The days had passed by and Frodo and co. had been in Rivendell for nearly two months, when Elanor was nearly killed by and elf on a horse. Luthien and Elanor and the hobbits had just been innocently enjoying the autumn sunshine, when two elf riders came swiftly galloping through the woods, heading towards the House of Elrond. Both, of course, were rather hot –not too girly, not too Rambo- just elf-warrior hot enough. They were also the sons of Elrond. Elrohir was the unlucky elf to nearly and quite accidentally have killed Elanor, and Elladan was the one who dismounted and began to chat to the hot elf maiden who was with the halflings, while his brother rushed to the aid of the very disgruntled hobbit girl.

Elanor's mood however, brightened when a very concerned Pippin bent over her and asked her how she was feeling. She could see right up his nose, laying on the ground with a dazed look in her eyes, and what a lovely nose it was.

Meanwhile, Luthien had to explain to Elladan that while she thought he was a 'very beautiful elf and I am sure that you are a skilled and impressive warrior' that her heart belonged to another and basically that his attempts to court her, however charming (or freaky, if he was anything like his father…eww...) were in vain. 'I am certain that you will meet a fair elf maiden someday, though, and then you shall know true happiness. Not exactly as beautiful and spiritual and eroti- as my love and I shall share everyday…and sometimes right after lunch, but it's a start.' She finished with a charming smile.

Elladan nodded and mounted his horse again and rode off with his brother to see daddy dearest and tell him all about their 'secret errand'.

Elanor was still lying on the ground rather dazed. Pippin was still leaning over her. The other hobbits were snickering. Lila was looking extremely joyful for Frodo who was now silently laughing was facing her with his back to the one near-dead hobbit and the other overly concerned hobbit. Luthien sighed and lifted Elanor to her feet. She ignored Elanor's fake cries of pain and led her off towards the house of Elrond. The others followed.

'Elrond's gonna summon them all to him anyway,' she explained to Elanor, whispering, 'and besides, Lego-'

She stopped abruptly. Luthien thought she had some sort of psychic power or something that kicked in whenever she really really wanted to find Legolas because he'd suddenly appear, shining in his elfish way. He really was beautiful.

'Telekinesis...' she muttered to herself happily.

Elanor cocked her eyebrow. 'You are definitely not a psychic, for one thing, you have a stick that you use to change the TV channel when you can't be stuffed getting up,' she said, shaking her head.

'Yes, well,' Luthien said, trying to think Elanor away from her, 'at least I'm not into short hairy little people,' she said hotly. Her pride had been insulted. She was telekinetic.

Elanor's face suddenly became dark and clouded. 'What-did-you-say!' she demanded, throwing her apple (an angry hobbit custom) on the ground.

'You're gonna take that the wrong way, aren't you?' Luthien lashed back.

'You suck!' Elanor yelled, answering Luthien's question.

Oh God, Luthien thought, stupid stupid Elanor and her stupid dumb...ness. Damn her! She's going to make a big scene in front of my princey bow boy. Damn her!

'Elanor,' she hissed, 'you're making a scene-'

'Oh so now I'm making a scene am I? I'm making a scene. All by myself. You couldn't possibly be making a scene. You're too elf-ish and composed and…and prissy!' she added –half whispering, and covered her mouth, shocked by her own words.

'PRISSY!' Luthien bellowed, not looking the least bit composed now, 'Oh! It's on now!' she said and swung at Elanor. Unfortunately, as Elanor was practically half her height, she missed and spun around on the spot, only just dodging a kick aimed at her from Elanor. It actually looked quite cool and rehearsed to the innocent onlookers, like the sort of synchronized moves they did in The Matrix, but Legolas and Rakael stepped in.

'What has overcome you both?' Legolas asked, reprimanding, looking from Luthien to Elanor.

Luthien shrank back under his disapproving glance.

Elanor mumbled something inaudible.

Luthien smiled suddenly, it was a very stupid fight and a very stupid situation and it was basically altogether messed up and she found the thought of all that highly amusing. Elanor began to giggle. 'You're not prissy,' she said holding out her hand to shake. 'And I'm sure you are amazingly telekinetic.'

