Disclaimer: As in other chapters. Tolkien owns everything you don't recognise from the books.

A/N: Hope you like this chapter! Please review and tell me if you like it! I haven't had that many reviews yet, so please help to bump that figure up a bit. Oh, and just for the record, I have noticed that some fanfic writers involve Elladan and Elrohir in a slash relationship. While this is all very well and good in their stories, I would like to make it clear that in my story, the love between the twins is completely, 100% brotherly!! There is nothing absolutely nothing slashy about their relationship!

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When Galwyn had followed Haldir, Arwen and Elrohir to where the Lord and Lady were waiting for them, she was surprised to find that they recognised her at once. Galadriel glanced at the owl above her, and called to it gently.

"Galwyn, can you come down here, please." Elrohir looked puzzled, and she could see Arwen scanning the trees for her, but her eyes passed over the snowy owl without so much as a flicker of recognition. Amused, she flew down to the talan, transforming in mid-air so that she landed lightly on her own feet. Arwen laughed and ran over to embrace her, but over the beautiful elf maiden's shoulder, Galwyn could see Elrohir in terse conversation with Galadriel, gesturing towards her. He was obviously not aware of who she was, or what she could do. Arwen released her, and she watched as Galadriel gave Elrohir a gesture to be silent.

"Elrohir, this is Galwyn. She is a mortal, an orphan. She was brought up by Radagast the brown in the forest of Fangorn, until they discovered that she had a very special power. She is the shape-shifter, the one chosen by the Valar to be blessed with the power, and she has been our charge for six years now. She will be accompanying you to the council that is to be held in Imladris, for she is your most valuable tool, a spy with impenetrable disguise." Galadriel explained.

Rather surprised, Elrohir's silver-grey eyes passed over her, taking in the tanned skin, high cheekbones, and the river of straight, shiny black hair. She was dressed in a white gown that made the most of her rather slender figure, accenting the curves she did have, and making her look more feminine. He knew, of course, of the existence of the shape-shifters, but all those he had met had been male. This one was very much a female. His gaze came to rest on the violet eyes that were so unusual for a mortal, though he had seen elves with eyes that colour, and to his surprise, she held his gaze fully, not looking away, though he noticed a flush appearing on her cheeks. He stepped forward,

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Galwyn. I am Elrohir, son of Elrond of Imladris." He bowed slightly to her, and took her hand to kiss. Her flush deepened and she felt her skin tingle as his lips touched her hand. Suddenly, she became angry with herself for having so little control, and she frowned, her eyes flashing and dark. This was the expression that met Elrohir as he returned his gaze to her face, and he stepped back in surprise, thinking that he had offended her. He looked to Arwen, and she shrugged, looking to Galwyn for some response to Elrohir's introduction.

"Yes, I...er...know who you are. And I am glad to meet you." She looked to Celeborn and Galadriel. "May I be excused? I need to gather some things for our departure tomorrow."

"Of course." Galadriel answered, exchanging knowing glances with her husband. After she had left, Elrohir looked to his grandparents.

"Did I…?"

"No, not at all. She is just…tired. Think nothing of it." Celeborn interrupted, amused despite himself at the reaction of his charge towards his grandson.

"Elrohir, are you alright to leave tomorrow morning? We need to get the council underway as soon as possible. I will remain here with your sister, but Celeborn will be coming with you, Galwyn and the escort."

"That is fine. It was not a strenuous journey, though I believe the escort grew rather weary of my over-vigilance!"

"Well, one cannot be too careful in times such as these. I am sad that you will not be able to spend more time with us, but the situation, as you know, calls for immediate action."

"Of course. If you don't mind, grandmother, I must get some rest before tomorrow, so may I, too be excused?"

"Yes, of course. I will be there to see you off tomorrow morning. Rest well."

As he made along the dark paths, illuminated only by torches and the moonlight, towards his own talan, Elrohir felt his heart aching in pain at the absence of his brother. It had been many years since they had been in Lòrien, wandering the paths without a care, but now it was very much different. He felt as though there was a rope around his heart that was tugging at it, trying to pull it back to his twin. It grew worse with every day that passed, but he knew he had to grit his teeth and bear it. He stopped and leaned against a tree to support himself: he was obviously more drained than he had thought, and realised that the strain of burying his emotions was taking its toll on him. He raised a hand to his forehead and held it there for a moment, trying to regain his composure. "Elladan…father…" He murmured almost inaudibly and rubbed at his temples gently to ease the tension that had seized up his muscles.

"I am sorry about your father." A voice said from behind him, and Elrohir spun around in shock, for his elven hearing had detected no sound of any kind: not even an elf could move that quietly. He found himself looking at the girl from earlier, and he fought to stop his face from betraying his shock.

"Elrond has been very kind to me, and I don't intend to let his attack go unpunished." Strangely angered at her words, Elrohir did not reply for a moment, pushing himself upright and away from the tree.

"And what do you, a mortal woman, intend to do? It was your kind who led the attack on him." He hissed under his breath. Instantly a change came over the woman and her eyes flashed angrily. Clenching her fists, her face flushed and her eyes dark, almost indigo in colour, Galwyn advanced on the elf. As his silvery gaze met hers, Elrohir suddenly felt a pang of guilt at the hurt he saw displayed there.

