People.

The sheer number of people milling about wherever her father was leading her had her on edge. Not least because their attention soon became fixated on her as she padded along quietly next to her father. The stares burnt on her skin, hairs prickling as she all but hugged her father's leg, peering out nervously at the sheer number of humans and elves – though thankfully there were fewer of the former.

Though, in her own opinion, the stares of her kin were worse. Mostly because they seemed as though they were about to start cooing at her. That was a sort of reaction which she loathed, mostly since she was still trying to convince herself that she wasn't a child when the opposite was probably truer. Her shoulders sunk, and she sighed, even as her father made his way over to where his presumed seat was. There was no smaller seat available for her, and Sakura only sighed once more and climbed up into her father's lap, ignoring the murmurs of conversation behind her as she made herself as comfortable as she could.

"So you did not change your mind," Erestor murmured, materialising in the seat next to them in the blink of an eye.

"No," Sakura said sullenly, eyes fixed on the little plinth in the middle of the circle of chairs, a surge of irritation rising in her at the thought of running away and trying to play or read. She picked at her fingers. She hardly felt like doing anything of the sorts.

"Calm yourself, daughter," her father said, fingers already tangled in her golden locks the way they usually ended up. "Look – Erestor brings your favourite snack with him…"

Sakura turned, blinking at the box of biscuits presented to her. Eyes darted between the other elf and the biscuits, wary and curious for a few moments before she swiped the box from him in its entirety.

"Lothien," her father spoke, somewhat exasperated as she nibbled furiously on one of her prizes. "Manners, please."

"Mn," she grunted, "Thank you, Erestor," she grumbled, going back to avoiding her own thoughts and eating biscuits as more and more people arrived. Part of her was almost beginning to regret going there and taking part in the council or whatever it was. People just kept on staring. Sakura scowled, shovelling another almond biscuit into her mouth and desperately trying to become one with the chair. She almost wanted to vanish on the spot or meld with her father's clothing and become invisible. Neither of those things happened though, and she was left to deal with a courtyard full of men and elves – the latter of whom seemed to have an unhealthy interest in her.

She chewed on her biscuit, sitting back and watching the proceedings with sleepy eyes even as the conversation in a different language went on over her head. Sakura was happy with her biscuits. Childish, part of her whispered at that, and she only blinked and watched as Frodo brought forth yet another ring which everyone was soon staring at.

Her hairs stood up on end as she stared at the golden ring, remembering all the while that it had been a ring which had been the wraith's weakness. Tilting her head, Sakura wondered if that ring was also a weak point of something or another. She tugged on her father's shirt then, earning the full force of his attention, even as the others around them started speaking in debate or something like that. "What's going on?" she asked, keeping her voice as quiet as she could, not wanting to disturb what could only be an important meeting going by the atmosphere.

"Nothing of importance," her father said, and Sakura didn't believe him, if only because of the way the unknown elf closest to them choked on their own spit.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Erestor pleadingly then. "We are merely discussing the means of destroying this ring, Lothien," Erestor answered, ignoring the way her father turned and glared at him then. "Lothien is no fool, Glorfindel," he murmured. "This meeting is important."

She blinked, turning her gaze back on the golden ring, even as the sounds of voices picked up around them. "Do you want me to try and destroy it?" she asked, wondering whether a punch would do it, or whether she ought to get out one of her concealed knives. And probably send her father into yet another lecture about how and why she didn't need to carry knives. Sakura rolled her eyes at the thought, the creeping sensation of being a strange being in strange lands coming back to nip at her heels, even as she scowled at the ring before her.

Erestor blinked. "No, Lothien. I do not believe that would be a… wise choice of action," he said, and Sakura could only blink at the arm which almost immediately secured itself around her waist like a band of iron. Her father had apparently decided that she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Pouting, Sakura resigned herself to simply glaring at the golden metal, sighing softly as everything seemed to dissolve into chaos from there on in. There was a creeping, insidious feeling which settled in her veins, a soft hum in the back of her head, even as one of the shorter people there stood, lifting an axe over the golden ring. The band of iron around her waist lifted then to shield her, as the axe was summarily destroyed and scattered into pieces which were sent flying through the air. Though that was only to be expected – if her earlier experiences with strange rings were anything to go off of. Her fingers twitched, the whisper of power, promise, and temptation brushing against her skin. Her eyes narrowed even further, irritation and annoyance striking at her heart as she realised the source of that odd temptation and insidiousness.

The ring.

It was calling to her like a siren's song, murmured promises of how it would help her to better fit into that world. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end, a surge of want coming to the forefront of her mind before she realised the blatant manipulation for what it was. How would a piece of jewellery even help her fit in better? It wasn't like her father wore any. Besides, she hated anything to do with genjutsu, more so after the war, so like pure lands she was allowing that puny ring to get away with trying to manipulate her and everyone else there using whatever that world's equivalent was.

