"The walls of Moria!" Gimli said, awe dripping from his voice. They were huge sheer walls of stone. The group walked forward steadily.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli boasted, knocking his axe against a part of the wall.

"Yes Gimli, their own masters cannot find them, if their secret is forgotten." Gandalf said.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas asked, eying the stone walls with a new type of horror. Gimli pressed his lips together, he was behind Legolas, and suppressed a growl.

Frodo slipped, his foot dunking into water. Agardess grabbed his shoulder.

"Alright?" She asked, her face had a gloomy expression, but Frodo has long since learned not to look the the She-Elf for comfort.

"Yes," He said, replanting his slightly wet foot and kept going, careful of the water so he did not slip again.

The moon slipped out from behind a cloud, causing the door to reveal itself. Yet it wasn't open, nor did it look like a door, more like a piece of rock with carvings in the surface.

"It reads 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter'." Gandalf read, tracing his staff over the elvish markings.

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked, looking at Gandalf with awe.

"Well it's simple. If you are a friend speak the password and the doors will open." He tried some spell and everyone watched, expecting the doors to open as Gandalf has said they would. Gandalf tried again, and again nothing happened.

"Well sit down," Agardess said seating herself on a rock. "This may take a while." Gandalf furrowed his eyebrows at her, but went back to the so called doors, trying spell after spell. After a while Legolas took a seat beside her and together they sat staring into the water.

"You need to have more faith," He murmured, but was interrupted by the sound of something hitting the water.

"Do not disturb the water," Aragorn hissed at Merry and Pippin, the two Hobbit who had thrown the rocks. They obeyed and the rocks they were holding clattered to the ground.

"Have faith in what?" She asked turning to look at the old wizard, now pushing on the doors. "Gandalf?"

"The quest itself. You think we will fail." Agardess hummed in response. "Why is that?"

"Why would we succeed?" She asked glancing at him.

"If you have so little faith, then why did you volunteer? The real reason, we both know that it wasn't only because of me as you told the Hobbit."

"Fate Legolas." She smiled. "Fate may have a plan for us. But I believe not, by going here we have gone against fate. If my fate is to die protecting Frodo and you, then so be it. But I will not die easily." Her smiled disappeared however and she peered into the water.

"It's a riddle!" Frodo exclaimed. "What's the elvish word for friend?" Legolas was beside Agardess, both staring intently into the water, trying to figure out what was giving them the off feeling.

"Mellon." Gandalf said and the doors opened. Everyone got up from their seated place and entered the dark hole.

"Soon, Master Elf," Gimli was saying to Legolas. "you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin.And they call it a mine. A mine!

"This is no mine," Boromir said as Gandalf lit his staff. "This is a tomb." Gimli wailed a heartbreaking sob and fell to his knees. Legolas made his way over to a carcass of one of the dwarfs. Agardess followed him with her eyes, her hands gripping her weapons, ready to attack. He placed his booted foot on the ribcage of what was a dwarf and pulled an arrow from it.

"Goblins," He whispered, discarding the arrow with a single flick of his hand. Agardess needed only that one word and soon she stood there long knives in hand, twitching slightly and on edge.

"We make for the gap of Rohan," Boromir declared as the Hobbit began scuttling backwards, tripping over bodies as they scrambled away. "We should never have come here. Get out! Get out!"

With a choked scream Frodo hit the slippery ground, something from the water was dragging him in towards it.

"Frodo!" The Hobbits yelled and Agardess ran for him.

"Strider!" Sam called, Agardess already passing him and slashing at the tentacle like thing that was wrapped around Frodo's ankle. More exploded from the water, grabbing at Frodo and ignoring the sting of Agardess' blade. It seized Frodo by the feet, lifting him up into the air. Legolas walked out of the cave, his bow ready. Agardess made her way towards the monster itself, slipping one of her throwing knives from her belt she aimed it at the seemingly fleshy part of the creature. However it didn't seem to bother the monster and now she was down a throwing knife.

Legolas was aiming for the limbs that were wrapping around Frodo, however the arrows had no effect and the men and lone elf, in the water, were too busy fighting off their own tentacle to help the poor Hobbit. Aragorn and Agardess both took one of the tentacles that were holding Frodo up, leaving Boromir to catch him. At almost the same time they lashed out at their own slippery opponent, releasing Frodo from the grasp of the monster. Boromir caught him and began running towards the shore.

