A/N: First thing's first: WOW. Just wow. When I decided to revamp this precious fic series of mine, I had no idea I'd gain such wonderful new readers, and I'm forever humbled knowing that you guys took the time to read this story. The review count has tripled since the first edition of ASTOF, and that's also mind-blowing to me. You guys ROCK. I love you all so very much!

With that in mind, I hope this first book has convinced you to stick around for the other three. :) I have everything in place to get the ball rolling with book two, "Innocence & Instinct," so expect to see that one starting up in just a few days! It'll be one hell of a ride, that I can promise you.

Aaaand now my obligatory rambling Author's Note is out of the way. So let's get this rolling. The final chapter of "A Strange Twist of Fate!" Enjoy!

A Strange Twist of Fate: Chapter Twenty-Five

-Kathryn-

As the months went by and spring turned into summer, life in Rohan continued on in its typical state of slow deterioration. Theodred and Éomer continued to lead several hunting missions across the realm, and although they came back every time without any major wounds, I was still afraid for them. Éowyn and I leaned on each other heavily during the times they were gone, which resulted in the two of us becoming much closer. And still, I worried for Kaia as well. By this point, I was starting to question whether or not I actually had made it to Edoras in time. What if she'd already passed through here well before I even decided to leave Lothlórien? Surely I would've heard people talking about it through all the time I'd been living here...right? I honestly didn't know anymore. And Erin - where the hell was she at these days? Even though I'd managed to make some friends in Edoras, I still felt like I was completely on my own in the world. Not too comforting, really.

I mulled over these thoughts one day as I worked out in the great hall. I'd been given several large baskets of freshly washed and dried blankets of thick fur and fine fabrics, tasked with folding them. I didn't mind the job, though. It was simple enough, and allowed me a moment to myself to think about all those different things. However, it wasn't meant to last very long. The doors to the great hall opened out of the blue with their typical obnoxious groan, and I raised my head, looking to see who it was. At first glance, it didn't seem to be anyone important - I recognized him as one of the men who stood guard at the main gates of Edoras. I saw Éomer, who stood nearby, turn to greet the man, but then frowned as I saw something exchanged between them. It was a piece of paper...probably a letter or something. But that's not how they usually collect mail here, I noted. Nothing's ever hand-delivered on its own. Clearly that piece of paper was something important, and curiosity begged me to investigate. I watched Éomer skim the note, dismiss the guard, then turn to pass the note on to somebody else - one of the councilmen. This made me even more curious. A letter hand-delivered to a councilman? It's not even something for Théoden himself? Now that's strange. Éomer turned to leave the hall, and, seeing my chance, I quickly shoved the remainder of the furs back into their large basket, hurrying to catch my friend just as he made a beeline for the exit.

I all but crashed into him on his way out, the pile of blankets in my basket threatening to topple over. "Éomer, wait!"

He jerked back to avoid collision, raising his eyebrows at my odd action. "Kathryn? What has you in such a hurry?"

"I just wanted to ask what that guy gave you," I said, shifting the weight of the basket on my hip. "The one with the letter. It looked important, since Herugrim delivered it to you himself."

Éomer nodded. "Indeed, it was. From Elrond of Rivendell, no less."

My eyes widened. "Rivendell? What does Rivendell want from us? They're not in trouble up there, are they?"

He chuckled. "No, Kathryn, not at all. Elrond has asked us to send a representative of our court to his lands come autumn. There is a council to be held that requires one man from each of the free realms to be present."

I stared at him. "A council?" Oh God...is he talking about the council? Is that happening already? "What kind of council? What's it about?"

Éomer seemed to give me a pitying expression. "I'm afraid that's nothing you need concern yourself with, Kathryn."

He moved to step past me, but I stopped him. "No, hold on! Why can't you tell me? Is it something bad?"

"These are matters to be handled be diplomats of the court, not servants," he said, and I frowned at him. He noticed my scowl and sighed. "Kathryn, even if I wanted to tell you what this council is for, I would not be able to. There are rumors floating about Meduseld, but nothing more. Elrond did not explain the purpose of the meeting, he simply told us it was of utmost importance."

Fortunately enough, that pretty much told me everything I needed to know. "Okay," I replied, backing off. "I get it. Important kingly secrets you can't share with me. Gotcha."

Éomer rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. "You know I mean nothing by it."

I laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'll see you later, Éomer." He nodded, and I let him go, continuing on out of the hall to take the basket of furs back to the upper halls where it belonged. As I walked, though, my mind started spinning. Éomer had to be talking about the council. He must've been. What else would a letter from Rivendell at this time be for? There was no doubt in my mind now - Lord of the Rings was on the horizon. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized this presented me with a problem. What was I going to do - stay here in Rohan, or go to Rivendell? In all honesty, I hadn't ever really thought about it too much. When I'd first come to Middle-Earth and had been hanging around with Erin, it had seemed like an obvious answer - of course we'd join the Fellowship. But then things changed. And now it wasn't such an obvious choice.

I sighed as I made my way to Éowyn's room, knowing some of the blankets in my stack belonged to her. Erin. Even though I was still mad at her for vanishing, I still wondered from time to time whether or not I should go out looking for her. If I was going to go after her, now would be the time to do it. I knew Erin would sell her soul to get a spot on the council, so if she was still alive and kicking, Rivendell's where she would be. And honestly, it wouldn't be impossible for me to do. I'd saved up enough money to buy myself a horse some time ago, and though I didn't have much traveling experience, I'd feel fine going up to Rivendell by myself.

But is it worth it? I asked myself, slipping inside Éowyn's room and finding it empty. I started digging through my pile, pulling her things out and laying them on her bed. Erin broke her promise to come back for me. Years have gone by, and I still don't even have an explanation from her. Should I put so much effort into chasing her down? We'd been close for over ten years at this point, so I didn't feel right completely abandoning our friendship so suddenly. Deep down, I still cared about her, and I was still willing to give her a second chance. But then I looked down at the fabric between my fingers: a large quilt embroidered with the signature horse motif of the Rohirrim. If I left to go find her now, what would I be leaving behind? The answers seemed unlimited. A life I worked my ass off to build for myself. Comfort. A place where I finally feel somewhat accepted (or at least tolerated). Was I willing to give all that up to run after the remains of a friendship I wasn't even sure existed anymore? Especially since it was Rivendell I'd be going to - where I'd been gossiped about and ridiculed and scorned for being bi. Here, that issue didn't even exist. No one knew, and I certainly wasn't too eager to leave a place as safe as Edoras was for me. And then there was the Theodred problem to consider. If I left Edoras, who knew if I'd get back in enough time to save him before he died? I didn't want to risk it...plus it meant leaving Éomer and Éowyn behind, too...

And then I stopped, the tangle of thoughts shrinking as I remembered my biggest reason for staying here - the whole reason I'd come here in the first place! Kaia. She still hadn't shown up yet. If I left to go on a wild goose chase after Erin, and Kaia arrived while I was gone, I'd never forgive myself. Especially if I got all the way up there and Erin was nowhere to be found. I folded the last of the blankets, my decision made. No. I'm not going anywhere now. I've worked too hard and have too much going on here that I need to focus on. Erin can wait. God knows I've waited long enough for her. I picked up my basket and headed out, continuing to make my rounds as I tried to convince myself I'd made the right choice. This was one thing I couldn't afford to be indecisive about.

–

-Erin-

I stared through the flames of our modest campfire, watching the rhythmic motion of Legolas' hands as he sharpened his twin knives directly across from me. Stroke after stroke, whetstone glided across metal as the elf became fully focused on sharpening his blades to perfection. It was mesmerizing, and I became lost in thought as we sat there, enjoying the warmth of the summer night in silence. By my guess, it was sometime in early July. The weather had been kind to us, and our journey smooth. I had every reason to be thankful and happy, but... I still wasn't entirely satisfied with the way things were shaping up.

I twisted one of the few remaining rings on my fingers, the events of the future weighing heavily on my mind. Soon enough, Legolas and I would've literally scoured all of Eriador in search of the missing palantír, and we still hadn't made much headway. Nearly three years in the making of this adventure, and we had nothing to show for it. Truth be told, I was exhausted. Constantly, Legolas had reminded me to have patience, but by now I was most certainly at the end of my rope. I was ready to call it quits wherever he was. And yet...the thought of our mission coming to an end freaked me out, mostly because I didn't know what would happen after we decided to stop the hunt. Where would I go? I still didn't feel like I had a place in Middle-Earth to call home. I'd spent almost all my time running around with Legolas. That was my home, essentially; wherever the elven prince was, I followed. Where would he go, then? Back to the Dunedaín, I imagined. It was the obvious choice for him. I, however, wasn't too thrilled at the idea of returning to live with a bunch of sweaty, smelling, sexist men who just wandered around Middle-Earth doing virtually nothing. I wanted to stay with Legolas, for sure, but if he went back to Halbarad's camp...

