When the three arrived in Mirkwood they were covered in dirt, blood, and more than a little bit irritable. While the twins composed themselves easily enough, being that they were elves and quite good at that sort of thing, Katy was left to fume. They trudged on, led by the patrol that had come across them just in time to save them from a pack of spiders that were the size of cars, and through the open gates of the mountain. Katy took the time to observe her surroundings, amazed at the stone work and the rather more rugged looking elves that glided through the halls. She saw Ellyth in armor and many of the Ellon had more natural hair colors. She even spotted a few red heads like herself. Mirkwood was a dark place, filled with monsters and the forest itself seemed to have a will of its own, but the elves survived and thrived as if it were the easiest task in the world. Katy found herself drawn to this kingdom, like a moth to flame, here one could be wild.

The walls of the passages were lit by torches and were just large enough to allow them to pass through comfortably without having to rearrange the order in which they walked; namely the twins with Katy in the middle. The woman was entranced by the carvings on the walls, finding her eyes drawn to the stories they told, and was not entirely paying attention to where her feet were going. The twins took it upon themselves to act as her guide.

Eventually, the passage opened up into a large room that held little more than a steep and curving stone staircase that led up to the throne. What a sight it was, a pair of large antlers reaching up around it in an almost protective manner. If Katy thought the throne was regal, however, then she had no words for the being that sat within it. He was the embodiment of all that she felt an elf should be. She felt rather guilty of that thought, but wile Lord Elrond was handsome, kind, and wise, Thranduil was imperial and untamed. He sat upon that throne like a diamond upon a ring. He belonged there, simple as that, and when he turned his head to follow their progress into the room Katy found herself mesmerized. He had wild and cold eyes. His hair, which was always one of her favorite parts about the elves to admire, went unnoticed. While his hair was long and of a color she could not even begin to describe, there was something so entrancing about his eyes and she felt that, if she were to look hard enough, she would find something so utterly human about them that it would bring her to tears. Ah yes, that was empathy at its finest. Because whether it was the cause of the ring or her sympathetic nature, she knew that he had lost much, and become cold and calculating because of it. But she would never speak her thoughts allowed. Instead she chose to turn her eyes away and follow the twins, dutifully watching where she stepped, and thought no more on the subject.

When the group finally came to the landing of the stairs the remainder of the patrol, whose numbers had slowly dwindled as they moved through the mountain, bowed and made their leave. The twins, quickly followed by Katy who was still a bit dazed, bowed. She glared down at her boots, noticing the flecks of mud and spider guts that decorated them, and thought it would be best if she pulled herself together before she made a dumb move and offended the king.

"Elladan, Elrohir, I welcome you," Thranduil spoke. Just like his eyes, his voice was cold, if a bit more civil and polite than Katy had expected. "But who is the little one between you?"

Katy tensed, little? Ugh, elves.

"Thank you King Thranduil," Elrohir nodded. "This is Katelyn Jones, she has been with us for a few years now in Imladris and my father felt it was time that her existence was made known to you." He spoke calmly and clearly, gesturing to Katy as he introduced her, and she once again bowed with a hand to her chest.

"And why is that?" he asked, a bit colder. He watched them as an animal did its prey.

The twins shared a glance from the corner of their eyes over Katy's head of wavy red curls. Uncertainty flickered in their chests at that tone.

"If I may speak?" Katy moved forward and spoke in a soft tone that the twins had not heard her use in all the years she had lived in Rivendell. They stared at her curiously. She had always spoken in either a loud attention grabbing voice, using her diaphragm, or a sarcastic drawl. There really was no in between unless the threat of mortal death was upon her, in which case she just screamed.

"You may," Thranduil said with a look of aloofness. His eyelids lowered as he scrutinized her, taking in her appearance and stance, finding her character to be of the pleasing kind.

"Thank you," Katy smiled kindly and stood straight, meeting his eyes for the first time since they had arrived in front of him. "I arrived in Rivendell quite by accident, you see, I'm not from this time." She spoke confidently even when Thranduil's eyes widened and he took on a suspicious expression. "Lord Elrond took me in and taught me of Middle Earth and its many peoples. It was soon discovered that the reason I had been misplaced from my own time was because I had come across a ring."

Thranduil quirked a delicate brow and glanced at her hands, but of course he could not see the silver band that adorned her finger, for he was not a ring bearer. He scowled and turned his gaze away.

"And why, has he sent you to me? Surely it was nothing more than to taunt me." He thought of the years of struggling against the darkness. The horrible sickness that his people and forest was forced to endure while Imladris and Lothlorien remained protected by their rings of power. Safe within their borders and without a care in the world. A cold rage rolled off of him in waves.

"No, sir." Katy responded calmly. "Understand that I was thrust into this time with no knowledge of it. I am from a future that is so distant none of this is even thought to have existed. I was ignorant and so he thought to remedy it before I went about blundering through Middle Earth insulting and offending all those that I encountered," here she paused, struggling not to laugh, "We aren't very well mannered where I am from." She took a breath before continuing with a bow once more, "Lord Elrond sent me to introduce myself to you formally and offer you my assistance if ever you have need of me."

Thranduil gazed at her from the corner of his eye. "I see," he looked her over once before turning his gaze on the twins. "So you have been learning the ways of Imladris, how do you like it?"

"Well," Katy struggled to express how she felt towards their culture without using such a blasé term like she normally would, but eventually she gave up. "It's a bit artsy fartsy," she muttered. Then a term came to mind and she brightened, "Utopian, that's the word."

The twins turned to scowl at her and Thranduil smirked. "Yes, it is a very peaceful place. You will find that Lotherien is even more so . . ."he trailed off thoughtfully and cocked his head. "From the state you three are in I would assume you ran into some trouble with the goblins in the misty mountains and no doubt the spiders of Mirkwood."

Katy once more looked down at her favorite boots and sighed. She had long since been cleaned up but there was still a smattering of her blood across her jeans and tunic. She was still covered in bruises of course but they would vanish over time, she only hoped the stains would come out of her clothes.

"Go and rest, recover yourselves, and join me for dinner tonight so that I may hear of your travels."

Katy was led to a guest bedroom deep within the halls of the mountain. The twins had parted ways with her, bragging that they would get rooms with windows, and had left her staring open mouthed at them. She scowled before turning to follow the quiet ellyth who was paving the way to her claustrophobic meltdown, it would seem. She adjusted the strap of her bag and stepped over a protruding stone hesitantly before scampering to catch up to the elf who had yet to look back at her, or even speak. They came to a door where the ellyth bowed and left her, continuing deeper into the mountain. Katy stared at the dark wooden door in front of her before turning the brass doorknob and peaking around into the room. She may not have had a window, she noted, but she did have a luminous pool of water in the corner of the bedroom. It did not light the room by itself, however, and there were several candles lit and flicking in the slight breeze she had created by opening the door.

