Hi, my lovely readers Thank you so much for reading my story and I hope you love reading it just as much as I love writing it, if not more. I apologize once again for the slow update process. But here's Chapter 11, enjoy.

Chapter 11

Skyler woke up slowly. She sat up on the bed and on instinct, looked down at her knuckles. They were healed and amazingly, without any scars left. It was then she noticed Haldir, who had been standing at the door of the talan.

For a moment she remained silent, simply savoring the sight of her elven angel. Basking in the golden light, Haldir's silver white hair shone brightly and his tall solid frame added comfort to the room.

"Hello Haldir." She finally said, breaking the silence, she knew that Haldir knows she's up.

"No Sindarin?" Haldir said coolly, turning around, his eyes staring at her stonily. The coldness slashed at Skyler's heart, but this time she didn't turn away or hurled hurtful words back. Haldir was too important to her to play this kind of roundabout games.

"I suppose I do not have to ask why you're angry at me?" Skyler said quietly, "After all I left you for more than five hundred years, though only fifty of those years are my fault. I couldn't...I...I was asleep within the shadows of Iluvatar for five hundred years...I had no choice..." She added desperately.

"And then, afterwards...afterwards...I couldn't come back...I just couldn't face Lady Galadriel thinking that I've...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you angry..." Skyler said painfully.

"I am not angry at you." Haldir stated but remained at the window.

"Haldir I am not friend with you for nothing, if this doesn't sound angry I don't know what does." Skyler sighed.

Haldir remained silent for a minute before beginning quietly, "Is that all you see me as, a friend?"

Skyler bit her bottom lip nervously then letting out a breath slowly she asked, "What do you want me to say?"

At this Haldir's eyes hardened even more and he strode across the spaces and sat down on the bed: "I do not want you to say anything, you need to tell me something."

Skyler sat up on the bed and stare in to his eyes for a moment before looking away, "I don't know what you want me to do!" she cried trying her hardest to push the situation away because she didn't know how to handle it. It frightened her. Haldir frightened her. She had no idea how to deal with this situation and these emotions welling up inside her.

Haldir reached out an arm and pull her to his chest; at his touch Skyler felt a shock of electricity up her spine and a heat flooding through her. She struggled to get away but Haldir held on firmly.

"I know that you're feeling something, tell me what it is; I cannot lose you again." Haldir whispered in her ear. She lowered her head in embarrassment and tried to push Haldir away. The Marchwarden held on and just sat there with her in his arms quietly, waiting for her to cease struggling.

After a while Skyler's mind was still telling her to move herself away from him but her heart and body betrayed her as they stay in his embrace.

(Tell me, Skyler, what is it that you feel.)

His voice so soft and loving grew even more so in the lyrical elven language. His voice...oh how can one voice express so much passion and love? Skyler's stiffened body slowly relaxed as she melted into Haldir: "It's…it's warm…it feels so right…" she blushed, "I…"

Haldir caressed her hair: (I've waited so long for you. We are meant to be.)

Skyler pulled back to look at him in bewilderment: "But that's only in stories; that's never real." She knew from the harsh reality and her own family life that fairy tales never come true. They were there only to fool little kids. If fairy tales were real...she wouldn't be here. If fairy tales were real, her mother would be happy. All those if's...nothing...nothing's meant to be. If things are meant to be...then her mother...the heroine of Skyler's life...should have a happy ending...she shouldn't have to lose her own daughter...and Skyler shouldn't have to lose her mother. She shouldn't have to leave Haldir for so long...Celebrian shouldn't have to suffer...Sauron should never have existed.

But...perhaps...just once...just this time...maybe things can be alright?

Haldir chuckled, "I didn't fell in love with you at first sight if that's what you mean. We were friends first, remember? Love grew from that."

"I…but I've been gone for more than five hundred years."

"And I've waited."

Skyler's eyes stung and watered: "You shouldn't have…I'm…"

Haldir held his finger against her lip: "Shh, don't say you're not worth it, my love; I am willing to wait a thousand years for you. After all, what is time to elves?"

Tears slid down Skyler's face and she threw herself back into his arms, content to stay there forever.

