A chill, yet gleaming morning full of sun followed a restless, uncertain night. Even before the birds let loose their tentative songs, Strider shook everyone from getting perhaps the proper amount of sleep, intending that the party reach Rivendell and rejoin Frodo as soon as possible. Out of all the remaining company, Sam seemed the most compliant, whipping up a hastier, and sloppier, breakfast than what they'd grown accustomed to. It led Anna to wonder if he in fact had been up all night in anticipation of their departure.

Regardless of his eagerness, though, it still took a fair amount of time for Merry and Pippin to help prepare, leaving enough time for Anna to wonder where in the world Elsa had gone off to; she couldn't be found anywhere in the clearing, but it didn't take long for Anna's still revitalizing brain to assume that she'd gone back inside the cavern. She also made the assumption that she in fact spent the night there as well, whereas everyone else chose to sleep outside in the relatively warmer air—as well as a fair distance away from the towering ice pillar nearby as it gave off its own cold.

Recalling what had happened before, Anna treaded very carefully as she entered the chilling cool of the ice cavern. To her surprise, it didn't take her very long to find Elsa; she stood by the old bed, seemingly ready to go in her old traveling clothes, but stuck in place, as it were, gazing all around her in a quiet contemplation. She stood there with her back towards the exit, and in turn towards Anna.

"Hey. Elsa?" Anna said, "Everyone's almost ready to go."

"I know," Elsa responded.

"Then what's the hold up? Oh, do you have any leftovers stored here? That could really come in handy!"

"Oh no; there's no way any rations could keep this long."

"Oh, okay then. Is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's just…" Elsa started. She turned around to face her sister, and Anna saw nestled within her hand one of the small ice sculptures from off of the shelf. Its crudeness hindered immediate identification, but upon closer inspection, Anna discovered that it took the shape of a bird perched upon a thick branch.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, "It's lovely!"

"It's one of the first I made while I was here," Elsa explained. She turned her head to look at the long shelves stacked with the rest of her small ice sculptures across from them. Once she herself looked at them, Anna noticed that each sculpture superseded the one before it in craftsmanship—with a few exceptions that broke the pattern, but those seemed more experimental than accidental.

"You've made so many," Anna observed, "I guess you had a lot of spare time, huh?"

Elsa nodded. "Truth be told," she went on, looking back down at the bird in her hands, "I never really finished working on this one. I think I was making soup for the first time, and was trying to figure out how long to cook it—and then I realized the soup was burning and…"

She then took a deep breath, and said, "It's been ages since I've been in here. It's so weird…I lived in this place for so long and learned so much in that time. Then I just left it without a moment's thought, and now, I'm just going to leave it again…I don't know if I can. I've said it before, I know, but this was home for me. There are so many memories here…"

Anna scrunched her brow and crinkled her nose in thought for a moment, letting her sister's words sink in for her to chew on.

"I don't think that's quite right," she answered at last, "The home thing, I mean."

"What are you talking about?" Elsa said, turning to her with tempered confusion raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Anna replied, "You were all alone here-as in completely by yourself-with no one to talk to-right?"

"Of course," Elsa answered, "Why wouldn't I have been?"

"The way I see it," Anna continued, "a home is something you share with someone else, along with all the memories you get along the way. Without that…it just isn't real. It's just someplace you stay to rest for a while, y'know, like the inn."

Elsa opened her mouth and raised a hand as if to protest, but both hung about for a moment before slowly retracting back into place. Her eyes, meanwhile, drifted away and focused on nothing in particular, lost in thought as it would seem, only to fall back onto the ice bird in her other hand.

Anna felt a little surprised at this response. Had she truly said something profound?

Then, she watched as both hands covered the small sculpture, almost completely concealing it. A blue glow seeped past Elsa's fingers for a moment before her hands came apart again, and the ice bird itself came flapping out of the resulting burst of light. In the split second that it flew past her, Anna saw that delicate feathers, each made of ice and as thin as paper, covered its entire body, causing it to glisten and shine in differing, radiant colors in its flight. It even chirped and sang as it fluttered towards the light shining in from the entrance to the cave, and once it reached that point, it suddenly dissipated into hundreds of shimmering particles that in turn vanished into nothing.

"Now it's finished," Elsa declared, smiling softly.

Before Anna could ask why she did that, Strider's voice came echoing through the cavern from further beyond the entrance, calling their names.

"We're coming!" Elsa shouted in response, startling Anna slightly. Together they headed towards the light outside. Back outside the cavern's mouth, they found Strider and the remaining hobbits, wearing tired, if not impatient, expressions, waiting for them. Even Bill the pony seemed to have the same look in his eye as he stood next to Sam.

"Apologies for the delay, gentlemen," Elsa replied, "I just needed to attend to something before we departed."

"Is there anything else that needs attending to?" Strider asked.

Elsa shook her head at the inquiry. With that, Strider bid them all to move forward. And forward they went to the line of trees that stood as if to bid them goodbye and see them along their way…

They hadn't reached ten steps of the clearing's edge, however, before Elsa suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Actually," she said, "Now that you bring it up, there is one last thing I should take care of."

She turned around to look towards the cave again. Without a word she raised her hands toward it, and streaks of shimmering blue shot forth. They entered inside, and as they brushed its walls, the very ice began to soundlessly break apart and dissolve into smaller pieces before flowing out and coalescing into a great swirling vortex. With seemingly little effort, Elsa guided the great glittering mass into into the air, moving it far past the forest canopy and eventually the edge of the cliff, and even a little further beyond. Then at last, she waved her hands away, and the cloud burst, vanishing into nothing. Looking back, all that was left was a humble cave made of rock, and nothing more.

Most of the party gazed upon the display of her powers and the the result of her efforts looking rather dumbfounded, Merry perhaps most of all.

"I should have done that a long time ago," Elsa sighed, a soft smile gracing her face.

With nothing more to say on the matter, the party finally turned and headed into the forest. As they went, Elsa leaned over to Anna, and whispered, "Come on. We're going home."

Anna grinned brightly at that.

While the terrain did provide plenty in the way of missing steps and uneven footing once the party left Elsa's hiding place, it actually seemed easier for the odd little band to travel over. Even the downward slope they came across, though it appeared otherwise at first, turned out to be a far cry from the upward struggle they fought just a few days ago. None of them felt ready to confess whether or not a simple change in the weather deserved the credit, or if Arwen's carrying Frodo away had anything to do it. To answer in either regard could either mark one a blatant liar or heartless. If anything, however, the resolve to get to Rivendell still remained as it did before.

