Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter. It's great to find out that there are so many different viewpoints out there. I realize that some people are very well educated about Tolkien's world and I apologize if you catch me twisting a few details. My number one priority is an entertaining plotline and characters, so if I have to tweak a few things here and there I hope you can still find this a good read. I'm having fun writing it and looking forward to writing the upcoming parts, as I've had them stuck in my head a very long time. The action is coming soon!

Goodbye Rivendell

Winter was far from Gilraen's favorite season as the garden slept and nothing grew. On clear days, however, she started once again taking her mare out for rides, although never did she travel alone. Teslan and Mendir were happy that she seemed to be getting over her fear of riding the trails and even they were more alert of their surroundings when on the trails out of Rivendell.

It was on a crisp but sunny winter day that the youths rode out of Rivendell to escape the overly warm halls and take the fresh air. Elfwine and Eldarion rode with the three friends as well.

Elfwine had been very careful since that first night in Rivendell not to press Gilraen too much for her attentions as he knew she was not comfortable with his direct manner. He knew that winning her affections would take time and patience, though it was getting harder with each passing day for him to be so silent. He was raised to always speak honestly and directly and this delicate treading did not seem so natural to him.

He had a hard time understanding elven ways. They were more cautious about what they said and seemed to speak in riddles, hardly ever giving a direct answer. When he asked Eldarion about this, he said that unless you were a relative, elves felt they had no right to tell another what they should or shouldn't do. Elfwine felt that it made for very frustrating conversations at times as he could not get a straight answer. Still, he did manage to get along well, having also been raised by his mother to have good manners. Manners did seem important at an elf haven as well.

As they rode, Elfwine would fall back slightly and gaze at Gilraen as she rode. The chilly winter air turning her cheeks red beneath the shelter of her fur cloak gave Elfwine the urge to remove his gloves and warm her face with his hands. But he did no such thing, knowing it would embarrass her. He rarely found himself alone with her and he wondered if she made sure of that fact herself. She did not seem as nervous around him as long as others were around and she would chat happily away.

He did not fail to notice that the presence of Legolas in the same room, caused a change in Gilraen and once again the old jealousy would spring to his heart. He did not let his jealousy show as he once did, however, taking comfort that Legolas seemed not to notice Gilraen in that way. He was much too old for her, Elfwine would tell himself.

Gilraen was very aware of Elfwine, whenever he was around, which was quite a lot. She did find that she enjoyed his company and he was always kind to her, but there were times when he moved too close to her for comfort. It was as if the heat of his skin would somehow reach out into her personal space and create a feeling of longing in her. These were the times she began to feel so nervous in his company, because these were the times that she felt like reaching out to him and touching him. As soon as she would realize this, it would make her feel guilty and she would flee his company.

Her fifteenth birthday had passed two weeks ago, raising many conflicting emotions within her. When she was around Elfwine, she would remember his words of how maidens her age were ready to marry. He treated her as if she was much older than she felt. On the other hand, when she was around Legolas, she felt much younger than she was, as he treated her as a child. She knew that in any elf's eyes she would be considered a child at fifteen. That was why she knew she would not marry for a long time. She told herself to have patience, that some day she would be a grown woman and then Legolas would have no choice but to treat her like one. In her mind, she had rehearsed what she would say to him when she was grown. She would tell him that she had always loved him and that she would choose immortality so that they could always be together.

Gilraen was thinking about this very thing when Elfwine's voice broke into her musings. She looked over at him riding next to her. "I am sorry. What is it you were saying?" she asked him.

"I was asking you why you did not ride more often, when the weather was fair. Mendir had indicated that something had happened. Did you have a riding accident?"

Gilraen gave a sharp glance over at Mendir, who wisely avoided looking at her.

"I was accosted last summer on the north trail," she stated, looking straight ahead.

Elfwine was shocked and he looked over at Eldarion. It was obvious by Eldarion's manner that he already knew of the situation. He looked back at Gilraen with concern.

"Who would do such a thing to you Gilraen?" he asked softly.

She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to remember the faces of those men. At times, they still haunted her dreams with their jeering looks and rough hands. Discussing them only made them real and she didn't want them to be real.

Elfwine knew better than to push her for anymore information. He only said, "I wish I had been there to help you."

Gilraen looked over at him and could see that he meant every word. "If you want to help me, then help me forget it."

Elfwine knew that the subject was now closed. He nodded at her words and turned his gaze to the forest. "Well, in that case…" he slipped off his horse and bent down to gather a ball of snow, giving her a challenging smile.

Gilraen smiled and slid of her horse opposite from his view, hiding behind her gentle mare as a snowball came flying over and landed a few feet away. The others laughed and got down quickly off their mounts as well. Soon there was a full fledged snowball fight as they all ran to hide behind any natural shelter they could find while trying to hit anyone they could see exposed. This went on for quite awhile until they were all thoroughly exhausted and yelling for mercy, barely able to speak through their laughter.

