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

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The council was held on the large platform that came off part of the palace, overlooking the beauty of Imladris. Chairs had been set out in three quarters of a circle, with four chairs slightly separated from the others to finish off the rough circle. Into these four sat Elladan, Gandalf, Celeborn and Elrohir. Galwyn sat next to Estel, and saw that several others of the Dúnedain were also present. Haldir sat with the other elves from Lórien, most of whom were familiar but not well known to her, and of the Mirkwood elves, the only two she knew were Daromir and Lysandil. There were several other Imladris elves as well, making the total number of the group 20, including herself, she counted. The mood was sombre, and serious, and she remembered that Gandalf had told her that this was the only time when a council had been held in Imladris without being presided over by Lord Elrond. The wizard, with a nod from Celeborn, cleared his throat and stood up.

"Welcome to all of you, strangers from the elven kingdoms, and those whom are familiar. We are gathered here, in the absence of Lord Elrond, to assess the evil that has assailed us. You all know that evil has been brewing in Dol Guldur again, and that it was this evil that attacked the party from Imladris that included both Master Elrond, and also Lord Glorfindel. As well as receiving grievous hurts, indeed, it is thanks to Lord Glorfindel that Master Elrond survived, something altogether terrible also occurred that night." He paused slightly, looking around the circle. "Vilya has been stolen." There was silence around the circle, and, watching Elrohir, Galwyn saw his eyes cloud for a moment. Gandalf sat back down in his seat, and Celeborn stood up.

"As you all know, this is a terrible turn of events. If Vilya is used, it will be for evil, lessening the power of the remaining rings to do good, and giving the evil forces much greater strength. If it is destroyed, then not only will it weaken the power of Narya and Nenya forever and therefore of the elves themselves, but Lord Elrond, whose life is bound to it, just as all ring bearers are bound to those they keep, will perish also."

There were several shocked intakes of breath from around the circle as Celeborn put into words their deepest fears.

"There is no other choice," Celeborn continued, "but to retrieve the ring."

Silence reigned once more in the circle, and then Lysandil, with a nod at his brother, stood up.

"It was not unknown to us that there were once more dark forces in Dol Guldur, we have always reviled the place and it, in turn has always repelled us, and most living creatures. Since the fall of Sauron, the tower that has cast shadow over us has been silent, but recently, there has been smoke sighted there, rising above the forest, and sometimes, carried from far off on the wind, the sounds of voices speaking in many foul tongues. But never before has this evil strayed as far as the Old Forest Road where Lord Elrond and his party were attacked, and since that day, they have not been seen since in our borders. It is grave indeed." He sat down, and Gandalf nodded at him, his face grave, but his eyes smiling gently. The wizard stood up.

"From what Lysandil has said, we can deduce that this attack was premeditated, and executed with the purpose of theft. We know from Glorfindel that the attack was made not only by orcs, but by men as well. However, there has to be some leader for this evil, for under no free will would orcs and men co-operate together. One thing is certain though: the first thing is to retrieve Vilya." There were murmurs of agreement around the circle at this, and Celeborn stood up.

"The key to the retrieval of the ring of Airs is the shape-shifter, Galwyn. Gandalf and myself will choose an escort for her, for her protection is vital, who will get as close as possible to Dol Guldur, and then it will be up to her to act as a spy, to find out the whereabouts of the ring, and to exchange it with this." He held up in his hand an exact copy of the Ring of airs, the gold band inset with a great, blue stone. "The Lady Galadriel had this made. It is powerless, but almost indistinguishable from the original." He replaced it back in his pocket. "With the information she gets, we will also know their strengths, weaknesses and numbers."

"The group we take," Gandalf continued as Celeborn sat down again, "will have around 15 people, including Galwyn, myself and Lord Celeborn. They are under no obligation to go, and, if that is their will, they will be replaced. The others will return to their respective lands, and await news. Messages will be sent by the fastest possible means: the eagles. Are there any questions?"

An Imladris elf that Galwyn didn't know, but who was obviously an elf-Lord, judging by his dark hair, the richness of his clothes and the fact that he was present at the council, stood up.

"When shall we know who has been chosen?" Gandalf smiled.

"A good point, Lord Léanor. At the hour of three this afternoon, we will reassemble here and Lord Celeborn and I will let you all know of our choices. The group will set out tomorrow morning." He paused, and looked around the circle to see if there were any more questions. There were none, and so he continued. "The council is dismissed." The people gathered there began to disperse, and Elrohir, waiting till only Celeborn and Gandalf remained, talking quietly in a corner, walked quickly over to where Galwyn was standing, some distance away. He stood next to her, and for several moments, neither spoke, each lost in thought, until Elrohir broke the silence.

 "Mani lle naa nowien, lisser?" What are you thinking, sweet one? She sighed and turned to face him.

"Amin uuma nowa tanya amin gara um sina." I do not think I can do this. He smiled tenderly, and with one hand, reached out and took hers, and with the other, gently tilted her chin up till her eyes met his.

"Lasta a'amin Galwyn: Lle naa beleg, ar astald. Sina n'naa tar lle." Listen to me, Galwyn: You are strong, and brave. This is not beyond you.

"Amin estela tanya lle naa n'raika." I hope you are not wrong.

