DISCLAIMER: I do not earn any sort of compensation for this story. I don't own LotR.

.oOo.

Chapter X

The Little Things

The Doorway to a Country

is through the heart of a child.

~Me

.oOo.

"So Darcy," I smiled, "would you like to go see Silvius with me?"

She halted mid reach for a herb with her mouth open and stuttering, "I... I don't know."

I nudged her arm as she continued placing the leftover herbs in the shed, "Oh come on. He doesn't bight..." she sighed in relief before I continued, "hard."

"Elanor!" she turned to me horrified.

I laughed, "I'm kidding! He's a really nice person."

Her shoulders sagged, "Well... I have been curious-"

"Then it's settled!" I put up the rest of the herbs and before she could protest, began pulling her down the road to the forest.

"Wait, Elanor! What if we get caught?!" she scrambled to find an excuse.

I smirked as I hooked my arm in hers, "Don't worry. I've done this a thousand times. We'll be just fine!"

"That doesn't mean that this time will be the one that you do mess up!" she said in exasperation before heaving a sigh, "Fine. But if something terrible happens it's your fault!"

I laughed at her choice of words. It seems that I've been rubbing off on her. Either that or she's feeling more relaxed around me. I gave a mental shrug, 'I can figure it out later.'

Once we entered the forest I let go of her arm and took her hand to lead her through the underbrush.

"I don't understand how you can enjoy walking through the woods." she said as she wrestled her skirt from a clump of briers.

I grinned, "It's a learned skill."

She raised an eyebrow at me. 'Another thing from me that rubbed off on her.' I thought.

We trudged on for a few more minutes, Darcy grumbling about the bushes and fallen limbs tripping her up, and me quietly chuckling at her inefficiency at traversing through forests.

When I knew we were close to the ruins, I left her to run up the way a little and wait there for her to catch up. When she finally did I swept aside a low-hanging branch and revealed the mansion of white stone.

I grinned as Darcy's mouth dropped open, "I've... never seen anything like it before. It's so... big!"

I laughed, "Well, do you want to go inside or are you satisfied with the view?"

It was her turn to grin, "Inside please!"

At that I took her hand and we ran up the steps into the main hall. She uttered sounds of amazement as I sat down on the piano bench.

A few moments later she finally noticed the piano behind me.

"What's that?" she asked with a slightly tilted head.

"It's a piano."

"What does it do?" she said as she ran her fingers over the ivory keys.

I smiled as I turned around on the bench to look at the piano, "It makes music. Go ahead. Push one of the keys."

She gently pushed down an E minor and the sound resonated around the room. She drew back with a smile then turned to me, "Do you know how to play it?"

I smiled sheepishly, "A little. Not as good as my brother, Lewis, though."

"Show me!" she grinned.

I gave a short laugh, "Alright. Let's see. What should I play?"

"Play a... happy song. I think this place could use it." she said as she looked around at the crumbling walls.

I smiled, "I know just the one."

I stretched out my fingers before beginning to play All of Me by Jon Schmidt. An old song but one of my favorites.

Darcy sat down on a boulder a little away and smiled at the song that my fingers produced. I missed a lot of notes but I didn't think that she cared as she was looking at the instrument in pure wonder. I soon finished and she clapped, "That was amazing!"

I stood and bowed to my audience and she laughed, "Don't do that, Elanor! I'm not in a higher class."

"Ah! But what you don't know is that in my country, every girl is treated like a princess." I proclaimed before flourishing another bow.

She giggled as she rose, "Then you should have the same treatment!" she bowed from the waist and sprung back up laughing.

We sobered a moment later and I looked out to the woods, "I wonder where Silvius is."

Darcy looked at me confused, "What do you mean? I thought he met you here every day."

"That's what I thought too." I mumbled back before walking towards the closely wooded edge of the forest.

"Silvius?" I called softly into the woods.

No reply.

"I wonder what happened." I muttered.

"He's probably busy, Elanor." Darcy's voice came from behind me, "We should leave now anyway. I don't want mother to get worried."

"No. We can't leave." I stared into the trees with the feeling that someone was looking back at me, "Something is wrong."

I turned back to Darcy, "Go back home and if I'm not back by nightfall, tell Kelvin and Cardia that I've found a place that looks familiar and am checking it out."

She took hold of my arm, "You're not going over there are you?"

"No. I'm going to wait here and see if Silvius shows up. I need to find out what's going on. I can't explain it but there is an odd feeling in the air."

She nodded, "H-how do I get back?"

I smiled and led her through the hall and down the stairs, "Go down this path for about a hundred feet, then turn off to the right and go as straight as you can. That should get you back into the fields in a few minutes."

