Hope you all had a good holiday! Thank you to all the kind reviewers! It seems that the plot bunnies went on Christmas Vacation as well, so I apologize to you for this late update. Now worries, they have returned with a vengeance and I have written this extremely long chapter. To my lovely reviewers of last chapter:

sweetblonde14, Lady Anck-su-namun, Alenor Peredhel, Elwen of Lorien, luvthefluf, lovenhope, Ponytail Goddess, Nelarun, walkure13Brynhild, tyger cub, Shary, Dark Morwen 863, Haldir's Heart and Soul, and BsG-Blondy

Just a slight riddle to amuse you... if you've read The Hobbit, you might recognize it.


What has roots as nobody sees,

Is taller than trees,

Up, up it goes,

And yet never grows?


---Chapter Twenty Five---


Just as Indilwen had predicted, the party had risen at dawn and set out in the early hours of the morning. Anira was not used to sleeping on the cold, hard ground, and then eating a meager breakfast. She longed for even the simplest of comforts, like a roof over her head or an extra blanket to ward off the chill. Her muscles had begun to cramp from the strenuous riding, and they had only been moving for two or three hours.

Pelardiel was working hard to soothe her son who had begun to become restless from the traveling. Anira rode on one side of Pelardiel, eyes fixed straight ahead of her. Indilwen rode on the other side, chatting with Arborion. Up ahead, the Lord and Lady rode behind the warden who led the entire company.

Curiously, Anira watched as one of the wardens spoke to his companion and moments later bounded off into the wood. Casting a suspicious glance to the warden who now seemed slightly anxious, Anira rode closer to Pelardiel. Her horse trotted along eagerly, and Anira was amazed at its endurance. Swishing her tail alertly, the horse's head swiveled from side to side, as if searching for something. Patting the mare gently, Anira turned her attentions to the two wardens again. The one warden had returned and they were now speaking urgently to one another.

As noon came, Anira looked up into the overcast sky where the thick grey clouds blocked out any hope of sunlight reaching them. Not that there would have been much warmth anyhow, winter was fast approaching Arda and a cool breeze swept past them every now and then.

She realized with a start that while she had been lost to her thoughts, Pelardiel and Indilwen had moved ahead at a regular pace and she was now a good distance behind them. A single warden trailed the company, she was now almost alongside him.

"My lady," he began, "what brings you to the back of our company?" His green eyes sparkled in the dense forest, despite the lack of light. They were lighter than most green eyes she had happened upon in Lorien, and shone with an inner brightness.

"I was lost to my thoughts, and did not notice their disappearance. I daresay you find it quite lonely without another soul to occupy your time?" Anira found it easy to converse with this charming warden. He was like an old friend she had not seen for a while, though she had never met him.

"Quite. My four legged companion and I have been lonely for quite some time," he spoke. As if in agreement, his gray steed whinnied heartily. Anira laughed at this.

"I am not distracting you from your duties, warden?" She inquired, still bristled from the exchange she had seen between the two wardens earlier.

"Not at all, my lady. My name is Tirithon, and I intend to live up to my namesake. Might I enquire as to yours?"

"You may. I am Anira," she answered with a smile. She made a mental note to ask Haldir about this warden when she arrived in Imladris. His build was firm and strong, but in no way bulky or heavy. His slender form reminded Anira of a strong tree in its prime, able to withstand heavy windstorms and relentless weather.

She spent an enjoyable afternoon talking with her new friend. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she had seen him somewhere, but she could not quite place her finger on it.

"Ah, Bercalion has signaled for us to stop," he said. Anira looked ahead to see the warden leading them dismount, and watched the Lord and Lady dismount as well. "We made surprising ground this day. I would not be surprised if we were to reach Imladris by tomorrow evening."

"Really?" Anira's eyes brightened at this. Sliding off her mount easily, she led the ever-energetic mare to a clear stream near their campsite. She placed the heavy saddle next to the stream and bent down to get a drink. She saw a shadow reflected next to her in the water. Turning quickly, she almost knocked the saddle into the rushing stream. Her heart pounded heavily until she was sure someone from camp would come running to see what was wrong.

Nothing was behind her. Eerily, a creature in the distance howled and Anira hastily picked up the saddle and lead the horse away from the stream and back to where the rest of the company was gathered.

Sitting down next to Indilwen, she placed her shaking hands on her lap, hoping she would recover from her shock soon.

"Anira? Are you alright? You look pale..." Indilwen had turned to her, her anxious face searching Anira's.

"I'm fine," she lied. They would think her foolish if she told them what she had seen, it was probably just a trick of her tired mind anyways. She needed rest. Indilwen reluctantly believed her, turning back to the small fire she was trying to start. Anira busied her hands by helping gather firewood with Pelardiel. Helas was slung across her back in a sling contraption, sleeping soundly.

