She blinked a couple of times, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Elladan's hand on her back felt like the only thing keeping her attached to reality. She felt a knot in her stomach, her body suddenly feeling frozen next to Elladan. Lord Elrond was standing right in front of her, in Mirkwood, looking as regal and wise as ever. She could not help but feel small once again as she felt the powerful aura that seemed to surround the Elf-Lord wherever he went.

And yet, the moment his kind silver eyes met hers briefly, a wave of peace washed over her, silver irises easily piercing into hers, so wise and powerful, the knowledge of many millennia concealed in them. She felt safe looking at this familiar renowned figure, and for the first time she realized that she had missed him. The stare only lasted a second, for the Elf-Lord's eyes quickly shifted to look at each of his sons.

"Ada?" Elrohir was the first one to speak, moving at a quick pace to where the Elf-Lord stood. She would have stayed right where she was except for Elladan's hand on her back, which kept her moving as he joined his twin.

"My sons." Lord Elrond's voice was as peaceful and deep as ever, a faint smile appearing on his lips as he greeted his sons. The Elf-Lord opened his arms and received one twin in each of them.

Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed that Legolas had crossed the room in long strides, kneeling in front of the Elvenking. She let her eyes wonder about the room, and for the first time noticed another figure standing unnoticed on the back of the room. Her lips curved up in a small smile at the familiar sight of the golden haired warrior quietly watching his Lord. Glorfindel's eyes met hers, and he nodded his head slightly in greeting. He did not say a single word, but she noticed the faint smile that appeared on his handsome face with the gesture.

"Almarëa." Her eyes turned back to meet the Elf-Lord's kind silver ones at the sound of her name. It felt strange to hear him calling her by that name; after all she had still been Elerrina while in Imladris. A soft smile adorned his ageless face as he nodded his head in greeting.

She felt her smile widen at the gesture, and before she knew it she was also walking into the Elf-Lord's welcoming arms, feeling the rich fabric of his cloak against her cheek. And for a moment, she felt as if she was still in Imladris, under the protection of this powerful Elf. The embrace was brief, just as the other greetings had been. It seemed that no elf in the room was in the mood for long displays of affection at the moment.

The dancing fire seemed to provide no warmth at all, its red flames casting haunting shadows on the elegant study. Even the cool night breeze that entered through the balcony seemed empty, caressing her skin like threating claws, slowly brushing her strands of golden hair, the echo of the trees faintly carried in its cold grasp.

Elladan had returned to her side, one arm loosely wrapped around her shoulders. The Elf-Lord's eyes lowered to her left hand for a second, and she felt her insides twisting with nerves, suddenly very aware of the precious ring she carried on her third finger. Silver eyes lifted from her hand, staring at her for a fragment of a second before turning to look at Elladan, a dark eyebrow arched questioningly. The faintest of smile appeared on the Elf-Lord's face as he stared at his son, so faint that she was not sure if she had imagined it.

Next to her, Elladan nodded his head, answering the question that had never been spoken, a bright smile reflecting the sparkle in his endless silver eyes. All of her nerves vanished suddenly as the Elf-Lord's lips curved up in a wide smile, silver eyes beaming with joy.

"May I?" Lord Elrond's eyes turned to met hers, the smile never leaving his face as he spoke. He held one had out, every movement incredibly gentle and graceful, and she understood in his eyes that he meant to see the ring.

She immediately lifter her hand for him to take, her smile only widening in the process, feeling Elladan's arm travelling to her waist as the Elf-Lord's eyes carefully studied the gorgeous ring. Out of the corner of her eyes she could feel the King's eyes staring at the exchange, their expression unreadable. After a moment, Lord Elrond let go her hand, joyful eyes lifting to pierce hers.

Everything about the Elf-Lord's smile was different. It was not the polite and kind smile he usually presented. No. This one seemed to reach his eyes, completely natural and unguarded. It was not the diplomatic smile of the Lord of Imladris, but the proud smile of a father. It was a smile she knew rarely anyone got a chance to see.

