Elladan and Elrohir had just recently returned from another rotation with the guard. They had been sent out rather immediately after this strange "Raven's" arrival in Imladris as they held no fondness for the one who held their Adar at the tip of a poisoned dagger. However, their times spent away gave both brothers time to think and to contemplate the maiden who now occupied a room in their family wing of the Last Homely House.

Raven saved the life of their friend and mentor... according to him she also saved the survivors of Gondolin. Even after Glorfindel was safe in Imladris, she hung around the boarders to protect them from orcs... And, even after Elladan royally screwed up by shouting at her as she hid... she still saved their lives yet again. Even if she was suspicious and oftentimes furious at them, they owed her a great deal.

Upon their return home of course, their father gave them a full debriefing on her condition, recovery, and topics of conversation which tended to cause her to lash out. He was rather strict with instructions to leave her alone and allow her to heal. He did not want the twins anywhere near this mysterious girl as no one was certain if she was dangerous. Of course, being the responsible adult elves far past their majority that they were... they promptly ignored his orders.

Both of the twins were skipping rather jovially down the corridor, a small sack thrown over Elrohir's shoulder as the younger twin's brow creased with the first hint of hesitancy.

"Elladan... are you sure about this?"

"Of course."

"You know that Ada-"

"What Ada doesn't know won't hurt him," he reassured with a mischievous smirk on his lips.

As the pair turned the corner, they spotted their intended target. She was still not allowed to bear full weight on her injured ankle, but she apparently often walked the halls leaning heavily upon her wolf. It appeared that the maiden had also taken to wearing a cloak of dark red, covering her folded wings. The pair were making a slow loop down the corridor and Elladan called to her the moment she spotted them.

"Raven, correct?"

"The twins," she glared at them with a decently unamused expression.

"I see out reputation proceeds us," Elladan gripped his brother's arm and pulled the both of them before her. Once she was forced to stop walking and lean against her massive wolf, both brothers bowed low at the waist with Elladan throwing in an over-exaggerated gesture with his arm. "We are the Sons of Lord Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir. We regret that we neglected to thank you for saving our patrol, and we seek to rectify that this day."

Elrohir rolled his eyes at his brother's dramatics and instead offered a kind smiled as he unwrapped the bundle that he carried. From the plain sack he bore forth a pair of glittering elvish short swords, a lean but well cared for bow, a quiver of fine black arrows, a small array of knives, and a well worn traveler's pack.

They watched at Raven's eyes, as shockingly bright as Glorfindel described them, grew wide, clear desire and want in them. However, instead of rushing forth to claim her items which were confiscated since her arrival in Imladris, she turned to the twins with a gaze laden with suspicion.

"Your father trusts me with my weapons?"

"No," Elladan cheekily replied before Elrohir could get a word in. The younger elbowed the elder sharply.

"What he means to say is that while he did not technically authorize us to return your items... he did not expressly forbid it."

"You'd think after all these years he'd remember to do so."

"Ah, but he thinks that we've grown."

"Foolish of him."

"And really entirely his fault."

Raven seemed to relax as the twins bickered away, eventually reaching forward and first strapping her twin swords to a belt beneath her cloak. She then reached for her bow and the little bag that the twins had definitely not snooped in. Before she could grab her quiver however, Ellrohir drew forth one of the arrows, holding it to the light.

"Fine pieces of craft," he remarked as he watched the light from the hall window shine upon the obsidian arrowheads. "You've burned the shaft?"

"The darkness makes them harder to detect in flight and I use cedar wood. Burning hardens the exterior and makes them last longer."

"Fascinating," Elrohir continued his inspection of the arrow. Being an archer himself, he was thoroughly impressed with the clear amount of care and effort that went into crafting those arrows. "I've never seen fletchings like these before." He remarked as he ran his fingers along the black feathers lining the shaft. They were cut with a rounded edge, long and low to the shaft.

"The cut keeps them silent, and the length... well I suppose that you've never seen a bird that bears them," a slight smirk appeared on Raven's face as one wing peeked its way out of her cloak, revealing the shining black primary feathers that obviously fletched her arrows.

Before Elladan could do something stupid like attempt to touch her wing, the appendage retracted back into her cloak and the smile faded. She seemed to be scanning between the twins, mind attempting to form the words necessary. Before she could however, Elladan plucked the arrow from Elrohir's hands and deposited it into the quiver now strapped to Raven's thigh.

"Come along now, I know you're not quite up for walking, but Glorfindel claims that you ride your wolf."

"Where are we going?"

"Why to the archery fields of course."

"You've just got your bow back,"

"And I'm rather certain-"

"That you want to fire at least a few rounds."

