Author's Note: As promised a new chapter. As always reviews and feedback are welcomed and appreciated. I know it had been a while since I had updated this story but I am back and working on it. Your feedback gives me motivation to not only continue this story but to finish it. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Gandalf led us down a rocky path heading towards Rivendell. It was obvious this was not a path often used by the elves themselves. It had a somewhat steep incline as it snaked its way down to the elven city. Eventually the path brought us to a small bridge that crossed a river of water. The bridge itself was guarded by two stone statues that peered down on us as we passed, as if determining our intent with entering the city and if it was safe to let us in.

I looked around as we stopped near a flight of stairs, a pair of living elvish guards stood watch on a landing halfway up. Lanterns lit the building behind them as the sun set to our left. I could feel a humming from this place, almost as if it was alive. I ached to search for its source to learn of its secrets. While we stood around waiting for Gandalf to guide us on, the dwarves whispered amongst themselves, leaving Bilbo and I to our own devices.

"Isn't is one of the grandest things you've ever seen," he asked.

I could only nod my head in response. It was beautiful, grand, peaceful...and it reminded me of home. I was east of the Kingdom. Perhaps if the lord or king was amenable I could...

I shook the thought out of my head. I still felt the pull of my old home. I needed to keep traveling until I felt it no longer. But the humming noise I could feel in my bones was what put that thought there in the first place. If only I could find its source to put an end to those thoughts.

At that moment a man, or rather elf, appeared on the steps, walking towards us. His brown hair was rather long ending just past his shoulders. On his head he wore a silver band that looked like a crown of some sort but was probably used to determine his status in the city. His deep violet tunic was paired with a deep burgundy cloak. His eyes were like those of a hawk, eagerly looking for something to latch on to.

"Mithrandir," he called out as he descended the stairs.

Gandalf turned at the name, a smile spreading across his face. "Ah, Lindir," he replied.

"Lastannem i athrannedh i Vruinen (We heard you had crossed into the valley.)," Lindir said upon reaching the bottom of the stairs. Hearing the words spoken in his native tongue, I could tell that Lindir was not a fan of who Gandalf had brought with him. To give them their privacy, I walked towards the tree that was to the right of the bridge we had walked in on. The whole city felt like it was breathing, like the entire place was alive with an energy I couldn't fathom. Just as I reached the base of the tree and was about to place my hand on its trunk, a horn sounded. It was oddly similar to the one we had heard after following Gandalf to the secret path here.

The group turned to face back the way we had come over the bridge. A group of elven warriors were riding towards us on horseback. As they approached it seemed they weren't slowing down, causing the dwarves to group back together into a tighter circle.

"Close ranks," Thorin called out.

I attempted to join the group but wasn't quick enough. The horses arrived and began to circle the group, keeping the dwarves and Bilbo huddled together, while I had to stay by the tree to avoid being trampled by the horses. I didn't want to risk anything happening if I touched the tree with all of these people here, so I stayed close to the tree but did my best to avoid touching it.

After a few moments, the horses stopped circling the dwarves and Bilbo, the leader of the group stopping by Gandalf.

"Gandalf," the elf stated, relaxing in his saddle.

"Lord Elrond," Gandalf replied, touching his chest with his right hand and dipping his head in a small bow. "Mellonnen! Mo evínedh (My friend. Where have you been?)."

Lord Elrond climbed down from his horse letting the reins fall to the ground. "Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui. (We've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass.)," he replied while giving Gandalf a hug and brandishing an Orc weapon. He then chose to switch back to the Common Tongue. "Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone has drawn them near."

Lord Elrond walked past Gandalf to hand the orc weapon to Lindir, who accepted it with a small look of disgust on his face.

Gandalf turned to face Lord Elrond. "Ah, that may have been us," he replied gesturing to the group surrounded by horses.

Thorin stepped forward to greet the lord of Rivendell.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain," Lord Elrond greeted him.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin answered.

Rather than acknowledge Thorin's behavior, Lord Elrond answered coolly, "You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain."

"Indeed," Thorin sarcastically questioned. "He made no mention of you."

From where I was standing by the tree it was hard to clearly see the look in Lord Elrond's eyes. But I could tell by his demeanor that he wasn't too happy to have Thorin in his halls.

"Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin," Lord Elrond reverted back to his native tongue.

There was a pause for a moment before the dwarves started to get concerned. Gloin being the one to voice it.

"What is he sayin'? Does he offer us insult," the dwarf questioned, moving forward with his axe in hand.

"No, Master Gloin," Gandalf stated. "He is offering you food."

The dwarves paused collectively, discussing amongst themselves. I couldn't hear what it was they were saying, but knowing them there was no way they would turn down the offer for a meal.

Soon enough Gloin confirmed my suspicions. "Ah, well. In that case, lead on."

I smiled to myself and moved to rejoin the group. Only to be stopped with the sharp end of a spear in my face.

"And just who are you," the voice attached to the spear asked.

I forced myself to ignore the spear point in front of my face and looked towards the person holding it instead. Looking him in the eye I slowly raised my hands to show I was defenseless. It was becoming more and more apparent as time passed that I needed to get a weapon to defend myself with. Even if I was supposed to in a place with no enemies as Gandalf had put it.

