"Ada! Ada, they are here!"

The voice of Elladan Elrondion rang clearly through the twilight air while, in his study, Lord Elrond of Imladris smiled to himself and rose from his desk. He made his way with an easy grace down along the corridor to the balcony, where his twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, were sitting watching the sunset with little Haldir.

"About time too! They should have been here ages ago!" said Elrohir, rising to peer over the balcony edge, while Haldir stood on tip toe at his side. Neither elf nor elfling was yet able to gain a clear view of their eagerly-awaited visitors, for the sun was going down and they were travelling in the shadows.

"I think you are exaggerating, Elrohir – they are only an hour or two overdue. Although, I was beginning to wonder what had delayed them myself," confessed Elrond, looking at the rosy red sunset which illuminated the natural beauty of his home; a little surprised at the lateness of the hour. "I was considering asking Glorfindel to ride out, to see if they had been waylaid."

"Did I hear my name?" called the blond Balrog slayer cheerfully, as he descended the steps and came to join them. "Ah, I see they are here at last." He peered down into the valley with far-seeing blue eyes. All elves had sharp vision, but Glorfindel's was truly exceptional. What he saw made his eyes widen considerably.

"It appears they have encountered a little trouble," he said seriously. "They are riding with all the haste they can and there is a blood-stained bundle held in Thranduil's arms."

"Valar, please tell me it is not Legolas!" cried Elrond in alarm. He had helped Thranduil through losing a wife; he did not think that the King of Greenwood could survive losing the son who meant the world to him.

The twins and Haldir looked round at the fair-haired Vanya apprehensively, suddenly very much afraid for their young, high-spirited friend. They had all been looking forward to a rare opportunity to spend time together while their respective fathers were at council. It would truly be unfortunate if Legolas was hurt and was not able to enjoy the precious time they had to spend all together.

"Fear not, it is definitely not Legolas. I can see him riding with the guard next to Thranduil," said Glorfindel calmly. "In all honesty, I have no idea who it is, for the cloak they are wrapped in obscures their face. It is not Iolwen's son either, for he is riding with his father. We shall find out soon enough, for they will be with us in but a few minutes."

"I will go and prepare a brew to kill pain," said Elrond briskly, striding off again. Though he was extremely relieved that no harm had come to the young prince, of whom he was very fond, it grieved him to think of any elf on Middle Earth having to suffer. He only hoped that he was in time to help whoever it was in Thranduil's arms.

Glorfindel, meanwhile, suddenly found himself with two worried twins and a very anxious elfling indeed. They crowded round him, pressing for more details about this mysterious wounded visitor.

"Is it a warrior, Glorfindel?" asked Haldir curiously, standing on tiptoe again and bouncing up and down in an attempt to see over the balcony rail. The twins watched him with mild amusement.

"I do not think so, penneth," smiled Glorfindel, as he patiently explained. "Whoever it is, they are very small for Thranduil is holding them easily in his arms, without it affecting his riding. It must be a child, though whether human or elven I have no idea." Elrohir finally took on Haldir, who was all but climbing up onto the balcony rail to see; sweeping him up into his arms and setting him upon his shoulders, allowing him to peer from a much greater height.

"Ah! I see them! I see them now!" Haldir squealed excitedly. "They're almost here! Are we going to go down to meet them?"

"I suppose we could manage that, do you think, Elladan?" Elrohir said with a grin. Elladan nodded.

"Indeed. But do you think you can outrun me with an elfling passenger?" the elder twin replied before he took to his heels and sprinted off.

"Cheat!" cried Elrohir indignantly. "Hold on tight, little one, and we shall teach him to underestimate us!" Elrohir shot off after his brother, with Haldir whooping with excitement on his shoulders. Glorfindel watched them disappear with an amused smile upon his face.

"Honestly!" he said to himself. "I sometimes wonder which of the three is the biggest elfling!" He followed in the same direction, but at a much more stately pace!


