Tei searched through Rivendell for a place to rest, and found a balcony overlooking the waterfall and lake. Above him, Tei could spy the elves and dwarves moving about, getting acquainted to Rivendell. Tei sat on the pavement, leaning against a post, looking out on the waters. He munched on his lunch slowly, drifting into his day-dreams. It was at such times of the day that he would rest from the day's activity. Whiskers, Melina, and Paint took this time to snooze, enjoying the warmth of the sun upon their pelt.
Tei thoughts wandered to random things. From his adventures in Middle-Earth to reviewing the math concepts for the test he was suppose to be taking back in his school. His minds sorted out the events that would occur soon, and he figured that tonight, Boromir would meet Aragorn for the first time, and the pledging of an elven princess would occur tonight, binding her to a love that shall be her end.
"I do not believe I have seen you before." A voice came from Tei's right.
Tei turned, looking for the source, and found an elfling standing there. Judging from his size and the innocent smile on his face, Tei figured him to be a few hundred years old. He was drenched in sweat as he stood there, panting slightly. A bow he held in his right hand, his midday in his left. A quiver full of arrows was strapped to his back.
"I am to take refuge in The House of Elrond until further decisions are made for my fate. My name is Tei." Tei answered.
"I am Urendir." The elf smiled. "Would you be bothered should I share a meal with you?"
Tei shook his head in reply. Urendir relieved himself of his quiver, setting his bow next to it. He sat by Tei and started to eat. A silence hang between them as the food were devoured. It was a moment longer before Tei dared to break the silence.
"Did you arrive with the elves of Mirkwood today?"
"No. I have lived here all my years." Urendir answered. "Though I am eager to meet with the prince."
"Sadly, I cannot help you with that." Tei said. "Though I too wish to meet with the prince, in a more graceful manner."
"You have met him before?"
Tei nodded. "Not long before. I had met him when he walked through the gates. He figured I was a spy."
"The prince of Mirkwood would never judge in such a manner." Urendir cried, somewhat insulted by the comment of his hero.
"Anyone would easily think so, should they spy movement in the bushes." Tei hastened to add. "Were you practicing?" Tei motioned to the quiver and bow.
"Training." Urendir corrected him. "The lord Glorfindel teaches me when I beg him to."
"Glorfindel?" Tei answered, amazed that the elf lord was currently here. "The balrog slayer?"
"Some call him that. How do you know?"
"The name of Glorfindel travels far, from the Golden Woods to the village of Bree."
"That is a familiar sword." Urendir motioned to Tei's sword, which lay in its hilt. "Though I cannot recall the blade's name."
"It was given to me by Aragorn." Tei answered. "Though he failed to mention the name of the sword. I meant to return it to him, but we only arrived here last night, and sleep had taken me."
"For someone as short in their years, you have seen many things."
"Tis' by chance that things happen to me. I do not know why I am here, truly."
"Would you like to try the bow?" Urendir offered.
Tei smiled, standing up. He brushed the crumbs from his jeans. "Alright."
Whiskers raised his head, eager to join. With a small, quick movement, Tei motioned the canine to his shoulder. Whiskers used the railing to reach the boy's shoulder, perching upon it. Tei looked questionably down at the lioness, but Melina merely flicked an ear. Paint was fast asleep. There would be no need to wake her. Urendir led Tei through Imladris until they reached a courtyard. It was the edge of Rivendell, and branches grew on the edges of the courtyard. Taking a dagger, Urendir peeled a piece of bark from an oak, leaving a patch of yellow. Nibbling on the piece of bark, he sheathed his blade and walked back to Tei.
The elfling offered the boy his bow and an arrow. "Try hitting the mark." He said, pointing at the tree.
Tei gripped the bow awkwardly, notching and arrow to it as he had seen people in the movie had done. Straining, he pulled the string, took a quick, armature aim, and released the arrow. It missed the tree entirely. Tei turned to find Urendir choking on his piece of bark. It wasn't soon before Tei himself burst into laughter.
"At least the arrow flew straight." Urendir received his bow back from Tei.
Tei smiled, turning to look for the arrow. It took a couple of minutes for the boy to spy the arrow, lying on the forest floor. It had missed every tree that it had flown by, and when it had hit a target, its force was too weak that it had bounced of the bark, landing in a nest of dead leaves on the ground. A rustling nearby reached Tei's ears, and he looked around, wondering where the sound had came from. Whiskers tested the air, before settling back down.
"It is only Merry and Pippin, though I smell mushrooms as well."
