Okay, so I was getting back on my feet here! It was a slow process, but once the orc poison was out of my system, my health improved rapidly. And hey, I WAS back in Rivendell and everything was hunky dory as far as I was concerned.

Yep, everything was just fine.

Everything was great.

Terrific.........I wanted my kitty!!!

Am I being childish? You guys, she was over 8 years old. We had been buds, well, for eight years. And I loved her dearly.

I had been back for almost two weeks. I was sitting in the library, working on translating a Second Age journal of some elf who had lived in Beleriand. It was my first day back to work.

My head ached, so I took a break from trying to untangle some very stylized Tengwar script. I leaned my cheek on my hand and looked out the window where a tulip tree was just beginning to show its purple blooms.

Lord Elrond walked into my view as he went to a shelf and pulled out an old volume.

"Marie, how is the translating coming along?"

I sat up straighter with a sigh. "Fine. Well," I rubbed my forehead tiredly, "actually Adhel's handwriting is a bit crabbed and hard to read."

Elrond picked up the journal and looked at it a moment, a smile slowly blooming on his face. "Yes, I can see the trouble here, Marie. He makes unnecessary flourishes at the end of his nouns." He lay the journal back in front of me, adding, "A typical Second Age affectation, I am afraid."

Nodding, I sat there, thinking about Ivy. My kitty.

"What troubles you, Marie?"

I looked up at him, sighing heavily. "I am thinking of my cat. I miss her. I feel so guilty about bringing her here. I thought it would be better than leaving her back in my world, alone."

He put a hand on my head. "I sent out riders two days ago. Marie. Hopefully, in a few days, I will find out what is happening, and perhaps they will bring back your Ivy."

"Ohh, I hope so!" I grinned up at him and rubbing my eyes one more time, I returned to work. Elrond went off to another part of the library.

As I returned to reading the fancy script, I began to feel a pressure. Not in my head, not in my back. Just a....pressure to get up and leave. So, I set down my quill, stoppered my jar of ink and left. Did not say a word to Lord Elrond, either.

It was the most unusual feeling and hard to describe. Like a compulsion, but it also felt physical. It was very strange.

I limped down the corridor with my crutches and went into Lord Elrond's study. What did I need in here? I knew where the elf lord was, and it wasn't here.

I went to the bookshelf behind his desk and pulled out one of his older journals. I opened it and found myself reading the pages carefully, as if looking for something. I shook my head and put the journal down. No, no, I shouldn't be doing this. This was none of my business.

The compulsion began to make my head hurt. Suddenly, from outside the terrace door, I heard laughter. I shook my head and went towards the merriment. What I saw made me laugh too.

An intrepid hummingbird was weaving a nest in a branch of a willow hanging near the balustrade. The busy nest builder had a mouth full of I am not sure, dandelion fluff? Something that looked like the stuffing from a pillow. And it made the tiny bird look as if he was sprouting a beard.

I leaned my head on the cool glass and saw the elf laughing was Glorfindel. He turned to cross the terrace once the bird had darted off for more nesting material.

Still smiling, I turned back to the study and then found myself facing Dalmiel. He looked strange. His face was creased with pain or worry. I went up to him. "Dalmiel? Are you looking for Lord Elrond? He is in the library."

"I am, no, I am not looking for him." He rubbed his forehead. I just watched his strange behavior and then, he looked at me, his eyes seemed to glow slightly. But maybe that was just from the light outside. Nevertheless, I found myself staring back. He came closer to me and his eyes just seem to get bigger. It was weird

It was very weird. He reached out and touched the healing scars on my face, I felt a very unpleasant shock go through me. I vaguely heard the terrace door behind us open and then suddenly, the little hummingbird was zipping around us, possibly attracted to the scented lotion I used.

Dalmiel, startled, tried brushing away the darting bird, but it was very fast. Ducking, I tried hard to keep my balance, but the dive-bombing little nitwit kept at it. And thump, I hit the floor inelegantly. It made my ankle twinge, but I started laughing as I saw the bird flying about Dalmiel's head. With a very quick drop, it pulled at a few strand's of Dalmiel's hair and yanking them free, he took off out the door.

"Persistent little devil wasn't he?" I said with a chuckle.

Glorfindel, who had opened the door, helped me up. Dalmiel, brought a hand to his head, his expression tightlipped. He bowed slightly to the blond elf and then, giving me a confused look, left the study.

As Glorfindel helped me get my balance on the crutches, he was still smiling. "Hummingbirds are very territorial, especially when nesting, " I explained. "The little guy probably felt we were all getting too close to his home."

"I imagine so. Lord Elrond had to persuade another very determined hummingbird that one of the tapestries in the dining hall was NOT the perfect place to raise a family."

"That must have been fun to watch him trying to chase the little bird away."

"It was. Lord Elrond, reaching for the rod upon which the tapestry hung, mis-judged his reach, and fell."

I started laughing again.

Lord Elrond entered the study at that moment, looking at both of us quizzically. "What do you find so amusing?"

I started to say, but Glorfindel put a hand to my shoulder and I remained silent. "Nothing much. Um, a little hummingbird came in here and attacked both Dalmiel and I."

"I see." He looked at me closely and then and an eyebrow went up as he tilted his head. A quick glance to Glorfindel and then he said, moving to sit at his desk. "Is there something I can do for you, Marie?"

I shrugged. "No, I am all right." I blinked a few times and realized I couldn't remember what I had come into the study for.

With a smile for both elf lords, I adjusted myself on my crutches and stumped my way out of the study. Glorfindel held open the door for me.

