"This is futile," Lindethiel says through gritted teeth. She walked- stomped , through the forest. Some of the recruits scouted the trees and some were dragging their feet on the ground, everyone was tired. Falasdir lead them on, his sword gently placed on his shoulder as if he were carrying a bag. He had been listening to Lindethiel muttering and cursing for three days now. The recruits had tried to hide it but he had heard them whine and mutter to themselves as well.

He stopped then, turning around just in time for one of the recruits to topple over, breathing out how even elves needed to rest sometimes. He narrowed his eyes before turning them towards Lindethiel's direction, she was busy pulling leaves and dry branches from her hair. He would have scowled then and ordered for them to keep going like how he used to. Yet, he found he could not for Lindethiel looked absolutely awful. She had not complained or asked for rest even though she was more human than any of them.

"Fine," he said, a bit harshly, making the young elleth wince at his tone. He ordered for them to make camp as he scouted the area. Lindethiel, no doubt, volunteered to scout half of it. They went on their separate ways. Falasdir watched her disappear into a thicket of trees, wondering if the kiss they had shared had been real or not. Somehow, he could not make himself brush it off as merely nothing. With a frustrated sigh, he went to scout the area as a young ellon hopped after him.

"Would it be okay if I come along, captain?" Falasdir recognized him to be the most skilled among them. An ellon name Aeser. He gave him a brief nod and they were off.

"What are we supposed to be looking for?" He asked after a moment. Falasdir turned to him and shrugged. He wasn't sure as well. All he was told to find was a shadow, a dark creature. Anything that did not belong to this forest. He had thought about going to Dol Guldur and check but Thranduil had forbade him.

"Well, how do we know if we found it or not?" Aeser pushed. He was quite the inquisitive elf.

"I have no idea," Falasdir replied honestly. They made a full semi circle. The forest was eerily quiet and there had been no signs of an enemy or any of the sort.

"The forest is so silent," Aeser commented in a low voice. Falasdir nodded, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Like its-"

"-dead," Falasdir finishes to which Aeser gives a slow nod.

"What is happening?" Aeser asked, knowing Falasdir knew something about it.

"The last time the forest fell into a death like silence," he started as fear seemed to hold him. "Was when the previous queen died."

This revelation made the young ellons eyes grow. He was one of the few that completely adored and admired the new queen. He had been ecstatic when she was able to train him. He was also one of the few who accepted her condition and did not flinch when she would walk across the halls with her scars bared to the world.

"You do not think that..." He began to ask the captain but found he could not even finish the sentence. Falasdir gave him a slight shake of his head that seemed more like he was trying to convince himself than the young recruit. There was a shriek, and Falasdir knew exactly whose voice it belonged to. It scared him even more because Lindethiel never screamed.

Aeser's eyes widened as he waited for Falasdir's instruction or action. Falasdir turned to him, "go back to the camp. Tell everyone to be vigilant."

Aeser watched him hesitantly before nodding and storming off as Falasdir ran a full circle, his eyes searching for Lindethiel. He found her, sat across the ground holding on to her leg.

"Lin," he called as he jogged over to her. She was in pain but her eyes were filled with hot anger as they met his. Falasdir got closer and found why she had screamed. A trap of sharp metal was clamped around her leg. She hissed in pain as she tried to pull it loose to set her leg free but to no avail.

"By the Valar," he mumbled as he walked over to her and leaned down, examining the weird contraption.

"What is that?" He asked and Lindethiel replied with a snort.

"As of the moment, it is a very painful thing stuck on my leg," she scorned and Falasdir watched her then before shaking his head and attempting to help her. But even with both their combined strengths the contraption would not budge. She groaned as blood seemed to soak her trousers. Falasdir pride her boots off, attempting to loosen the trousers. Ripping off a small portion to reveal her leg and how deep the sharp blades were. He grimaced at the sight.

"What? Too much for you?" Lindethiel breathed, struggling to keep her composure. Grey havens did it hurt. Falasdir watched her with a serious expression, he still could not understand how she manages to make a joke when she could possibly loose her leg.

"How did you not see this?" He asked her as he wiped the blood as best as he could. Her breathing had become shallow as Falasdirs mind tried to think of a way to get it off her.

"I was walking," she began. She spoke now with great effort and fear stilled in his heart as she seemed to go pale. "When I heard that sound," she gasped for air slowly. "...that sound... i heard in the throne room... When... When Mantheniel was attacked..."

"You heard a sound?" He asked, surprised how she had not mentioned it before. Lindethiel gave a nod, her eyes drifting close.

"Stay awake," he instructed his voice had almost sounded vulnerable. She gave him a nod but it was sloppy. Falasdir panicked then, holding on to the contraption and realizing it was chained to a tree. His eyes darted around, looking for a way to free her.