In that instant, a new idea came to mind, and I frowned. Unless...no. No way. It was impossible. It wouldn't ever actually happen. We haven't talked about that in forever. He probably still wouldn't want to-

"Erin?"

I blinked, looking up at the elf. He was eyeing me curiously as he finished working on his knives. "Hmm?"

"I asked if you think we will need to search for more water tomorrow."

Oh. Guess I was more zoned out than I thought. "Uh...no, not really. I mean, we've probably got enough to last the day." My mind began to wander again. Should I just ask him?

He nodded, but had noticed my spacing out. "What were you thinking about?"

I shook my head quickly, knowing the idea was stupid. "Nothing, I..." But then I stopped, focusing on him again. The light of the fire highlighted every contour of his face, and I swallowed. Maybe it was worth a shot. "Actually, can we talk about something?"

"Of course," he replied, returning his knives to their sheaths. "What of?"

I glanced at the dirt, exhaling hard. "About this mission we're on. I know you've enjoyed running around out here in the wild, just the two of us." Lord knows I have. "But we've been chasing cold leads for almost a year, Legolas. I feel like...I think maybe we should consider moving on."

No immediate emotion showed on his face - at least, none I could see. "You do not think it worth any more exploration?"

I shrugged. "Not necessarily. I just think there's not much else you and I can do to look for this thing. I mean, we've looked almost everywhere we could possibly look out here. What else is there for us to do?" I paused as he looked away briefly, wondering if I'd offended him somehow. "I mean, don't get me wrong, this has been a blast for me. Really, it has. Just the two of us against the rest of the world. It's been rad. Couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my first five years in Middle-Earth, honestly." I stopped, catching myself as I started to ramble. "My point is...I don't know. Maybe we should just go do something else?"

He raised an eyebrow, smiling a bit. "Such as?"

I hesitated. Here's the curve ball. "What if we went to Mirkwood together?"

I watched the smile melt right off his face, and instantly regretted ever opening my mouth. Oh, God. I ruined it. Now I'm probably going to get the silent treatment for the rest of the night. When he didn't respond right away, I winced. His eyes had widened ever so slightly, and I saw the discomfort in them. "I'm sorry. Forget I said that. It wasn't my place-"

"No, it is alright," he cut me off. My mouth snapped shut, and I kept watching him, trying to figure out what was going on inside his head. Legolas stared at the burning embers between us, not making eye contact, though I could feel the gears in his mind turning furiously.

He doesn't seem angry, at least, I noticed. Maybe this is my chance. "Legolas,"I began slowly, "it's been sixty years. I know leaving was rough on you, and I still think your reasons for leaving were perfectly justified." Now that we were actually talking about it, I felt my face heat up. The last thing I wanted was to come off the wrong way with him, especially now. "And, I mean, if you really don't want to go, it's fine. I just thought - I mean, you've been acting more like your usual self lately, so I wondered if you...if you were ready."

Legolas looked up to meet my gaze, and I swear I went even redder, but if he'd noticed, he said nothing. "Why now?" he questioned.

"Because you've got nothing to lose," I answered. "You're not exactly committed to the Dunedaín like you were before." Another beat of silence. "I think it would be good for you," I went on, "and for your father. He really does love you, Legolas. You know that, don't you?"

Still, he said nothing for several seconds, weighing the decision. After what seemed like ages, though, I saw his eyes flick down to where the pendant hung from my neck. "I thought I did, many years ago," he said softly. "Now I am not so sure."

I shifted positions, the movement drawing his eyes back up to mine. "Well I'm telling you that you can be sure. He wants you to come home, Legolas - he's always wanted it. The only thing left to decide is whether or not you want that for yourself."

Something shifted in his eyes, and his tone softened. "Erin-"

But I wasn't about to let him argue back. He'd come so far, so far in this. I wasn't going to let him out of this so easily now. "No," I interrupted. "Think about it, Legolas. What do you want for yourself?"

