Lord of the Rings 1. Chapter I

_A/N: So, yeah, this is my first story that I'm posting on this site. I've been writing for quite a while, but I haven't discovered this little corner of the Internet until a few weeks ago. I've studied character creation for some time now, so I hope my first OC Cress turns out nice and healthy. Also, I apologize beforehand for any OOC-ness that may occur in this story._

_A word about Cress before you meet her: she is an Elf, and she met and became Gandalf's student sometime between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. As of this first chapter, she is four hundred and thirteen years old._

_Now, on to the inspiration for this story; has anyone, besides me, been slightly ticked off that the Fellowship of the Ring never had a female member? Or at the fact that there weren't many main female characters in general? And The Hobbit literally had no female characters at all! I was really glad when the second Hobbit movie added Tauriel into the story. I don't understand why everyone seems to hate Tauriel; I think it was brilliant to put her in there. The main point: Lord of the Rings should have at least one reoccurring female lead (Arwen doesn't count as she isn't very interesting and hardly does anything unless it's for Aragorn). But that's just my opinion, you can argue it if you want, just don't flame me._

_Well, enough of my ranting! I don't own Lord of the Rings or any of the canon characters. Here's the story ~_

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><p><strong><span>Simple Gifts<span>**

*Chapter I:

_Dearest Diary, _

_Master Gandalf is taking me to the Shire for the first time. He told me that there is a hobbit in Hobbiton who is celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday, a very respectable age for a hobbit. I think this hobbit's name is Bilby Pappins or Billy Backins or something along those lines; I can't quite remember. Whatever the case, this Bilby Pappins is an old friend of Master Gandalf's from many years ago, and Master Gandalf has taken it upon himself to throw a nice little birthday party for him. I don't understand why I must come along as well, but Master Gandalf insisted. He says that I will like the Shire very much. "It's a lovely little corner of the world," he told me last week. "And hobbits are such interesting folk. I do think you'll find them most entertaining, Cress."_

_We, Master Gandalf and I, have been travelling on a wagon for the past two weeks, trying to get to the Shire. Not to mention, there are fireworks and all sorts of contraptions occupying space in the wagon; I barely have any leg room! The road to the Shire is not nearly the smoothest road I've ever taken. There are so many bumps and pot holes in the ground that I truly feel sorry for the poor beast that is pulling our load. _

_However, I must admit that the scenery is nice. Everything here is so green, and as I have told you before, green is my favorite color. It's very peaceful here, after we crossed the borders of the Shire. If it weren't for this horribly rickety wagon interfering with my comfort, I would actually enjoy this journey. Master Gandalf appears to be in a good mood. He must be very fond of Billy Backins, and from what I can understand, Billy Backins is quite the rich fellow. And he has a nephew named Frodo – or perhaps it's just Rodo? Draco? I've never been good at remembering names, especially these Shire names. They are very strange to me. Who would name their son Bilby? Now, my name – Cress – is a good name. I like my name; I suppose that is my favorite thing about myself. … Actually, that's a lie. My hair is rather nice, I think. Hmm… I can't quite decide. Perhaps I'll ask Master Gandalf._

"Master Gandalf?" Cress shifted her large, doe-like brown eyes away from her journal and looked up at the tall wizard who sat beside her in the tiny wagon. "What is your favorite thing about me, my hair or my name?"

Gandalf frowned at this odd question without taking his eyes off the road in front of him. "That is certainly a peculiar thought, my girl." He appeared to think for a few minutes, glancing over at the She-Elf once in a while to study her wavy honey blonde hair.

Cress continued to stare up at him expectantly, with a bright little smile gracing her lips as if Gandalf's answer meant the world to her. "Well?"

The wizard beamed as he thought of a response that would do. "If you're asking me what attribute of yours pleases me the most, I would have to say neither your hair nor your name."

His companion blinked obliviously for a couple of seconds, trying to decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Gandalf laughed at Cress' blank expression before elaborating on his answer, "Don't misunderstand me, Cress; I am not saying your hair looks bad or your name isn't satisfactory. I am merely pointing out that, if you are truly trying to find your best trait, you've left out the most obvious one."

"My eyes?" Cress guessed thoughtfully. Before Gandalf could reply, the She-Elf snatched out a throwing knife from her sleeve and peered at her reflection in the polished blade. She frowned when she saw that her eyes were still their marshy brown color. "My eyes aren't _that_ great, Master Gandalf," she said, still examining herself in the knife blade.

Gandalf took one hand away from the reins and made Cress, who was leaning dangerously close to the blade, lower the weapon to a safe distance from her face. "A person's best attributes are not found of the outside, Cress. Though your appearance is fair, it is nothing special. You are an Elf, and all Elves have fair physical features."

"Yes, you have told me that already, Master," Cress pointed out, but not rudely. "So what is your favorite quality of mine? I would very much like to know this, Master Gandalf."

"You are exceptionally bright," the wizard said at last. "Of all the years you've been my student, I have rarely seen you unhappy. Stay that way; it may bring hope and light to people around you when things seem the most hopeless and dark."

Cress frowned at that last part. "But, things won't get dark and hopeless, will they?"

Gandalf's eyes suddenly looked faraway and misty. After a long while, when the She-Elf was sure that her teacher wasn't going to answer, he did, "I dearly hope not, Cress. No one can tell for certain, but _if_ something terrible happens to Middle-earth, we must be strong."

Cress' eyes were wide with astonishment at the ominous tone of the wizard. "O-okay…"

They were both silent for a while as the wagon rolled on down the road and came to a clearing where the trees parted, revealing a beautiful stretch of land beyond a narrow little river. Little houses with round doors and windows scattered across the field. Miles of farmland could be seen where little people – the hobbits – were busily plowing the meadows and tending to crops. Gandalf halted the wagon to look over at Cress.

"Welcome to Hobbiton," he said with a warm smile. "Now, let us not burden ourselves with this talk of dark times. We are going to a birthday party, the merriest of all celebrations! Keep your chin up, look happy, smile, and wave."

Cress nodded eagerly and promptly began singing loudly a song in the Elven tongue. She enjoyed singing very much, though she was terrible at it, often driving away birds and causing the squirrels to throw acorns at her. However, being forever oblivious and unfazed by others' opinions of her, she continued to sing, noisily and very out of tune.

Gandalf flinched as she reached a very high and shrill tone. At once, he cupped his hand over Cress' mouth to stop the string of horrible notes – squawks and shrieks would be a better word.

When Cress looked at him, appearing confused and a bit annoyed, Gandalf shook his head at her and said, "I would stick to the flute if I were you."

The Elf huffed with displeasure, but reluctantly stopped her singing and dug her flute out of her little travel sack. She learned to play from her mother, and unlike her singing voice, Cress' flute playing was surprisingly good.

Her flute is a precious thing to her but not because it made up for her less than perfect vocal talents. Long ago, when Cress first started learning sorcery from Gandalf, the wizard had asked her to find an object that she would keep forever. This object, which turned out to be her flute, became the thing from which she channeled her magic, much like Gandalf's staff. Without her flute, Cress was very much like her teacher without his staff. It was like losing a part of her body.

Cress lifted the instrument to her lips and prepared to play that same tune she had just sung when she realized that she had not finished writing her diary entry yet. She quickly set the flute down and picked up her quill and notebook again as Gandalf urged the horse to go on.

_Master Gandalf says that he likes my personality better than my hair or name. But still, I must say my hair is very nice, so I'll have to decide that that is my favorite attribute about myself._

_Master Gandalf also said something about dark times. I hope he was only speaking metaphorically, for I am very much enjoying myself in this time a peace. It would be horrible if something was to come and disturb the concord. _

Suddenly, the sound of children shouting and cheering reached Cress' pointed ears, and she looked up to see that the wizard's wagon was surrounded by little hobbit children. They were all quite short and wore no shoes. None of them seemed to pay any attention to the Elf, but they all knew very well who Gandalf was.

"Fireworks! Fireworks!" the hobbit children cried excitedly. They chased Gandalf's wagon as it rolled slowly down the road and deeper into Hobbiton.

The deeper Gandalf drove into the village, the more tongues began to wag and people began to stare. To Cress' shock, a few of the inhabitant of Hobbiton glared and spat unfriendly words at their wagon as they passed. A notably unhappy hobbit family lived very close to the hobbit-hole that was the wizard and the She-Elf's destination.

"The Sackville-Bagginses," Gandalf leaned over and whispered to Cress. "They're not the most pleasant folk around these parts. Don't pay any attention to them."

"Why are they so… angry?" the student asked meaningfully. "If they keep frowning like that, they'll get frown lines. Are they always like that, or is it because we're here that they are unhappy?"

Gandalf briefly explained how the Sackville-Bagginses were relatives of Bilbo's – so that is him name! thought Cress – and they were next in line to inherit Bilbo's hobbit-hole… this is, before Bilbo adopted Frodo as his heir, and now the Sackville-Bagginses will never get the nice hobbit-hole they've been wanting ever since its owner came back from his journey 60 years ago, interrupting the auction that was being put on his home.

"What a lovely family…" Cress murmured. She did not like the look of disgust the Sackville-Bagginses gave her and her teacher/master/hero. "I do hope Bilbo and Frodo are more pleasant than them."

Gandalf grinned from behind his long bushy beard, "Worry not. Like I told you before, Bilbo is my old friend. He will graciously welcome us into his home. Ah, here we are!"

Cress was so busy trying to get a glimpse of the Sackville-Bagginses again, that she did not noticed the wizard halting the wagon in front of a quaint hobbit-hole at Bag End. The She-Elf first found the home to be the cutest thing in the world. It was so very small (probably very large for a hobbit) and so very cozy looking with its round green door and yellow door knob.

"It's lovely," she commented happily. Gandalf nodded at her, and Cress slid off the wagon. Standing up straight, Cress was a fair height; five feet and six inches tall. But that was still a rather short height on Elf standards. She first attempted to stretch her legs, but found that they were deeply asleep.

Cursing, Cress ignored the numbness and proceeded to help Gandalf in unloading the wagon a bit. Then, they went up to the gate in front of Bilbo's garden where a sign read '_No Admittance Except For Party Business', _then to the front door of the house and politely rang the bell.

Some hasty shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door. It swung inward after a short while, revealing a smiling old hobbit on the other side. His hair was curly and a pale grey to show his age, and his skin was slightly wrinkled. He didn't look nearly as old as Cress had expected, but it was still easy to tell that he was Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit that will turn one hundred and eleven years old very soon.

"Ah, Gandalf!" the hobbit squeaked delightedly. He first bowed at the wizard then slowly went forward to hug him around the waist, due to being too short and unable to reach his shoulders. Then he turned his attention to the Elf standing behind Gandalf, "And you must be…"

Cress smiled softly at him, dipped down in a sort of curtsy, and ended up falling on her face due to not being able to feel her legs. She scrambled back up, highly embarrassed, and straightened her clothes in a failed attempt to appear dignified after that humiliating slip-up.

She held out her hand to Bilbo, flashing a charming smile, "Hello, Mr. Packins – er, Baggins – sorry." She mentally banged her forehead against a table. "My bad, I'm not very good at remembering names. I hope you will forgive me."

Bilbo didn't seem bothered at all by this. He merely beamed at her, good-naturedly. "Now, now, there's nothing to forgive, my lass. I have been told much about you; you are Cress, the Elf pupil of Gandalf."

"That's right," Cress nodded, and properly shook hands with Bilbo.

"Oh! An Elf at my birthday party!" Mr. Baggins cried joyously. "Folk around here have seldom seen Elves at all. You and Gandalf are both most welcome in my home. Please, come in!"

He stepped out of the doorway to allow the wizard and the Elf entrance into his hobbit-hole. Gandalf entered first and had to stoop down in order to get through the tiny, circular doorway. Cress was next, and she, being shorter than her teacher, only needed to duck her head a bit in order to go into the cozy hole of Mr. Baggins.

As Bilbo led them deeper into his home, Gandalf knocked his head on a simple chandelier while he was busy keeping up with the hobbit's quick pace. Cress narrowly avoided hitting her temple on a beam that supported the ceiling as she followed closely behind her teacher.

At last, Bilbo brought them to a sitting room with a fireplace, a few chairs, and cups of tea waiting for them. The hobbit eagerly beckoned them to sit and have a drink.

Cress noticed a large chair that was bigger than all the others. She was quite sure that it was there for Gandalf. She looked around and found that there was not a seat big enough for her.

Mr. Baggins looked apologetic. "I am sorry, Ms. Cress, but I do not have any other chairs that you would be comfortable in. Please excuse my unpreparedness."

Cress saw that Gandalf had already sunk into his prepared armchair. "It's alright, Mr. Baggins," she gave him a reassuring grin. "Don't mind me. I'll just go outside and get the party decorations ready. And our horse is tired from the long journey, so I should probably tend to him first. You enjoy your tea, Mr. Baggins."

This seemed to make the hobbit feel slightly better about not pleasing a guest. Cress carefully weaved her way through the many tunnels of the _smial _and found her way to the front door again. She slipped out of the hobbit-hole, closed the door behind her, and turned to Gandalf's wagon which still sat before the gate to Bilbo's garden.

The Elf approached the wagon, took a crateful of fireworks from the back, and prepared to take it to the wide field that was to be the site of the party. However, when she tried to pull the crate away, it wouldn't budge. She frowned and pulled harder. A flash of skin appeared, and Cress realized that someone was fighting over the crate with her. "Hey!" the She-Elf shouted, thinking it was one of the Sackville-Bagginses or just some hooligan hobbit children. "What do you think you're doing? Get out of there! Those fireworks can blow up in your face, you little thief!"

"I'm not a thief!" came the reply in a male voice. "These party favors are for my uncle from Gandalf the Grey! What are _you_ doing with them?!"

Cress grunted as the crate was wretched out of her hand, leaving some painful wood splinters. She drew her flute from her belt and brandished it around a little, ready to hex whoever may attack her. "Just who in the name of Elrond are you!?" she hissed venomously. "Show yourself!"

To her great shock, a young hobbit stepped out from behind the wagon and into view. He was taller than most of the hobbits Cress had seen so far, but still quite short, which is probably why the Elf couldn't see him before. He had very curly, dark brown hair, bright eyes, and a cleft in his chin.

"Frodo?" Cress guessed uncertainly.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" the hobbit demanded, still clutching the fireworks he had wrestled out of Cress' grip. Then, he appeared to do a double take when he saw the She-Elf's face.

Cress, realizing that she had made a mistake, hastily lowered her flute from its threatening position. "I am Cress, Elf student of Gandalf," she said as friendlily as she could. "I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else. These party favors _do _rightfully belong to you. I was merely helping in delivering them to the party grounds." She took a step back from Frodo.

"So Gandalf's here?" the hobbit asked excitedly.

"Yes, he's inside the hobbit-hole, having tea with Bilbo."

Frodo studied her for a moment, "And did you say you were an Elf?"

Cress nodded, "Yes, I am. And if you're planning on taking those fireworks to the site of Mr. Bilbo Baggins' birthday party, I will be glad to help you with the task."

"Er… Right," Frodo said, glancing over the contents of the wagon.

The She-Elf stashed away her flute, swiftly took an armful of fuses and fireworks, and marched past Frodo, leading him to the place where the party tent will be set up.

The hobbit followed closely behind her, also carrying armloads of party supplies. "What did you mean when you said you're a 'student' of Gandalf?"

"It means," Cress replied. "that Gandalf educates me. I travel with him and learn what I must know in order to become a sorceress. I met him many years ago when I still lived in the forest. As far as I know, I think I am the only pupil he has ever taken."

"Just wait till Sam hears about this," Frodo said heartily.

"Sam? Who is Sam?"

"His father is Bilbo's gardener. He's a good friend of mine and has an interest in Elves. I think he wants to see an Elf more than anything in the world."

"Does he?" Cress set the fireworks on the grassy meadow and turned back toward Bilbo's house to pick up some more. "Have _you _ever seen an Elf before me?"

Frodo shook his head, "No, they don't usually come here. I'd say most of the folk around here are scared of them. Elves are adventurous and hobbits are a quiet, peaceful race."

"Then I suppose your friend Sam is a special little hobbit, isn't he?" Cress asked with a knowing smile.

The two continued to talk and exchange stories as they moved the party supplies, little by little, from the wagon to the meadow. By the time they were done, Gandalf and Bilbo came finished their tea time and came out to see that the party tent was ready to be raised, the decorations were ready to be hung, and the fireworks were ready to be set on fire.

A crowd of hobbits from all over Hobbiton had gathered at the meadow to gawk at Gandalf's supplies. Then, they started helping with the tent and the decorations. At this, Cress decided that hobbits were pleasant and merry folk after all. And that she would greatly enjoy her stay at the Shire.


	2. Chapter II

*Chapter II:

On the night of the party, September 22nd, Cress was in a merry mood – well, an even _merrier _mood than she usually was. She wore a dress of green and yellow which was very tight and scratchy. If Cress had her way, she'd wear men's clothes as they are much more comfortable and easy to move around in.

While Bilbo and Frodo greeted the mobs of guests that were expected to arrive, Cress sorted out Gandalf's fireworks. Once in a while, the Elf would look in the Baggins' direction and see that presents were being eagerly exchanged.

Cress tugged on Gandalf's sleeve when the wizard came around. "Master Gandalf, why are Bilbo and Frodo handing out presents as well? It's their birthday, isn't it? Why must they give presents to the guests?"

"It is hobbit tradition to give presents to everyone on fine occasions," the wizard explained. "Hobbits are very generous folk, mind you, and to receive present and give them away is what makes them happiest."

An awful thought struck Cress' mind just then. She gasped in horror and snapped her head up to stare at her teacher with wide eyes. "I didn't bring a present! Oh Master Gandalf, what will I do? I can't walk into a birthday party without a present to give out; it is a disgrace!"

"Calm yourself," Gandalf said with a smile. "I'm sure Bilbo will understand. This is your first time in the Shire, so you do not know of the traditions here."

"But I still feel terribly guilty…" Cress looked out at the delighted faces of the hobbits that had just arrived to the party.

"Why don't you go out and greet some guests?" Gandalf suggested. "Mingle with them and it might take your mind off some things. And the hobbit children will be delighted to hear some music and stories, if you have any to tell. Go and entertain them while I get the rest of these fireworks ready."

The Elf nodded and skipped off toward the party tent. Little lantern were hung within the tent and dozens of round tables scattered underneath the pavilion. Cress made a mental note that hobbits loved round things. There was also a large yellow banner over the meadow that read '_Happy Birthday, Bilbo Baggins_'.

By the time all the invited hobbits showed up at the party, Cress began to suspect if some of them had been invited at all. There were so many little people running around that the Elf couldn't imagine how many invitations the Bagginses had to write. Surely a few of the guests must have shown up without even receiving an invitation

When the sun set behind the western horizon and the moon and stars rose up, Cress could hardly even call this celebration a party. It was really more of a series of different entertainments mashed together into one setting. There was eating (that was where Cress found most of the phony guests who only came for the food), singing (Gandalf advised Cress to avoid this activity), fireworks (all the children were gathered here), and dancing which was where the She-Elf decided to go.

A large area was cleared of tables and chairs to be made into an area for folk who fancied the art of dancing. A band of panpipes, drums, banjos, and fiddles played lively music for the dancers, and a circle of people, who weren't twirling around or pirouetting were laughing and clapping like they were having the time of their lives.

As Cress maneuvered around the little people, careful not to knock any of them to the ground, she noticed a very odd and comical sight. Frodo was standing near the dancing circle and appeared to be giving a lecture to a younger, somewhat chubby hobbit. The younger of the two was fidgeting with the ends of his vest, and once in a while he would gaze toward a beautiful female hobbit swaying around gracefully in the circle.

Cress smirked with delight as she watched Frodo shove his friend into the ring of dancers. The poor guy ended up dancing clumsily with the object of his affections while Frodo stood off to the side, laughing at him.

Quirking an eyebrow at this, Cress approached Frodo and sat down on the ground beside him. "You seem to find great joy in embarrassing your friend," she stated with a smile.

Frodo was so busy watching the younger hobbit trip over his feet as the girl hobbit elegantly twirled in circles that he did not notice the Elf come closer. "Oh, Sam?" he asked, becoming aware of what Cress had said to him. "I'm not embarrassing him. I'm doing him a favor, really. He's so shy that he'd never ask her to dance on his own."

"Are you sure about that?" Cress asked fondly, motioning toward Sam, whose face was bright red and hands probably very sweaty. "He looks quite humiliated to me."

Before Frodo could reply, a little child hobbit approached them bashfully and held out his tiny hand to Cress, "Wood yew like to danth wih me, Miss?" He sounded like he wasn't even sure what those words meant, that he had only recently been taught how to say them.

Cress' eyes widened in questioning, slight shock, and cuteness overload. She glanced over at Frodo with a look that read, "Is he being serious?" Frodo gave an enthusiastic nod to her, and the Elf cheerfully accepted the offer of the hobbit child.

Despite their immense difference in height, Cress still had lots of fun with that hobbit child. And throughout the entire night, it was that single little boy that had the boldness to ask her to dance.

A few more hours passed and Cress sank into a big chair that was set up for her among the many dinner tables in the tent. She scooted over to sit beside Frodo and Sam, who looked like they were having a serious talk. Frodo was patting his friend on the back while Cress set her chair at their table and stabbed her fork into the sausages and bread rolls that were piled up on her plate. "Hello," she greeted them simply and started stuffing her face with food. She was quite hungry after so much dancing and storytelling.

Since she was so busy with her dinner, Cress didn't notice a piece of carrot falling out of Sam's mouth and landing back on his plate as he noticed her overly pointy ears and long hair – the features of an Elf.

For a moment, Cress wasn't sure what made the table go quiet. She looked up, her cheeks stuffed with rice and corn, "Wot?" She swallowed and gazed at Frodo and Sam with confusion, tilting her head to one side curiously, "Have I done something wrong?"

"Told you," Frodo said to Sam with a smile of triumph. "I told you there was an Elf in Hobbiton, and you wouldn't believe me."

Sam could only nod slowly at this.

Cress, realizing that nothing was the matter, promptly resumed the stuffing of her face with various foods. She only looked up from her plate when she heard Bilbo clear his throat, getting ready for his speech.

The old hobbit began his address by thanking everyone for coming to the party. Then, he spoke of how one hundred and eleven years was not nearly enough time spent with the people of Hobbiton and many other things. However, no one appeared to be paying attention to his words until he said: "I am making an ANNOUNCEMENT. I regret to announce that this is the end. I am going. I am leaving now. Good-bye!"

And he simply vanished!

Cress was so caught off guard that she spat out the beverage she was drinking all over Sam. Then, she choked on the rest, and Frodo had to smack her hard on the back to stop her from gagging and retching like an old hag. Once she recovered from her coughing, the Elf muttered a quick apology to Sam and stood up from her seat, looking over the heads of the party guest in an attempt to locate Bilbo. But the old hobbit was nowhere to be found.

The party guests were in frenzy as each of them began coming up with different theories as to where their host had gone, each explanation more outrageous than the last. Amidst the chaos and mayhem, Cress managed to plow through the crowd, due to her size advantage, and immediately rushed off to find Gandalf.

Her first place to look was where his fireworks were stacked up, but he was not there. And instead of the wizard, Cress found two young hobbits groping around the firecrackers and digging through Gandalf's supplies. She didn't even bother to order them to get out of there. Then, she made for Bilbo's hobbit-hole.

In her haste, Cress accidentally banged her forehead against the low doorway of Mr. Baggins's house. She cursed under her breath and rubbed her bruised skull before shutting the door behind her. "Master Gandalf? Are you in here?"

She walked along a few corridors and halls before finding Bilbo and Gandalf sitting in the room with the fireplace and tea sets. However, the hobbit looked like he was getting ready to leave the on a long journey. He carried his walking stick and had a large backpack on his shoulders. Cress saw a flash of gold as she quickly approached them. "What was that? Master?"

Bilbo hurried past her and toward the front door. Gandalf didn't answer the Elf's question. Instead, he simply said, "Leave me alone for a while, won't you? I need silence and time to think." The wizard sank into a chair and began puffing on his pipe pensively.

Cress was puzzled and worried by this, but she nodded hesitantly and slowly backed out of the doorway with reluctance. She did not think it was a good idea to question Gandalf's orders, not when he looked so stern and grim. On her way out, she unintentionally banged her head again on the low door frame and winced pitifully before getting down on her hands and knees to simply crawl her way out of the hobbit-hole.

Just as she was about to reach the round green front door, it swung open quickly and hit Cress in the nose, hard. The Elf spat a very unfriendly Elvish curse loudly at whoever rammed the door in her face. Then, she whimpered in pain and touched her nose. It wasn't broken, thank goodness, but it was starting to bleed.

It turned out to be Frodo who had swung the heavy wooden door in her face. The young hobbit stepped into the _smial _and jumped with a start when he saw Cress curled up in a corner pinching her nose with two large bruises on her forehead.

"Thanks a lot," the Elf muttered angrily, glaring at Frodo. "You ought to be careful about opening that door."

"I'm sorry…" the hobbit looked at her with worry before hurrying off the kitchen. He quickly returned with a soft rag and handed it to Cress, who held it to her nose to block the bleeding. Then, Frodo looked around, "Is Bilbo here?"

Cress had her arms crossed in an annoyed manner with her right hand pressing the rag to her nostrils and head tilted back. "No, he just left. But Gandalf's in the sitting room. He's thinking."

Frodo looked like he wanted to ask Cress to elaborate about Bilbo "leaving", but the agitation in her eyes clearly read, "_Don't talk to me._" The hobbit left the Elf alone and strolled down the many corridors of the _smial, _looking for the wizard.

Cress didn't dare to get up and try to explore the hobbit-hole again, in fear that she'll get more bruises and possibly something worse than just a nose bleed. She sat in the entrance hall and glowered. But she could hear Gandalf and Frodo talking in hushed voices in a room further down the tunnel. Cress caught bits and pieces of their conversation, but none of it made much sense; a ring, Bilbo never coming back to Bag End, and the hobbit-hole officially belonging to Frodo.

In the days that followed the party, Bilbo did not come back. Cress did not like the thoughtful, faraway look in Gandalf's eyes. In fact, what really made the Elf worry was when the wizard announced that they, he and Cress, will be leaving a Hobbiton a week before they were scheduled to go.

"You've been acting very odd, lately, Master Gandalf," Cress stated bluntly when the wizard told her to pack quickly. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, yes, everything's fine," her teacher replied hastily. "Well, at least I hope so. There is something very urgent that I must do. You cannot come with me, Cress. I am sending you to Rivendell to live with Lord Elrond for some time."

Cress immediately opened her mouth to ask why she couldn't go with him, but the wizard must have anticipated it because he went on before the Elf could get a word out. "Don't question it, my girl. Do you remember the promise you made over fifty years ago?"

The Elf swallowed audibly and recited, "_If I am to become Gandalf the Grey's apprentice and travelling companion, I must not question nor disobey any direct orders, for they are all for my own good. I must have self-control and the highest level of discipline, for recklessness will not be tolerated. And if great danger is to fall upon us, I must save myself, even if it means leaving my Master behind. Should I ever break this oath, my Master has every right to dismiss me. I swear upon the fiery depths of Mount Doom in Mordor._"

A distant rumble could be heard like faraway thunder as Cress said "_Mordor_".

Gandalf looked at his student meaningfully. "First, I shall take you to Rivendell. Once you are there, you must not leave until I myself come to retrieve you. Lord Elrond will look after you while I am gone."

"How long will you be gone?" Cress thought that was a fair and completely reasonable question to ask.

The wizard looked troubled. "It's hard to say. I will try to come back as quickly as I can, but I cannot give you an exact date."

That wasn't reassuring at all. The Elf took a deep breath and nodded, acting like she understood when she really didn't. "Yes, Master. Let us go to Rivendell." As she stuffed the last of her belongings into a small drawstring sack, Cress had no idea that she would be housed in the Last Home House for nearly twenty years.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I guess you can call these first two chapters a prologue. The next chapter will begin when Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Aragorn arrive at Rivendell, like, nineteen years later, so yeah... Anyways, REVIEW for me, won't you? And many thanks to my first Follower and my first Favoriter! You guys are amazing ^_^_


	3. Chapter III

*Chapter III:

_Seventeen Years Later…_

Cress let out a shriek of horror as she sat bolt upright in her bed. Her hair was a mess and half of her blankets were twisted up and on the floor beside her. The Elf panted, her eyes wide with panic as she recalled the nightmare she had just woken up from.

In her dream, she stood on a very high and snowy cliff at night. Below her, she saw two figures; one was grey and the other white. She was quite sure that they were her Master Gandalf and Grandmaster Saruman, and they were fighting. Bolts of lightning and walls of fire sprang from their staffs violently while snow swirled mercilessly around them. The blizzard was so thick that Cress could hardly see anything.

And at the end of the dream, the sound of the wind and thunder grew so loud and the snow fell so heavily that Cress became immensely afraid. She woke up just as the blanket of snow around her grew so tall that it covered the top of her head, and she heard the battle no more.

Cress did not wake up buried in snow. She was in a soft bed with many sheets and quilts laid upon her. She was in the homely house of Elrond. Pale moonlight streamed in rays through a small balcony to her left, facing south. White curtains fluttered in the night breeze while the distant sound of gushing waterfalls could be heard. It was very peaceful in Rivendell, as if it was cut off from the troubled and violent outside world beyond the Misty Mountains.

The She-Elf's breathing had slowly decreased in speed, and Cress inhaled deeply to calm herself further. "Just a dream…" she murmured in the dark to herself. "Just a stupid dream. There's nothing to worry about. Master Gandalf is safe. He is in the room on the third floor, right below you. He's fine."

Only the day before had the She-Elf seen her master for the first time in almost two decades. Needless to say, she had lots and lots of questions for him.

Seventeen years ago, Gandalf had simply left her there in front of the grand doors of Elrond's home. He had said a very swift farewell and rode away, leaving the young Elf standing awkwardly in front of the Last Homely House.

It was rather chilly outside, so Cress had reached out a hand to Ring the doorbell of Elrond's magnificent mansion. But before her finger could press the little silver button, the doors swung open by itself, allowing golden light from inside the house to fall on her. It was warm and inviting, so the Elf confidently walked in, and the doors closed behind her.

"Welcome, Lady Cress student of Gandalf the Grey, to the home of Lord Elrond," said a male Elf who stood in the entrance hall and bowed. "I am Glorfindel. Please follow me to your quarters."

Cress had never been shown such formal respect before, but she liked it a lot. _Lady Cress…_ she thought, tapping her chin_. Yes, I like that title. It's nice._ She thanked the Elf and followed him to the room in which she would be staying until Gandalf came back to pick her up.

Afterwards, she had dinner with the household of Elrond, including Elrond himself. There was also the Lady Arwen, whom Cress thought to be very beautiful, even for an Elf. Many days after she first arrived at the Last Homely House, Cress began pondering how she can make herself as fair and lovely as Elrond's daughter.