"Into the mines!" Gandalf yelled, while Boromir shouted for Legolas, who shot an arrow into the creature's eye. Agardess caught up with the two men, who were at this point simply running. She raced behind them, swiping at part of it that came close to them while Legolas raining arrows upon it. It approached the shore, where Legolas was standing and at this point Agardess only had two choices. To die, or to flee. She picked the second one. Urging the men to go faster she hurled another throwing knife at the creature. She grabbed Legolas' arm as she passed him, pulling him into the mines, the creature collapsing the entrance moments after he entered.

Everyone stood in fear as the darkness closed in on them. Someone brushed against Agardess' arm causing her jump a little and draw a knife.

"Who just brushed against me?" She called into the darkness, hearing nothing but the breathing of the Hobbits. Gandalf's staff started glowing filling the mine with light. She found she was brandishing the knife at Legolas. She turned to him.

"I swear you were on my other side when we entered," She murmured to him. He shrugged and she put the knife away, giving herself room to draw her two swords. The group went forward, following the light of Gandalf.

"Let us hope that our presence will go unnoticed," Gandalf spoke quietly, as if in fear of waking something that shouldn't be woken.

~*~

They came to three passageways.

"I do not remember the way," Gandalf said, looked at the three of them before seating himself on a rock. "Might as well get comfortable, this may be a while."

Aragorn approached Agardess as they all sat on a small outcropping of rock, a few steps lower than the rock Gandalf had seated himself on.

"Perhaps it is time for that story." Agardess nodded her head and pressed her hands to her temples before nodding once more.

"I ask you not to think of me differently after this story," The Hobbits gathered at the elf's feet while Legolas sat next to her, knowing at some point he would have to end up taking over. The men and dwarf pressed in quietly, wanting to know the story of the strange short haired elf as any. "I warn you, it a depressing tale."

"As is this mine," Boromir said. "And yet we are still inside." Agardess smiled slightly before dropping it and launching into her tale.

"If I remember the year, I would tell you, all I know that a long time ago, someone found me in a pub and asked me to do a favor for them." Legolas raised his eyebrows at her, not realizing just how far back she was starting. "I was young then, not as distrusting and recently on my own. And so I agreed to the man's asking of me, before I knew what he had wanted from me. He offered to pay me a large amount of gold, which was what I needed at the time for I was alone with no money to buy food, water, supplies.

"He asked me to kill a man and I instantly wished I had no accepted the deal before knowing what he was going to ask of me. However I was too afraid of backing out now and decided to just kill the man and disappear with the gold. But nothing was on my side that night.

"The man had two daughters. Neither of which were asked of me to kill, however after I killed the man I was paid to kill, I wondered if I should just kill the girls to cover up tracks and keep them from heartbreak, they however were human and cannot die from heartbreak as an elf can and I decided to leave them.

"As I was leaving one of the girls woke. She had frightened me, and I her. She was the girl who named me an assassin. For as soon as I left the town I saw wanted signs of my face plastered everywhere. People kept coming to me, with money and I didn't turn them down." She drew in a shaky breath lowering her eyes from their faces. "I was never one for fate. I wanted complete control of my life, something I didn't have when I was first branded an assassin. I was branded an assassin because a small girl managed to see my face.

"My last client was a pale man, sickly almost, he questioned my every movement, not trusting that I was the person I said I was. He asked me to kill a Lord of some sort, my memory is failing me, and I accepted as I usually did. I killed the Lord and meet the man in a pub. He paid me and I walked out, as usual. The day went rather well in the killing business. I was in and out, the man dead in my wake..." She trailed off before shaking her head and continuing her tale.

"It was raining when I left the bar and I suppose that was my last straw. I decided to run to Mirkwood about a day's run away, and I gave myself a plan. I got there and stormed in, I was not afraid for there was nothing to be afraid of. I went there to die." She stopped then, looking away from them, becoming interesting in the rock near her left shoulder for Legolas was on her right.