"Getting back into-"

"The swing of things-"

"As they say."

Raven was watching them with a strange expression on her face, blinking rapidly as they completed each other's sentences. In actuality, they didn't speak like that often. However, they knew how jarring they could be when one was first meeting them and thus often enjoyed speaking as such when meeting someone new. It was their own private game.

"No one will be out there," Elrohir, always the kinder one, spoke gently when he saw Raven's hesitancies.

Eventually, after a few moments of awkward silence where she seemed to stare intently at her wolf, Raven agreed and climbed atop her great beast, the pair of them following close behind the twins. Elladan and Elrohir both did their best to pretend to not be concerned with a massive wolf, who they swore was glaring at their backs, following behind them. Elladan attempted a slight peek back and was met with a low growl causing him to quickly turn his head forward.

"This is worse than the time Estel brought home that stray mutt."

"Having him beg Ada to keep it whilst crying so he couldn't refuse was your idea," Elrohir hissed back.

"How was I supposed to know the thing would grow to his shoulder and nip at everyone who so much as looked at him wrong?"

"Erestor still blames you."

"He blames me for everything. Besides... that one is so large, it makes Estel's dog look like a pup."

Before Elrohir could reply, they reached their destination of a small, secluded archery range that only the twins ever used to practice. Once, it had been their secret training field where they snuck away from their father to train with Glorfindel before Elrond had deemed them old enough to learn. After he discovered their secret... and allowed them to continue despite his initial displeasure, it had become a haven for them; late at night when they were young and fought with their father, after particularly difficult patrols when they just needed to unwind, when the pressures of being future leaders of Imladris wore too heavily on their souls, and when their mother left on her journey to sail for Valinor... the twins took out their frustrations on the well worn, hard packed soil. They clashed swords until the elvish steel threatened to buckle and released arrow after arrow into the target until they were forced to fetch new sackings to cover the frayed straw.

The small training field and range was the only place in all of Imladris where no-one, not even their father, disturbed them. It was their sanctuary which they now shared with Raven.

The expression on the girl's face though, was worth the breech. She was gazing at the target and the bow in her hand with hand awe and half delight. Her entire face lit up, and both the girl and wolf inhaled deeply in delight. Before Elrohir could offer to move the target a bit closer, for it was at the distance that he usually practiced at, the young maiden drew and arrow from her quiver, knocked her bow, and released it right from where she sat on her wolf's back.

The arrow, as she implied, flied with almost complete silence before embedding itself barely a hairsbreadth away from the dead center. The girl frowned.

"My aim's a bit off."

"If that's what you call a bit off," Elladan exhaled in surprise. "Then I'd hate to be at the other end of your bow."

In truth, Elladan already knew that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of Raven's anger. As with his brother, he too had flipped through the journal enclosed in the girl's traveling bag. The journal was filled with over a hundred pages of scribbles, some impossible to understand due to the strange words used, some utter nonsense as it was written in a bizarre code, but some of the pages were unmistakable. Some were filled with anatomical drawings painfully correct, detailing the insides of giant spiders, orcs, goblins, men, and even elves. There were notes written in the margins of these drawings, or sometimes entire sections on how to best kill the creatures. Elladan remembered with a shudder how precise and exact the wounds on those orcs wound dead along the boarders of Imladris were, how few wounds it took for this slim girl to take down hulking beasts.

He couldn't imagine how she had obtained such knowledge in killing... and despite his often curious nature... he didn't think that he wanted to know.

Instead, he watched as his brother drew forth his own bow and stood beside Raven. The pair went shot for shot for some time, each occasionally giving corrections or pointers to the other. Elladan was amazed with how accurate and skilled the maiden was. Their father had claimed that she was mortal, but the way she moved, the way she shot... was anything but.

Either way, Elladan contented himself with simply watching until his brother deemed it time for them to take a break for lunch. Elrohir unpacked the remaining items in the bag that he carried to reveal a light picnic lunch, complete with a skin of juice as they were informed that Raven flatly refused wine. They ate in pleasant silence until Raven was the first to open the conversation.

"If you're an archer whilst your brother is not, Elrohir," both twins were mildly surprised that she addressed the correct one. "Then why is it that you and your brother share the same braids?"

"Technically we are both trained in the bow and the saber," he gestured to the notches on both their belts where their swords would sit if they were using them. "I often take up the bow when we venture out together, but if war were to come, we would both march with the other sword-elves."

"I couldn't help but notice that your braids indicate a wielder of the Lhang," Elladan attempted to sound as casual as possible. "Glorfindel and very few others among the ancient Eldar still wield the weapon... but you do not. Is there a reason you wear it thusly?"

