I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS IF I DID I WOULD BE RICH, THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES TO ALL FUTURE CHAPTERS.

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ARRIVAL IN RIVENDELL… WAIT SOULDNT YOU BE DEAD?

It took the a week and a half to reach the Bruinen, the trip was comfortable as well as amusing due to sarcastic and teasing comments between Celeborn and Eruraviel. Their banter often had everyone in stiches. The only downfall to the trip was an attack from the band of orcs that Eruraviel had saved Celebrían from.

~Flashback~

Eruraviel and Arvellas rode quietly on the left hand side of the column. She had taken a break from trading barbs with Celeborn to keep an eye on the woods. Something just didn't feel right to her. She had glanced up when she saw some leaves shake and frowned when she saw black against the green and brown of the trees. She looked over to Celeborn and reached down to pull out a small pebble from under her bracer. Pulling back she lobbed it at Celeborn. And like it had been scripted, he jerked, cursed and swung around to glare at her she laughed outwardly but flicked her fingers upwards toward the trees. His eyes widened before he gave a subtle nod and swung back around. She looked around and saw Haldir and the two elves she now knew to be his brothers staring at her. Once again she flicked her fingers upward towards the trees and saw their eyes narrow before sitting up straighter. Over the next few minutes she could see the subtle warnings pass from warrior to warrior as they prepared for an attack.

It was just before they began to stop for the night when the orcs struck. Had Eruraviel not noticed them earlier it is likely that many would have been seriously injured or killed. She felt Arvellas jerk around to the left and saw a group of what looked like eight human archers in the woods.

"Archers! Left Flank! Up High!" Eruraviel shouted and saw the elves spread out so that they were not one giant target and also giving them the advantage that the archers may very well shot the orcs by accident. She pulled her bow from her saddle and quickly stung an arrow. She grimaced when she realized that she was going to have to fight the wind to get a shot in. She saw an orc sneaking up behind Celeborn and decided to take the shot. She pulled back and released the arrow. She realized soon after that she had made a grievous mistake. The orcs and humans knew she was a threat. By firing her loaded arrow she now left herself open. It wasn't but 5 seconds later she had an arrow sticking in her upper right arm. Cursing she yanked the arrow free and knew she was going to have to use her daggers. There was no way she could use her bow now. She leaped from Arvellas back and racing towards the trees she jumped into the boughs of an old oak.

Racing across the libs of the trees she came upon two humans dressed in all black about two hundred feet from the tree she started in. Jumping down to their branch she pulled her daggers and struck the one on the left in the neck. He dropped from the tree and she ducked under the swing from the branches other occupant. Human number two swung at her head and she threw herself forward and rolled underneath him. Spinning in place she slammed her dagger into his left thigh and then stabbed him in the neck when he dropped. Leaping forwards once more she set out for the other humans. Human three, four and five seemed to have more sense as while they were on the same tree, all were on different branches. Human three was the lowest so she stopped before jumping into their tree and chose to eliminate him first. Hopefully by going from high to low the other humans wouldn't see him fall. Thus, allowing her to get rid of each one easier. Climbing up behind him carefully, she waited until the others weren't looking before reaching up and snapping his neck she grabbed him before he fell from the branch and jumped back to another tree. Laying him down, she climbed up wards but before taking out human number four she stopped to breathe as her arm hurt horribly. She probably shouldn't be using it at the moment but well she really didn't have a choice. Bringing herself back to the battle she saw that all but twenty or so orcs had been killed. The others of her group were having an easier time now that some of the archers were gone. She jumped to the branch below number four and without pause cut the tendon in his ankle he collapsed with a cry that brought the attention of number five to her. Cursing she stabbed four in the back through his spine and jumped backwards to avoid the arrow five shot at her. She grabbed the branch above her and swung forward to flip onto it before repeating the movement until she was level with the human she pulled her dagger back and threw catching him in the lung. The human dropped with a gurgle. She leapt, grabbed her dagger and moved onto the final three humans.

