Chapter 36

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! This last year has been crazy! I switched jobs, moved across the country, had four unexpected deaths in the family in three months, and somehow had time to get COVID in between all that! I'm still working on this story in my head (trying to work out how I want the time until the events of LOTR to go). I've written out the majority of it but am not really happy with it right now. I've been going through the chapters I've posted though and done a lot of minor editing and that has definitely helped get the ideas flowing in my head. We'll see where this year takes us.

So thankful for you guys and so excited for what comes next ;)

As she crossed under the archway into Dale, Annelise was shocked at the sight before her. She knew that Dain had sent dwarves into the city to help Bard and his people rebuild the ancient fortress in preparation for the long winter ahead, but she was impressed at how quickly they were progressing.

There were still obvious signs of the city's previous condition, as well as scars from the recent battle, but Annelise knew that in a few years Dale would once more be a beautiful and prosperous city.

She followed behind Gandalf with Bilbo walking at her side as the trio made their way further into the city, toward the great hall.

Annelise smiled once they entered the courtyard and she made eye contact with Legolas as he finished securing a small bag to his horse's saddle. She then looked around and saw Bard and his family standing behind him on the steps of the hall, talking amongst themselves.

Legolas began walking toward her and the movement caught Bard's attention, causing him and his family to turn and watch them approach.

"Hello, my friend," Legolas spoke, stopping in front of Annelise and placing a hand on her shoulder gently.

"Legolas," Annelise smiled up at him and reached up to place her hand over his for a moment.

The elf prince then turned to face Gandalf and the hobbit standing next to her.

"Greetings, Mithrandir," he said, nodding his head towards the wizard in respect.

"Hello, Legolas. Allow me to introduce you to Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. Legolas is the son of King Thranduil," Gandalf answered, directing this last part to the small Hobbit next to him.

Annelise coughed to cover up the laugh that was bubbling up at the sight of Bilbo's shocked expression when Gandalf finished his introductions.

Legolas glanced in her direction and she saw an amused spark in his eyes as he greeted the Hobbit before him.

By this time, Bard and his family had joined the group and Annelise was properly introduced to the newly appointed Lord of Dale.

"I would like to thank you again, my lady, for coming to my children's aid the night of the dragon's attack," Bard said and Annelise was surprised when Tilda moved from her father's side and wrapped her arms around the young woman's waist tightly.

"No thanks needed, my lord. It was my pleasure."

"I'm so happy that you're alright," the young girl spoke, her voice muffled from where it was pressed against Annelise's stomach.

She reached down to rest her hand on top of Tilda's head and began to stroke her hair for a moment. However, her motion came to an abrupt stop when she heard the girl's next words, spoken so softly she almost didn't hear them.

"I'm sorry about your Da'. And cousins."

Tears sprang to Annelise's eyes and Legolas, being the only other person to hear Tilda's whispered words, quickly moved behind her and placed a steady hand on her shoulder. Everyone standing around her knew what Tilda must have said to invoke such a reaction from her, and they looked at the young woman sadly.

"Thank you, dear heart," Annelise said finally and pulled away from the young girl.

Bard looked at Annelise for a moment, feeling sympathy for the young woman before him who had lost so much in such a short time. He could see the grief in her eyes and hoped that she would soon overcome it. The elf prince had told him a little of the two's plans and he prayed that this journey to find her family would bring her healing.

"Where will you go from here?," the bowman asked Legolas, trying to change the subject and give Annelise a moment to collect herself.

"I had planned to follow the River Running south to the Old Forest Road, and eventually take the High Pass over the Misty Mountains. From there, we can choose to cut across Rhudaur to Fornost or pass through Rivendell and then west to Bree, before continuing to the North. Depending on Annelise's preference."

With these words, Legolas turned to his friend and watched as she thought over his words. She had already considered the path they might take and, although she would be happy to have the chance to see Lord Elrond and his family once more, she knew she was not prepared to walk the same roads she had just recently taken with her father and cousins.

Gandalf could see the hesitation in the young woman's eyes and quickly realized what it was that was holding her back from answering.

"I would advise that you make your way across the plains towards Fornost, as opposed to taking the road to Bree. You will be more likely to come across the Rangers in the wild. If you do reach Fornost before finding the Dunedain, then travel to Bree. There you may be able to find word of Strider's whereabouts."

