N/A: Omg i' m so sorry for the wait! School has caught up and life happened and everything was standing on the way! I hope you like this, and please, bear with me and my silly mistakes and poor writing and incredible delay. :3

Enjoy, xx

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"She was running.

It was dark and the trees were dead still. She had no idea where she was or where to go, but she kept running. She ran until her lungs were burning and her legs shaking. She ran until her body gave up and she collapsed on the ground with a heavy thud.

She weakly rolled to her back, her burns sending a jolt of pain through her veins. She opened her eyes and looked up at the sky. Still, no stars to be seen. That was it, she was going to die right there. Alone, forgotten.

Where was 'there' anyway?

She had no idea. She barely remembered finding one of the gates and then reaching the forest. Everything was a confusing blur, the screams ringing in her ears and the burns in her arms and back starting to hurt. Each breath were becoming more and more painful, the end was near. If she was honest to herself, it was only fair that she died too. At least she would be joining her parents and her people, finally answering the call of the Valar.

A scream escaped her mouth as another jolt of searing pain pierced her body.

And suddenly, a cascade of blonde hair appeared above her.

The ellon seemed to be saying something. She tried to tell him she couldn't understand, but her mouth wouldn't respond to her. The stranger looked behind him briefly, probably calling someone, she wondered who, before picking her up.

The last thing she acknoledged was his blue eyes and his scent of leaves and rain."

Raunín woke up with the taste of ash in her mouth and the marks of dried tears in her cheeks.

-;-

She wasn't exactly sure why the nightmares were back, it had been years since the last ones plagued her. Maybe it was the proximity with the lands she used to call home. Or maybe she was just going crazy. Well, it wouldn't be such a surprise.

" You're thinking too much" Olochen offered her lembas. He seemed to always know her 'deep thinking' look. Or when she was hungry. "What's bothering you?"

" Nothing important." She answered before changing the subject. " When do we leave?"

" Right now, actually. I came to wake you up."

" Oh. Okay then." Raunín thanked the Valar for that. The earlier, the better. " All's packed and ready to go."

" Someone's not a morning person, I see." Elrohir looked all too pleased for her to be confortable.

The only answer he got was an affirmative huff.

" How long until we reach your father's house?" She asked him.

" Half a day, I think." He looked up at the sun. " We should get there around midday."

" Good. " She sighed. Elves were supposed to be tireless but this damn journey was starting to get the best of her. Raunín desperatly needed a good shower and a soft bed to sleep in. Gods be good, once they reached the house she would sleep for days. Weeks, maybe.

" So, how is life like in the Havens?" Elrohir asked beside her.

" Good." She didn't even turn to face him. " Food, a roof and the sea. Good. "

" And... how is... the sea?"

" Wet."

" Oh, come on! I'm trying to be friendly here but you're not helping at all!" He scowled.

" Well, the sea is wet, though." She smirked.

" Okay, listen." He kept his horse beside her's. " Why don't we start again?"

" What do you mean?"

" Yeah, apparently we have not behaved properly lately." He rolled his eyes. " So let's start this... us... again. Make it right this time."

" It's ridiculous." She looked at his puppy-wide-grey eyes. "... fine."

" Great!" He beamed at her. " Mae govannen. I'm Elrohír from Imladris."

" Mae govannen, lord Elrohír. I'm Raunín."

" Raunín from where?"

" From that's none of your business. My lord."

" Okay, okay. Touchy subject, I get it." He frowned at her.

Raunín prayed he would drop it and stay silent...

" So, how is life like in the Havens?"

... but of course she would not be so lucky.

" Truly? Boring as hell."

" You kidding?"

" No, really! It stinks dead fish and salt all the time. And there is that cursed gulls crying all day, it makes you want to be deaf." She couldn't help complaining about that place. It wasn't her home, it was barely a livable place. More like a living hell for someone used to quiet forests and flowers everywhere like her.

" You really aren't from there, are you?" He smiled. " If any of these sea-lovers catch you talking like this, they'd probably behead you."

" At least I wouldn't have to smell the fish or hear the damn gulls anymore." She mumbled.

" And what brings you to Imladris?"

" Lord Cýrdan asks councel of your father," Raunín replied quickly. " Some disturbing rumours have been heard in the harbors and it left him... unsettled."

" You see, this is why this whole party has left the Grey Havens, true," Elrohír lowered his voice. " But I asked why have you come here."

" I have come for that exact reason. To seek help from Lord Elrond."

All he did was shake his head. Elrohír hadn't bought it, but she was glad he let it go. For now, at least. Raunín watched in silence as the yonger twin set off ahead, reaching his brother a few meters above in the narrow road and Olochen popped up beside her.

" Did it hurt?"

" What? "

" Talking to him, you know, in a civilized grown-up manner. Did it hurt? Did you lose a limb or something?"

" Very funny." She glared darkly at him. " No, I'm perfectly fine. It's a pity we cannot say the same for you. After all, falling off a horse must cause a lot of pain."

" But I didn't..."

"Yet." The elleth smiled sweetly. " Be careful, we have not arrived yet. Anything and everything could still happen."

" Sometimes I wonder how something so small like you can be so scary." The captain shook his head.

" I'm not small. I'm just... shorter than the average. Spiders are small and scary."

" True, but they have eight legs and weird number of eyes and everything about them says 'stay the hell away'."

" Yes, but they are like the devil incarnated so it is only fair."

" You do know they are more scared than you, right?"

" That is only bullshit. I'm sure they keep laughing at us."

" But spiders are smaller than your hand."

" Indeed, and there size says 'oh, look at me, I can be tiny, I have some slow-painful-death poison'. And you're forgetting the giant spiders in Mirkwood. They are way bigger than my hand."

-;-;;;;-

Olochen rolled his eyes, that conversation was making no sense and had completely changed subjects. It annoyed him sometimes, how Raunín would always avoid talking about herself or her home. Or her feelings. He had had to learn how to read, how to see what she really meant and when to leave it be. But damn it, it was like completing a puzzle without all the pieces, no matter what, he was always coming up short of something.

" Look!" Raunín's excited voice broke his chain of thoughts. "We're finally here!"

The sight of the Great House of the Hidden Valley of Rivendell was mesmerizing to say the least. The building was as ethereal as its people, with beautiful gardens everywhere and waterfalls half-hidden in the woods surrounding the area, the wind brought the scent of rain and forest and peace, it made the leaves whistle and the birds fly away. Perfect. Actually, way too perfect. It was the kind of perfection that made her wonder what would be coming up next, what was lurking in those perfect shadows, waiting to destroy that perfect peace. Just like her home, before everything. That peaceful stillness would forever put her on the edge, because nothing could really be like that, unless it was dead or waiting for its doom.

" Things we lost to the flames, things we'll never see again. All that we've amassed sits before us, shattered into ash."

N/A: Sooo i' m really really really terribly sorry for the delay! Everything was crazy lately and i haven' t had time to so much as breath! Buuut i'm hoping it will change and i'll have some time to write something, so yeah, no promises. Hope you liked this chapter

Reviews? Any suggestions, anyone still reading this?