Hello friends, and welcome back to Another Badly Written Chapter ™! I'll admit, I still didn't quite know how to end this, and my brain has too many things bouncing around in it for the sequel to really close this story out after so long, so I'm sorry if it's disappointing! ): Regardless, I hope you get some enjoyment out of it, and that it excites you for the sequel! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through these long 7 years! Can't believe it's taken me so long to finish haha (I actually can. I really can.) As promised, here is the final chapter of story 1! Happy New Year to you all! Much more Arianna and Legolas to come in 2020! :)

20. Litost

There were no stars that night. She couldn't sleep for worry, and she felt so suffocated by the intense darkness that surrounded them that it only made her more anxious. She was restless, and she wanted nothing more than to get up and walk off her nerves, but both Legolas and Aragorn were keeping watch; she knew she'd never get away unseen. Huffing, she coiled the blanket more tightly around herself and curled into tight ball.

She took in the sounds around her: snoring from the others in camp, Aragorn and Legolas' hushed conversation (in Elvish, damn them), the current of the river, and the gentle breeze through the cover of trees. Normally, they'd be almost soothing, but tonight, every sound that wasn't silence seemed to grate on her nerves. In a fit of irritation, she threw her blanket off, scrambling and standing from her makeshift bed. Snatching her sword from the ground, she stalked off down the shoreline, Aragorn and Legolas be damned. One of them would probably follow her anyway.

As she walked, she rubbed at her eyes. They were heavy. She was tired, she was. Her mind was just too frantic to sleep. Her steps were hurried, and she reached the edge of the shore much too quickly. Heaving a heavy sigh, she pushed her fingers through her hair, staring at the edge of the falls. She could see the mist of them even at night, could hear the rush of them so clearly, as if she were right on the edge of them.

She stood there for a long while, staring. She couldn't keep a single train of thought for more than a minute, her mind chaotic. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw something. Glancing down, she gripped the sheath of her sword tightly. No. No, she shouldn't chuck that, obviously. Glaring into the darkness, she dropped quickly, picking up the first stone her fingers touched, and launched it as far as she could without second thought. Standing, she saw no sign of it landing in the water, and she couldn't hear it, either, for the roar of the falls. Somehow, that made her even more sour.

"Impressive distance. You nearly had it over the falls."

Far from being surprised at his presence, Arianna didn't react when she heard Legolas' voice.

"If you're here to warn me about 'disturbing the waters,' don't bother. I won't throw anything again." She kicked at the ground dejectedly. "Didn't help anyway," she finished in a mumble.

"Not at all," Legolas said easily, moving next to her. "Unlike Moria, there is nothing in these waters we need be wary of."

"…Did I really throw it that far?" she asked after a beat of silence.

"No," she could hear the smile in his tone. "It was quite a bad throw, actually."

"Awesome." Kicking the ground again, she watched as sand and dirt flew, sliding into the water before her feet.

Legolas' gentle hand moved to rest on her back. "Arianna, please. You must rest. You cannot let your concerns weigh so heavy on your mind."

Arianna scoffed. "Yeah, I know. Stress kills, huh?" She sighed, rolling her neck. "I just can't help it. I have all this crap inside my head, spinning around and around with nowhere to go. Everything I know is just happening right before my eyes and I'm fucking scared because I can't stop any of it…even if I want to. It just makes me feel so—ugh!" She carded her fingers through her hair irritably.

Legolas took her small rant in stride. "Sit with me," Legolas he offered quietly, moving to grasp her fingers softly. He lowered himself to the ground, and she followed heavily, slumping to the shore and immediately folding in on herself, arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

"Tell me something," Legolas said quietly.

"What?" she responded immediately, prickling. "Look, I've told you before, I can't tell you what's going to happen. Even Gandalf said—"

"It needn't be anything of import," he interrupted, holding a hand up to calm her. "You mention where you're from, this is a tale, is it not? There must be some small parts which are of little consequence - parts where my knowing will not have any effect."

