A/N: Long chapter ahead!

"You saw him?!" Fiona shrieked into the phone. "What's his name? What does he look like?"

Ithilwen had to hold the small device away from her ear as the tinny sound carried through the room. Wincing, she vaguely wondered if her friend ever remembered that she had sensitive hearing. She had woken with a start, unsure of what had happened to cause her to stir. As she got up and moved about the house, she noticed that she was alone once again. Fiona had left a note letting her know that she had to work. Being alone in the large house that early in the morning usually did not bother the elleth, but because of this most recent dream, her mind was buzzing.

So she had called Fiona to tell her about the new development. It was still too early for the shrieking, though.

Feeling a little braver, Ithilwen placed the phone back to her ear. "He told me his name was Legolas. He's tall, taller than me…er…he's got long blond hair and.." she wracked her brain trying to remember the details, "…blue eyes. Yeah."

Fiona cooed on the other end. "He sounds cute! Can you remember his features well enough to get down on paper?"

Ithilwen frowned. "I think so…why?"

"Cause I wanna see when I get home, duh!"

"Fine, fine. I'll do my best, but don't expect miracles; the dream didn't last that long."

Evening had set in the woods of Lothlorien. The remaining members of the Fellowship were atop a large talan surrounded by the guards. The marchwarden Haldir was currently in a murmuring argument with Aragorn, the later of which was attempting to convince the elf to grant them passage into Lothlorien's inner sanctum. Everyone was scattered about the area, worn down with fatigue, grief, and now frustration.

Boromir was trying to console Frodo and assure him that Gandalf would not wish his demise to weigh upon the small Halfling's shoulders as well. "Gandalf's death was not in vain. Nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead."

Legolas was standing off to the side, looking out upon the scenery. Pippin and Merry were not far away, observing the elves surrounding them. Pippin rose suddenly from his seat and began to make his way to the elf in their company. "Where are you goin' Pip?" Merry whispered.

"I want to ask him something," he whispered back, nodding to Legolas. Merry made to object, but Pippin was already at the elf's side, tugging lightly on the sleeve of his tunic to grab his attention. "Excuse me," Pippin began, "I had a question I wanted to ask you, if I may?"

Legolas nodded. "What do you wish to know?"

"It was about earlier today. When we were packing up camp," Pippin swallowed, not sure how to ask without feeling foolish or rude. He looked up at Legolas, who looked down at him curiously as he waited patiently. "That… maiden, you said you dreamed about… the one you said was from these parts… what was her name?"

The elf was surprised by the question, as were the others in the immediate area of conversation. What Pippin carried in curiosity he lacked in tact, but Legolas found that he could not deny an answer to the hobbit's question. "She told me that her name was Ithilwen."

"Oh that's a pretty name," Pippin commented. He was about to inquire as to the meaning, if there was one, when the elf addressed as Haldir approached them, followed quickly by Aragorn. Pippin took a few steps back, more than intimidated by the marchwarden's presence.

"You speak of Ithilwen," a surprised Haldir stated to Legolas. "How do you know of my daughter?"

Between the discovery of another clue to the elf maiden's identity and the all-clear to continue forward, the non-elven members of the Fellowship noticed a change in their companion and the marchwarden. Legolas was more pensive than before, no doubt due to this new piece of information, if Ithilwen was indeed Haldir's daughter. The dream barely had time to play out, and she barely got the opportunity to tell him of her parent's lineage. Haldir however seemed more optimistic. His footsteps were significantly lighter, as if he were absolutely certain that Legolas' dream-maiden and his daughter were one in the same.

As they reached a hilly outcropping, he could not hide the pride in his voice as he spoke. "Caras Galadhon. The heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."

Later, back on the forest floor, the group of eight has begun to settle in for the evening. Soft singing wafted through the air in the trees; the elves of Lothlorien were lamenting the loss of Gandalf. Merry had asked Legolas what it was they sung, but he could not bear to translate. Not that he would have been much of a translator at the moment, anyway. His mind was clouded with thoughts that would not leave him alone.

