- Chapter 43 -


"Uncle!" Shyloh cried and she hurried forwards to throw her arms around his middle. He gave her a hug and held onto her tightly, as if he might never let go. "Mae g'ovannen."

"Mae g'ovannen my dear," he said warmly. "How we have missed you."

"I missed you all, too."

When Elrond finally drew back, he held her out at arms length with a worried smile upon his face. He looked much like he always did, but in place of the brown robes he usually donned, he wore elegant traveling clothes and tall boots; his silver circlet upon his brow. As his eyes searched her face, the worry turned into concern.

"You look tired, but otherwise still in one piece, for which I am very thankful," he said, noting the paler tone of her skin. The bruises under her eyes that he thought were once a permanent feature were still there, telling him she still wasn't sleeping properly. It wasn't unusual to go through a battle of this magnitude and not be affected in someway by it. He would have to make sure he sat down and properly talked to her.

"I'm fine," she assured him but he didn't look overly convinced.

He found her just as she was leaving Legolas' tent, and his eyes drifted towards the opening flap that shifted in the slight breeze. Voices inside told him the Prince was busy with urgent matters, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Elladan and Elrohir fell into step behind them.

"I am sure you are. Now, I am curious to hear about your travels," he said but she gave him a worried look. "Fear not, I am not mad, only concerned. It was a reckless move on your part, though I am sure you learned more than you realize. I only wish you had more training before leaving for so long, had I known what you would be up against."

"Considering everything that we went through and a few bumps and bruises later, I don't think I fared too bad," she said but he raised an eyebrow.

"Aside from a poisoned arrow?"

Her face reddened a little.

"Yes, I know about that," he assured her.

"It was only a knick," she said sheepishly, but the firm look he gave her told her even a knick was one incident too many.

"Still, had Legolas not found you I hate to think of what could have happened. Poison is nothing to mess around with, I thought I taught you better than that."

"You did," she rushed. "I didn't look at it carefully enough, it was my fault for not paying better attention."

"Do you think Thorin would have saved you, had your roles been reversed?" he asked seriously and she knew what he was implying. Without saying it outright, Elrond was asking if Thorin would have risked his life to save her, like she did to save him. She knew the answer was yes, but...

"I'm not sure," she said thoughtfully.

He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "And why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "Well, he's not very good with a bow."

It did the trick, and Elrond's eyes smiled.


She spent the next few hours holed up in a tent with the three of them while they listened to her repeat her journey with the dwarves. Thanks to Thranduil, they were uninterrupted except for a few servants that brought supper and wine later on in the evening. Then, it was Shyloh's turn to ask the questions and Elrond knew she was dying to ask about his meeting with the King and the councilors.

"I don't think I've ever liked an elf less," Elladan admitted while he sipped his wine. He lounged lazily back in his chair but the irritation in his voice only added to her worries.

"He truly is a character," Elrond admitted. "Though, it is impolite to speak ill about others."

Elladan shrugged, ignoring his father's reprimand. "I do not understand how you stayed so calm Adar. All I wanted to do was wring his neck."

"Years of practice my son," Elrond said with a hint of a smile.

"So, what happened exactly?" asked Shyloh, unable to stand the suspense any longer.

"We were able to clear the air as to why you were traveling with the dwarves, and even had to convince Mithrandir to join us for a short while. Lord Iamben did not like that very much but he sat and listened while the wizard told his part in all of it. I've never met a more suspicious ellon in all my years, and that is saying something."

"Silvan elves in general are suspicious," Elrohir commented, leaning over the table between them all.

"Yes," agreed Elrond. "You will have to be cautious of him in the future." Elrond's eyes flicked to her pointedly and she nodded.

"I can't say I plan on running into him again anytime soon."

"But you will," sighed Elrond. "Unfortunately, he plays a big part on King Thranduil's council, even if the King himself is not overly fond of him, he holds a great position within the Realm. Mirkwood is your future Shyloh, I have seen it. Though it may be a long way off, you are the soulmate of the Prince of their kingdom and with that comes specific obligations."

"Like what?" she asked, but he held up a hand.

