The next morning, Luthien and Elanor met up and swapped stories of the night before. Luthien's tale was a little more interesting as she could actually remember what she'd been doing. Elanor was impressed. "You cheated on Legolas?"

"What?!" Luthien snapped out of her happy dream about what could have happened after Leggy had saved her.

"Well…um…that drunk guy and you. I just thought you only liked Legolas and well, you know, you said he was cute except a little tipsy and then YOU got sloshed- hahaha, isn't that a funny word? …Anyway…um…I need sleep."

"That," Luthien said with some disdain, "is apparent."

Just then, who should wander up to them but…LEGOLAS and he was good at that and he had the nicest smile and said in the most beautiful voice, and, oh look Lucy isn't typing any more so we don't have to hear about elfy boy's goodness until the Bold and the Beautiful is over.

So, Legolas appeared as he so conveniently tended to do, and he seemed to be in a cheerful morning kind of mood. He wasn't like Elanor, who hated mornings with a fierce passion, or like Luthien, who didn't mind mornings quite as much but did hate the sunshine. Legolas just loved being in Lothlorien and being awake and not being asleep, and okay, I think it is now clear that he was very amiable.

Luthien grinned at him radiantly, and instead of looking regal and smiling back sweetly as he usually did, he beamed at her.

Elanor scowled at both of them, her eyes dark and full of sleep.

'Passionfruit…' Luthien said in a dazed voice, still smiling.

Legolas seemed to be a little surprised at hearing this word once more. He really had no clue what it meant, though it certainly seemed to mean something to her.

Luthien seemed to realise this and changed the subject to that of the night before, "Master Greenleaf," she began formally – Elanor rolled her eyes, "I would like to thank you for your aid last night, I may not have been here today if not for you. You saved my life and I am eternally in your debt. If there were anything you ever want me to do for you, I would gladly do it. Anything." She added purposefully, and it seemed to the hot male elf that she had winked at him.

Perhaps he had been imagining it though, because the next moment Luthien was just looking serene and elfish. Then she flicked back her hair and tried to look sexy. Legolas blinked. Elanor sat down, put her head in her hands, and groaned loudly.

Legolas was distracted for a moment from Luthien, and looked downwards at the little hobbit. Luthien also glanced at the ground, her expression not quite so fond. 'Your friend does not seem to be herself this lovely morning,' Legolas said with a frown.

'No. She is a little out of sorts. Hobbits do not cope well with their drink, you know.'

'I did not know this.'

'Well…now you do.'

'Ah yes, Luthien, I came to meet you this morning as I wanted to speak with you…would you care to join me on a walk?'

'She bloody well would care,' Elanor snarled, looking up. 'She's meant to be hanging around with me today, and-' Luthien slapped her hand over Elanor's mouth and smiled forcefully at Legolas.

'I'd LOVE to walk with you,' she said, whacking Elanor.

Legolas smiled and walked out of the clearing they were standing in. Luthien skipped after him, waving at Elanor as she left.

Elanor pulled a chunk of grass out of the ground and threw it after her half-heartedly.

'So, my love,' Luthien said.

Legolas stopped walking and turned to look at her. 'I- I mean, so, my, isn't it a LOVELY morning? Wow, yes it is, the sun is shining so shinily, and I didn't actually mean my love when I was talking to you. I wasn't calling you love or anything, not that you're not lovely, you are, I was commenting on the way the weather was today, but I wasn't calling you love…Legolas."

His eyebrows were, as always it seemed when Luthien opened her mouth, arched in confusion in a very handsome way.

"I love you. Marry me and be my Indian love slave," he said to her in desperate, hungry passion. She couldn't say no to those eyes…

'Why, yes, YES!'

'You certainly are fond of meeting new people,' Legolas said, his voice even more confused.

'Um. You did say something about Indian love slaves, did you not?' Luthien said hopefully.

'I asked if you would like to meet some of my kin who are staying in this realm for a short time,' Legolas said patiently.

