•Flashback•

"Shay! Wait up!" The small young voice cried out. His voice echoed through the dark forest. The fog loomed low on the forest floor, and the stench of decay was fresh in the air. Yet it didn't bother the two young boys. Granted it always had been this way since Sauron's rise.

"C'mon, sprout." The older brother called from below as he splashed in the stream.

Breen whimpered and looked down, toes hanging off the edge of the small cliff. Below it dropped off into the deep part of the stream and rushed gently away. He hopped from foot to foot.

"It's too high!" He cried, his voice quavering and looked down the steep drop. He wanted to be down there with his brother but the fear of jumping to meet him was terrifying.

"C'mon Breen! Don't be a baby, just jump for valars sake."

"Momma says you shouldn't be saying that. It's foul language, Shay."

"Whatever, she isn't here now, is she? Just jump you baby." The older brother shouted. He jumped across the stream to the other side of the bank.

"It's too high... I'm... I'm scared..." The young boy admitted and tears formed in his large blue eyes, his surroundings blurring.

Shay felt a sense of foreboding that he couldn't describe. Maybe it was pity, maybe it was something else. But it brought him to his brother. The older boy stood below Breen with his arms stretched out.

"Jump, I'll catch you. I'll always catch you, sprout."

"Promise? Promise you'll catch me?" The younger asked, soft voice shaking.

"I promise. I'll always catch you." Shay gestured for him to jump.

The younger brother stared down the large incline, taking in a deep breath. Then he pushed himself forward with uncertainty. Yet he knew he would fall into the embrace of his brother.

As promised, Shay caught him with a proud grin.

"See. I'll always keep my promise."

•Flashback over•

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They ran. They ran as fast as their bodies would allow them. The fear and adrenaline gave them the spreed and strength to fly, the sound of the shrieking nazgul echoing loud in their ears.

Breen ran behind, exhaustion slowing him down considerably. He wasn't as fast as the more powerful warriors like Thranduil and Shay. But this Aragorn character kept up easily with them. How he did, Breen did not know. The boys heart raced and pounded so loud it drowned out the sounds of the hoofbeats that followed them. The nazgul had caught up with them.

The dark haired boy looked over his shoulder and whimpered, watching the dark figure come closer. It was toying with them. Clearly it wasn't chasing them at full speed, otherwise it would have been upon them. It was taking its time, wearing them out before it attacked.

"Breen! C'mon, step it up!" Shay shouted back over his shoulder, pushing to keep up with the elf Lord. Falling behind Thranduil would just be humiliating.

"I'm- working on- it!" The younger boy shouted back in large breaths. But talking took the boys mind off where he was stepping and his foot caught in the thick mud, sending him to the ground. The boy smacked against the soggy mud and groaned and tried to lift himself. But before he could rise, the deathly shriek of the wraith rung in his ears. Doubling forward, the boy covered his ears, stumbling up to his feet. But as he turned he found himself before the dark creature. Breen hadn't even heard the wraith dismount. But it had and now it was too late.

"There is more of you than the Dark Lord thought." The figure hissed and stepped forward, brandishing his black sword.

Breen froze, heart pounding in a cold sweat, body trembling madly. The small boy looked at the nazgul, blue eyes as wide as tea cups, the shadow of horror taking its place in his mind. If the shadow had a face, he was sure that he would be grinning under that hood. Breen's mind screamed at him to run, to move, to do anything. But he couldn't.

Shay spun around at the shriek. The sight he saw made him freeze. When he did, his companions came to a halt also. The man snapped out of his daze and launched himself into a sprint, using what energy he had left to get to his brother. Desperation overcame him. The sense of helplessness took over. "Breen!" He screamed. For once in a long time silver tears dampened his eyes. No valar please, not my brother! He pushed away exhaustion, pushed away the pain and pushed forward. His brother was so close, but he was so far.

But he was too late. Almost just a second too late.

"Warg got your tongue? I figured." The wraith hissed and like a serpent he struck. His blade skewered the boy easily. Shay gaped.

Breen's face twisted but not one sound left his mouth. Screaming seemed impossible. So he stared. He stared at the black void in front of him and the nazgul let out a chuckle. He raised his sword, lifting the boy off the ground, the small body slowly crawling down the blade.

"Breen! No!" Shay wailed, voice sounding alien even to himself. His stomach twisted and tears streamed down his face. He fell to the floor.

The wraith hissed, turning it's head sharply in the direction of this newcomer. The shadow jerked it's arm downwards, letting the body of the young boy flop off the blade.

