Nanaylia hummed to herself as she walked down the hallway. Barely paying to anything, her sole focus was the book sitting in her hands. When she bumped into someone, she lifted her head enough to step around the person.

"I apologize for that. I was not looking," she mumbled.

She began to make her way back down the hall when a hand grasped her elbow. The elf's head snapped up and she smiled once she realized who was standing beside her.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" wondered Aragorn.

"This book I found in the library is absolutely fascinating. I could not wait to read it," Nanaylia responded.

Aragorn gave a small laugh as he tried to catch a glimpse of the cover. Noticing his reaction, she lifted the book for him to see. The man narrowed his eyes a bit once he saw the title and became visibly distraught.

"There's a book like that here in Minas Tirith?" he questioned.

He pointed at the cover. She stole a glance to where he was pointing and nodded, mildly perplexed. The elf turned her attention back towards where she recently came from.

"There are a few books here about magic and even for these, I had to dig deep. I thought you might have known about them. I cannot even begin to tell you how old they are. I was hoping they would give us some insight of those who lived long ago," she replied.

Aragorn gave a sigh yet the concern was still plainly written on his face. The thought greatly disturbed him that men had the chance to learn – and perform – magic within the halls of Minas Tirith for centuries. He waved it off, knowing that neither of his resident Mirkwood elves would do anything dangerous with this newfound knowledge.

At least he hoped they wouldn't.

00000

"There is no way you are going to persuade me to do that," Legolas huffed.

The blonde-haired elf had his arms crossed and attached to it, was a stern look on his face. Beside him, two dark-haired elves were being more on the playful side. With a cheeky smile on his face, Elrohir gently prodded Legolas in the shoulder.

"You would make quite the hunter now that you have these abilities. Are you certain you do not want to show them off?" questioned Elrohir.

Legolas shot the twin a hard look. Elladan covered his mouth and the smile that sat on it. He knew the recent circumstances were not the most pleasant for Legolas or any of them for that matter. Now that it was all over, he supposed that the very idea of persuading Legolas to use his newfound powers was all too tempting.

"Are you certain Legolas? We would be absolutely captivated by the transformation," Elladan questioned.

Legolas moved his eyes enough to stare at Elladan. The Mirkwood elf could see the smile on his face. He knew the two of them were taunting him to see how long he'd last. All three of them had seen Nanaylia transform several times before and knew how much pain it entailed. He hadn't transformed since he returned to his elven form and he knew it would be a while before he was ready.

"Yes, I am positive. You both know we do not want the general public to know of our…predicament," Legolas hesitated for a moment. "I still cannot comprehend how you two find this funny."

Elrohir slowly quieted his laughing and crossed his arms. He stared at his friend, giving a sigh in the process. Lowering his head slightly, he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of guilt.

"What is the matter Elrohir? Have a change of heart?" wondered Legolas.

"I am undecided," he replied with a smile on his face.

"Face it Elrohir, he will not agree to it yet," Elladan piped up.

Elrohir lifted his hands as if saying 'oh well' before stepping around his brother and friend. The two watched as he walked out of the room. Elladan's stare returned to Legolas and gave a smile.

"Now how about what we were talking about earlier?" questioned Elladan.

"I certainly still want to head out with you in search of those flowers. I will make certain that you get back in time for your child's birth. I cannot wait for the next few weeks to go by. I know I am eager to greet my newest relation," Legolas replied with a smile before stopping. "Just do not ask me to transform while we are away because I will not do so unless I absolutely have to do it."

Legolas held out his hand and Elladan took it with a smile written across his face. Both gave a laugh as they began to make their way out of the room.

00000

Elrond walked down the hallway, glancing down each and every hallway he came across. He knew that if he came across anyone, they would be asking questions to whom or what he was searching for. It was the one thing to which he did not want to answer it was the why he was looking. In the back of his mind, the thought that Elladan had been away from the citadel, even for the short period of time that he was, unnerved him.

Out of nowhere, Nanaylia stepped out from a side passageway. She glanced up from the book she was reading and gave a giant smile.

"Elrond, how are you?" she wondered.

The elven lord stopped in his tracks and gave a barely audible sigh as he stepped towards her. As he moved forward, the smile on Nanaylia's face disappeared and a look of alarm crossed her features.

"What is the matter Elrond?" she questioned.

Her worry slowly dissipated when he placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a smile. Elrond shook his head as he began to lead Nanaylia down the hallway.

