Hello wonderful readers! I'll save my comments for later, so you can dive into a NEW chapter! Enjoy!

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"What are you looking at?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing in particular," Haldir said, slyly. "Now may I have the honor of escorting you to your chambers…" he asked, offering his arm, "…milady?"

…

Still reeling from the sudden turn in events, I was in no mood for games. I eyed Haldir skeptically, trying to figure out his ulterior motive for suddenly becoming such a gentleman. He returned my steady gaze and gave me a smile that could have easily been mistaken for a smirk.

"Lead the way," I said, beginning to get exasperated. If he was disappointed that I refused his proffered arm then he didn't show it. I followed him out the double doors I had entered earlier and we continued down the stairs to another level. I tried to focus on remembering which turns and stairwells we took, but after the first dozen or so, I gave up. The entire time, Haldir had not said a word. Not that I minded, but I was interested in learning a little more about this elf who held such an esteemed position in Lotholorien. You know what they say: curiosity killed the cat. Clearing my throat, I brought up the only subject I knew we had in common.

"Milord, how well do you know Legolas of Mirkwood?" I asked, working to keep up with Haldir's long strides. He stiffened slightly, but did not slow his relentless pace.

"Clearly not as well as you do, milady," he said, casting the same smirk-like smile in my direction. OK, I walked right into that one. I glared at him, but refused to give him the reaction he wanted.

"Well, I certainly hope not and you know that's not what I meant. That also doesn't answer my question," I replied, trying to back-pedal.

"We trained together when we were younger and we've seen each other at many diplomatic meetings. Other than that, unfortunately, our paths do not cross very often," Haldir said, just as we arrived at a closed door. "Here is your room. I will soon return to take you to dinner in the Great Hall," he said, bowing slightly. Noting my distress, he added, "The rest of your Fellowship will be there as well." Relieved, I thanked him, but he was already on his way. Jeez, couldn't he just give me a map to find my own way to dinner?

Sighing, I opened the door to my room and my initial dismay at having to stay in Lotholorien was slightly alleviated. Though not huge, it was a spacious room with a beautiful view of the forest. I wandered around, trailing my hands over the intricate engravings in the wooden furniture. I stopped at the small dresser with a wash basin and water pitcher on it.

After washing several days of grime from my face, neck, and hands, I stopped to admire the beautiful bouquet of fresh wild flowers on the nightstand. I ran my fingers over the velvety blooms, which reminded me so much of my garden at home. Who would take care of my flowers if I didn't return? Who would remember to weed and water them once the hot weather came? Shaking my head, I reminded myself that I would be going home soon. Or so I hoped.

My gaze fell upon the immense four-poster canopy bed, which took up most of the room. My first thought was to dive headfirst into its lavender comforter and fluffy, white pillows, but my mother's voice rang out in my head, reminding me that dirt-caked clothing did not belong anywhere near a clean bed.

I then saw what I hadn't noticed before: my backpack containing all my meager possessions sitting at the foot of the bed. They must have gotten my things while I was talking to Galadriel! That meant that the entire Fellowship already knew what I had planned on waiting to tell them myself! Forgetting the dirt, I sat down abruptly on the bed with my head in my hands. What had been their reactions? Were the Hobbits upset? Was Legolas upset? This was probably the worst way they could have found out I would not be leaving with them. They were the only family I had in this strange, new world and I was going to be separated from them, just as abruptly as I had joined them.

My internal freak-out was interrupted by a knock on the door. Surely Haldir hadn't come back so soon! Brushing off the bed to make sure I didn't leave behind any evidence, I opened the door and was about to launch into an 'I'm not ready yet' speech when I realized I was staring at two young women. They had been whispering to each other, but quickly stopped when they saw me. They curtsied gracefully, despite the large bundles they held in their hands.

"Good evening, milday," the taller one said. "I am Medlinya, your seamstress, and this is my assistant, Anariel. May we please come in?"

Overcoming my surprise, I quickly beckoned them into my room. They entered and with great efficiency began to unpack their bundles. While Medlinya laid out dresses and other clothes on my bed, along with several pairs of dainty shoes, Anariel unpacked the contents of what looked like a medieval cosmetic case onto my dresser. My heart fluttered in girlish glee at the thought of actually being able to primp and spend time on my appearance. Running through woods and mines does wonders for one's complexion. Once done with their first task, the two women turned their attention to me.

