The lights filtered from the dining hall, but not much noise was coming from it. A soft singing voice permeated in the air, indicating that all guest had now migrated to the hall of fire for tale sharing. The clear intonations of the elf were soothing for the mind, and Frances slowly made her way down to the bridge that she had discovered some time ago and hung over the tumultuous flow of the Bruinen. In her hand laid a little piece of leather coming from the saddle gear.

The young woman glided silently across dead leaves and mossy patches on the slippery rocks. The heavy cloak enveloped her from head to toe, protecting her head from the cold night. Finally reaching the bridge, Frances walked up to the middle, where the vault was flat and the roadway the thinnest. The waterfall vaporized so much water that she could feel the droplets on her face, and the surrounding vegetation hid well the little stone bridge from view. It could have been a very romantic location had she come there with Charlie.

She didn't wish he was by her side, though. Charlie would totally freak out, and put more pressure than necessary on her already frail shoulders. She loved him, but he already had trouble handling his job with the FBI; he was way too anxious for his line of job. Roaming the wilds of middle earth, being ambushed with orcs was hardly is cup of tea. He'd stick like a sore thumb here, her technology boyfriend. The remembrance of his twinkling blue eyes, though, send a pang of longing through her heart. Would she ever see him again, her little, stressed out man that lived over the atlantic Ocean ?

Standing still, Frances murmured a few words for her mare, and threw the piece of leather into the bubbling waters of the stream. There had been quite a connection between her and the horse; the animal had quickly accommodated with her lack of experience. Hell, for a horse she had been incredibly comprehensive, and Frances was grateful for this, she that was mostly afraid of horses. Watching the waters, she let her memories fall back to her first days with the mare, and gave her a silent tribute. All kind of sounds were surrounding her, the bubbling of the water covered mainly all of it but still she could make out the slow ruffling of the leaves under the gentle wind, and the little scrunching noise mice and birds produced as they went by.

A musical voice rose up from the woods, saying something in a language she did not understand, and Frances jumped in fright, startled that she had not heard the owner coming in her contemplation. Switching naturally into a fighting stance under her heavy cloak, the young woman relaxed as she recognized the tall elf that was now standing at the other side of the bridge. The moonlight illumated his nearly white braided hair as he stayed motionless in fear of frightening her. Even if his posture was relaxed and non offensive, his stance was this of a king, and the silver rays of the moon enhanced his fair features as he observed her. The nicely chiseled lines of his face were so beautiful that he seemed like a faërie, ethereal and unreal. Overwhelmed by the presence of the elf, Frances realized that her mind had gone blank and was unable to form any sensible thought. Oe minute she was thinking about her sweet little Charlie, now nothing more existed that the prince of Greenwood glowing softly into the moonlight. What a striking contrast !

Frances stood motionless in the middle of the bridge, but even with the cloak covering her hair Legolas knew who she was. Apart from the fact that he could sense she was no elf, her size and posture informed him that she was the lady from the council. Despite a formal presentation in the dining hall, the lady Frances was mostly seen in the company of Arwen or the hobbits. Quite often though he had seen her training with her swordsmaster, or riding, but she was often seen alone. Far from making her more accessible, the rare times her had crossed her gaze had dissuaded him from tempting an approach. Every time his people had left him some little space to do as he pleased, she had shied away from him. Sure enough he had caught glimpses here and there at dinners. The twins had talked a lot about her, but they had never met in private.

Her present awareness and the stiffness of her posture caused him to wonder what ailed her mind; Rivendell was one of the scarce places in this world that stood safe.

- "I am sorry I startled you, my lady"

The young woman's lips quirked.

- "That obvious, am I ?"

The sarcastic remark seemed so out of place, a stark contrast to the quietness of the night. Her weird vocabulary and expressions did not help either; Legolas was used to be addressed differently. Before he could figure out a proper answer, the brooding mood seemed to sink into her spirit again and she turned her haunted gaze to the waterfall. The move in itself could have meant rejection, but it also was a significant sign that she considered him as a non-potential threat. The closest thing to trust, after all.

- "This is a beautiful place", she started.

