My eyes slowly open into the room lit dimly with sunlight, breaking me from my dreams. Except there was something different in this waking, something different in the previous night. It was my dream. I had actually had a dream. It was the first time in a while. And this one was a good dream, not a nightmare, which surprises me even more... Something had given me these good dreams and peaceful, hopeful thoughts.

My head moves just slightly, feeling cloth under my ear and cheek; cloth over flesh and bone. My hand comes up gently on his knee, escaping from under the blanket that was placed over me. I slide my palm down under his leg and prop myself up slowly, turning my head. I see him sound asleep with his head against the backboard and turned slightly. His hand rests on the bed by my back, as if it had been placed on my shoulder until it finally fell off when he was taken by slumber.

I can't believe he stayed here all night. Was he too afraid to get up because he thought he would wake me? I know he doesn't sleep that much and I know he probably thought he was needed on the deck... but he stayed just because he didn't want to disturb me in my sleep...

I bite my lip. Why is he such a sweetheart?

My eyes flash over to the bedside table where I see two pieces of bread and some grilled leeks.

There's a small piece of parchment by the two plates with some water in metal cups. I push up to a sitting position and slide my feet off the bed slowly, Legolas not moving an inch. Poor guy he must be exhausted. I look down at my vest that has blood stains on the breast and unclip it, pulling it off me. I can wash it in the water to get the stains out.

I put in beside me on the sheets and pick up the note by the food. It reads: breakfast lovebirds (wink) enjoy - Arley.

I clench my jaw and put the note down on the wood. Good grief.

Blushing from awkwardness I hop off the bed, only to remember that my leg is injured and I collapse with an agonizing pain in my thigh, falling to the ground with a grunt and catching myself with my palms.

"Vil!" I hear a frantic voice say behind me. With one leap he is beside me on the ground, clutching my stomach with his right hand and my opposite shoulder with his left.

I start to laugh at myself there. Then I put my right leg up and he helps me to my feet... or foot. I sit back on the bed, cringing. He bends down to observe my wound in front of me. I start to laugh. "Forgot I had it," I say with a palm against my forehead.

"You should be careful," Legolas's soft voice says.

"Probably," I roll my eyes.

He looks over at the food and sees the note. But I quickly snatch it before he can read it, angry with Arley in an amused way. He looks up at me with concern but with a frown.

I act like it was nothing.

He picks up one of the plates and a cup of water and hands it to me.

I smile and take it, setting the cup on the table and pinching at the bread with my hands, eating small bites.

I look down at my shirt that gaps at the low collar and quickly pull it up, even though his eyes never go there thankfully.

I look up at him as he looks out the dirty cabin window thoughtfully.

"Eat, Legolas," I say. "You need food."

He doesn't reply.

"Get over here and eat, stubborn mule," I say angrily but giggling after.

He finally looks back at me. "As you wish," he gives me a look and walks to the table, picking up a leek and taking a polite bite from it. Elves.

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"My lord, we have reached the LongIslands," Arley comes in the door saying to Legolas. "Bard says he will you need your helping in the party that is to go to shore. We have to gather fresh water from the springs there."

Legolas frowns. "Must we?"

"Yes..."

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Those islands are crawling with orcs," Legolas tells me.

"We must resupply..." Arley says.

Legolas thinks and then looks back at me sympathetically. "Is there anyone else that can accompany him?" he asks Arley.

"I can—"

"No you are wounded, you cannot."

"It's nothing." That's when I notice the binding around his arm that makes it immobile.

"Go Legolas. I'll be fine," I tell him. "I'm a big girl." I smirk.

He nods after thinking. "I will be back. Stay in bed, Vil. That is an order."

I roll my eyes. "Understood."

He takes his leave and Arley is about to follow him.

"Nuh-uh," I say. "You. Come here now."

He looks back at me with raised eyebrows, completely oblivious.

"Just come here."

After Legolas is out of sight entirely he walks to the bed.

"Come up here," I pat the mattress beside me.

He frowns but hops up and sits by me.

"Okay that's close enough, yeah that's perfect." I reach over and thump him on the temple.

"Aaah!" he reaches up with his live arm.

"'Lovebirds'? Really?"

He begins to laugh but tries to contain it. "I am not sorry."

I twist the skin on his arm until he says, "Ow, ow. Alright I am sorry."

I laugh. "Good." I groan. "Well it was embarrassing."

"Did he see it first?"

"No. Luckily."

"Oh you must have been first, considering you were the first to uncross your legs—"

I punch him in the cheek bone, causing him to fall back, almost off the bed, with a grunt.

"I haven't had sex with him you pervert!" I yell. But then I shut my mouth with my hand when I realize how loud I just was.

