I own nothing save this plot line and my own personal character. Yes, it is the same story as the one in my LOTR strain, however I am trying to get it out a little more. Please read and review. I hope you enjoy.

-SighingWinter

Elvish translations:

Namárië, Brand, ná Elbereth veria le, ná elenath dín síla erin rád o chuil lín- Farewell, Brand, may Elbereth protect you, may her stars shine on the path of your life.

Belain na le- The Valar be with you

Ada- father

Namárië, mellon- Farewell friend

Hannon le- Thank you

Im gelir ceni ad lín, mellon-

Manen nalyë? - How are you?

Im maer- I'm well

Gen hannon- I thank you

Elleth- female elf

Eldar- the word used for elves who left the shores of Aman and took the Great Journey

Fëar and hröar- Quenya words that mean 'spirits' and 'bodies', remove the r at the end and that would be the singular versions of the above words.

Secret Souls

Chapter One- Laiste

A strangled cry erupted from my throat as the nightmare that had plagued my mind for nearly a century one more awakened me from sleep. Cold sweat lingered on my skin and forehead as I lay trembling against the limbs of an oak. The tree had been kind and had allowed me to seek refuge in its branches and now in its slow way the being wondered if I was well. I attempted to reassure the being that was far older than I, though I could barely reach within to find the right words.

The dream had felt so real, even the surge of pain, yet even as I struggled to remember the dream had already faded beyond recollection. A sigh passed through my parted lips, before I silently thanked the guardian tree and parted ways with the contented being. As I continued on my journey I thought back, trying to recalled something- anything of my childhood or young life- though I knew that there was nothing that I would or could remember save for a few brief glimpses of indistinct faces. The first thing I remember with the distinct clarity of myself and who my people were, was what I had called my beginning.

I had opened my eyes found myself at the base of a protective tree. Beside me had lain a small pack and a wrapped set of weapons. Just on the edges of my sight were the shores that gave way to a vast expanse of water. The first few days had been frightful not knowing how I had gotten to wherever I was but eventually I grew calm and confident in my surroundings although a fortnight had to pass before I was willing to travel past the small wood that I had been occupying.

Remembering my quick packing and the past few weeks of travel I silently, almost it seem, out of habit, grasped the hilt of the elegant yet deadly sword that hung at my left hip. The strange thing was about the sword and dagger, that was strapped to the small of my back, was that in the depths of my mind I knew that I knew how to use them and use them well- as to how, when, and where I used and learned such arts are still uncertain. The beginnings of a familiar throbbing at my temples warned me of the happenings of thinking back and I ceased such an activity, not wanting an aching head no matter how curious I was about who I was.

Stepping out the from the western edge of the woods I saw to the east the great sun rose to bring new light to the world and with that I oriented myself and struck out northwest. For many leagues I journeyed remaining within the safety of spring forests and the animals that lived there, as often as possible. Over great green hills full of bright flowers and life, my feet crossed leaving no trace behind. Eventually trees became sparse and I changed my path on slightly in order to follow the long stretch of a river I later learned was known at Baranduin or Brandywine. I crossed through the Barrow Downs, nearly constantly under the hood of my cloak as I crossed the path of Men more frequently. Early spring and the cool rains, had by this time, lost to the heat of summer and all too soon the heat dominated everything. It was with some degree of relief that I reached the beginnings of a human settlement known as Bree.

Within the new constructed walls there were, as I expected Men, but also a number of strange creatures I had never before seen creatures who called themselves Hobbits. They were a small people, almost dwarf-like without the beards, they were a happy people and during my short time at the sole Inn I spent and befriended many of the little folk. I spent many hours listening to the great tales of such small folk and laughed when they drank and sang, though only at the appropriate times of course. Merry days were discovered in that town and I found myself, for a time, content to cease my wanderings and help build the town of Bree with the Hobbit-folk and Men.

Not long before harvest season returned to their fields I discovered something that set my feet back onto the roads. It was on a night that was warm, though the sky was clouded. Crickets and fireflies decorated the ground and air, lighting the sky and filling the gentle breezes with music. Men were out in full, celebrating something and I and a particular friends of mine, the Hobbit Brand, watched with ill-concealed amusement as the second-borns grew ever drunker and louder.

It was Brand who began the conversation, starting ever so delicately on the tender subject of food, as most Hobbits are warranted to, which then turned to the foods of my people. Never before had I given the information of my wanderings but that night I made everything clear.

"I am not certain, my friend, of the food of my people- nor am I wise of their ways, their drinks, or even their music. It has been long since I have heard, seen, or even tasted anything of my people. Indeed even I know not how many long years it had been…"

Here Brand exclaimed in great surprise and shock mixed with wonder. He pushed many questions that night and I answered those that I could.

