Disclaimer: I hold no claims to the original LOTR cast (Holly and Rachel are mine)

A/N: No flames



Time: Mixed Blood



Legolas stood in the corner of Rachel's room, looking at the stars above his head. He hadn't even moved when Holly rushed through the door.

"You should rest as well, Legolas. Rachel will awake soon," Galadriel repeated. Legolas' ear twitched slightly. He didn't like when people lied.

"She wasn't breathing," he said simply. Lady Galadriel smiled faintly and spoke to the elf in his mind.

"I promise she'll awake. Leave us and Ill tend to her wounds."

Legolas stared at the elf, but left out of respect, although he was barely able to stand from worry. He had known Rachel for no more than month and already, his heart ached when she wasn't near him, but his soul soared when she smiled, which was rare. He paced in front of the door and Aragorn walked to him.

"What is wrong, my friend?" he asked. Legolas was normally very composed, but he seemed a nervous wreck.

Ã'I fear for Rachel's life, if there is stills a life to save. The Lady of the Wood herself is caring for her," Legolas explained. Aragorn nodded in concern and waited patiently with his elven friend by the door.

"Ambar elle elvea. Eruseen. Esse Aini elda! Elentari!" Galadriel yelled, slicing her arm with a small dagger she carried wherever she went. Gasping for breath, for the spell she had performed was nearly unheard of, but not evil, she cut the side of Rachel's arm and pushed their blood together. A searing pain overtook both of them, in the pulling away from death and in the reality of life. Both, although Rachel was still unconscious but very much alive now, were exhausted. Galadriel prayed for the woman's safety for a few moments as she regained her strength and soon left the room as sunset crept upon her.

Legolas and Aragorn, along with the rest of the Fellowship and Holly, who decided to wait with them, leaped to their feet or were jerked awake.

"Is she al right?" Legolas asked desperately. Galadriel smiled, peering into the elf's mind, seeing why he was so distraught when even he did not yet realize.

"She will be fine, but it will be many hours before she..."

Galadriel stopped in the middle of her sentence as Rachel stumbled out of her room, yawning and without any clue as to the ten people staring at her. Without saying a word, Rachel grabbed her bag and realized that her bag didn't have Holly's brush in it.

"God damnit." she mumbled, dragging herself to Holly's bag. She reached in and snatched up the brush, walking back to her room, grumbling. Nobody moved.

"Well...That was awkward!" Merry said. Holly just stared after her friend and then laughed.

"She never has been one for rest!" Holly giggled, completely light-hearted now and not a stitch worried about Rachel. Legolas wasn't listening to the buzz of cheery conversation around him. He ran into Rachel's room and saw her sitting on the bed. His breath caught in his throat.

"Yes?" Rachel said, fully aware of Legolas standing before her. She took her hair down, which had been in a braid for nearly a month without washing (she thought survival was more important than clean hair) and began to brush it, realizing that it was in perfect health with perfect shine and absolutely no dirt or oil in it like it should have had. "That's odd," she pondered, but slowly shook it off, deciding that Galadriel had done something to it.

Legolas watched her in fascination. Rachel's hair, curled from the braid she had been with for so long, fell, sunset blonde, to her legs. Legolas never knew her hair was so long and beautiful and his heart skipped, watching her brush it softly.

"I just...wanted to know that your wounds were healing," he stuttered clumsily. He was extremely out of character and very uncomfortable.

"I'm fine! Look! Not a wound on my body," she said happily, lifting her shirt slightly to show him where her gash had been. She figured she had been asleep for a long time: a week maybe. Legolas gulped and turn a very slight shade of pink that Rachel saw clear as day in the failing sunlight. For some reason, she could hear his heartbeat, which was going on the fritz, but decided it was just the medicine the elves must have given her. Resuming her brushing, Rachel realized it was the move she used to lure Jake in...Bad thoughts, but good memories. Noticing what she was doing, she

put the brush down and started rooting through Holly's bag. The girl always had a mint or two lying around...wait a sec.

"Where are my regular clothes?" she asked, a little less happy now. Legolas remembered when the elves of Lorien tossed her old clothes away, for they were bloody and torn and of no use, and dressed her in a white night gown. Rachel realized it too. She became very uncomfortable (it had been nearly ten years since she wore a dress) and began fidgeting.

"They were useless," Legolas replied.

"But they were my clothes! Ooh! Now that pisses me off! Can't they just wash them and give them back to me?" she roared. Rachel stopped, took a long breath, smiled, and walked back to her bed. She didn't want to draw a crowd.

"I'll be sure to tell Lady Galadriel that," said a voice from the door. Haldir walked in and Rachel would have shot him if she had her guns with her. That insult he laid on her in the forest was still fresh in her mind and if he hadn't helped her out, he would be dead.

"What did you do with my clothes?" Rachel asked with a twinge of anger. Haldir didn't pay attention to her, but instead told Legolas to rest with the others in Elvish.

