*Chapter X:

The first sense that came back to Cress was her hearing. She heard voices all around her, speaking in the beautiful Elvish tongue and whispering words of comfort to her, urging her to come back to the light, the land of the living. She also heard the gentle rustling of soft tree branches in the wind that she could now feel as well.

Next was her smell. She inhaled deeply and immediately identified a familiar scent – Elanor flowers. It was a smell that she instantly knew, sweet and unlike any other aroma in Middle-earth; it told her that she was home, like the smell of a grandmother's home cooked meals or a father who just came home from a long day's work. To Cress, Elanor was the indication that she would be protected and always loved here where the Elvish flowers grew.

Cress had an idea of where she was before she even opened her eyes, but she was not sure. Could the Celebrant have carried her safely that far? Could she really be back in the Golden Wood where she was born, raised, and taught by her beautiful, caring mother? Or was this all just a dream before she goes to wherever one goes when they die?

Desperate to know if what she sensed was real, Cress slowly forced her eyelids open, and the first thing she saw was clear, cloudless skies behind a thin canopy of golden tree branches. The She-Elf blinked twice, the image of the shimmering yellow leaves against the pale cerulean sky reflected in her dark brown eyes.

A smile of indescribably happiness promptly blossomed on Cress' lips. She quickly sat up, for she had been lying down on a low bed of finely woven, green blankets, and before her was a sight she had not seen since she became Gandalf's apprentice nearly eighty years ago.

Everything was gilded and bright; radiant, but not blinding. Cress found that she had been lying at the base of a colossal tree that had a trunk so thick that part of it was hollowed out to make a cozy room where various medicines were stored in delicate glass bottles. All around her, there were trees of all shapes and sizes, some tall and straight while others were short and twisted. But they all had the same beautiful golden branches with rich clusters of metallic yellow leaves. The forest looked heavenly, royal, like the home of the most regal of all Elves.

The She-Elf tore her gaze away from her surroundings and looked down at herself to notice that she wore a simple, pale cream dress that was soft, clean, and smelled faintly of buttermilk. The millions of shining leaves above her reflected sunbeams flawlessly, causing tiny fractures of yellow light to be splayed over Cress. As the wind blew, the fractures quivered and danced merrily.

I'm here. I'm home. Cress, suddenly filled with excitement and energy, quickly swung her legs over the side of her bed, making an abrupt move to stand up. At once, she felt unsteady on her feet, black spots came into her vision, and the Golden Wood began to swirl around her. When she felt her body pitching forward, the elleth instinctively put her hands out in front of her to catch herself.

Just as she was about to face-plant into the ground, two strong arms caught her elbows and gently helped her to stand upright again.

Cress' head was still dizzy and felt heavy on her neck, but she managed to slowly bring her eyes upward to study the person who had assisted her.

The Elf standing before her was tall and had very long, bleached blonde hair. Though he appeared youthful, his dark gray eyes gave away his old age. They were filled with centuries of knowledge and experience in Middle-earth, which made it clear that he's lived for a very long time. He wore the clothes of a healer and had a warm smile on his face when Cress looked at him.

On reflex, Cress beamed back at him sunnily with a mixture of gratitude, familiarity, and plain optimism. "Alagon!" she exclaimed, perking up as she recognized the Elf she had known before she left Lórien.

"Nae saian luume', Cress[1]," the older Elf replied, bowing his head toward the elleth.

Cress quickly stood up straighter and also bowed her head at the other before doing a hasty curtsy. However, her head started feeling heavy once more, and the world appeared to spin around her violently. Just as she was about to fall over again, Alagon held out his hands for the She-Elf to use to steady herself.

Gripping onto his forearms, Cress managed to scoot back to her bed and sit down without tripping.

