AN: Nope; I still don't own anything Tolkien or Lord of the Rings. Except for some posters…and Funko Pop figures…and possibly Legolas…

(hastily shoves the unconscious Elf Prince under the bed.)

Also, I've no idea how to find or create Elf names, other than using some online name generators, so if any names I use don't seem right, that's why.

Anyway, please enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review.

Chapter 3: A Sense of Purpose:

After my meeting with Lord Elrond and Gandalf, I somehow managed to find my way down to the gardens. By now, the sun was starting to set over the mountains surrounding the valley, and lanterns were being lit all over the House.

'Rivendell really is like a huge, casual summer home,' I thought to myself, nodding a greeting at a few Elves who were lighting the lamps. 'It's not meant to intimidate visitors, or be ridiculously ostentatious, like royal palaces back home.'

As I walked through the peaceful outdoors, listening to night birds singing and crickets chirping, it fully hit me that this really was a Homely House. Everything about this place was warm, welcoming, and easily put your mind at ease.

'Honestly, if hospitals back in my world were like this, people would definitely feel better and heal faster, even without Lord Elrond's magic.'

"My lady?" a soft voice questioned. Startled, I jumped.

"Forgive me," the Elf maiden said with a smile. "But my Lord Elrond wished to know if you would care to have dinner with him, Lady Gilraen and young Estel?"

That was quick; I'd only seen him a few minutes ago…hadn't I?

Feeling a slight chill in the air and the full darkness of the evening, I realized that I must have wandered further and longer than I thought. "Yes, that would be lovely," I told her. "Could you please lead me there? I'm afraid I'm rather lost."

The Elf introduced herself as Ethelwen, and informed me that she would be my guide around Rivendell for as long as I required one. As I struggled to keep pace with her long stride, I thanked her for her time, and voiced that I very much appreciated it.

"I hope that I am not taking you away from any of your duties," I said, keeping my tone apologetic. "If I am, I'm sorry for being so inconvenient."

She smiled as her long, coppery red hair floated on a delicate breeze that flowed through the hallway. I was quickly noticing that most of the public areas had open doorways, and only private rooms had doors for privacy.

"You are not an inconvenience, young one," Ethelwen assured me, deep green eyes glittering in amusement. "I am happy to assist any visitors to our realm, and honored that Lord Elrond selected me for this task. As a friend of Gandalf the Grey and a ward of our Lord, you would normally have Lady Arwen, Lord Elrond's daughter, as a guide. However, she is in Lothlorien, and is not due to return for a long while yet."

I practically tripped over my feet in shock. Arwen, the Evanstar of her people, would have been my tour guide if she were here?

Part of my brain almost couldn't process that information. Everything I knew about Arwen had come from the books (of which there was very little written about her), and from the movies (which were modernized and might not be accurate). Would I have gotten along with her, if she were here? I'd like to think that we'd be friends, but you never really know.

'Or would I be spending all my time comparing my looks with hers?'

Standing next to the most beautiful female in the world would probably have left me feeling like a lump of rough stone, compared to an artistic masterpiece. I'd had enough of an insecurity complex back home -it would undoubtedly get worse if I kept comparing myself to the Elves, much less the Evanstar of their entire race in Middle Earth.

I was still pondering this as my guide led me to a balcony edged in low flowering hedges, with a breathtaking view of the waterfalls at the far end of the valley.

"Wow," I breathed, pausing to appreciate the beauty before me.

"Allie!" cried a voice, right before I was tackled by a very excited Estel. "We're going to have dinner together!"

I loved kids at this age –they were adorable, trusting, and eager to show affection. "Hello, Estel!" I greeted, with a tight hug. "How was your day? Did you do anything exciting?"

A beautifully carved, large wooden table and chairs were already set up for the evening meal. After we were seated at the table, I watched servers place plates and bowls full of food all around me as the young boy chattered on about his lessons. I heard all about his lessons in Elvish, and his day at the archery yards. There were also classes in reading and writing, but he refused to tell me about those.

"They're boring," he said bluntly, hiding a blush as his mother leveled a scolding look at him. "I know I need them, Mama, but they're boring!"

"Boring or not, you will work hard and succeed in them," Gilraen said firmly. "It is as much a show of respect to Lord Erestor, as it is for your own good."

