Leherim smiled to herself as she walked confidently through the halls of the palace. Imladris was truly beautiful, but she had missed the place of her birth. Now, things with Mithrandir had become rather important, so Elrohir and Legolas had argued together to send her back here until things were settled.

Elrond hadn't wished to let her go, but after Legolas mentioned their father, he had caved in, understanding that the king would want to see his daughter. Soon Legolas would return from Imladris, and they would be as they always had been again. Of course, Elrohir wouldn't be with them. He'd gone off to be with Estel in the wilds, again, with Elladan.

The only thing that kept her from being a bit annoyed about it was knowing he viewed Estel as his brother, and felt he could use the twins with him now and again. With his understanding for the often interruptions Legolas caused, she couldn't say anything against his absences, from time to time.

She could be a bit annoyed about his treachery, though she loved the results. Mithrandir had brought Gollum to the elven kingdom, and Legolas had filled her in, his voice bitter as he spoke of the creature. He hadn't told her of the creature's escape, nor of his subsequent journey to Imladris. The news had come by messenger—a rare event, since more often any messages between the two elven realms could be passed through her and Legolas.

Still, seeing him, hearing his voice with her ears instead of in her head, feeling his arms come around her as he swung her around, all had been enough for her to forgive them the small deception.

With a smile she looked around the rooms she had played in as a girl, seeing thousands of ghost memories of herself and Legolas, and a few much less clear ones of their mother. She knocked lightly on a door, opening it without waiting for a reply. "Hello, Mirimir," she murmured, before shock held her silent.

Such a change! Mirimir's hair was still short, her form a bit too thin, but a soft glow was exuded by her as it should be by any elf, along with a faint confidence in her place, backed by eyes which now shown lightly with silver, instead of plain washed out grey.

"You look wonderful," she breathed, before looking around the room. She laughed. "And I've stepped into a garden!"

Mirimir smiled slightly and tilted her head at Leherim, before moving over to face her squarely. Her steps were still not quite up to normal human bipedal standards, much less the careful grace of the elves, but it was a drastic change from when Leherim had last seen her. She reached a hand up and touched Leherim's cheek, startling her terribly.

"Legolas told me you were doing well… he just didn't tell me you were this well!"

Mirimir smiled at her and looked around, walking unevenly to the bathroom to refill the water pitcher she had been using when Leherim entered.

"I suppose you've probably mostly gone through the library by now," she murmured softly, seeking anything to say. "Has Legolas shown you the others?"

Mirimir nodded with a faint smile.

"Well, that's good. And he took you to the other gardens, as well?"

Another slight nod.

"Well. I don't know anything to say, really. Would you allow me to eat with you, anyway? It's been a long time since I haven't had to deal with sitting at a table full of elves to eat. Elrond is a bit of a stiff old elf, when it comes to courtly procedure. He was probably shocked when he found out Legolas and I are more comfortable doing for ourselves. Doesn't really fit in with his idea of the proper behavior for royal bloods."

Encouraged by the slight nod she'd gotten from Mirimir, Leherim got their trays and returned, glad for someone to talk to, even if it was a more or less one way conversation. Still, Mirimir was responding a lot more than Leherim had ever seen.

"I think Legolas should be home soon, and what a time we'll have!" She watched as Mirimir ate daintily with her silverware, and smiled as she recalled the first day Legolas had given her a fork and insisted she use it. "You have done quite well with those. You eat more neatly than Estel, or Elladan, for that matter!"

Mirimir smiled at the tease, her eyes sparkling with silvery lights.

"You know, if you would just learn to walk truly upright, you could pass as any lady of the court now, I bet." She grinned. "How about it? Maybe we could shock Legolas when he gets back!"

Mirimir bit her lip with a light frown, staring at her plate for a long moment.

"What is it?" Leherim asked softly. "Do you not want to learn to walk as elves are meant to? You are an elf, and a rather beautiful one. You have no reason to hide in here any more."

Mirimir smiled faintly and looked at Leherim for a moment. Then she touched her temples lightly.

"What?" Leherim frowned. "You have a headache?"

Mirimir frowned, tapping her temples before touching Leherim's chest, pressing the metal of her pendant into the skin.

"What…" Leherim trailed off, trying to put it together. Temples and Imladris? There were no temples there… After a brief moment, an odd thought struck her. How did Mirimir know about her pendant? Where it would hang?

Because of Legolas's?

There was an odd thought. So, Mirimir had seen Legolas without his shirt?

