Authors Note: I really want to thank everyone for their wonderful feedback, especially when I am tiptoeing through a fanfic area I am not overly familiar with, but can't get this idea out of my head. Again, if I get something wrong, just let me know.

JCassW, I am really trying not to make this a silly eye rolling event. Yes, my teenage son has watched me write fanfic for years and has recently started as well to strengthen his writing skills. He's without a doubt one of those cannon readers. While I like to take a walk on the wild side and go for AU.

Legolas let his eyes examine the young woman before him. She didn't appear dangerous, but the manner in which they stumbled upon her, didn't sit well with him. Like most humans she appeared frail to him, but the undeniable magic swimming about the air told him there was more to this human than met the eye.

Forcing his gaze to move past her delicate features to find her injuries. "She's been beaten, but there's something more."

"Who'd do that to a lass?" Gimli moved forward to join him at the cot. "She's just a babe."

With pursed lips, Legolas dropped to his knees. His fingers moved carefully to the young woman's face and ran a hand over the fresh bruises that marred her flesh, down to the obvious marks that circled her tiny throat.

"Gimli my friend, I need you to return to the horses and retrieve my pack." About to turn his attention back to the girl, he looked over his shoulder as Gimli made his way out of the tent. "Make sure to place a mark to be able to find your way back."

With a sharp nod of his beard, Gimli hurried through the flap, muttering about the perils of invisible tents. Returning his attention back to the girl, Legolas sighed. He may be able to assist to her physical needs, those he was well versed in. But the dark magic radiating off her, was another matter.

"What has happened to you, and where is your escort?" His words fell on deaf ears. With quick efficiency, he whipped out his dagger from its sheath and placed it at the bottom of her strange tunic. "I apologize for this breach in decorum, but you are in need of care."

The razor sharp edge of his blade sliced through the fabric, and Legolas's flinched at the sight before him as air hissed through his lips. The flesh on her left ribcage was a mixture of black, purples, blues and yellow. The deepest of the colors, settled above her ribs, in two very distinctive points.

It wasn't just her marred flesh which gave him pause, but the way her muscles convulsed beneath her skin. The action reminded him of a muscle spasm, but in this girl's case, her muscles seemed to be in constant motion. Never in all his years had he witnessed such a thing. Bruising was natural, but he calculated, whatever was causing her body to react so was the work of the repugnant magic he smelled in the air.

For now he could assist with her physical needs. A slave would help on her bruises, helping with the pain while speeding up her bodies healing process. He would need to check for broken bones. Ribs were tricky, and he prayed she hadn't already inflicted any injury to her lungs. As for the rest, there wasn't much he could do. Perhaps if she were to regain consciousness, he could get from her a better understanding of what he faced.

"Your bag." Gimli's rough announcement died on his lips as his eyes landed upon the girl. A blush crept up his neck when he took in her appearance, but instead of averting his eyes he froze in place as he watched in horror while the girl's flesh rolled. "What's beneath her skin? Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"Never." Legolas admitted, as he reached for his bag. "Take a look around this strange place and see if you can find any clues as to what happened to this girl, but be careful. We still don't know what we've stumbled upon."

Gimli appeared to want to argue that such a tiny human couldn't pose much threat that they couldn't face, but the dark scowl on Legolas's face made him pause. The Elf had never been wrong when it came to the unnatural. Sensing things that others couldn't. Instead, he gripped the handle of his Ax in determination.

"Aye."

Pulling what he needed from his bag, Legolas peered around for a bowl to pour the dry ingredients from a pouch into. He tried not to get too confounded by the items littered around the tent, he'd have time to inspect his area as soon as the human was treated. Spying what he was looking for, he moved to the other side of the tent and retrieved it.

Hurrying back, his deft hands already pouring water from his water-skin to create a paste. "I need to spread this on your flesh, it's a paste my people use to help ease the pain and progress healing. This may hurt, and I apologize for any pain I inflict."

His words fell on deaf ears as he knelt again at her side and carefully administered the concoction. As his fingers moved over her side, his brow pinched in confusion. Bruising such as this should have broken or at least cracked her ribs, but with every pass of his fingers he felt her bones intact.

