There really is nothing like the prospect of getting voluntarily injured come dawn to keep one up late.

Even so, I did sleep, though my dreams were shallow and fitful.

When morning came, I sat up in bed and stretched languidly.

I would enjoy my last hours free of worry. With resolution, I sprang out of bed and padded to the bath, which from behind the silken drapes was lit in the morning glow of the sun coming in through the window.

I turned on the tap, marvelling at the small river of water that crept down a chute and began filling the marble bathtub. It was warm, another rarity, and the small bowl of lavender salts on the pale wooden table next to me smelled heavenly.

I wish I had more time here, more time in this silvery paradise.

I pushed the thought of the future out of my mind for the time being and sunk into the water, feeling the warmth seep into my muscles.

I slowly unplaited my hair and worked the strands through my fingers, the dark strands swirling around in the water like smoke in the air.

It felt like hours before the water cooled, though I knew it had been no longer than half of one.

Resignedly, I stretched my toes forward and breathed in deeply before standing and drying off. Wrapped in warm towels and the scent of honey and lavender, I found it hard to imagine anything else.

I tried to dry my hair somewhat, but as usual, fell short. Instead, I just threw on my dressing gown and sat languidly on the cushioned lounge among the pale lavender cushions. I wondered what time it was, it must have barely been seven in the morning.

I lay there, lost in thought, until a knock at the door startled me so violently that my hand pushed a pillow off the edge of the seat, and in the process of trying to catch it, I hit my arm on the low table in front of it.

I grimaced and hurriedly tossed the pillow back onto the cushions.

"Come in," I called. I pulled the silken robe more tightly around my body, recalling that I had nothing on underneath.

It was, as I had suspected, Legolas.

"Gianna," he said, inclining his head. "I apologise for disturbing you."

"You did not disturb me at all," I replied. "I was hardly engaged in anything worthwhile."

"You just took a bath," he observed, probably noticing my still-wet hair. "Did you find it agreeable?"

"Very much so," I replied. I played with the tassel on the tie around my robe.

I stood and walked over to where he was standing, my bare legs suddenly hit by the cooler air outside the blankets.

"No clothes again?" he teased.

"Next time I'll get into the bath with them on," I scowled.

He laughed lightly. "Galadriel and Celeborn have requested your presence at breakfast. I was to inform you of this matter."

"Well, thank you for informing me, my Prince," I returned. "I'll be down shortly."

"I will wait for you," he said, looking at me intently.

"There's no need," I insisted.

"I have very little time with you, Gianna, I intend to make the most of it."

"When do I leave?" I asked, pausing mid-step.

"As soon as everything is...finished."

He paused uncomfortably on the last word.

"You can't worry about me," I warned, walking up to him. "Please."

"Gianna, you know that is easier said than done," he replied.

"This entire quest is easier said than done," I said bitterly.

"You will not fail," Legolas promised. He reached out a hand and I took it, looking at him without saying a word.

He pulled me into a tight embrace, and whispered something in Sindarin too quiet to hear.

My chest ached at his touch.

"You're getting wet," I said softly.

"I care not," he mumbled, pressing his cheek to mine. His chin rested on my shoulder.

"Breakfast, then?" I asked, still reluctant to move.

He pulled away and smiled sadly.

"Go, dress, and we will walk down," he said finally, after a long pause.

I stepped behind the screen that separated the bath from the rest of the room, and slipped on my clothes as quickly as possible.

My damp skin stuck to the fabric a little bit as I put it over my head, but without further incident I managed to be somewhat clothed.

I walked back to where Legolas was standing and grabbed my boots from next to my bed. I made to grab my quiver, but Legolas put out a hand to stop me.

"You would be searched and stripped of weapons, had you truly been captured," he reminded me. "Almirae can remain hidden, and this as well."

He drew from a very small sheath a thin, slightly curved dagger. The hilt was simple, not nearly as ornate as other weapons I had seen, but the blade had such a strange pattern on it that I squinted at it when he held it out.

"Why--," I began, but he already had an answer.

"The different bands of colour are due to many differently tempered sheets of metal that are hammered together to make the blade," Legolas explained. "The varying strength and flexibility of the metal, when done correctly, yields a stronger blade."

"I had no idea," I raised my eyebrows, impressed.

"If you strap the sheath to your calf, you won't be able to see it over your boots and it will be easily accessible," he replied. He handed me the black leather sheath and it indeed was so discrete, I promptly forgot about it.

"Many thanks, mellon nin," I smiled warmly. "I could hardly be more prepared."

"That is debatable," he countered, slightly amused. "But we will discuss this further after breakfast."

"Wait, Legolas, I have not even brushed my hair; I cannot appear in front of the Lord and Lady in this manner!"

"That is hardly a concern, Gianna, I think you quite becoming regardless of how your hair is arranged. It looks quite nice now, actually."

"Elbereth, if only the rest of the world shared your sentiment."

"If they could see you as I do, you would not doubt that they would," he said softly.

