Long ago, Legolas' mother had told him this : "my dear son. your heart craves adventure and battle, and someday you
  will have it." Legolas had been younger then, and so his response was, "When, Mother?" "I do not know exactly when,
only that you will have it. But be wary, my son, because adventure and battle abhor your chances for love, which is what
              i wish for you to have more than any battle. Love is the greatest adventure of them all."

Not long after that, she had gone over the sea to Valinor, the undying land of bliss for all elves.

Legolas had listened to her, but had never really stopped looking for the adventure that was almost promised him.

Now he was on what was probably the most dangerous adventure of his life, protecting the Ring, to the place where
they would destroy it. They’d just passed through the Misty Mountains, and had stopped to rest from the journey
through the perilous rocks. Aragorn and Boromir had suggested a quick sweep of the area, and Legolas, Gimli, and the
two Men were securing a perimeter for a camp when Gimli cried out.

"Aragorn! Legolas!" he yelled, for he knew not which of the two were within hearing distance. He looked down grimly at
what he’d found a small boat with what looked like a badly burned elf laying inside it. It was hard to tell if it was a male or
a female, because of the injuries.

Legolas came running when he heard Gimli’s cries. "What is it, dwarf?" he asked urgently.

Gimli pointed down at the boat,which was beached on the river bed.Legolas immediately dropped down by the boat to
see if the elf was still alive. He touched it’s neck gently, then turned it over onto it’s back to see if it was still breathing.
The elf’s face was covered in soot, and on it’s torso a gash had stopped bleeding and was beginning to heal.

"She’s breathing." Legolas said. Gimli noticed the dress that the elf was wearing, indicating that she was in fact female.
Legolas lifted her out of the boat.

"What’s the trouble, Gimli?" Aragorn breathed. He’d just come running from the opposite direction.

Gimli indicated the elf now laying in Legolas’ arms, he’d knelt down and laid her on the ground carefully. "She’s
unconscious, but will awaken," Legolas said. Aragorn dropped to his knees next to the elf, and placed a hand on her
forehead. "Who is she?" he wondered.

"And what happened to her?" Gimli said.

Legolas picked her up again, and rose to his feet. "No answers shall we find now. Let us go back to the rest of the
Company and try to tend to her. It is clear that she’s been through something terrible," he said, as they started back
towards their camp.

"So near to the woods of Lothlorien. Maybe she is from there?"

Gimli shrugged, and struggled to keep up with the taller elf and Man. "She was in the boat when I discovered her. Who
knows how far she may have come from upstream."

They walked in silence until they reached the camp. The hobbits and the Wizard were settling in for the night, and
Boromir had built a large fire in the center of the camp. Frodo noticed Legolas carrying the strange, beaten elf in his arms
and went to assist.

"What is it?" he asked frantically. Bad things were almost promised to happen to Frodo and the Company on their
journey, as their trip through the Misty Mountains had proven.

Legolas gently laid the elf on the ground and Frodo knelt down beside him to attend to her.

"Where did you find her?" Frodo wanted to know.

"Gimli found her on his sweep by the river" Legolas replied. He had dipped a cloth into the water before they’d left the
riverbank, and was gently wiping her face clean of all the soot. "She looks like she’s been beaten pretty badly."

Frodo put his hand on her forehead. "By whom?" he asked.

"To that I have no answer" Legolas said, taking a look at the cut on her abdomen. He seemed to be hesitant to dress the
cut, finally just cleaning it with the wet cloth and then leaving the cloth there to cover it.

Underneath the soot the elf was pale. Her hair was sandy coloured, and it hung dirty and tangled down to middle of her
shoulders. As Legolas lifted her lids ever so gently to see if she was responsive at all, he revealed amber coloured eyes.

Legolas covered the elf with a blanket and settled down a little ways from her. Gandlaf came over to inspect the new
arrival.

"the Dwarf found her by the river?" he asked.

"Yes. In a boat on the riverbed, actually."

Gandalf frowned. "I wonder who she was running from..?"

Legolas sighed. "Only she can tell us, I’m afraid. And I’m not certain when she’ll awaken."

Gandalf waved his hand over the elf’s face, and closed his eyes. "It won’t be long" he said, then went back over to his
spot between Pippin and Merry.

The group settled down for the night. The stars hung low, and a small pleasant wind whistled through the leaves of the
towering trees. The fire died down, its embers glowing red before burning lower to cast a small glow over the campsite
and its occupants.

The wounded elf sat up with a start, wincing with the pain in her side. With the dim light of the fire, she looked frantically
around, her heart feeling like ice. There were nine figures scattered around the fire, one looked like a dwarf and four
looked like children. The other four were normal sized, and the one lying closest to her looked to be an elf, but she wasn’t
sure.

She scooted backwards, rustling the leaves and hitting her head on a tree. She let out a piercing scream, rousing
everyone around the fire. Frodo looked across the fire and saw the elf pulling at her hair wildly and screaming something
in the Elvish language. She was tangled in the blanket Legolas had placed over her, so it took her some time to get to her
feet, but when she had, she fell right down again.

Aragorn was first to reach her. He tried to touch her, but when he did, she curled up in a ball next to the tree and
started to scream again, the same words in Elvish, which nobody but Aragorn and Legolas could understand. Aragorn
tried to tell her in elvish that she was alright, to calm down, but she seemed afraid of him, and pressed herself ever more
against the tree.

Legolas had finally gotten to his feet and went to the girl elf, speaking to her in his soft voice in Elvish. She looked at him
and she stopped screaming, but continued to press herself into the tree, whimpering. Tears started slipping down her
face.

"Who are you?" Legolas asked in Elvish. She didn’t answer, just hid her face in her lap.

"Is she alright?" Frodo asked. Sam, Merry, and Pippin stood behind him as if afraid of the strange elf.

"I don’t know" Aragorn replied. Legolas was easing closer to the girl elf, he’d managed to place his hand on her knee,
taking her hand in his.

"Nobody is going to hurt you here, " he said to her again in Elvish. "We found you by the river in a boat. You’re hurt. We
just want to aid you."

She looked up, her tearstained face focused on Legolas. Her eyes locked with his, and for a moment there was complete
silence, as she stared at him, deciding whether or not he was telling the truth. His eyes were kind, she seemed drawn to
him. And so she spoke, in Elvish :

"Jairah."

Everyone heard her speak the one word. "is that your name?" Aragorn asked her in Elvish.

She replied, in the same tongue, not taking her eyes away from Legolas, "That is my name, Jairah. Who are you people?
You –" she said, pointing to Legolas with one of her mangled hands, "Who are you?".

Legolas’ eyes remained locked to Jairah’s. "My name is Legolas Greenleaf, my Lady. From Mirkwood." He remained knelt
next to her, her scraped up hand in his.

"These are my friends. The hobbits," he said, pointing to each one in turn, "Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo. And Gandalf
the Wizard, Gimli the Dwarf, and Boromir. And of course, Aragorn, here. He is a Ranger."

Jairah’s eyes surveyed the group. How odd for a whole group of such creatures to be gathered together.

Her thoughts were pulled away from her as Legolas tried to help her to stand. Her legs were shaky and she collapsed
under her weight. Legolas caught her and swept her up off her feet.

"Are your legs hurt, my Lady?" he asked in Elvish. Jairah lifted her skirt ever so slightly and revealed her lower legs,
marred with cuts and scratches.

