Tinwe sat out on a ruined rooftop, looking out over Pelennor Fields. The darkness of Mordor blocked out all light from the stars. She sighed, a gentle wind blowing off the plains, stirring her long hair.

"You seem pensive." Tinwe turned, watching as Legolas sat cross-legged beside her. She had not heard him approach.

"I was just thinking how long it's been since I was home. It has to have been over a century."

"Things haven't changed much," Legolas said, also staring out over the plains. "Your brother Glorothond has taken your father's position as the chief blacksmith."

"Why? What is wrong with my father?" she asked, turning to him in alarm.

"Nothing. He just no longer wished to have the position. I heard he had become concerned about you, for you had not returned home in so long, and was too concerned for your safety to work efficiently any longer."

"As soon as this is over, I will return home. I desperately miss them all."

"Why did you leave in the first place?" Legolas asked, turning his head to look at her. She sighed, taking a moment to answer.

"Mirkwood never felt like home to me. I always had this itch to go elsewhere, do great things with my life. So I sought the perfect place, where I would be at home. But, as of yet, I have not found it."

"Perhaps you just need to realize that home isn't a single place. Home is wherever those who love you are."

Tinwe was silent for a moment, thinking about what he had just said. She shook her head after a while, looking down as she wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Or perhaps that is exactly my problem. I want to be with those I love, but at the same time long to be independent. Perhaps I am doomed to wander Middle Earth forever, never finding a home."

"I do not think that is your fate," Legolas said softly. "Soon your heart will find what it searches for. We all find it, in the end."

"What is it that your heart seeks?" Tinwe asked, turning to look at him once more. He met her gaze, and the two stared into each other's souls for many long moments, until finally Legolas turned away.

"I used to think my heart only wanted to remain amongst the trees for all eternity. And yet, now I feel a longing for the sea. Lady Galadriel warned me to beware the sea, and I have failed. Now I fear I shall never be content with the forest anymore."

"You need not worry about your desire for the sea. It happens to us all. But I know you have much more to give to this world, before you take the journey into the West."

Together, the elves sat peacefully in silence, for a few moments escaping the darkness and gloom that shadowed Middle Earth.

"What are you doing up so early?"

Tinwe and Legolas turned to find Gimli standing in a doorway just behind them. Tinwe smiled at the dwarf.

"We were going to go for a morning ride. Care to join us?"

"Well, hmph," Gimli said gruffly, his face screwed up as he tried to decide if he really wanted to or not.

"Come on Gimli. It will not hurt," Legolas said, grinning as his friend stood uncomfortably in the doorway.

"Oh, all right," Gimli said. "I'll meet you out front."

Tinwe and Legolas were conversing in elvish as Gimli approached, carrying his axe.

"There might be Orcs about," he said gruffly as Tinwe looked at his axe.

"Very true, master dwarf. I think I shall bring my bow as well."

Soon the trio road off thru the gates of Minas Tirith. Gimli was riding behind Legolas on the white stallion Arod, while Tinwe road Alagos. They took a path up into the mountains, talking about this and that. Eventually, the conversation drifted back to Tinwe's travels.

"What else have you seen along your journey?" Legolas asked, riding next to Tinwe as they traveled thru the trees.

"Oh, many things. Out east there are large deserts, sands stretching for miles in all directions. That is where I found the Oliphaunt riders. I had been hiding among them for several years when Mordor's call came. I traveled with them back here. But along the way, I saw different creatures than anything I'd ever seen before. There were strange, horse-like creatures that some nomads rode, which they called 'camels'. They could survive weeks without water. But, for the most part, there was merely sand.

"But by far the most beautiful place I visited was the far south. There are forests there that could put Mirkwood, Fangorn, and Lothlorien all to shame. They grow taller than the mallorn trees, and are filled with more beauty and mystery than all three forests together."

"I find that hard to believe," Gimli said gruffly. Legolas smiled, remembering his reaction to Lady Galadriel. Tinwe glanced at the dwarf, and returned her eyes forward.

"You cannot possibly understand what these forests are like. They are filled with ancient trees that filter the light, creating a green glow beneath. Everywhere there are enormous plants, winding around tree trunks and climbing up towards the sky. They bore fruits of such strange colors and shapes, and so numerous you could not begin to guess their numbers. There are creatures here that are too wonderful for words. Birds of bright blues, yellows, and reds; amphibians of all sizes and colors; reptiles that could change color and blend in with the trees; insects that grew to the size of your fist; small animals that leapt from tree to tree or explored the forest floor in search of food; predators that could hide in plain sight, attacking with such power and grace, none could match it. The sight of such wonders will forever be in my mind."

"Why did you leave if the forest made you so joyful?" Legolas asked, watching the elleth beside him.

"The beauty was incredible, but so was the danger. During the nights, dark creatures prowled the woods. You could sleep in the trees, but even there the danger was great. In the day, the forests are magnificent. They are the same at night, but hold a darker purpose. If only the light had remained constantly, I would have stayed. But alas, it was not so."

Legolas watched her sad face as they rode.

"I would very much like to see this forest of which you speak," he said, turning forward. "And judge its greatest for myself." Tinwe turned to him, smiling.

"Perhaps your road will lead you there in the future. I hope you do see it, for it is a treasure in my mind I shall never forget."

Gimli stayed silent during this whole exchange, watching the elves carefully. He could tell there was more to the two than was on the surface. He sat quietly, thinking to himself, until their road led them back to Minas Tirith.