Alagon then picked up a silver pitcher filled with sparkling, clear water and poured some of it into a tiny, pearly cup before handing the cup to Cress who was rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Cress shakily took the water and drank it so quickly that she nearly dumped half of it all over the front of her dress. Almost immediately, her vision became clear and the pain in her skull slowly faded as the last of the pure liquid slid down her throat. "Much better," she sighed happily, handing the cup back to Alagon.

"I'd imagine you would be thirsty," the older Elf explained. "You've been unconscious since we fished you out of the Celebrant yesterday. Also," Alagon reached down under Cress' bed, came back up with a small travel bag that was slightly wet. "This washed ashore with you. There was a diary and some other things inside it. I assumed it was yours."

Reaching out to take the bag, Cress knew it was indeed her precious bag that contained her few personal belongings. She quickly dug around in it and found her diary at the bottom. She had expected it to be waterlogged and completely useless after taking a swim in the Celebrant, but to her surprise, it was perfectly dry. Cress silently thanked her Master; it would seem that Gandalf had put a water proof charm on it. The compass Elrond had given her had a few drops of river water on it, but it was still usable. She hugged the diary and the compass to her chest, happy that these two objects were fine.

Suddenly a blur of brown shot across Cress' vision, making her blink in confusion.

Alagon bent down to the ground and picked up a wiggling ball of fuzzy dark brown fur in his hands, and offered it to the She-Elf, "Furthermore, we also found this little creature clinging onto your head when you floated into the forest. He was very hungry and shaking from the cold, but I'm surprised he survived the river."

For a moment, Cress herself didn't recognize the little rabbit or remember what had happened before she woke up in Lothlórien. In the few seconds she sat there, staring at the animal in confusion, Cress was suddenly hit with reality.

She remembered now; there were five rabbits, the Wargs, the fire, Rhaw and Glawarphen being the last two left who were not eaten by the wolves. With trembling hands, Cress slowly took the bunny from Alagon and identified it to be Rhaw.

Rhaw stopped squirming once it was being held by Cress and only stared up at her with shiny, dark eyes, ears twitching from side to side as the elleth studied it with a mixture of incomprehension and sad acceptance.

At last, Cress looked away from the rabbit and turned to Alagon, "Was there another one? I'm sure there were two when I fell into the river; this one I had named Rhaw and the other is Glawarphen."

Alagon, sensing how much the animals must have meant to the She-Elf, shook his head, "I am sorry, Cress. This is the only one found."

Cress felt the back of her throat burn and her nose starting to get stuffy, signaling that tears were coming. She sniffled and tried to hide her face behind a curtain of her loose, wavy honey blonde hair.

Everything that had happened since she was separated from Gandalf and the rest of the Company came back to her in a rush, like a massive wave crashing onto the beach. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious in the Celebrant, and she did not know where Company was. Surely, they would have made it out of the Mines of Moria, but did they try to wait for her? Or more importantly, they should be on their way here, to Lórien. They must be here by now, yes?

"Alagon," Cress wiped away some of her tears and forced her lips to stop trembling, "have there been visitors to the Golden Wood? It is a long story, but Master Gandalf and a Company of eight others should be meeting me here."

Alagon frowned, "No, as far as I know, Mithrandir has not passed through our realm. However, I cannot be sure. You should ask Haldir; he patrols the northern borders."

Cress nodded eagerly, "Yes, I suppose I will do that right now." This time, feeling much better after getting a drink of water, she did not fall as she pushed herself off of the bed and landed firmly on her feet. "Thank you, Alagon," and with that, she did not wait for a response and started walking in a random direction with Rhaw still clutched in her hands.

"Cress," Alagon called after her.

The She-Elf froze in the middle of taking a step. "Yes?" she said without turning around.

"You're going the wrong way. North is this way," he replied, indicating the direction that was the opposite of where Cress was heading.

"Oh." Slightly embarrassed, the elleth quickly spun on her heels and continued on the path Alagon had pointed out for her, trying to act natural. "I knew that."

Alagon smiled with amusement as Cress walked past him with her face a bit pink. "Cress," he called again, lips twitching as he fought to keep from grinning.