"I wonder how did that son of mine managed to get a hold of you." The Elf-Lord commented, silver eyes staring affectionately at her before traveling to his son, their eyes locking in silent interchange of words. Even though his word's and expression teased his firstborn son, she did not miss the shimmering pride that shone in Lord Elrond's eyes as he stared at his son.

"I wonder the same thing."

All pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the King at the unexpected sound of his serene voice. There was no indication in his voices that he was joking, and his ice blue eyes pierced Elladan fiercely, although there was no aggression or coldness in his gentle tone. Deep inside his powerful ice blue eyes gleam the faintest spark of approval, drowning in a strange mixture of joy and sorrow.

Next to her father, Legolas was trying hard to suppress his laughter, and she directed a failed glare in his direction, not able to hide a smile at his beaming infinite blue eyes. Lord Elrond, on the other hand, acted as if he had not heard the King, although the way in which his lips twitched upwards told her he perfectly had. Behind the King, Doronor had remained perfectly still, as if he was not interested in anything that just been said, dark blue eyes fixed on his visibly exhausted King.

"Ada, what happened?" Legolas asked in a gentle voice, making the King's ice blue eyes turn in his direction.

Slowly she made her way to one of the seats in front of the King, Elladan sitting next to her on the armrest while Elrohir took the seat to her other side. Her father's piercing ice blue eyes met hers, silently swallowing her in their powerful stare. He had also felt the attack.

"Spiders roam too close to the borders. They seem to be larger in number, and they behave strangely, as if something was controlling them. It seemed unnatural." The King's eyes fell closed as he took a deep breath, lifting two fingers to massage his temple, as if attempting to relieve a pounding headache. "There are patrols running the entire perimeter at this moment."

"What about the attacks on your children?" Lord Elrond's silver eyes looked directly at the Elvenking as he walked to the seat in front of Elrohir, Glorfindel moving to stand behind his lord. "You say it was orchestrated by elves?"

"I ignore who orchestrated those attacks. But it was indeed elves." The King's voice remained as serene as before, cold and composed, impenetrable eyes fixed on the Elf-Lord's silver ones.

A cold shiver ran down her spine and one of her hands traveled involuntarily to her neck as the terrifying memories of the hand choking her flashed through her mind. She felt Elladan's hand on her back rub a small circle, although his silver eyes remained fixed on the King, waiting for him to continue.

"The attacks were not separate, Elrond. They were very much part of the same plan." The King's ice blue eyes did not look away from Lord Elrond, and for a moment she felt that she was merely a listener to the conversation between these two powerful rulers.

"Arahaelon returns from a patrol injured one morning, and that following night someone tries to choke Almarëa. For all I knew, Arahaelon's injury could have been an accident. It looked like one. A spider attacks without warning and he gets caught in the middle. It seemed very unlikely, my son is not one to be caught off guard and I certainly cannot remember the last time he returned injured from a patrol, but it seemed believable. Until Melnor discovered poison in the wound, only some hours after the attack on Almarëa. Only two of my children were attacked, Elrond, only two: my eldest and my youngest. And you know very well what it is that they have in common."

"And still the attack on your son was subtle, it aroused no suspicions whatsoever until the poison was found. Your daughter's case was different. It was entirely straightforward. Both of the attacks aimed at different reactions but the same result. I presume your son is still in bed, am I wrong?"

"Yes, he is." She was slightly surprised to hear Legolas' voice answering the Elf-Lord. His now wary and alert infinite blue eyes let it clear that he had quickly picked up on what Lord Elrond meant to say. "Arahaelon is ruled out of battle, if that were to be the case. But that was probably not the aim of the attack was it? It makes no sense to only make Arahaelon unable to join battle. Why not Tadion then? He is as good with the sword as Ar. They wanted to blur Arahaelon's senses. By weakening him, they weakened his senses, he is not able to discern if anything changes now, if there are any warnings of danger."

She felt her body freeze as images of the Crown Prince lying tiredly on his bed crossed her mind. She remembered Tadion asking him to feel what had changed when the gates had been released, remembered the alarmed look on his clear blue eyes as Arahaelon stated that he could not feel anything.

