Lord of the Rings 1. Chapter 1

It was a dreary, cold day. Ragged grey clouds moved swiftly over the mountains as the icy wind chased them from the white peaks. The pale sun was sitting like a phantom behind the grey mass, reflecting cheerless rays to the marshes below. The landscape next to the mountain was harsh and offered little protection from either foul weather or unfriendly eyes. The ground was covered with dead streaks of grass and littered with boulders and rocks. Occasionally the over-flooded rivers left the ground sodden and formed marshes of muddy ground. It was a difficult and miserable place to trek through.

Sierra wrapped her cloak tightly around her body and tucked her hands into the pockets. Even though her hands were securely wrapped in wool mittens, the cold seemed to cling to her fingers, gnawing at her bones. Her boots squished and sloshed in the muddy soil, occasionally sending splatters of dirt to cling to her cloak's hem. The only sound for miles was the howling wind through the cliffs and Sierra's wet footsteps.

Sierra has been travelling in the unforgiving terrain for almost a week now. Her days mostly consisted of stumbling over rocks and underneath tangled thorn bushes. At night Sierra would seek out a dry hollow to sleep in, enfolding her brown sheepskin blanket over her body, shielding her from the cold.

She risked little to no fire, in fear of attracting unwanted creatures. Sierra heard tales of orcs, goblins and wargs, thing unheard of in her world. She was not sure how they looked, but did not want to risk finding out. Her uncle told her of the Battle of the five armies and Sierra was happy that she missed that even before she left.

She had little combat skill with ancient weaponry and her only armament was a long silver knife secured to her hip. Sierra's meals consisted of dried meats and fruits, neatly packaged in see-though vacuum-packed bags. Her clear glass bottle contained fresh water, regularly obtained from small streams leading from the snowy mountains. Even though her satchel was very large and uncomfortable to carry, Sierra would not part with any of its contents. She just prayed that no-one would come across her bag and rummaged through it. She tried to conceal most of the modern-day commodities to look like object obtained in Middle-Earth, but there was a couple of things that just would require some explaining to do.

One such thing was a large, printed and laminated map of Middle-Earth, which she was currently busy studying. She traced the spot from where the portal in the mountain was, to the section marked Rivendell. She randomly tapped a place in the middle, next to the mountain where she assumed she currently was. If she kept the pace she was travelling now, she should reach Rivendell in two weeks.

Her food supply would barely last her one week. She will have to set up a snare sometime soon in hopes to catch a hare or some other small animal. She wished she had learned to use the bow like her uncle did. It would have made her feel safer to have a range weapon against enemies and predators, plus it would have made hunting a little bit easier.

Sierra tucked a stray brown curl that escaped unearth her hood back to where in belong. She decided that keeping her hood in place served against the cold and prevented her hair from becoming a tangled mess. Even though she had shampoo and conditioner in her bag, the water was way too cold to wash regularly.

Sighing she rolled the paper map into a scroll, secured it with a leather band and slipped it into a side pocket of her satchel. She wiped her hand over her face, a sign of frustration, and then massaged her stiff neck. She looked over the miserable landscape before her and wished there was a portal closer to Rivendell that this one.

Sierra travelled to Middle-Earth quite frequently, but have never travelled this far before. There were only two known portals that lead them to this realm. One located in the Iron Hills, the only one they have used in the past to explore the surrounding places such as the Northern parts of Rhovanion, including, Erebor, Lake Town, The Lonely Mountains, Esgaroth and then unfortunately the Easter boarder of Mirkwood. However, Julien and her Uncle have travelled further from the portal than she ever did. They both have visited Minas Tirith twice before, with Julien having stayed there for over a year. Sierra scowled at the thought. That was probably where everything started.

Then there was a portal in the Misty Mountain, situated near a mine called Moria. The only reason they have never used it before was due to the markings next to it: _Danger, unsafe passage. Do not use._ But Sierra was desperate and willing to face danger for what she needed to do. However, despite the cold and unpleasant terrain, luck seemed to be on Sierra's side since nothing remotely dangerous crossed her path just yet.

Sierra was very fond of Middle-Earth, but due to what happened to her and her brother on their previous trip, her uncle forbade her to ever step foot in the realm again and barricaded the portal in the Iron Hills, not thinking that she would ever dare use the Misty Mountain one. She was however unsure how Julien made it back. Maybe he knows of another secret portal location.

At the memory of her last trip, Sierra absentmindedly rubbed her upper arm where the burn marked her skin from her shoulder to her elbow. She could still smell the stench of smoke and flesh, hear the terrifying screams, feel the heat of the flames and see the deadly mouth of the dragon. But worst of all see could still feel the heavy, frantic shove as her brother knocked her out of the firing line from Smaug's mouth and took the flames that were destined for her. In her life it happened only over a year ago, but here in Middle-Earth it was close to sixty. But it didn't quite matter to her if it was only one year or sixty years, the loss of her brother weighed heavily on her heart.

Sierra angrily wiped at a tear that leaked from her eye and clenched her teeth. She should not be thinking about this!

She quickly retrieved her water bottle and took a couple of mouthfuls to clear her mind. With renewed determination, Sierra continued her trek to Rivendell.

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The next morning Sierra woke to a pleasant surprise. After a week of unpleasant climate, the weather suddenly changed. The swift-flowing grey clouds lifted and melted away, and the sun came out shining bright. Sierra stretched and started massaging her sore and stiff muscles. There are two things she would never take for granted again, her bed and a hot bath.

While massaging her sore legs, Sierra scanned her surroundings. It looked vastly different than it did last night. Sierra noticed that she had reached a low ridge crowned with ancient holly-trees whose grey-green trunks seemed to have been built out of the very stone of the hills. Their dark leaves shone and their berries glowed red in the light of the rising sun.

Are Holly-tree berries edible, Sierra wondered? She wanted to try, but was afraid they could be poisonous, instead she open a small pack of dried meat and nibbled on the little sticks.

After her meagre meal, Sierra unrolled her map again and stared at the markings; by the looks of it she made a lot of ground yesterday and marched through a good part of Hollin. She wished her uncle could see her now. He would be so proud of her. Sierra smiled a sad smile as she thought of her uncle. She hoped that he was all right.

The weather was still too cold to remove her cloak, but at least she was able to leave her hood down. She took her comb and brushed through her tangles and then left it to hang loosely over her shoulders. Happy about the new weather conditions, Sierra quickly repacked her pack, rolled up her blanket and made ready to set off again.

Sierra hardly walked half a mile, when suddenly she noticed two things, smoke and the smell of roasted meat. Her stomach turned, Sierra was not sure if it was of fear or hunger. Maybe both. She hasn't had a hot meal in days.

Out of fear, she quickly pressed her back against a tree, trying to conceal herself into the shadow of its branches and pulled the hood once more over her head. And it was not a moment too soon, at the top of the brink of the dell stood a figure. Sierra could not quite make out his features, since the morning sun was rising behind his back, but by his clothes, his length and shabby hair, she defiantly knew it to be a man. She could see a long sword hanging on his hips and Sierra did not like the sight of it.

"What is the matter, Strider?" an unknown voice behind the man called ""What are you looking for? Do you miss the East Wind?"

The voice was friendly and laced with jest and Sierra could not imagine it belonging to and enemy. However, she still did not move from her spot.

"No indeed," the man answered. His voice did not fit with his shabby appearance "But I miss something. I have been in the country of Hollin in many seasons. No folk dwell here now, but many other creatures live here at all times, especially birds. Yet now all things but you are silent. I can feel it. There is no sound for miles about us, and your voices seem to make the ground echo. I do not understand it."

By his words, Sierra also suddenly noticed how utterly quiet it was. She was so used to the raging wind to block out all other sounds around her. She looked around her, but could not locate a single bird. How strange.

Suddenly another man joined the one on the edge. He looked old and wore a long robe with a pointy hat. In his hand was a wooden walking stick.

"But what do you guess is the reason?" the old man asked. "Is there more in it than surprise at seeing four hobbits, not to mention the rest of us, where people are so seldom seen or heard?"

"I hope that is it," the other man, she assumed called Strider answered "But I have a sense of watchfulness, and of fear, that I have never had here before."

"Then we must be more careful," said the old man again "If you bring a Ranger with you, it is well to pay attention to him, especially if the Ranger is Aragorn. We must stop talking aloud, rest quietly, and set the watch."

With that the old man turned again and disappeared from view.

"Please leave as well" Sierra mentally pleaded with the man still standing there "I need to go"

But, unfortunately to her dismay the man stood rooted to where he was. Soon a small boy joined the man and both of them seated themselves on the rock.

"How odd to take a child with them on their trip" She mused.

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It has been over an hour since Sierra stood rooted to the tree, her legs cramping from the motionless stance. The two watchmen surveyed the area below them and more than once did their eyes unwantedly rest upon her hiding spot. Sierra's heart would beat in her throat and her palms would go sweaty. If they were to discover her, the odds would not be in her favour. She knew already of three people, but the old man did mention that there were others.

The silence was deafening. It sat like a heavy cloud in her mind. It was so utterly quiet that she could hear the movements every time the two watchers moved. On one occasion the little one's head snapped to her when she shuffled her feet, but the tree luckily provided enough protection from his eyes.

There were some other unseen sounds as well. As swishing noise that sounded like a horse's tail flicking and hooves clinking against the stone. Someone was snoring, could it be the old man? There were other shuffling noises as well, but Sierra could not place what they could have been. The sun was also starting to grow hot and Sierra wished she could remove the heavy cloak. She could feel her hair go damp from the sweat as the hood heated her head.

Another hour passed and to Sierra's dismay the sun was starting to eat away the shadow of the tree. With each passing minute the shadow grew smaller and smaller. Sierra was contemplating to move around the drunk where the shadow grew larger again, but was halted when the little one whispered.

"What's that, Strider?"

Both pair of eyes was once again on her hiding place.

"I'm not sure Sam, but constantly my eyes have been drawn to that particular tree. Stay here, I will go down and investigate"

"Shit, Shit, Shit…" Sierra mentally screamed. "What to do? What to do?"

She had two options, be discovered or make a run for it. It took two seconds to make up her mind.

With quick twist of her feet she spun away from the tree and madly dashed away in the opposite direction of the man advancing down. Her cloak bellowed out behind her and with one hand she grabbed her hood to prevent it from slipping. Her legs protested against the sudden movement and begged her to slow down.

"Hey!" came the startled shout behind her and echoed through the cliffs "Stop!"

Soon she could hear the loud footstep running up behind her, quickly followed by other noises. Other people of his group started shouting and rushed down the slopes. The sudden commotion in the dale vibrated against the cliffs and rocks and to Sierra's hears in sounded like a whole army was following her.

Sierra twisted and turned around the trees as she made her way through the glen. The rocky terrain made it difficult for running and Sierra nearly lost her footing twice.

The footfalls sounded awfully close and she quickly looked over her shoulder to see how far off they were. She could only make out to figures following her. The man called Strider and a short sturdy figure swing an axe.

"Fuck!" Sierra shouted "They have an axe! What the hell? Who are these people?"

She turned to face forward again, renewed with more determination to get away from these terrifying people. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and her eardrum thudded. The wind slapped her face with the speed she was sprinting. How proud her PE teacher back in high school would have been if he could see her today.

As she turned around another tree, a lithe figure jumped into her path and Sierra had to break hard, her feet skidding over the ground, in order to prevent her face colliding with the point of an arrow.

"Don't move" the figure said in a deadly calm voice.

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**Ok, so a quick note:**

**The LOTR books do not exist.**

**Yes, it is a 'girl-from-our-time-landed-in-Middel-Earth' fanfic. (Everyone should get a chance in writing something like this - hie hie )**

**I apologise for my spelling and grammar mistakes. If you can recommend a Beta for me it will be greatly appreciated.**

**I don't think my chapters will be very long. It just makes it easier to write.**

**Thanks for reading and please review. I would love to hear from you!**

**Love,**

**Andrea**


	2. Chapter 2 - Introductions

**Hi, All**

**Thanks for the two reviews and the people that decided to follow the story - much appreciated!**

**Disclaimer - Anything Tolkien related does not belong to me.**

**Still looking for a Beta! -One that does LOTR stories.**

Sierra flinched as the elf pushed her once again in the back. His touch was not forceful, but it was his proximity that unnerved her. After being intercepted by the elf, Strider and the Axe-man soon joined them. She later recognised the short axe-wielder to be a dwarf and wondered how she could have not have known that earlier.

Sierra had many dealing with dwarves in the past and felt quite comfortable being around them.

After a quick "Who are you" and "where are you from" from Strider, where Sierra didn't utter a word, they have decided it best to take her to a man named Gandalf. The name sort of reminded her of something or someone, but she could not quite place who or what.

They walked in a single file back to their camp, the dwarf and Strider in front of her, while the elf followed quietly behind her. She could not hear the footsteps of the elf, but definitely felt his presence and the occasional shove when she walked too slowly. She did not like the feeling of having an elf so close to her again and was it not for his extraordinary speed, Sierra contemplated running off again.

When they reached their make-shift camp, Sierra groaned at the sight, there were nine of them, to one of her. 'Well, four of them did look like children and the one was an old man, but there were still two strong looking men, a dwarf and an elf. Just the elf was bad enough' she thought dryly.

Studying the small people, she came to the conclusion that they must be Hobbits. She has never seen a Hobbit before, but her uncle and Julien frequently talked about Bilbo Baggins who was one.

"Gandalf" Strider called and Sierra saw the old man approach. He was tall, very tall and had a bushy white beard with matching eyebrows that stuck out from under the brim of his grey hat. His face was wrinkled at the eyes, either from laughing or squinting, Sierra could not tell.

"And who might we have here?" he asked in an impressive voice, but his posture was relaxed as he leaned on his staff. The other people in his group regarded her with wary eyes, but remained silent.

"Mmm, are you a silent one? Very well, let us have a look at you" he motioned with his hand for the elf to remove her hood.

She could feel the fabric slide over her hair as the hood slipped from her head. The breeze was cool as it came in contact with her face and damp hair.

"A woman!" the one man called and Sierra frowned at his astounded tone of voice.

"Indeed" Gandalf whispered and stared down at Sierra "Tell me dear, what are you doing here alone in this part of the land? Where are your companions?"

Sierra cleared her throat and tried to relax her voice "I have no companions. I travel alone"

"It is dangerous for a woman to travel alone" the old man remarked. It was not a question, but Sierra felt the need to respond.

"Yes" she nodded "Hence me running away from a group of men"

Gandalf gave a low chuckle to her answer and smiled "But unfortunately you underestimated the sure footedness of an elf"

"I was not aware that an elf was in the area"

Gandalf nodded, satisfied with her answer and then asked "Now, what is your name, dear?"

Sierra lifted her chin, not wanting to seem intimidated by this group of males "Sierra, Sierra Wentworth" her voice sounded strong and she was proud of the result.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Wentworth. I am Gandalf" he said "May I introduce you to the rest of my company?"

Without waiting for a reply, the old man started introducing the rest of his companions. He started with the watchman who she though was Strider is actually called Aragorn, next he proceeded to the other human, a son of Gondor, Boromir, following him was the dwarf Gimli son of Gloin (Sierra eyes widened slightly at the name since she knew his father), the elf as Legolas from Mirkwood and then the four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin.

