Hey Everyone! I'm baaaaaack!

So this is the long promised UPDATE to my Lord of the Rings OC Trilogy. Expect lots of in depth background for our OC and more indepth story telling. I was young when i originally wrote this tale, so now i'm fixing it!

Enjoy loves!

Caladwen stood proudly in front of her mirror. Lord Elrond had a special dress made specifically for this day, one which the maid servants had just gotten finished helping her into. The material was a light rose color, embroidered in silver filigree. The dress was off the shoulder, with wide sleeves, and flowed delicately down her body, to the floor.

The servants had been gone for nearly twenty minutes, but Caladwen couldn't pull herself away from her reflection. There was a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach, one which Caladwen recognized as dread.

She didn't know why she felt this way, it had been said that at the end of the summer, when Elrond's Council was called, she would be leaving Rivendell for Mirkwood, to be their future Queen. She'd accepted her duties willingly, but now that the time had come, she didn't want to go. She wanted anything but to leave.

"You look beautiful," A voice startled Caladwen from her thoughts. Caladwen turned from the mirror and found Arwen leaning against her door frame. The princess of Rivendell smiled at her and Caladwen turned back to the looking glass.

"The dress looks beautiful." Caladwen corrected her, scrunching her nose in distaste.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Arwen approached her, looking at her cousin's face.

"You surprised me is all, I wasn't aware that you were back." Caladwen confessed, sheepish. Arwen smiled at her fondly, nodding. "And the Halfling?" Caladwen continued. She'd always had a soft spot for them.

"He will survive, but he will have a headache." Arwen laughed.

"Bilbo will be pleased." Caladwen also laughed, fiddling with her hair. Arwen grabbed her hands, pulling them down to her side.

"You should leave your hair down, it's beautiful the way it frames your face." Arwen took hold of the clip holding back Caladwen's hair, releasing her blonde tresses. Arwen grabbed the small silver circlet from the dresser table and gently placed it on her cousin's head. "You look like a Queen."

"Thank you, cousin." Caladwen said genuinely. However on the inside she felt fake, and not herself.

Caladwen felt a pang of sadness in her chest. It's true, she did look like the future Queen of the Western Woods should, confident, beautiful, but deep down she was terrified, saddened. She was not a queen. Caladwen was a warrior, and a proud one. She wasn't prepared for this to be the last day that she sat as an Envoy of Rivendell, her last day as a member of Rivendell's infantry. She would be leaving Rivendell after the council adjourned, for Mirkwood, and Caladwen would rather do anything but.

"Are you nervous?" Arwen asked quietly, sitting on the chair next to Caladwen. Caladwen paused for a moment, thinking to herself.

"I am." She said plainly. "And I am sad. And I am happy and I am honored." She felt tears stinging her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "But mostly I am afraid that Legolas will hate me and I will be left alone in Mirkwood without a friend." Arwen stood, wrapping her arms around her cousin.

"Legolas is your friend, you have known each other nearly your entire lives." Arwen pulled away from her cousin. Caladwen was still not swayed.

"Legolas and I spent our entire childhood besting each other at frivolous games. Then as adults we found ourselves on near opposite sides of a battle. We are not friends, we're rivals." Caladwen corrected her, thinking back on their last encounter at The Battle of Five Armies.

"Yes but the last time you saw each other you parted as friends." Arwen argued, thinking back to when Legolas returned her to Imladris. Caladwen considered her words for a moment.

"You and I both know that my heart belongs to another." Caladwen said sadly.

"Does it still…?" Arwen murmured, Caladwen turned to look at her shocked. She could tell that her cousin was scared and what she had said did not help to make her feel any better. She knew Caladwen had a tryst with Haldir in her youth, but the tryst had long ended since Caladwen's arrival at Rivendell. "My Father is a wise man... most days," Arwen spoke cheekily, eliciting a small smile from her cousin. "He would not have agreed to the match if he didn't believe it to be good. You have to believe that." Caladwen nodded her head, and sniffed, drying her face.