Katy threw her bags onto the queen sized bed and moved to inspect the glowing water in the corner. There were small white fish swimming about it and a few lily pads and weeds growing artfully around it. She hummed and stuck a finger in, wiggling it around, and laughing when the fish nipped at it hungrily.

"They are strangely playful little things," a soft voice spoke from the doorway and Katy glanced up curiously to find that the ellyth had returned with a towel and some soaps. "I brought you some things to wash up with," she gestured to her armload shyly and Katy smiled.

"Thank you," Katy said. She stood and brushed off the knees of her jeans before pausing, "Where can I do that?" she asked with a laugh.

"Right through that doorway," she pointed with her chin at a small door Katy had not noticed, located on the other side of the bed.

"Oh, perfect!" She brightened and moved over to the elf, relieving her of her arm load. "So what's your name?" She asked curiously.

"Lythia," she answered promptly.

"I'm Ka-."

"Kaitlyn Jones, I know," she spoke kindly with a smile.

"Right." Katy laughed, "Well, I'm going to get cleaned up. When's dinner?"

"In two hours time," Lythia said as she left the room with a chuckle.

"Alrighty then," Katy mumbled and turned to the washroom hesitantly.

The only thing in the washroom was another glowing pool, although this one was lacking in fish and plants thankfully. She quickly threw off her boots and undressed before sliding into the pool of lukewarm water. She made a face at the temperature but nonetheless washed up to the best of her abilities. It would have been nice to have a loofa or a sponge, but she found nothing, and did her best with the scrubby brush she had been given. She scrubbed at her scalp and swam about in the pool leisurely, content to take her time. She took roughly forty minutes in the pool before climbing out and wrapping herself in the soft towel that had been provided before drying off and pulling on the turquoise dress that had traveled with her from Rivendell. Once dressed she dried off her hair and marveled at the bit of length it had gained since she had last had it cut before lifting the circlet from her bag and once again admiring it in the flickering candle light. She slipped it on and pulled a few strands of hair over it to hide all but what rested on her forehead.

While she waited for the next hour to pass she went about doing inventory of her bags. She still had a change of clothes, her boots and cloak, another dagger she had stuffed into her bag, and a water skin now empty. Her wallet was in there, though she didn't need it, it still held several pictures of her family that she held dear. She sighed and pulled out a pair of soft brown leather flats provided to her by Erestor who always wanted her to make the best impression. She snorted. The king had already seen her sweaty, bloody, and covered in mud and she doubted anything could fix that blunder. Although he had requested their presence at once so it was hardly her fault.

When her hair had curled nicely and she had finished fiddling with her bags there came a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called.

The door swung open and the twins peered into her room curiously and smiled at the sight of her. They too were wearing circlets and had traded their traveling clothes for fresh robes in deep maroon for Elladan and a dark purple for Elrohir. Katy returned their smiles.

"Are you ready?" Elladan stepped into the room and gave her outfit a once over, his eyes lingering on the circlet on her forehead before turning away.

"Let's go," she said.

The three made their way down the halls, speaking quietly amongst themselves, and greeted everyone they passed with a smile.

"You know, I normally would not comment on this but, Katy, you are looking almost sickeningly frail," Elrohir observed blandly. He did not look at her as he spoke and instead smiled at a passing guard.

"We'll, I haven't had any meat in four years, can you blame me? I hardly get any fat or protein," she muttered darkly, looking down at herself curiously. She was kind of bony.

"Quit whining," Elladan scowled at her playfully.

"I miss bacon and hamburgers," she leaned into Elladan piteously and looked up at him with a pout.

"Don't do that," he laughed and pushed her away.

Elrohir sighed.

They arrived at a set of large double doors guarded on each side by elves in light armor and swords at their hips. Upon sighting them the guards simultaneously moved to push the doors open to allow them entrance. The room they stepped into was small in comparison to the throne room, but it was large and contained a few chairs, a fire place, and a large dining table big enough for ten. Obviously this was his more private dining room, Katy observed. She paused, finding that she was not quite sure what to do with herself but found that an elf wearing a simple tunic and breaches appeared and guided her to a seat. The twins were seated across from her and she let out a nervous little sigh that not even the elves could hear. Her eyes roamed about the room, taking in the bookshelves filled with old tombs, and the tapestries that hung on the walls. It really was a cozy room, though elegant, she found herself feeling comfortable and not too out in the open.

Next to enter was a new elf that Katy had not seen before, he wore a deep green colored tunic under light armor and his hair was blond and braided behind his ears just enough to keep it out of his face. He paused, took in the three at the table, before moving to take the seat next to Katy, closest to the head.

"I did not know that you had arrived, Elladan, Elrohir," the elf spoke in a light tone.

"I have no doubt," Elrohir responded, "You were probably out in the wilds again, running about like a squirrel chasing spiders."

The new elf smirked, "You know me to well." He turned to face Katy with a tight smile, "And you are, my Lady?"

"Katelyn Jones," she answered with her own tight smile. She could hear Elladan chuckling from the other side of the table but she refused to react to him and instead focused her attention on the one next to her, "And you?"

"Legolas Greenleaf," he answered automatically.

"And my son, though he would wish anything but," spoke the King as he came gliding into the room from another doorway. They all stood as he approached the table, as was polite, and sat after he had done so.

"Prince Legolas Greenleaf," Katy corrected with a smirk. "I'm sure it was only a slip of the mind," she turned her cheeky grin onto the elf next to her who only sighed and looked away. Uh oh, she thought, touchy subject though I don't really blame him. Am I overstepping my boundaries? Those two don't look worried. She glanced over at the twins who both wore content looks on their faces.

"A slip that has lasted far too long," the king added darkly. "But that is not why we are gathered here. Lady Jones, why do you not tell us of your adventures? What is your time like?" He switched subjects so quickly that Katy's mind went blank for a few seconds. Thranduil watched her expectantly.

"Well," she began, "It's a lot different."

Elladan snorted.

"I mean there are only men in the future," she began slowly, "we've built buildings that scrape the skies and vehicles that are powered by natural oils, we've populated the entire Earth and sent vessels into the stars." She kind of zoned, lost in thought of her home as she spoke.

Thranduil himself was transfixed by her words. He was dimly aware of the others at the table leaning forward in earnest, wanting to hear more, but he paid them no attention. He lent back in his high backed chair and threw one leg over the other to listen in comfort.

"We have done so much and yet we have fallen into a sort of life style that would seem laughable to you. I woke up in the morning, went to school, went to work, went home and watched TV, then woke up and did it all over again. My life was never in danger, there were never any threats of a great darkness, we grew fat and lazy in our own stupidity. There was no need to go out of our way for anything because all could be provided. Nothing extraordinary ever happened." She looked down at the salad that was placed in front of her and wished to all the world that she could have a burger or a hotdog or any other classic American food. How conflicted she was. "There is no magic in the world anymore, it is simply rotting away, till one day we will be forced to leave but after learning as much as I have I fear that we will only die out. The only thing that will be left is a wasted planet, barren of anything living, and we will be to blame for it." She sighed. "So I must fix it," she finished and stabbed at a grape tomato with her fork resolutely.

