Author's Note: I just want to thank Chantal, my first reviewer, as well as my Beta Last Temptation of Homer (go read some of her stories they are quite good). Thank you for reading, hope you enjoy.

A Chance to Gain Trust

As soon as Lord Glorfindel of the House of the Golden Flower had been buried our company moved on. I tried to calm myself, but I had been quite shaken by the death of my saviour and by the discovery of where I was. I did not understand what was happening. I was a student of political science, and I could not comprehend how this, for lack of better words, quantum leap had occurred. As we continued our march I decided that in view of my need to survive I had to accept my situation and deal with what came. I couldn't waste time and energy trying to understand something that was entirely beyond the realm of my understanding.

Night had fallen, yet we continued to march on. I was exhausted and very hungry having had nothing to eat or drink but a bit of water from a stream where we had paused since I had opened my eyes in the courtyard many hours before. Just when I thought I was going to collapse one of the elves, yes, I knew they were Eldar pressed a flask into my hands. I took a small mouthful and I felt my tiredness leave my limbs. I felt my mind wake up and become alert and I was able to continue. Smiling, I returned the flask, not really noticing anything about the person who had given it to me other then she was blond and female. I remembered that in the Fellowship of the Ring Gandalf had given each member of the Fellowship a sip of the cordial of Imladris while on Caradhras, this given them strength to continue through the snow. I also remembered that Lord Elrond's paternal grandparents were somewhere in this company. Thus, I decided that it should not be a surprise that a similar cordial could be found here.

At dawn we stopped for a few hours rest in a fairly large cave. I slumped to the cave floor which was nothing put hard packed earth and fell asleep, in spite of all my fears of what might be following us. Even the cordial that I had been given could not make up for the failings of the human body.

I was woken about two hours later by the crash of thunder. I had never been able to sleep during thunderstorms, even back in my own world they had kept me from my rest for entire nights. So I lay curled up on the cool cave floor, and listened to the storm rage outside. I tried as I lay there to remember everything I had read about elves, the War of the Jewels and Middle-Earth in general.

It had been several years since I had read Tolkien's books and it surprised at how much I could remember at all. I had been quite obsessed with the books as a young teen between the ages of twelve and sixteen. However, other then going to the movies when they had been released I had neither read nor done anything connected with Tolkien's world in the last four years. Quenya, I realised was the language these elves were speaking. I had studied some Quenya years before, but it was hardly enough to make out more then a word here and there. I sat up leaning my back against the smooth grey stone wall of the cave and my stomach grumbled loudly. I realise I hadn't eaten in over a day, and I was feeling dizzy and weak from low blood sugar levels.

One of the elves straightened from where he had been talking to a young elfling with dark hair. I recognised the elf as the one who had led us from Gondolin and the elfling as the child who had been rescued from the wolves. I watched as another elf approached him and began to speak to him quite forcefully. I could feel the tension between the two ellon crackle in the still damp air of the cave. Their discussion was becoming quite heated though their voices were no louder then a forced whisper. I couldn't help but feel that it was wrong for any argument to take place between any of the members of the company when there was so much set against them from outside as it was. The argument was finally quelled when a golden haired elleth, who I remembered also form our escape, came over to the two and spoke quietly to them. Although it was obvious neither of the elves were completely happy with the agreement she had made them come to they stop arguing and went their separate ways.

The blond elf who had originally been talking to the elfling said a few more words to the golden haired elleth and then walked over to me. I realised to my shock that he was not an elf at all. He was tall and had a noble bearing, and his light hair flowed over his broad shoulders. I had never seen a man like him, not only in looks but in the aura of command that he exuded. If I had met him walking down the street in the middle of my home town I would have said he was a king and perhaps I would have even gone as far as to name him Arthur. However, he was for all these attributes human. He did not have the same glowing aura that many of the elves had and his ears were rounded like my own.

