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Rest and Wandering
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Her heart soared at finally leaving the dread valley and coming within sight of the Himring Hills where lay the realm of her friends. Exhilarated she spurred on her horse again, dashing through the alleyways that wound through the hills. To her relief she soon came across a cool spring issuing from the rocky side of a tall hill into a small deep pool, which fed a meandering stream flowing away to meet a river on its way southward. Its banks were a fair and pleasant greensward, with willows bordering the waters and small pines and hollys up the hills beyond them. At last she felt safe to get down from her horse, she could sense this spot had known no curse yet of the enemy's touch. It was a welcome change to be out of the saddle, for through these last few days she had dared not dismount at all. Here she finally drank and washed up, and lay down upon the deep grass.
Before long she was stirred from her rest by a strange sound in the distance. It did not clash with the birds and the breeze and the stream, but neither was it part of the landscape as the little creatures were. She sprang up in alarm, rushing to her horse to fetch her weapon. But no sooner was her bow and arrow ready in her hands did she calm again, quickly realizing it was only a group of green elves nearby, singing as they were wont while they marched on their way. There were many such elves who lived within the confines of her brother's realm, and like her they often had a mind to wander far and find the wonders of new sights in distant places. Not a few of those among whom she lived in the hidden kingdom also quietly lamented the king's decree to remain confined within the mountain fences, and it had been from among these folk that volunteers were found to escort her journey.
Putting away her weapons again she stood and waited, and before long the singers came walking up together through the hills and emerged from a small valley to her east. Upon seeing her they went quiet and stopped in surprise, and each side looked at the other speechless for a few moments. Finally she broke the silence with a greeting and introduction. Then they were quite excited, and delighted to welcome her, knowing well who she was, by rumor of her among the lords of the realm and their other friends among the Noldor. This pool they would come to at certain times of the year for a few days according to their custom, and they invited her to join them. As anxious as she was to seek out her friends quickly, after passing through the perils of the valley behind her she was content to sit and rest for a while in that tranquil place with these folk. After a couple of days they packed up to head back with their guest, leading her horse on foot back to the chief city of their lord's realm.
Shortly they came to Himring Hill, a stout-walled hilltop complex in and around which there was the greater concentration of Noldoli settlements, and the lady found many people she knew from her home in the West. There was among them a great rejoicing between long sundered friends, and the lords and ladies in charge at the time held a feast in honor of their guest. Much to her disappointment however they reported their leaders, her friends, were away visiting their other kin in far off lands, but they offered to host her while she waited for them. This invitation the lady was easy to accept, glad for new company among those who remained in the hills, and having no mind at all to hurry home back to either of her brothers.
And so for a long while the white-clad princess felt quite content there among the people of her cousins and comrades in hunting and riding, as she waited for them to return. She would ride through the tall hills, and climb the lonely peaks of the highest ones to gaze in all directions at the lands stretching out broad for many many miles before her eyes. Eventually the fair green crowns of the ashes and alders and oaks turned their brilliant gold and fiery copper as the season waned, until finally they browned and rained down their shedding leaves when winter came on. The lady would join some of the archers of the realm when they invited her out to join their forays into the woods nearby, keen to partake and find the thrill in such sporting work again. But the season of cold dormant earth came and went, and before long it was the pale yellow-green young leaves and little pink hawthorn buds were bursting to life again. As warmth returned to that part of the world, the lady began to take her horse out alone as she had so loved to do the long years of her youth in the West, wandering the countryside north and east and south as far as she dared, and circling around the chief hill again and again until the sights grew old and worn. Sometimes she wished her wanderlust were not so strong, and that she could dwell content in one place for longer whiles without the siren song of unknown roads pulling at her spirit. But the wilds yet unexplored called ever to her, and before lone summer was already past its peak again, and her friends had still not returned. So she strayed ever farther and farther from the great hill, until one day she had wandered long away, far from sight of the heights of Himring.