Seren startled, waking suddenly when the boat knocked against the dock. How long the journey across the lake took, she didn't know but she recalled little of it. She hadn't realized how exhausted she had been and recalled Tellis admonishing her for this very thing just hours earlier.

"We have reached the shore," Thranduil said.

He stood over her, looking uncertainly upon her and many thoughts swirled in his expression. He held them back for the time being, however, and extended a hand to her.

She placed her hand in his and focused on shaking off the cobwebs in her head as she was hauled upright and the little boat bobbed on the water when she disembarked. The sight of another little boat abruptly reminded her why they were here. A shiver rustled through her limbs.

The morning was cold and gray and the fog was thick in the air. Bard and Thranduil joined her and led the way into the trees, leaving her to follow.

The king paused to listen and his mouth flattened into a line.

"It's too quiet," Bard said.

"Indeed," Thranduil replied, his voice a low growl.

He set off again, this time at a determined gait. He knew the way and he stalked through the forest almost too quickly for his human companions.

Seren hustled and rushed, slipping around trees and under swaying branches. She wanted to call out for Thranduil to slow down but it was of no use. He wouldn't lessen his pace and she wanted to reach the camp just as he did. Her drowsy mind and body protested the sudden exertion so soon after waking but she pushed on. The king was perhaps six feet ahead of her but it may as well have been sixty for all she could see through the fog, so she relied on her other senses to stay with him.

As she passed tree trunks, touching them for balance in her haste, her mind became more alert and the slowness of her body faded. The faint hum she'd grown used to these past few days, pressed a little louder into her thoughts but she didn't indulge the urge to reach out for the essence – or soul or whatever it was – of the forest. A slightly hysterical feeling rose within her and it was all she could do not to laugh out loud.

The white tents of their camp came into view – looming large and suddenly in front of them as a testament to how dense the fog was. Thranduil paused at the edge and again listened.

Faint voices made it to his ears and he hurried into the clearing, Bard following hard on his heels. They spread out, looking around hurriedly for intruders. There were Easterlings lying motionless in the dirt among those who were wounded, dead or drugged but no immediate threat presented itself.

Seren came into the camp at a slower stride and surveyed the elves that remained. Many were asleep, knocked out like Esgaroth's guards had been. Others were sporting injuries, their own blades bloodied as well. The search groups had all returned, Seren noted. Many elves were swaying drowsily where they sat. She went to their food stores, finding much had been taken but some fruits and bread still remained. These she doled out as she stooped to check on those who seemed able to eat. Some she found lying still and breathed with relief when she discovered a pulse.

One elven man was cradling a slashed leg and she removed her pack and rummaged through it for a bandage. After binding the wound tightly, she shouldered her pack again and roamed further down the camp's clearing.

Some of the tents had been slashed open. The tent she shared with Caireann had met a grisly end and was little more than a wooden frame draped in loose swaths of white suede. Through the wrecked fabric, it was plain that everything had been ransacked.

Seren spotted the little chest she kept her personal things in and she struggled to drag air into her lungs. It was cleaved open and lay in large splinters on the ground and nothing she'd kept in it appeared in the array of detritus littering the winter packed soil. Her sketchbook had been in there.

Pressure built behind her sternum and a fist felt like it closed around her windpipe. She kicked the pile of wood around with her boot and frantically gazed the scope of the space that had been her tent. She hadn't realized a sob escaped her until Thranduil called to her softly, curiosity and concern in a look.

She met his gaze and he stared at the sight around her, eyes lighting upon the ruined chest and widening. Seren shook her head and purposely strode away and once again focused her attention on their kin.

"So far, there are six wounded," Bard said across the clearing. He nodded at the ones lying on the ground. "Many are still under the influence of the poison that knocked out the city watch."

Seren gazed around as he spoke, her motions grew more agitated and she called out, "Caireann?" She would have expected the warrior to show herself before the king as soon as he arrived. It wasn't like her not to immediately avail herself to him.

"She's…. not here…" Tellis said breathlessly.

He was being helped to his feet by another elf and his legs buckled under his own weight. He tried again, and managed to wobble over to them at a listing gait.

"What do you mean?" Thranduil was before the elf in two long strides. "There are four others of our kin who are also unaccounted for. Caireann makes the fifth – where are they?"

Tellis seemed ready to collapse under the exhaustion caused by the Eastern intruders' weapon of choice but he remained standing.

"She arrived… shortly after the attack began. She and Laseviir… We fought… but were no match for the men who arrived. Eight against two dozen… They fell to the darts… but they bought us time."

"My search party and the others had just returned in time to fend them off," said the elf supporting Tellis. The advisor sagged sleepily against him. "Once the Easterlings began to fall; the rest retreated and took some of our kin as they fled – Caireann among them."