"Thank you, Gandalf," Annelise said softly to the wizard, both agreeing with his advice and thanking him for saving her from the need to explain her own thoughts on the subject.

"You are very welcome, dear one" he spoke, moving to place his hands on Annelise's shoulders. "And now, here is where we part ways. For how long I cannot say, but you will never be far from my thoughts."

With these kind words, Annelise's eyes began filling with tears at the thought of parting from the old man who had quickly become very dear to her once more.

She startled all those around her when she suddenly threw her arms around the wizard's neck and hugged him tightly for a few moments. Once he recovered from his shock, Gandalf quickly returned the young woman's embrace and pressed a kiss against the side of her head before releasing her at last.

"I will miss you, Gandalf," she said shakily, wiping tears from under her eyes.

"And I will miss you, young one."

With these words, Annelise then knelt down in front of Bilbo and could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Well Master Burglar," Annelise said with a teasing smile that brought a small smirk to the Hobbit's face at the unconventional title, "I shall deeply miss your company and tales of the Shire on this journey."

"But we'll see each other again," Bilbo answered with a smile, trying to encourage the young woman.

"Yes, we will. And you must promise to show me all around your beautiful Shire and introduce me to your many Hobbit friends when that day comes."

Annelise's flippant tone caused Bilbo to let out a small laugh, before he reached forward and wrapped his arms around the young woman kneeling before him.

"I will show you anything you like. You are always welcome, with or without notice."

"Thank you, dear friend," Annelise said, squeezing the small Hobbit tight before releasing him and standing to her feet.

"Ready?," Legolas asked, moving to her side with his horse.

Annelise looked back at Gandalf and Bilbo at the question, and the wizard nodded his head slightly to her.

"Yes, I am."

At her confirmation, Legolas mounted the horse and reached down to help her climb on behind him. Once she was seated comfortably, she wrapped one arm loosely around the elf in front of her and tapped his arm softly to signal she was ready. Legolas nodded his head slightly and turned to Gandalf, Bilbo, and Bard and his family.

"Farewell, my friends," the elf prince said as Annelise smiled at everyone surrounding them.

"Be careful," Gandalf answered in response.

Annelise and Legolas both nodded in acknowledgement of his request, before the elf spurred the horse on and Annelise lost sight of her companions.

She wrapped both her arms tighter around Legolas and buried her head between his shoulder blades as she fought to hold her tears back once more. She felt Legolas move and was startled slightly when she felt him cover her hands resting on his stomach with one of his own.

She shifted one of her hands and held tightly to his for a moment.

"You will see them again," he said softly in comfort and Annelise squeezed his hand tightly before releasing it and relaxing her hold on him.

"Thank you."

The journey along the River Running to the Old Forest Road went faster than Annelise had anticipated. Legolas was keen to make it over the mountain pass before winter set in, and she knew he was pushing the horse a little harder than he normally would.

The two friends spent most of their days reminiscing on their past adventures, those spent together and also from their time apart. Legolas particularly enjoyed telling her of the times they spent together during her year in Mirkwood and his memories of her parents.

While talking about her past brought Annelise joy at remembering all the happy times in her life, it also had a sad consequence.

Annelise had been having nightmares every night since leaving the Lonely Mountain.

Legolas had been sitting next to the small fire keeping watch that first night, while Annelise laid asleep a few feet from him. He had noticed her twitching quite a bit in her sleep for the last few minutes, and had been watching her closely.

He grew alarmed when he saw her face contort in deep pain and had shifted to move to her side, when she shot up from her sleep suddenly and screamed.

The elf prince moved to her quickly and wrapped his arms around her as she began sobbing heavily. For a moment, he was confused about what could cause her to be so distraught but quickly understood when he realized that her sobs were not meaningless sounds but actual words.

She was calling for her father and cousins.

This realization caused Legolas to wrap his arms tighter around the young woman and he began to rock slightly, murmuring softly to her to try and calm her once more. After a while, she slowly fell back to sleep and he laid her down once more.

This would occur every night and Annelise began to fight against going to sleep. She would insist that she take the first watch, allowing Legolas to rest for an hour or two each night, before the elf would wake up and make her rest.

