A.N/ Errr... We're sorry? This is becoming a habit isn't it? Constantly not being able to meet deadlines... *sigh* But this story has reached a huge milestone for us and we didn't even realise. It's been over a year since we started writing this and we would like to thank everyone who has supported us so far. We will finish this. Promise. No matter how long it takes us. We do have everything planned :)

And to mark getting to 100 reviews (thankyouthankyouthankyouallsomuch!) we're doing a little special something and so there'll be more information at the end. And so onto the chapter! Oh and I, as in the beta, wrote the poem btw so I own that piece of crap, please don't hate on the other two ;)

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Poems of Farewell

Di's POV

This was it. The day had finally come. I had never dreamed it possible that I could fall in love with this place so much, the place which had been a compromise for what I had thought was my real home five years ago. But each nuance of the city held so many memories for all of us, even Seph and Kels and the hobbits, who had only been here a relatively short while. Walking in the rapidly fading light through the ivory colonnade that led to river, I turned to see the setting sun glimmering in the distance, reflecting off the troubled water in a sea of amber. I remembered all the times we had sat by the river and talked, or the times when I had just come on my own to the tranquil bank with a book to study. I saw the forests, dark green and mysterious, but home to all the walks I had shared with Fin and Glorfindel and Dan and Roh, and even old Bilbo when he was in a storytelling mood. I smiled as I remembered a poem I had helped him write:

"Far off into the distance stretches the unending road,

Winding through memories, endless and vast;

A path trodden by those, hoping to be bestowed

The timeless wisdom of the long gone past.

The sands are flowing, letting evil advance,

Time is moving apace to the stamping feet

Of searching souls, hardened by circumstance,

Laying down a blank canvas for all to compete."

As I finished whispering it softly under my breath, I felt a hand on my shoulder. With a start, I turned to see a solemn Fin standing beside me. We stood there for a few moments, savouring the last memories of Rivendell we would have for a long time in silence.

I looked to the house, and swallowed. Was this the right decision? Did I really want to leave all this behind to go on this adventure that I knew would be difficult and at times painful? Over the past few days Fin had refreshed my mind about the events of the story, and even though I knew it would succeed in the end, who knew what effect our involvement in it might have? These questions had been plaguing me recently, ever since the council of Elrond. And despite the discussions I had had with Elrond since, in which we decided that we should try to interfere as little as possible, the feeling that we might affect the history of this great world would not leave me.

Fin caught my gaze and turned to the house.

"It will be hard to leave, won't it?" she said quietly. I nodded, as if that was what I had been thinking about. I felt for Fin though, as she had much more to leave behind. I had seen her with Glorfindel, and it broke my heart to think that they would not be able to see each other for such a long time. They were clearly meant to be together, and to be honest I was surprised that she had put the quest first over her boyfriend. However, some small part of me was slightly pleased that I would have my friend back, but it was a part that I tried to ignore.

The light was fading, and I knew we would be missed if we did not hurry. Now it was time to leave Rivendell, leave the magnificent elven city which had been my home, our home, for five years. Although that was not a significant amount of time in elvish terms, the human inside me had changed considerably in that time.

We were to start at dusk, travelling under the cover of darkness, as this is what Ada had decided would be the most tactical. Even though the Nazgul had been destroyed for now, there was still danger of being spotted.

"Come on, Fin," I said, turning and heading for where I knew the rest of the fellowship would be gathered. She ran to catch up with me.

"Aren't you sad?" she asked, tears glistening in her eyes. I moved my head so that she would not see the corresponding ones in mine.

"No, I'm excited," I lied, blinking and continuing along the path to the gate, trying to convince myself as much as anyone else.

Turning to me as we started running, she cracked a grin and said, "You know what? So am I."

