Through the cold misty morning trudged a line of figures, some walking, some seated on horseback, making their way tiredly through the thick forest.

"Tar-Elendil, Tar-Meneldur Irimon, Tar-Aldarion Anardil,"

Somewhere in the middle of this small ragged group stumbled a wet and tired old horse, fur dull and matted.

Atop it sat two children, a taller boy with tangled dirty-blonde hair, and a smaller girl with hair exactly the opposite color and even messier than his, if that is possible.

"Tar-Telperien, Tar-Minastir, Tar-Ciryatan,"

The boy's job had been to keep the girl from tumbling off the horse if she fell asleep, but the opposite had happened. The boy was now asleep, head lolling forward and mouth hanging open. The girl, however, was wide awake, great grey eyes wide and sparkling from where she sat behind him, arms wrapped securely around his waist to keep him from tumbling off into the mud and leaf-mould below on this chilly, rainy morning.

"Tar-Telemmaite, Tar-Vanimelde, Tar-Anducal,"

She was energetically reciting the line of the Rulers of Numenor, as her adoptive father, Thorongil, had instructed her to do in the event that she could not sleep. As this was what he instructed her to do every time the camp moved, she had become very good at it.

"Tar-Ardamin, Ar-Adunakhor, Ar-Zimrathon,"

But there were only so many kings of Numenor.

"Tar-Octopus, Tar-OhSweetEruHe'sSoHandsome, Ar-I'mHungry,"

Everyone else, however, was too exhausted to object, it must be understood that they had been trekking through the dismal weather like this for many many hours already.

"Tar-PigFace, Tar-Sardine, Tar-EsgalnoronPleaseWakeUpAlready,"

Needless to say, the entire camp knew their Line of Numenor pretty well by now.

"Tar-ElfyLookingMan, Ar-BlahBlahBlah, Ar-WeirdoMan,"

On occasion the girl had been known to get far too creative with her line of Numenor.

"Tar-ThisIsBoring, Tar-WhyDoesNumenorHaveToHaveSoManyKings..."

She trailed off, sighing long-sufferingly before removing one arm from around the boy's waist and giving a tangled lock of his blonde hair a quick yank.

"El..." she whispered coaxingly into his ear, yanking again. The lilting whisper disappeared as he refused to cooperate, and she growled, "Wake up already."

"What?" he mumbled confusedly, eyes fluttering open as he felt the side of his now-tender head dazedly.

"I have run out of Rulers of Numenor." she informed him curtly, rubbing his eyes for him in an attempt to make him more awake.

"Fascinating..." he yawned, stretching as he blinked tiredly, taking in his surroundings. "I see we are still traveling." he remarked, leaning forward to rest his head on the horse's obliging mane.

"Yep. I love traveling." the girl sighed sunnily, giving him such an enthusiastic squeeze around the waist for emphasis that he was set gasping for air.

When he had gotten his breath back, the boy sighed, turning his head to glance at the little girl skeptically. "We are always moving like this, it seems, what is there to like?"

"I don't know, everything?" she suggested hopefully, taking a deep invigorating breath of air heavy with rain.

The boy sighed, leaning back against her and closing his eyes.

"I am going back so sleep now," he whispered, head rolling to the side as he opened his eyes to smile tiredly up at her before quickly dozing back off.

"Why must he always fall asleep when we travel?" the girl asked nobody in particular, pouting down at the serene-albeit muddy-boyish little face before her.

"I wonder what would happen if I rolled him off the horse right now..." she murmured evilly, glancing around to see if anyone was watching before bending over and beginning to extract the boy's legs from where they had been wrapped firmly around her own by Amathron before they had set off, a bit of bad logic on his part: If one fell off now they would drag the other with them, but Amathron had rarely been known to think through that sort of thing.

"No you don't, Thurin." Thorongil chuckled, grabbing her hand to stop it as she began work on the other leg. The girl looked up, surprised, face flushed from bending so far over, smiling naughtily in a poor attempt to act innocent.

"Esgalnoron is not invincible, you know, he can not take so many knocks as you think. He is human, just like you are, Thurin. Let him be. I think you would be very sad if something happened to him."

"No I wouldn't, I would be glad to be finally rid of him, he is always big-brothering me." the girl giggled gleefully, looking as if she was seriously considering flipping him off the horse that vey moment.

