It was early in the afternoon on a rainy January day. The council room was filled to brimming with handsome Elves. This was the first council called since the forming of the Fellowship. Lord Elrond had advised secrecy and told all to avoid mentioning it to any females.

"We are gathered here tonight to discuss the upcoming holiday of men, Valentine's Day. As we all have had fun Elving with the ladies, the idea was brought forth of what we should do for them." Lord Elrond looked around at the familiar faces. "Does anyone have any ideas?"

Glorfindel and Erestor whispered softly for a few moments before Glorfindel stood.

"My Lord, we would like to present a humble concept. After the latest experiment the ladies felt compelled to complete, we suggest one of our own." He glanced around at the interested Elves. "Let the council go out and feel their way around them and try out a few of the known activities. This should give us a base for further review."

As soon as Elladan and Elrohir heard Glorfindel mentioning 'known activities', they stopped chewing their gum and looked at each other. "Does that include Elving?" whispered Elrohir, loudly smacking in his brother's ear and trying hard not to lose his gum while he spoke.

Elladan gave a shrug and was about to say something to his brother when Lord Elrond cleared his throat.

"Is there anything the two of you would like to add to Glorfindel's proposal?" asked Lord Elrond as he narrowed his eyes at his sons.

Elladan and Elrohir shook their heads synchronously and tried to hide the huge amounts of chewing gum in their mouths.

"Whatever it is that you have both been chewing since we gathered here..." He paused and tightened his grip on the chair's armrest. "I suggest you take it out for as long as the council will endure..."

Both twins swallowed hard. To obey to their father's order would mean that they would have to reveal that they had been chewing gum during the council, and that would have been a sign of disrespect against the other Elves present.

Elladan made an unhappy face at his father's request and was about to confess everything to him when he had to cough very badly. His gum flew straight through the air and landed on the floor under the table. Elrohir gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.

Fortunately, Elladan's disaster remained unnoticed by Lord Elrond because his attention had been grabbed by Gildor, who had rushed into the council room in the same moment when Elladan was about to cough.

"Mae govannen," said Gildor gracefully as he bowed low. "I must apologize, Lord Elrond. It was not my intention to default the council."

Elladan nudged his brother and motioned to him to get rid of his gum. Elrohir quickly took his gum and stuck it at the bottom of his chair without attracting any attention.

Elrond smiled at the newcomer. "Mae govannen, Gildor Inglorion. Your apology is gladly accepted. Please take a seat." He pointed to a free seat between Elladan and Melpomaen.

Gildor sat down and made himself comfortable. He looked around and suddenly bent his head to one side. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Melpomaen. Melpomaen silently shook his head and nodded towards Elladan. Elladan blushed and shyly played with the collar of his tunic. Gildor gave no sign of what he was thinking but Elladan could have sworn he heard him chuckle a little.

"Now that Gildor has managed to join the council at last, I ask again if any one of you has any ideas for Valentine's Day."

"Lord Elrond," piped up Melpomaen, "Why don't we just retry the same as we did last year? Flowers, chocolates..."

Elladan and Elrohir yawned.

"Well..." answered Lord Elrond. “I think we will not retry what we did last year because it makes my sons yawn." He glared at both twins. "But I agree with you that we need flowers. So I suggest that we try to find some 'Nymphaea albas' and decorate the Hall of Fire with them for Valentine's Day." He looked at each Elf, one after the other. "Does that meet with the approval of the council?"

The other Elves nodded.

"Elladan. Elrohir. It will be your task to find those flowers."

The twins gave a groan.

"But Ada, it is a long ride to find a place where white water lilies are still growing," complained Elrohir.

"Yes indeed, it is," agreed Elrond, raising an eyebrow. "You two should leave right after the council."

Elladan and Elrohir muttered something to themselves.

Across the room Rúmil and Legolas sat and snickered at the twins’ discomfort. Taking their own gum out and waving it at them, the two Elves about fell out of their chairs when looks of murder turned their way. Seeing the actions of the twins, Orophin nudged his brother

"What are you two doing? Do you want to get us temporarily exiled, too?" he whispered.

