Original Author's Note: Hi all! For those of you who have read my HP fic "Two Hearts", I'm sorry that I had to discontinue it but I was very uninspired. And I have had this in my head for a long time and I am so excited! It's my first Lord of the Rings fic, so please be kind! Also, I live for reviews! The faster the reviews, the faster the updates. I need motivation. Thank you so much and I hope you like it. Enjoy!

UPDATE (Jan 2025):

Dear new and old readers,

It still amazes me that this story has been such a long time in the writing. While I took a good long break, I am back at this fic and hoping to finish it. I know my updates will still be sporadic at best, but they are coming. As I look back at this fic, however, I have realized that my writing has definitely grown since I first starting writing it. And I've realized that there are 1) certain things that irritate me about the earlier chapters and 2) certain inconsistencies between the early chapters and the most recent ones, particularly in writing style.

With those things in mind, I have begun UPDATING the earlier chapters. I will put a note at the beginning of each chapter with its "UPDATE DATE." That way it will be clear which chapters have been updated and when.

Thank you again for all of your support and encouragement on this fic. I hope that you enjoy the updates and that it serves to make the entire story more enjoyable to read.

Chapter 1: A Long-Awaited Reunion

UPDATED January 25, 2025

"Ai!"

The exclamation echoed through the small wooded dell. A bird stopped his chirping and cocked his head. A deer paused in his drink. A squirrel stopped its chattering. And the elf maiden continued to mutter under her breath as she inspected a large cut on her finger. Her fiery red hair was pulled back and covered in a blue scarf as she knelt by the creek bank, but some strands had escaped and blew across her face, almost as bright as the blood oozing from her finger. Her blue eyes gazed at the cut in concentration. As she gazed, agony crawled across her face. The cut on her finger began to knit itself back together as it began to glow with a bright golden light. The golden specks in her eyes and the golden streaks in her hair shone for a moment. But then the moment was gone and she shrunk back to her simple elven beauty. Her finger was unblemished and she flexed it in satisfaction.

A large hound put his head on her lap and whined softly.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, mellon." Her voice was soft, but slightly harsher than most elves. It was more approachable, more human. "It's not as though I have the opportunity to use my gifts in any more important way." There was an undercurrent of bitterness in her voice and her face dropped in sorrow as her natural golden light diminished to almost nothing.

"Don't let us think of that, dear. There are other things to do. Like washing these rugs for example."

She turned back to the task at hand as she wiped her hands on the brown apron covering her simple blue gown. The soap burned her fingers as she took up the work of scrubbing the rugs once more. She tried to distract her thoughts from travelling down dark, well-worn paths by only thinking of the fibers under her fingers, the warmth of the sun on her head, the birdsong in the trees. But it was difficult. The use of her healing powers, while closing up the cut on her finger, had yet opened up wounds of a different kind, wounds that would not be so easily mended.

When she had finished with her washing, she hung the rugs up to dry. She stretched her back and rubbed her neck. Washing was not one of her favorite chores, but at least she could be outside while completing it. Humming to herself, she picked up her basket and then moved across the clearing quietly on her bare feet. It was nearing the beginning of autumn, and she wished to enjoy the warm weather as long as possible, before being holed up in her home alone for the winter. She sighed as she approached her cozy hut that was tucked away in a little copse of oak and maple. She was lonely. She admitted it to herself. She admitted to herself that she wasn't necessarily the most social of people, but even she got tired of her own company after a while. And it had been fifteen years after all...

As she neared the door, the sound of hooves startled her and she dropped her basket, its load of herbs scattering in the wind.

"Ai!" she exclaimed once more. She bent to retrieve what she could of the wild thyme and kingsfoil she had gathered.

When she straightened up, a coal black mare had entered the copse. Her head was arched proudly, and she nickered as she pranced toward the elf maid.

"Ah, how are you, mellon nin? It has been a while." The horse nickered and snorted, pawing the ground and tossing her head impatiently. The maid looked at the horse sharply.

"Someone's coming?! How far?"

The horse snorted again.

"I must be distracted today. Usually I would have known sooner."

She ran into her hut, pulling off her head scarf as she went, before strapping a blade to her waist. Then she grabbed a long bow of exquisite craftsmanship, though simple in design. She stroked it gently and then proceeded to make sure every strand of her bright hair was covered by a green scarf. It would draw way too much attention to itself.