'Hobbits are very cute and beautiful creatures,' Luthien said honestly.

And they shook hands.

Then Luthien remembered (how could she have forgotten!) that her love stood beside her and he was now looking doubtful about her sanity again. She swooned to cover it up.

And so they continued on to The House of Elrond, the hobbits with anticipation, while Elanor skipped and Luthien was thoroughly enjoying being carried by Legolas.

But for how long, she thought distantly, I wish he could hold me like this forevermore… it's such a shame that I can't see his fair face, but how often will I get the opportunity to have his arms wrapped around me… a lot, hopefully.

To her disappointment, however, she was then placed on a cover-less bed and she heard Legolas leave the room and Elanor's snicker as she sat down. Luthien knew her extremely caring friend had pulled up a chair next to the bed because she heard the legs drag across the floor followed by a bemused sigh which told her that Elanor was just above her left ear. 'Luthien, Luthien, Luthien…sigh' she said, very intelligently.

Luthien fakely fluttered her eyelashes and slowly opened her eyes.

'There's no need to put on that swoon-crap now, elf girl,' Elanor said, and Luthien obediently sat up happily on the bed. 'Lover boy had to go. He sends his deep concern to you though.'

'HE touched me!' Luthien cried with glee, a look of pure happiness on her face, 'he put his strong toned muscular loving beautiful arms around me and CARRIED me, please note, all the way here…oh, if only this room had been so much further away…' she sighed wistfully. Then she thought a little clearer, 'Where we?' (Well I did say 'a little').

'Elrond's healing room…' her friend said, her voice filled with evil happiness, 'as in, the lord of Rivendell is going to come in here soon and…heal you.' She said with a sinister smile.

'You are pure evil,' Luthien informed her with disgust, 'here I am, tired after fake swooning, and you mock me. Mock me with thoughts of what will happen when paedoelf comes in to-' (she shuddered) '-heal me.'

'Hey I stayed with you didn't I? Even though I knew you were just faking. I could've gone off with my Pippin-'

'Shh,' Luthien interrupted, 'Did you just hear something?' she said, frowning.

'You forget, oh elfish one, that I don't have your superman hearing powers.'

'Oh no!' her friend's fair face fell, 'He's coming. Quick!' she hissed at Elanor, 'Barr the door!'

'Aye aye cap'n!' Elanor said, saluting her, and obediently throwing her back against the door. 'I'll fend 'im off with the strength of twenty me-'

The door swiftly opened and Elanor was swiftly knocked into the wall along with it. Luthien and Elrond stared down at the dizzy little hobbit who was now singing 'The Hobbit Song'. She seemed to be accompanied by a triangle.

'We must place her on the bed,' Luthien said, pretending to be completely concerned about her slightly-more-out-of-it-than-usual friend, 'She may have a concussion. Your son Elrohir had the misfortune earlier to knock her down with his horse. And now this...' she said, her eyes filling with tears. They were only for show of course. Luthien knew Elanor would be quite all right after a little nap. For now, however, she had to concentrate on the Most Important Thing: getting away from Elrond and his healing hands as soon as possible.

Elrond gently and easily lifted poor muddled Elanor from the ground and placed her on the bed. Luthien now sat in the chair with her head cocked to the side and looking down at her friend in a caring sort of way. She really did feel sorry for Elanor and right now she felt a great rush of gratitude toward her, for she had unknowingly just gotten Luthien out of a very tight situation.

Poor Elrond put his hand to Elanor's forehead and sighed with relief. 'She will be well soon,' he said to Luthien, 'in fact she may even be up in time for supper. But for now we must let her rest a while. No doubt she will be glad for it when her strength is returned to her and she is able to fill herself heartily again.'

Luthien pretended to sniffle. Now Elrond's attention had been brought back to her and he said, 'Alas, it was for you that I was called here, patiently you have waited and I had forgotten for a time the reason of my business here. Speak now, Luthien the veiled, of what doth ail thee.'

