"Eleona, Eleona. Are you in here?" Bilbo's small voice came echoing through her chambers.
Slowly she roused herself from the bed and got dressed in her normal attire. When she answered the door to greet Bilbo who was standing there gave a start at her appearance.
"My dear you look terrible. Your hair is in a mess. You simply must be proper before we go to breakfast."
For the next fifteen minutes Bilbo helped Eleona get ready by cleaning her hair up and brushing it through. By the time they were ready to get going she looked fair and modestly pretty.
"Thank you Bilbo. You show me unexpected friendship. Let us go down." Eleona said as she smiled at him.
Bilbo led the way through the warm and soft lit halls. Eleona began to notice they were not going towards the ordinary dining hall. She kept her thoughts to herself as they walked and decided to wait until what the hobbit was doing was revealed. Only a few minutes after she had wondered about their course they came to a open courtyard where a small table was set for two.
"What is this? Are we not dining with the others?" Eleona asked Bilbo curiously.
"I thought it would be nice if we were to have our breakfast alone. With the others about we have not had much time to talk.
Eleona smiled sweetly at Bilbo. It was the first smile he had seen her make towards anyone and he liked how it lightened up her eyes, they were to often darkened by inner thoughts. They quickly sat down and tucked into the good fare. The food was agreeable for Eleona since she lived off of the land the most of the time. The only thing that both Eleona and Bilbo missed was a sizable piece of meat. The elves did not indulge in the pleasures of meat for they were so close to nature they felt it a horror to murder an animal so they could eat of its flesh. Eleona herself only killed creatures for food when she most needed the sustenance and when she did was careful to regulate what she killed. It was more for orcs that her arrows hummed through the air.
"So how do you like Rivendell?" Bilbo asked after they had both eaten a sufficient amount and were now sipping at goblets of sweet wine.
"It gives me a sense of home."
Bilbo looked at her slightly perplexed. "I thought you lived in the Iron Hills, within the caves of the dwarves where little sunlight reaches or so I have heard."
"I did but I have always felt more at home out in the fresh air. I still prefer the silent groves and the majestic forests. Open plains are not for me. They leave me open and exposed." She stopped and caught herself before she revealed more of her nature.
She had stated a small truth of her past in that remark. When she had lived with the aging ranger he had taught her that open spaces would not hold any love for her. They would betray her presence before the time was right and would give no hiding places to take refuge in. Forests were more inviting to her. The foliage and trees would wrap around her and conceal any sound or movements she would make. The trees also offered perches that aided her need for concealment.
After Eleona had gone back to her rooms it was not long before an elf came to her and brought news that Elrond wished to see her and that the attendant would lead her to were he waited. They wound through the halls and to passageway in the center of Rivendell. Eleona had never been in this part of the elven city and subtly looked around her in curiosity. Through the passage they walked softly and at the end of it sat a strong set of doors. These were the only doors she had seen that were made of metal. The metal itself was of a strange origin and shone palely in the light. It looked almost soft and alive. Not even the dwarves had a metal this beautiful. The elf that had led Eleona to the passageway walked up to them and pushed gently on the metal. The doors opened silently almost as if they were wings of silver that floated lightly forward. They swung inward to display a dimly lit grove. Grass served as a floor and in the center was a pool of water that simmered with the illusion of solidity. Elrond stood by the water and Gandalf was standing a small distance behind him.
"Come here Eleona." Elrond spoke to her gentle but commanding.
Eleona started towards him slowly and heard as she did the attendant behind her leave and close the doors behind them. She breathed deeply of the fresh air. It was a pleasant change to the air that wreathed Rivendell. It was not that the freshness of the outside atmosphere had been diminished but this air was cool and refreshing, on the outside it had been warm and had induced a feeling of sleep. Her senses sharped and she felt alive.
"Eleona I asked you to come to the Heart of Rivendell for one reason. I offer you something that not one before you has been given. The elves will after the next several decades leave Middle Earth and the races that remain will be pressured to find a replacement for our council. I do not say this in pride of my race but of concern for those that will endure in this land. I believe you could be the person that could fill the rift that will come about after the elves leave. But if you stay as you are you would only be able to assist the races of Middle Earth for a century or so. I offer you a gift from the elves. Something that only a descendant of ancients can receive." Here Elrond paused. Looking at the young woman he quickly thought over his choice in his head. No doubts plagued him, he knew this was the right path. "I give you the gift of immortality."