The thundering of hooves made her tighten her arm around Legolas and clutch a fistful of Berior's fur. Orcs didn't ride horses, right? She pressed her leg against her elk, feeling the comforting weight of Amroth's dagger in her boot. Her eyes darted to Haedirn, relaxing at his relieved expression

They were halfway between the clearing and the caverns, with the Forest River roaring at their side. With only Haedirn to guard both her and Legolas, another orc encounter could have been deadly.

Thankfully, it wasn't a party of orcs that burst through the forest, but a group of ten Elven warriors, all outfitted in the green and grey uniforms of Eryn Galen. Their leader frantically pulled the party to a stop, dismounting to avoid upsetting Berior, even as his eyes scanned over both Charlotte and Legolas.

"Ellavorn?" Charlotte's brow furrowed. He looked terrified, striding up to them as if to assure himself they weren't injured.

"Are you hurt?" His eyes roamed over her, searching for blood before he glanced around. "Where is Thranduil? And Maethor?"

Haedirn slid from his horse and stormed over. "You lying son of an orc!" His arm cocked back before his clenched fist snapped out, slamming into Ellavorn's nose with a crack! "She was supposed to be safe! 'No risk,' you said. At least three slipped through, and she was facing one alone when we got to her!"

"I didn't know!" Ellavorn yelled. His arm swiped across his lip, smearing the blood from his nose across his cheek. "It wasn't supposed to happen. Wait, what do you mean 'when we got to her?' Why in Arda did you leave her side?"

Haedirn's nostrils flared, and his knuckles paled. "She was supposed to be safe! He swore it!" Haedirn roared. "And you swore they'd be seized at the northern border."

He was prepped to slam into Ellavorn again when Charlotte dove between them, her hands pressed firmly against his chest. "Haedirn," she whispered, "it's okay. I'm okay."

His lungs were heaving beneath her fingers, his narrowed eyes blazing at Ellavorn, and then the pieces started to come together for Charlotte.

There had only been one "her" in their party, but it wasn't Ellavorn's fault they'd been attacked. Was it? Her mind went back to the picnic. Thranduil had said a part of his reasoning for the ride was to speak to her alone. Her mouth twisted, taking in Ellavorn's guilty expression and the sheer rage emanating off Haedirn. What had these idiots done?

"Haedirn?" She asked, her hands still pushing him away from Ellavorn. He glared over her head at the captain, seemingly oblivious to her efforts, though she was positive he could easily overcome her obstacle. "Haedirn, did you..."

Suddenly, he looked down at her, his dark eyes flooded with guilt, and she knew the answer to her question without having to ask it.

"You knew?" she whispered. Horror filled her. They'd used her— all of them. Save perhaps Legolas. "You knew we were going to be attacked, didn't you?"

Haedirn opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "Did Maethor know? Thranduil?"

His nod sent her already crumbling heart to pieces. His hands darted out to gently seize her shoulders. "Please, no, it wasn't like that."

"Wasn't like what?" She cried, yanking free. "Wasn't like you used me to... what? Lure them in?"

"Yes, but— no— I—" He shoved his face into his hands. "You were never supposed to be at risk. The border patrol was doubled and set up to capture them for questioning before they ever got close to you."

"And you still didn't think to tell me?"

"I couldn't!" He swore, arching down to meet her eyes. "Please, believe me, we didn't know who we could trust. If someone found out, then—"

"You could've trusted me," she pointed at her chest. "Me, Haedirn! Or is that the issue? Am I the untrustworthy one?"

"Of course not!" His long fingers wrapped around her shoulders, but she shrugged him free.

"Take Legolas home," she demanded, before turning to Ellavorn. "You too."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Ellavorn said. He wiped the last of the blood from his nose. "I have to find Thranduil. Haedirn is correct. None of you should have been at risk today."

"Maybe we wouldn't have been if everyone involved was informed," she sniped.

"I deserve that," he sighed, running his hand over his eyes. "I apologize, but you need to get back to the safety of the caverns. If orcs made it past the trap, there might be more lurking. It's not safe out here for you," he said. Seeing she was about to argue again, he jerked his head meaningfully to the elfling on Berior's back. "Either of you."