Cress had always thought that she wasn't too bad looking, but when standing next to Lady Arwen, she could not compare in beauty. The younger Elf's hair wasn't as thick and full as Arwen's, and her skin wasn't anywhere near as flawlessly smooth as the Evenstar's. Also, Elrond's daughter was a few inches taller than her, which truly made Cress feel invisible. And though she was already a full grown Elf, Cress' chest was relatively flat.

If Cress had cared very much about her looks, she would have felt very resentful toward Arwen, but she didn't for her appearance was low on her list of priorities. Like I told you before, she had the tendency of wearing men's clothes, if given her way.

For nearly twenty years, Cress had stayed in the Last Homely House while Gandalf went about Middle-earth, dealing with the businesses that he did not wish for his student to know. It was supposed to be a temporary stay, but the amount of time Cress had spent there felt like a permanent change.

There was one positive thing that the Elf found at Elrond's house besides the general feeling of safety and comfort; Bilbo Baggins was there. However, seeing as though they hardly knew each other at first, Cress didn't talk to him much. But as the years went by, Gandalf's apprentice grew bored at the Last Homely House, so she started spending a lot of her time with the old hobbit.

She read bits and pieces of the book he was writing and was especially interested in what Gandalf did before he met her, when he was helping Thorin Oakenshield and Company on the quest for Smaug's treasure hoard.

Cress had expected that she'd only be staying at the house of Elrond for a several months, but it turned out to be just over seventeen years. When Gandalf finally came back from his unexplained adventures and studies, he had quite a tale to tell.

However, he was tired from his travels, so Elrond advised him to get some sleep before telling of his solo adventures.

Cress was very angry with Gandalf for leaving her at the Last Homely House for so long, but when she saw her Master, the only thing she could do was hug him tightly around the waist and cry tears of joy, for she was half expecting that he had abandoned her, or worse. Cress didn't know what she would do if the wizard was killed on his travels or taken captive by orcs or nasty Wargs.

And the nightmares had been coming for months before Gandalf returned. Even now that Cress knew he was safe, her bad dreams continued. It was quite unhealthy, and the She-Elf wondered more than once if she should report this.

Cress massaged her temples for a few minutes to clear her mind and sighed in defeat and stress. She sank back into her puffy pillows and stared up at the domed ceiling of her sleeping quarters. "I must be going mad."

Then, she slept again until the sun rose hours later.

* * *

><p>Cress was very agitated. She had been looking forward to hearing about where Gandalf had been for the past seventeen years, and now, two days after his return, he refused to tell her anything. And if others had heard about it, they didn't tell her. The She-Elf knew better than to push the wizard, so she took her annoyance out the eggs and bacon she was eating for breakfast.<p>

She moodily stabbed at the eggs, reducing them to a pile of white and yellow mush after a few minutes. Then, she turned to the bacon and tore at them with her teeth as if they were jerky.

The Elves sitting nearby eyed her wearily and innocently scooted their chairs and plates several inches away from her.

After the breakfast, something very interesting happened that made Cress forget about Gandalf completely. It was so utterly random from the She-Elf's clueless point of view that, at first, she thought it was a joke.

Cress was pacing to and fro in the gardens in front of Elrond's house that morning when she saw a group of Elves hurrying along the rocky path just outside of Rivendell, the path between the Ford of Bruinen and the city. They appeared to be hauling a small unconscious body with them. As they quickly drew nearer, Cress was able to see who they were carrying.

It was a hobbit. He looked quite familiar, but Cress, with her less than flawless memory, could not quite put her finger on it.

There was a bandage on the hobbit's left shoulder and various small cuts and bruises on his face. He was also wet and looked like he took a swim in a river or lake. That couldn't be good, considering he was unconscious. Maybe he drowned?

Cress dug deep into her thoughts, trying to remember who the hobbit was. He wore a golden ring around his neck on a chain that the Elf thought to be very pretty, but she only got a brief glimpse of it before he and the ring disappeared into Elrond's mansion. This piece of jewelry also brought back some shreds of memories; a flash of gold, the talk of a ring in Bilbo's mansion many years ago that Cress heard, the young hobbit who lived in and owned the cozy _smial _at Bag End.

It came back to Cress after a few minutes of oblivious pondering, and she eventually realized that that was Frodo whom she had just seen. But what was he doing so far away from the Shire?

You can imagine how confused she was; knowing nothing of the Ring (except from Bilbo's story, but he claimed to have lost the Ring), the Dark Lord, and the danger the hobbits had gone through to get to Rivendell.

Cress' immediate reaction, since the other Elves gave her no time to ask questions, was to tell Bilbo that his heir was in the house of Elrond. She half walked and half ran to the porch that Bilbo usually sat at during the daytime, and surely enough, he was there, looking as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself as he wrote in his red notebook.

The old hobbit looked up when he heard Cress come out onto the patio. "Ah, hello there, dear girl. It's wonderful to see you, but I'm afraid I have not finished the next chapter yet. You will have to wait a couple more days to read more of _There and Back Again._"

"This isn't about that," Cress said, although she would have very much liked to read some more of Bilbo's book. "It's Frodo," – Bilbo's head snapped up at this with curiosity – "he's here in the Homely House. I saw them bring him in."

"Frodo?" the hobbit whispered faintly. "So he finally came…"

"He looked like he'd just gone through Hell and back," the Elf replied. "Do you want me to take you to go see him if Lord Elrond will allow it?"

Bilbo set aside his book in a slow and dull manner due to his age catching up with him. Cress helped him out of his chair, and they walked together into the mansion. The Elf carefully walked Bilbo around, looking for the room where Elrond's household may have brought Frodo. Once in a while, they would see a people hurrying through the wide corridors, carrying healing supplies; these were who Cress and the old hobbit followed in order to find Frodo's chamber.

Judging from the haste of the Healer Elves, Frodo must be quite injured. When Cress and Bilbo found the right door, the Halfling was allowed entry inside while the She-Elf was forced to stay out.

Cress, feeling excluded, annoyed, and lonely, reluctantly stayed away from the door and did not try to force her way in. She could understand that Bilbo was a relative of Frodo, so he should have every right to see him. But why not Cress? She's Frodo's friend… sort of. And she's been a good girl during her stay, hasn't she (asides from the fact that she got a bit arrogant after being referred to as "Lady" the first time she met Glorfindel and ended up constantly reminding Elrond's household that her name was "Lady Cress" not "Cress")?

Cress wasn't sure how long she waited in the empty corridor while Elrond worked healing magic on Frodo. When the door finally opened and other Elves filed out, Cress was surprised to find that three other hobbits were in the room, but they were completely conscious while their friend was not. There were Sam and two other younger hobbits that Cress did not know; if she did, she didn't remember.

What really made the corners of the She-Elf's eyes twitch with agitation was that Aragorn was also allowed into Frodo's room. Cress knew Aragorn a little bit as the Ranger lived at the Last Homely House for some time when she had first arrived. And as he grew up from a boy to a man, he left Rivendell and only visited on special occasions. Cress thinks that he has an affair with Lady Arwen, but she can't be sure. If it was true, Cress wondered how the massive age difference would work out.

As far as Cress knew, Aragorn had nothing to do with Frodo, so why does he get to visit him with she was denied entry? Although she hardly knew the Human, the She-Elf didn't very much like him after that event.

Also, Gandalf was in there too. He looked grim and troubled.

Cress immediately approached him and spoke with dangerous aggression, "Master Gandalf, will you please inform me as to what is going on? What happened to Frodo? What's he doing here, anyway? And who were those two hobbits with Sam? You never told me why you were gone from me for so long, either. Are you planning on keeping it a secret forever or telling me now?"

"One request at a time, my girl," Gandalf tried to soothe her. "To address your last question; yes, I will tell you when the time comes. In time, I will tell you everything, but not now. I have important matters to discuss with Lord Elrond."

Cress started to say something that was meant to be a retort, but Gandalf didn't hear it as he had already swept away down the corridor and disappeared around a corner.

That night, the She-Elf nearly snapped her quill as she wrote in her diary:

_Dearest Diary,_

_There's something wrong. Despite Master Gandalf being back with me, I feel more alone than ever. The Master won't share any stories of what had occupied him for the past seventeen years; I suspect it must be something dark, as he appeared reluctant and hesitant to say out in the open. I hope he doesn't think I'm too young to hear these things because I am not. _

_I heard murmurs of a secret council that is to be held once Frodo recovers from whatever it is that struck him down (no one will tell me what this is, so I don't know exactly). If these rumors are true, surely Gandalf and Elrond will be there, and a few more shall be invited to the discussion. Perhaps everything will be revealed for me when I am summoned to the council._

_What's that? You don't think I'll be summoned at all? Yes, well, I can only pray that Lord Elrond will see me fit to attend his very important council. However, if my luck should run out and I am not invited to the council, I suppose I will have to go whether I am welcome or not. Perhaps I'll hide in the bushes or disguise myself as a servant so that I can hear what is being exchanged as I serve the members of the council. I haven't quite decided yet, but I'll figure something out. In any case, if I am summoned to the council, I will not have to think of an eavesdropping plan. Hopefully, that will be the case, and I won't have to worry about getting caught, kicked out of the council in front of all the members, and bringing embarrassment to my Master._

_I must know what is happening, even if Master Gandalf does not approve. He has delayed telling me the situation long enough! I must take matters into my own hands._

_-Cress _


	4. Chapter IV

*Chapter IV:

It took Frodo three days to heal from his injuries, and in that time, Cress waited expectantly for an invitation to the council that is to be held.

After much sneaking around and eavesdropping, the Elf was able to confirm that the council was not a rumor and will take place the day after Frodo recovers. When news floated around the Last Homely House that the little hobbit was awake, Cress began anticipating her summon even more.

On the morning of the council, the She-Elf began to worry a little. She still heard no sign of being invited, and it didn't make her happy. Also, it appeared that Elrond had many guests arrive at his front door that morning.

Cress tried to be like a ninja and stealthily make her way into Elrond's garden so that she could catch a glimpse of the visitors. She was sure they were going to attend the council; they looked like very important people with very important business to take care of with the Lord of Rivendell.

The first that Cress saw was a Human. He had a sort of purposeful appearance, being tall, dark haired, and had a noble and fair face. His garments looked rich which gave Cress the impression that he was a prince or lord or simply a very rich person.

Next was a small band of Dwarves with thick beards, hard eyes, and giant axes hanging on their belts. If they had not rode into Elrond's courtyard on ponies, Cress would have been intimidated by them.

Lastly, several Elves rode majestically on white horses into the garden. They all had golden hair, handsome faces, and wore green and brown garments that labeled them as the representatives of Mirkwood far to the east. They looked different from the Elves of Lothlórien, where Cress was from, but they were still as fair as all Elves were.

With so many people present, Cress had a sudden, childish worry that there won't be enough chairs at the council for her to have a spot. The She-Elf jumped with a start as she heard a clear distant ringing of a bell.

Upon the ringing, all the guests in the courtyard hurried into the Last Homely House with haste. _Was that supposed to be the summoning of the council?_ Cress wondered, tilting her head to one side. _I suppose I'd better go._

The Elf quickly darted into Elrond's house through a side door that faced the north and sprinted down the maze-like hallways, up wide staircases, and through archways. No one had even bothered to tell her where the council was being held.

After much persuading, Cress got one of the servant Elves to tell her where the council was. At this point, the She-Elf had determined that she was not welcome at the meeting. Why else would Elrond's household be so reluctant to tell her where it was located?

Cress cursed herself for not thinking of an exact plan to get into the council should she not receive a summon. She paced back and forth in front of the door that led to the porch where Bilbo always sat and where Gandalf and Elrond were holding the meeting, racking her brain for an idea of getting in. She paced so furiously that the two guards who stood at the door told her to go somewhere else as she was beginning to wear down the carpet.

It just so happened that at that moment, a servant Elf passed by, carrying a tray of Elvish pastries in the direction of the council room.

Cress abruptly stopped pacing and ran after her. "Pardon me, but would you be bringing these deserts to the Council of Elrond?"

The servant nodded fondly, "Yes, Lady Cress," she said. "Lord Elrond himself ordered these to be brought to the guests who have come so far, seeking our Lord's advice. They must be tired and hungry after their long journey; these cakes will bring them new energy with just one bite. Now, if you will excuse me, Lady, I must be going."

Cress made a split second decision. She stopped the servant again, before she could go on her way. "I'm sorry to bother you again," said she with a considerate smile. "But I think you work too hard."

The servant looked at her with confusion, "I am afraid I do not understand, my lady."

Improvising her next lines, Cress went on, "You deserve a break, my dear friend. Why don't you go enjoy yourself, and I shall take the food to Lord Elrond."

At this, the other Elf smiled gently, appreciating Cress' offer. "That is very kind of you, Lady Cress, but I think I can manage on my own. And it would not be right to make a guest serve her host as you are a guest of Lord Elrond."

"Uh…" Cress thought fast, her eyes shifting left and right with calculation. "Actually," she mentally congratulated herself on thinking up this next one. "It's no problem, really. And what I truly wanted to tell you was that, um… Lady… Arwen – yes, Lady Arwen – needed someone to go to her chambers."

Noting the way the servant's eyebrows rose with interest, Cress was encouraged to go on with her story. "Yes, she is in need of assistance as soon as possible. Her hair is… stuck in a… lamp," she mentally face palmed herself at the stupidity level that her tale was reaching. "She asked for you, specifically, so you'd better go to her. I'll take the cakes to Lord Elrond for you."

She reached for the tray, and the servant appeared to think for a moment before letting her take it. "Thank you, Lady Cress," the servant bowed low. "Lady Arwen must be tended to at once, and I thank you deeply for letting me know this. Please, I hope the tray isn't too heavy."

Cress faked an understanding smile and nodded enthusiastically until the servant was gone, heading in the direction of Arwen's chamber to help the Evenstar with her (nonexistent) hair problem. When she was out of sight, Cress breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, she carried the cake tray in both her hands in a waitress-like manner and strutted off to the porch. When she arrived at the door again, it was guarded by the same two Elves from before.

"I'm simply bringing refreshments for the Council," Cress explained with an innocent smile on her lips when the guards asked her what she was doing.

"Be quick," one of them ordered, and opened the door for her.

"Thank you," Cress stepped out into the morning sunlight as she came into the large round patio bordered by carefully trimmed trees, flower beds, and a semicircle of tall chairs where Elrond and his Council sat.

She gulped nervously as she took note of the tense atmosphere. Hands shaking slightly, Cress lifted the cake tray up to where its contents hid most of her face from view. She was sure that Gandalf would figure out her intentions if he saw her bring in the food. It would be best to not draw attention to herself.

_Just serve the food slowly, try to listen to as much as you can of what the Council is saying. Then, get out._ Cress nodded to herself reassuringly as she decided that her plan was simple enough.

The She-Elf took a deep breath before slowly walking over to the porch, still hiding her face behind the cake.

"… Give me leave, Master Elrond, to say more of Gondor," the Human that Cress had seen in the garden was standing and asking for permission to speak.

Cress, still shakily approaching the Council, prepared to start memorizing as much as she could of what the Human was about to say. As he continued, the She-Elf silently stepped onto the patio and began to offer deserts to the members, starting with Elrond, who accepted one without looking away from the Human.

Then, the She-Elf served the rest of the occupants of the porch, starting on the side of the semicircle to Elrond's left. Frodo was first, but he shook his head at the food when it was presented to him. He looked troubled and honestly a bit sick.

And so, Cress moved on to Bilbo who sat beside Frodo. The older hobbit gladly accepted a slice of the Elvish delicacy. Next was Gandalf.

The She-Elf held her breath as her Master reached out and received a cake. He, like Elrond, did not take his eyes off of the Human that was speaking to the Council about Gondor, and therefore did not notice that it was his student who was handing out the refreshments.

Beside Gandalf were a few of the Mirkwood Elves whom Cress had witnessed arriving at the Last Homely House earlier that morning. They too gladly accepted the offering of food.

Cress began to feel anxious as her tray became lighter to carry and fewer cakes were present for her to hide her face behind. When she got to the Elf sitting to the furthest right of the circle, he just so happened to take the slice that was Cress' main means of keeping her identity hidden from the eyes of the council members.

She gasped as her marshy brown eyes met the cool grey-blue ones of the Elf who had exposed her by innocently picking that slice of cake. Cress was mainly horrified that Gandalf would see her now that there weren't any more cake pieces big enough for her to hide behind. But she took note that the bright eyes of the male Elf were rather nice.

As soon as she locked eyes with the Mirkwood Elf, Cress immediately snapped her gaze away. She quickly tilted her head forward so that a curtain of her hair hid her face and hastily moved on to get rid of the rest of the cakes.

Two Dwarves who looked like father and son sat together beside the Elves. The younger of the two had the nerve to accept two cakes.

Then, Cress presented the Human from Gondor with the deserts, but he refused them, and continued speaking. Aragorn sat at the very end of the semicircle, furthest to Elrond's right. He too didn't accept any food.

Cress immediately made a move to leave before she gets discovered. She cursed under her breath as she realized she hadn't been listening to what was being exchanged among the council members as she was too busy trying to keep hidden. However, she knew if she lingered around for too long, the guards will get suspicious, so she hurried back into the mansion.

Before she got out of earshot, she heard a sentence that made her blood run cold.

"The Nameless Enemy has arisen again," said the Human. "Smoke rises once more from Orodruin that we call Mount Doom…"

Cress' breath hitched at this. She knew there was something going on, but didn't know it had anything to do with Mordor and Mount Doom. And who was this Nameless Enemy? The Elf guessed that he must be a very horrible enemy if he is "Nameless".

Quickly, Cress hurried on away from the patio as to not draw attention to herself by loitering around for no apparent reason. She left the golden light of day behind as she retreated back into the Last Homely House.

* * *

><p>Back in her room, Cress stood on the balcony, leaning against the railing, trying to make sense of that small shred of information she heard while delivering pastries to the council.<p>

The wind was blowing stronger than usual, and all she could hear was the empty sound of air rushing by her ears.

After many minutes of thinking up theories and ideas, Cress realized that she was getting nowhere. She needed more evidence, but she wasn't going to risk simple walking into the Council again. Perhaps posing as a servant wasn't the brightest idea.

The wind suddenly stopped blowing for a moment, leaving everything quiet and still. That was when the Elf heard muffled voice. Cress couldn't tell what they were saying, but they were definitely voice, voices that had been carried away by the wind before it could reach her ears.

They sounded close, maybe just a little ways away below her balcony.

Cress saw a golden opportunity at that second as she realized that, if she remembered the layout of the mansion correctly, the porch should be directly below her, perhaps a few levels down. She tried to lean far out from the railings of the balcony to see the Council below, but they were hidden by a layers and layers of overhanging roofs and parapets.

Whatever it took, Cress had to get to where she could hear the conversations of the Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Her curiosity concerning what she heard as a servant was like an itch she couldn't quite reach.

The She-Elf looked around, looking for a way to get closer to the Council hidden below. She shakily climbed over the elegant guard rails of her balcony and clumsily dropped down to the slanted roof of the level below her. It wasn't a long drop, but the way the roof tilted made Cress feel like she was going to fall off.

Clutching at the roof like a squirrel clutching a tree trunk, Cress sluggishly maneuvered her hands and feet in a manner that brought her closer and closer to the nearest fold of roof that could allow her to steadily climb from her room on the fourth floor to the roof of the ground level.

It was very slow and tedious work, but eventually the She-Elf found her way to the where she wanted to go. She crouched down on the lowest overhang of the mansion and followed the sound of voices to the ridge right above where the Council was having their debate.

The sun was almost reaching noon, and the tilt of Cress' hiding spot was just enough to hide her from the Council but also allow her a clear view of what was going on below her.

Before the She-Elf could get comfortable to hear and take in everything that comes to her ears, she noticed a shape crouching in the bushes behind Frodo's chair. The figure appeared to be hiding from the rest of the Council.

It was Sam, Cress realized. _What is _he _doing here? He wasn't invited! _She frowned as a voice in her head argued with her.

_Neither were you._

_ That's different! _Cress retorted heatedly to the voice at the back of her mind, trying to convince herself that she was not anywhere near as guilty as Sam. _I'm… I'm Master Gandalf's student. I'm supposed to know what my Master is doing and hearing. And besides, I've been living in this house for almost twenty years, mind you. Lord Elrond has nothing to hide from me; he should trust me._

_ Do you think he'll trust you after this?_

Cress rolled her eyes in a very childish and immature manner. _Please, who said Lord Elrond will find out about this? As far as he knows, I'm in my room being a good girl. As long as no one sees me up here, I'll be fine. Now be quiet! I'm trying to hear._

The voice went silent, and Cress was able to concentrate on the council again. At that moment, she looked down and saw that none of the Council members could see her, but Frodo's gardener had a perfect view of her lying on the roof.

Just as Cress realized this, Sam looked directly at her. They both gave a start as their eyes locked. Both of them held their breath as each waited for the other to blow their cover. But neither of them said a word.

When they looked at each other again, there was mental conversation between them through their anxious eyes.

_"What are _you_ doing here?!" _Sam's angry eyes read.

_ "What are _YOU _doing here?!" _Cress shot back, repeating the words in her mind as if somehow that would cause Sam to receive them like telepathy.

_ "I asked first." _The hobbit countered. Although he did not hear the Elf's message in his mind, it was pretty clear from the look on her face.

_ "…So?"_ Cress smirked with triumph, but it was short-lived.

_ "You're not supposed to be here!"_

_ "You're not supposed to, either! Just wait until I tell Master Gandalf and Elrond."_

_ "Don't you dare."_

_ "Try me.__"_

_ "Oh, yeah? How do you plan to tell Gandalf you knew I was here without telling him you were spying on the council, too?"_

_ "…"_

_ "Ha!"_

_ "I wasn't spying! For your information, this is not spying; it is observing… without telling the object of observation that you are observing them. It's perfectly acceptable!"_

_ "Fine, then I suppose I'm observing too."_

Cress sighed and shook her head at this pathetic conversation she was having with Sam. _"It seems that we both don't want to be caught 'observing' the council. If you don't tell on me, I won't reveal you. Deal?"_

_ "Agreed."_

Cress exhaled with relief. She looked away from the hiding hobbit and was finally able to put her mind on the exchange of words on the porch. Asides from Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, and Aragorn, Cress knew not the names of the other Elves or Dwarves.

A tall tree with few leaves partly blocked her line of sight, but she could see enough by craning her neck once in a while.

The Mirkwood Elf with grey-blue eyes that she had encountered briefly while she was acting as a servant was speaking. Now that Cress watched him from a distance, he really was highly attractive, and his voice, though gentle and soft, could be heard by all in the Council.

"Sméagol, who is now called Gollum, has escaped," he was saying. Cress had no idea what that meant, but she guessed that it wasn't good news by the look on the Elf's face and Aragorn's response.

"Escaped!" the Ranger cried. "That is ill news indeed. How came the folk of Thranduil to fail in their trust?"

Cress frowned at this. She recognized the name of the Elven-king of Mirkwood but knew little of "Sméagol" or "Gollum". She assumed this creature was not friendly with the Council.

The council went on debating things that the She-Elf found to be very confusing. She regretted not thinking of hiding on the roof sooner. If she had arrived earlier, she might have been able to hear some background information which would have explained a lot at this point.

For a few minutes, Cress tuned out during the exchange about Gollum escaping from Mirkwood after Aragorn hunted him and brought him to Thranduil. When Gandalf's voice spoke up, the She-Elf immediately perked up with attention.

However, what she heard, she wished she hadn't. At this time, Gandalf explained of the betrayal of Saruman, which hit Cress like a sucker punch in the face.

The wizard told of how he had gone to the head of the White Council by recommendation of his friend Radagast and of how Saruman the White revealed that he had joined forces with Sauron. He even had the nerve to invite Gandalf to the Dark Side as well!

Then, when Gandalf refused to join (thank goodness), Saruman kept him as a prisoner at the very top of Orthanc, the Tower of Isengard, until the Eagle called Gwaihir came to rescue him.

It was so surreal to hear about Gandalf needing help, rescuing, or being in any kind of situation that he couldn't sort out himself.

Cress liked to think of her Master as invincible; there is nothing in the world that can give him any difficulty. He could sort out practically anything, and something must be very strong and evil to be able to keep even Gandalf at bay.

The tale of Saruman's betrayal was a long one, and Cress felt more and more horrible with every word her Master said. When he was finished, the Council was silent, and the She-Elf did not dare to breathe for fear that someone would hear her in the quietness.

At last, Elrond spoke. "This is grievous news concerning Saruman," he began. "We have heard the tale of the Ring from beginning to end, and now it is time to decide its fate. From the knowledge you have brought to me, I fear we only have one option; the Ring must be sent to the Fires of Mount Doom. One of you must do this."

He gazed around at the faces of his guests.

"Say no more, Master Elrond!" Bilbo cried suddenly. "Very well, very well, I understand what you are trying to point out. Bilbo the silly hobbit started this affair, and so Bilbo should be the one to finish it."

Cress couldn't tell if he was being serious, but whatever the case she did not wish to see the old hobbit leave Rivendell and walk to his death – Mordor. He was too old for that and would surely perish along the way. Cress wanted to object to Bilbo's offer, but she quickly remembered that she shouldn't even be here and kept quiet.

"When ought I to start?" Bilbo asked after a short rant about how his book would not end in 'happily ever after' and that he'd have to add more chapters to it.

Boromir, the Human from Gondor (Cress picked up his name during the discussions), started laughing because he, like the She-Elf, thought Bilbo was making a joke. But he quickly stopped when he saw that everyone else was gazing at the hobbit with grave respect.

Frodo had been silent throughout the entire council, and he remained that way.

Elrond leaned forward to say something to Bilbo, but Cress did not hear; at that moment, a large bee came buzzing about toward her. She, having a deathly fear of being bitten, scratched, or stung by animals, barely suppressed a shriek as the bee landed on her shoulder.

Cress' entire body shook with fear, but she did not dare to try and swat the bee away for fear of being stung. She'd never liked the idea of stingers, teeth, or claws sinking into her skin, even if it's just a little bee. She wouldn't even try to blow the insect away due to paranoia of angering the little thing.

The bee buzzed and lifted off from her shoulder. However, it did not go away. Cress tried to scramble away from the bee as quietly as she could, but it wasn't easy at all. The bee kept getting in her face, and not screaming was already hard enough for the She-Elf. She also had to maneuver around the roof to get away from the bug and not get noticed by the Council at the same time.

Meanwhile, the sun started to lean toward the west, casting the overhang and Cress' shadow into the patio. Gandalf frowned as he stared at the floor of the porch and saw a rapidly moving feminine shadow. He slowly looked up and saw his student scrambling clumsily across the roof, trying to get away from a mere bee.

"I will take the Ring," Frodo suddenly said, breaking the silence that had enveloped the council after Elrond confirmed that Bilbo will not be forced to go to Mordor; "though I do not know the way."

Gandalf stood up from his chair so quickly that everyone jumped with a start. "Crescent!" he shouted with more force than anyone thought he was capable of.

For a few seconds, everyone was confused and quiet, unsure of what Gandalf yelled for. They all followed his gaze on the overhanging roof behind Elrond. Moments later, Cress slowly shuffled into view.

The bee was gone, thank goodness, but now Cress had another problem: Gandalf's wrath. Not to mention everyone in the meeting below was staring up at her. The She-Elf gulped audibly, hoping that if Gandalf was going to reprimand her, he'd at least do it in private and not in front of all the Council members.

No such luck.

"Get down from there," the old wizard said softly. That wasn't a good sign. When Gandalf spoke this softly, he was either very ill or very angry.

Cress did not dare to disobey. She looked up at the sky briefly and prayed to all the gods above that she would live to see the next day. Then, she bowed her head with shame as she slowly leapt from the roof of the Last Homely House to the tree behind Elrond. Climbing down the tree very sluggishly, she kept her eyes casted downwards as she submissively walked over to where Gandalf stood.

"Tell me what you were doing up there, Crescent," the wizard said stiffly.

Cress felt her mouth go dry as the use of her real name. In a small voice she whispered, "Observing."

"Louder."

The She-Elf gulped again and only said what she knew was safe, "I was observing, Master Gandalf. I was observing the Council."

The wizard quirked an eyebrow humorlessly at this. "And you insisted on 'observing' us from the roofs, I take it?" When his apprentice said nothing, he went on. "How much did you hear?"

"Not much," Cress said hurriedly. "I was very busy trying to escape the bee, you see. And the bits and pieces I _did_ hear – which, I assure you, wasn't much – I do not understand at all. I'll just be going now; I'll let you go back to your Council about the Ring – er, whatever you're debating about. I know nothing concerning a Ring. I don't even know what the One Ring is or Sauron or Grandmaster Saruman joining – "

Realizing that she was rambling and making a fool of herself, she quickly turned to make a quick escape from the calculating eyes of the Council.

"Cress, come back this instant," Gandalf ordered before she could even take two steps.

Cress froze with her back still turned toward the wizard. She waited for the harsh words to start coming and was aware that Elrond, the hobbits, the Mirkwood Elves, the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, Aragorn, and Boromir were all watching.

"To eavesdrop on a private council is improper," Gandalf said, his voice hard and difficult to listen to. "But to spy on a secret council in the house of Lord Elrond is unacceptable. You are to pay your respects to Lord Elrond and the council for your behavior."

"Now?" Cress stuttered.

Gandalf nodded.

His student hesitated, but knew better than to flat-out refuse. Looking around at the occupants of the porch wearily, Cress tried to sound as sincere and sorry as she could. "I apologize, members of Elrond's Council. I should not have observed - " Gandalf glared at her. " – spied on you from the roof. And I am sorry for interrupting your very important debate with my juvenile behavior. Please go back to it right now."

Cress thought that was pretty acceptable, but Gandalf didn't look completely satisfied. "Go," he said, motioning to the door, but his face told her that this wasn't over yet.

The Elf obeyed and began to walk in that direction. But then, she turned back around to face the Council after a sudden thought hit her like a bolt of lightning. "Master Gandalf?"

The wizard did not answer, but he was listening.

Cress took a deep breath, "Concerning Frodo going to Mount Doom with the One Ring… I know you're going to offer to go with him."

At this, several Council members looked at Gandalf questioningly, but Cress ignored them and continued, "Don't try to deny it, Master Gandalf. I _know _you're going to leave again. This time, I'm coming with you."

Gandalf opened his mouth to retort, but his student went on without giving him a chance to object.

"You're not leaving me here again," she continued. Then, she looked over in Elrond's direction. "I don't wish to offend your home, Master Elrond, but I think I have stayed here as long as my mind could take. If Master Gandalf is to leave, I'm going with him."

"You will do no such thing," Gandalf said in an edgy tone.

Cress shrugged, "I knew you would think negatively toward this proposal, but I am simply telling you my plans. You do not have to agree with them." Deciding not to say more or to stay to hear the comments of the Council, she made a quick bow and left them alone.

