Estel was not quire sure why exactly he had started awake in the middle of the night. Usually it was because of nightmares, horrible visions reminding of the day his parents died, but tonight he had simply woken up.

Quietly, he got out of bed and slipped into the corridor, creeping along it as quietly as was possible for a five year old human child. Normally when he had nightmares, he headed for the twins' bedroom, as he knew that his strong older brothers could keep away any monster that decided to trouble him. Tonight, however, he simply wanted a hug – and Faelwen gave the best hugs, so he was making his way towards Faelwen's room.

He'd never gone to Faelwen's room at night before, but it wasn't too difficult to find; just next door to the twins. As quietly as he could, he turned the doorknob and crept into her room…but stopped in his tracks as his blood ran cold.

Faelwen was lying on her back, one arm braced behind her head, but her eyes were open! Estel had only ever seen someone lying with blank eyes like this once before – his parents in the dream that replayed their deaths to him. Tears flooded Estel's eyes and he began to gulp back sobs. How could Faelwen be dead? There had been nothing wrong with her when she had come to kiss him goodnight! But now she was lying there so still, with her eyes so blank and…

Estel turned and bolted from the room as fast as his legs would carry him, heading for Elrond's room. Ada had to know what happened to Faelwen! He had to tell him!

Shocked to the core by this unexpected horror, Estel lost his battle to cry quietly and was sobbing out loud as ran back up the corridor he had come down, and turned left into the one where Elrond's bedroom was located. He was so blinded by tears that he didn't see the tall elf walking towards him and ran slap bang into their knees, landing on his bottom on the floor.

"Estel!" he heard the voice of Erestor say in surprise. "Whatever is the matter, little one?"

Estel tried to tell Erestor that his sister was dead, and he needed Ada to go to her right now, but all he managed to get out was an indistinct jumble of tearful words and sobs.

"There now, it is all right," said Erestor kindly, kneeling down so that he was on a level with the small human. "There is nothing to be afraid of. Have you had a bad dream, penneth?" Estel shook his head frantically and tried to talk again, but they were interrupted by a door opening and Elrond's voice floating down the dark corridor.

"What is going on?"

"Ada! Fae…is…dead!" Estel burst out, dissolving in frantic tears. Worriedly, Elrond knelt beside him, not having seen his foster son this upset in a long time.

"You've been dreaming, ion-nin," he said gently. "Faelwen is perfectly all right. It was only a dream."

"No! N-not a d-dream!" Estel sobbed. "Went…in-into…room. S-She is…dead, Ada!"

Elrond and Erestor exchanged a confused and alarmed look, before the Lord of Imladris picked Estel up in his arms and wiped away his tears.

"Come." he said. "We will go and check on Faelwen. I promise you, she will be all right."

The three dutifully proceeded towards Faelwen's room to find the young elf peacefully asleep. But the moment he set eyes on her again, Estel burst into another bout of sobs.

"See!" he wept. "Eyes…her eyes…open! She's…dead!"

The volume of the little boy's distress jarred Faelwen from her slumber and brought Elrohir running through from next door. Both looked at Elrond in worry and surprise.

"Ada? What is the matter with Estel? Is he ill?" asked Faelwen anxiously, making to get out of bed, when a small force hit her chest and sent her backwards onto her pillows.

"I…thought…you were dead!" Estel sobbed uncontrollably into his sister's blond hair. "Thought…you…were…dead!"

"Dead?" repeated Faelwen bewilderedly, wrapping her arms around Estel. "What on earth gave you that idea, my heart?"

"I think I know," said Elrond gently, sitting down on the bed beside them. "You were sleeping with your eyes open. I believe Estel thought they were open in death."

"They were just like my Papa's in my dream!" sobbed Estel, knotting his fists in Faelwen's white night dress. "I thought you were dead!"

"Estel, do you remember when I explained to you how your brothers and I were Peredhil – half elves?" asked Elrond softly, reaching over to dry some of his foster son's tears. Estel nodded, sniffling. "Well, because we have human blood in our veins, we also have many human traits. That is why the twins and I sleep with our eyes shut just like you do. But Faelwen is fully elven – and so she sleeps with her eyes open. All elves do. Erestor does, Glorfindel does, Lindir does…it is nothing to worry about, I promise you, little one."

"So Fae won't die?" hiccupped Estel. Elrond smiled and shook his head.

"No, penneth," he assured him. "Faelwen isn't going to die."

Estel shut his eyes in relief and buried his head in his sister's shoulder. Faelwen hugged him tightly and gently patted his tangled hair, while he cried out his fright.

"Would you like to stay with me for the rest of the night?" she offered gently and he nodded fervently. Elrond nodded in approval, and the other elves quietly left the room, leaving them both to get some sleep.

"Come then," said Faelwen, tucking him up in her bed and drying what remained of his tears. "But first, I think I have a friend who would like to meet you."

"A friend?" asked Estel curiously, sitting up again. "Who is it?"

Faelwen smiled and went to her wardrobe to retrieve something. When she shut the doors again, she was holding a green fluffy rabbit in her hand.

"This is Diel," she said, handing him to Estel. "And he guarded me while I slept for many, many years. He will keep your nightmares away."

"But do you not need him to look after you, Fae?" asked Estel, cuddling the toy to his chest. Faelwen laughed softly.

"Do not worry, little one," she smiled. "I am old enough now to sleep unguarded. My nightmares were chased away a long time ago. But come along, it is time you went back to sleep."

"Love you, Fae," whispered Estel contentedly, snuggling up beside her.

"I love you too, Estel," she replied, kissing the crown of his head. "Sleep now."