"I can understand then why the peacefulness of Rivendell does not suit you. You have had quite enough peace it would seem, and wish more from the world," Thranduil observed. "You even refuse to dress in their fashion." He eyed her rather plain dress with a lifted chin.

Katy looked down at her dress absently, "I don't like all the elegant beading and fancy fabric."

"No?" Thranduil quirked a brow.

"Besides, this is my favorite dress, and doesn't that have more meaning to you despite its lack of ornateness?" She smoothed out her skirt lovingly and turned to look at the king whose lips quirked into a smirk before he looked away and changed the subject.

"So Lord Elrond wishes for my people and I to make an appearance at this year's summer festival?" he pinned the twins with an inquisitive and slightly haughty expression that Katy had remembered her mother using once or twice. It normally involved one of the kids being in trouble and her at the receiving end of a lecture from another adult. She would not stand to have her or her children talked down to and had pulled that look out of the bag on more than one occasion.

"He feels that it is a tradition that should never have been put to rest and that a gesture of friendship is long overdue on his part and wishes invite you to his home to remedy that," Elrohir responded dutifully.

Elladan made a face at Katy, poking fun at Elrohir's stuffy attitude, causing her to snort. Legolas gave her a disapproving look which caused Elladan to chuckle.

"I see you have yet to mature, Elladan, such a pity," Thranduil commented dryly.

"My apologies." Elladan had the common decency to look shame faced.

Thranduil let out a soft sigh and next to her Katy felt Legolas relax for the first time since he entered the room. "The world would be a dark place if at least some of us did not remain joyful and childish I suppose," he smiled tightly at the twins who returned the expression in kind.

Suddenly, Katy felt like she was intruding on a private moment laden with emotion and history. Her eyes dropped to the salad in front of her and she fiddled with her fork thoughtfully. Moments like this happened every once in a while, even in Rivendell, and they often made her wish for her home and family so that she could share similar moments and inside jokes with them. She let out her own sigh and Legolas looked down at her curiously before turning to the twins.

"So, how did Lady Jones come to be in Rivendell?" he asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to humor the woman.

"She walked into our father's study like she owned the place," Elladan explained.

"I did not. I was lost." she muttered back.

"Lost, Katelyn Jones, is something you never are. You may be confused at times but I find that you are always exactly where you should be."

All eyes turned to the door to find the very familiar figure of Gandalf standing there looking as if he had traveled a long way. His robes were covered in dust and his face smudged with dirt and there was a good deal of frizz to his beard but they could all see the smile behind it all.

Strange, she thought, Elrond had said that Gandalf had wanted to wait to introduce me to Thranduil. He must be covering his ass. She hid her smile behind her goblet of wine and thought on the subject no more.

Katy did not realize how closely to home she had hit her mark. Gandalf arrived in Rivendell not an hour after they had departed and upon hearing of their journey to Mirkwood had left in haste to cover up any damages she could do between the elven domains and their leaders. He was only glad to arrive in time before any serious blunders could be made.

The wizard gave her a look before sitting down without invitation. An elf filled a goblet for him and he smiled at the server appreciatively. All the others present at the table fell silent and watched gob smacked as he made himself at home.

"Mithrandir," Thranduil began, "To what do we owe the pleasure?" He sighed and once again leaned back in his chair, though this time it appeared more out of annoyance than intrigue.

"Oh, don't mind me, I am simply just checking in on our charming Katelyn, she tends to get into trouble," Gandalf waved the elvenking away.

She was beginning to sense that the two had history and it did not seem to be all that positive.

Katy quirked a brow, inside feeling nothing but indignation, but held her tongue. It would do no good to argue in the presence of the king and create a scene. She took a sip of her wine and returned her attention to her food, studiously ignoring every male at the table and instead turned her thoughts inward. It seemed even though she was an adult she still had parental figures watching her every move. In all reality she should have taken it as a blessing knowing that someone was always ready to lend her a guiding hand, but at what cost? She did not know where she stood in Middle Earth, to its people, or even with her very friends. What was her purpose for being there? Her frustrations only mounted over time.

"I have begun to take notice," Thranduil noted dryly.

Katy was glad her wine was not given to her in a glass because she was positive it would have shattered in her grip at that moment. They were talking about her as if she wasn't even there!

"Lady Jones, would you be interested in a tour?" Legolas turned to her, irritation written in his posture.

Oh you sweet child, she thought, "I would."

The two made their escape while the wizard and the king exchanged pleasantries. The twins watched the two longingly, wishing they too could escape from the tense atmosphere that had suddenly fallen over the table. Legolas led her out of the room, a guiding hand on her back, and spared his father only the most fleeting of looks.

Katy soon realized that Legolas had no intention of actually taking her on a tour, he had used her as an excuse to escape his father's presence, but she found that she really did not mind. She too had been growing frustrated in that room and was thankful for the chance to leave. The blond elf had given her a tight smirk and a quick bow before leaving her to her own devices. He had had the sense of decency to lead her to her room at least. A good thing too because she was sorely in need of a nap.

The fire place in her room had been lit and she climbed into the bed after pulling off her dress and snuggling under the covers. She stared at the flickering flames tiredly. She did her best to put thoughts of the king and Gandalf far from her mind, in fact, she tried to put all of Middle Earth out of her mind so frustrated was she with her situation.

When Katy next opened her eyes she found that she was sitting in a lawn chair. There was a fire pit in front of her, lit and roaring with life, and the sky above was dark with night. She heard laughter off to her right and glanced up, seeing nothing but familiar faces around her, her family. Behind her there was a whining sound a pop and an explosion. Fireworks? Oh! It was the fourth of July and her family was camped out in the back field barbequing. Her dad probably had the grill set up right behind her, she turned to look and indeed the man was behind flipping burgers. She ignored the twinge of pain an =d longing and smiled at her father sweetly.

"Katy Kat! Pick me up!"

She looked down at a four year old Emma, curling her lifted fingers in that familiar way and laughed. "Alright," she said and lifted the girl into her lap, happy to have her little niece back.

"Katy, did you get a hotdog yet?" Judy spoke from just behind her.

"Not yet," Katy answered just as she did that night six or so years ago.

"Well hurry up before your brother eats them all," Judy advised.

"Good idea," she laughed.

She relived that fourth of July as clearly as if it was happening for the first time and for that night she did not think of Middle Earth or the coming war or even of the twins. She had only the mind to enjoy her family and good food. She found herself feeling nostalgic and battling back tears and wanting to tell them all everything that had happened since she had left them but the only words that would come out of her mouth were the ones she had originally spoken that night. She eventually gave up and just basked in the life like memory as best she could.

"Katy Kat!"

Katy's eyes popped open. She was still in her room and the fire had long since gone out, she guessed it was early the next morning, and the room was lit by the glowing pond and candles once more. She rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, wishing that she could go back to sleep and continue her dream, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Katy Kat!"