Estel hung his head and muttered his agreement, but it got me thinking about what I would do while I was here.

"My Lord," I said, turning to the Elf on my left, "I wish to be of use to you while I am here. Is there a task of some sort I could perform? I am horrible at sewing, but I can clean, or perhaps carry messages from you to others here in your realm."

Elrond leaned back in his chair, his long, elegant hands gently setting down his knife and fork. "That is very admirable of you, Alyssa. However, I have many whose tasks those are. Surely you do not wish to take their work away from them?"

I felt my cheeks flush as I looked at my plate in embarrassment. "No, I don't. But I need something to occupy my mind and my time, Sire. I'm afraid that if I do not have a task of some sort, I will run mad with boredom."

As the Elf Lord sat silently thinking about what I had said, I tried to focus on eating the delicious meal before me. Finally, after I'd finished my soup, Elrond spoke.

"I would have you become educated," he said, startling me. "Gilraen mentioned that you would like to learn Elvish? I agree with this, though I fear you are too old to begin learning to read our script. And there are other things I would have you educate yourself in, including books written on the history of Men and Elves."

I saw a faint glimmer in his grey eyes, hinting at something unsaid. Perhaps he believed I couldn't read at all? Middle Earth was possibly like Europe a few centuries ago, with few people, especially women, getting any type of useful education.

And there was the chance that the spell Gandalf had cast might not carry over to the written word. Sure, it let me speak Common, but would I be able to read the written language? I guess I would just have to wait and see.

"Thank you, my lord," I said, inclining my head in gratitude. "I look forward to it. I do like to learn, and reading is a great passion of mine. The written languages I am familiar with might be different from what you have in your library, but I will do my best to learn them and live up to your expectations of me."

He seemed surprised at my words. "You are a scholar?"

"In a way," I admitted. "I've always been interested in history, and I've always loved to read, both for study and for leisure."

Gilraen seemed more excited by this by the minute. "Then perhaps you may spend more time with Estel. He might like having you keep him company and help with his lessons."

My heart melted as Estel began to bounce excitedly in his chair. "Yes, please! Allie can come with me, and then we can play after we're done!"

So I was to be student, a scholar, and a baby-sitter. I guess I could handle that.


After a few months, and quite a bit of hard work, trial and error, I managed to slowly integrate myself into the world of the Elves.

Ethelwen was a life-saver, because without her, I'd have spent a year getting lost in Rivendell's halls. She gave me a full tour, and proceeded to show me the entire place again and again, until she was certain I could find my way to wherever I was going. It took a week or two, but finally, she declared I had no further need of her guiding services. I told her that might be so, but I would be happy to have her as my friend, to which she happily agreed.

Lord Erestor was another fixture in my life. He was a great and respected scholar, and Estel's teacher in all things studious. He allowed me to sit in on some of those classes, at first, as long as I didn't interrupt or distract Estel. When he saw how eager I was to learn, he gave me a beginner's book, and asked me to read it to him.

To my relief, I found that I could. I decided that, either the written Common Tongue was, in fact, very similar to English, or Gandalf's spell had worked in my favor. No matter which one it was, I was simply grateful I didn't have to learn another alphabet.

The only downside was that a good chunk of the library was written in a form that resembled Renaissance-type English, with a lot of old-fashioned terms, words, and spelling that made my head ache. I'd hated reading Shakespeare for those same reasons, and here I was in a world where most of what I needed to read was in that antiquated written form. Go figure.

Learning to speak Elvish was the hardest of my lessons. Since kids were able to learn languages easier than adults, Estel easily went back and forth between the two. He even learned a few phrases in Dwarf, though Erestor didn't really like teaching that particular subject.

I was a much slower learner, but Erestor was patient with me. I guessed it was because I didn't bounce, make faces, or doodle on my parchment like Estel did, when he should have been writing out his lessons.

What really confused Erestor, though, was that I didn't know how to write using a quill and ink. When he asked how we wrote things down where I was from, I vaguely mentioned something about writing tools with ink already inside them. That was really interesting to him, and he seemed a little sad when I confessed not knowing how the tools were constructed. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if someone started experimenting, and the Middle Earth version of ballpoint pens began appearing in Rivendell in a few years.