Seeing Lord Elrond glancing their way, all three were quick to act innocent until the danger had past. After a moment to calm their quaking hearts, Rúmil turned to Legolas.

"So...any ideas on how to get Emmi here?" he asked quietly.

Legolas gave a goofy grin and then smirked. "Why that one is easy, old friend! Just tell her they are having a horse race and that my horse can beat hers any day!"

"No, I will not! You know where that would lead!" Rúmil gave a shudder at the thought. “The other day she said how tired she was...Maybe I can invite her for her vacation. Rest and Relaxation!"

With a nod, he drifted off into thought. Legolas just rolled his eyes at Orophin and grinned. "How about you, Orophin? Shall you invite anyone?"

"Not this year! I have found a beautiful Elf maiden named Nefisilwen to woo. That ought to be enough trouble for me!" Orophin grinned. "But if you need any help, just let me know!" he smirked.

Legolas glared at him for a minute and then turned his own thoughts to a certain red haired female. 'No, I don't think I will need any help at all!' he thought arrogantly to himself. 'She will be like magic dust in my hands.'

From that point, more ideas were pointed out and notes made. Soon the group of Elves had plenty of information to go on and Lord Elrond called the meeting to an end.

"Now remember! This is a secret! The females are not to find out about it!" he sternly reminded as the Elves filed out of the chamber.

Crossing the room to where the head of his personal guard stood, he quietly commanded, "Dorindil, once the ladies are here they are not allowed to leave. Understood?"

"Yes my Lord. It will be as you command!" the dark eyed Elf proclaimed.

Just then Orophin beckoned to Elrond, and seeing his chance, Dorindil slipped out of the chamber, hoping to avoid the pest from Mirkwood. Seeing the Prince walking down the hall in the opposite direction he sighed in relief. "Now, I just hope Lord Elrond doesn't make me participate in this crazy experiment.”

Finally, everyone had left the room. Lord Elrond stood alone for a minute and contemplated the latest work. "Yes, yes. This should work just perfectly!" he exclaimed before hurrying out to catch his head guard again before he left the hall.

Grinning widely, Forest hid behind a large pillar just outside where the Council was taking place. She watched as Elf after Elf sidled past, looking thoroughly drained of all interest in life.

"Poor things," she sniggered. "And I thought I was hard-done by having Elrond give me a five minute pep-talk about pruning the flowerbeds!"

Suddenly, just as she was about to slip into a blissful daydream, Forest noticed wisps of gold and black disappearing around the opposite corner.

"Typical Elves," she muttered darkly under her breath. "I stand here for over half an hour, then they decide to go off in the completely wrong direction!"

Still cursing about Elvish idiocies, she walked briskly after them.

"Hey! Orc-brains!" she yelled. Erestor and Glorfindel stopped and looked around.

Forest advanced upon them like a lioness bearing down upon her prey. Teeth bared and hackles risen, she stormed up to them. Though she was considerably shorter in height, they cowered as her fury broke over them.

"Just where do you think you two are going?"

Erestor and Glorfindel exchanged uncomfortable looks.

"We-er-were..."

"Well, that is..."

"Uhm..."

Forest sighed and shook her head in exasperation.

"Never mind! At least I found you sooner rather than later!"

She positioned herself quite comfortably between the two Elves, and linking an arm with each, she sauntered off towards the gardens.

"So, how did the meeting go?"

The twins left the council room and hurried to the stables.  There, they ordered the equerry to get their horses ready for the trip while they picked out a few wicker baskets, in which they would put the water lilies after they had gathered them.

After a while, the equerry returned with two beautiful dark horses and gave the reins to the twins. "Pardon my asking," said Tathar, "but, do you really wish to take a ride dressed as you are?" He looked up and down at the twins. "The weather will be changing soon, and it seems to me that your shoes were never meant for such outdoor activities."

