Denver was awesome, but I was itching to get home and finish this chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Your comments were most appreciated!

Lady Anck-su-namun, ElvenLadyof Ithilien, lovenhope, Lady-Isowen, Elfinabottle, Ponytail Goddess, alfalfa7, walkure13Brynhild, agitatedmaggots, Alenor Peredhel, lostxtortured, Nelarun, GreenWood Elf, Haldir's Heart and Soul, sweetblonde14, Elwen of Lorien, and luvthefluf.


Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.

-Ambrose Redmoon


---Chapter Twenty Nine---


Anira tried to slow her panicked breathing, the cloak-covered attacker had a tight grip on her middle and combined with the rag he had gagged her with made it harder for her to take breath. She assumed it was a he, due to the strength and build, but exactly what species she had no idea. His long black cloak covered also his face, hiding it from her and casting a shadow about his features.

He continued deeper into the forest for what seemed like hours while Anira gravely surveyed the overhanging trees and night sky. Yes, she thought darkly, she would most definitely be missing dinner.

A streak of alarm burst through her. Very few people had known she went riding and unless Nariel returned to the stables, no one would know where she had gone. It could be days before she was rescued, if she ever was. Her thoughts turned to Haldir, wondering when he would arrive back from his assignment, and when he did, what he would think when she wasn't there to greet him.

The aggressor slowed, turning sharply into a rough-edged clearing surrounded by looming, intimidating trees that covered the moonlight and made it impossible to see. A creature howled in the distance. As Anira's eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she saw other black cloaked figures emerging from the trees. They formed a circle around them, one stepping from the circle and approaching them. He seemed more confident than the others and Anira thought him to be the self-proclaimed leader of the "group", for Anira did not know what else to call it.

"And what is this?" The figure spoke, a dry, uneven tone that made her shiver involuntarily. "She is a citizen of Imladris?"

Anira tried desperately to shake her head and deny it, but the one holding her held her fast, forcing her to remain still. "She was riding in the forests around the Peredhel's ground, what other information do you need?" Her attacker sounded wounded that this leader would question his abilities. He dropped her to the ground in front of them. The leader crept closer to her, lowering himself to see her better. As he did, his hood slipped back slightly and Anira caught the sight of a mouth twisted into a cruel smile. He began to laugh, a cold-blooded sound that echoed a malevolent and sadistic character.

"Yes," he said, "she will do."


"You are not going back out there, you just returned," Celeborn told Haldir as he moved to find his horse again.

"My lord, I insist. I am not tired nor will I find rest while she is missing," Haldir argued. Celeborn shook his head, staying strong in his decision.

"You are forbidden to leave Lord Elrond's house and grounds, except for the training fields. Even then you must not be alone," Celeborn stated. Haldir tried to keep the frustrated sigh from escaping him, leaning heavily on the balustrade of the terrace.

"When is this restriction to be lifted?" He asked, anxious to find a loop hole or some way to get around the ban.

"Three days. Lord Elrond's healers must also declare you fully rested and fully competent," Celeborn replied. "I would not wish you to return to the field too early and thus injure yourself indefinitely, for an even longer period. You would be completely useless to us then, and to Anira as well."

Haldir dismissed himself, silently fuming and trying to keep the anger inside him from boiling over. He swept past the few people wandering the halls and not at the feast, ignoring their curious and sometimes sympathetic faces. Word traveled fast in the Last Homely House, much to his chagrin.

Reaching his familiar guest chambers, he slammed the door and sat down in a chair near the small table. He put his head in his hands, praying to the Valar that the ten soldiers Elrond had sent out would be enough to retrieve Anira from whatever situation she had gotten herself into. His gaze lifted to a goblet sitting on the table near him. Even before he picked it up and analyzed its contents he knew that it was a sleeping draught, tasteless and colorless. It would ensure a night of deep, dreamless sleep for even the most troubled of elves.

Slowly, as if caught in some eternal rut, he stripped himself of his sweat drenched and blood stained tunic, exchanged his pair of equally dirtied leggings for a cleaner pair, and emptied the entire goblet of the draught in a single swallow. He barely made it to the bed before the potent liquid overtook him.


Anira huddled closer into her riding coat as the late autumn wind blew with more power and her mysterious captors grew louder in their raucous laughter. The tree she was tied to gave some leeway for moving, but the most it was allowing her was to lean against the tree on her side. One black cloaked figure stood apart from the rest, near her and watching for any signs of escape.

Anira definitely saw no chance of that happening. The rope was bound tight around her wrists and about the tree, as well as around her ankles. The thick boots she wore for riding gave some relief from the rope on her ankles, but her wrists were soon becoming bloodied with the constant bite of the binding around them.