Katy's eyes flew open once again and she turned over in bed, she searched the room with her eyes and froze when she spotted a little girl crouched by the pond giggling and splashing about in the water.

"Look at the fishies!" she cried and turned to face Katy happily.

"Emma?" Katy blinked, her brain refusing to comprehend what was right in front of her.

"Why are you still sleeping, mommy says you sleep a lot," Emma questioned and scampered over to the bed, peeking up at the woman curiously. She was wearing the same shorts and red shirt that she had been wearing that Fourth of July and she was still only four! Emma should be about eleven by now, she thought.

Katy did not think to correct the little girl and explain that she did not, actually, sleep a lot. She rarely got any at all honestly. Instead she slowly sat up, pushing the covers off of her and throwing her legs over the side of the bed. Tears sprung to her eyes at the sight of the innocent little girl from her memories peeking at her curiously over the edge of the bed, waiting for her to get up as if they were in Judy's house on Christmas morning. This was the little Emma that she knew. She did not know what the ten year old Emma was like, though she was sure she was still just as sweet, she did not know what she had gone through and experienced over the past four years. But this little girl was the one who had woken her up that Christmas morning so long ago before all the mess with Middle Earth had started.

She slid to the ground on her knees and pulled the little girl into her arms, "My little Emma, what have I done?" She ran her fingers through the little girl's curly mop of blond hair and let out a shaky breath.

"What's the matter Aunt Katy?" Emma asked. She had wrapped her little arms around her neck, never one to pass up a hug, and had yet to let go sensing that her aunt was upset.

Katy tried to stifle the sob that she felt working its way up her throat but she could not stop the tears that were spilling over her cheeks. Oh how she had missed this sweet little girl and the realization that she had loved every member of her family so much was brought into full perspective by the amount of emotions she was feeling. She missed everyone and it hurt so much.

"I'm sorry," Katy cried.

Little Emma did not let go of her aunt and she didn't say anything when she started to rock back and forth, she even kept quiet when she saw the door open over her aunt's shoulder. A man with a pointy hat stepped into the room and upon seeing them quickly made for the bed and pulled the covers off to drape them over Katy's shoulders. The woman was dressed only in her undergarments, sobbing on the floor, and clutching an unfamiliar child to her chest leaving the man to piece together what had happened on his own.

"Aunt Katy, how come Dumbledore is here?" Emma voiced her thoughts.

"Who?" Katy asked and turned to glance up at Gandalf before letting out a shaky and wet laugh. "Oh, that's Gandalf." She wiped at her face having let go of Emma and pulled the blankets tighter.

Emma mouthed an 'Oh' before letting out a giggle, "Katy Kat, you're only wearing panties." She hid her giggles behind her hands and blushed.

"I hadn't noticed," she answered with as much sarcasm as she could manage. It wasn't completely true, she had on a bra and camisole that she had worn under her dress, but she could only imagine how much of a show it was to the people of Middle Earth. She blushed and turned to look at Gandalf who was determinedly not looking in her direction.

"Why don't you get yourself dressed and I will meet you in the dining room for some breakfast and to discuss the recent events," the wizard offered while heading towards the door.

Katy ignored his chuckle and wiped at her eyes one more time before standing, clasping the blanket around her, until Gandalf had safely left the room. She gave Emma a funny face before rummaging through her bags and pulling out a freshly cleaned pair of jeans and a sweater. She felt that it would have been more appropriate to wear her dress again because she doubted the king would very much appreciate her waltzing about in skin tight denim jeans but she figured she wouldn't be running into him again so soon. She adjusted her black sweater before picking Emma up and placing her on her hip.

"Are you hungry?" she asked her as she made her way out of her room.

"Yeah," Emma answered absently, taking in her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"This is a fairy tale kingdom," Katy answered. She slowly progressed through the hallways, letting her eyes trail over the elegant carvings and torches that lined the walls. "Elves live here."

"Like Santa's Elves?" Emma asked wondrously.

"Not really, they're all tall and pretty with long hair," Katy struggled to explain them to the four year old.

"Like vampires?"

"No," Katy laughed. "I guess you'll just have to meet some."

"Could I be of service?"

Katy turned to see Elrohir approaching from another hall, he was wearing a kind smile and he seemed a bit excited to be meeting a part of Katy's family, if the way his eyes glimmered with mischief was anything to go by. He crouched down to get a good look at Emma who was watching him with big brown eyes. She reached out a hand and grabbed a handful of his hair, feeling it slide between her fingers and marveling at its softness, next she touched his ears. Elrohir waited patiently for her to finish her investigation before standing and ruffling her hair.

"He's so pretty," Emma whispered to Katy who smiled down at her.

"He is, isn't he? I told you," Katy said.

Elrohir gestured for her to walk on ahead of him and she did so, he following behind, intent on finding himself some breakfast as well.

"But you are too Katy Kat, look," she pulled on her long red curls. "Your hair is so shiny and your ears are pointy too."

"No they're not," Katy laughed.

"Are too," Emma shot back but by then they had entered the dining room and found Gandalf conversing with the elven king himself, Thranduil. Rather than make an idiot of herself and back out of the room, for she had already been spotted by Gandalf, she straightened her shoulders and marched over to the seat across from the wizard. She allowed Emma to climb into the seat next to her and get situated before glancing at the others at the table. It was the same group as the night before, though Legolas was not present, Elladan had already been seated when they arrived. There was a layout of fruits, breads, butters, and cheese set up on the table in buffet style and she noted that some already had food on their plates. She filled Emma's plate with a slice of honey bread and butter as well as several strawberries and a slice of cheese.

"And who is this come to join us for breakfast?"

Katy froze. Uh oh. She had not quite got a read on the King and she was not able to tell if he was truly curious or if he was angered. But when she looked up there was a twinkle in Gandalf's eye and the twins were smiling kindly.

"This is my niece, Emma." She introduced. "Emma, this is King Thranduil," she had grabbed the girls attention away from her bread and upon hearing that she was sitting in the presence of a king she pushed herself out of her seat and did a clumsy little curtsy before climbing back into her chair.

"I've never met a king before," Emma exclaimed as she struggled into her chair again.

"Nor have I had the pleasure of meeting such a young little lady in so little clothing," Thranduil replied eloquently.

Emma shrugged, "Mommy said the same thing about Uncle Aaron's girlfriend."

Katy choked on her water and set the goblet down, appalled. Thranduil only laughed.

"I'm sorry," Katy exclaimed in embarrassment, rubbing her eyes.

"It is quite alright, I understand that you come from a very different culture, but do humor me, do all women wear so little in your time?" Thranduil asked. He had thrown one leg over the other and clasped his hands together, elbows on the armrests of his chair.

"In my country they usually do, it depends on their personal style, but I have known a few who wore less. It's not really a big deal anymore," she explained with a nervous laugh.