"I—" Were there? She thought for a moment. "I don't know. Do you remember Bilbo, Frodo's uncle?"

"Of course."

"Back when he and the company of Dwarves were preparing to take back Erebor, did you know that Gandalf volunteered him?" She turned to Legolas, who smiled at her gently, urging her to continue. "Bilbo was…very much against the idea at first, because Dwarves just started showing up at his house late at night, and he had no idea why!"

Legolas chuckled. "Truly? Bilbo always seemed to be a very brave Hobbit. I cannot imagine he did not eagerly jump at the chance for the adventure."

"Oh, he did, eventually. But the first night, he was so frustrated, because he'd never met a Dwarf before, and they raided his cupboard and ate all his food and messed up his antique doilies." Arianna felt herself laughing, smiling at the memory, the scene playing out in her head.

"That seems a far cry from the Hobbit who was brazen enough to break the Dwarves free of our dungeons from right underneath my own nose."

Arianna grinned, poking her tongue out at him. "As I remember it, you were too busy partying to worry about the Dwarves in the dungeons."

"You must allow an Elf to relax from time to time," he smiled. "In case you have not noticed, we can be very serious folk."

"Really?" she asked sarcastically. "I had no idea!"

They laughed together for a moment before falling silent. Arianna shuffled her feet slowly.

"These are things you can tell me," Legolas offered quietly. She turned to him, her cheek pressed against her arm. "Inconsequential things that you needn't hide. If you tell me these stories, perhaps there will not be so many things taking up space in that frustrating mind of yours," he teased. "Perhaps," he reached forward, tucking a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear and cupping her cheek, "there will not be so many things spinning around to cause you such stress."

She pushed her lips out, fighting a quiver. "I will always listen when you need me to, Arianna. Please know that."

Arianna swallowed thickly, fisting her hands tightly. "That—" she cleared her throat as her voice cracked, "that helped. That helps. Thank you…Legolas."

"You are allowed to cry if my words have touched you so deeply," he continued to tease gently. "I will not judge you."

She laughed wetly, smacking his hand away. "Oh, fuck off!" She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked softly. "Would you like to return to camp and try to rest?"

She frowning. "I mean, a little bit? But I don't think I'm ready to go back just yet. You can head back, though. I don't want to keep you up. You need to rest, too."

"Much less than others," Legolas responded immediately. "If you're not ready to return to camp, then tell me another story."

She turned, a small frown still gracing her lips. Legolas was staring at her resolutely, waiting. She could tell there'd be no fighting over him returning. She sighed, shaking her head lightly.

"When Frodo first set off on his journey with the other Hobbits, they met a man named Tom Bombadil…"

Arianna ran, stumbling over brush and fallen tree limbs. She could hear the Orcs behind her, their heavy footfalls mirroring her pounding heart. There was no way to know where she was going; she only hoped she was heading in the right direction.

An arrow whizzed by her face, so close that it caught and tangled in her hair, fallen free from its braids. She fumbled, yanking it from her hair and tossing it to the side. Far ahead of her, she could hear a gaggle of Orcs rushing forward with purpose. Pushing through the burning in her lungs, she changed direction, trailing behind them by some distance. Surely they were on to something. If she had to guess, following them would lead her straight to Boromir, Merry, and Pippin.

As if on cue, the sound cut through the chaos, echoing through the woods: a horn, strong and clear. Hold on, Boromir, she thought, willing her legs faster. I'm coming. Just hold on.

She followed the sound, eyes peeled for any sign of the tallest Uruk who held the bow and arrow she knew would be Boromir's end. If she could just throw him off long enough for Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli to get to Boromir's side…She just had to distract him, just for a little bit!

