"Are you ready to apologise, Dwarf?" Narsil asked Abendago in a patronizing tone and with crossed arms. Caladhiel was standing a bit further away, observing the young Elleth. She was a promising warrior, if only she hadn't such a temper... She wasn't only a skillful warrior but also skilled in ending up in trouble. Narsil had some kind of ethos lingering around her that reminded Caladhiel of noble kings and queens. But seeing that Narsil was just a Forest Guard, it wasn't always in her right place to stand up and act as a queen.

Caladhiel glanced at Arianeth who was standing next to her and her look fixated on Abendago who stared at Narsil with squinted eyes. Arianeth wondered what Abendago would do, if he refused to apologise, she would have to go without him. She had to know what was stirring in the West and now that the Rivendell Elves had had an encounter with its foul beasts, the need to know was growing more urgent.

"Wherefor do I need to apologise?" Abendago asked, snapping Caladhiel's and Arianeth's thoughts back to here and now.

"For calling the King a..." Narsil fell silent, trying to remember the exact words of the insult.

"A dollop head?" Abendago finished for her, and she nodded. "Do you want to know what it means?" he continued.

"Sure," Narsil answered but without showing any interest in her voice, as if she couldn't cared less what it means.

"In two words?"

Narsil shrugged.

"King Thranduil." Abendago grinned but Narsil stared at him with a blank expression, that wasn't even funny. That's when Abendago crossed eyes with Arianeth who shook her head with a sigh and he decided to quit playing games.

"Fine. I'm ready to give the King my apologies."

Now it was Narsil's turn to grin. "Alright. Let's hope you'll mean it and that Thranduil will accept them."

Abendago stared at the young Elf with disbelief, of course he would accept his apologies. Where was she talking about? Thranduil couldn't keep him in this cell for nothing. Arianeth shot him an angry glare and Abendago started to feel like he should have stayed in Erebor where there were no Elves who arrested people without any reason, or throwing them into prison without any reason. Let alone keeping them there without any reason.

Caladhiel studied the worried expression of the Dwarf for a moment and decided they could take him back to Thranduil now, somehow something had knocked some sense into him. She gestured for Melwin to come closer, she had the keys to the cells. Melwin took the keys of her belt and opened the door.

"Don't try anything stupid," she warned the Dwarf when Narsil grabbed his upper arm to lead him back to the Throne Room.

"I wouldn't dare to," he remarked and Narsil started to drag him along. She didn't like this Dwarf, actually... she just didn't like Dwarfs at all.

Without any trouble, they reached Thranduil's Hall but they were all suprised to see the throne empty.

"O for Eru's sake," Arianeth cursed under her breath. Nothing, literally nothing, was going smoothly these days. Where was he?

~*~*~*~*~

The Rider halted and looked around. "You're sure it's here?" he asked his companion next to him.

"Everything leads to here," the other shrugged.

He curiously took everything in and he shifted in the saddle. "But there is nothing here," he stated.

The other took off her helmet and her raven black hair fell out of it and now almost reached her middle. She placed the silver helmet at the front of the saddle and leaned on it, staring at the desert all around them. "That there is nothing that the eye can see, does not mean there is nothing to be seen. Have you already forgotten your training?"

The Rider's face flushed with a shade of pink. "Of course not but you must be real powerful to hide a whole army here. It would have been easier to do it somewhere else."

The woman laughed shortly. "That is true, but when do they ever make it easy for us?" She leaped out of the saddle and landed with a soft thud on the golden sand. The Rider followed her example and crouched down next to her. He placed his hand on the burning sand and closed his eyes. He pursed his lips together and the woman knew he was frowning even though he still had his helmet on. She had taken the first chance to get it off, it was too warm for it.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"There's really nothing here. At least, nothing that I can sense."

She frowned as well, that was impossible. She closed her eyes and searched the surroundings. Nothing...

"We've been framed," he said to her with a sigh. "Unbelievable... But we should have known."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"My brother told me they didn't even wanted to follow Durza, they were forced. But when the rumour reached our ears, we believed it immediately."

She shook her head, again. "No, there are still plenty of other clans out there who are more than willing to follow a Shade."

He started to make his way back. "I think we should return. We cannot stay away for too long, you most,-" but his sentence was cut off when his attention was drawn to something a bit up ahead.

Right over there, can you sense it?

He nodded slowly. "Yes, but too small for an army. Can't be bigger than an..."

Entrance.

"Right..."

"Just when you think you've seen it all," the woman smirked but her eyes stood worried. They never could have imagined something like this, it was impossible. At least, if it is what they think it is.

"What should we do?" he asked her.

"I think we should have brought back-up."

"You know that wasn't an option. Nothing can keep up with us."

"I know, stupid. It was just a joke."

He snorted. "I thought Elves didn't made jokes."

She wanted to say something but then a horn blasted through the air and was accompanied by the growing sound of drums. A marching rhythm. More were coming...

~*~*~*~*~

A/N: So... Two strangers! Who are they? Ö If you got the hints, I salute you! And then you have probably figured out where this is heading to...

Alrighty. Well, since nobody guessed the scene from last chapter, here's the answer: it was from Prince Caspian; when Edmund battles Trumpkin. At least, that's the English name right...? In Dutch it's Trompoen xD Hilarious.