The king's eyebrows lifted in surprise and Gandalf chuckled, "You should have seen Katelyn herself the first few times she had stepped into Rivendell, what was it you were wearing that day Elladan walked in on you? You called it something special."

"A bathing suit," Katy deadpanned.

"You walked in on her a lot, did you not Elladan?" Elrohir turned to his brother with a curious look.

"I did not!" Elladan snapped and ignored the heat he felt beginning in his cheeks.

"Daddy won't let me wear bathing suits like Katy Kat, he says they're too promiskews," Emma pointed out. She was having fun with these strange people and she liked to use the words she heard her daddy say to sound smart.

"Promiscuous," Katy corrected thoughtlessly, then paused and slapped her hand on the table, "that fudging little piece of . . .when did he say that?" She turned her glare onto the four year old girl who was covering her mouth and giggling.

"When we had my pool party," she answered dutifully.

"Yes, that was the day Lord Elrond put his foot down if I do recall," Gandalf continued. "He claimed that she dressed like a child raised in the wilds and would have no more of it."

"At least I never intentionally paraded about indecently on purpose," Katy muttered.

"You had little control over when you arrived?" Thranduil questioned. He was watching her with a puzzled expression. He had ignored the majority of the conversation finding it distasteful and boorish but his ears did pick up the frustrated tone in Katy's voice.

"No, she did not," Gandalf answered for her. "Emma here is an example of that. When Katelyn first showed up I believe she had been looking for the lavatory and instead wound up in Elrond's study." Gandalf narrowed his eyes at her thoughtfully, "Were you thinking of anything else that moment?"

Katy looked at him sightlessly, thinking back to that day seven years ago, and trying to recall what had happened. That had been her first day of classes that semester and she had gone out to lunch with Cassie, they had been talking about boys, and – oh! "Yes, I was thinking I wanted to get away from my friend Cassie because she was freaking out over cute guys in her class," she cried.

"What is wrong with 'cute' guys?" Elladan asked.

"Nothing, it's just that she was always pressuring me to date and I was never interested in being with someone. That's a can of worms we will not be opening today," she glowered at the twin who smartly bit his tongue.

"And what were you thinking of when Emma showed up?" Gandalf asked.

Katy did not answer right away, she looked down at the little girl who was watching her questioningly. "I was thinking that I did not know why I was in middle Earth. I was wishing to go back like nothing had ever changed. I wanted to go home." She recalled her dream and let out a sigh.

"Why not just visit them then rather than torture yourself as you seem to have been," Elrohir spoke but did not look at her, instead he took a bite out of his bread.

"I have not been torturing myself," Katy muttered.

Emma chewed on a strawberry.

"Regardless, Why do you not take the time to visit your family for a week and then return to Rivendell. Save yourself the trouble of traveling all the way back with us," Gandalf advised.

"I'll take Emma back but my family can wait, I would feel bad about introducing myself to the king and then just ditching and leaving him with nothing but you three to play the guides," Katy smiled charmingly and popped a strawberry into her mouth. She had not intention of returning to her old life until Middle Earth, and the future, had been straightened out.

"I have not yet agreed to attend the summer festival," Thranduil reminded, his eyes had yet to move from a dark spot of wood on the table where they had wondered while he was in thought.

"You haven't?" Katy asked, sounding confused, "I could have sworn you did…well, are you coming?" she asked.

Thranduil stared at her with a blank expression. He had never been asked in such a blasé tone if he were attending an event and, though he did not realize at the time, he had never been asked in such a blasé tone for anything before. His thoughts at the time, however, were turned more towards a serious matter. Could he afford to leave his people? They had been fighting back the growing darkness for so long that he worried. They had been beating back spiders and goblins for centuries now. Would they be alright without his presence for a few weeks? He turned his eyes to the fire place thoughtfully. Of course they would, they had become so adept at defending their home that he himself had not had to set foot into the woods with any more intention than to visit neighboring elven villages for political reasons.

"I suppose so," he answered dispassionately.

Katy could not fight the smiled that split her face, "Excellent." She looked down at her plate, finding all her strawberries missing, and turned to look at a smiling Emma suspiciously, "Rude," she admonished.

Across from her Gandalf smiled satisfactorily.

Sending Emma home was harder than Katy thought it would have been. The little girl had babbled away as they left the dining room and when they had made it back to her room they had sat and talked for a while. She was reluctant to send her niece away so soon after finding her again. Emma was too busy playing with the fish to notice the tears building in her aunt's eyes.

Katy would have loved to return home with her niece, to see her father again, alive and well. She missed him so much that it threatened to overwhelm her completely. He had been there at the Fourth of July laughing and having fun like he had on some many other occasions.

"Alright Emma, time to go back," Katy announced shortly after, not wanting to prolong her suffering any longer.

Emma glanced up and pouted, "If you promise to bring me back here someday."

"I make no promises," she stated, "but I will try."

She stood and moved over to her washroom door, gesturing for the little girl to follow her. Once she had stopped in front of her aunt, Katy had crouched down to look her in the eye. She took in her blond curls and big brown eyes one last time before looking away.

"Don't say anything at all about what happened," she instructed as she pulled the door open.

On the other side was a small room with glassless windows and child sized furniture. It was dark and dusty and smelled of dirt and wood. It was their old treehouse.

"Okay," Emma nodded resolutely and scampered through the door way. She turned back to waive at Katy one last time before exiting the tree house.

Emma popped through the tree house door into Judy's backyard and had waddled her way down the ladder to join the family once more where she spotted the Katy of that time and gave her a strange look before giving her a hug. Later, when her parents asked her if she was hungry, she only shook her head and giggled.

Katy did her best to shake the melancholy mood that she had fallen into and decided to explore Mirkwood as much as she could, she never knew when or if she would be back after all. She got into a lot of trouble that day, she stuck her nose in many rooms where it obviously didn't belong but she found she was having too much fun to care about the annoyed looks the Mirkwood elves kept sending her. When she had finally made it outside she was delighted to find that it was set up like any town, with buildings (or flets) lining pathways, each containing a store or shop specializing in something. She found a bakery, a craftsman, and eventually a blacksmith.

Once she had had her fill of walking she wondered into the last building within her sight and found that it was the blacksmiths. Smoke poured out from the back and the front door was thrown wide open in welcome. She stepped through the doorway and into the sunlit room curiously. There were many weapons on display and she was drawn in by their beauty and delicate craftsmanship.

She lifted a dagger, watching it glint in the sunlight spilling through the window, when she heard someone clear their throat. She nearly dropped the blade and fumbled to put it down before turning to see who had caught her.

A tall broad shouldered fellow with long dark hair spilling over his shoulders stood at the other end of the room, his arms crossed and a brow raised.

"What can I help you with?" he asked suspiciously. "You're a little young to be looking at weapons, have you even reached your majority yet?"

Rude! She shouted in her mind but bit her tongue and laughed, "I'm not an elf, I'm actually pretty old for my race."