The days of winter passed swiftly and all preparations were being made for the journey to Annuminas, the rebuilt king's capital city in the north. Gilraen looked forward to traveling again and seeing lands she had never seen. Yet it also occurred to her that she would be leaving Rivendell, a place she had come to love along with the elves she had grown fond of. It was with great relief when Lord Celeborn informed her that he would be coming as well as Mendir, Teslan, and Elladan. They would stay for the spring and summer, and then return to Rivendell in the fall.

When the day of departure came, it was with sorrow and tears that she said her farewell to Elrohir and Nemel. They embraced her and told her how much they will miss her. "You will always have a home here in Rivendell," Elrohir told her.

As they rode away, she looked around at all that had become familiar to her, committing it all to memory. Arwen rode up next to Gilraen, reaching out her hand to clasp her daughter's. "Rivendell will always be here for you," she smiled knowingly at Gilraen.

Gilraen turned her watery eyes to her mother, "Will it?"

Arwen's smile faded as she too took another glance back at Rivendell. There were not many elves left. Most had left the shores of Middle Earth for Valinor, leaving less and less to continue their culture here. The elven way of life was quickly disappearing and all that she had known would soon be a memory. What would her children choose? Would they leave as well? Either way she would lose them someday. Childhood was such a fleeting time, one to be cherished and enjoyed while it lasted. But her children will someday leave to live their own lives and so this time she had them was all the more precious.

Gilraen spent the days of travel in conversation with all her companions. She found she enjoyed traveling with her family and friends much better than soldiers, though she did miss the songs of the elves of Lorien. Some of the elves traveled with Lord Celeborn, as well as her maid Fireal, but they were outnumbered by the party from Gondor. Legolas and Gilmi also rode along, happy to be traveling with Aragorn again.

One spring afternoon, the traveling party stopped to rest and partake of a quick supper. Gilraen wandered off to a nearby brook to wash the grim of travel from her hands and face, finding herself alone for the first time in a long while. She found a large boulder to sit on, closing her eyes to let the breeze dry the skin of her face. She began humming a tune to herself.

"Finally I chance to find you alone!" a voice startled her out of her meditation and she lept off the rock. When she swung herself towards the voice, she saw the old man in the brown robes again, Radagast! She looked around to see if any of the others were around to see him as well, but she could see no one.

"What do you want?" she said nervously. She now knew he was a wizard and that fact frightened her not a little. She backed up a few steps, wondering if she should run back towards camp.

He put out his hands and said, "Do not be frightened of me, Gilraen. I would not harm you. Have you heard such terrible things about me?"

She shifted her feet. "No," she admitted, trying to calm herself. "You have just surprised me."

"Well, I apologize for any fright I may have caused you. It is very difficult to find you alone. I've been waiting for an opportunity for days."

"Why?" she asked. "Why can you not approach the others?"

"I do not like crowds. And why should I bother with a lot of questions from others when all I want to do is speak with you?"

"Me? Why do you wish to speak with me?" she wondered, her eyes darting towards the direction she knew the camp to be in.

Radagast lifted his eyebrow at her and looked at her disbelievingly. "Do you think I cannot see your gifts Gilraen? Have you any visions lately? And why have you stopped telling your visions to Lord Celeborn? He can help you sort them out you know."

Gilraen opened her mouth in shock. How can he know these things? Has he been watching her all these years? Can he see into her dreams? "How do you know such things?"

"Really, my dear, do you have to ask such questions? The birds have told me of course! They are my eyes and ears."

Gilraen was mortified. The birds! She had always sung to them and talked to them when she was alone. Now she realized she was never really alone.

"I have also had disturbing news from elsewhere," Radagast continued. "I want you to be very careful in Annuminas, Gilraen. Do not wander far alone."

"Will more wizards surprise me if I do?" she said somewhat sarcastically. She did not like his riddles. "And what did you mean by your words last time, beware the red?"

Just then the loud snapping of a twig announced the arrival of someone else and Gilraen turned her head to see who it was. A guard was making his way to the brook for water. She looked back to Radagast but again he had disappeared. The brown crow stood where Radagast had been and Gilraen now understood that they were one and they same. He cawed at her and Gilraen gave him an angry glare. She did not like that he was leaving her always with warnings.

She shook a finger at him. "You best return to me and explain these foreboding words." She looked at the guard now and saw how he was staring at her strangely while she spoke to a bird. She tucked her embarrassed face down and strode off towards the camp.

That night she went into the tent of Lord Celeborn, sitting next to him as he rested. He placed his hand on hers and inquired, "You have much to tell me Gilraen?"

She nodded. "I have not been telling you of my visions lately. I'm sorry grandfather. I have gotten into the habit of pushing my bad thoughts away, not wanting to think of them."

He turned to face her, clasping both her hands in his. "Then show me." She sighed gratefully, looking into his eyes, feeling the weight of her nightmares lift from her head as she shared her visions with Celeborn. Perhaps the old wizard knew what he was talking about after all.

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