I know I haven't added any authors notes til now, but I just wanted to think the many many people who have read this story. And to give special thanks to the person who has been reviewing and those who are following this fic.

There is a lot more to come.

"Do not follow the lights." Legolas placed a hand on Gimli's shoulder, holding the young Dwarf back. "They lead travellers to their deaths."

Gimli found himself looking up at the Elf in horror, before turning back to look at the small wisps of blue light darting through the trees. He had noticed them far off in the distance for a few days now, though it seemed like they had caught up with them at last.

"What are they?" he demanded, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder and hefting his axe into both hands. "And can they be killed?"

Shaking his head, Legolas pushed the axe down and Gimli grunted at him angrily, damn Elf trying to stop him being able to defend himself. There was no wonder his kinsmen didn't trust the disturbingly good looking creatures as far as they could throw them.

"No Elf has ever tried," answered Legolas. "Or as far as I know none have anyway."

That didn't mean anything to Gimli, just because an Elf hadn't been able to shoot one of these things with one of their particularly poncy arrows didn't mean that a good Dwarvish axe wouldn't do the job.

"Well let's see then." Gimli began to stride forwards to where the nearest wisp of light was floating above the path.

"No!" Legolas's voice was not just demanding but also tinged with panic, and it was that which made him halt and turn back to his companion. "Please do not."

Gimli scowled at him. "Don't fear Master Elf." He patted his axe fondly. "I'll just do away with 'em and then we can continue on."

"Please." Legolas reached out a hand as if to grab him. "Please do not, or you shall surely die."

Rolling his eyes Gimli approached his companion. "Is this some Elf superstition."

"My father told me." Legolas paused and closed his eyes as if in great pain. "He told me that this was how my mother died."

"Well that's odd," answered Gimli, glancing back at the happily dancing wisps.

"What?" asked Legolas, gripping his forearm tightly.

"Well it's been passed down from Durin himself," he said, with a shrug. "That Thrandiul carried and bore you himself."

Legolas's pale grey eyes widened in shock.

"This isn't somethin' you've heard before?" asked Gimli.

"Well no," answered Legolas. "I don't think anyone would dare say such a thing against my father."

Well the lad did have a point there, the Elf King was a particularly terrifying seeming creature, and if the stories his father and uncle had told him were true he was dangerous as well. He could easily imagine that Elf heads would roll if anyone started gossiping about him.

"Well either way we have to get passed these things," answered Gimli. "So what do you suggest?"

He watched as Legolas looked all around them, his gaze finally settling on the nearest tree. "We could climb over them."

"No." Gimli shook his head. "I will not be climbing any trees."

"And why not?" demanded the Elf. "It seems our only way through at this point."

Gimli would not accept that, ever, he was not climbing up some tree and humiliating himself in front of the Prince of Mirkwood, though he supposed they should really be called it Greenwood again.

"There has to be another way," he said, standing firm before the lithe Elf.

"There is not," answered Legolas. "Now get up that tree."

Gimli had just opened his mouth to argue that he was not getting up that tree and his Elf companion needed to keep his knickers on, when a high pitched scream went up through the trees, and as one the wisps flickered out.

"What was that?" asked Gimli, noticing that Legolas almost looked sickly. "What is it laddie?"

"Nazgul," whispered Legolas, pushing him towards the tree. "Get up now."

"Nazgul?" answered Gimli, starting to climb despite himself. "Do you mean a Ringwraith?"

"Yes," hissed Legolas, pushing Gimli up further before swinging himself into the tree. "Now be quiet."

Together they crouched amongst the branches of the tree, and for a very long time nothing seemed to happen at all. Then, just as Gimli was about to climb back down from the tree and continue down the path, there was the sound of hooves on the compact ground which made up the path. Immediately Legolas's hand covered his and gripped tight, and don't tell his kin but he found himself gripping back just as fiercely. This could very easily be his last moments in this world before passing to the halls of his ancestors, and he would not leave with hateful thoughts in his head.

A huge black horse with a black cloaked figure atop it appeared on the path moving swiftly towards the west, so at least he was not travelling to Erebor. Though why would a Ringwraith be travelling to the kindly west? It soon disappeared amongst the trees and slowly the forest came back to life around them.

"Come," whispered Legolas. "We must keep moving if we have any hope of reaching the Elvish outpost before nightfall."

"The oddest thing," answered Gimli. "I don't much feel like getting out of this tree."

Legolas squeezed his hand. "Do not fear, for I will not let you fall."