I gave a small smile as we reached the great hall. The others were all gathered there, around the fire, with packs at the ready. It was strange to see the hobbits looking so forlorn. They were in a little huddle, Sam double- and triple-checking the bags. Aragorn and Gandalf were talking with Elrond, and Seph and Gimli were having a discussion about something; or perhaps more accurately, a certain someone. I heard the words, '...Mr Orlando Bloom thinks...' waft over to me and I glanced at Fin, suppressing a chuckle. Legolas was checking his bow and quiver, and I noticed that there were hardly any other weapons around. Boromir had a sword, shield, and horn and Gimli his trusty axe, but other than that we took little gear of war, other than a sword each and the weapons that we had been gifted. Fin and I walked up to Kels, who was standing a little way from Elrond, pretending to help Sam but every so often taking a furtive glance at Aragorn and turning a little pink. When she saw us, she turned with a jolt.

"All set to go, then?" she said, looking at our clothes in mild surprise. I did not grudge her on this, though, as I even I felt uncomfortable in the outfits we were wearing. I had grown used to the long flowing dresses traditionally worn by elves, and the leather tunic and breeches I had been 'advised' by Seph to wear now felt strange.

"Yes, I guess we are," I said, turning once again to look longingly around the hall. Fin however was more occupied trying to locate Glorfindel, and, noticing this, I pointed him out to her. I gave her what I hoped to be a reassuring smile and a nod, and she approached him. He was standing alone, fiddling with something in his hands. I turned away, giving them a little privacy.

"Hi Di."

There were Dan and Roh, standing before me. They must have crept up on me, even though I thought that I could normally hear their footsteps. They looked more awkward than I had ever seen them.

"Hello, Dan, Roh." They too were to set out soon, to go on patrol, and were dressed accordingly.

"Well, Di, we just wanted to say..." started Dan.

Roh continued, "You know, since you are going away..."

"And we won't see you for a long time, so..." Dan carried on, obviously stalling for time.

Roh finished, turning a little pink "Good luck, for when you go."

Suddenly I felt a hand clap on my shoulder, and heard Seph's laugh at my ear, "What are we doing, here? Having a little poetry fest it seems. I thought you boys were above all that."

"I never said we'd miss you, Seph," countered Roh with a grin.

"Oh really?" I knew without turning to see that she had that gleam in her eye. "So you obviously wouldn't mind me telling Di here about that time when you said you-"

"No!" he burst out, his face drained of colour, "I mean, no, of course I will miss you, I mean, we will miss you."

He turned to Dan, who nodded vigorously.

"Good. I expect we'll be setting off soon. It will be a shame to leave this place." And with that the pressure was released from my shoulder and Seph started heading for the door, through which the others were slowly filtering outside, nobody particularly keen on leaving the cosiness of the fire for the bitter wind and grey dusk skies.

Giving a small smile of relief Dan said, "Yes, it has been nice having you here. And Fin too."

"Say goodbye to her from us," Roh said, glancing over to a tearful Fin wrapped in Glorfindel's arms.

"I will pass on the message," I said, trying to compose myself. "Surely you are coming to the gate with us?"

Dan and Roh caught each other's eye and Dan said, "Sorry, but we cannot. We must prepare for the patrol. We set out at dawn."

I swallowed. "I understand. I guess this is goodbye then."

"Yes," said Dan, putting a hand on my shoulder, and Roh did the same, "but we shall meet again soon. Once the darkness has passed, or perhaps even before." Then they left the hall.

Nodding, I turned to follow Seph outside, but had not travelled far before I was called back by a clear voice. It was Lord Elrond, who was standing beside Gandalf and had evidently just finished talking with him. The hall was almost empty, and I walked towards them, feeling slightly uncomfortable under their gazes. The three great men, although technically only one of them was a Man, were looking at me expectantly.

"Diana," started Elrond, using my full name, "I gather you understand the responsibility placed on the shoulders of you and your sisters."

"Yes, we must help the ring-bearer destroy the Ring." I felt foolish stating the obvious but realised immediately that that was not what he had wanted.