But forever did not exist. Sooner or later reality would come back and reality was that Skyler has to continue her journey.

But it will be alright because in Skyler's eyes there now shone a light that wasn't there before. Hope...hope remains.

Skyler glanced back to the shore where Haldir, the Lady and Lord of Lothlorien stood bidding them goodbye. She looked away from the scene and bent her head.

A few minutes ago Galadriel had stood in front of her...

"And what can we offer you, young one." Galadriel said gently.

Skyler bit down hard on her lips to prevent herself from crying as she tore her eyes away from Haldir who was standing in the background. He was as stoic as always, but in his eyes, Skyler could see the love he had for her. The restrain he put on to not make her stay, here in Lothlorien, away from the war and the death. But he understood...he understood what duty, loyalty, and comradeship meant.

"Nothing my Lady; there's nothing more I could ask for." Skyler whispered, blinking her eyes furiously so the tears would not fall.

Galadriel smiled: "I'll give you a gift of words then. Listen well, Skyler Evans: Life has no purpose; we must find a purpose for ourselves."

Skyler stared at her funnily and said in a monotonous voice as if reciting something: "And to live is to suffer, but to survive is to find a meaning in that suffering."

"Mother said that to me once." She added softly.

"She's a wise woman then."

"She is." Even now...she could not bring herself to say...to use...past tense...

"Are you alright, my friend?" Legolas asked quietly from the back, drawing Skyler back from her reverie.

"I think so." Skyler sighed staring off to the distance then she added more confidently, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

I won't let you down, mother, not again. You'll probably yell at me for being emo the way I'm now.

"Sam, where's Frodo?" Skyler asked frowning staring around worriedly at the campsite.

"Why, Miss he's right…" Sam trailed off when he turned to see the empty spot.

Skyler's eyes caught Boromir's shield lying hazardously against the tree while he was no where in sight; it did not take an idiot to put two and two together.

"Bastard!" she hissed as she grabbed her crossbow and ran into the forest on the bank of the river, not even stopping to see if the others followed her.

Frodo! Please be alright. May the Valar grant you light.

She rushed through the forest looking for signs of Boromir or Frodo, but finding none. Then suddenly she stopped.

Thud…thud…

That sound was definitely not her heart beating.

"Orcs…" She grimaced.

Frell, if Frodo got caught…

"Today is definitely not a good day." Skyler winced and ran towards the sounds of the stumping footsteps.

She stopped at the edge of a clearing with steps leading up to a platform. The place was swarming with orcs with Aragorn right in the middle. Working quickly, she hooked her crossbow back on her back and unsheathed her sword.

"Dios Mios me protecta." She sighed before jumping into the foray.

After what seemed like an eternity she was next to Aragorn: "Frodo?" she gasped as she blocked another strike, "Did you find him?" she added disengaging the orc in front of her.

Aragorn nodded: "He's safe."

"Lovely." Skyler breathed sending a knee up the unarmed orc.

"Where are the Halflings!" another orc in front of her growled.

"Oh shut the heck up!" Skyler swored as she knocked the orc's head to the left with a kick.

"Aragorn, Skyler! You are alright?" Legolas yelled over the din.

"Peachy!" Skyler retorted as she stuck her sword in one of the orc's gut and pulled out her twin daggers.

Stab, twirl, stab, punch, kick…

The orcs overflowed them like a black sea of ants; angry and unending.

Then in the midst of the fighting a loud horn sounded; clear and pleading.

"Boromir!" Aragorn shouted, "the horn of Gondor. Boromir is in need!"

Skyler made a quick decision. She slashed the windpipe of another orc in front of her and leaped over to block the one in front of Aragorn.

"Go!" she yelled. Aragorn hesitated.

"We'll be fine, Aragorn, move your arse before I move it for you!" she growled as she knocked the orc's sword out of the way and slashed one of daggers down its front.

Aragorn nodded and disappeared behind her into the forest.

She may not like Boromir because he tried to take the ring but that does not mean she's going to stand by and watch him die.

He made a mistake and that just say he's human. She made a mistake and was given a second chance; he should be given one too.

It felt like hours before they finally fought their way done towards where the horn was last heard, and it wasn't a pretty sigh.

