Megan listened to what Legolas said and then smiled more, feeling really good about herself the more that he encouraged her. She sighed happily and then rested her hand on the hilt of her sword, looking ahead. Her feelings for Legolas had definitely grown in the weeks of training with him, but she could tell that he just didn't feel the same way. Thinking of that dampened her spirits, but she wouldn't let it fully get her down. If he didn't want her, than so be it.

Swallowing hard, she continued walking; being light on her feet like most other elves. She nibbled on her lower lip and tried to keep a small smile on her face, to not let anyone know how she felt. The sun was starting to set, so they would have to make camp somewhere soon.

-----------

Frodo shrugged a bit to Arabella's question and made a face. "It's alright, I suppose. I believe that it's always going to be a bother. But, you just grow accustomed to it after a certain length of time." He said softly and then tried to make light of the situation, by throwing in a joke. "Just like growing accustomed to our height and big feet." He said with a small smirk and chuckled a bit at his own joke, shaking his head. He knew that he could be more of a fool than Pippin.

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Allison laughed at Frodo's joke, albeit a bit uneasily. It was a bit of a strange thing to say...but surely he couldn't know that she hadn't always been a Hobbit? Indeed, she herself had grown used to the reduced height and rarely tripped over the clumsy feet anymore, unless she was truly exhausted. In fact--and this was something that scared her a bit--she was already forgetting what it felt like to be over five feet tall.

"I'm glad," she told him when he answered her question, moving to walk a bit closer to him. "Sam told me all about it. It sounds terrifying." She recalled what she had done during that scene in her fanfic, the scene following Frodo being stabbed on Weathertop. She had been practically hysterical.

Glancing over her shoulder, she could see that Megan was not happy. She sighed. She and Frodo had been getting along fantastically, and Allison suspected that Legolas felt the same way about Megan, but he was so good at keeping inside his head that it was hard to tell sometimes. She shook her head. Elves.

----------------

The sun was beginning to sink low beyond the horizon, and Legolas knew they would have to stop and rest soon. "We should look for a spot to make camp, don't you think?" he asked Amara before breaking into a smile. "And perhaps you and your friend can entertain us with your stories and songs again, as you did last night."

He let his gaze linger on hers for a moment before turning away. This was dangerous. He couldn't deny he had developed feelings for Amara, but how could he act on them with so much at stake? For the sake of their mission, he had to keep it to himself. It was the only way.

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Megan walked for a little bit more and then nodded in agreement, to what Legolas had asked. "Indeed. Resting would be wise..." She said softly and then tucked some of her hair behind her pointed ear. She looked over to him and saw his smile, which made her heart melt. She smiled back to him and then nodded again to what he said. "Stories and songs will definitely fill tonight." She added and then looked away from Legolas. She couldn't have feelings for him. It just wasn't safe.

-----------------

Frodo heard Legolas saying something about stopping to rest and sighed happily. He was very tired at this point and was hungry. Luckily, that had brought some provisions to make last through the time until they arrived to Lothlorien. He looked around for a good spot and then looked over to Arabella. Something was wrong.

Finding a spot to rest, they all sat and relaxed while Frodo worried over Arabella. "Are you alright?" He asked her softly and looked over her face. It was undeniable that his feelings for her had grown, since they first met. Even the other Hobbits could tell and they were perfectly fine with it.

----------------

Aragorn agreed with Legolas silently, but with a slight nod of his head. He walked with them over to their resting place and then took a deep breath, sitting on the ground. He looked up to Amara and saw a look of sadness in her eyes. Something was bothering her and he was fairly sure that he knew what it was.

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Allison had to resist the urge to collapse onto the ground and fall asleep immediately. Her legs ached so much she felt they might never stop, but she couldn't sleep yet. There was dinner to eat, and the decision over who would take the first watch over the camp had to be made. She looked over at Frodo, seeing the worry written in his blue eyes, and she tried to smile. "I'm fine, " she promised, glancing over her shoulder at Megan. "I'm just..." she looked at him, wondering how much was safe to tell him. She trusted him fully, of course, but she could never forget that there were some things that she could never tell him, Ring-bearer or not, love of her life or not.

"I'm just worried about Amara," she said, moving in closer to him and lowering her voice. "She just seems so unhappy. And I worry too about what she said that first day, about Sauron..." she shuddered. "It frightens me, Frodo. It frightens me so much."