"Now let us sit down so we may continue our discussion a little bit more comfortable" he motioned with his hand to the small fire "Legolas, would you mind taking the second watch?"

"Yes, Mithrandir" he replied and quickly stepped to the spot where she first saw Aragorn stood. Sierra gave a small sigh of relief as he moved away.

Sierra went to sit on a rock, neatly placed besides the fire and saw Gandalf and Aragorn follow suit. Boromir and Gimli gathered two of the Hobbits and started teaching them combat skills, while the other two hobbits softly started conversing with each other.

"So Lady Wentworth, may I enquire where you come from and where you are travelling to?"

Sierra sat and contemplated her options for a while before answering "Where I come from _now_ would be a matter I do not wish to discuss, however I could perhaps say that I usually come from the Rhovanion area. As to where I am heading, that would be a place called Rivendell. Have you heard of it?"

"Yes My Lady, we were there but a fortnight ago" Aragorn said "It is the last Homely House of the elves"

"Elves?" Sierra said shocked "I did not know the place was inhabited by elves!"

"I would hardly call it '_inhabited_' …" Aragorn murmured. Sierra ignored him and frowned down at her hands. That would make things difficult. She thought elves only lived in Mirkwood. Does that mean Elrond was also an elf? Does that mean that this Elrond in Rivendell could actually be the _original_ one and not a descended like she thought he was?

"What would your purpose be in Rivendell?" Gandalf asked and poked the fire with a long stick. Some of the golden embers flashed red, but then again settled to their yellowish colour.

"I seek guidance from a man named Elrond. It is of great importance" she replied truthfully. Maybe she was able to get some information from them. They seemed friendly enough, since they haven't bound her or anything.

"Ah, Lord Elrond Halfelven" Gandalf said "I'm sure he would be able to assist you with whatever you seek"

'Halfelven?' Sierra wondered quietly. Guess it's better than full-elven.

"I hope he would be able to assist, otherwise I'm not sure where else to go" she said softly and once again looked down towards her hands. What if Elrond could not help her? What would she do then? Where in the whole of Middle-Earth would she start looking?

"Are you in any form of danger, My Lady?" Aragorn asked, his voice was gentle and when Sierra looked up she could see genuine concern in his grey eyes.

"How bizarre that a stranger could look at her with such concern" Sierra silently wondered. She rubbed one of her hands up and down her cheek contemplating what to say. Aragorn took her silence as an answer and bent towards her and took hold of her free hand.

Sierra went stiff at the sudden contact, but did not remove her hand from his.

"Is there something we can assist with? It must be a hopeless case if the only way to seek answers for a cause is for a woman to travel alone in these parts of the land"

Sierra grimaced slightly at his chauvinistic remark, but repressed the urge to say something. She had to remind herself that she is not back in the 21st century and that in this age and time men considered women to be helpless.

"Thank you, but I am fine I assure you" she said and slowly pulled her hand from his and folded it into her lap. _Never get too friendly with strangers_.

"May I enquire to where you are heading? It is a strange route to travel. Usually one would assume taking the high road that leads from towns" Sierra asked.

Aragron shared a brief look with Gandalf before answering "Our nature is of our own, My Lady"

His tone clearly indicated that this topic was not up for discussion.

"I apologise, I did not mean to pry. Tell me, how is the rest of the road to Rivendell?" she quickly asked instead. Maybe she could receive some guidelines as to what sections to avoid in the next two weeks.

"It is fairly the same as now. The weather I assume will get colder as you go north and the marshes would become more frequent, other than that, nothing much" he went silent for a second or two thinking "Do you travel by night or day?"

"At day, I cannot imagine travelling this road by night" She confessed. She had a difficult time not injuring herself by walking over the rocky terrain, how much worse would it be by night!

"I would recommend you travel be night. It is safer that way" Aragorn said "If I could have spared a man, I would have send one along with you, but Alas, I am not able to do so"

"Thank you, but I will be fine on my own" she assured.

"I'm sure you will, dear. In the meantime, would you like to stay the day with us? We always have a watchman on the lookout. You can rest here in peace." Gandalf offered.

Sierra's first reaction was to decline, but a good sleep without worrying about prying eyes was very enticing. But could she trust these people?

"I thank you for your offer. I would like to rest only for a little while and then be on my way again"

"Certainly, you can make your bed anywhere you like. I am sure that the others will retire soon as well"

Sierra gave her thanks and immediately set out her bed roll next to the fire. She hasn't had the luxury of fire for a while and the small dancing flames were too welcoming too resits. She placed her satchel under her head and pulled the sheep blanket over her body. Sierra could hear some of the group talking softly to each other, no doubt discussing her, but at this stage she could hardly care less.

She was so utterly exhausted that not before long she was fast asleep.

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Sierra woke with a start at the commotion from the campsite. Somebody was shouting to smother the fire. The others were running around frantically. The sudden noise was alarming and for a moment Sierra was wildly confused.

"Get the girl!" someone shouted and the words hardly left his lips when strong arms pulled her up, bedroll and all, and carried her away. Her first instinct was to scream, but she quickly recognised the blond hair in her face to be that of Legolas'. Her body went rigid and her heart started to sped up with fear.

"What the hell –"she started to shout, but the elf interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

"Quiet. _Crebain _from Dunlan" Legolas whispered and carried them under a hollow from a bramble bush. Sierra had no idea what _Crebain _from Dunlan was, but by the tone of Legolas' voice they sounded dangerous. By the looks of it the elf forgot that she was still in his arms, since his gaze was fixed on the area outside of the bush.

"Calm down, Sierra. He cannot harm you with the others nearby" she mentally calmed herself.

About five seconds after they made it to the hollow, a cloud of black crow-like birds sped through and over the campsite. Their shrill screeching sounds and flapping wings echoing through the dale. It was indeed a frightening sight to behold and Sierra was glad that she was not left behind sleeping in the midst of it.

After they were gone, Sierra let out a breath she did not know she was holding and looked up at Legolas' face. "You can now let go of me" she said softly.

Legolas looked down at her, his expression clearly stating that he had indeed forgotten about her.

"Yes, let me just carry you out from underneath-" he started, but Sierra would not listen. The nearness of the elf was all she could think of and that she needed to get away.

"No, no. Just put me down" she said frantically and started squirming in his arms.

"It would be much better if we could step out from under –"

"PUT ME DOWN" Sierra pushed her palms against his chested and heaved herself out. She fell in ungraceful heap at his feet, her sheep blanket entangles in the small branches of the bramble bush.

"Are you ok?" Legolas asked and meant to bend down, but Sierra recoiled from his touch. Legolas quickly came to the conclusion that she must be afraid of him and decided to give her space. He quickly stepped over her and from underneath the bush and made his way to the clearing. He gave a fleeting glance backwards, confused at why the girl was so fearful of him.

"I do not know what they are about: possibly there is some trouble away south from which they are fleeing; but I think they are spying out the land. I have also glimpsed many hawks flying high up in the sky. I think we ought to move again this evening. Hollin is no longer wholesome for us: it is being watched." Aragron said and moved to stand next to Gandalf, the other members of his group also gathering closer.

"And in that case so is the Redhorn Gate," said Gandalf; "and how we can get over that without being seen, I cannot imagine. But we will think of that when we must. As for moving as soon as it is dark, I am afraid that you are right."

"Take care not to light the fire again and remain hidden. I am sure that these were not the last of _Crebain _to pass over" Aragorn instructed.

Some of the Hobbits started to complain about not having a hot supper while other wished they reached the firey-mountain sooner. Sierra was not paying much attention since she was completely ensnared by the prickly thorns.

By the time she had finally freed herself from her entrapment, every member of the group has crept under a low hanging rock or tree, hiding from the eyes above.

Not wishing to remain in the prickly bush, she crawled over to two of the Hobbits sitting in a little opening of a rock.

"Mind if I join you?" she whispered as she reached them. The sandy blond one, she think was called Sam, nodded and scooted over to make more space.

"Thanks" Sierra dragged her blanket with her and made herself comfortable in one of the nooks. "Have anyone of you seen what happened to my satchel?"

"I believe Boromir has it" the dark hair one said. She had completely forgotten his name.

Sierra looked over to where the man of Gondor was sitting alone against a tree. At his feet laid her satchel and two other bags. "Great" she muttered.

"Do you want me to get it for you?" Sam asked and made to stand.

"No, No. I'm sure he would be gentleman enough not to rummage through my bag" she replied a little louder, hoping that her voice would reach Boromir.

Boromir looked up at her voice and made eye contact with her. He smiled and gave a little salute of acknowledgement and then rested his head back against the tree and closed his eyes.

Sierra scanned the rest of the group and their hiding places. Aragorn and Gandalf was sitting with the other two Hobbits under a low hanging rock, Gimli curled up next to a log under a tree, clearly sleeping by the slow rising and falling of his chest. Sierra looked over the other nooks and creeks, but could not locate the elf. She frowned "Is he not supposed to be on the lookout or something?"

"Are you alright, Mr Frodo?" Sam asked and Sierra turned to look at the other Hobbit, momentarily forgetting about the elf.

"Yes, Sam. My shoulder is just hurting a little bit" Frodo said and rubbed his shoulder with his one hand. Sierra quietly observed the Hobbit and could see that is face was a little paler that the other. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked utterly weary.

"Maybe you should take a nap, we are leaving at dusk and you could do with a bit of rest" Sam said. He dragged his bag closer and indicated with his hand for Frodo to lie down.

The Hobbit followed suit and soon he was fast asleep, with Sam watching over him.

Another flight of black winged birds passed over them and Sierra winched at the sound.

They were quite nasty looking birds. And spies, none the less! Who knew birds could be spies?

Both Sam and Sierra sat in silence, each busy with their own thoughts. Frodo occasionally twitching and moaning in his sleep.

Two weeks from now she should be in Rivendell. What is she going to say to Elrond? 'Hey, are you the one who fought the battle against Sauron in the battle of the Gladenfields? Well guess what, the ring you were supposed to destroy has been found and is probably on its way to my world'.

She placed her face in her hands and sigh. 'I don't think that would go well" she thought. Maybe she could try and find the Hobbit named Bilbo first; her uncle did mention that he is the key, but she did not know where he is located. 'I wonder if Sam and Frodo know Bilbo Baggins' Maybe she could get some information out of them and help narrow down her search.

"So, Sam" she started and looked over to the Hobbit who was busy toing with a loose string from his shirt. "Do you know a Bilbo Baggins?"

Sam's brow furrowed a bit between the eyes and regarded her wearily. "Yes, I know him"

Sierra's heart made a little leap of joy. "Oh that is great! Do you know where I can find him? Oh, wait. Is he still alive? I mean it was over sixty years ago…"

"Why would you by looking for Mr Baggins?"

"Oh, um, well my Uncle asked me to give him a message. You see he met him while he was at the Lonely Mountain. Brave Hobbit that is to have been able to face Smaug like that!" She rambled. She always got like this when she was either excited. If she could find Bilbo first, she could tell him that he has the ring of destruction and that Julien is out to get him…oh this would be wonderful!

"If you are on your way to Rivendell you will most likely find him in the Hall of Fire, busy reciting a song"

"He is in Rivendell!?" she shrieked her voice carrying over the dell.

"Quite!" came the angry voice of Gandalf and Sierra looked over to where he sat. "Sorry" she mouthed and turned back to Sam "He is in Rivendell?" she whispered "With Elrond?"

Sam nodded. Does Elrond know he has the ring? Is that maybe why he is there? If so, that would make thinks a little bit easier. She doesn't think Julien would ever dare attacking an elven city. Maybe it is safe there. Still, she will need to get there as soon as possible and warn them.

"Thank you Sam" She said and rested her head against the smooth rock. Things were looking much better than it did a few minutes ago. Maybe she should take a quick nap before she sets out at dusk; the faster she gets to Rivendell the sooner she can go home.

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review! :)


	3. Chapter 3 - The Following

**Disclaimer: I owe nothing related to Tolkien's work.**

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The first thing Sierra noticed as she regained consciousness was the uncomfortable position she was sitting in. A sharp rock was painfully poking into the spot between her shoulder blades and her neck was stiff from the angle her head rested in. Sierra almost groaned at the painful feeling, but then the whispers of two people close to her caught her attention.

"I hope that the rest of the path would become warmer. I do not like this cold weather we had the last couple of days"

"Yes, I agree Sam. However, I do believe that the further down south we go, the warmer it will become" Frodo said, his voice was soft and Sierra had to concentrate hard in order to hear him.

"How long do you think the journey will take? I miss the Shire" Sam's voice was full of longing and Sierra could only imagine that the Shire must be where his home is. She was familiar with the feeling of missing one's home.

"I do not know" was the simple reply.

"Do you sometimes wish you have never volunteered to destroy the Ring, Mr Frodo?" Sam asked again, but his voice was soon followed with a slapping sound, like a hand drawn quickly over a mouth out of shock. Silence followed with a couple of shuffling noises. Sierra wanted to open her eyes, but resisted the temptation. What ring? _Could it be_?

"I do not think she has heard, Sam, but let us not refer to it again" Frodo whispered "Come it is nearly dusk. I want to ask Gandalf our next course of route"

Sierra heard them shuffling outside of the little cave and walk to the opposite direction.

Her eyes snapped open and she sat upright. '_What ring?_!'

Her mind started twisting and turning with all the information she had.

According to what she knows, Elrond (or his forefathers, she was still not sure if it is actually him) had dealings with the ring. He wanted to destroy it. Bilbo had the ring sixty years ago. Bilbo is in Rivendell. These people were in Rivendell. These two Hobbits are going somewhere south. Mordor is South. Didn't Elrond want to destroy it in a mountain located there?

But why did Bilbo keep the ring for sixty years? Was the ring they referred to even THE ring? Did Middle-Earth have more than one powerful ring? But if it is THE ring, it sure as hell isn't safe with these people! Julien stands a much better chance of getting it now.

"This is giving me a headache" Sierra moaned and rubbed her head. "What am I to do? Do I still continue to Rivendell or do I follow these people?"

The cerulean sky was gradually turning darker into a deep purple shade as the last sun's rays faded behind the mountains. Even though the night was warmer compared to the previous ones, there was still a chill in the air that came down from the mountains. A single star peaked and dimly glittered against the plum coloured heaven, the first star Sierra has seen in days.

Night was rapidly approaching and Sierra did not have much time left to make a decision. She crawled out from her hiding place and rolled up her blanket-bedroll and tucked it underneath her arm. She made her way over to where the group was gathering in the centre of the campsite. Gandalf was standing in the middle with the rest of his companions gathering around him in a circle. They were discussing something softly, their low murmurs sounding quite serious.

Sierra halted mid-way, not wanting to intrude on their little meeting, but Boromir saw her approach and beckoned to her with his hand.

"Your bag, My Lady" he said as she reached him "Safely guarded without any rummaging"

"Thank you, I'm sure my satchel has never been as safely guarded before" Sierra took the sling and draped it over her shoulder. The weight of the bag simultaneously a comfort and a burden.

"It is quite a heavy loaded and uncomfortable thing to carry" he remarked, clearly curios as to what was located inside, but too polite to ask. Sierra regarded the man in front of her and noticed that he was quite handsome. Well, his light brown hair might be in need of a wash, but so does the rest of this group…except for the elf of course, but Sierra avoided looking at him.

