Merenwen was following as usual one day when the Fellowship stopped in a rocky area bordering a small forest. From her position up in a tree, she could barely tell what was going on. So, she jumped down to get a closer look. However, in a non-graceful manor, she accidentally landed on an already fragile branch that snapped under her light weight. Such was her luck. She just hoped that Legolas did not hear the branch break.

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Legolas walked into the small forest that the group stopped by, desiring the company of the trees. Something had been following them, but he could not sense any danger, so he let it follow. What was following them, he was not sure of. He was still rather concerned about Merenwen. The elf did not feel the need to communicate to a great degree with the rest of the Fellowship yet. That was just his way. Aragorn, however, was the exception. They had known each other for so long that it was impossible to hide anything from his friend.

Then, with his keen hearing, he heard a branch snap. He automatically went for his bow, fitting the string with an arrow. When the sounds he heard came closer, he turned and pointed an arrow at someone. However, he found another arrow pointed at himself, and the person starring down the shaft of the arrow at him was not who he expected.

"Merenwen! What are you doing here?" He slowly released the tension in his bow.

Merenwen grimaced. There was no way that Legolas would not have heard the branch break, she realized.

"What am I doing here? Well, I am traveling."

Legolas stood with his arms crossed, his bow and arrow replaced where they had previously been. "This far south?"

She nodded. But it was obvious he did not believe her.

"You have been following us, have you not?"

"No."

"You never were a good liar," he said, walking past her.

"Where are you going?" she asked, catching up with him.

"Well, I could tell Aragorn that something is following us." He looked up at a tree, then over at her.

"No! Please do not do that!"

"I could inform Mithrandir."

An expression of dread crossed Merenwen's face. She shook her head furiously. Nothing filled her with more dread than having Gandalf told of her presence. The wizard would not react in kind this time.

"Then what would you have me do?"

"Say nothing?" she requested quietly.

Legolas laughed. He sprang easily into the tree they were under and climbed up it.

Merenwen climbed up after him. "Legolas!"

"I want you to answer my questions," the voice within the tree responded.

"Or what? It shall not do any good to knock me out of this tree."

"No, but I did say that I could inform Mithrandir. And it is never good to upset a wizard."

"What do you want from me?" she asked, finding him leaning against the trunk of the tree, watching her progress of climbing up to meet him. She climbed onto the branch and sat herself in front of him, watching his eyes carefully.

Legolas made no effort at all to touch her. He was angry. He should have known Merenwen would have done something stupid as she had done.

"Answer my questions."

"Yes?"

"And do not lie. I will throw you out of this tree if I have to."

She scoffed. "You would not do that." Then she realized she shouldn't have said that. She could simply tell by the look on the elf's face.

Legolas knocked her off balance unexpectedly. She caught herself with a cry and found herself hanging on to the branch by her hands alone.

"Sometimes you leave me no choice."

"Your overconfidence did not convince me when we were younger. I do not think it will work now." Legolas started to rise from the branch and prepare to descend back down the tree. "But it might," she squeaked out.

Legolas pulled her back up, sitting her in front of himself again. She looked at him, very unnerved that he would have dared to threaten dropping her out of the tree.

"Are you ready to talk?"

She nodded.

"You were following us?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"A few hours after you left Imladris."

"Why?"

Merenwen hesitated. "I did not want to be left behind."

"I told you not to lie to me."

"I do not lie."

"Then you are not telling me everything. I want to know the truth," he demanded, directing a searching glare in her direction.

"I could not leave you. I feared too much for you to let you go off and leave me with nothing but worry."

"I said I would come back and I meant it," he said, his anger deflating some but not wholly.

"Yes, but do you think of me as remaining in waiting for such a long time? I could not do that, for it would kill me."

"No, I cannot see it. But it is too dangerous for you to follow."

"I have traveled alone by myself for years, and it is dangerous now?'

"Yes."

She glared at him, seething mad. "Is it me or is it the fact that I am a female?"

"No –"

"Oh, then it is a royal order. The prince of Mirkwood gives me an order, and I must obey."

Legolas looked at her like she had gone crazy. "You know I never us that as a basis for anything I do."

"All must be quiet! The Prince of Mirkwood speaks!"

"That is enough!"

Merenwen cringed away from him. She may have gone too far. But she was angry and he was angry. They were both too stubborn.

"I am sorry," he said, reaching out to her. She shied away from him. "The only reason I am angry is because you came. I tried so hard to protect you from this," he gestured to the land. "This unpleasantness. I thought you would be happier with our kin, and would stay with them until it is over. I wanted to make sure I could come back to you."

"Yes, well, I wanted to make sure you would come back to me."

"Then we are both guilty of caring too much about the other."

They looked at each other, silently coming to an understanding, possible because of the centuries of being with each other. Then, their elvish ears perked up, hearing a call.

"Legolas!"

"They are calling you."

"Yes." He nodded sadly.

"You must go." She caressed his cheek.

He held her hand at his cheek for a moment before releasing it. "If you must follow, be careful. I know I cannot stop you from doing what you will. But I do not want to find out one day when we are moving that you are hurt or even in the Halls of Mandos."

"You needn't worry about me. I shall be careful."

The elf nodded and started to climb down the tree.

"Legolas."

He looked up at her.

"If I am to be careful, promise me you shall be as well."

"Always." He smiled slightly before climbing down the tree and rejoining the Fellowship.

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"Where have you been?" Gimli asked gruffly.

"Around," he answered, looking back at the trees.

Aragorn looked up at the elf's cryptic remark and hesitated a moment before he took the elf aside. "What did you find?" he asked in Elvish to hide their conversation.

Legolas smiled mysteriously. "Someone I'd not expected."

"Someone? Who is it? Are they a danger to us?"

"No, they are not. They are very much on our side, mellon nín."

The ranger examined his friend's countenance before letting out a breath. "Arwen or Elladan and Elrohir?"

Legolas shook his head. "No. Lord Elrond would know of their absence, especially Arwen's."

"Then who is it that follows us?"

"I shall not say, but I will as long as Mithrandir is not informed."

Aragorn nodded.

Legolas looked to see the wizard on the opposite side of the clearing with the hobbits. Knowing the wizard's powers, he dropped his voice to a level that Aragorn almost had to strain to hear. "We've known them a long time and they mean a great deal to us."

Aragorn frowned, so Legolas placed a hand over his heart and nodded to the trees. Realization dawned on him. "Merenwen follows us?"

The elf nodded.

"Why is she doing this?"

Leoglas looked at him with an expression that the answer was obvious.

Aragorn knew the answer when the elf looked at him. She followed because of his friend, her beloved. "We must not let her follow. It is dangerous. What if Gandalf discovers this?"

"With our luck, he knows already and has not said anything. Merenwen knows danger. She should be fine. She would not listen to me when I told her not to, either. If it was Arwen, I doubt she would listen."

Aragorn nodded. Merenwen was like Arwen. Arwen would not accept his arguments against anything that involved being with him in the end.

"Believe me, Aragorn. If things change, I have every intention of sending her to safety. That is the thing we want for our own beloved, is it not? Their safety?"

"Yes, it is. All right, I will allow this."

"Especially, since if she does not listen to me, she will not listen to you."

Aragorn laughed. "Yes, that is true. Come, we will be moving again soon."

Legolas nodded and followed the human back into the broken down camp as they prepared to move out again.

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Well, there you have it. I shall update again soon. Reviews are appreciated, even if just to say "It's not bad."