After a further five days, under Strider's guidance, they finally reached Rivendell. By now, their condition was the embodiment of "worse for wear". Their concern for Frodo had ensured that they take very little food and rest, and they were weak from hunger and exhaustion, not to mention rather scruffy. But when they stumbled into the peaceful, sheltered land, their misery turned to awe at the beauty of the place.

Rivendell was an elvish settlement tucked away on the edge of a gorge, surrounded by waterfalls and pine trees. The sun was just beginning to set and its fading rays illuminated the valley, causing the waters to sparkle with its rich yellow light as if they were melted gold. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. A wide, rushing river bordered the town, with the only route across being a narrow bridge. Strider seemed to walk with a spring in his step as he led his companions over it, into a small, open courtyard. A stone staircase led up into the town and two elves – a man and a woman - descended it to greet them. The guests quickly recognised one of the elves as Arwen. She had since changed out of her riding clothes and now wore a gown of silver and white. Her companion was much like her in appearance: tall, pale-skinned and dark-haired. He wore a robe of burgundy and his head was crowned with a silver circlet. So it was that Bridie and the hobbits first beheld Master Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell. Benevolent and dignified he seemed, and as mighty as a king of old. The guests suddenly felt rather embarrassed for their own shabby condition. It hadn't mattered while they were in the forest, but now they realised they must look like ragamuffins. Fortunately, their hosts did not glare at them in disgust or grab them by the ears and drag them out of their home. Instead, the elves nodded and smiled at them kindly, both laying a hand over their heart as a sign of greeting.

"My lord Elrond. Arwen," Strider addressed them, bowing low, and Elrond embraced him as if they were kin.

"Gi suilon, Estel," the elf-lord greeted Strider. "Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn. Welcome to you, also, periannath. And this must be Bridie," he added, turning to look at the young redhead. "Gi nathlam hí, hiril vuin. You are the image of your mother."

"Thank you," Bridie replied, unsure of how else to respond and not even understanding half of what he had said.

"I believe you have met my daughter, Arwen," Elrond continued, gesturing to the elf maiden. "She returned to us some four days ago with Master Baggins. You need not worry for him any longer; he is on the road to recovery."

At this, the guests became elated. Strider let out a relieved sigh, Bridie put her hands up to her face and wept for joy, Merry and Pippin grinned from ear to ear and Sam clasped his hands together in delight.

"Oh, that's the best bit o' news we've had in days!" Sam exclaimed. "May we go and see him?"

"All in good time, Master Gamgee," Arwen said with a laugh. "He is resting, but he is expected to wake sometime tomorrow. Then you may go to him. But, for now, I am sure you would all be glad of a good meal and some sleep. Come. The house has been made ready for your arrival."

The guests were escorted up the stairs and into the great house, to rooms that had been specially prepared for them. Arwen led Bridie round a bend and down several passages before stopping in front of a door at the end of a long hallway. Arwen pushed it open and they stepped inside. "Well, here you are," she said. "I hope you like it."

It was a spacious, elegant room with ivory walls adorned with intricate carvings. The floor was of grey marble and the bed was covered with soft quilts of gold and white, and plump pillows. A fire blazed in the hearth, illuminating the room, and a tub of hot water and a towel had been set before it.

"It's beautiful," Bridie said, gazing, awestruck, at her surroundings.

Arwen smiled. "I daresay you will want to bathe a little," she said, gesturing to the tub. "Don't worry; I will see to it that you are not disturbed. And when you are finished, if you wish, please do join my father and me for dinner. We shall be glad to have you." With that, Arwen slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Once she was alone, Bridie wasted no time undressing and stepping into the tub. She had not had a chance to bathe since she left Bree and the stench of her grubby, sweaty body was overwhelming. Soon, she was thoroughly washed and dried, hair combed, changed into the spare dress she had packed and feeling completely refreshed. Bridie thought she must have lost weight as the dress was a little looser than the last time she had worn it and the material was slightly creased. But Bridie didn't care; she was just glad to be wearing clean clothes. After Bridie had finished dressing, she decided to take Arwen up on her invitation to dinner. She was out of the door and halfway down the passage when she realised she had no idea where she was supposed to go.

"Oh, rats! Why didn't I ask Arwen when I had the chance?" she muttered to herself.

After a moment's pondering, she decided her only hope was to keep walking until she found somebody who could point her in the right direction. On she went to the end of the hall, then made a turn to the left. Unfortunately, she failed to notice a man coming around the corner towards her and bumped into him with an oof!

"Oh, goodness! I'm so…" she began, then gasped as she recognised the man's grey robes and long bushy beard. "Gandalf!"

"My dear Bridie!" the wizard exclaimed joyfully, pulling her into a hug. "Well, bless my beard! Of all the places we could have met, I never imagined it would be here. How have you been keeping? You look well."

"I am now," Bridie replied, smiling brightly. "It's so good to see you, Gandalf. Strider and the hobbits will be glad to know you are alright."

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, I was told you had come to Rivendell at last and that is good news indeed. I hope Merry and Pippin have been behaving themselves; they seem to have a knack for making mischief, especially when it comes to fire. I am sure they will already be at table with Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen. Meals, after all, are very important to hobbits."

