A/N: Chapter three is up!
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of The Rings, the world and its characters belong to Tolkien.
"Eight there are here, yet nine set out from Rivendell, tell where is Gandalf? For I much desired to speak with him." Lord Celeborn says the following morning.
"Gandalf the grey did not pass the borders of this land, he has fallen into shadow." Lady Galadirel says looking around at the eight companions to see if any of them will confirm her suspicions.
"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame: A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria." Legolas explains, his voice soft but easily heard by all in the clearing. The dwarf hangs his head and sighs sadly.
"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life, we do not yet know his whole purpose. Do not let the emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your heart Gimli son of Gloin. For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands love is mixed with grief." Galadriel says and the dwarf looks up at her with a small smile.
"What now will come of the Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." Celeborn says.
"The quest stands on the edge of a knife, stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." Galadriel says. "But hope still remains while the company is true." she continues smiling at one of the hobbits.
"Go now and rest, while you remain within the borders of the Golden Wood you are safe for the enemy has never passed the borders of this land." Celeborn says dismissing us
I turn to escort the visitors back to their camp under the trees when I hear the voice of Galadriel "Kieana please stay a moment I wish to speak with you." she says.
I turn and walk towards her watching as my brothers lead the companions out of the clearing. Galadriel waits until they are all out of sight before turning to me with a smile. "Haldir tells me you fought bravely against the Orcs that crossed the Nimrodel two nights ago." she says.
"I was just doing my duty as a border guard of this realm my Lady." I say.
"I appreciate all that you and your brothers do to keep our home safe from those who would wish to destroy it." she says.
"It is my honour to protect the Golden Wood." I say.
"The news of Gandalf the Grey's passing is troubling." Galadriel says. "Nine were chosen to set out from Rivendell to match the number of Black Riders of the enemy, and nine I believe is the number that should set out from here upon the company's departure."
"Forgive me Lady Galadriel for I do not understand." I say.
"I believe your path lies with the Fellowship on their quest to destroy the ring of power." she says.
"You wish for me to join the Fellowship ere the set out to continue their journey to Mordor?" I ask.
"The choice is yours, you may remain here as border guard or join the Fellowship. But if you decide to join the quest I must warn you it will not be an easy road, and I cannot see what the outcome will be." she says.
"May I have some time to consider my decision?" I ask.
"Of course. Seek council from your brothers if you wish. You may go now, thank-you for your service to our realm." Galadriel says smiling at me.
I nod respectfully at them both before turning and walking out of the clearing making my way to the armoury and looking around for my brother. "Have you seen Captain Haldir?" I ask one of the elves who was with us in the clearing.
"He dismissed us after we escorted the Fellowship back to their camp, I believe he remained there to speak to Aragorn." the elf responds.
"Thank-you Edrym." I say smiling at him.
"Is there something I can help you with?" he asks returning my smile. "you look troubled, is everything ok?"
"I have a choice to make and am unsure what I should do." I say.
"Could I be of any assistance in your decision making process?"he asks.
"Maybe, I just need to talk to someone and discuss my options." I reply.
"Would you like to go somewhere and talk?" he asks.
"That would be good if you have the time." I say.
"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't willing mellon-nin" he says.
"How about we go for a walk and find somewhere quiet to talk?" I ask leading the way out of the armoury and through the forest until we reach a secluded clearing a short distance from the armoury.
"So what's this big decision you have to make?" he asks once we're settled on a branch of a tree.
"Lady Galadriel said she believes my path could lie with the Fellowship on their quest to destroy the Ring. With Mithrandir gone there are only eight companions and she thinks that nine is a better number because it matches the nine ringwraiths of the enemy, and she thinks that I could be that ninth companion, but she said the choice is ultimately mine." I say.
"Are you leaning more one way or the other?" he asks.
