Chapter 10 – The Gathering

Lithien didn't have the time to lace herself up into a dress, so she just dusted herself off, dressed the cut on her arm and pulled on a different tunic. Not an outfit particularly fitting a woman going into the formal gathering like this, but she couldn't care less. She put her weapons away, taking one small dagger off the pile after a moment of consideration and placing it inside her boot. No one knew that she carried a knife into the last night festivities and no one was about to find out now. Unless she would have to use it. Who knew, with a room full of dwarves, elves and humans?

Stepping out of the door, she finished fixing her hair. She wasn't particularly thrilled with the perspective of sitting through several hours of what she assumed would be a rather pointless discussion. She did not expect them to reach any sort of conclusion. No matter what race they descended from, people were far too focused on their own affairs. She had already seen how difficult it was to reach an understanding, even with an obvious threat standing on their doorstep.

The One Ring was nothing more than a myth to most of those gathered in lord Elrond's estate today. It was highly unlikely that they would take the threat for what it really was, much less take up any action against it. She didn't know, if she would agree to take part in whatever plan they will conjure up today. And she knew for a fact that Galaren and many others would prefer to stay and defend their own borders than go and meet the enemy head on. Especially one they believed to be long destroyed.

Hell, no matter what Aragorn or Elrond had said to her, she still found it hard to believe that they were in so much danger. She had seen war and death with her own two eyes. She had seen pain, death and immeasurable, pointless loss. But she had also seen how much people could endure and still thrive.

The meeting took place on one of the many terraces hanging over Bruinen; the sound of the river a constant shimmer in the background. Coupled with the sounds of birds singing, the gentle wind sweeping through the tree branches and the Sun bright on the clear blue sky, it was hard to believe the nature of things they were about to discuss.

The quiet murmur of voices grew louder as she got closer and it looked like she would be one of the last people to join the gathering. She only hoped that she was not the only one they were still waiting for.

She tried to sneak in quietly and she would have succeeded, if only Glóin did not choose this particular moment to look up from the conversation with his fellow dwarves. The broad smile he gave her was almost entirely obscured by his beard.

'Good to see you again, lass' the same thing couldn't be said about a booming greeting he directed at her. Several heads turned around to look at her. 'Always in the middle of troubles, I see?'

'Not out of my own volition, master Glóin. Most of the time' she smiled back at him. She looked around and saw Elladan waving at her, obviously wanting her to join them. 'But I can certainly see where you are coming from. Now, if you will excuse me… someone can't patiently wait for me to join them.' she inclined her head and smirked, before making her way toward the side of the terrace occupied by the members of Elrond's household and squeezed herself onto the chair between the older twin and Glorfindel.

She was almost sure they did it on purpose.

Apparently she wasn't the last one to arrive. Three chairs to the right from lord Elrond were still empty and waiting. After a moment of searching, she found Aragorn, half-enveloped by the shade from the above balcony. She caught his eyes and pointed toward the empty chair at the end of their row, but he simply shook his head, smiled and remained where he stood.

Legolas was still not here either. His empty chair stood alone, apart from the rest on the other side of the balcony.

'Regretting giving him such a rough time?' Glorfindel muttered straight into her ear, making her flinch. Warm breath brushing against her face was the last thing she expected to feel right now.

'What?' she looked at him, puzzled. 'Of course not' she objected quickly. 'And I don't think it was that bad. It was just a friendly sparring…'

'There was nothing friendly about it and you know that. It did look suspiciously like you were trying your hardest to hurt him' he looked at her pointedly, tone slightly accusing.

'If I was trying my hardest, I wouldn't have ended down in the dirt…' she trailed off, when the ellon's expression didn't change much. 'Fine, if I will admit, that he is a lot better fighter than I gave him the credit for, will that make you feel better?'

'Hardly. I would appreciate though, if you would stop hissing at each other at any given occasion. What is wrong with the two of you anyway?'

'I think it is because they are both equally butt-headed' Elladan chimed in and Elrohir tried to mask his laughter with a cough, which resulted with him almost choking when Lithien glared at him. 'They are not willing to realize that they could be a great friends if only they choose to stop acting like children…'

'…Children?'