Again, the She-Elf froze in her tracks with her back still facing the older Elf. "What is it?"

"Haldir is on duty at this time, and his group moves quickly. Good luck finding him before he returns from the patrolling."

Groaning with frustration, Cress spun back around to face Alagon, her lips forming in a small pout of annoyance. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, your mother has been asking to see you. She really misses you, and I think you should go visit her."

Cress felt a stab of guilt as she became aware that she had not thought once about her mother since she woke up. Shouldn't her mother have been the first thing that came to mind when she realized that she was back home? With her one and only daughter gone for so long, Cress' mother must have been lonely.

"Yes, you are right," Cress changed her direction again, facing toward the south now. "Thank you for taking care of me, Alagon. I will come and see you another time."

"Cress."

"Hmm?" she slowed her pace slightly and hummed to show that she was listening.

"You really do have an awful memory, my dear. Your home is – "

This time, Cress abruptly stopped in her tracks and violently turned around to face the healer again. "Don't think I don't know where my house is, Alagon. I may not have been here for over eighty years, but I know for a fact that my house is this way."

"Just making sure," Alagon said with an entertained smile. "Good-bye, Cress."

Cress cradled Rhaw in the crook of one of her elbows, placed her other hand on her hip, and pointed her nose in the air before making her way around the giant tree she had been in the shelter of and south to her old home.

As much as Cress wanted to stay mad at Alagon for teasing her, she could not. When Cress was a child, Alagon had always been the one to heal her when she was sick or injured. Over many years, she had gotten quite attached to the old Elf and had even called him Ada a few times, which her mother had not approved.

As she trudged through the Golden Wood, Cress wondered what to say to her mother. Hello, Mother, how have you been fairing for the past eighty years? Scrunching her nose, Cress shook her head. No, that sounds stupid. How well could she be doing when her daughter hasn't come home to visit her in nearly a century? Maybe… Hello, Mother, I'm so glad to be home again. The She-Elf bit her bottom lip in frustration. She'll just ask me why I didn't come home sooner. I shouldn't bring up the fact that I've been gone for so long. Hello, Mother, I've really missed you.

Cress could already tell that this was going to be awkward. What does one say to a parent they haven't seen in so long? What if Mother is angry with me? Did Alagon tell her that he dragged me out of the Celebrant River? Oh, Elbereth, I've been such a horrible daughter. Mother must have been very lonely these last several decades. I wonder if she'll recognize me. Well, I suppose I haven't really changed that much in terms of appearance…

Before she knew it, Cress' legs had involuntarily taken her to the large mallorn tree where she and her mother lived before Gandalf came along. She stared at the tree for a while, feeling an intense sense of nostalgia as she saw the branch that had been her favorite place to sit as a child. She also recalled that at a certain time of the day, the sun would shine at a precise angle through the canopy of the tree and cast the heart shaped shadow of a particular cluster of branches on the ground. To her right, she remembered that a small sapling had been budding there when she left Lothlórien. Now, in its place was a tall, pale trunked, golden leafed tree that was almost fully grown.

High up in the canopy of the tree, was a platform-like house called a flet. This one that Cress knew as home was a small, humble structure, not nearly as elaborate and grand as the flets of Caras Galadhon, where the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn dwelled. Cress liked this modest house better than a striking one; somehow, she found it much more cozy and home-like.

A simple staircase wove around the trunk of the mallorn, leading up to the lowest platform. Cress slowly began making her way up the steps, looking down at her feet as walked, recognizing the familiar patterns that decorated the stairs. She was so intrigued with the tiny patterns that she did not notice someone coming down the steps until she nearly ran into said person.

In her alarm, Cress dropped Rhaw, and the bunny instantly fled after enduring a somewhat painful landing.

"I'm so sorry, Rhaw!" Cress called after it, but the animal was long out of sight. The elleth's face fell.

