THE FORGOTTEN

Why Lothril Died

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings or anything else.

Authors note: Lothril's death needs an explanation. Elvish translated is still italics.

Legolas remained kneeling beside her and holding her hand for time uncounted. It felt like hours, but it could have been minutes. It didn't matter. He could not accept the fact that Lothril was dead. The tears kept streaming down his fair face. He was feeling grief that he had never known before. He had not been this distraught when Gandalf died, he had not even felt this grief when he had received word about his mother. He looked down at her, how horribly pale she looked! He gently reached down and put a few stray strands of her silky brown hair behind her cold ear.

Aranor was making his way down to the Fellowship to deliver the sad news when he was intercepted by a messenger saying the other patient looked like she was coming around. The healer told the messenger to deliver the news that Lothril had passed to the Fellowship and hurried away towards the house of healing.

Legolas was still holding her hand. No it could not be true, it just could not! Why would she be brought here to die? It didn't make any sense. He cried out to Elbereth. "Why?" was all he could force out. There were so many things he had wanted to tell her, needed to tell her. His heart had been so full of feelings unexpressed for her, and now he felt painfully hollow. Yes, perhaps she would be reborn, but would she choose that path? Would she be allowed? He had not given her any reason to return, so would she of her own accord? He realized that it was very possible that he may never see her again in Middle-earth and that it could be many long centuries even in Valinor until they could see each other again – if ever, even if he set sail that minute. The thought was like a heavy blow to his heart. Never before in all his days had time seemed so slow and so cruel as it did in that moment.

He wept harder. In the few months he had known her, she had become very dear to him, and now she was gone. Perhaps gone from his reach forever. He clasped her hand and kissed her cold fingers then pressed them to his chest. The silvery tears kept falling down his face. He began to understand how an Elf could die of grief. For perhaps half an hour he sat crying over her cold body. At some point he had become vaguely aware that Aranor had been gone for a while and that the Fellowship would probably be coming soon to pay their respects and he decided he needed to at the very least pull himself together enough to leave the room. He wasn't even remotely ready to share his grief with anyone yet. With every inch of will power he possessed he closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down enough to at least move. He managed a few deep breaths and though his tears had not ceased, he at least had a small measure of composure. He bent down and kissed her cold forehead.

As he did, he felt a slight tremor go through her body. Hardly perceptible even to the Elf, but he felt it none the less. What did it mean? He didn't have any time to contemplate it, because warmth was suddenly in her. Her chest began rising and falling gently. He looked up at her face and saw it infused with color! Could it be? Her large brown eyes fluttered open. It was!

"Legolas, why are you crying?" she asked sitting up and looking him in his tear stained eyes. He was so glad to see her alive that he didn't answer. Instead he pressed her to himself and wept with joy. She returned the embrace as he said, "I thought you were dead!" his sorrow had been turned to ecstatic joy.

Lothril could feel Legolas' heart beating wildly in his chest and just as Lothril could feel Legolas' heartbeat, he could feel hers. That reassured him that this was not just some cruel dream. After some minutes, they pulled apart. "We must tell the others you are well," Legolas smiled. She softly brushed away the last traces of tears from his fair face.

As word had been sent down to the Fellowship, word had also been sent to Galadriel and Celeborn who had been waiting at a distance to allow Legolas a moment with his grief. When they heard her voice and his exclamation though, they came closer.

"I am glad to see you are well Lothril," Galadriel said.

Lothril smiled. "Galadriel, Celeborn, I thank you for watching over me while I was gone."

All three looked at her with puzzled faces.

"You see," she explained, "I was dead, that is, my spirit had gone to Valinor. It is a long tale, and I wish to tell everyone at once, so if I could wait until the Fellowship joined us-"

Just then the head of Aragorn appeared, he looked grief stricken until he saw the tall and slender form of Lothril standing in the midst of Galadriel, Celeborn, and Legolas, looking like the very picture of health and life itself. Everyone's face looked shocked as they saw her. They had been told she was dead.

"What?" was the general murmur. The Fellowship very nearly tackled Lothril in their joy of seeing her alive and well. Everyone was talking at once and demanding an explanation for everything from her and Legolas whose eyes were still red rimmed and looked like he was in a euphoric daze. During the chaos Celeborn had ordered chairs and refreshments to be brought for everyone.