"That is not something we need to talk about tonight," he said firmly, but the promise of a future talk weighed heavily on her.

"Gandalf, Bilbo, and I were supposed to leave tomorrow," she said, changing the topic deliberately. "I know that has changed now that you're all here, but when do you think we will leave?"

"That is something else I wanted to speak with you about," Elrond said, and he set his wine glass down on the table before him. "I am leaving the choice up to you. Elladan, Elrohir, myself, and the rest of our company will leave in two days. If you wished to stay for a time, I would understand. It would give you and Legolas a chance to get to know each other, and you would be under the protection of King Thranduil."

That was certainly not what she was expecting, and clearly Elladan and Elrohir weren't either. They exchanged baffled looks and frowned.

"Adar, are you sure that's -," Elladan started but Elrond held up a hand to silence him.

"It is Shyloh's decision," said Elrond, and his tone told his sons there was no room for arguing. "You two hardly have had any proper chance to speak, much less get to know each other aside from on the battlefield."

"Oh," she said, taken aback. "I'm not sure."

"I do not need an answer now, but I would like one by tomorrow night."

Nodding, she chewed on the inside of her cheek undecidedly. She had no idea if she wanted to go or stay, and couldn't believe after everything that happened since she left Rivendell that he would leave the decision up to her. Elladan and Elrohir did not look very happy about this new option. After all, they did come all this way for her, and they expected they would be leaving with her as well, not leaving her behind.

"I'll think about it."

"Good. Now tell me," said Elrond leaning forward. "What has happened to your necklace?"


Shyloh let out a deep sigh as she stepped out into the early morning sun. Arossel fell into step beside her and Shyloh smoothed the skirt of the deep red gown she wore; having to lift the hem slightly as it was a little too long for her short frame.

"It has been a long few days," sighed Arossel.

Shyloh nodded, her eyes flowing over the ground as they walked instead of in the direction they were headed.

"Yes, it sure has been," she breathed.

"I know you probably do not wish to speak of it, and I understand if you do not, but if you would like to talk about anything, I am here," offered Arossel, and Shyloh gave her a grateful smile.

"Maybe later, if the offer still stands?"

Arossel smiled. "Of course. I am a good listener."

"In confidence, right?" Shyloh teased, and Arossel laughed.

"Yes, I am not like some maids."

A swirl of color caught her attention down the street. The familiar flick of chocolate colored, honey streaked hair, told her immediately who it was. The vibrant color of her blue gown stood out amongst the weather worn stone walls and the pale fabrics the Lakemen and women wore. The gown was much too fancy in Shyloh's opinion, but somehow she doubted the owner would ever consider wearing something less sophisticated, even in a war zone.

Lastril's sharp grey eyes met hers and turned icy almost instantly. There would be no befriending the Lady, Shyloh knew, possibly not ever. With an elegance she decided only someone who grew up an elf would have, Lastril flicked her hair behind her shoulder and practically floated away, leaving every man staring at her in her wake.

Catching Arossel's knowing eyes, the pair of them continued down the street slowly. In the few days since the big battle, the city had really changed. Each day there were more improvements made by both the elves and Lakemen. King Bard was often seen ordering this or that to be done, and every so often Shyloh would catch a glimpse of Tilda's dark brown curls, dodging in and out of the crowd.

They caught the wafting smells of fresh baked bread that made their mouths water. The pillars of smoke once seen outside the walls of the city were now a light, dusty grey and the fires were slowly burning out. Soon, the men would go to work burying the ashes and final remains of the battles. The dead Lakemen were already buried respectively outside of the city walls; their small wooden markers sticking out of the ground identifying them individually.

She lost count of how many times they were stopped on their slow walk or bowed to by elves and guards, and Shyloh did her best to smile and speak with them politely when she had to, but the icy grey eyes from earlier were almost burned into her memory and her heart wasn't quite in it. Arossel seemed to sense her distress, or perhaps it was written all over Shyloh's person, and the maid steered them down a side street away from others.