In any case, this day marked a noticeable change in attitude for many in the party once they got their bearings. Sam, for instance, would have charged far ahead of the rest of them if it weren't for Strider leading the way. Instead, he came in second, huffing and puffing and mumbling odd obscenities to no one in particular as he went. With Strider, on the other hand, his perpetually resolute exterior camouflaged any hint of worry or distress as he led the group forward. Merry and Pippin simply glanced warily at the forest around them growing darker with their descent. Elsa did so as well—but clearly with a different focus in mind. Her eyes drifted around the woods and rocks, occasionally locking onto some odd minute detail like an old toy from childhood just barely retrieved from the nursery, while taking silent notes of whatever change had been added or subtracted. Overall though, her search obviously lacked the same kind of intensity Anna witnessed the day before. She wondered, how many times had Elsa wandered through these woods before?

Bill the Pony, meanwhile and for obvious reasons, could not exactly be spoken for.

After finishing their descent down the slope and stumbling through the underbrush foliage, the party came upon something many of them didn't expect: an actual, level path in the forest. It evidently hadn't seen travelers for many years. Whoever used it last, however, were much larger than anything Anna had seen, large enough to knock aside old trees and cleave rocks in two. In spite of this, the party decided to take this path for its ease, in comparison to the one they might've originally taken, and followed it deeper and deeper into the forest's growing darkness.

The further on they went, two things began to increase quite visibly; Merry and Pippin's anxiety, and the look of familiarity in Elsa's eyes, as well as the excitement pulling at the corners of her mouth. It stirred Anna's curiosity as well; was this someplace where she'd hit a difficult target or something? Once again, the thought of Elsa using her powers to actually kill something—and succeeding, no less-made her feel somewhat queasy.

The path then suddenly took a dive down a slope, curving to the left out of sight behind a rock-studded hill. Dutifully following it, they went around the corner, and discovered, much to their surprise, the mouth of a cavern gaping from the hill itself, framed by large stones. Here they halted, with Pippin asking to be excused to conduct some private business in the bushes. While they waited for his return, the rest of them decided to investigate. What they found sparked a great amount of curiosity, and perhaps anxiety, amongst the less-traveled in the company; all around the entrance laid bits and pieces of rusted metal, shattered clay pots, and other miscellanea, poking up through the leafy detritus. When they leaned into the cavern to take a closer look, only the shells of pottery and old bones laid strewn about to greet them in the suffocating gloom.

"If this is what I think it is," Merry declared, "Then we need to leave this place, now."

"This place has been forsaken for a long time, friend," Strider informed him, "You've nothing to fear."

"…Can I get a second opinion on that?" Merry responded.

Elsa walked over to his side, and in the process, Anna saw a curiously wry twist in her smile as she did so, as if she was in on some great joke.

"Well," her sister said as she crouched down to Merry's eye-level, "If it makes you feel better, we can always just—"

A sudden yelp shot through the bushes, followed swiftly by Pippin bursting out of the foliage in a mad dash back to the party wearing a pale face dripping with sweat.

"Trolls!" he gasped, "There's trolls nearby!"

"Trolls?" Anna repeated. The word tumbled out of her mouth in utter confusion.

"Aye; three of them, HUGE ones," Pippin panted, "I don't know if they spotted me, but I'm not hanging around to find out!

Before panic could swamp the group, Elsa bolted to Pippin and clutched him by the shoulders. "Calm down," she said, kneeling down and looking him dead in the eye, "Where did you see these trolls?"

"Down there!" he answered, pointing back down where he came from, "They're all in a small clearing; I could see them through the tree trunks!"

On hearing that, Elsa turned her head to look at Strider. Her odd little smile had strengthened, and a raised eyebrow accompanied it as well. Strider's eyebrows only rose a little bit in response. Anna's suspicions, however, went through the roof.

"Very well then," Elsa said, "Let's go see what they're up to."

"WHAT?" Sam exclaimed.

Before any more protest could be made, Elsa set off rather casually in the given direction, with Strider following close behind. Her own curiosity taking control, Anna soon followed right after, eager to see what this 'troll' business could possibly be. After a delay of debatable length, the remaining hobbits hurried to catch up to her.

As they stumbled over the rough terrain and around the tree trunks, Anna leafed through the pages of her mind, hoping to remember something she had seen in Elsa's memories from so long ago. Time, however, seemed to be a crueler librarian when it came to borrowed memories than earned ones; as much as she tried to, the only trolls she could recall were the ones who allowed her to speak to Elsa through her mind and see her memories, and even then only to a certain degree. When Anna saw those memories, it seemed to her like she'd been handed an old, worn out quilt passed through too many hands with no hope of repair, and falling apart into pieces once it reached hers, taking the scene away with it with a rather uncanny swiftness. Only through proper guesswork could Anna discern some of the important information. Any other information came from the stories Elsa told in moments of recollection when the two sisters were alone together beside the fireplace. This combination of factors forced Anna to fill in the blanks herself, and thus far the composite picture proved to be a woefully erroneous one with every step she'd taken in this strange world. Still, she couldn't help but feel excited at seeing these trolls, and wonder how Pippin could be scared of such friendly, energetic, blunt, loud beings…

Then again, perhaps she'd answered her own question.

Before she knew it, however, the party halted in their tracks, standing still with baited breath. Strider and Elsa stood at the front, very still yet very much at the ready. Anna swiveled her head around to try and see what the problem was; her gaze went downward and behind, and she glimpsed the three hobbits crouched behind her, like rabbits ready to bolt at any moment. Turning back around, though, and soon she saw the cause: three huge figures, like wrinkled grey mounds, loomed ahead in the trees, one standing, and the others stooping down. Anna gasped at the sheer, unexpected sight of them, her own chest filling with the cold of terror.

Ahead, to Anna's surprise, Elsa actually relaxed and strode boldly forth into the clearing, walking right between two of the figures. She tried to follow after her sister, but Strider's surprisingly strong hand restrained her from doing so.

Before anyone could say a word, Elsa walked right before the foremost one and stood before it with her hands placed squarely on her hips and a broad, daring smile on her face.

"Long time no see, big guy!" she said quite loudly, "Remember me?"

No response came, even as Elsa reached out and flicked the giant being with her finger, sending particles of rock flying off. Looking back, Elsa called out to the rest of the party, saying, "It's alright, everyone! Come on out! They won't bite."

Strider stepped out first, with a relaxed attitude betraying the fact that he'd been in on the joke the whole time. Anna and the three hobbits followed along, and soon, everyone beheld the three naked monsters frozen in place, their faces curled into perpetual sneers and grimaces, and thick clumps of moss and grass draped across their cracked and weathered hides. An unassuming bird's nest, meanwhile, sat quietly behind the ear of one of the beasts.

After a sigh of relief, the three eyes of the three hobbits soon lit up in recognition. "Well I'll be," Sam started, "its Mister Bilbo's trolls!"

"How did we get near this place?" Pippin wondered aloud, "I can't believe it; I know the story front to back, but I never thought I'd see a record of it with my own eyes!"

