Legolas did not speak a word to me after the council. In fact, the only time anyone spoke to me before dinner that day was Mithrandir, who formally apologized for speaking in the Black Tongue. I forgave him, of course. He is Mithrandir, after all, and in any case, while my episode stayed on my mind, I was not nearly as shaken as before.

As night approaches and the sun falls, I kindly ask to take dinner in my room before I walk out to a nearby courtyard pausing to sit and admire the sunset. It casts beautiful, brilliant gradients of orange and pink rays across the sky.

Someone interrupts my peaceful silence by sitting down next to me. I don't bother to turn. I already know who it is.

"You are not going," Legolas says firmly. "That is final."

"Legolas, I have to," I reply. "It may be the only way for me to get over my flashbacks."

"Valinor can help you find your peace. Staying here will only endanger your life," Legolas insists.

"Valinor? I gave up on Valinor years ago," I laugh hollowly. "That place would only make me restless. I need something to do, and this is my chance."

"And give up your life in the process? Ziri, I cannot let that happen," Legolas says, a hint of desperation finally showing on his normally stoic face.

"Well, I'm willing to risk that!" I exclaim, standing up.

"I can't lose you like Tauriel," Legolas says fiercely. I still, collecting my thoughts. Ever since he lost Tauriel, my brother has been exceptionally conserved in forming relationships or friendships with people. I am practically his only friend left at this point. I know what it could do to Legolas if I died. It could break his spirit beyond repair.

"Listen," I sigh. "I have to do this. You know better than anyone else how secluded I've been all my life. And I swear to you, I'll be as careful as possible."

"There is no way to stay safe here, not on this quest," Legolas warns. "I want to know that you're safe."

"Please, Legolas," I beg. "I've been training for something like this my entire life. And besides, you'll be able to keep an eye of me. You're going too, anyway. And in any case, in the past five years, we haven't gotten to spend much time together. This is a decent opportunity. Oh, and someone has to watch your back too. Anything that happens to me could easily happen to you."

"What about your flashbacks?" Legolas counters. "What happened today at the council could happen easily in battle. One second of hesitation, let alone a minute, and you're done for."

"I can control it. I just need to collect my thoughts," I grit my teeth. "I can handle it. Seriously. Facing my nightmares is better than hiding from them. I need to do this." I can see the gears turning in Legolas's mind. I know he sees my logic; I can only hope he agrees.

After what seems like hours and hours, Legolas finally sighs.

"Very well. But you will not ever leave my sight."

"Understandable," I nod.

"If something happens to you…" Legolas trails off.

"Listen, Legolas, I've had just as much training as you, and I probably have more experience fighting than half the people in that group," I say pointedly. "Trust me. I'll be okay."

"I shall hope so."

**Frodo's perspective (3rd person)**

Meanwhile, on a balcony high above the courtyard, Frodo looked out at the beautiful view that Rivendell offered.

"It is indeed a lovely place, isn't it, Rivendell?" Gandalf asked, smoking a bit of pipeweed.

"Yes," Frodo responded, something catching his eye. Two Elves, one male and one female, were clearly arguing in a courtyard below. Frodo recognized them both from the council earlier. They both had defended Aragorn, and the girl had called for silence so he could speak in a very effective way. When Gandalf had spoken the Black Speech, though… her reaction had been intense, more so than anyone else there.

"Gandalf, who is she?" Frodo asked curiously.

"Her reaction to the Black Speech was more… strange than the others, and I saw you apologizing to her afterward." Gandalf sighed.

"Her name is Ziri, and she is the daughter of Thranduil, lord of Mirkwood. That Elf down there next to her is her brother, Legolas. Her story is… unfortunate."

"What happened to her?" Frodo inquired curiously.

"Five years ago," Gandalf began, "she was wandering in the forest when she was captured by a stray patrol of Orcs. They took her by surprise and knocked her out quickly; she had no opportunity to fight. Ziri was then taken to Mordor, where she was mentally and physically tortured for a week. She barely managed to escape with her life. That Elf hasn't been the same since." Frodo looked back at Ziri, who was alone now, as her brother had walked away. Come to think of it, Ziri didn't look like any Elf Frodo could think of, or any Elf in general. Her black hair was cut sharply at her shoulders, and bloodred streaks ran through it.

"That's terrible. How come she's going, then, on the quest?" Frodo asked, a thought striking him.

"She has her own reasons, although something tells me that she thinks it'll help her get over her fears," Gandalf said thoughtfully. "I'm sure Legolas isn't too happy about the whole situation, though."

"Oh, and do not tell anyone else about this," he remembered. "The Elves went to great lengths to keep her ordeal secret. She will tell people when she is ready." Frodo nodded, looking at the lonely Elf in a new light. So Elves weren't perfect either. No species could be, he supposed.


A/N: A hilarious fan theory (that I support) about the movies is that Frodo never knew Legolas's name. As that's quite plausible, I added some clarification so that Frodo at least knew who Legolas was.