As if to mock her, the clouds covered the moon once more…

- "Er… It also is beautiful in the dark, even though I can't see…"

Frances was going to complete the expression when she realized that she was in presence of an elf prince and that swearing would end up tarnishing her reputation. Sometimes she wondered what all this fair folk was thinking about her, they that were not sensitive to the torments of humanity. Anytime an elf maiden would pass, Frances felt dirty, no matter how many showers she had taken before. The eldar seemed impervious to any human problem, be it hunger, fatigue, illness or anything else such as bad hair style or sweating. Of course, their inherent glowing beauty did not help either, and Frances had never felt so ugly in her whole life.

The elf that was watching her now, taking a few slow steps towards her. His beauty was so overwhelming that she could not utter a word. She felt like telling him not to come closer, that she was unworthy of an elven prince company, but still his soft glow and warming features were reassuring.

- "I can probably help with this inconvenience", he stated lowly, his voice containing a hint of amusement.

Not understanding what he meant at first, the young lady realized that his glowing figure lightened up her surroundings with this faint light, creating a surreal atmosphere. Darkness receded beyond his area of influence. 'Wow', she thought, speechless. Stunned by the discovery that elves casually glowed like fireflies – it was the first time she stood in the dark with one of them - she gave him an incredulous smile, then bowed to the prince.

- "Thank you master for being the light of my evening"

- "You are very welcome my lady", said he, a broad smile covering his beautiful face at seeing her out of her mournful mood.

Legolas had been in Elrond's study when Estel, who had requested his presence given the vital information they were bearing, had discussed the event. He well knew what thought were plaguing the lady's mind, and even if he had not thought to seek her, her presence in his favorite thinking place meant something. So there he was, hoping that his quiet presence would help her cope with the first encounter with those foul and ruthless creatures. For the first time in ages he had seen Estel as angry as his foster father at the twins, and his face had been pale as he related the misfortunate turn of things. Even if the lady had already fought by his side, putting her in danger of being tortured by the orcs had shaken his principles to the core. Her potential participation to the fellowship had however not been discussed again, as Elrond and Gandalf had held fast against the three sons.

The twins, aside their very proud faces, were truthfully ashamed that their anger had led Frances in such danger. If the orcs had gotten to the lady, they never would have forgiven themselves, even for the sake of revenge, even in the name of their mother. Both stood vehemently against her participation in the fellowship, but nothing could sway Lord Elrond. What he had forseen, no one knew. Both sons had bowed and left, soon to be departed to the borders to ensure the fellowship's safe passage. They were due to leave soon, and Legolas knew that this would probably grieve the lady, unless she resented them too much to mourn their departure. As the slight cloaked from beside him sighed, he felt for the first time at loss of words, and struggled a bit to look for a sentence that could bring her some comfort.

- "My lady, it feels natural to mourn the loss of a close friend, may it be a horse…"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he had been wrong to say anything at all. Frances stiffened, surprised that the prince of Greenwood had seen right through her again, and it angered her to be so transparent. Not so sure about what to answer, she pursed her lips. It had been a blissful moment; she watching the waters while thriving in the light of a higher being, all sorts of scents swirling in the air. But the charm was broken now.

- "I am sorry", he whispered, making her shiver. "I did not mean to pry… Are you cold my lady?"

She should have answered no. No, she was not cold, but the deep tones of his voice and the fact that he was now standing so close were making her crazy; he had such a bright presence, so different from the twins. So she did not lie; Frances had always been unable to do so, but instead she stated neutrally that she should probably get inside and rest. Her dead voice had the elf frown at her words, but before he could bid her goodnight she was gone without even looking back at him. This night, Frances stayed in her bed for a long time before falling asleep, regretting her harsh words, and a lonely elf stayed a long time on the bridge, watching the water fall, wondering if the lady would ever forgive him for being so inquisitive.

The day after, Frances woke early at the sound of chirping birds bundling at the window because of the cold wind. Dark nightmares had plagued her mind, and she felt sickened by the content of her imagination. Dressing up in a woolen dress and fur boots after refreshing her face with icy water, she passed quickly through the kitchen to grab a bit of elven bread and took off for the mountains. Her thick elven cloak was welcome in the icy wind, and the sky was grayish, smelling of snow. Her thoughts were wandering again to the terrible nightmares, and she shuddered in the cold morning. She definitely needed a break to process all this knowledge that had suddenly turned from theoretical to very practical. Was she ready for middle earth and its foulness? As doubts plagued her mind, the frozen lake came into view and she smiled through the little flakes that had started falling down during her ascension.

