Okay, you can all kill me. I know that this tiny little chapter doesn't even begin to make up for my lack of updates but I was running out of juice and also, out of ideas. Finally I got a very good idea, so this is kind of the prelimnary to get me out of my slump.

Rhov: You hate me, don't you?

Dark-Sylph: Of course I don't. But you are the hero of the story and as such, you have to do the blatant declaration that I own nothing but you and Adlanniel.

Rhov: Glad to see you finally stuck with just calling her one name now.

DS: Hey, had to do it one of these days.

Rhov: This strange creature owns nothing but me and Adlanniel. Oh yeah, and some other minor characters that either don't have names, or are very unmemorable.

DS: So mean...

We burst into the house with the aplomb of a bomb (hee hee hee) making a daydreaming Elladan jump two feet in the air and screech like a girl. Pippin and I both giggled as the three Musketeers trooped in a bit statelier (and slower) behind us.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Elladan said once he had begun to breathe normally.

I smiled my most winningest smile at him and replied, "Answering the summons of Lord Elrond, sent by this most delightful young chap." I motioned at Pippin who was clutching his ribs. Probably a nasty bout of laughing fractured a rib or something.

"Yes," Rhov said behind me making the back of my throat tickle, "Lord Elrond apparently swallowed a cat?"

Elladan blinked several times at Rhov and then his eyes turned to me, a look that truly inspired me to go run in front of a charging rhino. Scary what that elf can do with those two lines between his eyes. Yeesh.

Thankfully, this rather ridiculous conversation ended abruptly as Elrond, the cat swallower himself, appeared.

"Ah, good, I am glad to see Pippin got you so quickly. Adlanniel, if you would not mind leaving us for the moment? I believe Arwen is in the music room." Elrond motioned impatiently towards the door leading into the main house.

With a sigh of resignation and a pooched-out lower lip, I strode towards the music room for the second time that day, huffing the whole time to myself about insensitive men and elves. Even Pippin got to hang out, well, maybe not, but he sure didn't seem to have to have a telling-off in front of everyone.

Flouncing into the music room, I flopped dejectedly onto a backless-couch thingy. Arwen seemed to have quit waiting for me because no one was in the room. I was just about ready to start banging something that looked like an oversized snare drum, when Arwen appeared. There were wet tracks running from her eyes and disappearing at the point of her chin. That was the only way I knew she had been weeping because her eyes weren't red and puffy and her nose wasn't even pink. Oh yes, and she also skipped the watery snot that human beings, like myself, get everywhere when we bawl.

Noticing me take in her perfect, watery face, Arwen smiled at me but it was a very half-hearted affair. I sort of wondered why she was so morose until she blurted out in a very unelf-like manner, "They're leaving tomorrow!"

"What?" I shrieked, no doubt making someone in the near ten miles cringe at the decibels blowing out their eardrums. "Why?"

"Because the orc signs are becoming worse by the day and Elrond wants the Fellowship to leave as quickly as possible or else the mountain passes will be too unsafe. Rhov has to go back to the Rangers near Bree and keep off the evil from the Shire as long as possible. King Thranduil had wished you to return to Mirkwood but now it is far too dangerous." Arwen blabbed all this information out in a rapid-fire speech that is very unlike her.

"Are you saying that they have to get everything together in one day? Is Elrond nuts?" I squawked.

Arwen apparently was too distraught to notice my less than usual vocabulary. She twisted the folds of her dress in a ball then dropped it then started all over again. I couldn't understand why she was so unhappy, especially since Rhov was… Oh, yeah, she was kissing Aragorn the other night, wasn't she? I detract my less then kind thoughts about hysterical elven women.

"I'm not sure what you mean by my father being a… nut? but I will say that it is the wisest thing to do. At least this way the Fellowship may be able to make it over the mountain passes without orcs troubling them. I only hope…" Here Arwen stopped and gulped back what I expect was a sob and sat down on the harp bench.

The scales had tipped to Arwen's side for the cryfest time. For an hour and a half, I held her hand, hugged her, stroked her hair, a billion things that women need in their time of need that guys just go, "Huh?" to. Finally, the princess of elves collected her emotions and gently pushed me away so she could wipe her eyes. To my disgust, they were only a mild pink shade and her nose wasn't even running. Some things in this world just aren't fair.

"So," I start, when Rhov pads into the room, his eyes glowing with a strange, faraway look that I found highly, uh, disconcerting. ::cough, cough::

Arwen jumps up and throws herself at Rhov. I found the fact that his eyes snapped back to the present with a whiplash very funny. If I had done that, I think I would be cross-eyed for a month.

"Rhov! Has my father decided to let you go?" Arwen asked in a sort of desperate groan.

"Nay, sister, your father is steadfast that only nine should go. Besides, he wishes that I stay with the Grey Company, for he foresees a great need for us in the future. What that is, I do not know." Rhov pats Arwen on the back and then pushes her back on her couch.

It strikes me that Arwen probably wants Rhov along to keep an eye on Aragorn, keep him safe, in other words. I mean, come on, if I wanted a bodyguard, Rhov or Legolas would be my first choice. Although Aragorn and Halbarad are a very close second. "Aragorn can take care of himself, Arwen. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Rhov has been pulled out of a jam by Aragorn more than the vice versa."

"What?" Arwen gulped and I experienced the extremely familiar feeling of being a Costa Rican in Siberia.

"Nothing." I reply and Rhov grins. I'm entirely sure that he understood less than Arwen but my gut feeling is that he got the basic idea.

"Lady Adlanniel, would you do me a very great kindness of escorting Lady Arwen to her rooms and then coming back here. There is something of which I need to speak." Rhov states blandly.

I had a certain difficulty keeping my eyebrows from shooting up to full-mast at his question. I could understand taking Arwen to her room to relax (she was completely falling apart), but why in the world would Rhov want to speak with me? Pictures of a Rhov bending down on one knee to pledge his undying love to me, bombarded my brain and then reality struck. Okay, so Arwen had mentioned he felt attracted to me, but what moron in his right mind would propose to me after knowing me for only a few days? A moron.

Abandoning all hopes of such a thing happening, I mumble my acceptance. Grabbing Arwen, I led her off down the halls to her room, wondering why in the world Rhov wanted to talk about my past. Unless of course he wanted to know more about Earth… Hmmm…

I dropped off Arwen into the arms of her maid and then walked back towards the music room, oddly reluctant to do it. I wasn't sure that (bar the romantic) I really wanted to hear what Rhov had to say. Probably something to do with taking care of Arwen or something.