AN: I saw ROTK! It was so good!!!! Won't give anything away, but that's why I didn't update yesterday. I don't know when I'll be able to update next, holiday stuff, but I'll try to update soon. School is over!! Finals went okay, my English final really sucked, but oh well. Ooh, my friend played The Ketchup Song for me on Friday. It is a really cool song! I you haven't heard it, I suggest you find some way to listen to it. It's by Las Ketchup. This chapter is a bit different, it gets a bit philosophical.

Tamurl: She ages like a normal human, but she might seem a little immature at times. She hasn't really experienced anything normal adults do, so she doesn't act like you might expect an adult to act. I haven't decided if the violin playing is going to effect her physically or not, but I don't think it will.

breeNbloom: Hope your finals went well! Have you seen ROTK yet? Sucks that your cousins went without you; I too had to wait to see it, but all my friends did too. Stupid exams.

WeasleyTwinsLover1112: Welcome back! How did you survive two months without the net? I think I'd go crazy! I need my HP and LOTR news! Though I suppose if JKR announced a date for the 6th book it would be in the newspaper, but still...

Disclaimer: Same as usual, I don't own anything that has to do with Middle-Earth. Oh, and one particular phrase belongs to JK Rowling. You'll know it when you see it (if you've read Harry Potter).

Enjoy...

"English talking"
'thinking'
~Galadriel mind-speaking~
*Elvish talking*

Verdi stood in front of a mirror in the large public meeting area, looking at her reflection. It wasn't often that she stopped to contemplate her appearance, but after the humorous morning, her day taken a placid turn. She let her gaze sweep across her body. First she examined her head: her light brown hair, straight and long in the typical elven braids, her dark brown eyes, thoughtful and scrutinizing today, her eyebrows, a bit darker than her hair but normal in appearance, her round, human ears and her proud nose. She eyes fell to the green tunic she wore, which almost totally hid her small breasts, her arms, tanned but still not very dark, finely toned by her workouts with Haldir. Her fingers were long and graceful, the nails short and the pads callused. The top of her right hand showed a small scar, the result of a sword fight gone awry. Her stomach flat, her hips small and her legs in their brown leggings were all muscle; she would never be curvy but she was in fine shape. She was still short, not petite but just below the average height. Verdi looked back at her face, staring into her own eyes, scrutinizing herself. The meeting with the Mirkwood elves a few days prior still weighing on her mind.

This was how Haldir found her; he came unnoticed to stand behind her, slightly to the right. *What are you thinking about, or are you just admiring yourself?*

Verdi looked at Haldir in the mirror, smiling slightly, *Nothing, really, just, I don't know. Just thinking.*

*It is getting late, you should rest.*

*I know,* Verdi turned around to face Haldir, *Mars is bright tonight.*

Haldir raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

*Back home, Mars was the Roman god of war, and a planet, the fourth from the sun. Earth was the third.*

*Roman?* Haldir asked, curious but not wanting to intrude. Verdi had never really said much about her old life or the ways of her people. The elves had respected her privacy and did not pry, though if something was brought up they were often quick to question.

*There were many religions back home, some with one deity, some with many. The Romans and the Greeks pretty much had the same gods and goddesses, just different names. I don't know if many people still believe in them now, but long ago it was a major religion. Apollo was the god of music.* Verdi's voice trailed off, thinking about her own music, and what it could do.

Haldir put a hand on her shoulder, *I shall see you in the morning.* He turned and walked away.

Verdi watched him leave, still thinking. *Haldir,* she said softly, almost tentatively; he stopped in the doorway and turned around. Verdi looked at him, unsure of what to say, part of her wanted to talk to him, part of her didn't. There was a long pause, *Good night.*

Haldir nodded and left, Verdi turned once more to the mirror. "I don't know anymore."