When she was ready, she set off towards the south, the direction from which the visitors were coming. She had only gone about a mile when she heard them - the soft steps of elven steeds. She quickly scaled a tree and waited, bow drawn, an arrow knocked and ready. There were five of them. Five male elves riding magnificent steeds. Their faces shone with a pale glimmer, as if the light of the stars themselves had been captured beneath their skin. The smallest twinge of envy shot through her heart and she blinked in surprise before she suppressed it quickly. The elves held their heads erect, eyes darting back and forth along the path, clearly alert to any sign of danger. Her eyes slid over them with a calculating look. And then her gaze found the leader of the group - he had dark midnight hair which stood in great contrast to the pale locks of the others and clear gray eyes. She froze suddenly. But then, a golden fire blazed to life in her heart. With a stab of sudden anger, she swung round and dropped lightly to the ground, right in front of the approaching elves and their leader's horse, her bow drawn, an arrow aimed directly at his heart.

"Daro!" Her voice rang with authority. Four of the elves had instantly drawn their bows as soon as she had landed, except for the dark-haired one. She now had four arrows aimed at her, but she paid them no heed. Her blazing eyes were fixed solely on their leader. He raised one hand.

"Lower your weapons," he said in a clear, strong elven voice that resonated with power. They obeyed, though somewhat reluctantly. She, however, did not budge one inch and kept her weapon aimed.

"Anariel? What sort of greeting is this, cousin?"

Her eyes narrowed as the other elves looked at their leader in surprise.

"Give me one reason, Elrohir, one good reason why I should greet you in any other way?" A golden shimmer began to surround her and her eyes glowed more furiously. The elves shifted nervously. Elrohir, however, was quite calm, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I can give several reasons, Anariel. Not the least of which is that it has been fifteen years and I miss you."

At these words, Anariel's light diminished almost completely until she looked like a forlorn little human child. A single tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it and she lowered her bow slowly.

"Elrohir," she whispered sadly. "You have no idea how your words and your father's words have haunted me. At night, when I am alone in the darkness but for the howling of the hunting wolves, they echo in my mind. 'We would have loved you' 'We would have been your family'. You are my family. You should have loved me, no matter what. No matter what." She started to shimmer slightly once more. "It is too much to ask. You want to come here, after fifteen years - not long to you, though it may be - and you ask me to act as if nothing is wrong. As if I have not been exiled for fifteen years. If you had 'missed me' truly, there has always been a very easy solution. I am sorry, but you are wasting your time." She turned and began to walk away.

"Anariel! Wait!" Elrohir spurred his horse and cut her off. She lifted her blue eyes to his gray ones. The hurt and sorrow that he read there cut him suddenly to the heart and he nearly gasped at the sight of it. He slid off his mount and stood before her, her small stature causing him to bend over to look her in the eye.

"Anariel, I truly have come to apologize. No don't turn away," he took her small hands in his larger ones. "We were wrong. All of us. Father admitted himself. He truly regrets...he regrets much. He is the one who sent me to get you. We need you... and your gifts."

Her shoulders slumped slightly at those last words. She wanted so desperately to believe him - that after all these years, her family truly forgave her. But she wanted more than their forgiveness. She wanted their understanding, their approval, their love. But with those three words, her briefly lifted hopes crumbled. Did they just want her for what she could do? How she could use her gifts? That was what she had wanted fifteen years ago. But now...now the thought was as a bitter draught of poison. Her pride rebelled at the thought of coming home like a meek suppliant to lay her gifts at the feet of a now-accepting uncle. But she immediately shut down that voice sternly. She needed to remember her reasons. Whether anyone else agreed or approved. And she'd been on her own for long enough that she knew how to clear her mind and focus on what was right. She was doing nothing of value hiding herself away from the world. It had made sense in response to his anger, to his ultimatum. But now...

"I will come with you, Elrohir," she said softly. He started to smile. "But it is hard to forget and it is truly even harder to forgive." She swallowed and looked away from him so that he might not see the struggle in her eyes. "I will be ready to leave for Imladris at dawn tomorrow. Please do not follow me. I will know if you do."

She turned and walked away through the trees, leaving a slightly frustrated Elrohir and four confused elves behind her.

"What was that about?" a tall, blond elf asked, baffled. Elrohir just shook his head.

The morning would come all too quickly.

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