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LEGOLAS GREENLEAF:

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When I hear what is said from the captain's quarters as I gather my gear I cannot help but pause in my steps. I feel my face show fear in a way, though I feel disgust and surprise, an eyebrow lifted.

I catch the look of Bard who smiles amusingly at my expression and laughs silently under his breath.

I twitch my head a bit, awkward but not wanting to admit it... And I grasp my bow in my left hand.

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VILORA:

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I hit Arley in the arm repeatedly. "Now look what you made me become!" I whisper.

"Stop with the verbal abuse, please, my lady," he pleads.

"Stop acting pathetic."

"Well you have to admit that was a bit humorous."

"I don't have to admit anything!"

"You do not..." he blocks a hit with his arm.

I huff and cross my arms.

"So you two aren't married?"

"No, why?"

"I think the question is why not? I mean... do you two... have those feelings and know it?"

I look at him with a disapproved expression.

He looks curious.

"What's it to you?" I squint.

He hesitates nervously. "Nothing my lady—"

"It's Vil. You can call me Vil."

"Um Vil, it is nothing." He looks ahead.

"Why are you lying to me?"

He chuckles anxiously. "I was just curious."

"Uh-huh," I say sarcastically.

"...You behave strange for a woman. Where are you from?"

I hesitate, knowing that he means race not gender. Should I mention my origin or home? "Mirkwood." Home it is then.

"I do not believe that. You do not behave as an elf kind." He smirks.

"I didn't grow up there that is true..." I sigh.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Let's just say it is a far place from here." I lift my brows.

                                                      .

We talk for a couple hours until I hear voices on the ship outside the door. The two of us exchange a look.

He contemplates whether to get up but then the door from the deck opens and Legolas and Bard are on either side of Borin with his arms over each of them as they aid him in walking in.

"What happened?" Arley asks and hops off the bed to walk over to them.

"We were attacked by orcs on the island," Bard answers. "Borin is cut."

"I'm fine, Bard."

"We should get you bound. Arley are the bandages in here?"

He nods and runs over to the crate to retrieve them. They sit Borin down on the chair and pull off his shirt to wrap around his abs with the cloth.

"Is everyone else alright? We didn't lose anyone did we?" I ask.

"Thankfully not. It was just us and Gron in the group," Bard answers.

"Where is he?"

"Packing up all the water we gathered for the journey."

Legolas tosses me my flask that had been empty but once I catch it it feels cold on my skin, filled with fresh spring water. "Thanks," I say.

Once Borin is bandaged he puts his shirt back on and leaves with them to the deck, insisting that he is still well enough to help.

Legolas comes back in after a few minutes and I cross my arms.

He lifts an eyebrow at my pouting expression.

"Can I get out of bed now?"

"You must stay until tomorrow, Vilora. I will return. Once we are on course again I will come back to keep you company as long as you wish but only if I am not needed elsewhere."

I look down with an innocent look and nod.

He turns and leaves me alone in the quarters. I lay my head back and close my eyes, breathing deeply.

Legolas comes back after about thirty minutes as the throbbing of my leg comes back badly. It hurts almost as bad as it did that night I got the wound.

Legolas notices my distress and comes to my bedside as I breathe through it. He strokes the side of my face.

I look over at his blue eyes. "Please help me Legolas..." I breathe.

He looks deeply sympathetic by this plea and tries to think.

"Do you know of any healing spells...?"

He looks down in thought. "I know of a few... I do not know if they will help."

"Anything would help..."

He nods and places both hands on my thigh where my wound is, halfway to my knee. He closes his eyes and hangs his head slightly. "Tanka harwar," he speaks softly with his angelic voice. "...Poika tuulo' 'kshapsae."

I feel the pain leaving my wound just enough to give me peace again. And with this it should help it to heal faster.

"Tanka harwar..." he repeats quietly.

"...Thank you," I whisper.

He opens his eyes to look into mine and looks sorry. He places a hand at my cheek and leans in to kiss my forehead softly.

I close my eyes and smile when he does.

Then he talks to me and laughs with me all day until I fall asleep.

The next day I can get out of bed but my leg is still sore so they don't let me help with the rigging or adjusting at all. And I walk like a disabled person as well. But I am glad to get the fresh air.

And after yet another night of sleep I feel much better indeed. And I can walk around the deck normally again. I think Legolas's healing helped tremendously.

I walk down the side of the ship, my hand tracing the railing and the various wooden knobs for the sail riggings. The breeze chills my skin and my damp vest that I just washed the blood off of.

I decide to clutch onto the rope ladder and swing my body onto the net swiftly. I climb up past the main sail and top main sail until I reach the crow's nest. I step onto the hard wood steadily and balance up with a hand on the mast.

I let the wind blow back my hair that I pinned back with four small braids as I watch the ice blue waves dance over the horizon. I cannot see any signs of land ahead. Wonder how far we are from Port Valiant.