He said something to me in Quenya his voice was soft but at the same time there was something in it that made one feel compelled to pay attention to what he said. All I was able to make out of what he had said to me was the word herinya, which meant my lady. I assumed that he was questioning me. I guessed that his questions were along the lines of; what is a mortal woman in the strangest clothes I have ever seen doing in a city of elves, where no being may come with out the leave to the king. I knew that my Quenya was not sufficient to communicate my story to him, so I just shock my head and shrugged my shoulders to show that I did not understand what he said. I then pointed to myself and said, "Anne-Marie Buchanan."

He nodded and repeated my name back to me stumbling slightly over my last name and then he point to himself and said Tuor. He handed me a small square of bread that was wrapped in a leaf and was a rich golden colour. Although I did not know it at the time the special grain used to make the bread had been brought with the Noldor from Aman. It had been grown in a sunny glad within Gondolin itself. The bread had been made by Idril, for it as was the costume that only the highest ranked Eldarin lady do so, after all the bread had been first given as Yavanna's gift to the Eldar. Idril had begun the preparation of the lembas when Tuor had first come to Gondolin bearing Ulmo's message, she had known in her heart that the supply of bread would be needed. I looked up at him and smiled. "Hannon-le," I whispered dredging up that much from my patient though infrequent studies of the then believed fairy tale language. I could not remember if it was Sindarin or Quenya but I did remember from the Quenta Silmarilion that outside the halls of the Noldo princes Sindarin was the language most commonly used in day to day interactions as it had been the Sindar who had first colonised Beleriand.

He smiled at me nodding his head, and then he stood and walked over to one of the elves who had been to be standing guard at the cave's mouth. I took a bite of the bread and I felt a hundred times better, new strength flooded into me and my prior dizziness faded away. A sad smile graced my lips as I remembered a line from the first Lord of the Rings movie, "Lembas bread, one small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." This bread was just a good, I thought. Later I would learn that they were one and the same.

A couple minutes latter as I was licking the crumbs off my fingers, the ellon that Tuor had spoken to just after he gave me the bread came over and sat down next to me on the cave floor. He touched my arm gently to get my attention, I looked up at him, he was quite tall, some inches over six feet and even sitting he was a good deal taller then I. He had dark hair that fell straight to his shoulders and simmered even in the weak light, and sea grey eyes that shone with a bright intensity, I was sure they saw everything even in the semi-dark of the cave. Touching his chest he said, "My name is Laiqualasse."

I understood what he was saying, again just general intuition and having been trilingual to begin with along with the little studying I had done of Quenya all those years before allowed me to understand the meaning of his words. Nodding my head I pointed to him and repeated his name and then point to myself I said, "My name is Anne-Marie Buchanan." He looked at me quizzically, and then attempted to say my name he tripped over it worse then Tuor had. I smiled weakly at the trouble he was having with my name, a name that was so common place in my own world.

It was strange how the memories came back in those early days before my memories had begun to fade. Unbidden I would remember something that had been buried deep. At times small details would resurface things that I did not comprehend why I should remember them at all. I pointed at my self again and said; "My name Quenya, Eruanna-Mernaseldё."

Although my grammar had not been quite right Laiqualassё understood my meaning and corrected my grammar. At that moment Tuor called something out and everyone started to get up. Those who had packs got their things together and we all headed out of the cave. The air was much to warm for the clothing I was wearing. So I removed my jacket and rolled up my sleeves in an effort to keep cool, however the days march was still horribly uncomfortable. Laiqualassё did not leave my side once that day; I wasn't sure at the time whether he had been chose as my guard because they thought I was more at risk then the other or because they weren't sure whether I was a threat. Later, I learnt that the latter was true.