"For you information, Lord Elrohir, I am a half-elf, and a good deal more powerful than you I would wager, so you would do well not to anger me too much. Is it not good enough for you that your father, grandfather and grandmother, not to mention your sister too, give me their trust?" The anger dissipated from her eyes as she managed to regain her control. Her hands unclenched as she stepped away from him, the hurt she felt taking over her features. She shook her head sadly. "Do you know? One of the wisest things your father taught me was never to judge something by its appearance. I am glad I knew of that, for if I had not seen beyond your face, then I might have almost fooled myself into thinking that you had a spirit as beautiful." As she turned to leave, she murmured one word, so quiet that not even the elf would be able to hear it. "Almost." She started to walk away quickly and was so wrapped up in her tangled emotions that she did not hear the running footsteps behind her. She spun round as she felt a hand grab her shoulder, finding herself looking at the elf.

"What do you want?" She asked wearily, not giving him the advantage of meeting her eyes.

"I wanted to apologise. I do not mean any insult towards you. I know it is no excuse, but at the moment, I am struggling to hold my emotions under control. I have to be strong for my sister. It is hard for me to be without…without my brother, and the worry for my father has manifested deep within me. I was wrong to take it out on you, who have done me no ill and meant only to comfort me. I hope you can forgive me."

"How can I be sure that you harbour no ill will towards me? I am a human woman after all." Elrohir winced as she flung his words back at him.

"Can you blame me for being wary of non-elves? My mother has left Middle Earth because of her attack. How can I be sure that my father will not leave these shores as a result of this attack, an attack that involved men? How can I be sure of whom to trust?" He asked heatedly. Galwyn said nothing for a moment, but merely looked at him. After a moment, she nodded.

"You are right, I cannot blame you. I would probably feel the same. But your words were wrong all the same." Elrohir began to speak, but she held up a hand to stop him. "I can see you are suffering, all the worse, for you refuse do let your own emotion surface. No, I cannot blame you for your words, although they have caused me much hurt. I would be a hypocrite if I did not lend you a second chance. I forgive you your mistake." Elrohir smiled in relief, though his guilt was still clearly displayed in his eyes. To his surprise, she smiled back warmly, all her anger forgotten, and held her hand out to him.

"How about we start again?"

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Elladan was finding it hard to come to terms with how lonely he was feeling. He had never been parted from Elrohir for more than two days before, and it had been many times that length already. He could feel the bond between them pulling at his heart painfully, always at the forefront of his thoughts. He could not wait until the council, when his brother would return to him. And as if that was not enough, his sister wasn't there, and his father was lying, not far from death's door, in faraway Mirkwood, and he had been entrusted with the keeping of Imladris. He prayed to the Valar that nothing would happen that he could not deal with, for he was truly alone, without even the council of Glorfindel, his father's greatest friend, who was almost a second father to him and his siblings. He was presently leaning on the balcony of his room, looking out on the beautiful vista of his home. He sighed, hoping with all his heart that its beauty would remain forever clean of the darkness he knew was infiltrating Mirkwood. As he looked out over the balcony, he heard a knock at his door and calling out "Enter!" he turned round to see who it was. The dark-haired elf that poked his head around the door was that of his friend, Alandril.

"My Lord, I have received word from the border guards that a group of rangers is approaching, led by Estel. They are on their way directly here, and should arrive in a few minutes. I thought I had better inform you of their approach." Elladan smiled, and nodded his thanks.

"Thank you for coming out of your way to tell me that, Alandril. I appreciate it." The other elf bowed slightly and left. Elladan made his way out of his chambers and outside into the courtyard to wait for the arrival of his foster-brother, Estel, whose true name, Aragorn, son of Arathorn and the heir to the throne of Gondor, was known to very few. Estel's mother had entrusted his upbringing to Elrond as she lay on her deathbed, and Elrond had undertaken the task as though the mortal boy had been his own son, and his two sons embracing him as another brother. Arwen, who had been living in Lòrien for the 18 years Estel had been at Imladris before he had left to learn about the world by roaming it with the rangers, was the only one never to have met him, though of course they knew of each other. He was now 29, and a man truly worthy of his heritage. The return of his foster-brother was just what Elladan needed, if he could not have Elrohir just yet, and he mentally thanked the Valar for the small reprieve. Even as he did so, he heard the clatter of hooves on the road that led to the courtyard at the entrance to the palace of Imladris. He watched as the group of rangers, led by Estel, pulled to a halt and dismounted. He walked quickly over to the man and embraced him tightly, ignoring the generous amount of mud that coated the clothes of his foster-brother and that had managed to transfer onto his own robes. He laughed as he looked down at himself and when he met Estel's slate-blue eyes, he found that he was doing likewise.

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you, Estel!"

"And I you, dear Elladan. But where is Elrohir?"

"He has gone to Lòrien to accompany Arwen to where we know she will be as safe as possible. He will be returning soon." Oh, hurry back to me, Elrohir…

"And are you alright? I cannot remember you ever being separated for longer than a few days."

"I am…coping at least. You are right, never before have so many miles parted us for so long. Not in all these years. Perhaps that has been our mistake, for even now, I feel as though an important part of me is missing. We have basked too much in the bond that has linked us, and we must learn to cope without each other. That much I know, though it causes great pain." Estel nodded slowly, his eyes full of sorrowful understanding.

"It is in sad times, that such a bond as yours must be jeopardised. In a perfect world, you would never have to compromise it."

"Ai, that is true. But let us not dwell on it, brother. Send your men inside to get cleaned, rested and fed. I have been expecting you for some days, and have made the necessary preparations. Come, you and I have much to discuss." Together, they went inside the palace.

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A/N: I like getting reviews, and have changed my settings so anonymous views are welcome too! So go on, make my day and tell me what you think! The ones I have had have been great, thanks guys and please keep reviewing! Albinofrog88: it's not the slightest bit annoying to get more than one review from the same person! Quite the opposite! Just spent the whole afternoon watching the extended version of Fellowship. Have so much work to do! ARGH! Talk about bad time management!