A/N: Thanks to you all. I will spare you the senseless babble and praises. You are all wonderful people, and I hope you are enjoying my little tale.

It had been a quiet two-day ride from Rivendell to Taureliloomis, but to Kalen, those two days seemed as two thousand. She spent the entirety of the journey with eyes to the ground, his face fixed in her mind. His last look had been a pleading one that searched for signs of insincerity on her face. When he could find none, and she had turned her back on him, his anger was expressed in a mere snort. He was gone; banished forever by her actions. Her heart felt as if it would implode, and her stomach felt sickened. She was disgusted with herself and her lack of control.

Just when it seemed that she could no longer endure the journey, the gates of Taureliloomis came into view. At last she was home, and the relief she felt escaped in a loud sigh. When they were safely inside the gates of the city, Niphredia approached them.

"Welcome home. You look as though you have had a hard journey and need rest. Kalen, you will be called to council in the morning. I am calling an emergency meeting of elders in the great hall. Go now and find rest. You will need a fresh and able mind for what lies ahead."

Calanagariel and Kalen dismounted their horses, and a young girl took the reigns of both gray mares. They would be watered, fed, and returned to Rivendell at the first chance. Calanagariel patted Kalen on the back and then followed Niphredia into the great hall. The numbness in Kalen's feet began to spread over her entire body, and she stared impassively at the ground. All she wanted to do was to be alone and to sleep. It would be her only release from the sorrow she had inflicted upon herself.

Following her weary feet to her home, she collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep slumber; her dreams taking her to another time and another place free from her cares.

The next morning, Kalen was awakened by the sound of rapping on her door, and a voice calling from the other side.

"You are called to council, my Captain."

Kalen groaned, struggling to open her eyes and roll her body over the edge of the bed. After cleaning up, she chose an outfit that fit the grim occasion, and brushed her long black hair. The strands falling over the black, suede material of her tunic blended, becoming almost invisible. When she opened the door, Valeria, a young guard stood waiting for a chance to speak with her.

"Kalen, what were the Uruk's like? Were they as disgusting as we have heard? What of these men you encountered? What were they like?"

"Please, Valeria, one question at a time. Yes, the Uruk's were vile, even more so than we had heard. As for the men," she paused for a moment before beginning again, "I do not wish to discuss that matter. When this war begins, as it undoubtedly will, you will meet plenty of them yourself."

The smile on the young guard's face disappeared. The news of war had spread throughout the city, and its very mention brought a deep sorrow with it. Many of them would perish in the battle, it was an unmistakable fact, and those left behind would be forever changed. Kalen nodded her goodbye, and walked outside.

The walk to council went by in a blur, and when she finally reached the steps to the great hall, she paused. She remembered well the last time she stood here; wondering what waited behind their doors, and jubilant with anticipation. The joyful leaps were now replaced with sorrowful steps, and when she entered the great hall, only the council of elders awaited. Calanagariel rose to greet her and addressed her with a formal tone.

"Captain Kalen, you have been called here to receive your orders. Our only hopes in recovering the cup of elements lie in joining with the remaining elven realms of Middle Earth. You will ride to these realms and plead for their aid. We will alert you when we have an itinerary for your travels. You are dismissed."

How sterile it all seemed, but Kalen knew it was only a formality of the court. Calanagariel, always a mother figure, was now in the role of superior, and spoke with all the authority of a leader. Kalen bowed, and turned for the door. The chill from inside the hall rivaled the cold that spread throughout her body, and she wanted to be away from it all as quickly as possible.

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The sun in the afternoon sky was bright, and its rays reflected on the water like a flame from a torch. Kalen had been sitting beside the stream that ran just outside the gates of the city when Calanagariel approached her from behind.

"I knew you would come here. You come here when you're troubled, and have done so since you were young. You will never overcome this if you continue to sulk. I did not think our journey home the right time to discuss the matter I promised in Rivendell, but I will speak on it now."

The elder elf lowered herself to the ground beside Kalen, her feet tucked under her thighs in a sitting position.

"Please, Calanagariel, I have no desire to be lectured. I know I was wrong in allowing myself to get close to Legolas from the very beginning."

"You know, it was about this time of the year when it all began. The leaves were turning from green to red and gold, and there was a slight chill in the air. I was a young warrior, about the same age as you are now, when I was sent to a distant elven realm. I was to collect the granddaughter of the lord of that realm, I forget it's name, for it has long since been deserted and fallen to ruin. The lord of that realm had lost the child's mother to a broken heart; a broken heart suffered at the hands of a mortal man. It only took my speaking to the grandfather to decipher the true cause of his daughter's death. They had loved each other, your mother and her mortal man, but your grandfather stood between them. Why now, when no one stands between you, would you turn the one you love away?"

"I have duties here in Taureliloomis; you are here. Why would I leave the only mother I have ever known for the sake of a man who, in such a short matter of time, could not possibly truly love me?"

"Kalen, I have sacrificed much for your happiness as a true mother would. That day, when I looked upon your face for the first time; the face of a child filled with much sorrow, I knew I would never let any harm come to you. Over the years, I grew to love you as my own; as if I had birthed you myself, and I knew that I would die of heartache should I lose you to time. For years I begged Eru to grant me but one request, and when Mithrandir came to me one summer many years ago, he assured me that I had been successful. The mortal blood in your veins has diminished with time and prayers to the Valar. It seems that I have purchased your immortality with my many pleas and constant vigilance. But, it has all been in vain if you are not happy. Kiara would not have wanted you to be unhappy for eternity."

"Kiara? You know, perhaps it was just an illusion, but she came to me when I was captured by the Uruk's. She told me it was not my time to die. Long have I wondered about her, and about my father as well. I suppose the answers to my questions have died along with them, but it makes no difference. It was love that killed them; or lack of it, I should say. I would not suffer the same fate for any man."

"You should have listened to your heart that day in Rivendell."

Kalen glanced down into the clear water of the stream, her face stared back from its surface like a mirror on a vanity. Love in its totality would be her end, not the lack of it as she purposed. Calanagariel was right, she should have listened to her heart and spoken the truth, but her chance had passed. It was a decision she would have to live with for the rest of her life, and that, it seemed, was going to be eternity.

"Rivendell is past. I have shut him out, and he is gone forever. That is fate's will."

Calanagariel smiled widely. She knew fate well, and she also knew a few things about changing fate's will.

"Perhaps, but I think fate may have more in store for you. We have an immediate itinerary for you. This should help busy your mind for some time."

"I welcome anything that will do so. Where am I to go?"

"You will travel to Rivendell first, return the horses, and then Numerius, messenger of Lord Elrond, will escort you to Eryn Lasgalen. Once there, you will find King Thranduil awaiting your arrival, and then he will hear your message from our council."

"Eryn Lasgalen? Is that very far from Rivendell?"

"It is a ten day journey on horseback. Lord Elrond has received the message announcing your arrival, so Numerius will undoubtedly be ready to depart once you arrive. Tomorrow will find you leaving Taureliloomis once again, so go now and prepare for your journey. I sense that you will find this mission far easier than your last."

Calanagariel rose to her feet and walked back inside of the city gates. Not only did the recovery of the cup depend on this mission, but the happiness of her child as well, and if Eru would but grant her one more request, he would see that it ended on a successful note.