Arwen sat up in bed as lightening flashed and thunder crackled. Her mind raced confusedly as she tried to remember what had yanked her from her dream so intensely. As a scream rang out through the corridor, something in her brain clicked on a light bulb. "Ellowyn," she breathed.

She shot out of bed and hurriedly lit a candle. Out in the hall, doors opened and closed. Two little figures shuffled into the room. "Arwen?" one asked as she fairly flew past them. "Arwen, what's wrong?"

"Not now!" she called over her shoulder. Another scream sounded from a room about 3/4 of the way down the hall. The candle flickered as Arwen dashed frantically towards the room. She opened the door, set the candle down on a small table, and then knelt beside the bed. "Ellowyn," she called softly. "Ellowyn, it is okay. You are safe. You are safe."

Ellowyn tossed and turned on her bed, covered in a pale sheet of sweat. She wasn't responding to the Common Tongue, Arwen noted, so she switched to Elvish. "Lle naa úer. Lle naa úer."

Ellowyn's eyes flew open, and when she saw Arwen kneeling next to her, she launched herself into Arwen's arms and clung to her as a lifeline. Arwen stood up and then sat herself on the bed and slowly rocked Ellowyn back and forth. "It's okay, shhhhh, it's okay, you are safe, shhhhh." Ellowyn had begun to sob, and now was slowly calming down. Still, she clung to Arwen as if she were loosened, she would die.

Arwen slowly reached behind her and loosened Ellowyn's hands. "NO!" Ellowyn cried, fighting Arwen's hands off so that she could attach her own around Arwen's neck once more.

"No sweetie…No, you need to take your hands off my neck…shhhh, lle naa úer, nothing will hurt you…shhhh…that's it, loosen your hands…that's good…" Arwen placed Ellowyn on the bed, still stroking her hair. Although she was fighting tooth and nail to stay awake, Ellowyn slowly drifted off.

Arwen sigh with relief as Ellowyn's breathing deepened. She tucked the blanket tightly around Ellowyn and then made her way down the hall, back to her room. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see the room dancing with light from the fireplace, and two little figures were drinking tea and having a conversation. They looked up when she entered the room. "Mind telling us what that was all about?" one asked, an amused expression flitting across his face.

Arwen bowed her head, her eyes filling with tears. The nightmares had returned, their guests had been woken, and Aragorn and Legolas still hadn't returned…"I am sorry. It has been a long day for all of us, and your waking was not intentional. Shall I walk you back to your rooms?"

The other figure stood, took Arwen's hands, and led her to a seat by the fire. She was handed a cup of tea, and then the figure, "Not to worry about out waking. You seem troubled. Dearest Arwen," he leaned forward, "it is just Pippin and I. You have our confidence, do not forget that."

"Oh Frodo…" Arwen's tears spilled over and her hands began to shake. Frodo, concerned, took the cup of tea from her hands and placed it on the table beside him. Pippin pulled his chair next to Arwen's and took of her hands. Frodo took the other.

"Go on," Frodo urged. "Just let it all out."

"Oh Frodo," Arwen said again. "It has just been awful. You know that Legolas has disappeared and Aragorn has gone after him. Two weeks ago was Ellowyn's fifth birthday. She wished- oh Frodo, she wished for Legolas and Aragorn to come home! When they didn't return, she began to have nightmares. There has not been a night when she hasn't woken up with one.

"I am scared and worried Frodo. I do not know what to do. I really never had to take care of anyone but myself. And even when I did that, I never had the whole kingdom to watch out for and take care of! That was Elrohir and Elladan's job! And I just…I just don't…I don't know how! I just don't know how…"

Frodo and Pippin let go of her hands, and Arwen covered her face and sobbed. Pippin rubbed her back and Frodo stroked her hair. "Aye, it is alright," Pippin said. "You will learn. All it takes is time."

Arwen looked up, wiping away the tears that still dripped down her face. "You really think so Pippin?" she asked hopefully.