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><p><em>AN: Here's a long chapter for my two lovely reviewers, and if you didn't review… thanks for favoriting! I didn't think this story would be so popular. I know 7 favorites isn't really that much, but it makes me so happy that even one person cared enough to review or liked it enough to favorite. This chapter was for you. I typed non-stop on it! You're awesome_

_Next Time: The Fellowship of the Ring is formed and starts out from Rivendell. Will Cress be able to join with Gandalf so angry with her? How will she convince her enraged Master to let her go on the adventure? Will she have the nerve to sneak after the Fellowship if she is denied entry? Find out next chapter! REVIEWS make me write faster ^_^_


	5. Chapter V

Chapter V:

Cress couldn't quite believe what she just did. She had been caught while spying on the Council of Elrond, been reprimanded in front of all the members, then she probably made things even worse by talking back to Gandalf like an immature little kid. She couldn't imagine what short of punishment he'd give her. It must be horrible; Gandalf was a kind person, but he did not tolerate misbehavior from his one and only student whom he had taught better.

Cress was back in the Last Homely House, and the guards looked at her questioningly, wondering how she got into the Council room. She didn't stay to give them an account of her humiliating experience and instead made her way toward her room again. She was careful to avoid Arwen's chamber as the poor servant Elf from before must have figured out by now that Cress had tricked her. Now that Cress looked back at it, lying to the servant was pretty horrible of her, and now she felt that she would get an even harsher punishment from Gandalf if, God forbid, he found out about her sneaking into the porch as a servant before coming up with the idea of eavesdropping from the roof.

_What have I done? _ The She-Elf thought miserably as she approached her chambers. Nothing good came out of her two futile attempts to infiltrate the Council. Well, actually, she could think of at most one thing that she found to be a good result of her recent embarrassment; she found out that her Master was going to ditch her again, and this time she knew where he was going so there was no way he was going to get rid of her so easily this time. This time, Cress knew enough information to accompany the wizard and Frodo on this journey concerning the Ring.

Cress wondered if Sam had been discovered yet and if so, would he too be receiving grave consequences for his cheek, if not graver? The selfish part of her wished that the hobbit will also be found and dealt with as severely as she did. It would be nice to have someone to share the shame with, but Cress knew it was wrong to hope for something so self-assisting. She now felt even worse for even thinking about it.

The Council ended shortly after Cress was detected. Whether this was a coincidence or not, she did not know, but she dreaded the moment when Gandalf would come looking for her. The She-Elf sat curled up in her room, rocking back and forth with anticipation, but Gandalf never came up. And when dinnertime came, she did not leave her chamber for the fear of running into her Master at the dining room and being reprimanded there as if the Council wasn't bad enough.

After dinner, there finally came a knock at Cress' door. The She-Elf had spent so much time staring blankly into space that the sharp sound of knuckles on her wood caused her to jump with a start. Her head snapped in the direction of the sound and dread quickly filled her being. She decided not to answer and pretend that she was asleep, but the knock came again.

"I advise you to open the door, Cress, if you do not wish for me to split it to splinters," Gandalf's voice could be heard from the other side. He did not sound as angry as before, but he was agitated with Cress' useless attempt to avoid contact with him.

The She-Elf shot up from the floor where she sat, raced to the door, and swung it open. The wizard's silhouette stood in the doorway. He appeared to have calmed down a bit since the Council and now spoke in a civil but stern tone.

"I have not forgiven you for what you did today," he said. "But I suspected that you have already pieced together a lot of what you heard at the Council. There is no need to keep it from you now. Follow me, please, Cress." He turned and strode down the hallway, not bothering to make sure that his student was following him.

Cress, realizing that Gandalf was planning on telling her something important and wasn't going to punish her at that moment, immediately went after him. She and her Master walked side by side through the corridors of the Last Homely House and down a few flights of stairs. In some rooms they passed, Cress noticed Elves singing and dancing merrily; they paid no attention to the wizard and his apprentice.

In time, Gandalf and Cress reached a room that was far away from the parties and celebration. There were armchairs inside and a small fireplace lit the dark chamber. It appeared to be a room made for privacy as there were no windows, and the door was heavy. The ceiling was rather high, but there was no echo despite this.

Gandalf motioned for his student to sit on one of the armchairs by the fire before sinking into the one of them himself.

Cress cautiously sat on the very edge of her chair and had her hands curling up in fists on her lap. Her back was straight and stiff as she was not comfortable being in such a tense atmosphere. She waited for Gandalf to say something and possibly explain why he brought her here.

Her Master watched her for a few minutes before saying, "I will tell you what you want to know of what was discussed at the Council today. I don't see any more point in hiding it now that you already know some of it. I advise you to sit back, Cress, this tale will take a long time to explain."

And so, Gandalf told his student of the tale of the One Ring from beginning to finish; starting with the forgery of the nineteen rings for Elves, Dwarves, and Men and ending with Frodo's account of his adventures before reaching Rivendell. There were many times when Cress interrupted to ask a question, and the wizard answered to the best of his knowledge.

The tale, indeed, was very long and Cress felt that she was ready for bed after Gandalf was finished with the story. Her mind was swirling with the large amounts of information she received in one night, but she did not wish to hear more until she had gotten some sleep. Also, she saw this as a good chance to get out of the room before Gandalf remembered that she deserved a punishment for spying on the Council of Elrond.

Cress yawned exaggeratedly and started getting up from her chair, "I suppose I ought to go to bed now, Master. It's been an exciting day, but I think I must be going – "

"Sit," Gandalf ordered, knowing what his student was trying to do.

The She-Elf cursed at Luck for never being with her and sank back down into her armchair reluctantly. "Yes, Master?"

"Now we must speak of your punishment," the wizard said. "As you know, I have the right to dismiss you have my student and from my sight after what you have done today. And I _should _be dismissing you without a word."

Cress' eyes widened in sheer horror at this. All of her sleepiness had flushed out of her upon hearing those words. She gave a short cry and flung herself out of her chair and to Gandalf's feet. "No! Master, I can take any punishment except that. Please, you must think of another penalty you place on me; just don't leave me by myself. I still have so much more I must learn from you."

"Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't be discussing this at all," Gandalf said, paying no attention to the Elf who was bowing at him as if he was a god of some sort. "But, I have been swayed to not send you from my sight so quickly. I spoke with Lord Elrond after the Council and – "

Cress shot up from the floor with so much force that the flame in the fireplace flickered. If it were possible, her eyes got even wider upon hearing this. "Thank you so very much, Master Gandalf. I am forever in your debt. I swear, I will never disappoint you again."

"Let me finish," the wizard said. "I spoke with Lord Elrond after the Council and you should thank him, not me, for your delayed punishment. Lord Elrond did not take too much offense in the disturbance of his Council, but I expected better out of you. Upon Lord Elrond's counselling, I have decided to give you two options at to what your penalty would be."

He paused for a second, and Cress had crawled back into her chair, practically shaking with an odd mixture of worry, anticipation, and excitement. "Yes?"

"The first choice that I give you is to accompany Frodo, me, and any others who may wish to join the Company on our journey to destroy the Ring."

Before he could elaborate more on this, Cress's head snapped to attention and she immediately said, "I pick the first option."

Gandalf shook his head. "Wait for me to finish, Cress," he appeared to be getting annoyed with all the interruptions. "The first choice I offer to you is to accompany me to destroy the Ring, but it will be a dangerous road."

The Elf opened her mouth to point out that she wasn't afraid of anything… well, expect bees and Wargs and other animals with dangerous teeth and claws. But the look on Gandalf's face made her shut her mouth before any sound could escape.

"The journey to Mordor will be full of risks and hazards," the wizard went on; "and if we both should make it back alive from this dreadful mission, I will no longer be your teacher, and you shall be dismissed."

"_What?!_" Cress hissed. She had just been certain of picking the first option before she learned of the last condition of it. "But that isn't just! It's twisted and - "

"Both Lord Elrond and I have determined that it is reasonably fair, Cress." He went on to explaining option number two before the Elf could argue. "And my second offer to you is the opposite of the first; you can stay here while I accompany the Ring, and if I come back alive, I am still your Master and you are still my student."

Cress' mouth hung open in an 'o' and not knowing what to say, she simply gaped at Gandalf like a lunatic. Gandalf showed no signs of being bothered by this, and he merely lit his pipe and sat back to wait for his student's answer. Only when she felt her tongue go completely dry did Cress shut her mouth and spoke. "Please tell me there's a third choice."

The wizard shook his head humbly and continued to smoke his pipe and occasionally blew smoke rings. The Elf sat there, her eyes blank as she went through the pros and cons of each decision.

If she stayed at Rivendell, she can still be Gandalf's apprentice, but what if the wizard perished on the journey to Mordor? What if he doesn't come back at all? Where would Cress be then? She would have to return to Lothlórien and resume the quiet life she had before she met Gandalf. The thought of losing her Master was too hard to think about, and Cress moved on to the other choice.

She could go with her Master and protect him on the journey in which she would probably be killed. But, if she was fortunate enough to survive until it is all over, she will still be parted from Gandalf. Now that Cress thought about it, both her options were very risky and the more she pondered them, the more she realized it was a lose-lose situation. One was to miss out on the adventure of a lifetime and continue being mentored by Gandalf and the other was to experience the adventure but be on her own afterwards.

It was like choosing between going the journey and the wizard. Which one is more important to her? Gandalf, obviously.

Still, Cress determined that she would rather have her Master be alive and parted from her than dead with the promise that he would come back. As the minutes ticked by, she started leaning toward the first option. _If I prove to be useful on the mission, perhaps Master Gandalf will decide not to dismiss me. _She knew that that was an unstable bet, but it was best she could think of to comfort herself. She could only hope that the wizard will go back on his punishment once Cress does something useful or impressive on the journey of the One Ring.

"I…" Cress started hesitantly. "I wish to accompany the Company of the One Ring, Master Gandalf."

Gandalf looked a bit surprised by this, but did not say anything that would incline Cress to change her mind. "Very well. You wish to have an adventure. But I must say I expected you to choose to stay in Rivendell in the end. I suppose I underestimated your determination to come with me, otherwise I wouldn't have given you the choice of a penalty. It would have been punishment enough for you to have to remain here while I go out into the world. Now, it is too late to change my mind; you have chosen one of the two paths I laid out for you. So be it."

Cress wasn't completely sure if she did the right thing, but she didn't feel trapped anymore. She was happy even for she was finally going to leave the last Homely House after so many years and go on a real voyage with her Master. Her first objective would be to stay alive and keep Gandalf alive. Then, she'll do something heroic to ensure that the wizard would take her back as a student. Cress nodded at her plan; it had many holes and risks in it, but the Elf decided that she'll figure out how to deal with them later.

"Is that all, then?" she asked her mentor after a few seconds of silence. Cress got up from her chair and stretched. "I should go back to my chambers now. I'd best get ready for the journey; pack my things, say fare-wells, those sort of things. When are we leaving?"

"I cannot say. We must time our departure precisely. Lord Elrond shall inform us when it is safe to leave Rivendell," Gandalf replied briefly, his eyes glued to the fading embers of the fireplace. "Go get some rest, Cress. I will wake you when it is time to depart."

Cress quietly left the room, leaving the wizard inside with his deep thoughts, and hurried back to her sleeping quarters. Because she didn't have many possessions, the Elf was able to get her things stuffed into her drawstring sack in a short amount of time. She was just about to put her diary into the bag when she chose to write a small, simple entry before going to sleep.

_Dearest Diary,_

_I am to accompany Master Gandalf and his Company on their quest to destroy the legendary One Ring of Sauron of Mordor. This could be the wisest choice I have ever made or it could be the most foolish. Master Gandalf emphasized that the journey will be dangerous and that it is unlikely either of us will come back to Rivendell alive. My biggest hope is that I can at least keep my master safe on this quest, even if he should dismiss me afterwards. It is better to let your loved ones go alive than to keep them but dead. _

_On a happier note, I do hope that it will just be Master, Frodo, and me in the Company. Master Gandalf never told me anything about whom else was going to come with us, but I expect that it will only be the three of us. It will be much friendlier that way, and all members of the Company will be closer if there weren't so many people to get to know. And besides, who else would want to join this "dangerous" and "perilous" mission? It would be total insanity to volunteer for it, but I have an acceptable reason. Anyone else who wishes to go to Mordor with us must be blooming mad._

_-Cress_

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><p>Seven people were blooming mad.<p>

Cress stood beside Gandalf in the courtyard of the Last Homely House two months later. The sun was just beginning to rise, and they were waiting for the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring (that was what Gandalf told Cress the Company was called). Cress was surprised that there were more people willing to join.

As she written in her diary many weeks ago, anyone else who wanted to come on this terribly risky quest must be out of their right mind. But, to her great shock, _seven_ others showed up in the courtyard at dawn. They all have joined the Fellowship and were ready to walk to their dooms.

Cress' eyes bugged as she noticed Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's friend/gardener, rushing up to his master, carrying a large duffle bag on his shoulders with various cooking utensils hanging off the back. _You have _got _to be kidding me, _the Elf thought, _how in Middle-earth did _Sam _weasel his way into the Company? Did he even get caught for spying on the Council?_

Gandalf pointed out and named two younger hobbits who were mingling with Frodo and Sam. "That is Meriadoc of the Brandybuck family and Peregrin Took. You may call them Merry and Pippin if you cannot remember their names, Cress." Then, the wizard motioned to Aragorn and Boromir who had just arrived in the courtyard. "Aragorn and Boromir represent Men in the Fellowship." Next was the squat little Dwarf from the Council whom Gandalf pointed out to be Gimli son of Gloin. And to represent the Elves was Legolas son of Thranduil from Mirkwood.

Cress frowned when she noticed that she was the only female in the Company. She was slightly disappointed by this, but she didn't make a fuss over it. None of these companion _looked _like they had lost their mind, but Cress was still unsure of the stability of level of their intellect. She did not say anything for she knew that would offend some of the companions, and she also avoided Legolas' gaze since she recognized him as the Elf she had seen at Elrond's Council and did not want him to realize that she was the "servant" who served him cakes.

When it was time to leave, the sun had risen a little higher in the east, and Elrond's household filed into the courtyard to bid the Fellowship farewell. Each member of the Fellowship was given large packs full of supplies to carry on their backs, save Sam who already packed his own. Some had food while others contained basic items that can be used to build a campsite. Every member of the Company took with them some sort of weapon. Whether it was a sword or a knife or a bow, Cress was certain that they were going to be put to use at one point or another. She herself stashed a few knowing knives in her luggage and kept her flute at her belt.

The She-Elf was given the clothes worn by a male Elf for she refuse to wear a dress or skirt. She was clad in green and silver, and the top layer of her hair was braided in a complex circlet around her head while the main portion was left down. Her shoulders were small and feminine so that her clothes looked a bit big on her, but she wasn't bothered by this.

When Cress was given her backpack of supplies, her eyes widened comically at the size of the thing. If the She-Elf curled up tightly, she probably could have fit inside the giant pack. Cress swallowed nervously as she saw everyone shoulder their packs with ease as if the size of the baggage didn't affect them at all. Uncertainly following the others' examples, Cress slowly tried to shoulder her own pack, but she found, to her great humiliation and dismay, that she could hardly even lift it.

Cursing under her breath about how she was really out of shape, Cress tried again, heaving and pushing the massive backpack in a futile attempt to get it on her shoulders. She grunted in frustration after a few minutes and looked around to see that the rest of the Fellowship was ready to leave; they were all waiting for her to get that cursed backpack on.

Gimli the Dwarf rolled his eyes at her in genuine annoyance. For a short little fellow like him, he could carry his load just fine. He grumbled as he walked over to where Cress was struggling and easily lifted up the pack for her.

"Oh, thank you," Cress said with a smile of relief. Then, Gimli dropped the heavy thing on her shoulders, and the She-Elf gave a short yelp from the sudden weight and stumbled around for a few seconds, trying to regain her balance. Once she got her footing again, she turned and glared at the Dwarf. "I take my thanks back."

"I don't need and neither to do I _want_ the gratitude of an Elf," Gimli replied grumpily before going back to join the rest of the Company.

Cress rolled her eyes and winced as she adjusted the heavy pack on her back. Then, she walked over to stand beside Gandalf with her back hunched a little for she was afraid that the weight of her load might tip her backwards if she stood up straight.

Now that all the Fellowship was ready, Elrond stepped forward to say a few words, "The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid. The rest of the Company will go with him as free companions. No oath or bond is laid upon you to go further than you are willing. However, I should inform you that the further you go, the harder it will be to withdraw."

The Fellowship took the words in and bowed once to the Lord of Rivendell before setting out of the courtyard in a single file line. Aragorn and Gandalf led the Company and Frodo was behind them. Everyone else followed them with Cress struggling to get to the front of the train. She wished to walk with her master, but the effort of keeping the giant backpack on was causing her to lag behind before they even got off of Elrond's property.

"Good... Good luck!" Bilbo cried as they were leaving.

Cress turned around to look at Elrond's household one last time and beamed brightly to assure them that the Fellowship will be fine. Then, she turned back toward the road that the Company was taking out of Rivendell and hurried after them, her pack bouncing up and down against her back as she ran.

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><p><em>AN: Heeeeeey~ As always, thanks for reading. I've been having so much fun writing these chapters for you. Drop a review for me, will you? I'm so happy with the hit count and Followers/Favorite-ors, but reviews are truly like fuel for an author's mind, concentration, and hands (for typing quickly)! _

_Next time: So the journey has begun. As the Fellowship of the Ring goes south and heads into the mountainous lands of Eregion, what sort of adventures will Cress have in the snow and ice? Also, what will she write about each members of the Fellowship in her diary? _


	6. Chapter VI

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You're all wonderful, and the favorite and followers count is also going up slowly; I'm so happy! I should first point out that this chapter will have some Elvish phrases between Cress and Legolas. I have put a little superscripted number above each word or sentence in Elvish, and at the end of the chapter it will be translated for you. Or you can pull up an Elvish glossary and try to figure it out yourself, but just be forewarned that there will be strange languages in this chapter and possibly in the future. Okay, enough of me, enjoy the chapter ~_

* * *

><p><span>*Chapter VI:<span>

The Fellowship was mostly quiet as they journeyed out of Rivendell, and only Gandalf and Aragorn could be heard, discussing plans and debating which road they should take. Everyone else walked behind them without saying a word.

Cress did not like this silence. It was too awkward and tense. She couldn't tell if the lack of sound was from fear, serenity, or ill-temper. Perhaps it was a mixture of all of them? Cress lagged behind from the rest of the group because of the weight of her backpack, but she wasn't alone like she had expected.

Legolas, who was assigned as the rearguard due to his keen eyesight, walked with her at the end of the line. Cress discovered that he was very kind when she straggled away from the main group and he would be considerate enough to wait for her each time she had to stop to catch her breath. Cress still couldn't quite believe how out of shape she was; even the hobbits walked faster and lasted longer than she did.

Gandalf advised the Fellowship to rest in the daytime and travel in the darkness of night as they would be less easily detected by spies of the Enemy that way. As they approached the Misty Mountains, it started to get very cold, and the wind was merciless, never ceasing its bitter blasts of icy air. The sun was hidden by thick clouds, which must have brought the dreary atmosphere of the members of the Company.

On the second day of the journey, they were already behind schedule, and Cress was starting to let the silence of the Fellowship get to her head. She began to feel boredom washing over her from doing nothing but walk all day. If there was some conversation going, that would have been nice, but the only ones who talked were Gandalf and Aragorn, who excluded everyone else from the conversation.

At last, Cress sighed and decided that she _had_ to start a chat among the members of the Fellowship or she might go mad.

When the Company stopped for sleep at the very base of the Misty Mountains, Cress was eager to have a talk with all the companions she didn't know very well and learn everything about them that she possibly could for this would help her to get along with everyone.

The first person she attempted to speak to was Boromir, for he was assigned first watch. The Man sat on a rock near the others and started his two hour session.

When Cress was sure that the others were asleep, she crawled out from under her thin blanket and approached Boromir innocently.

The sun was still up, so Boromir didn't have to take his watch very seriously.

Cress skipped over to where the Human sat and flopped down beside him in a carefree manner. "Hello, Mister Boromir," she greeted with a bright smile. "You seem so lonely sitting here by yourself. I shall keep watch with you, if you don't mind; just so you'll have someone to talk to, of course."

"Thank you," Boromir said with a soft smile. He appeared to be a kind person from what the Elf could tell.

Cress crossed her legs and put her hands in her lap, rocking back and force in a naïve sort of way. "Master Gandalf told me you were from Gondor," she said, inviting him into conversation and hoping that she had picked a good topic to talk about. "Will you tell me about your country? I don't think I've ever been that far south. I'm from the Golden Wood, you see, but I have never gone further south than Isengard."

Judging from the enthusiastic way Boromir responded, he must have been very proud of Gondor, for he spoke for a long time of his country and of the bravery on its men. He told Cress about Minas Tirith, a mighty city of white stone, and his brother Faramir and his father, the Steward of Gondor for Gondor had no king. He also told many tales of the heroic deeds of his ancestors and the wonder of the White Tree of the King when it was in full blossom.

The Elf sat patiently, listening to every story Boromir told, though she started getting bored after the fourth or fifth one. But she did not ask the Human to stop for she wished to seem polite and respectful, and from the way Boromir's eyes lit up when she asked him about Gondor, Cress did not have the heart to put him down.

At last, perhaps after over half of the watch time was over, Boromir finally ran out of legends to tell, and he asked Cress about her homeland. "The Golden Wood, is it? I have heard many stories of Lothlórien, but none are consistent. Some say that it full of sorcery and witchcraft, and others describe it as a place of wordless beauty."

"I suppose it is both," Cress said thoughtfully. "Lothlórien _is_ lovely to look at, but I have not been there for so long, I cannot remember much save that it has trees of white trunks and glittering golden leaves. And there is a magic at work as well, though it is a good sort of magic, I think. My mother told me that it keeps the Wood alive and healthy."

"My mother passed away many years ago," Boromir said grimly. "Afterwards, my father became silent and depressed, sitting long in his tower deep in thought."

Cress tilted her head to one side in genuine sympathy. At first, she was pleasantly surprised that the Man told her something so personal considering they had only been talking for less than two hours. "I… I am sorry, Mister Boromir," the Elf said at last. She suddenly felt a connection toward Boromir, and did not hesitate to reveal some of her own history.

"I never really knew my _Ada_," she told him. "He and my mother separated when I was very little. There are times when I feel great sadness about it, but I have Mother; she's taken good care of me. And I also have Haldir the Marchwarden of Lórien, who has been my friend for many decades and is like a brother to me. Though I have not seen either of them for a long time, when I return home someday I know they will be happy to see me again."

The Elf and the Man fell silent for a few minutes after that. Then, Cress spoke again, "I found comfort in talking to you, Mister Boromir. I believe your watch is almost over, so why don't you get some rest? I shall rouse whoever is supposed to take your place."

Boromir rose from the rock and stretched with relief, "Your words of the Golden Wood were most interesting and have stirred a desire within me to go see it for myself. Perhaps we will pass through your home on our journey."

"I hope so," Cress perked up at the mention. "I do not know the plans of Master Gandalf and Lord Aragorn, so I do not know the path that they will decide to take. We might end up going around Lórien or simply following the Mountains all the way to Rohan. There are many ways to go south from here." She surveyed the other members of the Fellowship who were asleep. "Now, who shall I wake up for the next watch?"

Boromir turned toward the sleeping forms before him, and looked around for a moment before pointing at Legolas who slept a few feet away with his back turned toward them. "If I remember correctly, the next watch goes to Legolas."

"Really?" Cress asked, glancing over at the Prince. Then, she struggled carelessly, "Very well, you may go to sleep, Mister Boromir."

Boromir gave her a nod of thanks before disappearing under a blanket that was laid out for him.

When the Human was gone, she walked over to where the Mirkwood Elf was lying on the ground, preparing to shake him awake. But when she stepped over his body to where she could see his face, she jumped with a start.

At first, she thought he was awake already and had heard everything she shared with Boromir, but she quickly realized that Legolas was only sleeping with his eyes open.

Cress swallowed nervously at the way the blue eyes stared blankly and lifelessly ahead at nothing in particular. She took a few slow breaths to calm herself and get the image of empty, staring orbs out of her head, for they were truly a bit creepy. Then, she proceeded to poking Legolas on the shoulder to rouse him from his sleep.

Life immediately filled his irises again as Legolas came out of his waking meditative state.

"Get up," Cress whispered so that she wouldn't wake the others. "It's your watch."

The Elf instantly picked himself up from the ground without complaining, not showing any sign of still being sleepy or of his eyes drying up from keeping them open for so long. He did not say anything to Cress for he had expected her to go to sleep after waking him, but the She-Elf skipped along behind him like a playful puppy and followed him to the same rock where Boromir had sat.

Cress watched Legolas climb on top of the rock instead of sitting, surveying the lands around them. Chewing on her bottom lip for a few seconds, thinking, Cress said, "I wanted to thank you, Legolas, for being patient with me these past two days. I know I must be slowing the Fellowship down with my poor stamina."

"That is why you should probably get some rest," Legolas answered, still standing tall on top of the rock and staring out into the distance. "It's not your turn to keep watch, so why do you not sleep?"

"Well, I wish to have some time individually with every member of our Company. That way, I can learn about them and become better friends…" She trailed off when she realized that Legolas wasn't looking at her as she was speaking. Cress frowned up at him, "Will you come down? I feel very lowly having to look upwards while speaking to you. Just what is so interesting up there?" She didn't wait for a response before crawling on the rock and managing to get to her feet beside the Prince to see what he saw.

It was almost evening, and, standing on top of the boulder, the Elves could see over the sea of treetops and catch a view of the red sun sinking below the Misty Mountains in the west. Only then did Cress realize how close the Fellowship already was to the Mountains. Perhaps in less than a day they would have to start climbing. But for the time being, she could only stare in awe at the setting sun, and she quickly understood why Legolas was so fond of standing there.

"That's a good reason," Cress murmured feebly, and Legolas smiled.

They were quiet for some time; it was a peaceful silence as they watched the sun slowly riding down behind the Mountains. However, the serene silence quickly turned into an awkward one, and Cress began to feel uncomfortable, not knowing what to say. Finally, she thought of something that should cure the soundlessness. "Legolas, let's play a game."

"What kind of game?" the other Elf replied.

"It's a very simple game," Cress said. "One of us will think of something and the other shall try to guess what it is by asking questions that can only be answered with a 'yes' or a 'no'."

"Very well, that sounds easy enough. Let us begin."

"You can think of something first."

Cress waited as Legolas took some time to think. When the Prince had something in mind, he said, "I am ready. You can start asking your questions."

The She-Elf bounced on her toes excitedly, happy that Legolas agreed to play this game of hers. This game was one she played quite often when she lived in Lothlórien, and it passed the time very well. Surely, there won't be any more awkward silences during Legolas' watch. Cress thought for a while and asked, "Is it alive?"

Legolas nodded.

Cress' eyes shifted left and right as she considered her options. "Can it fly?"

"_Û _[1]," the Prince shook his head.

For a split second, Cress didn't know what "_Û_" meant. "I beg your pardon?"

Legolas frowned at her in confusion, "Do you not know the Elvish language?" he asked, evidently a bit surprised that an Elf did not know her own native tongue.

"Uh… well," Cress laughed nervously, her face beginning to heat up with embarrassment. "I am more familiar with the Common Tongue now. You see, my mother spoke mostly in the Common Tongue, so that was the first language I learned. I'm certain you have noticed that my name isn't even Elvish; it was taken from the Common word 'crescent' for my mother's favorite moon phase is the waxing crescent.

"I know the Elvish language, but I'm afraid it does not sound as natural coming out of my mouth than it is supposed to." Now that Cress thought about it, it has been a long time since someone has had a conversation with her in Elvish. Most of Elrond's household had spoken in the Common Tongue, and Gandalf knew many languages but still preferred the most well-known of them all.

"Try it," Legolas said encouragingly.

Cress wanted to refuse at first, but the more she imagined words and phrases in Elvish, the more she remembered how beautiful it sounded. However, she still wasn't sure how it would actually sound coming out of her mouth that had not spoken them in many decades. "Don't laugh at me," she warned the Mirkwood Prince before taking a deep breath and stumbling through a simple introduction, "_Ni veren an dhe ngovaned, Legolas. I enethen Cress. _[2]"

"_Gail síla erin lû e-govaned 'wîn_ [3]," Legolas replied fluently.

The _elleth _had to stop and think through his reply a few times to fully process the meaning of it. Then, she was able to come up with a reasonable response, though she still tripped through her words. "_Ci vilui. Galo Anor erin radedh _[4]_."_

The two Elves spoke a long time in their own language, though Legolas was much better at it. At first, Cress was only experimenting with common phrases and greetings and grew more confident little by little. A few times, however, she mixed up her words and ended up telling the Prince that his hair was pretty, which wasn't a lie but saying it out loud was still immensely excruciating for the She-Elf.

Thank goodness Legolas only laughed when Cress accidentally praised his hair and, nevertheless, still thanked her for the admiring comment.

"I have forgotten how beautiful Elvish is," Cress sighed at last, switching back to the Common Tongue. "I must find a time to study it again. It is a shame that I am not so fluent in it."

At this point, the sun had set, and only the thinnest patch of red light could be seen peeking out from the other side of the Misty Mountains. The first stars were starting to show themselves, which signaled that it was time almost time to wake everyone up and start walking again. But it would still be a couple of hours before it is completely dark, and so there was one last watch for the day: Gimli.

Legolas jumped down from the rock followed by Cress who, after Legolas had gone back to his waking meditative state, strolled to where the Dwarf was sleeping. Cress' eyes lit up when she realized that this was her chance to become friendly with the son of Gloin who has been less than kind to her for the past few days. Perhaps she could show Gimli that she wasn't holding a grudge against Dwarves just because she's an Elf.

The _elleth_ put on her pleasantest facial expression and proceeded to gently shaking awake the Dwarf.

Gimli grunted incoherently and muttered something in his sleep that sounded like a very unfriendly curse. He wouldn't open his eyes after the first few shakes, so Cress gripped his shoulder harder and shook him more violently. "Mister Dwarf, wake up," she said softly.

Gimli rolled over, scooted away from the Elf, and continued to snore quietly.

Cress exhaled in defeat and sat back for a moment, wandering whether she would use harsher methods to wake the Dwarf or to keep trying to rouse him gently. She gazed calculatingly at Gimli before a mischievous little smirk crept onto her face. Leaning over Gimli's sleeping form, Cress blew a puff of air into his face which made the Dwarf's face cringe with annoyance and he tried to wiggle and worm his way away from the disturbance of his sleep.

Giggling silently, the Elf then had a sudden rush of impishness that inclined her to have some fun with the deeply asleep Gimli; draw on his face or play with his big, bushy beard. However, after some debate, she only smiled and concluded that to sabotage him in his sleep wasn't going to make Gimli friendly with her. Also, she decided that she'd better save her ink and quill for her diary. If she is to keep a record of the entire journey, she would need to conserve her writing and drawing material or they won't last very long.

"Master Dwarf," Cress tried again. She shook him harder, and this time Gimli had had enough.

The Dwarf finally woke and surveyed his surroundings with drowsy eyes. As soon as he saw Cress kneeling next to him, his eyes grew wide and alert. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded with authority. "Can't a Dwarf get some sleep without some nosy Elf watching him?"