'Mind that I said both of you' Elladan was trying to keep the straight face, but a smirk was turning the corners of his mouth up despite his efforts. 'Though it looks like my idea has worked.'

'You pitted them against each other?' Glorfined leaned forward into his chair to look at Elladan. His smirk disappeared in an instant.

'Pitted is too much of a word to describe it' the older twin tried to dodge, looking uncomfortable. 'And I think they have made some progress...'

'Progress?' the older ellon echoed, brow rising in surprise. 'To what exactly? Making them realize it would be nice to kill each other?'

Lithien sighed and rolled her eyes.

'We would not have killed each other. And I certainly do not plan on trying again. I don't like him, but that's about it. I did not wish to bring him any lasting damage' she grunted, displeased, when Elrohir grinned, obviously not believing her. 'To be honest, he impressed me, in a way...'

'See? I knew I was right' Elladan grinned at the two of them.

Lithien opened her mouth to argue further, but at the same moment she saw Legolas coming through the door and she thought better of it. There was no point in risking him overhearing something and making a completely wrong assumption. She did follow him with her eyes though, trying to determine whether or not, she really gave him such a hard time during their little fight.

Just like her, he changed and cleaned himself up a bit. Nothing in his posture or the way he walked suggested that she had hurt him in any way. He greeted lord Elrond, but avoided looking in their direction, even when he sat down almost directly across from them.

'He looks just fine to me' she muttered to the golden haired ellon. 'Are you sure that I hurt something more than his pride?'

'Can you finally quit it?' the gold-haired ellon let out an annoyed huff. 'I always thought you to be smarter that this... Are you trying to prove me that I should change my opinion about you?'

Lithien opened her mouth to object, but just as quickly closed them, when she was unable to find any fitting words. There was no point. Glorfindel was right. Was she really holding so tightly to her grudges that she lost her reason? Was it really worth it? She knew the answers. And she didn't like them.

Gandalf was the last to join the gathering. He was accompanied by Bilbo and his nephew Frodo. She smiled at the older hobbit as they crossed the terrace and took the seats to the right of lord Elrond. The elf lord took it as a clue and rose with a words of formal greeting. Lithien looked from one introduced person to another, glad that she was counted amongst the members of the household and was spared the attention. There was one man she did not remember from the yesterday's festivities, who looked as if he had just arrived, his clothes still covered in dirt. It was a while since the last time she saw the White Tree emblazoned proudly into the front of the leather camisole thrown over the heavily padded gambeson. Boromir, the elder son of the current steward of Gondor. His eyes lifted and met hers, making her aware that she was probably staring for too long. She didn't turn her gaze away, satisfied by the surprise painting his features. Then she glanced at Aragorn, but there was no way of telling what he was thinking about. Probably nothing widely different from their last conversation about such delicate matters...

Her mind trailed off, only partly focused on what was being said around her. She spent enough time eavesdropping under the library windows to be aware of most of the events that currently took place around the world, mostly in the South. She knew about the dwarves attempt to reclaim the long lost realm of Moria. She remembered the day when the expedition passed within the shooting range from their forest; but they wanted no business with the elves and so they left them be.

She wasn't even that surprised about the lack of messages. It was a one-way journey from the very beginning.

She drifted away even more as Elrond began to recall the tale about the Rings of Power - a story she could say from memory by now, word for word. She knew it just as well as the tale of the Battle of the Last Alliance and the fall of Sauron.

Elrond's voice brought her musings to a sudden halt.

'Bring forth the Ring Frodo. Let everyone see the Isildur's Bane.'

There was a murmur of surprised voices as all eyes landed on the dark haired hobbit. Lithien straightened on her chair, watching him approach the dais placed in front of lord Elrond's seat, reaching out with the shaking fist to lay something gently on top of it. Light danced off of the simple gold band and Lithien felt her own eyes growing wide.

Why it did not occur to her earlier? She wanted to laugh.

'I've seen it before' she whispered causing Elladan to look at her, question in his eyes. Before she could elaborate, Boromir rose from his seat, eyes fixed firmly on the Ring. He too wore an expression of someone who suddenly understood something that was bothering him for a long time.