But being so high up I can see something in the water beside the ship. I frown and stare at the spot until I see a large fish leap from the water about as big as a dolphin. I smile in wonder at the creatures as they dance out of the waves.

I climb back down to the deck once Arley and a few others lean over the edge to see the beings.

I run to where Legolas holds the railing and looks down at the sea animals as they jump around above the teal waters and make joyful noises. I smile like a child at the zoo and so does my elf. They only come up every now and then and I point out with my right hand, my left hand on his shoulder when another lunges from the deep blue.

Legolas and I smile as we look after them.

My eyes go down to the waters below our ship, the waves flying by and leaving designs on the fish's skin when they flow just under the surface. I look to the distance as they leave us in a massive herd.

"It's strange," I head Bard say behind us.

I turn around with a smile still on my face. "What is?"

"These creatures usually travel alone unless they feel threatened."

"Maybe they think our ship is a large shark," I giggle.

He smiles.

I look back down at the sea and stick out my tongue.

"What are you doing?" Legolas asks.

"Tasting the salt," I laugh.

He chuckles. "You are so strange."

"Oh really?" I say angrily.

"Yes but that's okay buddy I think it's cute," he quotes me.

I look away and smile, wrapping my hand around his subtly.

"What's that?" I hear Arley ask.

I look over my shoulder at him. "What?" I ask and walk over to him by the bowsprit. He leans over the edge and stares into the water.

I rest my hands on the railing and look down where he is. "See another one?" I ask.

He doesn't answer.

I look down into the dark ocean and see nothing.

"You don't think Bard was right about them fearing something?" Arley asks.

"Like what?" I ask.

He tries to think of something...

Just then the ship is disturbed by something along the bottom... something has hit it slightly.

"Did we just slide over a reef?" I hear someone ask.

I look behind me at Legolas who is standing on the edge of the boat with a hand on the ropes, looking into the water. Though it was not him who said this.

Bard walks over to where the elf is and stands next to him...

The air is silent... not even a breath can be heard as we all listen carefully.

Just then a large, purple and silver tentacle with the diameter of a grown man comes from the water into the air, whipping at Bard and sending him on his back against the wood floor. But like a flash Legolas has his blades out and has sliced off the end of this arm and sends it flopping about the deck.

"It's a watcher!" the elf says.

The men start to scurry about and gather their weapons in a panic.

I look around then catch up to Legolas, hopping over the severed limb, as Bard returns to his feet and pulls out his sword. "A what?" I ask the elf.

"A beast of the waters," he says approaching me. "We fought one by the gate of Moria."

I am about to speak but another arm from the beast flings onto our ship, breaking the railing and sending pieces of wood everywhere. It clings onto the boat, the slime of the monsters slippery tentacle dripping on the deck. Another limb comes up and wraps around the ropes.

My eyes enlarge and I swallow, pulling out my sword.

"Weapons out men!" Legolas commands.

"Stay behind the ropes!" Epaphras calls.

A third arm throws onto the deck and so close to me that I flinch and stumble back, holding my sword in front of me.

Legolas lops it in half with a grunt, black blood splashing into the air. I move from the edge of the ship and ready myself. A fourth tentacle comes up as the creature climbs our vessel. And each one larger than the next. Bard leaps out from behind the ladder and chops a thick arm hard with his blade but the thing pulls it back, a deep cut in it still.

It is quiet for a few seconds as the tentacles slip onto the deck slowly.

"Exactly how big is this thing?" I ask Legolas while backing up.

But just then my foot is yanked from under me and I fall on my front, landing on my palms and my sword flying from my fingers.

I grip the wet wood and scream as it drags my body to the opposite edge. Clearly this beast is much larger than I had thought. I look up to see Legolas fighting with an arm that has a hold around his blade.

The thing has my injured leg. I take the one that is still useful and grip the deck with my boot, keeping from being pulled off the side. My sword sits on the wood in front of me. I reach out with a yank to try and grab it but my fingers cannot touch the handle tip.

The beast pulls again and I am thrust back against the edge further. I keep a stinging grasp on the rough ground, looking for something to free me.

I hear a battle cry above me and I am yanked from the pressure pulling me. I stumble to my feet to see Epaphras with a throwing ax lodged into the deck where the arm had been, the tip of the limb lying on the flooded wood.

I nod in a thanks and grab my sword. I look to the front of the ship to see Arley struggling to keep two off him. I charge forward and swing my blade sideways, lopping one of the tentacles in half and slinging blood onto the deck.

The other one idles there but slaps onto our ship, knocking him off his feet. As it comes back for a killing blow I hold out my sword to protect him and sure enough it stabs one of the suction cups when it attacks, almost pulling my sword from me.