"I am sure men are familiar with the term that women never travel lightly?" she jested, not sure if it was the same here as it was in her world.

"Aye, that is true. I have been on the unfortunate side to experience that more than once" Boromir laughed. Sierra wondered if he was referring to his mother or perhaps a sister. Maybe he was married or had a bunch of woman trailing at his heel. Sierra had a suspicious feeling that it was the latter of the list. He was certainly charming enough.

"Would you be joining us for a quick supper before we all set off?" one of the Hobbits asked and Sierra looked down to where he was standing next to her. His curly brown hair was tangled at the one side with twigs and leaves stuck in it. Sierra wanted to reach out and remove the little offensive pieces. Things like that always bothered her, but refrained from doing so in fear that it would be too much of a personal sentiment.

"I'm not sure; I do not want to be intruding…"

"Oh, do not fret, they won't mind!" he chirped "Come, we may not light a fire, but we can at least have a good conversation while eating and smoking. Dinner should never be an unpleasant experience" he declared and moved to sit on one of the stones next to the dead fire.

"Um, well thank you then….I'm sorry I have forgotten your name?"

"Perigrin Took, but you may call me Pippin"

"You are more than welcome to join us, My Lady" Aragorn confirmed and went to follow Pippin's example. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and re-arranged his sword at his hip so that it would not stick into the ground.

Dinner was quite pleasant. They talked about random things, experiences on the journey, about their homes and how wonderful Rivendell is. Sierra listened eagerly and only occasionally joined in on the conversation. She learned so many bits and pieces of Middle-Earth and was sad she never explored the places they've mentioned. Pippin also told some stories of Bilbo and his adventures, including the one she is partially familiar with, but was grateful to hear some additional information she was not familiar with. For example that Bilbo Baggins was Frodo's uncle and that they lived together.

Sierra choked so hard on the piece of dried fruit when he said that and all the company stared at her in shock.

Sam frowned and looked and Sierra with suspicion written on his face, but at that moment she could hardly careless of what the little Hobbit thought of her. Her first priority was to breathe again. Her throat burned and her eyes were watering while coughing the whole time.

"Are you well, My Lady?" Boromir asked and gave her his skin flask of water. Sierra grateful accepted the flagon not feeling up to rummaging through her bag looking for her bottle. She quickly took a couple of mouthfuls before answering "Yes, thank you. I just ate too fast" her voice was hoarse and she coughed twice more to clear her throat. She gave the flask back to Boromir and he secured it to his hip again.

In the corner of her eye, Sierra saw Frodo and Sam softly exchanging words. Frodo gave her a curious glance, but did not say anything to her. She was certain Sam told him about her enquiring after Bilbo.

"It is time" Gandalf suddenly announced and everybody looked over to where the old man was sitting. He placed his long wooden pipe inside his robes and heavenly leaned on his staff to stand up.

The hobbits sighed heavily, along with Gimli, who by the looks of it still wanted to be smoking his pipe. Sam quickly stood up and retrieved his backpack along with Frodo's.

Aragorn and Legolas started to move the seating rocks away to random locations and covered the dead fire, successfully erasing the evidence of their camp site. Legolas walked over to where Sierra was still sitting, clearly lost in thought.

"I need to discard the stone you are sitting on" he said and Sierra nearly toppled over at his voice. She did not notice the elf approach and was startled at his sudden nearness.

She sprang from the stone like it was a hot coal she was seated upon.

"Y…yes, of course" she stammered, her eyes wide as she looked upon him.

Sierra grabbed her bag and quickly placed a safe distance between her and the elf. Legolas bent down to pick up the stone, but his eyes never left the strange girl. He has frequently met humans that were either suspicious, hostile or awed by his presence, but never before has he met one that was afraid of him.

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The moon, now at the full, rose over the mountains, and cast a pale light in which the shadows of stones were black. Sierra stood as still as a statue in the middle of the darkened campsite. Her mind was twisting and turning, torn between two directions. Should she continue north towards Rivendell or head into the direction the company set off in? Sierra pulled out the pocket watch that was secured on a thin leather cord around her neck. She clicked the clasp open and looked at the little black hands.

"Twenty minutes" she whispered and flipped it shut again.

She has been standing in the clearing for twenty minutes trying to make a decision. The company has left into the direction she previously came from and was certain that should she choose to follow them, she would be able to pick up on their trail quite easily. There were only a couple of safe paths to tread that did not lead down a cliff or into a marshy pit.

Sierra always relied on her instincts and for the first time since she got here, her gut did not pull her towards Rivendell, but instead to the strange company she met earlier that day.

"Oh blast it all!" she said angrily and quickly turned to the direction in which they left. 'I hope I'm not going to regret this' she thought as she made her way down and passed the tree she was hiding under. How long ago that felt.

The path was just as treacherous as before, but since Sierra knew what to expect, she surprisingly managed well in the darkness of the night. Luckily, there was a short section that looked like the remains of an ancient road Sierra was quite thankful for this small blessing.

She was about fifteen minutes into her aggressive hiking when a thought halted her in her steps.

"What am I going to tell them?"

They all knew that she was on her way to Rivendell, so why would she suddenly change her course? Should she tell them she knows about the ring? Will they let her join them? Should she tell them about Julien? But that would mean telling them where she comes from and Sierra can't see how that would go down well. They would believe her insane.

Perhaps she should just sneak behind them during the rest of their journey and keep an eye out for Julien. Will she be able to manage following them without being detected? She might, was it not for the elf. His extraordinary hearing and sight will make it very difficult. 'I wonder if he travels at the front or back' she wondered 'maybe if he is in the lead it would make following them easier'.

With her mind made up to follow them, Sierra quickly sent off again in search of the mysterious group of men.

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It was the cold chill hour before the first stir of dawn, and the moon was low when Sierra finally located the marching group in the distance. She was starting to doubt that she would ever find them again. She has been walking for nine hours with no sign of them, the only consolation she had was that there was actually no alternative route for them to choose from, and would have travelled the same path as she did.

Sierra neared them as close as she dared and was thankful to see the elf somewhere near the first section of the line. They crept in the dark for another hour before the company set camp again. Soon after they stopped the sky turned lighter as the next morning dawned. The sun even brighter than the day before. But the air was chill again; already the wind was turning back towards the east.

Sierra followed them for two more nights as they marched on, climbing steadily but ever more slowly as their road wound up into the hills, and the mountains towered up, nearer and nearer. They have veered from the road she previously travelled on and she had to keep a steady pace in order not too loose sight of them. The terrain was once again unfamiliar to her and, she stumbled and fell quite frequently on the uneven terrain. On the third morning Caradhras rose up into the sky, its peak tipped with snow, but its sides were naked from the frost, the ground a reddish colour like it was stained with blood. Sierra has studied her map and was familiar with the mountain's name as it now stood before her.

She looked up at the magnificent mountain and wondered if that was the next course of the rout. Her limbs were sore from the increasingly rising ground the past couple of days and protested at the idea of climbing that mountain. The group set out camp again near the base of Caradhras and momentarily out of Sierra's view.

There was a black look in the sky, and the sun was wan. The wind had gone now round to the north-east. Sierra did not like the feeling of this place. Seeking some protection, she crept closer to the where the group was. When she heard their soft murmurs, Sierra sought out a comfortable spot that would hide her from view. She was so exhausted that she did not even feel like eating anything. Not that she had much food left. Her supplies were running dangerous low. Since Sierra started following the company she only allowed herself to sleep a couple of hours in fear that they might set off again without her knowing. So, as she lay down Sierra immediately set her head against her satchel and fell asleep almost within seconds.

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Sierra woke with the feeling of someone watching her. Even though her eyes were closed, she immediately noticed when a shadow blocked the sunlight on her face. The red hue of her eyelids turned to a dark grey.

Sierra snapped her eyes open, now wide awake and full of fear.

In front of her stood Legolas the elf. His hair glowed has the sun behind him framed his silhouette in gold. The hilt of his silver knife flashed in the rays and Sierra swallowed hard at the sight. Legolas stood tall and magnificent, his jaw firm and set. He truly was a beautiful being, Sierra thought, but she knew what cruelty lie beneath that splendour. How does the saying go? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. She will not make the same mistake again in trusting elves.

Legolas regarded her with stormy blue eyes before addressing her in his calm voice "I thought you would like something to eat"

Sierra only then noticed that he was carrying a wooden bowl with something that looked like a stew contained in it. The sudden appearance of food made Sierra's stomach growl, but she made no move to accept the bowl from him. Legolas sensed her hesitance and placed the dish on the ground in front of her a turned to walk away. He was about three steps into his stride when Sierra finally found her voice.

"How long?" she asked and the elf turned again to face her.

"How long did you know I was following you?"

The one corner of Legolas' mouth lifted into a half smile "A couple of days"

Sierra groaned. She really thought she has outsmarted the group of men, including the elf. Why did they not confront her sooner? Unless the others did not know she followed them and the elf was waiting for an opportunity to get her alone. She quickly glanced down to the bowl of stew he brought her. Was it poisoned?

"Do the others know?" she asked in a small voice and looked back up to meet his gaze. Legolas folded his arms in a casual way and leaned his weight on one leg.

"Aragorn and Gandalf knows"

Sierra tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "What know? What are you going to do to me?"

Legolas frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion "Do to you? We are not going to _do_ anything to you" he clarified "We are however curious as to why you would be following us when you have claimed to be travelling to Rivendell"

Sierra looked down to her blanket and nervously started removing pieces of dead leaves and twigs tangled in the little wool strands. She did not wish to discuss the matter with the elf. Actually, she did not want to discuss it with anyone. However, maybe it would be to her benefit to reveal a little bit of information to the group. Just enough to make them aware that the ring is in danger. Oh and if they in fact do not have the ring, she only had a three day delay to Rivendell.

Legolas watched her patiently as she seemed to struggle with making a decision. He watched as her face frowned and smoothed out again, how she would bite her lip and narrow her eyes. Her finger worked anxiously in the blanket and the breeze was slowly pulling the hood from her head to reveal her chestnut hair. Legolas found her quite fascinating. He has never encountered a woman who would travel alone and risk her life for a cause. She was either very brave or very foolish.

"I…I would like to speak to Frodo" she finally announced. She has made up her mind to speak to him first.

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**Ok, so could someone please help me with getting a Beta that likes LOTR stories? I tried finding one, but everyone is either for Twilight, Harry Potter or other stories. English is not my first language so I am aware that there must be a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes.**

**Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews. I love getting them. Even the email notifications I receive when someone is following my story. Thank you so much!**

**I'm not too happy with this chapter, but will try and make up for it on the next one. More Legolas/Sierra interactions to follow. **

**Love**

**Andrea**


	4. Chapter 4 - Caradhras

**Disclaimer: Nothing of Tolkien belongs to me.**

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Sierra was walking in the middle of the line, behind Boromir and in front of Frodo. Her arms, as well as the rest of the company's, were loaded with fire wood due to the few bushes and trees located on the mountain. A precaution suggested by Boromir who has frequently travelled though the snowy passes. After Sierra's brief meeting with Frodo, she had successfully convinced him why she would wish to tag along. She had not discussed the matter with the rest of the company and asked Frodo to keep her secret. Gandalf was initially opposed to the idea, but Aragorn and Boromir said that it would be safer for her to journey with them than alone and if Frodo feels it important for her to travel along, they could not see any fault with the idea.

As they marched on they encountered that the winding and climbing road had in many places almost disappeared, and was blocked with many fallen stones. Sierra was determined to keep up with the group of men even though her arms and legs were begging her to stop and take a rest. It felt like the pile of wood had turned into a stack of lead and that the weight was growing with each step she took up the slopes.

The night grew deadly dark under the heavy mass of the clouds and a vicious wind whirled around the rocks, howling as it passed through narrow gaps and sharp edges. The company was silent as they travelled on, every single one busy with their own dark thoughts.

By midnight they had climbed to the knees of the mountains. The narrow path now wound up into a steep slope. On their left-hand side the top of Caradhras loomed over them, casting their path into shadow and on the right was a gulf of darkness where the land fell suddenly into a deep ravine.

The darkness felt blinding and Sierra blinked a couple of times to make sure that her eyes were indeed open. She was aware than there was a steep drop to her right, but she could not see its depth, only a black void. Sierra was not afraid of heights, but loathed the darkness. How she wished for the moon could break through the clouds. She desired to see something other than black and grey. A bit of colour or a ray of light would be welcoming.

Something soft then brushed her cheek and Sierra turned her head slightly upwards towards the dark sky. Faint snowflakes were falling, slightly illuminated against the black mass. It might not have been what she hoped for, but the little white flecks was a comfort to her weary heart, even despite the cold she knew they would later bring.

The company did not stop, even when the snow started falling fast, filling all the air, and swirling into everyone's eyes.

At some point Legolas passed Sierra, his golden hair slightly glowing like the snow. He walked fast and did not seem to be weary by the burden of the fire wood or the snow. He marched right up to the dark bent shapes of Gandalf and Aragorn. Sierra could not divert her eyes from the elf and for the first time in her life she was comforted by the sight of one. "Only because of his glow" she scolded herself.

Sierra could hear Sam mumble something behind Frodo about how this was even worse than the Fell Winter of 1311. She did not however pay much attention to him and rather walked a bit faster to get closer to elf and his natural light.

As Sierra approached the group in front of her, Gandalf suddenly halted; snow was thick on his hood and shoulders. "This is what I feared," he said. "What do you say now, Aragorn?"

"That I feared it too," Aragorn answered, "but less than other things. I knew the risk of snow, though it seldom falls heavily so far south, save high up in the mountains. But we are not high yet; we are still far down, where the paths are usually open all the winter."

Gimli and Boromir mentioned that the snow might be the cause of the enemy and Sierra frowned at their words. She did not know of any enemy that could control the weather, but then again she was in Middle- Earth. Anything was possible here.

As the group was busy talking, Sierra noticed that the wind was starting to die down and that the snow slackened until it almost ceased.

"Look" she interrupted them "The weather is changing, I think it might be safe to continue again" The group looked up towards the sky and also noticed the change.

"Ah a bit of luck" Gimli said relieved and nodded satisfied.

With that the company set off again, climbing the steady slope of the mountain. But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh fury.

The wind whistled and the snow became a blinding blizzard. Sierra stumbled and pieces of wood fell from their position in her arms to the ground.

"Great" she mumbled and bent down to retrieve them. It was harder said that done since her arms were so stiff from the cold and the weight. She tried balancing the wood on her one arm while trying to snatch up the fallen pieces with her free hand. She only managed to pick up two pieces when everything toppled out of her arms and landed in the snow.

Before Sierra could restart the pyramid on her arm, a slender hand appeared in front of her. Sierra looked to her side and saw Legolas bent beside her, picking up her fallen firewood and neatly piling it onto his already large stack.

"No, no I can manage" she said and started picking up the pieces faster. She did not want to be seen as weak and she also did not want help from the elf.

"I do not mind" he replied and continued with increasing is pile "You had too much wood to begin with. See, not even the dwarf carries as much kindle as you do"

Legolas said that as Gimli passed them and the dwarf was not very pleased with is words. He muttered something in his own language and glared at the elf as he passed him. Sierra looked over to his stack and noticed that he was indeed carrying less, but that his kindle looked more like logs compared to her sticks.