"How can this be?" Jerking his hand away, he sat back on his heels and blinked. Moving his hand back to the girl's side, Legolas closed his eyes and let his fingers roam over each rib, concentrating on the bone beneath for any sign of imperfection. As he reached the last grove, he let his hand drop to his side. "What magic is this?"

"There seems to be a lot of that going around." Gimli announced as he reentered the tent. "There are no track marks in the ground, it's as if the shelter appeared out of thin air. But I did find this."

Shoving his hand out, Gimli opened his fist for Legolas to inspect. In the middle of his palm rested several metal pieces of broken metal. On one of the fragments, appeared to be a broken hourglass. A long chain also lay in Gimli's palm, and Legolas was even more mystified when he saw where sections were fused together, as though some significant heat source had melted it.

"Where did you find it?"

"There's a patch of grass that I believe the girl was lying. I found these objects a few feet away." Both males looked over to the prone body.

"Do you think she's Istari?" Gimli's usually boisterous voice came out as a whisper.

"No." Legolas said with a gentle shake of his head. "Istari are only males, old men to be exact. As you can see, she is neither."

"Then what is she?" Gimli hissed, his eyes roaming over the girl's features, before resting on her hand. "Is that a stick she's holding?"

Taking a step forward to have a closer look, Gimli's mustache twitched. "Why in all of Middle-Earth would the lass be holding onto a stick?"

His previous examination had been superficial, only taking in the stranger's ailments. Moving to stand beside his friend, Legolas spied the object. "It's odd." Was his only reply as he inched closer to the cot, his hand moving toward the item. His fingers were mere inches away when he felt a vibrating sensation, pulsing the air between his outstretched hand and the stick he was about to grasp onto.

"That's no simple stick." Taking a safe step back, Legolas frowned.

"Perhaps one of us should return and report this to Aragorn." His eyes shifting from the female, to the strange furnishings of the tent, Gimli also took a few steps away from the cot. "Let him sort this mess out."

Legolas would have agreed, washed his hands of this mystery and continue on with their journey. But his thoughts went to the guests their friend was dealing with, and shifted through the many outcomes due to their meddling. "Where you're opinion weighs much merit, it may mean a death sentence for the girl."

"You don't really believe Aragorn would do harm to the lass?"

"No not Aragorn, but the visiting rulers currently presiding under his roof may push his hand." They were living in uncertain times. Where years ago, a discovery like this would be analyzed for its strategic benefits, now would be seen as a hindrance. There was no longer a need for unity, and with every season that passed, alliances were tested. "We'll wait until she wakes. If she doesn't provide the answers we're looking for, I'll ride back."

"So now what?" Gimli grumbled.

"Now we search this abode." His eyes raking over the interior of the tent, pausing on items that made no sense to him. "Find out as much as we can about our new acquaintance."

With a short nod, Gimli trudged over to the far corner and started sorting through the shelves that lined the wall. Every once in a while he'd give pause, scrutinizing an object before setting it to the side for further inspection.

Legolas turned again to the girl, watched as her chest rose and fell with each struggled breath. Not wanting to get any closer to the stick in her hand, but feeling it inappropriate to let her lay there nearly undressed, he approached carefully to pull a blanket over her form. Satisfied, he took a quick step back, his foot hitting something on the ground.

It was a small hand bag, with intricate beading that had seen better days. It seemed out of place for the rustic tent, and without a thought Legolas picked it up. Telling himself they were in search of answers, he opened the bag and nearly dropped it in the process.

As though his eyes were playing tricks on him, he blinked three times slowly, as though the action would clear the peculiar sight. As he refocused he knew what he was seeing was the edge of a frame.

"Gimli." Calling over the Dwarf, he held out the bag for his friend to peer into. "Tell me what you see."

Confusion flickered through Gimli's eyes, before he stood on his toes to look. "Is that a frame?"

"It's what I see as well." Hesitant, Legolas put hand inside the bag and grasped onto the wood edging. With ease he pulled the object out and nearly dropped it.