"Thranduil, mellon-nin, we were beginning to get worried!" said Elrond, as Thranduil reigned in his horse in the courtyard. "What has happened?"

"We found this little one alone in the wild," said Thranduil succinctly, as he leapt from his horse gracefully. "She is in a very bad way."

"Let me see her," Elrond held his arms out and took the child from Thranduil, noticing sadly how little she weighed, while the rest of the Mirkwood party dismounted. He drew back the cloak to see the child's face and felt her pulse.

"Elbereth!" he whispered. "She has been through much. Her heartbeat is very weak and…"

"Who is it, Ada? Are they badly hurt?" asked Elladan and Elrohir arrived on the scene at exactly the same time, Elrohir bearing an excited Haldir on his shoulders.

"I'm afraid so, Elladan," said Elrond sadly. "She is covered in bruises and has evidently lost a lot of blood. I am going to have to see to her right away. Can you two keep an eye on Legolas and Haldir for a while? This is not something I want them to see."

The marks on the elfling's face brought an ominous twist to Elrond's stomach, and he knew that the two elflings beside him would be distressed at the thought of someone willingly inflicting hurt on another living being. Judging by the extreme pallor of her face and the chill in her skin, her wounds were very severe and if the young elflings saw them, it was likely their sleep would be troubled that night.

"Of course, Ada," Elladan replied obediently "Come, Legolas, and you can tell us how many orcs you spotted on your journey." Elladan echoed Elrohir's gesture by setting the elfling on his shoulders and the four of them trailed back up the steps and into the house; all their jubilance gone by the thought of how badly the nameless elfling was hurt. Theirs were a set of gentle, loving hearts and they were all upset at the thought of another elfling in pain, with no family to go to for comfort.

"Do you think she will go to Mandos?" asked Haldir sadly, as they climbed the stairs to the corridor to where the twins' bedroom, and Haldir and Legolas's guest rooms were.

"She did look quite weak, but I am sure that Ada will be able to help her, Haldir," said Elladan confidently, as the twins set their passengers on the ground. "Ada can treat anything – do you remember how he managed to heal you when you fell out of the tree last time you were here?"

"But she looked much, much worse than that and her clothes were covered with blood," whispered Legolas tearfully. "Ada said that she was fading. Do you think Lord Elrond can stop that?"

"I know that he can," said Elrohir, every bit as sure of his father as Elladan was. "He will be able to help her, even if she is indeed close to death. Lindir almost faded too, once, after he had a riding accident, and everyone thought he would be called to Mandos; yet Ada still managed to save him."


Meanwhile, Elrond, Thranduil and Glorfindel rushed the unconscious elfling up to the healing wing, while a member of Elrond's household showed Iolwin, Kianon and the guards to their rooms.

"Poor little child," said Glorfindel sorrowfully, as Elrond gently lowered the elfling onto a blanket-covered table and unwrapped the cloak from around her. "Aiya! Look at all those scars! What do you think happened to her?"

"Severe bruising to the face, grazes all over the place, a severe beating which caused the welts on her back, a broken ankle…no little one should ever have to bear so much pain!" cried Elrond in horror. "Glorfindel, will you soak a flannel in the athelas water? It should be well boiled by now. Thranduil, will you hold her steady while I get these rags off her? The tunic is practically stuck to her back with dried blood and I don't want to agitate that break further."

Thranduil and Glorfindel both rushed to do as they were bid, when they were suddenly disturbed by Celeborn and his daughter, who had been wondering where the other elves had got to. Horror was evident on both faces when they found the reason for their disappearance.

"Oh, the poor little darling!" exclaimed Celebrian, hurrying over to brush the filthy hair back from the elfling's damaged face. "Where did you find her Thranduil?"

Thranduil hurriedly filled them in on the story, while Elrond cleaned the wounds on the child's face and knees and applied a healing salve to them.

"There was no one else nearby; no sign of her parents nor any guardian," concluded Thranduil, his brows creasing. "I think, judging by what you can see of her hair, that she is a wood elf – though I do not recognise her as being of Mirkwood descent – and by the looks of her back it is clear that she has been badly abused."

