Yay! Next chapter! Ah, and by the way, I nearly forgot to mention that I will be mixing book and movie verse as well. Some parts you will recognize from the movie and others from the book if you have read it, and others mixed. ;D hope you enjoy, and thank you for all of the faves and follows and reviews!

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Chapter 3

"Eruanna dear, do wake up." A clear, sweet voice made her groan mentally and struggle to open her eyes. "Glorfindel has been worried sick about you no matter what Ada said about you being safe and unharmed." The voice went on, just as she opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling.

She sighed, and Arwen's face swam into focus in front of her. "There now, you've been asleep for four days." Arwen sounded both amused and relieved.

'Four days? What happened?' Eruanna felt baffled. Four days!?

"It seems as though the Nazgul had a negative effect on you, my dear." Gandalf's voice came from next to her as she turned to look at him. Her mouth opened in an 'oh.'

The door slammed open, and she was drawn into a pair of familiar arms. "Seler, never ever scare me like that ever again." Glorfindel told her sternly, stroking her hair. She crossed her arms and sulked in reply as he pulled away.

'I didn't mean to.' She muttered in his mind, causing him to sigh.

"I know you didn't. Mithrandir, you were behind the horses, weren't you?" Glorfindel turned an eyebrow on the wizard, who chuckled.

"Indeed, I knew that Eruanna would ask the water for help, and as a result perhaps unknowingly step into trouble. The horses were my touch, I admit, but perhaps I overdid it." Gandalf replied.

"And it seems as though I have finally found the side effect to Eruanna's burn- she lives even more in the Unseen realms than you do, Glorfindel. Hence why she is slightly transparent to those who have eyes to see it." He nodded.

Glorfindel blinked, and then sighed. "I will be glad when he is defeated." Was his only embittered reply.

The door creaked. "Is she awake?"

'Estel?' Eruanna croaked, causing the human to leap to the bedside.

"How's my- Errm, our elfling doing?" Estel corrected himself at the glare that Glorfindel directed to him. Everyone snickered quietly.

Eruanna reached out and received a hug from Estel. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and closed her eyes. 'M okay. Ethtel?' She lisped. He smiled.

"I'm fine, seler. Frodo has awoken and is recovering now." He added. She opened her eyes wide.

'Oh.' She sounded both relieved and terrified.

"Come, let us go eat. Ciaran and Halbarad were asking for you, as well as Bilbo. Many of the members of the council are already here, and there will be a feast this evening." Estel went on, trying to divert her mind from the events that had led her to being bedridden for a while.

Glorfindel snatched her up and promptly carried her away, while Eruanna looked over his shoulder and gave them an apologetic, what-can-you-do shrug. The room waited until they were gone until bursting into hearty laughter at the extreme change that one little elfling had brought to the stern Seneschal of Imladris.

Glorfindel took Eruanna to their room to get her dressed for the feast that would take place in an hour or so.

"Are you feeling alright, seler?" Glorfindel asked softly as he set her down on the bed. She scowled at him in reply.

'M not a complete baby, Muindor.' She whined pettishly. 'M okay, I can do it myself.' To prove it, she slid down from the bed and went to the wardrobe to find herself proper clothes for the feast.

He sighed and shook his head at her. "I only want to make sure that you are as safe and well as you can be." He sighed, sitting on the bed and watching her wistfully. "I already feel as though I failed you all those years..." He muttered to himself sourly.

Eruanna went back to the bed, crawling into his lap and looking at him adoringly. 'Don't care about that, Muindor.' She said, reaching up and putting her hands on his cheeks. 'Love Glorfy now, past all gone. Glorfy happy.'

He wrapped his arms around her with a smile that he reserved only for her. "Yes, Eruanna, I love my little sister very much too." He assured her, kissing her head. She smiled brightly and hopped off to find her outfit again. He sent a fond smile in her direction as he also prepared himself for the feast.

Elladan and Elrohir were black from their errand in the North along with Ciaran and Halbarad, therefore Eruanna in a way was almost not looking forwards to the feast because it was inevitable that she would be squashed within an inch of her life and scolded for the scare she'd given them.

