A/N: Woo! New chapter! Sorry, it took me longer than I wanted to get this one out, but my schedule's been pretty crazy for the past couple of weeks, so I gotta get back into the swing of things with writing again. Hope this update satisfies! :)

Chaos Unleashed: Part Two

Chapter Thirteen

Kathryn's POV

The four of us gathered around Tauriel as she unfolded the map in front of us for all to see. She touched a slender finger to our approximate area, which was almost exactly halfway down through the forest. I was a bit surprised at how much progress we'd made, since it seemed like I'd been walking through trees for the past month and a half. "This is where we currently stand," the redhead spoke. "We have made good time thus far, but we have one last decision yet to make." She moved her finger down to what looked like a large chunk had been cut out of the forest. It was labeled 'East Bight.' "The East Bight lies just ahead of us. We can either cross straight through it, or travel around it, but regardless our decision must be made quickly. We are in darker areas of these lands now, we cannot linger for long."

I looked up at her. "What exactly is the East Bight?"

She shrugged. "It is little more than a gap in the forest. Nothing but empty plains."

I nodded. "Then it seems like it would be way easier to cut through there. We'd get across open plains much faster than picking our way through more trees."

But Erin was shaking her head. "I don't think that would be smart. Like she said, we're deep into enemy territory now, and these trees are basically our cover. I feel like the moment we step out onto flat, open ground, we'd be spotted."

"Not to mention the fact that there are likely multiple enemy camps set up in that area as well," Legolas said. "I doubt they would waste such open space."

"But if we go around the East Bight, we are risking a closer path to Dol Guldur!" Boromir pointed out, gesturing to the marking of the old fortress on the map. "That would definitely be more foolish than evading a few orc camps!"

"We don't know that there's just orcs living there," I commented. He looked like he was about to retort, but thought against it.

"They are right," Tauriel said to the man. "It is a dangerous path either way, but I would rather continue our strategy of stealth than attempt to take on hordes of enemies out in the open. We would be outnumbered and outmatched."

"Then it is settled," Legolas confirmed. "We will travel around the East Bight and continue straight out the south end of Mirkwood." He glanced at his elven friend. "How long do you expect it will take us?"

Tauriel thought for a moment. "Perhaps another three days; two if we move quickly."

"Then let's kick it into high gear," Erin said. "I don't want to hang around here any longer than necessary." We all nodded in agreement, grabbed our things, and were off again within five minutes. I have to admit, I was slightly terrified that we were going to be passing so close to the one place in all of Mirkwood we didn't want to be near, but I knew we had no choice. Whatever it takes, I told myself as I hiked on. We've just got to get out of here and find Kaia and the others. That's the goal.

Unsurprisingly, I ended up getting lost in my thoughts pretty quickly as we walked, which would explain why I didn't notice Boromir approaching me from behind some time later. I jumped when I suddenly felt his hand touch my shoulder. "Oh my God!"

"Sorry," he said quickly, removing his hand. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"No no, it's...fine..." I trailed off awkwardly. There was a long, uncomfortable silence that hung between us, and I couldn't even convince myself to make eye contact with the man as we walked. I cleared my throat in an effort to relieve some tension, wondering if I should just walk faster to get away from him.

"...Kathryn, I am here to apologize."

I blinked, not expecting him to speak. "O-Oh. Really?"

"Yes," he nodded, glancing at me briefly before lowering his voice. "I was wrong to try and prioritize myself for you. It is not up to me to decide where you go and what you do with your life. I understand that now, and I'm sorry for ever putting that pressure on you."

I hesitated. "...I guess I should apologize too. I didn't mean to brush you off like that, and...I do need you, Boromir. I need you as a friend." I looked up at him warily. "I didn't mean to say it in a 'get off my back' kind of way. I know you only do what you do to protect me, so...thank you for that."

"You are most welcome," he said with the tiniest of smiles. "But that still does not entirely solve the matter at hand." Now his gaze became serious again. "Have you decided who you wish to travel with?"

I sighed. This was the worst part. "No. I don't want to leave either of you behind. You and Erin are both my best friends, and I care about you guys more than anyone else in the world. I just wish I could stay with you both."

Boromir nodded again. "As much as I would love to offer you advice, I fear that I would only end up trying to sway your opinion again," he said with a chuckle.