'So this is true. Isildur's Bane has been found... I came here seeking counsel but I had not expected that all my questions will be answered at once' he came closer to the dais, his hand reaching as if he wanted to touch the golden brand, lying there as if it was nothing more than a piece of jewelry.

'Boromir!' there was a warning in Elrond's voice, but the man seemed deaf to it.

Everybody flinched, pressed into their seats as the booming voice washed over them, grating words of the black speech filling their ears and minds. Even the sky seemed to grow dim under their spell.

It was all gone a blink of an eye later and Boromir was retreating swiftly to his seat, while Elrond was glaring at Gandalf, who did not even have a decency to apologize.

'Do not condemn me lord Elrond, because if we do not decide the fate of the Ring today, the language of Mordor will be yet heard in every corner of Middle-Earth. This is the device of the enemy and as such it can only bring doom upon us all.'

'But it is a gift' Boromir argued. 'A gift to the foes of Mordor...' Gandalf shot the man a warning glare, but he continued, oblivious, praising the bravery of his brethren and describing the perils they faced each day as they fought to keep the forces of the enemy at bay.

Lithien could sympathize with that. Not necessarily with the way he spoke, making it seem as if they were the only ones defying the evil forces. She tensed in her chair eager to prove him wrong, but Glofrindel's hand against her tight had stopped her from standing up.

'Let him say his fare' the ellon muttered into her ear. 'He wouldn't listen to you anyway. His pride is too loud' the elleth rolled her eyes, but stayed in her chair obediently, much to the twins' amusement. She had to resist the urge of kicking Elldan's seat from underneath him.

Boromir kept speaking, his next words the last thing she expected to hear today.

'Give us the weapon of the enemy' he looked around as if it was the obvious solution. 'Let us use it against him! With the aid of the Ring we will be able to defeat Sauron once and for all!'

'And how would you wield it?' Aragorn countered, stepping out of the shadows under the gallery. 'None of us would be able to use it. The Ring knows only one master; the Dark Lord himself.'

'And what would a ranger like you know about such a serious matter?' Boromir scoffed at him, glaring with an obvious distaste.

Lithien wanted to punch him square in the jaw.

'Don't you dare speak to him like that!' she rose from her chair, hands pressed tightly against her hips. 'His name is Aragorn. He's the son of Arathorn and the Chieftain of the Dunedain.'

Boromir glared at her, before turning back to Aragorn, taking in his travel-worn clothing, slight smirk turning his lips upward. Lithien felt her hands curling into fists. And the soft touch of Elladan's fingers against her knee, which was surely an attempt to keep her calm.

'Aragorn? Son of Arathorn? This is Isildur's heir?'

Lithien couldn't care less about whatever Elladan was trying to do.

'Do you know what that means?' she ground out between the clenched teeth. Both men turned to look at her, surprised with her tone. 'Or does Gondor no longer keep its own history? Show some respect.'

'Lithien that's enough' Aragorn said softly. 'Sit down. Please' he added, when she made no move to comply. She held Boromir's glare as she slowly lowered herself back onto the chair.

'Gondor has no king' said the man pointedly, rising his chin a tad higher. 'We do not need one' he added turning to look at Aragorn one last time before sitting down.

'You look like you want to murder him' Elladan leaned into her ear. 'Wait with it until we are done here and I will help you.'

She snorted into her fist, earning them a warning glare from lord Elrond.

Bringing back the seriousness of their council, he bid Gandalf to speak. Everyone listened to the wizard tale, how he found out about the true nature of the Ring and how he was fooled by Saruman when he came seeking his advice. The white wizard turned out to be yet another enemy they had to fear. Bid by Gandalf, Bilbo stood up and took over the story, recalling of how the Ring come to his possession. That was at least something she did not hear before.

This at last prompted Aragorn to describe briefly his hunt for Gollum, which pushed Lithien into the vivid memory of the events from several months before.

Aragorn had showed up suddenly one evening, narrowly avoiding being shot, before one of the guys recognized him and brought him into the camp. The fact that he looked gaunt and a barely more than a shadow of his usual self was only a little less striking than the creature he dragged in with himself.