"My legs…" she started. "One of my ankles is hurt badly. I cannot walk on it. I think I harmed it while I was running
away…. " she trailed off, and hid her face on Legolas’ shoulder and began to shake violently.

The gash on her abdomen had begun to bleed and Legolas pressed his hand over the cut. He set her down and began to
attend to the cut.

The rest of the group had settled down some, sitting around the fire and watching her.

Jairah winced as Legolas applied some pressure to the cut just below her breast. It had opened up in her madness, and it
was bleeding quite badly. She yelped as he withdrew his hand, and saw that it was covered with her dark Elvish blood.

"What happened to you, my Lady?" he asked gently.

Jairah looked at him but couldn’t answer. She took the hand that was covered with her blood and began to clean it with
the hem of her dress.

He pulled away. "No." he said. "Its alright. We just need to dress this cut, it will be alright." He motioned for Frodo to
come over.

"Frodo," he said, holding out his hand, "Give me your cloak."

Frodo obliged. Legolas took one of his knives out and quickly cut two strips off of the bottom. "Sorry, my friend," he said.
"I fear that I have made it shorter but I need the cloth."

Frodo just nodded, and looked again and the poor girl elf who was bleeding on the ground. She looked at him, her amber
eyes clouded with tears. Then she spoke :

"You bear the One Ring."

Frodo looked startled. First that he had understood what the elf had said, and second that she knew about the Ring.

"H-how do you know about the Ring?" he asked shakily, sitting down next to where Legolas was attending to her.

Legolas bade Jairah to sit up. With his help she managed to move to a sitting position, while he widened the rip in the
front of her dress so he could reach inside to wrap the strips of cloth around her body. She closed her eyes when he did
so, as if she was in pain. Tears seeped from her eyes as he withdrew his hands from inside the dress to tie the strips
together tightly, binding the wound closed.

"There, my Lady," he said. "That should make the bleeding stop." He sat back from her a little ways and she opened her
eyes and looked at him again. Their eyes locked. He found himself drowning in the amber pools that were staring him
down, and at once shook himself inside and broke the stare. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "You will
heal." He whispered, before getting up and going over to sit beside Aragorn.

Frodo still was staring at Jairah with wide eyes. She fixed her gaze on him now, and said again: "You bear the One Ring."

"Yes." Frodo replied. "But how did you know?"

"I saw you in a dream." She replied softly, looking down at her dirty hands. "I saw you with the One Ring. I did not
believe that my dreams were prophetic in any way before, but now I do believe."

"You saw me in a dream?" Frodo asked incredulously.

"Yes." Jairah said. "I saw you receive the ring. But that is all. I did not understand what it meant. I know the legend of
the Rings, as most of my kind do. But I did not understand why I was seeing you receive the Ring, I still do not. That is all
I know."

"We are on a quest to destroy this Ring." Frodo told her. "That is why we are here now, and it has been very hard."

Jairah wasn’t listening. She was gazing across the fire at Legolas, who was in conversation with Aragorn.

"Please, tell me, my Lady," Frodo interrupted her thoughts by saying, "How did you come to be in such a state?"

"Yes. Why were you in the boat on the river? And what harmed you?" Gimli spoke up for the first time.

Jairah closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"I ran away from some Orcs." She said. "I have been a prisoner of the Orcs since they abducted me from my family’s
home many years ago."

Everyone was silent. Orcs hated elves, and took pleasure in maiming, killing, and torturing them. They sometimes took
prisoners to use as slaves in their underground caves.

It was Gandalf who finally broke the silence. "What happened, my dear?"

Jairah took a deep breath. "It is too painful to disclose, sir," she said quietly. "Perhaps someday I will be able to tell the
entire tale. I will tell a small part. I was abducted along with my father. The Orcs killed him, but I was kept alive to be a
slave. I could not bear it and I fought my way free. I set their cave on fire, burning most of them. The ones who were not
burnt tried to capture me again, which is how I got this gash on my stomach. They held me down and beat me with their
clubs. I managed to grab hold of one of their swords and cut one of the Orcs legs off. And I ran, and ran, till I found a
boat by the riverbed, and I climbed in and paddled for my life. By the time they caught up to the river, I was too far
downstream for them to pursue me. I lost consciousness sometime after that." She trailed off, hugging herself close, and
wincing with pain from the cut in her side.

Frodo put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Lady Jairah, we will help you. We are not that far from Lothlorien. We will
take you there. Perhaps Lady Galadriel will be able to tell you of your dreams, and you may seek refuge there."

"Yes." Aragorn replied. "You are safe with us, Lady. Please do not fear."

One by one, the Company settled down for sleep again. Jairah sat huddled in her blanket, staring at the fire that had
grown large again. Legolas sat on the opposite side of the fire, looking at her. She seemed strangely familiar to him, as if
they'd met before, though he was certain that they had not. He had pushed the thought from his mind when a rustle and
a yelp came from Jairah, who was inspecting the cut in her side.

Legolas stepped over Gimli and went to sit next to her. "Best not to touch it, my Lady," he said.

He looked where she was touching, and blood had started to seep through, but it had appeared that the bleeding had
stopped. She took her hand away from the cut and pulled the blanket up around her. She looked at him, then up at the
sky. They sat for a moment in silence before she spoke.

"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo" she said in Elvish.

"A star shines on the hour of our meeting.." Legolas whispered, looking at her. She took her eyes away from the sky and
looked at him. "Yes." She said. Then she winced again, the pain in her side making her double over. Legolas put a hand on
her back.

"Why don’t you get some rest, my Lady?" he suggested.

She looked at him. "I am afraid, if I fall asleep, I will wake up unsafe." She shivered.

"No chance of that," Legolas said confidently. "There are nine of us to combat whatever comes this way. I assure you
that you are safe. " he smiled as she leaned down towards a laying position. She looked at him again, that deep, pulling
gaze, and then closed her eyes and laid her head down. He watched her as her breaths became even, indicating that she
was asleep before he settled down himself.

*****

At first light, Aragorn awoke and extinguished the fire. One by one the hobbits, Gandalf, Gimli, Boromir, and Legolas
awakened, but Jairah remained asleep. Frodo went over to her and shook her gently, and she opened her eyes slowly.

"It is time to go, my Lady" Frodo said.

Jairah sat up and looked around. Everyone was packing up. She made to stand up, but as she did the pain in her ankle,
though lessened, was still enough to make her yelp with pain. Legolas came to her aid and made her lean on him as a
crutch.

"She is not able to walk on it." He informed Aragorn.

"She may ride on Bill." Aragorn said hesitantly, for the small pony was not too strong.

Jairah read his thoughts. "No." She said. "I will walk on it. If we are not far from Lothorien, we must not also be far from
Nimrodel. Her waters will heal my ankle." She let go of Legolas and stood unsteadily at his side.

Aragorn looked doubtful. "Are you quite sure, my Lady? It is a long journey yet to Lothorien. It might be a day or two
before we reach Nimrodel."

Jairah looked at him strongly. "I will make do. I do not wish to slow your journey. I know the dangers that surround it."
With that, she started after the rest of the Company, leaving Legolas and Aragorn behind. Though limping, she kept up
with the Hobbits, towering over them with every step.

The Company walked for what seemed to be many hours when all of a sudden Jairah stopped suddenly. She didn’t move
or speak, just stood and looked into the trees. Legolas fell into step beside her and touched her shoulder.