-------

Legolas gave Amara a confused frown. She had seemed so at peace only moments before, but now it was clear that she was troubled once again. His eyes met Estel's, the Ranger appearing to know more about the situation than he did. "Lady Amara, sit," Legolas said softly. "You must be weary. You should rest. Have we done something to upset you?"

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Megan silently cursed herself under her breath, when she realized that Aragorn and Legolas knew she was upset. Aragorn seemed to know a little too much for her taste. She slowly sat down as Legolas asked her to and then looked to him. She forced herself to smile and shook her head. "I'm fine... Just have a lot on my mind." She said softly and then looked to Aragorn. "I'll keep watch. You all need rest." She said and nodded. She looked back to Legolas and smiled to him.

Getting up, she walked toward a hill, but didn't forgot to look to Allison. She smiled a little and nodded once, before making her way to the hill. She wrapped her arms around herself and took a deep breath, letting her eyes scan their surroundings. She took a shaky breath and knew that she was being naive for loving Legolas.

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Frodo stared at Arabella and took a deep breath, listening to her every word. "I'm sure that she'll be fine, Arabella. She is strong-willed, a fast learner and your friend. She will not fall." He said in reassurance to her and rested his hand on het shoulder. Just then, he saw Amara walk past them and towar the hill. He sighed and looked down to the ground.

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Aragorn was about to speak to Amara, but she cut him off; saying that she would take watch. He sighed and watched her leave, before looking to Legolas, shaking his head. "My friend... We have seen many things in our lifetimes. Something I have not seen is another elf-maiden look at you the way that Amara does." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

He looked down to his Evenstar necklace and ran a finger over it, looking back to Legolas. "I know that she feels torn." He said softly to his great Elven friend.

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(Muse for this post comes from "Annie Watches" by Lynn Hilary. Go listen. NOW. XD Anyway...)

She had to remain calm, but this was all becoming to much for her. To watch Amara and Legolas interact, and to watch them on their own, was nearly painful. She knew Legolas didn't realize that he was in love with Megan--or maybe he did and just couldn't admit it. Or maybe it's just fangirly wishful thinking and I should stop watching for things that might not be there. I was never good at figuring out what boys are thinking, even in the real world.

Frodo was a bit easier to read, and Allison felt her eyes well up a bit at his kindness. She wanted to believe his optimistic words, but she had never seen Megan behave this way before. She was about to speak, but then Frodo's hand came to rest on her shoulder again, and she all but forgot about her friend. It would be so easy right now to just...

Kiss him.

But she couldn't, of course, as much as she wanted to. Megan walked by just then, giving the two of them a nod, and Allison felt her heart break. That was so typical Megan, to be happy for her even as her own relationship was so uncertain. She watched her walk away, looking small and abandoned, and she knew she had to talk to her. She looked to Frodo, slowly reaching out a hand to rest on his cheek--the first time she'd touched him like that. "I'll be right back," she said.

She ran after her friend on her short little legs, stopping when she was beside her. "Amara," she said, in case any Fellowship members were listening. "Please, just talk to me."

----------------

Apparently, it was impossible to hide anything from a Ranger from the North, Legolas thought as he looked at his old friend. "I do not wish to make her suffer," he said, averting his gaze. "I am torn also. But there's nothing to be done about it, Estel. You know that as well as I. It would put all of us in peril if..." he shook his head. "Even if what you think you see is true, we can risk no harm to the Fellowship in such a way. You know this."

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(Pay attention to the post below. Haha. And yes, I will listen to the song.)

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Megan swallowed hard, when she heard Allison hurry toward her and speak. She slowly looked over to her and then smiled weakly to her good friend. "It's false hope, Arabella. I was an idiot to think that I ever had a chance with him. Especially during a war. I need to just move on." She said sadly and then plopped down onto the ground hard. She swallowed hard and stared ahead in the distance.

She normally wasn't one to give up so easily, but this was a lost cause. She had set herself up for disaster, by even having the slightest of feelings for him. She shook her head and could feel her heart hardening slightly.

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Frodo swallowed hard, when Arabella rested her hand on his cheek. He smiled a little and nodded, leaning his face against the hand for a moment. He then let her leave after her friend Amara. It was something that she needed to do.

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Aragorn nodded in agreement with Legolas and sighed. "That is surely the case, mellon nin. But, never let a girl wonder and be alone in her thoughts. But, it is your call. Tell her when the time is right for you." He said softly and then stood up, going to smoke his pipe a bit.