But she went with Glorfindel nonetheless to the dining hall. He was dressed in his formal robes of cream edged with gold thread in the pattern of vines and leaves and intricate swirls. It buttoned up at the top and swept into a collar that curled slightly at the edges. He wore a sky blue robe tossed over the cream that was also edged with gold thread, but in the pattern of celandine. His sleeves were wide and flowing, and his golden hair fell in rivulets around his shoulders from the thin band that was settled around his brow. The device of his house was sported on the circlet.

Eruanna, next to him, was dressed in a tunic of silver, coming down to her thighs and slit up to the waist. Her leggings were cream, all edged in the same golden patterns of celandine. She wore a cloak of simple watered blue silk. At her throat was her dwarven chain of tiny links of Mithril and one, lone, carefully faceted sapphire that gleamed from the center of a gold frame shaped like a flower whose petals were tipped with tiny opals. The circlet gifted her from Greenwood decorated her head as well.

All in all, they made a rather captivating sight walking through the halls, reminiscent of the olden days when the glory of the elves was full and their time was at its peak. The elves who saw them stopped to bow or give greetings that were heartily returned.

They finally arrived in the dining room, where lord Elrond already sat and many were gathering for the feast. Glorfindel and Eruanna took their places at the high table, Glorfindel speaking with the others as Eruanna looked around for anyone else familiar.

Her eyes landed on one particular elf and she leaped up, running at full-tilt for the ellon. He let out a muffled exclamation as he found himself tackled by an armful of elfling, and then began to laugh.

"Eruanna, onònë! You had me so worried! Thank the Valar that you're safe." Legolas pulled back, kissing her hair and dandling her on his knee. She giggled gleefully and grabbed the customary lock of hair, beginning her feast early.

Legolas groaned loudly as the elves around him stifled their snickers. "Eruanna! Stop chewing on Legolas' hair, you owe us an explanation!" Elladan roared as he entered the hall, causing the elfling to cringe as all the elves in the hall looked up and began to twitter at the sight.

Elrohir and his brother marched to Eruanna, promptly picking her up and going on a rant. The elves watched, amused. Eruanna slowly began to sigh, then leaned against Elrohir's shoulder with a yawn. As he and Elladan rambled on, she finally picked up Elrohir's hair and chewed on it absently. Glorfindel at that point began to snicker, causing some other elves to join him.

Elladan and Elrohir stopped, looking down to see Eruanna's eyes glazed and unseeing, her hands shoving Elrohir's hair in her mouth. Elrohir sighed. Elladan shook his head. Legolas grinned. Glorfindel laughed heartily.

"If you are quite done making fools of yourselves, my sons, shall we sit?" Lady Celébrian swept into the room, sitting next to Elrond who was surpressing his amusement in favor of helping his wife.

Elladan and Elrohir gave up with sighs, setting Eruanna down in Legolas' lap and marching off. Legolas chuckled slightly as Eruanna blinked and rubbed her eyes.

'Are they done yet?' She asked blearily. Glorfindel was shaking slightly, almost in hysterics along with Legolas. Erestor came along and swept Eruanna up, carrying her back to the high table and beginning to feed her with grumbles about 'those peredhil.' The twins were miffed.

Just then, several men came in from different doorways. Estel and Halbarad and Ciaran came from one doorway, while another man came from another. His eyes were grey and his hair strawberry blonde, wearing borrowed tunics from the elves. Eruanna, though, only took quick notice of this before leaping out of Erestor's lap, still chewing, and with a swallow ran for Ciaran.

He chuckled at the sight of her, scooping her up and balancing her on his hip with a smile as she clapped her hands cheerily. 'Ciaran!' She squealed in his mind.

"Hello there, my lady." He chuckled. "How do you fare?"

She smiled and nodded, patting the top of his head. Halbarad smiled as Estel chuckled. He set her down and she returned to Glorfindel's lap, choosing a bunch of grapes. Glorfindel smiled and continued to talk to Gandalf who was on the other side of Lord Elrond.

Arwen sat nearby underneath a canopy with the lady Celébrian and her twin brothers, making a truly beautiful picture. Another being came in and was escorted to the high table. Eruanna turned to look and saw silver hair set around a familiar face.