They found themselves once more along the rows of command tents, and Shyloh didn't even realize they'd stopped in front of the blue one until she looked up. To her surprise, Elladan and Elrohir made themselves comfortable at the table with Legolas and Sidhel; the usual scraps of parchment and reports floating over the table top between them. Legolas caught her eye just then, and she felt drawn to step closer to him, so she didn't wait for an invite and stepped under the cover of the tarps. They all looked up at her simultaneously, and she could seen a large map laid out in front of the twins.

"We were wondering where you ran off to," Elladan said, eyeing up her tense frame.

"We were just walking," Shyloh said, gesturing to Arossel next to her.

Despite the guards from Rivendell arriving with her family, Arossel insisted she be allowed to stay and help Shyloh with whatever she needed. Of course, Shyloh could hardly turn her down, and thoroughly enjoyed the other elleth's company and wisdom. She allowed Arossel to dress her however she pleased despite the lack of many options, but Shyloh did not care; it made Arossel happy which eased the tension on Shyloh's heart.

Should she stay or should she go? The decision weighed heavily on her ever since Elrond offered it to her last night. Now, looking at Legolas seated at the table before her, she was drawn to stay but yet at the same time, she wasn't.

"Did you have a nice walk?" Elrohir asked, looking them both over.

"It was not bad," Arossel said, eyeing Shyloh with a small look. "Many stopped us to offer their warm greetings."

Shyloh tucked her hair behind her ear uncomfortably, and leaned forward to look at the map. The rumor of their bonding reached the ears of almost every elf still lingering in the city.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, changing the subject.

Elladan and Elrohir exchanged looks, then followed her gaze to the table.

"We were just going over our return journey," Elladan offered, and tapped his finger on the surface of the map.

"It is a shame you cannot stay longer. It has been too many years since our last get together," said Legolas.

"Perhaps you should come to Imladris more often," Elrohir teased and leaned back in his chair lazily. "We're hoping to make it back before anymore storms hit the mountains."

"An early winter is not what the Lakemen need," Sidhel said, mirroring Elrohir and leaning back in his chair away from the table.

"Nor us," offered Legolas thoughtfully.

"Perhaps a cold snap will deter the spiders for a while," Sidhel said hopefully, but Legolas looked doubtful.

"Have you made up your mind?" Elladan asked casually, glancing up at Shyloh. All eyes turned to her and she could feel her face redden at the sudden question. She knew they would all be anxious for an answer, but as she looked down at the map, she came to a realization. A task that she'd appointed to herself once the mountain was won ebbed its way into the front of her mind. It was a task she could not put off, no matter what her heart wished for.

She leaned forward and with her pointer finger, she tapped a spot on the map between the edges of Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains. "No matter what decision I make, I have to go here first."

They all looked to where she pointed and frowned in confusion.

"And what, pray tell little sister, is there?" Elladan asked, raising his eyebrows. She smiled a little and tapped the map again.

"That is where the skin-changer's house is," Legolas said, leaning forward for a closer look.

"A skin-changer? The same one you met on your travels?" asked Elrohir, and she nodded.

"Yes, his name is Beorn," she said.

"So why exactly do we need to go to a skin-changer's house? They are well known for their short tempers and unpredictable nature," Elrohir said irritably.

"We have to go, because he's expecting me," she argued but Elladan shook his head.

"I don't care if he's expecting you, we're not making any detours if you're coming home with us," the elder brother said firmly and she frowned.

"I'm going," she insisted but Elrohir shook his head.

"Why?"

"I found Boss."

The brothers fell silent and stared at her with blank expressions.

"Who exactly is Boss?" asked Sidhel, but Shyloh only smiled at her cousins expressions.

"Boss is my horse."

Sidhel raised his eyebrows while Elladan ran a hand over his face.

"You left your horse with a skin-changer?" asked Sidhel but she shook her head.

"No, he ran off and Beorn took him in a few years ago," she explained but neither Sidhel nor Legolas looked impressed.

"You found him?" Elladan asked. "After all this time?"

She nodded. "Yes, and I promised I would come back for him as soon as I could."

Elrohir sighed heavily and loudly, then leaned over the table and pointed his finger at the same spot she did. "I guess we are going to Beorn's house."