"Uh…" Though Cress figured that Gimli didn't like Elves, she hadn't expected him to be so hostile right after waking up. It caught her off guard momentarily, and she instantly forgot the string of pleasant, welcoming words she was planning on saying to the Dwarf in order to get on his good side. "I didn't mean to offend, Master Dwarf. I was merely waking you; I was told that you have the next watch after Mister Boromir. But if you wish to sleep, I can keep watch for you."

Gimli moodily got to his feet and scowled up at Cress for she was still taller than him. "What makes you think I'd need you to keep watch for me? I can handle it myself, little Elfling. A Dwarf has the most endurance of all creatures! I've got – "

Cress frowned slightly at being called "little Elfling". "But I'm older than you, Master Dwarf," she pointed out, interrupting him, feeling a bit confused. "And I am _much_ taller than you – "

The mention of height differences effectively triggered Gimli's rage. His outburst was so sudden that Cress jumped with a start and nearly tripped over Pippin, who was curled up in sleep between her and the Dwarf. "I will have no talk of this!" Gimli shouted, not paying attention to how loud he was being. "I may be short, but there's much more to a man than his height, I tell you. This Dwarf can take down enemies a youngster like you could only encounter in your wildest dreams."

Cress always did her best to get along with everyone, but Gimli just wasn't picking up on her signals. She was trying to be nice to him, truly, but she didn't know if it was her fault or Gimli's that was making it hard for them to be friends. She knew that there was a feud between Dwarves and Elves long ago, but that was before Gimli was even _born_. Why can he not simply put the feud aside?

Cress tried to politely tell Gimli that he should keep his voice down, but the Dwarf didn't give her a chance to speak before going into a loud rant about how Dwarves should be treated with more respect and to make fun of one's height is the most immature thing a being can do.

"I wasn't making fun of your height!" Cress protested useless. She could feel that she was quickly losing control of the situation and that all hope of becoming friends with Gimli had just been torn to shreds and tossed into a fire. "I was simply telling the truth and pointing out that – "

"I don't need your excuses!" the Dwarf roared dramatically. "Now, if you know what's good for you, you'd better not mention this to the rest of the Company; especially that cursed Mirkwood Elf." He jerked his head at Legolas, who had gone back to sleeping with his eyes open. "As if having one Elf on the journey wasn't already bad enough, we have two. Why couldn't another Dwarf have come with us? There needs to be an equal –"

Cress noticed that a few of the members of the Fellowship were beginning to stir and made a hopeless attempt to calm Gimli down. "I understand your discomfort, Master Dwarf, with being the only member of your kind in the Company, but it isn't something to get mad about," she said hurriedly. "And I don't think I would count as a representative of the Elves. I'm not quite sure what I represent, really, but Master Gandalf and I are a package deal so you should try to lighten up a little and accept that – "

"'_Lighten up_'?!" Gimli repeated with such a dangerous tone that Cress took a step back to put some distance between herself and the angry Dwarf but ended up stumbling over Pippin and Merry and tumbling to the ground where the Hobbits were sleeping.

This triggered a small chain of events; first, the Hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were started awake when Cress fell on them. The Hobbits panicked and went into hysterics since the sun had already set, and they could not see what had fallen on them in the gathering darkness. The Hobbits' screams immediately woke Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas, who all sprang up from their beds in alarm. They instantly drew their weapons on instinct and rushed to where the Hobbits laid to save them from nonexistent danger. Gandalf lit the top of his staff with a bright orb of light so that everyone could see what was going on.

The entire Fellowship froze. All was silent as, in the light of the wizard's staff, the Hobbits realized that they were in no peril and that it was only Cress who had tripped over them. Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas stood in a circle around them, staff ready, swords drawn, and arrow aimed. Gimli watched with wide eyes at the mess he and Cress had made.

Cress, after recovering from her fall, looked up to see Gandalf glaring down at her. She tried to smile innocently, still sprawled over the Hobbits.

Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas slowly lowered their weapons as they decided that there was no real danger. Gandalf hauled Cress to her feet, "I will have no more of this foolishness, Cress," he told her sternly. "We are behind schedule, and everyone here needs the energy to start climbing the Mountains tomorrow. If I had not already agreed to take you along with me on this journey, I'd send you back to Rivendell this instant."

Cress bowed her head, "I am sorry, Master. It won't happen again."

Knowing his student, Gandalf was fully aware that it _would_ happen again. But he decided not to say any more and looked around at the faces of all in the Company. "Since we have all woken, there is no use in trying to sleep until complete darkness now. Let us have our meal and go on."

For the next few minutes, the Fellowship ate the food they had brought along with them. They ate sparingly for they did not know when they were going to be able to replenish their supplies; probably after they cross the Mountains, and none of them knew exactly how long that would take.

Cress took some dried meat and fruits from her supplies, eager to lighten its weight, and scrambled up a tree with her diary, quill, and a tiny phial of ink. In the tree, she ate in private and wrote descriptive entrees for the three members of the Fellowship she had spent time with that day. And at the end of each account, she carefully drew an ink portrait of each member she wrote about.

_Dearest Diary,_

_I must say that this journey is not as splendid as I had imagined. Perhaps it is the pain of having to carry my massive back pack everywhere I go. I had been looking forward to seeing the scenery and running through the plains of Rohan, but now I don't think that would be possible, at least not while I have to shoulder my oversized luggage._

_Lately, I have been trying to become friends with a few of the Company, and I think that I have made some progress. I had a reasonable conversation with Boromir, the Man from Gondor, though it was mostly him doing the talking. I think he is very loyal and patriotic. From what I can tell, he isn't exactly the talkative type, but he has a great deal to say about Gondor. I merely asked him about his country, and I think he gave me an entire history lesson about Gondor. Nevertheless, I shall conclude that he is a decent person and can be trusted, and he reminded me of my own homeland. Boromir mentioned passing through Lothlórien on the way South, but I do not know if that is the route Master Gandalf plans to take. For if we do happen to enter Lórien, I will be sure to visit my dear mother and Haldir again._

_Another member I spoke with was Legolas. Perhaps the first thing I should note about him is that he is quite attractive. His hair is of a lighter color than mine, and I, having not spoken in Elvish in so long, had unintentionally complimented it. Though it was not exactly untrue. He is of the same race as me, but I noticed a slight difference in appearance between Mirkwood Elves and Lórien Elves. My kindred from Mirkwood, I think, must be fair in a more detached and natural way while in Lórien, Elves are fair like royalty and often look heavenly in a way. Whatever the case, Legolas is not only handsome but is also a kind person. I can tell he appreciates nature and the world in general, something that I have forgotten to do a long time ago. He also appears to be skilled with the bow and arrows, which I had not quite managed yet, and carries a white long knife. I asked him to play the guessing game that I had played long ago in Lórien, and he gladly agreed to entertain me. It has been a long while since anyone besides Master Gandalf had agreed to play that game with me. Also, I have decided that I should make an effort to speak Elvish again, for Legolas reminded me of what a lovely language it is. So far, I think he is my favorite companion, save Master Gandalf, of course; no one can ever take Master Gandalf's place._

_Lastly, there is Gimli. I can't say I enjoy his company, but I can understand why he doesn't like mine. He is a Dwarf, you see, and Dwarves aren't supposed to get along with Elves. I still think he can be a little less obvious about his dislike toward Legolas and me, and he is rather sensitive about his size. I didn't mean to offend him by pointing out that I was at least a foot taller than him, but he still got angry with me. Gimli is probably the member of the Fellowship I have made the least progress with, and I haven't even spoken a word to Merry and Pippin yet. I hope they are at least as pleasant as Boromir._

_-Cress_

Cress finished the last of her dried fruits and closed her diary. She quietly slipped down from the tree and stowed the journal, quill, and ink into her pack, making sure that no one saw her with it. Looking over her entries, she noticed that her description of Legolas was unnecessarily long and detailed. The She-Elf blushed slightly at this before hurriedly putting it away. She did not want anyone to see what she had written, especially not any one she had written about.

Moments later, it was dark enough for the Fellowship to set out again. Everyone shouldered their packs, and Cress dreaded having to carry hers. Then, watching Gimli begin to march toward the Misty Mountains following the rest of the Company, Cress thought about the Dwarf's pride in being a Dwarf and his great emphasis on being able to handle anything.

A small smile twitched onto her lips and she hurried after him. "Master Dwarf," she called in the sweetest of voices.

Gimli turned around to face her, evidently suspicious of the sugary tone of her calls. Cress caught up to him and said, "I have been thinking about what you said of Dwarves being strong and enduring and how one should not judge you on your size. And I have decided that I agree with you completely!"

Gimli blinked, appearing to have been caught off guard for he wasn't expecting her to mention that. But he quickly got recovered and puffed up his chest in a proud manner. "What did I tell you? We Dwarves are natural warriors, able to carry many burdens without tiring and – "

Cress did not allow him to finish for he had already said exactly what she wanted him to say. "Oh, then this is perfect!"

The Dwarf raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. "What did you say?"

Before Gimli could get an answer out of her, Cress had already slipped off her backpack and threw it on top of his which drew a grunt from the son of Gloin. He staggered at the sudden additional weight and spat furiously, "What do you think you're doing?! Get your pack back on!"

"Well… since I'm a 'youngster'," Cress replied innocently, emphasizing the word "youngster". "A natural warrior like you wouldn't mind carrying my burden, would you? Please?" She beamed at him like a little girl and took advantage of her large, doe eyes.

"Get this thing off me!" Gimli wasn't swayed at all by the Elf's pleading look. He immediately tried to dump the extra luggage onto the ground, but Cress reacted quickly and made sure that it stayed on.

"Come now, Master Dwarf," she reasoned. "It's a pity, really; I had been looking forward to seeing a real display of endurance and strength from the son of Gloin. I was certain you would be able to bear it, but I can see now that I am wrong…"

At this, Gimli abruptly stopped struggling and looked up at her with slight alarm. He seemed to be trying to calculate Cress' intentions before finally responding, "Hogwash! Of course I can bear it!"

The Elf's face lit up again, "So you'll carry it for me?" she asked hopefully, clasping her hands together eagerly.

Gimli was visibly arguing with himself, his dark eyes shifting up and down as he went through the pros and cons of Cress' request. Finally, he gave snort. "All right, I'll carry it for you. But not as a favor!" he added quickly. "I merely need to be more challenged on this quest. Everyone here are pansies, I tell you!"

He said that last part slightly too loud, and all the other members of the Company turned back to look at him for calling them all "pansies". Some of their eyebrows were raised coolly and others in amusement.

Cress tried to hide her smile. She patted Gimli on the back fondly, "So you will carry it for me; oh, you are too kind, Gimli. Thank you ~" And with that, she shouldered her small and much lighter drawstring bag that contained her personal possessions and skipped merrily off to the front of the party, leaving poor Gimli behind.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hi! I'm sorry this took so long, but it's the longest chapter so far. I hope it was alright; it was a bit of a pain to right. Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed, favorite, and are following the story. As you can probably tell, Cress has already developed a little, school-girl crush on Legolas, but I must admit that I am not the best at romance, so if anyone has some pointers or encouragement on that, please let me know! I'm so nervous as to how I'm going to work out the LegolasxOC part XD._

_The reviews are so supportive, and I love you all so much! Now, if you wouldn't mind, please drop a REVIEW for me again and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Reviews to writer as fuel is to fire._

_Next time: Okay, so this chapter turned out much longer than I had anticipated, so we're be starting the adventures in Caradhras and the Misty Mountains in the next chapter! Yay! Stay tuned ;D _

_Translations:_

_[1]__ "No."_

_[2]__ "I am happy to meet you, Legolas. My name is Cress."_

_[3]__ "A star shines upon the hour of our meeting."_

_[4]"Thank you. May the sun shine upon your path."_


	7. Chapter VII

*Chapter VII:

_Dearest Diary,_

_ 'Tis now the thirteenth day since the Fellowship of the Ring left Rivendell. We have spent the past eleven nights hiking through the west side of the Misty Mountains and heading south toward Eregion. Now that I no longer have to carry my pack, I think that I am no longer keeping the rest of the Company behind schedule. We have made quite some progress through the Mountains these past few days and have reached Caradhras, which Master Gandalf told me was a Mountain of Moria for the vast Mines of Moria were partly beneath it. The Mines belong to the Dwarves, and Gimli has insisted more than once that it would be much quicker and less of a tussle to go through Moria than to scale the massive slopes of the Mountains. But Master Gandalf refused to go through the Mines unless he has no other choice. I know not of why this is, but I am certain he has his perfectly logical reasons._

_ Speaking of Gimli, I must admit that I am impressed with his stamina. He has managed to keep up with the rest of us just fine ever since he offered to carry my load. However, starting three days ago, it began to snow. Though it is quite natural for there to be snow so high up on the Mountains and in the middle of January, this snow is still exceptionally cold. At last, the Hobbits are starting to fall behind me, for the snow had piled up to almost bury them completely! _

_ Just the other day, the Fellowship made an agreement to each carry a piece of wood but not to light a fire unless it is a choice between fire and death. How I truly wish to light mine now! But I do not wish to be the first to break, for I think that I must at least last longer than the Hobbits if I am to be taken seriously on this mission. It's been so terribly cold and windy outside that even Master Gandalf agreed to take a few more rests than we were supposed to._

_ I think these more frequent respites have actually been most useful for me. I spoke with Merry and Pippin not long ago while we were taking shelter in a small hollow on the side of the mountain, and I am happy to conclude that I like them very much. They are such light-hearted folk, and I find great comfort in having a simple little conversation with them. Though I do worry about them and what they will face on this journey. Master Gandalf has made it clear to me that the Journey of the One Ring is not to be taken lightly, but I deeply hope that Merry and Pippin will remain the way they are throughout it all. I would hate to see them in any other mood than their usual, happy selves._

_ I wonder how much longer our Company will have to stay in the Mountains. If this snowstorm keeps up, we'll all soon freeze to death. As Master Gandalf had said, it is far too risky to light a fire, for it would give out our location to anyone else who may be in the Mountains. What I would like to know is _who_ would be all the way out here anyway? This place is practically a wasteland of frozen rain, black mountain sides, and no sign of life could be detected. Sometimes, the Hobbits cannot walk because the snow is too high for them. Whenever this happens, Aragorn and Boromir must carry the Hobbits on their backs._

_ Perhaps I shouldn't be so relaxed. About five days ago, before we encountered the snow, a large flock of black birds were flying around our camp, and we hid from them. Master Gandalf thinks that they were spies of the Enemy, and if that is true, then I must be more alert. Thank Elbereth, we had the common sense to take cover when those birds were near, but I haven't seen any trace of them for days. Surely, we had left them behind when we started climbing Caradhras? _

_ Whatever the case, I only hope to get through the Misty Mountains soon. I wonder where we will go next after that. Will we follow the Great River or keep to the east side of the Mountains? How much longer will it be before we get to sleep in a real bed? Will the snow be stopping anytime soon? And if not, how will the Fellowship possibly make it to the other side of the Mountains? I fear the answer to these questions, which is something I'm not usually afraid of. I usually find excitement and happiness in knowing answers; this cold must be starting to numb my mind._

_-Cress_

With shaky hands, Cress closed her diary and stowed it back into her drawstring bag. She took a closer look at her fingers and saw that the tips of them were beginning to turn blue. It was very cold, and she pulled her thin layers of blankets closer to her body, trying to preserve as much of her body heat as possible.

It was dark in the little cave the Fellowship had found to sleep and rest in. The snow was still falling outside, and Cress sat on the hard floor of the hollow, breathing into her hands and rubbing them together once in a while.

Because Cress was an Elf, she had been given a relatively small amount of blankets, for she would naturally last longing in the cold weather than many of the other members of the Company. Though this was true, the _elleth _still suffered as she struggled to keep warm.

Legolas, who was also immortal, was pushed to the back of the blanket queue with Cress, and he had even less cover than the She-Elf since he was older.

Cress sighed sadly. She had hoped that writing a very long entry in her diary would bring some heat to her hands, but it didn't seem to help much. She turned to look at her companions that were scattered around on the floor of the cave, sleeping or pretending to be. They were still not allowed to light a fire, and the harsh wind whipping the snowflakes violently through the Mountains.

A part of the wind blew into the cave, and Cress shivered violently, clutching the edges of her blanket to her chest. Her cheeks were so numb that she attempted to bury her face in the blanket, but the small mantle wasn't big enough to cover both her head and her feet, which were also were starting to freeze.

After a few minutes of groping around with the blanket and attempting to deal with its ridiculous size, Cress gave a defeated huff and stopped with her useless fidgeting. She glanced around at her companions again, and her eyes landed on Legolas, who was resting near the opening of the cave so that he could warn the rest of the Fellowship if danger should suddenly approach.

Cress thought for a few seconds before pulling her blankets around her tightly and beginning to crawl stiffly over to where the other Elf was sitting. She saw that his eyes were open, staring out into the Mountains, but she assumed that he was simply in his waking meditative state again, so she didn't think twice before silently planting herself beside him. At first, she blinked a few times, unsure of why she decided to move from her original spot in the first place, but then she realized that she had been feeling rather lonely at the back of the cave by herself.

Cress bounced up and down on her knees, thinking. Then, she gazed at Legolas and timidly scooted closer to him for warmth.

At that moment, Legolas snapped him head back to look at her, and Cress started at the sudden movement for she had thought that the other Elf was asleep. "You're awake," she stuttered awkwardly. "I was just… um…"

"Couldn't sleep?" he supplied, cracking a small smile at the e_lleth's _overreaction to his waking.

"Erm… well, I was cold, so I…" She trailed off, getting red in the face. "Nevermind. I'll just go back to sleep now. I'm so sorry." She made a move to get up and go back to her original spot so she that she could hide her burning cheeks, which was odd since only seconds ago they had been numb from the cold.

"There is nothing to forgive," Legolas answered, causing Cress to stop in her tracks. "I couldn't sleep either. The weather here is strange. It's almost as if the Mountains themselves are working against us, doing all they can to slow our progress."

Another blast of icy wind brought several large snowflakes into the cave, and Cress watched them land of the ground and slowly melt. Then she, in vain, wrapped herself even more tightly in her blankets and shivered uncontrollably. "Why do you stay near the mouth of the cave where it is the most exposed to the weather?" she asked the Mirkwood Prince, glancing at the small amount of protection from the wind he had. "Aren't you cold as well?"

"Only a little bit," Legolas admitted. "But I will be fine."

Cress dropped her gaze and sighed. Then, she sank back down beside the other Elf and said, "Seeing as we are both in need of some company and more blankets, let us be cold together. Everything is a little better when there is a friend to suffer through it with you," she preached.

Legolas smiled at her simple-mindedness. "Yes, that is true. But sometimes, one would wish for their friend be safe instead of sharing the pain with them. Would you not rather go further into the cave where it is warmer than stay out here with me?"

Cress thought for a moment about this and realized that Legolas had a point. "Perhaps I do wish to be where it is warmer, but I think that I would be lonely by myself. I like to have someone to talk to; it makes me feel somewhat comforted, even if the conversation has to do with something completely humble. And at this time, I think I could use some of that comfort; the situation of our Company is a grave one, and I do not think I can stand seeing nothing but snow any longer."

"From my reckoning, we are at Caradhras' knee and not anywhere near the top yet. Aye, I fear that the snowstorm will only grow worse the higher we climb. And the further we go, the harder it will be to backtrack if it is decided that we are to take another route across the Mountains in the end. Aragorn and Mithrandir have much to think about. Let us pray that their choices do not go astray"

"Master Gandalf knows what he is doing," Cress immediately retorted with sudden hostility. She was always ready to defend her Master if she senses the even smallest hint of doubt or question toward the old wizard. Sometimes, she thinks that she is being too sensitive and mistrustful toward anyone who didn't agree with Gandalf, but she couldn't help it. It had grown to be almost an instinct to get defensive and paranoid when someone shows the slightest sign of doubting her master.

There was a tense silence as Cress slowly vented out some of her abrupt irritation with Legolas. She wasn't sure why she had so sharply snapped at the Prince. At once she felt horrible for it, and wondered where the anger had come from.

"I am sorry," the _elleth_ sighed at last. "I think it has grown to be a habit of mine to lash out at people who do not love my master as much as I do. I apologize for my ignorance; it is a flaw of mine to not accept other opinions willingly. Master Gandalf is the only person I will yield to."

"It is clear that you and Mithrandir have known each other for a long time?" asked Legolas, wisely choosing to steer the discussion away from the current situation and to the relationship between Cress and Gandalf, which appeared to be something that the She-Elf liked to talk about.

She answered enthusiastically, "Well, it really hasn't been _that_ long; at least not to an Elf." Cress did some math in her head and continued, "I think it has been some eighty years since I met Master Gandalf. But in that time, I have learned more from him than I could have learned from anyone else in a hundred years. Master Gandalf is a wonderful teacher, really, and he has taught me so much about the world and the art of sorcery. Without him, I think I would still be in Lothlórien living with my mother and having a rather uninteresting life.

"I believe, since Elves are immortal, that life would be far too dull if there wasn't at least one adventure in it. It would be terrible to stay in your homeland for all eternity and not have anything exciting happen. This applies even more so to the mortal life-span. Men have such a short amount of time to do something to make their life satisfied while Elves can take their time with practically everything.

"Can you imagine being mortal, Legolas? Knowing that every minute you live is another step closer to death? That must be so very frightening, the thought of only being a dead body and not being able to see or hear or speak. And no one knows what death feels like or what happens after it. Things that are unpredictable are the scariest things, I suppose. Once in a while I would pity Men, but Master Gandalf always says that sometimes immortality is more painful than death. I don't quite comprehend how that works, but if Master Gandalf says so, then I am sure it is true. I am simply not old enough to understand it.

"Actually, I think I should be asking Aragorn or Boromir these questions instead of you, Legolas. They are mortal and should be able to give me more detailed and accurate answers. But thank you for listening anyway."

Cress stopped to take a breath after that long stream of words. She was pleasantly surprised that Legolas was still listening and did not interrupt her once during her expressing. It was hard for Cress to find someone who would pay attention to her every word, no matter how irrelevant or ridiculous the topic of conversation was. "I am impressed," she said to the Prince with a delighted smile.

Confused, Legolas did not realize how much it meant to Cress for him to simply sit and truly heed every word she spoke. He questioned her, "With what?"

"People don't normally have the patience to wait for me to finish my thoughts, as my thoughts are usually rather long and detailed, and I take a long time to express them. Master Gandalf is one of the few that has the attention span and my mother as well. Yesterday, I was telling Merry and Pippin about the history of the Elves, and they fell asleep. It's been so long since anyone else has been able to sit through one of my rants; I'm so happy!" Cress clasped her hands together and beamed like a child that had been given candy.

Legolas watched her with interest as she bounced on her heels childishly, looking at him with a new light in her eyes. Here was a girl whose thoughts go deeper than that of most, despite her innocent and care-free nature; so easily amused, but still aware of the meaning of the things that really matter. "I agree that the minds of mortals have a rather short attention span, but I do not find your musing dull," the Prince replied with newfound respect. "I will listen to you if you wish, whenever you may need someone to communicate your opinions and ideas to."

If it were possible, Cress' eyes grew even brighter at this. "_Gwestodh_[1]?" she asked, looking at him hopefully.

"_Gweston[2]._" Legolas nodded sincerely.

At that moment, Cress knew that the Mirkwood Prince had a good heart and was not someone who cheated or despaired easily. "_De vilui[3],_" the She-Elf answered. "You are very kind, Legolas. I hope we can be good friends." Cress then leaned back against the cave wall and rested her hands behind her head. Suddenly, she didn't feel so cold anymore.

"I share that same hope, for you are not like other Elves I know. There is something about you that I find different," Legolas said thoughtfully, as if he were trying to put his finger on it.

Cress raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, "I hope that is not a bad thing," the _elleth _replied, half worried and half wondering if it was a joke.

Legolas chuckled at her alertness to his comments. "Being strange is not exactly bad, at least not in my eyes," he said.

"Oh, okay then, good."

And they both fell silent after that. They listened to the whistling wind outside for a few minutes before Cress perked up, "Do you mind if I sing a song, Legolas. I can't say I am good at it, but it makes me happy. Most people don't like hearing me, so I hope you'll be alright with listening for a while?"

Legolas, who had never met an Elf that did not sing well, did not think twice before saying, "Go ahead."

However, as soon as Cress opened her mouth, the Mirkwood Prince wished he hadn't given her leave. Poor Legolas, being far too polite to tell the _elleth _to stop, had to endure two minutes of Cress' horrid singing before Pippin, Merry, and Gimli were roused from their sleep by the noise.

"What is that awful sound?" Pippin muttered as he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"It sounds like a bird's being tortured," Gimli added, still half asleep and not realizing that Cress abruptly stopped and was now glaring daggers at him.

"You could have been a little less blunt with your criticism," Cress muttered, but ceased her squawking. She did not notice the look of relief on Legolas' face when someone had gotten her to stop. After glancing out of the mouth of the cave, the She-Elf quickly changed the subject, "It's almost time to get up anyway. Let us wake the others so that we may continue our journey."

* * *

><p>When the rest of the Fellowship had been roused from their sleep, they ate a small meal and set out again. Miraculously, the snow had stopped falling, which was a great respite, but the thick blanket of white that covered the path they were using was still a problem, at least for the non-Elvish folk.<p>

Cress and Legolas did not leave any prints in the snow, for they were of the Elven race, and therefore they found it much easier to walk the snow covered path.

Without the annoying weight of her pack to slow her down, Cress had been elevated from being the last in line to the first. She energetically pranced around at the front of the party, eagerly taking in her surroundings but still being careful not to go too far ahead on her own.

For the first time in days, the sun shined through the clouds in the sky, making the snow clad mountains hard to look at. Cress raced to the edge of a wide shelf that the Company was on and gazed out at the blinding white slopes of the Mountains. "It's soooooo pretty!" she cooed, standing on her toes and shielding her face from the rays of the sun with her hand. "You all must come and look at this!"

Legolas came, but the others were too busy trying to prow through the snow to pay any attention to the scenery.

Cress turned back to glance at them, frowning slightly at their lack of enthusiasm. She noticed that they were still so serious and grim when they should have had their spirits lifted when the snow had finally stopped falling. Also, the sun was shining, and who could possibly be so down-hearted at that?

After a moment of devious pondering, Cress cracked a small smile, bent down to the ground, took a handful of snow, and formed a snowball with it behind her back. Then, she innocently joined the Company again, but this time staying near the end of the line. As the Fellowship kept climbing Caradhras, the She-Elf secretly made two more snowballs after the first and held them behind her back so that none could see her plans to bring some amusement to the others.

Then, without warning, she hurled the snowballs at the three people who were closest to her; Legolas, Gimli, and Merry. She had been aiming for the back of their heads, but at the second Cress threw the snowballs, Gimli turned around, and a ball of frozen water hit him in the face instead.

The She-Elf gave a start and covered her mouth with her hands as she watched Gimli noisily and bewilderedly shake what remained of the snowball off of his face. At first, he wasn't sure what hit him, but he quickly figured it out when he saw the look on Cress' face.

Cress, who was trying very hard to keep a straight face, gazed over at Legolas and Merry who had also turned around after getting nailed by the _elleth_'s expert throws. She couldn't stop herself from laughing when she their reactions.

Gimli seemed as if he was going to blow a gasket, but the specks of snow still stuck in his beard did not help him to look intimidating. Legolas and Merry also still had some chunks of white in their hair, but they didn't look nearly as angry as the Dwarf, just caught off guard. In fact, Merry was the first to start laughing with Cress, and he quickly grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and tossed it at the She-Elf.

Cress wasn't expecting this, and she shrieked as she was hit in the face too. After getting over her shock and wiping the leftover snow off her forehead, the Elf and the Hobbit mentally declared snowball war on each other.

And afterwards, things got chaotic.

As Cress hurled another snowball at Merry, the Hobbit jumped behind Gimli for cover, and once again the Dwarf got sacked in the face. Then, the son of Gloin could no longer stand and watch; he too joined the battle of the snowballs, possibly to get revenge. But soon, he was laughing along with his opponents for he also found amusement in the game.

Cress sent a snowball flying at Legolas, but the other Elf ducked just in time and the hit meant for him was taken by Boromir. The Man was unsure at first as to what was happening between the two Elves, a Dwarf, and a Hobbit, but he caught on quickly and gladly joined their fun.

He could throw quite hard and when one of his shots hit Merry, it knocked the little man off his feet, sending his scrambling to get up in the three feet deep snow. Just as Boromir was about to go for Gimli, Cress' expertly aimed shot caught him in the face instead.

"Must you always aim for people's faces?" he asked jokingly, redirecting his next snowball at her.

"Yes!" Cress replied cheekily. She made two snowballs to counter the one that Boromir was about to throw at her. But before their one-on-one showdown could start, Legolas interrupted it by chucking his own snowball at Boromir. The Human staggered a little, which made Cress' shots miss completely and land on the rest of the Hobbits' heads.

And at once, the Hobbits were flinging snow at each other as well. Now, the tiny snowball war of four had multiplied to an eight-on-eight battle. Most soon figured out that Cress' aim was one of the best, possibly from having already mastered knife-throwing. Aragorn and Gandalf watched from a distance at the playful skirmish with amused smiles. At one point, a stray snowball flew in the wizard's direction, shattering on the wide rim of his pointed hat.

At once, Cress had demanded to know what dared to aim for her Master Gandalf. After that, the snowball fight got much more intense, although the laughing never ceased.

"You all throw like little girls!" Cress taunted her opponents, having resorted to stuffing handfuls of snow down the back of their shirts. "Snowball fight like real men!"

Jeering was obviously a mistake, Cress quickly realized as the others gazed at each other meaningfully as if exchanging an agreement. It didn't take long for the She-Elf to comprehend that her opponents were forming an alliance against her. "N-no…" she tried to keep cool as they closed in around her with their snowballs ready. Laughing nervously, she slowly backed away from them, "It was only a joke, and this isn't fair!"

They paid no attention to her protests, and simultaneously flung their ammunition at her.

Cress exaggeratedly braced herself as she was pelted with snow. The impacts knocked her to the ground and she tried to get up, but slipping on the slippery ice and fell back down.

Gimli was laughing gleefully, "Ha! Revenge; it's taste is sweet!"

Under normal circumstances, Cress would have been quite angry with her friends for teaming up against her like that, but seeing the smiles all around on their faces, she quickly lost her anger and could only laugh it off and accept defeat. "I surrender!" she declared dramatically, holding her hands up. Then she flashed a sly grin. "Now for round two!"

Before anyone could react, the Elf whipped out her flute from her belt and waved it at the snow at her feet. At once, a dozen snowballs formed themselves and hovered in the air for a few seconds, and when Cress flicked her wrist, the white spheres shot at her "enemies".

Everyone was hit with at least one of Cress' magically enchanted snowballs, and the She-Elf jumped up and down in triumph. "Victory!" she cried with delight, and proceeded to spinning around in a cheesy happy-dance. Then, she fell off the edge of the cliff.

There was a dead silence as all laughing stopped and the rest of the Fellowship could only stare in utter disbelief at the spot where Cress had been standing, mouths hanging open in an "o". They had not realized how close to the ledge the She-Elf had been, and while she was doing her happy-dance, she must have slipped and fallen.