Her chest burned and her vision was beginning to swim; the adrenaline and the forest around her, looking so similar no matter which way she turned, was making her dizzy. She pushed the muscles of her legs as she began up a hill, on the tail of several Uruk. She could hear shouts of small voices nearby - Merry and Pippin. With a deep breath, she broke the crest of the hill, stopping and looking about wildly. Below, she could see him. Boromir was fighting off so many of them, Merry and Pippin doing what they could behind him, but they didn't stand a chance. They were outnumbered. Heaving, she tried to shout, about to warn Boromir, to move, to run, anything. But the sound never came.

A blow so fierce it knocked her straight off her feet hit her from the side. She cried out, falling to the forest floor, her head throbbing from where it'd been hit. Dazed, she struggled to get back up, slipping on the wet leaves and grass. Her ears rang, and she struggled to get herself together. If it was Lurtz that hit her, she didn't have much time. Turning over, she pushed herself up onto her forearms, and her stomach dropped in agony.

He was standing not three feet to her left, arrow notched in his bow. No!

Fueled by pure adrenaline alone, Arianna pushed herself up quickly, ignoring the great spinning of her vision. She charged forward, pushing straight into Lurtz, throwing off his aim. His arrow let loose, and he was pushed back, only slightly, as she shoved at him. It didn't take much for him to overpower her, though, and he grabbed at her arm, squeezing it roughly. She cried out, her free arm trying to reach for the sword at her side, which she only just remembered. She wasn't quick enough though. Lurtz's free hand swung about, punching her straight in the jaw, sending her to the ground again.

Picking herself back up and wiping the dirt from her mouth, she moved forward, dead set on climbing him like a tree and choking him from behind if she had to. But she never got the chance. Before she could make another move, pain like nothing she'd ever felt ripped through her shoulder. She screamed, dropping immediately to her knees, feeling her muscles tear as a dagger was ripped from her skin. Gasping in pain, another sharp blow came to the back of her head, and her vision blurred immediately. Without preamble, she felt herself being heaved up and over a shoulder, the sharp armor digging into her ribs. She tried to struggle, but her hands were quickly bound by another Uruk, who sneered and snapped at her as he knotted her hands together. Barely coherent, she did not move again. She could only stare at the ground in pain and the Uruk holding her began to move.

"Help," she called weakly, voice trailing off. She was beginning to get dizzy, her head throbbing harder with each heavy footfall. The Uruk made its way down the hill, and she watched as the grass passed by underneath. She tried to look up, and when she did, she choked a sob.

Lurtz was making his way down the hill slowly, eyes trained on Boromir, who was kneeling on the ground, several arrows already piercing his chest. "Boromir," she croaked out. "No, please!" She tried to struggle against her bonds, but her strength was seeping away fast, her vision slowly closing in.

Tears squeezed from her eyes, and she used the last of her energy to project her voice, hoping he could hear, hoping he understood: "Boromir…I'm sorry!" She sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut, and the last thing she saw on the back of her eyelids was him, staring into the face of death.

Legolas hurried through the woods, letting arrows loose as if it were second nature. He could hear the Orcs around him as he, Aragorn, and Gimli hurried to Boromir's aid. Despite himself, he felt his focus slipping, away from the battle around him and back to shore, where he had left Arianna.

"Wait—" she begged frantically, gathering the sword from the ground. "Wait, we can go together!"

"No!" He grabbed her round her wrist before she could move to unsheathe her weapon.

"Legolas, come on, we have to—"

"Stay here."

She stopped, turning her eyes to him slowly. "Don't," she said breathlessly. "We don't have time to do this right now."

"Which is why you will not argue," he responded, his voice definitive. "Stay here. Please. This is no battle for you."

"Don't you dare—"

"I know why you worry," he interrupted quickly. "I know why you have been so frightened, why you tried to warn me last night. I will not let you be harmed, not now. Use your sword only for protection, but stay out of this battle, stay here on the shore! You will be safe."

"Legolas—" He expected the protest, but there was little time. "That's not why—" Frustrated, and with no one around to bear witness to his lack of self control, Legolas surged forward, closing the gap between them quickly.