"Nothing is the matter. I was a little worried about you but now that I know that you are fine, I shall not worry," he replied.

Nanaylia gave him an 'are you serious?' stare. She gave an exasperated sigh as she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"If you are worried about the child growing within me, your fears are unwarranted. I have this feeling that everything will be fine with my child. Please believe me," she tried to assure him

Elrond gave her a fake smile and nodded.

"That is true. All I am asking is for you to be careful. Please, stay close to Elladan. It is late and the child will be arriving before we know it," he requested.

"I saw him earlier. He had to quickly do something with Legolas first. I do not know where he went to exactly but he knows that I have been spending a lot of my time in the library. I know he will find me soon enough," Nanaylia told him.

Elrond gave a slightly worried smile. He passed by her and headed down the hallway, leaving a very confused Nanaylia behind. She narrowed her eyes, wondering why Elrond was extremely protective of his grandchild.

"This does not make sense at all. I know he has seen the birth of many children from several different races yet he seems to be beyond paranoid over the birth of this particular child. I have to wonder why. This cannot be because this is his grandchild," she muttered.

She headed back down towards the library, her stare finding its way back to the book sitting within her hands. Along the way, she felt a slight twinge within her stomach, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. Placing a hand on her bulging stomach, she slightly closed her eyes with mild discomfort.

"You are certainly rolling around in there. I desire to meet you when you finally come but first, I have to find another book to read," she quietly told her child.

She made her way towards the library, humming to herself. As she stepped through the doors, she made her way towards the area where she found the books. As she placed the books back on the shelf, the twinge within her stomach came back. This time, however, the pain soon followed in her side.

"What kind of pain is this supposed to be?" she wondered.

She clutched her stomach as she sat on the chair, unable to move or breathe. When a stab came to her stomach, she couldn't help but scream.

00000

Elrond sat in his room, almost in a daze. The paper sat on the desk in front of him. The words written before him had slightly faded over time but the meaning of them was as fresh as the first day he read them.

"I only wish it could be another way but a promise is a promise and I shall honour it to the end," he muttered.

He lifted the letter again to read the words he had already read a million times already. Elrond's mind drifted back to the day he found it sitting on his desk in Rivendell and its request inside.

"Sometimes, I wish I never found out, Alarya and I have always wondered how you kept it hidden for so long from everyone you deeply cared for. Sometimes, I wonder if they will ever find out," he mused.

Out of nowhere, a gust of wind filled the room, scattering the papers around the room. Elrond managed to keep his hold on the letter as the candles were blown out. The room was plunged into semi-darkness as a raven appeared within the middle of the room. Elrond gave a sigh, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Do not think I was not going to start to look for her soon. She knows the child's time is close. She only had to find another book to read in the library," Elrond assured the bird.

The raven cocked its head to one side, as if studying the elf and a caw abruptly popped out of its mouth. Elrond slightly shook his head and gave a sigh.

"Yes, I know. You have reminded me several times already," he replied.

The raven didn't appear to be amused whatsoever. It ruffled its feathers and gave a squawk. The colour drained from Elrond's face as he realized what it was trying to say.

He ran out of the room.

00000

Aragorn stepped down the hallway, humming to himself. He found himself quickly glancing between the few papers sitting in his hand. He barely took notice of the Elven Lord barreling towards him.

"Aragorn!" cried Elrond.

Startled, the man glanced up to see a very worried elf. Aragorn narrowed his eyes at how the normally calm Elrond seemed to be so frantic.

"Elrond, what's the matter?" demanded Aragorn.

"Have you seen Nanaylia lately?" Elrond questioned.

The question quickly sunk in and he shook his head before Elrond headed down the hallway yet again. This time, Aragorn followed him.

"Last thing I knew, she was still in the library," Aragorn replied.

Elrond didn't reply, changing his direction slightly towards the library. He slammed open the doors and began searching behind every shelf. His ears barely picked up the whimpering that came from within the room. The two followed it to the back where they found Nanaylia hunched over a pile of books. Aragorn was horrified as Elrond rushed to her side.

"El-Elrond, it-it hurts so much," she quietly told him.

The older elf placed a grim look on his face. He shook his head as he turned towards Aragorn, who was still wondering about what was going on.

"Aragorn we have to get her out of here. She'is in labour," Elrond finally told the man.

TBC…