"The wardens seem to think we'll make it to Imladris by tomorrow's dusk," Pelardiel said.

"That is indeed good news, I shall be glad when we are once again in an Elven city," Anira replied wearily. The sweet aroma of food wafted to them. When they felt as though their arms were full enough, they turned back to the campsite.

"Nestaron and Neurion were following us," Pelardiel remarked. Anira looked up into the trees above them, and into the forest surrounding them, and saw nothing.

"How do you know?" She asked curiously. Pelardiel chuckled quietly.

"They have yet to perfect their skills of stealth, being yet young in the guard," she explained. An elf dropped in front of them at this statement.

"Neurion and I are quite affronted at your comments, Pelardiel," the warden said stiffly. Anira could easily see through his demeanor, and saw mirth in his eyes as well.

"Bercalion seems to think we are capable, else he would not have sought us out for the journey," another warden stepped out from behind a tree, trailing them. Pelardiel's laughter was contagious as Anira felt herself smiling as well.

"You two are ever the easily offended ones, mayhap Bercalion felt all the other eligible wardens were at the border on duty?" Pelardiel retaliated. Nestaron's brow furrowed in thought at this new development.

"Perhaps, yes, but I should like to not think that..." Nestaron trailed off. He seemed to be the one who spoke for the two of them as Neurion remained silent as ever behind them.

"Nestaron and Neurion are brothers," Pelardiel told her. Anira had guessed as much, they were quite similar in appearance and stature. They arrived at camp, Indilwen preparing a meager meal for them all. Anira sat quietly on a rock near the fire, telling herself that the shadow she had seen was only a Lorien warden who had followed her. Somehow, though, she didn't feel comforted.

The Lord and Lady spoke in hushed tones to each other on the other side of the clearing. Bercalion, who Anira had now come to know as the leader of the party, stood watch over them. Nestaron and Neurion had left again, probably on watch in the woods. Arborion sat silently at the edge of the clearing as well, staring into the woods vigilantly, with a warden Anira did not yet know next to him. She could see no trace of Tirithon.

Indilwen handed her a bowl of steaming stew and Anira was grateful for the heat that radiated from it. Drawing her cloak about her once more, she ate quietly next to Pelardiel. Bemusedly, Anira watched as Helas slept on, despite the warm conversation going on between his mother and Indilwen above him.

After a while, Anira felt exhaustion begin to overcome her. Once again, Indilwen laid out her bedroll next to hers and with the wardens keeping watch on them all, fell asleep swiftly.


Anira awoke to Tirithon above her, his bright eyes greeting her cheerfully as he gently shook her. She could see her breath in the crisp morning air. Looking down at her clothing, she blanched as she realized she would have to greet Haldir in her soiled travel clothes. The riding surcoat and dress beneath were a dark green hue, embroidered very little with white designs along the hem. The bottom of the dress was dotted with mud from the sloppy roads they had encountered earlier in their journey.

If they were to make it to Imladris by evening, they would be making no stops. After eating a quick breakfast of dry bread and cheese, the company had left the clearing by dawn's first light. The third day of travel was considerably easier. After riding for so long, Anira felt as though she had become used to the aches and pains that had bothered her the day before. Her mare certainly showed no sign of tiring as they traveled on and noon had arrived.

"I will have to give you a name, mare," she said, the horse flicked her ears in response. "Mare" was hardly a proper name to keep calling the horse. She debated a while, thinking on what would suit this high strung horse. She decided on Nariel, a name that proposed the name-bearer had a fiery spirit, which fit the mare's temperament perfectly. "Nariel it is," she whispered in her ear. The horse nickered softly.

Arborion suddenly looked into the woods, apprehension and suspicion marring his features. He reined his horse to a halt and strained his hearing for any sound. Pelardiel and Indilwen had ceased their discourse.

"Arborion, what do you see?" Bercalion shouted from the head of the company. He seemed concerned, his eyes searching the forest as well and darting back to Arborion occasionally, waiting for an answer.

"Perhaps a small company of orcs, I fear they have been trailing us for some time," he replied. The party moved on, now knowing what sort of danger stood as a threat. The company was now reserved and completely silent, with not a word being spoken.

Anira knew that these were no regular orcs. Their ability to remain undiscovered by the watchful Lorien company was unnerving to her. She now wished more than ever that Haldir was near.

An arrow whizzed between Anira and Pelardiel, narrowly missing them both. Wardens rushed in at them from all sides, drawing their weapons to protect them. Three orcs ran into the clearing, shrieking loudly. Over the sound of swords clanging and arrows zooming past her, she heard Bercalion tell them to run. The Lord and Lady had galloped off, and so had Indilwen, with a warden following them. Pelardiel was closer to the fighting, and had not heard. To make matters worse, Helas had begun to cry from the noise and hectic movement all around him.