Soon enough she was circling again on the ice, her hair securely fastened in a tight braid, and all nasty thoughts left her mind for a while. Circling and twirling around, Frances enjoyed every moment of her shameless escapade from her studies until two familiar elven figures appeared behind a line of tree. As the twins stepped on the ice and safely made their way to her, their balance unhindered, she darted off in her direction.

Both twins had debated about the sense of coming up to seek out the young lady, but her quick escape from the morning had hinted them to do so. It was not unusual for her to run away and disappear like this, but still they felt like they needed to bid her adieu. The reception they would get however was still unsure. Estel was still angry. From Frances, they knew next to nothing. She seemed to have been deeply affected by the orc's savagery and the death of her mount. The girl was sometimes so oversensitive that they wondered how she had managed to travel up to weather top and attacked the Nazgûls. She had been ignorant of their nature, but still it was a mighty deed for someone so inexperienced with weapons.

The twins braced for impact, ready to take her anger. Yet, the young woman's progress in their direction seemed far from wary.

She stopped in a twirling motion in front of them and both elves raised an eyebrow.

- "Hello mischievous twins, how fare you on this freaking cold day?"

Her tone was lighter, nightmares forgotten. Elladan slightly bowed, his tone very formal.

- "We fare well, thank you my lady…"

- "… What about you?", Elrohir finished.

The young woman took a few instants before answering this question, her eyes switching to the rocky mountains before getting back to the two worried faces of the twins.

- "Well, alive I am so I guess that this will have to do"

A thick silence followed during which Frances wondered if she could pry about the meeting with their father, but from they grim faces she bit her tongue instead. Still, she couldn't shake the sight of their beautiful features, deformed by fury. How she wanted to ask, but she felt in no position to make such enquiries. Tentative friends they were… not enough to delve into past hurts.

Elves were in general used to silence, their numerous years of existence slowly replacing the need to talk by simple observation. However, the twins were not used to hers, she that had opened like a shell during the past weeks. Her facial expression did not indicate any forwardness, but surprisingly enough there was no anger directed towards them either. About to greet her goodbye and break the new of their departure, Elladan was interrupted by his brother who could not contain his curiosity anymore.

- "Are you not angry at us?"

Gritting his teeth in displeasure, the older elf nonetheless waited for the answer. Frances seemed to seek an appropriate answer to this very sensitive question, but even the truth seemed to elude her. Eventually, she found a way to express her feelings honestly.

- "I didn't get time to be angry. I hid, baited and climbed right back into that tree and you were back. Had I been tortured raped and killed like those foul creatures wanted to…"

The twins' faced contorted in pain, one reflecting the other with perfect symmetry

- "… I would probably be angry to death, no pun intended"

As the elves fidgeted uneasily over the icy ground, the young lady decided to take the matter in her own hands and extended both of her hands in their direction. Lifting a skeptical eyebrow, Elladan hesitated for a second before realizing that his brother had already seized the young lady's gloved tiny hand and pulled her a bit closer. Shaking his head in disbelief, the older brother imitated his twin, deploring that he would not behave with more decorum. Her gloved hand was really little in his palm, but her grip was firm, and when he leveled his gaze to hers he could only find determination and curiosity. She was stronger that she looked.

- "Now, she said, I am not angry at both of you, but I am curious, and …"

Frances paused then, as if unsure whether she could voice her thoughs.

- "And?..."

- "Honestly I'm also a bit frightened"

This revelation struck them speechless, but quite surely, Elladan after Elrohir, both started to remember how ruthless they had been on this day. Surely it would have been folly to think that she had missed the expression of their faces and the hatred that had burnt in their eyes before setting off for an orc massacre. She was, for a human, quite perceptive of elven moods, and responsive too. It was so strange that she would admit her fear while still holding their hands tight. This demonstration of faith melted Elladan's heart to the core, and a quick peek at his twin indicated the same reaction by his side.

- "How afraid are you?", he asked in a low voice.

Frances suddenly shuddered, and the eldest twin pulled her to his side, wrapping his arm above her shoulder to share his body warmth. With her skates, the young woman was taller and could fit in the crook of his arm. A brotherly embrace that surprised his twin just as much as himself.

- "When I saw the look on your face, I was frightened enough to turn my mare away and gallop back to Imladris."

- "So you would run away from us?"

Elrohir freed his hand suddenly, feeling betrayed but knowing well that he deserved whichever wrath she could launch at him. She shook her head slowly while leaving Elladan's side and started to fidget on her skates. She couldn't help it, gliding helped her focus.