"If it isn't Lady Eruanna!" The dwarf exclaimed. Several elves looked startled. Eruanna's face lit up as she smiled widely, leaning over to hug the dwarf warmly. "The necklace suits you, little princess." Gloin chuckled, pleased. She smiled, reaching out to pat his hand and clutch the necklace tightly.

Glorfindel smiled. "She thanks you again, master Gloin. It is among her most treasured possessions." He informed the dwarf who nodded.

"Very well. I am glad to see that despite the elves and dwarves are at odds that one still remembers us with fondness." Gloin replied without animosity.

Just then a new group came in and was seated nearby, one of them brought to the high table and sat next to Gloin. Eruanna was not paying much attention, her attention being caught by Glorfindel speaking on some topic. The hobbit, in the meantime, looked around out of the corners of his eyes, looking generally uncomfortable, until he looked at the dwarf next to him.

"Welcome and well met!" Gloin greeted him courteously, standing and bowing. "Gloin at your service."

The hobbit, sitting on a stack of pillows for the height of the table, stood as well, scattering the cushions everywhere. "Frodo Baggins at your service and your family's." He said, sounding surprised. "Would I be incorrect to assume that you are the Gloin, one of the twelve companions of the great Thorin Oakenshield?" He asked as the elderly dwarf kindly helped him gather up the pillows and sit on them.

"Aye, that I am, laddie. I do not ask of you, for I have already heard that you are kinsman of Bilbo our renowned friend. Allow me to congratulate you on your recovery." Gloin replied.

And they went on to speak of Dwarvish matters. But Eruanna, looking out of the corners of her eyes at the hobbit, caught his eye and turned fully to give him a small, knowing smile.

LOTRLOTRLOTR

The never-ending fire in the Hall of Fire was burning as always, making Eruanna smiled happily as she joined the platform of musicians with her flute and began to join Lindir's harp and the others in making soft melodies.

She had learned, over the years, how to read music, and now was part of their small orchestra whenever events of the sort took place. She enjoyed it very much, and often she was to be found in the music room with her flute, playing one of the pieces that Lindir had written.

On another note, as she played she also glanced around curiously, catching glimpses of elves here and there, the occasional dwarf, the humans scattered in corners with their pipes lit and smoke wafting out the windows by which they sat.

The music went on. Hobbits darted in and among the crowds, and she caught Bilbo sitting in a corner with his nephew and Sam. She smiled. For all that Sam was suspicious of her, she liked him. He was portly, stout, and his loyalty reminded her of the dwarves she had helped once, long ago by the reckonings of mortals.

After a few more bars the song was over and another group took over, leaving hers to mingle among the others. Eruanna chose to head for where she could see Estel in a dark corner, smoking a pipe. She was one of the few who didn't mind the smell and mist, having smelled worse before. She had smelled rotting corpses, blood, gore, orcs, and so much more for years- pipe smoke cleared her head and made her feel safely drowsy.

On the way, though, she was waylaid by Lord Elrond who picked her up and whispered in her ear. "You know how well Bilbo likes to have Estel help him in his compositions. Will you take him to our hobbit?" He asked her softly. She smiled in reply and he returned it.

"Thank you, penneth. Now don't keep Glorfindel worrying where you are, you know how he is when it comes to you." He winked. A pretty blush suffused her cheeks as she was set down, and Elrond and Celébrian laughed lightly as she bolted for the ranger in the corner.

She threw herself into his lap, squirming in pleasure and hugging his torso. He chuckled and put one arm around her gently, ever careful when he handled her, as though she was glass. She reached out for his mind, and he welcomed her gladly.

'Bilbo want to see you, Estel.' She informed him. He smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Let me finish my pipe- these elves never understand what they are missing." He scoffed, causing Eruanna to giggle. "At least you don't mind." He grinned at her. She stuck out her tongue, making him raise an eyebrow and stifle his laughter.

But when he was finished, he went over to the hobbits, Eruanna in his arms and clad in dark green cloth. They were so engrossed in their conversation that for many minutes Estel and Eruanna stood there unnoticed, smiling at the sight.

"Ah, there you are at last, Dúnadan!" Bilbo exclaimed, looking up. Eruanna giggled silently as Strider smiled.

"Strider! You seem to have many names." Frodo noted, delightedly pleased to see his friend. He looked to Eruanna with naked curiosity on his face.