"I woke in the bough of a tree as spring first touched the blossoms of the land. I was, and indeed even now, without memory save for who and what I am as well as with the skills of surviving without a roof or hole over my head- unlike you my friend"

Brand laughed with his belly, it was a warm and full laugh, which reminded me of another whom my memory could not recall, to my great frustration. In those days, Brand was quite round for one so young amongst his kind, who I had learned had travelled for many long and dark years to find a place to settle in peace. Bright curls the color of damp earth adorned his head and brought a great deal of attention to his keen grey eyes, I continued with my tale after taking a slip of the sweet mead my friend had brewed, "Not knowing my location or much of the land I chose to head north and west, though never straying for from the Baranduin. And that my good friend is how I came up this place."

Silence reigned for a moment as Brand gazed out at the 'Big-Folk' (as his kind called the race of Men) before he spoke in a low voice," Many have wondered since your coming. Some thought that the tales were true and had planned to follow after you, had you left not long upon entering Bree."

I must have seemed confused for the Hobbit further explained, "You see, when we first came here and began to settle there was this old tale that spoke of an elf-city not far to the west. According to Old Bomballed who had it from his second cousin, Amellia, who in turn got it from her good friend Balvin- there were plenty who sought the elf-city but it was never found. So you see, when an elf like yourself entered Bree, 'twas not just beauty that captured the Big-Folk."

Here he paused for a drink, "They are strange ones, Laiste of long travels, those Big-Folk. Once there is an idea in their minds they're willing to give up everything to be sure that they are right." He let out a short laugh, "And though you have stayed with us for many weeks, I'm certain that when you indeed to choose to set off there will be young ones who will follow you, like little bees that follow the scent of an elusive flower. Indeed it is almost certain that- Ah!"

This exclamation was due to a great start as a bright flash of light, a flying star, swirled through the sky, heading westwards towards the distant mountain ranges barely glimpsed on the horizon. My keen sight followed the path of the star and then quite suddenly my feet longed to follow. It was a sign from the Valar, guiding me towards something important. With strength gathered from many travels I leapt to my feet and headed back towards the Inn. My heart cried that I could not waste another moment- that I must fly!

Puffing behind me followed my ever loyal friend who kept his silence and helped me gather my things. On the exit of the Inn, I turned to kneel down in front of the hobbit. There were tears in his eyes but also an understanding. We clasped one another in a brief embrace and then upon parting I handed the young hobbit a small carving I had been working on. Though it had been done to ease the rare instances of boredom, I had put much attention to the little thing and for me, it represented quite an accomplishment. The figure itself was a little larger than my palm depicting a Hobbit with a rather round figure. There was a bright grin on his face as he held a large mug in one hand, slightly raised in salute. I had seen enough of Brand's vests and clothes that I had somewhat unconsciously carved those details onto the wooden Hobbit before realizing it. Now, as I gazed at his teary and surprised expression I was glad that I had essentially carved Brand. Indeed, maybe it had been him I had been carving all along with realizing it.

Pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead I murmured, "Namárië, Brand, ná Elbereth veria le, ná elenath dín síla erin rád o chuil lín."

With one last smile for my companion of long summer days, I slipped out of the Inn and darted through the darkness with all the silence and light footedness of my people that I could muster. I will admit that I looked back, more than once- for I had left many friends behind and the uncertainty of the road ahead caused many longings I had never known to make themselves at home in my breast. However I never turned and made to move back, for I knew that my path could not wait. As I travelled yet further west hope began to well in my heart.

The closer I strayed towards the mountains the rockier and mistier the world around and above me grew. Many ruins I passed lost outposts of men that now lay fallen completely at the mercy of the wind, rain, and earth. For many days and nights I moved across the land, easing between a fast walk and a dead run. The path I traveled was barely discernible, even in the brightest of light. It was not particularly difficult to read, though my elven eyes could pick up much that a human would never see. At long last I paused at the outer edge of a small forest. That night I deemed it safe enough to camp for the night and gather my strength for the last part of my journey. My feet knew where to take me and somewhere in my heart I knew that I was close. I bathed in a nearby brook and had the liberty of washing my travel worn clothes before the sun had set. I took the time to take out a vague map of the lands that stretched before me. Tracing a rough estimate of my path I turned my gaze to the trees, flicking back and forth between them and the name on the map. Trollshaws.

Dismissing the name of the forest I traced my path through the trees and over the Fords. It was there that my map ended. From there it was going to be rough, the mountains rose steeply and there were many hidden dangers that lurked in the caves hidden by large rocks and shadows. I chewed my lip absently, pondering on my situation for a short while, before going over to my pack.

