In Imladris, the merry party continued, far into the night. Eventually the party wound down, and in a lull in the conversation, they were all left in comfortable silence. Elrond sat at the table, swirling wine in his glass, Elladan opposite him.

Legolas and Elrohir were sprawled comfortably on the grass beside them, looking up at the stars. Thranduil stood a pace or two away from them, his gaze tilted up as well, Glorfindel beside him. Then finally, Aragorn was walking over to the king, holding two glasses of wine, one of which he handed to Thranduil.

The elvenking nodded his thanks, as Aragorn paused beside them, looking up with the rest. Thranduil smiled softly. It had been no secret that he was apprehensive of this young man at first, and warned his son against having a close relationship with a mortal, but in time Aragorn had earned his respect, and he began to see the strong bonds and good things that flourished in their friendship.

The peaceful silence stretched over the night, deceptively silent, as it were. The small party had but minutes left to enjoy it...

Will sighed contentedly, gazing around at the small gathering. The cabin, really only built for two, soon overflowed into the porch and clearing. Will was standing on the porch, Horace Evanlyn and Crowley were seated on the porch to his right, Halt Gilan and Alyss on the grass ahead and to the left of him.

Halt and Gilan were discussing the goings on in their respective fiefs, Alyss close at hand. As a courier she was privvy to much of the information, but still liked to hear it. And inevitably there were the odd details she had not heard. Will smiled softly. Like a ranger, Alyss rather liked knowing all the information.

On the porch Crowley was telling Horace a story, probably one of his and Halt's adventures,  rather animatedly, while Will's friend hung on his every word. Evanlyn was sitting with them, less interested but still listening politely. Will hid a smile as he noticed that she was looking less and less at Crowley, and instead at Horace. Will leaned on the railing, looking up at the familiar stars. He sighed happily. "Today was a good day." he said to himself.

If only he knew how long that would last...

Elrond felt it first. A strange disturbance, something just slightly off about the night, about the air. Glorfindel looked up next, Thranduil raising his head a second after.

Abruptly the temperature plummeted. Elladan stood sharply, instinctively meeting Elrohir's gaze. Both quickly turned to their father. Legolas sprang up, his breath pluming in the air before him, looking around warily. Aragorn tensed, glancing around for his sword.

Halt felt it first. A strange disturbance, the prickling feeling that someone was watching him. Instincts that had kept him alive so many times fired up and he suddenly lost interest in the conversation. He met Will's gaze across the lawn.

Abruptly the temperature plummeted. Gilan rose sharply, Evanlyn flying to her feet beside him. Crowley looked around in confusion, meeting Halt's gaze. Alyss stood slowly, watching apprehensively as her breath plumed in an icy cloud before her. Horace tensed, drawing his sword.

The air compressed, and they couldn't breathe. Alyss gasped, her vision filled with a bright light. Aragorn yelled involuntarily, shading his eyes against the blinding light. Thranduil felt as if he was plunged suddenly into icy water. Gilan shouted, though what exactly he had said was beyond him. He shut his eyes from the intense glow. The wind buffeted them helpless to do anything. And the temperature dropped ever lower, as the light filled their consciousness.

And abruptly it stopped. Just as sudden as it had started, the cold faded, the light disappeared, and they all found their lungs functioning properly.

Will gasped slightly, panting heavily. His mind reeling, he looked up, blinking rapidly for a moment. The light was gone, the cold too, and he stood to meet Horace's gaze.

"What bloody was that?" Horace grunted, rubbing at his eyes. Crowley looked grave, blinking rapidly as Will had done.

"I've no idea. It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

Will turned in a slow circle, casting his gaze about, intent for any movement he could see. But the forest remained quiet, and silent, as if nothing had happened. After scanning the treeline for a few moments he turned back to the table on the porch, flabbergasted.

Crowley was speaking softly to Evanlyn, helping her to her feet. Horace had regained control of his eyesight and turned. He glanced at Will then looked past him. Abruptly his expression changed from confusion and mild irritation to horror and dread. Will felt a jolt of alarm.

