Some more background with her as a child. But it will be important later on, I promise. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.

"Moria? But Elves have never been permitted into the halls of the Dwarves in centuries, so you have told me." Arwen questioned. "Not since the Dark Days at the end of the Second Age."

"Naneth, no matter their reason, they have invited us into their home. We must honor our host." Eleryna pushed. She wanted to see more Dwarves and learn of them. She knew that seeing them would give her better tutelage than reading about them in books. Celebrían looked at her youngest child and sighed. She knew she was right. Though, she wasn't sure she would be able to explain it to her parents when they arrived late in Lothlórien. She turned to the Dwarf and nodded.

"Follow me to the east gate." He said to her. "It will take an extra day or two. I will gladly personally escort you to the other end of the mountains."

"Very well. Would you like to ride on a horse?"

"I would greatly appreciate that, my Lady. If it is not too much trouble, may I ride with your daughter? It is her that King Durin wishes to honor."

"That is what I do not understand. Why does Durin wish to honor my youngest daughter? The Elves have not had contact with the Dwarves since they sealed their doors to the world and age ago."

"I am not sure, my Lady, but that is what he wishes. He has had us watching for her should she ever pass this way." Celebrían looked at her daughters.

"He wishes to ride with you, Eleryna."

"Me? But I can't speak in his tongue. Nor can I speak either of his."

"Well, you will have to learn quickly. The Lord of Moria has chosen to honor you. It may be that he only tells you why he has chosen to honor you in this way. Perhaps you have something in you that he likes and he feels you would be a good ally. I cannot be sure. But now, we must go and he will ride with you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Naneth." Eleryna turned to the Dwarf and gestured for him to approach. She looked around and led Shadow to a stump and the Dwarf climbed on. Eleryna pulled herself up behind him. She made sure he was secure and then nodded to her mother who was mounted by now along with their escort. She nodded and gestured for Eleryna to lead the way since only the Dwarf knew where they were going. Celebrían ordered her guards to stay back with her and Arwen so that Eleryna could learn without any pressure.

"Say it with me, Elf. Hello, my Lord."

"Hello, my Lord." They said together. It was the first night since the Dwarf had joined their company. The Dwarf had helped her learn the basic sounds of the Common Tongue and was now teaching her the basic words she would need among the Dwarves. "And my name is Eleryna, not Elf."

"Patience, Child. That is the next lesson. Come, speak the whole greeting. And include the names." Eleryna nodded, though reluctantly.

"Hello, King Balin, King of Moria. I am Eleryna, daughter of Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrían of Rivendell."

"Very good. That should be enough for tonight. We will pick this up again tomorrow." Eleryna sighed and leaned back against the tree while the Dwarf lumbered off into the night with one of their guards to hunt. Arwen looked up at her sister as she came and sat next to her. At fifty-nine years old, the elf looked like a teenager in the World of Men while Eleryna looked like a toddler at age sixteen. She was still very young among the Elves. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"You are doing very well, Eleryna. Perhaps I should learn to speak the Common Tongue as well. That way I can help you learn." Eleryna laughed.

"Gwaleth, it is I who will be helping you for I will be the one fluent in it." Arwen laughed as well.

"Being that, we must take care not to let it replace the tongue of our ancestors."

"It never will." Eleryna vowed and fell asleep with her head in her sister's lap.

"Hello, King Balin, King of Moria. I am Eleryna, daughter of Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrían of Rivendell. I am honored to be in your home." Eleryna looked up at the Dwarf sitting on the carven throne. Most of the Dwarves she had seen were not that much taller than her. She knew that in a few years' time, she would be as tall as they.

"Welcome, Eleryna, daughter of Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrían. I am pleased that you have accepted my invitation." Eleryna bowed her head, not knowing how to respond to the king's comment. "To where do you travel?" Eleryna looked at her mother, who nodded.

"We travel to the Golden Wood, Majesty, to visit with kin there."

"Do you know why I have asked you into these ancient halls?"