"He is carrying a heavier load that I do" she defended the dwarf and smiled when she hear a soft "Aye" coming from the dwarf in front.

Legolas shrugged and stood up with his load. He waited until Sierra was also back on her feet before continuing at a slow pace, hoping to stay near the woman. He could see that she was nearing the point of extreme exhaustion, but too proud to mention it to any of them.

Sierra was walking a few feet behind the elf, conflicted with the desires to be closer to his glow, but also to place has much distance between them as possible. She looked down towards the leftover kindle she was carrying and noticed that Legolas has taken more than half her load. She scowled at her weakness, especially that she showed it in front of the elf. How easy a target he thinks she must be!

They trekked for another hour until the company came to a sudden stop, as if they had come to an agreement without any words being spoken. There was an eerie noise carried upon the wind, like a shrill laughter or a mad cackle.

Stones began to fall from the mountain-side, narrowly passing over their heads, or crashing on the path beside them. Sierra let out a shriek as a rock came crashing near her feet, sending piece of stone, dirt and snow into the air.

"We cannot go further tonight," said Boromir. "Let those call it the wind that will; there are fell voices on the air; and these stones are aimed at us."

"Aimed at us?" Sierra wondered out loud "Who would be aiming such large rocks at us?" She looked up to the dark sky where the mountain was, squinting to see if she could spot giants hurling rocks at them.

"Saruman? Sauron? who knows, but it matters little who is the enemy, if we cannot beat off his attack" said Gandalf.

"Gandalf is right. We cannot fend off this attack, it is best if we take shelter for the night"

Pippin's arm was draped around Merry, leaning on him for support. Both the Hobbits were shivering madly from the cold and Sierra's heart went out to them. Sam was clutching the rains of Bill the pony and even the little horse looked frozen from the cold.

"Is it too much to ask for a little bit of heat tonight?" She asked softly, but Gandalf shook his head at her words.

The company huddled together to stay as warm as possible. Sierra was sitting tightly against Boromir and Aragorn, with Pippin and Frodo sitting slightly in front of her. The rest of the company she could not see.

Sierra felt her head growing thick and her eyes weary and she felt herself sinking fast into a cold and hazy dream.

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"Wake up!"

Someone was shaking her violently and Sierra slowly opened her eyes to see Aragorn's face near her own. A smile of relief crossed his features as he spoke "We thought we lost you there for a moment, My Lady"

Sierra frowned. Lost her? How? She was there the whole time?

Aragron noticed her confused looked and tried to clarify "You fell into a deep sleep, My Lady. One we could not wake you from for almost an hour. The cold must have made you numb we had to take some steps to get you warm again"

"Here, drink this" Gandalf handed her a flask "Just a mouthful. It is very powerful and special"

Sierra moved to reach for the flask, but noticed that her body, including her hands were tightly wrapped in a blanket or a cloak, she could not tell what the material was. A warm body was pressed against her back and Sierra's heart nearly stopped when she discovered this.

"…_take some steps to get you warm again" _The words of Aragorn sounded in her head again. In front of her stood Gandalf and Aragorn, with Boromir looming in the back.

She doubted that it was one of the Hobbits or Gimli behind her. Sierra looked down and saw Legolas' arms wrapped around her, one of his hands lifted to take the flask from Gandalf.

"What the…?" Sierra asked confused and tried to wiggle lose from the tight hold.

"Sit still" Legolas said softly behind her, his hot breath tickling her hear. Sierra shivered, but obeyed the elf and went rigid instead.

Aragorn and Gandalf stood to leave and went to assist Boromir with Hobbits.

"I'm going to move away from you now – will you be able to stay upright?" he asked and placed the palm of his one hand against her back, gently supporting her as he slowly moved away from her.

Sierra immediately felt the loss of heat as the elf moved and the warm cocoon she was wrapped in slowly released its hold of her. Legolas moved around and came to kneel in front of her. His hair was floating in the wind and his face was graced by a soft smile. Sierra noticed that he wore no cloak or covering around him and then looked down to the blanked draped around her. His cloak!

"Oh!" She made to remove the cloak, but the elf stilled her actions.

"Nay, you need it more than I do. Here" Legolas handed her the flask he took from Gandalf. "It is called _miruvor, _it will warm you and give you a little strength"

Sierra took the flask, too weary and cold to care if it might be poisoned and took a sip. As soon as Sierra swallowed a little of the warm and fragrant liquor she felt a new strength of heart, and the heavy drowsiness left her limbs.

"Thank you" she whispered and gave the flask back to the elf.

Legolas offered his hand for support as Sierra tried to stand up, but she ignored him and rose by herself. She has accepted enough aid from him already and it was time to put some distance between them.

Sierra removed the cloak, regretting the decision as the cold engulfed her again, but refused to keep it any longer than she already did.

"Thank you" she said again and held out the grey cloak to him. Legolas took it reluctantly, but accepted it with a nod of his head, acknowledging her thanks.

"Come" he said and turned into the direction of the rest of the group "I believe they are trying to light a fire"

And indeed they were. As they reached the group, Sierra saw Boromir bent over a neatly stacked pile of wood, trying to ignite it with a flint.

After a few failed attempts, Boromir gave up the task and Gimli took his place. The dwarf tried close to ten times, but did not fare any better than Boromir did. Not even the skills of the elf could strike a flame to the dead wood.

As Legolas was still busy trying, Sierra moved over to her pack and removed a small piece of white firelighters and her box of heavy duty matches.

"Gimli!" Sierra called and waved to the dwarf to come closer. "Could you please get that large rock over there for me and place it about two feet away from the wall?"

Gimli did as she said without question, but curiosity was written all over his face.

Sierra walked over to Pippin and Merry "Help me gather a few pieces of these left over wood"

They helped her pick up some of the smaller pieces and Sierra stacked her own fire-pit between the wall and the stone. She concealed the piece of firelighter under the stack and then moved to retrieve the matches from her pocket, but kept it hidden in her hand. The two Hobbits and the dwarf looked expectantly at her, but Sierra didn't want them to witness the lightning of the matches.

"I need more wood and another rock" she asked and was pleased when she saw the three of them leave. Sierra turned her back towards the group, facing the wall and knelt in front of the kindle. She quickly struck a match and tried to light the firelighter. She failed on the first attempt, but was elated when the white piece flamed on the second try.

"Quickly! I need some dry bark!" she shouted and soon the company rushed to her side at the sight of the flame underneath the small tepee shaped kindle.

"How did you do that?!" Pippin exclaimed, his face lit up with joy upon seeing the now blazing flames.

Sierra shrugged "I'm out in the wild most of the time. It is important to know how to make a fire"

Gandalf frowned down at her, but remained silent. His gaze was unsettling and Sierra diverted her eyes from him and looked towards the dancing flames instead.

The company quickly gathered around the blaze, hands outstretched for warmth. The wood burned fast; and all round them the snow hissed and started to melt. Sierra perched herself on a small rock, trying to keep dry and warm, but it was no use since the snow still kept on falling and the wind still kept on howling.

There was little talk amongst them, even Bill was quite as he stood behind the company. The only one that attempted conversation was Legolas.

Sierra looked over to the elf and notice that he did not look weary or cold like the rest of the company did. In fact he looked very relaxed and well rested. A smile played at his lips as he watched the flames, the glow highlighting his beautiful features. His hair was clean and smooth even while it was being tossed in the wind. Sierra rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Stupid, elf genes" she thought.

The night is getting old," said Aragorn. "The dawn is not far off."

"If any dawn can pierce these clouds," said Gimli.

"We cannot tread any further in this snow; it is getting worse by the hour. If we continue up the mountain, the ground will swallow the hobbits and the woman" Boromir exclaimed and rubbed his hands together.

"I'm sure Gandalf can manage a flame on his staff. He could go before us with a bright flare, he might melt a path for you and the Hobbits" Legolas jested, but Gandalf was not in the mood for silliness.

.

"If Elves could fly over mountains, they might fetch the Sun to save us," answered Gandalf sourly.

"No time for bickering. We need to decide if we continue or leave this dreaded mountain pass. But heeds my warning! There are more dangerous roads than this once, so choose carefully." Aragorn interrupted.

"I say the ring b… I say Frodo must decide" Gandalf said, correcting himself in the presence of Sierra. She smiled, but did not say anything. Gandalf was not aware that she knew about the ring yet.

Frodo looked uneasily at each companions face before answering "I say we leave the mountain"

There were a couple of cheers and soon everybody got ready to trek down the mountain again.

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"Legolas, how is it possible for you to be able to walk on snow?" Merry asked as he, along with the rest of the company, ploughed through the snow. His sandy blonde hair hung limp and occasionally drooped into his eyes. Sierra made a mental note to ask if the Hobbit would like a haircut once they are off the mountain. She was quite skilled at cutting men's hair since she did it frequently for her uncle, brother and Julien.

The elf was walking lightly on top of the snow, his boots hardly making a print in the soft white surface. He was walking next to Merry and Pippin, with Sierra dragging behind them.

"I have asked the snow permission to walk on it" he answered looking down at the Hobbit.

"Asked permission?" Pippin said doubtfully "So if I ask the snow to walk on it, I will be able to do so like you?"

"You must ask kindly" Legolas nodded and smiled.

Before Merry or Pippin could respond, a ball of snow hit the back of Legolas' head. Pieces of frost flew through the air, some clinging to hair of the elf.

"Ai!" Legolas exclaimed startled and the sudden impact.

"Serves you right" Sierra said as the elf turned to face behind him "Can't you see how cold they are? Stop telling them nonsense about asking the snow permission" she was angry that the elf was making fun of the Hobbit "Or I will throw you with another snowball"

"I was merely - " he began, but Sierra cut him off.

"Go do something useful and stop making the rest of us feel like ploughmen" she waved her hand in a dismissive manner. She was so tired and moody that the guard in front of her mouth has left his post.

Legolas inclined his head, a trait Sierra started to notice, and smiled "Very well, I am off to go and find the sun for the Lady and the Hobbits"

With that he turned and leaped across the snow, passed Aragron and Gandalf and vanished around the corner of the mountain.

"Stupid elf" Sierra muttered.

A soft laughter drifted over the wind and for a moment it suspiciously sounded like the elf.

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**Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**It makes me very happy!**

**Love**

**Andrea!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Spiced Beef

**Disclaimer : I owe nothing related to Tolkien's work.**

**Hi! Thanks for all the reviews. I wanted to send each one of you a personal thank you message, but unfortunately haven't had the time yet. However, I do appreciate each and every single one of them!**

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It was late the afternoon when the company finally reached the bottom of the Mountain. Sierra's legs have passed their threshold for pain and were now completely numb. She imagined herself to look like one of the Zombies from the movies her brother so loved to watch. He always enjoyed the scarier parts of life. Sierra's heart ached from missing him.

The rest of the company did not look any better than she felt and she was somewhat relieved by that. Being the only woman in the group, she felt it necessary to not show them any weakness.

By nightfall they have decided to make camp again. They took shelter at the bottom of a small hill near the path they travelled before. Sierra did not wait for the rest to settle down. She immediately went to lay on the ground, not even bothering about unrolling her bedroll, and fell asleep.

Unfortunately, her sleep was plagued by old nightmares. She dreamed of fire and smoke, scorched flesh and death. She dreamed of pain and terror, tortured screams of loved ones. She dreamed of the dragon and her brother.

Sierra wake with a start, her body was damp with sweat, despite the cool night. The smell of smoke lingered in the air and for a moment Sierra thought she was back in Lake Town until she saw the small fire near her and the company sleeping soundly around it. Her scar was burning from the memory and she cradled the upper part of her arm with her left hand. She waited until the pain subsided and took a deep breath to calm herself. The fire was burning low and made quite a bit of smoke. It mulled around the sleeping forms, changing its direction every couple of seconds.

Sierra lifted a strand of her hair to her noise and smelled it. As she expected, the smoke has settled into her hair and Sierra wrinkled her nose in disgust. It has been a while since she had the opportunity to take a bath. The streams were too cold to bathe in and she had to make do with washing with a washcloth. She also did not have the luxury in changing her clothes. Not that she had that many sets to begin with.

She looked around the campsite and spotted Boromir sitting on a rock with his back to her.

Sierra quietly walked up to him, trying not to wake the others.

"Hello, Boromir" she said and went to sit next him. The glade was quiet, except for the occasional groan of a tree as the wind moved its heavy branches.

"My, Lady" he greeted back "Difficulty sleeping?" Boromir had a knife and a piece of wood in his hands. He was busy whittling a small horse from the timber. The outline of the head was clearly visible, but the back of the horse fade into the form of the un-shapely wood.

"Yes, one would think being this tired sleep would come easily" She replied "May I see that?" Sierra pointed to the little carving.

Boromir handed her the sculpture "You were quite exhausted when we sat up camp. You did not even stay awake for the council meeting we had" he whispered.

"I was not aware there was a meeting to be held. Besides, I'm sure you did not need my input anyway - I am just a tag along" The wood around the head area was smooth and well treated and Sierra traced her finger along the surface "You are very good at this. I'm sure it would be beautiful when finished"

Boromir smiled and took the little unfinished horse back. "Thank you, My Lady. It is but a pastime when on watch" His modest answer amused her, but she did not comment on it.

"Please, call me Sierra. I do not quite enjoy being called My Lady all the time. I feel like a character in a Jane Austen novel" She said and cringed at the mention of an author not of this world. She will have to be careful among these people, she did not want any uncomfortable questions she was unable to answer.

"I'm not familiar with that novelist, but if you wish to be called upon your first name, I will do so" he said and then added as an afterthought "Sierra"

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the wind in the trees. If Sierra closed her eyes she could almost imagine the whispering of the leaves to sound like the voices or the sound of a fairly tame ocean.

"So what did you discuss in the meeting?" she asked after a while. If she planned on travelling with them, she might need to familiarise herself with their planning.

"Our next course of route. We have not decided yet, but there was some possibilities mentioned" Boromir mumbled, clearly not liking the 'possibilities' that was stated. He placed the blade of the knife against the wood and dragged it along the edge. A soft wood curl formed at the front, growing bigger until it dropped to the ground.

"What routs would that be?" Sierra watched as he was busy carving the back of the horse.

"The North-South road through the Fords or…Moria"

Moria? Was that not close to where her portal was located? She did not see a path anywhere close to there that crossed the mountain. Then again, she was not looking for it. The man did not look like discussing the routs any further, so Sierra decided not to press.

"Boromir, is there perhaps a stream nearby?" She asked; the need to be clean still a pressing matter on her mind.

"There is a very shallow stream just yonder that rock" he said and pointed with the knife to a dark mass ahead of them "We passed it when we came down from the mountain"

"Fantastic, I'll be back in a couple of minutes" Sierra said and quickly retrieve her satchel and set off to the crick behind the rock; thankful that it was out of view.

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The creek was indeed very shallow and Sierra had a difficult time bathing herself. She had to take her canteen and pour the water over her head to be able to wash her hair. She shivered as she emptied another container onto her head to wash away the last remains of the foamy shampoo. The berry scented wash made her smile and she felt better that she did in weeks. After washing and drying herself to the best of her abilities, she proceeded with brushing her teeth. How people could live without a toothbrush was beyond her, but she was thankful she had her little luxury items, including her toothbrush, shampoo, razors, roll-on, perfume and clean clothes. Oh and her sweets. She just hoped they lasted until she could return home.