Eventually Lothril got in a word said, "If you all will just sit down, I shall tell you what happened." They sat down, and Lothril began. "The last thing I remember happening here was everything going black. When I opened my eyes I saw I was in the Halls of Mandos. I was told and shown many things and was told why I was there. I was there to become what I was meant to be. Half elven, half Maia. Manwe and Elbereth explained to me that once there were five elves that were made prisoners of Morgoth and in an effort to escape the Valar, Morgoth had begun punching holes in the world, trying to find an escape. He punched one through to my old world and in order to see whether or not he could make a safe escape, he took the elven prisoners and shoved them through the hole. They could go through, but they could not return. When the Valar overthrew him, some six Maiar volunteered to go find the elves, and never returned. The Valar allowed the hole to remain open, instead of trying to close it, in hopes that the elves and Maiar lost would return, but alas, far from the music of the One, they in time began to marry each other and after some years, grow weary of living and set aside their frame, and so their spirits now free, could hear the music of Arda and find their way to the Halls of Mandos. Their descendants forgot their heritage and became a part of that world. Of all the generations, I am the only one that has heeded homeward call that has been sent forth for many long years. At last, it seems, the hole is closing and I am the first and last of their children to return here, my true home. So I was brought back here.

"I have been given a task to do here and then I must return there for a time, for when our strange friend fell through on accident, it seems some things fell out of Middle-earth, namely some orcs. I shall be sent back at some point to rid my old world of them, and then I shall return here and here remain. When Manwe finished explaining that, I was led away and taught what I am and what am I capable of. I spent what felt like both a day and time uncounted learning all sorts of things.

"I was taken back to see Elbereth an she told me that my body was lying back here with what seemed to be a fever. She said it was all the human frailties and flaws being burnt away. She explained to me my task at hand here and gave me some direction on what I should do now. After a time, I do not know how long, they sent me back here. It seemed to me that I was growing tired, and fell asleep, when I opened my eyes, I was here again. And that is my tale."

Everyone was silent for a moment, it seemed too fantastic to be true, and yet, here she was. Her dark eyes seemed to glitter brightly, her dark brown hair now bore a silver hue in the light. She was three inches taller and fairer in looks and the last vestiges of the young human girl that had been known to Legolas had disappeared. Yet, for as stronger, fairer, and more noble she seemed, she was still the same. Later, Sam would say after that she seemed even more like herself than she ever had.

"Then how did the strange woman come here?" Frodo asked.

"It seems that, oh how I wish I could explain these things better to you all… Let's see… Imagine a hallway with many doors leading to different rooms down it. From the hallway, one can enter any room, but one can only enter another room by going into the hallway first. It seems that something has punched a hole through the walls in two of the rooms and now people who were not meant to know the other existed, let alone go into the other room could do just that. When Legolas fetched me, he was taken into the hallway and let into the room I was in, so to speak. But it seems the strange lady was pulled out of her room into this one through the hole in the wall and as she was, some orcs fell out. Consequently, I am to return and hunt the orcs that escaped."

"But what of the hole?" Celeborn asked.

"It has been fixed. Any future comings and goings will be done as they should be. So whatever is here is here for a while and whatever is there is there until I get back," Lothril answered.

Legolas looked particularly thoughtful at this news. She is back, but then must leave for a time, and then return. Very well. As long as she returned.

Lothril turned her gaze to Galadriel and used ósanwe to say, "Galadriel, there are certain things I wish to discuss with you and Celeborn later, if I may."

"I shall call for you in a few days after you have eaten and rested and spent time with your friends and Legolas. I shall also have clothes sent to you while we let out your old things or make you new ones."

"I thank you. These things are now uncomfortably small. May I also have a dress let out that I brought with me? I think I shall have need of it later."

"Certainly. I shall send someone to fetch it."

"I thank you for your graciousness and hospitality, Galadriel."

"You are very welcome. Your friends I think wish to celebrate your return; afterwards you may retire with them or in your own place. To find it, just ask a guard and they will direct you, but from the pavilion we have made ready for your friends, it is but a short walk." She quickly gave her directions how to get there and then Galadriel and Celeborn excused themselves shortly after. When they were gone, the Fellowship covered Lothril with hugs again. They all started saying how much they had missed her and how sad they were when they thought she was dead.

"It is good to know that you all care for me so, but please, whoever has a hold of my waist, can feel free to let go! You are making it difficult to breathe!"

"Oh sorry!" said a small voice. Was that Sam's? After a while, Aranor the healer returned to find the lot of them all talking and rejoicing at her awakening. She explained what happened to the healer in brief, which surprised him as much as anything ever did. Somewhere in the midst of the retelling, a courier from Galadriel showed up with a change of clothes for Lothril. The Fellowship left so she could bathe and change in peace, and after a quick bath, she changed into a dress the colors of twilight beneath the mellyrn. She left the door of the healing house and found everyone waiting for her outside on a porch.