She didn't respond to that, merely waiting for Elrohir to take the hint and start a new topic of discussion which he did much to Elladan's disappointment. For a while longer, they ate their lunch, Raven's wolf only occasionally glaring at them. Once they finished their meal, they returned to shooting with a promise to spar once they knew that their Ada would not murder them for exasperating her still healing wounds.

When they went to return Raven to her room, they were met at her door with a frowning Lord Elrond holding an already cooled tea meant for her to take to speed the healing of her bones in her ankle and wing. Despite his intimidating glare, both twins grinned cheekily for Raven had a rosy flush to her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes that had not been there the day before. Their father might be angry at them, but he knew as well as they did that what the twins did was good for her.

They promised to return and fetch her for shooting again soon before scampering off to hide until their father would be drawn away by other tasks to worry about.

"May I call you Elenya?" Glorfindel asked suddenly one day whilst they were riding on the far end of the valley. While Evelyn was healing nicely, her wing was still not healed enough to be removed from the bindings, but she was growing restless. Thus, Glorfindel had somehow convinced Elrond to take her out riding through the valley and Evelyn had flat out refused a horse. Nightshade was more than capable of carrying her and it had taken her but a few seconds to call Glorfindel's stallion when her wolf nearly spooked the poor horse.

"Why?" she replied, suddenly realizing that she had allowed the silence to drag on for too long.

"Raven isn't your real name, correct?"

She turned and gave him a look that she had not done in quite some time. It was her "are you really as stupid as you sound right now?" look and she couldn't recall the last time that she was carefree enough to do so. Glorfindel chuckled, reading her expression perfectly and continuing in his explanation.

"Well if I'm calling you by a name that isn't yours, I think Elenya is far more fitting. It's the name I called you for all those years since Gondolin."

Evelyn couldn't help but notice that she barely flinched now when Glorfindel brought up the ancient city and her short time spent there. She was still haunted by her nightmares, but Glorfindel was constantly bringing it up in the most casual manner that she was beginning to accept it, if only slightly.

"What did it mean again?"

"Celestial one."

Evelyn bit back a snort and continued to ride, eventually releasing a sigh.

"Call me what you will. I care not."

"Alright, Elenya," he smiled so brightly that Evelyn had to turn her head to avoid smiling. Glorfindel seemed to take that as a victory and a cue to continue talking and so he did.

Lately, as asking Evelyn questions did not often go well, he had taken to telling her stories and tales of Arda's history. This time, he launched into the story of Beren and Luthien, a tale which he did not know that Evelyn already familiar with. Due to this, she found her mind wandering until Glorfindel took notice and prodded her gently with a request.

"If tales of ancient love can't draw your interest, then what tales do you favor?"

Evelyn smiled wryly as she recalled the many books and stories that she had read. While she could obviously not begin spiking out The Lord of the Rings, she also couldn't quite launch into Star Trek with her current audience. Though it would be fun to watch Glorfindel's reaction to Spock and the Enterprise... Instead though, the only tales that she could recall, aside from fairy tales that were either too gruesome or too filled with damsels in distress, were the stories passed on to her by her grandpa.

"I doubt my Grandfather's stories would be of interest to you," she mused aloud, ignoring the comment from Nightshade who suggested she tell him the tale of Fenrir, the wolf who would swallow the sun. She was beginning to regret telling Nightshade the myth several years ago and was glad that wolf couldn't be understood by anyone else for all the elves that had encountered her were already terrified enough by her claws and teeth.

"Then what of your Grandfather? He sounds like an interesting man... an Edain who tells myths that you deem similar to those of the Eldar."

"I don't know if I'd call them similar to elvish myths... more so tales of ghosts and sprites... fairies who could supposedly carry off children in the night to raise amongst the fay-folk. He had Irish blood in his veins and he always swore that his tales were truer than any other religion's preachings."

"You knew him well?"

"Yes," Evelyn recalled the many nights she spent curled up with him by the fireside as he told her stories. She was the only one in her family who enjoyed listening to him ramble on and on about the fay. His house had no tv, so he was always the best source of entertainment there. She repressed a tear threatening to slip from her eye as she realized that she would likely never see him again. "Whenever my parents had to leave for work, I would always stay at his place and he would tell me stories to pass the time."

"And your Grandmother?"

"I never knew her."

"I'm sorry."

"Neither did my father," she shrugged lightly, continuing when she saw Glorfindel's confused expression. "One of my Grandfather's favorite tales... He swears, up and down, that he fell in love with the most beautiful woman in the world... a member of the fay folk."

"Fay folk?"