I cracked a smile at that, too. "Yeah... Maybe I should do the thinking from now on. You'll just be the muscly warrior guy."

He laughed. "We would make quite a pair that way, I suppose."

"Oh yeah, the unstoppable duo! Look out Sauron, we're comin' for ya. Try not to wet yourself." Boromir's laughter only grew, as did mine, and pretty soon we were just snickering at each other as we kept trying to navigate through the tangled mess that was Mirkwood. I think Legolas hissed at us to shut up at one point, but I wasn't sure. Eventually, though, our giggles died down, and I looked back at my friend. "You know, I'm really glad we started talking to each other again. I missed this."

"As did I," the Gondorian agreed. "Let's agree to not ever argue over anything so ridiculous ever again, shall we?"

I smiled and shook his hand, glad to have my old friend back. "We shall."

oOo

Kaia's POV

If someone had asked me to write a review of our lovely hosts' campsite within the first few days, I would've been pretty kind with my words. It wasn't too bad of a place, really... nothing absolutely stellar about it, of course, but it was comfortable. Homely. A job well done considering we were planted in what was probably Middle-Earth's worst vacation spot. So for the first handful of days we were there, I was able to somewhat enjoy myself.

And then it rained.

Never in my life had I despised the rain so much. There was only one other point in my life I could compare this to, and that was when Erin, Kathryn and I had all gone camping at a music festival one summer. It ended up being almost totally ruined by the rain, which had continued to pour and pour and pour every day for four days straight. Things had flooded, mud was caked to everything, and the air had been so damp and thick you felt suffocated and sticky all the time.

And at the moment, those memories were fresh in my mind, because now I was experiencing the same thing all over again. Except this time, we were in a swamp...which meant there was another kicker. It smelled awful. It literally smelled like something had died. Sometimes it wasn't as strong, but with the naturally musty smell of the camp mixed with rain mixed with additional sweaty, dirty smells from everyone being crammed inside...Lord above, it was horrendous. We were all miserable as we tried to wait the storm out. Luckily for me, however, I had managed to find a small spot just on the outside edge of the campsite underneath a nice overhang so that I could escape for a breath of fresh air and still be protected from the rain.

That was where I sat now, along with Frodo, who I'd invited along during a lull in the downpour. I could tell that the journey was taking its toll on him, which broke my heart. Over the past week or so, I noticed myself becoming oddly protective of him, though I really couldn't figure out why. We had talked and bonded a lot recently, so I felt closer to him than I ever had back when we were on Earth.

My dark eyes were scanning the swamplands in front of us, stretching out to the horizon under the deep grey sky. The wind had picked up a bit, and I brushed a few strands of loose hair out of my face. "It's so quiet here. So...lifeless."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Frodo nod in agreement. "I wonder if there was ever life here." Sadness crept into his voice. "Perhaps there was before...everything changed."

I frowned. "Maybe." I hope not. That's the blood of more innocents on our hands. "Thinking that Sauron could've done all this damage, though...that's unsettling." A shiver threatened to crawl its way up my spine.

Frodo shrugged. "At least he is not an unknown enemy."

I paused. "...Is he?" My eyes turned to the jagged mountains that held Mordor in its place. Or at least, they once did. "Maybe he was once, but everything's changed now. We have no idea what he's capable of. None of us know what we're up against," I murmured quietly. "And that's probably my greatest fear of this quest."

"How so?" Frodo asked curiously.

I exhaled, shaking my head a bit. "We're dealing with forces with strength and power that we can't even begin to understand, let alone fight. Sauron will do anything to get that ring back, which means we'll have to do the same to protect it. And..." I trailed off for a moment, unsure of how to go on. "...that could mean some of us pushed into sacrifices we can't ever hope to recover from."

The blue-eyed hobbit seemed to take in what I'd said before replying. "Loss is almost certain for things like this," he said. "But we have suffered that already."

"That doesn't mean there won't be more," I said. "And it's not just the death that bothers me. It's more the fact that I don't even know if the sacrifice would be worth it."

He looked at me, eyes questioning. "Would you not want to save Middle-Earth?"

I looked back at him for a moment, wishing it was easier to explain. "I would. But sacrificing your life for the greater good is something that heroes do." Dropping my gaze, my voice grew quieter. "There's plenty of heroes in this world, Frodo...but I'm not one of them."

"Neither am I," he said. "But I think I must try to be, either way."