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(Song belongs to Lynn Hilary and the subsequent writers. I figure, since music features so prominently in LotR, a song would be okay to include--and since Megan and Allison are from our world, their knowledge of music would be far more vast than the Fellowship)

Allison watched helplessly as the facade her friend had worked so hard to build up crumbled, brick by brick. "But--but you're wrong!" she said, kneeling next to her and wrapping one arm around her as best she could with the height difference. "You just don't see it! And he doesn't see the way he looks at you either. It's like that song, remember, that Lynn Hilary song? The one I was obsessed with for like a month straight even though we both decided it was sad?" Not knowing what else to do, she took a deep breath and began to sing, her voice loud enough to be heard by the Fellowship, but not clearly.

"Annie watches from a distance
She thinks he doesn't see her
And he knows she doesn't know it
Still she sees him
She sees right through him
To all his broken places
That he thinks he keeps so hidden

And oh, and tomorrow never comes
And the future fills with memories
Of two people so in love

Annie opens and
Lays herself before him
He thinks she doesn't need him
But she needs him like no other
Annie holds him
He never asks forgiveness
He thinks he doesn't need it
So she grants it in an instant

And oh, if tomorrow never comes
And the future fills with memories
Of two people so in love

And so they circle in
Total fascination
Turning rings around each other
And she knows he doesn't know
That he's in love

And oh, and tomorrow never comes
And the future fills with memories
Of two people so in love."

She paused, wondering if she'd done too much, or if her friend still needed her. "You can't give up," she pleaded. "Before we left, Arwen told me to let my love keep me strong. Promise me you'll try to do it too." She looked away. "We cannot do this without you."

----------------

Legolas was silent as he watched Amara and Arabella converse. Part of him wanted to stride over to her, to tell her of his growing feelings, but logic prevailed. There would be another time for that, perhaps. Until then, he should bury it. Otherwise, the consequences might be too terrible to imagine.

"Sauron spoke to her," he murmured, more to himself than Estel. "No doubt his eye is moving even now, trying to find the Ring and knowing that she is near it. If...if what you say about her own feelings is true...if Sauron knew of it, he could try to use that knowledge to his advantage. We cannot let such a thing happen."

He looked up as a voice reached their ears--Arabella was singing, though her words were indistinct. He stood up abruptly, startling Estel. He needed to be alone. He needed to think.

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Megan sat there on the hill, listening to Allison sing. She swallowed hard and felt tears reach her eyes. That song always got to her; especially during the hard times. Times like these. Whenever she had a boyfriend break her heart, she listened to the song to give herself hope.

Once Allison stopped singing, Megan cried openly. She hid her face into her friend's shoulder and just sobbed. "I'm so sorry..." She managed to say, having it slightly muffled.

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Frodo had been getting his bedding prepared, when he heard Arabella start to sing. Her voice was that of an angel's. He smiled and sighed happily. Even though he could not make out the words, it still touched his soul.

Slowly laying down, he sighed and curled up; laying on his side tiredly. He fell asleep to Arabella singing.

--------

Aragorn smoked from his pipe and heard Legolas speak to himself. He sighed and watched him take his leave for a while. Shaking his head a bit, he let it hang down in thought.

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Good job, Allison told herself as she watched her friend dissolve into sobs. Here she was trying to give her a bit of hope, and she'd gone and made everything ten times worse! She felt tears prickling her own eyes and resisted the urge to join her in crying. She had to be the strong one now. She could cry later. "It's okay," she said quietly, trying to sound as soothing as possible. She was reminded of how her mother used to comfort her when she cried, and tried to picture her mother's face, but it was difficult to focus.

"It's okay. Don't be sorry. Everything will be fine," she whispered. "It's okay. You're okay. Just breathe, it'll all be okay..."

(Skipping Legolas for just this post because I'm a little upset right now, so writing for him is difficult. Let's just say he's very deep in thought.)

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Megan cried for a few moments and then pulled away, looking into Allison's eyes. She sniffled a bit and wiped some of her tears away. "I'm glad that you sang that song, Arabella... I feel more confident now. If things with Legolas are meant to be, then they'll happen." She said softly and nodded, smiling a little. She then gave her friend a big hug, resting her head on her shoulder.