"Well those breeches have seen better days, milady. How about we choose a pretty dress for you to wear tonight instead," Medlinya said, smiling gently. I walked over to admire the three gowns she had laid out. They were all incredibly beautiful and I was in awe as I gently traced their detailed stitches and embroidery. One was light green, the other dark rose, but it was the last one, a medium-toned blue dress with pearl accents, that caught my attention.

"Ahh, that color would go wonderfully with your hair," Medlinya said, holding up a mirror as Anariel pulled my hair out of its ponytail. Not having seen a mirror in quite some time, I was surprised by what I saw. My hair, normally brown, had lightened considerably from the amount of time spent out in the sun, and was now several inches longer. My nose and cheekbones were tanned and, to my delight, there were no horrendous pimples on my face.

Medlinya put down the mirror and picked up what resembled undergarments. "Now, let's get to work."

After changing me out of my dirty hand-me-downs and into a stunning work of Elvish artistry, Medlinya went to work on pinning so it fit just right, as well as measuring me for future dresses, while Anariel settled herself to the task of doing my hair.

They worked with calm efficiency and, while attempting to stand still and being more pampered than I had ever been in my life, I studied the two women before me. At first glance, they looked to be the same age, but under closer inspection, Medlinya's authoritative manner and smile wrinkles gave away her older age. Anariel seemed to be the same age as me, but since Elves aged so well, who was I to guess? I could name quite a few pharmaceutical companies who would give an arm and a leg to learn even one anti-aging Elvish secret.

Anariel's voice jostled me from my thoughts. "Milady, would you like to see yourself in the mirror?" I nodded and held it at arm's length to admire their handiwork. The dress fit me even better than my prom dress had and if only I could get a salon to do my hair as well as Anariel had.

"Oh, but wait. One last finishing touch," Anariel said, as she took a small blossom from the bouquet on my nightstand and tucked it into my hair. "Perfect." They both smiled widely, clearly proud of their work.

"Medlinya, Anariel, thank you so much! I could have never done something like this myself!" I exclaimed, turning to smile at them. They both beamed at me.

"You are most welcome, milady. We will come to you every morning to help you get ready, if you so wish," Medlinya said as she and Anariel packed up their bundles again.

"That would be wonderful, thank you," I said, just as there was a knock on the door. Anariel quickly hurried to open it and, barely suppressing a giggle, she said, "Milady, the March Warden is here to see you." I quickly turned around to see Haldir enter the room.

"Milady," he said, bowing his head, his eyes not leaving mine. "You look lovely." I must have blushed fourteen shades of red, but quickly composed myself into what I considered a lady-like curtsey. Thankfully, Medlinya and Anariel had discretely slipped out of the room, so they had been spared my embarrassment.

"Thank you, milord," I said, dipping my head and trying to avoid his penetrating gaze. "Shall we go to dinner now?" Instead of answering, he came closer as if to examine me. His eyes roved my face, lingering on the flower tucked in my hair, dropping lower to gaze at the small pendant necklace I wore. I was about to make a flippant comment about whether or not I passed his inspection, but my mouth had gone dry.

"You look so different from when I first saw you. And yet the same. I was immediately drawn into your eyes, Liana, for they seem to hold a great secret," he said quietly, as if voicing his own thoughts.

You have no idea, I thought. As he came closer, I noticed that he had changed out of his uniform and into a dark green tunic with silver embroidery. I tried to ignore how feminine I felt being the object of his scrutiny and standing in front of his tall, lean figure. I noted that even though we were going to dinner, he was still armed with two daggers hanging from his belt. He wore a thin, silver chain around his neck and his blonde hair had been tied back in similar braids to those of Legolas. Oh wait, Legolas…

I put a hand on his chest to stop his forward momentum. Haldir smiled, eyes darkening, as if reading my mind.

"Shall we go to dinner now?" he asked, echoing my earlier question. I nodded quickly, so he gently took my hand away from his chest and looped it through his arm. This time, I didn't fight him.

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Wow, it's been way too long! I'm so sorry that it's taken me almost 5 years to update! I have to thank all my faithful readers who have asked and encouraged me to pick this story back up – see, it worked! I was 13 years old when I started this story and now (a little older and wiser) I plan to continue my beloved story, though with hopefully a more mature and polished take on things.

Please review and let me know what you think! I love reader feed-back and constructive criticism. I promise not to leave you hanging for so long again! Until we meet again…