Her lips were disarmingly soft. He felt her fingers twist into his sleeve, shock evident in her movements as her breath picked up. She didn't respond, so he pulled away, slowly, and she blinked in an endearing kind of way. He stared down at her, taking in the pink flush of her cheeks, the heavy rise and fall of her chest; he knew he ought to pull away, to remove himself from what was a very dangerous situation, but he could not find it in himself to withdraw. So he kissed her again. Carefully, he memorized the moment, the feeling, the absolute soaring of his soul. Just in case.

Legolas withdraws his knife, swinging it cleanly into the neck of an Orc who had come too close. Much as he would like to relive the moment, now was not the time. The horn of Gondor echoed through the trees once more, and he pushed forward. He had lost sight of Aragorn and Gimli, each trailing off to follow their own opponents. Legolas took aim at an Orc in the far distance, firing his arrow; it landed smartly through the Orcs eyes, and he watched it fall lifelessly to the forest floor.

"No!"

Legolas stopped immediately, feet planting themselves firmly as he stood on edge, waiting for the voice to sound again. His heart seized quickly - it was Arianna, and from what he could tell, she was nowhere near the shore where he had left her. Surely she would not have been fool enough to enter the forest.

He listened intently, standing alone among the trees, desperate for another word, but her voice did not sound again. Steeling himself, he began moving again quickly, in the direction of her voice. Aragorn and Gimli could assist Boromir - if Arianna was alone in the middle of a gaggle of Orcs, he needed to reach her as quickly as he could.

The horn sounded again, and a moment later, a scream ripped through the air, his eyes widening in horror as he recognized it as hers. He pushed faster, coming up on another group of Orcs. They were nothing to him as he pushed forward, dodging their blades and making blows in return on his way to her.

"No, please!"

His blood boiled at the sound of her voice; she was clearly in pain. He longed to reach her, and to find the one who had laid hands on her. He would make the Orc know a different kind of pain...

"Boromir...I'm sorry!"

A dizzying spell of emotion rumbled through his chest. She screams for Boromir...he thought slowly, and all at once, everything moved into place. He recalled how easily she bowed to Boromir's commands despite being averse to his own, her sudden desire to spend time by Boromir's side when they arrived at the falls, the way she stared for long stretches of time when Boromir was unaware, a look he now realized was well-concealed sadness gracing her features.

Arianna had never been worried for her own safety. He had left her on the shoreline, begged her to understand that was where she was safest - if her fear was being injured in battle, all she had to do was remain. But her fear had never been for herself - it was for the son of Gondor, who lay on the forest floor, pierced by arrows.

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower, but he will not return."

Legolas placed a hand over his heart; he mourned the loss of the Gondorian. Though they were not close, Boromir was a part of their company, and a good man.

Aragorn stood and sheathed his knife. "They have taken the Hobbits," he said solemnly. Legolas fixed him with a heavy gaze. "And Arianna," the ranger continued.

Anger shot through him, boiling so quickly to the surface that he was surprised; it had been years since he had felt such fury. Much less than fury, a small part of him had to wonder why - what interest was Arianna to the Orcs? "What shall we do, Aragorn?" he posed tensely.

"Aye," Gimli echoed. "What to do? Three of our company taken captive, one taken in battle - and what of the other young Hobbits?"

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn replied. "He will continue to Mordor. I suspect we'll find that Sam has accompanied him when we return to the river." Aragorn paused for a moment. "We will give Boromir the most honorable burial we can, and then we will track the Orcs."

Legolas nodded, and they set about their plans quickly. He watched solemnly as the boat bearing Boromir's body tipped over the falls. How hard, he wondered, had the Gondorian fought alone, to try and protect the Hobbits and Arianna? What's more, how hard had Arianna fought, despite her limited skills, to help him? Legolas narrowed his eyes. Boromir could not be saved, but there, on the shores of the Anduin, he swore on his life, that would not be the case with Arianna.

No matter where you are in this world, I swear I will find you again.