"Pelardiel!" Anira shouted. It seemed as though she was not even there, for Pelardiel had obviously not heard her. Bercalion yelled once again for her to run, but Anira ignored him and rode closer to Pelardiel, who had her back turned to them and was no less than a horse's length away from the fighting. Anira reached her, getting her attention by touching her shoulder. Pelardiel had jumped in fright, thinking her an orc.

With Pelardiel at her side, they sped off finally. Bercalion gave Anira a look of annoyance and disbelief as they left the clearing. As the horses ran, the trail became more narrow. Branches plucked at them and scratched their faces and clothes. Anira felt blood on her arm, and looked down briefly to see a nasty cut on her right shoulder. It was by far the worst of the wounds she had recieved, but she could not feel it as the horses galloped tirelessly on. Their hooves became a steady, rhythmic beat.

After what seemed like hours, they came upon a group of dark haired elves, attired in the garb of the Imladris guard. They led them into a courtyard full of elves scurrying about. Many of them were there to see of the company's condition, and to see the Lord and Lady arrive. She saw them speaking with who she assumed to be Lord Elrond and his wife, the Lady Celebrian. Two adolescent-aged twin elves stood behind them, with identical faces and matching expressions of surprise at the hasty arrival.

Next to them, a younger elfling stood clutching one twin's hand, wide eyes taking in Anira and Pelardiel. Her dark hair matched that of her brothers and father.

An elf noticed their appearance and rushed towards them, taking in their bloodstained cloaks. They dismounted and two elves led their sweating horses away.

"Anira!" That deep voice she had longed to hear was now behind her. She turned, relieved to see him at last. He ran to her, pushing through the crowd, an expression of worry and concern on his features. He reached her finally, looked her up and down quickly, and then kissed her soundly. He pulled away once more and began looking her over again, noticing the cut on her shoulder.

"You are hurt," he said. She was about to protest and tell him that it was nothing, but he led her away, a hand clamped around her uninjured arm and practically dragging her through the courtyard. Anira looked behind her and saw Pelardiel reunited with her husband, Dinendal.

Haldir led her through the marble halls of Elrond's house. It had very little fancy details, but the simplicity was elegant and eye catching nonetheless.

They entered a room that was lined with jars and strips of cloth. Herbs and other plants were hung from the ceiling, casting a sharp scent about the room. She sat down on the small bed in the room. Haldir paced in front of her.

"I want to know what happened," he said.

"We were ambushed," Anira said, thinking that much was obvious. "Is there no news of the wardens who stayed behind to fight?"

Haldir shook his head, stopping suddenly and sitting down next to her. He put a hand on her cheek, turning her face towards his. He stood up abruptly as a healer strode into the room, interrupting them. Standing close by, he watched intently as the healer examined the wound on Anira's arm.

"This wound is not that deep, you were lucky that the tree's branch did not imbed anything into the cut," the healer told her. He cleaned the wound and applied a dressing before sending her off.

"Your room is down the hall from mine, I have been told," Haldir told her, as they walked. "Why did you not arrive with Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, and Indilwen?"

"Pelardiel had fallen behind. Sh could not hear over the noise, so I stayed behind," she answered, noting the expression on his face. "What is wrong?"

"You did not follow Bercalion's orders?" He asked, a bit harshly in her opinion. Anira looked at him, wondering why he was acting this way.

"I could not leave her behind!"

"They would have gotten her, Anira. They would have made sure she was safe. You could have been in danger, gotten seriously hurt, or even killed," he told her in almost a scolding tone. His face mimicked the expression of Bercalion as she rode out of the clearing.

"Why does it matter? I am safe now, Pelardiel is safe," she reasoned. Haldir remained silent for a moment.

"That was not the point, I was trying to say that you disobeyed the direct orders of one of my guard, and put the lives of you and the rest of them in danger," he said, his voice soft, but slightly angry. Anira thought she heard disappointment as well. With tears threatening to spill, Anira yanked her arm from his grasp and ran down the hallway, ignoring his pleads for her to stop.


Trouble in paradise. Yes, I know, evil me for ending the chapter here. Quite a long one though. Reviews are appreciated! Especially in a chapter like this, I would love to hear your opinions on it.

Okay, I must ask everyone who has read Eragon and is a fan of it if they would be interested in a new fic I am considering putting up. It is a Murtagh/OC story, so, if you really think it might be worth it, I'll post the first chapter. Thank you for all your input on this! It will be extremely helpful!

-ElfLuver13