"What is it?" He asked quickly.

"Will," Horace said in a horrified whisper. "They're gone."

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Halt groaned, pushing himself up. He opened his eyes a fraction, realizing the light was no longer there, but the blue-white afterimage was still burned onto his retinas. He blinked rapidly, then turned at a rustle beside him.

Gilan sat up next to Halt, rubbing at his eyes. "What happened?" he asked, looking around warily. Halt didn't answer, but stood, taking stock of his surroundings. He and Gilan were in a forest- an unfamiliar forest. It was dark, which was to be expected.

"What...happened?" another voice said groggily, as Alyss pushed herself up from the ground. Halt turned in alarm. Had they all been transported somewhere? Gilan was helping Alyss to her feet. Halt looked around. There wasn't much to be seen in the darkness, and he still felt that his cognitive functions were not at full capacity. The light had done more than blind him, it seemed. It was almost like they'd been drugged. The thought came a little slower than Halt would have liked, but once it did he grasped onto it. Yes, that must be it. Some assassins, or enemies of the kingdom had captured and drugged them, then dumped them in a forest...somewhere.

"I don't know. I guess we've been drugged somehow, then taken somewhere. In this light I can't see anything. We could feasibly be in any forest in Araluen or farther." Halt said gravely.

He glanced around at the lumpy shapes in the dark. Where were the others? Were they around him or somewhere else? "Quiet." he hissed lowly. "Can you hear anything?"

Gilan immediately stilled, Alyss doing so as well. They all listened intently for a minute or so, but all Halt heard was the breath of his two companions.

They heard nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing but the normal forest sounds.

"Wait, but Halt," Alyss said quietly. The ranger turned towards her. "You said we were drugged?"

"It seems the most likely possibility."

"But then, time would have passed, right? We would've blacked out, been moved, and woken up somewhere. If this forest is unfamiliar presumably somewhere far."

"Yes." He didn't see what she was getting at.

"But what about the light?" Alyss said. Halt stared at her a moment. "You know, the bright light. We were all blinking away the afterimage left by the light." Halt deflated as the truth dawned on him. "If we still had the image on our eyes, whatever happened must have happened instantaneously."

He turned, brow furrowed. This new information was troubling to say the very least. What had happened to Will? To everyone? He muttered darkly under his breath. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where they were, or have any idea what happened. Halt glowered darkly. He didn't like not knowing.

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Aragorn groaned, sitting up. He cursed softly, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to rid them of the blinding afterimage of the strange light. He heard soft movement beside him. "Legolas?" he asked, recognizing the flash of white-blonde hair barely visible in the dark of the night.

"Hardly." Thranduil's scornful voice replied. The elf king stood quickly, staring at the woods around him. They were silent, unnervingly so. But it was not an evil, brooding silence, it was a silence that held nothing. There was no life, nothing not even locked deep inside. A chill touched the wood elf's heart. What kind of a forest were they in?

He turned at a loud groan from the floor beside him. Keen elven eyes able to permeate the dark more than a mortal's would, Thranduil recognized Glorfindel immediately. He pulled his friend to his feet, turning to meet Aragorn's gaze.

"Where are we?" Glorfindel asked groggily, looking around at the unfamiliar forest. He shivered involuntarily. "There is no light here." Thranduil nodded slowly. He turned in a slow circle, casting his far reaching gaze about for his son. The elvenking saw no sign of him. He drew in a quick breath.

"Where are the others?" he asked tightly.

Glorfindel and Aragorn looked around as well, each coming up with nothing.

"We probably got separated." Glorfindel said softly, knowing what kind of turmoil Thranduil would be in.

Both elves stiffened at the sound of a voice. It was faint, even to their ears, and Aragorn had heard nothing at all. They exchanged a quick look, then ghosted forward, towards the voice. Aragorn followed, moving with almost no sound as well. 

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"HALT!" Will called into the night.