"My Ladies, Riders of Mirkwood approach. Lord Elrond has asked me to retrieve you so you may welcome them." A servant called from the doorway, interrupting the pair.

"Yes," Arwen spoke, holding her elbow for her cousin to take. Caladwen followed her cousin's lead, taking her arm. She walked silently next to Arwen as the servant lead them through the halls of Rivendell. Glancing out the window, she saw that the welcome party had already gathered in the courtyard next to the gate. Caladwen sighed lightly, taking the stairs to where Lord Elrond was already waiting for them.

It's just not fair. She thought, curtsying to her Uncle, Lord Elrond.

Caladwen walked swiftly through the corridors of Imladris, Lord Elrond had sent for an audience with her, unfortunately it cut short her visit with one of her dearest friends. The closer she grew to Lord Elrond's room, the more nervous she became, and as she approached his door she licked her lips anxiously. She could barely breathe. On the other side of that door were two men, one of which she didn't quite want to see. The other, well just the thought of him gave her unsettling butterflies, that confused her.

Caladwen knocked twice, quietly, and the doors opened themselves in front of her. The room was crowded with a small group of people she recognized almost instantly. As soon as she walked in they all quieted.

"Caladwen," Lord Elrond spoke softly. Thranduil, the King of Mirkwood, stood to the right of Lord Elrond, accompanied by a group of his servants, and his son, Legolas.

"Lord Elrond, Lord Thranduil." Caladwen bowed, addressing each man accordingly. Her eyes drifted to the Prince of Mirkwood. It had been sometime since she had seen the Mirkwood Royal Family, a time that she was certain was a good break for all of them. She didn't exactly leave the King in good graces. "Legolas, mae g'ovannen. (Legolas, well met.)" Caladwen curtsied deeply. Legolas returned the bow and upon standing she was surprised to see Legolas smiling at her, one that she returned. It was unexpected, they had butted heads so harshly at Mirkwood last they met, though, she supposed, they had left each other in friendly terms. "Have you seen Tauriel recently?" she asked him suddenly. The room around her stilled and the King and Prince shared a queer look.

"She… Journeyed to The Halls of Mandos, where she hoped to speak with Mahal." Legolas told her, his face pained.

"I see…" Caladwen whispered. She followed Kíli's soul into eternity… She thought to herself, giving Legolas a weak smile. Caladwen knew how much he cared for her. Lord Elrond cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the room.

"Caladwen, I'm happy you could join us, please, come in." Lord Elrond grinned at her. Caladwen hadn't noticed she was still standing in the doorway, and she flushed again, walking up to the desk at which Lord Elrond and King Thranduil stood.

She approached them cautiously, feeling the King's eyes on her all the way to the desk. It was a cold stare, and she looked to Lord Elrond for reassurance. Apparently Thranduil hadn't quite forgiven her for her stubbornness at Dale yet. Which was fine, she hadn't quite forgiven him for his treatment at Mirkowood. Elrond smiled at Caladwen, offering his hand to her. She took it gratefully as the King spoke.

"Caladwen of Rivendell, tell me, how do you fare?" The King watched her expectantly, but Caladwen was confused by his words as she had expected to be reprimanded. She refrained from showing it, and smiled at the King.

"I fare well, my Lord, the summer is upon us, the season of my conception, and I would do wrong not to feel blessed." Her answer seemed to suffice and she looked at Legolas. He stood next to his father, staring at the floor, but past his smile Caladwen could see he was troubled. Her heart began to sink and Caladwen had a nagging feeling she would soon find out why Legolas seemed so upset. Thranduil smiled at Lord Elrond, amused.

"I seem to have misjudged The Lady Caladwen the last time we met, Rivendell King. I thought her bullheaded, but she is merely fierce, something so needed for a Queen of Greenwood." Thranduil paused thoughtfully and Caladwen's eyes widened. "I give my blessings to this arrangement. She is full of promise." Caladwen glanced up at her Lord who smiled down at her.