"You do not have other horses?" asked Sidhel.

Shyloh shook her head. "Not like Boss."

"What makes one horse so special?" asked Sidhel, but Shyloh knew the guard wouldn't understand her connection with Boss.

"I was riding him the day I died."

Sidhel drew back and looked at her carefully. "You do not look dead to me, my Lady," he huffed.

"You don't understand," she said, then quickly told them about how she came into this world, trying to make them understand why Boss was so important to her, but Sidhel shook his head.

"You died once from riding him, perhaps it is best if you leave him behind," suggested Sidhel but Shyloh wasn't having it.

"No, I'm not leaving him behind," she argued, but even Legolas seemed to agree with Sidhel.

Elladan and Elrohir on the other hand, were already looking closer at the map; their decision obvious.

"We cannot leave the horse behind," Elladan announced, though even she could tell he did not sound overly happy about this new change of plan. "To Beorn's it is."

Neither of the four ellons seated at the table looked thrilled at the idea of purposely traveling to a skin-changer's home to collect a horse, but Legolas said nothing against it.

"Does that mean you will be leaving us?" Sidhel asked, the only one of the four ellons that dared ask the question they were all thinking out loud.

"I'm still not sure," she admitted, drawing back from the table, and Legolas did not meet her eye.

He ran a hand over his mouth and stared at the map that lingered in front of him, his eyes slowly gliding over the surface of the parchment. Sidhel seemed to sense his captain's sudden quietness, and cleared his throat. It did the trick, and Legolas blinked and straightened in his chair; pulling himself out of his thoughtful trance.

"Perhaps that is something the two of you should talk about," Elladan offered, and Legolas' eyes flicked to the elder brother, slightly annoyed by his teasing tone.

"In that case, excuse us," Elrohir sighed, then stood. Elladan did the same even though she shot them both an irritated look, silently wishing she could have smacked them both across the head for putting her on the spot. Arossel was already heading out of the tent, following in the brothers wake despite the pleading look Shyloh shot at her backside, wishing the maid hadn't just ditched her.

Sidhel gave Legolas one last glance before following the twins, not minding one bit if he'd been excused by his captain or not. It was only a matter of seconds before the two of them were left alone together. They looked at each other awkwardly and he gestured almost reluctantly to the seat next to her.

She sat down, but did not meet his eye and instead focused on the map before her, trailing the edges of Mirkwood with her eyes until Legolas broke the silence.

"I do not want you to go, yet I feel like you have to," he said after a length.

She chewed on her bottom lip and did not reply, continuing to trace the edges of the treeline south, crossing over the Gladden Fields, down the Anduin, then to the Dimrill Dale which stretched down to the Silverlode, and finally coming to rest on Lothlorien. There her eyes lingered and suddenly something in her head seemed to click into place and she knew where she was supposed to go.

Lothlorien; home of the Lord and Lady of the Goldenwood, and where her cousin, Arwen was currently residing. Yes, that was where she needed to be.

"I think I have to go as well," she said quietly, leaning closer to the map. He followed her trail of vision, though it was not on Rivendell or Mirkwood that her eyes lingered, and he frowned.

"Lorien?" he asked, breaking her train of thought. She blinked up at him but he was still staring at the map. "What takes you to Lorien?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, and his eyes met hers. "I just feel that is where I need to go right now." If he could hear the ache in her voice he said nothing about it, only nodded thoughtfully.

"I do not think your cousins will be happy by that decision," he mused, but she shrugged.

"Uncle gave me the choice of Rivendell or Mirkwood," she said. "But I cannot choose either right now. I feel drawn to Lothlorien, though I do not understand why."

He frowned and leaned his elbows on the table. "It seems you have made up your mind."

She couldn't tell if he sounded upset or disappointed by that fact, but she drew in a quiet breath and let it out slowly. Was he upset she was drawn more to Lothlorien than to Mirkwood? She couldn't tell, and had not the heart to ask him.

"For now," was all she could say.

Her heart broke a little as the look that crossed his eyes briefly flashed with discontent, but it dissipated as quickly as it came.

"Alright," he said finally, then looked up and caught her eye and he let out a breath.