"Crescent?"

"Hmm?" Cress turned back to the person she had nearly run into, her expression changing comically from disappointment to sudden interest as to who would call her casually by her given name.

The Elf standing in front of her was female. She was a bit taller than Cress and wore a plain yellow dress that appeared to be extremely well made. Her hair was so brilliantly blonde that it almost looked white in the sunlight. She had the same marshy brown iris color as Cress, but the shape of her eyes was narrower and much more elegant. They watched the shorter elleth now, with various emotions swirling within; surprise, hope, uncertainty, and relief.

Even after so many years, Cress' mother was still as beautiful as she remembered. Cress was honestly a little astonished at how little the older She-Elf had changed.

Her name was Lainil, an Elvish name, though she herself preferred the Common Tongue.

"Mother," Cress spoke calmly, though she really wanted to throw herself into her mother's arms and hug her forever, but she wasn't sure if that would be the appropriate thing to do. What if her mother was angry with her for never making contact since Gandalf accepted her as an apprentice? She should apologize first.

Wringing her hands nervously, Cress gave a small bow and said, "I have come home, Mother. I'm sorry for not doing so sooner. Please forgive me."

"My dear Crescent," Cress suddenly felt her mother's arms around her neck, cradling her head and drawing her into a gentle embrace.

Cress stayed still at first, taking in the scent of wood and nearly woven clothes that had always clung to Lainil as a result of her passion for weaving fine cloth and tailoring. For a moment, Cress felt like a child again, running home to her mother for comfort when she either got hurt while playing or upset over some other trivial thing.

Lainil would be sitting at her spinning wheel, weaving thread into cloth and using the cloth to put together dresses for her daughter. When Cress would come looking sad, she would stop her work and ask Cress why she was unhappy. Then, Cress would tell her and sometimes, Lainil would laugh at how petty the problem is and explain to her daughter that it was nothing to be upset about. Other times, however, if the problem is truly worth crying about, Lainil would have hugged Cress as she let it all out and then play the flute to lull her daughter to sleep.

Now, as Lainil held her, Cress realized that the safest she had ever felt was when she was leaning on her mother's shoulder. Here, she knew that nothing could harm her because her mother would protect her from anything. Should an army of a thousand Orcs or a pack of Wargs storm the Golden Wood, Cress would not fear them for she knew that there is nothing to be afraid of as long as her mother is holding her.

For the first time since she and the Fellowship of the Ring were separated at the entrance to Moria, Cress did not experience a shred of discomfort or worry or any negative emotion. It was as if the Ring didn't exist and neither did Mordor or Sauron and the perilous journey that Cress had invited herself on in order to be with her master. For just that split second, Cress managed to convince herself that the only things in the world were herself, her mother, and their cozy little flet.

But, of course, that was not reality, and Cress was brought back to the real world when Lainil finally let go of her.

The older elleth took a step back from her daughter to get a good look at her. "You've gotten so thin," she observed with a small frown, gripping Cress' shoulder to feel how boney they were. Her eyes were then suddenly filled with resentment. "What has that old wizard been feeding you, Crescent? Where is he? If he's not feeding you enough, I won't allow you to continue traveling with him – "

"Master Gandalf isn't here, Mother," Cress said, her eyes downcast with gloom. "I don't know where he is."

Lainil stared at her, eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "What have you been doing?" she whispered as if she was afraid to know the answer.

"It's a long story, Mother," Cress replied after a long pause, her voice soft and airy.

Lainil gave a defeated sigh and shook her head sadly as she wrapped an arm around Cress' shoulders and began leading her up to the flet. "Come, Crescent, I will prepare something for you to eat. Afterwards, you must tell me everything."

And Cress did.

She told her mother all that had happened since she saw the One Ring for the first time at Bilbo Baggins' birthday party, about her long stay at the Last Homely House, of the Council of Elrond that occurred once Gandalf came back, of the forming of the Fellowship and all that happened after. She spoke of the importance of delivering the Ring to Mount Doom and destroying it before the Enemy may use it to augment the dark shadow that lays thick over the land of Mordor.