"I do not recognise her either," said Celeborn thoughtfully. "But she is surely of Lorien or Greenwood heritage as she is certainly not from Imladris. If we can learn her father's name when she awakes, we may be able to discover exactly who she is and where she has come from."

"How old do you suppose she is?" mused Celebrian. "Arwen's age?"

"I doubt it," Thranduil shook his head. "She is so small – though that could well be due to malnourishment – I do not think she is long out of infancy."

Elrond gently turned the child over onto her stomach and began to clean and dress the horrifying wounds all over her back, after having cleaned away all the dried blood. The scarlet welts criss-crossed the whole way down her back, and the scars looked as though they had only recently closed. The child gave a weak whimper and squirmed under his hold – the first signs of life she had shown since the Greenwood party had arrived.

"Ssssh, little one, it's all right," Elrond soothed her. "I'm not going to hurt you penneth – this is just to make them stop stinging. Easy there." His words went unheard however, as the child had immediately fallen back into unconsciousness.

It took a very long time for Elrond to clean and attend to the considerable wounds that covered the child's frail body. The others could do nothing but watch in trepidation, and wonder who it was who could possibly have caused her so much damage.

"I want to get a couple of small splints to strap to her ankle." said Elrond. "I suspect that she will be distressed and frightened when she wakes and will likely cause it more damage by trying to move. I will only be a moment."

"She will need something to wear," said Celebrian suddenly. "There are plenty of things that Arwen has grown out of. I shall fetch a sleep tunic for her."

As the Lord and Lady of Imladris hurried off, Thranduil, Celeborn and Glorfindel were left to puzzle over the child's identity. Celeborn wrapped a thick blanket around her terribly slight frame and held her on his lap; studying her face intently. Try as he might, he did not see a likeness to any Lorien elf in it. Suddenly, the child gave a pained whimper and her eyes flickered open. She gazed about herself fearfully in total bewilderment. Thranduil went down on his knees so he could be on a level with her.

"Hello, little one," he said softly. "There is no need to be frightened. We are not going to hurt you. We want to help you. Where are your Ada and Nana?"

"Nana in Mandos. It was my fault," answered the elfling dazedly and sadly. Her words were slow and faltering – as if she had not spoken in a very long time. Celeborn and Thranduil exchanged confused and horrified glanced at the words 'my fault'. "I do not know where Ada is!"

"Who has given you these wounds, penneth?" asked Glorfindel gently, reaching out to stroke her filthy hair.

"H-He did!" choked the child, with a gut-wrenching sob, suddenly clinging to Celeborn with all her might. She did not know who these three strangers were, but the golden hair and fair faces struck a familiar chord with her. It stirred memories, but she couldn't quite place them. But she felt a little safer now – they were nothing like Him! They were not hitting her, or shouting at her. However, she could not hold back the tears that quickly overwhelmed her.

"Ai, what has this one had to endure?" murmured Celeborn quietly, shifting her slightly on his lap, so he could comfort her without hurting her back. "Ssssh, it's all right, tithen-pen. No one will ever hurt you like that again."

"We will protect you, little one," agreed Thranduil softly, smiling encouragingly at the frightened child. "We would like to be your friends. My name is Thranduil."

"Th…Thranduil," the child repeated tearfully, mesmerised by the beautiful blue eyes of the Elvenking. They soothed her, but she was not sure why. And why was his name familiar?

"That's right," Thranduil reached out to gently dry the tears from her dirty face. "And these are my friends Celeborn and Glorfindel. They will not harm you either, I promise. Celeborn may look stern, but I know from experience that he is a big softie really. Can you tell me your name, little one?"

The hint of a smile that had appeared when Thranduil teased Celeborn vanished instantly. Tears began to run down her face again and she shook her head rapidly. Thranduil watched in distress and held out his arms to take her from Celeborn. She came to him at once, seeing kindness and gentle care in his fair face, and buried her face in his sturdy chest.