When Galaren learned what Gollum really is and how far the ranger has come in his search of him, he offered to keep the cunning creature in their custody. Aragorn politely declined, saying that he already came to the agreement with Mirkwood elves. It was hardly surprising and, at that time, she was just glad that she had managed to keep him in the camp for the whole, three days. At least he left Lórien well-rested before the rest of his journey. Though she would prefer for him to stay, even if that meant keeping an eye on Gollum. His character was as foul as his appearance - he bit Narthon, when they tried to feed him. The ellon was lucky that Gollum's teeth only caught the leather of his vambrace; otherwise it could be pretty nasty. Maybe it was for the better after all, that they were rid of the creature. She knew her companions too well to expect them reacting with kindness to such behavior, even if Gollum deserved pity more than hate.

She was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn't notice the shift in Legolas expression, until the prince stood up, drawing everyone's attention. She focused on him as well – maybe she will find out now, what exactly was so important to risk such a journey and his people safety.

'Alas, this is the time to rely the news I have been sent with' the prince spoke. He looked truly ashamed of whatever words were about to leave his mouth. 'Though I admit, I had not expected how serious they are. Gollum has escaped.'

Lithien just sat there, staring at him in disbelief. He had to be joking. She would have laughed, but the look on his face made her reconsider the idea. How did that even happen? Then again, she knew that it was possible to escape from the woodland realm. And she wasn't even alone at that time.

'Escaped?' Aragorn repeated clearly unable to believe that and barely hiding his irritation. She would be angry too. 'That's bad news indeed… What happened? You were entrusted with this task. Have you left him unguarded?'

'We did no such thing' the prince looked briefly offended. 'We have watched over him as instructed and if I was to name the fault in our act, it would probably be too much kindness…'

'Kindness?' Glóin interrupted, glowering at the ellon. 'I do not remember your kind showing any kindness when I was your prisoner. Not even to your own brethren' the old dwarf looked at her, just as probably everyone else. She frowned, avoiding their eyes - it wasn't a thing she wanted to discuss in a broad company.

Gandlaf saved her the trouble of finding the suitable reply.

'If we are about to start discussing every grievance that lies between elves and dwarves, we might as well end this meeting now. This is not a thing we need to talk about and I am sure you all understand that.'

Glóin muttered his apologies, though it was obvious he was willing to continue that very discussion later. Lithien hoped it would end up with talking only, though you could never be sure with him. She looked up at Legolas and their eyes crossed briefly, before the prince continued his tale. He described in detail how they allowed Gollum some freedom from time to time, letting him climb a lone tree on a secluded clearing, while guards were keeping watch at its foot. When she listened how the attack has played, Lithien has no doubt that it was done for the sole purpose of freeing the creature. Though for what reason, she had no idea. No one did, judging by their stern faces.

It meant that the enemy watched their movements as much as they did his. Which only confirmed her belief that the Ring needed to leave Rivendell as soon as possible. She didn't care where they will take it, or how. Lord Elrond seemed to be of a similar opinion.

'Rivendell is not a fortress' he said 'The Ring cannot stay here, especially now, that we know that the enemy is on the move. We will not be able to keep it either hidden or guarded. Destroying it is the only way to get rid of the danger once and for all. We need to take it to Mordor and cast it back into the fires that created it – deep within Mount Doom. One of you must agree to bear this task.'

Well, that was an idea for sure – there was no denying that it was the wisest thing to do. Whather or not it was actually doable was an altogether different thing. And Lithien wasn't certain if the request was spoken to the right audience. Everyone sat quietly, pointedly avoiding the elf lord's eyes. The elleth wasn't surprised, because she found herself doing the same.

In any other case she would have just volunteered and showed all those famed, brave warriors how the things should be done. Not this time. First of all, carrying the Ring to Mordor, was an utter madness – greater even than the dwarves attempt to reclaim Moria. She knew that Elrond would have never let her do this, even if she would have wanted to. If that wasn't enough, there was also Galaren to whom she had promised not to risk her life like that anymore – a promise she intended to keep. Finally, she has absolutely no desire of getting any more familiar with the force of the enemy than she already was.