Seren's eyes were round as saucers and she stared out across the camp, hoping her eyes would prove these words a lie. Caireann was nowhere to be found. Neither was Laseviir. Her heart hammered hard against her ribs and her face grew hot. She cast a red-eyed glance at Thranduil. The king's expression had hardened as he absorbed the news and a tendon in his neck stood out.

She wanted to insist – loudly – that they needed to make all haste after them, but she knew very few were in a condition to do so. A wretched shuddering inhale made her quiver and she abruptly turned from the group and went to the camp's edge, staring out into the fog draped forest.

This time, when she reached for a tree, she let the strange sensation of its essence flow to her and a cooling rush of calm washed over her nerves. Every plant she couldn't see in the fog stood out in bright shades of blue, silver, green and pale gold. Dark spots where the ground had been trampled and jagged broken lines where twigs had been snapped provided some clue as to the direction the Easterlings had gone but little else.

A strange pulse in the light that she'd never seen before echoed around her and when she turned to follow the source, she found the elvenking walking toward her. His steps echoed in the ground, trading light with light as he moved.

Thranduil held a breath when her green eyes met his. They were alight, resembling emerald stars and he noted her contact with the tree. An epiphany struck him then. "What do you see?"

Seren released her hold of the young pine and the unnaturally bright shade of green in her eyes dissipated. She looked back out to the forest beyond, seeing only the white mist once again. "Legolas said Arda has a soul… That all living things are connected to it. I think that is what I see… and feel."

She sighed heavily, shaking her head sadly. "But it tells me nothing useful," she said, her voice threatening to crack. "Only that a large group of people recently marched south from our clearing..."

Thranduil spotted a snapped branch through the drifting haze of fog. "We may yet still save those who were taken. If this is the direction they traveled, they must have a camp somewhere near."

"They would have to have a camp here or a boat, though we never were able to ascertain this ourselves," Bard said breathlessly. He stumbled to a stop and another elf stood with him, clearly winded.

"The far side of the lake, my lord…"

"What is it?"

The elf straightened and breathed deep. He gestured to another elf who looked as haggard. "We've just returned from scouting. There is a large company of Eastern men just north of the Long Lake – approximately three thousand strong. They travel the river's path north, into the Greenwood."

Bard produced a piece of crumpled parchment and Seren recalled the one she'd seen rolled in his hand earlier. "I'd almost forgotten this… I can't read it."

Thranduil took it, spread it open and glared over the script. It was a derivative of an Elvish dialect. "There are orders here. Tolvaris intended me to die as a test of their new weapon; the Dragon's Heart. He is familiar with the lore…"

Foreboding settled into Seren's breast. "If they're marching now…"

Tellis shuffled over to them slowly but without help and Seren marveled at his recovery, though his eyes didn't focus on anything; just as it had been with Thranduil. It would be an hour or two before he could see properly again.

"We must return to our hall, my lord," the advisor said. "Legolas must be warned."

Seren felt her mouth open on a silent gasp and she gazed to the south again. First Nuinethir and Eleros and now one of her dearest friends had all been taken. She blinked back tears to even think of turning and going the other direction. She recalled what she had said to Bard about needing to try and save Thranduil before she had known it was him. Her friends surely deserved no less. Yet even as she considered it, she knew they would rather die than have their lives saved at such a cost. This time, the consequences of such a selfish action were clearer and far more dire.

"Our numbers are still too few since our losses at the Lonely Mountain five years ago and Smaug's remains lie in the lake," Thranduil said. "The Easterlings see this as an ideal opportunity to strike."

Bard scowled. "They can't take your kingdom by force but with enough Dragon's Heart, half your people will be dead or dying in a matter of weeks."

The king's mouth set into a grim line and he looked at Seren's profile. He watched as she turned back to face them, her eyes flitting around nervously before meeting his.

She forced herself to breathe deeply and swallowed a sob. A quick check of her math told her the miles to the kingdom amounted to about twenty given they'd traversed the distance in a little more than a day at a slow pace before. She knew she could run it and return home by nightfall if the terrain wasn't too unforgiving.

"If they had warning, would that save them?"

Thranduil didn't look away from her. "Caught unaware, our people will suffer heavy losses – losses we can ill-afford and may never recover from. With time to prepare, the attack will be far less devastating."

He continued to watch her. A cold sadness settled within when he understood a truth and saw the moment she realized the same and made a decision. There was a brief, aborted attempt to glance back to the south but she stopped herself and closed her eyes.

"An army that size will move slowly…"

"Well, yes," Bard said and Seren opened her eyes to regard him. "But they will keep to the river's path in the forest. There is no way to pass them unseen."

Seren's jaw clenched, her breathing forced to an even rhythm as she focused on the matter at hand. "I do not intend to take the river's path. I can cross through the trees, head them off and get to Legolas in time to warn him."

Bard's eyes widened and Tellis scoffed.

"It is not a place for a stroll," Tellis said. "You will be lost."

Seren glared at him. "I am the only runner here."

She returned her gaze to Thranduil. "I'm not Nuinethir or Eleros but you have no one else available who can make the distance in time."

