A week later, spring was upon Imladris

A week later, spring was upon Imladris. Elves wandered through the Last Homely House, singing wonderful Elven ballads and enjoying the warm weather. Elladan, Elrohir, and I went riding the day before the dreaded contest. Aragon had left with the Fellowship of the Ring in the last days of winter, leaving our troupe sans an accomplice. We were all worried for him, and I was worried for Legolas as well; he had become my second brother. Marley was on guard duty once more- apparently, she had annoyed Glorfindel and been assigned a week on the borders before she left to visit a friend in Lothlorien- and so we were bereft of another friend in our group. We tried not to dwell on our qualms and enjoyed the warm air. Elladan and Elrohir were sharing tales of their childhood, and I my own.

"Cala, I would have never guessed you had such a mischievous spirit," one of the twins exclaimed as I finished one of my more amusing narratives.

"Ah, but I have not yet told you of the time I severely impaired my brother's wardrobe," I shot back. I left them in rolling laughter from my next tale of switching all of Randir's clothing out for one of my most ludicrous dresses, a gift of my mother's. Our laughter rang through the woods. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, we turned our mounts round and headed back to Rivendell.

The next day brought with it a sense of nervousness as I awoke. The contest loomed in my thoughts as I clambered out of my bed and dressed in a dark pair of leggings and a dark mauve tunic. Pulling on a pair of boots, I swept my hair into a bun and sheathed my sword. This would be an interesting day.

I went to the garden with a sack of pastries for the twins' and my breakfast. The twins looked as nerve wracked as I, seeing as they were participating in the contest as well. Tossing them each a tartlet, I devoured my own and swung my sword around idly, waiting for them to finish. Lost in my own thoughts, I started as Elrohir's sword met my own. I glared at him and began to spar.

As noon approached, the three of us put away our swords, hungry from our practice. Not wanting to walk all the way home, I gave in to the twins' request that I eat in the main building. Straightening my tunic, I walked in with them, noting that there were few other elves in the dining hall. In fact, only Lord Elrond and a few of his advisors were seated at the head table. Elladan and Elrohir ushered me to a seat in between the two of them, and I quickly greeted the other elf-lords before settling into a conversation with the twins and eating a delicious lunch. Other elves filtered in and out, and Lord Glorfindel made an appearance just a half hour after we three had come in. He looked as if he had spent the morning in combat as well, for his clothing was torn in a few places and a thin sheen of sweat covered his skin. He proved to have worked up an appetite with his practice, for his plate was piled with food and he ate ravenously. After half his plate was empty, he managed to conduct a polite conversation with Elladan, Elrohir, and me.

As the meal ended, the twins suggested to me that I rest before the tournament, only an hour away. Not wanting to walk back to my grandparents' home, I asked them to lead me to the library. Once we were within sight of the building, the twins refused to go any further, admitting that the librarian, Lord Erestor, had banned them from the library several years before because of a few well-placed pranks on its patrons. They left me at the massive doors.

I walked in slowly, not believing the size of the place. Bookshelves lined the walls of the three-story edifice, crammed with texts. Books also littered tables and chairs, leaving barely any space in the library. I wandered through the shelves, picking out books that interested me after finding that they were in no particular order. I was so entranced that I did not notice a small creature sitting on a little balcony off of the second floor until he called out to me.

"Lady Caladhiel?" a timid voice called. I turned to the utterance, seeing as I could count the number of people I knew in Imladris on two hands. I beamed in delight and surprise when I saw no one other than Bilbo Baggins situated on a bench in the sunlight.

"Bilbo Baggins!" I said delightedly. "We meet again, my old friend."

"It has been too long, milady." Bilbo answered with a smile. I joined him on the bench and discussed the books I had collected, learning of his "great adventure," as he called it. I had never learned what brought him to Mirkwood, after all, and some of my books were about the very places he had passed through. After talking to him for a long while, I made my goodbyes, telling him of the tournament I had been entered in.

"Ah, a warrior now, and a diplomat no longer," he commented offhandedly. He then wished me luck and promised to come and watch the tournament later in the day.