He stared at me, and I stared right back, challenging him to take the question seriously. I still couldn't tell what he was thinking; all I saw was confusion in his blue eyes. After several tense seconds had passed, however, the questioning suddenly vanished, and I knew he'd made his choice. What he said next, though, completely caught me off-guard. "You would go with me?"

I drew back slightly, cursing in my head. He must think I'm trying to invite myself into this. "If it would be easier for you to go it alone, then I can always stay behind."

"No," he said softly. "You cannot remain out in the wilderness on your own."

I attempted to crack a joke. "What, you don't think my survival skills have improved since we first met?"

He smiled. "I am certain they have. But I would not abandon you here to go chasing after my own past, Erin. I know you have wanted to..." He paused. "...To help. To see my father and I reunited again."

"Don't consider doing this just for my sake," I warned him. "That's not what this is about." I looked him dead in the eye. "At the end of the day, I want what's best for you, Legolas. If you don't think it's in your best interest to go back yet, then I won't make you do it. I don't want you to do it until you're absolutely ready."

Legolas shook his head. "I promise you, I would not consider it if I did not think myself capable."

There was another brief silence until I posed the question again, heart pounding. He was so close...I could feel it. "So...what do you think?"

He lowered his gaze to the fire for just a moment longer before looking up at me again. There was a somber expression on his face, but a strangely reassuring lightness in his eyes, too. "...I think I am ready to go home."

–

I couldn't believe it. I was beside myself with excitement, joy, glee, delight...basically any synonym for 'happy' you could think of. It had taken me five whole years, but I'd done it. I'd convinced Legolas to finally go home.

We began making plans as soon as he woke me up the next morning. Currently, we were still in the Minhiriath area, so our first order of business was to turn around and get over the Misty Mountains somehow. Legolas said he knew of a few different passes that would still be open for business, so we decided to take one that would spit us out along the river Nimrodel. This would lead us straight into Lothlórien, which we agreed would be the first pit stop. Legolas had been a bit iffy about the idea, but eventually came around to it. I felt like it would be easier to make his first official reappearance as Legolas Thranduilion somewhere a bit more lowkey than his dad's palace. You know, just to get him used to being around other elves and being recognized again. He understood my logic, and was even more willing to do it when I explained it would also give me a chance to finally reconnect with Kathryn after so long. From Lórien, we'd turn north and cross the Anduín at the Old Ford, then use the hidden elven paths Legolas knew so well to get us to our final destination.

It was crazy. Overnight, everything had changed. All it took was one simple conversation, and bam. Legolas and I had done a complete u-turn and were now headed into the east. I was thrilled, and I think it was safe to say the elf was fairly excited to be going home as well. Everything was wonderful. After all this time, I was finally about to accomplish the goal I'd set for myself so long ago - I would fulfill my promise to Thranduil to bring his long lost son home.

I couldn't stop smiling as we started moving the next day, going as quickly as we could. Legolas wanted to get into Mirkwood before winter hit us, and I was completely okay with it. The sooner we got there, the better. "Oh my God, this is going to be great," I beamed. "Now you can show me all the secrets of the Woodland Realm."

He chuckled from beside me. "You speak as though you have never been there before."

"Well, I didn't have much time to do any in-depth exploring back then," I explained. "I was on a mission. Plus, I don't know everything about those caves. That's your field of expertise."

"And what makes you think I would so willingly reveal all the secrets of my home to you?"

"Because you love me," I teased, winking at him. "Admit it, Legolas. I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you."

He laughed. "Humble, as always."

"You know, I'm really glad you understand my sarcasm. Otherwise this relationship would never work."

"I am surprised it has ever worked at all."

"Yeah...I guess this really doesn't make much sense at all."

He smiled. "No, it does not." He looked over at me, his tone shifting into a more genuine one. "But never in my life could I say that I have regretted it."

I smiled back, though my heart may have skipped a beat at his words. I kicked myself for it mentally. Just as I was about to respond, however, Legolas froze, stopping me by reaching out and putting a hand on my arm (which I also internally screamed over). "What is it?" I whispered, but he gave no answer.

And then I heard it. The sounds of movement in the trees nearby. My eyes widened, and Legolas drew me back, concealing us both in the shrubbery. I reached for my sword, tensing even further when I heard the unmistakable sound of a horse's hooves stomping along on the ground. We're not even on a main road, I thought, having no idea what or who was coming at us. Who the hell would be riding a horse out here?