"I don't know. I'm torn. On the one hand I have always wanted to travel and see more of the world. Visit different realms and see how the other races live or even how other Elves live. I've only ever lived here or in Imaldris, so going on the quest would allow me to see more of the world, but it wouldn't be dangerous and there's no guarantee I'll come back home safely. But then on the other hand I don't want to leave the Golden wood, I want to stay and defend my home and be with my family and friends." I say.
"What path do you think the Valar would want you to take?" he asks.
"I don't know. I think it would be good for me to go, I've always been surrounded by family and friends. So from that perspective going would be a good thing, but I know I would miss my brothers, and my friends and my home." I say.
"We would all understand, we have all felt the ever spreading darkness. It has not yet entered the Golden wood, but Mirkwood is infested with all manner of evil creatures from orcs to spiders, our kin there are constantly fighting to keep their realm safe. Their warriors are skilled in all aspects of combat and are taught to defend themselves from a young age, and many lands face the same peril. The Prince Legolas is said to be a highly skilled archer, maybe you can learn from him if you decide your path lies with the Fellowship." he says.
"You make some valid points, and I have indeed felt the darkness that spreads through the world. I think I need to speak to my brother before I make my decision." I say smiling at him in thanks.
"I would expect nothing less. Your brother is a great captain, he is well respected and loved among the guard. He is kind, loyal and fair. He listens to those who are of lower rank to him and treats all in his command as equals. I have learnt much from your brother, and his teachings have never lead me astray." he says.
"He's always been like that. Even as an elfling he was kind and fair. Rumil, Orophin and I would often get into arguments and childish bickering over who was better with the sword or with the bow or the twin blades and when we could not decide we would go to Haldir. Every time without fail he would tell us that we were all skilled and that he could not pick between us, so we would go and train harder." I say with a chuckle.
"..so I'd really appreciate your advice on how to decide what to do." I say about half an hour later. I have finally managed to locate my brothers and the four of us are sitting together in Orophins talan eating our lunch.
"The quest to destroy the Ring is a noble cause, one that will be fraught with peril." Haldir says. "However I fear that as the darkness of Mordor spreads no land will be safe from the wrath of the enemy, not even our fair Lothlorien."
"So should I stay here or should I go with the Fellowship?" I ask.
"That decision is yours and yours alone Kieana, I am not going to tell you what your decision should be" he says.
"But how am I supposed to make such a decision when there are so many pros and cons for each?" I ask allowing a hint of frustration to creep into my tone.
"We will surely miss you if you decide to go on the quest, but we will also be immensely proud of you, for it takes great courage to ride openly against an enemy that is so strong." Rumil says.
"And we would be equally proud if you decide your place is here among the border guard. Whatever decision you will have our unwavering support." Orophin says. "Mother and father would be proud of you too." he adds says.
"You really think so?" I ask.
"Of course. Why wouldn't they be? You are brave and loyal, willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of your people." Haldir says.
"You don't think they would be disappointed that I have not yet found a husband?" I ask. "Mother was married at my age."
"Of course not. Why would they be?" Haldir asks.
"I don't know, I'm am over two thousand years old and I have yet to even court an elf let alone receive a proposal of marriage. Many elleths are married long before they reach my age." I say.
"They want you to be happy. You will find the one you are destined to spend eternity with when the Valar see fit whether that be tomorrow or a thousand years from now you are not a disappointment to our parents, and you never will be." Rumil says.
I fire arrow after arrow at the target, always missing the bulls –eye by just a few inches. It has always been the way no matter how much I practice I can never quite get the arrow to fly exactly as I want it to. Sighing in frustration I lower my bow and place it on the ground before making my way over to the target to retrieve my arrows and start the whole process again, not that I am hopeful of any improvement, after all I have been practicing archery all my life and have never been as adept at it as my brothers. As I return the last arrow to the quiver on my back and return to my bow I once again vow to myself that I will master the weapon.