"Right," he sighed and turned away.

"Wait!" she called after him. "I was hoping you could set me up with a bow." She had just spotted a lovely little thing resting in the corner and found her eyes drawn to it. She had left hers back in Rivendell and Glorfindel had said it was more for practice than anything else anyways.

"Do you have money?" he questioned.

This guy, she snorted and placed a hand on her hip. Luckily she had done a lot of work in Rivendell and had quite a bit of coins stored away. "Yes, I have plenty."

"Alright, alright," he lifted his hands and his stern expression broke into a grin.

Katy practically skipped back to the King's Halls, bow and quiver in hand, and a victorious grin in place. A little shopping would cheer any girl up, she thought. She slowed to a stop as she entered the main hall and threw her new bow over her shoulder to free up her hands.

It was on her way back to her room to drop off her new prizes that she came across the library. Its doors were cracked open and inside she could see a fire going in the fire place. Deciding that it would be nice to sit and read by a fire she had pushed her way in and sat her stuff down by the fire place. She scanned the shelves of bookcases before lifting one from its place, a book of myths and legends, and returning to the fire where she laid out on the floor to enjoy her find.

Mirkwood wasn't such a bad place, she admitted endearingly. It was more lively and realistic than Rivendell was. There were people ranging in personalities and characteristics, there were shops and bakeries, and to top it all off there were monsters skulking about just outside the boundaries. She loved Rivendell because it had been her home for the past four odd years, but Mirkwood was new and exciting. She relished in the ability to sit and read without having to worry about Estel or whether or not an elf would find her and ask her for her assistance. She felt a little guilty at that thought but let it go, everyone needed a break every once in a while.

"There are chairs," Thranduil spoke from a few isles over.

Katy looked up, surprised and a little bit nervous. She had not realized that the king himself had been in the library, if she had she would never have bothered entering, and now she found herself alone with his intimidating presence. She dropped her gaze to the ground and mumbled something along the lines of "I didn't really think about it, the rug looked nice." She realized that sounded rather lame but in all honesty she really had no reasoning for why she chose to sit on the floor, there was an armchair right next to her.

The King slid a book back into place on the shelf before pausing to give her a strange look. He moved towards her, his long green silken robes trailing behind him as he did, and stopped not two feet away from her. He still wore that strange and suspicious expression as he looked down at her. "Will you not tell me your purpose for being here?" he asked. His presence seemed all the more threatening.

Katy let out a heavy sigh, "I don't really know why I'm here, in all honesty." She looked down at the book on the floor in front of her absently. "I know a lot about what is to come in the future of Middle Earth but I don't really know what my part to play is, if there even is one at all," she admitted. She fiddled with the pages of the aged book and looked up at the elven king guilt ridden, "I'm sorry."

There must have been enough sincerity in her explanation to sway the king in her favor, or so it seemed, because he moved to sit on the armchair beside her. His long fingers gripped the armrests in thought while he studied her coldly.

Katy did not like the look he gave her and while she knew he was just being calculating and logical, pondering on what her existence meant, it still unnerved her. She knew that he was unsure of whether to trust her or not, he could not decide if she was a threat to his people, whom he loved dearly.

"If you were simply just a human I would not be so concerned," he began and leaned forward to scrutinize her, "but look at what that ring has done to you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, a bubble of panic blossoming in her stomach.

"Have you not looked at yourself in a mirror recently?" he asked, eyebrows raised. He was taking delight in the panic written across her face.

"Not in a few years," she admitted sheepishly and sat up, afraid and a bit curious.

"You should," he advised and reached out a hand to push her hair back behind one ear, "You have the most curious of features materializing." He turned her face towards the fire to get a better look and hummed.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Luckily she had politely excused herself from the presence of the king and had run to find a mirror. She had at first not known where to look but had then decided on asking Elladan, the elf loved himself way too much to not have a mirror on hand.

Now Katy sat on the floor of his room staring at her ears.

"Must you really . . ." Elladan winced at her language and turned away to look out his prized window. "Honestly we assumed you knew."

"What kind of a . . .ugh!" She lifted a hand and pinched the tip of her very elf like ears with a groan, "This has turned out to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!"

"Must you be so dramatic?" Elladan questioned and snatched the mirror from her hands.

"You have no room to talk to me about dramatics," she snapped. "God it's one thing after another," she threw her hands up in the air and let out another groan before covering her face. "Somewhere someone is laughing at me," she muttered through her fingers.

"Do not be so down, the person laughing at you is right here," Elladan chuckled. "It is not so bad, look how cute your ears are, at least they do not stick out like Aron's." He pulled at her ears playfully and she smacked his hands away.

She huffed and appeared to wilt on the spot, so confused and distraught by her situation, she wasn't even human anymore. Where did she belong now?

Katy spent the rest of the day moping in her room, sometimes she played with the fish, trailing her fingers through the water and watching them follow and sometimes she read some of the books that she had pilfered from Thranduil's library. In between these two she took the chance to bathe in the washroom again and napped. Her thoughts were turned inward and she paid little attention to the time. When there was a knock on her door she discovered it to be Lythia with a tray of food for her. She had accepted gratefully and watched the ellyth leave sadly before returning to her thoughts. The next time someone knocked on her door it was Elrohir. He had peeked in before moving fully into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"I though you should know that we decided it would be best to leave tomorrow morning," he explained and took a seat at the small desk in the corner.

Katy looked up from her perch by the pond and blanched, "We've only been here for two days!"

"Well, it should have only taken us five to get her but instead it took us eight, tomorrow will make it three days since we arrived, and the journey back will take an extra two because we will be traveling with a larger group," he said.

Katy sighed but nodded.

Thus, the next morning found Katy dressed in her tunic, jeans, and cloak sitting astride a dark mare waiting patiently for the elves to say their farewell. They would be taking ten Mirkwood elves with them, not including the king and his son, and they would be traveling at a much slower pace as Elrohir had said. While elves could ride harder and faster than any man could, it was a joyous and peaceful festival that they were going to and so did not wish to arrive dirty and tired from a hard weeks travel. Katy had shrugged, finding herself rather apathetic that day, and had watched them say goodbye to their families.

Thranduil stood watch over the happenings from atop his grand elk, quietly observing his people, and smiling when those who would not be going wished him a fare journey. Mithrandir sat next to him astride a brown horse, waiting patiently and often muttering something to the king who only nodded, never removing his eyes from his people.

When they finally got on their way it was Legolas who was in the lead, watchful eyes ever searching for danger, or straying to the ellyth at his side. She was rather pretty, Katy thought, then wanted to smack herself in the forehead for of course she was pretty, she was an elf. The ellyth had long red hair that she found herself jealous of. She would never have the patience to grow out her hair like that. Did elves even cut their hair? She doubted it.