Aragorn was kneeling beside Boromir who had more arrows stuck out of his chest than porcupine has quills on its back.

"Oh no." she heard Gimli groaned.

"We're too late." Legolas whispered.

"Fuck," Skyler cried dropping on the ground, "Goddamn it! You gave me another chance why couldn't you save Boromir?! Tell me that Iluvatar! Tell me that! Damn it!" Why, why must he die? Just because he had a speck of darkness in his heart? Who doesn't? All of us, if we look deep enough, have darkness within our hearts. At times, those darkness cause us to become bitter, caustic, harsh, greedy, violent, murderous, or cruel. But to be human is to have the courage to fight and overcome those things. Boromir...he fought back...didn't he? Skyler had seen him, within the silver woods of Lothlorien, struggling with his inner demons. He tried, damn it! What more can anyone ask for? Why, why must the young ones leave before their time? Why?

"Thus pass the heir of Denethor, Lord of the Tower of Guard." Aragorn said solemnly as he slowly stood up.

"We can't just leave him like this." Skyler said softly.

"We'll put him in one of the boats with his shield, horn, and weapon." Aragorn replied.

And that was what they did. Skyler watched again with numbness as one of their members slipped through their midst.

"If we hurry, then, we can catch Frodo and Sam. They must have not traveled far." Legolas said looking at the spot where one of the missing boats had been.

They looked on with shock as Aragorn shook his head and said: "Frodo's fate is out of our hands now." Skyler knelt down; her heart so sore and pained from all the death and loss...

"Then the Fellowship has failed." Gimli said closing his eyes in despair while Legolas looked at the ground despondently.

"No," Aragorn said with all the fierceness of a king, "Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torture and pain in the hands of the orcs, not while we can save them."

Skyler took a deep breath and nodded her agreement: there's no point crying over spilled milk then.

"Leave everything behind, take only what you need. We're traveling light." Aragorn said as he started moving to pack up.

"Let's hunt some orcs!" Gimli roared.

"Very well." Legolas smiled.

They traveled from sunrise to sunset for the next few days, never stopping and never resting. The only thing on their mind was to find their friends, the brave little hobbits who had willing left the safe haven of the Shire behind to save the world.

"Come on Gimli," Skyler teased with an intake of breath, "you don't want to lose to an elf, do you?"

Gimli who had dropped behind let out a low snarl: "I will have you know, lass, we dwarves are very dangerous in short distance."

"I have no doubt." Skyler smirked.

"The sun is red." Skyler commented a few minutes later as they went over the hill and looked upon the horizon. The sky was not the usual hue of bright azure; instead, red bled through the horizon like blood stains.

"And I suppose you have a special meaning for red suns?" Gimli nearly sneered but failed miserably as he gasped for breath at the same time.

"It's an elven belief that when a red sun rises, blood had been spilt that night." Legolas said dropping back when he heard Skyler commenting on the sun.

"Let us hope it had nothing to do with the hobbits." Skyler murmured.

"Well, we dwarves do not follow those suspicious omens. We go with our guts." Gimli snorted.

"And what does your gut tell you, Master Dwarf?" Skyler said hiding a smile.

Gimli was ready to retort something but then he stopped and said in a grave voice that sounded foreign to his usual bluster: "Something bad, lassie."

Skyler groaned: "I could use some good news just about now then."

But it wasn't to be.

In the midmorning Legolas sighted some horsemen riding straight at them. Thinking fast, Aragorn had them hide behind some massive rocks then he motioned at Skyler.

Oh lovely, hood again, just because I'm a girl. Skyler thought disgruntled.

Within a few moments the riders rode past them making the ground tremble, just as the last of the riders were about to pass Aragorn stepped out into the open.

"What news from the North, Riders of Rohan?" he called out.

Without a word or cry the horsemen turned around with astonish speed and unity. Within seconds they had the whole group circled in tight and inescapable rings.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in these lands?" one of the Riders, apparently the leader, asked harshly in the Common tongue similar to Boromir's speech.

"You give me your name and I'll give you mine, and more besides." Gimli grounded out with his feet apart and grasping his axe in both of his hands, not liking the man's attitude at all.