Chakra surged to her hand, annoyance making her slip down from her father's grasp and make headway towards the plinth. Her eyes narrowed, feet bringing her ever closer to that source of the siren's song, teeth bared as she leapt up and slammed the side of her hand down with enough force to level a building.

The plinth shattered, driven into the ground, a spiderweb of cracks spreading beneath her feet, a ringing sound echoing in her ears, a whine of something gearing up, and Sakura felt her eyes widen as she stared at the undamaged ring. It was stronger than the other ring, she realised belatedly, as a force catapulted into her with all the force of one of Tsunade's punches, overcoming the chakra adhesion she had managed with the ground. She flew back, head over heels, stopping only when she slammed into a solid object behind her. A wall, she realised, head throbbing as she stared at the ground, body limp and aching.

Sakura stared at her hands, blinking as something warm seeped down from her temples. Had she been defeated… by a ring? Her lips cracked a manic grin, the audacity of a stupid piece of jewellery to harm her making her temper flare. "Oh," she muttered, stumbling to her feet, eyes locking on the gleaming golden ring on the ground. "It's on… Bring it, bitch," she snarled, charging forwards, blinking as she was caught around the waist before she could even get near the impudent jewellery.

"Lothien," her father spoke, voice almost dangerously calm. "We are leaving," he informed her, and Sakura could only blink dumbly.

"But," she mumbled, squirming in his grasp until she had a visual on the ring which had the audacity to throw her about like she was some tiny, throwable child. "But I want to punch that ring again… grind it into dust and pulverise it," she muttered furiously, fingers twitching with the urge to destroy that which had dared to harm her.

Glorfindel busied himself with peering at her bloodied head, fingers combing through blood streaked golden locks to find the source of her injuries, ignoring her struggles as though they were nothing of an obstruction in his goal of absconding with her wherever he was headed. "The ring will be destroyed, Lothien," her father informed her. "Though you will evidently not be the one to do the honours."

She pouted at that, oddly fed up and yet resigned to her fate, even as Erestor waved merrily at her as they exited the courtyard where the meeting had been taking place. "Can I at least watch and cackle as I see it turned into molten slag?"

"Molten metal," he corrected. "And no, if only because that ring can only be destroyed within the fires it was made from."

"Where?" she demanded, ignoring the reprimanding look he sent her at that, even as some small part of her wanted to curl up and vanish beneath such a stare.

"In the fires of Mount Doom," he answered, looking off into the distance, still clutching her to his chest as he moved through the hallways with purpose and determination. "Though, before you ask, you cannot go there."

Sakura scowled. "Why?"

"It is dangerous," her father explained succinctly, as though that would be enough to deter her from going to the aforementioned mountain.

"I think I've proven that I can take care of myself," she grumbled. "I slew a—"

"A wraith. Yes, I am well aware of that fact," he said, sighing deeply then, his footsteps the only sounds she could hear as they strode down the empty hallway. "However Mount Doom is located well within the Enemy's stronghold. You would need an army of considerable size to safely reach that place…"

She folded her arms. "It didn't look like an army was being amassed," she muttered, glaring mulishly at her father's chest, head still throbbing all the while.

Glorfindel sighed yet again, grey eyes flickering down to meet her green-eyed gaze. "Forgive me, Lothien. I merely meant that I would not be happy with allowing you to venture there unless the journey was guaranteed to be safe. A mission of stealth is not fully safe, especially with the possibilities of the cloak of stealth to be shed and lives to be put in jeopardy."

"I can defend myself just fine," she mumbled, scowl only worsening as she found herself in the Halls of Healing, though in hindsight their destination probably ought to have been obvious, injured as she was. And by a piece of jewellery no less. The indignity of it was stifling.

"Even the greatest of warriors would fall against thousands of orcs, more so if they were alone," he said matter-of-factly, and Sakura huffed, unable to think of an argument against that. She folded her arms, irritation surging through her at how very true the statement was. It didn't mean she liked it one bit though.

"You saw my strength," Sakura murmured, resting her head against his chest, even as he strode into a place with more ellyn and ellith lingering about.

"Strength, no matter how great and overpowering, is never infallible," Glorfindel said. "Beings falter eventually," he continued, and Sakura had the distinct impression they were no longer discussing her own strength. "Enough of that, though," he spoke, settling her down on a clean white bed in what she soon recognised to be the Halls of Healing. "First, let us tend to that nasty head wound of yours…"

Sakura scowled. "Had worse," she grumbled. She could have easily lasted until the very end of that whole council of something which was going on.

A hand brushed her cheek, her father looking down at her with sorrowful grey eyes which belayed his sorrow at her words. Something hot wriggled in her belly at the sight of that look. Guilt. Really, she was such a terrible, unnatural daughter.