There was not much to tell about their journey back to Rivendell, only that it was filled with much laughter and singing, and Katy found herself joining. Sometimes, she even sang songs from her time, though she was mindful of which ones she chose. She didn't need to go offending any prudish elves or wizards. Though she suspected Gandalf wasn't as prudish as he pretended to be.

They did not fear passing through the mountains this time, the elven king himself was amongst them and the goblins would not dare to attack him.

Thranduil rode in the back of the group, Mithrandir at his side, and it seemed they were always talking quietly amongst themselves.

One day, late in the evening after they had finally left Mirkwood behind, Katy had opened her mouth and said "So why is Legolas so broody?"

Elladan, who was at her side at the time, winced. "I do not pretend to know what goes on between a father and son," he began somberly, "but Legolas is in love with that Ellyth next to him, they have been friends since they were children, but I fear she does not return his love in the same way."

"What?" Katy scowled at him, thinking that the two had nothing to do with each other and that Elladan was pulling her leg. "So he's pissy because the chick he likes doesn't like him back?"

"You have this strange way of belittling every situation," Elladan looked at her strangely and shook his head.

"Thank you, it's my specialty," she responded dryly and said no more.

The rest of the journey was spent in pleasant friendliness, even Thranduil seemed less severe, happy to see that everyone was enjoying themselves. Katy had stolen Elrohir's little instrument that she had dubbed a round ukulele and offended him by ignoring the correct name for it and spent the nights strumming away at it, happy to have strings between her fingers again. A bow string just wasn't the same.

When they finally came within sight of Rivendell they were greeted by several elves who, laughing, ran around them and led them to the main entrance. Katy was happy to see so many familiar faces. She could not deny the sense of relief that came with finally arriving home. She breathed in the familiar crisp air and dismounted as soon as they had reached the main steps to the last homely house.

Elrond stood waiting, his arms outstretched in welcome, and had a ready smile for all those who dismounted. Gandalf gave him a rather stern look before sliding off of his horse and making his way towards the elven lord but Katy had beat the wizard to him. She threw her arms around Elrond and squeezed with all her might.

"Welcome back little one," he whispered and ruffled her curls affectionately. "I knew you could do it."

Katy did not have time to ponder over what he meant because as soon as she had let go the Twins had taken her place, and soon it was Thranduil himself who stood before Elrond. It was strange to see them together the king in his summer crown of branches and flowers and Elrond with nothing but his robes still somehow looking just as regal. It was in the way they held themselves, she realized, squared shouldered and always looking straight ahead. Nevertheless, it was like the meeting of two great otherworldly beings that had, long ago, been the greatest of friends. But something had broken that, she thought, because the way they presented themselves to each other was almost unsure and she felt her heart breaking a little to witness it. There was so much held between them, so much hidden emotion and so many memories, that when Elrond held out his hand to the king she found herself holding her breath. Thranduil held the lord's gaze for some time before he looked down at his offered hand and took his forearm with a firm grasp and smiled. Elrond smiled back and rested a hand on his shoulder, guiding him up the steps into his home to prepare for the coming festival.

No one moved as the two climbed the steps, talking to each other as only friends could, and watched in awe as the two great leaders, with their robes trailing behind them, acted as if there had never been any strife between them.

Gandalf stepped up beside Katy and patted her shoulder appreciatively, "You have no idea what you have just done." He chuckled and made after the two, his staff clacking against every step as he climbed.

Katy was befuddled.

Apparently there had been some drama between the realms that she had not been aware of.

The summer festival was to happen in two days and no matter how Katy avoided the disapproving stares of all the ellyth in Rivendell, she knew she would have to wear a dress. She had figured she would just wear her turquoise one but her dear friend Elleniya would have none of it. She had taken her measurements again and had disappeared in a flurry of irritable muttering that astounded Katy and left her feeling confused.

There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the next two days and she had found herself doing her best to avoid it all. She had instead found Estel and reported all of her adventures to him, filling him in on all the crazy mishaps and slip ups she had been at the root of and then showed him her new bow. She practiced with it a lot over the two days and when Elleniya next found her she was dirty and sweaty, and covered in grass and leaves. She had ordered her to bathe before allowing her to see the dress she had pulled together for her.

They stood in her room where Elleniya had laid out the gown on her bed for her to see and Katy had to admit, it was worthy of a fairy tale. So much so, that it actually brought a few tears to her eyes. This was an elegant gown made of a white sheer fabric that draped in such a way as to appear elegant and ethereal. It had some many layers and a long train and the sleeves themselves were cut at the shoulders to hang down at her sides like wings. When she pulled it on over her head, heedless of the fact that her hair was still wet, she had felt like nothing in the world would ever fit her so well.

She had hugged Elleniya that day and had said thank you so many times that the ellyth had laughed.

"Wear it and be beautiful," she had responded and left the room.

This was a dress that needed no jewelry, nor shoes, nor belts. She could not imagine someone such as herself wearing it.

The day the summer festival had started, they had waited until late afternoon to begin the festivities. The sun had just begun to sink over the horizon, casting pinks and oranges across the sky until it ended in a deep purple that would soon turn to midnight blue. Katy had sat on her balcony in her gown, admiring the sky and feeling like something eternal and ethereal was about to take place for the elves had been singing since morning of great things that were so old not even she could understand. She felt both excited and melancholy, as elvish signing always tended to make her feel, and she had been about to leave her room when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said.

She had only just stood when Elrond had opened her door and stepped in. He paused to take her in and smiled sadly in that fatherly way fathers have. "You look breathtaking," he said quietly.

"I feel it," Katy answered with a blush and a chuckle. Tears had started to spill from her eyes and she wiped at them helplessly, "I don't understand. I'm sorry. I've been like this all day."

"It is alright. It is the song," he answered. "It is both a mourning song and a hope for the future to come and to one day return home. It often awakens similar feelings in those who hear it and I suspect you may be taking it more to heart than others would." He moved over to her and took her hands in his. "I came here to tell you that, though you are not even of this time, that this will always be a home to you"

"Did Gandalf tell you what happened?" she asked with a wet chuckle.

Elrond smirked, "He may have mentioned something to me, but I would have told you anyways, you are like a daughter to me after all." He marveled at the fact that even as her heart wept, caught up in emotions brought on by the deep song filtering in through her open balcony, she still managed to laugh. What a beautiful thing it was. He let go of her hands, moving over to her dresser where the silver circlet he had made for her rested, and lifted it into his hands gently. "This is a gift from me to you," he spoke as he raised it and placed it over her curls. "Though it may seem like a simple piece of jewelry to some, know that it holds much more significance among us." He offered her his arm and she took it, stunned by his words and their hidden meaning, before allowing herself to be led out into the hall. There was no one within the house at that point for all had gathered out in the gardens, ready to celebrate the ending of spring and the coming of summer and, above all, hope.

Katelyn walked barefoot, for she had refused to stain the dress with her travel worn boots, and marveled at the cool stone beneath her feet. Her mind was in a fog and she did not pay attention as they walked down the steps and into the crowd of gathered elves who turned to watch their approach.