I looked away, a sudden pang of sadness hitting me. For some reason, a line of verse my father used to sing to me floated into my mind.

"Away so fast it sails to shore,
Hoist the sail, hard to starboard..."

"Such flattery," I instead commented.

"It is well deserved, my lady," he replied smoothly.

The prince offered me his arm, and the two of us meandered down through the mallorn forest.

Over something that was exactly like eggs Benedict (although I doubt anyone in Middle-earth referred to it as such) but made with quails eggs, Galadriel and Thranduil informed me of what was to happen.

"We will try to send you forth before the sun is at its zenith," the former informed me, sipping a delicate cup of tea. She smiled knowingly as Celeborn came into the room behind her, though he didn't make a sound.

"Fair morning, my honoured wife, and guests," he said in greeting, taking his seat on the opposite side of Galadriel.

He continued as he sat down. "We needed to restock the cellars anyway."

My fork hovered somewhere in the region between plate and mouth as I looked up in confusion.

Thranduil raised an eyebrow.

Legolas cleared his throat. "My Lord, how do cellars pertain?"

Galadriel laughed, and it seemed to fill the room with light.

"Forgive our lack of explanations," she replied, her eyes twinkling merrily. "We have ordered the butchering of a hog this morning, the blood will serve us well in the ruse planned. We needed ham in the cellars anyway."

That didn't explain much, but I figured I would find out sooner rather than later.

Naturally, I was correct.

***************

We stood in the courtyard--myself, Faewyn, Maldor, Legolas, Celeborn, Galadriel, and Thranduil--all looking quite downcast, which would have been funny had someone seen us. The weather was flawlessly mild and almost warm, a hint of perfume floating carelessly on the breeze from the tiny silver blossoms that had started to open on the trees. It was not a morning for mourning, but to revel in the delicate air of spring. Unfortunately, nobody felt much like celebrating.

Everyone's mouth was drawn in a tight line, all except for Galadriel, who seemed always to have wise mirth glimmering behind her eyes. She turned to Maldor and nodded, almost imperceptibly, and he stepped forward.

"I have spoken to Lorien's healers and they have revealed to me how we may be most accommodating to Gianna while still ensuring that her capture will look legitimate."

"Pray tell, how so?" inquired Legolas.

"Some injuries cannot be falsified, but others can," he explained. He turned to me. "Gianna, there will be very few real injuries on you, rest assured."

"Whatever you must do, please feel assured you have the utmost liberty to do so," I replied.

He nodded briefly.

"My Lord and Lady, it will take just as much time as we have."

Thranduil nodded brusquely. "Very well, do what you must. I go to verify the other arrangements." He strode off regally, as usual, but cast a reassuring glance in my direction as he went.

Faewyn squeezed my hand reassuringly and whispered, "You will be fine."

"Of course I will," I shrugged, "I am in good hands."

Apart from outwardly trying to be nonchalant about the idea, I came to realise that I actually was. Whatever part of me sought out the thrill of danger was slowly convincing me of the idea.

I was not in any way concerned.

Maldor and I walked briskly away from the group. I faintly heard Faewyn ask Galadriel if there was any way she could assist her.

"Maldor, what exactly is the plan?" I asked in a low voice as we hurried over the path.

"Signatures can be forged; so then can other physical marks." he replied. "We have discussed several ways to accomplish this and ask your opinion on all of them; of course, you will have the last word."

"I am interested to hear what you have come up with," I replied.

We walked up a flight of white steps to a low white flet built into another massive mallorn tree and two elves walked towards us in greeting. "Lady Gianna, gi sulion (well met)," the first said, warmly, in rather a deep voice. I noticed his use of the formal greeting with some surprise.

The other, an elleth with startling green eyes added, "Bruinon and myself have considered your predicament and have conferred with Maldor on the matter. If you will allow us, we have determined many ways to convincingly counterfeit a capture."

"I am most grateful for any assistance you can offer," I replied.

The three of them led the way into a dim, warmly lit room that was pleasantly perfumed with bowls of heaping silver blossoms I could only assume came from a mallorn tree.

On closer inspection, however, I was proved wrong by the much smaller flowers with eight corrugated petals each, different than the larger star shaped flowers of the ubiquitous mallorn trees.

"We considered four real injuries, if that is not too many," Maldor began, striding to an ornate mahogany shelf and removing various bottles from its compartments.

"That does not faze me in the slightest," I replied. "Will that be enough?"

"More than," the green-eyed elleth said briskly. "Come, sit, we have little time."

I quickly walked over to the stone bench that stood on the far side of the room and sat down.

Maldor approached me, although he did not look up from rummaging through a velvet pouch as he walked. "One cut laterally along the upper arm, another just next to it , one on the upper thigh, and one across your abdomen--superficial and relatively painless."

I frowned.

"I am not concerned about pain, but how can it be painless? No matter how superficial, there will be a wound." From my understanding, anaesthesia was not a common or even existent thing in Middle-earth.