Perhaps not, even if she did know of the pendant because of Legolas. Sometimes when he was overworked from something or other he would start to open his shirt to bathe and then go to do something he'd forgotten in his haste to get clean. He'd caused a stir among the ladies of the halls a few times that way, when he'd sought her out for something while almost half unclothed. So it wasn't entirely inconceivable that Mirimir had seen it that way, though with how jumpy she had been of all males at first, Leherim didn't suppose he would have allowed that absent-mindedness around her.

Anyway, back to the puzzle. Okay, a pendant and temples, and Legolas…

"You want me to talk to Legolas?" she asked.

Slowly Mirimir nodded, slight hesitation in the move.

With a shrug Leherim closed her eyes. Legolas?

Fuzziness greeted her for a long moment, before she felt him groping towards her. Leherim?

Yeah. What's going on? She could feel his determination, as well as sorrow as she opened her eyes, seeing without noticing the table before her.

The ring of power has been found.

She gasped, her eyes widening in fear. What? No!

I'm afraid it has, he answered wearily. A fellowship is being formed to assist the ring-bearer in its destruction.

Her heart stopped for a long moment. So you'll be home soon, right?

Silence.

Legolas!

I am to represent elves.

Her breath came in short gasps. No.

I am most able to assist them, Leherim. There are not more than fifty elves born at such a time to be of a good age for this, young enough to agree to work with children but old enough to know they will be childish despite the quest. Of those, there are few who are not married, and none would ask any to leave behind a wife or children. Of those few, I am the only one with the training in the skills that shall prove most valuable on this quest. You know I speak the truth.

Will you return?

If I can, you needn't ask.

She wanted to pummel him, plead with him, cry on his shoulder to let someone else go… But she was in Mirkwood, and he was in Imladris. Funny things had been reversed so quickly. She would have done her best not to do those things even if she was with him, but she did have something she wanted to do. She closed her eyes.

Hey!

You deserve it! Thank him for me, would you? It's still rather an unstable connection, especially with this distance and how upset I am.

She felt him sigh, and he was absent for a moment, conveying her thanks to Elrohir for hitting him. That was one of the weirdest things you have ever had me do, he grumbled at her.

You will be careful?

Of course. I'll be with Mithrandir and your dear little brother Estel.

I want you back safely. They can take care of themselves.

His sigh came across again. Leherim—

Oh, don't bother. And would you stop sighing, already? You sound like an old woman.

He chuckled softly. I love you. Would you tell Father and Mirimir?

Of course, she agreed with a sigh.

Now, don't you start!

She managed a weak laugh, before opening her eyes as a tear slipped out. Mirimir was watching her quietly, a gentle sympathy in her eyes. "Legolas has…" She took a deep breath and began again. "Have you read anything of the history of the elves?"

Mirimir nodded.

"Then you have heard of the one ring, the ring of power that was created in Mordor?"

Mirimir nodded once more, a frown drawing her dark brows together delicately.

"It has been found."

Mirimir's eyes widened and her ears pulled back slightly. Her lips parted and a small sound escaped her, before she clamped her hands over her mouth. She shook her head.

"You are quicker than I was," Leherim admitted ruefully. "Legolas has joined the Fellowship. He will help destroy the ring." She heaved a weary sigh. "It is a very dangerous mission, and so much could go wrong. I… I know he is very capable of taking care of himself… He's had to be. He's become one of the most boasted about accomplishments of the trainers, having surpassed them in many forms of warfare, but I still worry about him. Even with all his strength and training he is not invincible."

For a long moment the room was so silent Leherim fancied she could hear pages being turned in the library.

"I must tell Father. He will not take this news well." Knowing that was an understatement didn't make it any easier.

She found her father in his rooms, preparing to go down for dinner. She stopped him, told him what was happening, and then relayed conversation from Legolas to him and back again until he sent her from the room, after asking her to inform the servants he would not be down for dinner.

Feeling the world collapse around her, she found a small hidden cove and huddled against the wall there, wrapping her arms around her knees. One good thing had come from her time in Imladris without Elrohir. She'd gotten to know Arwen, recently, and she had learned to comfort herself, when she had to.

Which didn't mean she wasn't just as glad when someone sat down beside her and took her hand, resting lightly against her side, offering comfort from the most unexpected source.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well… no, Mirimir has obviously not spoken to anyone yet. And who said it was Mirimir's door Legolas was outside?

As for how long it's been, obviously the fellowship has just been formed, so several years have gone by.

I have some more written, but I won't finish it to get up before break, so you're all stuck with this until early Jan.

FarFlung: Does this count as an evil cliffie?