"I am very well aware of that." The Elvenking closed his eyes as he said in a low voice. "I am also aware that Almarëa is not yet able to distinguish between what she perceives. Her attack was not meant to weaken her senses, there was no point in physically weakening her. I believe it was meant to frighten her, shake her enough to keep her out of noticing anything."

If the King was right in his assumption then she was sure the attackers had very well succeeded. She was scared.

"Fear is a powerful weapon." Her father's ice blue eyes met hers, pulling her like magnets into their powerful depths. "It creates doubt. It confuses you, can make you loose control. There is no way of blocking you from perceiving things, your senses run too deeply. But you need to be in complete control of your mind and body if you were to use these forces you feel, and you would need to be able to recognize them. You are still unpredictable, you only respond to what you perceive, being pulled or pushed from these forces, but it is still out of your control."

"So that would be the aim of the attack on her. To ensure that she stays out of control." Lord Elrond's peaceful voice echoed through the room, settling everything into silence as her father's ice blue eyes turned in his direction. She could feel Doronor's dark blue eyes fixed on her from behind his King, watching her intently.

"Whoever is behind this is someone who knows what Arahaelon and Almarëa can do." Legolas wary eyes darted from his father to the Elf-Lord, waiting for a confirmation on his assumption.

"And has to know something else." The Elf-Lord's piercing silver eyes turned to look at the King, grey meeting blue in a long silent stare, communicating a message she could not read.

The Elvenking sighed as he lowered his eyes, slowly rising to his feet. Doronor's hand immediately shot up to the King's arm, ready to steady him should he falter, but her father seemed perfectly stable on his feet. Without even turning to look at his advisor, the Elvenking made his way towards the ample balcony, leaning heavily on the railing as he looked out at the expanding forest. His long light blond hair looked silvery under the pale moonlight, and for a second he resembled a stone statue, perfectly carved and forever bounded to its place.

It seemed like an eternity before the King finally turned around, impenetrable ice blue eyes turning to look directly at the Elf-Lord.

"Why are you here, Elrond?" There was no warmth in his voice, but it was not cold either. It was perfectly composed, guarded, and entirely serene, so low and yet so powerful.

The Elf-Lord's wise silver eyes did not hesitate as he stared deeply into the King, his face not giving away any emotion. There was no sign of aggression in either of their eyes, both looking as powerful and regal as ever. And yet, as the Elf-Lord rose from his seat and peacefully walked towards the balcony, she could not help but notice how alike and at the same time how different both rulers were.

Lord Elrond seemed steady, a powerful, kind figure, standing tall and regal. His authority seemed to come from his stoic peaceful presence, the patience in his eyes seeming to be endless, like a tall tower that would not crumble. King Thranduil, on the other hand looked weightless, perfectly serene, each and every one of his movements seeming effortless and vaporous. And still his authority seemed to be held in his impenetrable iced eyes, in the way that he seemed to have no need to raise his voice from a mere cold and serene whisper for his command to be obeyed.

"Did you not read my letter?" Came Lord Elrond's reply, kind eyes looking as silver as the Moon in the dark sky above. "The eye is no longer fixed on Imladris. Sauron is searching for the rings, Thranduil. The Nazgul are once again roaming through the lands."

The Elvenking did not answer immediately, once again turning to face the dark forest below. She felt another shudder run through her body at the memory of the ghostlike faceless figures riding through the night, seeming to suck away the very life out of things with their deadly grip. Elladan's hand on her back traveled to rest on her shoulder and she leaned closer to him, resting her arm on his lap. Doronor's eyes were still fixed on her, dark blue irises watchful, steady. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Elrohir and Glorfindel exchanging a look, but she did not pay attention to it, fixing her eyes on her father instead.

"There is once again movement beyond the south gate." The King's voice was low, but she could still hear it perfectly, his ice blue eyes not turning to look at the Elf-Lord as he spoke. "In Dol Guldur."

Elladan's grip on her shoulder tensed and she felt the blood drained from her face at the mention of the dark fortress established at the far south end of the forests of Mirkwood.

"Dol Guldur has not been empty for years now." Lord Elrond added just as Glorfindel also walked to the balcony, standing close to his Lord.