Everyone hastily scrambled up from the ground and rushed to where Cress was last seen. They looked over the edge of the cliff, and the ground below was so far down that they could not see it.

"Don't tell us we just lost our first companion?" Pippin squeaked, breathing slowly to try and calm himself.

Boromir nodded gravely, "I'm afraid no one can survive that fall, not even an Elf.

"What's even worse," Merry added shakily; "is that our first companion was lost while doing a victory-dance because she beat us all in a snowball fight."

Everyone seemed to realize how pathetic that sounded. A wave of dread washed over them as they thought about the almost comical way their companion had perished. "What are we to tell Gandalf?" Frodo asked, sinking to the ground in despair.

Gandalf and Aragorn walked up behind them at the moment, wondering why the snowball fight had ended so abruptly. "What happened here?" Aragorn demanded upon seeing the grim expressions on his friends' faces.

Merry sniffled slightly, "Cress… she…" he motioned to the cliff.

The Ranger and the wizard both looked over the edge and understood what the Hobbit was trying to say.

"_Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath [4]_." Legolas breathed, bowing his head.

"_De vilui, Legolas,_" answered a familiar voice. "However, I am not dead, but I appreciate the thought, really."

Everyone whipped around at those words, and Cress stood there behind them, looking a little drowsy but still very much alive. She yawned at them and blinked sleepily. "What are you all staring at?"

The rest of the Fellowship looked at her in amazement – well, except Gandalf who knew exactly how Cress survived the fall.

"Y-you fell!" Pippin stuttered. "Are you a ghost?"

"No…" Cress spoke as if she was really tired. "I am not a ghost; I am very much alive, actually. I'm just a bit tired after using that levitation enchantment…" She held up her flute as if that would explain everything and looked around at the confused faces of her friends, quite oblivious to their shock. "If none of you mind, I'll be taking a nap, now…"

Then, she slowly sank to the ground, closed her eyes, and curled up for sleep.

All was quiet for a while, and Merry actually tried to touch Cress' sleeping form to make sure that she was solid. But Gandalf had stopped him, saying, "Let her rest now, Master Meriadoc. She has been worn out after saving herself from the fall."

Noting the blank looks of the rest of the Fellowship, the wizard elaborated, "Cress used a levitation spell to stop her fall, and that is why she is still alive and with us. However, sorcery drains energy from the body, and so she must recharge. The quickest and most effective way to do that is to sleep. We can go no further today, at least not until Cress wakes up."

"I wouldn't want to go any further today," Sam said. He pointed up at the sky, "Look."

The sky had gone dark, and the sun was blotted out by thick clouds again. It seemed that a blizzard was coming after the brief respite, and it was going to be travel when the snow is falling so thick that you can't even see your hands in front of you.

"We must find shelter again," Gandalf advised. "Quickly!"

And with that, the Fellowship set out again. However, someone had to carry Cress for she refused to wake up. Aragorn and Boromir already had Merry and Pippin to bear, Frodo and Sam were too small, and Gandalf was practically an old man, so that only left Gimli or Legolas to carry the _elleth._ Gimli, however, made it clear that he was not going to bear Cress' burden and Cress herself. And this time, Cress was not awake to use reverse-psychology on him again.

And so it was decided that Legolas shall be the one to carry her. He had the least trouble in the snow and hardly had anything to do except keep watch as the rearguard.

As the snow started to fall again, the Fellowship of the Ring continued their climb up Caradhras with the wind whipping at their hair and massive snowflakes swirling in their faces.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Wow… this chapter took quite some time to write! Here we saw Cress use magic for the first time… to win a snowball fight! Gosh, I feel so nervous about those Legolas/Cress scenes, but I do hope they were alright. As I have mentioned before, I am not the best at romance scenes. Also, I'm sorry if some parts were confusing with how Cress got back after falling off the cliff ^_^_

_Anyways, someone suggested a snowball fight, so I hope the one I put in here was good enough! Oh, yes, and thanks for all the favorites and reviews. You guys are awesome, and I'll continue to put my all into these chapters for you. If you have a comment, as always, leave a review for me, won't you? Remember, reviews are the best way to get a writer to write faster and get more inspiration, which leads to more ideas, which leads to a better story. Thanks!_

_Next time: The Fellowship of the Ring must come to a decision about going through the Mines of Moria. Also, what will happen when Cress joins Pippin in throwing rocks into that lake in front of the mine doors…? Stay tuned!_

_[1] – "Do you promise?"_

_[2] – "I promise."_

_[3] – "Thank you."_

_[4] – "May she rest in peace."_


	8. Chapter VIII

*Chapter VIII:

Cress woke up to the sound of arguing. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and drowsily sat up, wondering where she was. Then, she remembered the snowball fight and falling off the cliff and using the levitation charm. She wasn't sure how long she had slept, but she hoped she hadn't cost the rest of the Fellowship to get too behind schedule.

Turning her head this way and that, she found that she was in another cave. It seemed that these hollows were very conveniently placed along the mountain trail. As Cress was taking in her surroundings, she also realized that there was the warm orange glow of a fire several feet away from her, and the Hobbits were lying beside her, also sleeping. The remaining members of the Company were all gathered around the small flame, warming themselves and having a heated debate.

"This is our last chance of turning back, Gandalf," Gimli's voice could be heard. "The weather up here is like nothing I had ever seen. This blizzard is abnormal; even in January this weather is not natural. The Mountains themselves are trying to push us back, and we cannot defeat them. We must retrace our steps before it is too late."

"I know what it is you are suggesting, Gimli," Gandalf replied calmly. "And once again, I say no. I will not go through the Mines of Moria unless I have no other choice."

"There _is_ no other choice," Gimli retorted, beginning to sound angry. "Take a look at what's happening outside. And think of the Hobbits; they will not last for long, even with Aragorn and Boromir carrying them. We cannot risk the death of the Ring-bearer."

"There are evils in Moria that not even I can imagine," Gandalf sighed. "You say that Balin took a troop of Dwarves there some time ago, but you have not heard from them in years. I fear that they will not be ready for visitors to come knocking on their door."

Gimli hesitated at this for a split-second before saying, "But the Mines will be much faster to travel through, as well; only a two day journey if one knows the way. Who knows how long it would take for us to get out of the Misty Mountains in this type of weather."

The voices went quiet after that as the members of the debate thought about their situation and how to respond. At this time, Cress silently got to her feet, dusted herself off, and walked over to the fire to join them. She squeezed into the circle, between Gandalf and Aragorn.

"Ah, I see you have finally woken, Cress," the wizard said, though his face was grim.

"How long have I been asleep?" the She-Elf asked.

Gandalf shook his head, "It is hard to tell. A great snowstorm has been unleashed, and it is no longer easy to distinguish night from day. As you can see, we have finally lit a fire, for it is truly a decision between fire and death now."

Cress stared at the small flickering flame in front of her. It was little and barely gave off any heat, but it was better than nothing. They didn't have much fuel for it since each companion only brought a single chunk of wood with them. Seeing the pitiful state of the fire living only off of only a few seven-inch long strips of fuel, the _elleth_ dug into her bag and pulled out the strip of wood she had been carrying and tossed it into the fire. This made it crackle a little bit more merrily, but the flame was still miserably weak.

"We must make a decision," Aragorn announced at last. "To continue our struggle through the Mountains or to turn back and try the Mines of Moria. If we do not choose quickly, we will soon freeze to death; this fire will not last very long."

"If we are taking a vote," said Boromir; "I would take the path through Moria."

"I vote to go through Moria, as well," agreed Aragorn. "But I do not wish to see the Company divided. We must stay together, or we will have no hope of completing the journey."

No words were needed to be said from Gimli, for everyone knew that he preferred the path through the Mines.

"I say no," Gandalf answered firmly.

"I do not wish to go through the Mines of Moria, either," Legolas said.

Upon hearing Gandalf's vote, Cress immediately made perked up, "I shall follow Master Gandalf, no matter how dangerous his choice may be."

The members around the fire looked at each other and quickly realized that there was a problem. There were an even number of people voting, and it just so happened that the votes were tied.

"Objection!" Gimli cried, when he noticed this. He pointed at Cress, "Her vote shouldn't count."

"What are you trying to say?" Cress growled aggressively, stepping toward the Dwarf with hostility. Her anger had flared so suddenly at Gimli's misleading words, and she couldn't hold it down anymore. She had done nothing but tried to be nice to the Dwarf, but he was stubbornly refusing to pick up on her signals.

"Tell me exactly why my vote doesn't count, Gimli son of Gloin," she demanded loud enough to cause the Hobbits to stir, but she didn't care. "It's because I'm the only female, isn't it? Well, I'll have you know – "

Gandalf smacked his staff down on her shoulder to stop her from advancing on the Dwarf any further. "Peace, Cress. Let us hear the reason for Gimli's objection."

As Cress crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at him, the Dwarf said coolly, "Her vote will always be in Gandalf's favor, and she barely knows what we're talking about. This makes Cress' vote unjustified, and I say it doesn't count. Let us take a vote on it!"

"Are you serious?!" the She-Elf shouted, her face turning red with frustration. "We are _not_ voting on whether my vote is valid or not. This is ridiculous!"

"What's going on…?" Frodo had been roused by the loud arguing. He sleepily raised his head, blank eyes trying to focus on them. His curly hair was a mess, and his body was tangled in his blankets.

Gandalf looked at him meaningfully for a few seconds but did not answer his question. The wizard appeared almost feel sorry for the little Hobbit. "Let the Ring-bearer decide," he said at last.

At first, nobody was sure whether he meant that Frodo was to judge Cress' vote or he was going to choose between Moria and the Mountains. But nobody objected to Frodo making the choice. It was rightfully his to make, after all. He was supposed to be the leader of the Company, and everyone else are simply his companions.

Confused, Frodo sat up and shook his kinsmen awake. "What? What are we deciding on? Gandalf?"

"We have a problem, Frodo, my lad," the wizard answered gently. "There are two roads that we can take now. We can either go through the Mines of Moria, or we can resume our climb on Caradhras. Both choices have their fair share of obstacles, but they each also have some good points. You are the Ring-bearer, and it is your right to decide our course. Choose wisely."

All the Fellowship was now awake and staring at Mr. Baggins. It was a lot of pressure to put on someone so very small, Cress realized. And he also literally carried the weight of the Ring around his neck. Isn't that already enough? Now, everyone was so expectant of him, and the She-Elf could not help but feel a stab of pity for the poor Halfling.

"We'll take the path through Moria," Frodo said, after glancing uncertainly at the people around him. He refused to let his voice turn shaky and stood up a little straighter to appear to know what he was doing.

Gandalf looked unhappy at this decision, but he did not argue and simply nodded grimly. "So be it. Let us begin retracing our steps as swiftly as possible." Then, he turned and started gathering up his things, and before long the others followed his example.

* * *

><p>As they climbed down Caradhras, the snowstorm whipped and pushed behind them as if urging them to leave the Mountains. But the lower they, the more the blizzard ceased until finally they were on leveled ground again, and the storm had stopped completely.<p>

Then, they slept again with much more comfort and warmth than they had experienced while scaling Caradhras. Then, there walked some more, with Gimli leading the way to the entrance to the Mines of Moria.

Cress did not like the lands they crossed. It was practically a waste land with not grass, dead trees and shrubs, and no sign of clean water. Still, it was much better than hiking through the snow in the Mountains. Also, Cress would occasionally hear Gandalf muttering to himself as they travelled; it appeared that he and Aragorn would have to make new plans concerning the course that the Fellowship is going to take.

They had been hoping to follow the Misty Mountains further to the south and cross through the Gap of Rohan. But now, the strategy was thwarted because by going through Moria, the Company will come to the other side of the Mountains with Lothlórien, Fangorn, and numerous rivers in between them and the plains of Rohan.

It would still be a long journey, and Cress still did not know what could happen in the Mines. Gimli had assured them that his cousin Balin would give them a royal welcome, but something told the _elleth_ that they weren't exactly going to be getting a spectacular welcome party with presents and confetti.

The one thing that did not make Cress doubt this change in plans completely is that the Company might actually have a chance of passing through the Golden Wood on their way south. When she comprehended this, she was very pleased and immediately felt slightly better about taking Gimli's route. Cress hadn't seen her mother since she left Lothlórien to travel with Gandalf. The She-Elf was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt of leaving her there by herself for so long. She sagged in disappointment as she realized that she should have sent her a message while she was in Rivendell. Now, while she was traveling with the Fellowship, there was no way of doing that.

Cress greatly wished that she had telepathy like the Lady Galadriel. That way, she could talk to whoever she wanted no matter where they were.

When she was little, Cress had been made aware that the Lady of the Wood could speak to people through her mind. Cress, thinking that telepathy had been the most amazing thing in the world, spent two months trying to communicate with other Elves without saying a word. She refused to say anything with her mouth, and finally her mother had gotten tired of her trying to tell communicate through a staring contest, and thus Cress learned that she could not use telepathy.

As she sat and kept watch one night, Cress was bored, and she tried telepathy again, though she already knew full well that only Galadriel could do it properly. She stared at the back of Gimli's head and repeated over, over in her head, _"Gimli could use a shave."_

Of course, the message didn't get through, and Cress cursed with disappointment. She sat on a dead tree stump, legs crossed, and chin supported by her right hand. After a long period of silence, she sighed exaggerative and pulled out her flute. Turning the thin instrument in her hands, she examined the smoothness of the dark wood and the elegant carvings near its neck and foot joints.

Then, she placed the flute to her lips and softly played a few notes. Noticing that her companions did not stir at the sound, Cress felt more comfortable and continued to play some random melodies she remembered from long ago. And for the next few minutes, she experimented with different notes and rhythms and did not pay attention to what was going on around her.

When she finally ceased her playing, she expected to hear silence around her again, but it was not there. There was a low growling noise behind her, and Cress instantly felt a cold chill go up her spine at the sound. It was definitely alive.

Her body slowed with fear as she gradually turned her head to look over her shoulder. And there behind her stood a massive wolf – a Warg, to be exact – and it was staring right at her, in an attack stance. The beast was standing on a boulder, about thirty feet away from where Cress sat, and low snarl generated from the back of its throat which Cress realized to be so loud that she had no idea how she couldn't have heard it before.

She had been so engrossed in her flute playing that she did not take her watch seriously. That was probably how the Warg got so close to their camp without her even noticing until she stopped playing. And the sound of the flute probably did a good job of leading the animal to her.

Cress took a frightened but attentive step backwards, still facing the angry Warg. Unfriendly animals like to bite people; the Warg was an unfriendly animal, and the She-Elf has already established that she hated being bitten, scratched, or stung. Cress' plan was to slowly and calmly wake the others so that they could take care of the wolf, but before she could take another step toward the nearest person, Boromir, the Warg lunged.

At first, Cress had mentally snorted, thinking, _There is no way it can jump that far, don't worry. _But she had underestimated the Warg's pouncing skills by a long shot, and the beast came on her so quickly that she barely avoided its attack, letting out a startled scream.

In panicked haste, the _elleth_ stumbled back as she tried to put distance between herself and the Warg. However, the ground was rocky and uneven, so she tripped in her alacrity and fell on her back, her flute flying out of her hands. As she struggled to get up, the wolf advanced on her with unexpected speed and bent down over her before opening its deformed mouth in a roar of triumph.

There was a great commotion as the rest of the Company jerked awake violently at the noises of struggle, but the Warg, that so intent on the captured its prey, paid no attention to them.

Cress wanted to scream in fear, but she thought that she might vomit if she dared to open her mouth, as the Warg was roaring at her face again, and its repulsive breath making her hair whip against the ground.

The Warg reared on its hind legs, and let out a piercing howl into the night, as if to announce its victory before taking the spoils and maybe also to strike fear into Cress' heart before tearing her to shreds.

Cress shrunk in dread as she waited to feel the tearing teeth and snatching claws of the Warg. But it never came, and the She-Elf, with her eyes squeezed shut, heard a loud snapping sound of an arrow expertly leaving a bow. She opened her eyes for a split second to see the wolf frozen still standing over her but with an arrow sticking out of its abdomen.

Then, she was hauled to her feet and quickly pulled away from the beast as it fell forward, dead, on the spot where she had just been.

Panting as if she had just finished a marathon, Cress wiped the sweat that had gathered on her brow and looked up to thank the person who saved her. She almost recoiled back when she saw that it was Legolas who had heaved her up from the ground. And the arrow that killed the Warg must have been his too.

The hobbits were huddled together while Gandalf inspected the wolf's dead body, and Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli scattered around the camp to make sure that there weren't any others in hiding.

After calming her breathing and getting a hold on herself, Cress started to thank Legolas for what he did, but before she could get a word out, she heard a distant howl that matched the Warg's. It was cold and eerie in the night, and it was answered by another and another.

All members of the Fellowship stopped what they were doing and looked at each other with wide, meaningful eyes. "There are others," Cress breathed softly.

Aragorn dropped on his stomach and pressed his left ear against the ground, listening. The Company held their breaths as the Ranger heard the sound of a great pack on the move. The noise grew louder gradually and he got up, concluding, "They are moving toward us. This one's howl must have stirred the rest of his kind," he jerked his head at the Warg that had attempted to murder Cress.

"Do we run or fight?" Cress asked in a small, shaky voice. Frankly, she was a bit scared to know the answer.

All eyes turned to Gandalf expectantly, as everyone had silently established long ago that the wizard was automatically chosen as the leader in times of crisis.

With a troubled frown, Gandalf looked between the Fellowship and the dead Warg. "We must flight, quickly," he replied with authority. "I do not wish to engage in a battle we have a chance of avoiding. Haste! We make for the Gates of Moria which is south from here."

No one complained, and in a matter of seconds the Company had gathered their packs and destroyed any sign of their camp. Cress retrieved her flute which had landed a few feet away and blew the dust off of it before stowing it in its usual spot. Then, with the moon still hanging like a lantern in the dark sky, the ten walkers trudged on through the night with the pursuit of the Wargs some distance behind them.

* * *

><p>Because all was aware of the wolves on their tail, the Fellowship of the Ring reached the Gates of Moria more quickly than they had expected. After the first few hours of fleeing from the Wargs, it seemed that they had escaped, and the beasts had given up their chase. But the walkers knew that they could not let their guard down.<p>

They'd walked through the rest of the night and all through the next day. At the end of the first day since the Warg attack, the Company arrived at the massive gate that lead into the side of a colossal mountain. There had been no sign of pursuit for a few hours, and the mood of the Fellowship was relatively bright.

The Gate was arched and had writings and carvings on it in various different languages. Gandalf studied these carvings and the pictures on the door as everyone else sat down and rested a little as they had been moving nonstop since they started running from the Wargs.

With an exhausted sigh, Cress sank against a boulder near the oily, murky lake in front of the Gates. She shrugged off her bag and set in down on the ground beside her to get more comfortable. She rubbed her aching legs and back as she enjoyed her respite.

The sun was already halfway set, and the black lake reflected its full red color exaggeratedly.

Cress looked at the lake and wondered if it would be safe to bathe in. She hadn't had a bath in weeks, and it was only thanks to her Elvish genes that she didn't look like a complete hobo. However, her hair was a little dirtier than she would have liked, and she doubted that she smelled like a bouquet of daisies either.

Throughout the time Cress sat there, feeling relaxed for the first time since she left Rivendell, she was sure that Gandalf was finding a way to open the Gates. After the first hour, Cress began to wonder what was taking the wizard so long. After an hour and a half, the sun had set entirely, and the _elleth _noted that there was still an expression of puzzlement on her master's face. After two hours, Cress started getting bored.

She felt that she had rested enough and got to her feet, stretching her arms. She saw that a couple of the hobbits were throwing little stones into the lake and thought that it looked fun. Prancing cheerfully over to where the Halflings were, Cress bent down to their level and asked, "What might you be doing, Pippin and Merry? Do you mind if I join you?"

"We skipping these flat stones across the surface of the water," Pippin explained enthusiastically. To demonstrate, he picked up a smooth pebble from the ground and threw in out into the lake.

Cress watched with wide eyes, amazed, as the stone skipped over the water five times before sinking out of sight. She had never done this before, but she thought that it was the most entertaining thing in the world at the time. "Will you teach me to do that, Pippin?" she asked excitedly, clasping her hands together in hope.

Pippin nodded with a smile, "I can certainly try. Here's a pebble." He handed the Elf one of the stones he found. "Now, you hold it like this, at an angle…" He held his own pebble to show her the way.

Cress nodded as she tried to copy the hobbit's movements. "Is this correct?"

And for the next twenty minutes, Pippin attempted – and failed – to teach Cress how to skip a stone.

All was dark by the time they stopped, and Gandalf had still not gotten the Gates of Moria to open. He was clearly unhappy as he went through every possible method of opening the doors, using the clues that were written and pictures that were embedded in the granite.

Cress, who was still frustrated with her inability to skip stones, did not notice Frodo going to the angry wizard and say something to him. Even Pippin and Merry had gotten tired of skipping stones and only sat nearby, watching the _elleth _determinedly chuck one rock after another into the lake.

Then, suddenly, there was the great sound of stone moving against stone as the Gates of Moria finally opened after over two hours. Cress whirled around from the lake to see that the doors were slowly swinging open, and Gandalf and Frodo were standing in front of it; Frodo appearing a little bit smug, and Gandalf blinking at the open passage in realization.

"Come now!" the wizard announced to the rest of the Company. "The Gates are open, and we must proceed quickly!"

Cress sighed in disappointment as she stepped away from the lake, dissatisfied that she had not mastered stone skipping. However, before she turned her back on the water, she noticed bubbles rapidly rising up to its surface and though the water was murky and unclean, it was certain that something was moving down there.

Assuming that it was only a very large fish, Cress didn't pay attention to it as she made her way over to her bag to shoulder it. She didn't even take two steps before she heard a startled yelp behind her. When the She-Elf turned to see what it was, her jaw went slack.

Out of the lake, there came dozens of thick orange tentacles, and two had already reached out far enough to grab Frodo and Merry. The hobbits struggled and shouted as the tentacles lifted them off their feet and started pulling them back toward the lake.

"What is _that_?" Cress breathed in sheer horror.

The Fellowship watched, frozen with shock, as the host of the tentacles rose out of the water; a giant squid. It must have had hundreds of appendages from what Cress could tell, and its beady black eyes were not happy. Somewhere deep in her heart she suspected that she had lured this monster out of the lake with her constant failed attempts of skipping a stone. She had caused it to become angry, and that is why it was attacking the hobbits now.

Panic rippled through the Company as the monster started reaching for them as well. Everyone scattered to avoid the searching tentacles of the squid and drew their weapons in vain. Legolas shot an arrow at its hide but, though the arrow did not miss, it didn't appear to do any real damage either. Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli hacked at the tentacles that whipped at them, slicing them off, but more kept coming, and Cress suspected that the beast must have some sort of regeneration skill. No weapon of Man can easily defeat it.

Cress felt as if she was going to be sick when she realized that she had to do something to save Frodo and Merry, for it was her fault that the monster came in the first place.

She snapped out of her thoughts, jumped up to avoid a tentacle that lashed out at her, and landed on it. For a split second, Cress wasn't sure what she was even planning on doing, but she let her body take control as she scrambled up the tentacle with an agility that only an Elf could possess.

When the sea monster noticed that she was running along its arms, it tried to toss her off, and it surely would have succeeded if the _elleth_ had already drawn her flute and performed a simple charm that turned the squid's slick, wet skin dry and rough. After that, Cress held on with all her might and miraculously braved the violent shaking and swinging of the tentacle.

Finally, the squid was paying so much attention to Cress that his grip on Frodo and Merry loosened, which allowed the hobbits to quickly slip out of his grasp. After failing to shake the She-Elf off, the beast simply reached out another limb to pluck her away, but Cress, saved only by her quick reaction time, jumped to another tentacle, barely avoiding the blow.

Suddenly, an idea came to her like the breaking dawn. It would be a long shot, but it was the best plan she had at the moment. Cress quickly scrambled out of the way as three more tentacles came flying at her, trying to grab her.

And she continued to do this, leaping from one appendage to the next as the other arms of the squid followed her, twisting and turning around themselves in vain attempts to catch the nimble Elf.

It was not long before Cress started to feel tired and worn out from all the close escapes. But she kept going, until she finally made a mistake and overshot her jump. A tentacle shot out to capture her, but it never reached her.

Cress landed with a painful thump on the ground, and she quickly scooted away from the lake as she took in the sight before her; the squid's dozens of limbs were wrapped and tangled and twisted into giant knot from chasing her around. Cress really had no idea that her hastily thought up strategy would actually work. In fact, she didn't think she would last long enough for it to take any effect. But she had done it.

The squid was helpless without free use of its arms, and it would have no option but to retreat back into the lake.

A bright and mostly relieved smile spread across Cress' face as she struggled to her feet, though they were aching, and surveyed her work.

The beast's eyes were burning with fury as it tried in vain to untangle its tentacles. In frustration, it gave an ear-piercing, high pitched wail that shook the land.

At first, Cress paid no attention to this and only cheered for herself as she bounced up and down on her toes. But then, she noticed the arch over the Gates of Moria beginning to shake and become unstable. The rest of the Company was already inside the cave waiting for her with wonder in their eyes at what she had just done.

Then, the arch started to crumble and fall in massive chunks of rocks. It had already been unstable when the squid hit it over and over again while trying to capture the Fellowship, and now it seemed that the cry of the monster had shaken it to its foundations.

Cress quickly forgot her triumph as she saw the gateway tumbling down. She was about to make a run for it, but out of the corner of her eye she saw her little drawstring bag several feet away, sitting where she had left it when they first got to the Gates of Moria. Her most precious things were in there, including her beloved diary.

She looked back at the Gate where the Company was frantically motioning for her to get into the Mine before the doorway is blocked by falling debris. From Cress' reckoning, if she left her bag behind and ran, she would have made it. But she did not go to her friends.

Cress turned her back to the Fellowship and bolted to get her bag. She could hear Gandalf shouting for her to leave it, but she couldn't. The She-Elf snatched up the sack, and then she made for the Gate that was already half buried in boulders. She felt a burst of energy as she sprinted toward the entrance, but even that wasn't enough.

The _elleth_ was eight feet away from the threshold when the last of the arch came crashing down and blocked the entire entryway, cutting off the shouting of her companions and sending dust and sand everywhere.

Cress stood there in front of the pile of rubble that blocked her path, eyes unblinking and in utter shock. Her mouth hung open as she processed her situation; the Fellowship is trapped in the Mines, and she – Cress – is now alone in the Misty Mountains.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hey, here's my first real cliff-hanger! You're welcome. Why am I turning Gimli into such a jerk? I don't know either, that's just how I imagined him before meeting Galadriel. Anyways, thanks for all the kind reviews! I can't tell you how happy I was reading them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well, and if you did, review for me again and I'll writer faster._

_I have an announcement to make: I have recently adopted a Harry Potter story from ThePeacockFeather so if you are also a Harry Potter fan, please support me by going over to check that out! I have the preface and three chapters up for that one, and I could use some feedback on that, so go look at it please!_

_Next time: Ooh… Cress, now on her own in the Misty Mountains, must survive on her by herself and meet the Fellowship at the other side of the Mines of Moria. Also, those Wargs haven't given up on their chase yet… _


	9. Chapter IX

_A/N: Oh, dear... I'm so sorry! Please forgive my delay for this chapter, you guys deserve better, you're such wonderful readers. I got a small case of writer's block after writing the last chapter and then there was school... and, oh, I'm just so sorry for not updating in so long! Thanks to those who have patiently waited and a couple of my reviewers actually PM me about this story. It's so nice of you guys to make sure I'm okay ^_^_

_Anyways, this chapter was a little bit longer than I had intended, so I apologize if it gets a tad bit boring. Next chapter, things are going to pick up again, don't you worry ;)_

* * *

><p><span>*Chapter IX:<span>

As she stared at the collapsed entryway incredulously, Cress could quickly feel her breath getting short and ragged with panic. Her bag slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground. "M-master?" she whimpered softly, her voice going an octave higher than usual.

For a moment, only the wind of the night could be heard before Cress suddenly snapped out of her shocked, frozen state and ran to the piles of rubble that blocked her path into the Mines of Moria. "Master Gandalf!" she shouted, beginning to climb the hill of boulders in a vain attempt to look for a spot where she could slip in to join the rest of the Fellowship.

To the _elleth's_ great disappointment, there was no place where the rocks offered an opening into the Mines. However, Cress' spirits were lifted a bit when she heard Gandalf's voice faintly on the other side of the debris.

"Cress, you fool!" were the wizard's first words. They were slightly muffled, but his words were still easy to comprehend.

Cress broke into a huge grin of relief when she heard this. Not caring that Gandalf was unhappy with her, she was only glad that she still had some sort of contact with her master. Perhaps Gandalf could tell her how to get into the Mines so that she could join her friends again. As long as she could speak to the wizard, Cress knew that she was not alone.

"Yes, Master?" the She-Elf replied eagerly, scrambling ungracefully around the pile of debris to look for a place where she could hear more clearly what her master was saying. She was so reassured that she did not notice her skin getting scratched up by the jagged edges of the boulders.

"How can you be so content at a time like this?" Gandalf demanded, having picked up on the delight in Cress' voice. "I hope you have realized that the situation is grave."

"Yes, I have noticed, Master," Cress chirped, still being able to hear the choirs of angels singing at the back of her mind. "But as long as I can still communicate with you, things are never truly hopeless, are they? You can tell me what to do in order to unite myself with our Company again, yes?"

There was silence on the other side which made Cress frown at the lack of answer. "Yes?" she repeated slowly.

"It is not as easy as you perceive it," said Gandalf. "The Mines of Moria are vast, but this is the only obvious entrance. There is no hope of you joining us in here, Cress."

All the joy was suddenly sucked out of Cress upon hearing this. She stopped her frantic movements around the rubble, and the smile occupying her face immediately faded. "You mean..." she swallowed with difficulty; "that I must go back? To Rivendell?"

"No, not necessarily," the wizard answered after a long pause. "You may also try to meet us at the Gates on the other side of the Misty Mountains. That shall be where we escape the darkness of the Mines. However, I must warn you that it is a great distance from here to the other gate; roughly thirty-five miles if you travel through the valleys. It is also unlikely that the rest of the Fellowship and I will arrive at the Eastern Gates at the same time you do."

"You are suggesting that I go back to Lord Elrond?" Cress concluded. The panic was starting to fill her again for she did not wish to arrive back in Rivendell as the only member of the Company that was not strong enough for the Journey of the Ring.

"That would be my proposal if you were closer to Rivendell than the Eastern Gates. Now, the circumstances are different, and I am certain that you have a better chance of reaching the east side of the Mountains than trekking north for over two hundred miles to reach the house of Elrond. For now, I am suggesting for you to attempt to meet us at the other side of the Mines. And if we miss each other, go to Lórien, and we shall meet there."

Cress, though she wasn't unhappy about going to Lórien, was quite reluctant on the idea of going through the Mountains alone. She had hoped that Gandalf would have a better plan; one that involved her reuniting with the Company sooner. "But – but," she stuttered. "Master… I don't have any supplies…"

"Where is your pack from Rivendell?"