"And yet," said Strider, "You forgot that no troll can stand in the sunlight and not be turned to stone." To demonstrate, he took a stick and whacked it against the lowered arm of one of the statues, breaking it in two against the stone. "Next time you want to even think about scaring me with something like this, make sure you know what you're seeing, Master Took."

Anna only stared in disbelief at the trio of gargoyle-esque creatures in front of her, while her mind tried to piece things together. At last, though, she finally got around to speaking.

"No," she stated, "No no no no no; I know trolls, and these are NOT trolls. Ogres, maybe, if we're going to try and be specific…"

"What are you talking about, Anna?" Merry asked, "Of course these are trolls! Troll statues, rather, but still!"

Before a debate could get underway, Elsa intervened, stepping between her sister and the Brandybuck. "Well, things are a bit different where we're from," she hastily explained, "Anyway, we need to keep moving…"

Before any response could be given, Strider silenced everyone in the party with a quick hush. Experience giving them a good reason to heed him, the group swiftly stood still and held their breath, their eyes darting in every direction. Anna saw no dark shadows swooping through the trees as far as she could tell…but then her ears picked up on something…hooves, that was it, but not the heavy drumming she'd come to fear. Rather it sounded more akin to clicking…and then she heard something else…something tinkling…could it be bells?

At that moment, a horse burst into the clearing before them—not a black horse, but a gleaming white horse like the one Arwen sat upon the night prior, lean and pretty with parts of its bridle glittering as though studded with gems. Its rider, meanwhile, possessed a fair, youthful face and bore long, golden locks of hair that flowed from his head like a soft forest stream, mirroring the cloak that trailed behind him and exposing the pointed ears that betrayed his heritage. As soon as he saw Strider he called out, "Ai na vedui Dúnadan! Mae govanmen!"

Almost immediately, Strider relaxed at the sight and came forward, with everyone else trailing behind him, Sam being foremost out of them.

"Hail, friend," Strider said to the Elf. To everyone else, he said, "This is Glorfindel, who dwells in the house of Elrond".

"Oh, well then," Anna said, "Pleasure to meet you!"

"Greetings, travelers," Glorfindel replied, "Especially to thee, fair Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

"Oh!" Elsa said in soft surprise, "Well, thank you, kind sir."

"I did not expect to see you here," Strider continued, "what brings you into these parts?"

"Master Elrond sent me from Rivendell," Glorfindel explained, "when he heard word that the Nine were abroad in these lands. We feared that you were in danger upon the roads."

"Well founded were those fears, I should say," Stride replied, "We encountered them at Amun Sul, and they wounded Frodo at the time."

"How terrible! Well then, fear not; I shall hasten the journey and bring young Master Baggins with me if need be so Lord Elrond may heal him from such a grave wounding. Now tell me friend, which one of these hobbits is he?"

An awkward silence hung over the group. Anna bit her lip and glanced at Elsa, who raised a hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry my friend," Strider said at last, "he's not here with us."

"Oh no!" Glorfindel practically gasped, "He's not…?"

"Oh, no no no no!" Anna interrupted, "Not like that at all, it's just…well, we really appreciate that you came all this way out here, we really do, so nice of you, it's just that…well, we, uh…"

"Well, what is it?"

"Lady Arwen came last night," Elsa answered at last, "and took Frodo with her back to Rivendell. That was the last we saw of him."

Glorfindel sat still upon his horse, his face as still and solemn as a Greek statue, for five or so seconds before he spoke again.

"You're pulling my leg," he said plainly.

"I'm afraid it's true," Strider affirmed.

"And you just let her go?" Glorfindel continued, growing more and more dumbstruck, "…I apologize. Do not take me for an ingrate, tis good that Master Frodo is on his way, it's just…"

"Oh, it's okay! We absolutely understand," Anna said, "I'd be upset too if I rode all the way out here to find out someone did my job for me..."

"We do thank you for your service, Glorfindel," Elsa finished.

"Yes, indeed," Glorfindel replied, "…well then, I shan't leave you all out here on your own. I shall escort you all back to Rivendell with me. I apologize for not bringing more horses with me, but perhaps we shall cross paths with the search party later on."

"What search party?" Sam asked.

"Lady Arwen took off late into the night after we received the news back at Rivendell," Glorfindel explained, "Lord Elrond sent some of his men to find her as well as Master Baggins. Knowing what I know now, she may be on her way there already. Now, come along; we are but two days from Rivendell, and we shall go there with great haste."

The entire party thanked him again, and followed right behind him after that, some with more vigor than the rest. As they trailed him, Anna couldn't help but lean over to Elsa and whisper, "Poor guy. I mean it; he went through all that trouble…"

"Well, Elsa replied, "he seems to be taking it well—well enough, anyways. Still, I wasn't expecting that bit about Arwen."

"I know, right? Can you imagine if Momma and Poppa were still around and we tried to do something like that?"

"You did try to do something like that," Elsa pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but only to look for you!" Anna said.

"No, before that," Elsa corrected, "I'm talking about when we were teenagers. You remember when that ambassador got lost on the eastern road, and you thought he was going to be so handsome…"

"What? No, I don't remember that."

"Probably because Poppa went and grabbed you right off the horse before you could take off."

"Oh, right…Wait, you know about that?"

"Momma joked about it for a good couple of weeks after that," Elsa explained, smiling as she did.

The embarrassment of it, though very mild, held Anna back for a moment. Then she realized how open Elsa had been about the whole thing. Usually, hardly anything came out from her lips concerning anything from their childhood…not that Anna didn't welcome it or anything like that. Far from it as a matter of fact.

The following two days after meeting Glorfindel rolled by without much in the way of any major incident—a welcome change given the events of the previous two weeks. However, as the distance between them and the Stone Trolls grew greater, many in the company found great difficulty in following closely enough behind Glorfindel and his horse, given how swiftly the beast's steps were, even for a horse. To great despair, rest did not come with the setting of the sun; though no rider in black came after them, Glorfindel insisted that they keep on their feet and walk through the moonless, starless night, straight into the grey morning. At that point, exhaustion took everyone, even Strider to a certain degree, into a heavy sleep…only for Glorfindel to wake them with only a few hours of sleep to their claim. To his credit, though, he did give them a sip of a clear, flavorless drink that filled their forms with an uncommon vigor.

Even with that aid and five hours' worth of rest, though, they were still forced to rest at the end of that day and sleep their exhaustion away.

With the next day, they left the forested hills behind and entered grassy terrain once again, over which the three hobbits tramped over every once in a while to massage the worn soles of their feet. That did not last long, once noon passed its way, great pine trees surrounded them, preceding a sudden descent through a crevasse of rock colored deep red and dripping with moisture. The echoes of their footsteps slapped about the stone walls, following them as they passed through what could've easily been mistaken for a wall of light into the open. Here, they could see open flat land at the bottom of a sharp slope before them, divided by the river as it wound its way through, with the ford right in their path. After that, the land rose abruptly into a steep bank, and they could see the small pale thread of a path snaking its way up into the domain of towering peaks that stretched far above as if to touch the sky above.