By the time Cress was finished with her tale, the sun was leaning towards the west, perhaps only an hour from setting completely.

"The Fellowship should meet me here in Lórien, but Alagon told me that they have not yet been sighted. When Haldir comes back, I must speak with him," Cress concluded her story.

Lainil was silent for a long time after Cress finished talking. She was quiet for so long that Cress got a little worried.

"Mother, I didn't mean to upset you –" the younger elleth began, but she was quickly interrupted.

"If what you have told me is true," Lainil said, her expression serious and thoughtful, "then we must act at once. I'm sure Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn already know of this threat from the South. Lady Galadriel may be able to see the whereabouts of the Ring through her Mirror. You may ask for her guidance if you wish, Crescent. She might be able to tell you where your friends are."

Cress felt a swell of pride bloom in her chest for her mother. Her mother was smart, her mother understood the problem, and her mother was doing something about Cress' worry for the rest of the Fellowship. "Thank you, Mother."

"And, Crescent, dear, you must marry Haldir at once," Lainil added urgently.

…What?

Not sure she heard her mother correctly, Cress' eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, "What was that you said, Mother?"

"I said that you must marry Haldir as soon as possible," Lainil repeated with a straight face that told Cress that she wasn't joking.

When the younger She-Elf only stared up at her with cluelessness and a bit of alarm, Lainil explained calmly, "Considering that there is a possibility of the Age of the Elves coming to an end, you must find a husband quickly, Crescent."

This only confused Cress further. "Why?" she asked slowly, still unsure of where her mother got the idea of marrying her off to Haldir. "And why does it have to be Haldir?"

Lainil sighed with the smallest hint of disappointment at her child's lack of knowledge. "I've always wanted to see you marry one day, my dear; it is a mother's greatest wish to see their daughter marrying a worthy suitor. And as of now, I only approve of Haldir."

"But I don't really want to marry Haldir," Cress responded uncertainly for she still did not quite understand her mother's urgency.

Lainil raised her eyebrows a bit, not expecting Cress to object. "Why wouldn't you want to marry him? You can't deny that he is very handsome and skilled with a blade. And he has known you for nearly all your life. What is it that does not appeal to you?"

Cress was quickly starting to feel uncomfortable with the situation. She answered as best as she could, "W-well, what you said is true, but I think it would be a bit strange to marry someone who you've known as a friend for so long. Also, I don't think Haldir feels that way towards me, and he's almost nine hundred years older than me, so…"

Cress began to trail off as warm blush spread from her cheeks to her ears. To be honest, Cress wanted to point out that she was maybe a bit interested in the Prince of Mirkwood, but quickly decided not to bring up Legolas. Her mother would not be happy if she found out that Cress is taking a liking to an Elf that she, Lainil, had not yet met or even approved.

"Having known Haldir for so long, you already know almost everything about each other so there shouldn't be any awkwardness," Lainil said dismissively, finding an argument to counter everything Cress had just brought up. "As for the possibility of Haldir not feeling that way towards you," she patted her daughter's cheeks, "I'm sure he still won't mind. You're prettier than you think, Crescent, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your mother. The age difference really doesn't matter, if you ask me. Your father was over a thousand years older than me when I married him."

Cress stiffened at the mention of her father. For the hundredth time, she wondered who would possibly leave her mother, her beautiful, kind, adoring mother. But she quickly shook the thought away. Now was not the time for it.

"You're not having me marry Haldir just because you favor him and would like him as a son-in-law, are you?" she asked slowly. There was a shred of guilt in her voice for accusing her mother of doing such a thing, but Cress wanted to know. "I know you've always liked him, Mother."

"That's partly the reason," Lainil confessed, "but the reason I approve of him is because I know you will be safe with him should the Ring ever fall into the wrong hands. I want you to be protected, Crescent."