They all climbed down out of the talan together and went back to the pavilion set up for them and held something of an impromptu feast. After some hours of eating and drinking and celebrating the return of Lothril, all the emotion and weariness of the last few days caught up with them and the Fellowship fell asleep one by one for a much needed afternoon nap. After a while, Legolas and Lothril were the only two left awake, and they were sitting a ways apart from the others and talking in low voices and in elvish so as not to wake the rest.

"Lothril, if you may, I would like to hear more of what happened to you after your fëa left us. It is plain you left out much earlier."

"There is not much else to tell, really. Hours of instruction and practice does not make for a good story."

"Perhaps, but it seems to me, that burning away your mortal blood is a thing beyond the power of the Valar. How is it that came to be?"

A look of solemnity and joy betook her face and she answered, "You are right. It is beyond their power. However, there are certain things I was told and saw of which I am not permitted to speak, but – no. I best say no more. Let it suffice to say, if ever I am granted leave to speak on those things, I shall certainly tell you more."

"I should not wish to be the cause of you breaking an oath of silence. I shall content myself with your answer and knowledge that you would speak of it to me if you were permitted."

"That is to your eternal credit, Legolas. I thank you for not pressing me. However, there are some things of which I may speak that I did not bother to mention earlier. Though I shall never know exactly who amongst those that entered my old world are my sires, I think it fairly safe to say that some of my elven blood is Sindar. There is a chance of Noldor too, but I think, and Elbereth agrees, that it seems more likely I am Sindarin."

"In that case, I am glad we spent so much time going over our traditions," he replied with a grin.

"This news though, probably shall not make you as glad – I have been given more instruction as to what I am to do after I part company with the Fellowship. I was on the right path in Imladris when I made my announcement, but now I have learned my role. I am to be an emissary of the West. In the course of things, I will have some certain pronouncements to give. In the meanwhile, I am to travel in secret until I part ways with the Ringbearer, then I am to proclaim myself to Saruman and Sauron and draw their gaze. Before I was willing to let rumor do the work, but now I must use all my power and skill against them."

"You are right," he frowned, "It does not make me glad, but knowing with certainty this is the task the Valar would have you do brings me some comfort. But let us speak no more of it for now."

"Agreed. Tell me then, Legolas, what happened here after I left?"

Legolas heaved a sad sigh and said, "I heard you call my name and turned and rushed back to you and caught you as you fell. You were taken to the house of healing and the rest of the Fellowship was sent back here and I was permitted to stay beside you. I stayed by your side for nearly three days and after many hours the healer, Aranor, declared he could not determine the cause of your malady and we must trust you to the Valar. Then on the third day, today, your fever rose and then you seemed to die, but as I wept over you, I felt a shudder run through you and you awoke."

"I am sorry I caused you such grief," she said as she laid a hand on his shoulder then smiled gently. "It is late, and you held a long vigil over me. You ought to get some sleep."

"Shall you join us?" he asked, gesturing towards the pavilion.

She shook her head. "The lord and lady have offered me separate accommodations so I think I shall take them up on their offer."

"As well you should. I shall escort you there if you wish," he offered.

She smiled, "That is kind of you, but vigils over the sick and grief over the dead are wearying work."

"They are, but having the dead come back to you whole and sound is better than days of rest."

"I have no experience with that, so I shall trust your word for it. If you wish to walk with me, I have no objection."

"No objection. I see my company is tolerated," he teased as he stood and offered her a hand.

"Well tolerated," she said quietly as she looked up into the golden laden boughs as the late afternoon sun made the canopy look like glittering gold, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She led the way to the nearest ladder and up they climbed up and went over following the directions Galadriel had given her. She found it with little problem and it proved to be a cottage in the trees not very far from the lord and lady or the pavilion. Clearly she was anticipated as curtains were tied back and a fire going in the hearth. They entered and Lothril exclaimed, "This is a lovely little place!"

"It is. I am very glad you have such a nice place to stay while we are here. You certainly deserve it," he replied.

She smiled, "I certainly appreciate it even if I do feel a little bad – I with a house to myself and the rest of you sharing a pavilion. Though, I have been informed I may have you visit as much as I wish."

"Oh?"

She nodded but said nothing and began exploring around a little. It was a small little cottage, only five rooms – a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom, but each room was spacious and felt airy and cozy at the same time. There was a note on the kitchen table that was brief and gave instructions about where to find more wood if she burned through what was in the house, how to get more wood brought up if needed, and that meals would be brought to her so she needn't worry about cooking. She set the note down and said to Legolas, "If you are tired and wish to go sleep, do feel free. I am not tired and I think I shall make myself some tea."