Thankfully they were on separate trees which made killing them easier. At human six she stabbed him through his throat and spine from behind. She didn't want him to alert to other humans of their coming fate. She grimaced at the blood covering her before shaking it off she could grumble later. But she hated, loathed and despised the color red. Human seven would be more trouble than the others. He, it seemed, had more intelligence. He had chosen a tree that would leave him a clear shot while keeping his back to the tree. Thinking for a second she jumped carefully onto the branch above him. She sat down and let her feet cross under the branch. She shifted sideways so that she swung under the branch hanging from her feet. As she swung down she noticed something odd; the humans' eyes were glazed, almost as if he was drunk. Before the human could draw his blade to kill the elf coming at him she slammed her dagger forwards into his heart. She watched almost as if time froze as his eyes cleared and a trickle of blood ran from his mouth. He gave her a small smile before she watched the life leave his eyes. She climbed upwards so that she was once more upright on the branch before shaking slightly. There was something wrong with the humans they were not supposed to have eyes like that.

She mentally slapped herself before moving on she could worry over the weird humans later. Thankfully, human eight was not as smart as seven because he left himself wide open to attack. She looked at his eyes and now that she was looking for it she could see that his eyes were glazed as well. Shaking her head she threw her dagger and impaled him in the head. He dropped the twenty or so feet to the ground and quickly she followed so as to retrieve her dagger. Making it to the ground she pulled her dagger free and cleaned both of left over blood. A nudge to her left shoulder and she turned to Arvellas. Climbing back into the saddle she quickly grabbed a strip of bandages and bound her arm tightly. She would be fine in around two months and would just be careful until then. She knew her arm would heal faster if she sought a healer, but as far as she was concerned, each scar showed that she still needed to improve. She was still too weak. Fortunately she had just gotten her arm covered when she heard Celeborn call her over; it seemed the rest of the orcs had been taken care of.

~Flashback End~

It took a few hours to dispatch them with everyone receiving minor wounds. Eruraviel had not told anyone about her arm. Honestly she would heal fine on her own she didn't feel that she needed help or deserved it she thought.

It was midafternoon when they heard a whistle call from the trees, an answering whistle from Celeborn and they were soon joined by a dozen more elves on horseback. Eruraviel kept her hood up now not wanting people to recognize her due to her distinct hair. She got a few curious looks from the new arrivals and an amused one from Celeborn before they continued. As they rode she observed to new riders and was mildly impressed; they were calm but confident and they also surrounded Celeborn and Celebrían even tighter than before. Celeborn threw her an annoyed look when she let out a light laugh at his annoyance at being smothered. The land here was quite beautiful Eruraviel admitted; the trees were healthy and there was an air of safety in air around them. As they crested a hill even Eruraviel drew in a shocked breath at the beauty of Imladris. The waterfalls and sweeping curves of stone and tree drew in the eye and made you relax. No one could mistake this home as anything but elven made. They made their way quickly into the valley and thanked the stable masters for taking care of their horses. Eruraviel wanted to leave now that everyone was safe but Celeborn had managed to make her promise to stay one night at least before leaving. She smacked him lightly on the arm when he smirked at her knowing what she was thinking.

"Celebrían!" she heard a male voice shout just before a dark haired elf raced through the group to pick up Celebrían and pull her into an embrace. The kiss they shared made everyone smile at the couple's relief. Before anymore could be said twin shouts rang through the air.

"Naneth! We're so happy to have you home!" she saw identical males grab onto Celebrían and smash her and the male, whom she guessed was Lord Elrond, between them. Soon after, a younger elleth also embraced Celebrían weeping in joy. Eruraviel smiled at the happy scene and felt a pang of sadness that such joy would forever be beyond her reach. As long as she traveled she would not look for a mate, neither she nor her mate would be able to handle such a distance apart. Soon the small family was thanking everyone for saving Celebrían and bringing her home safe.