I also counted myself lucky that, when I was a teenager, one of my uncles had bought me a calligraphy kit. I hadn't learned how to do it very well, and ended up tossing the kit a few years later. Since calligraphy was a lot like writing with a quill, I could honestly tell my new teacher that I could use the tools he offered me, but that the results would be rather disappointing.

But under Erestor's patient tutelage, I was able to recall a bit of what I had once learned, and my handwriting began to improve. Estel helped where he could, and after a few weeks of practice, we were both at the same level, with me jumping ahead after a time.

When Estel and I weren't in a classroom, we spent a lot of free time together. I was basically his wrestling buddy, fellow prankster, wrapper of wounds, and all-around 'big sister.' We would spend every moment we could running around and laughing, sometimes causing enough noise that Elves would come to their doors or windows to see what was going on.

A few times, we were brought before Lord Elrond for causing so much racket, or for one prank or another. But other than a good scolding (usually to stop feeding the breakfast porridge to the horses, or having water fights in the fountains), or a few extra chores to perform in the kitchens, we were let go with no serious punishments. I think the Elves found us endearing, since there were no Elf children at all in the valley.

The Elves even began to call me by an Elf name: Meluir.

Loosely translated, it meant 'sweet, loving, or cute one.' They probably couldn't have gotten away with giving the name to Aragorn, even as a little boy, but I didn't mind it. I took it to mean that they liked having me around, and found my childish antics with Estel to be exactly that: cute and sweet.

So, my days passed in busy, contented bliss.

Then, one morning, Lord Elrond decided that Estel and I needed to do something productive, and had us both start riding lessons.


I love horses. They are beautiful, graceful creatures, and I'd always wanted to try riding one.

Elf horses are even better than 'regular' ones. Imagine the most perfect stallion or mare; then make them twice as graceful, twice as beautiful, and twice as fast. That's an Elf horse.

Did I mention they glowed? I knew the Elves did, but I guess that quality had rubbed off on their mounts somehow.

Estel was lucky; he got to begin with a pony that suited his size. For some reason, Elves keep a few ponies in their stables, so there were a handful to be chosen from. The result was Estel ending up with a sweet beige mare who loved him at first sight.

As a full grown woman, I was too tall for a pony, so I had to have a horse. And choosing a horse was not easy.

My guess was, if I hadn't been taken in as Elrond's ward, and wasn't a particular favorite of Gandalf (who had left not long after our first meeting with Lord Elrond), I probably would have been limited in my choice of mount. But since I was both of those things, I was allowed to choose from the best horses in the stable.

Unfortunately, it was like trying to choose an ice cream flavor at your favorite shop, or a single item from the candy store: there was no way you could pick just one.

To give them credit, the Elves in the stables were very patient with me, asking what I was looking for in a horse, from the size to its temperament, and in about an hour, they led a dozen animals into a corral, including stallions, gildings, and mares.

Now, I'd watched The Lord of the Rings films, and remembered the horses the Elves had ridden. For some reason, Peter Jackson had chosen white horses for all the Elf scenes.

In real life, they came in as many shades and colors as ours back home did, and the faint glow that emanated from within them only enhanced their colors.

I now had an array of horseflesh to look at, and felt rather spoiled because of it. Was this how princesses felt, when people spread a trunk full of silk or jewelry in front of them?

Brushing a bit of dirt off my breeches, I was eternally grateful that Elves allowed females to wear pants. When I'd mentioned that they were more comfortable and easier to move around in, Lord Elrond had ordered the seamstresses to provide me with a dozen pairs, in various colors.

'Breeches also make it easier to run after Estel, and keep him out of trouble.'

The boy was pretty quick on his feet, and running after him in dresses had nearly caused me to have some fatal accidents. Gilraen wasn't comfortable in pants, but as long as I kept her son safe, she seemed to push aside her dislike of 'men's gear' when I wore them around her.

Walking down the lines, I watched what each horse did when I approached them. Some clearly did not like me; perhaps because I was human and had a different scent than the Elves? These were taken back to the great meadow, where the rest of the herd was kept.