'Ah. Yes. Indian love slaves…a term used by the merpeople- you remember Aquaphilos?' Luthien said hurriedly. Legolas, who had an impeccable memory, nodded. She slightly altered the words to make them sound authentic, 'Yes…um, 'Indern love slayb' is a phrase they use to describe someone they haven't met before but are really wanting to. I, um, would really like to meet your kin. They're probably as hot as you. I mean, no! They could never be as hot as you, I mean, wait, oh, WOW, look!'

Legolas looked up, saw the trees, and looked back at Luthien, his brow knotted in confusion. Then she did the stupidest thing one could do in such a situation: She kissed him and then looked very happy and then looked very surprised and then ran away in panic. "My mouth slipped!" she yelled out apologetically over her shoulder.

'Elanor!' Luthien shrieked. 'ELANOR!'

Elanor, who was lying on her back under a tree with her eyes shut, stirred as Luthien came skidding through the trees. 'What on middle earth-'

'I kissed him!' Luthien wailed. 'I- I- wow, I kissed him. Mmm. Nice. Legolas flavour. No! We must not get carried away! This is a crisis!' She frowned at Elanor, who was rolling about on the grass laughing hysterically. 'This is not a time for such frivolity,' she said sternly.

'No…' Elanor hiccupped happily. 'What happened?'

Luthien told her frantically, occasionally biting her nails and looking around to see if Legolas was coming back.

'This isn't good,' Elanor said sadly, only a hint of grin on her lips. 'You seem to have progressed to full on hallucinations.'

Luthien was about to answer back in a rather more vulgar manner when Legolas came quickly and silently rushing through the trees after her. He saw them and stopped. His expression was a mask and for a moment neither of them said a word. Then Elanor spoke, "Erm…yes…Legolas, ah, you see, Luthien has not quite been herself lately. She has had the same impulse with an elf last night. We fear she may be under some kind of spell."

Luthien stared at her comically and then nodded to Legolas, trying to look as earnest as possible.

Legolas looked sceptical.

Luthien added, drawing on her acting skills, "I…I don't know what's wrong with me…I'm so sorry…" and she pretended to cry, softly and maidenly.

Legolas' hard expression softened and he came to stand beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I will help you." He said, in such a dreamy way that Luthien wanted to kiss him again.

Elanor nodded enthusiastically. 'She needs a lot of help.'

Luthien looked up at her warningly, her eyes saying clearly SHUT UP! SHUT UP!

Elanor shut up and tried to look supportive.

'How long have you been having these odd spells?' Legolas asked her in a caring sort of voice. Luthien was sure that he loved her, but she decided to play it cool and not let her feelings make her do something crazy again.

'I do not know when first these spells began but it seems that every time I get close to a man…or elf, I feel compelled to…to, fall in love with them. Some witch's idea of an amusing gift, I'm sure. When I was born, centuries ago, there were all manner of folk present at the ball in my honour and a witch presented me with a gift but we knew not what it was, for she would not utter it aloud…"Luthien confused herself with her constant stream of lies about her past but The Hot One seemed to buy it.

"There was a ball?' he asked intrigued, "You are of royal blood then?"

"Erm...well, this is kind of embarrassing, but… I don't exactly know." She did a cute pouty thing that she'd learned to do in a Cosmo magazine article called Pout for the lout.

Elanor, who had been listening to the whole thing interestedly, sighed to herself. Luthien had a past and a love who she had kissed- even if he thought she was insane when she had done so, and now she was pouting at him in a very pouty fashion which was sure to win him over. Damn her and her poutiness, Elanor thought. She herself never could pout properly without looking really grumpy.

Anyway.

Legolas smiled in an understanding kind of way. 'There are many who are not entirely sure of their bloodline, Luthien. It is nothing to be ashamed of.'

Luthien smiled up at him with watery eyes.

Elanor could tell that her friend was restraining herself, and doing a mighty good job of it at that.

'Perhaps we should be apart from one another's company for the time being, Master Greenleaf?' Luthien said poutily and her words had the desired effect.

'Lady Luthien, it is my wish that you not feel awkward around me because of this…"

'Nah. I think I'd have to agree with Luthien on that one-' Elanor started evilly, but Luthien spoke over her as if she had not noticed.