"If you desire solitude Lothril, you need only say so," he replied. "After these last few weeks, I can well appreciate it if you desire solitude and privacy."

"No, it is not that, but I do not wish you to feel you need to stay with me if you need rest. You have been a very careful guardian, but I am safe here and shall manage well if you need to sleep," she replied, the concern for his well-being clearly sketched on her face.

His grin widened and he replied, "If I grow tired I shall sleep, but a cup of tea with you sounds far nicer at the moment."

Whoever had warmed the cottage for her had seen to all the details and fresh water was already in the kettle and the kettle was already on the hook and merely waiting to be swung over the fire. Lothril briefly wondered if Galadriel had given some direction or if it was simply standard elvish house warming practice. Those thoughts quickly vanished though as she and Legolas sat down in front of the fire.

"My, how I have missed this!" she said as she slipped off her shoes and curled up on the couch, arranging her dress so it wouldn't get tangled when she stood or horribly wrinkled as she sat.

"Missed what?" Legolas asked.

"You and I sitting together by the fire on a couch under a roof at ease," she answered very specifically.

"You seemed to enjoy the autumn bonfires we had in Imladris with our friends," he replied.

"I did, but I still preferred the days when we sat together by ourselves and talked by the fire." She looked at him as she said that and her eyes looked uncharacteristically open and oddly vulnerable, like what she had just said was a great secret she had kept pressed to her heart.

He was about to ask why that was, but the kettle started singing and before he could speak she got up and pulled the kettle off the fire and set about to making the tea. By the time she turned around and left the tea to steep in the teapot, the door had fallen shut, but not latched.

"Legolas, do you suppose, that is, in the morning would you like to go exploring the city with me?"

"I would," he answered.

She smiled involuntarily. "Good. I cannot imagine seeing this place with anyone else."

"Nor can I," he answered. Silence fell between them for a moment, but it felt tense like someone really ought to say something. "Lothril, I must tell you that I am very glad you are here. I was afraid you were gone forever."

"I am glad I am here too. I …" she trailed off, like she couldn't decide if she wanted to say something or not. "I think the tea is probably ready."

"I will get it for us," he said, standing and fetching a pair of cups for them and pouring the tea.

"Thank you," she said, taking the cup from him. Their fingers brushed as she took the cup from his hand and her mind wandered back to the side of Caradhras where he had held her hands between his…

"You are welcome," he replied with a habitual nod as he resumed his seat beside her.

She held the cup and sniffed the steam but didn't take a drink, nor did Legolas expect her to for several minutes. She never took a sip of tea until it had cooled off for several minutes. Regardless, she would breathe in the steam, sigh, and immediately relax and sink back into her chair. She always did that and that was exactly what she did now. He smiled and wondered for a moment if she even knew her own ritual. He reckoned not and he was not about to tell. They sat in silence for a few minutes simply enjoying the company of the other. As she relaxed, he realized she felt different. Her fëa felt stronger and older, but her manner was also changed. As she sat there beside him, instead of the slight hunch she used to have where she looked like she was trying to hide a little, she sat with her shoulders squared and her head up higher, even as she reclined a little into the corner of the couch.

She looked over and saw the look on his face and she couldn't quite place it. "What are you thinking about?"

He took a drink of tea before he replied, "I was just thinking about how much you have changed since you awoke."

"Have I?" she asked, taking a very tiny test sip before deciding the tea still needed a minute to cool off.

He nodded. "Your bearing is more confident than before. It becomes you."

Involuntarily she smiled and looked down at her tea. "I am more sure of myself. When you appeared, no – it goes back further than that. With my first dream of you I felt more comfortable in that dream than I did in the waking world. When you brought me here, I began to lose a tension I had been living with my whole life. Everything about living here has felt natural; everything about living back there felt uncomfortable and against the grain. But then there were the unknowns – why was I brought here? What am I exactly? How is any of this possible? Now I know those things and I know that I belong." She gave a short shamefaced laugh and said, "I am certain I shall not surprise you at all when I say I used to feel guilty about feeling more comfortable in Imladris than at home."

With a small smile he shook his head and said, "No, that does not surprise me in the slightest. I am very glad those feelings are gone now."

"As am I," she answered, looking up at him. "It is a nice thing to feel like I belong; to know I do." She took a sip of tea and found it had cooled off sufficiently and so she took another then looked at Legolas and said, "Thank you for coming up here with me tonight. I know you were teasing me earlier about wanting solitude, but in truth I should have been lonely up here without your company."