"The Lady would like to speak with you in her chambers. Come with me," Haldir said bitterly. He obviously didn't like Rachel much in return. The two of them climbed the staircases to the top of the largest tree in Lorien, where Galadriel was waiting.

"Rachel, welcome!" she said, standing at the doorway. Rachel nodded her head and noticed that Haldir had already left them alone.

"You wanted to speak with me?"

"I've passed the test and will diminish. I've chosen you to have my immortality."

Rachel didn't really register the second sentence, but realized that Frodo had already seen into the mirror and offered the Ring to Galadriel. When the next thing hit her, she stepped back and nearly fell down the stairs and would have if not for an amazing feat of balance.

"You can't do that!" she retorted lamely. Galadriel actually laughed and Rachel noticed that she didn't seem as graceful or restless anymore. Rachel heard her heartbeat, a little bit faster than it was earlier, she was sure of, but didn't want to say a word.

"But I can and only once. You are now an elf, Rachel and I will not be. How else would all your wounds be gone within two hours? You're my daughter now," Galadriel said warmly. Rachel wanted to scream at her, found that she couldn't.

"Two hours? I would have had to sleep for nearly a week! Even elves don't heal that quickly!" Rachel retorted. Galadriel giggled and sat down on a small stool.

"You were already dead when Legolas carried you here. Your life was renewed at the price of my own," Galadriel said, intimidation in her eyes. Rachel looked away.

"How would I be any different or more important to the Fellowship if I were an elf? I don't deserve this!" she yelled guiltily. Now, if she failed, she'd have more grief than ever before and a lot more time to grieve.

"Rachel, to the elves you will be considered Elentari. I've already sent messengers to the elven cities to alert them of you. They will help you if ever you need assistance."

Rachel knew the name Elentari. It was the name of another high elf and Rachel didn't like being called something she wasn't and she definitely wasn't a "Star-Queen." She stepped forward to argue, but Galadriel stopped her and told her to follow her into another room. Rachel nearly fell over. In the room was a piano. She hadn't been able to play for over a month now and she was desperate to play.

"I have not played for over two thousand years and it seems I have forgotten how to. Please, you may play this if you want to. I believe it soothes you?" she asked, obviously having been in Rachel's mind. Rachel nodded and sat down on the piano bench, fearing how out of tune the instrument would be, but then, playing the scale of C, realize it was in better shape than the one she had at home. Galadriel watched and nearly marveled as Rachel began to play Fur Elise. Sarabonde. Canon in D. Preludes. Moonlight Sonata. Anything she could think of she played. She even played a piece that she composed in high school. She played other unknown pieces such as Fantasia, Apoche, Mermen, Waltz in E Minor and so forth. She played for hours on end and knew that she had an audience below her because the piano rang throughout the wood, filling every gap. When she was finished and could only play Christmas songs, she played Christmas songs. Finally, she had nothing else to make music from. She stood up and turned to see Galadriel, Haldir, Celeborne, and few elven warriors standing behind them.

"We've never heard such music!" Haldir shouted in awe. Rachel remembered something about the elves. They had created every song known to man with every rhythm and every melody. Rachel had obviously introduced them to some new rhythms and melodies...not to mention a few harmonies.

"Amazing," said a warrior. He had nearly dropped his bow. Galadriel just smiled and stepped forward.

"See? You create music we've never heard. You truly are and elf and now you are my daughter."

"I realize that, but I don't deserve it. Why me instead of Holly or Aragorn? They would surely create wonderful elves," Rachel complained. Celeborne spoke this time.

"It is because you would never have wished such a thing. You don't believe you should have the privilege of being an elf, which you are sadly mistaken. That is why you have become one," he told her wisely. Rachel, again, wanted to burst out, but decided against it.

"You must sleep and be ready for your journey in the morning. I will give you clothes to wear," Haldir said. Rachel then remembered her original complaint.

"Yeah, by the way. What did you do with my clothes?" Rachel asked, a little bit more mellow now.

"We discarded them. They were of no use anymore," Haldir said. Rachel looked at him and growled, to everyone's surprise.

"I wasn't asking you, Haldir, so if you don't mind I already know my way back down the stairs," Rachel said coldly. Haldir looked at his leaders and they told him to lead his elves back down to their stations.

"I've discarded them," said Galadriel. Rachel nearly killed something. Her combat clothes and her dog tags were just about all she had left of her men. Remembering her tags, she reached frantically at her throat and sighed in relief when she found the steel still hanging around her neck.

"Why?"

"I know they were precious to you, but they served no purpose. They were slashed and torn and doused in your blood," Celeborne explained. Rachel nodded and sighed heavily. Galadriel tilted her head sleepily and Celeborne watched.

"Now, Rachel, I'm going to sleep for the first time. Please, if you know your way, return to your own rooms and I'll make sure to have clothes for you by morning," Galadriel said, nearly nodding off to sleep. She and Celeborne walked back to their bedchambers and before they closed the door, Galadriel said in a soft voice that Rachel could not hear, "Good night, Elentari."