"Éponine?" Legolas' voice broke into my dreams. "It is late, you need to wake. You've slept too long." I shook my head confused. My mind was foggy and I couldn't grasp any immediate memories. I took a deep breath and pushed toward his voice. It was hard. My legs stung with pain, my back ached, my head pounded, and sleep continued to call me.

"Please, Éponine. If you sleep any longer, you will cease to be with us."

I continued to push. Other sounds began to reach my ears. Lord Elrond's voice giving orders. King Thranduil arguing with Queen Tarellethiel. Birds…singing, with music blowing in on the wind, a flute…like the night before…

Except, in that moment, I began to wonder…

Was it the night before? I felt as if I'd been sleeping for an infinity of time. My legs stung and hurt, but nowhere near as bad as they had. Then my thoughts turned to my last memories. The three Valier.

I felt my mind wake up and I began to register everything going on around me with every sense, except my eyes. But I just laid there…

I needed to take it in. They were kind. They were understanding.

But it hurt. It hurt so much I couldn't think past the pain that began to swell in my heart. I never used it. I pushed it away and ignored the strange looks and mean comments. But now…

My heart began to hurt with a pain that I never knew could exist. It burned like the hottest fire in a forge. Then it turned and became the metal used in a forge. I was white hot. Flexible. I felt the hammer fall. Shaping me. Changing me. Pounding. Pounding in the change that I couldn't control. That I couldn't stop, or change, or adapt to. It all just happened. So fast. So painful. So easily.

I let out a shudder breath as I tried to function, breath around the burning pain in my throat. As I tried to remember what I was living for. It all hurt. Nothing made sense. I wanted to give up right there.

Why?

How?

Why did it have to happen?

How could they move on so quickly?

Didn't they care?

Didn't they love me?

I was a burden.

I was the problem.

I was gone now, out of their hair and in someone else's.

The burning pain grew. My tears streamed down my cheeks. My legs, back, head, nothing compared to the burning pain of abandonment in my chest.

I wanted to scream and cry and rage, but I couldn't. I understood. I held them back. I kept them in a place they didn't want to be.

My eyes fluttered opened, but the world around me was blurry. The tears streamed thickly and I could make out the outline of a person. Blonde hair and green clothes, a soft glow accompanied them.

"Éponine," a soft voice called. My pain made it feel as if from a distance. I wanted to answer the voice, but I couldn't.

My throat hurt. My voice was broken. My breath caught. And my heart burned.

Why?

Why?

Why?

It hurt so!

"Éponine?" the voice called again. "Please? Do not give in. It is not as bad as it seems. There is reason, yet, to live. Do not fade, Éponine. Please, do not fade."

I heard his voice. I could hear the pleading need as he called to me. I could feel his care and love. I stared at the shape.

I focused.

I pushed away the pain.

I smothered the fire.

I forced the emotions to go down. To be hidden away. To be forgotten and ignored.

"Legolas." My voice was rough. Raw with emotion and painful in my restricted throat.

His face came into focus and a beautiful smile graced his lips. "Éponine, stay. There is yet, much to live for."

"Legolas." I repeated, softly. Everything about me ached, but all I could do was look at him. He was a reason to live. He, just him, was the most obvious reason. He was kind and beautiful and…

And he cared.

He showed that he cared.

"Yes. I am Legolas, Éponine. Now please! Please, remember yourself!"

My arm felt heavy, but I fought and lifted it. I touched the soft skin of his face. His hand came up and warmly cupped my hand against his cheek. "There is much to live for." He repeated, softly.

I took a deep breath and nodded slowly, realizing the entire room was silent. I dropped my hand and looked around. I blinked my eyes trying to clear them. Lord Elrond stepped up to the left side of the bed, opposite Legolas.

"Welcome back, bainpen-nin. We nearly lost you." His words were soft and gentle.

I nodded. "I know." I answered back, quietly. "I feel heavy, as if I slept too long, but I still crave sleep." I studied him. His soft sterling eyes. His elegant chocolate hair. His beautiful robes. "How long?"

He smiled sadly. "Nearly a week." He answered just as softly.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, but Legolas didn't quite like that. "Éponine! Please, don't sleep again!"

I opened my eyes again and smiled at him. "It's okay, Legolas. I'm awake. I just have a lot to think about."

"Yes," snapped the voice of King Thranduil, as he came to stand behind Legolas. "Like how you managed that." He pointed to my neck. I looked down and caught the faint glint of light from under the sheets.

I took a deep breath. "Last ni…last time we spoke, Mithrandir wanted answers…" I paused, "well, I have them, but I'm not going to answer anything laying down so I can only see three people."

