A/N: I am SO sorry everyone. I have no excuse for my absence other than that I was not at all prepared for the heavy workload of college. But, I'm on Spring Break now and I've FINALLY gotten the chapter that's been giving me trouble done! It's a little short but I have a surprise for you all to make up for that. And to all of you that have been waiting patiently and sending wonderful reviews and support, thank you. You guys are the reason I keep writing. The chapter's name is gonna be different than I predicted (stories can be funny like that!) so don't panic if it's not what you expected. Hope you enjoy!

miss-rayn: Gimli's easy to write humor for – he keeps things fun!

xxz0eyxx: I warn ya, I LOVE a good cliffy

GeminiCrystal: Sorry to worry you; I'm back at last!

alexiana75: I'm a shameless shipper of Arwen/Aragorn so plan on some cutesy moments between them

waterflower63: Glad you're enjoying it! You'll just have to wait and see about any romance :P

jack63kids: Well, let's see if we can convert you!

Ortholeine: You've probably started college by now – hope it's going well!

jack63kids: Your reviews have really been helpful and sweet – thanks!

Feelingwolfish: Sorry it's taken so long, here's hoping the chapter meets your expectations

All LOTR references, characters, places, etc. belong to their genius creator, J.R.R Tolkien. I only claim ownership over Alyssae and Dorion, as well as a few other characters of my own creation who will be introduced later.

Chapter 9: The White Wizard Approaches Part 1: Rescue and Remembrance

Silence. It is a terrible thing. More terrifying than all the fires of Mount Doom itself. Alyssae knew she would rather brave the flames than listen to the deafening silence that hung through the longest moments of her life. As the dust settled over Fangorn forest and the silence grew, slight mounds of earth and wood appeared before her. That – that was a sight she would have traded a thousand silences for if only to prove those hills an illusion. The elleth knew all too well what those tell-tale marks hid.

In her time among the trees, she had learned of their fierce temperament. Though stationary most of their lives, the trees were known to get riled, especially when something came along that did not please them. Dangerously overprotective and willful, the trees could charge at any moment, rushing trespassers to their domain. Just as had happened only moments ago, the trees' roots would rise from the earth, capturing and sealing all into graves below the very surface they stood upon only moments ago. There was no need to injure the trespassers; they would merely suffocate within the cage with time.

All this the elleth knew and yet it was painfully long moment before she truly realized what she was staring at and she rushed to the closest of the masses. She knew the fury of the forest was not something easily swayed but she knew refused to accept the idea that her allies were lost. She took a moment to gather herself as she tried to think of a way to free them. No blade or weapon could breach the roots, strong and ancient as they were. No, the only way was also the most ridiculous. Alyssae would have to convince the forest to let them live.

The first thing Legolas became aware of was darkness. It felt as though the whole world had suddenly vanished, leaving him entirely alone. As his sensitive eyes grew used to the lack of light, more became clear to him. The world had not in fact disappeared, it had instead been compressed. All around him were roots, thick as the arm of a troll and knotted all around him, forming an unyielding cage. A frown touched upon the prince's face and he groaned, pressing a hand to his temple as he tried to ignore the flutter of fear in his heart at the sight before him.

There is little elves truly fear in this world, but above all is the fear of being trapped. The free nature of all elves made it nearly impossible for them to bear any kind of captivity, be it mental or physical. Having grown up in the wild freedom of Mirkwood, Legolas was especially unhappy being held against his will. The aura of calm the prince kept so close to him was shattered as his heart raced wildly, bring with it terror that he could not ignore. It only took one look to see how truly trapped Legolas was and he found himself praying to the Valar as he rarely had before, willing to give up just about anything for a way to escape the darkness.

Time passed as though a dream for the prince and it seemed many hours before there was any sign of a world beyond his own private hell. Through the silence, as though in answer to his prayers, came a voice calling out from above. Clear and pure, it sliced through the deafening silence and caught Legolas' attention at once. He strained to make out the words and realized that it was not a call, but a song being repeated over and over.

Althan i'fuin eller naa galad; [Beyond the darkness there is light]

Ona i'gorga n'uma eska e'cormlle. [Give the fear no home in your heart]

Amin tua lle, [I will help you]

Lasta a'amin oova [Listen to my voice]

The words felt as though they wound through his very heart and gave the prince a peace that was foreign to him in a situation such as this. He found himself forgetting his fears and it seemed as though the very space around him were growing larger and changing as the words changed to become a loud command.

Taurë, [Forest,]

Mankoi lle uma Tanya? [Why did you do that?]

Ron mellonea [They are my friends]

Edro sii', ar'kela! [Open now and go away!]

