Author's Notes: It's been two chapters since I've written any notes, so I'm just going to write this first thing this chapter. Again, like always, thanks to those who have reviewed and enjoyed the story. I really hope you guys are able to stay until the end (cause who knows, there might be a sequel if I have a enough readers), and since I didn't really get a chance to specifically thank anyone so far, so I'll start now.

KiyaJinnSkywalkerKenobi and RoseRed21 - Thank you so much for staying with the story so far, I really appreciate your reviews and I hope you continue to review and enjoy!

ME - Thanks for coming in to review and also pointing out mistakes that I kind of forgot for a while!

NoirNightmare - Hey Hera! Nice to have you back here!(I don't know what else to say)

Yllems - That was a lot of good constructive criticism! I'll try to keep that in mind, since this is my first story and I'm probably not a professional writer yet, but thanks anyway!

Guests and other people who gave supportive comments - Your reviews are greatly appreciated! (although you should probably know that by now XD)

If I forgot anyone, please forgive me, it's kind of hard to remember all the names, especially when I'm so busy.

Okay, back to the story. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review! Oh and one more thing since I'm feeling crazy today...HA! Longest A/N so far!

Chapter 9: A Little Too Late

"Weapons need to be handed over before you enter," said a voice to the right.

Kelsie groaned silently. She had forgotten that she was not allowed to carry weapons in to see the king. Slowly, she handed over the sword in its scabbard. Then, she unstrapped her bow and handed it over. It was slightly painful to let go of these weapons, even though she knew they would be returned. These weapons were part of the reason she wasn't dead by now, and she had a tendency to feel unsafe without weapons.

"Your quiver, please, miss?" the guard spoke again, apparently noticing something she hadn't noticed.

Hands shaking slightly, she handed the quiver of arrows over. Now, she had no weapons to protect her. Not that she thought she actually needed to fight - she just preferred the company of her weapons. Oh well, she thought with a shrug. Better focus on how to talk to the king, rather than worry about your silly weapons.

She nervously glanced up at the large white building. It reminded her of the White House, where the president of USA lived, only this one was in Edoras, not the US, and it belonged to the king of Rohan. And she wasn't sure if kings held more power than presidents.

Kelsie heard some unwilling grumbling to her side, and she turned to see Gimli handing over his ax with a grumpy expression on his face. Like her, he was clearly not happy to part with his weapons either.

The guards led into the throne room, where King Eomer now sat in place of his uncle, King Théoden, who had died in battle. He watched as the elf and the dwarf entered, his gaze lingering on the elf a bit longer. Like always, Kelsie did not like getting attention, other than that of her friends. But now, she had to try her best to put up with it. As she neared the king, her nervousness only grew.

"I have heard that you have come here seeking help," began Eomer.

Kelsie nodded briskly. "Yes, help for our friend, who has been paralyzed by a...shadow." She did not know what else to say, so she just described it as a shadow.

Eomer resumed a thinking expression. "Tell me more about this shadow."

So, for the 'somethingth' time, Kelsie recounted what she had experienced during that night. She also added the story of how they found Legolas paralyzed and what they thought might have happened, with Gimli assisting her with the story. Although it was getting really boring having to tell the same story over and over again, she still forced herself to stand straight and tall, instead of using a bored tone. In addition to that, she also included the part with Treebeard being found frozen. Again, she left out the part about her second encounter with the shadows, since she didn't find it necessary at this moment.

After she was done, the king nodded slowly and thoughtfully, considering what he had just heard. Kelsie wasn't quite surprised at how he was able to remain calm, since he was a king. But the lack of reaction didn't not help with her nervousness(it was the best word to describe her in this situation).

"I see," he concluded. "So you've found a new threat that looms near."

Kelsie nodded again. "Y-Yes, that's right."

Finally seeming satisfied with her and Gimli's explanation, Eomer turned to his guards. "Give them shelter, and treat them as guests. See that they are brought food and drink. I will now discuss this upcoming threat with my guards."