Sierra dressed in a clean grey, long-sleeved thermal shirt, underwear and socks, but she had to put on her dirty pants, jersey and cloak again. She tried to spray her scarf and mittens with perfume, but the smell of smoke still lingered on it. She quickly rolled up the dirty clothes and placed them in a zip lock back before inserting it into her satchel. After braiding her damp hair and checking that she did not leave anything about, Sierra went back to the camp site.

As she walked from behind the rock and into view of the camp, she could no longer see the frame of Boromir sitting there. "He must have taken patrol around camp to ensure safety" she thought, but as she neared the camp, something else caught her eye. A long lean shadow stood just outside the glowing circle of the fire. The frame stood like a statue, tall and watchful. Sierra knew it to be the elf, but he must have had his hood drawn up, because Sierra could not see his golden hair.

Despite have being in the proximity of Legolas a few times, she could not help it when her heart started hammering in her chest. Out of fear or nervousness, she was not sure. However, Legolas seemed different compared to the other elves. She was not sure if he was acting or if he was in fact genuinely a good elf.

"Ha! A good elf, never encountered that before!" she scoffed. But then again, he has never done anything to harm her. 'Maybe Legolas is a cast-away-elf. Maybe they have shunned him from the forest, because he was good. He looked differed than the dark haired elves from that realm. Well, except for the King of course" she thought. Sierra quivered when the image of King Thranduil entered her mind. His cold blue eyes that regarded her with such hatred.

"Good evening"

Sierra looked up to the hooded figure of Legolas now standing before her. His face was partly in shadow, but she could still see the well-defined angles of his jaw line and the perfect curve of his mouth. Sierra shook the image of the King's frozen eyes from her mind and addressed the elf before her.

"Evening, Legolas" she replied "Where is Boromir?"

Without answering Legolas turned and pointed to the fire. Sierra saw Boromir laying on the ground next to one of the Hobbits. The steady rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was already asleep. "Did she really take that long in washing up?" she wondered quietly.

"I guess you are on second watch then" Sierra said and glanced at the elf. His proximity still made her uneasy, but at least not like it did in the beginning.

"No, Boromir _was_ the second watch, but since slumber eluded me, I offered taking his place" Legolas did not mention that he only offered to take the watch when Sierra went bathing. He felt uneasy letting her go unescorted in the middle of the night. Boromir is a fine warrior, but he would not detect her being in danger until it was too late. With his keen elven ears, Legolas was able to maintain a good distance from her, but still able to offer the necessary protection.

"Oh" she was not sure what else to comment on it. She suppose it was nice of him to offer in taking watch, but if she remembered correctly elves did not need as much rest as humans did, so she suppose it was just fair that he took more shifts that the rest did.

"Sleep evades you as well?" he enquired. He already knew the answer since he witness her moaning and wriggling in her sleep until the point the nightmares shook her awake.

Sierra nodded and shrugged. There was an awkward silence between them and Sierra pressed her lips together and avoided eye contact with the elf. What was she supposed to say to him? A civilised conversation with an elf was new to her.

Legolas regarded her for a moment. Her hair was clean and a fresh fruity scent clung to her. She looked better than she did before she went to sleep earlier. Sierra stood there, not sure what to do with herself. Legolas sensed her discomfort and quickly sought out a topic of conversation "You had nothing to eat when we sat up camp, come there is some leftover food"

"No, it is fine. I have some food left as well" She did have some left over dried meat and fruit. She gave a small uneasy smile to Legolas "So umm…I'm just going to sit by the fire" She quickly stepped away before he could say something else, but as she walked away she could not help hear the little frustrated sigh that escaped his lips.

At the fire she went to sit in the spot where she previously slept in. As quietly as possible, she rummaged through her bag and retrieved two packets of dried meat and one packet of fruit, only realising now how hungry she was. As she sat and nibbled at the little fruit bites, she could not help looking over to where the elf sat in the dark. His back was bent as he cradled his chin in both hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

Sierra could not help feeling guilty. Legolas was just being friendly, as hard as it was to believe. Perhaps elves were just like people, you get the foul cruel ones and the then the good-hearted ones. Perhaps she had only met the unkind ones in Mirkwood. Was Legolas even from Mirkwood? Maybe he was from Rivendell. The elves form Rivendell seemed wonderful as described by the Hobbits. No, no, he was from Mirkwood, she remembered Gandalf introducing him as from that realm. So maybe he _was_ a cast-out like she thought previously? Sierra shook her head, confused at what to make of the elf.

She mimicked the elf and rested her chin in the palm of her hand and regarded Legolas from where she sat. After studying him for a while, Sierra made up her mind to try and be friendlier towards him.

Starting now.

Legolas heard her soft footsteps approaching, but did not turn to face her. She probably forgot something at the creek and was going to retrieve it. Legolas could not understand what he did to make her so afraid of him. He might have understood if she was wary being the only female in the group of men, but she seemed so at ease with the rest of the men. He picked up a little pebble and cast it into the darkness. Legolas was so used to being liked, that he did not know how to deal with this situation. Maybe she was from one of the towns that had superstitious talks about his race. He could hardly blame her for that.

"Legolas?"

The elf, startled at being addressed by her, turned around so quickly that the hood on his head flew off and his golden hair whipped in the action.

Sierra's eyes went wide "Umm, did you not hear me coming? I thought elves had superior hearing" she asked, clearly surprised at his shocked response. Maybe he _was_ an out-cast because he was like a… a…defective elf?

"No…I mean yes…I mean…" Legolas took a deep breath to collect himself and then smiled "Would you like to sit down?"

'Definitely a defective elf' Sierra thought.

"I thought you would like to have something to eat" Sierra sat down next to Legolas, but still kept a good distance between them. 'Small steps at a time' she mentally instructed. Sierra removed the plastic wrapping beforehand and enfolded the dried meat in a clean cloth. She extended the cloth to the elf, the meat facing upwards.

"Len hannon" Legolas accepted a piece even though he was not hungry. He was so delighted at her attempt to being friendly that he could not help the idiotic grin spreading across his face.

"Does that mean thank you?" she asked and Legolas nodded. Sierra took a slice as well. The meat was spiced with BBQ spice and dried coriander, one of Sierra's favourite flavours. She happily chewed on the meat and stared out into the night. She was probably going to regret not sleeping when they march on again tomorrow, but at the moment she just enjoyed the quietness.

"What meat is this?" Legolas asked looking strangely at the piece in his hands. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated on pin pointing the origin.

"Beef. Don't you like it?"

"No, it is good, very good, but I've never tasted beef like this before" He popped the rest of the dried meat in his mouth. Sierra offered another piece and he gladly accepted "Must be some exceptional cattle"

"It's not really the beef that is special, it is the way you spice and dry it" she clarified. 'What a strange topic' Sierra thought. Never would she have thought to have a civilized conversation with an elf about dried meat.

"Did you prepare this?" he asked and waved the stick in the air before taking another bite.

"No, it was bought…ummm at a market" More like a supermarket, but that was not a topic she wished to discuss. Sierra smiled at the thought of Legolas or any of them in a supermarket. They would either slash the weird objects with their swords or eat everything in sight. The Hobbits would definitely eat everything. 'I wonder what Legolas would do if I give him one of my sweets?' she thought, but did not actually feel like sharing them. They were too few to begin with. Maybe when she went home after the ordeal, she could return and bring them some of the delightful treats the modern world has to offer.

"One day you must take me to this market" Legolas said, still happy about the delightful taste of his dried beef. He would go to this market and buy the technique and recipe from the butcher and take it to Merhindel, one of the cooks in the castle. Legolas favoured her since she offered him treats when he was little and sometimes still do when he went to the kitchen. Merhindel had a bit of a rivalry regarding the preparation of meat with one of the other cooks and this piece of dried delight will surely settle the score. Legolas smiled at the thought.

"I'm not sure that would - " Sierra did not finish her sentence, for just then a howl ripped through the night; menacing and fierce. Legolas sprang to his feet so fast, that Sierra did not even see the movement. His body was rigid and taught, his head cocked to the one side listening. His jaw was clenched and she could see the little bulge at the side where he clenched on his teeth. In a flash of an instant the gentle elf turned into a something deadly.

"Wake the others. Danger has come" he instructed in a low, urgent whisper and loosened the bow from his back. Sierra nodded, not trusting her voice.

She rushed to the sleeping forms next to the fire and went to wake Aragorn first. She placed her hands on his shoulders and shook "Aragron, you have to wake. Wolves!" she cried. Aragorn jumped to his feet awake and looked down to the still crouching figure of Sierra. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Gandalf.

"That is no mere wolf, Child. That is the howl of wargs" The old man sat up and pulled his hat back on "Alert the others!"

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**Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Wolves of the Night

**Hi, all**

**So…. this morning I woke up to two wonderful reviews and it placed me it such a good mood that I decided to post another chapter.**

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After every member of the company was awake, they retreated to the top of the small hill. There were a couple of old, twisted trees there and between them a circle of boulder stones. Aragorn and Sam light a fire in the stone ring. There was no reason to sit in the dark when the wolves could easily pick up their scent in the night.

They all sat in a circle with their backs toward the fire, keeping watch for a dark shadow or a gleaming eye. Boromir made a torch for each of the Hobbits to serve as extra light and as protection. Sierra sat between Pippin and Legolas branding her silver knife. The elf had his bow drawn with an arrow already nocked.

"Do not shoot until I give the command" Gandalf said to Legolas. Sierra briefly glanced at the elf beside her and was surprised that she wasn't scared by the foreboding look he had on his face. She was actually feeling quite safe by his side.

All around them the howling got louder and nearer. Soon after flecks of glowing eyes could be seen above the brim of the hill.

"They are here" Pippin squeaked beside her and Sierra reached out with her one hand to pat his leg in reassurance. Reassurance of what she was not sure, but hopefully it was offering a bit of comfort.

The pony was quivering and shanking and nearly standing atop of Sam.

At a large gap between the trees a great dark wolf-shape appeared, gazing at them. Sierra could see the white of its teeth glinting from the light of the flames.

"If they attack, I want you to move behind me" Legolas whispered. His eyes were focused on the dark wolf, but Sierra knew he was addressing her. Sierra frowned. One civilized conversation between them did not give him the reason to declare himself protector over her.

"I can take care of myself" she haughtily whispered back and gripped the hilt of her knife tighter. She would show him she could fiend of any beast he could. Ok, maybe not, but she would not be a damsel in distress!

A shuddering howl broke from the dark-wolf, as if it were the captain summoning his pack to assault.

Gandalf stood up, holding his staff in the air. "Listen, Hound of Sauron! ' he cried.

"Gandalf is here. Fly, if you value your foul skin! I will shrivel you from tail to snout, if you come within this ring."

The wolf gave a menacing growl and snapped its teeth. He leaped into the air towards Gandalf, ready to kill. At that moment there was a sharp twang followed by a hideous yell.

Legolas had loosened his arrow and his elvish shot had pierced the dark-wolf's throat.

Suddenly three other wolves jumped into the circle. Aragorn killed one and Legolas managed to shoot another one down, but he was not fast enough for the third. The grey wolf leaped at Pippin, the little Hobbit frozen in shock and unable to defend himself.

Sierra shoved the half-ling aside and turned just in time to see as the wolf's teeth sank into her arm. Sierra screamed at the pain, but managed to turn her arm that was caught in the wolf's mouth and thrust her knife underneath and into the soft flesh between his throat and jaw.

The wolf went limp, dragging Sierra to the ground with it. Legolas turned and pierced the head of the wolf with his silver blade, killing it. Everything happened in a few seconds.

On the other side of the circle Gandalf gave a bright blast from his staff and suddenly the watching eyes were gone. Gandalf and Aragorn strode forward, but the hill was deserted; the hunting packs had fled. All about them the darkness grew silent, except for muttering and cursing of Sierra.

"Owe, fuck! Get it off!" she shrieked and tried to pry the wolf's jaws open with her left hand. "Shit, shit, shit"

Legolas stilled her actions "Stop wrenching. You are going to damage your skin" Sierra muttered something foul under her breath, but removed her hand. The other's gathered around looking at the scene.

The elf gripped the jaws of the wolf and with one strong heave he pulled them apart, freeing Sierra's arm. Blood leaked from the penetrated skin, soaking the fabric of her shirt and jersey. Sierra turned her head away, the rustic smell of blood made her stomach turn.

"We will have to clean the wound" Aragorn announced "Sam get one of your cooking pot and heat some water" Sam jumped to his command and went to retrieve the smaller pot from his pack. "Gimli would you mind taking the watch, we do not know if the wolves would return"

The dwarf squared his legs and gripped his axe. He looked over to Legolas and said "No wolf would ever get past me"

The elf gave him a dirty look and had to bite on his tongue not to throw an insult back.

Aragorn walked over to the dead wolf "Boromir, help me drag these carcases away, we do not want to attract other predators" Boromir went to the one of the beast's head, while Aragorn picked up its back legs.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault" Pippin said remorsefully. Sierra looked up his guilty face and shook her head.

"Did you summon the wolves, Pippin?"

The Half-ling shuffled his feet "No"

"Then you are not to blame" Sierra declared. She did not feel putting up with a guilt stricken Hobbit at the moment, she was in too much pain "Pippin, could you please open my bag?"

The Hobbit fumbled with the straps for a while, but managed to open the satchel. Sierra rummaged through the bag with her left hand and retrieved a glass bottle with white powder in it.

"Could you please mix half the bottle with water in a cup and bring it to me?" Sierra asked Pippen and handed him the ampoule. It was a strong powdered painkiller. Before Sierra came to Middle-Earth she had the original packaging of the painkillers removed and placed it in a various small glass jars. The Hobbit did as she asked, with Marry trailing behind him.

Aragorn returned with Boromir just then "Legolas, help Sierra remove her clothes. I'm going to prepare the herbs"

"What?! No!" Sierra shrieked "I can do it myself!" she wriggled away from the elf's hands and scooted closer to the fire.

"Sierra, let me - "

"No!" Sierra yanked on her cloak to remove it quickly but yelped went the pain in her arm intensified. She cursed a couple of times again before tugging at her cloak clasp. Sierra's threshold for pain was limited and she felt like a complete moron with her moaning and whining.

"No!" She said again as the elf moved closer to help, clearly disturbed at her whimpering. She held her left palm up to halt him. "I do not need your help"

Legolas shook his head and stood up "And they say that the Dwarves are stubborn" he however did not move away and stood watching as Sierra struggled to release herself from her clothes.

After a lengthy fight with her cloak and jersey, Sierra was finally just wearing her long-sleeved shirt. She looked up at Aragorn, waiting patiently on her, and back down again at her top "I'm _not_ removing my shirt" she pressed her lips in a thin line and scowled at the man.

There was no way she was sitting in just her bra and pants in front of these men!

"I was not expecting you to" he replied and crouched down beside her. He placed the herbs next to the pot Sam brought and removed a knife from where it was secured at his hip.

"Do you mind if I cut away your sleeve?" he asked her.

Sierra shook her head and slightly lifted her injured arm. Aragorn moved the blade to her shoulder.