'-If that is your wish, Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood," she pouted, curtsied and glided off to Reuvean who had come up to meet her and was standing by the trunk of a nearby tree. They hugged in greeting and went off happily together. Legolas did not know where they were going but he felt surprisingly icy towards that Reuvean character. He looked down at Elanor, who was leaning against a tree trunk (the roots of the tree, anyway), and grinning at him smugly in a knowing kind of fashion. 'Ah, that Luthien. She's got so many elves chasing after her…' Elanor shook her head sadly. 'To win her heart they've really got to get in quick, you know.' She sauntered off after winking at Legolas.

He stared after the little hobbit lass. Upon leaving she had squished her face up at him most unusually. A hobbit custom, he supposed, and thought no more of it.

Elanor sat down next to Luthien at supper that evening and poked her friend in the stomach to get her attention. 'I believe I may have set Leggy on your trail. You owe me big, elf girl.'

'Ow,' Luthien responded to the jab, 'are you trying to make a point about my tummy, matey?' Then Elanor's last words sunk in, 'What? How?'

'Ah…'Elanor said enigmatically and sipped from her goblet, unfortunately dribbling it down her front, which didn't make her seem very mysterious anymore.

'Come on, come on' Luthien said impatiently, watching Elanor try to pat herself dry.

'WELL.' Elanor said, pausing for dramatic emphasis. 'I.' She stopped again. 'Hang on. I've forgotten what I was going to say…this slow talking is hard…anyway, well, Leggy was there, and I was there, and then you left with that hot elf guy, and you hugged him- what was with that anyway? And so then Legolas was watching like he wanted to shoot other elf guy-' Luthien's eyes lit up '-and then I said that you've got heaps of elves chasing after you and that if they want to win your heart they'd better get in quick.'

'Do I?'

'Do you what?'

'Have heaps of elves chasing after me? I mean, I knew I was tres beautiful, but-'

'Shut up. I was just saying that to make him think he doesn't have much time! Ah, yes, soon many little elf babies will be running around the woods of Lothlorien…'

Luthien wrinkled her nose. 'Euh. I think I shall just stick to trapping Legolas with my charms and him worshipping me as his sexy goddess who he yearns always to kiss…with passionfruit…'

Elanor stuck her hands on her hips. 'You must stop getting so caught up in these daydreams of yours. The point is you owe me.'

'Yes, yes.' Luthien said offhandedly. 'I shall trap Pippin in a sack and deliver him to your tree sometime soon…'

'Eeeeexcellent.' Elanor rubbed her hands together and bounced off.

Pippin was eating his dinner in a content manner, feeling sleepy. He liked it in Lothlorien. There was plenty of food and they didn't do much walking. Walking made him tired and hungry, and oh, how Pippin hated being hungry. He was surveying his food with a fuzzy feeling in his stomach- it truly was beautiful, this meal- when he heard a rustling sound in the bushes near him.

He drew his sword…well…his small dagger thing…and crept over towards the offending shrub, which had stopped moving.

He was about to swipe off a large chunk of leaves when Elanor bounced out from behind it, a few twigs caught in her tangle of hair.

'Oh! Hello Pippin! Fancy bumping into you here!'

Pippin didn't think it was at all odd that she had just appeared. She often did this, and as she was always doing something weird anyway, he had begun to think it was just her nature and that this kind of behaviour was normal (for her).

'Fancy,' he said, stuffing an apple thing into his mouth.

'I was just looking for something,' Elanor explained. 'You know.'

Pippin nodded, his cheeks bulging, although he didn't know.

Frodo came and sat by them, followed closely by Sam, Merry was there already, and they looked happier than they had in days. Indeed, Frodo looked a lot healthier for the sanctity that Lothlorien was, and it broke Elanor's hobbity heart to think of the horrible journey that lay ahead of him.

She sniffled and patted Frodo's little head sadly. He looked a little taken aback, but remembered that she was a different kind of hobbit from them. This sort of thing was to be ignored and taken in their stride. True, they didn't have a big stride, but that doesn't really matter in this context.

