Uh, umm dunno what 2 say…yet again. Ya'll keep making it harder and harder 4 me 2 choose. I really am caught in 2 minds, though I think I've made the decision. But lets leave it at that I still don't know, although time is running out very quickly for u 2 change my mind. I think I'll just write and see what happens…we may end up in Hawaii after all. ; )

I don't think I have ever been this flattered in my life—thankyou all so much 4 the reviews they are an amazing source of inspiration! I just can't believe ya'll like it so much…ha ha! I shoulda started writing earlier—this is awesome!

Please enjoy!

Oh and I always forget a disclaimer…but u no the drill.

Chapter Seven

When Serafina woke she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Her head ached and she found it difficult to adjust to the light spilling into her room. She tested her bonds. They were tight, however they were rope, not chains. She sat up on her bed; her hands and feet were bound to the bed. She remembered her encounter with the identical elves and looked at her thigh, it had been tended too. She tried moving her leg, straining against the bonds. It definitely had not healed yet, pain coursed up her thigh. Sighing she lent back down on her bed.

Serafina wasn't in control. She wasn't even remotely in control. Her situation was completely vulnerable, and she had heard that the elves were friendly, and by and by good beings. That did not bode well with her, for as a general rule friendly, good people did not take to Serafina, and did not treat her with the friendship and goodness they were known for. She acknowledged within herself somewhere that that was to some degree her own fault, yet she could not help what she was and she was definitely not ashamed of being a thief.

She was trying to find a means of escape, assuming there was a way to free herself from her bonds. She sat up again, it wasn't the most comfortable position and the constant movement aggravated her leg, but siting up made the feeling of defencelessness ease, if only a little.

She heard a swift knock on the door and watched as it opened. Three figures walked in, two of whom she recognised as the identical elves that had vexed her greatly and shot her. At the sight of them she scowled, they seemed to be amused by her response to them, that only made her scowl deeper.

The third figure resembled the two she'd met earlier. Serafina began to wonder if all elves looked the same. However on closer inspection, the third looked wiser, more experienced. There was a sorrow in his eyes and a hardness that the other two lacked. However there was also warmth and acceptance present there. Serafina marvelled at how a singular pair of eyes could hold so much.

"What is your name child?" demanded the one who's eyes captivated her.

Serafina didn't know if she should answer or not. She had given her name freely to the man and hobbits, but this was different. These people were her captors. As is reading her thoughts the same elf said;

"You have nothing to fear from us, we will not hurt you."

The thief openly scoffed at this. They would not hurt her? They had already shot her!

"Forgive me if I do not trust those who shoot at innocent girls who have lost their way." She stated strongly.

The elf smiled knowingly and she wondered why. Yet she was not left wondering for long.

"You told my sons, Elladan and Elrohir, that you were from Bree, that I do not doubt. Yet you mentioned the Nazgul, and few from Bree could identify such beings. Then you spoke of your horse. Elladan and Elrohir had seen you galloping your run down horse into the river." He paused to gauge her reaction, she didn't give him the satisfaction of showing one—she met his gaze with defiant eyes. "It is no wonder my sons were cautious in approaching you. Your situation was not improved when you decided to be uncooperative when they asked you valid and reasonable questions. Needless to say all credit you may have been holding was lost when you pulled your daggers…Somehow, I do not believe your claim to innocence."

Serafina glared. She disliked being made to look like a fool. "And who are you to judge me?" She demanded in a dangerous tone.

From the look of surprise and displeasure on his face Serafina guessed she had gone too far. She admitted in that moment that the tone she used just then had gotten her into amazing piles of trouble in the past. When she was 11 years old she had said much the same thing to the eldest son of the Steward of Gondor. She cringed inwardly—that was not a pleasant memory. It was one of the few situations when the reward of the infuriation of a pompous lord was not worth the price paid. The little voice of reason in her head that she rarely listened to was telling her this was going to be much the same.

"You are in no position to ask such a question. You are being held here, without welcome, without anyone to speak for you. You are now defenceless and have no way of escape, and still you question my authority. I am Elrond, Lord of Imladris, and you will answer my questions or I shall make arrangements for your stay here to be extended and a little, less comfortable."

She was furious, with herself or this elf-lord she didn't know, nor did she care. But one thing was certain, she would not yield to his demands, she was stronger than that and it would take more than mere threats to break her.

"You name please?" Asked the elf-lord. Again she was reminded of Strider. 'What is it about these elves?' she wondered. The finality of what he said, the respect he demanded by simply being in the room, it was uncanny the way it reminded her of him. If all three of these elves reminded her of him, then maybe there was a shot at getting out of here. She decided to test the water.

"I will give you my name on one condition." She began, please with herself for the first time in days, "That you will help me solve a riddle, maybe two that have been nagging at me these past few days."

The proud elf-lord seemed to consider her request then nodded his head in answer. Then said, "Your name first."

"Miyra" she said automatically. She watched his reaction and he nodded acceptingly. Yet she did not allow herself to feel any sense of accomplishment, the battle was far from won. She took this as a sign to continue.

"The last night I spent in Bree was in an Inn, The Prancing Pony, to be exact. There I met a man and four hobbits. They intruded into my room and did not notice my presence. I listened to them talking." she paused for a moment, then continued,"I fail to see what trinkets have to do with disappearing. One of the hobbits, his name was Frodo Baggins; the man who called himself Strider accused him of carrying a trinket. There conversation was really quite interesting and I have been trying to make sense of it since that night and have come no where."

"You speak of things you should not know." The elf-lord told her in a low voice.

"We had an agreement." Serafina growled.

"Release her bonds" Lord Elrond barked, "Do not think you are free Miyra, if that is indeed your name. We will be watching you. You are allowed to roam anywhere within my house. If the thought of escape enters your mind we will know." The elf-lord then left abruptly, and his sons undid her bonds leaving her to marvel at her victory. She now knew how to aggravate the elf-lord. Maybe the reward to this little endeavour would indeed be worth the price to be paid.