She knew that things would be alright. Especially with Arabella there by her side. She slowly stood up from her spot and smiled more, taking a deep breath. "I know that I'll be okay. But, I want you to be okay too. The Fellowship doesn't just need me. It needs the both of us." She said softly and looked out to the distance.

Gasping at what she saw, she pushed Arabella out of the way; getting hit by an Orc's arrow in the arm. "RUN!" She yelled in pain, with her eyes wide. She made sure Arabella hurried toward the company and then looked down to the arrow, where she saw blood pouring out. She groaned and then ripped it out of herself, yelling loudly.

She threw it to the ground and looked toward the Orcs, who were making battle sounds and hurrying toward them. Megan quickly got out her sword and started chopping each one of them down that had gotten to close to her. Her arm was throbbing and was drenched in blood, but she didn't care. She only cared to protect the ones that she loved and cared for.

The Fellowship.

(Thought that I would throw in some action!!! xD)

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(Oh my, action indeed! Love it!)

"Happy to help," Allison said softly. For just one moment, she allowed herself to think that everything would be all right.

But then she saw the arrow portruding from her best friend's arm, and for just a moment Allison thought she might faint dead away. She stared at it in horror, her legs frozen on the spot, unable to move. Megan's cry brought new strength to her limbs, however, and she raced away, as fast as her legs would carry her. The bloodcurdling cries of the Orcs seemed to follow her, and she looked around to see if they were gaining on her, but they hadn't begun to yet. "Aragorn!" she screamed, tripping and falling at the last second and sprawling out on the ground near Frodo. She scrambled to her feet, pulling her sword from its scabbard. "Orcs! We have to help Amara!"

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If he hadn't been thinking of Amara, he would have sensed the Orcs, he was sure. If his mind handn't been distracted, he would have seen them, or heard them. He was sure of it. Which made the events that followed his fault.

Amara's scream of pain seemed to cause his own heart to ache, and he whirled around in time to see Arabella racing towards them, panic in her eyes. He didn't wait for her to speak, merely grabbing his bow and running towards the battle as fast as he could, shooting as many Orcs as he could while he ran. Estel followed close behind, with Gimli running with them as well, clearly excited by the prospect of felling more Orcs with his axe. Where the Hobbits were, Legolas could only guess, but at the moment his mind was far from protecting the Ring-bearer. Amara was all he could think of right now. He had sworn an oath to protect her, too, both with Lord Elrond and his own heart. Now came his chance to fulfill it.

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Gah! Double post!

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(Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you... Whenever I see that you write on here, I get super excited. Ha! I wanna write as fast as I can, so we can continue on with the story. Darn time zones!)

Megan had slayed more Orcs than she thought was possible for her. She groaned and kicked down an Orc in front of her, before shoving her sword into its skull. She put her hand over her wound and saw everyone join her in the fight. She looked down and saw her hand covered in blood. She was breathing heavily and then got out her bow and arrow, shooting at many different Orcs; all of them falling dead.

Stumbling backward, she fell onto her back, when an Orc jumped at her. She yelled angrily, as the Orc tried to stab her in the neck. She took hold of its wrist, forcing it away from her.

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Frodo awoke from his slumber, when Amara and Arabella screamed. He sat up quickly with his eyes wide; showig off his blue hues even more. He stared as Arabella fell in front of him. He quickly got up and hurried over to her, helping her up. He held onto her for a moment, looking over her face worriedly. "Are you alright?" He asked nervously.

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(It's okay, I get all excited and have to post right away too! Hence my rapid posting these past few days. )

Allison felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. Surely this was all too horrific to be real. She was just having a nightmare, that was all. She would wake up and be back in Rivendell again, waiting to start their journey. It couldn't be real. Megan couldn't be wounded, fighting for her life. It couldn't be real, it couldn't!

"M--Amara," she gasped, leaning onto Frodo for support as Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli went racing past. "Orcs," she said, her gaze becoming locked on the battle again. "They came out of nowhere. She told me to run, but..." she looked down where her sword lay forgotten in the grass. "I have to help her!"

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Legolas raced up the hill, desperate to get to Amara. The band of Orcs was not exceptionally large, but still deadly, and he felt his heart leap into his throat when Amara fell. The arrow he aimed at the Orc holding her captive hit it's mark and it dropped to the ground, giving her the chance to escape. While Estel and Gimli attacked some of the remaining Orcs, Legolas raced to Amara's side, ready to protect her if need be. His eyes widened when he saw how injured she was. He wasn't sure if they had prepared for anything like this.

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