I expected the very worst - a Black Rider, or another assassin - so you can imagine my surprise when nothing horrible came into view. In fact, I almost didn't believe my eyes when I caught my first glimpse of the mysterious horseman who'd crossed our path. It wasn't even a horseman, actually. It was an elf. He was tall, riding a silver-white mare with a deep, charcoal grey mane and tail. The elf's hair was long, a shimmering golden blonde, though it was somewhat hidden by a hooded cloak, and his face couldn't be seen. He was clearly dressed for traveling great distances. I turned to Legolas, utterly lost. "Why is there another elf out here?"

"I do not know," he whispered. "He is likely from Rivendell, but I cannot guess what purpose he may have this far south."

I looked back to our newly encountered stranger, narrowing my eyes. "Well, why don't we find out? Stay here," I hissed, glancing at Legolas. "He might know you." Carefully, and nearly silently, I drew my sword from its sheath, moving through the shrubbery as quickly as I dared to put some distance between me and our hiding spot. I skirted along the ground until I was directly in the path of the horse, and in the blink of an eye, I emerged from my cover, holding my sword out in front of me in a rock-solid stance as I stared at the intruder. "Daro!" [Stop!] The horse let out a soft whinny as it halted, the tip of my weapon mere inches away from its nose. The elven rider peered down at me with interest, clearly not expecting a human girl to know Sindarin. "Merian le? Man cerig?" [Who are you? What are you doing?]

To my surprise, however, the elf didn't seem at all intimidated. I could've sworn I even heard him laugh to himself. "There is no need for you to speak in my tongue, Lady Erin. Though I must say, your Sindarin has drastically improved since last we met."

I frowned, confused, and the grip on my weapon only tightened. "Show yourself," I demanded. "How do you know who I am?"

In response, the rider smoothly dismounted his horse, reaching up to remove his hood as well. It fell away, revealing the rest of him - fair skin, sharp cheekbones, and clear blue eyes, though his were much lighter than Legolas'. His voice was high and soft. "Forgive me," he said. "I suppose we did not meet properly when you last visited Imladris. I am Lord Glorfindel."

What? I lowered my sword, though now I was even more confused than before. "I'm sorry, my lord." I said, knowing he meant no harm. "I didn't recognize you."

"I should not have expected you to," he conceded. "My Lord Elrohir spoke of you during the great feast in Imladris several years ago. I saw you then, but we only spoke in passing."

I nodded, still totally puzzled. "Well, great! Now I don't have to fear for my life, I guess. But what are you doing out here?"

He smiled at my joke, but again, his next statement threw me off. "I have been sent for Prince Legolas. He is with you, yes?"

I froze. "How do you know where Legolas is? Who sent you?"

"Lord Elrond," Glorfindel explained. "I have a most urgent message I was asked to give him."

I stared at the elf, having no idea what to say. How in the world did he find us? How did he know where Legolas was? No one's supposed to know that except me and Aragorn!

Thankfully, however, my dumbfounded silence was broken by the elf in question, as a moment later Legolas came out from where he'd been hiding. He stepped forward, approaching us with an awed look on his face as he saw Glorfindel. "Le suilon, mellon nîn." [I greet you, my friend.] Glorfindel smiled widely and clasped Legolas' shoulder to return the greeting, to which I noticed the elven prince flinch ever so slightly. We were both shocked. "...I am glad to see you, though it is unexpected. You have come so far south to find me?"

Glorfindel nodded. "My Lord Elrond sent a message to your father asking for you some time ago, but we received word from King Thranduil that you were no longer residing in his halls." I glanced at Legolas nervously, though he gave no reaction to his father's name. "Not long ago, Lord Elrond said he had forseen you in the forests of the Minhiriath, traveling with the Lady Erin." He gestured to me. "He possesses the gift of great foresight, as you know."

Legolas nodded. "Yes, I was told." But I could see he was just as confused as I was as he posed the next question. "Why has Lord Elrond sent for me?"

"He has summoned you to Rivendell. He asks you come on behalf of your people to a council of great importance."

With just those few words, my entire perspective shifted. The Council of Elrond. Holy shit, how could I forget? It's supposed to happen in like...three months! It all made sense now. Elrond had sent Glorfindel to recruit Legolas as a representative with a seat on the council. And that only sever to spark another realization in my mind. Oh my God...it's so close. The formation of the Fellowship is so close.