"No, Majesty." Balin stood from his throne and walked down the steps to the young Elf standing between her mother and sister.

"Lady Celebrían, I wish for you daughter to walk with me, alone." Celebrían hesitated. "I promise on my ancestors' graves and the life of my son, no harm shall come to your child while she is in my halls." The Elf Lady nodded. "Come, Eleryna, and I shall tell you why." The Dwarf wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and led her away from her family. "Eleryna, I am sure you are aware of the distrust between our two peoples."

"I am."

"I also assume that you know that some have the gift of foresight." Eleryna nodded. Her father and sister both hinted that they had the ability. "One of mine own people also has this ability. They have told me that the fair Elf would be of the first to befriend the Dwarves. That she would be our salvation."

"Me?"

"The Dwarf was quite clear that she would first come to us as a child. You are the only child that has been born since this prophecy was spoken. But I do not mean to be placing a burden on you, a child. Tell me, why did you accept our invitation?"

"I did not want to be rude. But I would also like to learn more about you, as a people." Eleryna blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so bold." The Dwarf king laughed.

"That is quite all right, Child. But, it may be best if it waited until you were older. Learn your own culture first, before you start learning of us."

"Yes, Majesty."

"Come, it is time for supper." He scooped her up and placed her on his shoulders and carried her to the dining hall. She laughed. The Dwarves they passed smiled as they did so. They were hopeful that this child would end their self-exile. That she would be the one to bridge their peoples. They were confident that their king had read the signs right. But hearing a child's laughter in their halls was a pleasant sound as it had not been heard since before the Last Alliance and their self-exile. The prince watched as his father passed and smiled. It had been too long since his father had interacted with a child.

She stared up at the ceiling, the words the king had said in her mind. She sighed and turned onto her side. What he had said made no sense to her. She didn't understand how she could be the salvation of the Dwarves. She was just curious about them as a people. She thought that it was strange that the king was putting so much faith on something that could be changed by choices they made. She certainly was not sure that she would ever be in contact with the Dwarves again. But she wanted to know more. The need to learn more about them was what was keeping her from entering the peaceful rest that her family was currently enjoying. But with that need came Balin's words again. She wondered if that future would come to pass. She wondered if she would be their salvation.

"Thank you, King Balin, for inviting us into your home."

"I am glad that you accepted the invitation. I hope to be seeing more of you and your family, Lady Celebrían. When you return to Rivendell, please extend my greetings to your husband. And know that you and yours are free to pass over Moria whenever you wish to."

"Thank you, Majesty. I will be sure to do that. And know that you are welcome to call upon us when you wish and we shall do our best to come." Celebrían turned to her daughters and ushered them out. Balin gave one final wave to Eleryna before the doors were shut. Once they were, the elves mounted their horses and Celebrían urged them to rush forward. Arwen and Eleryna could tell that their mother was not happy at the delay. They knew that they should have been in Lórien days ago. But they had gone into the Dwarven kingdom instead. Eleryna felt that it was something else. She wondered if, even though her mother knew their tongue, if she didn't particularly like the Dwarves and their ways. But Eleryna was intrigued and wanted to know more. She also wanted to learn more Common Speech. But she knew that she would have to ask her father. She was sure that her mother would not wish to continue that learning after they returned. The trip to Moria had been unexpected.

Celebrían didn't look at her daughters. She didn't want her youngest to think that her anger was her fault. She was not fond of Dwarves. She had been hoping to get over the mountains without alerting them, like she had before when she had crossed back and forth from her homeland. She wondered if they believed something that she had not been told. Her daughter was not telling her. "Perhaps it was something that she does not understand. Yes she is very bright, but she is still young. Perhaps with time she will understand what he meant."

Naneth= Mother

Gwaleth= Sister

Well, what do you guys think? There will be one more chapter, or at least part of a chapter, where she is a child. And I humbly apologize if I didn't make it clear that she was a "toddler" by the elves' standards.

Thanks for reading and please review.