Cress was a bit hesitant to answer this. "Gimli has it…"

There was a period of awkward silence. Then, arguing could be heard from the party inside the Mines. Gimli's gruff voice and Gandalf's stern one were the most noticeable.

Cress stood by herself and listened in shame as the Dwarf and the wizard quarreled over the reason of her pack being carried on Gimli's back. At last, when the arguing did not stop, she interrupted their discussion. "Master Gandalf, I do not think I am comfortable enough to travel on my own. Why do we not try to find a method of clearing away this rubble so that I may journey through the Mines of Moria with you?"

"There is no way of removing the debris," the wizard replied. "It would take us days to make a path. We do not have that time. Cress, are you listening to me?"

But there was no answer. The She-Elf wasn't paying attention to her master's words as she backed away from the blocked entryway and drew her flute.

When people are desperate, they become foolish, and that is exactly what happened to Cress at that moment. She was so frantic to be spared of having to traverse the Mountains singly that she did not think before raising her flute and aiming a minor explosion charm at the obstacle that blocked her way into the Mines, hoping to blast it away with magic.

To her utter shock, the idea backfired completely. The small combustion only sent more rocks and dirt falling down on the already blocked entryway, and this time it was enough to cut off all relations between Cress and Gandalf.

When Cress ran up to the debris and called the names of her friends, there was no reply; they could no longer hear her through the layers and layers of stone. Now, the _elleth_ was truly alone.

In frustration, Cress kicked a nearby rock which turned out to be heavier than she thought, and she excruciatingly stubbed her toe. She cursed loudly and colorfully before hopping up and down on one foot while trying to ease the pain in the other. Then, Cress dropped to the ground and leaned back against a boulder in defeat.

As she allowed her breathing to slow down, the She-Elf surveyed her surroundings. The giant squid had wiggled back into the lake and could be seen no more. The night was getting darker still, and all around there was a chilly breeze. Her little bag was on the ground a few feet away where she had dropped it moments before.

Slowly, she crawled to it and dragged it closer. Then, in the light of the moon, she opened it and dug around a little before feeling the cold leather cover of her diary. Cress pulled it out hastily and examined it. _This. This is what cost me the chance of touring Moria with my friends._

Cress felt like throwing the diary into the lake, but she forced herself to hold on to it for was a gift from Gandalf when she first became his apprentice. After all these years, the journal had not yet run out of pages. Cress was careful to write with small print and fill up each sheet completely. She opened it after a few minutes of only staring at it and counted the number of empty pages in the back.

There were only fifteen and a half pages left – not nearly enough for Cress to record her entire adventure. But nonetheless, the _elleth_ sighed, found her quill and ink, and wrote an entry.

_Dearest Diary,_

_ I am not sure why I still call you "Dearest". You are the reason I am not in Moria now with my friends. You are also the reason that I will have to voyage through the Misty Mountains with only myself as company. Of course, I cannot put all the blame on you; perhaps if I hadn't tried to blast my way into the Mines I'd still be able to speak with Master Gandalf now. It has only been a few minutes, but I miss him already. I also miss the others who are trapped in the Mines – even Gimli the Dwarf. I greatly regret making him carry my load. Now, when I need it the most, I don't have it. And I hope Master Gandalf won't be too hard on him; it really wasn't Gimli's fault that I am stranded in the Mountains with no supplies._

_ Speaking of having no food or water, I'd better get moving quickly. It's either stay here and suffer from dehydration or starting making my way through the Mountains. The sooner I get out of the Mountains and escape to Lórien, the sooner I'll find water, shelter, and company which is something I am greatly in need of now._

_ I must go east, through the valleys of the Mountains, and then follow the Celebrant to the woods of Lothlórien. From my reckoning, that is almost ninety miles which would take me, I think, ten days to travel at the least. Though I think I will collapse from lack of water and food long before that, I must still try. Hopefully, I will not have to go to Lórien by myself as well. If I can meet Master Gandalf at the Western Gates, that would only be about a four days walk. Then, I can get my pack back and never let it out of my sight again._

* * *

><p>Cress started awake to the brilliant sun that was already high in the clear sky. Her diary was in her lap, opened, and her quill was still in between her fingers. She must have fallen asleep while writing the night before.<p>

First signing her name at the end of that last entry, Cress closing her diary and put her writing utensils back into her bag before stretching her arms and leg groggily. For a moment, she wasn't sure what she was doing, sitting there by herself while the sun was bright. Then, the events of the night before came back to her, and she realized in horror again that she was a loner.

However, this time she knew that she had to start her trek through the Mountains immediately for she had already wasted several hours by sleeping. Shaking the sleep from her body, Cress got to her feet and picked up her bag, ready to begin her long walk.

But before she could take one step forward, she became aware that she had to do some planning first; set a schedule of some sort. So, she sat back down and took everything out of her bag for inspection, hoping that she would have something useful.

After laying the contents of her bag on the ground before her, Cress noted that she had her diary, two quills, a few phials of black ink, a light silver mantle, and a compass. To Cress' delight, she found that she acquired two red apples at the bottom of her bag that she had forgotten about. They were a bit bruised but still edible.

She did not dare to drink the black water of the lake.

Cress first put the mantle around her shoulders for warmth as it was still early January. This cloak was special to her because it was made by her mother, who was a skilled seamstress. And the compass was a gift from Elrond sometime during her stay at his house.

Cress was unfamiliar with a compass, but she had been told that it distinguished directions, so that should be useful as Cress was about to journey through the Mountains without a map of any sort.

Cress decided that she must save the apples for a time when she was truly hungry. After stuffing everything back into the bag, the She-Elf started her long walk through the Mountains by going west and down into the valleys of the colossal highlands.

* * *

><p>In the beginning, for the first eight miles or so, Cress did not suffer too much hardship. In fact, with the sun smiling down upon her, she even enjoyed herself a bit. <em>This isn't too bad,<em> she thought brightly as she slowly walked out of the shadow of a mountain and into the golden sunlight. _Although I would still rather have Master Gandalf with me, I must admit that travelling alone isn't nearly as lonely as I have imagined._

However, Cress soon started getting tired after walking a total ten miles in nine hours with a couple of short rests along the way. She was sure she could have gone further if she ate one of her apples, but she resisted the temptation to waste her food before she really needed it.

At the end of the first day, Cress had forced herself to go eleven miles before it started to get cold and dark after the setting of the sun. The _elleth_ then felt the loneliness crash down on her when she no longer had the company of the brilliant light.

There was no obvious shelter near her, so Cress sat down in a small cove created by a large, pointed boulder sticking out of the ground and curled up, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. She rocked back and forth from the cold as the last rays of day disappeared beneath the pale horizon.

The ground was rough with little sharp rocks which made it rather painful to lie down for sleep, so Cress decided to just sit and lean against the boulder that sheltered her and fell asleep until the faint glow of dawn spread across her face in the morning.

On the second day, Cress woke up feeling the effects of dehydration and malnourishment. Though she knew that she was lasting longer without food or water than any other race, at last she could not resist the urge to eat one of the apples. And so, Cress spent that morning stripping the fruit to the core.

Then, she packed her things and started her walk again. As the sun began to reach its highest point in the sky, Cress found herself not very much tired, but extremely bored. She tried to entertain herself by singing some songs as she travelled, but it was only an hour before the She-Elf ran out of tunes she knew. Also, she quickly realized that she was wasting precious saliva and drying up her throat more by singing.

Sometime later, while Cress stumbled along through the Misty Mountains, she arrived at a sheltered little valley where there were a few bare trees and patches of dried grass. It wasn't much, but it was far better than the dusty, rocky wasteland Cress had been trekking through before.

As she approached a cluster of trees, the _elleth_ was delightfully surprised to find that a family of little gray rabbits was munching on the yellow grass and huddled together against the cold January wind. But as soon as they saw Cress' shadow coming, the animals instantly fled from their patch of grass and down a small hole in the ground.

Cress' face fell when she saw the rabbits disappear. They were probably the only sign of life Cress had seen since she got separated from the Fellowship of the Ring. Hesitantly, she walked over to the rabbit hole and peered inside.

In the gloom of the burrow, she could see two grown bunnies and three kits all squeezed together to keep warm. Their dark eyes glittered as they watched the She-Elf with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

"Hello, there," Cress greeted in her brightest voice, trying to show the animals that she meant no harm. "My name is Cress, and it's very nice to meet you."

The rabbits just stared at her blankly.

Though she knew that she was acting childish, speaking to animals, Cress felt a great comfort in having some sort of company, even if they couldn't understand her. She tried again, "You see, I have been separated from the Fellowship of the Ring, and I really miss my master. You all must be so happy that you have your family all together in one place. I must meet mine on the other side of these terrible mountains."

When the rabbits' noses only twitched at her, Cress sighed and sank to the ground beside the hole. "Thank you for listening," she offered half-heartedly.

As the sun dipped toward the western horizon, the She-Elf remained there by the rabbit hole and rested longer than she should have. Once in a while, she'd speak to the rabbits again in failed attempts to befriend them. She was aware that she must look like an idiot sitting there and trying to strike conversation with the small animals, but no one was there to see her, so she did not care.

With the departure of the sun, the air grew cold and the wind was bitter. Thick clouds covered up the moon, making the night appear depressing and cruel. And just as Cress thought that things couldn't get any worse, it started to rain.

At first, it was only a sprinkle, but soon turned into a downpour.

Stumbling up from the muddy ground and nearly slipping in the puddles of water that had gathered in the valley, Cress ungracefully ran for shelter from the heavy rain. But before she could flee, she noticed the rabbit hole rapidly filling with water as the rain pounded the earth and eroded the soil around the tiny den.

There was a pang in her chest when she realized that the rabbits were still in the lair. She couldn't let them drown or be buried by mud. Turning around, Cress went back to the small hole in the ground and saw that the bunnies were struggling to crawl out.

Without thinking, Cress instantly reached out to help them. One of the rabbits bit her finger as her hand closed around it and lifted it out of the flooded den. Cress dropped the animal with alarm and immediately checked her hand for the bite mark. She found that it was only a small puncture and wasn't really going to hurt her, but she still felt a swell of panic every time she looked at the tiny rip in her skin.

For a moment, Cress wanted to just leave the rabbits and take herself to some kind of shelter from the rain. But one look at the struggling kits made her heart ache with guilt. She hastily and twitchingly helped the remaining rabbits out of their hole. None of them bit her again, thankfully.

Through the thick sheet of rain, Cress watched the family speedily hop away to find more sufficient shelter from the storm. With a start, she realized that she herself was a mess. Her hair was soaked, stringy, and uncomfortably plastered to her face. Her clothes and hands were quite dirty, covered with sand and mud from digging around in the wet soil for so long.

After quickly washing herself off in the rain as best as she could, Cress stumbled and tripped her way toward the feeble shelter of a pile of boulders. There wasn't much the _elleth_ could do except huddle behind the wall of stone and hug herself to keep warm.

Then, an idea suddenly formulated in Cress' mind. At first, the She-Elf felt very stupid to have not thought of it before. _Rain. Water._ There _was _something she could do in this weather.

Cress clumsily scrambled to her feet and looked around with maniacally wide eyes. She was looking or something – anything – she could use to collect the rain water. She dug around in her canvas bag and pulled out her phials of ink. With a small moment of hesitation, Cress closed her eyes and looked away as she uncorked the bottles and allowed the ink to spill out, leaving the glass flasks clear and empty. Then, she began to collect the water falling from the sky in them.

The phials filled up quickly as the rain continued to fall. When the five bottles were filled up, Cress corked them tightly and stuffed them into her bag. She thought about using the bag as a vessel as well, but decided that there would be no place for her diary which would be ruined if it got left in the rain.

Sinking down against the boulders, Cress sighed, content with what she had done. Though her ink supply was gone, she had gotten water when she needed it the most. She now most likely had enough to keep her going until she reached the Celebrant, which she estimated would be at most fifteen miles away.

A few minutes later, the rain lightened and soon stopped entirely. Then, Cress fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The first thing Cress saw when she woke up the next morning was a twitching, brown nose. It started her out of her sleepy state, and the <em>elleth <em>quickly sat up to see that a little brown rabbit was sitting on her chest and sniffing her face.

It was morning and the skies were clear, showing no evidence of the great rainstorm that took place the night before. The sun was low on the horizon which alerted Cress that it was still relatively early.

The rabbit that was sitting on Cress instantly fled when the She-Elf woke up.

"No, wait! Come back!" Cress cried as she watched the little mammal disappear into a small thicket of bare bushes. When the animal stayed away, she sighed and got to her feet, stretching. Her mouth felt horribly dry and sandy, so the She-Elf drank from her storage of rain water.

After finishing one phial, Cress gazed sadly at her diary at the bottom of her bag. She no longer had ink and would no longer be able to write in it. Shaking her head to clear out these worries, the _elleth_ packed up her things and prepared to walk again. She must be a little less than a day's walk away from the Celebrant, and hopefully when she got there she'll find the rest of the Fellowship waiting for her.

Now that she had somewhat of a good storage of water, Cress was happy and able enough to play her flute. Her spirit was bright that morning, so she decided to play a lively tune. As she walked and played, the sound of the instrument brought comfort to the She-Elf as well as positive thoughts.

She was able to walk four hours straight without a break and only a small gulp of water. It was noon by the time Cress decided to take a break. She estimated that she had gone about seven or eight miles. She had rested for about ten minutes before she noticed a rabbit crawling to her – the same one she had seen the night before.

"Hey there," she greeted in a small voice as to not scare the animal away. "Have you been following me?"

The rabbit stood on its hind legs and sniffed the air for a moment before hopping closer to the She-Elf, followed by four other rabbits.

Cress' face lit up when she saw them. She sat very still as the bunnies got closer. "We got off to a rather unpleasant start," the _elleth_ said to them when they got about two feet away. "I shall introduce myself again. My name is Cress."

The animals only stared at her blankly.

Cress laughed a little. "I don't suppose you have names, do you? Very well, then. Since you have followed me all the way here, I shall give a name to each of you. Does that sound all right?"

The rabbits were now within range for Cress to reach a hand out and pet them.

The She-Elf crossed her legs and stroke her imaginary beard thoughtfully. "Hmm… I think I'll name you Ulund," she addressed the largest rabbit. "You're the one who bit me last night, and Ulund means 'monster'. Do you like it?"

Of course, the rabbit gave no response and only began nibbling at a small patch of dry grass at her feet.

Cress continued to rub her nonexistent beard and think deeply while watching the second largest bunny. "Your name shall be Limpen which means 'wet one'. I suppose that is suitable as it was in the rain that I found you."

Then, she gazed at the three youngest and smallest rabbits. "You three shall be Morfinben, Glawarphen, and Rhaw; 'black-furred one', 'radiant one', and 'wild one'. Does that sound good to you?"

The rabbits didn't respond and only gathered around her, eating grass and cleaning themselves.

Cress clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh, this is a lovely turn of events, don't you think, Ulund? I hope you will all be happy to follow me to the Celebrant. Then, I can introduce you all to Master Gandalf and Frodo and Sam and Legolas and all of my other friends. Come along, now!"

With renewed energy and an optimistic attitude, Cress leapt up from the ground, ready to continue her journey. That's when she noticed her new friends were still looking for dried grass to eat. "Are you hungry?" she inquired. "Do you like apples?" She took her one remaining apple from her bag and offered it to the rabbits.

The rabbits eagerly began chewing pieces off of the fruit, which made Cress smile like a caring mother. "Eat up, little ones. We have a long way to go."

After the apple had been stripped, Cress took out her flute again and played a jubilant tune as she walked.

The rabbits followed. Whether it was because they wanted more apples, were attracted by Cress' flute playing, or truly attached to the She-Elf for saving them, no one will know.

* * *

><p>It was dusk by the time Cress finally left the valleys of the Misty Mountains behind and saw the banks of the Celebrant in the distance. Though she was tired from her fourth day of walking, Cress still found the energy to jump up and down and cheer for herself when she saw the river.<p>

"We're here! That wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought; only three days!" she cried with an unbelievably big smile on her face. She turned around to beckon her new pets toward her. "Come, Ulund, Limpen, Morfinben, Glawarphen, Rhaw. You _must _see this view!"

The bunnies didn't pay any attention to her, but Cress didn't care. She was busy looking up and down the dale, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Fellowship of the Ring waiting for her. But there was no sign of her friends, not even a foot print in the dirt.

At first, Cress was sure that they were only taking shelter somewhere for the night, so she spent a great portion of the twilight looking around for a hidden cave or glade where the Fellowship may be residing, but when the sun was completely set she still had not located her Master or any of the members of the Company.

When the moon replaced the sun in the sky, Cress slumped down on the banks of the Celebrant and felt like sobbing. She was ready to accept that she either arrived on the eastern side of the Mountains too early or too late, most likely the latter. Now, she must head for the Golden Wood which was roughly another forty miles away.

Though she knew that she should get moving again as quickly as possible, a small voice at the back of Cress' mind stubbornly refused to believe that she was the one who was late. _Perhaps I should stay here for the night and wait a little bit. I could be the one who is early, and maybe Master Gandalf will lead the Fellowship out of Moria in a few hours. I cannot risk missing them when they could be so close._

With that thought in mind, Cress found a flat patch of land beside the Celebrant and decided to make a fire. If she were to stay awake through the night, she would have to keep warm, and she would need the light from the flame to alert the Fellowship that she was there, should they come out of the Mines.

Cress gathered some small twigs and a couple of dried logs she found before putting them all in a pile near her camp site. Then, she pointed her flute at the wood pile and muttered a quick enchantment of heat.

The twigs and logs sputtered with sparks and soon caught fire, giving off a circle of orange light in the dark, starless night.

Cress and her bunnies scooted close to the fire to warm themselves. The She-Elf spent the first few minutes poking at and making sure that the flame was strong before she instinctively reached out for her diary and quill.

She had already opened the diary and readied her quill before she realized that her ink was gone. Cress looked down at her feather writing utensil sadly before putting it back in her canvas bag. To take her mind off of her losses, she walked to the shores of the Celebrant and filled up a few more of her phials with the river water.

When she got back to the camp, she noticed a small piece of charred wood that probably fell out of the fire. As she reached to throw the wood back into the crackling flames, she found that it left a smear of black on her fingers.

It took no time for Cress to whip out her diary again and start using that stick of charcoal to messily write on the paper.

_Dearest Diary, _

_I have reached the Celebrant River at last, but Master Gandalf is not here. I do not know if he and the Fellowship have already passed or if they are still trapped in the dark Mines of Moria. I have decided the wait by the River in case of the latter. If they do not show by morning, I will have no choice but to extend my solo journey to Lothlórien._

_There's so much to worry about. I have picked up a few new friends on my way through the Misty Mountains, but they still cannot replace the Fellowship. It's nice to have the rabbits as company, but they don't talk much. Pity that. Now that I think about it, it might have been a bad idea to give them names. To name something is to get attached to it, and I don't know what I'd do if Ulund or Limpen get eaten by_

At that moment, a high pitched squeal started Cress out of the quiet and serene world she entered every time she gets engrossed in her diary. The She-Elf snapped her head up to see a most horrible sight.

As if the words of her diary had come true, Limpen the rabbit was being dragged out of the light of the fire by some unseen creature. The rabbit was squealing and thrashing weakly as it disappeared into the darkness beyond the camp site.

Cress jumped to her feet in alarm, her diary falling off her lap and landing in the dirt along with the stub of charcoal that had been used to write in it. "Limpen!" she shouted, eyes wide with terror and confusion. She had not seen what had dragged her little pet away, and before she knew it another one of her bunny friends had been attacked by a wall of black.

There was a snapping sound like tiny bones breaking and the cries of the assaulted rabbit faded.

Cress snatched up a burning branch from her fire and lifted it, and in the light of the torch she saw a young Warg tearing at the dead body of Morfinben. The sight was so disgusting – too much blood for Cress could handle – that the _elleth_ dropped her flaming branch in shock and covered her mouth with her hands. She took a shaky step back as the Warg looked up from its prey and growled at her.

"Oh, _Elbereth_…" she muttered, beginning to panic as she realized that Limpen was probably also attacked by a wolf, and that meant there were others; possibly an entire pack of these beasts roaming around her camp.

The Warg lost interest in Morfinben's limp body and turned on Cress.

Cress threw her hands out in front of her, expecting the wolf to pounce on her, but instead the Warg raised its head and let out a loud and eerie howl at the moon. It was answered by other howls in the distance.

Knowing that the beast was probably alerting its friends of her presence, Cress tried to herd her remaining rabbits together so that she could protect them, but as soon as she had that thought she noticed that Ulund had disappeared as well. Giving a wail of grief, the She-Elf fought down of panic and remembered something that she had read from Bilbo's book back in Rivendell.

Wolves feared fire. That was why the Wargs hadn't attacked her immediately, because she was sitting very close to her fire.

She could hear the stampeding feet of other Wargs quickly approaching, and the first Warg was advancing on her carefully, recoiling back once in a while if the camp fire behind Cress flared or sputtered glowing orange embers.

Seeing her only chance of surviving, Cress yanked another burning branch from her fire – this one was much bigger than the one before – and, closing her eyes, waved and swung and thrashed it blindly while at the same time screaming and shouting complete nonsense at the Warg, hoping that she seemed as intimidating to her enemy as she was hoping.

Cress, in truth, actually appeared quite ridiculous, swinging around her flaming branch and yelling gibberish, but it was enough to drive the wolf back a few paces, flinching away from the heat and light.

By a total coincidence, a piece of the branch broke off at that moment as Cress was wildly brandishing her makeshift weapon and flew through the air to land of the Warg's big, ugly snout. The beast yelped pitifully as the embers scorched its nose, and then turned tail and fled into the night.

Cress opened her eyes and blinked in puzzlement when she saw that the threat of the Warg was gone. _Well _that _was easier than it looked._ She thought, tilting her head to one side with astonishment, _In any case, that horrid creature is gone now, and I still have…_

Cress glanced at her remaining rabbits and saw that only Rhaw and Glawarphen were left. Though she had only known her bunnies for about a day, the _elleth_ had grown quite attached to them in the past 24 hours and the fact that three of them had died in less than a minute made tears begin to well up in Cress' innocent doe eyes. She tried to blink them away, but they came and spilled over onto her cheeks so quickly that she didn't have the chance.

"Oh, Rhaw, Glawarphen…" Cress dropped the branch she was holding, rushed over to her last two friends and picked them up, cradling them in the crook of her arms. Thankfully, they didn't bite her or struggle – that would have completely ruined the moment – and simple allowed the She-Elf to hold them and cry into their fur.

"We must get away from here," the _elleth_ told them, beginning to shove her diary and other supplies into her bag while still clutching the rabbits close to her chest. "I do not think I can stand looking at…" She trailed off and gazed at the crumple, bloody body of Morfinben. She sniffled loudly, "Morfinben deserves a formal funeral, don't you think? It is a pity that I cannot give him a proper farewell."

Cress then buried her small fire and prepared to move again. But before she could take one step away from her campsite, she heard a sound that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

It was a growl, soft at first. Then, other snarls and howls joined it, creating a choir of eerie sounds of the night and evil creatures.

Cress closed her eyes, holding Rhaw and Glawarphen tighter, hoping that she was imagining the noises. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Wargs, an entire pack of them forming a semicircle around her, trapping her between them and the rushing waters of the Celebrant.

At first, panic struck her all over again, but it quickly passed as Cress saw the largest Warg step toward her purposefully. The sight of the wolf and the shaking of Rhaw and Glawarphen, the rabbits' eyes wide with terror, snapped the She-Elf out of her state of frozen horror, and she felt a surge of anger rattle her body.

"_NO_!" she screamed savagely at the leader of the wolf pack. Cress wrapped her arms more tightly around the rabbits and shouted with all she had. "Go away! Leave me alone! _I won't let you hurt Rhaw and Glawarphen!_"

The leader of the Wargs appeared slightly alarmed by Cress' defiance, but he did not retreat. He only hesitated for a second before resuming his purposeful strode toward the _elleth_.

Cress ground her teeth together with rage. Without warning, she flung one of the throwing knives in her sleeves at the lead Warg's throat.

She had never really been in real combat. The only reason she agreed to learn knife throwing was to reassure her mother that she knew something about self-defense. Even so, the accuracy of her throw was surprisingly precise.

But the pack leader was quick and barely avoided the flying blade by leaping out of her way. The knife missed him and instead impaled itself into the shoulder of a Warg standing behind the leader.

Though it wasn't the pack leader, Cress felt a bit a satisfaction that she had wounded one of the wolves at least.

The pack leader paid no attention to his injured comrade. He only continued to approach Cress as if he was not at all afraid of being speared in the skull by another one of the She-Elf's knives.

As the Warg got closer, Rhaw and Glawarphen began to struggle in Cress' arms, desperate to flee from the predator, but Cress held on to them, knowing that they would not be able to escape the speed of the wolves.

The leader of the Wargs gave a grunt when he was about eight feet away from his prey. At his signal, the pack surged forward, teeth bared and claws gleaming.

Cress shielded her pets with her body and did the only thing she could think of to do. There were too many enemies to defeat by throwing knives, so the She-Elf's hand closed around her flute, her eyes squeezed shut, and she imagined fire.

No, not a little campfire or a crackling flame in the fireplace back in Rivendell. No, she imagined colossal pillars of flames and massive, blazing walls around her, protecting her from the pouncing wolves. She pictured a wild series of combustions – a firestorm – circling around her and eating up her enemies. She willed a whip of golden flames to sprout like a flower from the tip of her flute so that she could lash the wolves away. She imagined death by fire to the wolves, and an inferno causing mass destruction to all the evil creatures of Middle Earth.

When she opened her eyes, her surroundings were reflected in her dark brown eyes: wolves fleeing and yelping as trails of leaping blazes consumed them, the skies red from the light of the firestorm she had conjured, and twelve foot tall walls of blue, yellow, and orange inferno creating a barrier between the She-Elf and the Wargs. And at the center of the storm stood Cress, safe and untouched by her creation, golden energy pulsing from her body.

If it wasn't for the pure adrenaline racing through her veins from her mixture of fear, panic, and determination, Cress would have passed out within about ten seconds of conjuring the defense of fire. She had not used so much energy on one spell in nearly fifty years, and she still wasn't experienced enough to perform spectacular stunts without having to go to sleep for a few hours to regain her energy.

Miraculously, she was able to keep up the firestorm for approximately half a minute before she started feeling dizzy and light, fatigue washing over her quickly. As her strength began to fade, the walls of fire sizzled out. The swirls of fire that surrounded her burned to nothing and the ground all around her was black and littered with dead and injured Wargs.

Trying to catch herself, Cress stumbled backward a few paces gasped quietly as she lost her footing and fell backwards.

Coldness blanketed Cress as she tumbled backwards into the Celebrant and was pulled into the current of the river. There was a sudden sharp pain on the side of her head, and the last thing the She-Elf saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the dark night sky and a thin crescent moon distorted by ripples of water.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Again, so sorry for the long wait. You guys are amazing, and feel free to leave a review to fuel my hands for typing and mind for ideas. Thanks so much for reading even though I'm, like, three weeks late (maybe more). Love you, see you next chapter :D_

_Next time: Ooh ~ Where will the Celebrant take Cress (I think you already know)? What will Cress find when she wakes up? Where is the rest of the Fellowship? When will they meet again?! These questions shall be answered next time!_


	10. Chapter X

*Chapter X:

The first sense that came back to Cress was her hearing. She heard voices all around her, speaking in the beautiful Elvish tongue and whispering words of comfort to her, urging her to come back to the light, the land of the living. She also heard the gentle rustling of soft tree branches in the wind that she could now feel as well.

Next was her smell. She inhaled deeply and immediately identified a familiar scent – Elanor flowers. It was a smell that she instantly knew, sweet and unlike any other aroma in Middle-earth; it told her that she was home, like the smell of a grandmother's home cooked meals or a father who just came home from a long day's work. To Cress, Elanor was the indication that she would be protected and always loved here where the Elvish flowers grew.

Cress had an idea of where she was before she even opened her eyes, but she was not sure. Could the Celebrant have carried her safely that far? Could she really be back in the Golden Wood where she was born, raised, and taught by her beautiful, caring mother? Or was this all just a dream before she goes to wherever one goes when they die?

Desperate to know if what she sensed was real, Cress slowly forced her eyelids open, and the first thing she saw was clear, cloudless skies behind a thin canopy of golden tree branches. The She-Elf blinked twice, the image of the shimmering yellow leaves against the pale cerulean sky reflected in her dark brown eyes.

A smile of indescribably happiness promptly blossomed on Cress' lips. She quickly sat up, for she had been lying down on a low bed of finely woven, green blankets, and before her was a sight she had not seen since she became Gandalf's apprentice nearly eighty years ago.

Everything was gilded and bright; radiant, but not blinding. Cress found that she had been lying at the base of a colossal tree that had a trunk so thick that part of it was hollowed out to make a cozy room where various medicines were stored in delicate glass bottles. All around her, there were trees of all shapes and sizes, some tall and straight while others were short and twisted. But they all had the same beautiful golden branches with rich clusters of metallic yellow leaves. The forest looked heavenly, royal, like the home of the most regal of all Elves.

The She-Elf tore her gaze away from her surroundings and looked down at herself to notice that she wore a simple, pale cream dress that was soft, clean, and smelled faintly of buttermilk. The millions of shining leaves above her reflected sunbeams flawlessly, causing tiny fractures of yellow light to be splayed over Cress. As the wind blew, the fractures quivered and danced merrily.

_I'm here. I'm home. _Cress, suddenly filled with excitement and energy, quickly swung her legs over the side of her bed, making an abrupt move to stand up. At once, she felt unsteady on her feet, black spots came into her vision, and the Golden Wood began to swirl around her. When she felt her body pitching forward, the _elleth _instinctively put her hands out in front of her to catch herself.

Just as she was about to face-plant into the ground, two strong arms caught her elbows and gently helped her to stand upright again.

Cress' head was still dizzy and felt heavy on her neck, but she managed to slowly bring her eyes upward to study the person who had assisted her.

The Elf standing before her was tall and had very long, bleached blonde hair. Though he appeared youthful, his dark gray eyes gave away his old age. They were filled with centuries of knowledge and experience in Middle-earth, which made it clear that he's lived for a very long time. He wore the clothes of a healer and had a warm smile on his face when Cress looked at him.

On reflex, Cress beamed back at him sunnily with a mixture of gratitude, familiarity, and plain optimism. "Alagon!" she exclaimed, perking up as she recognized the Elf she had known before she left Lórien.

"_Nae saian luume', Cress[1],_" the older Elf replied, bowing his head toward the _elleth_.

Cress quickly stood up straighter and also bowed her head at the other before doing a hasty curtsy. However, her head started feeling heavy once more, and the world appeared to spin around her violently. Just as she was about to fall over again, Alagon held out his hands for the She-Elf to use to steady herself.

Gripping onto his forearms, Cress managed to scoot back to her bed and sit down without tripping.

Alagon then picked up a silver pitcher filled with sparkling, clear water and poured some of it into a tiny, pearly cup before handing the cup to Cress who was rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Cress shakily took the water and drank it so quickly that she nearly dumped half of it all over the front of her dress. Almost immediately, her vision became clear and the pain in her skull slowly faded as the last of the pure liquid slid down her throat. "Much better," she sighed happily, handing the cup back to Alagon.