"What is it, Lady Jairah?" he asked.

Jairah didn’t answer for a second. She looked off into the woods and to the sky.

"There is something near…" She said. "Something bad."

Frodo pulled out his sword, and it shone blue. Orcs.

"It’s Orcs" he said, panicking. "They must not be far."

Aragorn pulled out his sword. "Make ready, then. If they attack, we’ll be ready."

Jairah looked terrified. She turned to Legolas. "I won’t go back with them. They’ll have to kill me first."

"They’ll have to kill all of us first, Lady." He said comfortingly, touching her cheek.

"Everyone keep moving!" Aragorn ordered. "it is possible that they do not see us."

They walked in silence and caution, until an arrow flew from the sky and landed in front of Pippin.

"Augh!" he cried, jumping back. Arrows started to come in full force from the left, and then a burst of three orcs came
out of the trees, screeching.

Aragorn met one and started to battle it. Boromir had another, and the third went to Gimli, who chopped at it with his
Axe. Legolas loaded his bow with an arrow and shot it dead with an arrow in a second. Seconds after that he’d shot the
one battling with Boromir. Aragorn had slain the Orc he was fighting and stood knocking arrows out of the sky with his
sword.

"There are more!" Jairah cried, pointing to the trees, where a crowd of Orcs was coming their way.

More orcs came through the trees, and the Company fought them as best they could. Jairah tried to stay out of the
way, for she had no weapon and was terrified of them.

Legolas was fighting off one when Jairah felt ice hit her heart. She looked up and saw an Orc aiming a large arrow in a
bow at Legolas.

"Legolas!" she screeched, and jumped and knocked him away from the arrow. It landed next to them on the ground with
a thonk.

For a split second their eyes locked when another arrow hit Jairah square in the back and she screamed. Legolas’ eyes
widened, and he went to pull it out when another Orc came from behind him. Jairah grabbed one of the long knives
Legolas carried and shoved it directly in his chest, killing him, then went limp in Legolas’ arms.

Quickly, Legolas lifted Jairah off of him and set her next to a tree. The Orc that had shot her was reloading his bow yet
again, and Legolas took aim fast and shot it straight through the forehead. He shot four more on their way down and the
ones that had already made it down were being slain by the Company. Finally there were no more Orcs left.

Taking a deep gulp of air, Aragorn looked around at all the dead Orcs. "Is anyone harmed?" he asked urgently.

Legolas had returned to Jairah’s side. She was breathing heavily and was sweating. She looked at him with tears in her
eyes, but did not speak.

"She’s hurt." Legolas called out to Aragorn, who came quickly to inspect. Legolas stroked her hair.

"Let us see," Aragorn said, and Legolas gently leaned Jairah forward, revealing the arrow that had pierced her back.
Aragorn grimaced. Jairah looked at him, then at Legolas again, tears slipping down her face, before falling into
unconsciousness.

"She saved my life," Legolas said softly. "An arrow was going to strike me, she pushed me out of the way. Then she was
struck, and she managed to kill an orc."

"It is an orc arrow, my friend. She will surely be poisoned, for she is an elf. Orc arrows always hold poison for elves."

Legolas pulled the arrow out of Jairah’s back, blood trickling out of the wound, but stopping.

"We must get to Lothorien quickly. Only there can she be helped." Aragorn said. "Come! Let us ride."

Legolas picked up Jairah. "Bill may carry her," Aragorn said.

Legolas shook his head. "I will carry her. I owe her my life."

With that, they started on their way again, not stopping for rest. When they had reached Nimrodel, Legolas bathed
Jairah’s wounds with the magic water, but she still did not awaken.

High up in the trees of Lothorien, where the secret Elven city was, Elf maids tried to take Jairah from Legolas, but he
wouldn’t hear of it, taking her himself to a room where she was put into bed and attended to. He was reluctant to leave
her, but was bade to by Lady Galadriel, who was meeting with all of the Company, with messages for all.

Galadriel was told of the fight with the Orcs, and Jairah’s incredible courage.

"The cure for a wound from an Orc arrow, for an elf, is only that of the blood of another elf." She told them, sorrowfully.
"This poor creature will die without it."

Legolas stepped up. "I will give my blood," he said to Galadriel. "She took the arrow in my stead. She took it saving my
life."

"In giving your blood, you show immense care and love for this creature," Galadriel said to Legolas. "She will be in your
debt, and your souls will be forever intertwined."

"It is I who am in debt to her." Legolas said.

Galadriel smiled. And then she said something to Legolas that he almost didn’t believe that he’d heard:

"Love is the greatest adventure of all."

Legolas looked at her in disbelief.

"Do not looked so surprised, Legolas. Your heart has been forever set on battle and adventure. Now you have the
chance to embark on another adventure. Just as your mother told you. But someday you will have to choose which
adventure you wish to continue on."

With that, Galadriel left.

Legolas stayed where he was for awhile. Did he love Jairah? How could he? When he thought of her dying, it sickened
him. But that did not mean that he loved her.

He went to the room, where she slept still. He sat down next to her bedside and took one of her hands. As he did, a small
shock passed through him. He sat and watched her sleep untill two small elf maidens came in.

"It is time" one of them said. "are you ready?"

"Tell me what I need do." He replied.

The elf-maiden bade him to sit on the side of the bed, while the other gently turned Jairah over, exposing the
arrow-wound in her back. Legolas took off his cloak, and was made to roll up his sleeve, showing his forearm. The
elf-maiden produced a long silver dagger, and Legolas braced himself as she cut into his elf-flesh, guiding his arm over
the wound in Jairah’s back, his blood dripping onto the wound. It began to bubble and then the wound quickly closed.
Jairah was turned over onto her back again, and the Elf-Maiden released Legolas after applying a small bandage to the
wound she’d made in his arm.

Jairah’s body began to writhe on the bed. Small cries were coming from her lips, and she began to sweat. The other
elf-maiden wiped her forehead with a damp towel, and then Jairah’s body ceased to move.

"She will sleep now, for a long while. Someone must stay with her at all times."

"I will do it." Legolas said. He still sat on the bed next to her, and he reached over with his good arm and stroked her
forehead. "She will be alright?" he asked.

"Yes." The elf-maiden said. "All the poison is now gone from her body." Then the Elf-Maidens left the room leaving Legolas
with Jairah.

For long hours Jairah slept. Members of the Company came to see how she was, but Legolas never left her side. He slept
in the bed beside her, with her hand in his, for he was weary from the journey as well.

 ******

Sometime while they both slept, Legolas began to dream.

He was back in his homeland of Mirkwood, walking quickly into the thick of the woodlands that encased the area. He was
running after something, a flash of light, as it seemed. He did not know why he was running after it, because he was in
Mirkwood and he had not been there in so long. He stopped to catch his breath.

The flash of light he’d been trying to catch began to grow brighter, as though it was coming near to him. He stood back
as it came closer and closer, until he saw that it was not a flash of light. It was Jairah, dressed in a cream coloured gown,
her fair hair gleaming. His breath caught in his throat, he had not ever seen anything so beautiful, save the Lady
Galadriel.

She stopped just short of arm distance from him and fixed her gaze on him. That same gaze, the one that made him feel
as if he were going to drown, and the one that made him feel as though he knew her very well, though he knew he did
not.