I pick up my bow and raise it to the point at the target before reaching back to grab an arrow and attach it to the string. I pull back and listen to the familiar twang as I release the tension and watch the arrow sail smoothly through the air landing with a dull thud in the target just outside the bulls-eye. "Why can I never hit the middle of the target?" I grumble, knowing I am alone and will not get an answer. I sigh and nock another arrow raising my bow to the target once more.
"You are over-thinking it." a voice says startling me and causing me let go of the arrow which flys totally off course and embeds itself in a target on at the far end of the range. "Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you." the voice says and the tall blonde Prince of Mirkwood comes to stand beside me.
"No harm done my Lord, had I been paying more attention to my surroundings I would have heard you arrive." I say bowing my head respectfully.
"Call me Legolas." he says smiling at me and causing my heart to involuntarily skip a beat, his whole face lights up when he smiles.
"W-what were you saying about over-thinking?" I ask nervously hoping he didn't notice the way I was staring at him.
"When you are preparing to fire the arrow, you are over-thinking, if you relax a little your aim will be more true." he says. "I have seen it countless times, warriors over-thinking their technique and inadvertently causing their arm to tense sending the arrow just off the desired trajectory."
"And how would you suggest I correct that?" I ask curious to know if the techniques of the Mirkwood archers differ from our own.
"May I?" he asks gesturing to my bow which is resting on the ground at my feet.
"Be my guest." I reply.
"Thankyou." he says picking it up and taking an arrow from my quiver. "This is a beautiful weapon, I have always admired the bows of the Galadhrim." he comments almost to himself.
"They are different from the bows of Mirkwood?" I ask.
"Yes, your bows are longer and stouter than the bows of Mirkwood." he explains before raising it and taking aim at the target in front of him. He releases the arrow and it flies smoothly through the air landing in the direct centre of the target.
"How can you do that with a strange bow?" I ask marvelling at his skill, I had heard the archers of Mirkwood are highly skilled but hearing and seeing are two different things.
"It's all in the way you hold your bow." he says. "Hold it to rigid or too loose and your aim will be effected."
"That doesn't really help." I mutter before I can stop myself.
He chuckles and hands the bow back to me. "Hold it the way you would if were going to shoot." he says, and I do so raising the bow and aiming it at the target. "Your stance is good, and the way you hold the bow but you need to relax your arm a little there is too much tension in it."
"Is this better?" I ask relaxing my arm a little.
"A little." he says "now nock an arrow and fire it at the target." he says. I do so and the arrow once again lands just outside the bulls-eye. "May I ?" he asks and I nod my consent, he comes to stand behind me reaching around me and placing his hand on my arm as it holds the bow "relax your arm and bend it slightly at he elbow." he says running his hand up my arm and applying gentle pressure to my elbow until it is bent ever so slightly "Like that."
I nod trying to ignore the heat that is radiating from where his hand touched my arm even through my clothing. I pull an arrow from the quiver and attach it to the string ignoring the butterflies that have started fluttering in my stomach. "What next?" I ask.
"Draw the string back in one fluid motion, and hold it for a beat before releasing the arrow." he says his hand covering mine where it holds the arrow in place. "and then release the tension." he adds softly letting go of my hand.
I release the arrow and if flies through the air landing in the dead centre of the target. I let out an involuntary gasp of happiness my eyes shining in excitement.
"Very good, now try it again on your own this time." Legolas says smiling encouragingly at me.
I take a deep breath and nock another arrow being careful to follow the instructions he gave me and to my delight the second arrow flies through the air to join the first in the centre of the target. My smile widens and I can't help but fire another arrow, and another after that both of them also hitting the bulls-eye. Before I can stop myself I lower my bow and turn to Legolas eyes shining and throw my arms around him in a hug "Thank-you. You have no idea how long I have wanted to be able to do that." I say then realizing that I am hugging him I hastily pull away. Blushing furiously I snatch up my bow and run from the archery range embarrassed.
A/N: Thanks for reading Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and let me know what you think! And feel free to follow/ fav or PM me if you wish! I love talking to new people!