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AN: Did anyone watch the Academy Awards on Sunday? I'm so happy Return of the King won all eleven awards! They deserved each and every one of them. Anyway, thank you ever so much for all your reviews! They make typing this story out worthwhile. I apologize for not updating so often. I have this one professor this semester that makes Sauron seem like a kind, gentle, understanding fellow.

Kerla: I don't mind bad spelling! If it wasn't for spell check, I don't know what I'd do. You are correct; this is the same Patrick from my other story.

Lindiel Eryn: I go to a very, very strange College. We get the entire month of January off and then a week off at the end of March. That's about the extent of our "Spring Break." You'll soon see who and what Niphredil becomes and if she knows Emma.

pixie88: Patrick in my nod to everything Harry Potter related. He pops up from time to time for different reasons. Her choice will be revealed very soon.

Elainor: The problem is choice and Arwen's choice will come up soon.

LalaithoftheBruinen: Just a bit of Harry Potter in there because of Patrick. Here's my update, as fast as I could post it!

Kaimee: Thank you for the compliment. I would love to be a writer but it's taken me this long to work up the nerve to post stories on the site. Aragorn will come up eventually and he might even get to meet Niphredil.

Saralitazie: Sorry the Muggles had to come up. I figured that, since elves are a bit above humans in Lord of the Rings, Niphredil could be a bit smarter than the average year old child.

hobbitgirl11: I'm glad you like my little story! Here's more coming up!

PixiePea000: Updating as fast as I humanly can...I'm not a super intelligent AI or anything. Anyway, GOLLUM and watch out for Agent Elrond Smith (but I can get a few rebels to keep an eye on him for you.).

sunni07: I have this very strange obsession with cliffhangers. I apologize for them in advance. I'm happy you're enjoying this story.

LadyJadePerendhil: Just a bit of Harry Potter for Patrick. It'll only come up whenever Patrick shows up. I borrowed the word "Muggle" from Harry Potter. That's about the extent of it. That's the exact reason why Arwen isn't keen on going back to Rivendell.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a handful of made up characters. Tolkien thought up the concept and, as such, it belongs to him. I'm just playing in his world. I'm broke and in college. All I own are Pointe Shoes.

Patrick had gone off to talk to Haldir and some of the other march wardens in the Golden Woods. Niphredil was off playing somewhere, under the watchful eyes of Galadriel and Celeborn.

Arwen was alone. Alone and left with a decision that would change both her life and life of her daughter.

She sat, agonizing over her decision. She was unaware of time and place and the motion of anyone who might have passed near her. She was far too concerned about the choice she was being asked to make.

That was the essential problem---choice.

On the one hand, she loved her daughter and could not see being separated from her. She imagined the separation to be like loosing a limb. It would be gone but she would still feel its presence.

On the other hand, if there was a real threat growing in Middle Earth, she did not want to put her daughter in danger. If there was a chance Niphredil could be spared exposure to the growing shadow, Arwen might consider exploiting it.

There was another aspect of this situation, an aspect she spent a great deal of her time thinking about and obsessing over. She still had to protect Niphredil's father. If her father were to find that she and he had a child together, she could not predict what the repercussions might be. Not just for her and her daughter but for her daughter's father.

She was well aware of the fact that Strider had many steps left on the path to his destiny and into her arms for good. If he were to know of his daughter, to know that if he were to die or be killed he would be leaving a small daughter fatherless, he might not do what was asked of him.

It was decided then.

Patrick returned just after nightfall, looking harried as usual. He explained to Arwen that he had been eating with the guardians of the Golden Woods and had been asked to put on a display of his brand of magic.

"Patrick," she said, when he had finished his strange tale, "take her to your world. She will be safe there."

"I can not leave her in my world, Arwen. For one, it is not entirely safe there yet. We have our own shadow, so to speak, to deal with. Plus, there will be too many strange questions asked when she grows up. She will want to know why she can not practice our magic or attend our schools. It will be better to leave her in the Muggle world, the world of men as you call it," Patrick explained.

"Knowing this," he added, "is this truly what you want?"

Arwen nodded, answering with, "I do not want her exposed to this shadow, Patrick. She deserves better then that."

Patrick understood only the most base of her feelings. He knew nothing of the restrictions her father had placed on the relationship between her and Strider and how this child was a product of their flouting those restrictions.

She called for her daughter, who came bounding into the room. Galadriel had returned the child several hours previous and Niphredil had gone off to play on her own.

With sad eyes and an even sadder spirit, Arwen looked at the elfling before her.

Mustering up her courage she asked, "Niphredil, would you like to go on an adventure?"

Niphredil gave an eager and excited nod. She loved to pretend to go on adventures, traipsing about Middle Earth as a Ranger or an elven guard.

As she nodded, she said, "As long as you can come with me."

A sudden and very fierce need to keep Niphredil with her threatened to overtake Arwen. It was not fair that her daughter should be parted from her in such an unfair manner. Cool reason began to prevail as thoughts of the growing shadow and of Strider infiltrated her mind. This was the best option for all involved.

"I am very sorry, little one, but I can not come with you. Patrick is going to take you with him and you are going to stay in his world for sometime," Arwen explained, trying to rationalize with a year old elfling and trying not to cry in the process.Tears filled Niphredil's dark eyes. She could not understand why she had to go away, why her mother wanted her to go away.

"Why?" she asked, her voice breaking, "Have I been bad?"

"No," Arwen said, scooping Niphredil up in a tight embrace, "you have done nothing wrong. You are a good little girl---I could not ask for better. It is just that very bad things are going to happen and I do not want you to get hurt. I would feel very bad if you did."

"Will I get to see you again?" the little girl asked, in a hopeful voice.

"Of course," Arwen assured her, "Someone will bring you back when it is safe."

Patrick coughed----a loud sound in the abnormally quiet room.

"I do not want to break this up but we should get going," he interjected looking awfully uncomfortable.

"You listen to Patrick and do not mention anything about Middle Earth to anyone. It will be our little secret," Arwen told Niphredil, putting her back down.

The little girl nodded and bit her lip. It was plain to see that she was fighting the urge to cry. She was trying her best to be as brave as possible...making her mother want to cry.

"Do not cry, little one," Arwen said, more meaning it for herself than for Niphredil.

She removed something from her neck and placed it around the neck of her daughter.

"Here, keep this with you. Whenever you look at it, you can remember me," Arwen said to the child.

Niphredil looked, admiringly, at the star shaped snowflake that hung of the end of the silver chain.

More tears were shed as mother and daughter were loath to be parted. When it was all said and done, Patrick picked up the child and brought her the Muggle World.

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