'I assure you I am no longer troubled,' she replied, insistently, 'It was but a brief fainting spell which does sometimes overcome me when I have not eaten.'

He looked at her closely and she smiled reassuringly. 'You say this occurs often?' he persisted.

Damn those stupid question answers. I am so close…and yet so far…

'Er, as I have already told you, it will only happen if caused by lack of food. Through no fault of your own, kind and wise Lord Elrond,' she added hastily, 'it was silly of me to miss breakfast.'

He nodded, frowning, 'and why did you skip breakfast, Luthien? Were you not hungry?'

'I was preoccupied,' she replied, wondering what she was meant to have been preoccupied with.

'In future then, I ask you always to eat well before starting the day frolicking about the peaceful woods of Rivendell with friends.'

'Your wish be granted,' she said relieved, 'but come, you must now see Frodo and give him council. I have delayed you long enough.'

'It is true that I must speak with the brave halflings from the Shire. Gandalf also must be present. There is much work ahead of us. Though in the midst of all this I have not forgotten your request to travel to Minas Tirith to your friend, and now I feel I must urge you to stay.'

'I would love to serve thee and grant this last request as a small repayment for your generosity, Lord,' she said, though she did not mean a word of it, 'but for Aquaphilos to send word to me from so far, I fear her invitation to be perilous and its need be urgently answered. What it is she wishes me to do for her, I cannot guess, but my heart tells me I must go to her as soon as I can – to wait even a month later would cause grief and suffering for her kingdom, I fear.'

'In seven days a fellowship of nine will set out on the most dangerous and secret quest ever to be seen in Middle Earth,' he said gravely, 'You have a stout heart and a clear mind, Luthien, I do not think your travelling with the fellowship would be a hinderage against them. There will be nine to journey on this quest, set against the nine nazgul.'

'I do not wish to take the place of any that are more worthy of such a quest, but instead I ask that I may travel by them, not straying far and without being always under their command. I could act as a scout if need be, and we should alert one another of danger - a constant threat that will make the secrecy of this journey slow and wearisome.'

'Then it shall be so. I shall tell the members of this fellowship -where the lives of us all now rest in their hands- that you have requested to journey near them and will lend your help to them as much and often as they need it. Luthien,' he sighed sadly, 'it will be a long and perilous road ahead – the shadow has now stretched so far that I cannot foresee much of the danger that lies ahead of you, but I ask you now to go forth with a stout heart and say that if you stay true to the fellowship, then you need not fear its failing.'

'Thankyou,' Luthien said, choking back tears that threatened to fall silently down her cheeks. She had remembered Boromir was going to die and realised that she should not interfere with this or the story would not be the same. 'When I try to leave Elanor will follow me, would it not be better if she came along too?'

Elrond shook his head. 'She does not understand the danger that lies before her, if she did, she would not dare to go,' he replied.

'But none who go can fully understand the great peril ahead of us,' Luthien argued, remembering what Gandalf had said to convince him to let Merry and Pippin go along, 'and even if Elanor did, she would still wish to go and be shamed and unhappy. Her friendship will be the best asset to offer to this fellowship. United we can stand but divided we will fall.'

'Let it be so then' he sighed, 'perhaps you are right, and Lila Brandybuck could be sent back to the Shire as a messenger instead.'

'I cannot answer for her,' Luthien said, wondering if it would change everything in the Shire if Lila became a messenger from Rivendell, 'but she too has a great heart and is a fit and capable traveller. I thank you greatly for all that you have done for us Lord Elrond, and hope someday to repay my debt to you.'

Just then, Elanor stirred and muttered something about Subway burgers, and Luthien soothed her and explained to Elrond that she often spoke this sort of nonsense and that Elanor was probably getting her appetite back again.

'That is well,' he replied and said a courteous goodbye.

'Faretheewell, Elrond the wise, I shall speak with thee ere our departure,' she said, noting to herself that when she did speak with him it would be in a room crowded with people.

He bowed and swept out of the room and along a corridor, and Luthien was quite content.