The group seemed to be quieting down for the night, the fire around which they were gathered was promptly put out with a bucket of water. Another figure took the place of the one who had been watching her, and Anira hoped this one was more talkative.

"Perhaps you can tell me why I am here?" She asked. The man, as she had now assumed their race to be, didn't even move or make any sign that he had heard her. She sighed, realizing they must all be on orders not to speak with her. Feeling very alone and exhausted beyond reason, Anira bent her head into her arm and slept as best she could.


The sound of men moving around her and bright sunlight filtering into the clearing woke Anira with a start. Her eyes narrowed in perplexity before the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her. Shivering with fear and the feeling of the harsh wind around her, she raised her head to look around the clearing.

In the daytime, the clearing looked much more like a forest of Imladris, though still tainted because of the black cloaked figures clustered about. Some were in the trees, and still others seemed to be gone, off making sure no elf stumbled upon them. There was still a lone figure standing near her and watching her. Anira observed him, trying to catch sight of his elusive face when he turned and his hood drooped. No luck, he was adept at keeping himself hidden, as they all were.

Surely by now they would notice her gone, and notice the absence of a horse in the stables. Her mind ran through the list of things they might do to her, and why they even wanted her in the first place. She didn't like to think that they would hurt her, but it was a high possibility. Ransom was another option, but what would they want from Imladris? Unless of course they were related somehow to the orc uprisings.

An insignia on the man closest to her caught her eye, and she recognized it from somewhere. Narrowing her eyes to make the image clearer, she thought hard. The man noticed her staring, moving the folds of his cloak over the insignia. Anira leaned back against the tree in defeat, but the image burned in her mind.

"Soldiers!" One of the figures dropped from the trees, signaling something Anira couldn't understand. They all started to hide and cover themselves, the man guarding her swept the bindings off her effortlessly and pulled her into the underbrush with him. From their position beneath the underbrush, with twigs and prickly thorns poking and prodding them, Anira could see the main forest road clearly. The man lying close next to her covered her mouth with his gloved hand and held her immobile with the other. Anira understood why when she heard horses approaching.

Ten Imladris guards thundered down the forest trail. Anira knew they must have been sent to retrieve her, and she struggled in vain against the large man holding her. Tears of frustration and sadness rolled down her cheeks, knowing that help was near and she was useless to get it. One soldier stopped, listening for something. Hope sprung within her, and she thought for one short moment that maybe she would escape this ordeal.

As quickly as they had come, the soldier dismissed the slight sound and signaled for them to continue.


Haldir shot the second arrow fiercely, watching it hit the target with more force than usual with a loud thud. He had taken to the training fields to get rid of his anger. After two days, and not even a clue to Anira's whereabouts, Haldir felt his frustration grow. He had reluctanty obeyed the guidelines set down by Celeborn, no matter how many times he felt tempted to go back on his word and start searching himself. Thinking it wise, he had restrained from sending a letter to Lorien about the recent events. It would only worry Rumil and Orophin, not to mention Minaethiel, and he felt confident she would be found. Though, with each passing day, his own worry grew.

He sensed someone approaching and turned to see Lord Celeborn walking calmly towards him, though his expression betrayed him and contradicted his calm demeanor.

"You are doing well?" He asked, surveying the fields.

"As well as to be expected, my lord. You have news...?"

"No, I am sorry. As agreed, I will allow you to depart tomorrow to join the search, but I retain the right to pull you in yet again if I hear or see that you are close to injury," Celeborn stated. Haldir agreed hastily.


Anira was beginning to tire of her captivity, though she remained always on alert. Her curiosity grew as she observed the strange group, and she found herself thinking of the design on the man's cloak. He had seemed eager to hide it from her. A new man had been 'rejected' to her side, she sensed that they resented watching her and would rather be with their comrades by the fire or joking with each other in their crude shelters. These shelters happened to be nothing more than lengthy material strung over branches to form a sort of tent.

She shifted, hoping to find a more comfortable place against the tree. An imprint of the bark was left on her skin, leaving an intricate red pattern on the surface. She felt unclean, almost as if she could feel the dirt and grime built up in her hair and on her body. The thought of it made her skin crawl.

The men began to move toward the tents, putting out the fire and stumbling drunkenly across the uneven ground. These men consumed much wine, something Anira thought odd if they were to be on the lookout for a rescue party.

With a jolt, she turned to the man guarding her. He had moved suddenly towards her, making her think he was going to attack her. With a sigh of relief she realized he had only slumped forward, breathing deeply in his curled up position on the ground. He was sleeping, and Anira saw her chance for an escape.


Cliffhanger, so sorry. Things are starting to get moving now, the next chapter will be more exciting. Please review and leave a comment! I appreciate all your advice! The next chapter should be out soon.

-ElfLuver13