Pippin sat down on the grass and continued to eat his apple. Merry joined him with his own food, and Elanor plonked herself down next to Pippin. She slung her arm around Pippin's shoulder and was about to start reciting poetry when Luthien decided to make an entrance. She saw Elanor's 'poetry' face and saw Pippin looking a little worried, and realised that this was her time to pay Elanor back for her great kindness in making Legolas think that he had better propose quickly.

She wandered over, gave Elanor a silencing glance, and then ambled oh so casually past Pippin, 'accidentally' knocking him into Elanor.

Several hours later, when Pippin had recovered from choking on his apple and Elanor had been restrained from trying to punch Luthien ('I help you with elfy boy and all you can do is try to kill my love?!'), the fellowship were all fast asleep and dreaming, the stars twinkling in the sky visible through the gaps in the foliage above them, and Elanor was sitting up against a tree trunk scowling at Luthien, who was mumbling in her sleep.

'Grrrrrrr,' she growled.

Sensing danger, Luthien awoke, just as Elanor loomed over her purposefully holding a texta (from their bag). Too late, Elanor dropped her outstretched arm to her side and tried to look casual.

Just as Luthien was about to seek revenge on Elanor, Boromir awoke and said, "Can you not sleep, maidens? Truly, I find it hard to rest in this place, with its secrets and the mysterious elfwitch. Aye to be sure. Yar!" (Except of course the 'aye to be sure' and 'yar' part.)

"I was getting up anyway," Luthien grumbled and stalked off, leaving Boromir and Elanor alone.

"So…"Elanor said awkwardly, "Er, do you like…wars?"

Boromir looked taken aback.

Luthien swore quietly as she stubbed her toe on a tree root, "Stupid trees," she muttered. She stumbled into a clearing and sighted a figure, silhouetted against a tree. The person appeared to be deep in thought. They did not even seem to notice her approach and when they turned she could see their face clearly. "Greetings, Aragorn son of Arathorn," she said with a graceful curtsy, "I'm sorry if I intrude upon your solitude."

Aragorn put up a hand, "As a ranger, I have had more than my fair share of solitude, I am glad for your company."

Luthien nodded. 'I don't know how you do it really,' she said.

Aragorn raised his eyebrows at her questioningly. They were nice eyebrows really, now that Aragorn had washed himself. In fact, he was quite a hottie, Luthien thought, eyeing him. She sternly reminded herself that she was practically betrothed to a damn fine elf who was so lovely and, well, hot, that there wasn't really much point thinking about other people.

'I mean walking and…um…ranging…for so long by yourself,' she continued. 'I think I'd go a little bit insane.'

Luthien tripped over a root as she said this and growled as she straightened herself up.

Aragorn nodded thoughtfully, clearly thinking that she was already a little bit insane.

'Do you miss Arwen greatly?' Luthien asked in what would have been a very caring and inquisitive tone, had she not accidentally sneered when saying The Skank's name.

Aragorn didn't notice, as the mention of His Love's name, no matter how it was said, was enough to put him into a very brooding mood for long hours on end. He sighed in a very romantic and pathetic way.

Luthien rolled her eyes impatiently, but tried to make some sympathetic noises in the back of her throat. 'Yes, I understand how you feel. I too have been separated from my love many a time. We have always been apart for years at a time.'

Aragorn stared at her. 'You also have a betrothed one?' He finally had someone he could talk to, who felt the same way, someone who wouldn't just hear the word LOVE and recoil in fear!

'Er…in a way…' Luthien said, feeling a little scared about the way Aragorn was looking at her in such an eager way. 'However, I am not sure that he feels the same way about me as I do about him.' But by the time I'm finished with him… she thought sneakily.

Aragorn smiled. 'Love is strange thing,' he said thoughtfully.

Oh dear, Luthien thought. I seem to have awoken the sappy side of Aragorn.

'Anyway…" Luthien sought about for some distraction or change of topic, "Galadriel is as nice as I'd imagined her. Have you known her long?"

'I have indeed been a friend to the Lady of the Wood for many long years of my life,' he replied, "It was here that Arwen Undomiel and I were betrothed."

He went all dreamy again and Luthien gave up. She couldn't be bothered with such nonsense: love and its hang-ups. Well, except if it was her, that was okay. She bade him goodnight and left him to his stupid thoughts of Skank.