"Will!" Crowley said sharply, rushing over to the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder. "If they're gone, it means someone took them, and it may not be a good idea to yell into the trees right now."

Will nodded glumly, overcome with worry for his friends. For Halt, and for Alyss! For Gilan.

"Will," Crowley said more gently, waiting until the young man raised his eyes to meet his. "Halt is with them, and  I have never known him to not know what to do. Gilan is a trained ranger, one of the best at unseen movement, and highly dangerous for any enemies they might have. Alyss is extremely resourceful and very bright. Trust in them; they shall be fine."

Will nodded several times, trying to believe Crowley's words. "Alright. What do we do, though?"

"There is not much we can do tonight. It is dark and any tracks will be too faint to see."

Will, although expecting this answer, was crestfallen. He wanted to do something, to go and help his friends.

Horace walked up, standing strong beside Will. "Don't worry, we'll find them." He said assuredly. Will was once again thankful for Horace's strong presence. He was about to turn back to the cabin when he saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. It was only the years of training that kept him from whirling in that direction. Instead he continued to move as casually as possible, letting his gaze wander over the treeline in order to see any more movement.

He glanced quickly at Crowley, but he saw the he and Horace had already turned and were walking back towards the cabin. Will tensed, looking again.

"Aaye! Mae govannen,"

A voice pierced the night, talking in a strange and melodic language. It was like nothing Will had ever heard, and he tensed, his hand dropping to the hilt of his saxe, wishing he hadn't left his longbow in the cabin.

"Saesa omentien lle," 

This time a figure slipped from the trees, seeming to materialize from the wood. The figure was tall and wore a long silver tunic trimmed with blue, and what looked like light armor. Will did not miss the long sword sheathed at his hip. Oddly, though the figure was decidedly male, he wore his golden hair long, it reaching far past his shoulders.

Will stood, at a loss for what to do. He scanned the other person, glancing sideways as Horace appeared beside him, his hand on his own sword. More likely than not, Will thought, Crowley was on the porch bow in hand, Evanlyn as well with her sling.

Glorfindel looked curiously at the men and woman gathered in front of the small cabin. They seemed extremely wary of him, and he noted the way the boy stood. His hand on his knife, he was perfectly balanced, and Glorfindel guessed that he could draw aim and throw the knife in a matter of seconds. The other young man beside him was broad but not unwieldy. He stood firmly, both feet planted and his hand on his sword hilt. Glorfindel decided that despite his apparent youth this was a master swordsman.

"Manke naa lye?" Glorfindel asked.  He saw the flash of apprehension and confusion on the young warrior's face. "Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie? Lle rangwa amin?"

"In the common tongue, my friend. They are not elves," Thranduil whispered lowly, from where he was concealed in the trees to his immediate left.

Smiling quickly at his own foolishness, Glorfindel tried again. "Do you understand me?" he asked, his clear voice spiraling across the camp. This time he saw that they had.

"Who are you?" the young man's voice called back. Glorfindel looked at him approvingly. He met him bravely, and had an air of authority around him, though the elf lord rather suspected that Will didn't know of it himself.

"I am Glorfindel, Lord of the House of the Golden Flower. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He bowed his head slightly to them, delighting in the surprised and shocked looks on the young men's faces.

Will nodded awkwardly, wishing even more fiercely that Halt was there. He had no idea what kind of name 'Glorfindel' was, or what in the world the 'House of the Golden Flower' was, but the air of authority surrounding this lord was unmistakable. He stood lightly, and Will was certain that he knew how to use the sword at his hip, and use it well. He caught two more flashes of movement behind the 'Glorfindel' and looked past him quickly.

There was another figure, tall and commanding with a fierce indifference about him. His hair hung long like Glorfindel's, and he wore a silver circlet upon his brow. No doubt this was another lord, or one much accustomed to authority.

Beside him stood a less tall, but still one of formidable height, man whose clothing most reflected Will's own. But this man's cloak was a solid greenish grey, and he wore a sword instead of the double knife scabbard. He too looked strong and wise, though in a more quiet way than the striking figure beside him.