It seemed for hours they stood, looking at each other, while the sky grew dark and the stars sprang out, glittering
against the fierce night. Then Jairah moved towards him, her hand outstretched, and touched his cheek silently, and for
the first time, smiled at him. Her hand moved to his hair, smoothing it down on once side, her fingers lingering in the
strands, and he felt his heart pounding in his chest.

She retracted her hand to her side, and looked up at the sky.

"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo" She said, her eyes shining as she returned her gaze to him.

"A star shines on the hour of our meeting." Legolas whispered, locking eyes with her.

She smiled again. Then, ever so gently, she placed a kiss on his cheek. As she was moving away again, he caught her
face in his hands and kissed her on the lips softly.

As they parted, several seconds later, and he pressed his forehead to hers, he felt his heart thumping wildly. "it is love…
" he thought, bewildered and ecstatic at the same time.

Barely had he time to get used to the idea of his love for this woman in his arms, when he heard a sickening THWACK and
the sound of cracking flesh. Jairah was sinking to the ground, an axe wielded in the small of her back, her mouth fixed in a
silent scream.

"No!" he yelled, grasping her arms and pulling her into his embrace. "No!"

He looked beyond her and saw a figure disappearing into the shadows. He had not time to pull his bow and arrow, but
then he discovered that he was not wearing it.

Jairah was dying fast in his arms. He could do nothing but cry as her life slipped further and further from him.

*****

Legolas sat up in the bed, roused by his dream, in a panic. Breathing fast, he turned to where Jairah still slept beside him,
and sighed. She was alive, she was breathing, and she was asleep next to him still. It was only a dream. Relief washed
over him.

How frightening the dream had been! Though it had revealed that he, Legolas, did in fact love the pretty elf-girl, he could
not shake how real it had all seemed. He did not scare easily.

The night was still long from over, and tiredly Legolas sank back onto the pillows next to Jairah, gathering her to him. She
let out a small cry, but did not awaken. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and nestled back to sleep, comforted by the
fact that she was breathing in his arms.

******

With her head against Legolas’ heart, Jairah slumbered still. She began to dream. She was in Lothlorien, walking amongst
the golden trees. She had always heard stories about this wood, but had never seen it and now it was almost too
beautiful to behold. Wearing a ocean-blue dress, her hair swept back and a headband of silver in her long blondish hair,
she kept walking.

She wandered for a short while when she saw a blonde figure standing with its back to her. She approached the figure
and put her hand on its shoulder. It was Legolas.

He turned and smiled at her. She felt her heart soar. He took her hand from his shoulder and kissed it, then let it drop to
her side. He took her face in one of his hands, gently, and stroked her cheek.

They did not move or speak for minutes. They stared into eachother eyes, frozen in the other’s gaze. Then Legolas let
her go, took her hand, and they began to walk.

Like with so many other dreams that she’d had, Jairah knew she was dreaming. It was something she’d never quite
understood. When she was with the Orcs those many years, dreams were her only solace, and she knew she was
dreaming because she knew what horrors awaited her when she awoke.

They kept walking, through the pretty golden woods. They had reached the outskirts, close to Nimrodel; she could hear
the soft roar of the water. Legolas stopped, and walked further ahead of her.

Suddenly it turned dark and Jairah fell backwards. She looked behind her and saw the small hobbit, Frodo, being
beckoned to follow who could only be the Lady Galadriel, for she was a glowing and beautiful creature.

Curious as she was, she did not follow them. She turned back to where Legolas had left, and went towards him.

He was standing next to the edge of the waters of Nimrodel, looking up towards the night sky. She went behind him and
touched his shoulder again, and he turned.

"Your alive…" he said quietly. "I had this horrible dream where you died, right in my arms."

She looked at him. "But it was only a dream, Legolas," she said softly. "Just like this is a dream."

Legolas frowned. "This is a dream? But we are in Lothlorien." He said, gesturing around himself.

"Yes. We are here." She said, taking his hands. "But we are inside a dream."

He pulled her close to him, she could hear his heart beating. "Dream or no, I do not want it to stop." He leaned down and
kissed her gently. His kiss felt so familiar, like something she’d experienced before.

There was a bright flash of light, and then Jairah opened her eyes. Slowly, the room around her came into focus. She was
in some lovely room, and outside were the golden trees of Lothlorien. The morning light shone in, hurting her eyes.

She buried her face in her pillow, or what she thought was her pillow. It was rising and falling as someone was
breathing… it was Legolas. Her head was resting on his chest, just above his heart, and she could hear it beating firmly
in her ear. His arms were drawn tightly around her.

She moved ever so slightly, so that her head was back on her pillow, and she gazed upon him sleeping next to her. She
reached up with one hand and slowly traced his cheekbone with a small finger. Again she felt the feeling as if she knew
him, and that all this was very familiar to her.

He stirred, feeling her touching his cheek. He furrowed his brow slightly, coming round and finally opening his crystal-blue
eyes. She pulled back her hand and dropped it to her side. She stared at him, wide-eyed and perfectly still, as he woke
up completely.

 *****

She was awake. Her pretty amber eyes were fixed on him as he came round, and he looked at her and smiled.

"Jairah," he said softly. She had lain her head back on her pillow and was just quietly gazing at him, with that familiar
glance of hers.

He reached to stroke her hair. She smiled as he touched her, and closed her eyes. He leaned forward after retracting his
hand and kissed her on the lips, softly.

Jairah returned the kiss, and as they broke apart she spoke.

"Legolas," she said, barely above a whisper, as she caught her breath.

"Shhh…" he said, putting a finger to her lips. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"You were sick," he said, tracing a finger over her forehead after removing his lips. "An Orc arrow poisoned you on our
way here, to Lothlorien. They healed you here and I…" he trailed off.

"You gave me your blood…" Jairah said quietly. " I know. I would have died without it."

Legolas gently let her out his grasp and sat up in the bed. "How did you know?" he asked softly, watching her as she
pushed herself up to a sitting position, her long hair falling over her shoulder. The elven-maidens had put her in a
sleeveless white nightgown, and her pale skin was now glowing with health and strength.

Jairah said nothing, but took his hand in hers. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you." She bent and kissed his hand.

It was a quiet moment, as the two sat looking at eachother, each feeling as though this moment had happened before,
or that they knew eachother in some intimate way, though they knew that it had not.

It was Legolas who broke the silence.

"Jairah," he said, reverting to his own tongue, the language of the Grey elves of the wood. "Since we found you, I have
had this feeling… this feeling that I have met you before, though I know I have not. I can not make sense of it. Then I
had this dream about you, which you died in my arms. And I awoke afraid that you were truly dead. And as you lay
there, sleeping peacefully, I experienced a feeling as I have never before. It was love, Jairah. I think that I love you." He
looked up at her, tears sparkling in his eyes. "I have never been in love before, Jairah."

Jairah was crying as well, for her heart did not believe what she heard. "Legolas," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I
have known such suffering in my life, such as you cannot imagine. While I was with the Orcs, my only solace was that of
my dreams." She stopped suddenly, as if what she were about to say was too painful. Legolas took her arm.

"You say that you feel as though you’ve met me before, though you are sure you have not. I feel the same way, and
only now I realize where I know you from, Legolas. You were in those dreams. I have dreamt of you for many years." She
looked at him, the tears spilling down her face.

Legolas took a hand and wiped her eyes. "Jairah, no," he whispered. He took her in his arms. "Why do you cry, my love?"
The word ‘love’ sent a shock of lighting to his heart.