"She stalked into our borders while," Legolas glanced over at her, but continued the tale anyway. "I was patrolling. We asked her who she was, and she did not answer, and so in order to threat we raised weapons, as you do. And she just smiled at me, it was unnatural, death was staring in her face and she smiled. And then she came at me.

"She took out the first elf with a blow to the back of the head, it wasn't a killing blow, just enough to knock him out. The second ran for back up, leaving her and I. She was taunting me, as she was the whole time, telling me to shoot her, and yet I wouldn't, couldn't perhaps, release the arrow.

"Soon we had locked blades. She refused to move hers whilst I couldn't move mine unless I wished to be dead. What surprised me the most it seemed was that when the elf returned with back up she surrendered. Dropped her blades and raised her hands, letting them take her just like that." She turned back to face them and when she noticed their faces did not seem angry, she nudge Legolas with her foot and continued the tale themselves.

"They marched me to the dungeon where thirteen dwarves were being held." Frodo gasped, knowing this part. "I learned later that they were the company of Thorin Oakenshield, but at the time I didn't know.

"They asked me questions and for some reason I felt comfortable explaining to them why I had come there. And I explained that I came to die. They didn't understand, of course they didn't understand and began to question me further and for some reason I answered them. I answered everything they wanted to know about my longing for death.

"However our conversation was cut short when," She paused wondering if she should state his name. "When an elf came to take me to the king. It was simple really, I was to have a trial and if I was deemed guilty there was a high chance I was to be killed. And so I went. I insulted the king, refused to answer him and spat on his shoes. He had enough of me and I was dragged back to my cell, but his questions were still not answered.

"When I came back however the thirteen dwarves were gone. And I had to say, I was rather proud at the time. Of course the elves holding me started to panic, and I was shoved in a cell and forgotten about. Or at least I thought I was forgotten about." She stopped again, nudging Legolas letting him know she could no longer continue.

"My father asked me to track the dwarf company, however they found a way to cross the lake and we lost them beyond our lands. My father found no need to head after them at that point so I returned back to Mirkwood.

"I do not know the exact reason I decided to stop by the dungeons on my way back from a meeting with the king. I suppose," He gave her a sideways look but continued to talk. "I suppose it was because I heard her conversation with the dwarves and wondered why an elf wanted to die. The king also asked me for the answers to the questions she had failed to answer before and so I went.

"We talked for a while, three nights in a row suppose and the whole time we were talking I was trying to figure out a plan to save her. And then I came up with one, doubting it would work, but I tried it and... it worked. It wasn't the position I wanted to be in. Nor did it make me feel comfortable, but it worked and because of it we have a tenth member of the Fellowship." They stopped talking simply stared into their friend's eyes.

"When you said you would protect me Agardess," Frodo said slowly his mind whirling. "You called Legolas..." He paused. "Your Lord, and said you would protect me as long as he held his oath to me, because of an oath you took to him... why is that?"

"Because it was the oath I took. If I was under the power, or protection, of someone higher than me, I wouldn't be able to executed due to service terms I believe. I do not remember the exact oath, as it has happened long ago. All Legolas could come up with at the time, was for me to swear to protect him, since he never believed I would take the oath, he didn't have a better oath prepared. But I swore that one and it is the reason I am alive today." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I hope you think no differently of me."

"We couldn't," Aragorn said standing and taking her hands in his own. "We've all come from different backgrounds, if anything you're honestly with us only strengthened our friendship. Besides, if anything it explains yours and Legolas' relationship, because I am sure we were all wondering slightly what that was about." Agardess smiled slightly and wiped away tears from her eyes. She stared at them for a minute.

"I haven't cried since..." She trailed off. "Since my first day in the dungeons of Mirkwood. What an interesting emotion..." She trailed off again seemingly enhanced by her own tears.

"Ah!" Gandalf exclaimed quietly. "It's this way."

"He's remembered!" Merry cried happily, but still quietly.

"Not exactly, just the air does not smell as foul this way..." He vanished down the tunnel his voice trailing off.

Agardess and Legolas stayed a little ways behind and she turned to the other elf.

"Le fael (Thank You)," She said grasping his hand in her own. Legolas smiled at her.

"Lle creoso (You're Welcome)."