"I.." She began, her voice trailing off to a mere mumble. "I should be with Mantheniel." She mumbled on, her eyes drifting close. Falasdir halted for a moment as he seemed to he hear a kind of broken sadness in her voice.

"I never should have left her..." She went on. "I need to stay with her. I should have..."

"Shhh," he began, wiping the droplets of water that formed on her forehead. She mumbled on and Falasdir was convinced she was almost near crying. The Valar be damned.

"Lin," he called again. More desperately this time. He touched her face and slapped her cheeks slightly. She stirred but her skin had become deathly pale and she was so cold. His blood froze. He stood up abruptly, holding on to his sword. He held it up before it swiftly came down on the chain. Again and again. Then he became hopeless as his sword fell on the ground and Lindethiel seemed to have fallen on the ground, her face facing the sky. Light had managed to seep through the thicket of trees, shining brightly on her face for a moment as Falasdir stared at her. He found the strong urge to touch her face. To remember it and engrave it in his mind. Had he gone mad? He wondered. Watching her in such a state and still think of her as the most beautiful person he had ever met. She looked almost serene then. Like a princess. He smiled bitterly as he leaned down and allowed himself to touch her face.

"Stay awake," he almost whispered, feeling the strong urge to shake her when Aeser came running to him, a panicked expression on his face which turned more grave when his eyes landed on their fallen captain.

"The shadow," he started hesitantly as Falasdir stood up with renewed strength and to the young ellon it was as if his captain had grown a bit taller, and more regal. Like he had once been a prince in a far away land. Aeser watched as Falasdir lifted his sword once again and brought it down with sheer force and the young ellon saw then a small spark of hidden power inside the captain. It was a single light, a lightning of some sort that travelled from somewhere in his body down to where the sword touched the chain. It broke in half to Aeser amazement. He stared with renewed admiration but quickly collected himself as he remembered why he had ran out to find them.

"The shadow," he began again as Falasdir lifted Lindethiel in one swift motion. His eyes burned a strange determination as it landed on the young ellon. "It passed near us not moments ago but it was gone before we could even try to capture it. I now know what we are looking for."

"Good," was all Falasdir could say as he was more aware of the cold body in his arms. She had lost too much blood and was soon drifting off to sleep, never to awaken.

"What shall we do?" Aeser asked as his eyes travelled on the bloody leg.

"We shall head back to the palace," Falasdir instructed and began walking that way. Aeser stood hesitantly before running off back to the recruits to tell them of the order and soon enough all of them were sprinting off towards the palace, the sight of the shadow had somehow given them strength to run. Aeser caught up with Falasdir, his eyes still falling on their female captain. He knew nothing much about Captain Lindethiel except for the fact that she was half human and she was close with the queen. Aeser had always admired the half elf for her strength and will.

"Will she be okay?" He asked after some length and Falasdir did not answer to which he did not complain. Perhaps they were closer than they both portrayed to be. The two captains were always bickering but they were a good team. Perfect even.

There was a small gasp and Falasdir halted as Lindethiel seemed to shoot up, wriggling free from his grasp. Her eyes were veiled with a dark light as she seemed to mutter something in a different tongue. The recruits halted abruptly, watching her with curiosity and fear. She blinked then and her eyes were back to a deep blue, watching Falasdir with a strange look.

She blinked up at him and he saw the light in her eyes fade to a dull. He shook her then as he started towards the palace again with renewed speed.

"Stay awake," he ordered through gritted teeth. He was mad at her for allowing this to happen to her. He was mad at her for insisting to stay in the guard even though she was more human than elf but most of all he was mad at her for letting him care this much that he was willing to disobey his king and to risk exposing his true lineage.

Despite it all, he ran faster. He had never hated Thranduil before but the king seriously needed a good hammer on the head. Sending out Lindethiel when she was supposed to be Mantheniel's personal guard.

He hated everything so much and he feared of what he would feel if he got Lindethiel back to the palace too late.

The recruits followed with slight problems. It seemed to them Falasdir was no longer moving fast but faster. Faster than any elf could probably manage. He moved swiftly and that was something for he was carrying someone with him. His demeanor had changed and there was a different light about him but they could not put their fingers to it. So they followed without anymore questions with the cold fear still gripping their hearts.

They had seen the shadow their king had been looking for. The shadow he had asked them to hunt down and destroy if possible. Now, after seeing the creature or whatever it was, they did not think they would be able to do it. Some were already in doubt about going out here again to take a chance against what they had seen. It was a horrible thing and it seemed to bring heaviness in their hearts and steal their courage, leaving nothing but a cold shiver down their backs and through their veins.