"This is Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm, and Aragorn son of Arathorn, of Imladris." Glorfindel went on, gesturing to his two companions as he introduced them.

King. Will thought weakly. That made sense.

"Of the 'Woodland Realm'?" Crowley called, a definite skepticism in his voice. "Where might that be?"

The one in question strode forward purposefully so he stood out of the trees and next to Glorfindel. He had a pompous almost arrogant air about him, but one that was not ill founded. Everything he was arrogant about, he really could do to that degree. "I rule in the Greenwood the Great. Past the Misty Mountains, before Esgaroth and south of Erebor." He delivered the information with a superior air, as if it were common knowledge that one should know.

Of course, this only served to confuse the Araluens even more.

Thranduil's icy blue eyes flashed. "And who are you?"

His demand was met with a stretching silence for a few moments before the young man with the knife broke it. Glorfindel nodded to himself; he thought that the young man would be the one  to speak first.

"I am Will Treaty, King's Ranger." He delivered the title with as much importance he could muster, but still felt as if it were far lacking from the ease with which the lord and king had delivered their names. Aragorn raised his eyebrows at 'ranger'. He wondered at it; the boy was no ranger of the north, and he had no idea what King they might be serving. Will went on, "This is Horace, knight of Araluen. Crowley, Commandant of the Ranger Corps, and Ev-" he cut off, wondering if Evanlyn would want to go by Evanlyn or Princess Cassandra. He looked back at her quickly.

The young woman drew herself up. "I am Cassandra, daughter of king Duncan, Princess of Araulen." She declared.

"Well met," Glorfindel said to all of them, placing his hand over his heart and bowing slightly. The ranger-like man mimicked the gesture, and Thranduil nodded to them, while bowing his head to Cassandra.

Internally, Thranduil was thinking over what they had said. Princess of Araluen, the young woman had introduced herself. He had never heard of such a land, and inversely the seemed to never have heard of the Greenwood.

"Now!" Glorfindel exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Thranduil smirked as he saw some of the Araluens jump at the unexpected noise. "We've got the introductions complete, let us lose the pretense of war, for we do not wish to harm you, and I pray you do not wish to harm us."

Will hesitated. While these strange people had shown no sign of aggression thus far, their stories were just too odd!

"Half a moment!" Crowley called. "Where did you come from?"he asked suspiciously. He hadn't forgotten that they were missing Halt, Gilan, and Alyss, and that someone more likely than not abducted them.

"Why, we were just in Imladris, in the forest having a lovely night when a bright light filled the air, the warmth was stolen from us, and we awoke in this strange forest with men who have forgotten the Greenwood and the lands beyond."

"Bright light?" Will said quickly. "You saw a bright light?"

"I should say so," Glorfindel said, nodding.

"And it was cold, you say?" Horace spoke up beside Will.

The elf lord nodded. "Do you know how we came to be here?"

Will shook his head. "No, but we saw the same light and it was awful cold. Then it just suddenly faded and..." he cut off, wondering if it was wise to tell these three strangers that their friends had gone missing.

"And...?" Glorfindel prompted, a soft curiosity in his eyes.

Making up his mind, Will went on. "And our friends were gone. Three of them were just over there and after the light they were gone."

"Did you have anything to do with that?" Crowley's sharp voice called from the porch.

Glorfindel shook his head thoughtfully. "No, I lament the loss of your companions, but I am just as confused as you as to what transpired here a few minutes ago."

"Perhaps, I can shed some light," Thranduil said, his cultured drawl cutting through the conversations. All eyes swiveled to him and he smirked slightly. Will was struck with the familiarity of his self-assured air and impassive demeanor. "I believe that whatever the light was it took your friends-and us also. We have ended up here, in your land, and it is safe to assume that your companions have been transported to ours."

Will's eyes widened. The king's suggestion made sense. "Then where are they?" Horace asked quickly.