"My lord!" Tellis protested. "She is not of our kind! The forest will lead her astray."

"I do not fear the forest," Seren replied.

Thranduil held up a hand to forestall Tellis's next retort, never breaking eye contact with Seren. For a long moment he simply studied her. He knew why she was certain of herself in the forest even though Tellis did not. It didn't make his agreement with her any easier, however. Finally he nodded once.

Seren began shrugging off her pack while Tellis stuttered over a reply and Bard asked questions over her head. She opened the satchel and claimed a water skin and unbelted the dagger she'd been given, holding it out to Tellis.

"You will need it," he said.

"If I find myself in a predicament in which I would use this, the entire point of my departure will be lost. It will do me little good."

The lanky elf reluctantly accepted the blade and Seren went to work unclasping her cloak and then removed her long grey tunic before strapping the water skin to her back. The cold air passed through her dark blue linen shirt and made her shiver but soon it would be no bother at all.

"You're going to let her do this?" Bard asked the elvenking as he took the items she discarded.

Seren's gaze snapped to his and he swallowed, looking back at Thranduil.

A dark humored smirk curled the king's lips on one end. "It is likely I would have to order her restrained if I were to stop her. However, she is correct: no one else currently here is a runner."

Seren huffed and pressed her pack into the king's arms. "There's some food, water and first aid supplies – utensils to make fire…"

Thranduil nodded.

Seren breathed deeply, pausing again to steady her nerves. She wanted nothing more than to run south rather than north. Every fiber of her being had begun to quiver and she needed to run more than ever. Her heart ached with betrayal even as she believed in the terrible necessity of leaving.

Now that she was ready, Thranduil waited while she struggled for a moment. He too, felt keenly the desire to save friends. He nearly reminded her that there would be time to try and save the others after the kingdom was safe but he held his tongue. She had claimed she trusted him but he was surprised to realize he didn't entirely believe it to be true. He didn't trust her as fully as he would like. If he had to remind her of her words, he never would.

Seren turned south and, in her thoughts, offered an apology to her friends before turning north and striding across the camp.

"Seren?"

She stopped and met the king's gaze. "Fortune speed your steps and guide you safely."

She nodded, her throat working hard and she muttered. "And you, Thranduil; stay safe. All of you," she added after a moment with a stern stare around the beleaguered camp.

She pivoted north again and started into a jog, quickly accelerating into a run. The border of the camp flew past her and she ran along the path for several paces before ducking down into a sprint and leaping over a fallen log on the path's edge. From there, a breeze pushed into her back and she pointed herself into the trees, pressing her feet fleetingly against the ground. Her limbs warmed, guiding her past pines and oaks and over rocks. The mist covered green expanse ahead of her became a blur and every touch upon a living thing brought forth a piece of the picture of the forest ahead. She settled into a rhythm and soon was out of sight.

The wind blew around him as Thranduil watched her go, inhaling against the tight feeling in his ribs. He swallowed, his jaw tensed and then he breathed, blinking a few times.

Next to him, Bard watched the flash of red and blue grow smaller. "She is indeed very quick of foot." He glanced at the elvenking and did a double take. The royal elf appeared a little overwhelmed.

"King Thranduil?"

"I have not seen her run since the day I met her. Nuinethir did not exaggerate when he said she had improved."

"What about the forest? Do you not worry if she will make it through Mirkwood?"

Thranduil smiled softly to himself. "No."

"You would believe the word of a human for something as important as this?" Tellis demanded. He stared at the last place Seren had been visible.

Thranduil was quiet for many moments before he replied. "She is kin, Tellis and she has my trust."

"We will have to intervene sooner than I believed…"

Elrond looked up from a scroll he was studying to see Galadriel standing just inside the door to his favorite library. Slowly he blinked as her words settled in. "You have new insight?"

"Indeed," the lady of Lothlorien intoned serenely. She drifted closer to him, her large blue eyes worried. "Seren has grown into her abilities more than I expected. Her time will come sooner than I supposed."

Elrond sighed. "It is imperative that she know everything before then."

Galadriel smiled. "As I said, we will have to intervene. We can wait for Saruman no longer."

The scroll was tidily rolled up and replaced in its nook before Elrond stood. "We will depart in three days. There are preparations I must make."

Galadriel nodded in acknowledgement and strode beside him as they left the library. "I still do not know who is responsible for Seren's resurgence or why it was done. The answer hovers before me but it is as a light that has been snuffed."

Elrond said nothing to that and kept his eyes on the hallway ahead. His lack of curiosity was telling enough. Galadriel turned her gaze upon him and he knew she believed he held that particular answer.

"Lord Elrond?"

He sighed. "It is a matter to be discussed with Seren alone."

Galadriel slowly drew in a gentle breath. "Of what nature is this matter?" she asked, trying to glean what she could.

Elrond considered for a moment before deciding of that much at least, he could speak. "Atonement."