Celebrí an's prediction of the previous day was destined to come true. Isilya kept her cord well hidden underneath her tunics, but that day the children decided to go to the stables and watch the horses in the corral. As she leaned forward over the rail, her cord was exposed and Aurfin, already perched on the top rung, asked her what it was.

"It is the cord that holds my willow leaf," she told him. There it might have ended, but Elrohir felt a more lengthy explanation was required.

"Legolas gave both of them to her," he said to the other children. Not to be outdone, his twin added,

"He wove the cord from his own hair and got into fearful trouble. But Isilya made him a ring from her hair and she did not get punished."

"Isilya did not pluck the hair from her head," Arwen retorted. "She got it from her hairbrush."

"Oh, you can make a ring from hair?" Liniel asked. "A ring from your hair would be so lovely, Arwen."

"I think a ring from Hithwen's hair would be prettier," Talathon said calmly. The maiden in question flushed.

"I do not think my mother would approve."

"Oh," Nenglin said dismissively, "You only take the hair from your brush. There cannot be anything messy about that! In fact, it would almost be like cleaning up."

"That is so," Elladan said with a grin. "Here, let us all make a ring for each other!"

"That would take some time," Isilya said in some dismay. "There are a lot of us."

"Well, we do not have to give Glorfindel one," Talathon pointed out breezily. "He would not want one, and he would not give any in return."

Isilya frowned, for this seemed unkind. "I would give him one."

"He would not take it," Aralda said very seriously. "He is mad at you."

This was very true. While the other children were at the corral, Glorfindel was sitting resolutely back on the lawn, ignoring Isilya fixedly. However, no one had taken his part, because Isilya had insisted that he was forgiven, in spite of his deficient confession. Talathon had already told the boy that he ought to let it stand and not worry over it.

"Anyway, let us pair up to exchange rings," Elrohir said, inspired. "When every pair has finished, then we can switch around until everyone has one from everyone else!"

"And if Glorfindel comes around, we can each make him a ring any time," Liniel added gently. "So that he does not think we dislike him."

"Will you make me a ring?" Aurfin asked Isilya. "I want to make you one."

"Of course I will," Isilya promised. The others paired up, more or less to their satisfaction. Without Glorfindel, the boys and girls were even in number. Isilya, however, resolved to make Glorfindel a ring at the same time as Aurfin, for it would be a good peace offering.

Thus decided, the children turned back to the corral. A few mares were out, and the children could not resist saying which ones they would like to have. Most of them chose for coloring. However, both Liniel and Aralda had more of an eye for speed and health.

"That gray mare would gallop smoothly," Aralda said, and Liniel agreed.

"She has a nice gait."

"Which one is gray?" asked Isilya, looking at the mares in perplexity.

"The white one," Arwen told her. "White horses are called gray."

"Why? If she is white, how can she be gray? And what do you call gray horses?"

None of the other children knew. Aurfin said wistfully, "I like the brown one with black hair. She looks pretty."

"I like the roans," Elladan said, and Elrohir concurred.

"I like that one," Nenglin announced, pointing at a bay mare. "She goes very fast."

"What about you?" Talathon condescended to ask Isilya. She was about to say she did not have a preference when she spotted a mare that was much rounder than the rest.

In coloring, the mare had a brown-gray coat, but an ebony mane, tail, and lower legs. Isilya was fascinated by the contrast, but she was more interested in the fact that she could hear two heartbeats from the same animal. She pointed her out to the others.

"She is going to have a baby," she announced, pleased.

"How do you know?" asked Aralda in surprise. "I know because I heard Celeborn say so, but how do you?"

"I can hear the baby's heartbeat," Isilya explained.

"What?" demanded Talathon. "I do not hear it."

"Be quiet a minute," suggested Nenglin. "Maybe we can!"

This was how the lord of Lothlórien discovered them a few minutes later. He looked at the line of intense faces in amusement, and then joined them at the fence. Teasingly, he tweaked Arwen's ear and asked,

"What are you all concentrating on?"

While Arwen squeaked, the twins explained, "We are trying to hear the baby's heartbeat."