"They ought to be somewhere near Imladris." Glorfindel said, thoughtfully considering what Thranduil had said. He wondered at it all. What new adventure lay before him now?

"But how?" Horace asked. "How can something like this happen?"

"I do not know," Glorfindel said simply, and he seemed completely satisfied with that answer. Horace gaped at them, looking at Will quickly, only to find that his friend was slowly nodding.

"These are mysteries for daylight and intent thought. For now, I think I shall retire." Thranduil said, looking up at the deathly silent trees.

Horace looked around at them all. Were they not curious? Not worried? How could they simply go to sleep after meeting such weird people? Will looked troubled, but in an introspective way. Horace guessed that he didn't want to talk with him at that moment. Evanlyn looked rather overwhelmed with everything, thought he noticed a fierce spark of curiosity burning in her eyes. Crowley was still watching the three odd men warily.

Will digested the new information slowly. Halt was stuck in some other world? Glorfindel, Thranduil, and Aragorn's world? It was all too surreal. Surely this hadn't really happened. He blinked, grounding himself and looked up to meet Glorfindel's smiling expectant gaze. He struggled to remember what they had been talking about, and realized he had just made a suggestion to sleep. He turned hesitantly back towards the cabin.

"Would you like to stay here?"he offered hesitantly. "There isn't much room, but we have a stable out back and..." he trailed off. There was no way that they would all fit.

Glorfindel grinned at him. "No thank you, Master Will," He said cheerily. "We shall sleep under the stars as our ancestors did in ages past." His eyes swept upward and widened a bit at the unfamiliar stars and constellations. For the first time Glorfindel felt a bit sad and foreign here, under a strange sky. And he fully realized that they were not in some remote corner of Middle Earth. No, they were in araluen, in a different world.

Will regarded him carefully. He started when he realized the other two were no longer there. He looked, but saw no sign of them. He turned to look at Crowley, following the ranger's gaze into the trees. Finally he saw the movement in one of the trees and the elf king climbed with a practiced ease. The movement stilled as the figure settled.

When he looked back he barely had time to see Glorfindel slip deftly into the branches.

"Uncanny, isn't it?" Will said skeptically, moving back onto the porch with the rest.

"Their story...it's just so weird!" Horace muttered.

"But other worlds?" Evanlyn put in. "I mean, is that really where Halt and the others are?"

"I admit it makes sense," Crowley conceded, still holding his longbow in hand, his eyes fixed on the spot in the trees where the three strangers now were. "The tall one, Thrandysomethingorother's theory would explain what happened."

"Thranduil," Evanlyn corrected him distractedly. As a noblewoman, she was well accustomed to remembering foreign dignitaries's names, and pronouncing them correctly.

"Is this really what we're going on?" Horace asked in disbelief. "Bright light then -poof!- They're in another world!"

"It's all we have to go on," Will said regrettably.

"But..." Horace protested weakly.

Crowley sighed. "There isn't much we can do tonight. Get some sleep, all of you." He glanced at the cabin. "Evanlyn, Horace you'd better stay the night. We'll send correspondence in the morning with everything that's happened. Horace, Will you'll camp out tonight."

They all nodded to the Commandant. Will turned to go gather his camping supplies when Crowley stopped him.

"Just a moment, Will." Crowley leaned in close and lowered his voice a bit. "Keep an eye on them. I don't think they're a danger, but one can never be too sure. Better to assume the worst."

Will nodded. "I will."

They gathered the supplied quickly and pitched their tents close to the tree line. Will sat outside of his, his head tipped up to watch the place where the strangers were hidden. The lights were burning in the cabin for a while, then Evanlyn's light went out. Crowley's was still burning, and Will suspected that he would be awake for most of the night.

Glorfindel was nestled in the tree, leaning against the trunk. He sighed; it had been a very long time since he had slept in the trees. The elf lord glanced at Thranduil, who was very much at home within the green boughs. The elf was standing on one of the outlying branches, not at fear at all of it breaking or falling. Glorfindel smirked, glancing at Aragorn. While the human man was much more accustomed to such kinds of housing as a normal mortal, he was not extremely comfortable. He kept turning and Glorfindel caught a steady stream of whispered grievances coming from him.

