We end up continuing on foot with Legolas carrying me in his arms. Originally Raenor was to carry me, but Legolas volunteered.

As Legolas lifts me up I see Raenor giving me a knowing look from over Legolas's shoulder. I just stick my tongue out at him like a child, causing him to laugh. The others look at him strangely, but he does not even seem to notice it. I roll my eyes at him and turn my my head back to face forward.

***

The days leading up to our arrival in Mirkwood went without another visit in my dreams from the Witch King, and that only worried me more. I knew he would try again soon, and I still had no way to counter it when he did.

My guard was down to other more concealed threats with my mind preoccupied, and that was my first mistake.  I remained so worried about the Witch King that I was almost blind to anything else. I had become too comfortable, and that cost me.

On the last night before we reach Mirkwood, we stop to rest later than normal, all of us anxious to finally arrive. I fall asleep quickly, not even bothering to have my ration for dinner. I am hungry, my stomach disagrees loudly with my descision, but sleep seems more important. My eyelids drift shut contentedly, and soon I am fast asleep.

No One's POV:

He waited, patient, until everyone fell asleep. Meldir silently rose from where he had been lying, pulling a dagger from a deep fold in his cloak. This time she would die. This time, for sure.  The trick on the cliff had not worked, but there was no way to get around a knife wound.

Meldir stood and crept over to where Arra lay with his elf-like grace. Raising the dagger high, he plunges it deep into her stomach, causing her to awaken screaming in agony.

Immediately everyone else awakens, and Meldir sits next to Arra in shock of what he has just done. What had he been thinking! What was wrong with him?

Seron pins him to the ground, a knife digging into his throat. He soon releases Meldir though and turns to Legolas and Raenor, crouched next to Arra and attempting to slow the blood gushing from the stab wound.

"It was not Meldir. He had been possessed by some dark force." Seron says quickly, rushing to grab water in the hopes Arra would be able to heal herself again.

Meldir just sits where he is. "I, I am so sorry Arra."

She does not seem to hear him though; her screaming has stopped and she has become uncannily still. Her chest barely rises and falls with her breath, as though she is conserving every ounce of energy she can.

Arra's POV:

I jolt awake from my wonderfully mundane dream because of an exploding pain in my stomach. Without my own consent, I let out a scream. My back arches and tears begin to stream down my cheeks. I hear off to the side a scuffle going on, and see two figures crouched down close to me, but nothing else comes forth through the blinding pain.

I force myself to remember everything I had ever been taught about serious wounds. Realizing vaguely that I cause myself to lose more blood when I strain myself against the pain of it, I force myself to calm down and relax my muscles. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to start screaming again. I do not even allow myself to let tears fall.

I stay like this for too long, time seeming to suspend for forever. Nothing seems to be changing. If anything, the pain is becoming more intense as I become more aware of it.  I keep my eyes staring blankly up above myself, trying to think of a solution.

Could I heal myself?

The desperate thought occurs to me suddenly. Blood flows just as water does, so would I be able to control it and stop it from flowing out of my wound?

I focus all of my waning strength on the area of pain in my stomach, picturing the torn skin knitting itself back together and staunching the flow of blood.  I begin to feel a difference before I see one, the blood in my veins suddenly rushing throughout my body once again.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the pain begins to deplete itself. I do not let this realization pull from my focus though. I continue to heal myself until I feel no pain at all, and then the blackness of exhaustion pulls me back into sleep.