"If you are not willing to be alone, you could always stay with the others. I am certain no one would mind," he said casually. She had that look on her face that she sometimes got where she looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to it. He watched her face carefully for a while before finally venturing to say, "You look as if you want to say something. We are close, are we not? Speak your mind." He reached over and took her free hand in his.

"I am thinking again of what Elrond said; about our having a bond. Since he said that I have been contemplating the nature of it and what he left unsaid. I may not have known him long, but it has been plain to me since he said it that he left his thoughts of it unsaid."

"Assuredly. He rarely speaks his full mind on anything," Legolas replied. "Though, I would be far more interested in learning yours."

She felt her face grow warm and she took a drink of tea and answered, "I am not sure of the nature of it. Does it exist because we have been forced together by fate or is it born of familiarity? Some strange working of our natures I do not comprehend or a blend of emotion and reason? Or maybe some mix of it all?"

He stared at her for a moment before replying, "I see why Elrond made you his daughter. You would be a great philosopher and a lore master that would understand the whole of creation if allowed. I had not expected your answer to be such deep philosophy, but now that you have said it, I am not sure how I expected anything less."

She gave a half frown, "I have a nasty tendency to overthink things."

"I would not necessarily say that. You are circumspect. You want to understand a thing fully, or as fully as one can, before you act or decide on things. That is a very admirable quality, and if you wish, I will gladly share my thoughts."

"Oh yes, please! I have been greatly wondering your thoughts on this matter, but I did not wish to pry."

"I appreciate you respecting my privacy, but in this matter as it is a thing shared between us, I think we need not be shy in speaking to each other of it. For my part, I do not think our bond has been forced by fate. I think it is born of freewill and of course any bond or relationship will be formed through familiarity. It is very rare that two people would have a bond or relationship form upon first glance. I confess, I was intrigued about you upon the first dream, but if no other dream had come, I doubt I should have formed any feelings beyond vague curiosity about why I had a dream about some human girl. I also think it formed naturally. I certainly did nothing to force any bond or relationship between us. However, you spoke of the nature of it, but these things would be more questions of the forming of it. I think the nature of it a different thing."

"Oh?" She looked thoughtful then added, "I think I agree with your conclusions – that it is of freewill and natural and familiar, but would that not be the nature of it?"

"You are confusing the nature of a thing and the nature of the forming of the thing. Enmity can be formed naturally of freewill and familiarity as can friendship, but I think you will agree that those two things are opposites in nature."

She nodded, "Yes, they are certainly opposite."

"So then, what do you suppose the nature of our bond is?" he asked.

"Can such a conclusion be drawn without consensus?" she asked in reply.

"You may have an opinion independent of mine. The only thing we would need to have a consensus on is what we would like to do about it going forward, if anything," he replied.

"What is your opinion?" she asked.

He smiled, "Oh no, I asked first."

"Well, we are close. You said as much earlier. I honestly think I have never had a friend with whom I was closer. You have been a sure and steady thing I have been able to cling to since I have first known you; especially after that first day when suddenly we were unsure if I was Man or Elf or both. It was strange to suddenly realize I may have been wrong my whole life when I assumed I was fully human. I am sure you were just as surprised as I was, but you were calm and steady in those first moments after we discovered my ears were pointed when I think I would have fallen to pieces if I had been alone. You were there and calm and steady and complimented me and though it was a small thing, it helped me greatly. Then in Imladris when you sat up with me after I had that bad dream and told me you had volunteered to be my teacher, and then you called me a friend. You mean a very great deal to me, Legolas and I truly do not know what I would have done these last few months without you." She didn't look at him as she spoke until the very last sentence and when she did her eyes practically shone. There was a mountain of feelings left unsaid, and he could almost read them on her face as clearly as words in a book.

"I have been glad to be there for you since the very beginning," he replied very seriously, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips and his eyes shining warmly. "I am very glad to learn I have been a comfort and sure thing to you in the midst of uncertainty and it is has been my pleasure to call you friend. You mean a very great deal to me also and I have been honored to be there for you. I would like to keep being there for you if you will let me. So then, you consider the nature of our bond is friendship?"

Her eyes widened ever so slightly when he said he would like to keep being there. She shifted a little and took another long drink of her tea then answered, "It is a part of it. I have given you my opinion, now what is yours?"

"I agree that friendship is part of it, but I think it has grown from there," he replied.

She got that funny little look on her face she would get at times when she was trying very hard not to let her face betray her. She glanced down and realized they were still holding hands and blushed. "I suppose you may want your hand back."