Just as they were about to exit the building, one of the guards spoke up. "Your highness, I don't mean to disagree with you, but what if the elfling is lying?"

Kelsie gasped out loud. She knew that this would eventually come up in her journey, but she hadn't expected it to be this hurtful. He was accusing her of lying, right in front of the king! Without conscience, her hands curled into fists, and her eyes narrowed to slits. She took a step forward and opened her mouth to defend herself, but another voice cut right in.

"And what makes you think she's lying?"

Kelsie glanced to the side to see Gimli, fists bunched up, his face was contorted with rage. The dwarf was indeed very dangerous at this point, and usually, Kelsie would try to get him to calm down. However, she could not blame him for she did feel quite angry herself.

The guard's eyes narrowed aggressively at this outburst, but he continued with authority. "In my opinion, this pair should not be trusted easily. First of all, it is possible that they might have made up this fake threat to lure us into a trap. Second of all, we have never heard of a shadow that can paralyze, before, and there is no reason why we should, now. Third of all, what is an elfling doing in Rohan? Shouldn't she be in Mirkwood, doing whatever elves are supposed to do?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why was it so hard for that guard to just admit that she, or they, were telling the truth? And was he insulting her for being an elf? Before Gimli could respond, her anger reached the point which she could not take it anymore.

"Well first of all, what makes you think we made up this fake threat to lure you in a trap? Second of all, just because you haven't heard of a shadow that can paralyze doesn't mean you can't, now. Third of all, what am I doing in Rohan? I'm trying to warn you of a new threat which you just won't believe in! And besides, this isn't the first an elf has been in Rohan. Also, we are not a pair, but a trio, and our third member is the one paralyzed by the shadow!"

The words burst out of her mouth before she could stop them. Silence followed as they tried to piece together what she had just said. Next to her, Gimli muttered "Well said", but nobody paid any attention.

Kelsie looked up to see King Eomer, staring right at her, as though he was trying to read her mind to see if she was telling the truth. Her anger immediately faded to be replaced by unease. Maybe she had gone too far. Now what did he have in mind for her? She hoped that he was not angered by her outburst, and that he would be able to see the reason behind it. But the king's face showed little expression.

"Erm...your highness, I apologize for the outburst. I was just angered at being accused of lying," she added in a timid voice, trying to make it sound unbiased.

Finally, Eomer nodded understandingly. "I shall pay more heed to this new threat you talked about and consider this request. And Grimmund, I expect better behavior from you," he added to the guard, fixing a stern stare on him.

Grimmund nodded and bowed his head in respect. "Yes, Eomer King."

But even as they were dismissed and escorted to their rooms by servants, Kelsie could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. She could sense flames of hate leaping in them, threatening to finish her. She could not understand why he hated her so much in such a short time. Was it because she had humiliated him in front of his king? But no, that didn't seem right. It was Grimmund who started the argument, not her. Maybe he just had a grudge against elves. But Kelsie could tell that wasn't exactly the reason.

Kelsie sneaked over to the room. She could hear low voices talking urgently. This was no easy matter - the life of Legolas depended in it. And by the sounds of it, they still hadn't found a cure for him.

She sighed and trudged back to her room. For some reason, she felt more downcast than usual. It was not much of a surprise, since Legolas was still paralyzed, but what hurt her the most was the way Grimmund treated her. She still didn't quite understand why he hated her so much.

After several long minutes of sitting on the bed and staring at a wall, Kelsie finally stood up. Since she had a good amount of free time, she could try to find a book that might help. Even if it didn't help much, it was at least better than doing nothing.

Kelsie walked out of her room, remembering to leap over the pile of loose pieces of wood that lay near the doorway. She had hidden her sword and her bow under her bed - since it would look suspicious if she carried them around - but she kept her quiver of arrows, just to ensure safety.