"Fairies," Evelyn chuckled slightly. It never failed to amuse her to recall the way her Grandfather always knew how to cheer her up. One day, when she was in the first grade, she came home crying, sobbing her eyes out for another boy in the class made fun of her for not having a grandma to bake cookies and cook family dinners. Her Grandfather, never one to accept tears, swept up Evelyn's tiny form before her parents could say anything and launched into a tale about how she didn't have a grandma because her real grandma was magical. He claimed that she was a member of the Fay.

"Whenever I was upset," Evelyn explained, "he would make up stories to make me feel better. If I got lost on my way home... the will-o-the-whisps lead me astray and it wasn't my fault. If I was scared by a thunderstorm, it was just the Sidhe playing games outside... And when I was sad about not having a grandma... it was because he never fell in love with a woman, but a member of the Fay."

Glorfindel smiled and Evelyn was put so at ease with telling stories about her Grandpa that she continued, talking more than she had to anyone saw Nightshade in quite some time.

"He told me that my grandma was more beautiful than any woman that walked the earth, that they fell in love and she disappeared into the night... that nine months later my father was delivered to him in a basket with a love note promising that she would return one day."

"Did she ever?" Glorfindel asked, eyes so eager that Evelyn couldn't help but laugh.

"No," she chuckled. "It was a story just like any other. He never told me the truth, but I suspect that either my father was adopted or, more likely, he fell in love with one of the wild bohemian types that frequented the part of New York where he went to college. He always had too big of a heart to say no to a child and thus became a single father while still young."

"It's a good story though."

"Yes, a good story indeed. He always had the right story for any occasion." Evelyn paused for a moment of somber silence. "I miss his stories," she admitted in a whisper. Glorfindel was silent in contemplation for a short time.

"Then I shall endeavor to tell you more. I do not have his stories... but I do have centuries worth of elvish tales. You will certainly find some of interest."

Evelyn offered him a small smile as they continued back to Imladris in silence.

When they reached Imladris, Glorfindel remained at the stables to wipe down Asfaloth before going on to a training session that he had with his guards. In the meantime, Evelyn decided to take a walk through the gardens and was pleasantly surprised to only be leaning slightly on Nightshade. Her ankle was healing well and it wouldn't be long before she was able to remove the splint. She never thought that she would miss running so much.

After a few laps, Evelyn and Nightshade took a break by the side of a fountain where they remained in silence for a little while until a rustling sounded from down one of the more overgrown paths.

"It's the stern-one" Nightshade informed Evelyn who silently thanked the wolf with a pat on the head.

He was softly humming a tune which Evelyn, to her surprise, recognized. She had never heard it lung aloud, but she had read the lines enough times to imagine what they would sound like- to envision the beauty of such a song set to an elvish melody.

"The Sundering Seas between them lay,
And yet at last they met once more,
And long ago they passed away
In the forest singing sorrowless."

She finished the song alongside is cool, clear voice which fell silent as the last notes fell from her lips. Before long, a pair of grey eyes poked through the nearby path and Aragorn smiled warmly upon spotting her. He gestured to the spot beside Evelyn and she gave an unconcerned shrug... welcome enough for him to accept the spot next to her.

"You've heard the tale before?"

"Indeed."

"Tell me then, Raven of Gondolin and the wilds... what does it mean to you?"

Evelyn cocked her head to the side in thought. She and Aragorn had come to an understanding over the past weeks. He knew that she knew far more than she would ever let on, but was also wary about both the past and future. She knew that he was curious about her past and thirsted for knowledge about the future. Thus, he would poke and inquire, but she would drop firm boundaries that when placed, he would not overstep. This was one inquiry which she would allow.

"I think that it is a pretty tale... one of blood that runs through Lady Arwen's veins."

"So then you know?"

"Yes."

They lapsed into silence and Aragorn likely contemplated how Evelyn knew of things kept so carefully secret from Imladris whilst Evelyn asked herself why she was interfering when she knew that she shouldn't. But then again... what harm can a love that is destined to happen have?

"Have you informed Lord Elrond yet?"

"No. Do you think it will go well?"

"Do you?" she shot back, eyebrows raised in questioning.

"That bad then?" he mused. Evelyn chuckled lightly, glad that as the only other human present, Aragorn was capable of understanding her particular brand of dark sarcasm.

"It will be bad... but not impossible."

Aragorn nodded in understanding, eventually moving to take his leave. He thanked Evelyn and walked off, obviously having gotten the information that he wanted.

"You're playing a dangerous game," Nightshade warned.

"I know..."

"He is too much like the pup-slayers."

"But you like him."

"Yes."

"Then why do you say such things?"

"I'm afraid for you."

Evelyn nodded in understanding. She was indeed playing a dangerous game with these elves... she could only hope that she wouldn't come to regret it.