Neither, it would seem, would they leave Haldir's. He approached their settlement soundlessly, eyes fixated on the Mirkwood prince. "Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn wish for you to join them," he said. Legolas nodded wordlessly and followed, not entirely certain why he had been summoned.

Haldir lead him up the flight of stairs and into the council room where the Lord and Lady were waiting. Legolas bowed to each respectively.

"Thank you for coming, Prince Legolas," Lady Galadriel smiled, gliding to take a seat and motioned for everyone to follow suit. "It would seem that you have come across something important that must be discussed." At Legolas' puzzled look, she continued. "Haldir has informed me that you have dreamt of an elleth by the name of Ithilwen. Tell me, young prince, what do you know about her?"

Legolas glanced to his right to see the apprehensive stare that Haldir was giving him. Biting back the urge to sigh suddenly, he began to recount his dreams, starting back from the very first one in Moria. He spoke in vivid detail of the scenery, of Ithilwen's first appearance, and what they discussed, As he finished the telling, the marchwarden's posture had become stiffer. Legolas wasn't sure what to make of it until Galadriel addressed her commanding officer. "What do you make of it, Haldir?"

"It is her," he said finally. "That is most assuredly my daughter the Prince speaks of."

Now Legolas was dumbfounded. "I do not understand, how is this possible?"

"Some time ago, before the Battle of the Five Armies, our youngest daughter Morwen gave birth to a daughter," Celeborn explained, taking his wife's hand in comfort and looking to Haldir.

"Morwen and myself decided to name her Ithilwen, due to her delivery in the evening hours. I was on duty the day my wife chose to ride to Rivendell to visit Lord Elrond with Ithilwen." His hands were balled into fists as the memories came flooding back as if they were repeating.

Galadriel took control of the tale next. "During the journey to Rivendell, there was an accident. We did not discover the true cause of Morwen or Ithilwen's disappearance on the journey until much later. It appeared that Saruman was the cause. To claim my ring of power," she fingered the silver-white piece of jewelry, "he cast a spell on what he assumed was myself, sending both our daughter and granddaughter far away. Mithrandir could not detect their presence despite many attempts, and for so long I feared that we would not know of their fates."

Haldir looked to his Lord and Lady. "What must we do to return them to where they belong?" His voice spoke of determination as if he would head out at any minute once he knew where to look.

"We do not know of their location," Celeborn interjected. "To try and locate them with magic could potentially put the search party in danger at the present. Saruman is in alliance with the Enemy now, and any attempts to recreate his work could trigger disaster for all involved."

"Then we must wait," Legolas said dejected. Now that he knew she was most certainly real, he wished to see her all the more. He spared a glance at Haldir, who looked none too happy by this declaration, even though Celeborn spoke the truth. "I learn that my wife and daughter are still alive, but I cannot retrieve them because of impending war. Tell me, what am I to do, knowing that I can do nothing more than wait?"

Galadriel smiled sadly at the marchwarden. "This news bears heavy upon us all, Haldir, but do not lose hope." She turned her gaze to Legolas. "We can still communicate with her while we bide our time and formulate a plan."

Haldir looked up from his balled fists to Galadriel, then followed her gaze to Legolas. Celeborn shared the same look of wonder that he himself must have, for the Lady of the Golden Wood smiled impishly. "You are able to communicate with Ithilwen through your dreams, correct Legolas?"

Not entirely sure of where she was going with this, he nodded. "It was with some concentration that I saw her this past time."

Galadriel's smile widened. "It would appear then that the Valar has blessed us with a gift. During rest, try to concentrate on making contact with Ithilwen. I feel that there is a link that has formed that could be of benefit to us in the future."

Ithilwen spent a good portion of the afternoon and evening trying to recreate the image she saw of Legolas from her dream, but as the hours ticked by, her memory became fuzzier, making it all the more difficult to finish. She set her pencil down by the sketch pad and looked at what she did have.