She pursed her lips. Using Legolas's safety against her was low and only furthered her anger. "Fine, but all of you will be giving a thorough accounting of this morning at a later time."

Ellavorn's shoulders sagged with relief, and she tried to fight back the twinge of affection at his concern. "Thank you," he said.

She didn't answer him, choosing the bite down on her anger as she climbed onto Berior and wrapped an arm around Legolas. "Let's get home, little leaf. I'm certain that Idhrenes has more pumpkin seeds in the kitchen that we could commandeer."

Just as Ellavorn mounted to lead the party of warriors into the forest, Charlotte felt guilt wriggle into her anger. "Ellavorn?" she called begrudgingly. When he turned his hopeful eyes to her, she said, "Be careful, please."

His tentative smile eased something in her heart. He was still her friend. Like her, he'd just made a mistake. She understood how easily good intentions could create chaos.

Haedirn peeked at her from the corner of his eyes, and she could tell he felt even worse than Ellavorn. Ellavorn wasn't her personal guard. But Haedirn had been keeping her sane for the past week, guarding her nearly constantly, making her laugh when she felt like a visitor in her own body. He'd just decked his commanding officer for putting her at risk. She wasn't losing one of her dearest friends in her life over this.

"I'm still a smidge upset, but we can talk about it later," she promised, giving his hand a light squeeze. "You and Maethor have always had my back. I'm going to trust that this was the same, and it just didn't work out well."

His relief and the warm feeling in her chest confirmed that she'd done the right thing for both of them.

Back in the caverns, Charlotte squirreled away with Legolas in the kitchen, where she kidnapped a work station and led the elfling through baking two apple pies. Haedirn stood by the windows, his eyes continually roving the working elves and the entrances.

Of course, one of them was doing more baking than the other. "Little leaf, if you eat all the apples, these pies will be empty," Charlotte laughed. She knew she would keep peeling and slicing apples to make up for what he was eating.

Legolas grinned and stole another apple slice, which vanished into his mouth with a crunch. "Who are they for?"

"One is for Haedirn and Maethor," she said.

"And the other?" Legolas's fingers crawled toward the bowl of peeled apples.

"He's blonde, about this tall," she held her hand out at, "and he's eating his own dessert."

"It's for me?" His fingers darted away. "Really?"

"That's the plan," she grinned.

"Do I have to share it?"

Charlotte chuckled, her fingers carefully maneuvering her knife beneath the skin of the apple. "That is entirely up to you," she said. As an afterthought, she added, "and your adar, I suppose." Would Thranduil be upset that she gave Legolas a whole pie? She didn't really think Legolas wouldn't share it.

"I'll share it with you, and Adar, and Ellavorn, and Idhrenes," he declared.

Charlotte let go of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. That solved her concerns about Thranduil. At least, the ones involving Legolas and pie. "I think they'd love that."

"I don't want to share it with Meluieth though," he frowned. "She was mean to you."

Charlotte's hands stilled, clutching the half-peeled apple. Her eyes locked on the red ribbon of skin twirling over the top of her thumb. Had he seen their argument? She'd tried to protect him from it, tried to keep away from him while they traveled, and he'd noticed anyway.

"Legolas," she closed her eyes, trying to find the words, "Meluieth is having a rough time right now. She's stressed and angry, and it doesn't make everything okay, but she's not a bad elleth. It's your choice who you want to share with. I certainly won't force you."

"You're not either," Legolas said. Charlotte raised a brow at him, and he clarified, "A bad elleth. You look so sad, and your fëa isn't as bright today. You're not a bad elleth either."

Charlotte couldn't swallow past the lump in her throat. She couldn't believe she thought for a moment she could shield him from any of this. "Thank you, little leaf," she croaked.

Idhrenes, bless her, chose that moment to drop the pie dough in front of them. "Alright," the cook said, with a just-too-bright smile, "Let's finish these before dinner."

"Absolutely." Charlotte nudged Legolas with her elbow, "Are you ready to do your first lattice topping?"

Legolas grinned and shoved his sleeves up past his elbows, and the three of them dove into their baking, content to focus on something normal for once. The kitchen seemed warmer and brighter without threats of orcs or spiders and constant reminders about magical necklaces and cursed rivers.