"Who carries and empty frame inside a bag?"

"I think the better question is, how does one get a frame this size into a much smaller object?" Legolas asked. "There's more."

Too intrigued to ponder if he was being wise, Legolas shoved his hand in again, pausing to look over at Gimli when the material reached his elbow. "Magic."

"Well of course it's magic." Gimli snorted with a roll of his eyes. "This entire situation reeks of it. Or it was that blasted rabbit from last night."

"It wasn't the rabbit." Narrowing his eyes, Legolas kept the rest of his reply behind closed lips. He knew if he fell into the trap, the Dwarf would forever complain about their meal. Instead, he shifted his hand around the many objects in the bag, more than what should've reasonably fit, until his hand grasped onto a hard object. Pulling it free of the opening, Legolas looked down at the book in his hands.

The worn tome was grey in color, the edging looked ragged, and oddly enough there was a brown binding around the center of it. "The Monster Book of Monsters." He read from the cover before the damned thing came to life in his hand, forcing him to drop it to the ground and take a hasty step back.

"What in the blazes?" Gimli cried, as he wielded his axe high in the air, his eyes pinned on the book which was twitching on the ground. "TEETH! The blasted thing has teeth!" With a battle cry, his axe arched down on the offending book, its blade only damaging the leather strap around it.

The book let out a menacing growl, before jumping around the ground, snapping its apparent teeth in their direction. "Don't just stand there Elf, kill the damn thing!"

Before Legolas could react, the book jerked forward, gnashing its sharp incisors their way, before latching onto Gimli's boot. Legolas quickly had his bow in hand and was about to notch an arrow as the Dwarf cried out.

"Don't shoot it you pointed eared fiend. You'll hit me." With a vigorous shake of his short leg, Gimli hopped around in place trying to loosen the hold of the book.

"If you would stop prancing about, I could get a clear shot."

"Dwarfs do not prance!" Gimli barked, still shaking his leg. Seeing that Legolas hadn't lowered his bow, and was currently aiming toward the book, Gimli's eyes widened. "NO!"

Just as his foot ceased its movement, Legolas took his shot, the arrow hitting true and immediately the book let go and dropped to the ground. It twitched a few times before letting out a coarse growl and launching itself again at Gimli. This time it attached itself to the Dwarf's leg.

"If you so much as grab another arrow I will shave that ridiculous blonde hair from your head when you sleep." Pointing a meaty finger in the Elf's direction, Gimli winced and backed away.

"Pet its spine." A soft feminine voice came from the cot, forcing both Elf and Dwarf to swing in her direction.

Legolas's blue eyes connected with the deep chocolate brown of the girls. Both studied one another with scrutiny, it was the girl who broke contact with a sigh. "If you want to help your friend, you need to stroke the books spine. It's the only way to get it to release its teeth."

"It let go when an arrow pierced its cover." Legolas's answered shrewdly.

"Fat lot of good it did." She replied with a roll of her eyes. "It's a book. Do you really think you can kill it with an arrow?"

His mouth opened to respond, but firmly shut it again. Heaving a sigh, he moved cautiously to Gimli's side and ran his fingers over the spine of the book. Soon the object stopped growling, and instead made a sound that reminded Legolas of Arwen's pesky cat.

The book let go of Gimli's leg and fell to the earth. "Keep petting it, and find the belt that kept that blasted thing shut." The girl ordered and with one hand on the book, Legolas looked around for the leather item.

"It's broken." Picking up the strap that Gimli's axe had sliced, Legolas sent the Dwarf a dark scowl.

"Don't look at me like that." The Dwarf muttered. "I was trying to save our lives."

"Give me your belt." Seeing that his friend was about to protest, Legolas let his fingers cease their ministrations on the spine and the book started to twitch again. "Unless you wish to have this think attached to you."

Looking disgruntled, Gimli quickly unbuckled the leather strap about his waist and thrust it in Legolas's direction. As soon as he had the book secure, Legolas rose to his full height and turned to the girl who was staring back.

"Who are you?" They asked in unison, their eyes full of suspicion.