Legolas and Lord Elrond shared a smile as both stood. Lord Elrond lifted me to sit up, while Legolas positioned my pillows to hold me comfortably. Aside from Lord Elrond, Legolas, King Thranduil, and Queen Tarellethiel, Mithrandir, a golden-haired male elf, Lady Celebrian, and both twins were in the room.

I looked the golden-haired elf right in the eye and he flashed me a mischievous smile, his arms folded across his chest. "Glorfindel, my lady." He said sweeping out one arm and dramatically bowing. "At your service, Valariel." Almost everyone cast him a questioning glance as he returned to his earlier position. He gave no answer, merely flashing me another glowingly drop-dead smile.

I hid a smile and turned to Mithrandir. "I will answer any of your questions now, but you might want to bring everyone in, that you want to know, because I'm only saying it once, and it'll save a lot of trouble later."

Mithrandir chuckled merrily. "Elladan, Elrohir, go and fetch the others."

The two exchanged looks. "Um, Mithrandir, would you specify, who the 'others' are?" Elladan asked sarcastically.

Mithrandir threw them a withered look. "Erestor, Galion, Nimoron, Caranloth, and Arwen." He listed them fast and irritated, the twins shared a look before bowing in unison.

"We shall see it done." They said and exited the room.

I didn't hide my smile this time. "Are they always like that?" I asked.

Lady Celebrian smiled. "Yes, or worse, but you will find good and kind hearts beneath those cocky and mischievous smiles."

Lord Elrond smiled as well, before turning to me. "You need to eat."

I nodded. "Yeah, 'cause I'm starving."

The room chuckled, but my attention drew to Legolas as his hand suddenly wrapped around mine. I turned to him and he smiled softly, studying my face. I felt a heat of butterflies' flash through my stomach before squeezing his hand softly. His smile broadened and he squeezed back.

I pointedly ignored the glare King Thranduil was sending me from behind him.

I studied the many in the room as I ate slowly. I already knew Legolas (obviously), Lord Elrond, Lady Celebrian, Lady Arwen, Elladan, Elrohir, King Thranduil, Queen Tarellethiel, Mithrandir, and now Glorfindel.

Princess Caranloth was a beautiful female elf with the same platinum hair and icy eyes as King Thranduil and Legolas. She was tall and shapely and walked with grace and elegance. She held no qualms about making her disapproval of me known with her glare.

Her brother, Prince Nimoron looked more like the queen. He was tall and a bit gangly. His hair was long but waved a bit and was more of a silvery-blonde. His eyes were gray like his mothe'rs and he looked as if he preferred books to weapons. He wore an expression of withheld judgement, as if he would wait to hear what I had to say before forming any opinion.

Lord Erestor was dark haired and green-eyed. He looked rather scholarly as well and his OCD made me feel a lot better about mine. He was Lord Elrond's closest adviser beside Lord Glorfindel. He held a rather indifferent sort of expression, but he still held a whispered conversation with Lord Glorfindel in elvish.

And Galion, was King Thranduil's butler, best friend, and unofficial chief adviser. He had golden-red hair with green eyes a lot like Erestor's. Despite being a butler, he had a big muscular body and looked like he knew his way around a battlefield. I couldn't tell anything about his opinion, any more than I could Lord Erestor.

"Éponine?" Legolas' voice drew me out of my thoughts. I looked to him with a deer-in-the-headlights look. He chuckled. "Go ahead, we're all listening."

I looked back at everyone. Lord Elrond occupied a chair beside the bed on my left. Galion took a position beside the door. Lord Erestor and Lord Glorfindel leaned against a medicine cabinet, shoulder-to-shoulder with their arms crossed across their chests. Lady Celebrian, Lady Arwen, and Princess Caranloth sat at a small round table. The twins stood behind Lady Arwen leaning against the wall, identical expressions, and positions. Prince Nimoron sat at the large window seat, and King Thranduil sat beside him with Queen Tarellethiel in his lap. Legolas sat in a chair on my right with Mithrandir behind him.

"Did you tell them about what I told you," I asked Lord Elrond, "about my ability?" He nodded. I took a deep breath. Where on Earth was I supposed to start?

"That is the biggest load of Orc shit I've ever heard!" Princess Caranloth burst when I finally finished my dream. Legolas' eyes darkened, but the princess continued. "You could be making all of this up! We have enough problems without some strange elleth feeling special and thinking she needs attention for it."