'You must be joking' Boromir finally spoke and Lithien was almost sure that the sound that came from within Elladan's chest was a growl. No one spoke to his father like that.

Regardless, she was almost willing to agree with him, this time.

'Or you do not know of what you speak.' He continued and she grimaced in distaste just like Elladan a second ago. Some things simply was not done. 'The land is…'

'I assure you, I know exactly what I am speaking about' Elrond interrupted him, much to her satisfaction. 'This will not be an easy task; the dangers of Mordor are not the only ones waiting on the way. But this is the only option we have...'

'Fine, fine I know what you are implying at, master Elrond' Bilbo spoke suddenly, standing up. 'I started it all so I might as well finish it, one way or another.'

Boromir looked ready to laugh, but Glóin glared at him until all the mirth disappeared from his features. Doubly so, when he noticed that all others regard the hobbit with the outmost respect. The old dwarf glanced up at her and they shared a tender smile at the memory of the events long past.

'My dear Bilbo,' Gandalf rested his hand against his shoulder. 'You are certainly not the one who started the whole affair. You played a part in the finding of the Ring – a vital part – but your task is done. The Ring has passed on and you cannot take it back. For your own safety. It is now the concern of others…'

'I don't see that many others concerned enough to take the job' the hobbit muttered, sitting down. 'And we're missing the midday meal…' he trailed off, his voice too quiet to make out the words, but it was enough to make Lithien grin. Bilbo was always able to put much bigger people to shame.

'But it is folly!' Boromir objected again. 'We would not be able to enter Mordor even if we had an army to support us!'

'Have you not heard a word of what we spoke about?!' Legolas interrupted him, his glare cold and unpleasant. Distaste was written all over his face. Well, at least they have something in common, because Lithien could not stand the man either. 'The Ring must be destroyed!'

'And you think, that you're the one who should do this?!' Gimli cut in, facing the prince. 'I would rather die than let the elves take the Ring! You're not to be trusted!'

'You dare!' Elladan yelled next to her, already on his feet. Wasn't he trying to keep her calm just a moment ago? She tried to grab his sleeve to keep him in place, but he swiftly stepped out of the reach to join Legolas.

And just like that the solemn silence was broken, everyone screaming over each other. Elrohir walked over to stand beside his brother – much like several other elves. Men from Gondor gathered around Boromir, just like dwarves around Glóin. Gandalf tried to calm them down, but Boromir simply turned his anger at him. Lithien glanced to the side – Glorfindel was looking openly disgusted. He had seen things like that too many times before. A little further away, Aragorn was doing a marginally better job at hiding his displeasure.

Something moved at the verge of her vision on her left and she turned just in time to see Frodo approaching the dais with the Ring, a sort of scared determination etched into his features. She didn't hear what he was saying over the clamor. Lord Elrond did though, staring at the hobbit in quiet disbelief.

'I will take it!' the hobbit repeated, louder this time. Lithien blinked, not quite believing her ears. 'I will take the Ring to Mordor…!'

Everyone fell quiet at that, all eyes fixed on Frodo, who looked like he was just realizing the true implications of his words.

The council was dismissed shortly after and Lithien weaved her way through the crowd with a well-practiced ease, catching up with Aragorn in three, long strides. He flinched when she touched his shoulder, obviously unaware of her presence.

'My apologies' she said quickly. 'For this and for earlier. It was not my intention to upset you.'

'You did no such thing' the ranger gave her a fleeting smile. 'I would not expect any less from you. And I don't think that I am the one to whom you should apologize.'

'What do you mean?'

Aragorn glared at her half-heartedly. He was sure she knew exactly what he was talking about.

'Not that I should be the one complaining about it, but don't you think that you went a little too far with Legolas?'

She grimaced, trying to hide an eye-roll. With miserable results.

'What is wrong with you? All of you I mean. First Glorfindel, now you. I am half expecting lord Elrond to show up right now, asking me the same question. Maybe it turned to be a bit more serious than we anticipated, but in the end…'

'A bit more serious?' Aragorn repeated, rising an eyebrow. 'You crushed his three ribs with that kick.'

'And in the end he was the one who cut me… I did what?' she caught herself. She couldn't possibly kick him that hard.

