was alive and now currently hiding somewhere in the forest with Lord Agoron?

"I am all right as well. I'm with Arahaelon and the King, but I don't know exactly where in the forest." Even through the distance she could clearly feel his relief through their bond.

"If you are with the King you are safe in the forest. Stay with them. Stay safe."

"I will" He did not say anything else after that, but she did not insist. It was hard to tell what was happening anywhere, and even harder it was to wait in silence high up in this branch, surrounded by the still, unmoving darkness of the sleeping forest around. It made her almost feel detached from reality, detached from everything.

Having nothing else to do, she carefully moved to where her eldest brother was sitting, letting her own legs dangle from the edge of the branch, eyes turning once to spare a glance behind to where her father still sat unmoving against the tree trunk, seeming uncharacteristically asleep, his eyes still closed.

For long minutes they sat in silence, the Crown Prince seeming to be as lost in though as she was, or perhaps simply not finding anything to talk about, but she did not mind, his company was enough. And yet there were so many things she still wanted to ask him, but somehow it did not feel like the right moment to do so.

"What happened?" She finally asked, the silence suddenly becoming too unbearable, too hollow for her to take it any longer, her voice remaining low, barely a whisper.

"I no longer know." Was the reply she got, her brother's impenetrable emerald eyes turning to meet hers, suddenly looking softer, as inviting and gentle as the green forest, as silence settled once more.

"Indilene?" Arahaelon suddenly asked, his voice almost hesitant, as if he needed to know the more than he cared about voicing the question, questioning eyes turning to look at her, concerned, and she wished she could give him a different answer.

"I do not know." It was the truth. She had briefly seen the lady in the clearing but then had no idea what had been of her once the chaos broke loose. And yet Arahaelon only nodded in return, whatever it was he was thinking not visible on his face. But what was with her brother and this Lady?

Instead, the Crown Prince's eyes turned around to glance briefly behind, seeming to take a long careful look at the sleeping from of the king before returning to gaze the labyrinth of branches ahead.

"Is Ada all right?" She finally voiced the question that had been nagging at her mind, and for a second Arahaelon's piercing emerald eyes only stared deeply, those eyes that always made her feel so young next to his noble elf, watching her gently, yet silent, as if debating for a second before he slowly shook his head. No.

"His hand is still bleeding too much. It does not seem to stop by merely applying pressure on it." Arahaelon's voice was a soft as his eyes as he slowly spoke to her, hands toying absently with the exquisite handle of the long silver sword. "And I cannot tell just how deeply Naneth being found alive is affecting him."

So he knew. Her eldest brother knew that their mother had been found to be alive, and even as he sat next to her in the darkness it seemed to impossible to read how the news were affecting him. But one thing was sure, at least he was not pushing her away at the moment, seeming welcoming instead, completely open to her.

"You saw everything." She spoke her thoughts before she could realize it, somehow suddenly knowing that the Crown Prince must have been up in the branches the entire time, and by looking once again at the bow, it had been to delivered the arrow into his father's attempted murderer. Slowly, without looking away from her eyes, Arahaelon nodded his head, although he did say anything in return. At least she was not being interrogated yet, even though she knew that sooner or later she would be asked to tell in detail how exactly did she and Ellandan came to find the Queen. Yet, it seemed that at the moment, they had other stuff to worry about.

"So what now?" Her words fell hollow as at floated eerily in the darkened forest, the dim moonlight casting long black shadows on the gently swaying leaves all around, and her question floated unanswered. Arahaelon did not say anything, not even him had an answer for that.

The Palace had been emptied, the elves having been hoarded into the forest only to be suddenly dispersed by chaos. There was nowhere to go, but they could not simply hide, and whatever sort of black magic that she had released once she broke the spell that kept her mother hidden for so many years was yet to be seen. She was not safe. They were not safe. She had no clue what to expect, what to imagine. Only wait.

And wait she did, sitting quietly on the branch, watching as dawn slowly started to paint the sky in light shades of purple and pick. She had not even known how close they had been to dawn, this night seeming to have been endless, Arahaelon's tall and powerful presence next to her making her feel momentarily safe, at least for the time being. She did not even notice as her head started to fall in exhaustion, her vision starting to cloud, not even aware of her head suddenly coming to rest over her brother's strong shoulders before she too fell asleep, at last finding some moments in peace, away from her fear and worry.

Yet, it felt that only minutes after she was being gently shaken awake by the shoulder, her glazed eyes blinking a couple of times before focusing on the Crown Prince hand some face.