"Can't you remember, child?" quizzed Glorfindel softly.

"You will laugh!" she whimpered into Thranduil's shoulder, her words becoming more fluent the more she spoke. "It is a stupid name!" The three elf-lords exchanged confused glances as Thranduil tried to calm her.

"I am sure 'tis not," he soothed her, rocking her in his arms. "And we will not laugh, you have my word on that. Won't you tell me?"

"Alassë," the elfling replied, and then burst into sobs.

Thranduil looked over at Celeborn with sadness in his eyes. His elder cousin mirrored his expression – the name meant 'joy' and it seemed bitterly ironic for such an unhappy little one.

"Is she awake? Good!" Elrond suddenly came back into the room. "Thranduil, will you keep hold of her while I see to her ankle?" The child looked up at the sound of Elrond's voice and immediately froze in terror. Her green eyes widened to almost double their size and she began to tremble.

"Easy, little one," Thranduil urged her, somewhat alarmed. "He is not going to harm you, I promise. This is my friend Elrond. He is a healer. He is going to make your ankle better."

The gentle words did not seem to get through to the child, and she continued to cower before Elrond. Celeborn and Glorfindel watched in confusion. Why was she so frightened of the Lord of Imladris? Only moments ago she had seemed reassured at having themselves and Thranduil close by.

"Ah!" exclaimed Celeborn suddenly. "I think I understand. Elrond, if she is indeed a wood elf, she may not have seen a dark-haired elf before." Comprehension dawned on Elrond's face and he crouched down beside the child, who was still holding on to Thranduil for dear life.

"You do not have to fear me, child. I am an elf too, see?" he spoke gently, sweeping back his black hair to reveal a pointed ear. "My hair is just a different colour from yours, that is all. Will you let me see to your ankle? I will not hurt you, I promise."

Alassë looked up at Thranduil nervously, and when he smiled, she relaxed and let Elrond strap the splints onto her ankle. It hurt a little, but it felt better to have the break supported.

"This is Alassë, Elrond," said Thranduil, smiling as he noticed how the child was resting her head on his chest. He had certainly not expected her to trust him so quickly. If it took only a few kind words and a gentle hug to gain her confidence – it spoke volumes for the severity of abuse she had been made to suffer before

"Hello Alassë," smiled Elrond, taking care to speak quietly, as he still saw fear in the elfling's green eyes. "Shall you and I be friends?" Very uncertainly, the child returned the smile and nodded, but she was suddenly overcome by fatigue and fainted dead away.

"We should put her to bed," said Elrond, just as Celebrian returned with a pink sleeping tunic. "Then you can recount to me what she has said."

"What she needs is a good wash first!" said Celebrian, looking at the child's matted hair and grimy face. "I will do that. She will probably be more at ease if she wakes up to find an elleth taking care of her. If you can prepare a room for her, I will bring her up soon."

Celebrian departed with the child in her arms and the four elves began to make their way up the stairs, with Celeborn being unable to resist scowling at Thranduil.

"Is something the matter, my Lord Celeborn?" Thranduil enquired with a merry smile.

"Big softie indeed!" snorted Celeborn, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. "Think yourself lucky, young one, that my arms were full of elfling, or I should have taught you to respect your elders!" Elrond and Glorfindel laughed, while Thranduil grinned, reminding Celeborn of the high-spirited young elf he had been, before the mantle of responsibility had come to him with the death of his father.

They went into the bedroom Elrond chose and set about lighting the fire and preparing the bed for their unexpected visitor.

"Did she tell you much?" pressed Elrond, all the laughter gone from his features again.

"She does not seem to remember where she comes from," said Celeborn gravely. "But it is clear that she has suffered at the hands of some cruel soul. Sit down and I shall tell you the rest."

"I know one thing," said Glorfindel darkly. "When I get my hands on that cruel soul, I am going to make him very, very sorry indeed!"