'He told me that he is just going to bruise, but I wouldn't be surprised if the ribs were outright broken' the man said, looking at her pointedly. 'He tends to hide the true extent of his injuries as far as I know him. And honestly, we almost heard the bones cracking from where we stood. That was why lord Glorfindel decided to separate the two of you. You probably don't know it, but he was watching you for quite a while before he stepped in.'

Lithien bit the inside of her mouth – the feeling welling up in her chest tasted vaguely like guilt. She didn't mean to seriously hurt him. Her lack of warm feelings toward the prince have little to do with that. She acted rashly, steered by her anger and she will now have to deal with the consequences.

'Don't you know, where can I find him?' she asked Aragorn, trying to ignore his self-content expression. 'I think I need to straighten a few things out.'

'I'm glad that you are aware there is more than one thing you two need to talk about' he answered with a smug smirk. She regretted, not for the first time, that she could no longer scold him. 'He probably went back to his quarters. Do you want me to…?'

'No, thank you. I think, I know my way around by know. And I don't particularly need you in the background, mocking my efforts…'

'What makes you think I would do that?' the ranger asked, feigning offence.

'The fact that I know you?' she grinned. 'And honestly you might want to look for your brothers. I am pretty sure Elladan muttered something about murdering that man from Gondor…'

'He wouldn't' Aragorn groaned and made a face. 'And that man has a name…'

'Whatever' Lithien waved him off and turned to leave. 'Right now, he does not deserve to have his name remembered. I will see you at supper. Do drag the twins in with you.' She flashed him another smile before leaving him alone.

Lithien knew where Legolas' chambers were. She made sure to ask Lindir where he had situated the prince in order to avoid him more easily. Now, she used the shortcut through the gardens to reach his quarters faster. When her way was blocked by the wall she climbed the nearest tree and jumped to the other side with ease, landing softly among the blooming bushes in the inner courtyard.

She brushed the dust from her trousers and tunic when she stepped out onto the solid path. At the same time she heard agitated voices. She couldn't make out the words, but they were very nearly hissing at each other, obviously furious. Lithien followed them, each step closer confirming that she knew the people who were arguing.

She ducked under the narrow gallery housing the doors to the guest rooms, only to be greeted with the very familiar sight. Gimli stood in front of Legolas, wide motions of his hands speaking of agitation, if not straight of anger. Legolas faced him, seemingly calm, but the fury in his face was very thinly veiled. She heard Glóin's name being spoken and she knew that they were no longer arguing about the Ring.

Gimli didn't have his axe anymore, but she could see a knife strapped to his lower back. It was probably not the only one he kept on his person. Legolas looked like he wasn't armed and he probably didn't have any knives hidden on his person. She highly doubted that everyone ignored lord Elrond requests regarding weapons as much as she did. Still it wouldn't do to stand by and watch them tear at each other.

'It is an odd place to have such a heated discussion, don't you think?' she commented in the same way she would probably ask about the weather. 'We had more than enough time to talk about pressing matters before…'

'You didn't hear what he said before!' the dwarf yelled. 'He said his father was right to imprison mine! That it served them right. Which means he thinks it also served you right, lass. He thinks that it is good that his men beat you and shorn your hair…

'Gimli' she interrupted him and the dwarf glared at her. 'I share your sentiment, but we have gathered here to discuss entirely another matter. Also, I doubt that your father would approve of seeking justice like that. He always seemed to me like the person that likes to deal with his problems in broad daylight.'

The dwarf turned to face her fully, his dark eyes boring into hers as if he was trying to see through her act. She wasn't surprised that he didn't believe her straight away. She allowed the tiny smirk to curl her lips upward.

'On the other hand, you might just want to make sure no one will interrupt you next time. There is no point in playing it fair when they don't.'

'I like the way you think, lass' Gimli smirked back. Before she could react though, he turned around with surprising speed, pushing Legolas against the door roughly. 'Until our next meeting, your highness' he spat at his feet and walked away, leaving them alone.

Lithien turned toward the prince, ready to stop him from following the dwarf, but he was still pressed against the door, one arm wrapped loosely around his ribcage, brows furrowed in pain.