"Rëa, wake up." She blinked a couple of more times, struggling to see in the darkness around. It was night again. So she had slept all day? Why had they not moved during the day?

She did not have the time to ask anything, for as soon as she blinked awake, her brother was once again moving, gracefully walking to where she could see her father still sleeping against the think tree trunk. The King had not moved, and the only difference between the last time she had spared a glance at him and now was the growing pool of blood that stained his rich robes at his lap, where his right hand lay cradled in his uninjured one. He looked than he had the night before, tired even. Her heart clenched at the sight, finding out that his eyes had remained closed the entire time, even though she had hoped to find them glazed in the natural form of elven sleep.

"Ada?" She could hear Arahaelon's gentle whisper as he softly shook the King's shoulders, even if she could read in his impenetrable green eyes that raking up his father was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment. "Ada? Wake up."

Slowly, perhaps too slowly, the Elvenking's eyes fluttered open, looking slightly foggy, unfocused, as they slowly fell upon his firstborn's face.

"Ada?" the Crown Prince continued, finally having his father's attention. "It is night again. We should move."

Slowly, the King nodded his head in understanding, but he did not speak, instead carefully pushing himself up to his feet, Arahaelon steadying quickly as he swayed dangerously for a moment, drops of blood dripping form his hand and onto the moss-covered branch. But he seemed to catch his footing shortly after, his eyes once again blinking open, only to reveal the powerful ice blue gaze of a King, all fogginess and confusions suddenly vanished form his eyes, which once again looked as powerful as the forest around, making him look incredibly strong while at the same time he looked so worn, so tired.

"You lead the way, my son." Same as his eyes, the King's voice did not betray any of the weariness that was so evident in his body, but not even the steady sound seemed to fool Arahaelon, who immediately contradicted him.

"No, you go first where I can see you." The Elvenking raised a disbelieved eyebrow at his son, as if mockingly reminding him who was King, but her father did not argue, instead turning and starting his swift march through the labyrinth of tangled branches. She had not missed that Arahaelon's words had seemed to say 'you go first where I can catch you.' It was clear that the Crown Prince did not trust his father to have the strength that he was portraying.

And they walked in silence, with the darkness as their only company. She found it hard to keep up with them a few times, her feet not seeming as expert in this forest as theirs, even though she too moved swiftly, jumping from branch to branch, not knowing where they were headed but always going deeper and deeper into the forest. And yet, it was as if the forest knew who they were, as if it could easily recognize its King, for although they never moved, the branches always seemed to indicate them where to step, where to turn always offering them a clear and wide path to follow. She slipped only once, one foot sliding suddenly in an unexpected patch of moss, but Arahaelon's quick reflexes caught her by the arm, holding her until she regained her footing, his emerald eyes teasing her clumsiness.

"It is a long way down." He whispered close to her ear, his voice as silent as their footsteps, and she did not need to look down to know that she forest ground would be far, far, far below where they stood at the moment.

She did not know for how many hours they walked, the forest seeming infinite to her now, when suddenly the King stopped ahead of her, using his left hand to lean against another tree trunk. She stood in silence, watching as Arahaelon easily walked past her and towards her father, holding him steadily by the arm.

"Do you need to stop for a while?" Her brother's voice were barely a whisper, and she half-way expected, wished even, to hear the King's stubborn reply for them to continue, surprised instead when she saw him slowly nod his head in silence. She felt as if a bucket of iced water had been thrown over her, letting her eyes follow as Arahaelon carefully help their father to sit down against the smooth wood of the thick tree trunk, the King's eyes once again closed. So Arahaelon had been right, her father had not really had the strength that he appeared to portray. In fact, he seemed paler than he had when they had started walking, the wound in his hand still freely oozing blood, not seeming to even have started to heal. How much blood had he already lost? The wound was far from lethal, yet it was the bleeding what worried her.

And it seemed that Arahaelon was having the same thoughts, for she once again saw him rip another piece of his cloak and press it firmly at his father's right palm, the King taking a sharp intake of breath, but never once pulling his hand away from his son's gentle grip. But once again it did nothing to stop the bleeding, leaving her brother no other choice but to once more bandage the wound with a clean piece of fabric before sitting down defeated next to his father.

"We can rest here for some hours." The Crown Prince finally said, her father merely nodding his head briefly before already appearing to be drifting off to sleep.

She lowered herself next to Arahaelon, her brother giving her a small gentle smile that did nothing to reassure her.