"I have no need of it right now. You may keep it as long as you like."

To his surprise, she moved her tea cup down on the floor beside the couch and scooched closer to him and picked up his left hand again and began to study it. He had a large hand with long fingers. The palm wasn't quite as wide as her father's, but it was just as long. She could easily see callouses from where he held his knife. She knew he usually shot right handed, but it was clear from his fingers he frequently shot left handed too. She could see callouses on his finger tips from his lute playing. She could even see marks on his fingers from where he usually wore a ring. He watched her study his hand intently with a thoughtful look on her face.

"You almost look as if you are searching for something," he said quietly.

"Nothing in particular," she replied, "but one can tell much about someone from their hands."

"What can you tell from mine?" he asked.

"That you often shoot left handed, and that you play a stringed instrument with frets, though I knew that already. I can see where your knife and bow regularly rub on your hands. I can also tell that you do not work with your hands regularly."

"You can tell that?"

She nodded. "My grandpa works with his hands. His whole palm is hard callouses and there is no part that is not, only places where the callouses are thicker or thinner. His hands are thick, hard, and knotted with muscle, even his fingers, but even so his fingers are very nimble if thick, and he can be ever so gentle with them. Your hands though," she paused and ran her thumb over his palm, "They are strong, but not as calloused nor as densely muscled. All in all, I reckon Gimli's hands would be closest to my grandpa's. Yours are more like my dad's." She paused again and looked at the finger that had the ring markings. "I cannot remember you wearing a ring, but it is clear you wear one on this finger usually."

"I do wear one on that finger, and often when I am home, but not while I am training or fighting, so I would have only worn it at breakfast and supper while you were in my father's realm," he said.

"Is it of any significance, or merely ornamental?" she asked.

"It is ornamental, but it is significant to me. It was a ring my grandfather gave me when I first made captain. The only ring I have of any official significance is my signet ring and I wear it on my right hand."

She nodded and turned his hand over and studied the back of it. There were some old scars hinting at skinned knuckles, cuts, and nicks; not terribly dissimilar to the ones on her own hands from learning how to fight.

"Your hands are much warmer now," Legolas said. "They were always so cold before."

"You have no idea," she replied. "My hands have been much warmer since I arrived in Mirkwood than they were in my old world. They would often feel like ice. I had to be careful if I adjusted the collar on my shirt or a scarf or such things because if my fingers brushed my own skin, I would give myself a chill."

Legolas laughed.

"You think I jest, but I am quite serious. I would often be so cold that my fingernails would turn from pink to lavender," she said.

He adjusted his hand so he was now holding hers and drew it towards himself and looked at her fingernails. "Well they certainly look pink now and I am glad you shall no longer suffer from cold hands."

"As am I."

"Is it uncomfortable to have cold hands?" he asked, genuinely curious.

She shook her head. "Not unless they were so cold so as to turn red, like playing in the snow without gloves or mittens. I often did not notice until I touched my face or neck or else pulled down the sleeve of my shirt over the heel of my hand and then realized how much warmer the sleeve was. I must say though, it often made getting dressed a little miserable. Mornings are cold enough, but then to have icy fingers leaving trails of cold on yourself because you were not careful while dressing… it was ridiculous."

He tried to imagine it for a moment and decided very quickly he was glad Elves didn't have to worry about such things. He was still holding her hand and said, "Now let us see what story your hands tell." Because his right hand held his tea and his arm was longer than hers, he found it more comfortable to move her arm closer to him and over his arm. Sort of like she was escorting him. With his arm under hers he gently took her hand and turned her palm towards himself. She had come with soft hands and it was almost strange to know that he had helped her form many of her callouses. He could see where her fingers were getting more calloused from her bow string, and where her hand bore signs of sword play and knife fighting. He looked at the back of her hand again and knew he had been the reason for some of those fading scars. It was an odd feeling.

"What do you see?" she asked. "How well do you read me?"

"In some ways very well and very easily, but in others you are hard to discern." He flipped her palm towards him again. "I see you write right handed," he said as he rubbed his thumb on a wear mark on her index finger. "And I see your callouses from archery and sword play and knife fighting." He looked at the back of her hand again. "You bear scars from our training, but some that are older. You are also used to spending time in the sun. I can see the last fading traces of a tan," he added as he gently tapped his thumb between the knuckles of her index and middle fingers. Indeed, there was the last fading hint of a tan between her fingers.

"I love swimming," she replied. "I spend as much time as I can swimming in the summers. My hair will often lighten too from it. I suppose though I shan't be able to spend days swimming anymore."