"It's not much," she clicked her tongue in annoyance, "but how the hell am I supposed to get every detail after one look?! Fiona must mistake me for that Da Vinci guy.." Overall, there were some obvious sections that needed to be fixed, but she was more than content with how the eyes came out.

"Looks a bit unfinished, if you ask me," came a voice from behind. Ithilwen didn't turn around to know the owner of that voice.

"That's because it isn't finished, Pitch," she said matter-of-factly, turning to face him. "What do you want?"

The nightmare king had the gall to look surprised. "What makes you think I want anything?"

"Then what are you up to?"

"What makes you think I am up to anything, then?"

Ithilwen rubbed her hands over her face in frustration. Apparently the benefit of being able to see the various Guardians and mythical characters that children could see included the narcissistic king of nightmares. Even if he wasn't trying to plunge the world in darkness he still felt it prudent to slip a rough dream in every once in a while. Shadow to go with the light, and all that.

"Actually," he continued, ignoring her current state, "Sandy approached me with some questions. About you."

Hands still over face, she stiffened. "What kind of questions?" she asked slowly.

"Nothing awful, I assure you. Although, he has mentioned that you've been having strange dreams and wanted to make sure that I was not the cause of them."

"And…?"

"Despite my disposition, I can assure you that your dreams are not a product of my doing." Ithilwen uncovered her hands and found Pitch strolling casually around the den, inspecting the framed posters and art hung on the walls. "Sandy glossed over the subject, and it sounds to me as if you have some connection. An invisible thread, if you will, that connects you to this other person."

"I can't believe I'm going to ask this, but… what do you think I should do about them?"

Pitch shrugged. "See where it goes? There hasn't been anything to threaten your life in these dreams, so there is no reason to not explore the middle plane."

'Yeah, except for that giant rock in the cave,' Ithilwen thought wryly. She stood up from her seat and stretched the muscles in her back. "I've yet to eat supper, wanna stay and eat? Or do you have some kid you need to scare in Guadalajara?"

"I could eat," Pitch said. "And I've discovered recently that these internet 'pastas' hold inspiration in scaring the older adolescents more than monsters under the bed."

"I found the 'Ben' one to be funnier than scary. The mask was creepy, though. I still haven't watched the videos, so I could be wrong." Ithilwen led Pitch into the kitchen as she began to boil a pot of water. The talk about creepy pasta stories suddenly made her hungry for spaghetti. "Isn't it the least little bit strange that you're here talking to me, like any one of the other Guardians?"

Pitch shrugged once more. "You're the neutral party here. In case you've forgotten, I'm not in good standing with them."

"So I get to play middle-elf and keep North and the others updated on your behavior?"

"That, and you make decent company because you can see me."

"Well then I'm the luckiest elleth in Burgess, aren't I?" Ithilwen stated sarcastically.

Night had fallen when Ithilwen found herself back in the dream plane again. The landscape was slightly different; larger trees occupied the land with the faintest glow of lights that seemed to float through the air. She was back in the white gown from before, and while she was annoyed with the long length, she couldn't complain too much because she was still barefoot.

"You're back."

Ithilwen turned on the spot to see Legolas by one of the large trees. Instead of the tunic of greens and browns, he wore a silvery embroidered one with dark leggings and boots. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry about last time. I don't know what it was that woke me."

Legolas walked forward slowly. "The apology is mine, Lady Ithilwen. My company woke me suddenly so that we could continue our journey to Lothlorien."

"I assume that is where we are, or at least the general area?"

"Yes. We have settled for the night. It has been a grievous time for everyone."

Ithilwen could tell how sad he sounded, and could not help asking, "What happened to cause you and your company such grief?" She carefully hobbled over to a nearby tree root to perch on, adjusting the large mass of fabric and motioned for Legolas to join her.

Sitting, Legolas paused before answering. "One of our companions fell behind in Moria." Ithilwen didn't need for him to elaborate; the way he said it was proof enough.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ithilwen said softly. "I wish that I could offer better words of comfort."

"Alas, I am not sure if there are words of comfort in this circumstance, but I appreciate it all the same," he told her.