When it was time for dinner, Charlotte managed to slip into the main hall just as servants poured from the kitchens carrying dishes loaded with roasted deer meat, potatoes, pumpkin, wild mushrooms, and greens.

She tried to snag a seat on the worn benches near the back of the room so she wouldn't be noticed, but Maethor reluctantly urged her forward with a whispered, "Your position means you sit at the high table."

She groaned, barely resisting a petulant, "Do I have to?" Instead, after squaring her shoulders, she marched with her chin high, hearing the voices around her stutter and stall as she swept past. She spotted Meluieth for a brief moment, but the other elleth frowned and left the hall before Charlotte could so much as wave. Her friend still wasn't speaking with her, and the others had used her as bait. She was grateful for the single empty chair beside Legolas, although he was stuck next to a smirking Lothuial.

The viper had somehow managed to hijack the seat to Thranduil's right, and her slimy adar had sandwiched him on the other side. Poor Legolas had been shuffled aside, and she could see him flicking his eyes at the three elves in the center of the table before he dropped his gaze to his plate. Her heart tensed as he pushed his food around without taking a bite. Thranduil seemed equally pained, sending anxious glances at his son when he wasn't looking.

This she could handle. She may not be able to heal the elves, and she certainly didn't want to think about the fiasco with the orc trap, but she could cheer Legolas. So she plastered on the biggest smile she could and settled next to her favorite elfling.

"Well, I feel like the luckiest elleth in all of Arda tonight," she said in greeting.

"Why?" Legolas pushed his pumpkin toward the edge of his plate before scooching it back. His usual composure had slipped, and he rested his cheek in his palm with his elbow atop the table.

"Because I get to sit next to you." She gently nudged him, earning a small uptick of his lips before they fell again. Charlotte took a deep breath. She could just throttle that horrible elleth. She glared at the back of Lothuial's head since the other elleth had turned in her seat to face Thranduil, putting her back to Legolas as if he wasn't even present.

"So," Charlotte tried again, "our secret project is done. Want to sneak into the kitchen after this and try it?"

"Maybe later," he said, his fork still nudging his untouched food. "I don't think Adar will be able to come then."

Charlotte chewed her lip, trying to think of another plan, but Legolas beat her to it. "It's alright, Charlotte," he said softly. "I'm not very hungry tonight." He stood, gracefully for an elf who looked no more than seven, and politely dismissed himself, though it went unnoticed by the other elves at the table. Thranduil looked for a moment like he would chase after him, but didn't.

Go get him, Charlotte mentally pleaded, but Lothuial settled a delicate hand on the Elvenking's arm and whispered another question.

His eyes met hers for a brief moment, and she felt all her anger and disappointment swell up to meet his gaze. Thranduil flinched, and she stood without eating to go after Legolas. Maethor and Haedirn fell in behind her as she rushed to catch up with him.

"Take the stairs behind the throne," Maethor whispered. "They're faster. Once he's in the king's chambers, we won't be able to reach him."

She nodded and took off for the throne room, diving into the hidden entrance behind the wall, and taking the stairs at a sprint. Careening out from the tapestry, she quickly scanned the corridor—no Legolas.

Where could he have gone? "Did we miss him?" She asked.

Haedirn shook his head, "Unless he ran here, I doubt it. Let's follow his path back, if we don't find him, I think I have an idea where he might have hidden."

They didn't encounter Legolas on their way through the caverns, so Haedirn led them down one of the few halls he hadn't included in his tour. "I wasn't sure you would want to come down here," he explained with a shrug. "This corridor leads to the healing hall and the library. Although, there is another stairwell down into the pools. I know you've been having your baths in your room, but if you ever wanted to, the pools down there are fed by the river and surprisingly warm."

A long soak in water that didn't lose its warmth within ten minutes sounded terrific, but she realized she'd never seen any swimwear in Middle Earth. "You mean everyone just bathes, you know, naked?" She asked. "Together, I mean?"

Haedirn laughed, a rich full-bellied sound that bounced off the rough stone walls. "Do you not bath naked?"

