The next four days passed by quite uneventfully. Thalion and I had talked, Tauriel and I continued to ignore each other, and Ithilwen still hadn't come back. But today was different-Today was the day that Lancaeron would return. He had sent a letter promising me stories of Elladan and Elrohir, as well as something else that he refused to tell me.

As I walked past a tree, the leaves began to rustle. I froze, realizing that I had no weapons. A hooded figure jumped down, starting to approach. In one swift, silent movement, a dagger was placed against my throat. The figure lifted a hand, pulling the hood back to reveal...

"ITHILWEN!" I screeched as she returned the dagger to its usual place. "I swear, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

She just kept laughing as I sank back against a nearby tree, trying to calm my racing heart.

Suddenly, she froze. Her eyes got a strange, faraway look in them, and she stood perfectly still for a moment. "I...I have to go" she stammered. And without another word, she ran off.

"Ithilwen? Thilla?" I called after her, but she was gone.

***

Ithilwen came back a few minutes later, looking very distraught.

"What is it?" I asked, noting the slightly confused and worried look in her eyes.

She sighed. "Foresight."

"What?" I gasped. Ithilwen had the gift of foresight? But how? When did she discover it? Several questions raced through my mind, but somehow, I couldn't get any of them out.

"I don't know how it happened." She said as if reading my thoughts. "All I know is that I get visions or dreams like this occasionally, and they're usually pretty accurate."

"What...what did you see this time?" I asked nervously.

"You...you were there, and so was I. We were in Rivendell. My sister was there, you were talking to her. And then I saw Legolas and Tauriel in the forest.  Tauriel was looking for something, she seemed worried." Ithilwen told me, her eyes once again adopting that faraway, slightly dazed look. "And that's when it ended."

"Rivendell? I thought you didn't like Rivendell" I said.

"I don't." She snapped coldly. "I don't like Rivendell, and I am not liked in Rivendell. Whatever could have made me go there, I have no idea."

I was taken aback by the sudden coldness in her voice. She never spoke of Rivendell, and I was beginning to see why.

"Lady Meriel!" A voice abruptly cut through the air, and Feredir came rushing over. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

He set off at a brisk pace, giving me no choice but to follow. We soon arrived at the gardens, and he motioned for me to sit down on one of the benches. Feredir normally had a sort of glow about him, but today, it was gone.

He sighed. "I suppose you can know what they were doing now. Lancaeron was sent with Elladan and Elrohir to track a suspicious group of Men that had seemingly been planning to attack Rivendell."

"And were they?" I asked.

"Yes, they were. They knew a lot of secrets about Rivendell, and were going to take over. Lancaeron, Elladan, and Elrohir killed most of them, but..." He stopped, refusing to meet my gaze.

"But what? What happened?" I asked, in my heart already knowing what was coming.

Feredir closed his eyes, sighing again. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "Lancaeron isn't coming back."

At those words, time seemed to stop. My Lancaeron. Gone. No more snowball fights, no more of that childish smile, no more stargazing, no more of that playful yet serious prince that I loved so dearly. I'd never hear his voice again, never again would I see the laughter in his eyes when he snuck up on me. The world was growing darker, darker, plunging me into the endless night. An anguished cry split the air, and it took me a few minutes to realize that it was mine.