Jairah smiled. "Because I am happy. I have not been happy for years. And it feels very strange to me."

Legolas kissed the top of her head. "Love is a strange feeling to the both of us. But we will both have to get used to it,
yes? I’m not about to let it go away."

They shared another small kiss before the door was pushed open and all four hobbits spilled into the room, falling over
eachother.

"See! I told you!" said Pippin, pointing at the two elves, still sitting in the bed. "She’s awake!"

"That will do, Master Took!" came the voice of Gandalf, who strode into the room with his staff in hand, yanking Pippin by
the ear and pulling him out of the room again. He winked at Legolas as he left the room, the hobbit dangling and kicking in
his hand, with Merry and Sam following.

Frodo came over by Jairah and sat down on the edge of the bed. "We were very worried about you, Lady Jairah. You
slept for quite some time."

Jairah smiled and took Frodo’s small hand. "Thank you, Master Frodo. Your concern is appreciated."

Frodo blushed a little. "You look quite a lot better than when we brought you here," he said, squirming. "As do you, my
friend." He said to Legolas, who was drawing up his legs on the other side of the bed.

"I feel much better," Legolas said. He rose from the bed and leaned to kiss Jairah on top of the head. He went to look out
the window. "Ah! Such a lovely day in Lothlorien."

He was about to say something else with Aragorn entered the room. "My friend," he said to Legolas. "You are awake at
last. We have much to discuss." He looked over to the bed where Jairah and Frodo were sitting and he smiled. "My Lady,"
he said. "You look radiant and well. You gave us quite a scare."

"For that, I apologize." Jairah replied. Aragorn came over to where she sat and placed a hand on her forehead.

"My heart is glad to see you healed," he said, and smiled. He then walked towards the door.

"When you are ready, the Lady Galadriel wishes to hold council with you." He informed her, then went out.

Legolas came round by Jairah and Frodo, and placed another kiss on her head. "I must go speak with Aragorn." He said,
putting his cloak on. He lingered at the door for a moment, his eyes on Jairah, and then went out.

"I must be going too, my Lady," Frodo said, getting up from where he sat. "We will see you later, at the banquet. You
must be terribly hungry, for you have not eaten since we found you!" He patted her hand and then took leave of her.

The same two Elf-Maidens, who had attended to Jairah before, came in some time after Frodo had left, and made Jairah
get out of bed. They undressed her and inspected where the arrow wound had been on her back, it was completely
healed, free of poison. The only trace that remained was a faint scar, right in between her shoulder blades. The other
wounds that she had sustained were gone, healed when Legolas had bathed them in Nimrodel.

After the Elf-Maidens had bathed her, they dressed her in a beautiful blue gown, trimmed in glittering stones, and
combed out her long blonde hair and pulled it away from her face, leaving longer ringlets cascading down her back.

Then she was told to go down into the woods of Lothlorien, where the Lady Galadriel would come for her.

She walked around the wood, like in her dream. There were many sculptures that she found beautiful, and she stood and
stared at them for a long time. The golden trees were a comfort to her, and she hopped up in one from time to time.
There had been no trees in the Orc’s underground caves.

There was a rustle behind her, and she turned around to see the Lady Galadriel, just like in her dream. The lady had a
glow around her, she was dressed in a beautiful white gown and was barefoot.

"Lady Jairah," Galadriel said in a deep voice. "Welcome to Lothlorien, my home."

Jairah’s voice was caught in her throat. As a child she had heard about the Lord and Lady of the Enchanted Wood of
Lothlorien. Now as the Lady Galadriel was standing not a few feet from her, she found herself in complete awe, and all
she could do was bow her head silently in thanks.

As she raised her eyes again, Galadriel was beckoning her to follow. Jairah was reminded of her dream, where Frodo was
following Galadriel, and realized that they were in the exact same spot.

She followed Galadriel into a small thicket of trees, and down some earthen stairs into a small rounded area. A stone
pillar stood in the middle of the area, and a waterfall was in the wall behind it. Galadriel stood next to the waterfall, filling
up a silver pitcher with its water, and walking towards the stone pillar. She held onto the pitcher, and spoke without
moving her mouth.

"Jairah." She said. "What danger you have stumbled into, and what does that danger hold for you?"

Jairah could only look at Galadriel, who had her icy gaze fixed on her.

"Are you brave enough to look into the mirror?" Galadriel said, speaking to Jairah.

Jairah nodded, but in her heart was afraid.

"Then step up here," Galadriel motioned toward the pillar. She filled a small dish inside the pillar with the water from the
pitcher.

Galadriel watched Jairah’s every motion as she stepped up to the small bowl in the pillar.

Before she looked into the bowl, Jairah asked in her mind, "What will the mirror show me?"

She heard Galadriel’s voice in her head: "Things that are. Things that were, and possibly some things that could be."

Jairah looked at Galadriel, but Galadriel just looked right back at her. With fear in her heart, she turned her eyes to the
water in the bowl.

At first, nothing showed in the clear water. But as Jairah continued to stare into the bowl, the image of Legolas came
into view. He was dressed in sky blue, his bow and arrow were not on his back. And then she saw herself, dressed also in
a deeper blue, and her hair was flying behind her. They were in standing on the steps of a great pearl-white building,
holding hands and smiling at eachother. The picture grew wider and around them she saw Aragorn, wearing a crown,
standing with an Elven-Maid with dark hair, behind Legolas, and the four hobbits, two on either side, behind them as well.
Gandalf the wizard was standing next to Legolas and Jairah, behind where they held hands. He was dressed nicely, and
did not look travel weary. In fact, the whole of the Company, minus Boromir, was present, and looked healthy and happy.

Jairah heard in her head "Gondor." She looked again at the bowl, and she and Legolas were kissing as Gandalf finished
reciting something a foreign tongue. They were getting married, Jairah realized. She wanted to reach out and touch the
water but dared not. She felt a great happiness deep inside her.

Then suddenly the picture changed. She saw herself, travelling with the Company. She saw herself and Frodo encased in
some place that was dripping with molten lava. The happiness diminished, and was replaced by fear. She was leading
Frodo into a mountain, it seemed. She screamed at the sight of a huge red eye.

The picture changed again, revealing Legolas fighting some sort of beast, the whole of the company fighting off Orcs, and
then Legolas was shot with an arrow straight through the heart.

"No!" Jairah screamed. She could not pull away from the images on the water.

She saw the hobbits all taken captive, their homes burnt to the ground, and the destruction of all things beautiful. All
elves were killed. The dark lord had gotten his ring, and things were completely in chaos.

It was too much to bear. She reached into the stone pillar and pushed over the water in the bowl, her heart aching. She
fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Galadriel came over and placed a hand on her head.

"I know what you saw, for it is in my mind as well. Do you know what you must do?"

Jairah looked up at her, tears falling from her eyes. "But why must it be me? Why can I not stay here and wait for him to
return? I do not believe my heart is strong enough to do this, my Lady."

"You are true, and you are strong beyond your knowledge. You share the blood of the one you love, and you are bound
to him. You have been destined for this." She gently wiped a tear from Jairah’s cheek. "You were gifted with The Sight
for this reason."

"The Sight? My dreams?"

Galadriel smiled. "Your dreams. You saw the hobbit Frodo receive the ring, because you are gifted with the Sight. This is
your destiny, to help him. And as for Legolas, your dreams of him also bind you to this fate. You were destined to love
him, as he was destined to find you. He has dreamt of you as well, though he does not remember. This whole ordeal was
preordained. All elves are born with a destiny. Should you choose to accept your destiny, now is the question."

