I suddenly feel my body pulling me back toward the cave as Gandalf says, "The Valley of Imladris. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name."

"Rivendell." Bilbo says amazement in his voice.

"Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea." Gandalf exclaims and Thorin chimes in, "This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me." As they walk forward I find myself frozen into place. I feel something touch my arm and look down to see Fili giving me a reassuring smile. I force a smile as I walk along beside them. We walk across a bridge and enter Rivendell. A few elves are seen strolling about. The dwarves and I look around uneasily. As a dark haired elf walks down a flight of stairs and greets us I pull my hood up over my head and avoid any looks.

"Mithrandir." The Elf says to Gandalf when he reaches us. "Ah, Lindir!" As Lindir and Gandalf greet each other, the dwarves murmur amongst themselves in distrust. Thorin whispers to Dwalin, "Stay sharp."

"Lastannem i athrannedh i Vruinen." ( We heard you had crossed into the Valley.) Lindir says to Gandalf and I bite my lip.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond." Gandalf replies as I try my best to hide amongst the Dwarves.

"My lord Elrond is not here."

"Not here? Where is he?"

Suddenly, the Elvish horns from earlier are heard again. The Company turns around and they see a group of armed horsemen approaching along the bridge at a rapid rate making Thorin yell out, "Ifridî bekâr! (Ready weapons!) Hold ranks!" The dwarves bunch up together into a tight circle with me hiding in the middle and their weapons pointed outward; The mounted Elves arrive and ride in circles around the dwarves. Eventually, they stop, and one elf, Elrond, separates himself from the others.

"Gandalf." Elrond says as he ride up to Gandalf who bows gracefully before saying, "Lord Elrond. Mellonnen! Mo evínedh?" (My friend! Where have you been?)

"Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui." (We've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass.) Elrond dismounts from his horse, then he and Gandalf hug. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near." Elrond holds up an Orc sword and shows it to everyone, then hands it to Lindir. I avoid eyes as I keep mine on the ground in front of me. I had never wanted to be somewhere else more than I did now.

"Ah, that may have been us." Gandalf says as Thorin steps forward, and Elrond looks upon him with recognition as he says, "Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain." Thorin tilts his head as he says, "I do not believe we have met."

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain."

"Indeed; he made no mention of you." Ignoring this insult, Elrond turns to the dwarves and speaks in Elvish. "Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin." (Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests.) I understand but my companions not so much. "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" Gloin says as he holds his axe up by his face. The dwarves grow bellicose and grip their weapons uneasily. Gandalf speaks exasperatedly, "No, master Gloin, he's offering you food."

The dwarves quickly discuss this amongst themselves, before Gloin turns back to them and says, "Ah well, in that case, lead on." As they make their way forward I contemplate slipping out but am suddenly spotted.

"Who is this Mithrandir?" I hear Elrond say and my body starts to panic. I hadn't seen Elrond since before my father's death I didn't want to see him now. "And why do they hide their face."

I gulp down a breath of air as I hear Gandalf say, "Randír, lower your hood." I fight the urge to cry as I pull my hood down and turn toward Elrond who instantly recognizes me and even though my kind is not known for showing affection Elrond pulls me into his arms and says, "Melethril, we thought you were dead."

By now the tears start to fall as I clutch tightly to him. He runs a hand through my hair as he says, "What has happened to you?" I reluctantly pull away from him and as he leads me into his city I tell him about everything that I had done since that fateful day when my father was taken from me.

"Is it true that you do not wish to be known as an elf?"

I let out a sigh as I say, "I feel like I do not deserve to be an elf. I have been sullied and tainted."

His grip tightens around my shoulders as he says, "My dear you have been through so much darkness that if you allow it you may see a brighter future. Whether that is as an elf or a mortal is up to you to decide." I nod and we continue to reminisce as we walk toward the dinner hall. Upon arriving I leave him to sit with the dwarves. For some reason I felt more comfortable with them then my own kind.

The dwarves are sitting around tables in the Elven court, eating. However, they are not very appreciative of the Elves' vegetables. I find an empty seat next to Fili and smile softly as they all welcome me. "Try it. Just a mouthful." Dori says to his brother Ori, who is poking at his salad. "I don't like green food." Dwalin looks through a bowl of greens before he says, "Where's the meat?" Oin holds up a vegetable with his knife and looks at in disgust. "Have they got any chips?" Ori asks as he looks around the table.

An elf maiden plays a flute; Oin, not liking the sound, stuffs a napkin in his hearing trumpet, and looks happy that he can no longer hear the music. I smile brightly at him before noticing Dwalin staring at Kili as he says, "Can't say I fancy elf maidens myself too thin." I follow his gaze over to the Elven maiden at the harp and stifle a laugh as he continues, "They're all too high cheekbones, creamy skin, not enough facial hair for me; although, that one there's not bad."

I follow his gaze to the one he is mentioning and I practically snort as Dwalin says, "That's not an Elf maiden." We all burst out laughing at him and I suddenly realize that this is one of the first times I have laughed since my father died and I am enjoying myself. Perhaps dwarves are not all bad. I watch as the dwarves start to get annoyed with the music and Bofur finally says, "Alright lads there's only one thing for it." I watch him as he climbs up on a pedestal and starts singing.

My smile brightens as the rest of our companions join him and then start throwing food. I look down before me and grabbing a handful of green tosses them at Kili who turns toward me an 'it's on' look covering his face. He suddenly returns fire and I quickly move out of the way causing him to hit Fili instead. I burst out laughing as the two of them start their own food fight amongst themselves. I had never had so much fun in all my life.

When it came time to sleep I was given my own room which I quickly declined so I could remain with the dwarves. I trusted them and they trusted me, I didn't want to lose that trust now. "Where are you going?" Kili asks and I smile softly as I say, "You all can't be the only ones who deserve a bath." His face flushes and I chuckle as I say, "I'll be right back."

I slowly make my way down to the river and upon reaching it remove all my clothes and dive in. The cool water felt like silk against my skin. How long had it been since I actually bathed? I couldn't remember the last time. I swim over to some rocks at the base of a waterfall and smile as I climb out I let the cascading water beat down on my back washing all the dirt away; and In a way making me feel mentally clean. After I wash I swim back over to the bank and climbing up quickly put a clean set of clothes Elrond had given me on.

I glance at my old clothes and contemplate throwing them away but decide against it as I place them in my pack. I ruffle my hair to help it dry and taking a deep breath head back to where my companions are. When I return Thorin, Balin, and Bilbo are missing. I walk up to Fili to ask him where they went but find myself being stared at. I feel my face flush as I say, "What are you all staring at?"

"You should clean up more often." I hear Bofur say and I smile as I toss my bag onto my pallet and say, "I don't know, I think I should go roll around in the mud again." "NO!" Fili and Kili yell out and I stifle a laugh. I run a hand through my hair as I sit down on my pallet and look at the Dwarves. They had all started chatting amongst themselves and I was left to observe. Taking a deep breath I close my eyes and let the sounds of Rivendell surround me.