"Don't I know it!" murmured Bridie, who had learnt this the hard way. "Arwen also invited me to join her and Lord Elrond for dinner, but I'm not sure where to find them."

"Well, worry not, my dear! I was just on my way there myself. Come, I will show you the way."

So Gandalf led her through another long maze of corridors. As they walked, Bridie looked around her, trying to memorise the route. Eventually, they came to a large balcony overlooking the valley where a long table had been set. Lord Elrond sat at one end of the table, with Strider on his right, and Arwen was at the other end. The hobbits sat in the middle and were already tucking into the sumptuous meal that had been set. They, too, had all bathed and changed into clean clothes, and were already beginning to look rosy and content. Bridie was surprised to see Strider all cleaned up and dressed in a tunic of grey and silver, instead of the worn ranger garments she had grown used to seeing him wearing. He looked like a completely different man. Almost, Bridie thought, like a king.

When the hobbits notices Gandalf walking towards them, arm in arm with Bridie, they leapt out of their seats. "Gandalf!" they exclaimed in joyful surprise as they ran to greet him.

The wizard laughed. "Yes, friends. It is I, Gandalf the Grey!"

Strider was a little more discreet than the hobbits, but his delight at seeing Gandalf was evident on his face. "Na vedui, Mithrandir!" he said, embracing his friend.

"Mae govannen, mellon nin" Gandalf replied, patting his shoulder.

"And where have you been, mister?" Pippin demanded of the wizard, hands on hips. "You were supposed to meet us in Bree. We were worried sick when you didn't show up!"

"You weren't!" Sam countered. "You only cared about drinking and getting friendly with the Bree-landers. You nearly landed us all in it when you gave away Mister Frodo's real name!"

"You did what?!" Gandalf nearly shouted, and Pippin shrank back as the wizard turned on him with a venomous glare.

Elrond quickly stood up from his chair and jumped in. "Come now, friends. On such an occasion as this, it is not good to quarrel amongst ourselves. Besides, there is war and fighting aplenty in the world without us adding to it."

Strider and the hobbits returned to their seats, while Gandalf and Bridie were led to places reserved for them.

Bridie and the hobbits quickly relaxed in the company of Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen, who proved to be the perfect hosts. They showed genuine concern for their guests and encouraged them to talk of their homes and personal lives, while occasionally sharing stories on the history of Rivendell, knowing such topics would help to ease their minds after all that they had been through. Soon, they were laughing and chattering together like old friends. Merry and Pippin raised a good deal of amusement with an account of the eleventy-first birthday party of Frodo's uncle, Bilbo. They had stolen the largest firework from Gandalf's cart and set it off inside one of the tents, blowing it to smithereens. As a punishment, Gandalf had made them wash all the dishes and cutlery after the celebration was over, with smoking hair and faces covered in soot.

"And that was the least you deserved!" Gandalf declared loudly over the laughter of his companions.

Elrond wiped a tear from his eye and sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I hope you shan't attempt anything like that here. This is an ancient settlement and one of the last refuges left for the elves of Middle Earth. We would not appreciate you destroying our home," he warned the hobbits. Merry and Pippin solemnly promised to abstain from fire for the duration of their stay.

At the other end of the table, Arwen and Bridie were having their own conversation.

"I'm so sorry for not telling you where to meet us," Arwen apologised. "You must think I am a terrible person."

"Oh, not at all," Bridie reassured her. "I'm just glad to be here." She sighed as she gazed around at the stunning view of the valley. "It truly is a beautiful land. My mother was so lucky to have grown up here."

The elf maiden smiled. "It is very sweet of you to say that. Indeed, your mother was lucky. Although – and I hope you will forgive me for saying this - she could be rather wild at times. The woman was like a young lioness in her youth."

Bridie chuckled at the simile. "So I've heard. And, if that be true, it's a good job Merry and Pippin never met her. I'll bet that would have been your father and Strider's worst nightmare."

Arwen laughed. "Yes, I daresay it would. Fortunately, there is little that can shake either of them, for both have faced far greater challenges in their time."

The rest of dinner passed with much laughter, joking and pleasant conversation, and by the time the meal was over, the guests were feeling right at home. Arwen and Elrond cleared the table, then, since it had grown very dark, allowed the guests to retire to bed. After saying goodnight, Strider, Bridie and the hobbits went their separate ways. Taking a candle, Arwen escort Bridie back to her room, the shadowy corridors illuminated by the dim light.

"Rest well, dear friend," Arwen said once they reached Bridie's door. "Heed no nightly noises, for no evil thing passes into this valley. Goodnight."

A silken nightgown had been laid out for Bridie. She changed into it carefully, afraid of destroying the beautiful gown. The softness sheets caressing her palms as she crawled onto the bed was the most relaxing feeling in the world. After so many days of sleeping on hard, rocky grounds, Bridie was glad at finally being able to fall asleep in a bed for a change. And, after pulling the covers up to her chin, she did just that.

Translations:
Gi suilon – I greet you/span/p
Periannath - Halflings/span/p
Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn – A star shines upon the hour of our meeting /span/p
Gi nathlam hí – You are welcome here/span/p
Hiril vuin – My lady/span/p
Na vedui – At last/span/p
Mellon nin – My friend/span/p
Mae govannen – Well met