"Wait!" Sierra panicked "Why do you have to start up there? My arm is only injured at the lower part; you do not need to remove the whole sleeve"

Since the incident at Lake Town, Sierra has never showed her burn mark to anyone. It looked…strange.

"It will make it easier to cut at the seam" he clarified and before Sierra could object again, he started ripping the little stitches loose with his knife.

Sierra took the cup pippin brought her and drained the contents with one big mouthful.

"Thank you" she handed the mug back and closed her eyes. She did not want to see the wound or the scar.

Aragron gently removed the fabric from her arm and gave the sodden cloth to Legolas "Throw it in the fire".

His hands stilled for a moment and Sierra knew he saw the burn mark, but she did not open her eyes to look at him. There was a couple seconds of silence until Legolas softly whispered something in his own language.

"Ùr amlug"

Sierra could not help opening her eye then, and saw Aragorn looking up at Legolas. His face had a bewildered expression on it.

She cleared her throat and Aragron turned back to her. He gave her a smile, but the question in his eyes did not dim.

"This might hurt" he said and dipped a cloth in the water. Sierra clenched her teeth and closed her eyes again. The pain was already starting to lessen due to the painkillers, but she was certain the cleaning process will hurt tremendously.

Aragorn placed the rag n her arm and Sierra jerked at the contact. Her wounds stung and burned like fire. Though Aragorn's hands were gentle, she could not help the occasional hiss that escaped through her teeth.

"Almost done" the ranger assured her. After the washing, she felt a cool paste on her arm and the sweet smell of flowers drifted to her nose.

"What is that?" she asked, still not opening her eyes.

"Athelas" he answered "It is a strong herb that helps with preventing infections and helps dull the pain"

Sierra nodded and bit her lip. 'I had worse injuries than this' she thought, trying to sooth herself 'I will get through this one as well'

"We will need to wrap this. Do you have any clean cloth available?" He asked her.

"Yes, I have bandages. Hand me my bag please"

Legolas handed her the satchel. She retrieved a roll of bandages and gave it to Aragorn. He took it from her and studied the fabric.

"This is a fine cloth and perfect for dressing a wound" he remarked and started wrapping the bandage around her arm. The camp was quite, except for the crackling of the fire and the soft whispers of the four Hobbits.

"I wish I had taken Elrond's advice," muttered Pippin "I am no good after all. There is not enough of the breed of Bandobras the Bullroarer in me. I don't ever remember feeling so wretched."

"Don't fret, Pippin" Sam said "No one had been eaten and master Gandalf chased them all away"

The four of them continued talking about the wolves and the dreaded mountain pass. How the missed the Shire and the different types of foods and treats.

Sierra listened to their conversation, keeping her mind away from her arm. She would someday like to travel to the Shire. The way the Hobbits described it made it sound like heaven on earth… well Middle-Earth.

"Done" Aragorn announced "You should get some rest now. Dawn is about two hours away"

Sierra thanked him and placed her injured arm in her lap. She was starting to feel drowsy, either from the painkillers or loss of blood. She bent down to pick up her jersey and scowled at the blood stains. She was not willing to wear a blood sodden jersey. She sighed and dropped it to the ground. Her cloak sleeve did not look any better.

"Here" Legolas handed her his cloak "I do not need it"

Sierra was reluctant, but she was cold and not in the mood for being stubborn. She took the offered cloak and pulled it over her shoulders.

"Thank you"

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Legolas waited until Sierra was asleep before walking over the where Aragorn sat.

He passed Boromir who busy scrubbing the dried blood from Sierra's clothes. It would not be dry by morning, but at least it would be clean.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked as he stood beside the ranger. Aragorn was sitting at the edge of camp, looking out into the night. He shook his head and the elf took a seat next to him.

"I would like to go and inspect the wolves at dawn" Aragorn said "There is something amiss with them".

"I agree. I shall accompany you".

They were quiet for a while before Aragorn spoke again "So, are you certain?"

Legolas did not need to ask what he was referring to, for the matter was ever present in his thoughts.

"Aye" he nodded.

"It could have been a trick of the flames. Weary eyes can mislead the mind" Aragron tried again, doubtful as to what they saw.

"No, mellon. It was dragon fire that scorched her skin" the elf said "Of that I am certain"

Legolas knew that there was no other fire that burned smoke spirals into the flesh. When the spirals came into contact with open flames, they would start to shimmer like faint golden gossamer coils.

"The last dragon left the face of Middle-Earth over sixty years ago. She does not look near sixty to me. I would guess her age no more than twenty and five." Aragorn pulled out his pipe "Do you mind?"

Legolas shook his head and watched as the ranger light the tobacco. The sweet smell filled the air and the elf wrinkled his nose, not quite enjoying the odour.

"_You_ lived back then. Were you not nearly 30 years old then?"

"She is not a descendant of the Dùnedain" Aragorn said firmly.

"True, but perhaps there is another race that also has extended life years like the Dùnedain" Legolas has never heard of such as race in all his existence, but then Middle-Earth held plenty of secrets.

"Possibly" the ranger shrugged; nowhere near a definite answer. There were a couple of strange things about the girl. Or perhaps not strange, just well advanced.

He noticed the finer details of her clothes; the perfect stitching or the exceptional quality of the fabric. Her boots were perfectly sewn and there were no flaws or patch work. The soles of the boots were also made of something he has never seen before; a blackish solid substance.

As he glanced into her bag, there were strange bottles and trinkets he could not name. She was from a land far from here, perhaps from the unknown lands beyond Forodwaith in the North or beyond Harad in the South.

"Where did she say she was from" he asked the elf and took another pull from his pipe.

"She did not specify, only stating that she was from the Rhovanion area" Legolas said and frowned at his words "Smaug was the last dragon and he lived in that realm"

Aragorn sighed "She is not over sixty years old"

"Maybe she is, maybe she is half-elven" the elf objected. If there were two things he was certain about were that, that was a dragon–fire burn on her arm and that Smaug was the last living dragon. So the only logical thing to conclude was that she was there.

"Why don't you ask her?"

Legolas scratched the soft spot just behind the lower part of his ear "I don't think she will tell me"

"Because she's afraid of you?" the ranger lifted one brow and looked at his friend.

"You have noticed as well?"

"It is hard to miss" he smiled "Do you want me to ask her?"

"No, no. I would like to do it. It puzzles me more than it does you. You seem content with her mysterious ways and past, but I can't help wondering about it" Legolas stood and placed his hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "Le Hannon, Mellon"

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I haven't gotten around to sending PM so here are my replies and thanks to your reviews.

**LoveLifeAlways94** – Thank you so much for my first review. I am glad you like to story. Yes, the M is for future chapter, when the battle and …erm…romance scene comes. But it won't be too heavy. M is just a precaution. Thanks for reading!

**Guest **– Not sure who you are, but thanks for the review. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to visit ME?

**Claribel21** - Yes, still no Beta. No one seems to do Beta work for LOTR stories anymore. Thanks for your review though. All will be revealed soon…then more plots will develop…so on and so forth. As I stand now, it looks like it's going to be a loooong story.

**RegalRiot** – Thank you – I hope you enjoyed the other chapters as well. It's difficult to write a different kind of tenth-walker story, because the main story-line will more or less be the same. But thanks for reading!

**Guest** – Guest number 2! Thanks for your review.

**Fandomenforcer** – Cool name. Well hopefully this chapter eased some of that itching . Thanks for the review.

**Potato** – Here is your update! Enjoy!

**Blueberry-heaven** – Thank you for your review. I'm so happy that my story is a little bit different. More details of Julien to follow. He will become a character way later on…

**Kat7CA **– Soon Kat, soon. Might happen when Sierra is in Moria….thanks for the review.

**Guest** – Guest number 3 – or maybe it is the same guest, who knows? Thanks for the review though!

**BrokenButStillStanding** – Awwww I love your review! No, there is no sequel. This is my first fanfic, but the story will reveal more about Sierra's past as it goes along. You have no idea how afraid I am that she will turn into a Mary Sue, so reading your review made me very happy! Thanks again!

**EvilPandaCat** – Haha like your name. Yes, it is a Legolas/OC romance, but I do not want the story to revolve just around them….though this chapter does not really focus on that principle. Ooops.. Thank you for your review, it made me really happy!

Then also thanks to the 25 people following my story.

Love

Andrea


	7. Chapter 7- Moria and Lake Town

**Disclaimer: I owe nothing related to Tolkien's work.**

**I'm watching the Hobbit Desolation of Smaug tomorrow! Eeeeeppppp Have anyone of you watched it yet?**

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As the rays of dawn came, Aragron and Legolas set out to where the dead bodies of the wolves were discarded. Sierra watched them as they disappeared behind the trees at the ridge of the hill. Why they would want to go and see the dead wolves was beyond her. Sierra looked down to her tightly bandaged arm and shook her head. Middle-Earth was very unkind to her right arm.

"How are you feeling this morning, dear?" Gandalf ask to her side. He was cradling a cup in his hands, steam rising over the brim.

"I'm well, thank you" she replied "My arm is throbbing a bit, but otherwise I have nothing to complain about"

She smiled and hoped the old man would not question her about her arm further. In truth, her wound felt like it was being pounded on with a very large hammer. The pain killers have stopped working sometime between falling asleep and waking up. It ached and cramped with every movement, but she did not want him to know. Gandalf was initially opposed to her coming along; she did not want him to start thinking down that rout again.

She refrained from taking another dose of painkillers since the medicine made her drowsy. She doubted that they would stay another night upon the hill and she could not risk walking to Moria in a befuddled state.

"Boromir told me that our next course of rout is through Moria?" she asked and Gandalf nodded while taking a sip from the steaming cup.

"How far is it from here?" she burned to have a look at her map, but avoid from doing so. A printed and laminated map would raise some unwanted questions. Sierra was certain that Moria was the place near her portal. She rolled her eyes at the thought; travelling in circles.

"There was a door south-west of Caradhras, some fifteen miles as the crow flies, and maybe twenty as the wolf runs," answered Gandalf grimly.

'As the wolf run - faster than a human…or an elf' Sierra scowled at the mention of a wolf, did that heed as a warning that they should be on their way? What was taking Aragron and Legolas so long anyway?

As if the ranger and the elf heard her thought, they suddenly appeared behind the line of trees where they previously disappeared from.

The two walked over to where Sierra and Gandalf sat – a solemn expression on their faces.

"My Lady" Aragorn greeted as he reached them "Slept well?"

"Yes, thank you" She smiled at him and fleetingly glanced to where to elf stood. His face was expressionless, but Sierra could see something brewing in his stormy eyes. Sierra recognised it as questions and she had a sinking feeling that she knew what it was about…

She quickly diverted her gaze back to the ranger. "So have you found anything unusual about the wolves?" She still wondered why they wanted to go and inspected the dead beasts.

"Indeed" Aragron turned to address Gandalf "There were no signs of the bodies - only the arrows of Legolas were found, with no blood or dents on it"

"It is then as I feared, they were no ordinary wolves hunting for food" Gandalf said and made to stand, the joints of his knees popping at the sudden movement. "We need to move and quickly!

They gathered the others and just before departing Gandalf announced "We must reach the doors before sunset or I fear we shall not reach them at all. It is not far, but our path may be winding"

"There it lies" he said, pointing away south-eastwards to where the mountains' sides fell sheer into the shadows at their feet. In the distance was a line of bare cliffs, and in their midst, taller than the rest, was one great grey wall.

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As the company marched on, with Gandalf and Gimli at the front, Sierra managed to unroll her map within her satchel and glanced at it a couple of time as they walked on. As she expected, the portal was indeed near Moria, but the way there was unfamiliar to her. She looked back at the map and noticed a fine black winding line named 'Sirannon'.

She frowned and looked up at their surroundings "Where is the river?" she asked aloud, but to no-one in particular. If they were indeed heading to Moria, there should have been a river close by.

"I do not think that a river is nearby. All that I can see are red rocks and dust" Frodo answered miserably.

"Strange, I thought the river Sirannon was somewhere nearby" Sierra shrugged, her map might be outdated.

"I believe you are correct, there was a river here once, but it must have run dry" Gandalf answered ahead of them. "How come you know of this?"

Sierra bit her lip and looked at the horizon. "Umm, my uncle travelled here before and mentioned a long river flowing between the red rocks. I thought this might have been the place" she lied.

"Hmph" was the only response Gandalf gave. Sierra grimaced. She will have to be more cautious around him. He was a very perceptive old man.

The pale sun passed over the mid-point of the sky, the first section of the day has passed, and they were still nowhere near the grey wall they saw on the hill-top. Though the path was not difficult to tread, the bleak and barren country made them disheartened. There were no sign of life, no birds in the sky or wind to move the stiff air. Sierra could no longer take the silence of their austere surroundings and started to hum softly. Sierra did not sing, but she often hummed when she felt bored, lonely or frightened.

"Is that a song from your village?" Sam asked her when she finished with the tune.

"Yes" she nodded. Technically it was not from her village, but it _was _from her world.

"Does it have words?" he asked again.

"Yes, it has lyrics, but I do not quite feel like singing it now" she replied truthfully. She could not imagine singing such a beautiful song in such a dreadful place.

"Understandable, but perhaps sometime in the future?" his voice hopeful with the idea. Sierra looked down at the Hobbit, his face smudged and red dust in his curly light hair. Her heart went out to him, to all of the Hobbits, she has never considered how much of a difficult trek this must be for them. She smiled at Sam "Perhaps…"

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Suddenly Gimli, who had pressed on ahead, called back to them. He was standing on a mound and pointing to the right. As the company reached him they saw below them a deep and narrow channel. A small trickle of water flowed among the brown and red stones. To the side of the little stream was a broken path that wound its way among the ruined walls and paving-stones of the ancient highroad.

"Ah! Here it is at last!" Gandalf said "Looks like this is all that's left of the river Sirannon, Sierra" he smiled at her and then shrugged "What has happened to the water, I cannot guess; it used to be swift and noisy"

Sierra craned her neck to an area beyond the channel and the stream, her thoughts occupied with sometime more important to what happened to a river. In the distant over a flat terrain past the cliff, she could faintly see the outlines of the smooth mountain surface to where her portal was located. She looked back down to the channel and the path and saw it led into the other direction. She let out a small breath of relief. She did not wish them to stumble upon the doors and somehow get transported to her world. The chaos that that would cause is something she did not wish to experience.

"What are you looking at" the gentle voice of Legolas asked beside her. Sierra did not notice him standing next to her until he spoke.

"Nothing, just looking at the view" she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"It is an abysmal sight, is it not?" he asked and Sierra had to agree. She enjoyed the sights of green plants, grass and trees; the colourful specks of flowers and flowing rivers. Not the continued scenery of rocks and stones in mottled colours of brown red and orange. She guessed the elf was feeling the same way. He must miss his homeland, even if it was a horrible place.

"Yes, it is so… lifeless" she watched as the elf nodded to her statement.

"Do you miss Mirkwood?" she was not sure why she asked the question. In all reality, she did not want to hear anything about the dreadful place and its inhabitants, but she wanted to know if Legolas was indeed some sort of cast away. It would make her feel better about him.

He was silent for a moment before answering "I miss some parts of it, yes"

Sierra lifted a brow in confusion. It was a very vague answer. She wanted to ask more, but Gandalf gave the command for everyone to start moving again.