"Well Strider is one I haven't heard, least aways. Whatever do you call him that for?" Bilbo asked.

"They call me that in Bree, and that is how I was introduced to them." Estel replied with a laugh.

"And why do you call him Dúnadan?" It was Frodo's turn to query.

"The Dúnadan." Bilbo corrected. "He is often called that here- and I thought you were fluent enough in Sindarian to know that dún-Edain or adan, means Man of the West or Númenórean." He scolded his nephew, then turned back to the duo who were smiling amusedly.

"Where have you been, my friend? I did not see you at the feast, though Lady Arwen was there." He said. At the mention of Arwen Eruanna had to muffle her hysterical giggles. With a straight face, Estel pinched her and replied.

"I was there, absent friend, although you did not see me." He said dryly, shooting the snickering Eruanna a glare.

"Stop laughing, Eruanna, you know it's not proper for a lady like yourself to do so." Bilbo ignored her incredulous look and went on. "Well now that you're here, I need help urgently. Lord Elrond says that my song should be finished by the end of the evening to be told, but I am stuck. Let us go to your musky corner and polish it off!" He suggested cheerfully.

Estel rolled his eyes good-naturedly at the hobbit's description and smiled. "Come, then! Let me hear it." He beckoned, and Eruanna scrambled out of his arms, sitting in place of Bilbo as they went away to talk over it.

Frodo smiled, and then turned to Eruanna almost shyly or in an awed manner. She felt his gaze and turned to smile at him. "I- thank you for what you did for me." He started hesitantly. "When I woke up, Gandalf told me all that I missed- and he also told me about you." He added.

She reached out, gently touching his mind. He started, turning to look at her with wide eyes, and then seemed to remember something. He falteringly sent her the feeling of acceptance, and she brushed against his mind.

'You are most welcome, Frodo Baggins of the Shire, kin of Bilbo. He has told me much of you.' She replied with a giggle. He smiled involuntarily.

"That does me good to hear. Was- it was you that I saw on the riverbank, shining brightly with golden light, isn't it?" He asked.

Eruanna gave him a piercing look. 'It was.' Was her only answer. Frodo felt uncomfortable asking anything else about their journey so soon, so he changed the topic.

"May I ask your story, since you know mine? Gandalf only told me some small, vague things about you." Frodo asked with genuine interest. Eruanna smiled, laughing in his mind.

'Ah, but my story is long and you may not have the time nor patience to listen to it now. There are other things to focus on at the moment- but be assured one day you shall hear my story, this I can promise you, Frodo! And perhaps you have already heard some of my story; has Bilbo told you of the story of his journey?' She asked in reply.

He felt a flash of disappointment, but nodded, trusting to hear the story later. She gave him a shrewd look. 'Do not be disappointed. I do not tell you because you are not ready to hear such things yet. Your feä is not ready to hear such a tale. But now, surely Bilbo has told you of my small part in their journey?' She asked with an almost petulant air.

Frodo started. "You are Ren? Indeed, he spoke most greatly of you and your part! I did not know that it was you." He added, looking at her with an awed expression, which then turned into confusion.

"I thought that surely you would have grown by this time- no offense intended." He added hastily with a blush. Eruanna merely smiled.

'Yes, Gandalf gave me the name of Ren, though why I do not know. Wizards.' The knowingly exasperated look she gave him had him hard-pressed not to laugh out loud. 'I have not grown in many years for a reason- though when you hear my story you shall know all.' She replied vaguely, causing him to wonder.

Then she laughed softly. 'I can sense that you are drowsy, though perhaps you do not realize it. Listen. What do you hear?' She asked, in such a way that made him stop, straining his ears carefully.

'No. Do not use your ears. Use your senses. Your heart.' She corrected, tapping his arm gently. He closed his eyes and listened, feeling everything with his body and senses.

Chatter drowned out, and he focused on the music. And suddenly he fell into a whole other world, where only he was there, and where he could hear far more than just the music. His eyes shut tightly, not wanting to leave the new feelings.

The stone was singing, deep, rumbling voices chanting slowly. The wooden stool he sat on- it had a voice. Raspy and reminiscent of echoes ringing off of the tops of a forest canopy. Freedom. The fire was breathily laughing, like an old woman who has come to end of her age and with difficulty laughs at her grandchildren.

