Hi again! I've been really busy lately(but isn't everyone?), but here it is. I promise Esgalnoron is on the way...but I must keep him from you a little longer...*hold's said ranger tightly and selfishly, grins evilly* But worry not...he looms on the horizon!
DISCLAIMER(by Glorfy): ThurinRanger is a poor and starving writer *pauses and hands tiny whimpering starving author piece of dry bread* and does not own anything, much less something as grand and epic as LOTR and everything affiliated with it. ThurinRanger does not pretend to own anything, and doubts he/she ever will. :)

Thank you Glorfy, and thank you to all my lovely supportive reviewers! I cannot thank you guys enough for all the kind words and love you are giving in the review box for this story and others!

But now...on to the chapter!

"What's the matter? Aren't you excited to meet the Lady Arwen?" Glorfindel asked, putting a strong but slender hand on my shoulder as he escorted me to the said Lady's chambers.

"It's not that," I responded gloomily, meeting his dark grey-green stardust eyes, "well, of course I am rather apprehensive, but more excited about our formal meeting."

"Then what is it that has so greatly affected your mood, if I may ask?" Glorfindel persisted, redirecting me as I began to take a wrong turn in the maze of spiral staircases and tall hallways with many doors every leading which way.

"It's just that Da told me I couldn't go with the twins on the marvelous hunting expedition we've planned!"

"That is not so bad, there will be other times, and I'm sure he had good reason-"

"But he didn't! But still, I'm not so upset about not going on the hunting expedition. It sounded like good fun but I will be fine with not going."

"Then whatever is your fair face so dark for?"

"He told me I had to stay in Imladris and be safe and make friends with females!"

Glorfindel's steady stride paused for a moment, and a golden eyebrow rose in confusion.

"But what is wrong with making friends with other girls? Wouldn't that be pleasant?"

"But fine stately elf-ladies aren't going to like me!"

"You don't know that for certain, you ought to give them a chance."

"But none of them have given me a chance."

"How would you know? As far as I can see you haven't actually tried to make friends with any of them."

I sighed in defeat. I would never be able to win an argument with Glorfindel, or any other elf for that matter, as I was fast finding out.

"Fine. I'll saunter over and give them a chance some time."

"You just have to smile, Thurin, you don't smile half as much as you ought."

"Well neither do you."

"Hmm," coughed Glorfindel, stumped, "I suppose I have better excuses than you."

"Oh really," I inquired, stopping and facing him, a smile confident and sure of victory on my face, "I would like to hear these 'reasons'."

"If you must," Glorfindel sighed, brushing a strand of golden hair out of his face, an action that made my smile wilt and my heart catch. Esgalnoron would do that...quite often...and for a second, I could almost see him standing there before me. But then it was gone.

"First of all, I have lived a good deal longer than you. Second, I have a good deal more responsibility than you. Third, I have seen" and here a shadow passed over his face, but it was gone in a moment, so fast I couldn't even be sure it had ever been there, "a good deal more that breaks a man's smile than you. Fourth and last, I am a person of authority whom you ought not to even be challenging anyway." he snorted, gazing down confidently and condescendingly. The fact that he was tall for an Elf and I short for a human did not help matters one bit, and I sighed, admitting defeat.

"Fine. But you haven't heard my argument yet."

"Argue on."

"I have several good reasons. My mother is dead-"

"So is mine."

"My father hates me-"

"Mines dead, that's just as bad."

"My adoptive father is a grump and unfair-"

"I had to practically raise him."

"I've seen battle and loss and death and tragic ends to-"

"Not as many as I have."

"I'm currently being harassed and interrupted by a snooty elf,"

Glorfindel snorted.

Giving up on winning the argument I blurted without thinking:

"and there's someone I love very much who I haven't seen in ages and am doubting I'll ever see again. There, is that not something to break a person's smile?" I asked bitterly, looking away.

"I did not mean for this argument to end this way, Thurin. I though it all in fun." Glorfindel protested, eyebrows furrowed with how flustered he was becoming, as it was obvious he had little experience dealing with upset females.

"It was all in fun. I'm sorry, forget what I said. You did nothing wrong. There is just...a burden...hanging over me and I...I'm sorry..." I protested weakly, plastering a fake smile onto my face. Where had that outburst come from? I was not one to quickly reveal the inner turmoil inside my heart...but it had been there for so long...and all I wanted was to be able to get it out somehow...I wanted it to all drop off...