"Had your head stood but a little higher from the ground, I would have cut you down." The Rider said his eyes flashing behind his helmet.

"He won't stand alone." Legolas said his bow already out.

The riders around them shifted dangerously.

Patience was obviously not one of Skyler's better virtues as she felt her nerves snapped. Their friends are dying and these men are rubbing their egos. Gods, she could just kill them sometimes!

"Oh shut up you guys." She said throwing her hood back.

The riders murmured and the leader looked like he'd drop his spear any second. Skyler had never seen so many emotions going across one face at one time.

Well, that was not the reaction she had expected.

"Ashlocke! What are you doing here? I told you to stay with Eowyn." The leader was almost seething, "and who are they?"

Skyler narrowed her eyes: "How dare you talk about my friends th…" then the first word caught up to her brain and her eyes snapped wide open.

She pulled her crossbow from her back and aimed it at the leader: "Talk. How do you know Ashlocke. What have you done with her?"

Her hands trembled: mom…why…how…it can't be…

"You're not Ashlocke?" the leader said in surprise after studying her for a moment.

"You have not answered my question, man."

"Peace." Aragorn whispered warningly putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, "Lower your weapon. You too." He said motioning at the other two.

Skyler took a deep breath and lowered the crossbow: "Name's S…Guardian... Ashlocke is my…relative."

"She never spoke of you." The man said guardedly.

"She wouldn't," Skyler laughed dryly, "she probably thought I was died just as I did her."

"Prove you know her." The man ordered.

"She loves green because it's mysterious and dark and…she would kick your ass down to Mordor right now for being impolite to a lady." Skyler smirked.

The man seemed to stare at her for a second before he raised both hands and took off his helmet to reveal a man around his mid-twenties: "You know her well." He commented.

"Where is she? If you hurt her in any way I will personally bury you in the depths of hell." Skyler threatened.

"She's in Rohan with my sister."

"With King Theoden? We're friends of King Theoden, and we seek his help." Aragorn said suddenly.

"The king recognizes no one, not even his own kin." The Rider said stiffly.

"Well, I gave you your answer, now give me your name." Skyler said shortly.

"Eomer son of Eomund, Chief Marshal of the Mark."

"Aragorn son of Arathorn. This is Legolas of Woodland, Gimili from Misty Mountain, and Guardian as she said from the Fangorn Forest."

That startled the riders again.

"You're the Guardian of Fangorn?" Eomer asked raising an eyebrow.

"The very one." Skyler said easily then she too narrowed her eyes: "If you're in league with Saruman and that pale sniveling beast I will gut you right here right now no matter who you are."

"You knew Saruman was traitorous? And Wormtongue? Why have you not told us, the King is under his spell endangering Rohan." Eomer said angrily.

"Is that what the white trash is called?" Skyler mused then glared at the man: "I am years older than you, so do not take that tone with me, child. I have a land to protect; I do not have the time to take the responsibility of your problems." She usually hated using her age as leverage but time was running out, "enough blabbering," they have more important things to discuss despite her wish to just run to Rohan and see if Ashlocke was really there, "we are hunting a group of orcs. They have taken our friend."

"They may be only children to your eyes, knee high and clad in grey." Legolas added.

Eomer recovered fast from the piece of information he just received: "Legends are springing out of the grass today." He murmured to himself. Then he pulled himself together: "We destroyed the orc last night; we counted the corps than burned them, we saw no children."

The anguish on Gimli's face was undisguised and caused Eomer to lower his head in apology: "I'm sorry."

Then as if thinking about their plight he gave two short whistles and three horses came out: "May these horses bring you better fortune then their former master."

"Thank you." Skyler whispered as the Eomer settled the helmet back on his head.

"I will do what I can for Ashlocke's family." He replied.

The sentence struck a chord in Skyler and she managed to asked hurriedly before the riders left: "Why did you leave her then? Why not take her with you?"

At first it seemed Eomer was not going to answer then he said: "It was for her own safety." He said before spurring off.

"Who is Ashlocke?' Legolas asked as he helped Gimli on to the horse before leaping on gracefully.

"Family." Skyler said before riding off towards the smoking pile.