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An hour later, Verdi lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was dark, it was late, but she could not sleep. She kept thinking about that evening when she play Iuarlin for the elves. She was facing a major ethical dilemma. With that violin, she could theoretically control people. Already she had made them feel happy, feel sad, feel loved. If she wanted, could she make them jump off a cliff or betray their friends? Was the violin that powerful? If it was, what was she to do? Could she ever play it again, knowing what it was doing to those around her? What had it already done? She had played it before, had she unknowningly played with the minds of others? With what she knew now, would she be tempted to use it to get her way? Verdi didn't know where to draw the line between the power of the song and the power of the instrument, if there was indeed such a line.

Possibilities sprouted in her mind, what one could do with such power, for both good and evil. Yet what one deemed good, often others deemed evil. What if it should fall into the wrong hands? Had it already fallen into the wrong hands? Was it good? Was it evil? How would she ever know, now, if what people did was of their own will, or because of her? Should she hide it, destroy it or continue using it? Did the elves even know about its power? Did they realize she had been manipulating them that Thursday night? Could she even tell them, or would they think she had been playing with them the whole time?

Verdi eventually fell into a restless sleep, only to wake the next morning no closer to an answer.

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*Tomorrow I have to go on patrol, a party from Imladris is expected to arrive soon. Orophin will be taking over your lessons until I return.* Haldir regularly had to go out to patrol the forest and usually one of his brothers would take his place. Verdi preferred Rumil, as he was more fun, but Haldir said that not much was ever accomplished when the two were paried. Verdi nodded, not really paying much attention for she still mulled over last nights thoughts.

*Haldir, can I ask you a question?* Verdi asked suddenly, as she laced up her soft boots. *If you had something that...that could control people's feelings, what would you do?* Haldir looked at her.

*Depends if it were good or evil.*

*What if it were neither?*

*I think, for me to answer that question properly, I need more information.* Verdi hesitated, then looked Haldir in the eye.

*I think my violin, my new one, can control people. Remember that meeting, the day the Mirkwood elves came and I played after dinner? I realized that if I played a sad song, you all became sad, if I played a happy song, you were joyful. At first I thought it was coincidence, but it happened everytime. Even if I played a song that I knew none of you had ever heard, you were still influenced by it.*

Haldir stared at Verdi, slowly absorbing this new information. He hadn't noticed any such manipulation upon himself, but then, would he? He thought about that night, he remembered her playing and it had sounded beautiful, as usual, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

*You don't believe me.* It was a statement, not a question. Verdi could see the doubt on his face.

*It is hard to believe. And yet, if what you say is true, would not Lady Galadriel know if such a thing was evil? She seems encourage you to play it, rather than have you destroy it.*

*That's what I thought, but maybe she is under its spell too.*

*But does it not only seem to work when you are playing it? If it is quiet, it has no power. And do you not choose the songs you play?* Verdi thought about this.

*Are you saying that it is like a bow and arrow. It is the use of it, not it itself that is good or evil.*

*Yes, should you use it for good, I do not think harm will come of it. Was it not made by an elf? It is not like the One Ring, I do not believe it has a will of its own.* Verdi looked relieved, and was eager to change the subject.

*I was wondering about that. Celeborn told me about the Ring when Elrond was here a while back, and I was thinking about it the other day. If this ring is so bad, why didn't Elrond just take the ring and throw it into the fire, in the first place? Or he could have just pushed Isildur into the volcano. Why did he just let the guy take the Ring and leave?*

*I do not know, for I am not Lord Elrond. Perhaps you should ask Lord Glorfindel. He is in the party from Imladris arriving shortly and he knows Elrond very well. If anyone can answer your question, it would be him.*

With that, the two set about the days lessons.

AN: The whole Mars thing was totally random. I know Verdi would not have seen Mars from Lórien, but I just felt like putting it in there. Verdi's question about Elrond and the Ring is one that has been bugging me for a long time. If anyone knows the answer, please tell me! If I could talk to Tolkien, I think that would be the first question I would ask. Oh, good poll. If you could ask Tolkien one question tomorrow, what would that question be?