That day we halted our march at night fall, much to my relief. We camped that night in a large clearing that had a stream running through it. I went immediately to the stream and drank my fill and rinse my face and hands of the days dust and sweat. Laiqualassё knelt next to me and ran his figures through the water. Looking at me he said "neen" holding up his hands with water in them. I smiled nodding to show I understood his meaning and repeated the word to him. Then he lifted his hands to his mouth and drank the water within. Swallowing he looked at me and said, "sukin". I mimicked the drinking action and repeated the word he nodded knowing I understood. I was repeating the two words over and over in my head willing my self not to forget them. As he filled his water skin, and washed his hands and face he told me words for the actions and the things. I was fascinated by everything I was taught, though looking at the water skin made me wish for a good Nalgene bottle; I preferred plasticy water to leathery water any day. It was as such that my lessons in elven language were begun. From that time on I did my best to learn all I could even when Laiqualassё had to speak with Tuor or he was on guard duty, I would repeat all the words I had learnt and their English equivalents forcing myself to solidify them as well as their meanings in my memory. I wanted nothing more in those days then to communicate with those around me.

One evening less then a week later after we had stopped for the night I sat eating a square of lembas at one of the fires, Laiqualassё stood on the other side of the fire speaking with Lord Tuor. I was mussing over the words I had learnt and was trying to construct a sentence out of them. However, a list of verbs and nouns was not a sufficient lexicon to construct anything more complex then the words themselves. I gave up in disgust, and began to listen to those around me trying to pick out any words I knew in their speech. I didn't see anyone approaching the fire at which I was sitting, nor did I hear anything so it was a surprise to me when I felt some one lay their hand on my shoulder. I jumped out of my skin in fright. Leaping from my seat I spun around to face whoever was behind me. I came face to face with the golden haired elleth form the flight and the same elleth who I remembered calming Tuor and the other elf at our first rest.

She had a shocked looked on her face, she hadn't expected my quick motion. She gave me a wane smile when she saw that I was calm. She indicated herself and said "Idril." Then she lifted her hand and I notice she held a light shirt of white material. She indicated the shirt and said "baidha." Then she said something that I later learnt translated to "this is a light shirt for Eruanna." At the time I only understood my name, but her intention was clear. I accepted her offer gladly as it would mean that my days walking would be much more comfortable. "Hannon le," I said. She smiled again, you could tell that each smile took effort there was such grief in her. She turned and walked back to the fire where Tuor sat with his son on his knees talking to the child.

Most of the elves were wary around me. I did not like this as it made me feel ostracized, nor did I understand it for both Tuor and Idril the obvious leaders of the company had both spoken, if you could call it that, to me. This wariness was because of the words of a single elf. The ellon that had been arguing with Tuor had been Lord Gilmir, one self-important elf who had believed himself to have been the right hand of Turgon. At the time I had no idea who he was, but later I unfortunately learnt more of his character then I wished to have known. Lord Gilmir had ever spoken against the union of Tuor and Idril and had no favour for mortals. The argument I had witnessed had been about me. Lord Gilmir spoke against keeping me with the group, even mentioning that I should be put to death so as to eliminate any possible threat I might pose. He believed that the mire fact that I had been in Gondolin in the first place proved my guilt. For it was law that any stranger who found their way to Turgon's hidden realm could not leave again and each was presented to the King upon their arrival. As I had never gotten leave of the King to enter or dwell within the city, in Lord Gilmir's eyes for alone I was culpable.

I do not know how Tuor would have reacted to Lord Gilmir's words had he not already known of my presence. It was Idril I had to thank for that. Idril Celebrindal, Princess of Gondolin, had been the elf who had given me that one sip of cordial on the first day. It had been she who had told Tuor that there was a mortal amongst them. Thus when Gilmir had come to Tuor ready to slit my throat, both Idril and Tuor told him to give me a chance for Idril had felt no evil in me as she had in Meaglin. Idril told Gilmir that there had already been too much pain and death. It would not be right to add another death, especially on of a possible innocent to the toll. It was more these words spoken by the daughter of the King he had served that made Gilmir back off, then the words of the mortal man she had married.