"You're not upset, are you?" she asked hesitantly.

He leaned back in his seat and his eyes flicked back down to the table. "The horse; you say you were riding him when you were...when you died?"

She drew in another breath, preparing herself for what she knew was coming. Maybe it was the horse he had the problem with, not so much her new choice of destination.

"It wasn't his fault," she said firmly, ready to defend her trusty mount. "It was just an accident. Same thing that could happen with any horse."

He nodded slowly but said no more about it. He knew it wasn't his place anyway to tell her what to do, despite his misgivings about retrieving the horse she literally rode into this world on. If it were up to him he'd tell her to forget the horse and select a better mount to call her own, but the stubborn and determined look in her eye told him he'd just be wasting his time.


Much to her surprise, it did not take much convincing for Uncle to agree to let her travel to Lothlorien, or to pick up Boss. Elladan and Elrohir were less than thrilled with the entire idea, but once she convinced them Arwen would probably enjoy seeing her brothers, they grudgingly agreed to ride south with Shyloh to visit the Goldenwood. They themselves wouldn't linger long, as they wanted to return back to their home and to their duties, but Shyloh would stay for a while after the brothers left. No other guards would go with them which surprised her even more, and as the day passed she found herself looking forward to their departure.

But...

At the same time, she wasn't looking forward to it. Leaving her new friends behind would be hard, and she found it would be even harder to leave Legolas. She had no idea when they would see each other next, and that thought made her sad and worried. Elrond saw her worry and pulled her aside to talk in private, and the brothers left them to speak.

"You are making the right decision, daughter," he said to her. "I believe Lorien is where you need to be at the moment. I also believe there are some that are anxious to meet you."

Even his calming words didn't make her feel much better, and he could sense she was still at war with herself.

"He has much to keep him busy in your absence," he said reassuringly. "I am sure he will miss you too."

She blinked and looked up at him innocently but did not meet his eye. "I don't know what you mean."

He tilted his head, telling her he knew better. "This bond is still new and I know you feel the pull towards him, much like he does with you. Time will be your friend, not your enemy. I know sometimes you still think like a mortal instead of an elf, and I can hardly fault you for that; it is how you were raised and lived for most of your life. Mortals only get so many years, but you, my dear, will linger on in this world, as will he. You will reunite when it is time."

"The thought of living the immortal life is still hard for me to understand. Growing older but at the same time not aging; never getting sick but watching the mortals you grow close to age and pass away before your very eyes... How do you do it? Seems impossible. I feel like I am betraying him by leaving; like this bond is something I should focus on first and foremost, but at the same time I want to see everything and go to different places, not be trapped."

"Do you feel trapped?" he asked gently and she almost slapped her hand over her mouth. How could those last words have come from her mouth?

She squeezed her eyes shut. "No. Legolas said he did not want me to feel trapped, that was why he wanted me to go back to Rivendell. But when I told him I wanted to travel to Beorn's to get Boss, and then to Lorien instead, he looked upset, or maybe he was mad. He didn't say much when we were alone together to talk about it."

Elrond was quiet for a short length then looked at her curiously. "Did you happen to tell him why you wanted to go to the skin-changer's house?"

"Well, I told him about Boss," she said.

"What exactly did you tell him about the horse?"

She blinked in confusion, and explained about telling them the story where she died while riding him.

Understanding stretched across his features and he gestured for her to sit down. He took the chair next to her and then took up her hand in his and patted it gently.

"I think he was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that you physically died already, and the thought of it happening again did not sit well with him. Perhaps he is worried that he will be left to linger on in this world without you, before you can even become what he knows – and what I know – you two can be," Elrond explained and then it finally made sense to her. Elves didn't just die from a simple fall off the back of a horse, at least, that she knew of. Elves were much more skilled and sure footed. She was sure she was probably the only elf in the history of elves to fall off a horse that bolted out from under her, crack her head open, and die within a few seconds.

It made her sound like a klutz.

"I think I get it."

"You have already been reborn twice; perhaps he is also thinking if there is a third time, you will not return to this world at all, and you will be lost to him forever."