"That does not surprise me." Tei sighed, parting a shrub in front of him.
Squatting on the ground was the two devious hobbits, eating mushrooms from a bag. The woven materials that the bag was made of led Tei to the suspicion that it came from the elves.
"Mushrooms, Tei?" Pippin offered.
Tei shook his head. "Where did you get these?"
Both hobbits looked down for a minute, and silence hung between them. "It was only one bag." Merry started.
"The storage door was open, and the bag was half eaten as well." Pippin added hopefully.
"So you are the thieves." Came a voice behind them. Tei turned to find Urendir, hands on his hips. "Mother told me to look for those who had stolen a bag of mushroom from the storage room."
"Would you like some?" Pippin offered, cheerful once again, ignoring the fact that they had been caught.
Urendir sighed. "So you are the sneaky young hobbits my mother had told me of as well. Come, I will lead you back to the kitchen."
"Let us go, Pippin." Merry whispered, before taking off.
But the hobbits did not go far. Merry turned to see Boromir just in time before he ran into the man. With a laugh, Boromir caught the hobbit, holding him tightly. "Do not run from your troubles, half-ling."
With a sigh of defeat, Pippin and Merry trudged back towards Imladris. Tei, Urendir, and Boromir followed, chuckling. The man silenced as they passed a familiar statue. They were still afar from the stone structure, yet from there, they can still see the statue holding something in her lap. That item glittered, sitting there under the setting sun. Boromir paused, as though entranced by the object. Tei knew what was on his mind, as did Melina, Whiskers, and Paint. The man was deeply loyal to Gondor, and such an item that belongs to Gondor's history ensnared him. As Tei watched him, he deeply pitied the man. Such a commander he was, only to be ensnared by gold. The bell for dinner rang, as all manners of guests made their way to the dining room. There was to be a ball that night, to welcome those guests from lands far away.
Tei walked into the kitchen, led by Urendir. Pippin and Merry was forced there as well. Boromir had turned and headed towards the dining room. Tei watched the man leave until a voice brought his attention back to the kitchen. Standing before Merry and Pippin was a she-elf that Tei guessed to be the chief cook of the kitchen. All around them was the bustle of working elves, laboring to create the feast that Elrond had ordered. The she-elf's long, golden hair was tied back neatly. Food stained her apron and she held a spatula in her hand. Her arms were crossed as she looked sternly down at the hobbits. Merry and Pippin seemed to try to shrink back, to materialize into the kitchen tiles. Urendir could not help but let out a snigger.
Melina took one look at the she-elf before loosing interest. She was more fascinated by the activity in the dining room. Without saying anything, the lioness padded off towards the sound of merry talks and songs. Whiskers, however, was a different matter. His nose tested the air the moment they had arrived in the kitchen. The smell of bubbling soup and baking loaves enticed him as he wandered off Tei's shoulders. Hopping from tables to tables, the fox headed for a basket of bread. Tei watched with amusement before his attention was snapped back to the matter at hand. The she-elf had just spoken.
"Is there anything you half-lings wish to say before I send you off to the dishes?"
Merry and Pippin looked down, suddenly fascinated by the kitchen tiles. They both muttered a small "Sorry." The elf nodded with content as she pointed them to the direction of the pile of dirty pots and pans that awaited them. Once again, Tei thought, remembering Bilbo's birthday. He was never there, but he knew what happened. The elf then turned to the boy. Tei met her gaze.
"Will you be eating in the dining hall?" She asked.
Tei shook his head. "No. If it does not bother you, I would prefer a meal here. A place of grandeur is not a place for me, though I might venture out later to greet some guests."
The elf nodded. "Take what you wish from my kitchen."
A voice of another working she-elf called from a sink, asking for the chief's help. She nodded, and went to help the elf. Urendir followed her, but not before turning to talk to Tei.
"I will find out what I can for that sword." He said. "It is strikingly familiar."
Tei nodded, before turning to look for Whiskers. The fox was working his way steadily through the basket of bread. Tei hoped none of the elves working there had noticed. Smiling, Tei reached down and grabbed hold of the fox, dragging him out of the basket and placing him on his shoulder.
"We should be gracious, not greedy." He scolded the canine.
Whiskers nodded apologetically, yet his muzzle was still filled with crumbs. Tei reached into the basket for two loaves. They were small, about the palm of his hand. Tei knew that he needed much better food than that to last the night, but he had a sudden craving for such simple food. Deciding better, Tei took a third one, before heading out of the kitchen and into the gardens once more.