"I do not see why not. I am often busy, but I still manage to spend a good deal of time swimming in the summers," he answered. "Though I do not get very tan as I live in Mirkwood and when I do swim in the river, it is frequently shaded or nighttime."

"Ooh! Night swimming! I have only done it a few times, but it was memorable – and usually a bit chill."

"I doubt you shall find it as chill now," he replied. "We sometimes celebrate Midsummer on the shores of Long Lake and we will spend a couple days there feasting, boating, and swimming all day and night. It is lovely to swim there on Midsummer's eve with a sky full of stars. If the moon is out, then the world above and around you is full of shimmering silver light."

He was still holding her hand and it felt a little warmer. Visions of starlight and moonlight and calm water on a warm night flooded her mind as she imagined what it must look like looking up at the moon from beneath the surface, and then of course with him there… She blinked a few times and took a deep breath.

"You accuse me of being tired and yet you fall asleep," Legolas teased.

"What? No, I was not asleep I was just lost in thought is all," she answered, sounding a bit scatter brained.

"Hmm… if you say so, but I know how it looks when an Elf is dreaming and you were dreaming."

Subconsciously she began massaging his hand as she did her own at times and replied, "If that was a dream, then I have been dreaming most of my life. I was just thinking."

"What about?" he asked, trying to not think too much about how ridiculously nice her massaging his hand felt and wondering briefly if she remembered she was holding his hand.

"About starlight and moonlight and night swims on Midsummer. What else?" she replied as she began massaging the heel of his hand and wrist.

He was starting to see why she would massage her hands occasionally when she seemed a little wound or out of sorts. It was relaxing. Of course now though, he was wildly curious about why she felt wound or out of sorts. "As you have not opened your mind to me, I cannot say for certain, except perhaps more than starlight and moonlight given how firmly you are massaging my hand."

"I – what? Oh!" she said, looking down and realizing that for the last long while she had been holding his hand and then had been massaging it. She turned bright pink. "Oh, my apologies. I forgot."

He smiled, "Do not apologize. It felt very nice."

Just then there was a knock at the door. She got up and opened the door. It was a pair of servants bearing large trays. They explained they were there to deliver supper and asked if her if she needed anything else as they laid out the food on the table. They clearly brought enough for two. She told them no, but that in the morning they ought to bring breakfast for two. They weren't there a minute before they were bowing and leaving.

"Would you like to join me?" she asked.

"Yes, I would," he answered as he stood and came over to the kitchen table. It was an impressive spread and Legolas began to suspect the lord and lady considered her a granddaughter. They sat and ate and the conversation drifted here and there like how it usually did between them until towards the end when silence fell. He didn't mind it when silence fell between them. In some ways he liked it. She would be lost in thought and he could watch her face and try to guess what she would say next. Whether his guess was right or wrong, he was always amused at what she did say. This evening though, he was surprised.

"Would you like to stay the night up here? There is the extra bedroom and it would be convenient for breakfasting and heading out early."

He observed her face a moment before answering. There was no way she was being that forward, surely! He worded his reply very carefully. "It would be unusual for two unmarried and unrelated Elves to share a house like this."

"Oh, I know the pavilion is not very far away, but it does seem a bit silly and impractical to have you go all the way down there just to sleep only to return first thing in the morning when I have two bedrooms here. Besides, this is not a very different arrangement than we had in Imladris, only there we had a door connecting our bedrooms and could go back and forth without anyone knowing. As well, I am very unaccustomed to living alone. I shared a room with my sister and I do not know what I would do with a whole house to myself."

"Well, as I said, it is unusual, but all things considered I think it is fine. After all, I have made claims of being your guardian," he said.

"Oh yes, I had quite forgotten about that. I was merely thinking of not wanting to be alone and enjoying your company," she replied. "That and, I reckon I owe you this much as a thank you for staying with me. This way you get to sleep in a proper bed and far enough away from Gimli's snoring so it cannot disturb your rest."

Legolas laughed, "Nay, you repay me too well and I shall now be in your debt. A good night's sleep with no watch to keep and away from snoring? I shall have to think of some way to repay your kindness and mercy."

"I know you are joking, but as I feel I owe you a great debt of gratitude for all the kindnesses you have shown me and your friendship and more, this seems such a little thing by comparison," she answered, looking serious and a little bashful.

He shook his head. "You owe me nothing. Anything I have done for you has been done freely and gladly and there is no debt to be repaid between us. I have only sought your happiness and wellbeing and your words have told me of my success."