Glorfindel watched the strange people make preparations for the night, the two young men camping outside near them. The golden haired elf smiled. They don't trust us, he thought. Reflecting on it, it really wasn't an unreasonable stance, provided the strangeness of it all.

At length Thranduil turned to him.

"What do you think we ought to do?" The elvenking asked softly in elvish.

"There is not much we can do. Legolas and the others are presumably safe in Imladris still. Remember we were standing apart from them. They should not have been taken along with us." Glorfindel replied.

"How do we know?" Aragorn put in, seeming to give up on trying to get comfortable, and settling in one spot. "Maybe they were taken and just ended up somewhere different."

Thranduil paused, casting around in his mind for his son's presence. Jarringly, he felt nothing, yet at this time it came as a relief. A painful and anxiety inducing relief, but one nonetheless. "I do not think they are here with us. I cannot feel Legolas anywhere near. It is not like death; I know that feeling. This is different. He is simply not here."

Glorfindel nodded slowly, looking for the twins in his consciousness and turning the same result. "At this time we must believe that they are safe, and hope that they will find us. Besides, Will and the others are still here, while their friends are in Middle-Earth. If they remained in their world we can only assume that Legolas, the Peredhel, and Elrond remain as well."

They continued in their whispered conversation for some minutes, discussing their situation and possible solutions. Meanwhile Will was lying awake, having taken first watch while Horace slept. He listened apprehensively, not liking that he couldn't know what they were talking about.

At length he plucked up the courage to shout something softly to them. "Hey," he whisper-yelled, trying not to wake Horace. "What are you lot talking about?"

He saw a rustle in the leave and then he could see Glorfindel. The elf walked to the edge of the branch, looking down at the young man.

"We are discussing our fate," the elf lord replied in the common tongue. "What are you thinking of?"

"What?" Will asked, confused and suddenly self-conscious.

"Your eyes. They speak," Glorfindel said softly, a smile gracing his lips. "You are in turmoil, young one. Do not be. I am sure your companions are safe, and your worry will do nothing for them, while impairing yourself."

Will opened his mouth to speak and then closed it, at a loss as to how this stranger had seen through him. He, like all ranger's, preferred to be on the outskirts of things, and he didn't enjoy being the center of attention. Yet somehow the stranger had managed to see into him, and speak directly to his fears.

"You worry too much. Leave such thoughts for the sunrise and the light." Glorfindel called down to him. "Sleep with your companion; we mean you no harm, and I give you my word that you shall find us still here in the morning."

Will considered it for a moment. As much as he might want to trust the man, he had been taught to always expect the worst, and knew that sleeping next to three very capable strangers was not such a good idea. Again Glorfindel seemed to be able to read Will accurately.

"Keep watch if you wish. We do not mind. Sometimes, is it wiser to prepare for the worst and be disappointed, than to hope for the best and be caught unawares." Glorfindel said, his eyes sparkling at the brave young man before him.

Will shook his head softly in wonder. "Who are you?" he called up.

Glorfindel smiled. "I believe I have answered that question. We shall leave proper meetings and acquaintance to the dawn. Fare thee well, Will Treaty."

With that the elf pressed his hand to his chest then extended it to the young ranger. Will found himself copying the gesture almost automatically. Glorfindel grinned at him a moment, then turned settling back in the tree.

Will sighed, utterly confused, but no longer afraid. "Till sunrise and light," he said to himself, drawing his cloak around him. With thoughts of Glorfindel, 'Middle Earth', and other worlds swirling in his mind Will settled back, gazing up at the familiar stars. He heaved a sigh, letting the thoughts drain out of him. "Till sunrise and light," he muttered again, tilting his head back and wondering when he was to wake Horace for his watch.

*tolkien's elvish
Hail! Well met
Pleasure meeting you
Where are we?
Do you speak elvish?
Do you understand me?