For all the traveling it had done the thing was barely stained and hardly worn. Brand had said that that was because the pack was elven make. Reaching through the pack, I pulled out the clothes that had remained neatly folded and hidden at the bottom. After stripping my old underthings and putting on the new ones, I pulled out the set of clothing. First came supple leggings followed by a pair of warm brown trousers which easily tied close not an inch beneath my navel. Following that I pulled on a pale grey under tunic that had beautiful designs of twisted vines. Covering that was a long tunic of sky blue. Though the tunic came to my thighs, there were splits on both of my sides from hips down which permitted ease of movement. Around my waist I re-belted my sword and dagger. A long robe was last to be pulled on, its coloring was deeper than that of the sky, yet it shimmered like the waters when hit beams of moonlight. The collar of the robe was stiff and remained so no matter my movements. The sleeves were three quarters of my arm length and ended in upside down teardrops while the back flowed down to my calves. There was no way to close the robe so I kept it open and a little pushed back. Upon standing and folding my now dried travel clothes, I wondered how it was that so much cloth could fit within my pack. Lying back on the ground, near the small fire I laid my head on my cloak and fell into a light sleep.

There was a part of my mind that was almost always on alert, no matter how weary I was or where I happened to be or how deep I slept. That part of my mind had saved me more than once during my long travels across Arda, especially when small groups of orcs had thought that a lone she-elf would be an easy capture.

Dawn rose slowly over the Misty Mountains and with the sun I too rose. Without a thought I pulled on my grey boots and began my passing through the forest, which was far easier than I had assumed it would be, for neither troll or any other sort of creature attacked, in fact I was left alone and in silence for much of my journey through those strange trees. The sweet sound of following water sang to my ears for many long miles before the waters of the Fords came into sight and then before my feet even reached the rocky shores. The summer and mid-fall weather had not been kind and much of the water was little more than ankle deep at its highest. Bright leaves of gold, topaz, and ruby floated through the air in intricate dances as cool breezes brushed them along their currents. Some of these bright jewels floated in the stream or lingered on rocks, too tightly pressed by the water to remain to go elsewhere.

Looking up at the sky, I smiled to myself thinking of a certain friend I had left behind in order to come this far. Brand would probably be having lunch or elevensies right about this time, down in his nice hobbit hole. With a light laugh I sat on the pebbly ground and braided back my blonde locks, binding them into a single plait that reached between my shoulder blades. Sending a silent prayer to the Valar that I looked well enough to meet my fellow elves, I stood and once more shouldered my pack before crossing the Fords.

The shore on the other side was steep and I lightly ran upwards, never slipping on the white and grey rocks. Trees began growing back not too far from the shore, thickening and changing into a forest rather quickly the further upwards I trekked. The birds' cries were bright and peaceful and for a moment I had to stop and close my eyes, enjoying the peace. One moment passed into the next and I stood still simply listening to the sounds of nature. For some unknown reason I felt happy that such a peace rested in this land. It was almost as though I- the sound of unnatural forest movements jerked me from my thoughts and I quickly climbed into then protective boughs of the nearest tree, silently begging pardon from the deeply rooted being. The sounds grew louder and closer and as I peered through leaves and branches I saw beneath me a small group of people, far too fair and light footed for Men. I gaped in awe, for these men were my kin- elves that same as I.

With the arrival of faire-folk, the forest animals continued to do their usual, pre-winter routine. I watched the group curiously; they were silent and marred neither grass nor leaves. The group paused not far from beneath my tree which gave me plenty of time to examine them as they ceased their movements. For the most part the elves were tall, faire, and dark hair meaning that they were either descended from or were from Noldor. All of the elves below were male and dressed in light armor and all were armed with both bow and sword. I eyed their stances and knew that even though they were in their own territory they were still on guard- and I took a moment to wonder why. My question was answered mere moments later when a pair of dark haired elves who looked almost exactly the same stepped into sight.

"Elladan, Elrohir." A man stepped forwards and I narrowed my eyes craning to see the commander. All I caught was a tall, lithe figure, with long golden hair. He had a strange glow about him, an inner light that was bright but dimmed.

The two males smirked and ambled over with easy strides. They wore darker, earthier colors than the others who wore a combination of shifting greys.

"Our guest seems to have already crossed our borders, perhaps an hour or so." One reported, and I stiffened. So these elves were searching for me- or another who had come into their lands.

The second one continued easily, as though the two did it quite frequently, "She can't have gotten too far."

"Elrohir you don't know who you're speaking of. I know, and I am well aware of her capabilities. We need to find her before she wanders too far and is hurt." At this I frowned puzzled, surely that ellon was not worried about my safety- we had yet to even meet.