Unfortunately, Legolas didn't have the same level of insight as me. "Lord Elrond has called for a council?" His brow creased. "On what matter?"

Glorfindel hesitated, glancing in my direction. "I'm afraid I cannot explain here. It is of the utmost secrecy." I resisted the urge to smirk. Oh, you're not supposed to tell me? That's cute. "But it is a matter that requires your presence, along with many others."

If the appearance of Glorfindel was a shock, though, it was nothing compared to what Legolas said next. "I am sorry, Lord Glorfindel, but...I cannot go."

"What?!" I all but shrieked, my head whipping around to face him. Legolas looked surprised by my outburst. "What do you mean, you can't go?"

"I have more important personal matters to attend to," he replied coolly, "with you." Legolas looked back to the other fair-haired elf again, apologetic, yet firm in his words. "You may tell Lord Elrond that I am deeply sorry, Glorfindel, but I cannot go to Imladris."

Um, no. No, no, no. "Wait a minute," I cut in, grabbing Legolas by the arm and lowering my tone. "Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?" He raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyways, and I flashed a cheesy smile at Glorfindel over my shoulder. "We'll just be one hot second." Turning, I dragged Legolas away by several yards, stopping only when I was sure we had some small degree of privacy. It was here that I promptly smacked Legolas in the shoulder. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He jerked back, looking at me like I was crazy. "Keeping a promise," he replied. "You asked me to return to Mirkwood, and I intend to do that."

I sighed. "Legolas, while I appreciate you not wanting to go back on your word, you've got to rethink this. You can't just deny Elrond like that! He's asked you to go to Rivendell, so you have to go."

"On whose authority?" he replied. "You have always insisted I return to the east, and now I am willing to do so. What has changed?"

"Everything," I answered bluntly. Seeing he was still confused, I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation. "Look, I can't tell you why it's so important that you go to Rivendell, okay? But you've got to trust me on this, Legolas - the reason Elrond's called you to Rivendell is way more important than you going home. And I don't say that lightly."

When he realized how serious I was being, Legolas took a step closer, lowering his tone. He knew what I was getting at now. "...What do you know?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing I can say," I said, shaking my head. "You'll understand why once you get there, I promise you. And then..." I paused. "Maybe after Rivendell, we can focus on going back to Mirkwood." It killed me to say that, knowing it was a promise I couldn't keep. Of course, it was just my luck that the Lord of the Rings story would start happening now, right when Legolas had finally decided to go back to the Woodland Realm. But I knew I couldn't tear him away from this. His part in the War of the Ring was crucial - he had to go on to become a member of the Fellowship. It was necessary. The family reunion would have to wait.

Legolas looked down for a moment, thinking. When he spoke again, his voice was still just as quiet as it had been before. "...Come with me."

I blinked. "What?"

"Come with me," he said again, more confidently now as he looked back up. "I will not go to Rivendell without you."

"Wha... Why?" This was weird. This was way weird for him.

"I do not wish to leave you in the wilderness alone," he replied. I noticed his gaze momentarily rest on the necklace again before jumping back to me. "You will be safer in Rivendell."

I could hardly process what he was saying. This was it. This was the chance of a lifetime. I could go to Rivendell, be on the council, join the Fellowship - live the adventure I'd dreamed of since I was a child. But even better than all that...Legolas had asked me to go with him. Twice now, he'd done it. I felt my heart race. "...So you want me to stay?" With you?

"Of course I do."

I could've died. "Okay," I said, nodding slowly. "I mean, yes. Yes, Legolas, I'd love to go to Rivendell with you."

He smiled, but it was a different kind of smile than I was used to seeing. It was a softer smile...a warmer smile. We walked back to Glorfindel, announcing the change in Legolas' decision and the fact that the two of us were a package deal. Glorfindel had no problem with me tagging along, though he told us he wouldn't be able to stick around and get us a couple of horses to ride up on. Too much other important elf-lord stuff for him to do.

But in all honesty, it was fine with me. I didn't mind making the journey on foot, as long as it meant I got to spend more time with my favorite elf on the road to Lord of the Rings. And when Glorfindel left us to ourselves again, I felt just as happy as I had earlier when we were journeying to Mirkwood. Hell, I might've even felt happier! My game plan was set and ready to go, and I'd just been given a wide-open shot at hopping on this great big train. The last five years had been a steady climb, with me just waiting and waiting and waiting to hit the peak, where the real fun would begin. Now that time was here. A new adventure was on the horizon. And good God, I was more ready than I'd ever been.

