­­-Note- A mild Elvish Advisory up for this chapter and a few following it- Sindarin is put to (hopefully) good use. Translations are provided at the bottom of the page. I'm not learning Elvish, so if you see any errors, please point them out. As for next week's chapter, I don't know when it will be posted; I've got some surgery tomorrow to fix an eye problem and should be a bit out of things for a couple days, thanks to general anesthesia. I have to miss school for it, so I'll be making up tests until the end of time... :P I will do my best to update by next weekend.

-Disclaimer- Please see chapter 1.

A Vacation

He drove all day, all night, and into the next morning. They left the outskirts of the city, traveled through harvested fields, past barns, towns. Cities cast the sky about them into a ghastly orange-brown, blotting out the stars and obscuring the crescent moon.

They reached the forest mid-morning, parked the car at the head of the hiking trail. Carrying his suitcase, he set out on the thin, dirt path.

It wound around ancient trees, saplings split it in two. There were few mosquitoes; he had driven quite a ways north of the apartment in the city, and the land here was already preparing for winter. He waded through fading, ankle-deep leaves, ferns brushed his trousers as he passed. A silver fog clung about the wood, the rushing sound of a fast-moving water reverberated in the mossy stillness.

He saw gray sky through the trees ahead, and suddenly the path veered along the edge of a steep, tree lined slope.

He heard his breath catch painfully in his throat. Hot tears pricked his eyes.

The angle stopped abruptly at the water's edge. A long, smooth lake mirrored the trees and sky, its end obscured in mist.

"Oh..." he let his breath out in a whisper.

For a moment, he forgot everything. The job in the city, the neighbor he cared for, the rent he paid, the Elves in Aman.

A bird call sounded across the water, echoed in the valley, brought him back to himself. In the trees nearby, it was answered.

It hurt him to turn, but he did.

He wasn't surprised to find that there was an Elf in the trees behind him. For a moment, they met each other's gaze, then the stranger stepped forward. Alyaran danced excitedly about his knees, tongue hanging, gazing up at the unknown figure, clad in muted greens.

"Mae Govannen, hîr Glorfindel o Imladris, a tîn hu."º he said. He bore a quiver of arrows across his back, held a hunting bow in one hand. His silver-white hair was bound in a tail, and when he turned his head to the side to make another bird call, Glorfindel saw that it was tied with a modern hair band rather than a leather thong.

"Mae Govannen," he replied in kind. "Rúmil?"

The Elf nodded. "Tis I."

"Who are you with? You have learned one of their languages?"

Rúmil grinned, replied in kind, with heavily accented speech. "It is for the best that we learn a Mannish tongue, I think, but I have seldom come from the forest. You have heard Orophin call from across the water, and Egladhon is with us, though you have met him not."

"Why are you here?"

"Lord Celeborn sent us to watch the trails; the sons of Elrond sent word several days ago that you would be coming."

"They did?" Glorfindel smiled, in spite of himself. He looked over his shoulder briefly to see that Alyaran was following; he was.

"Aye. But it is not only for you we are watching."

"Of course. I'm not that important."

"We welcome all of our kin to these woods, but Men come too."

Glorfindel started. "They know about you?"

"No, no. The Old Men who lived here did- we are still in their tales. But now, their sons do not look for us."

"These are public lands, are they not? Men may come as they please."

"Aye, and Lord Thranduil will tell you the rest. I will lead you to him," said Rúmil. He gestured the trail, they proceeded along it in single-file.

"What of Celeborn?" he asked, then amended hastily, "Lord Celeborn?"

"He is not here today. Tomorrow, one of us will show you to his house."

"His house?" Glorfindel asked, frowning.

"Aye, his house. He lives in the country on some days, and here on others. He enjoys the solitude, I think. Since Lady Galadriel left, he has spent more time alone. We say naught of it."

"I understand."

Rúmil turned, smiling. "I know you do. Living out there by yourself...you have puzzled many of us, you and the others who do the same."

"I'm Glorfindel. What can I say?"

Rúmil made a strangled noise that sounded like a laugh he had tried to cover. Glorfindel smiled.

They crossed a creek on a mossy, log bridge. At the other side, Rúmil led him off the track, through the bracken. They continued this way, silently, for several hours before they crossed another stream. Their route led them steadily downhill, away from the trail.

Light appeared through the trees on his right; Rúmil led him toward it. Then, they broke out into the open air, where the sun shone weakly through dissipating mist. They were at the shore of a lake- different from the one he had first seen, which had been smaller in size, with a steeper incline. The far shore was still shrouded in fog, but Glorfindel thought he saw the ghost of a hill. Alyaran approached the water gingerly, did not enter.

Rúmil stepped back from Glorfindel, gestured to the forest. "Sen, i Eryn Medui."

Glorfindel studied the trees carefully. He could see signs of habitation- flets meticulously hidden from mortal eyes, the earth cleaned of most brush.

"Rúmil," he asked, "Where are the Elves?"

(l)

Translations:

º Mae Govannen, hîr Glorfindel o Imladris, a tîn hu: Well met, Lord Glorfindel of Rivendell and his dog

º Sen, I Eryn Medui: This, the Last Wood.

Thanks for reading! Review Responses:

Erestor: Thanks! He certainly deserves to be Happy Glorfindel once in a while. :D

Crystal113: I'm glad you reviewed! If you could point me in the direction of the abrupt spots, I'd be glad to check them out. As soon as I post this, I'm off to reread that ch. 11 and check things out. :P I I'm a NaNo newbie as well- you can find me as Andante. Good luck!

Dark Borg Drone: Thanks for understanding! It would be a lot easier if we could just forego all those frivolous things like school and work and just write all day...:D

Stuntz: He definitely needed a vacation! :) I fear I've made him into some sort of work-a-holic!

Kazbels: Beaches are wonderful, wonderful places. Lakes and oceans are just beautiful. And hermit crabs are very cute. ;)

Clear-as-crystal: Thanks! I'm not sure what the twins would say...they'd be happy with him, I think. They're not entirely gone from the story yet, so we may find out.