"The sun sinks below the horizon. Soon the channel and its path will lay in darkness. We have to reach the doors before then. Come, let us make haste!"

Sierra rolled her eyes. She knew their circumstances were dangerous, but sometime Gandalf could sound so painfully dramatic.

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After they made their way down and followed the path next to the brook, they came across stone steps that led up between two precipice walls. When they reached the top they saw that they could go no further and the reason for the drying up of the river was revealed.

Behind them the sinking sun filled the cool western sky with glimmering gold. Before them stretched a dark still lake. Neither sky nor sunset was reflected on its sullen, black surface.

The Sirannon River had been dammed in between the walls of the cliffs and dead rotten bark of Holly trees. Sierra shivered at the ominous sight.

"I see no way across" she said and looked to the others. Some of the Hobbits shook their heads, but all remained silent except for Gimli.

"I say we walk to the edge of the lake and test the water" he started walking before anyone could object.

When they came to the northernmost corner of the lake they found a narrow creek.

It was green and stagnant, no ripple or tremor touched its surface. Gimli strode forward undeterred, and found that the water was shallow, no more than knee-deep at the edge.

Behind him they walked in file, until only Legolas, Boromir and Sierra was left on the bank.

"My boots are not high enough to prevent the water from spilling in. I am not going to wet my clothes threading through these foul water" she said in disgust.

"I can carry you across the lake" Boromir offered and Sierra looked at him appalled. 'Of course he would offer something gentlemanly like that' she thought.

"No, no, please. I do not like being carried" she bent down and started removing her boots and socks. After that she began rolling up the legs of her pants. She was thankful that the hairs on her leg were still faint and hardly visible.

"Umm, Lady Sierra" Boromir sounded uncomfortable "I do not believe that what you are doing is proper"

Sierra looked up at him and saw him glance away, not looking at her or her exposed legs. Behind him Legolas was watching her, a very amused smile on his lips. She could not help the little chuckle that escaped her at the sight of the two different facial expressions.

"It's just legs, Boromir" she laughed and proceeded with securing the rolled up material over her knees "Surly you have seen legs before"

A deep blush crept over his face and he cleared his throat while nodding "Yes, of course"

"Come, we must not delay further, the others wait" Legolas said, his voice laced with laughter, but did not comment on Boromir's discomfort or Sierra's unusual ways.

Boromir nodded and strode into the water, the green water rippled around his boots. Sierra placed her bare feet in the creek and shivered as the cold water engulfed her naked limbs. Under the weedy pools were slimy and greasy stones, making it difficult for them to walk on.

Slowly the three of them made their way across the creek. On one occasion, Sierra nearly lost her footing, but a strong lean hand clamped around her left elbow, securing her balance.

"Thank you" Sierra said to the elf "If you keep on doing this I will forever be in your debt"

"Do what?" Legolas asked confused.

"Rescuing me, helping me, saving the woman…" She replied and gave another grimace as her foot touched something slick. 'At least the place did not smell' she thankfully thought.

"I would hardly count preventing you from slipping into shallow water as saving" Legolas answered, not sure why she would comment on such a thing. Did she actually think that he would demand repayment for just being helpful?

"If I fall, I would get wet and catch a cold…" she trailed off. "I'm not sure if elves are familiar with how quickly mortals could get sick"

Sierra received no answer and she turned around to look at the elf walking behind her. Legolas was not looking at her, but at something far away in the distance, a hard expression on his face.

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As they crossed the creek the company walked for another mile southwards until they came upon Holly trees. Stumps and dead boughs were rotting in the shallows, the remains it seemed of old thickets, or of a hedge that had once lined the road across the drowned valley.

But close under the cliff there stood, still strong and living, two tall trees, larger than any trees that Sierra has ever seen or imagined.

They towered overhead, stiff, dark, and silent, throwing deep night-shadows about their feet, standing like sentinel pillars at the end of the road.

"Well, here we are at last!" Gandalf said "Here the Elven-way from Hollin ended. Holly was the token of that land, and they planted it here to mark the end of their domain; for the West-door was made chiefly for their use in their traffic with the Lords of Moria. Those were happier days, when there was still close friendship at times between folk of different race, even between Dwarves and Elves"

"It was not the fault of the Dwarves that the friendship waned" Gimli said, quickly defending his people.

"I have not heard that it was the fault of the Elves" Legolas countered still in a sour mood since crossing the river. Sierra tried conversing with him twice since, but he merely nodded or shook his when he had to answer.

"I have heard both" Gandalf said angrily and marched over to the darkened shadow of the Holly trees. Clearly not in the mood to witness a bantering between the two.

Legolas and Gimli still glowered at each other; none willing to admit to any faults of their race's pasts.

Sierra didn't even know that there was a time when there were a friendship between the dwarves and the elves. She always thought they hated each other. Didn't Thranduil declare a war against Thorin? Sierra frowned, did that war even took place? She left before that time.

"Gimli, can I ask you a question?" she hesitantly asked. Gandalf was busy in the background talking to the others about the hidden door.

"Sure, lass" the dwarf replied and turned his gaze away from Legolas'.

"Umm…did the war ever take place?" at his confused look she explained "I mean the war between Thorin and Thranduil?"

Both Gimli and Legolas were startled by her odd question, Legolas more so at the mention of his father's name than anything else. He was not aware that she knew of him.

"No, lass. The goblins and orcs prevented that" Gimli answered and rolled a piece of his beard between two fingers "Surely; you must be familiar with the Battle of the Five Armies?"

Sierra was not. She left Middle-Earth a day after the destruction of Lake Town, but she nodded in agreement anyway "Um, yes. I was just not aware that that happened in the same time period"

"You were not even born then, do not worry about that, little one" the dwarf patted her back "Well, let me see if I can help that old man with the door". Sierra watched as Gimli joined Gandalf at the stone wall. She could not see a door or any markings of it in the wall, but she did not doubt that it existed.

She turned to face Legolas who was standing as still as a marble statue, looking strangely at her. One of his brows was lifted; a small frown creased his forehead and his head was slightly tilted to the one side. His gaze was intent, like he could will the answers to his questions out of her.

"What?" Sierra asked after a while, a bit unnerved by his regard. Legolas was having too many emotions for her in one day to keep up with.

"How old are you?" he asked bluntly, but his gaze softens a bit. In the background, Sierra heard Sam wail upon leaving Bill behind. The thought never occurred to her, but she supposes that the poor beast would not be able to join them wherever they were heading.

"I am twenty-five, why?" she replied the elf's question truthfully. 'What a random question' she thought.

He nodded at her answer, but seemed unsatisfied "And you are from Lake Town, yes?"

Sierra did not like where this questioning was going.

"I said I have been there before" she answered carefully. Sierra had a feeling that the elf was starting to put the puzzle pieces together and she could not let that happen. How would she explain being at a place sixty years ago when she was only twenty-five?

The last rays of the sun were banished and the silvery moon crept over the peaks of the cliffs. Sierra looked towards where the others were and saw the faint silver lines of a door on the grey wall. She smiled at the sight. She hoped that they would enter before the wolves return.

"Oh, I see" Legolas said, breaking her thought "I always get confused about the location of Lake Town, there are so many small settlements on the borders of Mirkwood. Where is Lake Town situated again?"

Sierra knew Legolas would not forget something like that, but she suspected that he thought she might be lying about having been there. She smiled and answered politely, but with confidence.

"Lake Town is located on the west side of the lake, north of the mouth of the Forest River. It is sheltered in a calm bay of a rock promontory"

A vast smile suddenly spread over the face of the elf. His eyes literally shone at her answer. He bore the expression of one that solved a great riddle.

Sierra shook her head in disbelief; this elf was starting to give her whiplash with the frequent changing of his moods.

"Edro, edro!"

Distracted, Sierra looked past Legolas to where Gandalf was shouting and hitting the door with his staff.

"What is he doing?" She asked, momentarily forgetting the strange encounter between her and the elf.

Legolas turned around to look at the scene. "He is trying to open the door. He has been trying for a while now, but to no success."

"Oh, I thought he was here before" Sierra said confused. "Should he not know how to enter the place?"

"Indeed, he was here before, but places never stay the same" he turned to face her again and a mysterious smile played on his lips "Places changes over time, Sierra. They hardly every stay the same. Some places even move from its original location…"

The hairs on the back of Sierra's neck stood upright and a cold feeling washed over her. She had a sinking feeling that Legolas was not referring to Gandalf's presence here before, but rather to how Lake Town has changed…or perhaps moved.

"Mellon!" Sierra heard Gandalf call again. His voice was followed by the sound of stones grinding together, but she did not look over to where to doors were opening. Her eyes were rooted on the face of the smiling elf.

Legolas took a couple of step forward and bent down to whisper in Sierra's ear "I think you are older that twenty-five" his hot breath tickled the skin behind her ear, but she did not move.

He leaned even closer until his nose was almost touching her earshell "I think you were there when Smaug attacked the town" he traced the upper part of her right arm where the burned spirals were, carefully avoiding the fresh wounds of the wolf's bite marks.

Sierra jerked at his touch, suddenly released form his spell. She placed both her palms against his chest and shoved him hard.

Then everything happened at once...

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Hi

Apologies for the long wait. We had major issues with our internet connection since Monday and last week was just too bust for me to upload... Sorry…

**Just a quick note….Legolas was not being malicious or threatening towards Sierra. He was just glad to solve the mystery about her burn mark….and the possibility that she might be immortal…**

Anywhooo….thanks for the reviews! I love them! Please do not stop!

Until next time!

Love

Andrea


	8. Chapter 8 - Darkness of Moria

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Bleh…**

**Ok, so another chapter…**

**I'm not sure how everyone is feeling about the character Sierra. Is she annoying or do you like her? I know she is a bit of a scary cat, but hey…imagine facing the horrors that Middle-Earth has to offer. Her character will develop over time, but at this stage it is going a bit slow.**

**Anyway….here we go.**

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"Oomph!" the breath escaped through Legolas' lips as Sierra's sudden shove forced the wind from his lungs. He did not expect her to react this way, but then again, he might have approached the subject about her age and being in Lake Town over sixty years ago a bit more sensitively. He was just too excited to care about proprieties. How exciting to meet a mortal…._who might not be a mortal_ at all!

Sierra watched as Legolas stumbled backwards as she pushed him away from her. She wished that their positions were reversed and that he was standing with _his_ back towards the water so that she could have pushed him into its black depth. Of all the people to pick up on her secrets, it had to be the elf! She opened her mouth to yell at him, but as she looked back to him, the expression on his face froze the words on her lips.

The elf's lips were slightly parted and his eyes were round with shock. His gaze was not directed at her, but rather at something behind her.

"Sierra! Look out!" he suddenly shouted and with the blink of an eye he had his bow drawn and an arrow nocked. His right hand and the brown feathers of the arrow brushed his lips as he aimed with the bow; with a twang he loosened the string and the arrow whizzed past Sierra to the unknown target behind her. In the background Sierra heard a frightening yell escape from Frodo and a wild neigh of fear from the pony.

"Bill!" Sam shouted, quickly followed by a "Mr Frodo!"

Without turning to face whatever was behind her, Sierra started running towards the open doors in the grey mountain. If it were the wolves again, she was not going to let them get near her this time. But as she ran, she heard the unmistakable sound of water splashing and bubbling; not that of howling and snarling. Confused, she halted in her tracks and spun around to face the commotion behind her.

The dark water was boiling and a hideous stench was released from its depth. Out from the lake long sinuous tentacles crawled; it was pale-green, luminous and had a slimy wet gleam to it. One of its fingers had a hold of Frodo's foot and was dragging him into the water. Sam was on his knees and slashing at the snakes with a knife. The others, except for her, Gandalf and the remaining two Hobbits, were hacking at the green arms.

"What the fuck is that?!" Sierra screeched, not sure what to make of the creature in front of her eyes. 'How many foul creatures did Middle-Earth have?' she thought miserably 'Dragons, Orc, Goblins, disappearing wolves and now sea-monsters?' She shook her head and tried to summon the courage to go and help Frodo. After all, she did join the group to keep an eye out for him and most importantly the ring.

She made it a couple of steps down the stone stairs when the arm loosened its grip on Frodo's leg as Sam still slashed at it. Quickly the two of them crawled away from the water and its monster. Sierra grabbed at Frodo's shoulder and hoisted him on his feet. "Run!"

She turned to face the water again and saw the chopped of tentacle wriggling and twitching on the ground. "Gross" she said in disgust and turned to follow the Hobbits.

"Into the gateway! Quick!" Gandalf shouted and beckoned wildly for everyone to head his way.

They were just in time. The groping tentacles writhed across the narrow shore and fingered the cliff-wall and the doors. One came squirming over the threshold, glistening in the starlight. Gandalf turned and paused. He was considering what word he could use that would close the gate again from within, but there was no need.

Many coiling arms seized the doors on either side, and with horrible strength, swung them round. With a shattering echo they slammed, and all light was lost. A noise of rending and crashing came dully through the ponderous stone.

Sierra blinked rapidly at the sudden lack of light, willing something to appear in front of her eyes except for the lengthy stretch of darkness. She moved her hands out in front of her.

Nothing.

She turned into the direction of where she thought the door was located, hoping the find cracks of light in the stone wall, but was still met with complete darkness. Sierra could feel a light seen of sweat forming on her brow, was in from the adrenaline of being chased by a lake-monster or the sickening feeling of the black entrapment?

"No" she whispered. She could not be locked into a dark place again.

Her breaths became shallow, her chest moved rapidly in and out with each gasp she took. 'No, no, no…'

In the darkness she could hear Sam wail about Bill again and the others conversing, but she could not focus on them. She could not see them. She did not know if they were real and with her or if they were a figment of her imagination like she had of her uncle and brother back in Mirkwood. The pressing blackness continued to engulf her. It strangled her like it did once before in the murky dungeons.

"Sierra…" the too familiar, but sinister voice whispered. The 'S' of her name sounding like a hiss. Sierra jerked to the left and then to the right. "Sierra…." She clutched her head with her hands, willing the voice to stop.

"Are you well?" Legolas asked beside her.

Sierra let out a terrifying scream upon hearing him and backed away so quickly that she stumbled and fell to the ground. "Please don't hurt me!" she begged and started sobbing. Was history repeating itself? Was this the elf's plan all along?

"Sierra" Legolas pleaded, not sure what to make of the terrified girl at his feet. He was aware that she was afraid of darkness and of elves, but he thought that the latter between him and her was resolved. Was she that mad at him for discovering something about her past?

"Sierra…" she hear her name being called again, but this time it was not the hissing sound of her past, but the velvety voice of Legolas.

Suddenly a silvery-blue light glowed from the staff of Gandalf and banished the darkness. Sierra looked up to where the others were watching the scene between her and Legolas. She felt like a fool for reacting in such away, but her mind was transported to a different time and rational thinking was beyond her then. Legolas was a couple of feet from her. She could see the conflicting emotions reflecting in his stormy eyes. Should he approach her or stay clear?

She wanted to say sometime, but Boromir beat her to it "Goblin!" he pointed to the corps over with Sierra stumbled it the dark. "This is no mine, it's a tomb!"

