Hey! I am truly sorry for the late update, but I'm in the middle of my exams now ;) Still, I found some time to write, so I hope I can make a next update before the end of the month (preferably sooner).

By the way, I found a fun LOTR online game, recommended for anyone who loves LOTR and games. It's advertised here on fanfiction. Just type LOTR Online, and you'll find it ;)

Ha, did anyone notice this is chapter 13 (!)? Evil grin...

Arwenia: Oh, I didn't have any troubles with it yet ;) Now they question is, are you a madwoman or not? Don't hit me! ;) Oh yeah. The beasts. ;)

BookLover2000: Thank you! :)

Duchess of Night: Since fanfiction changed, I saw your picture of your penname :) Beautiful one!

Dunedian: Opnieuw bedankt voor je review ;) Het was zo lang dat ik het moest openen om het te lezen! ik hou van ze! :)

Eneicia Took: Let me search for it... Mmm... Nope, I fear I can't find anything in my sleeve ;) Well, I'll have to come up with it some time, I guess :)

Falca: Yep, they will ;) Oh, did you study Latin? :)

Jessie: Well, your curiosity will be answered :)

TheButterflyCurse996: Indeed, only Legolas! ;) Cool, great idea! :P

"Are you ready?"

"Give me a moment." Quickly, Legolas placed the feathers at the end of the arrow and bound them together. Then he carefully fingered it, searching for any flaw. He could find none. Satisfied, he put it in his quiver and stood up.

"I am ready. Foxface?" The girl only nodded. She didn't really say much. All she wanted to tell, she had explained yesterday. Point of it was that she didn't want to go with Legolas and Aragorn to the festivity. Sure, she would follow them to the Cornucopia – it was the same way, so it would be stupid to separate only to run against each other later on – but near the open place, she would say them fare-well and go her own way. And if they followed her, she had warned, she would slice their throats. Aragorn hadn't know whether he should be intimidated or laughing with the thought of the slender girl trying to kill a Ranger and an elven prince, so he had said nothing.

Actually, he was glad she would leave them soon. He didn't know whether it was just him being paranoid, but he didn't sleep very easy when there was a girl who wanted to kill him around. The sooner she left, the better. And at least, that would improve the chances greatly that another would kill her.

"Estel, are you coming?" Legolas' voice shook him out of his thoughts. Quickly, he averted his gaze from Foxface and nodded.

"Let us go."

They ran lightly, yet slower then they would have been able to, since Foxface was slowing them down. The girl was quite quick, though – but just as Gimli only on the short run. Besides, Aragorn suspected she too was running slower then she could, to spare her powers for the festivity.

Still, they did not need to hurry. The festivity would take place at dawn, and Anor had still not appeared, though his mistress' veil –Aurora, dawn- was floating just above the horizon already. They had about half an hour, more or less –and they had reached the forests around the Cornucopia already. Aragorn halted. Then he noticed the absence of the sound of footsteps and turned around. Legolas was looking at him. Foxface had disappeared.

"She didn't say anything, but I heard her taking the other direction a few minutes ago," the elf explained upon his questioning gaze, shrugging. "I guess we'll see her at the festivity."

"Perhaps we will," Aragorn answered, seemingly indifferently and searched the field before them. "I think that there is the thing we need 'desperately'." Aragorn pointed at a few bags, near the mouth of the Horn. The number of the remaining districts were writing upon them. They all looked alike.

"I must say I'm curious what they think we need. Knowing them, I doubt whether it will be really of use for us. Do we have to see it?" Legolas asked.

"Common! Where is your elvish curiosity? I know a boy who as a child was so curious for the fishes, he bowed too far over the river and felt in it, only to be dragged away for miles!" Legolas' ear tips reddened.

"You have been talking to Elladan and Elrohir!"

"Indeed I have. They can tell many interesting stories, you know. Most of them concerning a certain elven prince –" Legolas cut him of with a gesture of his hand and a glaring gaze.

"Careful, Estel, or my tongue might slip in the presence of the fair lady Arwen Undomiel and accidentally reveal what happened to the embroidered shirt she once made for you."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!" They stood there, arms crossed, glaring at each other. A small smile was tugging on Aragorns lips, but he tried to hold his stern face- unsuccessfully. Legolas too, was laughing already.

"Let's make a deal. You never mention any of those stories again, and I will not tell Arwen. Done?"