After gazing up at the colossal mountains, Anna looked back down at the ford below…and noticed something odd about the land surrounding it. She couldn't tell exactly why, nor could she do so before being urged on to move on by the rest of her party. Down, down they descended through the wooded slope, careful to watch their step along the way, until at last they reached the bottom, and once again their footing became even. Here, everyone saw what Anna could only barely discern at first; the ground beneath their feet, though distant from the river, seemed freshly drenched and smoothed out, while saplings and patches of grass lay uprooted and strewn across the plain like fallen soldiers on the battlefield. Every now and then, they could pick out the dead body of an unfortunate mouse or hare, each one soaked to the bone.

"There was a flood-burst here," Strider deduced, "Barely a day or two old."

"But why?" Pippin questioned.

"I may have a theory," Glorfindel mused, "and if I'm right, we may have not to fear the Wraiths for now."

They continued on their way until at last they reached the ford itself, running along its chosen path as though nothing at all happened, ignorant of the destruction the travelers had just witnessed. Curiously enough, any evidence of a flood could not be found at all on the opposite riverbank.

Here, the party ran into a slight conundrum; Elsa remembered that once her feet so much touched the water, the whole ford could turn to ice, possibly risking trapping everyone else in place before they could make it to the other side. At first she elected to remain behind while everyone else crossed, and after which she would follow and unfreeze the river—but Glorfindel would have none of it. Instead, he dismounted his horse, and placed her upon its back in spite of her protest. So it was that she rode across, while the rest of them waded. Struggling to keep the hem of her dress above water, Anna clumsily stepped her way over the weathered stones below—and in the meantime felt a glimmer of jealously towards the men and their trousers, and even towards her sister on the horse.

Suddenly her footing failed, and she fell towards the water. She kept herself from landing face first in the river water, but unfortunately battered her hands against the stones in the water in the process. Sam came splashing towards her, and, as best as he could, he helped her back onto her feet. As she clambered back upright, though, Anna noticed something out of the corner of her eye; was it a branch or something?

Once steady again, she saw it for what it was: a black, hoofed forelimb sticking out of the water at an odd angle, while the body to which it remained attached to remained anchored against a large stone.

"There's a dead horse over there!" she called out.

The rest of the party, who'd paused for Anna's sake, looked in her direction, and soon all could confirm her claim; Elsa from her perch could see at least one other drowned horse, as black as the one before it, further downriver.

"Then it is as I assumed," Glorfindel said, "Those were once the steeds of the Black Riders. Were I but here to see the means of their defeat!"

"So, does that mean they're no more?" Merry queried.

"Hardly," Strider responded, "If anything, they will be retreating back to Mordor after this defeat…but they will return, and with new beasts to ride as well. For now, though, we may walk more peacefully."

Anna felt uneasy about the whole 'returning' thing at first…but then she realized how soon it would be before that problem would no longer be hers, or anyone's for that matter. She could almost feel such a weight lifting off of her shoulders.

In hardly any time at all, they soon reached the opposite bank, and Elsa dismounted Glorfindel's steed with much expressed gratitude. But having gotten this far, Anna neglected to remove her soaked boots, instead opting to rough it out until they reached their destination. To this end, they began to travel uphill on the winding path, and once again found themselves in the shadows of towering trees. Very quickly, however, the trees were replaced once again by towering walls of unhewn stone trickling with water, while the light beamed down through a narrow crack far above them. At first, Anna only felt relief that she wouldn't have to climb over a mountain in waterlogged boots…

And then they entered sunlight, and pure astonishment assumed its place in Anna's mind as she saw what lay before her.

There, nestled against the gargantuan, tree-swathed stone walls of the gorge and bathed in the golden light of the afternoon sun, stood a cluster of stone buildings, carefully perched on stone outcroppings above rushing waterfalls that tumbled far below them. Everything about the place just exuded a sort of heavenly quality she'd never seen before back home. Even from where she stood, she could see an element of elegance and even an almost organic quality contained in each and every arch, bridge, tower, and even the windowpanes—and she didn't even have a competent knowledge of architecture. It seemed comfortable yet exotic, humble yet amazing, so…so…

"So," said Elsa, smiling as she walked up next to her, "What do you think of Rivendell?"

"Huh? Oh—oh! Oh Elsa, wow, would you—I mean—it's so—IT'S SO PRETTY!" Anna stuttered. Her outburst startled the three remaining hobbits, who, up until that point had also been dumbstruck by the beauty of Rivendell.

"Come," Glorfindel said, "Lord Elrond will surely be expecting all of you."

"Yes, please!" Sam said, "Let's get to it, already!"

"For once, Master Samwise," Merry said, "we are in total agreement."

With that out of the way, the party proceeded. Going before them, Glorfindel led them down the path towards the buildings, and eventually over a stone bridge arching over the rushing stream water below. All the while, Anna couldn't help but stare at everything around her in utter awe and wonder. Maybe she had the all the ugliness and terror of the past couple of weeks or so to blame, but she hadn't felt such peace and beauty permeate through the core of her being like this in such a long time…it felt absolutely…magical? Yes, that seemed to be it; magical, to her.

At last they passed two stone sentries and entered a round circular pavilion before a great flight of stairs. Here, a small group of about five or so elves stood by in formation before them. A welcoming committee! Anna thought to herself. It had been so long since she'd seen one, and before now she'd never believed she'd miss one. Then she noticed the one in the front with dark hair dressed in long dark burgundy and lavender robes. She wondered, was that Elrond? If not…well then, he was still very handsome to look at, even for someone with pointed ears.

"Welcome to Rivendell, good travelers," the elf said to them, "My lord and master wishes thee well, and would greet thee himself if he were…" He seemed to choke on his words once his eyes laid hold upon Elsa.

"Hello Lindir," Elsa said to him, "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, Lady Elsa! Of course!" he said, "Forgive me; I'd been told you would be amongst the company, I simply didn't expect you to…forgive me, tis not my place to question. You will be pleased to know that we have prepared guestrooms for you to…"

"Where's Mister Frodo?" Sam cried out, shoving his way towards the front as he did so, "Is he going to be okay? I need to see 'im!"

"You need not fear, Master Gamgee," Lindir explained, "Frodo Baggins is currently in my Master's care, being treated for his injury. I can assure you myself that Lord Elrond is a master of the healing arts."

Already some of the tension lifted away from everyone's shoulders at the sound of that. Everyone that is, except for Sam. "Please, just show me where he is!" he pleaded, "I—I promise I won't get in the way or nothing, I just need to be there for 'im!"