"I'm afraid I do not understand." She didn't mean to be rude, but she didn't understand what King Thranduil meant by 'arrangement.' Caladwen noticed the way Thranduil looked at her, like she was being graded. "An arrangement?" Legolas looked up at her, almost shocked.

"You haven't told her?" He asked before Lord Elrond could speak. Caladwen was at a loss for words.

"That is what this meeting was for, seeing as you have been with the Dúnedain." Thranduil hissed at his heir, effectively silencing him.

"As I'm sure you're aware, Caladwen, there has long been held a strained alliance between the three Elf Kingdoms." Elrond spoke evenly, watching her with calculating eyes. Caladwen narrowed her eyes at him. "King Thranduil and I have arranged a betrothal between yourself and his son, Legolas, at the behest of Galadriel and Celeborn themselves. We have decided the betrothal to be of great opportunity for both sides to further relations between the Kingdoms. And since you have known each other since you were young, we feel it to be a suitable match." Caladwen stared at her Lord, wide eyed, mouth agape. She was mortified at how a single sentence could destroy her so easily, nay, she was mortified at how easily her uncle had been able to say it. A union? Between Sindarin and the Noldor? It was a laughable thought, had she not heard it with her own two ears.

She looked to Legolas for some kind of support, anything, to find he was watching her, waiting for her reaction. He seemed saddened as well. She dared a glance to the King who seemed entirely unamused by her reaction. Despite their customs, it was final, and she knew that it was. Caladwen couldn't help but feel betrayed by her uncle, someone her parents had entrusted with the care of their daughter. He was just giving her to someone who had already tried to take her previously.

"My Lord," She hesitated, thinking of something to say that wouldn't insult either party, but the only thing that was screaming inside of her head was how unfair it was. How she had more to live for than to be a Lady of the Court of Mirkwood, where she wasn't exactly popular. "I am honored, but I-"

"It is settled!" King Thranduil said triumphantly. Lord Elrond and the King exchanged handshakes, each of them signed a paper that sat on Lord Elrond's desk. Caladwen looked at it in disgust, realizing that that was what her life had been reduced to, a piece of parchment with signatures. "She will come with us this evening, fetch our stags." King Thranduil spoke to his servants who nodded in compliance.

"I fear that would not be wise," Lord Elrond spoke cautiously. "Caladwen has studies she must finish before I can allow her to leave." Caladwen felt a firm hand on her shoulder, Lord Elrond's. he'd walked around his desk to join her, which she hadn't noticed until his hand was on her shoulder. "By the end of the summer months she should be prepared for life as Queen, but you must give me that time to groom her."

Groom me, like a dog. Caladwen thought bitterly. King Thranduil eyed them head to toe, mulling over Lord Elrond's words. To Caladwen's surprise, he hummed thoughtfully, before agreeing. She remembered how much he hated being told no.

"I suppose you are correct, we shall return for her the last day of the green leaves." Thranduil smiled at both of them, his eyes lingering on Caladwen, as if he was happy with his recent purchase. "What a delight..."

Caladwen felt her eyes begin to sting thinking about that day. The day she lost who she was. She could no longer be herself, she had to be Queen one day, Queen with a man who's father she was certain did not like her. She supposed any other maiden would be happy with her betrothal, but Caladwen loved a sword too much. She loved riding bareback, not sidesaddle. Caladwen wanted to be in a loving marriage, and knew these things would be fleeting once she were married. She wasn't oblivious to Legolas' feelings for Tauriel he'd had nearly all of their lives.

Before she knew what had happened, Lord Elrond, Arwen and herself were at the front of the party, waiting for the riders to arrive. She remembered when she were younger how anxious she felt for her visits to Mirkwood, how she couldn't wait to challenge him to a spar or a race, but today it was a different kind of anxiety.

Caladwen found herself constantly fidgeting, adjusting her dress, she couldn't decide if her hair should be over her shoulders or behind them. Caladwen wanted to make a good impression on him, as she felt she had never done. She growled under her breath in frustration. Elrond chuckled from next to her, seeing her dilema.