"I think you are wrong, daughter. I think you would be very sad if anything ever happened to him, now you remember that."

Thurin scoffed disdainfully at him, turning up her nose and looking away heedlessly.

Yet for all this, Esgalnoron was not rolled off the horse.

He never was.

I awoke with a start. The dream ended suddenly, leaving me out of breath.

It was a nice dream, yet I woke from it as if it was a nightmare.

I sighed, sitting up in bed and running by fingers through my thick mess of dark hair, especially tangled after just being slept in.

I rose, stretching my arms up in the air and bending backwards until my spine made the cracking noise I sought, before stumbling over to the washbasin and splashing cold water over my face.

I then proceeded to throw open the windows, letting in the fresh morning air, before my eye was caught by something.

A piece of paper slipped under my door, with my name in elegantly written Sindarin on the front.

Thurin

I stood confused for a moment before I remembered. Last night(after he had finished scolding me)Da had informed me of a new arrangement he had made with Arwen, in order to 'help us bond'.

Every morning during my stay in Imladris, Arwen was to slip a letter under the my door, and every evening I was to respond.

It seemed Arwen had not forgotten this arrangement as I had, and I eagerly hurried to pick it up, taking it to the bed and turning it over in my hands a few moments, studying the fine parchment and perfect penmanship adorning the front.

After checking to insure that my adoptive father was still sound asleep beside me, I carefully unfolded it.

Are you in love?

That was it?

Confused, I turned the letter over several more times, I shook it, but nothing else appeared.

Are you in love?

I thought for a moment as I searched for a piece of paper and a quill and some ink, before writing down my reply.

No.

Are you?

I laughed softly at the silliness of my question, crossing it out.

No.

Are you?

Never mind, that was a silly question to ask, I know already that you are in love with Da.

Instead I will ask you, what is your favorite type of flower?

I like Marigolds, we used to have those in mother's little garden we took care of in Minas Tirith. They were the only flowers I can remember from it, though I know there were others. Faramir liked Marigolds too. Father hated them.

Satisfied with my response I folded the piece of paper several times before quickly scrawling her name across the front, setting the letter aside to deliver that evening.

I sighed contentedly, leaning back in the chair I had seated myself in, but my smug satisfaction was short lived.

Something was bothering me, and I could not tell what.

Something somewhere in me was saying something important, but I could not hear it, and I was bothered.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, focusing intently on the wall across from me in an attempt to sort it out.

This attempt was all to no avail, however, and after a few moments of hard and fruitless thinking, I sighed in defeat.

I had bigger things to worry about today.

Today Thorongil had arranged for me to meet the local Ellith over tea, and I was already as nervous as could be.

I quickly set myself to dressing, bathing quickly before pulling on my sensible lavender dress and speculating over myself in the mirror.

Finally I made my verdict as I gazed at my reflection critically, hands on hips.

"Too many freckles, too short, too unladylike."

I shook my head at the girl in the mirror disapprovingly before proceeding to work a delicate little elven comb through my frightening mess of hair, wincing as it caught in numerous tangles and knots that did not want to sort themselves out.

"You look fine, you know. I would not worry about it."

Thorongil's voice surprised me and I paused waging war against my hair to look over at him.

He lay still in bed, watching me with a curiously amused sort of expression on his face.

"Finish brushing your hair and I will braid it back for you, if you want to look more like them."

"No thanks." I replied, declining his offer. "I guess I just want it down, but thanks anyway."

"But I thought you wanted to look more like them?" Thorongil asked, surprised at the change.

"I like my hair down. Esgalnoron told me once it looked the best that way."

"Suit yourself. You do know you still have several hours."

"Yes."

Those several hours were passed quite miserably, with me sitting impatiently by the window and worrying, while Thorongil rotated between watching me, reading, sleeping, eating breakfast, and trying to convince me to take some.

When the hour finally came I hardly knew what to do with myself as Thorongil led me to the clustered group of elven women sitting before us on a grassy lawn, some on the bare grass, others on chairs and blankets, smiling at us as we approached.