The others started muttering in worried whispers, Gimli crying out for his folk. They all momentarily forgot about Sierra and her strange behaviour.

She crawled away from the skeleton and wrinkled her nose. Even though it no longer smelled, it still looked foul. This was the first time she laid eyes upon a goblin and she could understand why people feared them. This one might be dead, but the sight of him still made her feel uncomfortable.

She got up and brushed the dust from her clothes. These last couple of hours were just too much for her and she was weary in body and mind. Her body was aching; her mind was playing tricks on her. She shook her head in dismay.

"We need to move. Follow my staff" Gandalf announced and set off into a hurried pace.

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"Let us sit and rest and have something to eat, here on the landing" Aragron said after they have climbed the two-hundred stone steps to the arched passage way on top. The proposal was welcomed by all; and they sat down on the upper steps, dim figures in the gloom.

"Let us have a look at your wounds. I think we should clean them again" Aragorn said and sat beside Sierra. She gave him a weak smile and held out her arm without saying anything. She hasn't spoken a word to anyone since they have entered the mine. Legolas floated like a ghost in the background. She could not help feeling his presence. He seemed troubled and sad. Sierra had a feeling why.

Aragorn started to unroll the bandage carefully until the ugly lesions of the wolf's bite marks were visible. Bruises were forming around the edges and it had a yellowish tint to it.

"It does not look too bad" Aragron remarked and unscrewed his water bottle. He poured some water over her arm, washing away the dried blood and some of the watery discharge.

"Would you like me to place some of the herbs on again?" he asked and held up some of the dried Athelas. The white blossoms were now turned into a faded grey.

"No, keep it" she said "Someone else might get hurt and will need it more than I do". As soon as they stop for the night, she will take some pain killers before sleeping.

The way thing were going for them, Sierra had a feeling that the lake-monster was not the last threat that they would encounter. She did not want to be the reason for taking up all the medical supplies.

"Do you have more clean bandages?" he asked again and placed the herbs back into his bag.

"Yes, but I don't want to use them"

"Very well, let me wash this one and we keep your arm open to breathe for a while. When the cloth is dry, we will wrap your arm again" he smiled at her, concern clearly reflecting in his eyes. He placed one hand on her knee and spoke softly so the others would not hear "Sierra, he will not harm you in any way"

She hung her head at his words, knowing to whom he was referring to. She knew she over reacted, but her mind was unable to think rationally back then. She always got like this when she was trapped in confined spaces with no light. The nearness of an elf just made it worse. She knew Legolas was not like the other elves, but it was still hard for her to lay her trust in him. Besides, she was still somewhat angry at him.

"I have known Legolas for many years now and he is one of the bravest and kindest souls ever to walk upon the face of Middle-Earth. I do not know your past, and I do not intend to try and pry it from you, but I can assure you, that your fear in Legolas is misplaced"

Sierra nodded and whispered "I'm sorry"

"No need to apologise to me. Just…just try and befriend him. You will see I was right". Sierra nodded again, not trusting her voice.

Aragorn smiled and patted her knee "I'm going to go and wash your bandage, get something to eat. I do not believe Gandalf intends to stay here long"

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They marched on through the mines, the passage way twisting around large stone pillars, slowly descending into the heart of the mountain. As they kept on walking the air became hot and stifling, but not foul. Sometimes cool air will flow over their faces from openings in the walls, leading to other halls and passage tunnels. The deeper they ventured into the mountain, the more treacherous the roads became. The path would lead to sudden drops and open gaps. Below them they could hear the sound of water churning as if some great mill-wheel was turning in the depts.

Sierra was walking behind Gandalf and Gimli. She heard them discuss the different route options to take, but it was always Gandalf who had the last say. Frodo was walking behind her his sword drawn, followed by Sam, Legolas, Merry and Pippin. Boromir and Aragorn were at the rear, some couple of feet behind the rest.

"Mr Frodo, is it true that your blade glows when orcs are near?" Sam asked and readjusted his pack on his shoulders. There was a slight clang as the pot and pan collided with each other.

"Yes, Bilbo said that when orcs or goblins draw near, the sword will emit a faint blue glow"

"Your dagger, or sword, as well as Gandalf's were forged by the High Elves of Gondolin in the first age" Legolas injected from the back "They have made them to slay the filthy creatures of Melkor".

"Who forged your knives? Do they glow?" Frodo asked and looked down to the elven inscriptions on his blade. He was still not use to carrying a sword, but it did offer some comfort of protection.

"No, long has the skill been lost to forge blades such as yours. Your swords are ancient, even older than I am, but will never rust or grow blunt. My knives were forged by the smiths of Mirkwood. It is strong and deadly, but will need to be maintained over time"

They discussed the elven craftsmanship for a while, Sam particularly interested in the woodworks. Sierra listed to their conversation, but did not join in.

"What is your home like? I heard Bilbo's tales about your woods and it sounds like a frightening place to live in" Sam asked. He loved the stories Frodo's uncle told about the giant spiders and how the woods played tricks on the mind, but he could not imagine ever living in a place like that.

Legolas was quite for a moment and when he answered, his voice sounded distant and melancholic. "Our woods were not always as it is now. It was once called Greenwood the Great. It was a beautiful forest. The trees grew vast and in many shades of green. The sun would shine brightly upon the boughs and flowers would bloom on the surfaces the sun touched. The river was clear and formed silver pools between the grey rocks. I was only an elfling, but I will never forget the splendour of the Woods back then. The shadow of Dol Guldur fell upon our woods. He brought a sickness into the woods and soon dark creatures of the world flocked to our forest. We tried to defend our home, but the power was too great. We were driven North and to the boarders of our wood. Our homes in the trees were exchanged for a palace underground"

"That is terrible!" Sam exclaimed. He could not imagine his own beloved Shire to fall under the hands of such evil.

"When the White Council flushed him from Dol Guldur, the power over Mirkwood diminished. We have taken back some of the land from the spiders, but the sickness still lingers"

Sierra listened to the tale Legolas gave about Mirkwood. She never knew that the Woods were once a place of beauty, or that the elves were victim to a source of evil. She almost felt sorry for them.

"I have no memory of this place at all!" Sierra heard Gandalf mumble in front of her. She looked up and noticed that they were halted at a three way. The arches bore no marking or signs to indicate the direction they would lead in.

"I am too weary to decide" Gandalf said out load to the rest of the company, shaking his head. "And I expect that you are all as weary as I am, or wearier. We had better halt here for a rest"

The company did as Gandalf bid and made themselves as comfortable as possible on the hard stone. Sam started handing out apples, which everyone accepted gladly. Gimli, Aragorn and Gandalf pulled out their pipes and tobacco.

"Mind if I join you?" Legolas asked Sierra carefully, uncertain how she would react. His answer was a brief nod, but he seized the opportunity none the less. He took a seat next to Sierra and bit into his apple. They sat in silence for a while, each busy with their apple while watching the others.

"Sierra - " Legolas began, but then cleared his throat, trying to summon the right words. "Sierra, I'm sorry about the incident earlier"

Legolas watched as Sierra's gaze met his. Her green eyes were sparkling from the blue light and Legolas noticed for the first time how beautiful they were. It reminded him of the leaves of Greenwood. He cleared his throat again and quickly looked away. "I mean, I apologise for the way I intruded into your personal life…your past. It was wrong of me"

Still the girl regarded him silently and Legolas felt the need to explain his actions "It is just that I have never met a mortal like you before. You intrigue me." He rolled his thumbs over each other in circular movements. He has never in his life felt so at lost for words. Sierra still did not reply to anything he said. "I sometimes get a bit… overwhelming when faced with something strange or unusual…" his eyes went wide and he looked frantically at Sierra with his palms facing upwards "Not that you are strange or anything! It is just that the mortal women I have encountered before were not as adventures or outspoken like you are" he grinned at an image of Sierra swearing like man when faced with the lake-monster. "Then there is also the aspect of you looking like a young maiden, but being at place over sixty years ago. Mortals cannot live that long, except when they are from the Dunedain line"

The elf rubbed one of his hands across his face and shook his head. He looked over to Sierra who was regarding him silently. He sighed and nodded.

He slowly rose to his feet and looked down at the still figure "Just for what it is worth, your secret is safe with me" he scratched the back of his ear "Well, with that said, I will take my leave now" He turned and walked to where Aragorn was sitting, feeling very foolish and young.

"Legolas - " he turned to the voice of Sierra, glad and frightened of her words to follow.

"I know I have been unkind to you and I am sorry for that. It is difficult for me, but I will try. Regarding what happened, I was naïve to think an elf from the Ravonion area would not recognise a burn mark from a dragon."

Legolas quickly stepped back to Sierra, happy that she was openly discussing _and confirming_ her past in Lake Town sixty years ago. He took his seat again and folded his hands over each other. Sierra gave a brief smile at the eagerness of the elf.

"You have no idea how grateful I am that you are talking to me again" he said honestly "I thought I have ruined the little friendship we have built over the last hours before the wolves attacked"

"I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. I'm just not used to people being so interested in my past" she said and took another bite from her apple.

"I'm not 'people' I'm an elf" he said smiling to which Sierra nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that you are" but she did not seem as pleased with the statement as he was. She looked away from the smiling elf to the four Hobbits softly talking to each other. They were such strange beings, so innocent, but brave for their size.

"Say, you do not have any more of that dried meat" Legolas asked and grinned at Sierra. She could not help laughing at his hopeful face. He sure was a friendly elf.

"So you did not really come here to apologise, you just wanted more meaty treats?" she said jokingly. No matter the race, may it be elves or men; they all could not resist the temptation of good food.

Legolas placed a hand over his heart "You wound me, lady!"

"Unfortunately I do not have any left. We ate the last of it" she said. She did have some sweets left, but did not feel like parting with them just yet.

"No matter, perhaps you would care for something sweet?" he asked her and Sierra jolted at his question, thinking that he has read her mind or perhaps rummaged through her bag. She looked down to where the satchel lay between them and noticed that the bag was still secured tightly.

Legolas did not notice her reaction and retrieved a small pouch from his bag at his side.

"I know it is not much, but the taste is something quite remarkable" he opened his hand and on his palm were two golden drops the size of large marbles. "Dried honey treats" he offered his outstretched hand and Sierra took one of the yellowish balls.

"A parting gift from the galleys of Rivendell"

Sierra followed Legolas' example and popped the little orb into her mouth. The taste was indeed remarkable as it exploded in bursts of flavour in her mouth. She never knew honey could taste this good.

Legolas' enjoyed the look of pure pleasure on Sierra's face and was happy he could share in this moment. Even though they were facing the darkness of Moria, this small encounter made the journey a bit more bearable.

They sat in silence for a while, each swirling the honey treat round-and-round in their mouths.

"I heard you mentioning your home. Were the woods really such a beautiful place as you described?" Sierra asked. Some part of her wanted to connect Legolas to something less evil than the Mirkwood she knew. If she can imagine him from a better world, she could perhaps forget that he was part of the Mirkwood clan.

Legolas rolled the ball to the side before answering, creating a little bulge in his cheek "Yes, it was a lovely time and place to grow up in. My father and I used to go horseback riding through the woods and he would teach me how to use the bow. We would rest at the meadow and eat from the fruits the bushes nearby offered" he smiled at the memory and Sierra could see the elf she wanted him to be.

"Are you and your father close?" she asked. Legolas sounded fond of his father, something she could never relate to. Well, she did have her uncle as a father figure, but she would never know how it felt to have real parents.

"Not anymore, the growing threat in our homeland change many of the elves, including my father" Legolas' voice was strained and a tremor of anger was detected in it, but as quickly as it came it vanished and was replaced by a smile "But let us not speak of such things"

"I heard you humming a song on our way to Moria, Sam questioned you about it, but I never learned the song's name…" he trailed off, waiting for Sierra to enlighten him.

"It is a lullaby" She said "It was sung by the Celtics to their children to bring them good fortune"

"Are you Celtic?" Legolas enquired, having never heard of such a race. Perhaps these people had prolonged life as well?

"No, but the lady who took care of me was" Sierra smiled at the memory of her caretaker singing her songs when she was little. Sometimes the words were in Gaelic and she could not understand them, but they always offered comfort when needed be.

"You had a caretaker?" Legolas asked; he bit on the left-over sweet, crushing it between his teeth. His strong jaw flexed has he chewed on the last pieces. He did not expect her to have a caretaker, usually only nobles had caretakers, but perhaps it was different where she was from.

"Yes, both my parents passed away when I was little. My uncle took care of us, but it was difficult for him doing it alone - you see he never married. He employed a lady called Brainna to look after us. She was a lovely person" Sierra did not feel uncomfortable talking about the loss of her parents since she never knew them. It was like talking about imaginary people.

"I am sorry to hear about your parents" Legolas said and bowed his head in respect. "You talked about 'us'; do you have any siblings then?"

Sierra felt a little stab at her heart thinking about her brother "Yes, I had a brother. His name was William." she swallowed hard. She never talked about the incident regarding her brother, but perhaps it was time to do so. After all, who else knew about her being in Lake Town back then besides Legolas? She was also trying to befriend the elf as Aragorn suggested and realised that he was actually easy to talk to.

She cleared her throat and willed the words "He was…he was killed by Smaug"

Surprised, Legolas looked over to Sierra. He did not think she would tell him something so personal. His heart went out to the girl. First she lost her parents and then her brother. It is a hard burden to bear, the loss of a loved one. Legolas knew how it felt.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, not knowing what else to say.

Sierra shook her head "No matter, nothing can be done about it now". She gave a small shrug like she did not care anymore, but Legolas could see that it still affected her greatly.

Again they sat in silence, but this time for quite a lengthy time. Sierra thinking about her brother, Legolas thinking about his mother.

A grey cloud has started to form over the heads of Gimli, Aragorn and Gandalf from their pipes. Gandalf was staring intently at the three open archways, still deciding what route to take.

"May I ask how it is possible for you to have been there?" Legolas suddenly asked.

Sierra shifted uncomfortably "I…I cannot, Legolas. Please do not ask me to explain and I do not wish to lie to you" she begged. It was hard enough talking about it, to spun a convincing lie was impossible. She could not come up with an explanation that to her it was only a little over a year ago. That in her world time went by slower than in Middle-Earth.

"Apologies, I should not have asked. There are just so many things about you that confuse me and then I seem to forget my manners"

"I'm sorry I cannot be more open with you, but it is better for you not to know certain things about my past" Sierra said. 'Like my world' she thought 'He should never need to know about my world'.

Legolas nodded, his face expressionless "I shall not ask you any questions of your past ever again…in exchange for one piece of information" he held up a finger to emphasize his words. Though much of Sierra's past intrigued him, there was one aspect of it that he wished to understand. He could live with not knowing the rest, if only she would give him an honest answer to this one puzzle piece.

Sierra frowned, not liking where this was going. "I might not be able to give you the answer you seek, but what is it you wish to know?"

Legolas picked up her one hand and cradled in his own. Sierra stiffened at the contact and Legolas shook his head "Sierra, why are you afraid of me?"

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**Thanks for all the reviews and follows. I still need to thank everyone personally, but will probably only get the chance to do it in my next update.**

**So…how many of you have watched the Hobbit Desolation of Smaug? I've heard a lot of mixed feelings of Legolas and Tauriel being in the movie, since they were not in the book. How do you feel about it? **


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