"Amin n'nauva." I will not be. She looked deep in his eyes, and knew he was telling the truth. She sighed again, and he stepped closer and took her in his arms. She leaned her head on his shoulder wearily, closing her eyes in pleasure at the feel of his arms around her, enveloping her in his warmth. Suddenly he stepped back, and she frowned at the loss of contact. He laughed softly at her expression and took her hand.

"Come, let us walk together. I want to show you something."

"What is it?"

"You'll have to wait and see!" She grinned, her worries briefly forgotten as they made their way down towards the woods. In the bright sunlight, they appeared more beautiful than she could ever remember seeing them, and she smiled happily. As they went deeper into the woods, she realised she had never before trod the paths they were now using, and she allowed herself to be pulled along by an eager Elrohir. After several minutes, they stopped and he ran round behind her to cover her eyes. She laughed,

"Not again, Elrohir!"

"I want it to be a surprise! Go on, just walk straight forward." She obliged, and after about twenty-five feet, he stopped her, and removed his hands. As she opened her eyes, she gasped in shock, and her breath caught in her throat. They were standing in a small, circular clearing ringed completely with white, pink and pale lilac blossom trees in full bloom. The floor of the clearing had been completely covered in a thick carpet of the petals that had fallen in the breeze, and the air was dotted with more of them, drifting slowly down to the ground like fragrant snow.

"It's…it's beautiful!" She exclaimed, turning this way and that to see all around. She closed her eyes and inhaled the heady scent of the blooms, and lifted her face up so that the falling petals would drift over her skin. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again, and directed her full smile on him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For bringing me here. I don't think I've ever seen anywhere so beautiful. How did you know about this place?"

"This was mine and Elladan's secret place when we were young. We used to escape here away from the adults when we wanted to be left alone, and sometimes to hide from Arwen when she wanted to play silly, girly games with us!"

"That's mean!"

"I know, but we weren't exactly keen on her love of braiding flowers and ribbons into our hair." She laughed at the image, and smirked.

"Why not? You would look lovely with ribbons!" They both laughed, and she sat down on the ground, gesturing for him to sit beside her. She lay back, and he did the same, resting his head on her stomach, while she leaned on one elbow, the other hand gently playing with his hair.

Time passed slowly as they talked and laughed together, lulled by the beauty and calmness of their surroundings. After a while in which they had been silent, lost in happy thoughts, the hand in his hair stopped moving, and, rolling onto his stomach, Elrohir could see that she had fallen into a gentle slumber. Her lips, which were slightly parted, were curved into a smile, and her chest rose and fell slightly as she breathed. His eyes ran over her face, taking in the long, dark lashes that lay against her smooth, high cheekbones, and the gently arched brows above her closed eyelids. One hand lay just above her head, palm up, with the fingers curved inwards, and the other rested on her stomach, where it had previously lain on his head. Her black hair was spread out like a dark halo around her head, in stark contrast with the bright white and pastel colours of the petals, several of which had also dotted her deep purple gown. Suddenly remembering the council, he glanced up at the sun through the trees. Judging from its position in the sky, it was nearing the hour of three, and, against his will, for he had no wish to disturb her, he would have to wake her up. He leaned over and gently kissed her. She woke up immediately with a smile on her face, and sat up, stretching.

"What a nice way to wake up!"

"I like to oblige." He said seriously, and she laughed.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly three, I think. We must return."

"But I don't want to leave!" She said in a petulant tone and frowned, her mouth in a childish pout.

"Neither do I, but we have to go. Come on." He took her hands and pulled her up, and, keeping hold of one of them, began leading her back to the palace.

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When they reached the balcony where the council was being held, they found they were almost the last to arrive. Elladan was deep in conversation with the elf who had spoken at the council, Lord Léanor, and another, who Elrohir told her was named Alandril. As he saw them arrive, the older twin smiled, before turning his attention back to his conversation. Suddenly, at some apparently unspoken command, the people gathered took their seats, and, turning round, Galwyn could see that Gandalf and Celeborn had returned to the council. When everyone had taken their seats, the wizard stood up. Celeborn handed him a piece of parchment, and the wizard took it, clearing his throat before speaking.

"The Lord Celeborn and I have made our decision. We have chosen the party to include equal numbers of representatives from each of the parties assembled here. Those joining myself, Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galwyn from the realm of Lothlórien will be: the Lords Haldir, Arùmil and Gelion. From Mirkwood: Prince Lysandil, Prince Daromir and Lord Naldorin. From the Dúnedain: Lord Estel, and the Masters Halbarad and Finrodan. And from Imladris: The Lords Léanor, Alandril and Elrohir." There were murmurs from around the circle, and Galwyn's eyes briefly met Elrohir's, which were full of relief. Gandalf sat down, and Celeborn stood up, holding up a hand to bring silence to the council.

"Upon those accompanying us, no oath or bond is upon you to go further, or do more than your will. Those chosen have been so according to reasons not only of skill, or strength, but also for reasons of fellowship. Upon those not chosen, there is also a task laid, for they must return to their lands, and tell of what has been spoken of here. We shall be leaving in the morning, but the rest of you, Lord Elladan tells me, are welcome to remain as long as you will, though I urge you not to linger, for time is nobody's friend. Go now, and make your preparations."

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A/N:  As usual, please review and let me know what you think!