"No it has not." The King turned to face the Elf-Lord as he spoke, his ice blue eyes as unreadable an powerful as ever. "But whatever resides in there had given no indications of being alive and awake. I do not dare get any closer. The darkness is getting stronger there. It caught me off guard earlier, but I was able to pull away quickly enough as to not be seen or noticed."

"Doronor, could you guard the door please?" The King did not look at his advisor as he spoke, and a second later she saw the elegant blond elf gracefully walking out of the room, standing at the other side of the closing door.

Her heart felt as if it had stopped beating inside her chest as she realized that the King was talking about the mind attack she had previously felt. So it had not been an intentional attack, the attacker had probably not even noticed, if the King's words were true. And it had not meant to be directed at her, it had been her father the one to receive the full blow of the unexpected encounter with this dark force, not her. The King's voice had dropped to slow hiss, ice blue eyes locked on the Elf-Lord's piercing silver ones.

"It is already hard enough to keep the darkness at bay. If the eye chooses to focus on Mirkwood, that is a darkness I cannot fight." The King had walked closer to the Elf-Lord as he spoke, both looking incredibly tall and regal, silver and ice clashing together in a hard, penetrating stare.

"And yet you know what will happen if the eye accidentally finds your daughter. Its pull is too strong to ignore, Thranduil. If the eyes sees her, he will instantly believe she has a ring, he has done so before, only that she has been lucky enough to not have yet been seen, only perceived." Lord Elrond's voice remained as peaceful as before, but his steely eyes did not soften, as if stressing the burden of his words.

"And how does bringing that ring of yours make things better?" The King's low hiss was met by a heavy silence, neither of the ruler's looking away from the other. Ice blue eyes pierced the Elf-Lord's powerful silver ones, and yet it was not anger what burned in her father's eyes but despair.

The King did not wait for an answer as he turned to face the forest again, leaning heavily on the delicate railing. Lord Elrond gave no indication of surprise or shock at the open mention of Vilya. To her relief, the King's voice had been low enough that she had barely heard them, letting her know for sure that no one outside the study had caught them.

"It makes no difference." Lord Elrond's voice was calmed as he spoke, not moving an inch from his spot. "The eye has already felt Vilya's power, and it is desperately searching for it. The last time if felt Vilya it perceived her presence too, and it is looking for her, but it does not know where to look. If he finds your daughter in his search, he can feel the ring through her, and it will lead him to believe she has it, and once it sees her it will have a face to look for, there will be no going back, and you know that, Thranduil."

The Elvenking did not respond, in fact he gave no indication that he had even heard a word the Elf-Lord had said. He remained completely still, leaning heavily on the thin silvery railing.

"Thranduil, sit down before you collapse." Lord Elrond's voice was soft and yet the command is his tone was hardly missed by anyone. The King turned to face the dark haired Elf-Lord, a delicate eyebrow raised questioningly. Nonetheless, her father did not comment, slowly walking back inside the study and lowering himself on the seat he had previously occupied. The tension between the rulers seemed to have easily vanished, and she could see they were close friends.

A hollow silence had once again settled over the elegant study, the words of the last conversation still hanging threateningly in the air. She did not move, her sight seeming to be lost on nothingness. The twin's silver eyes were locked in a long stare, a silent conversation no doubt taking place inside their minds. She absently noticed Legolas sitting down next to his father, on the armrest. The conversation had reached an end for the moment, neither Elrond nor Thranduil seeming to know how to act next.

"You try to get some sleep, my daughter." The King's ice blue eyes met hers easily, suddenly gentle and open, and for a second she was tempted to argue that he too should get some sleep. And still there was something else in his gentle, sad eyes that she could not quite read. "That is indeed a beautiful engagement ring."

Then then Kings eyes turned to meet Legolas' "You too, my son."

Choosing not to argue, she nodded her head lightly, feeling Elladan taking her hand gently as she rose to her feet. To her slight surprise Elladan too rose from the seat, placing a hand on the small of her back as they slowly started their way towards the door, Legolas close behind.

"Are you not staying to speak with your father?" She could tell that he longed to speak with the Elf-Lord, ask about what happened in Imladris, and yet she could feel that the words from the previous conversation were still playing inside his mind, not allowing him to leave her side.