"...I don't know if I can be." I paused. "I don't know if I even want to be."

Frodo just watched me for awhile until he shifted so that he was facing me full-on. "But you could be, Kaia. You have just as much to fight for as any of us. What if Erin and Kathryn are out there somewhere, counting on you to keep us safe?"

At his words, I inhaled sharply. "No!" I whispered quickly. "No...don't say that. I don't want anyone counting on me."

The young hobbit seemed a bit taken aback by my quiet outburst. "Why not?"

I closed my eyes, not answering him immediately as past memories bubbled up in my mind. Memories that ate away at me more than I ever wanted to admit to anyone, even myself. When I finally did answer Frodo, it was slowly and nearly silently. "The last time anyone counted on me, I almost lost us everything. We could've gone into massive debts once I got kicked out of my band, and basically the only reason we didn't was because Erin pulled us out at the last second and we avoided the whole mess that way. I was supposed to get another job, I was supposed to help out and fix things... People were counting on me then, and I let them down." I opened my eyes and glanced at Frodo, who looked like he wanted to cut in, but I wasn't done. "And when Boromir and Legolas left us stranded on the side of the highway? I was supposed to be a leader. I knew the territory, I should've been able to think and get a plan of action down and get you guys somewhere safe. But I panicked instead and stupidly just started running after them." Now I finally turned to face the hobbit, though I wanted to just curl up into a ball and disappear. I felt tears begin to prick at my eyes, and my self-loathing grew. "I'm not a hero, Frodo, and that's why. Heroes are leaders. Heroes are dependable. And from recent events, I'm not shaping up to be either of those things."

Frodo waited a moment before speaking. "I think you could be a great hero, Kaia, whether you realize it or not. You will have your chance to prove yourself...to yourself."

I just stared at him for a moment, my throat tightening at his words. "...Thank you," I whispered. "I hope I can."

The hobbit offered me a small smile. "Do not lose hope yet, Kaia."

I nodded and swallowed thickly, but still felt myself beginning to lose control of my emotions. "I'm gonna head back inside," I choked out, standing up quickly and hurrying down the short path that led back into the campsite.

I didn't go back to our room, instead pushing past several elves and wandering around the place until I came to a secluded enough area that was home to only a mess of barrels and crates of food. It was there that I finally collapsed, sinking down to the ground and staring blankly down at the floor as I tried to recompose myself. That wasn't where I wanted that conversation to go at all. I tried to shed as few tears as possible. I wasn't even really sure why I was crying. Whether it was guilt from remembering my past failures, or the stress of how dangerous this journey was going to be, or just being moved by what Frodo had said to me in response, I didn't know.

The feeling didn't go away, though. Tears continued to roll down my cheeks as I silently fought with myself, torn between wanting to give up completely and still having a desire to fight on for the sake of my friends. A huge part of me hated this adventure with every fiber of my being. A part of me wanted to just sit there and cry about all the shit that had been happening since the day my bandmates kicked me out. But another part of me was still screaming to be hopeful. That part of me rang loud and clear in my head, reminding me that to give up was to betray my friends and let them down. And I don't want that. Above all else, I don't want that.

I sucked in a breath, wiping the last of my tears away as I got to my feet, ready to join the others again. I can't let them down again. That isn't gonna be an option.

oOo

Legolas' POV

The air was thick with tension as we pressed on through the forest. I could feel the darkness tainting every inch of the forest that we passed through, and it made me sick to my stomach. Days were dark, and nights darker still, though by now we could not risk carrying light, lest we be spotted. It seemed that we all were more desperate to get out of Mirkwood now more than ever.

Erin's eyes were darting everywhere as she walked alongside me, observant of everything around us. "How close are we?" she whispered.

"Very close," I replied softly as we ducked under a low-hanging branch. Too close for comfort. I looked up momentarily to see Tauriel's bright red hair weaving through the trees just ahead of us, and we followed her up an incline we had been scaling for several minutes.

"You know," Erin spoke again from beside me, "for as evil as this place is...I kinda want to see it anyway. Just for kicks."

My jaw clenched. "It is not a sight worth seeing. Dol Guldur is no more than a black pit of nothingness, second only to Mordor itself. Only darkness could ever come from that foul place." The description was rather harsh, but I knew Erin understood. This fortress was the cause of the destruction of my home. I had every right to despise it.