"I'd imagine you would be thirsty," the older Elf explained. "You've been unconscious since we fished you out of the Celebrant yesterday. Also," Alagon reached down under Cress' bed, came back up with a small travel bag that was slightly wet. "This washed ashore with you. There was a diary and some other things inside it. I assumed it was yours."

Reaching out to take the bag, Cress knew it was indeed her precious bag that contained her few personal belongings. She quickly dug around in it and found her diary at the bottom. She had expected it to be waterlogged and completely useless after taking a swim in the Celebrant, but to her surprise, it was perfectly dry. Cress silently thanked her Master; it would seem that Gandalf had put a water proof charm on it. The compass Elrond had given her had a few drops of river water on it, but it was still usable. She hugged the diary and the compass to her chest, happy that these two objects were fine.

Suddenly a blur of brown shot across Cress' vision, making her blink in confusion.

Alagon bent down to the ground and picked up a wiggling ball of fuzzy dark brown fur in his hands, and offered it to the She-Elf, "Furthermore, we also found this little creature clinging onto your head when you floated into the forest. He was very hungry and shaking from the cold, but I'm surprised he survived the river."

For a moment, Cress herself didn't recognize the little rabbit or remember what had happened before she woke up in Lothlórien. In the few seconds she sat there, staring at the animal in confusion, Cress was suddenly hit with reality.

She remembered now; there were five rabbits, the Wargs, the fire, Rhaw and Glawarphen being the last two left who were not eaten by the wolves. With trembling hands, Cress slowly took the bunny from Alagon and identified it to be Rhaw.

Rhaw stopped squirming once it was being held by Cress and only stared up at her with shiny, dark eyes, ears twitching from side to side as the _elleth_ studied it with a mixture of incomprehension and sad acceptance.

At last, Cress looked away from the rabbit and turned to Alagon, "Was there another one? I'm sure there were two when I fell into the river; this one I had named Rhaw and the other is Glawarphen."

Alagon, sensing how much the animals must have meant to the She-Elf, shook his head, "I am sorry, Cress. This is the only one found."

Cress felt the back of her throat burn and her nose starting to get stuffy, signaling that tears were coming. She sniffled and tried to hide her face behind a curtain of her loose, wavy honey blonde hair.

Everything that had happened since she was separated from Gandalf and the rest of the Company came back to her in a rush, like a massive wave crashing onto the beach. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious in the Celebrant, and she did not know where Company was. Surely, they would have made it out of the Mines of Moria, but did they try to wait for her? Or more importantly, they should be on their way here, to Lórien. They must be here by now, yes?

"Alagon," Cress wiped away some of her tears and forced her lips to stop trembling, "have there been visitors to the Golden Wood? It is a long story, but Master Gandalf and a Company of eight others should be meeting me here."

Alagon frowned, "No, as far as I know, Mithrandir has not passed through our realm. However, I cannot be sure. You should ask Haldir; he patrols the northern borders."

Cress nodded eagerly, "Yes, I suppose I will do that right now." This time, feeling much better after getting a drink of water, she did not fall as she pushed herself off of the bed and landed firmly on her feet. "Thank you, Alagon," and with that, she did not wait for a response and started walking in a random direction with Rhaw still clutched in her hands.

"Cress," Alagon called after her.

The She-Elf froze in the middle of taking a step. "Yes?" she said without turning around.

"You're going the wrong way. North is this way," he replied, indicating the direction that was the opposite of where Cress was heading.

"Oh." Slightly embarrassed, the _elleth_ quickly spun on her heels and continued on the path Alagon had pointed out for her, trying to act natural. "I knew that."

Alagon smiled with amusement as Cress walked past him with her face a bit pink. "Cress," he called again, lips twitching as he fought to keep from grinning.

Again, the She-Elf froze in her tracks with her back still facing the older Elf. "What is it?"

"Haldir is on duty at this time, and his group moves quickly. Good luck finding him before he returns from the patrolling."

Groaning with frustration, Cress spun back around to face Alagon, her lips forming in a small pout of annoyance. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, your mother has been asking to see you. She really misses you, and I think you should go visit her."

Cress felt a stab of guilt as she became aware that she had not thought once about her mother since she woke up. Shouldn't her mother have been the first thing that came to mind when she realized that she was back home? With her one and only daughter gone for so long, Cress' mother must have been lonely.

"Yes, you are right," Cress changed her direction again, facing toward the south now. "Thank you for taking care of me, Alagon. I will come and see you another time."

"Cress."

"Hmm?" she slowed her pace slightly and hummed to show that she was listening.

"You really do have an awful memory, my dear. Your home is – "

This time, Cress abruptly stopped in her tracks and violently turned around to face the healer again. "Don't think I don't know where my house is, Alagon. I may not have been here for over eighty years, but I know for a fact that my house is this way."

"Just making sure," Alagon said with an entertained smile. "Good-bye, Cress."

Cress cradled Rhaw in the crook of one of her elbows, placed her other hand on her hip, and pointed her nose in the air before making her way around the giant tree she had been in the shelter of and south to her old home.

As much as Cress wanted to stay mad at Alagon for teasing her, she could not. When Cress was a child, Alagon had always been the one to heal her when she was sick or injured. Over many years, she had gotten quite attached to the old Elf and had even called him _Ada_ a few times, which her mother had not approved.

As she trudged through the Golden Wood, Cress wondered what to say to her mother. _Hello, Mother, how have you been fairing for the past eighty years? _Scrunching her nose, Cress shook her head. _No, that sounds stupid. How well could she be doing when her daughter hasn't come home to visit her in nearly a century? Maybe… Hello, Mother, I'm so glad to be home again. _The She-Elf bit her bottom lip in frustration. _She'll just ask me why I didn't come home sooner. I shouldn't bring up the fact that I've been gone for so long. Hello, Mother, I've really missed you._

Cress could already tell that this was going to be awkward. _What does one say to a parent they haven't seen in so long? What if Mother is angry with me? Did Alagon tell her that he dragged me out of the Celebrant River? Oh, Elbereth, I've been such a horrible daughter. Mother must have been very lonely these last several decades. I wonder if she'll recognize me. Well, I suppose I haven't really changed _that _much in terms of appearance…_

Before she knew it, Cress' legs had involuntarily taken her to the large mallorn tree where she and her mother lived before Gandalf came along. She stared at the tree for a while, feeling an intense sense of nostalgia as she saw the branch that had been her favorite place to sit as a child. She also recalled that at a certain time of the day, the sun would shine at a precise angle through the canopy of the tree and cast the heart shaped shadow of a particular cluster of branches on the ground. To her right, she remembered that a small sapling had been budding there when she left Lothlórien. Now, in its place was a tall, pale trunked, golden leafed tree that was almost fully grown.

High up in the canopy of the tree, was a platform-like house called a flet. This one that Cress knew as home was a small, humble structure, not nearly as elaborate and grand as the flets of Caras Galadhon, where the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn dwelled. Cress liked this modest house better than a striking one; somehow, she found it much more cozy and home-like.

A simple staircase wove around the trunk of the mallorn, leading up to the lowest platform. Cress slowly began making her way up the steps, looking down at her feet as walked, recognizing the familiar patterns that decorated the stairs. She was so intrigued with the tiny patterns that she did not notice someone coming down the steps until she nearly ran into said person.

In her alarm, Cress dropped Rhaw, and the bunny instantly fled after enduring a somewhat painful landing.

"I'm so sorry, Rhaw!" Cress called after it, but the animal was long out of sight. The _elleth's _face fell.

"Crescent?"

"Hmm?" Cress turned back to the person she had nearly run into, her expression changing comically from disappointment to sudden interest as to who would call her casually by her given name.

The Elf standing in front of her was female. She was a bit taller than Cress and wore a plain yellow dress that appeared to be extremely well made. Her hair was so brilliantly blonde that it almost looked white in the sunlight. She had the same marshy brown iris color as Cress, but the shape of her eyes was narrower and much more elegant. They watched the shorter _elleth_ now, with various emotions swirling within; surprise, hope, uncertainty, and relief.

Even after so many years, Cress' mother was still as beautiful as she remembered. Cress was honestly a little astonished at how little the older She-Elf had changed.

Her name was Lainil, an Elvish name, though she herself preferred the Common Tongue.

"Mother," Cress spoke calmly, though she really wanted to throw herself into her mother's arms and hug her forever, but she wasn't sure if that would be the appropriate thing to do. What if her mother was angry with her for never making contact since Gandalf accepted her as an apprentice? She should apologize first.

Wringing her hands nervously, Cress gave a small bow and said, "I have come home, Mother. I'm sorry for not doing so sooner. Please forgive me."

"My dear Crescent," Cress suddenly felt her mother's arms around her neck, cradling her head and drawing her into a gentle embrace.

Cress stayed still at first, taking in the scent of wood and nearly woven clothes that had always clung to Lainil as a result of her passion for weaving fine cloth and tailoring. For a moment, Cress felt like a child again, running home to her mother for comfort when she either got hurt while playing or upset over some other trivial thing.

Lainil would be sitting at her spinning wheel, weaving thread into cloth and using the cloth to put together dresses for her daughter. When Cress would come looking sad, she would stop her work and ask Cress why she was unhappy. Then, Cress would tell her and sometimes, Lainil would laugh at how petty the problem is and explain to her daughter that it was nothing to be upset about. Other times, however, if the problem is truly worth crying about, Lainil would have hugged Cress as she let it all out and then play the flute to lull her daughter to sleep.

Now, as Lainil held her, Cress realized that the safest she had ever felt was when she was leaning on her mother's shoulder. Here, she knew that nothing could harm her because her mother would protect her from anything. Should an army of a thousand Orcs or a pack of Wargs storm the Golden Wood, Cress would not fear them for she knew that there is nothing to be afraid of as long as her mother is holding her.

For the first time since she and the Fellowship of the Ring were separated at the entrance to Moria, Cress did not experience a shred of discomfort or worry or any negative emotion. It was as if the Ring didn't exist and neither did Mordor or Sauron and the perilous journey that Cress had invited herself on in order to be with her master. For just that split second, Cress managed to convince herself that the only things in the world were herself, her mother, and their cozy little flet.

But, of course, that was not reality, and Cress was brought back to the real world when Lainil finally let go of her.

The older _elleth _took a step back from her daughter to get a good look at her. "You've gotten so thin," she observed with a small frown, gripping Cress' shoulder to feel how boney they were. Her eyes were then suddenly filled with resentment. "What has that old wizard been feeding you, Crescent? Where is he? If he's not feeding you enough, I won't allow you to continue traveling with him – "

"Master Gandalf isn't here, Mother," Cress said, her eyes downcast with gloom. "I don't know where he is."

Lainil stared at her, eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "What have you been doing?" she whispered as if she was afraid to know the answer.

"It's a long story, Mother," Cress replied after a long pause, her voice soft and airy.

Lainil gave a defeated sigh and shook her head sadly as she wrapped an arm around Cress' shoulders and began leading her up to the flet. "Come, Crescent, I will prepare something for you to eat. Afterwards, you must tell me everything."

* * *

><p>And Cress did.<p>

She told her mother all that had happened since she saw the One Ring for the first time at Bilbo Baggins' birthday party, about her long stay at the Last Homely House, of the Council of Elrond that occurred once Gandalf came back, of the forming of the Fellowship and all that happened after. She spoke of the importance of delivering the Ring to Mount Doom and destroying it before the Enemy may use it to augment the dark shadow that lays thick over the land of Mordor.

By the time Cress was finished with her tale, the sun was leaning towards the west, perhaps only an hour from setting completely.

"The Fellowship should meet me here in Lórien, but Alagon told me that they have not yet been sighted. When Haldir comes back, I must speak with him," Cress concluded her story.

Lainil was silent for a long time after Cress finished talking. She was quiet for so long that Cress got a little worried.

"Mother, I didn't mean to upset you –" the younger _elleth _began, but she was quickly interrupted.

"If what you have told me is true," Lainil said, her expression serious and thoughtful, "then we must act at once. I'm sure Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn already know of this threat from the South. Lady Galadriel may be able to see the whereabouts of the Ring through her Mirror. You may ask for her guidance if you wish, Crescent. She might be able to tell you where your friends are."

Cress felt a swell of pride bloom in her chest for her mother. Her mother was smart, her mother understood the problem, and her mother was doing something about Cress' worry for the rest of the Fellowship. "Thank you, Mother."

"And, Crescent, dear, you must marry Haldir at once," Lainil added urgently.

…_What?_

Not sure she heard her mother correctly, Cress' eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, "What was that you said, Mother?"

"I said that you must marry Haldir as soon as possible," Lainil repeated with a straight face that told Cress that she wasn't joking.

When the younger She-Elf only stared up at her with cluelessness and a bit of alarm, Lainil explained calmly, "Considering that there is a possibility of the Age of the Elves coming to an end, you must find a husband quickly, Crescent."

This only confused Cress further. "Why?" she asked slowly, still unsure of where her mother got the idea of marrying her off to Haldir. "And why does it have to be Haldir?"

Lainil sighed with the smallest hint of disappointment at her child's lack of knowledge. "I've always wanted to see you marry one day, my dear; it is a mother's greatest wish to see their daughter marrying a worthy suitor. And as of now, I only approve of Haldir."

"But I don't really want to marry Haldir," Cress responded uncertainly for she still did not quite understand her mother's urgency.

Lainil raised her eyebrows a bit, not expecting Cress to object. "Why wouldn't you want to marry him? You can't deny that he is very handsome and skilled with a blade. And he has known you for nearly all your life. What is it that does not appeal to you?"

Cress was quickly starting to feel uncomfortable with the situation. She answered as best as she could, "W-well, what you said is true, but I think it would be a bit strange to marry someone who you've known as a friend for so long. Also, I don't think Haldir feels that way towards me, and he's almost nine hundred years older than me, so…"

Cress began to trail off as warm blush spread from her cheeks to her ears. To be honest, Cress wanted to point out that she was maybe a bit interested in the Prince of Mirkwood, but quickly decided not to bring up Legolas. Her mother would _not _be happy if she found out that Cress is taking a liking to an Elf that she, Lainil, had not yet met or even approved.

"Having known Haldir for so long, you already know almost everything about each other so there shouldn't be any awkwardness," Lainil said dismissively, finding an argument to counter everything Cress had just brought up. "As for the possibility of Haldir not feeling that way towards you," she patted her daughter's cheeks, "I'm sure he still won't mind. You're prettier than you think, Crescent, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your mother. The age difference really doesn't matter, if you ask me. Your father was over a thousand years older than me when I married him."

Cress stiffened at the mention of her father. For the hundredth time, she wondered who would possibly leave her mother, her beautiful, kind, adoring mother. But she quickly shook the thought away. Now was not the time for it.

"You're not having me marry Haldir just because you favor him and would like him as a son-in-law, are you?" she asked slowly. There was a shred of guilt in her voice for accusing her mother of doing such a thing, but Cress wanted to know. "I know you've always liked him, Mother."

"That's partly the reason," Lainil confessed, "but the reason I approve of him is because I know you will be safe with him should the Ring ever fall into the wrong hands. I want you to be protected, Crescent."

"But if the Ring doesn't fall into the wrong hands, there will be no need for me have a husband who can protect me," Cress retorted, but not angrily. "I'll help Master Gandalf destroy the Ring, and after that everything will be fine, I promise."

Before Lainil could reply, the sound of a horn could be heard coming from the distance, signaling the return of the Elves patrolling the borders of Lothlórien.

Detecting an opportunity to get away from the conversation she was having with her mother, Cress hastily rose from the chair she was sitting in and began making her way to the stairs that led back down to the forest floor. "Haldir should be back soon. I'm going to go find him. Good-bye, Mother."

"Crescent – " Lainil began, but Cress was already out of sight.

* * *

><p>Cress saw Haldir before Haldir saw her.<p>

The Marchwarden was walking with his two brothers, Orophin and Rumil. While Cress had always been close to Haldir, she did not interact much with his brothers, for they were not familiar with the Common Tongue and therefore could not hold a decent conversation with the _elleth._

Cress peeked out from behind a tree, watching Haldir and his patrol squad approaching. Ever since she was little, she had made it one of her life goals to catch Haldir off guard and startle him, for he had always had good reflexes and instincts that Cress was quite jealous of. Her plan was to jump out from behind the tree, tackle her friend and scare the living daylights out of him.

However, as always, Cress' schemes to surprise Haldir were crushed to bits when the target stopped a few feet away from her hiding place, looking as if he was listening.

Cress tried to be as quiet as possible, even holding her breath because she knew that Haldir's hearing was sharp.

The Marchwarden remained still for a long time, much longer than Cress had anticipated, and soon the _elleth _was finding it hard not to breathe. But so determined, was she, to keep silent, that she kept holding her breath until she heard Haldir's voice calling.

"Cress, I know you're here," he said, not even bothering to keep the smug amusement out of his voice.

Cress' eyes crossed and with a loud gasp, she stumbled out from behind the tree and into Haldir's view, panting and wheezing for delicious oxygen. "How did you know it was me?" she asked between exhales, a displeased pout on her lips.

"Only an idiot like you would try to hold their breath for that long," replied Haldir, briskly walking past her, leading his patrol squad.

"Hey!" Cress complained, even though she knew he was only teasing her. She quickly skipped after him. When she passed Orophin and Rumil, she greeted them in Elvish as best as she could, just to be polite, "_Galu, Rumil, Orophin. Lend and[2]?"_

Rumil and Orophin just looked down at her a bit unappreciatively, unimpressed with her horrid pronunciation.

Cress laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck as Haldir's brothers did not reply and sped up their pace in order to avoid her. Cress always felt awkward around Rumil and Orophin, possibly because she'd known them for so long, and yet she knew nothing about them at all due to lack of communication.

When Cress caught up with Haldir at the front of the party, she quickly fell into step with him, swinging her arms around playfully and skipping once in a while. "Haldir?"

"Yes?" the Marchwarden did not slow his pace and kept his eyes locked in front of him, but Cress knew that he was listening.

Cress also knew that Haldir was teasing her by not looking at her as she speaks, since it makes her feel that he is superior to her. To retaliate, Cress latched herself onto Haldir's right arm like a child and smiled her sweetest smile at him. "Did you miss me?"

Haldir gave her a smug look, "Actually, since you've been gone, the forest has been much more peaceful. It was quite refreshing."

Cress made a whining noise, "You're so mean, Haldir." She dug her feet into the ground while still holding on to Haldir's arm, trying to stop him from moving forward any further, but the male elf was much stronger, and Cress ended up being dragged along behind him.

A few Elves who were in Haldir's squad chuckled at the sight of Cress struggling with all her might to prevent the Marchwarden from walking foward.

At last, the _elleth _gave up her futile attempts to overpower Haldir, and let go of her hold on him. Slowly, her smile faded and her face became serious. She fell a little behind.

Haldir noticed this and turned around to look at her with worry that he might have taken his joking too far. "I hope you know I wasn't being serious when I said that it was refreshing when you left Lórien."

A small grin twitched onto Cress' lips and shook her head, "I know. I just really miss having these conversations with you. It's wonderful to see you again, Haldir."

Haldir looked at her for a while and detected that she what she said was completely sincere. He offered her a genuine smile and replied, "I am happy that you have returned, Cress."

Cress' eyes lit up with wonder at this and she let out a bubbly laugh, hopping up and down on her toes a few times. Though Haldir may not take her seriously sometimes, Cress was well aware that he had a good heart, and his constant teasing was merely his way of showing that he cares for her.

"So, did anything interesting happen on patrol?" the _elleth_ asked, deciding to change the subject and regaining some of her child-like curiosity.

Haldir frowned slightly, "Something did indeed happen. How did you know?"

"I don't. I was asking you," Cress was a experiencing some minor confusion now as well. _Could it be that the Fellowship of the Ring has arrived in Lothlórien?_

"Yesterday, my patrol found a travelling group of eight members trespassing into the woods near dusk. A Warg pack was chasing them, but one of our kinsmen was in the party, so we gave them shelter in the flets for the night."

_Legolas…? _Cress felt a swell of hope flood her entire being. She wanted to believe that it was the Fellowship, but something wasn't right. She counted in her head the number of members in the Fellowship, excluding herself. _Nine. Haldir said that there were only eight… Oh stars…._

"Where are they now? The travelling party you found last night?" Cress questioned urgently, feeling her insides beginning to twist and flip-flop from suspense.

"I took them to Lady Galadriel mere moments before returning from patrol," Haldir answered, though not quite understanding Cress' haste. "Are you familiar with them?"

Cress did not respond to his question, but said, "Was there also a dwarf with them? A dwarf with a red beard and an unpleasant attitude?"

Haldir nodded, "Yes, there was a dwarf bragging about having the 'eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox'."

_That is most definitely Gimli. _Cress thought, the gears of her mind whirling like mad as she pieced the information together. She turned to Haldir and gave an apologetic bow, "I must go to them. They are friends that I was separated from while travelling. Good-bye, Haldir."

Though he did not very much like the idea of Cress referring to a dwarf as a friend, the Marchwarden only said, "_Tenna' ento lye omenta, Cress[3]._"

Cress immediately sprinted away from Haldir's patrol squad and in the direction of the elegant, grand flet that homed Galadriel and Celeborn. However, as she ran, she could not get the number eight out of her mind. For a moment, she was tempted to run back to Haldir and ask him who was missing, but she was afraid of the answer. It would be best for her to see for herself.

_One member is missing. I know it is not Legolas or Gimli. Aragorn or Boromir perhaps? Or maybe one of the hobbits? Master Gandalf – _

The _elleth _shook her head violently as she ran and could see Caras Galadhon's silver light glimmering in the distance as night fell. _No, the Mines of Moria are merely mines. They are no match for someone as powerful as Master Gandalf. _

_I have nothing to fear._

* * *

><p><em>AN: Oh gods above, this is at least two months late or something. I hope you guys are still sticking around. I am so sorry about the huge delay, and I know my apology doesn't really make up for it, but I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I have way more homework this year than any other, so please bear with my irregular updates._

_Anyways, for anyone who happens to also be reading my Attack on Titan story, I'm getting there too. Know that if I don't update for a long time, it's either because I'm extremely busy or I've finished the chapter but is unhappy with how it turned out. I want to make each chapter good, so I won't post something I'm not really satisfied with. Well, see you all next time! I love my readers to death._

_Next time: The reunion of the Fellowship of the Ring, with the absence of a very important member. Who will have to break the news to Cress? Will Cress still be able to go on without her Master? Find out next chapter! _

_[1]: "It has been too long, Cress."_

_[2]: "Greetings, Rumil, Orophin. Long journey?"_

_[3]: "Until we meet again, Cress."_


	11. Chapter XI

*Chapter XI:

The singing reached Cress' ears before she had even reached the hill of Caras Galadhon.

It had an eerie and sad tune, but it still sounded so beautiful to Cress that had she not been in such a hurry to find the Fellowship of the Ring, she would have stopped in her tracks and listened more properly.

The Elves of Lórien often sang, so Cress didn't find anything strange about it. However, there was something very odd about this particular song that the e_lleth _couldn't quite put her finger on.

One part of the song was in Quenya and the other Sindarin. Since Cress was only familiar with Sindarin, she had no idea what the first part of the song meant. However, she recognized some words in the second portion and was curious as to what such a peculiar song spoke of.

As she neared the home of Galadriel and Celeborn, Cress' heart was pounding against her ribcage, making it harder for her to breathe and so she had to slow from a sprint to a jog to avoid collapsing to the ground with exhaustion.

She was worried. She wanted to know why there were only eight members of the party when there were supposed to be nine. But at the same time, she didn't want to find out. Of course, it may just be that Haldir miscounted, but that was unlikely considering how seriously he took his job as the Marchwarden. Also, just because one member of the Company was absent doesn't necessarily mean that he was dead. Probably.

Cress continued to think of these more positive thoughts as she began to see some of her kindred lingering in the forest.

Their expressions were grim which startled Cress horribly. The sun had set completely, and the stars and moon were so bright tonight. Any Elf would be happy this night, for what they loved the most, starlight, was abundant.

Cress couldn't shake off a very sickly feeling at the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong, and Cress hoped and prayed to all the Valar that it was not what she thought it was. Trying desperately to ignore the uncomfortable lump of worry that was building up at the back of her throat, she chose to concentrate on translating the song that was still being sung repeatedly throughout the woods.

The closer she got to the massive tree that supported Galadriel and Celeborn's flet, the clearer the lyrics became.

_Mithrandir, Mithrandir, A Randir Vithren_

Cress' heart nearly stopped when she heard "Mithrandir". Though she rarely referred to her Master by that name, she was aware that Gandalf had many titles and "Mithrandir" was one that most Elves called him.

_A song about Master Gandalf. _Cress' jaw went a bit slack while her attention was immediately drawn away from her previous objective. She abruptly halted where she was and listened carefully.

_ Ú-reniathach i amar galen_

Cress squeezed her eyes shut with concentration, searching her brain for the translation of the line. "_No longer… you will… wander… the green earth._"

_Huh? _The _elleth_ drew in a sharp inhale as she pieced together what the second line meant. Her eyes went wide and blank for a split-second before she shook her head violently, thinking that she must have translated something wrong. _My Elvish is hardly satisfactory. I could have easily made a mistake._

_I reniad lín ne mór, nuithannen_

Cress tried again, this time being particularly careful. "_You... – Your – …wanderings… end in… shadows._"

_In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen_

_ "Bonds are severed, your soul is torn._"

Cress swallowed thickly, a true swell of panic spreading through her being. She legs became weak and she leaned against a nearby tree for support. Her nose became stuffy for the second time that day, but this time it was much worse than before. The back of her throat hurt and burned with the effort of trying to keep from crying.

Surprisingly enough, however, though she was experiencing the signs of tears coming, her eyes remained dry. It was like half of her body was breaking on the inside, but the other half still hadn't yet grasped the situation and was left in shock and confusion. All she could do was stare at the air in front of her with blank eyes, wondering what had gone wrong.

_I lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen_

_Caled veleg, ethuiannen._

Cress did not even bother to figure out what the rest of the song meant. She already had an idea of what they spoke of. She took a step forward, remembering why she had come to Caras Galadhon in the first place, but her legs were numb and she collapsed to her knees, again having to lean on a tree trunk to steady herself.

_Elves do not lie. _Her head felt heavy on her neck as for some reason that fact came to her mind, and she felt dizzy. She made a weak attempt to get on her feet, but it took an unhealthy amount of effort, and Cress ended up on the ground again, supported on one side by the tree, and panting slightly.

Suddenly, she didn't want to move at all. She felt like just staying there and letting the night swallow her into its darkness. The idea seemed strangely appealing to the _elleth _at that time. Shivering a little, Cress curled up more tightly, using her arms to lock her knees against her chest and resting the side of her head on her trusty tree. After doing this, she somewhat timidly peeked up at the sky where countless stars and a full moon hung.

Then, she closed her eyes. In her last seconds before sleep took her, she wondered why the sky had looked so pretty even when her Master was no longer of this world. It was only when she had fallen into slumber that tears began to escape from her eyelids.

* * *

><p>When Cress woke up, it was to someone tripping over her.<p>

To be quite honest, it had hurt, but Cress was still too disoriented from sleep to properly react to the careless person who hadn't seen her body lying on the ground and stumbled over it.

Yawning widely, Cress groggily stretched her arms over her head before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She could hear the person who had staggered over her sputtering curses and grumbling as he got up.

"For goodness' sake, what is the matter with these wood Elves, sleeping right in the middle of the path…"

Cress instantly perched up at the familiar voice, all sleepiness flushing out of her.

It was morning and the sun was already lighting up the earth for another day.

When Cress' eyes adjusted to the brightness, which didn't take long, she slowly turned her gaze toward the person who had spoken and jumped with a start.

"Gimli," was all her shocked self could say as a greeting.

The red-haired dwarf also gave a start when he realized the Elf he had tripped over was his long lost traveling companion. "Cress," was his similar reply to the _elleth_.

Cress wasn't sure why she was so surprised to see Gimli. She knew he and the rest of the Fellowship were here, but actually seeing them before her had done something to her. Her mouth was hanging slightly open, her eyes unblinking. Not realizing how much she missed her cohorts, Cress suddenly felt a great swell of fondness for them all now that one of them was in front of her.

Without warning, Cress leapt forward and latched onto Gimli tightly.

The dwarf sputtered with astonishment and was almost knocked backwards when Cress crashed into him. But he stood his ground and, when realizing that Cress _meant_ to hug him, he uncertainly tried to shake her off. However, the She-Elf wouldn't have it and stayed there stubbornly, squeezing Gimli so hard that he was forced to stop his struggles. For a minute, he just stood there awkwardly as Cress stayed where she was. Then, he reluctantly returned the hug, muttering incoherent nonsense while Cress smiled slightly at his actions.

"I'm so happy you are unharmed, Gimli," Cress said at last, releasing the dwarf from her embrace.

It was spoken most sincerely, and the son of Gloin could tell, but this only made him feel even guiltier for the news he had to deliver to the She-Elf.

None of the Fellowship had wanted to be the one to tell Cress about Gandalf, so they had agreed that whoever encounters her first would have the responsibility of doing it. Gimli cursed his luck.

He wasn't going to say it out loud like Cress did, but the dwarf preferred her alive than dead, though he also wasn't quite sure when he and the _elleth _had gotten on a first-name basis. Nevertheless, he had to break the news to Cress while he still had the courage.

"T-there's something you should know, little elfling…" he began, unsure of how he was to go about it. "You see, G – "

Cress heaved a sigh, causing the dwarf to cut off. "I am already aware, Gimli. But thank you." Perhaps her tear glands had been exhausted during the night, for she again could not feel any wetness near her eyelids and only some dried tear stains on her cheeks. The knowledge still crushed her down like the weight of the sky, however, but she did not wish for her grief to rub off of Gimli, so she forced a small smile onto her lips and patted the dwarf on the shoulder. "What are you doing out here? Where are the others?"

Gimli hesitated at the first question, turning away from Cress a bit in embarrassment. "That's – that's none of your business, elfling."

Cress frowned, thinking that Gimli had suddenly gone cold again, but the look in the dwarf's eyes wasn't hostile. It took a moment, but Cress eventually figured it out. She smiled and gave Gimli another pat on the back, "I understand, Master Dwarf. Go ahead. Could you tell me where the others are?"

Thankful that the subject had been changed, Gimli pointed farther into the woods from where he came, "The hobbits were still sleeping when I left, but I reckon Aragorn should be up by now."

Nodding, Cress gave Gimli her thanks, and the two parted ways.

The e_lleth _felt a little better after the sleep, enough that she could walk, but the pain at the back of her throat had now moved to her heart. But somehow, the thought of seeing Aragorn and Boromir and Legolas and the little hobbits eased her agony ever so slightly.

She did not have to walk far before she rounded the trunk of a colossal tree and saw Boromir pacing with his back turned towards her. Instantly, Cress called to him, "Mister Boromir!"

The man spun around upon hearing her voice and hardly had time to reply before Cress rammed into him the same way she had done to Gimli.