"What, um… what is it that you and your company have set out to do?" She couldn't remember if she ever got to ask him before or not.

Legolas looked down at the elf maiden fumbling with her dress, trying to study her features. She had similar features to the marchwarden, but he figured that she took after her mother more in appearance. "We have set out for Mordor. To destroy the Ring of Sauron once and for all."

Ithilwen looked up in surprise. She wasn't sure where Mordor was exactly, but she remembered the history of the One Ring of Power. Her naneth had taught her about it among other historical events in Middle-earth. "Truly? How will you all manage? I thought that the ring was a beacon for trouble?"

"In a way, yes. It is a secret fellowship that was formed in Rivendell. There are nine of us; myself, two men, a dwarf, four hobbits, and a wizard, whom fell into the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. The hobbit Frodo Baggins is the ring-bearer on this journey."

"Wait, if this was a secret, then why did you tell me so easily?" Ithilwen was confused. "Aren't you afraid that I'm in ties with the enemy?"

Legolas chuckled outright at her questions. "I highly doubt that the enemy could sway a lovely maiden such as yourself. It has come to the attention of others outside our company of your existence, and have reason to believe that you are who they have been searching for." He turned to face her a little better before he continued. "If I may ask, how did you come to live where you are currently, if you are not in Lothlorien?"

"I wish I knew exactly." Ithilwen muttered. Crossing her legs and adjusting her dress again, she explained. "From what Nana tells me, we were travelling to Rivendell to visit relatives when some form of magic hit us. I don't remember how it happened, but I know that we were sent to what is now a more modernized world. The things that the humans have there are much more advanced than anything I have seen before, and it seems as if they are constantly changing."

"Your naneth is still with you, then?"

Ithilwen nodded. "Yes, she's currently out of the country on work, but she will return in a few days time. Why do you ask?"

"Because your adar was worried that you would be alone," he replied. "Your adar is Haldir, the marchwarden of Lothlorien, yes?"

The elleth's face lit up suddenly. "You've me my adar? How is he?"

"Haldir is well. It was his guards that we encountered entering Lothlorien. When he learned that I had met with you, he seemed rather adamant about coming to collect you and your naneth."

"That would be wonderful!" Her face fell slightly as she studied his own. "And yet, I have a feeling that there's a 'but' coming with that sentence."

"Unfortunately, yes. Sauron's forces grow stronger each day. We are on the brink of war again, I fear. Lord Celeborn felt it wiser that you and your naneth stay where you are for the time being. If we were to come collect you now, he believes that the enemy could use the opportunity as a weak point. Of course, that is assuming that we can open a portal to your world. It will take time to research the old magic, and Lady Galadriel believes it was the work of Saruman that led you to where you are."

Ithilwen tucked a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "That makes sense," she said. It sucked, but it made sense. "We shall wait, then. So, how are my grandparents, Legolas? Are they well?"

Legolas looked a little clueless. "I don't understand?"

"My grandparents, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. My naneth's their youngest child, aside from Celebrian." Ithilwen watched Legolas' face turn from confusion to surprise in milliseconds. His face showed little emotion, but she could see the change in his eyes and had to bite the inside of her cheek. She wasn't sure why, but she found this incredibly amusing.

Legolas, on the other hand, was putting all the pieces together rather quickly. This explained why the Lord and Lady seemed upset during the tale; it wasn't just sympathy for Haldir's loss, they had lost a child and grandchild as well! Galadriel didn't look into his mind once during the conversation, but he couldn't figure out why she was smiling so big at the end of their meeting. Now it made sense. Although…Legolas got the feeling that she wasn't saying everything she was thinking.

A/N: I think this is the longest chapter yet, and the one that's taken me the longest to do. I'm sharing this now since it's been a while since the last chapter. If it's fine with you guys, I think I'm going to make the future chapters longer, and each one will cover a particular day in the timeline. Also, this is un-beta'd, so if there's a misspelling it's all on me. If you catch something off, please let me know so I can fix it!