"Done." Solemnly they shook each other's hand, valiantly trying not to spoil the solemn gesture by laughing. Then, all of a sudden, Legolas jumped forwards and pushed Aragorn into some bushes. The man was surprised, but started wrestling immediately. He had had experience with Elladan and Elrohir. He wouldn't be bested by his best friend in a teasing sparring.

"Why, elf! Can't you win without having the advantage of surprise?" he laughed, while trying to pin Legolas beneath him. When he saw the expression upon the elf's face, he sobered. The elf looked furious.

"Estel, cease this immediately and hold still,' he hissed angrily. Then he loosened his grip upon the man and laid down upon his belly, spying through the branches. Aragorn too, joined him quietly.

"What is it?" he whispered.

"Movement. East of the Horn. I do not know whether the tribute has seen us."

Oh. Aragorn could hit himself. Here they were, on the verge of entering a festivity of blood and murder, and he had thought Legolas was merely playing! He should have known better. If the tribute had seen them, it could have cost them their lives. Even now, the tribute could be sneaking towards them. Silently, Aragorn turned around end carefully took in every detail of the environment. He would see it immediately when something would change. It was one of the first lessons Glorfindel had taught him. For the moment, everything seemed calm.

"I am sorry, Legolas. I shouldn't have-"

"It's alright. I took you by surprise. It's normal a childish human like you reacts that way." Aragorn couldn't see Legolas' face, but he heard the gentle smile, so he just poked his friend and restrained himself from giving a retort. His shame prevented him from speaking.

"Foxface." Legolas' whispering was barely audible, but Aragorn was almost touching his face with his ears, since the bushes weren't too great to hide in.

"What is it with her?"

"She is there. It's like she is waiting for something… Oh no, scratch that. She's running to the Horn!"

"What?" Now Aragorn could see her too. A small figure running the immense field –uncovered, unarmed, in plain sight. She had looked cunning to him, but this was just the most foolish move one could do. What was she thinking?

When the seconds passed by, Aragorn had to revise his assumptions. Foxface had reached the Horn and taken her bag, and still there was no one who had intercepted her. With a short turn, the girl headed back to the forests. Within a few minutes after she had entered the field, she had disappeared already. Baffled, the man looked at Legolas. The elf seemed as surprised as he was, a wry smile upon his lips.

"Good strategy," he commented dryly. Aragorn could only nod. Then he tensed again.

"Katniss!" Another, far too familiar girl had appeared at the field, running to the Horn. Legolas and Aragorn exchanged one glance, not longer than a second, and stormed out of the bushes. The grab-and-run strategy had worked for Foxface too. Why wouldn't it work for them either?

Except for the fact they lost the advantage of surprise, off course. Don't think about that! Run! The grass was flying beneath their quick legs. Even sound couldn't keep up with them. The only thing they could hear now, was the roaring wind in their ears, their laboured breathing and now and then the rustling of the grass. They were fast.

But not fast enough. After Katniss, a few other tributes had appeared too. Legolas didn't know their names, but it didn't matter actually. What did matter, was that one of them, a girl, had pinned Katniss beneath her and was threatening her with a knife.

Legolas did the only thing he could think off. Running lightly, he grabbed the bow of his shoulder, pulled the string in one motion and fired. The arrow flew true and straight. Probably, the girl never knew what had caused her death. She did not even sigh when she hit the ground, the arrow between her open eyes. The image of the young, pale girl would haunt the elf for many nights afterwards. But now he had no time to linger upon these thoughts. They had reached the Cornucopia.

As after a silent agreement, Legolas went straight to the Horn, grabbing the little sack with a black 13 upon it. It was very light. For a moment, the elf wondered whether they had been tricked and given an empty bag, but he took it with him nevertheless. After all, it wasn't a burden. Meanwhile, Aragorn had yanked Katniss upon her feet. She looked fairly well, no serious injuries as far as Legolas could discern.

"Katniss! We have to get out of here!" The girl nodded.

"What are you waiting for?"

"He's an elf, you know! They always have to discuss things over and over again before they actually do something." Katniss' eyes widened and Aragorn realised he had said too much. Too late. Without thinking, Legolas grabbed Katniss arm and dragged her along.

"We'll explain later. Now quickly! The tribute from Eleven is coming to us!" Aragorn quickly turned. The elf was right. A tall, broad-shouldered boy with a skin as black as Cinna's and Rue's was sprinting towards them. He had a knife in his hands and looked furious. Legolas briefly wondered why he was so mad at them, before he had to duck. The boy had thrown a rock towards his face. With a metallic sound, it ricocheted upon the Horn. Legolas quickly pushed Aragorn and Katniss away.