Undoubtedly, Glorfindel thought that too.

A soft humming beneath her cheek woke her and blearily, Sakura opened her eyes, blinking as she found herself resting against her father's chest. Rougher fabric was wrapped around her temples, a pulsing in her head reminding her of what happened. She had been beaten by a piece of jewellery. A flash of irritation crossed her face, but the thumb which brushed against her cheek stirred her from her irritated thoughts.

"What troubles you?" her father asked, blinking down at her curiously, and Sakura only looked away, shame and annoyance reminding her of how much of a terrible daughter she truly was. Glorfindel sighed softly. "Truly, I do not quite know what goes through that head of yours," he murmured. "Sometimes you seem so terribly out of reach to me, and yet I am supposed to be your father…"

Sakura pulled her knees up to her chest, encircling them with her arms, resting her chin in the little groove her knees formed. "'s not your fault," she muttered, shame coursing through her yet again – though it was different to the shame she felt at the reminder that she had been beaten by a piece of jewellery. "'s mine…"

Golden brows furrowed. "Lothien," her father began. "What exactly do you mean?" he asked, peering at her closely, and she trembled under the plaintive gaze he sent her way.

"'s nothing important," she mumbled, feeling the bubbling of fear in her belly. At what exactly, she wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was that she didn't particularly want to explain herself to her father. There was something crippling about the fear which arose whenever she thought of herself and her truths lain bare before the ellon her mother had cherished so dearly – the one she had idolised for so long.

"It certainly does not seem that way," he said, and Sakura couldn't quite meet his eye. "Will you not tell me? Or have I not yet earned your trust?"

"I trust you!" she declared hurriedly. "There is no way I couldn't…" she murmured, smiling sorrowfully. "You're so much kinder than anything I could have imagined… I… Well, I am just not used to, well, opening up to others."

"You need to start somewhere," her father informed her, silvery grey eyes still staring at her so very mournfully. "Not necessarily here or now, but eventually you must… It is not wise to bottle doubts, fears, and other negativities up… though I wish you did not have any of such…" he trailed off, arms coming up around her as they sat together.

"You cannot change the past," Sakura stated, remembering the many times she had wished she could go back and make different decisions.

"That is correct," Glorfindel said, closing his eyes and sitting back in the sofa they sat on together. "Unfortunately…" His eyes popped back open, a smile covering the serious, sorrowful mien which had been there only moments before. "The only course of action is to move forwards together, I think," he said, but the serious, uncertain glint in his eye caught her attention.

Sakura wondered if he was putting on a brave front, before deciding that her father couldn't simply be putting a brave front on. He was brave to the core. She had learnt of his deeds some thousands of years before, and she knew of him from her mother's tales. It was almost like a dream that he was now there before her, trying to become a family with her. The same family she had always dreamed of, only in those her mother was alive, well, and with them. Though that was something, an idealisation, beyond her reach. She closed her eyes with a soft sigh, resting her head against his chest, part of her still marvelling at how they were interacting when only a few days had passed since the reveal of who she was.

She had more hugs and physical contact with a relative than she remembered for a long while, and it was far more intimate than occasionally being carried back after a mission which had gone slightly waysides. The arms around her was blissfully warm, the odd sinking feeling that she was being treated like a child rising again. Sakura was too tired to do much about that though. In reality, that was all she really felt those days – tired and worn out for one reason or another which she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Maybe she was tired of arguing back and forth with her father about her strength, her battle prowess, and whether or not she was really a child. When she thought on it plaintively, she was undoubtedly a child in the eyes of her father and in the matter of her age and size. There, in that world of her father's – her world – that was all that mattered. Though in the shinobi world, age had never mattered. All that had mattered was how well one could fight, and how well one could survive.

Sakura closed her eyes, hating the pulsing in her temples which usually came to call whenever she thought on that matter. Then there was also the fact that a stupid ring had injured her. Annoyance rose at the reminder of that, her hand fisting in her father's shirt.

"What troubles you, daughter?"

She pouted then, casting away the thoughts which were giving her a headache, quashing them down as much as she could. Instead, she focused on her annoyance with the oddly sentient jewellery she had encountered far too much over the past few weeks. "I got defeated by a ring," she grumbled petulantly.

Laughter filled the air, soft and yet somehow not mocking in the slightest. "I forget you were not raised here in this place… You know nothing of the One Ring, else perhaps you would not be so disgruntled at the idea of being bested by it."

"The One Ring?" she asked.

Her father sighed softly. "It is not a pleasant tale."

Sakura shrugged. "I have not lived a pleasant life," she said, ignoring and yet feeling terribly guilty about the wince her father made at that. "Tell me, please."