Boromir, however, reacted very differently than the dwarf. Almost immediately, he hugged Cress back. He wasn't sure if Cress already knew about Gandalf, but in case she did, Boromir knew that she would need all the comfort they could give. "Aragorn! Legolas!" he shouted for the others as he and the _elleth _let go of each other.

As soon as Legolas and Aragorn appeared, the man coming out of a hollow at the base of the massive tree and the elf from deeper in the forest, Cress ran to them, much of her strength returning from seeing her friends.

As she embraced Legolas, then Aragorn, the four hobbits poked their heads out from behind the tree they had been sleeping in to see what the noise was for. They couldn't do much as Cress gave each of them a long, crushing hug, and told each of them that she was glad they were alive and well.

Afterwards, Gimli came back from his trip to the edge of the woods and all nine remaining members of the Fellowship of the Ring were reunited. It was unexpectedly merry considering the recent loss of their wizard, but no one mentioned Gandalf as Cress seemed to be in good mood.

Legolas, however, who was the only one to truly see what Cress looked like when she was genuinely happy, when he played the guessing game with her, noticed something off about the _elleth'_s smile. But he didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the others' happiness and relief that Cress hadn't reacted horribly concerning what happened to her master.

The Fellowship mingled until around noon when Cress decided that she should go back home to have lunch with her mother and help her with some household chores. She mustered the brightest grin she could before leaving them to their own devices, hoping that they would be reassured if she showed them that she was fine and still happy.

But she wasn't.

As soon as Cress got out of the Fellowship's sight, her mask slipped and the entire way back to Lainil's flet, she wore a blank, stiff expression. It was only until she closed the door to her home and turned her back to it that she allowed her sniffles to escape in soft gasps.

Lainil nearly had a heart attack when she found her daughter collapsed at the entrance of their home, the younger _elleth_'s body quivering, racked with sobs that she let out all at once.

Though she did not know the cause of Cress' grief, Lainil was a mother, and a mother's instincts were some of the best in the all the land. She didn't ask her daughter why she was so unhappy, and instead merely wrapped her up in her warm embrace.

Cress wasn't sure how long she lay there with her head on her mother's shoulder just hiccupping and gasping while her eyes went red and terrifyingly bloodshot. Cress' palms began to hurt as she hands clenched into tight fists, causing her nails to dig into them.

"Master Gandalf has left this world," she whispered sometime during the period of anguish. There was something horrifying about saying the fact out loud but also something along the lines of bittersweet comfort.

_Master Gandalf is not of this world any longer. Master Gandalf does not exist anymore. He won't talk to me anymore. He won't ever play the guessing game with me again. He won't set off fireworks again. Master Gandalf won't ever teach me how to make fireworks. He promised he would someday. He _promised.

For a long time, Cress sobbed until her energy has been utterly spent, and her tear glands ached and no longer produced any waterworks. It was in this time that Cress, exhausted, slept again and dreamt colorless dreams.

* * *

><p>"What will you do?" Lainil asked, sitting on a stool next to Cress' bed where the younger <em>elleth<em> lay tucked under several blankets.

Cress had slept the entire afternoon, buried underneath all of her quilts and was only woken up by Lainil in the early evening for dinner. Though the food smelled rich and delicious, Cress was not very hungry and only accepted a small bowl of warm creamy soup just to be polite.

Right after eating, Cress had wanted to be left alone and go to sleep again, but her mother would do no such thing and insisted on staying with her and talking. And now, Cress stared blankly into the air in front of her, processing the question Lainil had asked.

"I do not know what I will do," she replied truthfully. Her eyes were terrifyingly blood-shot and lips were beginning to peel since she had been biting them a lot recently.

Before the Fellowship of the Ring had left Rivendell, Cress had had an idea in her mind of how she was going to go about the journey. She had planned to follow the Company wherever they may go and through whichever route they may take to get there and guard her master along the way. Never in her wildest dreams did Cress think Gandalf would perish before she did.

Now that she looked back on it, Cress realized that the only reason she joined the Fellowship in the first place was because of the wizard. She was going to protect him and make sure that if only one of them made it back from the quest, it would be Gandalf, though it would be most favorable if they both lived. But now that the wizard was gone, there was no true reason for the _elleth _to remain with the Company any longer.

Cress recalled what Elrond had said to them before sending the Fellowship off on the journey, "_The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid. The rest of the Company will go with him as free companions. No oath or bond is laid upon you to go further than you are willing. However, I should inform you that the further you go, the harder it will be to withdraw._"

_I could stay, _Cress thought with realization. _I could stay here with Mother. I do not need to go any further. In fact, if I choose to go further, I might never be able to turn back again. This is a chance._

As soon as those thoughts crossed Cress' mind, however, it was accompanied by a sharp stab of guilt in her heart as she considered her friends' feelings about this.

Will they be disappointed? Or relieved? After all, the She-Elf could even admit to herself that she had caused much trouble for the rest of the Fellowship and has not done them nearly enough good to make up for it all.

It was Cress who had caused them to fall behind schedule the first few days they spent away from Rivendell, and it was also Cress who attracted the Wargs that night and had not been alert enough during her watch to take care of it on her own. Then, it was the _elleth_'s incompetent rock-skipping that disturbed the giant squid in the lake outside of the Mines of Moria and even though she managed to subdue the beast, she trapped all of the Fellowship, save for herself, in the Mines. And it was because they were separated that Cress never got to say good-bye to her master before he perished. She didn't even know how he died.

Now that she thought about it, she was quite sure that the other members of the Company only put up with her because of Gandalf. So if Gandalf was gone, then Cress had no place in the Fellowship. What excuse does she have to continue to accompany the Ring-bearer?

As much as she understood how easier Aragorn and Gimli and the others' jobs would be without her, a part of Cress still hoped. She still hoped that just one or two members of the Company would feel even the slightest bit of sadness at seeing her go. It would have made her feel like she had made a difference, no matter how small, in their lives.

"You are conflicted," Lainil spoke, to which Cress did not respond immediately.

The idea of withdrawing from the quest was horribly tempting. Cress would live with her Mother again, and if it would seem that Frodo failed in his mission, she and the rest of her kindred in Lórien will sail to the Undying Lands, leaving the doomed Middle-Earth behind. And she knew that her mother would not go to the Undying Lands without her, so if the Fellowship should fail and Cress doesn't return to her mother in time, the ships to Valinor would sail without them both.

The Elves of Rivendell were already beginning to talk of going to the Undying Lands before the Ring-bearer and his companions had left on their journey. However, the Elves of Mirkwood and Lórien had not yet lost all hope and remained for now in their realms.

_Yes, it is much safer for both me and my mother if I remain in Lórien. _Cress crossed her arms and tapped her chin with a finger, staring at her lap with great intensity.

Then there were still the reactions of the Fellowship to think about. This was truly a dilemma and Cress was starting to get a headache from thinking about it. But the imaginary scales in her mind were slowly beginning to tilt in favor of withdrawing from the Quest of Mount Doom, whether Cress was conscience of it or not.

Frustrated with her reasoning going in circles, Cress groaned pitifully. With a quick jerk, she pulled her blankets over her head and turned her back toward her mother. "I know that I have slept all afternoon, Mother, but please let me sleep some more."

Lainil gazed at the back of Cress' head for a moment before sighing with defeat and getting up from her seat. She began to make for the exit of the hollowed tree trunk that made up the room they were in.

Just before going out of sight, she stopped and turned around to face Cress' form again, looking a bit uncertain and speaking slowly as if she was choosing her words very carefully, "If you ever want to come home, Crescent," she paused, "I will always have food and a bed ready for you. But that is not to say that home is a place to hide from the outside. You have always been curious, have you not? What was it that drove you to leave home with Mithrandir several decades ago? It was curiosity, was it not? Even if Mithrandir had not come to Lothlórien, I'm sure you still would have wanted to see the land beyond these woods and found some excuse to explore it. Do not think that you place a burden on the rest of the Fellowship with your presence. If you did, at least one of the eight men you're travelling with would have the courage to say so. There is a reason Mithrandir accepted you as a student, Crescent, and his _only_ student.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if you still are curious, that is reason enough to continue on the quest that brought you here. I will be blunt; you had neither extraordinary talents growing up nor an incredibly sharp wit, but you had a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness that made you a good apprentice. I think that is why Mithrandir allowed you to travel with him."

Cress did not respond, but Lainil could tell she was only pretending to be asleep. The older _elleth_ turned toward the exit again, but once more stopped herself. "I almost forgot to tell you, Crescent, but Haldir and a Legolas came by to see you while you were asleep today. I didn't want them to disturb you, so I told them to come back another time. You should go see them when you have a chance. They were worried about you."

And with that, Cress heard her mother's footsteps grow fainter and fainter until they were nonexistent. She would be lying if she said that her eyes didn't widen a little and her heart beat a bit faster when she heard that Haldir and Legolas, a _prince_, had taken the time to come to her humble home. Then, she panicked slightly when she imagined how her mother might have treated Legolas.

Cress' cheeks flared with embarrassment, and she quickly buried her face in her pillow and tightened her hold of the blankets over her head, hoping that sleep would come and liberate her from her worries.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm about 80% satisfied with this, but I think it still could have been better… what do you think? Thanks so much for reading! I hoped you enjoyed this, and please let me know if I'm starting to drag the events of my story. Lately, I felt like I've been making chapters way too descriptive to the point where it takes quite a few chapters for something to happen (I'm currently in that situation with my AoT fic). So please tell me if the story is getting boring, and I'll try to speed it up a bit. There was supposed to be more to this chapter, but I decided to just cut it off here because I felt that the chapter would be way to long (like in the 6,000 words range). Again, thanks for sticking with me for so long, and this story's one year anniversary is almost here! I will do my upmost best to give you all a chapter for the anniversary :)_

_Cress' translation of the Lament to Gandalf was a bit off, but she still got the idea. I don't own the lyrics, and here's the official translation:_

"_Mithrandir, Mithrandir, O Pilgrim Grey_

_No more will you wander the green fields of this earth_

_Your journey has ended in darkness._

_The bonds cut, the spirit broken_

_The Flame of Anor has left this world._

_A great light has gone out."_

_Next time: Will Cress continue with the Fellowship? Or remain home in Lothlórien? What is Legolas and Haldir's relationship? How will the Fellowship deal with their grief? Find out next time~_


	12. Chapter XII

*Chapter XII:

_Dearest Diary,_

_ The Fellowship had been resting in Lórien for over two weeks now. I do not know when they plan to set off again, and I still am not decided on whether I should leave their company or not. I haven't spoken to any of them in a long time. They must be making plans as to what they are to do now that Master Gandalf is gone. I know they will continue with the Quest, every single one of them, even though they are fully allowed to withdraw. _

_Sam, Pippin, and Merry will not leave Frodo, I am certain of this. Gimli, though he is a bit overbearing sometimes, is right about and possesses the Dwarves' endurance and will. And Legolas… Well, he is a kind and dependable friend, not at all the type to abandon a helpless little Hobbit on his way to the most evil lands on this Middle Earth. Aragorn and Boromir both have something they want to protect from the darkness, and that makes them strong, both physically and psychologically._

_Men are a strange race indeed. They are mortal, doomed to die no matter what, and have so many weaknesses, yet they can do such great things. I used to wonder if they were stupid for putting so much effort into their lives when they will all eventually perish anyway. But, in some ways, I think now that Men are superior to Elves. Living every single day of your short life knowing that you will sooner or later be erased from the world, I think that takes a lot of conviction and courage. I will never understand such a burden, and so I have found deep in my heart, an unconditional respect for this intriguing race._

_-Cress_

The honey-blonde elf sighed loudly and leaned her head back on the trunk of the tree she was sitting again. She gazed up at the swaying, gilded branches high above her before closing her eyes and placing the back of her hand against the lids. As her other hand went slack the diary and quill slipped to the ground.

It was late morning, sunny, fresh, and a bit chilly from the February wind. There was no change to the forest since the day Cress reunited with the Fellowship, and a few rodents, such as squirrels, were playing in the canopy of the woods.

The only sounds were golden leaves rustling gently and the soft, squeaky snore of Rhaw sleeping next to Cress' lap, his little body rising and falling evenly.

Cress slowly opened her eyes and glanced over at the slumbering bunny for a few seconds before exhaling again and carefully scooping the animal into her arm without waking him, gathering her things and began walking back to her flet.

A large yellow butterfly fluttered toward her as she stood, a strange sight considering that the cold of winter was still in Lórien. With somewhat uninterested eyes, Cress watched the insect flit this way and that. She half-heartedly held up a finger next to the butterfly, and the bug flew around it for a few seconds before landing on it. The She-Elf stared at it dully, not moving her hand at all and the butterfly quickly took flight again.

Lowing her hand once the insect was gone, Cress resumed her walking.

It had been seventeen days since she knew of Gandalf's death. But, somehow, things felt oddly _normal_.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting, a large red circle in the west, casting a crimson light on the glimmering tops of the trees of Lothlórien.<p>

Cress was napping against the mallorn that supported her mother's flet and was awoken by the sound of Lainil's footsteps approaching her, the older _elleth_ having just come back from delivering the sheets of fabric she had woven to Caras Galadhon. Cress only lifted one eyelid at the noise before curling up and trying to go back to sleep again.

She had been tired lately, not necessarily sad. Just tired. She had forgotten how easy it was to give in to rest here in this serene, protected land. The She-Elf couldn't remember the last time she had such a satisfying respite. Not even in the house of Elrond did she feel more safe and relaxed.

"Crescent," Lainil now stood in front of her daughter, leaning down a little in order for Cress to hear her soft words.

"Hmm?" the other elf hummed, not opening her eyes.

"Have you been sleeping all day?"

Cress nodded.

The younger _elleth _couldn't see_, _but Lainil's face twisted into a disapproving expression. "You are being very selfish as of late, Crescent," this caused Cress to frown, but she still did not look. "You have not spoken to your friends, the Fellowship of the Ring, in days. Do you think they do not worry about you? Some of them have come to visit more than once, but you refuse to see them. Since when have you become so egotistical that you will not even acknowledge those who care for you?"

Cress let out a breath that held the tiniest hint of frustration, "I've been weary, Mother. Please just leave me be." She did want to hear her mother's lecture at a time like this.

Lainil's jaw set, but she reluctantly did not say anything more on the matter. After gazing in the direction of Caras Galadhon for a moment, she turned back to her daughter, looking highly unimpressed. "Lady Galadriel summons your presence on Caras Galadhon tonight," she informed abruptly.

The younger She-Elf showed a delayed reaction. It took her a minute to open her eyes and blink blankly up at her mother. "Why?" she asked slowly.

Lainil shook her head, "How must I know? Go before it gets completely dark, Crescent."

Exhaling disappointedly, Cress forced herself to get to her feet and dust herself off. She knew that her mother rarely joked, and it would be most unsightly to disrespect the Lady of the Golden Wood by ignoring her call. "Fine, I'm leaving…" she yawned widely into her hand and scratched her back, getting stray pieces of dry grass out from the inside of her dress.

Her mother nodded firmly before leaving with a graceful sweep of her gown, saying nothing more to Cress. She must still be upset about her daughter's lack of thought for the Fellowship.

As Cress made her way to the home of Galadriel and Celeborn, the sky grew darker. She walked along, not paying much attention to the scenery but instead casting her eyes to the ground and absentmindedly kicking a small pebble as she made her way through the woods.

A scowl twisted onto her face soon after she left her mother's flet. She was indeed tired, but she hardly cried any more after the first ten days of knowing of Gandalf's death. She felt strangely normal and though it was a relief on her heart that had ached painfully since hearing the news, the feeling of neutrality made Cress sick in her stomach and head. How can she forget her master so easily? How ungrateful of an apprentice is she to no longer experience great pain about her master's death?

Cress' mother had told her that, given some time, Cress would eventually overcome her grief for Gandalf and after that, she would go on with her life and soon fail to recall the wizard altogether for an Elf's life is long. Soon, she will have more experiences that will make her recollections of her master dull. The younger _elleth_ had stubbornly refused to take in Lainil's words when they were first spoke, but now she began to see the truth in them. She is, exactly as her mother had predicted, slowly becoming less attached to the memories of her master. At the rate that she is recovering from the loss, Cress predicted that she will regain her usual cheerful self again in a few weeks.

Guilt clawed at her from the inside, and the She-Elf violently shook her head. Though she denied it, she knew deep down, far within the reaches of her consciousness that sooner or later, she will forget about her time with Gandalf. This scared Cress terribly.

The pebble the _elleth_ had been kicking when she started her journey had long been abandoned, and with questions and notions still wildly swirling in her brain, she arrived at the base of the elegant stairway that curled around the tree which held the home of Galadriel and Celeborn.

The younger _elleth_ managed to suppress a startled jump at seeing Haldir standing at edge of the stairs. She really shouldn't have been surprised about this since part of Haldir's job is guard duty, but coming into contact with one of her friends that she had recently been avoiding made her feel a sharp stab of guilt in her heart.

But Haldir had already seen her, and Cress had no other choice than to hesitantly shuffle toward him with her head lowered in shame. "Hello," was her timid greeting as she passed him on her way up the steps.

"Cress," the call made the doe-eyed girl stop in her tracks and slowly turn to face her friend. The older Elf studied her face in silence for a few seconds before continuing, "I know you are only here because the Lady summoned you, but it's good to see you finally out of your house."

He did not look angry, and for that Cress was thankful. She forced a little smile at him, "Yes, well, my mother has been unhappy with my behavior lately too. Even if I was not here for a summon, she would have eventually coerced me to get away from the flet anyway."

A brief stillness hung between them afterwards and was broken by Haldir moments later, "Do you know why Lady Galadriel summoned you?"

Cress let out a nervous laugh and crossed her arms loosely with discomfort. "I have an idea," she replied, not meeting her friend's gaze.

With a nod of understanding, Haldir gestured up the staircase, "The Lady is waiting for you on the first level."

The _elleth_ opened her mouth as if to say something more, but closed it again and only settled for a subtle incline of her head in thanks. However, she took four steps up the stairway before spinning back around to face Haldir again.

The male Elf raised an inquiring eyebrow at her while Cress fidgeted a little with the sleeves of her dress.

"Sorry," she finally said, looking down at the ground. There was a pause when Haldir only stared at her quietly, and Cress took the opportunity to keep going. "I was told that you and Legolas came to visit me several days ago. I'm sorry that I did not acknowledge you for doing something so kind. If you see the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring, please give them my apologies."

Haldir blinked at her before cracking a smile, a genuine smile that Cress was very familiar with, and it put her mind at ease seeing it again. "You are forgiven, Cress," he responded sincerely.

For Cress, it was instinctive to smile back when someone else smiles at her, especially if it's Haldir, so she could feel the corners of her lips twitching almost against her will. No more words were needed between them and the more they looked at each other, the bigger both their smiles grew until they had to look away to avoid bursting out in laughter and disturbing the peace of Galadriel's flet.

Cress bounced on her toes, feeling so much lighter, and waved an energetic good-bye to Haldir before resuming her climbing of the stairs.

Haldir had been correct when he told Cress that Galadriel was on the first and lowest level of the flet, and honey-blonde _elleth_ found her sitting on a small ivory bench against the trunk of the tree.

"Come sit with me, Cress," she beckoned softly with a graceful wave of her hand when she noticed the other She-Elf's presence immediately.

Gulping nervously, Cress stiffly walked toward Galadriel and shakily sat down on the bench next to her. She wringed her clammy hands in her lap while wondering if she should say something in greeting. But how does one properly greet a being like Galadriel? Everything that came to Cress' mind seemed far too casual or just plain awkward. She had met Galadriel before, of course, more than once actually before she left Lothlórien with Gandalf, but for some reason she was uneasy this time because, as she told Haldir, she has an idea of why she was summoned and greatly does not wish to speak of the topic at the moment.

"It is a pleasant night, is it not?" The younger _elleth_ twitched with a start when Galadriel spoke to her. The Lady was looking up at the starry sky with longing eyes and a faint smile.

"O-Oh," Cress quickly regained her composure and stuttered out, "y-yes, it is, Lady Galadriel. The stars are very bright tonight."

The sun had set completely some time on Cress' way to Caras Galadhon.

"You know why you are here," Galadriel went on, lowering her gaze from the twinkling heavens to the skittish Elf next to her.

"Y-yes!" she squeaked as a reply. It came out much louder than she had intended. Her back was rigidly straight as she attempted her best not to slouch in front of the Lady.

"The Fellowship of the Ring will leave Lothlórien tomorrow morning," Galadriel informed straightforwardly, and Cress nearly choked on her own spit from shock.

That small piece of information woke her up like a bucket of icy river water. Eyes wide and mouth hanging open in horror, Cress tried to speak but couldn't get a word out as the situation dawned on her.

Why hadn't anyone told her? She would have known to make her decision sooner if she had been aware of how close the date for departure was. It's impossible for her to make such an important choice in one night. She had been putting it off because she thought she had plenty of time to consider, but that was clearly a mistake on Cress' part.

"You must decide whether or not you will accompany them any further," Galadriel went on. "The other members of the Fellowship of the Ring have all chosen to continue the journey, and they only await your resolution now."

Cress clutched her hair and shook her head helplessly. "How ought I to make a decision such as this in merely a few hours?" she demanded, voice going high pitched with emotion.

"This is the best possible time to make that decision, Cress," the older _elleth_ reasoned calmly, causing the other glance at her incredulously. "Making a decision too early gives time for doubt to interfere and the situation might very well change between the time of choice and the time that the choice must be put to action. Now is the most favorable time to decide."

There was truth in those words, but it didn't do much to quell Cress' inner turmoil. Trying to calm herself with slow breathing, she looked at the Lady next to her, "But a reasonable and intelligent decision cannot be made in one night, Lady Galadriel."

"It is a simple question; do you wish to go or do you wish to stay?"

_It's not that easy at all…_ Cress thought bitterly, but then realized that Galadriel could probably hear everything she was thinking. "I only joined the Fellowship in the first place because I wished to accompany Master Gandalf…"

Galadriel nodded encouragingly.

To many older Elves, the relationship between Cress and her master appeared shallow, merely a result of childlike admiration. They, Cress and Gandalf, had only known each other for less than a century after all, not even a fourth of Cress' lifespan so far.

And yet, those years spent travelling with the wizard had been the most exciting years of her life. Though life in Lórien was comfortable and peaceful, it was also somewhat dull after a while, especially after Haldir took up his job as Marchwarden and had been unable to entertain the _elleth_ for decades. She belongs to the most esteemed and heavenly race on the Middle Earth, and her home is in the most beautiful place on the Hither Shores. As a member of the Elven people, Cress also will most likely live forever. She has millenniums of youth and life but if that is the case, then why hadn't she ever felt more _alive_ than when she was away from the Golden Wood, discovering the rest of the world?

Learning things from Gandalf—not just wizardry—and being in situations where she relied on her own strength to get by and feeling physical pain from injury or exhaustion, those were the things that truly made Cress experience what it really felt like to be alive and breathing.

Humans are mortal, and Cress had found an unshakable respect and fascination for them for because of their mortality. Now the _elleth_ understood exactly why she finds them so amazing. With their unbelievable frail and vulnerable body, they feel alive for every second of their life—even if it is a short life. They know and can never doubt that they are living, and Cress is envious of that.

Cress will never know how it feels to be mortal, to be aware that she will die no matter what. On its own with no interference, her body will survive for centuries upon centuries upon centuries but without the possibility of death, how can she be sure that she is alive? Without physical pain and risk, how does she know that she is not merely clockwork designed to tick steadily forever?_ How?_

"I… wish to feel alive," the honey-blonde _elleth_ breathed out. Her hand had reached up to clutch the area on her chest where her immortal heart pumped evenly. "That feeling… of my heart pounding so hard it feels like it will explode, of my brain working and learning faster than any clockwork, of all of my senses being honed in this one body."

She craved that feeling like a starving animal, and the person, who had first shown her how to not simply survive, but _live_, was Gandalf.

Cress recalled the words of her mother, "_There is a reason Mithrandir accepted you as a student, Crescent, his _only_ student._"

There was nothing shallow about Cress and her master's bond. An indescribable sense of gratitude and adoration attached her to the wizard, and that attachment had been what drove Cress to go on a quest, one that she was clearly not ready for, just so she could keep Gandalf from harm.

But what had been Gandalf's reason to join Fellowship? Cress had to dig through the old fuzzy memories from the Last Homely House before coming to a conclusion: he intended to protect Frodo, the ring bearer. He died because he was protecting Frodo. Though he perished as a result, the wizard succeeded in defending the Hobbit.

It was still a long way to Mordor, and what dangers there were along the path Cress could hardly imagine. Frodo had many reliable companions, but there was no guarantee that he would make it to the Mount Doom alive. The Halfling's life was one that even Gandalf deemed more important than his own and if it is in danger, then Cress will protect it in her master's place. She will not allow a life her master died for perish so easily.

The young _elleth_ abruptly stood up from the bench, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. She was silent for a long time, just standing there, and Galadriel watched her.

"I have come to a conclusion," Cress said evenly.

The Lady closed her eyes and nodded, "That is good," she did not ask about what the conclusion was. Instead, she got to her feet gracefully also and reached into the sleeve of her gown to produce a flute of creamy colored wood. "You are familiar with this instrument, am I correct?"

Cress blinked in confusion at the older Elf before nodding hesitantly, touching her own flute of dark wood that was tied to the sash wrapped around her waist.

"Come, I will teach you a song."

* * *

><p>When Cress left Galadriel's flet, night had fallen for a long time. She was walking down the long spiral staircase, clutching her flute tightly in her hand as she descended the path. She must go to sleep and get some rest.<p>

But as she neared the base of the tree, she heard voices speaking softly—two voices to be exact. She immediately recognized them as Haldir's and Legolas' and though she knew that eavesdropping was a lowly thing to do—she would know since she had been caught doing it before—Cress instantly slowed her pace in order to make less noise and sneakily creeped closer to hear their conversation better.

"…Cress will continue with the Fellowship, I am sure," Haldir was saying.

The _elleth's_ ears perked up upon picking up her name in the discussion. If she is indeed the topic of the conversation, then that made the snooping slightly less shameful. At least that's what Cress convinced herself.

"Where does that confidence come from?" Legolas responded, sounding a bit doubtful of Haldir's claim.

A soft chuckled came from Haldir (Cress assumed it was Haldir) followed by a short silence. Then, he finally spoke again, his tone reminiscing, "You do not know her as I do, Legolas. Cress' loyalty is not so cheap that she would abandon the Fellowship because Mithrandir is gone. I suppose one can say that her loyalty is… transitive."

Another moment of stillness as Legolas waited for Haldir to explain himself.

"Almost anyone could take one look at Cress and tell that she was unwaveringly attached to Mithrandir. And Mithrandir's allegiance belonged to your Fellowship. Thus, Cress' allegiance is transferred through Mithrandir to the Fellowship as well. She will feel a need to protect the thing that the wizard died protecting."

Cress' lips twisted in a pout of mild annoyance. Was she really that easy to read? However, after pondering this for a brief time, the pout softened into a fond smile as she realized that it probably wasn't that she was easy to read, but that Haldir simply knew her too well.

"Does she know that the Fellowship is leaving Lórien tomorrow?" That was Legolas.

"Most likely not, but she has been summoned by the Lady tonight. If she does not know, she will know soon."

A quietness settled over them once more, and it lasted so long that Cress wondered if Legolas had left silently. Just as she concluded that there was probably nothing left to hear and was about to keep descending the stairs casually as if she hadn't purposely overheard their exchange, Haldir spoke again, but his voice was more hesitant and soft.

"I've been meaning to ask…" he started and paused before continuing, "I should have brought it up sooner, but I didn't think it was the right time."

"Is this about Aglareth?" Legolas inquired, though he sounded as if he already knew the answer. His voice also carried a hint of strain, which startled Cress.

The _elleth_ understood enough about the Elvish language to know that "Aglareth" was a feminine name, and she was also aware that the conversation between Legolas and Haldir had shifted away from her, and therefore it is inappropriate for her to keep listening in secret. But the mention of this person that Cress did not know and the strange atmosphere that it created between the two male Elves had the honey-blonde Elf's curiosity hooked like a drug.

"How is she?" Haldir asked after a moment of hesitancy.

Legolas inhaled deeply the chilly night air before giving a short and straightforward reply, "The last time I saw her which was a few months ago, she was well."

"That is comforting to hear."

"She misses you greatly."

Cress thought that Haldir would make some kind of comment that boosted his ego, something along the lines of, "Of course she does; who wouldn't?" But the only thing he said was, "If the shadow in the south spreads to Mirkwood, make sure she is safe."

"You do not need to worry about that, Haldir," Legolas assured.

Cress wanted to know who this "Aglareth" was. A feeling bubbled mildly at the pit of her stomach, and she wasn't quite sure what it was, but she only experienced a sudden unexplained desire to be aware of whom the two male Elves spoke of with such an obscure mood hanging around them.

What was also odd was that it appeared Haldir and Legolas had not just met the day the Fellowship arrived in Lothlórien but knew each other before. Cress wondered what their relationship was.

"You ought to rest, my friend," Haldir suggested after another period of silence. "You will need energy for tomorrow."

The two Elves probably exchanged a handshake before Cress heard Legolas' faint footsteps getting further and further away. She waited for a few minutes just to make herself seem less suspicious and then nonchalantly descended the steps.

"How did it go?" the Marchwarden greeted, referring to her audience with Galadriel.

"Fine," Cress did her best not to study Haldir's face for any hint as to how he felt about the conversation he just had with Legolas.

The older Elf's brows knitted together ever so slightly, "What's that look you're giving me? Is there a bug on my face?"

Cress' body was struck with panic at how quickly her motives were detected. She had to get out of Haldir's sight as quickly as possible before he could have the chance to read her further. "I'll be going back home now. Good night, Haldir." Then she quickly spun around and hastily walked away.

Haldir took a step forward in protest, "Wait, it's pretty dark now. I'll walk you back."

The _elleth_ looked at him with brows raised quizzically, "Don't you still have guard duty?"

"My shift is just about over," he said with a shrug and jogged the short distance between them to stand next to Cress. "Besides, knowing you, you'd probably skip your way back in the dark and end up running straight into a tree or something."

The irritation Cress was supposed to feel from the last comment didn't come and her previous eagerness to get away from Haldir was forgotten for a moment as she was struck with the warmth of the Marchwarden's subtle kindness.

Haldir walked ahead and paused to look back over his shoulder when Cress didn't follow. "What now? Come on, or I'll leave you behind."

The She-Elf stared at him, still blinking with pleasant surprise before a beam lit up her entire face, and she bounced on her toes a little bit before skipping after her friend. "Yes, yes, I'm coming, Haldir."

* * *

><p><em>AN: I really need to step on it with the updates, don't I? Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it. Finally we are done with Cress' Mourning Arc and will be getting back on track with the main storyline now. Yay! Reviews are much appreciated :)_

_Next time: Who could Aglareth be? Soon to be revealed in future chapters! The Fellowship of the Ring takes on the Great River next time so stay tuned with the story!_


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Lord of the Rings, Adventure, Humor