- "I would not run away from you, even if you freaked me out this day. I will not turn my back on you, even if believe me, I have seen weird things in my past. It is just unsettling… this rage, this fury upon your face. Believe me, you were far from being yourself. However, trust is always earned, and all I wish is to understand, even if I reckon this is a lot to ask…"

- "We are not often asked such explanations", started Elladan

- "Since everybody of Rivendell knows of our hate of orcs, a few newcomers have ever witnessed our hunting parties", finished Elrohir

Frances watched them, a sparkle shining in her eyes. They did not seem offended, just very awkward with the subject.

- "Then will you talk to me?"

- "Yes we will…", both voices stated at the same time

And thus, they recounted the sad tale of their mother's abduction by the orcs, a thousand years ago. They did not elaborate the tortures she had to endure – Frances' face had blanched considerably - before they found her and rescued her from her kidnappers. But they did not hide Celebrian's sorrow and spiritual wounds that would not heal, and of her passing to the west such a long time ago.

The hard, leveled tone in which Elladan spoke was a testimony of the many years that had passed since the event came to darken their lives, but still, even if their faces were now perfectly controlled, the fury could not be extinguished in their eyes.

As they walked down the path under the now heavy snowing, the twins also informed her that they were to depart in the evening. This though saddened the young woman, but still she could not find the strength to oppose lord Elrond. He probably had more intelligence in this than she had, and even if this quick decision seemed close enough to a punishment, there probably was a greater reason to it. The trio shared a last meal together, talking about cheerful things to ease the pain of the separation, and then Frances accompanied them under the cold wind to the gates of the city. There she found Lord Elrond, who seemed less than surprised to see her, as well as Arwen and Estel. Lord Glorfindel also stood by the gates, his face serious. Many elven words were whispered which Frances didn't understand. And when the twins bid her goodbye with a deep bow, the young lady could not help but rush forward and embrace both twins within her arms. The sight was pretty amazing given the fact that she was much smaller than they, and that her arms barely reached up behind their neck to hold them close. However, their responding gesture formed a gentle but powerful hug.

They had barely known each other for a few weeks, but the bound they were sharing went beyond measure for such little time. Somehow, the young lady had managed to penetrate their wary hearts, and this deed alone had Lord Elrond smiling beyond the fear and angst to send his sons on such perilous mission. Arwen, usually so leveled and correct, surprised them all by joining in the collective hug. For an instant, lord Elrond saw the carefree faces of all his children laughing again like in old times, but soon enough the twins had detangled themselves from the ladies, and mounted their horses. One last wave to their father and foster brother, and they were gone.

The lady Arwen exchanged a meaningful look with Estel, but then she grabbed Frances' hand and led her to her own room. Both women spent the evening together, talking about the twins and what fate might lie ahead, and for the first time they laid their hearts bare. Arwen revealed the the love that had blossomed between herself and Estel, her foster brother, and Frances told her about Charlie. Frances was dumbfounded to realize how trustful the elf maiden was to her, especially since they were not close. Frances never sought Arwen's company, being far too intimidated by the Evenstar. How wrong she had been to shun such friendship !

Arwen was the evening star of her people, but her heart was as beautiful as her soul. This evening taught Frances how sweet and open the daughter of Elrond could be, and very soon she realized how lonely she felt amongst her people. Being the youngest of her siblings, and revered like Elbereth, Arwen did not really have many occasions to talk about her love for a forsaken human ranger. When her brothers were absent, she longed for Lothlórien where some of her friends dwelt. The life of the Eldar was considered sacred amongst the first born, and renouncing to one's immortality was only granted to those of the line of Elrond – the Peredhil - therefore, no one could understand what Arwen was going through with this choice.

Talking to Frances eased the pain; it was unexpected to find more understanding in the young human's words than in any speeches she had had before. Frances' natural empathy allowed her to step in the elf's shoes, and even if she could not feel the angst by herself, the distress that radiated from Arwen found an echo in the depth of her heart. Now that the elleth had shared her thoughts, Frances started to understand why she considered forsaking her immortality. Poor Elrond. Poor twins… Arwen and Aragorn's love was a bittersweet one, as beautiful and sad as Romeo and Juliet. So Frances crossed her fingers, hoping that, despite the war, despite it all, they would enjoy many years of happiness together to counterbalance the grief of losing one's family.