I went back own the hall slowly. Trust me, the last half an hour had confuzzled me completely. I felt I was missing something, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure it out.

Tired suddenly, I went over to a bench against the balustrade. At this point, a stream fell with a rush to rocks a good twenty feet below where I sat. But the mist was refreshing. Sighing, I stared down at the embroidery on my long green dress. It was lighter green thread in a tight leaf pattern. I think the design was based on willow leaves. Sightlessly I let the pattern fill my mind. I leaned back against the cool stone behind me and closed my eyes. Faint singing rose above the sound of the water, heartbreaking in it's beauty.

At that moment, I was so thankful to be back in Rivendell, the sound of the water, the music rising like a blessing in the air around me.

Oh, if my Ivy could only be here!

When I finally rose, I felt very rested and I hadn't even slept! I looked up at the thin wisps of cloud streaming over the edges of the Misty Mountains. I took a deep breath and let the magic of the place soak into me.

I made my slow way back to the library and cleaned up my earlier work, carefully marking where I had been.

Putting the journal back, I stopped a moment and a shiver went up my spine. There was something about this book...then I suddenly remembered what I had been doing in Elrond's study.

Snooping, that's what.

Why in heaven's name had I done that? I mean, I could just ask the elf lord.

I sat on a chair and looked down at my writing materials. What would I have been looking for?

Shaking my head at my own inexplicable idiocy, I gathered up my things and put them in the drawer beneath the table. Picking up my crutches, I went back to my room to freshen up for supper.

Just must be some hang over from the orc poison.

But later that night, I was sitting in my room, doodling in this journal, when I realized I had felt a-a need to go to Elrond's study. To find some information.

But I could not, for the life of me remember what exactly and why.

And Dalmiel? He had been in there too. Was he hunting something as

well?

Perhaps we both had needed some remedy for our headaches or something.

But no, that wasn't it. I stood up and got my crutches. I went out into the corridor. Most elves were in the Hall of Fire and I only passed a few, singing in groups. There was some dancing going on the large lawn to the south of the Main House, but though I usually stopped to admire the dancers beautiful grace, I moved on.

I went back into the library again, but not to do translating. I lit a branch of candles and awkwardly hopped with it, the flames wiggling weirdly on the walls, shelves and books. I headed to a small room off the main library.

This was a room I usually was allowed in only with Elrond or Erestor, someone like that. It was hardly a place I had any need to visit. In this small room were very ancient scrolls. Some going back to the very earliest years of the First Age. There were works of the Dark Lord here that had been salvaged from Iluvatar only knew where. I could not read the Black Speech, but I found myself going to the dark wooden chest wherein they lay.

I put the candles down on a small table nearby. Leaning over, I reached out to it. But I struggled with myself. I couldn't do this! Lord Elrond had said there were spells and tricky locks on the chest to repulse any unwanted tampering. But,...my hand got closer to the clasp, which began to sparkle with a strange acid green light.

I pulled my hand back harder, but I watched, mouth open, as my hand of it's own accord reached the wooden lid.

ZAPPPPP! My hand was burned by a flash of light. I jerked my arm back and fell on the floor. I sucked my burnt fingers and then I awkwardly got up. I hesitated not a moment and stumped my way out of the library trying to hurry back to my room.

For once, I wished I had a door I could close. I flopped on my bed and sucked my fingers. I held it out to the nearby candle light and winced at the angry red color. Thankfully there were no blisters, or anything else. I limped to my bathroom and sighed as cold mountain stream water washed over my burned skin.

Why was I doing these things? Had I gone nuts? Had the orcs done something weird to me with their poison? What was going on? And Dalmiel and his...weirdness?

Sighing, I decided it was time for bed. I saw that my helpful goblet from the elf lord stood next to my vase of early lilacs. About to take it, Dalmiel came in my room and stood before me. Once again his eyes were doing that strange inner light thing. He pulled me up off my bed and said, his voice a dry rasp, "Come, we need to go somewhere. We have not finished our business."

"Business? No, no I don't think so. I cannot go, I-I..." We had gone outside and though I wanted to struggle, I let him lead me on.

We got to the stairs and I had to slow down. Stairs were still tricky for me. As we went down very carefully, a chorus of bullfrogs began their nightly calls from a nearby pond covered with a variety of water lilies, whose fragrance filled the air around us.

Once down the stairs, I noticed the moonlight glimmered on the nearby pond. I stopped to adjust the crutches under my arms and then, just as I was about to walk on, a large frog jumped in front of me, startling me. I moved back, slipped on the damp grass and fell into the pond. My crutches floated away from me as I tried to get my self out of the water. It was darn cold and as I awkwardly tried to get up, I noticed that Dalmiel just stood there.

"Help me please, Dalmiel! I don't have my crutches here!"

Shaking himself, he looked at me shocked and then immediately waded out to me and scooped me up and then let me down on the grass. Sure I had my balance, he left me and swiftly gathered up my crutches and then made sure I was able to stand. Shivering I just looked at him. "What just happened here Dalmiel? Why, um...where were we going?"

"We were, well, I guess we were just walking. It is a lovely night."

I nodded slowly and shivered. "Well I guess I better go back to my room. I'm a bit cold and wet right now."

"Oh, Marie. Of course."

I turned and went slowly back to my room., shivering hard.

Biting my lip, my spirit dropped like a rock. Since I had returned to Rivendell, I had been nothing but sick, miserable and....confused.

And Dalmiel was just making everything more tangled.