"Thank you. And Elanor," she looked at me pleadingly, "please come back."

I hugged her, "I promise I will. Now go."

She smiled, "Alright." before hurrying down the path.

I waved at her one last time before rushing back to the ruins and to the edge of Derali territory. I stood there and waited for what felt like hours listening and watching for anything, but Silvius never came. I was just about to turn around to head home when I heard what sounded like a whimper. It drifted in on the breeze and quickly faded into the air but I somehow still managed to hear it.

"Hello?" I called in Braric then in realization of my surroundings nearly slapped myself. I'm calling into the Avari's land in Braric. I shook my head before calling out again except this time in Quenya, "Alla."

At that moment there was another whimper this time it was closer and I was able to distinguish it's hiding place. A few yard over to my right huddled up in a bush was a young girl. I cautiously walked over to her and crouched down to her level. She was quite small, only looked about three or four years old. She had silvery-blond hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes. But most surprising were her pointed ears. 'She must have gotten lost, the poor girl.' I thought.

She flinched away when I held out my hand to her but I just smiled and tried my best at remembering my Quenya lessons, "Alla. Ava sorya." Oh shoot, what was the word for 'my name is'? Aha! "Nanye Elleanor."

I then saw something click in here eyes. She leaned forward with a cautiously hopeful gaze, "Elanor?"

I nodded.

A smiled began to grow on her face, "Na tye Elanor?" (You are Elanor?)

Even though I didn't exactly know what she said before my name, I nodded anyway.

She immediately rushed me and threw her arms around my waist only to burst into tears. She began rambling in Quenya with words and phrases that I didn't have the slightest clue of what they meant. I heard my name and Silvius' mentioned a bunch but hardly anything else.

Not knowing what else to do I started to rub her back and softly shush her, "Ava sorya. Ava sorya."

After a few moments she quieted and looked up at me with tear-stained cheeks, "Elanor, nira lde lindo linde?"

"Uhh..." I worked my mind to try and decode what she said but I couldn't figure out what she meant to save my life. So, I fell back on another phrase that Silvius taught me, I don't understand, "Ni va handa."

She thought for a minute then pointed at me, "Lde," then she sang a few notes, "lindo," and pointed to herself, "nin."

I nodded finally getting what she was saying. But what song could I sing her? I didn't know any in Quenya. 'Why should I sing for her in the first place?'

I looked down at her and felt my resolve melt when I looked into her eyes. I nodded and she smiled but I held up my finger and not knowing how to say 'Come with me' gave a gesture for her to follow me. She did so without question, and I led her up into the ruins. I didn't want us to be next to the woods in case something was after the child. We needed to be on the defense should something happen. I sat down on the floor again and she snuggled up next to me. 'I hope Silvius comes soon.' I thought before I started to hum a tune.

She turned to me with a cute cross expression, "Lindo." (Sing.)

I chuckled and began to sing. It was a really old song from one of the first Barbie movies. You could say that my whole family were oldies but goodies when it came to entertainment.

Constant as the stars above

Always know that you are loved

And my love shining in you

Will help you make your dreams come true

With help you dreams come true

The lamb lies down and rests it's head

On it's mothers downy bed

Dolphins plays in the moonlights glow

And butterfly dreams of a violet rose

Dreams of a violet rose

I'll cradle you in my arms tonight

As sun embraces the moonlight

The clouds will carry us off tonight

Our dreams will run deep like the sea

Our dreams will run deep like the sea

Constant as the stars above

Always know that you are loved

And my love shining in you

Will help you make your dreams come true

With help you dreams come true

By the time the song was finished the little girl had drifted off in my arms, her eyes hanging half open half closed. 'She must have been so tired. How far did she have to walk to get here?' I thought in pity, as it was only mid late afternoon.

I then thought of my current predicament, 'I have an elven child here with me. So that means that her people are missing her there.' I sat there silent for a moment before the realization hit me, 'Oh crap. If they find me here with her I'm a goner for sure! They'll think I kidnapped her!' I rolled my head back in a silent groan, 'Silvius had better get here quick. Or I'm gonna be pushing up daises in spring.' I looked down at her again when I felt her shiver slightly. 'But she needs to get home as quickly as possible. They couldn't execute me if I was bringing her back... could they?' I shook my head, 'If Silvius doesn't come back by twilight I'm going to take her back. She could freeze tonight.' It didn't make sense to me that she would be shivering when it was so warm outside, but then again, I have only read about and met adult elves. I had no idea what early childhood development was for elves, and that added to the urgency of getting this girl back to her people.

I sighed, 'Lets just hope that Silvius comes back before I have to do anything. He will understand all of this... Hopefully.'