The elf holding the spear had dismounted from his own horse to stand in front of me. It had been so fast I hadn't even seen it happen. He stood proudly with chestnut brown hair and vivid hazel eyes. The cheekbones seemed sharp under his skin, almost as if you could cut yourself on them. The look in his eyes was one of caution, but also wanting to prove himself. I knew that look. I'd had it myself a time or two before I had been banished from the Kingdom. I would have to tread carefully with this one.

"My name is Nissa. I am a companion of the dwarves there," I answered carefully.

"You're not a dwarf," the elf replied.

This one was out to try my patience. "Obviously," I replied. "Now if you wouldn't mind good sir, I'd thank you kindly if you could remove your spear from my face."

The look that sparked in his eyes told me I would not want to be caught alone with him. By now our conversation and lack of movement had caught the attention of the rest of the group nearby. I watched out of the corner of my eye as several other elven warriors dismounted from their horses. In the midst of all of that I didn't see Gandalf walk over from the stairs, appearing as if from thin air at my right side.

He placed his left hand on my right shoulder and used his staff to gently push the spear out of my face.

"I don't think we've met before," he said kindly to the elven warrior. "I'm Gandalf the Grey. And you are?"

Lord Elrond spoke up from behind Gandalf. "This is Faelon. He is new to Rivendell and is still learning much of our ways."

I had not yet taken my eyes off of Faelon. Nor had he removed his eyes from me.

"Lord Elrond, this young girl is not a dwarf, nor is she an elf. I found her lurking her in the shadows like a spy. Tell me why I shouldn't take precautions with her," Faelon stated, pulling his spear back to him and standing upright.

I looked out of the corner of my eye at Lord Elrond's reaction to his statement. He closed his eyes and paused, taking a few deep breaths to control his emotions. The other elves still mounted on their horses seemed to be holding their breath. It was obvious that there was tension between Faelon and Lord Elrond.

"I am the Lord of Rivendell. Gandalf the Grey is not only my friend but a trusted and valued friend of all our people. Take your horse to the stable and see yourself to your quarters," Lord Elrond replied coolly. "Do not come out of there until I call for you."

Faelon looked around him to see if any of the other elven warriors would back him up with his analysis of me. As I followed his gaze, it was easy to see that they did not hold him in their favor. Lord Elrond had mentioned he was new here. It seemed that for whatever reason he was sent here, these warriors were not too keen about it. Having realized there were none to support him, Faelon left as ordered. Once he left, the tension in the air dissipated.

I turned to face Gandalf. "Thank you. I didn't mean to cause such trouble,'' I told him.

"It's quite alright. It wasn't your fault," he replied, turning to face Lord Elrond. "Now come and meet our host."

As Gandalf turned, he placed me in front of him, allowing Lord Elrond and I to fully face each other for the first time. Being of such a small stature I had to tilt my head up to properly face him. His dark brown hair was much longer than that of Lindir, and the silver circlet on his head was much more ornate. He held himself proudly, with a strong jaw and straight back. His eyes were piercing although not as distrustful as Lindir's had been. As our eyes met, I saw something flash in his that I could not recognize.

I bowed in greeting, "Ta naa y' seasa oment- lle." (It is a pleasure to meet you.)

It was only after I spoke that I realized my mistake. No one here was likely to know what I had said. The silence surrounding me was proof enough. Flustered, I attempted to correct myself. "My apologies. My native tongue comes easier to me for situations such as these. It is an honor to meet you Lord Elrond."

And, still it was quiet. I could sense that Gandalf was starting to feel uncomfortable in the silence. I looked at Lord Elrond, trying to determine what it was I had done to offend him so. But his face didn't show any signs of anger or that he was about to have me thrown into an Elven dungeon. Rather, his face seemed to be one more of shock and surprise than anything else. Gandalf politely cleared his throat, which shook Lord Elrond from his thoughts.

"There is no need for you to apologize to me," he began. "It has been a very long time since I have heard the Silvan tongue, let alone had cause to use it. I should be the one apologizing to you for Faelon's behavior. You are a guest here and should have been treated as such."

Lord Elrond paused for a moment then asked, "I believe I heard Gandalf call you Nissa, correct?"

"That is correct," I answered.

"Surely that must be a childhood nickname," he questioned further.

I felt slightly uncomfortable with his probing but knew that I would need to fully answer him to truly be considered a guest of his halls.

I sighed. Giving my true name to an Elvish lord meant that there was a change he would know who my mother was. This far from the fae lands I grew up in, I had no idea if that would bode well for me or not. This was secondary to the fact that our little troupe only knew me as Nissa. I had never told them my true name either. I looked up at Gandalf for assurance that I could trust Lord Elrond and those of our company. He seemed to read my thoughts as there was a slight nod to his head, his hand squeezed my shoulder and he stepped away to give me space.

In the fae kingdom, your true name is something to hold dear and only share with those closest to you. Only my father and Foster had known. If I was going to share it here, surrounded by dwarves, elves, a hobbit and a wizard, I would say it with pride.

I stood up straight, looked Lord Elrond straight in the eye, and spoke loud enough for all to hear, "My name is Núlelírie. My father was Vórimion and my mother was Vanisaila."

I watched as a look of recognition, shock and surprise passed through Lord Elrond's eyes. He glanced behind me at Gandalf, before he turned his back on us, heading towards the stairs that Lindir stood by. As he walked back to the stairs he called out, "Lindir, please show our guests their lodgings for the time being, and find separate quarters for Núlelírie."