"Hair behind the shoulders." Lord Elrond whispered to her lowly. She glanced up at him to see him smiling down at her. "It is how Celebrian used to wear hers. I think it beautiful, though I may be biased." Caladwen forced a smile, brushing her hair off her shoulders and behind her back. Again she looked to Lord Elrond, who smiled at her, pleased.

The gate in front of the group began to open, causing Caladwen's breath to catch in her throat. She could feel herself go rigid; clenching her jaw so hard it began to hurt.

Four riders rode in from the road, stopping just short of the welcome party. In turn each threw off their hoods, the last being Legolas. He seemed determined, his eyes passing over the group until they rested finally on Caladwen.

"Prince Legolas. It is a pleasure to have you." Lord Elrond spoke, bowing at the waist. Begrudgingly, Caladwen did as her uncle had, bowing deeply. The four hopped from their horses, servants of Rivendell ready to unpack them and house them in a stable.

"Lord Elrond," Legolas spoke, bowing to him. He smiled at Caladwen, taking her hand in his. "Caladwen," He placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. "I am afraid the pleasure has been cut short. I have news from Mirkwood."

"The council will convene this evening, I'm afraid there is much to discuss, of depravity and war." Lord Elrond, wrapped his arm around Arwen, pulling her tight, as if he were afraid she would disappear. "You may tell your news there. But now we will feast, you were the last to arrive of my council."

Legolas nodded, as Lord Elrond turned on his heel, turning back towards the palace. Legolas held out his arm for Caladwen and she took it hesitantly. She forced back a frown as Elrond and Arwen began to walk faster until they had pulled away from Legolas and Caladwen entirely. An awkward silence came over the pair and Legolas cleared his throat.

"You look beautiful." He spoke, his voice confident. Caladwen looked up at him and he smiled at her, his nervousness showing on his face. "This can not be the same girl who I sparred all those summers. The heroine of The Lonely Mountain." Legolas teased, no bite to his words. Caladwen paused thoughtfully, wondering where she should take this conversation. Though his demeanor suggested otherwise, she still felt the Battle at The Lonely Mountain was a tender subject.

"That you sparred and lost to." Caladwen smiled, deciding to leave the bait. Legolas gave her a winning smile, one that left her feeling more at home in her skin. Perhaps it had all been forgotten. This Legolas was decidedly different than the one she had met in Mirkwood all those years ago.

"I don't recall losing as much as letting you win, as is customary of a gentleman."

"Liar." Caladwen feigned disgust, her mouth dropping open. Legolas chuckled as the door to the Great Hall opened for them.

Upon entering the giant room, Caladwen was struck with a pleasant aroma of food and drink, as well as the constant sound of chatter between guests. She noticed the group of Hobbits had made their way to the table already, hardly able to contain themselves, waiting for food to be served. The dwarves sat on the other side of the hall, already consuming tankards of malt.

As they reached their seats, Legolas pulled her chair out for her. Gracefully she sat, thanking him as he took the seat to her right. The chair next to her was then taken by a much older gentleman, dressed in grey garbs and accessorized by a large walking stick. His beard was long and grey, matching his hair and his eyes twinkled with some form of mischief.

"Lady Amdirvaethil." He spoke warmly, smiling at her. Caladwen smiled back pleasantly.

"Mithrandir." Caladwen said happily, bowing her head lightly. It was always a pleasure to see the old wizard, he had been a dear friend to her parents, to herself. Gandalf fetched into his cloak pocket, producing a small pink flower, a Niphredil, a flower native to the forests of Lorien.

"The forest of Lorien's beauty wanes without you, my dear." He said, tucking the flower behind her ear with a smile.

"Thank you." Caladwen smiled, reaching up and brushing a gentle finger on the flowers soft petals. Gandalf shared her smile, clearing his throat to speak, only to be interrupted by the sounding of loud horns. Caladwen felt disappointed, it would seem what he was going to say would have to wait.