"To the trees! I'll handle this!"

"No, you won't! I'm not going anywere!"

"Neither am I," Katniss shouted.

And then the boy had reached them. With a furious growl, he threw himself upon Legolas. The elf dodged and faster than one could follow, he appeared behind the tributes' back and took him in a strong grip. A knife was floating around his bare neck.

"Legolas! Kill him!" The elf hesitated, and that was all the tribute needed. Instead of fighting the arm with the knife –as every warrior would do- the boy threw himself forwards. It was a stupid move. Nay, it was worse than stupid. In any other case, he would have cut his own throat by pushing his neck against it – that is, if Legolas had held the weapon steady. However, the elf still couldn't find it in him to kill a child, even though the boy was one of the elder ones in the Arena. He loosened his grip upon his knife and the weapon slid harmlessly away, only leaving a shallow cut.

The tribute turned and hit Legolas full in the face. The elf was shocked by the sudden move and couldn't avoid it. He smashed again the steel of the Cornucopia. Black spots filled his vision, making him practically blind. He groaned.

"Tresh! Strider! Stop!" Katniss loud shout made everything fall silent. Legolas' vision cleared a little. His friend and the tribute were standing opposite to each other, Aragorn with a knife in his hand, the tribute – Tresh apparently – slightly bent forwards in a tense and threatening position.

"Don't kill him!" Legolas wasn't sure whom she was talking to, and neither did the two fighters. They just stood there, attentively, cautiously. Katniss too, seemed surprised by her own words. Then, Tresh slowly turned, his eyes never leaving Aragorn.

"I am surprised, Girl on Fire. I was here to pay back what you did to Rue. One enemy of yours I would take down, because you were there to comfort Rue when she died. But it seems you do not require my help." For a moment, Katniss was too stunned to say anything. She had known that District Eleven was loyal and close to each other. She had seen it in the previous games. But that one of them would help a tribute because that tribute had consoled his partner in the last minutes of her life, was unseen.

"Then why did you attack me?" Legolas asked carefully. Thresh laughed humourlessly.

"Perhaps because you grabbed her and wanted to attack her?" The elf thought deeply how he could have given that impression, then he remembered that Aragorn had yanked Katniss upon her feet and that he himself had grabbed Katniss to pull her to the forests. He looked up to the tribute of Eleven, a solemn expression upon his face.

"I did not try to kill her."

"He is right. Actually, he was trying to protect me, though I do not need help." Katniss seemed to have found her voice again. Tresh let it sink in for a moment, and nodded subdued.

"Then I guess you'll have to kill me now?"

"No," Legolas answered, before Aragorn could react. "A life for a life. You did not kill Strider, we will not kill you."

"Only this time," Thresh warned. "When I see you next time, you will be my prey." Perhaps not the cleverest thing to say since he was alone against three other tributes, but Legolas appreciated his honesty and just nodded. Then, Thresh turned around and began running to the nearest trees. In a matter of seconds, the field was empty again.

The three were silent for a moment, although Aragorn casted an accusing glare at Legolas. Still, somewhere deep inside he was glad he hadn't killed the tribute. The boy had a good heart. He sighed deeply. Why was this Game so complicated? As a Ranger, it was simple. He killed the bad ones. And the bad ones were orcs and goblins and trolls, without exception.

It became more difficult when he had to deal with men. Some of them were pure evil, but others were also afraid or mislead. But he could handle that, for he knew it was for a greater good.

But in this Game, his enemies were children who had barely had the chance to do anything wrong. Some of them might be cruel, but some of them weren't and were just trying to survive for their families. And he didn't know them well enough to say to which side one belonged.

"We should go." Legolas' voice cut through his thoughts. The elf was looking at him attentively. Aragorn nodded.

"We're far to exposed here. Katniss, are you ready?"

"I am. Swiftly now!" They ran again and quickly reached the trees, each absorbed in his own thoughts.

Perhaps that was the reason why they didn't hear him. Later on, Legolas would repeatedly torture himself with guilt that he hadn't noticed anything wrong and beg the Valar to turn back time, so that he could change the events.

But that was later on, and the Valar didn't grant him his wish.

And therefore, Cato was able to sneak upon them and jump out of the tree. And therefore, he was able to push his sword right through Aragorns belly.

*Takes on a defensive posture* No, don't kill me! You wan another chapter, don't you? So don't kill teh writer... *sees the furious gazes* Uh-oh...

Please Review! ;)

xXx Archiril