She blushed and said, "I have always been very picky about those whom I name friend, but I could hardly help myself from thinking of you as such even if I was slow to say it, and I see now that of all of them, you are the best and most loving one I have had by far. Certainly the easiest. I have always preferred solitude whenever I could manage it, but since I met you, I have found I much prefer your company to solitude." She immediately looked down after she said that and then added, "I think I have said too much. Today has been long and trying and I have had nearly half this bottle which is surely more than I ought."

"If you do not wish to speak further on these things tonight, then for your sake I shall not pursue them. If you are done eating, would you like to take a walk before bed?" he replied.

"I am sorely tempted, but I think I shall refrain. Perhaps tomorrow night. I think it best I go to bed."

"Then go get ready for bed and I shall take care of these things," he said.

"Thank you," she said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said with a smile and watched her as she rushed off to her bedroom and shutting the door behind her. He sat at the table for a while nursing his wine and thinking. Never in all his life had he had such a day, and never would he again. What day begins in death and ends with life? He could hardly reconcile in his head that earlier that day he thought she was dead and now he was – he was getting ahead of himself. If their dinner conversation and her holding his hand showed him anything, it was that she did have deeper feelings for him, but she wasn't ready to admit to them yet. Did he not say she was circumspect? Perhaps she was still weighing out the matter. Or perhaps she was still very shy about her feelings, but wasn't that one of the thousand things about her that entranced him? He knew full well despite her claims she wasn't drunk or even light headed. This was not a very strong wine and supper had been heavy and she had eaten well. Perhaps it had loosened her tongue though and she said more than she intended, but not more than she felt. She said less than she felt, for certain, but he would not press her. He drained his cup and got up and neatly returned everything to the trays the servants had left. He figured they would come back not too long from now and clear everything, but he had a mind to sit in front of the fire for a while before turning in and wished them in and out quickly. He returned the couch in front of the fire and stretched out on it. Now that he had an idea of her feelings, how did he wish to proceed?

He awoke after Lothril the next morning, and the sun was already above the horizon and shining down cheerily. He dressed and readied himself and found Lothril was sitting at the table and eating some fruit that had clearly arrived that morning along with a loaf of bread, butter, honey, and cold ham. He greeted her and wondered how she would react this morning after last night, but she seemed very relaxed and greeted him cheerily and invited him to join her. After he broke his fast, they got up and left to explore Caras Galadhon.

Later that morning the Lady summoned Lothril. "I would like for you to come with me to visit the woman that you helped bring here. Her name is Renee. She is unsure of what is going on and I think talking with you shall give her some clarity to the situation she is in," Galadriel explained.

"Certainly! Coming here of my own accord was strange enough. I cannot fathom waking up here without any idea what had happened," Lothril answered.

Galadriel and Lothril headed towards what looked to Lothril like a small cottage in a tree. She thought the little house charming with its grey walls and white trim, arched doors and windows, and cheery green curtains. They entered and she saw that beneath the couch and chairs were brightly colored rugs and that tapestries adorned the walls. There was a small, bright fire in the hearth and on the couch opposite of it sat a human woman with dark, shoulder length hair wearing a grey elven dress. Lothril immediate recognized her as the stranger.

"Renee, I have brought someone I think you need to meet. This is Lady Lothril. I believe she will be able to explain a few things to you," Galadriel said.

Renee tried a clumsy curtsey, but Lothril merely smiled and said, "I am used to a handshake if you would prefer that."

"Come again?" Renee said, looking horribly confused at the Elf-maid holding out a hand to her. She took her hand, shook it, and then sat down. "So, Lady Galadriel said you can explain everything?"

"Perhaps not everything, but much of it," Lothril replied. She then launched into an explanation of what happened and why Renee was there and gave her assurances that she would return, though she didn't know when. After they talked a while, Lothril brought Renee down to meet the Fellowship so that they could meet the lady they had carried so far. After introductions, they invited her to have lunch with them, and after they ate and some conservation, Renee excused herself saying she had a headache and returned to her cottage. They were all quite glad to see she was well and hoped that before they left they could spend a bit more time talking with her. She was curious and quite different from Lothril, but very down to earth and fun. And it seemed that besides them, she largely only had Haldir to speak to.

"We shall have to go talk to her again," Pippin said cheerily. "Give her some friendly conversation."

"I quite agree," Merry said.

Author's note: For a few, precious few of the chapters I've written thus far I have had songs that ran riot in my head while I wrote them. Chapters 11-14, but particularly this chapter has had "Here With Me" by Dido as the theme. I'm not saying you should listen to it on a loop while you read this chapter, but I'm saying it wouldn't hurt. Throw in "Thank You" by Dido just to shake it up. If you're into classic 80s, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper