AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long wait. . . I just got a job and it's quite draining! Hopefully the next one won't take quite as long, though. Enjoy!

The Harper:

Jane wandered in a seemingly aimless fashion through the trees, safe in her knowledge of the area, but still wary of any creatures who could jump out and startle her. She did not carry any weapon with her, but she was safer than she knew, as she had a silent guardian watching her every step from the trees above.

Gandelon had heard the song of Elbereth through the trees and, the fact that it was a hauntingly beautiful voice singing an Elven song leading him to believe it was one of his kin who sang the age-old tune. However, when he had traced the sound to its source, he was surprised to find not an Elleth, but a human girl; the very same human girl who he had assisted earlier in the day. He stayed to hear the end of the song, resisting the urge to join in himself, and found himself following her until she sat down to rest against the trunk of an ancient tree, and promptly fell asleep. At that time he left her, knowing that no wild animal or fellow human would harm her while his fellow elves guarded the woods.

He moved quickly and silently across the forest floor until he came to the clearing he knew well, where several of his friends had already gathered. He bent to retrieve his harp from where he had hidden it the night before, and was checking the tuning when he heard his name called from across the clearing.

"Gandelon! Where have you been, mellon nin? We have been waiting for you!" Gandelon grinned at his friend as he approached.

"I was delayed, Legolas. My apologies. But what kept you from starting without me? Surely even you could hold a decent tune without some background music!" Legolas pretended to sing a note, straining and breaking off after only a few seconds.

"Evidently not," he said sadly, shaking his head melodramatically. "It seems that no Elven voice in Ithilien can function without our harpist."

"Well then," Gandelon replied as he struck a chord on the harp, "let us sing!" And so they did, the Ellons singing while the Elleths danced in the moonlight, which filtered in through the surrounding trees. Gandelon felt the wind run through his hair as he played, and felt as if the wind in this magical location was somehow dancing as well. He was wholly absorbed in his music, caught up in the beat and the notes, his fingers running over the strings of the beautiful silver instrument. His eyes seemed to be out of focus, as he totally lost touch with Middle Earth as he played. There was no feeling in the world that could match that which he felt when his music transported him to what seemed to be a whole other plane of existence. . . or so he thought.

Jane awoke suddenly from her nap, taking a moment to get her bearings, as she had not intended to fall asleep when she sat down. She stood and started to turn towards her home, but stopped suddenly, with her hand resting on the tree she had slept against and her head cocked slightly to the side. Something was different. She could not put her finger on just what it was, but the forest felt . . . different. Somehow not as dark and foreboding as it had before. It even seemed to exude an aura of happiness. . . so much, in fact, that she imagined that she could hear music.

She shook herself slightly to rid herself of such thoughts. No one played music at such hours, especially out in the middle of a wild forest! And yet there it was again! It seemed to sound as hardly more than a distant tinkling of small bells, but it was definitely something. Perhaps nothing more than the wind in the leaves, and yet she was drawn to find out for herself, so she turned in the direction that she supposed it might be coming from, and began walking.

She had been walking for what seemed like forever and was about to give up when the sound seemed to start growing clearer. As she continued walking in the same direction, she could soon hear voices singing – men's beautiful voices, like none she had heard before – and an instrument; a lute, or harp, perhaps? Whatever it was, it was played with skill and emotion, that much was certain, she thought firmly as she drew nearer.

Suddenly the trees just seemed to stop, and she was standing at the edge of a clearing. It was a large clearing with a bit of a slope to it, making a hill right in the middle, and just on the other side of the gentle slope she could see the source of the music. She could not see much from the distance at which she stood, but the beauty of the music and the gracefulness of the dancers led her immediately to the incontrovertible conclusion that these beautiful beings must be elves.

She moved as quietly as she could manage along the edge of the clearing, inching closer to the musicians. She was soon close enough to see that the female elves were dancing, moving more gracefully than any being Jane had ever seen. She could also see the male elves who were singing, three dark haired elves and two blonds, one of which was playing a harp. . . the very same elf who had assisted her earlier in the day.

Somehow Jane was too caught up in the moment to be surprised by this strange coincidence; she was more taken by the look of the elf as he played. He seemed oblivious to the elf maidens that seemed to float around him and the elves who put words to his music. She could almost see the music flowing through him, as if he and the music were one and the same, not two separate things.

Jane did not realize that she was singing until the dancers and singers stopped, and only the harper elf's music was left to accompany her. After a few moments of his lone accompaniment, she realized what she was doing and trailed off, eyes wide, gazing fearfully those beautiful beings who were staring at her. Her eyes eventually found their way to the harper, who, although he continued playing, was also watching her. Seized by a sudden, perhaps irrational, fear, Jane turned and fled away from the glade, but before she had taken more than a few steps a hand grasped her arm.

Gandelon had moved without thinking, racing after the maiden and grabbing her arm, eliciting a strangled gasp as she turned to face him. Now that he had caught up to her, though, he realized that he did not know why he had followed her. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "What is your name?"

Jane gulped nervously but managed to meet his gaze and attempted a curtsy despite his hand, which still held her arm. "I am Jane, daughter of Duke Aldfrid." She was quite proud of the fact that her voice only shook slightly.

"I am Gandelon of Ithilien," he said, bowing as he spoke. "Might I ask why an unescorted maiden is in the forest at this time of night?"

Jane raised her chin slightly at the suggestion that she needed an escort. "I have walked alone through these woods since I was a child, my lord. I did not need an escort then and do not now, as I know this area better than any who would be appointed to guide me." Gandelon's mouth turned up a bit at her defiant tone. Jane narrowed her eyes, thinking that he was mocking her. "My apologies for disturbing your music, sir," she said coldly. "I will leave you and your companions to-"

"I would rather you not," Gandelon interrupted, once again without any forethought. "What I mean is, your lovely voice would be a nice addition to our music," he added at her shocked expression.

"Oh, I. . . I could not possibly. . . I would be intruding. . ."

"It would be no intrusion," a firm voice said from behind Gandelon. He stepped aside as one of the elf maidens and the other golden-haired elf who had been singing stepped forward. "I am Legolas, and this is my wife, Maranwe. You are welcome to join us, though I must admit that I am curious as to how a mortal knows a song in our tongue."

"More than one," Gandelon added in. "I heard you singing earlier," he said in reply to Jane's curious gaze.

As Legolas seemed to be waiting for an answer, Jane thought back to when she had first learned the songs. "Wynn, my. . . caretaker, taught them to me many years ago, though I do not know the meanings of all the words." Legolas seemed startled at her words, as did Maranwe.

"What did you say her name is?" Maranwe asked quietly.

"Was," Jane corrected sadly. "Her name was Wynn. She died this past week." Legolas and Maranwe glanced at each other with sad eyes that Jane observed with blatant curiosity, curiosity that would go unanswered for the moment, as Gandelon stepped in.

"Shall we continue the music?" he suggested lightly, trying to evade the darkened mood that had descended upon his comrades. Legolas forced a smile.

"Yes, come join us, Jane." They led Jane back to the glade, where, after some hasty introductions to the elves she had not yet met, they began singing again, all songs familiar to Jane through Wynn's teaching. She sang along, softly at first, but them more boldly, surreptitiously sneaking glances at Gandelon when she could. Once she accidentally caught his eye, and he smiled encouragingly at her, causing a blush to rise to her cheeks.

It was over all too soon, the music and dancing fading as dawn broke and the first rays of faint light shone through the trees. Jane's eyes widened in surprised when she realized how much time had passed; the hours had flown by like minutes, and now she might be missed before she could return home. She hastily thanked the elves for their hospitality and excused herself, rushing off before any could protest.

She did not make it far before she found Gandelon at her elbow. "I will see you home," he stated simply.

"I know the way to my home, sir Elf," Jane asserted stubbornly. "You need not trouble yourself over me."

"And how is it a trouble to walk through the trees with a kind maiden?" he countered lightly. Jane stared up in shock at the elf, her sharp retort dying on her lips, as she had not expected such an answer. She pursed her lips and they walked to the edge of the woods, where her father's home could be seen across a field, in silence. "I will watch to make sure you make it inside safely," he informed her at the edge of the field from where he hung back in the shadow of a large tree, his blue eyes seeming to glitter in the dark. Jane nodded politely and thanked him for seeing her safely home before turning to leave.

"I do hope you will join us again," he said before she was out of hearing range. Jane turned back to see those blue eyes watching her intently. "Your voice has a quality which is rare in elves and even more so in mortals. . . your heart is in it." As he spoke, he seemed to fade into the trees and disappear. Jane stood staring where he had stood for several moments before turning and hurrying into the house.

Song verse:

Poor Jane knew a secret, she'd learned it by chance

A place in the forest where elves came to dance

At night as she watched them and their magic ring

Enthralled by their music, Jane started to sing

Shocked by her own boldness, was still pleased to find

That harpist and dancers did not seem to mind

A/N: Yes, I know a magic ring is mentioned in the song, but I'm not opening that can of worms! In case anyone did not pick up on it, yes Legolas is married in this fic. If you are curious as to who Maranwe is, you may want to read my other fic, I Will Catch You, which tells their story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll try to update soon!