AN: I'm kinda annoyed at the Grey Company website. Many of you may know it as a popular place to learn elvish; it's what I've been primarily using. But I believe it is faulty. Besides the fact that the site mixes Quenya and Sindarin (i.e. "ear", Quenya for sea, is listed while "celeb", Sindarin for silver, is listed), I can't seem to find many uses of the pronouns (amin, lle, etc) taught by the Grey Company in the books or movie. Hopefully I'm wrong and I'll figure this out soon.

And maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but I already have nearly this whole fic planned out (on little slips of paper with numbers ^_^'). I'm very excited on the way it's turning out. I guarantee, it will be good. Thanks for reading and enjoy chapter 2! "..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN or definition, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted.

2/9 UPDATE: Here's a mini elvish dictionary to help everyone gradually learn more. It's a mix of Official Tolkien Sindarin/Quenya, Grey Company elvish, and other tidbits I've picked up.

Calli-chan's Frequently Used Elvish Dictionary

Ume - yes

N'ume - no

Namarie - 'Farewell'

Suliad - friendly greeting (i.e. 'Hi!')

Amin hiraetha - I'm sorry

Diola lle - Thank you (according to the Grey Company)

Hennaid - Thank you (according to the movie)

Mani? - What?

Ai - little or small (so Aicath is 'little cat' and Aikuu is 'little crescent moon')

Tarien Ð Princess

Periannath - elvish name for Hobbits

Istari - wizards

Imladris - Rivendell

Mithrandir - Gandalf ('Grey Pilgrim')

Vakhar - the elite group of guards on the borders of Lorien. (singular: Vakha)

mellyrn - 'mallorn'; these are the golden trees of Lorien

talan - 'flet'; basically tree-houses

lembas - 'waybread'; the nourishing bread of the elves for long journeys

Hope this helps! Enjoy the fic!

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It was early morning, three days later. The tree-palace of Galadriel and Celeborn in Caras Galadhon was full of laughter and merriment. A young elf practiced his harp in a corner, while his elder accompanied on the piccolo. A female elf guided a group of young ones, all less than fifty years old, in the well known song of Nimrodel and tried vainly to keep hold their short attentions. A group of older elves, several as old as Celeborn himself, were sharing memories and laughter in a corner.

Celebithil entered late, as usual, munching on some type of bread with a half-awake expression on her face. It was well into the morning, but the Silvermoon was always a late riser, preferring rather the night with the stars and the moon.

"Celebithil?" said Galadriel questioningly, noticing what she was eating. "Is that lembas?"

Celebithil hastily tried to conceal the waybread behind her back, but her grandmother had already seen.

"Eldasil," she said with a scolding tone in her voice. "You know that bread is for the guards watching the borders."

Celebithil suddenly became interested in her toes.

"That could have been an entire day's meal for Haldir," Galadriel said with an almost pitying note to her voice. Celebithil looked up quickly.

Haldir was the Head of the Northwestern Vakhar on the borders of Lothlorien. He was like a brother, if not more, to Celebithil. She had known him almost her entire life, since she was first introduced to him millennia ago when her mother first brought the elven toddler to her homeland. Haldir had only been a few centuries older, and the two almost grew up together. Nowadays, though, he spent most of his time tracking and hunting orcs that came from the Misty Mountains to keep Lorien safe. [Vakha literally means "guard", but I'm using it as the name of the elite force that guards the borders of Lorien.]

"Why won't you let *me* join the Vakhar?" Celebithil asked for the hundredth time that month.

"I believe we've had this conversation before," said Galadriel sternly.

"Please," said Celebithil almost sarcastically, "remind me again of the lack of reasons."

Galadriel looked at her scoldingly for a moment before replying. "You well know that danger is a constant aspect of life as a Vakha and death often comes swiftly and unlooked for. You have been kept in Lorien to preserve your life, not to throw it away."
"But I can defend myself!"

"I do not doubt your abilities. But the unexpected leaves even the greatest swordsman vulnerable. And your father would not want you in such danger."

Celebithil glared at the mention of her father. "He never understood me and never tried. He did not care about my interests; he only wants me to be a pretty lady, a prize to be won."

Galadriel was silent a moment as the words sunk in. When she finally spoke again, her voice was soft and gentle. "Despite what you may think, Silvermoon, your father is not trying to ruin your life. He has been left alone with four children, whom at times he does not understand. Yet, he is only doing what he thinks is best for you. He knows that warrior women are not generally accepted among the elves, and he only wants you to be happy. He grew up not knowing where he belonged, at times being shunned by both elves and men. He does not want you to experience the pain he felt. Plus, he wants guarantee that you will be returned to Imladris in one piece. In his eyes, the only way to secure this is to limit your activities and mold you as a High-elven lady rather than a warrior princess." Celebithil remained silent but turned her head away, vainly trying to gather the remnants of her grudge together to form a retort against the truth.

The doors of the huge talan suddenly burst open, ending the conversation, and a messenger hurried inside. "My Lord, My Lady!" he called. Singing and laughter ceased as he spoke.

He bowed before them. "Yrch! They have invaded from the northeastern border near Moria. Most of the orcs have already been destroyed, but a few have escaped death and are being pursued."

Celeborn nodded and the messenger continued. "Also, the company you spoke of, My Lady, has arrived. They crossed the Nimrodel last night and are now being led here by Haldir. They have all been blindfolded, as there is one of the Naugrim, a dwarf, (he spat out the name) among them and they wished to be treated alike."

"Bring them here," said Celeborn.

"Let them walk free," said Galadriel. The messenger nodded and without another word, was gone.

Celebithil looked at her grandmother with surprise, remembrance of their argument seemingly forgotten. "The Fellowship?" she asked eagerly, "the company from the Mirror? They are here?"

Galadriel smiled almost sadly and nodded. "Ume, they have finally arrived."

~o~o~o~o~o~

[Before you get too confused, 'Hinenmel' means 'Child of Love'; 'Taurenreil' means 'Garlanded maiden of the forest'. See below.]

"O! Will you be staying,

Or will you be flying?

Your ponies are straying!

The daylight is dying!

Oh tra-la-la-lally,

way down in the valley, ha! ha!" *

Hinenmel and Taurenreil broke into laughter as they finished the upbeat greeting song of Rivendell, recalling the strange company of thirteen dwarves and a halfing that had entered the valley with surprise bordering on shock at the song. Naurfea shook her head and smiled in remembrance of the fun-filled event. ['Naurfea' means 'Fire Spirit']

A sudden excited voice joined into their laughter as Celebithil literally bounced towards her friends.

"Oh guess what, guess what, guess what?!" she squealed as Naurfea smiled but rolled her eyes.

"What now, koron'dol?" the dark-haired elf smirked. ["koron'dol" is basically Rei's elvish nickname for Usa-- similar to "odango amata" or "meatball head".]

Celebithil stuck out her tongue and deliberately turned towards the other two, her back to Naurfea. (Behind her, Naurfea responded by sticking out her own tongue).

"The Fellowship is here!" exclaimed Celebithil.

The brewing arguement quickly vanished as the other three caught on to Celebithil's excitement.

"What?!" "The nine foreigners?!" "They're already here!" *moan* "Oh no! My hair's a mess and I'm a wreck!" "There's NINE of them!?" "And Mithrandir and Estel are back!" "ARAGORN?!!! HERE?!!!!!" *moan*

Celebithil bounced up and down impatiently, waiting for her friends to simmer down. "C'mon, c'mon!" she squealed. "We've got to run out there and meet them!"

She was met with blank looks. "Uh, Ithil?" said Taurenreil slowly. "You intend to *run* out there and *meet* them?!"

Celebithil shrugged. "Um... I guess."

"Well, Ithil," said Taurenreil cautiously again. "I know running among the trees is fun and all... but do you have any idea how far away the Fellowship probably is? I mean, I don't think Galadriel would be too happy if you randomly decided to leave Caras Galadhon on a long-distance run to the Borders..."

"Plus," said Hinenmel quickly, "wouldn't it be better to wait for them here and have time to get ready?" She ran a concerned hair through her long golden hair.

"Well..." began a still determined Celebithil. "Okay, so maybe I won't run all the way to the Borders, but won't you come with me part of the way? To the Tree maybe?"

The others lowered their heads.

"I really need to get ready."

"Inyakard wanted me to sweep up the stairs and Tarien before the visitors came..."

Celebithil turned hopefully to Taurenreil, the most athletic of the group. Taurenreil lowered her head. "I would, Ithil, I really would, but I'm in the Kitchens today. And I don't know if the others can handle a meal without me, with Vasatura away.

"And Nenloth...?" ['Nenloth' = 'Water Flower'; 'Kemenuial' = 'Twilight of the Earth' (Hotaru)]

"Nenloth's tutoring Kemenuial and some others in the Common Tongue. I'm really sorry, Ithil."

"Hey, it's okay!" said Celebithil, her excitement returning as she began to bounce again. "Your loss really." She winked and stuck out her tongue at Naurfea. "After all, it's not every day that *nine* strangers are permitted to enter Lorien, led by Haldir. Nine *good-looking* strangers, from what I hear." She laughed at Hinenmel and Taurenreil's oogling expressions. "See you all later!" she cried, sprinted from the small group.

"Don't do anything stupid, koron'dol!" Naufea called after her.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

A Lindor bird of Lorien sang softly in the branches of a mellyrn tree in the woods beyond Caras Galadhon. [Lindor is just the elvish word for 'songbird']. He turned to the westering sun and sang to the otherwise silent wood of the coming spring and the new nest he would build with golden leaves and silver twigs. He threw out his chest as he sang, anticipating the young ones and all the new things to come.

Below, someone interrupted his song. In annoyance at the loss of a silent audience, he looked down to see a she-elf in a tunic and leggings, running speedily from tree to tree, paying little heed to the songmaster of the wood. The Lindor ruffled his feathers and turned away with a "huff".

Celebithil's bare feet fell softly and swiftly. Barely did one touch the golden cushioned ground, and it was up again, flying through the air.

Her legs moved in a blur, but her mind was elsewhere. It was rare indeed that foreigners were admitted into Lorien. Whenever a stranger entered the eaves of the wood, they were usually destroyed before they could live another day. Yet not one but nine foreigners, seven of which had never before seen the Golden Wood were welcomed. This was unheard of! And one of the Naugrim accompanied them! None of the Galadhrim, save perhaps Celeborn or Galadriel herself, could remember the last time a dwarf had been seen in Lothlorien.

At last, she reached the hill she had been looking for. Its sides sloped upward from the generally flat ground to a rounded summit, where there sat a single silver tree- the tallest tree within miles of Caras Galadhon.

With a smile, Celebithil sprinted up the final slope to the base of the tree. She felt its familiar trunk and placed a hand on the lowest branch. The tree was tall and strong, but too slim to hold its own talan. Instead of broadening out like the other mellyrn trees, it seemed to just keep rising. Celebithil smiled. As she had learned over the years, it provided an excellent hiding spot, place to be alone, and watch tower. She swung herself up onto the lowest branch.

She stood carefully and sprang up to grab the next branch. As she hung from the sturdier branch above, she carefully swung herself up onto this one. This act of grabbing and swinging continued as she followed the natural ladder-path she had found and memorized long ago.

She paused on one of the last large branches at the top of the tree and looked out. Above the roofs of the other trees, she could see much farther than what someone could see from the ground. Her sight distance stretched until the far horizon when the edge of the land melted together with the blue sky. She could see the sparkling Anduin hurrying along toward the sea. She could see beyond the eaves of Lorien to the plains beyond. She could see a black shadow growing in the east, but she quickly turned her eyes from it. And near the edge of her vision, to the west, she could see the beginnings of another forest. She assumed this was the haunted Fangorn.

But she was still facing the South. Tearing her eyes away from the sight, she reached up and grabbed a branch on her right, easily pulling herself up.

Now facing the northwest, she scanned the treetops for any movement or hints of newcomers. She shaded her eyes from the lowering afternoon sun that glared on the peaks of the Misty Mountains. She glanced at the Mirrormere, the silent deep dark pool of the Dwares near the eastern entrance to Moria. Celebithil suddenly looked at the pool with more interest and strained her eyes to see more clearly. Unless her eyes deceived her, the still pool was rippling, as if something disturbed it at the core of the earth. She searched for a source or cause for the movement, but could see none. Rather suspiciously, she turned her eyes back to the treetops.

She gasped and jumped to her feet to stand and stare. Ever so slightly, trees near the edge of the Naith of Lorien swayed. There was a small breeze, but the other trees seemed to move together in the same dance with the wind. The few trees near the Celebrant seemed to move randomly, one by one interrupting their wind dance. Unless it was her imagination, it was almost as if they whispered to each other of newcomers below and strange things coming to Lorien.

"They will not arrive until tomorrow's eve," said a sudden voice below.