Jairah, sat on the soft mossy ground, taking it all in.

"But my Lady," she countered again. "My dreams cannot protect me, nor will it protect the small hobbit. You say that I
am stronger than I know, but if I do not know how will I be able to protect myself, how can I choose to accept my
destiny?"

Lady Galadriel only smiled again. "Your answers will come to you in time." She kissed the top of Jairah’s head, then
magically vanished.

Jairah sat on the ground beside the pillar for a long time and let herself sob. She did not want to leave the woods of
Lothlorien, she did not want any more pain and suffering.

She heard a noise behind her and stood up quickly, on her guard.

"Who’s there?" she called out shakily. She wiped her eyes hastily, she did not want anyone to know that she had been
crying.

Frodo stepped forward out of the shadows.

"Forgive me, Lady Jairah." He said, coming up to her. "I have been watching you for a short while, and I could not bear
you crying anymore. Please, tell me what is troubling you."

Jairah smiled in spite of her tears. She placed a hand on the hobbit’s head.

"Dear hobbit," she said. "Please, do not worry your heart about me. You have more pressing matters to attend to." She
started to walk away when Frodo grabbed her hand.

"I know you looked in the mirror, Jairah." He said urgently. "Please, will you tell me what you saw? For, I, too, have looked
into the mirror."

Jairah stopped and looked down at Frodo. "I know…" she whispered. "I know you have looked into the mirror. I cannot
tell you what I saw, for it is too near to my heart. Perhaps someday…" She knelt down so she was eye to eye with him.

"I can tell you this though, my friend," She said, taking his hand again. "I will go with you, to complete this task that has
burdened your heart. We will take that ring and destroy it." She kissed the top of his head, then rose to her feet.

Frodo looked up at her, speechless. She looked back, then started to walk away.

"Lady Jairah?" he called after her.

"Yes?"

Frodo came up beside her again. "They are waiting for us. There is a banquet set out for us."

Jairah smiled at him briefly as she looked up at the great sky through the trees. It was growing dark again, and the stars
were starting to peek out.

"Yes." She replied. "I suppose we should attend. I do admit that I find myself very hungry."

She took Frodo’s hand and together they walked to the banquet, which was set up in the middle of Lothlorien, lights
strung around the area. Food was laid out on a long table, and already Merry, Pippin, and Sam were devouring fruit. Gimli
sat also, with Boromir and Aragorn, drinking mightily from a goblet. Legolas sat at the end of the table, appearing deep in
thought when he looked up to see Jairah and Frodo approaching.

Frodo went to sit with Gandalf, who was watching the other hobbits in amusement.

Jairah started to take a seat, next to Legolas, when an image of what she saw in the mirror, the one of him getting shot
with an arrow, flashed in her mind. She yelped, and grabbed her head as she fell to the floor.

A hush fell over the table. Legolas was on his feet at once and at her side.

"Jairah," he whispered. He tried to help her to her feet but she pushed him aside.

"No!" she said, getting to her feet. "I am alright." She looked around the table as everyone was looking at her. She
remembered what she saw in the mirror, and at once took off running towards her room.

Legolas began to follow, but Frodo spoke up.

"No, Legolas." He said. "Let her be for a moment."

Legolas looked at Frodo suspiciously. "What has happened to her? What did the Lady Galadriel say to her?"

Frodo could only shake his head. "I do not know. But I think it might be wise to let her be."

Legolas stood still, watching where Jairah had run off to, while Frodo went back to the table.

Jairah reached her room, and shut the door behind her carefully. The room was dark, and so she quickly illuminated it
with the candles that were many in the room. Then she lay down on the bed, cradling her head in her hands.

She heard Galadriel’s voice in her head. "You are bound to him, by his blood." "You are stronger beyond what you
know…"

Jairah stood up and saw a bow and a quiver of arrows sitting against the wall. Legolas had not worn it down to the
banquet. She went over to the bow and picked it up. She strung it up, and held it out. It felt familiar in her hands. She
stooped and picked a single arrow out of the quiver, and fitted it into the bow. It was as if she’d done it before, as she
took aim at a tree far off in the distance outside the window. A leaf fell out of the tree and she shot the arrow and it hit
the tree, pinning the leaf to the trunk.

She dropped the bow to the floor, and backed up away from it. She slunk down against the wall and sat looking at the
bow, lying on the floor. She closed her eyes, and put her head in her hands again, thinking deeply.

Legolas was running up the stairs to the room Jairah was in. He’d waited a few moments, taking Frodo’s advice, but then
could not wait any longer. He ran with his fast Elven speed, reaching the door to the room. He walked slowly towards the
door, listening with his keen ears for any sounds in the room.

Nothing. He pushed open the door quickly and looked around. She was nowhere to be found, it seemed. On the floor
underneath the window was his bow, strung up. He picked it up curiously, and then noticed Jairah, sitting on the floor
opposite where it had been laying, her head in her hands.

He put the bow down and went to her, kneeling next to her. "Jairah." He whispered, kissing her temple.

She took her hands away from her face. "Legolas." She said, looking at him. She took her hands and placed them on his
cheeks. "Legolas… do you love me? You said you felt love, but do you know it in your heart that you love me?"

Legolas looked at her, dumbfounded. "Yes, Jairah." He said, putting his hands over hers on his cheeks, moving them down
so he could hold them. "Yes."

Jairah looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. She pulled her hands out of his grasp and leaned forward and snatched
one of the long knives that Legolas carried. With one swift fluid motion, she’d turned his palm up, and slashed it with the
knife.

Legolas cried out in pain. "Jairah, what are you…" he stopped as he watched her inspect the cut on his hand, and then
slash her own palm open.

"I am bound to you, Legolas, by your blood. But you are not bound to me." She took his hand, which was bleeding
profusely, and grasped it in her own wounded hand.

Legolas’ eyes widened as he looked at Jairah, who was staring right back at him, their hands clenched together. He felt a
tingling sensation where their hands were clasped and he knew it was the wounds closing, their blood mixing.

Jairah was still staring at Legolas when she let go of his hand and threw herself in to his arms.

He didn’t know how to react. Bewildered, he let his arms encircle her, his hands went into her hair, pulling his fingers
through the length of it. Her body was shaking, wracked with sobs.

"Shhh." he tried to comfort her, but her body kept convulsing in his arms, her breath coming in gasps. She pulled away
from him and looked at him, her pale face streaming with tears. She looked at him for a moment, sobbing, before she took
his hand, the one that she’d cut open, and kissed it repeatedly.

"I cannot bear to lose you, Legolas." He heard her whisper. "I do not wish for more pain and suffering."

He had put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arms length. "Jairah," he said, taking her chin in his hand, "Of what
do you speak of?"

Jairah looked at him sadly. "Destiny," she whispered, taking his hand in hers again. "It is of destiny that I speak. Fate. Of
my fate. Of yours. And of ours."

Legolas did not understand. "Jairah, I do not understand." He said. "Did Lady Galadriel upset you in some way? Of what
did she speak?"

Jairah pulled herself out of his arms and rose to her feet. She walked over to where Legolas’ bow was lying, still strung
up, on the bed. She picked it up, and scooped an arrow out of the quiver.

Legolas had gotten to his feet as well. "Love," he said, "what are you doing?"

Jairah uttered not a word. Instead, she moved over to where a bowl of fruit was sitting on a table under another
window, and chose a fat apple. Then she walked over to Legolas and placed it in his hand, and took his other and led him
to the window.

"When I say to, throw the apple out of the window, as far as you might." She instructed him, as she fitted the arrow into
the bow.

It was pitch black outside of the window, and Legolas looked at the apple doubtfully. He could throw quite far and even
with her elven-vision, Jairah would not be able to see it to hit it. He did not even believe that she knew how to use a bow
and arrow, though he didn’t know for sure. He realized that there was much he didn’t know about her.

Jairah was looking at him. Then she raised his bow, and took aim. Without looking at him, or speaking, he heard her say
"now!" and he threw the apple out of the window into the night.

He barely heard the arrow leave the bow, but as he looked out of the window, he heard the sound of the fruit cracking in
mid-air, and the thwack of the arrow as it struck a tree trunk far off.

He turned his head to Jairah, who was breathing fast, and had dropped the bow. It clattered to the floor.

Neither spoke for what seemed like hours. Jairah sat down on the bed, and put her head in her hands.

"Do you see what this means, Legolas?" she said quietly, sadly. "I have to continue on with the Fellowship, on the
journey to Mordor."

Legolas felt his heart turn to ice. He did not wish for her to go with them, he did not want her put in danger.

"No, Jairah," he said, sitting next to her. "I cannot let you."

Jairah looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "You do not have the choice." She said sorrowfully. "It is my destiny.
Just as it is yours. That is what the Lady Galadriel spoke to me. It is what her mirror revealed to me."

Legolas put his head in his hands. "I would spare you from this danger, my love." He said. "I would have you stay here,
and wait for me to return."

"But it is not to be." Jairah said, looking at her hands. "It is what I would wish as well. But it is not to be. And I am
frightened, Legolas. Frightened beyond all knowledge."

Legolas said nothing.

"This is my destiny. To help Frodo, the Fellowship. But it was also my destiny to love you." Jairah said quietly. "Just as it
was yours to love me. I know why you feel as if you have met me before. It is because you have dreamt of me, like I
have dreamt of you. But you do not remember. This is what Galadriel told me. We were destined for one another."

Legolas looked up at Jairah, tears forming in his eyes.

"I would save you from all this…" he whispered, taking her hand. "But you must do what your heart tells you." He took
her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.

"A day will come, Legolas," Jairah said softly, "when suffering and peril will not mar our lives. But we must fight to make
that day true."

She pulled him down with her as she lay down on the bed, resting her head on his chest. No more words were spoken, as
they both fell asleep, their minds beset with thoughts that they dared not speak.

The next morning, they rose and met with the Company. Aragorn and Boromir informed them that Gandalf had
mysteriously disappeared, which made the hearts of the Company heavy.

"We must continue on," Aragorn said. "Gandalf would have wished it so."

Frodo looked troubled, and Jairah noticed he kept glancing nervously at Boromir.

Jairah pulled her gaze away from Frodo. "I will be going." She announced to Aragorn.

Aragorn frowned. "No, Lady Jairah. I cannot allow you to put yourself in this sort of danger."

Jairah looked at him confidently. "I am aware of the danger I put myself in. I will go."

Aragorn started to protest, but Legolas spoke up.

"She will go, Aragorn." He said, his head cast down.

"My friend," Aragorn replied, taking him aside. "I realize that you have feelings for her, but you must agree that it is not
a very wise decision. She cannot protect herself, and she will only get in the way."

Legolas looked at him squarely. "She is most capable of protecting herself, and Frodo. You must trust me when I say this,
but do not ask me how I know, for I could not tell you. But she is more than she appears."

Aragorn frowned again, looking at Legolas. He believed him.

"Then let her come," he said, walking back to the rest of the Company. "Jairah will join us. We will set out at sunset."

Before sundown, the Company held council with Lady Galadriel. They were given gifts of cloaks, and weapons. To Legolas
she gave a new bow. As she placed it in his hands, he heard her speak to him in his head, that the bow had been strung
with the hair of Jairah, and that it would be fast and true.

"Your blood is her blood, and her blood is yours," he heard. "it binds you. Together you will be very strong. But be always
on your guard."

He bowed to her, and she moved on to Jairah, who was standing next to him.

Jairah received the old bow of Legolas. "Because it belonged to your lover, it will serve you well. And do not forget that
you two are bound, by blood. You share eachother strengths. You have power beyond your knowledge, but you must
learn to grasp it."

Jairah bowed to the Lady, then stepped back as she presented to Frodo the Light of Earendil, the most beloved star of
the Elves.

Then they left the Golden Wood. Jairah was very sad to leave it, and hoped that she would one-day return. They set sail
on the river.

Jairah sat in the boat with Legolas and Gimli, pondering what Galadriel had told her. Power beyond her knowledge. The
only power she knew of was her dreams, and her ability with the bow, which she suspected she had acquired through
the blood of Legolas. She wondered if he had received her gift of the Sight.

They had been sailing for sometime when Jairah fell asleep. She was sitting behind Legolas, while Gimli was in the front.

She dreamt of the trees, the riverbanks. Blurs of trees went past, she felt as if she was running. Then a flash in her
head, she saw something large and vicious running in the woods. She awoke with a gasp.

Quickly she turned her head to the banks, she saw nothing. But her heart was not at rest, she could not shake the
feeling that something was coming. She said nothing.

At last, they stopped sailing and made to camp for the night. Legolas stood off looking into the trees as the rest of the
Company pulled the boats ashore, and started to make Camp.

Jairah stood assisting Sam, who was pulling pots and pans out of his pack, when she looked up and saw Legolas looking
off into the trees.

Aragorn went to speak with him. Jairah did not listen to what they were saying, though Legolas looked troubled. Jairah
felt it also, as if something dangerous was approaching, nearer to them by the second. She looked off into the trees,
then towards the river.

Then Sam cried that Frodo was missing. The small hobbit had wandered off, perhaps to ponder his heavy heart, and the
task upon it.

They all split up, looking for Frodo. Jairah followed Legolas and Gimli, and they walked for what seemed like hours, and
found nothing.

They had stopped to rest for a moment, when both Legolas and Jairah turned towards the east. They heard footsteps,
heavy and speedy.

"Something is coming," Jairah said. "I saw it before. It is Sauron’s forces."

Legolas looked troubled, wide-eyed. "We must find the others!"

They took off running towards where they had all parted company. But they were stopped mid-way, when there was a
snapping noise, the sound of twigs being trodden on.

Legolas stopped fast, and drew his bow. Jairah did the same, and Gimli readied his axe.

A burst of Orc’s came out of the brush, angry and many. Jairah felt fear go through her heart for a split second, then
shot her arrow into the eye of one, making it fall.

The three began fighting them off, Legolas and Jairah shooting as many as they could, and Gimli chopping away at them.

In the distance they heard a horn sound. "The Horn of Gondor!" Legolas cried, and shot another Orc as he struggled to
hear what direction it was coming from. It sounded again, and as Jairah had run out of arrows, she had pulled an Orc
sword off of a fallen Orc and was now fighting with all her might. She had never used a sword before, but she was having
no trouble. Legolas looked at her quickly and was amazed. She had slain several Orcs, and their numbers were thinning.

The Horn of Gondor cried again, and Jairah yelled as she slashed the head off her final Orc, spinning as she did so, then
she called to Legolas. "It is coming from the west!"