"I just want to see my friend again."

"I know how you feel. I had a friend...Ecthelion...who I won't ever see again. He was the best of friends to me." Glorfindel replied softly as we resumed walking toward Arwen's chambers, daring once again to put a tentative hand on my shoulder to steer me out of the way as I thoughtlessly nearly collided with several of Imladris' cooks who were hurrying down the hallway, platters piled high, transporting dishes in preparation for more arrivals of all races, Elves, Dwarves, and Men.

"I suppose it's a tie, well, not really, I think I win a bit more than you-"

"Hey!"

"but it can still be a tie." Glorfindel finished, grinning down mischievously at me.

"Let's make a deal. If you smile more, so shall I."

"A deal it is, but I shall be watching you to make sure!"

"Of course! Did you not think I would be watching you?"

"Shake on it?"

"And solemnly swear."

"Alright then," he began, taking my hand and shaking it firmly, "I solemnly swear that I, Lord Glorfindel Lord of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin, shall try my utmost to smile more and at more people, provided that the Lady Thurin daughter of Estel does as well."

"Impressive title. I solemnly swear that I, Thurin daughter of Estel, warrior and protecter of the weak, shall try my utmost to smile more and at more people, provided that Lord Glorfindel Lord of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin does as well."

"Alright then, I shall hold you to your word."

"And I you."

"But look, we are finally here."

And so we were, standing in front of the Lady Arwen's door.

"Now, don't be nervous, she really is very charming and kind and understanding. It is an honor that she wishes to get to know you better. As a matter of fact," Glorfindel suddenly exclaimed, eyes brightening, "she can be the first female you smile sunnily at and attempt to befriend."

I groaned. Leave it to Glorfindel to make an optimistic comment like that right before I went to meet a stately regal lady who was far too high for me to even feel comfortable looking long at.

"Good luck." he whispered, as he nocked on the door and was invited in. He winked, and motioned for me to enter.

I took a deep breath, plastering an enormous skin-stretching toothy smile on my face, creeping cautiously inside.

"Hello, Thurin, is it? I am Arwen, I do not believe we have properly met? I apologize for the misunderstanding, there are no hard feelings, I assure you."

Her voice was like falling silver, or sunlight...it was like song, or a dream, or maybe a little bit of both.

I stood, stunned, my slightly frightening smile still stuck on my face.

"Hello." I finally managed, eyes as big as saucers.

Now, I had rarely seen many women in my life. There was my mother, but I couldn't really remember her at all. There were the women I saw in Gondor when I returned there with Faramir, but I had really barely even spoken with any women before in my life. But this...this was the queen of women. Arwen was tall, slender, perfect, I felt so small before her, so imperfect in body with my muscled bony frame. Her skin was pale and smooth, and I became suddenly painfully aware of my freckled and scarred skin, not devoid of my dark hair. And her hair...it was long like mine, and dark to...but so different. It was soft and fell in dark waves around her. It looked so beautiful...it looked like hair you would want to sleep in...like clouds almost... Mine fell in random loose waves and curls that bounced back up when you pulled them, and was rather coarse from years in the wild. For the first time in my life, I thought about how I looked. And for the first time in my life, I did not like it. I had never fancied myself beautiful or had been very proud of my looks, that would have been impractical for a life in the wild. But I had been content with them. I had been living in the woods with a group of none too charming men after all, it would be hard for any girl to think her looks inadequate after a life like that.

I suddenly realized I had been staring in silence for some time now, my mouth open.

I promptly closed it, blushing slightly, managing to smile awkwardly.

"So, you are Estel's daughter? Though you are not his by blood...goodness, you really look like his." she marveled, her eyes laughing.

"You aren't the first person who has told me that." I admitted, sitting down on a love-seat next to her as she asked that I be seated, but scooted to the side, leaving a good space between us. She still seemed so distant, despite her friendly conversation.

"He really has made you his daughter, it is rather amusing. You know, it is quite challenging to picture Estel raising a little girl..." Arwen trailed off, gazing into the distance as if conjuring up a picture of this, and then laughed lightly, as if what she had come up with was marvelously humorous.