As the words echoed through the air all around, there was a great creaking and groaning of trees. Legolas felt his wooden cage growing and warping until there was a break in the roots, revealing glorious blue skies. The dull ache from being in an uncomfortable position and the sudden, blinding sunlight didn't bother him – he was free! He leapt through the opening in the ground and landed gracefully with a sigh of relief and a whispered thanks to the Valar.

It took a moment for his sensitive eyes to adjust to being above ground again and as his vision cleared, he spotted a small figure come flying from the earth. The sound of cursing and grumbling immediately identified it as Gimli. The sight lightened his heart and Legolas couldn't help but chuckle at his companion; apparently even dwarves had their limits on being underground. The next rumble of the earth revealed Aragorn, who climbed out of his pit gracefully. Out of all the companions, the Ranger looked least affected by the sudden onslaught. Legolas shook his head in bewilderment – he would never understand the source of Aragorn's inner calm. It was a calm that he'd never seen in the race of man.

Now there was only one missing companion. The elleth was nowhere to be found.

Darkness should be comforting. Who ever heard of a dwarf afraid of the dark? The very thought of it was insulting! But even Gimli had to admit, being swallowed up by the earth without warning was disconcerting, to say the least. It wasn't even the darkness necessarily, but feeling of those blasted trees trying to smother him while he couldn't see a thing. What he wouldn't give for his ax in this moment. He'd teach those trees a thing or two about taking a dwarf against his will! He sighed darkly and crossed his arms. Someone better get him out soon or there would be hell to pay. For now though, he contented himself with grumbling and flailing a fist angrily on occasion, at the wall of wood around him.

Being a Ranger brought with it many talents, one of which was a gift for meditation. Aragorn was better at it than most of his fellow Men and that was the one thing that saved him when the sudden attack came. As soon as he discovered his prison, he calmed his mind and blocked out the natural fear trying to cripple him. A few moments of meditation did wonders and his calm only grew when he heard the sound of a song. The song itself was something he had never heard before; but the voice, that was something he knew. It was a voice he had always known, and one that he hadn't even realized he missed until it was heard again. It was light and gentle, though the words spoken rang out with the strength of a thousand men.

As the command of the voice rang out, his prison was parted and he climbed up out into the open air with a smile. That kind of power was something he hadn't seen in a very long time. He called out to his companions and motioned for them to join him. "Legolas, Gimli, are you alright?" His friends made their way through the rubble to him, Gimli grumbling and muttering all the way. "Blasted forest toying with us like that!" He shook his fists at the trees and seemed ready to continue ranting but Aragorn shot a hand out and covered his mouth. "Be quiet Gimli! The last thing we need now is to anger the forest more." He looked all about them, half expecting to be thrown back to the earth, this time for good. After that moment of concern over the forest's reaction, the three allies broke into relieved laughter. The sound was unexpected but welcome after such a tense encounter.

The sound of soft laughter rang out from the trees, joining their own, and the three warriors turned in search of the source. Through the shadow of the trees, a faint form grew closer, finally breaking free of the darkness to show Alyssae. Except for a few leaves stuck in the curls of her hair and a smear of dirt upon her high cheek, she was untouched and Aragorn sighed in relief. As she walked to meet them, he called out to her. "Your voice has not lost its power my friend. Even now I am reminded of the Winter Festival when last I heard you sing." He smiled slightly; it was a happy memory for the both of them but the Ranger realized too late the harm in that particular memory as the elleth's smile fell.

The sight of the trees shifting was enough to send Alyssae to her knees in relief. There had been a moment, as she was singing words of comfort to her friends, when she had doubted her ability to convince the forest. Her words to the trees had been rushed and she hardly knew what she had now that it was over. She could see from the spot she'd retreated to that all of her companions were safe and judging from the sound of the hot-tempered dwarf's complaints, they were unharmed. She could hardly blame him for his words though; dwarves prefer to enter the earth of their own free will. As she joined her friends in their laughter, it was like a balm to her heart. All of her friends were safe and the forest had gone quiet at the displeasure she'd shown. For the moment she could rest easy; she had not lost anyone else.

That moment did not last long though, as Aragorn made mention of the Winter Festival. Her heart ached at the bittersweet memories and she found herself wanting nothing more than to weep at reminder of the last time their little makeshift family had been together. It would be the last time her dearest Dorion would walk among the living.

A/N: As you've noticed this chapter runs a bit short. This is where the surprise comes in: this weekend, look for a special update! To thank you guys for your continued support, I'll be posting another chapter this weekend, taking you all into the past where you'll finally learn more about Alyssae's older brother, Dorion. Can't wait to share it with you all!

Review for me, pretty please?

Next Chapter: Memories of the Heart: The Winter Festival and the Fountain of Tears

Winter has come and joy abounds. But fate has its own desires and none can escape it for long.