Lindir stood there for a moment or two, his face kept sternly rigid, but in a way as not to let something out.

Finally, he motioned to one of the elves behind him, and said to Sam, "You will follow him. And please, if you would, remain as quiet as possible."

Relief washing over him like a flood, Sam nodded and hobbled after the designated elf. Lindir, meanwhile, turned back to the rest of the party and motioned to the other elves behind him, saying, "They will take you to your quarters. Food and drink will be provided shortly. For now, please rest, and know that you are safe and welcome here in Rivendell."

With that, they turned and bid Glorfindel their gratitude and farewell as he, upon his horse, trotted away, while another elf took Old Bill's bridle and led him in the same direction Glorfindel went off too; Anna could only assume that way led to the stables. Merry and Pippin swiftly followed after the elves assigned to them with an eager gleam in their eyes.

Elsa, meanwhile, walked straight up to Lindir. Anna followed suit, and listened as Elsa leaned in closely and said softly, "If you could please, my sister, Anna, and I are especially in need of Lord Elrond's assistance. If you could, could you find some way to arrange a private audience with him for us? It's especially urgent."

Those words came as a sudden reminder to Anna. Her fingers drifted down towards her pocket and lightly grazed the lump within it.

"Of course, milady," Lindir said, "Gandalf already informed him that you would be arriving with Frodo while on his way to Isengard. I shall inform Lord Elrond of your arrival shortly."

Both sisters expressed their gratitude to him and began following their designated elf-servant up the stairs, their steps bolstered greatly by the anticipation of getting true relaxation; how much longer did Anna need to wait to rest her aching bones on actual pillows and blankets? What more, she could do so in such a beautiful place! This place felt more like what one pictured the heart of autumn should be than what she'd been traveling through in the past couple of months or so, yet far more pleasant; she only needed to turn her head one way or the other to catch all the way the trees contained the flaming reds, yellows and oranges…

Suddenly, as she turned her head to the left, she caught something going on in the pavilion right out of the corner of her eye. Curiosity overtaking her, she paused to take a better look; at the bottom, she saw Lindir speaking with Strider, of all people. Whatever they were discussing, it must have been important; the two of them spoke in hushed tones, and from what she could tell from so far away, in that Elvish language of theirs, for she couldn't read the motion of their lips. But what could they be talking about? She could probably come up with a few guesses…

"Anna?" Elsa called out from further up on the stairs, "Is there something wrong?"

Shaken out of her investigative state of mind, Anna pulled herself back into reality to run up the stairs and rejoin Elsa. Perhaps she could talk to Strider about it later…then again, maybe not.

The guest chamber ended up being at the end of a long, winding, though very beautiful, path over one or two bridges and past groups of elves singing, dancing, or playing instruments. These were lovely and all, but at the moment Anna had only one thing on her mind, and once she passed through the alabaster doors with Elsa, it presented itself to her in all its soft, white, fluffy glory. Never before had Anna felt so glad to see such a marvelous bed, framed by wood sculpted in the shape of an elf maiden that seemed to present it to her as a gracious gift—not to mention the clean dresses of light colors draped upon them. As soon as she could, she changed out of her traveling attire into the slim dress that hugged her frame and caressed it ever so gently, but that served as prelude. Every aching joint in her body egging her on, she went straight for the bed and flopped down face first into its embrace, letting out a massive sigh of relief, muffled by the thick blankets. "I am never sleeping on the ground again!" she declared.

Elsa, meanwhile, dismissed their guide, and once certain they were out of sight, walked over to the bed across from the one Anna sprawled herself over, and proceeded to collapse onto it as well, letting out a similar groan in both relief and agreement. "I know," she sighed, "this is just too good…anyway, we need to make ourselves presentable before Lord Elrond…" She mumbled something incoherent into the pillows after that, something that drifted off into silence…

Concerned, Anna pulled her head out of the blanket and looked over in Elsa's direction. She laid absolutely still, the thicker part of the blanket marking out her figure.

"Elsa?" Anna softly said, "You were saying?"

A soft snore buzzed away in response.

Anna chortled at what she'd seen, disbelieving what lay before her eyes; her sister fell to sleep in an instant. And to think that she'd been the one riding the horse partway through!

However, Anna couldn't argue with Elsa's logic any more than a leaf fight against the wind, nor did she want to at the moment. Without any hesitation, she fell back into the comforts of her bed...only to remember something important. Hoisting her torso back up yet again, she pulled up her dirty, worn out dress, and from its pocket she plucked out the little velvet back, with its precious cargo safe and sound after all the insanity they endured. She quickly transferred it into the pocket on the dress she now wore, and once more flopped back into the soft fluff of the blankets and pillows provided for her. We deserve this, she thought to herself, We totally deserve this.

They both laid atop their beds for what must have been an hour at the very least. Yet whereas her body felt content to simply lie still, Anna's mind began to stir uncontrollably after such time elapsed. By now she'd flipped herself to lie on her back and face the ceiling, painted to appear as the daytime sky laced with soft wispy clouds.

Now that she had some time to think about it, she more fully comprehended the fact that she was in Rivendell. More than once Elsa practically sang praises of the brief time she'd spent here, and now here they were! How could she simply ignore that? Once again the urge to explore latched upon her mind, just to see where Elsa had been so long ago…

She sat up, and looked over at her sleeping sister. Elsa hadn't budged an inch, and still she snored peacefully away. True, her snoring in no way became obnoxious, but at least Anna had something to actually tease Elsa with; goodness knew she didn't snore whatsoever.

Her thoughts returned to where they'd been before. She looked out the windows she neglected to see the first time around; out there, she could see the trees glow golden in the sunlight, hear the birds sing away, and could even spot two elf children dancing and laughing together through the falling leaves. She then turned her attention towards the door across from her.

Maybe she'd be better off waiting for Elsa to wake up, she contemplated. That way, she'd have a nice little tour of Rivendell, have a bit of history to go with it as well…but then she remembered that warm summer day in the Shire that now seemed so long ago. She remembered how desperate Elsa had been just to get back to Arendelle. If she waited, and if Elrond arrived by the time Elsa woke up, they'd be back home in a heartbeat, and Anna would never get to see one iota of this place ever again! She couldn't let that happen…not just yet.

She looked back at Elsa again. She looked so peaceful there…and she'd fallen asleep so fast…and on top of that, Anna felt confident in her ability to walk at a brisk pace. With how open this place seemed to be, she doubted any chance of her getting lost. She'd be back before Elsa could wake up; at least this time she wasn't going to be stealing anything or something stupid like that.