The instruments had their own voices, painting pictures in front of his mental eyes, splashing cool paint over his vision and showing him new worlds and places, times and events. He could sense the elves around him, each of them vibrating softly with their own vibe, their own quiet tune.

He lost himself. Time lost meaning. It ticked in front of his eyes, in his mind, and yet it was faint. Awareness expanded and yet narrowed. It focused on individuals, and yet gave him a wider picture on the room, showing him what was not visible to the naked eye.

He fell into rivers of gold and silver, floating away on the heady waves of it, sinking under into the vague, muted depths of the shining water into sleep where he was awake and yet not. It seemed to him that he wandered long, and then at the same time hardly any time had passed at all.

A new voice grabbed him and pulled him back to the surface of the lake he had fallen into, willfully drowning. And it was Bilbo's voice, singing a chant of Eärendil the mariner. The more the voice chanted on, the more he was drawn out of the new world into the old one, finally opening his eyes as the chant came to the end.

His eyes snapped open to find Eruanna next to him clapping along with the others sitting in a circle around Bilbo's stool. "Now you had better do it again." One elf said.

Bilbo stood with a flourish. "I am flattered, Lindir, but I am too tired to recite it again." He excused himself.

"Not for you!" Lindir laughed. "You know that you can never get tired reciting your own works. And really you cannot expect us to answer your question after only the first time!" He protested his point.

Eruanna was grinning. "What! You can't tell me which parts were The Dúnadan's and which were mine?" Bilbo cried in mock-affront.

"It is not easy for us to differentiate between two mortals." Lindir defended.

"Nonsense Lindir, if you can't distinguish between a man and a hobbit then your judgement is poorer then I expected. They are as different as peas and apples." Bilbo snorted.

"Perhaps to you. To sheep no doubt other sheep look different, or to a shepherd. But mortals have not been our study- we have other occupations." Lindir laughed. Eruanna was giggling now. "Oh I won't argue, I'm too sleepy to. I leave you to guess if you can." Bilbo gave up, coming back to Frodo and Eruanna. Eruanna stood and bowed, giving Bilbo her chair. She smiled at Frodo knowingly and went off to where Lindir welcomed her heartily.

After their conversation about the song itself, Bilbo spoke up. "I should have asked Eruanna more about the verses, she would know, I am sure." He mused. Frodo, knowing that he wouldn't get an answer to any questions of the elfling's past, instead noted that he found it hard to stay awake.

"It is difficult to keep awake here until you get used to it. Well, shall we slip away and go talk somewhere quieter?" Bilbo admitted.

"Can we?"

"Of course, this is come and go when you will as long as you're quiet about it." Bilbo answered, and they left quietly. But even as they did, Frodo took one last glance at the elfling who was being held in the arms of the elf Lindir.

A song of Elbereth rose in the air, and his last glance was of Arwen Undomiel, Evenstar of her people, sitting next to Elrond and surprisingly Strider. As she turned to look at him, he felt himself being pierced to the heart by her gaze and suddenly wondered what she would feel like in the world that Eruanna had introduced him to.

WoodElfJedi: haha! Sorry, I don't know how I do it either. :P as for SiTCTE I'm planning to update today,can't wait to hear your idea!

FandomFangirl100: I laughed as I read your comment. XD thanks!

Minnie123456890: thank you! Glad you enjoyed. ;)

HawthornTree: why thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear you say so. XD

Gwestiel: oh yes, me too. *shudder* I love writing Valar parts... Everyone says that they don't like the Valar, but I'm pretty sure that by the third book I'll have changed that... Shh Eruanna, no spoilers! As for our little elfling's part, who can tell? Poor Glorfy indeed... XD

Guest: yes sir! XD

Jesus' girl 4ever: AWWW. Isn't she? *cuddles Eruanna* I love protective!Glorfy too!

Merenwen Greenleaf: thank you! Oh, forgive me if that wasn't clear. I have mentioned many times in the first book that she will never grow physically unless her inner light is fully released, so I just assumed people would get that she still hasn't aged physically, only mentally. It's my fault, sorry 'bout that. XP But thank you for your comment! Hope you will continue to enjoy~ Ayyo!