But before Shay could charge at the wraith, a blonde figure tackled the shadowy figure to the ground.

Thranduil decided to help. Shay thought, but decided he didn't care anymore. He ran to his brother dropping to the ground next to him. Breen was all that mattered.

Breen's eyes looked up at him, filled with fear and pain. "Shay... It... Hurts..." He rasped, voice shaking as his lungs filled with blood. The boy squirmed.

"You're going to be okay... You're going to be fine. I promise. I'm here." Shay whispered, gently moving his shirt to see the wound. But his brothers soft scream made him recoil. What hurt the most was telling him a lie. He wasn't going to be okay. But Shay couldn't accept that.

"Shay...-" the boy's voice trailed off quietly, his head lolling to one side. Shay froze. His innocent, lively blue eyes stared up at the foggy sky. They never saw again.

"Breen! No! Please!" He shouted, fresh tears spilling down his face. "Wake up! Please! Come back! Wake up you idiot!" He shrieked, shaking his brother violently. After a moment he stopped, hearing a sob crawl up his throat. He lifted his baby brother's torso into his arms and hugged the limp figure tightly.

"I'm sorry.... I'm sorry that I didn't catch you this time..." The hunter whispered through quiet sobs.

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Thranduil wrestled with the wraith on the ground. It was a desperate match and Thranduil grabbed for the things throat -if it had one- in a last attempt to find its weak spot. But with an easy swing the creature threw him off and he tumbled away, barely rolling to a stop. The nazgul practically materialized to his feet and raised it's sword.

Thranduil's blue eyes flashed with fury and he yelled. His hands clenched around his own blade and he beat down on the shadows blade.

"You can't win this war, elf!" The wraith hissed without emotion.

"I may not be able to, but I can win this battle!" The elf growled. Aragorn threw himself on the wraith, giving Thranduil a chance. And Thranduil took it. The Elf thrusted his blade into the nazgul where his face used to be.

Thranduil and Aragorn were thrown back by a force they couldn't explain. A moment passed and then like a thunderstorm the wraith let out a massive screech. Then in the blink of an eye it vanished.

"We did it." Aragorn said in awe, glancing over to Thranduil. But the elf didn't move from where he laid. "Elf?" The man asked. No answer. He glanced between the young boy who lay dead, his brother weeping for him and then he looked at the elf.

He trotted over to the elf nervously, checking his vitals. Maybe he just hit his head.... Or.... Valar no... Or it's black breath. The man became frantic.

"Morgoths teeth!" The man cursed and tried to drag the elf over to Shay. It was hard being as weak as he was. But he managed it.

"Is he-"

"He's gone." Shay answered, just managing to pull himself together. He rubbed his cheeks with the backs of his hands, trying but failing to hide the fact be had been crying.

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"That's really your plan?" Eradan asked, looking at the small elf.

"Yes. If you have a problem with it you can stay here and rot." The elf snapped, irritation crawling up his face.

"I was just asking, Valar." Eradan rolled his eyes and lounged against the cell bars.

"I think it might just work." Frea spoke up, glancing between them.

"Maybe, if we can pull it off." Malgel muttered, catching the gaze of the brown haired girl. "And I'm sure we can!" He added with his ever optimistic smile, holding her gaze. He must have stared longer then he thought because she turned away. Malgel felt his cheeks flush red. Frea turned back and gave him a small smile. Eradan saw their exchanged and narrowed his eyes.

"Well, as long as we can trust you two to hold up your end and not run off as soon as we get the stones." Zaren said evenly.

"You know what, old man? You bring out the inner psychopath in me." Eradan said with a sickly sweet smile.

"Oh please, you don't need me to bring out your psychopath. You're already psychopathic as it is. You don't need my help."

Eradan's eyes glinted with a inner fire and he moved to lunge. Frea's voice stopped him.

"You can trust us. You have my word, Zaren." The dark haired girl elbowed her brother roughly.

Zaren simple nodded. The girl seemed genuine enough. But he still didn't trust them.

Author's Note:

Okay, so... It's been awhile. Sorry bout that... I've been super busy and on top of that it hasn't been the best few months for me and I haven't really had anyone to talk to it about. So I've just been destroying myself from the inside. XD But I decided to pull myself out of my rut and gives you guys a chapter! Thanks to purehoney101 her little comment the other night made me update really... So thank her .. She's amazing... But yeah.... Sorry it's a short fast chapter.... Hopefully I'll update soon.