Gandalf sat in his well-worn chair, comfortable by a small fire. His pipe was sending smoke wisps up the rafters. And in his hands, he held an ancient book of legends.

** A child of the Valar will throw her immortality to the wind,

And will bear the fruit of a mortal woman.

The darkness shall surround her.

A king with no future,

A city with no hope.

War shall claim the world once more.

And the sword will stain the white of the city,

The queen and child shall fall,

And with them, their king.

The heir will be challenged,

The throne will have to be won.

Father and child united,

Shall conquer that which divided them.

But the evil shall keep them apart.**

Gandalf sighed and closed the heavy book. For twelve years now he had read the same passage over and over. Some of it had already come to pass. He lived in a fear that the rest would follow.

"But what evil would keep them apart? If I bring Estella to Gondor again, will the evil be there waiting to claim her? There will be a battle, if her throne must be won. But how to explain to Elessar? How do you explain a child brought back?"

As Gandalf thought those very words, the child in question, walked in the door with a basket of fresh herbs in her hands.

However, she was far from the three-year-old child she had been when she first entered the cabin. Estella was now fifteen-years-old. She had grown into a beautiful young woman over the years. Her mahogany hair hung in curls halfway down her back. Her face had lost the roundness of childhood and had taken on a sophisticated beauty. Her eyes, framed by a veil of long lashes, shone like emeralds still. Her body had become toned due to her constant running in the wild. She was never an idle child, and as she grew, so did her energy. She was, thought Gandalf, the very essence of her mother and father.

She walked over the threshold and smiled at him.

"Have you been reading all day, Gandalf?! It is the first nice day of the spring! I spent the morning in the vegetable garden. We can start planting soon if the weather holds." She emptied her basket into the great bowl on the window ledge. She swung off her black cloak and hung it on the back of the door. "What would you like for supper? I brought back some meat from the village. I could make a nice stew if you'd like" She flew around the kitchen, assembling the ingredients for baking bread.

Gandalf smiled to himself. Aria had certainly kept her promise. Estella had learned to cook and keep house better than most girls her age. She and Gandalf had lived comfortably together for the past twelve years. During the week, Gandalf had taught her all about the herbs and plants of the forest. He showed her the birds and the beasts until she could name them on sight. By night, he taught her to read and write as well as any scholar. She read all his books, except the ancient book of legends, which he kept to himself. He had never mentioned the prophecy to her. He had told her about her own heritage, but he told to her as a story, so she never suspected that it was, in truth, her own story.

"A stew sounds excellent, Tella."

She smiled and began to sing softly to herself as she stoked the fire and settled into preparing their meal.

Gandalf settled back to stare into the fire. He was so into his own thoughts that only the thud a bowl hitting the wooden floor brought him back to the present. Estella had dropped it and raised her hands to cover her mouth.

"Gandalf! Out there in the woods! What is that?!"

Her tone alerted him immediately. She knew all the beasts of the woods. He went to the window and looked out. There, stalking between the trees, was a Warg. Gandalf went pale. He grabbed Estella by the hand and dragged her to the back of the cabin.

"Pack your things. Change into your riding dress. Bring enough bread to last at least a few weeks. We are leaving. It is no longer safe."

She nodded and went to do as she was bid.

Gandalf grabbed his white staff from the corner of the room and went out to the front of the cabin. He threw open the door. There stood the monstrous wolf. The Warg raised his head and howled and ran at Gandalf.

"You shall not harm her!" Gandalf yelled, and a bright white light from his staff sent the Warg reeling backwards. Another blast of the light and the Warg's head left its body. At that moment Estella reappeared with a satchel and gasped at the beheaded creature. She looked to Gandalf with questions in her eyes.

"Not now. Get the horses. We ride for Gondor."