Linnah made her way through the darkened halls and down the dimly lit staircase back toward the kitchen. As she crossed through the kitchen, which was now dark and seemingly empty, she accidentally bumped into a lady standing there.

"Oh, pardon me, my Lady," said Linnah politely. The lady, who was dressed in a flowing yellow gown, started to laugh and Linnah took a closer look at her. Her eyes grew wide and a large smile grew across Linnah's face as she realized it was Adriel.

"Linnah you know it isn't polite to stare at a lady," said Adriel, putting her hands on her hips and trying to sound serious.

"What are you doing dressed like that?" asked Linnah. Just then, Selihl came out from the doorway that led to the servants' quarters and answered, "So she doesn't look foolish standing next to me." He bowed deeply to Linnah and she noticed, he too was dressed up, wearing the clothing of a lord.

She looked back and forth between them, stunned. "What has gotten into you two? You're going to get into trouble. If Gillel sees you, he will have you cleaning the Great Hall floor for at least a season."

"We noticed how melancholy you were by meals end this evening and decided you needed some cheering up, Linnah," explained Adriel. "Come on, let's get out of here." She motioned for Linnah to follow her.

Linnah hesitated. "I don't know..."

"Oh come on!" Adriel took Linnah by one hand and Selihl grabbed the other and the three left the castle through the servants' entrance. Once they were outside, Selihl took the lead and the maidens followed him into the forest.

"Selihl, slow down! You're going too fast for us," called Linnah, trying to keep up with him. Adriel was trying not to trip over the hem of her long dress and every time she put her hand down to balance herself the long hanging sleeve got in the way.

"Shhh!" said Selihl in response, putting a finger to his lips. "We're getting closer, you have to be quiet." He stopped suddenly next to the roots of a large fallen tree and turned towards them. "Here Linnah," he whispered, as he produced a bag from under his tunic and handed it to her.

"What is this?" asked Linnah, just as Adriel came up next to her.

"Open it," said Adriel excitedly.

Linnah did as she was instructed and opened the bag. She gasped as she pulled out a beautiful lavender dress. It had been rolled neatly in the bag and as she unrolled it, she marveled at the silky feel of the sheer material. "Where did you get this?" she asked not taking her eyes off the dress.

"Oh, I just borrowed it from the laundry," answered Selihl. "As well as Adriel's and my own excellent selection. No one will miss them until tomorrow morning."

"Selihl, I'm not sure about this," said Linnah. "Besides, what would we need these clothes for anyway?"

Selihl smiled broadly and motioned for her to follow him into the gigantic log. Tentatively the three of them made their way through and stopped just at the other side. The bright moonlight revealed a clearing that could be seen about 20 feet away through the tangle of trees. A large fire was burning in the center of it. They could make out the shapes of figures dancing around the fire. Music, singing and laughter could be heard faintly drifting up on the breeze.

"Oh no Selihl, you don't mean for us to join in a circle do you?" asked Linnah nervously. "You know that servants are not allowed."

"Well that's what the dress is for, Linnah," said Selihl, shaking his head incredulously. "Here, I've also brought us some masks." He took the bag from Linnah and pulled out three cloth masks, each in a color that matched their clothing. "Look Linnah, with these and your dress and your hair unbraided, no one is going to recognize you. You can pretend to be visiting from Rivendell, if anyone asks."

"I find this plan very lacking, Selihl," said Linnah as she looked to Adriel for some semblance of sanity. Adriel looked back at her kindly, but she did not agree with Linnah's assessment.

"Linnah, it will be fine," Adriel said, trying to reassure her friend. "The king's men and whoever else has seen fit to join them will be very intoxicated by now. No one will remember in the morning that we were even here."

"Come on Linnah," said Selihl, practically begging. "You deserve to have a little fun once in a while."

Linnah looked at their eager faces and shrugged her shoulders. She thought about the events of the day and reasoned that this could be exactly what she needed. "Alright, but if we get caught, I'm going to say that you put some sort of spell on me and forced me to do this."

Selihl nodded and smiled wildly. "Well go on and get dressed already!" he said motioning to the other end of the log.

Legolas watched the three curiously from his spot on a branch up in a high tree, just above and behind the log. From his vantage point and with the aid of the moonlight, he could see them talking and Linnah finally giving into some heated debate.

He had been making his way down the stairs to go through the kitchen as a means to get to the servants' quarters, when he had heard their voices just inside the kitchen. He had stopped immediately and waited and when they left through the servants' entrance, he followed them out. Tracking them had been simple and now looking past the log from where the three were standing to the clearing ahead, he knew exactly what they were up to.

Linnah disappeared deeper into the dead tree and after a moment or two she joined her friends. The three emerged together on the other side. The maiden in yellow, who he guessed was Adriel, helped to untie Linnah's braids and with her hair flowing loosely behind her, he watched as she ran with the others deeper into the forest. Legolas jumped silently from the branch and followed behind them, unseen. As he reached the opening of the log, he looked down and saw Linnah's shoes and servant dress folded in a neat pile. He left them where they were, undisturbed and continued after the three.