A/N- Hey y'all!

Okay, so here's the next chapter to the story, once again, THANKS FOR ALL YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT! It's seriousy helped and well, this story wouldn't be what it is now without you guys!

Thanks again!

Sphinxy

xxx

Chapter 4

Not a sound was made as both Aéneth and Legolas made their way through the forest. No twigs snapped, no leaves rustled. Not a word spoken.

Lucrio was silent as a Church mouse as he padded along beside the two of them. Sunlight dappled the ground where they trod and the green was endless.

Soon enough they found an arrow embedded in one of the trees. Aéneth pulled it out and studied it.

"Orc," She spat and threw the arrow to the ground. It landed with a small thud and Legolas looked over her shoulder. Aéneth was unsure how she'd known it was the arrow of an Orc, but at the current time, she honestly couldn't care. She was more worried about where the Orc had gotten to and how many of them they were. She looked around her to see if there were any more arrows and to see if the Orc that had loosed the arrow was still around.

Turns out there weren't any more arrows or any Orcs for that matter. Aéneth sighed and looked back to Legolas. He looked at her with a slightly worried expression.

Suddenly her keen elf ears picked up a rustle in the bushes behind her. Quick as a flash, she grabbed one of Legolas's silver daggers and spun round so that she was facing the same direction from which she had heard the sound. Legolas looked stunned at first, but he quickly caught on as to what she was doing and knocked an arrow into his bow.

Aéneth turned to face him and nodded once. That was the only incentive Legolas needed. He loosed the arrow and heard a muffled yelp as it struck its target. Aéneth moved forward and parted the bushes. Soon enough she came to the body of the Orc Legolas had shot. His arrow had gone straight through its head, shattering its skull and leaving a bloody hole in the creature's mind. A small amount of crimson blood pooled around the back of its head.

"If this is the Orc that loosed the arrow we found, then we only have a few seconds to get out, for only mutants can shoot arrows like that and mutants don't die with a single arrow. If they are not pierced through the heart with a blade of pure silver or an arrow crafted by the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, then they are reborn in the same flesh, only, they are stronger than before," Legolas explained.

Aéneth was about to question as to how he knew this, but she saw that his eyes were clouded over.

Gandalf.

She thought.

Legolas's eyes became clear once more.

"The only way to tell is to check its blood," He told her, "Gandalf explained everything."

"I know." She told him.

"Well," She said, "There's only one way to find out."

She knelt by the corpse and gripped the dagger tightly in her hand.

Then she slit the creature's throat.

Scarlett blood dripped from the wound as she brought the dagger away from the deep gash. Then it started to pour, running down the rotten flesh of the creature's neck, staining its already filthy tunic.

Aéneth studied the blood dripping from Legolas's blade and found no traces of black in it, proving that the beast was in fact just a regular Orc.

"It was just a scout, a spy in fact, there's no mutation evident in its blood. It's a good thing we killed it while we did, or it would have reported back to its master by now, warning them of our presence."

She wiped Legolas's blade clean on the grass and stood, offering the dagger to him with one hand. Legolas took both the blade and Aéneth's hand in his own and smiled at her. He guided her hand down to the sheath at his side, in which she placed the silver dagger. Then he smiled again as he brought her hand away from his side and up in front of the two of them. His hand closed around hers and he brought her knuckles up to his lips. He kissed them softly before releasing her hand. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly close. He smiled as she pulled his mouth down to hers. Their lips met in a heated kiss and Aéneth tangled her fingers into his soft, silky blonde hair earning a small sigh from Legolas. She smiled through the kiss and when they broke apart, they were both gasping for breath.

Legolas rested his forehead against hers and they stayed like this for a while, until their breathing had slowed.

Suddenly Legolas looked up and he had a mischievous grin on his face. Aéneth looked a little puzzled but then Legolas suddenly fell to the ground, pulling her on top of him. They were both laughing as Aéneth propped herself up on his chest and smiled down at him. She slapped his chest playfully and said 'Hey!' as he wrapped his arms around her. He chuckled softly as he gazed into her hazel eyes.

"Do you remember the first night we spent together?" He asked and Aéneth smiled.

"It's not something I could forget."

"I forgot to ask you," Legolas said, his face becoming a little more serious, "Were you really asleep before you kissed me, or had you been awake?"

"I was awake, yes," Aéneth told him.

"Then why did you pretend to be asleep?"

"Because I didn't want to startle you by being awake," She explained, slightly confused as to where this was going.

Legolas sighed, "How much did you hear? Were you awake the entire time I was or-"

He started but Aéneth cut him off.

"I was awake before you were and when I heard what you said and saw the tears in your eyes, I knew I couldn't hold back any more. I knew then that I loved you more than you claimed to love me, that nothing would ever be able to keep us apart. Legolas, it hurt to be away from you, like, physically hurt. Everything around me reminded me of you, and whenever I thought about you, I couldn't contain the tears. I missed you with all of my might and my heart ached while we were apart. I never want to leave you again."

A single tear slid down her cheek and Legolas brushed it away.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's alright. I'm here now Aéneth, and I'm never going to leave you again. I won't let anyone take you away from me, ever again."

As Aéneth looked up at him, she saw he too was in tears, although he was trying to hide it. So she flung her arms around his neck and held him in a tight embrace. She cried into him until she could cry no more and then she lifted her tear stained face to look at him. Legolas chose this moment to let his own tears spill and Aéneth pulled him close as he sobbed ever so softly. She stroked his hair gently and muttered reassuring words with a soothing tone. His head was buried in the crook of her neck and she held him there until he finished crying and tried to wipe his eyes. But Aéneth was quicker as she pulled a clean rag from Legolas's pouch that was resting on her lap. She dabbed at his eyes as he smiled feebly.

"Thank you," He murmured, "You must think I'm so weak."

"Actually," Aéneth told him, "I think you are quite the opposite. Who else would single-handedly take on a giant spider with nothing more than a couple of daggers? Who else would be able to blindly shoot an Orc straight through the brain without a second glance? And most importantly, who else would be brave enough to show their true feelings? So Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood, I think you'll find yourself quite the opposite of weak."

Legolas smiled warmly at her.

"And that, My Lady, is why I love you."

A/N- Hey again my loyal readers and other peeps!

So that was chapter 4, what did you think? Let me know by the wonderful comments I'm sure some of you will leave. Thanks for all you lot have done once again!

Sphinxy

xxx