Legolas opened his mouth to defend me, but I stayed it with a glare, then leveled said facial expression at the princess. "Listen, I don't give a flying rat's ass about what you do or do not believe. I don't want attention, because that only ever results in trouble. And honestly, I wouldn't mind at all if it was all a bunch of bull. Then you could stick me in a psych ward and forget about me. I could forget about myself, wallowing in self-pity and a long-lost life, but it's not. I'm supposed to help you and through all of you, this world. I don't know why, but it doesn't matter because I don't have a choice."

The entire room was silent. I could hear crickets chirping outside and the irony of it almost made me giggle. Finally, Lord Glorfindel stood up straight.

"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, of Lady Valariel's words. She is blessed by The Sisters and was sent to us. 'One should never look a gift horse in the mouth.'" He quoted.

The others exchanged looks, but Mithrandir caught my eye and winked. I couldn't help my smile at the kindly twinkle in his old but mischievous eyes. My vision focus closer and I also caught Legolas' stare. I tilted my head to the side and threw him his own smile.

My attention an eyes turned when the sweet sound of a flute swept ok through the window on a soft summer breeze. It was very similar to one of the lullabies Julien used to sing to me when I was little. Legolas turned to look at the window, then he too seemed to catch the sound.

The music was sweet and beautiful, high as most flute music was, but it was also simple and gentle as lullabies were. Mixed with the rustling of trees, singing birds, and the chirping insects, the song sounded so natural and perfect. Moving and emotional in the way an old happy memory was, when it was followed by many more memories of pain and sadness.

Almost instinctively, I began singing the words that I knew.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word;

Julien's going to show you a hummingbird.

If that hummingbird should fly,

Julien's going to show you the evening sky.

When the nighttime shadows fall,

Julien's going to hear the crickets call.

While their song drifts from afar,

Julien's going to search for a shooting star.

When that star had dropped from view,

Julien's going to read a book with you.

When that story had been read,

Julien's going to bring your warm bedspread.

If that quilt begins to wear,

Julien's going to find your teddy bear.

When that teddy bear won't hug,

Julien's going to catch you a lightening bug.

If that lightening bug won't glow,

Julien's going to play on her old banjo.

If that banjos out of tune,

Julien's going to show you the harvest moon.

As that moon drifts through the sky,

Julien's going to sing you a lullaby.

I stared into the pale ice of Legolas' eyes. They were big and old, full of pain, but I could also see hope. They were the doorway to his soul and with the strangest butterfly feeling I could see me in them. The new me, the elf me that was 'gifted' and destined to help this world.

I didn't realize the room had gone completely silent until I'd finished the words. "That was beautiful, Èponine." Queen Tarellethiel said softly.

I pulled my eyes from Legolas to look at her. Her eyes seemed guarded. She was judging me and I was ninety-nine percent sure it was because of the strange exchange I was having with Legolas.

"Thank you, your majesty." I answered. "My elder brother used to sing it to me."

She nodded. "And tell me, Èponine, according to what you told Elrond, you have a prefect memory..." I nodded. She was getting somewhere, and taking her sweet time about it. "And because of that, you require everything to be the exact same, or as close as possible?" I nodded again pushing down my growing irritation, could she just get to the point!

"What I want to know, Child, is, how have you not reacted to the absence of your brother and the possibility that you may never see him again?"

I stared at her for enough time to make it strange, but my mind was turmoil and my heart worse. I had reacted. I'd nearly given up. I'd cried and I still felt like my heart was being staked, except now it felt like the queen had pulled out the stake only to shove it back in, really hard.

"There is no 'may' about it. The Valier were clear on me never going back." My voice was soft and felt far away. My head hurt. My legs hurt. I wanted to lay down and sleep. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to cry. I wanted to stop the questions. I wanted to stopping thinking about it. I wanted to forget everything and start over. And most of all, I really just wanted to get rid of the pain in my chest, it made it so difficult to breath, swallow, even think.

"Èponine?" Legolas' voice found my ears, far off and distorted. "Èponine?"

I looked over at him, but my vision began to swim. Tears slipped out, down my cheeks. Without realizing I was saying it aloud, I whispered, "Take it from me. It hurts so much."

My throat constricted as a a sob broke forth. I tried to swallow, but it stuck and my chest burned as my lungs rejected air.

My vision darkened, but I felt warm, muscled arms wrap around me shoulders, pulling me toward a warm body. The sweet sound of singing echoed through the chaos and I slipped back into sleep listening to the words of an old childhood lullaby.

AN: First, I am soooooooo! sorry for not updating! I'm so glad for all the reviews and the support. Second, I know it seems like she passes out a lot, but that'll stop when she heals and gets a better grip on herself. I repeated myself a little in this chapter, but that's because that's what we all do when we don't understand or we're hurt and crying. We repeat and cry more than once...well girls do anyway. R&R,F&F