She crept out and ran along the road. Although she did not mean to get attention, several people stopped to look at her. As she ran by, she caught the word 'elf' said by a child about her age. Groaning, she put her hood on to hide her ears. After her encounter with Grimmund, she could only conclude that the comments they said about her were negative.

Looking around, she could see many houses of similar shape and size. Near to them, she saw stores that sold different objects. She glanced while passing by a store that sold small weapons. Even though both the store and its weapons were not big, she could tell that the weapons were real, sharp ones.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on a cluster of buildings. It was somehow...different from the buildings around it. Different as in dangerous. As though it was trapped in a dark, cold globe. Though she was a good distance away from it, she could tell that there was something not right with it. Curiosity tugged at her to investigate, but she restrained herself. One step at a time, she thought.

Carefully, Kelsie jogged to the cluster of buildings. Fallen leaves crumbled beneath her feet, but she didn't care. The number of people along the streets became less and less as she ran. Soon, she knew, she would be alone in the dangerous place. That was, unless the people who lived there welcomed her. But it was soon getting obvious that there won't be much residents in that area.

The atmosphere started to change as she neared the cluster of buildings. It was no longer warm and safe. Instead, it reminded her of something evil that had ambushed her. The temperature had dropped low, and the air was getting chilly. The cold wind bit into her skin as she stepped into the village.

Fear grasped her as she walked through. For one, the silence was almost unbearable. Kelsie did not enjoy loud, crowded areas, but this silence was eerie. Only the howling of the wind could be heard by her elven ears, which were concealed under her hood. There were no voices, no sound of laughter to add to the cold atmosphere that controlled the village.

That was when Kelsie saw a cluster of people standing nearby. They were huddled together, their eyes wide with fear. A dark aura surrounded them, clearly reminding her of something she couldn't quite lay a finger on. Narrowing her eyes, she strode over to investigate.

After a moment of testing and waving her hands in front of their eyes, her fears were confirmed. She did not know why or how, but somehow, the shadow must have gotten its power over the small village. It had left these innocent people paralyzed without her knowing. And she still hadn't figured out a cure for it.

"Great!" she yelled to nothing in particular. "Thanks a lot, shadow! Now I have more work to do, and it's all because of you!"

Nothing answered her, and she wasn't surprised. Glancing back at the paralyzed people, she realized how foolish she had been. Every time she had to explain the shadow, she had always left out the second encounter. Now she finally realized why the shadow had rushed past her only once, instead of turning back to attack her. It had been waiting for this very moment, when it could paralyze anyone it wanted to. And she had left out the most important piece of information.

Blaming herself for everything, Kelsie walked past the paralyzed group. She noticed the way their eyes were glazed and unfocused. It reminded her of the eyes of the dead. She hunched over her shoulders and kept her head down. She was ashamed of herself for not being able to save them in time.

As she walked, her eyes glazed over an old, worn down building. Right above the door, she could just make out the word 'library', written faintly and distortedly. She immediately stopped in her tracks and edged over. Perhaps a library could be useful if she was looking for a cure...

Kelsie reached out her hand to turn the doorknob, but something stopped her. The chilling atmosphere that surrounded the building made her feel unwelcome. Even so, knowing that the whole village was under the shadow's cold spell made her reluctant. Now she desperately wished that she had someone with her, so she could at least lift a piece of the gloom.

Taking a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and tried to open the door. Due to the shadow's spell, it was frozen in place. She pulled harder and after a moment, the whole door was ripped off its hinges. She staggered back, the force of her pull now slamming back on her. For a few seconds, she just stood there staring at the door. Then, she entered with a shrug.

Kelsie scanned the old, fragile shelves for a good book that could help her. Unfortunately, none of the books could be considered good. They were all old and worn down, their pages missing and ripped. Some of the words weren't even readable anymore.

After several minutes of searching, Kelsie finally found a book that might be useful. She held it up to read the title - thankfully, it wasn't as blurry as some others. Deciding that the title, "Forgotten evils", may have something to do with the shadow, she opened the book and started to read.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!