Legolas heeded her word, and they began to run towards the wailing of the horn. Gimli was following behind.

Jairah had run in front of Legolas, when the image of Frodo and Mordor came into her head. This time she did not drop,
only screeched to a halt. Legolas stopped behind her.

"What is it, Jairah??" he asked urgently, looking past her towards where the horn’s cry had come, though it had now
ceased.

She looked at him. "I must go find Frodo." She said. She took his hand in hers. "Listen to me, Legolas, for there isn’t much
time. Go after Boromir, find Aragorn. I must go find Frodo!"

Legolas looked at her in bewilderment. "I don’t understand…" he said.

"There isn’t time!" Jairah said again. "I must go!" She kissed him on the lips quickly, ran a hand over his cheek, then
turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Legolas didn’t have time to process what had happened. He took off running towards where he had heard the horn.

Jairah ran, not stopping for breath, until she reached the riverbank where they had come ashore. She found Frodo
standing there, looking across the river to the other side. She could feel his trouble, his pain.

"Frodo," she said.

He turned to look at her. "Jairah.." he whispered. He had the One Ring in his hand, and looked at it, then across the river
again.

"Frodo, no." Jairah said. "Not alone."

Frodo looked at Jairah again. "It is what must be done, Jairah."

"I will go with you," Jairah said. "You cannot go to Mordor alone."

Frodo shook his head. "I cannot allow you to come with me, Jairah. I cannot let this burden anyone else. It is mine to
bear."

Jairah came up to Frodo and grabbed his arm "No, Frodo! You cannot go to Mordor alone!" she repeated. "I will go with
you!"

"Go away, Jairah!" Frodo yelled. "I will not allow you to go with me."

"Frodo Baggins!" Jairah yelled back at him. "It is my destiny to help you destroy this ring. You asked me to tell you what I
saw in the Mirror of Galadriel? My destiny! It is to go to Mordor with you and destroy that ring! Now you will let me come
with you!" She released his arm and stood back.

Frodo said not a word. Elves did not normally raise their voices.

"Let us go, then. There is evil in the woods beyond us, and I only know that the road to Mordor lies on the other side of
the river." Jairah threw some things into a boat and pushed it into the water. Frodo got into the boat and they started
to paddle out when Sam came screaming into the water.

"Not alone! Frodo! Not alone!"

"Go back Sam!"

"No!"

After they figured out that Sam had made a promise to Gandalf to never let Frodo out of his sight, and pulled him inside
the boat, they started to cross the river.

*****

Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli, after discovering the death of Boromir, and the abduction of the other two hobbits, returned
to where they’d come ashore and found one of the boats missing. It was sitting on the other side of the river, and
Legolas could see Jairah, Frodo, and Sam starting into the woods.

"They’ve reached the northern shore!" he said.

He ran to a boat and started to push it into the water, but Aragorn stopped him.

Legolas looked at him in astonishment. "You mean not to go after them? Aragorn!"

"No, Legolas. We cannot follow. The fate of the ring is not in our hands now." He looked grim, saddened at the death of
Boromir.

Legolas gave him an angry glance "But the fate of Jairah belongs in part to me!" he said angrily. "I cannot allow her to go
to the fires of Mordor alone." His heart wrenched at the thought of Jairah in the fires of Mordor.

"She is not alone, she has the hobbits. And her fate, whether bound to you or not, is not for us to decide. We are not to
follow."

"Then it has all been for nothing," Gimli spoke up. "Nothing."

"No. As long as we are true to eachother, we will prevail. We cannot allow our hobbit friends to be made Orc food."

Legolas desperately wanted to argue with Aragorn, and push the boat into the water and go after Jairah, but knew he
would not.

"Lets hunt some Orc!" Aragorn proclaimed, and he, Legolas, and Gimli took off into the woods.

*****

Frodo, Sam, and Jairah had reached a summit and were stopping to rest for the evening. Frodo sat looking over towards
Mordor, thinking about the Fellowship.

"I don’t suppose we’ll ever see them again, will we, Sam?" he asked.

"We might, Mr. Frodo." Sam said.

Jairah was sitting in silence, a little ways off from them.

"No." she said, making them both start. "I will see Legolas again. Or I will die trying."

Frodo looked at her sadly. "I beg you to go back, Jairah. Go back to him."

Jairah shook her head. "No, Frodo. I cannot." She started sharpening the Orc blade she’d acquired with a rock.

Frodo came and sat next to her. "Tell me why you cannot. Tell me what you saw in the Mirror of Galadriel."

Jairah looked into the small fire they’d made, the sparks illuminating her eyes.

"I saw myself, with you, encased in a circle of lava. Destroying that ring. I saw what would happen if it was in fact
destroyed. And because of what I saw, I will fight for it. And because of it, I am destined to help you. For if I do not, I
fear that what I saw of the world, if the ring is not destroyed, will come to be and I cannot allow that."

Frodo pondered that for a second, then spoke again.

"What did you see that you will fight for, Jairah?" he looked at her, and as the words were spoken, she stopped
sharpening the blade and held still. So still that Frodo had worried that he upset her.

"Jairah?" he touched her arm. "What is it?"

Jairah set the blade down, and rose to her feet. She walked towards the edge of the summit and looked over to where
the dark cloud of Mordor lay in the distance. The wind blew her hair, which was bound up in the front and let to fly free in
the back. She took a deep breath.

Frodo came to stand next to her.

"A white city. Aragorn, returned to his throne, crowned King of Gondor. Returned to his birthright. A dark-haired elf at
his side, his wife. A great bright pearl white building. Legolas and I married under the banners of that great building.
Great peace in all of Middle-Earth. Happiness."

Frodo could see these images as she spoke them, still staring off into the distance.

"Your love for Legolas binds you to this fate?" Frodo asked.

Jairah winced as she replayed the image again in her head. "We are bound. By destiny, and by the mixing of our blood."
She said softly, turning to Frodo.

"Love is something that is not familiar to me, Frodo. And now, with it right in my hands, and the chance that I could lose
it, I would fight for what I saw. I would fight so that day may come. The only way is for us to take that ring to Mordor
and destroy it."

Tears were streaming down her face, but she smiled in spite of them.

"Come now, Frodo. Take some rest. We’ve a long journey to Mordor yet." She patted his shoulder and went back to sit on
the rocks.

******

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli had stopped for the night as well. The Dwarf and Man had taken rest, while Legolas remained
awake, pacing the camp. He looked at the river in front of him and longed to go over it, to seek out Jairah and the two
Hobbits. His spirits were low.

He kept pacing, in despair, and in alert. He had just turned to another pace when he heard Jairah in his head, calling to
him.

"Legolas…" she called. "Hear my voice."

It was as if she was right next to him.

"Jairah," he said in his mind. He stopped and closed his eyes, picturing her in his minds eye.

"Legolas. Hear my voice." She called again. "We will meet again, my love. Do not despair. Our love will prevail."

He wanted to ask her where she was, and why she had left, but he knew the answers to these questions already. He
heard her voice again.

"We will meet again, Legolas. The day will come soon. And happiness will be ours to cherish. But things must be done in
order for that day to arrive. Be strong, stay true."

And then she vanished from his mind.

Jairah began to cry as she pulled her mind back to herself. She would not call out to him again, for the pain for both of
them would be too great. She closed her eyes and welcomed sleep