With the disruption in her sleep, Annelise would find herself dozing off during the day. After nearly falling off the horse because she had released her hold on Legolas in her sleep, the elf made her ride in front of him every day so that he could at least keep hold of her if she were to fall asleep.

Legolas' worry began to grow as Annelise slowly started sleeping less and less with each passing night. The young woman was refusing to talk about the dreams that were upsetting her so much, and the elf prince was at a loss for what to do to help her.

Legolas decided he needed to do something when they went over the mountain pass a few weeks after leaving Dale. He had been trying to be considerate of Annelise's feelings, understanding the grief of losing a parent. He would not push when she chose not to answer his questions about her nightmares, and tried to keep her distracted during the day to keep her from dwelling on them.

The elf was keeping watch by the fire late that night when he heard Annelise start moving. He knew she had only fallen asleep a short while before and knew that, once she awoke, she would not want to go back to sleep again.

He moved to her side quickly and began singing lightly under his breath, loud enough that she would hear him but not enough to wake her up. Some nights this method would help her get a few more hours of sleep before her nightmares inevitably came back, while other nights it had no effect.

When she shot up with a small scream a few minutes later, Legolas knew that they couldn't keep going the way they were. So after calming her enough to where she would actually listen to him, he decided to speak.

"Annelise, please talk to me," he pleaded. "I cannot help you through this, if you will not allow me to. You don't need to carry this alone."

"Every time I close my eyes I see their faces," she begins quietly after taking a few minutes to collect her thoughts. "The battle just keeps replaying in my head, over and over and over again. I should have gone with them. Why didn't I go with them?!"

With these words, Annelise began crying once more and Legolas' heart ached at the depth of guilt and sadness that filled the young woman's voice.

After calming her once more, Legolas gathered his thoughts and spoke again.

"I did not know your father. Or your cousins. All I know is the stories that you have told me. But from those tales, I know that they would have wanted you safe, even if you being safe meant that they wouldn't be. They would not want you to lose hope and not take care of yourself. They would want you to live, for yourself and for them."

"I don't know what I'm going to do without them," she admitted softly with tears streaming down her face. Legolas looked down at her sadly and shifted to tuck her into his side securely.

"I understand what it means that you will have to continue your life, making new memories that will no longer involve them. You will have to walk paths that you once traveled with them no longer by your side, but there are many people in this world who love you. And one in particular that is not even aware that you still live. You must live for them now."

This reminder of Estel brought a small smile to Annelise's face. After a moment of contemplation, she began speaking with a stronger voice.

"You're right, Legolas. Since the battle, all I've been thinking of is all the things I've lost because of our quest, and not of the things that I have gained. Learning who I am and where I come from. I've met so many wonderful people and found old friends. Elrond and his family, Gandalf, you…"

Here she trailed off and looked up into the eyes of the elf beside her and smiled brightly.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough for everything you've done for me since we met again and since the battle. You're my best friend, Legolas," she finished, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly.

"And you are mine," he said happily, returning her gesture without hesitation.

He kept his arms around her tightly while he continued speaking. "I know it is not going to be easy to let go of your grief but just focus on what lies ahead of you. There's so much of your past for you to explore, so many people for you still to meet. I know from my own experience how much it will mean to each of them to find out you are alive after all these years."

Annelise matched his small grin with one of her own and nodded her head in agreement with his words.

"Yes, that is what I should be thinking of. I want to learn more about myself and my parents. And to see Estel once more."

"Well now that we are over the pass, it should take us a little under a week to reach Amon Sȗl and another week full to reach Fornost. I am hopeful that we will encounter some of the rangers before we make it that far though."

Annelise smiled at the thought that she could be reunited with Estel in just two weeks and resolved in her heart that she would focus on the excitement of that instead of the pain of her loss.

"Well it looks as though a new day is beginning to dawn. Are you rested enough to continue?," Legolas asked, looking to the east to watch the daylight start creeping over the peaks of the mountains.

Annelise looked at the beautiful scene before her and stood up from the ground confidently, reaching down to pull Legolas up beside her before smiling brightly at him.

"Yes, I'm ready to move on."