"Haedirn!" Maethor chastised.

But Charlotte was laughing, and it felt so good, and Maethor must have picked up on it, because his eyes softened and he joked, "This is why Thranduil sends him to the northern border instead of taking him to Imladris."

Haedirn chuckled, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger. "And what's his excuse for leaving you behind then?"

"Obviously, as your nursemaid."

Charlotte snorted, "And now you're both mine."

"Best assignment ever," Haedirn insisted. Charlotte was touched before he grinned and added, "Hot meals, comfortable beds, and fewer blood stains in my tunics. It's a definite improvement." He winked, and Maethor let out a long-suffering sigh.

"I agree; your company is a vast improvement to my previous station," Maethor said.

"Aw, thanks, mellon nin," Haedirn smirked.

"Not yours."

"Okay, you two." Charlotte shook her head affectionately. Considering she had a strong feeling Maethor's prior responsibilities involved torturing orcs for information, babysitting the elleth who cursed their water supply might actually be an upgrade. She felt her mood dip and shook her head. "So, where would Legolas go then?" She said to refocus them all.

It turned out, Legolas gravitated to the same place she would usually go if she were home. Maethor opened the double doors to the library with a flourish, and Charlotte stepped into her sanctuary. The shelves were smooth, polished beechwood built into the cavern walls, shelf after shelf of leather-bound books, and gently tied scrolls scaling far above her head. There was a staircase in the center of the chamber, leading up to the second level of shelves, and another set of stairs climbing to the highest section. Tables and soft armchairs grouped together throughout the main space, and though her heart was soaring at being in a familiar place once more, the sight of a little head of blond hair scrunched low in an armchair doused her excitement.

"Legolas?" She called softly. There was a tiny sniffle, and her heart tightened in her chest. Haedirn and Maethor stood by the door, guarding the entrance, as she swept into the library.

Legolas was curled in a ball in an armchair, his cheeks streaked with tears, and snot running from his pert nose. Charlotte's shoulders drooped. "Come here, little leaf," she said, kneeling before him with her arms wide.

The elfing dove into her embrace without hesitation, wrapping his arms around her neck even as she shushed him. Hand smoothing his back, she rocked him, repeating, "It's okay. I'm here. I've got you."

"I don't— " he hiccuped and tried again, "I don't like her. She's stealing my adar."

"Oh, little leaf," she squeezed her eyes to stop the tears from rolling over. She hated Lothuial too, but that wasn't going to help Legolas. "No one can steal your adar from you," she said as she ran her hand over his hair. "He's always your adar. Remember when we talked about Meluieth earlier?"

Legolas nodded against her chest.

"Your adar loves you very much," she tried.

"Then why does he forget me all the time?"

"He's under a lot of pressure right now," she explained. "It's not that he's forgotten you. I saw his face at dinner tonight. He misses you too."

"Really?" he sniffed. "Doesn't seem like it. He's always with her."

That stung Charlotte a bit. "I know, sweetheart. It's complicated, and I understand why you're upset. Have you talked to him about how you feel?"

"I can't," Legolas cried, pulling away from her. His eyes filled with panic. "It's like you said: he's already so busy, and I know he's really worried about everyone, and I don't want to bother him more."

"Legolas, he'd want to know."

Legolas shook his head, "But what if he doesn't? He only has me because Naneth..." his lip wobbled, "Naneth left."

Her tears finally spilled over her lashes, slowly trickling down her face in time with his. Warmth blossomed against her collarbones. "I promise you," she squeezed his hands gently, "I swear to you that's not true. Your adar could explain it better, I'm sure, but you are the most wanted elfling in all of Arda. Your adar loves you fiercely, Legolas."

"You promise?" He swiped a sleeve across his red cheeks.

"I promise," she insisted. "Legolas, sweetheart, I've only known you for a couple of months, and I'm pretty positive that I love you."

"You do?" His lip wobbled again, and she worried she had upset him. He dove back into her arms and squeezed her tightly. "I wish you were my naneth instead."

Charlotte's heart stopped. Me too, little leaf, she thought before she realized it. But it was true. She did love Legolas. Maybe even loved... no, she wasn't going into that heartbreak.