"That is true. However, the four of you also possess knowledge of this world. Knowledge of a possible future, where the Ring is destroyed and Sauron vanquished. It is vital that you do not allow this information to fall on the ears of any creature, be they friend or foe. The future you know of does not involve Beni elves; it does not involve you or your sisters and has therefore already been altered from the one you speak of due to your arriving here. Allowing you to partake in this quest has been a decision which plays heavily on my mind, but I believe that it is the right choice. The company will benefit from your knowledge, but do not abuse, even by accident, your position as helpers to the ring-bearer. Only interfere with the history you know with the greatest of care, and under no circumstance should you tell anyone of what events are to come. Having information about the future can be extremely dangerous. Even if your intentions are good, it can backfire drastically!"

"I understand. I shall pass on the message to the others." We had had this discussion earlier, but Ada obviously thought it was important enough to repeat it, and rightly so.

"Do so as soon as possible, and in secret."

Then Gandalf spoke for the first time, "Even though you may trust me, you must not tell me anything of the future. Especially as the one you know is only one possibility out of an uncountable number. Even a wizard is not always the best judge of his own judgements."

With that, Elrond motioned for us to leave the hall, and glancing back I saw that he was following. We emerged to see a group of shadows in the dim light, faces miserable with the gloom of the journey that loomed ahead of us. Only Seph and Bill the pony looked remotely like they wanted to be here, but now Elrond was here all heads turned in his direction, where he stood casting an imposing silhouette against the warm glow of the fire inside the house. He said a few words of warning and wished us well, reminding us that we were under no obligation to make the journey, but all through this I could only think of when I would tell the others the message I had been given. It would have to be soon, but perhaps when we were travelling so that nobody else would hear. I would have to make sure they understood properly, especially the part about not abusing our knowledge to interfere. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I did not realise that Elrond was nearing the end of his speech, "May the stars shine upon your faces!" he said, his hand raised in farewell.

From the doorway, Bilbo, who I had not noticed earlier, stuttered to Frodo to bring him back a story, then added, "And Di, Dunadan - bring me a poem or two! Farewell!"

Then we walked through the gate, away from the Last Homely House. I could hear the soft voices of the household bidding us farewell. Elladan and Elrohir had come after all, and their voices carried in the darkness, but above all was the achingly longing voice of Glorfindel. I knew that, realistically, I should have been much more upset, but somehow, despite the gloom and the shadow ahead of us; I could not bring myself to feel that way.

We walked on, only looking back when we were high above the House. We stood for a moment on the hill.

"You're not homesick already, are you, Di?" Seph's face shone in the darkness, but she winced when Kels playfully punched her in the shoulder.

"No, I'm not," I said. I turned from Rivendell. Behind was comfort and tranquillity, and ahead was the black road to Mordor. It could be dangerous, in fact, it would most definitely be dangerous, and so the next thing I said surprised me. "I'm excited."

And I grinned despite it all, realising that it was true.

A.N/ Riiiiight!

So long lengthy explanation time!

We never ever ever thought we would ever be able to get to 100 reviews and we actually have! We truly cannot thank you all enough. So as a special something to commemorate both milestones, we're going to be writing special ficlets for anyone who reviews this chapter.

This is how it's going to work:

If you have an account please drop us a review and then PM us with your request. It can be a sentence you want us to develop or a prompt idea. We should reply pretty soon with estimates of when we'll be finished with the ficlet but depending on how many we get, and how hectic real life gets, I can only say that we will try our best.

The ficlets will be at least 200 words long but depending on how much the prompt catches our interest, it may be more.

The prompt can be anything from the lotr universe, it does not have to be related to Not Normal Circumstances at all. I'm going to put tentatively that we may be able to write for other fandoms so you can request but we'll have to get back to you on that one.

Now...

If you don't have an account, please still drop us a review! Then you can email us at bluebutter98 with your request and we'll get back to you through that.

So please email/PM with any requests/questions you have. And I guess, just thank you all! x