"But if the Ring doesn't fall into the wrong hands, there will be no need for me have a husband who can protect me," Cress retorted, but not angrily. "I'll help Master Gandalf destroy the Ring, and after that everything will be fine, I promise."

Before Lainil could reply, the sound of a horn could be heard coming from the distance, signaling the return of the Elves patrolling the borders of Lothlórien.

Detecting an opportunity to get away from the conversation she was having with her mother, Cress hastily rose from the chair she was sitting in and began making her way to the stairs that led back down to the forest floor. "Haldir should be back soon. I'm going to go find him. Good-bye, Mother."

"Crescent – " Lainil began, but Cress was already out of sight.

Cress saw Haldir before Haldir saw her.

The Marchwarden was walking with his two brothers, Orophin and Rumil. While Cress had always been close to Haldir, she did not interact much with his brothers, for they were not familiar with the Common Tongue and therefore could not hold a decent conversation with the elleth.

Cress peeked out from behind a tree, watching Haldir and his patrol squad approaching. Ever since she was little, she had made it one of her life goals to catch Haldir off guard and startle him, for he had always had good reflexes and instincts that Cress was quite jealous of. Her plan was to jump out from behind the tree, tackle her friend and scare the living daylights out of him.

However, as always, Cress' schemes to surprise Haldir were crushed to bits when the target stopped a few feet away from her hiding place, looking as if he was listening.

Cress tried to be as quiet as possible, even holding her breath because she knew that Haldir's hearing was sharp.

The Marchwarden remained still for a long time, much longer than Cress had anticipated, and soon the elleth was finding it hard not to breathe. But so determined, was she, to keep silent, that she kept holding her breath until she heard Haldir's voice calling.

"Cress, I know you're here," he said, not even bothering to keep the smug amusement out of his voice.

Cress' eyes crossed and with a loud gasp, she stumbled out from behind the tree and into Haldir's view, panting and wheezing for delicious oxygen. "How did you know it was me?" she asked between exhales, a displeased pout on her lips.

"Only an idiot like you would try to hold their breath for that long," replied Haldir, briskly walking past her, leading his patrol squad.

"Hey!" Cress complained, even though she knew he was only teasing her. She quickly skipped after him. When she passed Orophin and Rumil, she greeted them in Elvish as best as she could, just to be polite, "Galu, Rumil, Orophin. Lend and[2]?"

Rumil and Orophin just looked down at her a bit unappreciatively, unimpressed with her horrid pronunciation.

Cress laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck as Haldir's brothers did not reply and sped up their pace in order to avoid her. Cress always felt awkward around Rumil and Orophin, possibly because she'd known them for so long, and yet she knew nothing about them at all due to lack of communication.

When Cress caught up with Haldir at the front of the party, she quickly fell into step with him, swinging her arms around playfully and skipping once in a while. "Haldir?"

"Yes?" the Marchwarden did not slow his pace and kept his eyes locked in front of him, but Cress knew that he was listening.

Cress also knew that Haldir was teasing her by not looking at her as she speaks, since it makes her feel that he is superior to her. To retaliate, Cress latched herself onto Haldir's right arm like a child and smiled her sweetest smile at him. "Did you miss me?"

Haldir gave her a smug look, "Actually, since you've been gone, the forest has been much more peaceful. It was quite refreshing."

Cress made a whining noise, "You're so mean, Haldir." She dug her feet into the ground while still holding on to Haldir's arm, trying to stop him from moving forward any further, but the male elf was much stronger, and Cress ended up being dragged along behind him.

A few Elves who were in Haldir's squad chuckled at the sight of Cress struggling with all her might to prevent the Marchwarden from walking foward.

At last, the elleth gave up her futile attempts to overpower Haldir, and let go of her hold on him. Slowly, her smile faded and her face became serious. She fell a little behind.