"It really was a bit of a flail on his part sometimes," I laughed, remembering when I was a young girl and he was trying to figure out how to be a parent, "he was a terrible father at first, though he always meant well. And goodness, when I started, I don't know...becoming a woman, I guess, well...clueless would be an understatement."

At this Arwen burst out laughing.

"Oh yes! Estel always means well but oh you poor thing, what troubles you must have had with him. And there weren't any other women there?"

"No, I'm afraid there weren't. Oh but we did have a splendid time of it, living in the woods." I sighed nostalgically, slowly but surely warming up to Arwen.

"Sometimes," Arwen whispered, leaning in close, "I wish I could not be a lady, and just do things like camp in the woods and ride horses at a gallop. Or," here her perfect eyebrows rose dramatically, "chop off an orc's head with a sword...or better yet...wrestle it to death with my bare hands."

It was rather difficult for me to imagine the graceful beautiful Lady Arwen, a jewel on her pale throat and long expensive looking skirts trailing behind her, wrestling an orc to death, but I was able to relate to her wild longings, and nodded vigorously.

Arwen glanced around furtively to make sure no one was watching before whispering hopefully:

"Have you ever cut an orc's head off?"

"Yes."

"Was it deliriously delicious?"

"Very."

"Have you ever wrestled one to death?"

"No, I've never gotten that chance, but a friend of mine did once."

"What did he think of it?"

"I wouldn't know, he didn't survive it."

"Oh how thrilling."

"Indeed."

Our talk went on like this for some time, until finally Arwen convinced me to teach her some moves with a sword.

Glorfindel came to alert us of the late hour quite some time later to find the Lady Arwen in a tunic, leggings, and boots, hair tied back in a six-strand braid, practicing swinging and slicing with a large sword that looked suspiciously like her father's under the instruction of the grinning young daughter of Estel.

Needless to say, several people got in trouble that evening.

::::::::::::::

"I have decided that although Da said I could not go with you on our hunting expedition, I can work on him yet, so we must not give up hope." I announced to the twins as we sat under a large flowering tree, munching on elvish sandwiches while watching as Glorfindel ran through drills with a large group of soldiers he had aligned on the field before us.

"I wish you luck, for it shall be a very dangerous yet thrilling adventure." Elrohir replied, mouth full of sandwich.

"But I do not understand why I cannot go! I have done more dangerous things. He has no good reason, I do not understand." I sighed in frustration, wiping a spot of condiment from the sandwich Elrohir had just finished off of his cheek with a finger and sticking it in my mouth.

"Ah, but he has very good reason to stop you from going hunting with us." Elladan began very seriously, gazing down at his sandwich gravely.

"What could that be?" Elrohir asked him, a twinkle in his eye.

"Why, he fears that Thurin shall elope with me!" Elladan cried as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, as Elrohir protested:

"No, certainly not! It is obvious she is much more in love with me!"

"Do shut up both of you before somebody hears your silliness." I laughed, grabbing the two remaining sandwiches untouched in the basket and stuffing them one into each of the twins' mouths before they could joke or tease any longer.

Once Elladan had managed to swallow and not choke as he was laughing uncontrollably, he placed an arm around me, proclaiming:

"Never fear, oh adopted niece, the uncles El are only teasing and encourage you to keep working on your father."

"Yes, Estel does not bend easily, especially when concerning the safety of someone smaller than himself who he has decided is his responsibility or under his protection, but, my dear Thu, he does sometimes bend."

"I shall remember that." I promised, but my mind was elsewhere as my eyes drifted to a small group of Elleths sitting in the sun on the large green field adjacent to that the soldiers were drilling on, talking and laughing with each other as some sewed, some gathered recently cut flowers into bunches, while others brushed each other's hair, working the newly tied flower arrangements into their long silky locks.

Tomorrow the Elleths. I thought nervously, tugging at my hair distractedly as the twins bantered on unheard in an effort to perhaps make the messy strands look a bit more...lady-like.

What will happen next? Will Thurin be able to mesh with the elf-ladies? Will the hunting trip happen after all? How will this friendship of sorts with Arwen go? What about Esgalnoron, where is he? We wants him...precious... Tune in next time to find out!

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Thanks all, and have a great day!

~Thurin