"And by that exact logic, I also don't want to ever see it at all at the same time," she replied. I smirked a bit at that.

Suddenly, Tauriel slowed and glanced over her shoulder at us. "It appears you will get that chance," she said to Erin. I raised an eyebrow at her odd statement, quickly catching up to her as we reached the peak of the hill. The trees were all but uprooted at this point, so I had no trouble in seeing what Tauriel spoke of.

It looked just as menacing and monstrous as I had been told time and time again. Old, blackened stone from millenia ago speared the sky in jagged, crumbled towers and walls that had long since been weathered and worn beyond belief. Pillars that had once stood tall and proud were now cracked and broken, casting an eerie silhouette against the almost equally black clouds surrounding the place. It occurred to me then that this was the first time I had ever actually seen the old fortress with my own eyes.

I heard Erin's sharp inhale from beside me as she also finished her climb up the hill. "Dol Guldur..." Kathryn and Boromir's footsteps could also be heard gathering behind us.

"Yes...there it lies," Tauriel said bitterly. "That place has been cloaked in a shadow so dark it could never hope to come to light."

Kathryn sounded more fearful than anything else. "Wow. Uh...we're a lot closer to that place than I thought we'd be."

"That's an understatement," Boromir scoffed. "We're practically on their doorstep! How do you expect us to get past that when you've led us so close?"

Tauriel glared at him. "You've failed to look elsewhere." She pointed further south, and we all turned to see-

"The edge of the forest!" Kathryn exclaimed. "Oh my God, it's so close!"

She nodded. "If all goes well, we shall pass right under their noses and they will be none the wiser. Now come! We must go quickly and quietly, or we will be seen!" Without another word, she began the descent down the other side of the hill, and the rest of us diligently followed.

This, however, proved to be more difficult than coming up. The hill was steep, with many old, dead trees that looked like they were just a breath away from collapsing and tumbling down the hillside, and the ground was no more than a slick layer of leaves covering crumbling dirt. Even Tauriel and I took caution going down, and we tried to help the others as best as we could to keep from falling.

Erin clung tightly to my arm as I guided her around a root jutting out of the ground at an odd angle. "I don't like this," she muttered.

"It's all right," I reassured her. "We are going to be fine."

"No, not the hill," she said. "Just...this atmosphere in general. This is too easy." Her eyes frantically began scanning the area around her again. "I feel like we're being watched or something, the forest can't be this empty-"

"Erin, watch where you're going-"

But suddenly, she was looking over my shoulder, eyes wide. "Legolas, there's – SHIT!"

I clapped my hand over her mouth instantly, but it was too late. Not a moment after she cried out in alarm, a piercing shriek could be heard from behind us. I spun, reaching for my knives as an Orc lept from the trees – above us? - weapon in hand. As I fumbled for them, Tauriel fired a shot in the same second, catching the hideous thing in the throat and ending its life. But in my foolishness, my spin on the steep slope caused me to lose my footing and go crashing to the ground, and as fell I frantically grabbed for the first thing within reach that I hoped would catch me. No, no, NO!

Unfortunately, Erin was unprepared for the task as well, and in the blink of an eye we were rolling and tumbling down the hill, dirt and leaves flying everywhere as we were tossed over one another, crashing into trees and branches that were so fragile they snapped and came down with us. I heard Erin let out the smallest yelp of fear as we rolled, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying desperately to slow us down somehow as I swallowed earth.

And suddenly, it was over, and we were lying at the base of the hill in a tangled heap. Erin tried to get up, and I saw her immediately flush as she realized that she had been unceremoniously draped overtop of me. "Legolas, fuck! A-are you-"

"Shh!" I hissed, covering her mouth with my hand once more. We waited for several seconds with bated breath, praying. There was one shriek. One. Valar tell me that no other heard it.

But then there came another bloodcurdling scream.

And another, and another.

"Oh no..." Erin paled. "Oh God, no!" She scrambled backwards just as Tauriel and the others came sliding down the hill, looking terrified.

"Legolas!" Tauriel cried.

"RUN!" I shouted, yanking Erin to her feet and taking off in a dead sprint.

"This way! Hurry!" Tauriel shouted, racing to the front as we all began to run for our lives.

A/N: bum bum buuuuuuuuuum another cliffhangerrrrrr

haha leave it to me to screw everything up wouldn't ya know