"Ah but it was not us who saved her, Elrond. In fact…" Celeborn looked though the crowd and found Eruraviel hiding behind Haldir. He smirked at her attempt to hide before pulling her in front of the family. Celebrían was giggling constantly as Eruraviel fought; her to hide and he to put her in the spot light. Around them amused faces was seen including one blond elf that was snickering at Celeborn's actions. Finally Elrond coughed loudly and both of them froze.

"If you wouldn't mind Celeborn what are you doing?" exasperation was clear in Elrond's voice. Eruraviel and Celeborn glanced at each other before looking away. Eruraviel smirked under her hood before point her finger at Celeborn.

"He started it." There was a breath of silence before Celeborn started to protest loudly.

"Did not!" he stated in outrage.

"Did so! You pulled me up here and you're the one who dragged me along old man! Or is your age so great that your memory has begun failing?" she asked laughter in her voice.

"OI! Your one to talk about age! You're as old as I am!" he stated gesturing wildly. She could see the elves around them laughing helplessly at their conversation. Celebrían had to hold onto Elrond to avoid falling over as she giggled helplessly. The blond was kneeling on the ground, consumed in laughter.

"I may be the same age as your my dear Lord, but at least my beauty hasn't weaned!" she shot back and Celeborn looked horrified at her comment before lunging at her and bringing them both to the ground. Gales of laughter erupted from around them as Eruraviel and Celeborn wrestled on the ground. Even still, she was careful not to stress her arm to much lest she be unable to hide the bleeding. Finally, she managed to pin Celeborn and she sat cross legged on his chest.

"Ha-ha it seems your beauty isn't the only thing withered, your strength and tactics are failing as well. Do your want me to help you get back up to par?" she asked teasingly. Celeborn mock glared at her for the comment. As the laughter finally subsided, Eruraviel climbed off of him and helped pull him to his feet. She looked up when she heard silence and realized her hood must have come off while they were wrestling. She groaned as she saw all of the curious faces around her.

"Well, thank you for saving my wife from that nightmare." Elrond stated emphatically before pulling her into a hug. Eruraviel stiffened briefly before smiling slightly at patting his back.

"Um…you're welcome…" she smiled sheepishly, unused to physical contact after going so long without. He let go of her and smiled.

"Oh how rude of me- may I ask what your name is?" he questioned. She groaned inwardly before sighing.

"Aye, my name is Eruraviel of Gondolin." She said and gasps filled the air. The golden haired male straightened in shock before quickly walking through the crowd until he stood before her. They quietly looked at each other before he smiled.

"Which part?" he asked. She saw the puzzled looks from around her, but knew he meant what area of the city. She smiled at the ellon she guessed was Lord Glorfindel.

"Inner gate." She said quietly and he winced. She knew why, the inner city was dealt the most damage as that's where most of the guard lived as well as the noble houses. She bowed low to him and he pulled her out of the bow in puzzlement.

"Why would you bow before me?" He asked curiosity filling his voice.

"As gratitude for your sacrifice, I saw the end of your battle after I had finished my own." She stated and saw him smile at her in gratefulness for recognizing his fight as something other than glorious, like most did today.

"Who did you end up fighting for so long?" he asked. She grimaced, as the memory flashed before her eyes but shook it off to answer him.

"Thuringwethil the vampire." Was all she said. His eyes widened in horror as many other the surround elves gasped in recognition. She stiffened as once more she was pulled into an embrace, he held on till she relaxed before letting go. He placed his hands on her shoulders before inquiring softly.

"Who was it that you lost to put such sadness in your eyes?" A tear fell from her eye as she replied.

"My Gwador, Aithlin." He grimaced in sympathy before everyone shook their heads and moved into the house.

"Did your trip back go okay Celeborn?" Elrond asked as they moved though the beautiful halls toward his study. On their way Eruraviel found out that the twins were Elladan and Elrohir. The other elleth was Arwen; all three were the children of Celebrían and Elrond. The other dark haired elf was Elrond's Chief Advisor Erestor.