A sharp rapping pierced the dreamless slumber that Elsa allowed to wrap around her. Shaking herself awake again, she stood back upright almost militantly, while her hand rose to the ready. Were they in danger again? Fool that she was, letting herself doze off again like that…

But then she saw where she sat; upon a bed in a room in one of the safest places in Middle Earth. Outside the window, she saw the shadows grow longer than what she'd seen before, and the sky grow rich in its coloration…how long had she been asleep? Thankfully it didn't seem as though it'd been too long…

The rapping came through the wooden door again. Alert once more, Elsa rushed to straighten her hair into place as best as she could. If only she'd been given time to bath or something…

"Um, yes," she called out, "Please, come in!"

The door gently swung open, and in stepped Lindir. "Many apologies for the intrusion, milady," he said with a quick bow, "but…"

He then stepped aside, and past him stepped Elrond himself. He appeared almost exactly as Elsa remembered seeing him last, almost like an eagle in the form of an elf with his sharp eyes that seemed to gaze into her soul, tempered though by the slight smile he wore as he walked in. Just as before, he wore his dark brown hair in long, loose braids that reached past his shoulders, touching upon the silver robes he wore. Out of all the familiar faces she'd seen so far on this journey, his was the one that time touched upon the least, if at all.

"Welcome back to Rivendell, Elsa of Arendelle," he said as he walked in, "We are graced by your presence once more."

"Thank you. It's good to see you too," she responded amidst a curtsey. Once Elrond dismissed Lindir and the door shut, she added, "I just wish we were meeting again under better circumstances."

"Indeed," Elrond replied. "It would seem that the barrier of time between our worlds is a curious one, if you don't mind me saying."

Elsa actually found herself blushing for once. "I know, it's very strange," she admitted, "I'm not sure how it works, though; only a year went by back in Arendelle, but here…"

"I must confess," Elrond went on, "that I was surprised to hear of your return from Gandalf, especially after your previous adventures in our world."

Her heartbeat began to rise. "Is he here?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not," Elrond said, "the last we saw of him was when he rode through here on his way to Isengard. No word has come of his whereabouts since then; but I trust that he will arrive shortly."

Disappointment tinged Elsa's thoughts after that news. Still, the Wizard remained missing…what exactly had he been up to for the past month? If only he'd been around when…suddenly she realized something horrible. How and why did she forget?

"Frodo!" she suddenly said, "I almost forgot! Is Frodo safe? Will he be—I mean, is he…?"

"Frodo will survive," Elrond assured her, "The Morgul blade has been removed; he will regain his strength soon enough."

More than anything, those words brought relief to her soul at this time. "Oh, thank you so much," she sighed, "I don't know what I would do if anything more happened to him."

"He is indeed fortunate to have come to us so swiftly. Perhaps he was even more fortunate to have you for a traveling companion."

She shook her head. "No," she said, "I failed him when he needed me. All my power, and yet…"

"That matters not," said Elrond. "You have succeeded in getting him here. For now, though, there are certain matters that you and I must discuss. Tell me, why have you returned?"

Reminded of her mission, Elsa went on to explain, as best as she could recall in that moment, the circumstances of her return, from the Council Meeting and her battle with the Phantom, to the reunion with Gandalf and their setting off to Rivendell in the first place. "Believe me," she finished, "I understand what danger we are all in right now. All I want is for my sister and I to return home before anything else can happen."

Elrond quietly nodded and listened throughout the whole story. Once she finished, he asked, "Now, where is the Star Gem that brought you here?"

"My sister has it," she answered, "She's been keeping it in her pocket from me the entire journey."

"And where is she now?"

Elsa turned towards the bed Anna fell upon earlier to point her out, and wake her up if necessary. Instead, she discovered no one there at all.

Panic gripped her heart yet again in its relentlessness. How in the world had she not noticed the absence of the most talkative person she'd ever known in her entire life?

Rivendell, as Anna soon found out, might not have been very large in and of itself, but it possessed enough of everything in it that could command her attention. However briskly she compelled her feet to move, she found herself entranced by everything around her, delaying her every step. Everything lulled her in with its own unique sirens' call to her, from the gardens where fragrant flowers bloomed even in the throes of autumn, to the vast paintings on the walls bearing the kind of craftsmanship that put the Royal Gallery back at the castle to shame. Even the music strumming from the harps and whistling through the flutes of the elven players she passed by had a quality seductive to her boundless curiosity, compelling her to stay around and listen to the fruits of whatever muse had inspired them. Each one held her attention for much longer than she initially desired, and yet she hardly cared. Such beauty enthralled her like never before; how could she go back to Arendelle after experiencing a place like this?

Eventually, her feet led her down one hallway in particular. Aside from the usual embellishments, it had little to show off—except for one thing. Only one door stood at the end of this hallway, yet it stood open wide enough for Anna to poke her head through. Again, her inquisitiveness compelled her forward; she stepped carefully towards it, and the closer she came, the more she could hear something like scratching…or was it scribbling? Yes, yes, that was it! Soon enough, she heard a faint mumbling, and eventually she could make out words…

"No, no…that's not the right meter at all! If only I'd…oh forget it…fool that I am…"

Strange, she thought. That voice sounded too old to be that of an elf—that is, if she correctly understood how long-lived and ageless elves were, going off of what she'd heard—but still, who was that in there?

She inched closer until she stood at the very doorpost. She kept still as she could be, before leaning in and pushing her head through the gap to peer in. There, she found a room that she probably would've guessed to be much larger if it were not for all the clutter inside: books ranging from pocket-sized to massive tomes lined the shelves and stood stacked on tables; scrolls piled on top of each other into great stacks took up cubby holes like still bees; and maps detailing lands that she never knew of, wider than the span of her arms, covered nearly every inch of the room that wasn't the floor.

Towards the further end, right below an open window overlooking the rest of the valley, she could see the back of a small figure robed in blue silver. He sat in a chair higher than he stood, hunched over a writing desk and holding a quill in one wrinkled hand. Through the mess of curly hair as white as downy feathers, she could spot the very pointed tips of his ears, and past the chair legs, she could also see his large, hair-covered feet.

A hobbit? What business did a hobbit, especially one so old and frail, have in Rivendell? Why did she not know about this beforehand? Did she dare even ask?

Whatever reason he had for being here, he certainly seemed very busy with…something, she couldn't quite tell from where she stood. Just letting him be and returning to Elsa's side before she knew she was missing would be the polite thing to do, she knew that much...but what could he be working on, exactly? Did it have something to do with all the maps and such? Maybe he acted as the historian or archivist…but again that begged the question, why a hobbit when, if Anna understood correctly, elves were immortal? Could she be missing something here?

Dying to know, she went ahead and slid the rest of herself through the doorway, watching each step she took inside to make sure he didn't' hear him, and also so she didn't step on anything important—at least, what she assumed to be important. How could she tell with these type of people?

Slowly but surely she tiptoed her way through the maze of books, stools, and paper in the direction of where he sat, until at last she came too close for comfort, about two paces away from him. Still, she couldn't stand not knowing; she leaned to one side, then forward, stretching herself to catch a glimpse of his work over his shoulder…

"How many times must I tell you, madam, I'm not to be disturbed!" the hobbit said very squarely.