"Aye, I do. I learned not to be so rambunctious, didn't I? I even gained a few brain cells."

"Lost them is more like it," Frodo muttered, accidentally-on-purpose allowing Pippin to hear.

"Excuse me cousin, but did you have something to share with the rest of us?" Pippin retorted, grinning as well. Even Arwen smiled at the two's playful bantering. This was what she missed. Having someone to joke around with. It, she realized, was what she needed the most. Normalcy. And that was what Pippin and Frodo could give her, without a doubt. Their lives were centered on it.

Suddenly, another scream rang out down the hall. Arwen stood up, and so did Pippin and Frodo. "We are coming with you," Frodo said.

"It is time we met Legolas' daughter anyway," Pippin stipulated.

"Ok," Arwen said, smiling briefly. The three hurried down the gall towards Ellowyn's room. When they got there, Ellowyn was awake and curled up in a fetal position on the bed. Upon seeing Arwen, she read her arms out like a small child asking to be picked up. Arwen obliged and held Ellowyn tight as the little child's nightmare extracted itself from her mind. When the child pulled away from Arwen and stood, Arwen wiped away her tears and asked her, "Feeling better?"

Ellowyn nodded and then looked over Arwen's shoulder to where Pippin and Frodo stood awkwardly in the doorway. "Who are they?" she asked quietly.

Pippin stepped forward. "Hullo Ellowyn," he said kneeling. "I am called Pippin, and that shy fellow behind me is called Frodo."

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked back and forth between the two. "Are you the two who went to M-mo-mord-" she stumbled over the foreign word.

"Mordor?" Frodo asked, coming forward to kneel next to Pippin. "Yes, we did, along with several others."

"My Ata?" she asked.

"Aye," Pippin said. "He saved us hobbits quite a few times."

"Most of them were your fault too, Pip." Frodo commented.

Ellowyn giggled at the two as Pippin lightly smacked Frodo on the back of the head. She slowly let go of Arwen's hand and walked towards them. "Silly hobbits."
"Aye, that we are," Pippin conceded. He looked into her eyes, and then commented, "But if we are such silly hobbits, you should be happy, right? You look so sad, Ellowyn. Your ata would not be happy with us if he thought we made you sad."

"'Twas not you that has made me sad," she said, looking away.

"Then who?" Frodo asked. "Let us help you Little One."

"'Twas my nightmares. They scare me, and that makes me sad."

"Nightmares, eh?" Pippin said. "I have had a few myself. But they have gone away now."

"They have?" Ellowyn asked, looking at his face.

"Aye, they have."

Ellowyn slowly walked to Pippin. He sat cross-legged and she climbed into his lap. Frodo and Arwen listen and watched, amazed as Pippin told Ellowyn of his nightmares. Only Gandalf had been privy to this information before. No one else - not even Merry.

"And do you know what I learned?" Pippin asked her when he had finished.

"What?" she questioned in a small voice.

"I learned that no matter how much this," he tapped her head, "is scaring you," he now tapped her heart, "this will always guide you."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now, may I ask a favor of you?"

"Alright…"

"Now that I have told you my dream, perhaps you could tell me yours."

"Well…"

"'Tis only a thought."

Ellowyn relented. "I guess I shall," she sighed. She settled more comfortably in Pippin's lap. "It is very frightful," she warned.

"They all are at the beginning," he replied. And so she started her tale. She weaved her way through battles and ambushes and things that no little girl should have to be concerned with, much less dream about. The three were horrified that these things haunted this poor little child.

Ellowyn was sobbing as she reached the end. "And only one comes back. Sometimes it is Aragorn and sometimes it is Ata. But it is only one. Never both. Only one. And I don't want that to happen Pippin, I don't."

Pippin hugged Ellowyn but she pushed him away. "No! Not until you promise me that both will come back. Both of them Pippin. Promise me!"