"You must be Estel's daughter!" one with soft brown hair exclaimed, smiling at me as we reached them, taking my adoptive father's hand lovingly. "Who would have thought our little Estel would end up fathering a little girl! You poor thing!" she laughed teasingly, shaking her head at the spluttering man who was in the midst of protesting that he was no longer little.

"I am Silevien, welcome to Imladris." another one, this time with silvery hair, said quietly, introducing herself welcomingly.

"And I am Lindis."

"I am Torien."

"I am Halveth."

"I am Laerien, and this is Gwaerenel."

"I am Arasseth, welcome to Imladris!"

"I will leave her to you, ladies." Thorongil laughed, patting me on the shoulder before sauntering away, leaving me to my fate.

"I-I a-am...Thurin..." I murmured in a small voice, staring at them all, wide-eyed, rather stunned.

"Where are you from?" one, I think it was Lindis, prompted, putting down her sewing and smiling.

"Gondor."

"What a nice place, I am sure, I have never been there, you know. I am from Lothlorien, but I live now in Imladris. But you were not raised in Gondor?" that was Silevien.

"No...my father...Estel...he raised me in the...forest..." I muttered embarrassedly, not having stopped staring this entire time.

"Oh how marvelous!" Arasseth exclaimed, big brown eyes sparkling. "I love the forest more than anything!"

"She is a Laegrim, her people love the forest more than anything." Halveth explained, helpfully gesturing towards Arasseth's green dress as if it explained everything. "I am from the havens myself. I am here on a visit, Lindis is my sister, and I visit her here often."

"Ah...I see..."

"Oh you poor thing, you look so nervous, and here we are all bombarding you with questions all at once. Here, have some tea. I grew the herbs myself, lemon mint, it really is quite good." offered Torien, placing a small cup of steaming tea into my hands.

"Do not worry, dear, we like you very much, if that is what you are worried about." Gwaerenel reassured me quietly, brushing a windswept lock of her hair behind an ear as she handed out a small tray of little tea treats-slices of fruit and small biscuits-to us all.

"Do you know how long you will be staying here in Imladris?" Lindis asked, passing the tray to me. I took a little biscuit and a piece of fruit to be polite, even though I was not hungry.

"Oh...I...I do not know."

"I hope you stay for a good long while, dear, you are a very sweet girl." Halveth offered, putting a pale hand on my shoulder in a companionable gesture much appreciated.

"Yes, do stay, we will take good care of you. You shall be a lovely lady in no time, you have the makings of one you know, but the living in the forest all your life has hidden it a bit. But fear not, we shall uncover your inner lady!" promised the one with the soft brown hair who had spoken to me first, Filegeth, I think her name was, taking a sip of her tea.

"Who would want to become a lady when one could be living in the forest, amongst the animals and the trees!" cried Arasseth excitedly, who had never taken much to the lady idea herself. "Among my people, women and men both are soldiers and live hidden in the trees, the concept of being ladylike is irrelevant."

"Well not among my people, silly." Laerien laughed lightly, laying a delicate hand on my other shoulder in a rather matronly way.

I just sat there, still rather stunned, fruit and biscuit lying uneaten in my lap, while Lindis and Torien started a conversation about the role of women in different elven cultures, much to the excitement of the other Ellith, who began participating eagerly.

::::::::::

"How was it? What did you think of them?" Thorongil asked eagerly as he walked me back several hours later, falling into step beside me.

"They were the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen in my entire life..." I muttered dreamily, eyes still slightly glazed over from the experience.

"Oh get over yourself, Thurin." he laughed, slipping his arm around me as we rounded a bend, him turning us in the general direction of the kitchens to find something to eat.

What will happen next? Will Thurin ever leave Imladris again? Will there be kinslaying over the lack of Elladan and Elrohir in this chapter? Will you review?

Ok, all I have to say is you're welcome. ;) This story *was* on temporary hiatus, but then I felt guilty and so I updated. Because of the lack of updates this chapter is pretty long and...*drumroll*...it featured...ESGALNORON! Yes I missed him too... Anyway, there he was, to hold y'all over until he actually makes an appearance. For anyone who was wondering, a Laegrim is a green-elf, you might know them as Laiquendi, but I used the form Laegrim(sindarin of Laiquendi)as that is the correct form given the context(these ellith would be speaking Sinarin not Quenya).

Thanks for reading, please review!

Have a truly epic day,

~Thurin