With a gasp of shock, Celebithil lost her balance and fell. She squealed and she hit some smaller upper branches that snapped under the sudden increase in weight. Finally, she managed to grab onto a sturdier branch in the middle of the tree. She hung below for a moment, catching her breath and regaining control. Looking down, she squealed in surprise and delight at the visitors below and accidentally let go of the branch, falling the rest of the way to the ground. She tumbled down and landed on her bottom. The visitors winced.

"Remind me not to do that again," she muttered.

A woman with dark, almost midnight blue hair rushed over to her. "Are you alright?" she asked with motherly concern, kneeling down in her cloak and traveling dress. Pushing a strand of wavy hair behind her pointed ear, she scanned Celebithil with her eyes. "That fall looked painful. Can you feel everything? Is anything broken? Will you be able to stand and walk?"

Celebithil smiled, remembering her old friend's worry about her wellbeing. "I'm fine, really, Mirengaer. Just a little bruised. Nothing a bit of extra sleep can't cure." [Mirengaer means 'Jewel of the sea'].

The new elves laughed. Another woman with short sandy hair who, like Celebithil, wore leggings and a tunic, stepped forward and pulled the Silvermoon to her feet. "Are you sure you're steady, Aicath?" [Aicath means 'small cat' or kitten].

Celebithil laughed at the old endearment. "I'm used to falling, Menelsul," she admitted. [Menelsul means 'Heaven Wind' or Wind from the Heavens]. "But I don't let it stop me anymore. And I can at least pretend to be a perfect princess when I want to," she said, sticking out her chin and raising her neck. The elves laughed.

"And I imagine that that is not very often, Tarien," said a woman who had not stepped forward. [Guess what that might mean. ^_^']

Celebithil dropped the act and stared for a moment. "It really is you," she whispered.

Suddenly she ran to the woman and hugged her. "It really is you, Ertirhiril! I knew you'd come back!" [Ertirhiril means 'lonely watch lady' or Lonely (female) Guardian].

The woman, Ertirhiril, smiled and patted her back fondly. "Yes, I am finally back. I am sorry my other affairs kept me away so long."

It had been nearly 100 years since Ertirhiril had visited Celebithil. She was counted as one of the Istari, but she was different from the others. Little was known about her, less than any other wizard. She was called 'Ertirhiril' among the elves, with whom she visited most often. But among men, she was more of a legend; she was named 'Setsuna' but she was rarely seen among them. She rarely traveled through Middle Earth at all, except perhaps with Celebithil on her journeys between Imladris and Lorien. At times she might go unseen for decades or centuries and seemed to vanish from the world. Celebithil was told that Ertirhiril first was seen wandering in Middle Earth only a few years before she was born. On Celebithil's first birthday, Ertirhiril finally came to Imladris and found her. It was said that she stayed in Imladris for a few months, but then she vanished for several years. But she would always return to Celebithil and listen to all her stories, but never tell any of her own.

Celebithil took one final look at the tall dark-haired woman to be sure she was really there and not a memory. A breeze swayed her cloak and green-streaked hair, but the staff she always carried remained firmly planted in the ground. Celebithil smiled, then turned back to the other two.

"To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?" she asked. "I was looking for strangers, yet I was blessed to find friends."

Mirengaer smiled sadly. "Even out of evil comes good. Late last night, a band of orcs from the Misty Mountains entered Lorien. You may have heard the news in Caras Galadhon. It was rumored that the monsters were pursuing a small group of foreigners, though I'm not sure if this is true. The orcs have been destroyed by now, but at the time they were strong and numerous. Our village lay in their direct path. We faced them and fought, but they torched and destroyed our homes and talans."

Celebithil gasped and looked horrified. Menelsul and Mirengaer had worked long and hard to establish their small village. At last, about 700 years ago, the two women had gathered a small number of elves willing to live near the border of Lorien. The village was tiny and often forgotten, but its people were proud of their accomplishment and fought hard to defend their land from evil. This time, it looked like evil had conquered.

"It was a risk we knowingly took when we built our town," said Menelsul. "We all understood that this day would come. Ertirhiril found us early this morning and helped us escape with barely a scratch. We will be living in Caras Galadhon, at least for awhile."

Celebithil smiled. "And you will be welcomed as heroes." She glanced over Menelsul's shoulder to the small group of elves looking up from below. "Come, I will lead you to the city!" She set off at a light run down the hill and through the wood. The trio on the hill smiled at her optimism and followed.

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* A bit modified from the elves' song in The Hobbit, but it's basically the same.

AN: Hope you liked this chapter. Arigato and please review. Ja ne! Namarie!

~Calli-chan