"Oh Ellowyn," he sighed. "I can not promise you that. I would if I could, but I can not."

She rounded on Arwen. "Please Arwen. You can promise me; can you not? Please Arwen. This is Aragorn and my atar. Please!"

Arwen had tears flowing out of her eyes and pouring down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when a sob threatened to escape. She closed her eyes and shook her head to indicate that she could not promise Ellowyn this, no matter how much she wished she could.

"Frodo," Ellowyn begged. "Please Frodo, promise me. Promise me they will both come back. Both of them. Please!"

"I can not do that Ellowyn," he said, his heart breaking as the words left his mouth.

"But why? Why not?" she cried.

"Because we are not sure of the future," he gently explained. "This whole thing is a mystery to us. We do not know what will happen any more then we know what did happen. We are all working towards one goal, Ellowyn - to bring your atar and Aragorn home. And we will do our best - that I can promise. We will do our best."

"I just want my atar back," she said, burying her face in Pippin's shirt. "Is that a lot to ask?"

"No…not at all," Frodo whispered. "Not at all."

Ellowyn eventually calmed down. She was growing tired, as were Arwen, Frodo, and Pippin. The night stretched on, and soon it would be daybreak. "Come now," Arwen said, breaking the silence hanging over the room. "We should all go to bed. We will talk more of this in the morning." She took Ellowyn's hand tucked her into bed. "Sleep well," she said, handing Ellowyn her bear and kissing her softly on the forehead.

As Frodo, Pippin, and Arwen began to leave the room, Ellowyn called out, "Pippin?" He turned and waited. "Will you tell me a story?"

"Aye," he responded. When Arwen looked at him, he nodded in response to her unspoken question. Then he settled down in a chair next to Ellowyn's bed and asked, "What story shall I tell?"

"One about your home," she requested. "You aren't from around here."

"Aye, that is right," Pippin said. "I come from The Shire - Hobbiton to be exact. I have had many adventures there, mostly with Merry. Sam was along for one or two - "

"Who are Sam and Merry?" Ellowyn interrupted.

"Two of the best hobbits I know," Pippin said. "Sam is Frodo's gardener, and Merry is my cousin. Frodo's too, I suppose, if you want to get all technical-like."

"You have had ad-adven-adventures with them?"

"Aye, quite a few. My mama called us mischief-makers. I will never forget the one time she-"

"You know your mama?" Ellowyn interrupted again. "I never got to know mine. Ata said she needed to leave, but that she will come back one day."

"You never knew her?" Pippin asked, incredulous.

"Nay. I remember her a little - one or two instances - but I never really got to spend time with her."

"I am sure you will someday. Now where was I? Oh yes, mischief-makers. And indeed we were. I remember one time…"

That was how daybreak eventually found them. Ellowyn was dozing in her bed and Pippin was dozing in the chair, just simply enjoying each other's company.

~*~ Look, I'll be your confidant

Tell me anything

But please start it off with how you tuck your wings

(Ohh oh ohh)

There's nothing else that I have seen

There's no getting around it

Or in between

You're out of this world

Except you're not green

Look

You don't know what you mean

To me

To me…~*~

- Justin Timberlake, "Nothin' Else"

Translations: Ata - Daddy

Atar -Father

Lle naa úer - You are not alone

Reviews:

JediKnightBalthasar - Ahhhh! Thank you so much for reviewing! See, I updated…and I promise, poor Legolas will not come to harm…much. Mwhahahahahaha! Anyway, I know that Galadriel was OOC. I tried and I tried - you wouldn't BELIEVE how many times I rewrote that part - but I couldn't seem to get her in character. I was finally like, "Aww, screw it." Even though she's my character, Ellowyn seemed a little OOC this time too. I'm blaming it on the fact that I think all elves should be advanced beyond their years. LOL.

Thanks for reading everyone! Again, please bare with me - not only am I a slow typer/updater, but my Elvish isn't that good - and neither is my writing!