I walked briskly to the training field where the tournament was to be held, and found that the contestants had not yet begun to gather. Glad that I was not late, I shed my cloak and walked about the field, humming to myself and checking my surroundings. I had not bothered to pull my hair away from my face, and it was now playing across my face in the wind. I heard movement behind me, and turned to it, eyes sharp and wary and hand on the hilt of my sword; but my keen look softened as I saw the intruder.

"Lord Glorfindel," I hailed as I bowed my head in greeting.

"So you are participating, then," he stated. I nodded, not sure whether his comment was one of approval or displeasure. "I look forward to seeing you in combat."

"And I assume you are participating as well, milord?" I questioned.

"Yes," he answered simply. I nodded, not sure what to say. Thankfully, he spoke again. "It looks as if the contestants are arriving. I should sign in."

"As should I. Good day, Lord Glorfindel." I bowed my head again as he moved off. I followed, nervousness settling in my stomach as the tournament began.

The first two rounds were relatively easy. During the later rounds, I had sent several of my rivals off muttering about being defeated by an inexperienced elleth with far-fetched aspirations to become a warrior, but not without sustaining a few scratches of my own. I had fought both Elladan and Elrohir late in the contest and won, much to their dismay. Amused at their plight, I assured them that I would not have overcome them if I had not trained with them for so long; I knew how they worked and fought. Satisfied, they sauntered off with smirks on their faces, even though they were now out of the running.

Bilbo had made an appearance when I was finishing a duel with a particularly narcissistic border guard. He applauded loudly when I knocked the ellon to the ground. As the elf strutted off the field nursing his wounded ego, I shot the hobbit a wink and noticed that he had been joined by Lord Elrond and his children. The twins, who had by then changed out of their fighting garb and into more formal robes, were laughing and clapping with the hobbit as Lady Arwen, their sister, stood serenely with a look of mischief in her eye. I watched as she discreetly whispered to Elladan, who mirrored her roguish look and tripped the guard. I grinned and turned to face my next competitor and gasped in surprise and a small amount of terror.

Lord Glorfindel stood cockily before me, examining the blade of his massive sword with a self-assured air. I quirked a brow at his behavior; he smirked in return.

"My lady," he said as he bowed to me.

"My lord," I said, bowing my head slightly. I kept a wary eye on him as we began to circle.

"You have certainly done very well if you have been pitted against me," he remarked.

"Apparently." I shot back, matching his arrogant tone. He seemed taken slightly aback at my boldness, but amused.

"Well, I shan't delay this any longer," he said offhandedly as he brought his sword quickly toward me. I blocked it with an impassive face and came back with an attack of my own.

"Not bad, milady. For an amateur, that is," he declared. My temper flared at the thinly veiled insult, and I pulled my sword back to hit again. He brought his sword up to meet mine and my eyes flashed in annoyance. "It seems we have reached an impasse," he goaded. I risked a glance at my surroundings, and realized that we were nearing the edge of the arena, near the trees. I remembered with some humor a similar situation I had been in during my lessons; a plan formed quickly in my mind.

I backed away from Lord Glorfindel, doing my best to make my retreat look like an attempt to catch my breath. I was now beside a tree with low branches that I thought would suit my needs. I lowered my sword long enough to get a grip on a limb, pulling myself into the tree. Just as I disappeared into the leaves, I saw the elf lord look up to me with amusement.

"I believe I have put you up a tree, quite literally, Lady Caladhiel."

"And here I thought you knew better, Lord Glorfindel." I then jumped out of the tree just as I had so many weeks earlier, landing behind the elf. Even as I raised my sword for a killing blow, I felt cold metal press against my stomach.

"There are only so many times one can pull that particular trick off." Glorfindel stated. He took his sword from my side and sheathed it, I following suit. I called out to the judges, admitting defeat but studying the elf-lord before me intensely. I finally looked away at the call of the twins and Bilbo, shouting congratulations at coming so close to winning the contest.

"I don't believe we need to continue those lessons if you can come that close to defeating the best swordsman in Imladris," Elrohir joked. I smiled distractedly and glanced around the field. The very elf we spoke of was leaning against the tree I had climbed up only minutes earlier, watching me intently.