It was not long before the tiny human succumbed to sleep once more, but three times that night, Faelwen started awake to find him kneeling beside her with his ear close to her mouth…just to check that was breathing and indeed was still alive!

The winter came early that year and Imladris was covered in a thick blanket of snow, making the already breathtakingly beautiful valley look like something from a dream. It also brought around Faelwen's begetting day.

Because she had so young at the time when Thranduil found her, she had never remembered the date of her begetting day, even with her memory returned, simply because she had been too young to know anything other than how old she was. So instead, her family in Imladris celebrated it on the day which she had arrived into their lives.

The winter was always a wonderful time of year, and this one proved to be just as spectacular. Thranduil, Legolas, Celeborn, Haldir, Orophin, Rumil would most years spend two or three months in Imladris during the height of the winter, so it was like a huge family gathering for the winter solstice and, the highlight of the season, the midwinter's eve festival.

Estel was absolutely loving the winter so far. It was the first time he had been deemed old enough to go out in the snow without catching pneumonia. But this year, provided he was bundled up against the low temperature, he was allowed to play outside to his heart's content and had spent the last few days building snow-elves and snowmen with the twins and Faelwen and having snowball fights by the dozen; including one glorious one where Ada, Glorfindel and Erestor had joined in!

Today he had spent the morning learning about Gondolin with Erestor and was now having a good deal of fun writing everyone's names in the snow with Faelwen. He had just been trying once again to spell Glorfindel (why did he have to have such a long and difficult name?) when the sound of approaching hooves disturbed them.

"Legolas! Thranduil!" Faelwen's face lit up with delight while Estel ducked behind her skirt nervously. The two approaching elves reined in their horses and dismounted gracefully.

"Mae Govannen, Faelwen!" cried Legolas merrily, throwing his arms around her and twirling around with her in a blur of green and golden hair. "It has been far too long since I last saw you! How are the twins?" Then he cried out as a snowball seemed to fly out of nowhere and hit him on the side of the head.

"The same as they ever were!" giggled Faelwen, embracing Thranduil while the twins leapt out of their hiding places and leapt on Legolas in a double blur. "How was the journey?"

"It went very well. I think we made it just in time! The weather is beginning to turn nasty," Thranduil replied with a twinkle in his eye. "But who is this hiding behind you? Surely this strapping young man cannot be Estel?" Those words were all it took to get rid of the young human's shyness and he peeped round from behind Faelwen's knees.

"Yes, it is me!" he declared proudly. Legolas, with a beaming grin, swung him up off the ground and flipped him upside down.

"No, Ada, I think you must be wrong!" he said solemnly. "The Estel we met last year had a head that pointed towards the sky, not the ground!"

"I'm upside down! Leg'las, you've got me upside down!" shrieked Estel delightedly, sending everyone into peals of laughter. Legolas set him on the ground again and ruffled his hair.

"You must be tired from the journey," said Faelwen. "Come inside to the Hall of Fire. Ada and Glorfindel are in there now and Daerada should be arriving soon."

Celeborn did indeed arrive soon after, galloping in what appeared to be a race between him and his three adopted sons – which Haldir won by a couple of yards. And as they all rushed out to greet them, the family was all together again at last!

Faelwen was showing Haldir to his room so that he could wash and change when she suddenly noticed the detail of the brooch that fastened his cloak.

"You have been made Marchwarden!" she exclaimed in delight, recognising the brooch. Haldir nodded with a shy smile.

"Just last month," he told her. "I was afraid everyone would think I got it merely for being Ada's foster son, but all the other wardens were very supportive."

"I should think so. Legolas says that you are the best archer on Arda," said Faelwen sincerely and he blushed furiously.

"I hope you have been well since I saw you in the summer," he said, cheeks still rather dark, as they paused to look out of the huge window at the bottom of the family wing.

"I have been, thank you," Faelwen replied, with a shy smile of her own. "And this winter looks as though it is going to be a joyful one indeed. Estel's happiness is infectious! And Ada wants me to attend the Midwinter's eve dance this year, for I have been avoiding doing so for the years. The downside of it is that the ellyth have to choose their partner rather than the other way around." She was dreading the thought of having to ask someone.

"I never feel comfortable at gatherings like that," said Haldir honestly. "Orophin is the one with all the confidence in that area. I always feel a little out of place."

"We could…go together if you like," suggested Faelwen, feeling her face go brilliantly red. "Then we can at least feel awkward together."

"I would like that," Haldir nodded, feeling his own cheeks colour again, just as they reached his room. "I shall see you in the Hall of Fire shortly." Faelwen nodded, and headed back downstairs, wondering why she seemed to do nothing but blush all the time she had been speaking to him. It had started during the summer, when she had watched him sparring with the twins and Orophin on the training fields. They had all shed their tunics and Faelwen had felt her cheeks burn from the moment she had looked at him. And it felt like every time she had spoken to him since then, they had refused to stop burning!

She paused once again on the landing to gaze out at the beauty of the valley when she was accosted by the twins and Legolas.

"It is lovely, is it not?" said Legolas, joining her by the window. "I always love coming here in the winter. The valley always seems so serene and peaceful."

"We were just talking about the dance on Midwinter's eve, gwaleth," said Elladan teasingly. "Have you decided who you are going to invite yet?"

"Better not leave it too late, Faelwen!" grinned Elrohir. "If you do not overcome your shyness, every eligible ellon in Imladris will have a partner and you will have to settle for that irritating scribe Mirian. Either that or be a wallflower, dear sister!"

"Oh, I beg you will not worry about me!" said Faelwen airily. "I already have a partner. I am going with Haldir!" With a smile, she hurried back downstairs, leaving the three on the landing staring after her in surprise.