A/N
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the LOTR characters, wish I did.
This is my first story, but I put a lot of time into what I have thus far.
Please tell me what you think. Constructive criticism welcomed.

It was a beautiful winter day. The air was clear and the sky was a serene blue. Yet this peaceful scene was interrupted by a noise. A sharp gasp repeated every few seconds. If you could peer through the trees and had vision as sharp as an eagle's, you would see a small girl with chocolate brown hair and light grey eyes. She was young; at most sixteen or seventeen. She was breathing hard as if she had just run a great distance.

Suddenly there was a large crash to the girl's left. Her head snapped up and her breathing stilled. She examined the area where the sound had originated. She looked like a frightened deer; aware there is danger but unsure of whether she should run or remain still.

Two Days Later:

The slender girl was traveling through a forest on the back of a chestnut horse. She heard running water nearby. Turning towards the sound she spurred her horse forward. The source of the sound was quickly discovered to be a small stream fed by a clear spring.

The girl dismounted and led her steed toward the stream for a quick rest. Stiff, she crouched down to drink from the stream, her eyes never stopped scanning the trees before her while she dipped her hand in the stream bringing the water up to her lips. She tensed just slightly and her eyes slide to the right. Other than these movements there was no outward sign that she had noticed anything. She stood casually, a nearly imperceptible smirk on her face.

"You've gotten sloppy," she proclaimed aloud. It seemed as if she was talking to the trees around her. Three elves jumped down from the trees to her right, and one man came from behind the trunk of another.

"I told you she would notice," said the man.

He had a sense of grace about him. His eyes were a silvery gray and his hair was the same shade of brown as the girl. He wore a light green tunic and had the beginnings of a beard. Around his waist was a leather belt with a sword and dagger attached to it. He was about four years older than she was.

Two of the elves were dressed similarly to the man. They both had dark hair and silver-gray eyes. The only differences were the bows slung over their shoulders and the double daggers strapped to their backs.

The last elf was blonde and wore a darker green tunic than the other three. His eyes, instead of gray were a beautiful blue. He was armed only with a bow and quiver full of arrows.

"I think that you gave us away, Elrohir," said one of the brown-haired elves.

"Oh, of course. It couldn't possibly be you, oh, perfect one," said Elrohir.

"Elrohir, Elladan, can't you do this another time? We are trying to welcome a friend we have not seen in a very long time," reasoned the blonde elf.

Both Elladan and Elrohir grumbled but agreed to hold off their bickering for the sake of the friend that they had just been reunited with.

"You never change," stated the girl with a slight smile on her face. "Why did you come all the way out here to meet me? It's still a day and a half journey to Rivendell," asked the girl.

"Well, Fidelis, you see, we had a very important question to ask you," stated Elrohir in a grandiose fashion.

"Oh?"

"Yes, we wanted to ask you…who do you like the most?" finished Elrohir with a devilish smile on his face.

The others shouted in unison, "What?! That wasn't the question!"

Fidelis' face was dusted with a faint blush. Legolas, Elladan, and Estel all blustered with embarrassment.

"What type of question is that? I like all of you equally, Elrohir," stated Fidelis in a calm, even voice.

"You're no fun, Fidelis," grumbled Elrohir.

"Let's continue on. I don't want Ada sending out a search party because we are three hours late again," interceded Elladan

Fidelis remounted her horse. The three elves and man walked beside her steed for a time until they reached the place where they had left their horses. The five traveled on to Rivendell, the four filling in the new arrival on all the happenings of the Elven world.