"Aye, we ran into the group of orcs and humans that had Celebrían but we were able to eliminate them with minor injuries." Celeborn finished as Elrond, Celebrían, the twins, Arwen, Glorfindel, Erestor and Eruraviel entered the study. It was a spacious office with plenty of comfortable seating despite the numerous elves. The fire provided comfortable warmth with the windows making the office feel wide open but secure. There were several bookcases filled with scrolls and other books. The windows faced the biggest waterfall. On the far side of the room was a set of double doors that led on to a balcony. Eruraviel sat at the end of the couch closest to the fire after removing her bow and quiver along with her swords before sitting. She found herself melting into a puddle of comfortable goo. It had been many years since she had felt this comfortable. She relaxed backwards and stared into the fire as the others chatted and caught up. Before she could stop herself, she found herself falling into reverie. She hadn't slept but minutes at a time since they left Lothloríen and was exhausted. She hated her nightmares but a part of her couldn't help but whisper that it was the least she deserved after letting her brother be killed. And to be honest she actually did agree with that thought. She was the eldest; she had raised her brother after their parents had been killed a few years after his birth. She had sworn to her parents that she would protect him.

That reason more than anything was what kept her in middle-earth. How could she face her family knowing how she failed them?

~~~~Glorfindel POV~~~~

He watched as one of the few people who could understand him in middle-earth fall into what was obviously an exhausted sleep on the couch. He hadn't met someone from Gondolin in so long and was beyond happy to have found someone who had stayed. The elleth was very beautiful as well with long red hair pulled back into a braid. Since she was a warrior he had no doubt that there was a spike strip buried in her hair. Her eyes he knew were like emeralds, they were an almond shape with long dark lashes. She had fair skin and her weapons were beautiful. He looked forward to all the conversations they could have. Now that he could actually talk without the other person fawning over him. He cocked his head as he noticed again that she avoided putting any pressure on her right arm. He had noticed before when she was wrestling Celeborn that she did the same thing.

"I am surprised to hear that humans were working with the orcs. That is a new development. It hints that there is someone behind Celebrían's attempted kidnapping." Elrond stated the worry was clear in his voice. Glorfindel spoke up interrupting the current conversation. To be honest he was worried about the elleth.

"Celeborn when you fought the orcs you said there were minor injuries. Was Eruraviel injured?" he asked quietly enough to avoid waking the tired elleth next to him. The group looked over before Celeborn answered.

"That I don't know. I was helping others with their injuries, but it is possible. She was the one responsible for taking out the archers after all; she did that in close quarters." He said looking worriedly at the sleeping elleth. Elrond stood and quietly made his way towards her and knelt down in front of her.

"Where do you believe her to be injured, Glorfindel?" Elrond asked keeping his voice soft while taking in her exhausted form.

"Her right arm I've noticed that she seems to be favoring it." He replied. Gently, so as not to wake her, Elrond pulled Eruraviel forward and laid her flat with her right arm now flat to the couch. He also gently maneuvered her so that her head was on a small pillow and you could see some of the tension in her frame disappear. Glorfindel channeled his faer and put his hand over her forehead. It was a trick often used by Gondolin warriors to make stubborn elves get the rest they needed. Feeling the faer of another warrior allowed them to relax, trusting their safety to that of their companion.

"It's okay we can move around normally I put her to sleep." He stated. Elrond nodded and quickly pulled up her sleeve and they all grimaced at the blood soaked bandage. Elrond quickly turned to Elrohir.

"Please go get my healing bag as well as some aethlas and some hot water and rags. I fear I may need to stich the wound." Elrohir nodded and raced from the room quickly followed by his brother. Seeing that his instructions were being followed Elrond turned back to his new patient and sighed.

"We'll need to monitor her sleep, for valar's sake look at her eyes I can see how exhausted she is. She probably hasn't had a decent night's sleep in years." Everyone nodded. They would do all they could to repay the gift that Eruraviel had given them in bringing home Celebrían.