I tug back and make sure the other man is alright. I look around at our ship of fighting men, this monster being the last thing on our list that we wanted to encounter besides Sauron himself.

My head whips behind as another limb comes up from the side and lunges at me. I leap to the side and then act quickly, cutting it with a grunt again and again until it is off the body, one other arm grabbing at me from the water. Legolas is here chopping at it before I can even react. He gets close to me and looks around him.

"That one you encountered in Moria?" I ask. "How did you kill it?"

He looks at me and hesitates. "We did not."

Just then the ship shifts and we are staggered from our spots, me almost dropping my sword to grab the ropes behind me. Our vessel is tipping from the side I am near as the creature grabs the ropes on the opposite side and pulls us down, its entire body of tentacles with the slime and pink suction cups wrapping around our boat.

"...Legolas?" I whisper in fear as I hold my sword ready.

"Cut them off!" he says to the crew and the men run forward, slashing and stabbing at the limbs.

One of them attempts the slither back but I leap forward, stabbing it with both hands and landing on my knees with a cry, the wound opening in my leg.

But my attempt was foolish. I look to my right to see a man, one of our crew and Bard's "family" get grabbed by one and thrown into the ocean, screaming in horror.

How do we kill it? It seems no matter how many limbs we chop off even more come.

I stand up quickly and ignore the pain in my leg. I run to Borin. "Do we have any barrels of wine left?" I ask in frantic.

"What? Of course not!" he says over the noise.

"Are you sure?!" I grab his collar.

He hesitates and then thinks.

I let go of him and run to the hatch, fumbling to open it with slippery fingers. But I thrust it over my head and leap into the hold. My eyes search the room for anything. But there are only the crates we brought from Epaphras's.

I turn and run down the steps under these to the bottom hold where the men sleep. I look around frantically for anything, hearing death and rage on the deck above. I see barrels to the back. I sprint to them as fast as possible and look at the labels. Brandy from Laketown. I wrap my arms around the top one and yank it from its spot. I drag it along the wood floor but it's useless by myself.

I struggle to save my crew with this barrel by myself but I cannot do it. Just then hands grip the thing tightly and I look up to see Bard there helping me lift it. We carry it up both the stairs as quickly as possible.

The sunlight hits our eyes again and I see the ship being torn apart by this monster. We set the barrel down and I run over to the edge. Out of the water where Legolas is firing arrows I see the mouth and the eyes of the huge beast come forth and into view above the waves. It roars fiercely at us with unholy breath, huge teeth and a tongue threatening us.

"Borin! Gron!" I command. "Get another barrel quickly!"

They nod and run down into the hold. "Arley!" I call. "Get the burning lamp from the captain's quarters!" He runs back into the room.

I pull out my sword, Bard keeping a hold of this barrel.

"Legolas," I say. "Keep him busy."

He nods and continues to fire at the thing to anger it.

A limb lunges onto the deck and almost knocks him from where he is secured on the ropes.

But I thrust my sword into the gross scales and sent it retreating.

"Now," I tell Bard and he helps me pick up the barrel. We carry it steadily to the edge, trying not to stumble over wood pieces.

We set it on the railing and look behind us to see them coming up with the second barrel. "Over here boys!" Bard says.

They bring it to the edge and soon I see Arley coming with the lamp.

The monster's head comes back up from the water to rage at us wit ha growl.

Legolas fires an arrow that skins the side of it and it roars with its mouth wide open.

"Now!" I command and Bard and I let go of our barrel, sending it into the mouth of the beast and it lands inside, the teeth breaking it apart immediately.

I nod to Borin and they drop theirs as well, it hitting the same area in the monster's mouth. "Light 'em up," I say.

Arley throws the lamp down into the creature under us and it lands in the mouth, busting to pieces and sending the beast in flames, screeching and crying out in pain.

Legolas leaps off the edge and back onto the deck, us moving back as well, as the creature retrieves its leftover limbs and weeps itself back into the depths.

I pant on the flooded wood under us, pieces of scattered splinters about the ship. Our vessel tips back to normal and Legolas rushes to my side to make sure I am okay.

I breathe and watch the seas that are now calm.

I look left to see Gron pulling a severed tentacle and tossing it over the edge..

I stand to my feet as do the rest of the crew, looking around us with heavy breathes and little speech on our tongues. We lost a man out there. I didn't know his name but I know the others were close to him...

They clean off blades and try to return to standing positions, their muscles stiff and minor injuries taking effect. Everyone is almost soaking wet and the monster's blood is scattered about their garments. Dromar pulls a large splinter from his arm.

"Is everyone alright?" I ask around after I catch my breath..

They look at me and some nod.

I turn around to see Legolas at the front of the ship. "What is it?" I ask.

He turns his head to look at me. "...Port Valiant," he responds.

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