"This tincture--" (he held up a glass bottle) "--is made with the oil of clove as well as extract from the seed of red nightshade, both of which temporarily inhibit the function of pain receptors in the affected area."

"Red nightshade? That can't be common, I have never heard of it here in Middle-earth."

"It isn't," he acknowledged. "It is difficult to find growing as the fruits only grow during one season in a very particular climate. It also is challenging to extract the oils from the seeds; If it were not, it would be a valuable resource to those wounded and in need of aid."

"Is nightshade not toxic?" I asked, vaguely concerned.

"Many varieties are, but this one is not; in fact, the fruits are used often in some foods in the East. They call it fire-pepper."

I made a mental note to look up if chilli peppers were related to nightshade, since this seemed to be relevant.

"We also have soot and dyed ash powder that looks like bruising when applied to the skin," added Bruinon.

"This truly is ingenious," I admitted, looking around appreciatively.

"Hopefully it protects you well, my lady," the green-eyed healer smiled.

Hopefully.

************************

There was nothing but a dull ache as I sat up, remarkably unchanged in my energy levels.

Bruinon was dabbing a damp cloth on my leg, where a long and angry gash tore through the fabric of my leggings.

I couldn't really feel much pain at all, and I knew that strategic placing of bright red carmine and dark purple blackberry dye had contributed to the bloody looking mess on the several wounds on my body. They no longer bled, but rather just looked raw and new. 

I could see where there was blood smeared on my clothes; probably the hog's blood that Galadriel had referenced earlier. 

"It shouldn't hurt much at all," Maldor reassured me, looking up briefly from where he was closing several vials before putting them back on the shelf.

"It does not hurt even slightly," I replied, sitting up further. "Though it looks awful."

The green-eyed elleth smiled at that. "That is good news, my lady, since only that will deter suspicions."

"In that case, we have done all we can," Bruinon said, wiping his hands on a torn rag. "May you have luck and fortune in your endeavours."

"For the sake of all, I hope so," I replied. I rose from my bench and bowed slightly to all of them before Maldor and I walked back towards the centre of the city.

Standing like avenging angels, proud and fierce, wise and benevolent, four elves stood, turning towards our approaching presence. Faewyn, her wide grey eyes telling of knowledge beyond her years, stood beside Thranduil, the proud and tireless king. On his left stood the dawn and the dusk, Celeborn and Galadriel, guardians of the last great light of the world.

I felt oddly disconnected from all of them, seeing them stand like morning stars in the light of late dawn-break.

"Elbereth, you look as if you have come home from a great war," Thranduil said dryly. His voice broke the mesmerising spell, and I heard wry amusement behind his words.

"That is the intention, my king," I returned, smiling in spite of myself.

Galadriel came forward, striding through the grass in bare feet, the hem of her pale dress brushing the tips of the spring green with a barely audible rustle.

"Gianna. Wherever you go, go with our blessing. May the Valar watch over you."

Her husband spoke next. "When you look at the stars, remember we look at those same stars and think of you."

I nodded. "Thank you, my lord and lady."

Maldor spoke. "We have done what we can, and now must trust in Gianna to continue successfully."

From the trees behind us, I turned to see Legolas leading Eärlin with no rope or halter.

"Earlin!" I said delightedly, stroking his dark muzzle. He whinnied.

Thranduil seemed concerned. "Legolas, will it not be obvious she was not truly kidnapped if she rides her horse?"

"No, my lord; Falcon had never seen Eärlin. Though clearly an elven horse, it will not be strange to see a stolen steed overtaken by a captor. Eärlin more readily understands Gianna than the other horses, which puts her at a benefit."

"Very well," Thranduil said approvingly.

From behind him, a rough looking man came striding into the courtyard where we gathered. His face was smudged with soot and grime, his hair was tied in a greasy knot at his neck, and his armour was blackened and rough looking. He carried a crude broadsword at his side, with no sheath.

I looked on, both alarmed and fascinated. He was as out of place as a stick of butter in an armoury.

The others hardly seemed concerned, however.

"Gianna, I believe you have already met Bern, one of King Elessar's guard," Thranduil said, "Of course, in his current guise, he will be known by the name of Manon, the man who was captured from the nighttime attack."

"Bern, your disguise is infallible," I said warmly, "I was worried for my safety for a moment."

"That is the hope, my lady," he said, smiling through his grime covered face.

He strapped some saddlebags onto Eärlin. "Shall we?"

I nodded, turning to the others. "I..." I stopped, at a loss.

Legolas walked over to where I was standing. "I will not be far behind, Gia." He gently touched his forehead to mine and then whispered, "Here."

He placed the sunstone on my palm and my fist closed around it with determination. I placed it in a pouch at my belt; wearing it wouldn't be an option.

"Remember, you will be guarded at all times should something go awry," Faewyn added. "Abarad, mellon nin (Until tomorrow, my friend)."

With a last farewell to all gathered, I mounted Eärlin, who willingly took the extra weight of Bern sitting behind me, and we went away from the abode of healing and rest to the wide uncertainties of what lay beyond.