The first one spoke once more, "Then we should start searching, although I think that she would arrive at home, without us searching."

There was a tense silence for a time before the blond nodded and as though they had done this before the entire group spilt up and ran off in different direction, yet still there remained the three who now spoke in low voices.

Though I could heard the conversation I was too busy with my own thoughts, and trying to plan out my next steps. The three edhel conversed for a few moments longer before splitting up, the twins Elladan and Elrohir going back in the direction that they came from while the blond stood still, appearing to be in thought. The blonde pondered his thoughts for moments, and I stretched outwards, stepping out onto a branch trying to get a better view of the leader. The branch bent a slight bit, unused to my weight. I reacted just as quickly as he did, leaping to a nearby tree as he whipped around to reveal dark eyes on a face I thought I knew. Fortunately a squirrel chattered at the warrior elf and drew his attention away from my presence and while Fortune still smiled on me I hopped from tree to tree, landing silently every time. Eventually I had put enough space between the strange blonde elf and climbed higher up a tree, determined to be comfortable while I waited out this strange search.

Night fell not many hours later and I shifted as enticing smells reached m y nose, however I ignored the desires of my body and remained in place, determined not to give away my hideaway. I tried to amuse myself and distract myself from the smells that grew ever more mouthwatering by going over all the tales Brand had told me and then by whispering the worlds to a song that I had murmured to myself for many of the lonely days of my journey. I managed to pass the time quite easily, and soon the smells of food faded only to be followed by the sweet sound of music. More than anything else, the music melted my resistance and I slipped out of the tree and walked through rich trees until I stood at the very edge of the darkness, lured like a child to sweets.

The buildings that stood but a few paces before me were beautiful, made of shining white stone that glowed silver from the dim light of the half moon. Bright oranges, reds, and flickering gold shone from the inside, which, as I watched the shadows dance to a silent tune was probably from the lights of joyful flames. The music was soft, just as I turned to leave the edge of the light a sweet voice slowly ascended above the instruments and began to sing a song that froze my feet to the ground. The song was slow and in a language I only vaguely recognized, it was both beautiful and sad both language and song. The melded together in a powerful combination and I felt a prickling in my eyes that warned of tears. Turning away I stepped back towards the dark to seek solace within my trees.

"You have nothing here to fear Laiste of Gondolin." A voice called softly, and I whirled around in shock. Standing on the terrace that lead to the gardens stood a man I had never seen before, though he appeared familiar. In a slow walk, he glided forwards steadily getting closer but he stopped a few feet away almost as though he was afraid I might scare- not that I'd be able to escape now that someone had seen me.

So close I realized why he looked familiar, the twins from earlier in the day looked almost exactly like him, save for the he held in his eyes and the silver circlet that adorned his brow. "How do you know my name?"

"Many of our kind know your name." The man seemed puzzled as he gazed at me. I cocked my head to one side, listening to his voice. It sounded as though he expected me to say something, but there was not much to say- but a great deal of questions pressed my mind and at last I voiced one.

"Who are you and how do you know of me?"

"I am known as Elrond Peredhel, Lord of The Last Homely House to the East of the Sea and you are Laiste of Gondolin."

I frowned; confused by the title he had given me, "Gondolin?"

Lord Elrond gazed at me his dark eyes flashing, before widening in surprise, "How long have you been on these shores?"

"Almost a year, I have traveled a great deal since my awakening." I replied, somewhat surprised by my honesty with the strange lord.

"May I?" He asked, holding out his hands, "I am a healer." He explained as I stepped back. Our eyes met and I searched for any trace of a lie only to find nothing. Slowly I nodded and stepped forwards. Large, yet gentle hands touched my temples and I tensed, feeling a strange presence in my mind, but before I could cry out or move away from the physical contact Lord Elrond was gone and his hands were at his side as he looked down at me with thoughtful eyes.

"How strange….Never in my many years have I seen such memory loss."

"Can you help?" I asked, walking up to the Lord and grasping the edge of his sleeve, before I had fully realized what I was doing. "Forgive me…" I murmured, jerking away.

When I looked up, trying to brave the embarrassment over my childish action, I blinked in surprise seeing that rather than a frown the elven Lord was smiling down at me gently, with a soft expression on his sculpted face.

"Come. There are plenty of rooms within Imladris."

Silence stretched between us as we walked away from the melodious song. The Lord showed me to my room, declaring that it was mine for as long as I needed it. I tried to thank him, but he waved away my words.

"Someone will come for you when you are ready for breakfast, they will help you dress and then lead you to the hall."

Once more my words, these of protests, were waved aside and after bidding me a good night, the Lord of Imladris walked away, his deep robes of purple swirling behind him.