*Thanks to Eglasgromen for her two reviews! Unfortunately, Twister is not mine, he belongs to my friend, Amanda Gray. Charlie does have a friend at my house, though, my little brother and sister's bunny, Cuddles. They get along well, since they came from the same place and their mommies' nesting boxes were next door to each other at the breeder's.

*Also, if you want a silly, side-bursting-with-laughter LOTR spoof, look no further than Lord of the Spoons, by Eglasgromen. Also possibly featuring Charlie the Naz-Bunny, who might be on loan for "security reasons."

*I know I said that Deidre'd be getting to Imladris in this chapter, but I heard this one song on the radio, and it made me decide to do what's going through Deidre's head when she makes her decision. She'll get back to Imladris in the next chapter, I promise!

*And also, I want to thank everyone who reviewed so far, on the internet, and on the printed copies I bring to my school, especially Mitch Olsen, who gave me some great ideas for an upcoming Deidre fic. "Honest, nothing happened, I swear!" *laughs*

*^*^*^*^= flashback & end flashback

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How can I listen to my heart, Deidre thought. I hear it often enough, but I don't think I really understand what it's saying. Swiftrun knew the terrain well, so Deidre felt safe enough to look inside herself. Listen to my heart, listen to my heart, Deidre thought, saying it inside her head like a chant. Well, heart, what do you have to say?

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It was cold, and wet, and she was in pain. Her arm felt like it was on fire, and she couldn't breathe much. Deidre had gone out looking for spring flowers on afternoon, but was surprised by a sudden storm. Scared, Deidre had hidden by a tree, but a dead branch had fallen down on top of her, shaken free by the strong winds. It had thrown Deidre to the ground, breaking her arm and three ribs. The branch was too heavy for her to move, and she had lain there for hours on end, the harsh rain pelting her face and stinging it; the winds tearing at her skin.

But who had risked his own life to go and look for her when the storm arose, who had called for her in the woods, who had used all his strength to pull the branch off Deidre and carry her back to Imladris? And who had healed Deidre as good as new, despite all her heartrending screams of pain when he set the bones? Elrond had.

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And when Deidre had been scared, or had a nightmare, who had she gone to, to make her feel safe? Celebrian. Celebrian would brush Deidre's hair and tell her it was all right, and Deidre always believed it was.

Suddenly, Deidre had a flash of realization: she knew what her choice would be. I guess, she thought, that they really are my parents. Sure, biologically speaking, they aren't, but my other parents died before I could know them. Elrond and Celebrian loved me as their own, and I love them as my parents, and that's all that matters.

The party settled for camp, knowing that the next morning, they would be in Imladris. "I suppose you've made your decision," Galadriel said to her granddaughter as they gathered around the campfire.

"Yes, Daernaneth, I have," Deidre replied between bites of the roasted rabbit that was the night's meal.

"And it is?"

"I'm keeping it secret until tomorrow, if that's all right," Deidre said, and didn't say another word for the rest of the night.

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"Master Elrond?" came a servant's voice from the door of Elrond's study. "I have news from the sentries." The days to Midwinter were growing fewer, and as each day passed, Elrond wondered more and more of Deidre really would come back.

"What do they say?" Elrond asked irritably. Probably just another log in the river, or something unimportant like that.

The servant's voice wavered. "The Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, as well as the Lady Deidre and an escort, are camped not far from our borders. They should be arriving in Imladris by midmorning tomorrow."

'Thank you," Elrond said, trying to seem serious, while in fact, he felt as if a great load had been taken off his shoulders. As soon as the servant left, he would tell Celebrian and the children. Deidre was coming back!

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* Next chapter will be up soon, don't worry! I just love writing, and already have 3 sequels planned, at least. The first chapter in the next installment in the Deidre series, Pheonix Rising, will be up a few days after the last chapter of this one.