He caught Anna completely off guard; the shock and surprise of his words knocked her off her feet and sent her toppling to the floor—unfortunately in her tumble, she took several scrolls and sheets of parchment down with her.

The old hobbit turned around in surprise at the sound of the ruckus. He looked down at her from his perch with hazel eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses, and lips curled downward in surprised annoyance, all set in a face creased and wrinkled with the passing of years. "Fiddlesticks," he said, "Those dated back from the Second Age, you foolish—hold on a moment, you're not one of the maids. You're not even an elf! What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh, I am SO sorry about that!" Anna stumbled as she strived to roll back the scrolls and set everything in its proper place, "I didn't mean to—I was just wondering if—I mean, I really should have knocked first, I know, it's just that I wanted to see what you were doing, but I guess you don't want anyone to see what you're doing, and I understand that, I mean if I were doing something in private I wouldn't want anyone to see that—uh, don't read too much into that part—OH!" A scroll began to slip out from beneath her poorly reconstructed stack, and she scrambled to fit it back in. She looked back at the old hobbit, chuckling nervously. "Anywho," she went on, "I should really just be getting out of your hair, so sorry again about the mess—even though it was kind of a mess already, but it's your mess, so…sorry, bye!"

She briskly made her way back to the exit, but before she could even reach the doorknob…

"Now stop right there, young lady!" the old hobbit barked out. Anna froze in place at that command, suddenly wondering if she'd broken anything else.

"Please," he continued, his voice curiously softening, "Come back here, if you would."

Very reluctantly, she complied, carefully walking back to him as he removed the glasses and set them on the desk, along with the feather quill.

"You," he declared, "are not one of the Bree-folk. The men of Dale probably couldn't lay claim to you either. I don't' suppose, by any means, that you would be of Rohan, or Gondor?"

Rohan? Gondor? What were those? Would he kill her if she answered incorrectly?

"Uh," she answered, "…no?"

"Hm," the old hobbit replied, "Curious. Tell me then, what land sent you all the way to Rivendell?"

Anna remembered the risks Elsa laid out before her so long ago about people knowing their true origins. Though she had little doubt concerning her safety in Rivendell, she felt it especially wise not to divulge such information here; who knew how he would respond? She could at least try to be vague about the whole thing.

"Oh, just…well, a lot farther away than anywhere you've traveled, I imagine," she said.

He raised an eyebrow in response. "Try me, young lady," he said.

Her heart sank once he called his bluff.

"Well," she went on, "Where I'm from is…well, it's very far north of here."

"North, hm?" the old hobbit mumbled, shifting in his seat. "Very well, not a lot of kingdoms up north from what I've studied…but perhaps I can guess. You seem to be someone who enjoys riddles, no?"

Before she could go on, she suddenly had the very bad feeling that perhaps he outmatched her by a longshot. Feeling her luck dry up, she opted instead to quit while she was ahead.

"I'm very sorry, sir," she said, "But I just realized that I need to be somewhere at the moment. My…mistress, is probably wondering where I am. I shouldn't have run off."

His eyelids lowered slightly. "Very well, then," he answered, "but before you depart, I have to ask, just out of curiosity, you wouldn't happen to know of a land called Arendelle, would you?"

Her heart nearly stopped at the question. How in the world did this person know so much? How many people were in on their quest aside from herself and Elsa?

Now Anna, don't panic, she told herself, maybe, just, I dunno, just whatever you do, don't slip that you're from another world…of course! Just play dumb!

"Arendelle?" she said, feigning absolute yet cheery confusion, "Pfft, what kind of a name for a kingdom is that? I've never heard of such a kingdom, and if I did, I probably could think of a much cooler name like Fantasia, or Amazinga…or, I don't know, Britain, or something like that—ahem, no, no I haven't. Sorry."

His brow furrowed sadly. "Very well then," he said, a somber tone entering his voice. He turned back towards the paper laid across his desk, saying, "I really didn't expect you to know. It's just that…I had a very old friend from long ago who claimed to be from that kingdom. It's very silly, I know, but I hoped that perhaps you'd know where to find it. Goodness knows I've been trying to do so for years, now."

With that, all of the pieces fell into place, and Anna's head nearly exploded with the revelation.

Taking a moment to recover, she struggled to know what to do now—if this was him, and he was talking about her—she had to. One way or another, she had to get them to meet—but given the wall of lies she just built up, now she had to be subtle. Or at least, as subtle as she could be. Very quickly, she worked to build up an alibi.

"Actually," she started, "I think that my sis—I mean, my mistress, would love to see—all of this!" She gestured in one swooping motion to all the books and maps in the room, "She's quite the traveler, and I think you two would get along quite well."

"If your mistress is here for the reasons that I believe she is," the old hobbit answered, "Then she simply won't have the time for it. Besides, I'm not working on a travelling compendium anyway. Those days are far behind me."

"Oh, that's okay, too!" she said, trying to salvage the situation as best as she could, "You don't have to talk about stuff like that—actually, she's quite an important lady back where we come from, and…"

"And I suppose such an important lady simply has no time to chat with someone invested in translating works of Elvish in the midst of retirement. Now, I believe you said something about needing to return back to your mistress, am I wrong?"

No no no! This was going all wrong! How in the world was she going to get this guy to come with her? Anna started to grow more desperate with the passing second; there had to be something she could say to get him to come with her!"

"Oh, please, please, sir!" she pleaded, "It's not about any of that—I just feel that you two would get along great together! I really mean it!"

"And why is that?"

"Well, because she's—"

Before she could fumble around anymore, Elsa stepped into the room at that moment.

"Anna!" she said, "Where have you been? We have to…"

On hearing her voice Anna chose that particular instant to step to the side, unveiling the Old Hobbit to her sister. She stood back and watched the scene unfold with a smile.

The effect came almost instantly; on seeing Elsa, the Old Hobbit softly gasped, his eyes widening at the sight. "Bless my soul…," he whispered, "Is that you?"

"I—I'm sorry," Elsa stuttered, "I don't—have we-?"

"Elsa," he said, hopping down from his chair, "It's me!"

Elsa stood there for a few seconds, the confusion furrowing her brow. Then, at long last, her eyes widened open as well in sync with her drawn breath.

Finally, she spoke.

"Bilbo?"

Tears welled up in both of their eyes. Elsa began to run towards him, but fell to her knees halfway, crying aloud as she did. Bilbo, meanwhile, practically ran towards her as best as old age would allow him to. They both met in the tight embrace of each other's arms, the tears running forth like rivers.