"Elrohir will let me know what he says."

She did not add anything else, grateful for his presence next to her as they exited the study. She could hear the King saying something else to the Elf-Lord in elvish as the door closed behind them, but she no longer cared. She did not even know why she was heading to her chambers to sleep, sleep would not come, she already knew that.

The long arched hallway was completely empty, their footsteps echoing hollowly in the thin stone columns, the sound bouncing on the pointed arches and slipping through the open balconies into the night.

They had not walked for long when a hand suddenly grabbed her left arm, a surprised cry dying inside her throat as another hand was firmly placed over her mouth, pulling her into another dark hallway. Her heart jumped inside her chest, threatening to escape from her insides, the hands pulling her moving so fast that it did not give her a chance to look at the face of her captor. Elladan jumped immediately, but she was surprised that neither he nor Legolas uttered a single sound.

An elf was standing right in front of her, one hand firmly covering her mouth, the other hand that had been grabbing her arm entirely releasing her. Long blond hair framed his fine face, a pair of very familiar penetrating dark blue eyes fixed on hers sharply. She felt her heart relax slightly at the familiar, although her nerves and fright did not lessen. Doronor had one slender finger pressed to his lips in an indication to be silent, and she could see both Elladan and Legolas watching him carefully, obeying his command.

The advisor had them pressed to the cold stone wall, the darkness of the corridor keeping them hidden from any by passers, although she doubted there would be any. The corridor had seemed entirely empty. And still, it was not that what had her nerves at edge. It was the suddenly nervous look in the advisor's penetrating eyes and the way in which he frantically eyed towards the hallway what kept her silent.

"You have to leave. All of you." Doronor's voice was a barely audible hiss, his dark blue eyes seeming to penetrate her, piercing her with the weight of his words. He seemed to be in a rush. "I cannot explain in detail, I have a rope to my neck. I know their intentions. It is not a battle what they seek. They are coming for you."

The advisor was speaking fast, barely breathing in between his words, eyes frantically turning to the empty hallway every two seconds. She could not even think, concentrating on grasping his words as they flew in a faint whisper. She had no idea what he was trying to say. He looked completely frightened, as if he believed someone was waiting to kill him if they heard what he was saying.

"There will be an attack tonight. The King does not know. Lord
Elrond is here now, but that has not managed to make them change their plans. You have to leave, my Lady. Neither the King nor Lord Elrond will be harmed."

Doronor threw yet another look in the direction of the empty hallway, lowering his voice even more as he continued.

"Go to your chambers. Let the guards see you get inside, wait for and hour, and then leave. Use the servant's access, and do not let anyone see you. Anyone. They are inside the palace, and I do not know who they are. Do not go back to your father. His life is not at risk, I can assure you. It is no one's intention to harm the King. I will alert your other brothers, it is better if you all leave, they will know where to go."

Her heart raced inside of her, Elladan and Legolas looking as petrified as her.

"Doronor, wha…"

"Shh!" The advisor silenced Legolas before he could even finish speaking, his dark blue eyes once again looking at the empty hallway. Then, his eyes turned to look at hers once more, piercing hers intently, his face leaning closer to her as his voice lowered even more.

"You should have died with your mother. You should have never returned. They know what you can do, they know how powerful you are. The entire realm knows. By the Valar, you nearly killed your brother! Now go before anyone sees us."

She did not even have time to process his words, did not even have time to ask what he meant, to react in any way before he was pushing them out in the hallway. Without another word the blond advisor turned around, quickly disappearing through the dark corridor, once again walking as untroubled and graceful as ever, a perfect mask covering his emotions…

Here is chapter 19! Sorry for the wait! I hope the chapter is worth the while! Please let me know what you think!

Again, ,thank you soo so much to those of you who reviewed my latest chapter: CeffylGwyn, world-classgeek, AnneWithane, wonderpanda10, kcelflover, dindingsong, Paperlanterns86, Hirilnin, starfire341, SarahWeasley, Martine9295, Danda225, AmazingWriter123, Coco99, Mary Elrondile, booklover1598, Jasperslittlesister, and xX-MissyMoo-Xx.

Love,

Elena