"I would've been honored if I had a son just like you," she said, resuming the soothing stroke of her hand down his hair. "You're kind and thoughtful, and you're funny, and you're an excellent pie baker," she said, and Legolas giggled. "You're brave, Legolas."

"I was scared that orc was going to hurt you," he mumbled.

"And yet you faced him anyway because you're not afraid to defend what's important to you." She wiped her thumbs across his pale cheeks, sweeping away the residual tears. "Now, there's a pie waiting for us in the kitchen, and I'm sure Idhrenes will have some leftovers we can take. What do you say we give Maethor and Haedirn their present?"

Legolas's smile was watery, but at least he was genuinely smiling. "I think pie would be good for dinner," he tried.

Her fingers danced along his sides, and he laughed as she tickled him. "Oh, do you?" she grinned. "Well, even I am not going to let you eat just pie for dinner. Come on, then, before you have to head to bed."

Haedirn pulled her aside before she could leave the library. "How did you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Your necklace." He pointed to the stone resting in the vee of her tunic. "We saw it glowing from over here. How did you get it to work?"

The stone was glittering against her skin when she glanced at it, but there was nothing left of the glow Haedirn and Maethor had seen. "Damnit!" she hissed, angry with herself for not noticing. "I don't know."

"What did you say to Legolas?" Haedirn tried.

"I just told him that his adar loved him." She studied the stone in her hand, trying to focus on the love she felt for Legolas. The stone warmed in her hand, but not the heat she was used to feeling when it activated, and while it still glittered, the heavenly glow was absent. She sighed, feeling exhausted with the puzzle her mother had left her. "There's something there, but it's not working the way it usually does."

"Would it be enough to sedate the elves for a while?" Maethor asked as he watched Legolas, who had realized that they hadn't followed him and was waiting down the hall for them to catch up.

"I'm not sure, but I want to try," she said. She was brave enough, too, she thought.

"Woah." Haedirn grabbed her arm before she could pass him. "You haven't eaten, and it would be best to wait until tomorrow when Meluieth is awake to deal with any unexpected issues."

Maethor nodded, his lips firm. "Haedirn is right. We all want them back, but we need to go in with clear heads and full strength. Eat and get some rest first. Maybe the answer will come to you while you're sleeping."

Charlotte tried to argue. Every minute the elves were conscious, they were suffering. But Maethor cut her off. "I'm on your side, but now there are families in there, and we don't need to upset them further if this doesn't work."

Resignation and relief warred within her. She wanted to fix her mess, but failing again and possibly making things worse wasn't something she wanted to risk either.

"Fine," she agreed. "First thing in the morning though."

"After breakfast," Haedirn said.

"We'll bring it with us," she argued. "I've agreed to a night of rest, but these elves are trapped, Haedirn. Whether they want me there or not, I have to fix this."

He exchanged a quick glance with Maethor, always in sync with each other, before he sighed. "Very well." He nudged her toward Legolas and teased, "I heard there is a gift waiting for me, and I'm eager to know what it is."

Charlotte rolled her eyes at his antics. She couldn't imagine life without her two favorite guards.


AN: Whew! Over 100k words (not counting the author's notes ) and three new chapters in about three days. I felt like the ellyn might have gotten off easy in this chapter, but at this point, Charlotte has taken quite the emotional beating and she's reluctant to sacrifice what little support she still has, especially when they've been there for her through everything. I didn't want them fighting for the sake of an exciting chapter plot, although it does come into play later. Plus, her character is more of a "hot, but brief" temper, and she's not one to hold grudges for long. Unless you're Lothuial. Then the gloves are off. So hopefully, you all like this chapter! I'm so grateful to get to share this with you! Thank you again for reading and for your lovely comments! Your reviews feed my soul.

AN 2: I have briefly been working in another writing program, but I'm switching back to Google docs for writing because the typos were wild in the other program. Extra spaces added around auto-hyperlinks for character or place names, skipped letters, line breaks in the middle of sentences, etc. So it's just not working out for me. :( Might be user error. haha. Hopefully, I've caught all the mistakes, but, if not, let me know and I'll work on correcting them. Thanks so much!