From the six that remained, one caught my interest –a stallion of a silvery grey so dark, he was almost black. His eyes sparked with intelligence, but when the groom tried to hold him still, the large equine head tossed and jerked, alarming the other horses and their grooms.

"Hey!" I snapped, glaring at the horse, "Stop that! You're scaring people, you big idiot! Shame on you!"

I'd been warned that some of the horses were far too smart for their own good, but hadn't really believed it. This horse, however, proved the rumors right by stopping a moment, thinking about what I'd said, and promptly standing straight and still as a statue.

Well, that's a good sign, I supposed. "That's more like it," I said in a firm tone. "I'll put up with no kind of shenanigans from you, sir!"

The Elves looked confused at the word, as did the horse. "It means no tricks or pranks," I explained. "I don't want anyone hurt just because you want to be difficult or funny."

The horse seemed to accept that, and even gave a brief nod, causing me to stare at him. "Just how intelligent are Elf horses?" I wondered aloud to the grooms nearby.

The Elf holding the silver horse's reins smiled and motioned for me to come take them. "It is one of the reasons they were bred. When we are at war, we Elves must focus on slaying the enemies around us, and let the horses have their heads while we fight. Therefore, they must be clever, to keep us all alive."

I could understand that. "What is his name?" I paused. "Actually, I don't even know your name."

The groom laughed. "I am Auron," he introduced himself. "And this fellow is yours to name. We bestow one on them soon after they are born, but it is for their riders to give a permanent one."

"But I won't be his permanent rider," I protested. "I'm only taking lessons! Lord Elrond couldn't have meant to give me a horse!" Could he?

Auron grinned. "It is his wish for you to have one, should you wish to travel outside the valley. Middle Earth is vast, and he would like you to have a mount you can trust to keep you safe, should you decide to go elsewhere."

Well, since most of Middle Earth was covered in Orcs, dragons, cave trolls, and who-knew-what Tolkien had left out of his books, I had absolutely no intention of going outside of Rivendell unless I had to!

Still, if the horse was supposed to be mine…

"Ideally, I'd name you Shenanigans, because you're a troublemaker," I told the stallion directly. "But that's too long, and hard to say in an emergency. So, I'm going to call you Shan, for short."

I waved a lecturing finger in his face. "But if you're bad, I will be using your full name, mister!"

The horse was quiet for a moment, as though he were thinking about what I said. Then he nodded and meekly put his nose against my chest.

Auron smiled. "It is done; he is yours."


And so my days started to fall into a rhythm, causing time to pass quicker than I thought possible. Whenever I realized an entire month had flown by, I was amazed.

My lessons with Erestor were going well, and I was doing as well in my Elvish as any grown human could, though it was slow going. Estel had long out-striped me in this area, and sometimes had to serve as a translator for me, if the Elf I was talking to didn't speak fluent Common.

Erestor was far happier with my reading, which I had finally learned to struggle through without many problems. I had discovered that the more recently written books were easier to read, so I did everything possible to locate any lately-written texts on the histories of Elves, Men, and even Dwarves (which, for some reason, were the hardest to find).

My riding lessons, unfortunately, trailed behind my academic ones. When I had first arrived in Rivendell, I had not been in great shape. Even after losing a fair amount of weight and building up my stamina by walking everywhere in the valley, my body still wasn't what humans considered 'good shape.'

This became very obvious after my first riding lesson on Shan, when I was so sore I was unable to sleep. Lord Elrond saw the pain on my face when I joined him, Gilraen and Estel for our daily breakfast, and promptly provided a lovely balm for my poor backside.

But even with the balm, and a comfortable saddle provided by Auron, it was slow going. Elves typically didn't use reins, and so their mounts were not used to them. Shan had flat out turned and walked away when Auron tried to put a set on him, and wouldn't come back until I explained that I was human, and had different requirements when it came to riding. Finally, he gave in, and the bit and bridle were put on him.

Now, many weeks later, I wasn't that great a horsewoman, and I was never going to be a professional horseback rider, but at least I'd be able to stay in the saddle. With Auron's teaching, I could even stay mounted if Shan had to break into a sudden escape run, to get away from enemies (which had been the worst and least-favorite lesson).

But the one sure way for me to measure time was watching Estel.


AN: Review?