What is this? She thought. What was this feeling of wholeness and love that she felt washing over her the deeper into the crowd she went? Elrond had released her from his hold some time ago, slipping his arm out from under hers as gently as water flowing over the land, yet she found herself still moving forward.

That was what this festival was for, she realized, to urge those still alive to keep moving forward.

And so she did.

There was much dancing, slow rhythmic twirling dances that she picked up as easily as she breathed, and she often found herself holding the hands of her dear friends. Everything was so much more vibrant, the feel of fabric, the sight of stars and the colors that spun around her, the smells of food and flowers that permeated the air, the taste of the song on her lips.

She had danced with Elladan for a time, laughing when, amongst the serene and ethereal atmosphere he had made a funny face at her and smiled at her reaction. Elrohir was more quiet and reserved, choosing to simply dance with her and not bother to talk like she saw so many of the others doing. She was caught up by Glorfindel next, who gave her a brief hug before sending her on. She danced with Elleniya after that, laughing when the ellyth poked fun at her rosy cheeks and asked what the Prince of Mirkwood was like. They had parted ways with the promise to gossip later and Katy ignored the pang of longing she felt for her friend Cassie.

At the thought of her friend other memories from her life welled up and burst, like a bubble, and so lost in her daze was she that she could have sworn it was her mother she was dancing with next. She was dressed just as elegantly as Katy and wore a serene smile, looking at her daughter with shining eyes and her hair braided.

The moment disappeared when her mother let her go and little Estel took her place, a proud grin on his face, and wearing his best clothing. Katy laughed and swung him around playfully, pushing her mother to the back of her mind, but held onto the warmth she had brought.

When their dance had ended Estel had taken and step back and bowed low to her, "Thank you my lady," he announced playfully and scampered away to be caught up in another ellyth's arms.

That rascal, she thought, and turned to accept the next dance. It was a strange trend for a festival, she felt, because none of the elves had yet to take a break, they just kept trading partners. It was kind of fun, she admitted.

She had expected to dance with Erestor next, as he had been making his way over to her, but instead she had found herself in the hands of someone she had not quite expected to be dancing. Thranduil smiled down at her kindly in such a way that she had not seen him smile before.

"I must thank you," he said quietly as they twirled, "I would not have come had you not persuaded me to."

"I persuaded you to?" she asked, rather dumbfounded. She could not recall ever having truly discussed anything with him personally accept for the evening in the library. When she had asked him about the festival she had assumed the twins had further talked him into it and her little trick at breakfast had been the final straw.

"In a way," he answered with a laugh. "I am afraid that Elrond and I had let many things come between us over time, my bitterness chief among them, and I would have let it continue had you not so plainly spoken to me."

"I do that a lot," she admitted with her own laugh. So this was the friend Elrond had fallen out with, she realized with a smile. She was glad to have played a part in their reconciling then but she yearned to know what had disrupted their friendship in the first place. She could not imagine elves fighting each other over anything. They were too peaceful.

But then, Thranduil was not exactly peaceful, was he? He lived in the wilds and his heart no doubt followed its example.

"I have begun to see that." He let her go, watching as she floated away with another elf, and smiled once more before accepting the hand of a young ellyth too shy to look him in the eye.

Katy was pulled away from the crowd by Erestor, who insisted she eat something, before she continued dancing. But now that she had been distracted she was content to sit and watch the graceful beings spinning about with a dumb smile on her face. She wondered a lot after that, sometimes sitting in a low hanging branch or finding a friend to talk with about silly things, until Elrohir had shown up with her very own familiar guitar in hand.

"You should sing something, Katy, it would be a great show of appreciation towards our father," he explained, handing the dusty instrument to her as one would pass over a newborn.

"I don't know," she mumbled. She had not played in some time and she knew Elrohir was pulling at strings simply to get her to perform. He always had liked her songs.

She did eventually wind up on the stairs, overlooking the group of dancing elves, strumming at the strings and tuning them. It was a while before the song finally stopped and the awkwardness of a sudden quiet fell over the crowed and she started strumming just to fill the silence. No one paid her any mind but the dancing took on a livelier pace. She smiled.

"Look at the stars . . .look how they shine for you," she sang, her voice wavering before picking up strength. "And all the things you do . . .and they were yellow."

She sang many songs that night, eventually she noticed that Elrohir had joined her, strumming along on his round ukulele and humming with her. It was such a profound moment in her life, that night, that she never forgot it even when her life was in danger and she feared she would never see the light of day again, she remembered that night.

When they had grown tired of playing they moved to join the gathering group at the long tables that had been set up with food and drink. The dancing portion of the night had ended and instead the night air was filled with laughter and chatter. At the head of the largest table sat Elrond and Thranduil, their children sitting on either side of them accordingly, and Katy sat next to Elladan. They spent the rest of the festival drinking strong wine and revisiting old memories, telling funny stories, and shooting playful remarks across the table.

Katy was overwhelmed with nostalgia and fell silent at one point, admiring the friends and family she had made in Middle Earth.

"Did you ever tell father how you got that black eye?" Elladan asked her then, pulling her from her thoughts.

She blanched and scowled when Elrohir laughed, growing tipsy after his fourth cup of red wine, and turned her glower on the other brother.

"Yes, I never did get the full story," Elrond commented lightly, setting his own goblet down.

"It was nothing serious," she admitted sorely. "I went out to a bar with a friend to catch up and I was overcome with the realization that I had a very serious obligation to Middle Earth. I tried to leave but she grabbed my arm and I pushed her away." Katy let out a sigh and dropped her eyes onto the table, feeling their gazes weighing heavily on her, before continuing with, "Unfortunately she ended up hitting the woman behind her who was already drunk. This woman was crazy and she started threatening her because she had spilt her drink on her shirt. . ." She mumbled the rest, "And I told her to calm down and that she could replace her cheap ass shirt from Walmart any time and threw some money at her."

Elrond's eyes practically bugged out of his head and Elladan snorted with laughter. Across from her Legolas had set his goblet down after nearly choking on his drink.

"She attacked me and I lost an earring that night," she finished lamely, fingering her earlobe in memory.

"If only you had lost your ability to find trouble," Thranduil commented, causing the rest at the table to laugh. He did not meet her eyes though she could see a smirk playing across his face.

"How was it, first meeting the King?" Elrond added, "I imagine he was not so welcoming in the beginning."

Thranduil quirked a brow and refused to meet the gaze of the lord who was watching him imploringly.

"It was nothing too bad, I never thought I'd have to use my skills as a restaurant manager in Middle Earth though," she responded straight faced.

Legolas laughed and his father shot him a surprised look before smiling.

She was lost in thought once more after that, secretly delighted that she had gotten the king to smile, and spent the rest of the night glancing between the two high elves and wondering what her future would hold with them and their families.

If only you could see me now mom, she thought, and turned her gaze to Estel who sat next to her and nudged him playfully.