'That is not the face speaking only of bruises' she commented, concern sitting heavily in the pit of her stomach. She knew she should have just yield when he immobilized her instead of throwing a tantrum ad injuring him.

'Of course he would tell you' Legolas tried to glare at her, but it was largely unsuccessful when he straightened up and winced again. Without paying the elleth anymore attention he turned and walked away. Suppressing a frown she followed him. When he tried to close his door before her, she wedged her foot between them and the doorframe and slipped inside, silently daring him to throw her out.

'What are you doing here? Because I doubt that you sought me out simply to have a friendly chat...ʼ

Lithien clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay quiet. She didn't come here to argue. And he has plenty of reason to be angry with her.

'I came here to apologize' she didn't expect it would be so easy to say that. 'I got... I was so angry at you for giving me such a hard time that I overreacted and hurt you. Which was never my intention.'

Legolas looked at her, blinking in surprise. She didn't expect Lithien to acknowledge her mistake. Much less apologize for it.

Apparently, Lord Elrond was right when they last talked.

'Well I did hurt you too' he nodded toward her left shoulder, expression softening. He was tired, hurt and arguing with a woman that recently proved that she could be dangerous not only to orc, was the last thing he wanted to indulge in.

'I had worse' she gave him a crooked smile. 'Will you show me? I would like to help if I can.'

For a moment he looked ready to deny her. Then he reached and slowly disrobed, trying to hide his discomfort. Whatever suited him. Lithien wasn't going to make it obvious that she saw through the act.

She approached when he laid his tunic across the bed, gently pulling his arm out of the way. A huge red splotch was already spreading across the right side of his chest from the spot where her knee has landed. He didn't seem to have any troubles with breathing. She felt him tensing up when she leaned down and gently pressed her ear against his ribs.

'Don't do that or it will hurt more' she admonished, listening to the way his lung was working.

'And you don't have to...ʼ he stopped when she shushed him. She seemed to be more lucky than she deserved. Muttering an apology she checked the area with a careful press of her fingers. She grimaced when she heard crunching.

'Well, you should get something for the pain, because they will surely going to bother you. A lot.' Lithien straightened up, slight smirk curling up her lips.

'Are you not going to do anything about it?' he reached to pick up his shirt. Lithien's eyes were drawn to the pink line of scarring running along his shoulder-blade. She wouldn't probably pay it any mind if it didn't look new. She wondered why she didn't see it before, but she decided to keep her mouth shut.

'Unless you want me to actually break something first' she heard him chuckle. 'Your ribs are going to hurt while they heal. We can only do something to lessen the discomfort and you might want to avoid any unnecessary strain...ʼ

'Like asking for a rematch?' this time he didn't hide the grimace as he pulled on his tunic.

'I wanted to say, getting into the argument with an angry dwarf, but you are correct too' she pressed her palms against her hips, resisting the urge to reach out and help him. 'We can go now and I can find something for you. Some salve for the bruises is probably a good idea, too...ʼ

'And an apology. For the way I treated you during the ball' he clarified seeing her expression. 'I shouldn't have done that.'

There was a single knock on the door, before they opened and Elladan stepped in. He was barely able to keep the smile off his face, mirth evident in his eyes.

'I am sorry to interrupt' he wasn't even trying to sound like he meant it. 'But you need to come with me. Father wants to speak with us, before we leave.'

'Leave? Where are we going?' Lithien asked when the silence was getting a little too long.

'Well, I meant the two of us...ʼ the dark-haired ellon gestured between himself and the elleth. 'There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of before the Ring can leave Rivendell. Father wants someone to meet up with the Dunedáin and I said that we can go since Elrohir can't accompany me now...ʼ he looked between her and the prince. 'Unless you don't want to...ʼ

'No, that's in fact a great idea' she glanced briefly at the prince. If only Elladan had a better timing. 'You cannot go on your own and I have been looking for way to make myself useful' she smiled at Legolas, with a silent apology. 'I am afraid we need to move our conversation for another time, my lord. Do not overexert yourself. Come' she pulled at Elladan's sleeve, turning him toward the door. 'Let's not make your father wait.'