Celeborn looked out into the corral. Spotting the dun mare, he smiled. With a nod to Isilya, he said,

"I do not think you will hear it from here, though Isilya may."

The children groaned in disappointment. Aurfin said sadly, "Oh, but I wanted to."

"Not everything we wish for in life will come to us," Celeborn said, patting the toddler's head consolingly. "However, I have heard that Linduin is making tarts for our luncheon. And I am certain all of you wish to have some of those!"

Cheering, but quietly so as not to upset the mares, the children climbed down from the fence. Celeborn held Isilya back as the others went to clean up. Quietly, he asked,

"Can you perhaps tell if the foal is well?"

"Filly," Isilya corrected unthinkingly. She turned red in shame, but Celeborn only laughed.

"Filly it is. The mother has twice seemed ready to go into labor, but she has not yet. Is the baby well?"

Isilya concentrated, for beasts were not her specialty and she knew horses only in passing. The dun mare came closer to the fence when she called silently. She sniffed Isilya over while the girl checked on the filly. After a few minutes, Isilya said,

"She just is not ready to come out. But she will be later. Maybe this evening."

"Well, that is a relief," Celeborn said, patting Isilya's head. Then he offered, "Would you like to be there?"

"Oh!" Isilya was surprised. "May I?"

"Yes, I think you are responsible and sensitive enough," Celeborn told her. "Elrond has told me that you listen well, and have fine empathy."

Isilya blushed at the compliments. "He did?"

"Yes. My daughter concurred with his assessment, too. And I know that you will be very careful and stand where I ask you to."

"Oh, yes I will," Isilya promised.

"Wonderful," Celeborn praised. "Now, we shall have to hurry, or else those hungry children will eat all of Linduin's tarts."

After lunch, where Isilya ate three tarts happily, the children went to the green lawn to play hide and seek. With a smile, Isilya declined to join them, and sat down beside Hithwen. She opened the pouch the lady of Imladris had given her and the bead-box as well. Thoughtfully, she pulled out a tiny handful of beads and worked from that until all the beads were in their proper places. Hithwen was very admiring of the beads, and surprised that Isilya was not interested in their beauty, but only their colors so that she could sort them.

"Lady Celebrían has asked me to," Isilya explained.

Hithwen nodded wisely to this. "You are doing very well, then. Aurfin, you are out!"

The hapless toddler gave her a stern look. "I am not playing, Hithwen."

"You were playing a minute ago," Hithwen said in astonishment. Isilya was equally amazed, for the boy had only minutes before trotted off to find a hiding place.

"I am not anymore," Aurfin announced. "Talathon made me mad, and I do not want to play with him. I want to sit with Isilya."

"You may sit by me," Isilya assured him. "But please do not bump me, for I am sorting beads for the lady of Imladris and I do not want to drop any."

"Can I help you?" Aurfin asked. For a moment, Isilya hesitated. One look at his face, so sweet and pleading, decided her.

"Of course you may. If you will hold the beads for me, I can see their colors better and sort them faster."

Much caution was necessary for this new method. Isilya pulled out still fewer beads than she had before. Aurfin, however, was a very patient bearer and happily chanted the colors in Sindarin to himself while he waited. This engrossed the pair so much that when the other children tired and came to seek a new game, they did not notice their arrival.

"What are you two doing?" Aralda asked.

"I am sorting beads," answered Isilya vaguely.

"I am helping," Aurfin said cheerfully.

"I wonder," Nenglin said, after watching Isilya speedily empty Aurfin's hands of beads, "What it would be like to be a color."

The other children eyed her warily. Every now and then Nenglin said some very strange things. Then she would somehow involve them in discussions about those odd subjects. Dreamily, Nenglin added,

"It might be nicer to be one color than another, you know. If you were blue, you could be in the sky and look down on everyone, or else in the waters and watch people swim through you."

"I would rather be red," Arwen decided, "For I could be in sunsets and sunrises."

"I would be yellow," Hithwen said at once, "so that I could be in the flowers."

"I want to be green," Isilya chimed in, "Then I could be every growing thing."

Aurfin spoke up. "I would want to be the color of your hair Isilya."

The older boys laughed. The twins instantly suggested being white. Then they could be stars and the crests of waves too.