Anna, meanwhile, quietly backed away and watched all this with both a heart bursting at the seams and her mind just about ready to go with it. Never before had she dreamed she'd be responsible for such a beautiful reunion…even if it didn't exactly line up with what she had in mind. Bilbo, truth be told, was a lot older looking than what she'd expected.

"I see," a voice said next to her, almost causing her to jump, "that you have met Master Baggins, then. He usually doesn't care for visitors, but you seem to have made an exception."

Anna turned and saw next to her a tall, imposing elf with long brown hair that looked down at her with imposing eyes. "Come," he said, "We should let them have their joy for the time being."

Though surprised at first, Anna looked back at her sister, and felt it wise to agree. She followed the elf out through the door, though taking a moment to look back at the two laughing, crying friends.

Never before had she seen her sister so happy in so long up until now.

Once the two were outside of Bilbo's study, the elf turned and said, "You must be Princess Anna of Arendelle, then. I am Lord Elrond."

Anna practically kicked herself in the middle of a curtsy for not having been more polite. "Oh, yes," she said, "It's good to meet you, sir—sire—highness-majesty…anyway, um yeah! Sorry I just…anyway, you were saying?"

"Your sister tells me that you have something I ought to look at," Elrond explained, "Is that not so?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, that's right! Just give me one moment." She then dug into her pocket, pulled out the velvet bag, and opened it wide enough for the Gem to poke out slightly before handing it to Elrond. He stared down with an ever so slightly furrowed brow at the crystal, which still remained dim and swirling with grey smoke within.

"So," Anna said, "Do you think you can fix it? Not that I'm trying to rush or anything…"
"I will look into this," Elrond assured her, "and will speak to both you and your sister in the morning. But for now, rest, and know that you are welcome here at Rivendell as honored guests." He then turned to walk away down the hall, but then turned back to her and added, "And if you would, please try not to get into any more trouble."

Anna nodded. She had no intention of getting into trouble of any kind. For now, she felt content to sit back and just see the fruits of her labors blossom between Elsa and Bilbo.

The setting sun found Elsa and Bilbo alone together at one of the porches overlooking the valley. In her hands, Elsa held something Bilbo had been very eager to show her; a deep red book, with a silver star on the cover. Inside, she read the book's title:

There and Back Again:

A Hobbit's Tale, by Bilbo Baggins

That was only the start. Flipping through the pages, she found herself reliving so many memories that, while only a year old to her, seemed to represent themselves here as legends; here and there, Bilbo had drawn in illustrations of some of the items, weapons and places seen during the Quest. Once or twice, she even caught glimpses of herself in Bilbo's telling of the story; in very deed, he referred to her as the 'Snow Queen', as Frodo described. For a moment, she landed on a page whereupon the Long Lake and its surrounding towns, nestled before the lonely mountain itself, were rendered in crisp ink; to her, it seemed as though she were glimpsing into the past once again.

"Bilbo," she said, "This is wonderful! How long have you worked on this?"

"Quite some time, actually," he replied, beaming with pride. "I've also been working on translating some elvish records into the common tongue as well, and what I've found is simply fascinating. I do believe Frodo will quite like it as well."

He paused for a moment or two before going on. "It's funny, actually," he explained, "I intended to go back there once again…wander the paths of Mirkwood, visit Laketown, see the Lonely Mountain again…" He sat down next to Elsa with a deep, resigning sort of sigh. "I even thought to myself, perhaps foolishly so, that I might have been able to travel far beyond that, see where the Road would take me, and hope beyond hope that…I might even find Arendelle."

Elsa's heart sank at the mention of that.

"However," Bilbo went on, "Age, it seems, has finally caught up with me. I didn't get very far, as you can obviously tell, but I will say that retirement here is quite pleasant, and it has quite the benefits, if I may say so myself."

Elsa's mind lingered on what he said about Arendelle. Had he truly hoped he'd be able to walk far enough to find it? To think she'd misled him about such a thing…to think he believed that if he walked far enough, somehow he'd be able to find her…it was actually rather touching to her, more so after everything she'd learned so far.

At that moment, she hated herself so much for what she'd done to him. If only she had known…

"Bilbo," she said, "I—I'm sorry…for everything. It's just that…well, believe me, I would have loved for you to come visit, it's just….there's no way you could have found Arendelle, because…oh, I wish there was some way I could explain it…Maybe I should have stayed. Maybe I shouldn't have gone back and…"

Before she could break down into tears again, Bilbo placed his hand on hers, drawing her attention. "Now Elsa," he said, "There's no need to be sorry to me. Just tell me, are you happy?"

"What?"

"Is your kingdom safe? Did you reunite with your sister again? Have you done what you needed to do?"

She nodded weakly.

"Then it sounds to me like you have everything you need," he said, "And yet, there's so much more up ahead for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Elsa, I know I'm old, good looks notwithstanding. I've lived my life; I've had many joys, many sorrows, and many regrets. Are there things that I wish that I could go back and change? Nowadays, absolutely. But where am I to go? My part in this story is just about over. But you have so much more to live for! Your story is far from over! You have too much guilt weighing you down; just let it go, and whatever you do, don't let some old hobbit hold you back from doing so."

Elsa didn't quite know how to feel about this at first; after all, she had so much that she wanted to explain to him…and yet, the smile he wore and the twinkle in his eye felt reassuring to her.

"You're not just some old hobbit," she said as she drew him in for another embrace, "You're my most trusted friend."

"Glad to know that," he replied.

They resumed sitting there uninterrupted, while the sun continued to retreat from the sky. Eventually, Elsa realized that she had things to do, and so the two of them bid each other good night, and began to depart for their chambers.

Suddenly, Bilbo spoke up again.

"Actually," he said, "Before you go, there is something I need to ask you about, Elsa."
"What's that?"

"Well," he explained, "I'm not sure what it was about, but…a few years after I returned home to Bag End, I was visited by a very strange man who was asking about you."

About her? Whatever peace she'd attained in her soul rippled at that statement. "Who was he?" she asked.

"He never gave me a name," Bilbo went on, "I think he said he was a healer of some sort…I don't know what he wanted with you, but I replied that I hadn't seen you in years. After that, I never saw him again….do you know anything about it?"

"No," she answered, "I don't."

His face began to scrunch up again, just as suspicious as she felt about it…but then his smile returned. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. After all, we have more important things to worry about. I shall see you in the morning, then?"

"Yes," she answered, "Goodnight, Bilbo!"

And with that, she went off again…but the thought of this man returned to her again. Who was he? Why did he ask about her of all people?

But then again, perhaps Bilbo was right. Perhaps this could be put off for later; after all, she'd been through a very long day.

Author's Note: Many apologies for getting this one out so late. I had a lot of things on my plate during 2016, and the fact that most of this chapter required a lot more original material from me made it all the more difficult to crank this one out. I wanted to get it done around Christmas, but clearly that didn't happen. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that you have a Happy New Year!