Look out, Rivendell. I'm coming in hot.

–

-Kathryn-

Another day, another massive pile of work to be done.

I was out in the stables today for the first time in ages, which I didn't mind. They had enough workers in Meduseld today, making me an extra hand, so I was helping out my old stable hand friends as they groomed and cleaned the horses. It was a bright, sunny summer day - fairly hot, but not too extreme. I was in a fantastic mood, too. Éowyn and I had planned a girl's night tonight, at my request, and I was looking forward to it. She loved hearing me gossip about my coworkers, and I had hours of material to work with. But currently, all my focus was set on brushing the tangles out of Brego's mane and tail. Theodred had promised to stop by and visit me today, so I told him to meet me in here after lunch. According to him, there was also lots of hot gossip floating around the royal house of Edoras today. Just what I needed to keep me entertained.

As if on cue, I suddenly heard the prince's familiar voice float into the stables as he greeted the other workers. Within thirty seconds, he'd arrived on the scene, grinning as his horse whinnied with pleasure. "He looks wonderful, Kathryn," Theodred commented as he stepped into the stall, placing a soothing hand on the other side of the horse's neck. He stood opposite me as I worked through the mane. "You never disappoint."

I smiled. "You're late, you know."

His smile fell. "I am not!"

"Yes you are," I said. "You promised to meet me here right after lunch. It's been at least an hour past lunchtime!"

Theodred rolled his eyes. "My sincerest apologies for keeping you waiting," he said sarcastically. "There was quite the commotion going on today, which you clearly haven't noticed."

I laughed a bit. "I heard some guards dragging someone up the hill today. Didn't see them, though. Is it another thief?"

Theodred shook his head. "No, not at all. In fact, I don't fully understand what's happened just yet, but I don't thing the woman's done anything wrong."

My brow lifted in surprise, though I didn't look up at him. "It's a lady?"

He nodded. "Yes. Brought into Edoras this morning, and she looked horrified. They found her outside the gates earlier - said she stumbled right up, not knowing where she was or how she'd gotten here." My brush strokes slowed as he went on. Wait...what? "She looked young, likely your age. Dark skin, and even darker hair. I've never seen anyone like her in these parts."

The brush fell from my hand, and in an instant, I had ducked around the horse, standing face to face with Theodred. No way. It must be... "What was her name?" I asked, my hands shaking. "Did you hear her name?"

Theodred gave me an odd look, shaking his head. "No."

"Where is she now? What did they do with her?"

"She was in the dungeons for awhile, until my father was available to have an audience with her," he said. "Just as I walked out, the guards were going down to bring her up for interrogation."

In the blink of an eye, I was gone. Theodred was forgotten, the horse was forgotten, the stables forgotten as I tore out of the building and made a hard left, sprinting up the rest of the hill as fast as I could go. My heard pounded wildly in my chest as Theodred's description replayed over and over in my mind. It has to be her. She's here. She's got to be here! My muscles ached as I ran, and in the distance I heard Theodred shout for me, but I didn't stop for even half a second to answer him. I pushed past every person who got in my way, guard or citizen, I didn't care. Oh my God. This is it. This is what I've been waiting for! Stone was under my feet now as I took the steps two at a time, flying across the terrace, slamming into the doors as hard as I could -

They opened loudly, and I stumbled inside, my blood pumping and my stomach doing flips as I saw her - saw her, in the center of the hall, on her knees before the throne, hands tied behind her back. "STOP!" I yelled.

The girl on the floor turned, looking back at me, and I nearly cried. I knew every feature of the face staring back at me - the dark skin, the wild, jet-black curls of her hair. Her piercing dark eyes, with brows scrunched low over them in confusion and fear until she saw me. She was speechless as I took a few steps forward, staring at me as if I wasn't actually real. I understood that. It felt like a dream to me, too. Finally, I lifted my gaze to look ahead at Théoden, Wormtongue, and a host of other important people gathered around the throne. They were ready to condemn her, but I stopped it. I stopped everything, shattering the silence with the four words I'd been waiting to say for what felt like a lifetime.

"I know this girl."

-End of Part One-