"I want to be brown, then," said Aralda, "Because I could be the trunks of the trees and horses too."

"I would want to be gold," Liniel offered, "For that color is treasured by all."

"What a lot of nonsense," Talathon said, dismissively. "But if I had to be anything, I would be silver like mithril."

"It would be fun to be a color," Nenglin said cheerily. "Because then we could go wherever our color was."

"Yes," Aralda said calmly, "But then we would not be us, and I would rather be me."

The others nodded together. Isilya emptied another tiny handful into Aurfin's waiting hands and wondered. Did colors have thoughts and feelings? If they did, they might not like to be captured and held in cloth or beads like prisoners. She plucked beads up and laid them in their compartments thoughtfully.

So it was, with Aurfin's unflagging help, Isilya finished sorting the beads. The others were very pleased, because Glorfindel refused to give them any help choosing another game and they had been forced to resort to drop the handkerchief. Very carefully, Isilya closed the lid of the box and turned the hook so that it was firmly in the loop. She rested the bag on top of the box and placed both on a wide mellryn root.

The other children asked that she either tell them a story or else make up a play, because they had no ideas. With some thought for what they liked to do, Isilya suggested follow the leader- with the caveat that nothing dangerous or very dirty could be done because it was nearly time for the evening meal.

After a few clashes, Hithwen declared they could each do one thing and the rest would copy, starting with Aurfin and working upward in age. Talathon agreed, but said that everyone must try very hard to mimic the leader. Liniel suggested they all choose the best imitator for each round, and this was wholeheartedly approved.

Aurfin started off the game well, reaching down and touching his toes quite proudly. Liniel was voted the best mimic, for she captured his expression as well as his pose. The next two contenders were, surprisingly, Talathon and Nenglin.

Isilya led them along a mellryn root, skipping the whole way. After much discussion, it was agreed that Nenglin had done it the best. All of Elrond's children had been very close, however. For his turn, Aralda calmly walked two steps upon his hands. Though some of the girls were concerned about this, Isilya and Nenglin blithely repeated the motion. It was wholly agreed that Talathon had done it the best.

Nenglin chose to do a birdcall, and while all of the children did fairly well, Aurfin was the winner. He proudly said that Nenglin had taught it to him before. Liniel took her turn by performing an elegant curtsy. Despite the fact that the boys protested, they were forced to try, or else forfeit entirely. Several blushes later, Hithwen was declared the winner, with Arwen a very strong second.

Arwen was next, and she hopped twenty paces on one foot. Much giggling ensued, and Elladan and Elrohir tied. This fact generally would have annoyed Arwen, for she knew her brothers did comic imitations of her frequently, but she could hardly object to it at this time. Elladan pulled a terrible face, and with much laughter, the children tried to copy it. Arwen turned out to be best. Elrohir thought for a time, and then made a different face. Again, Arwen was the winner.

Hithwen, in an unexpected burst of creativity, quickly braided half of her hair. While the boys complained this was another gender specific action, they made valiant efforts. This time Isilya was the winner, for she was equally fast and neat. Last came Talathon, and he proposed several things which the others vetoed. At last, he turned two consecutive somersaults on the grass. Seeing how this could make trouble, Isilya insisted they each try one at a time, or else they would knock into one another.

Arwen and Hithwen both declined to join in, citing dirt. The others all took their turn and Talathon shook his head in wonder and declared Aralda the winner, for he had even hopped up just as Talathon had done. Seeing that they had not yet been summoned, the boys declared there was enough time for a game of tag. The girls all declined, save Nenglin, for they needed to tidy themselves before going to the meal. Liniel also had to take Aurfin, though he protested strongly.

Isilya went and collected lady Celebrían's box and pouch. The tree warned her that Glorfindel was approaching her, and she stepped forward. Behind her, she heard Talathon cry,

"What do you mean, Glorfindel? You keep your hands off of Isilya!"

Isilya turned then, and beheld Glorfindel glaring at her with his hands before him. Puzzled for a moment, she then realized he had meant to shove her and possibly even to knock her down. Without a word, she backed away from him and ran to catch up with Arwen.