"You sleep too, Ar. I will watch tonight." She murmured, eyes looking into her brother's endless emerald irises, already seeing that he was about to protest, but stopping him before he could utter a word. "You did not sleep last night. You need to rest too. If anything were to happen, who is going to have to wield the sword? Clearly not Ada, and if you are exhausted beyond yourself then who? me? Now that would be a terrible thing for all of us."

That made him laugh, a sound that felt all too welcoming in this hollow and dark night, making the mood lighten even if only for a few seconds, and she found his deep emerald eyes, no longer impenetrable looking at her intently, considering what she was saying.

"That would be a terrible thing for all of us. I would not trust you a sword. Do you even know which end to hold?" Now he was mocking her, making her narrow her eyes at him momentarily.

"I am not that clueless." She defended herself, even if in truth she knew that wielding a sword, especially a sword as heavy as the King's required years of training a practice that she did not have. She would perhaps be able to land a blow, but she would get tired quickly, and she lacked the warrior reflexes that were only acquired by practice.

"But you are not helpless, Rëa, you know that?" Emerald eyes pierced deeply through her, the same color as her own, his long hair looking almost platinum under the sparse moonlight. "I might be able to wield the sword, but you can do so much more. Out of the three of us, you are our greatest defense."

She froze for a while, not having really expecting his words, surprised at what she had heard. He was referring to her powers, powers that she already used before when faced with danger, powers that up until now Arahaelon had seemed so wary about, so cautious, and now eh seemed to even be suggesting them as a viable option.

"He is useless for now." Arahaelon continued, nodding his head in the direction of the seemingly sleeping King next to them.

"I heard you." The Elvenking's soft voice caught her completely by surprise, but it only seemed to ignite a teasing gleam in Arahaelon's emerald eyes, as if he had known that his father was still awake.

"I know you did. I meant for you to hear me." And there it was again, that calming carefree teasing tone that she had heard only once in the Crown Prince's voice before, and even as his voice seemed to lightly mock his father she did not miss the worried gleam swirling in the depths of his eyes.

"I am not entirely useless" The King argued, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips even though he did not open his eyes, still looking exhausted.

"Fine, you are eighty percent useless now, how does that sound?" Arahaelon proposed, his voice once again light, even though his worried eyes continued to carefully study the King.

"Accurate." The King chuckled tiredly, making her let out a light quiet laugh, even through her own concern at her father's pale figure.

But Arahaelon did not laugh, his eyes suddenly looking alert, his senses all sharp, and for a second she froze, her ears now able to catch the same sound that seemed to have startled him. Someone was approaching. She could hear the faint rustle of the leaves, the soundless crack of the branches. Someone was coming, and it seemed to be really close to where they were.

The Crown Prince reacted quickly, ever so silently readying the sword in his hand, swiftly pushing her behind him, next to the King. Her heart was bating fast, and for a second she thought it would jump out of her chest. She could hear the leaves rustling closer now, whoever it was moving fast through the branches, an elf by the soundless, agile movement.

And then, her heart stopped, a figure suddenly coming into view, eyes looking frightened, yet relived, breathing agitatedly, as if having run a long way. She did not even hear Arahaelon dropping his sword in a flash, the one word he said registering like a shock inside her head.

"Lossie!"

Finally here I leave with chapter 44! I know that updates have been taking a long time, but I've been trying to do my best. I hope you enjoy it!

Also thank you so much to all those of you who reviewed my latest chapter, I know the waits have been awfully long but I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that you are still following and interested in the story: KITTYKAT, Thranduil's wife, brandibuckeye, Kirschflower, phantome101, Teddy2104, Amsim, Peanut, Tintcalad, SarahWeasley, josieleigh248, Yaulewen, StarFilledSkies, Aquafin, rayanoshana, and my guest reviewers.

To my guest reviewer who asked to use Arahaelon and the siblings for a story, as you reviewed as guest I have no way to leave you reply but to do it here. I'm more than happy that you whish to use these characters, go ahead, you have full permission to use them! I'll even ask you to please let me know the name of the story once its written because I want to read it too! : ) The only thing I'll ask is that you please just mention that the characters are from this story as I've had people copying my stories and publishing them in other websites without my consent before. Apart from that, feel free to use them!

And one more thing, for those of you interested in reading an Arahaelon/Indilene little spin-off its published, the name is Hoping for the Rain.

And once again this chapter is specifically dedicated to Martine9295 ! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while I imagined it!

Love,

Elena