Haldir noticed this and turned around to look at her with worry that he might have taken his joking too far. "I hope you know I wasn't being serious when I said that it was refreshing when you left Lórien."

A small grin twitched onto Cress' lips and shook her head, "I know. I just really miss having these conversations with you. It's wonderful to see you again, Haldir."

Haldir looked at her for a while and detected that she what she said was completely sincere. He offered her a genuine smile and replied, "I am happy that you have returned, Cress."

Cress' eyes lit up with wonder at this and she let out a bubbly laugh, hopping up and down on her toes a few times. Though Haldir may not take her seriously sometimes, Cress was well aware that he had a good heart, and his constant teasing was merely his way of showing that he cares for her.

"So, did anything interesting happen on patrol?" the elleth asked, deciding to change the subject and regaining some of her child-like curiosity.

Haldir frowned slightly, "Something did indeed happen. How did you know?"

"I don't. I was asking you," Cress was a experiencing some minor confusion now as well. Could it be that the Fellowship of the Ring has arrived in Lothlórien?

"Yesterday, my patrol found a travelling group of eight members trespassing into the woods near dusk. A Warg pack was chasing them, but one of our kinsmen was in the party, so we gave them shelter in the flets for the night."

Legolas…? Cress felt a swell of hope flood her entire being. She wanted to believe that it was the Fellowship, but something wasn't right. She counted in her head the number of members in the Fellowship, excluding herself. Nine. Haldir said that there were only eight… Oh stars….

"Where are they now? The travelling party you found last night?" Cress questioned urgently, feeling her insides beginning to twist and flip-flop from suspense.

"I took them to Lady Galadriel mere moments before returning from patrol," Haldir answered, though not quite understanding Cress' haste. "Are you familiar with them?"

Cress did not respond to his question, but said, "Was there also a dwarf with them? A dwarf with a red beard and an unpleasant attitude?"

Haldir nodded, "Yes, there was a dwarf bragging about having the 'eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox'."

That is most definitely Gimli. Cress thought, the gears of her mind whirling like mad as she pieced the information together. She turned to Haldir and gave an apologetic bow, "I must go to them. They are friends that I was separated from while travelling. Good-bye, Haldir."

Though he did not very much like the idea of Cress referring to a dwarf as a friend, the Marchwarden only said, "Tenna' ento lye omenta, Cress[3]."

Cress immediately sprinted away from Haldir's patrol squad and in the direction of the elegant, grand flet that homed Galadriel and Celeborn. However, as she ran, she could not get the number eight out of her mind. For a moment, she was tempted to run back to Haldir and ask him who was missing, but she was afraid of the answer. It would be best for her to see for herself.

One member is missing. I know it is not Legolas or Gimli. Aragorn or Boromir perhaps? Or maybe one of the hobbits? Master Gandalf –

The elleth shook her head violently as she ran and could see Caras Galadhon's silver light glimmering in the distance as night fell. No, the Mines of Moria are merely mines. They are no match for someone as powerful as Master Gandalf.

I have nothing to fear.

A/N: Oh gods above, this is at least two months late or something. I hope you guys are still sticking around. I am so sorry about the huge delay, and I know my apology doesn't really make up for it, but I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I have way more homework this year than any other, so please bear with my irregular updates.

Anyways, for anyone who happens to also be reading my Attack on Titan story, I'm getting there too. Know that if I don't update for a long time, it's either because I'm extremely busy or I've finished the chapter but is unhappy with how it turned out. I want to make each chapter good, so I won't post something I'm not really satisfied with. Well, see you all next time! I love my readers to death.

Next time: The reunion of the Fellowship of the Ring, with the absence of a very important member. Who will have to break the news to Cress? Will Cress still be able to go on without her Master? Find out next chapter!

[1]: "It has been too long, Cress."

[2]: "Greetings, Rumil, Orophin. Long journey?"

[3]: "Until we meet again, Cress."