Elladan and Elrohir raised their eyebrows and looked at each other.

"I'm afraid he is right, brother," said Elrohir with a grin. "We won't get far with our plush slippers."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier that I'm still wearing these shoes?" complained Elladan.

"Well, why didn't you tell me?"

"I forgot."

"So did I," grinned Elrohir.

Tathar's blue eyes gleamed in amusement but he stifled his laughter. "Shall I send the stable-lad to bring you both more appropriate riding gear?"

"No, we will see to this ourselves before we leave," answered Elladan.

"We should keep the shoes on.  Just in case we run across some Orcs on our way.  By the Valar, can you imagine their faces when they view our plush-slippers!" quipped Elrohir as he burst into laughter.

"I would rather have a good fight instead of scaring them to death."

"Yes, we should try to find some Orcs before we head for the lake to gather the water lilies.  I'm in the mood for some action. I think I need to compensate for my loss of the chewing gum somehow."

"Your loss of the chewing gum?" asked Elladan with a grin. "As far as I remember, you stuck your gum to the bottom of the chair, so it should be still there."

"Yes... yes...you are right," agreed Elrohir. "You are the only one who really 'lost' it," he giggled.

With that, the twins headed for their quarters, and shortly after, they mounted their horses and passed through the gates of Imladris.

Earlier that day, Elrond had caught Dorindil’s arm as the lithe guardsman exited the council chamber, looking like a storm cloud about to burst.

“I have a special assignment for you,” Elrond said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I have foreseen your…reluctance to join in this little experiment. So, whereas I’ve left the others to choose the lady they wish to work their Valentine’s Day tricks on, I have decided to assign you one.”

Dorindil’s eyes tightened. Elrond had a strange sense of humor sometimes, and he didn’t even want to think about what manner of woman Elrond had seen fit to pair him with.

“Who is it, My Lord?” he asked cautiously. Elrond matched his stride as the two of them walked down the hallway.

“Her name is Lady Corrielle. She’s of the race of men, staying here for a while under the tutelage of…oh, one of our Imladris scholars. I can’t remember which.” Seeing the concerned look on Dorindil’s face had not wavered one bit, Elrond chuckled. “Don’t worry, my friend. She is a sweet young lady, and not quite…how do I put this delicately…such a firebrand as some of the young ladies I could name.” He coughed, and Dorindil thought he heard him say, "Emmi and Forest" under his breath. He shivered. Haldir had told him stories about those two.

As Lord Elrond turned and left him to simmer, Dorindil decided that since Valentine's Day was some time off yet, he wouldn't seek her out until a couple of days before. He cringed at the thought of having to deal with any female that long, much less in a romantic atmosphere. 'After all, Lord Elrond hasn't specified any certain time I have to meet her, so why start the torture before I have to?' Dorindil thought to himself before going about his business.

"Did the messenger already leave?" asked Lord Celeborn, poking his head into the main room of the Lorien Lembas Tree. Galadriel turned abruptly with a sour look on her face and promptly shooed the lord from the tree as a number of Elf maidens giggled modestly behind her.

"How many times must I tell you how sacred this tree is?" Galadriel scolded, chasing her husband out onto a limb. Celeborn backed onto the end of the bough with grace and Elvish ease, causing the branch to sway little.

Ignoring her question, he held up a book and a pair of scrolls. "Did the messenger already leave?" He repeated, adding, "I have finished with these."

"She left this morning," answered Galadriel as Celeborn let out a disgruntled sigh. "You might still catch her if you leave now, but I doubt it."

"She does ride fast," nodded Celeborn, and Galadriel smirked.

"I am not going to ask how you know that, but I think I shall pretend it is because you listen to the wardens’ gossip."

Celeborn blinked. "Her horse is well-bred, a strong steed of Rohan, and I have seen her upon her mount."

Galadriel smiled sweetly, and Celeborn shook his head.

"I don't believe we're on the same page, my dear. In fact, I believe you are reading an entirely different book."

"Mmmhmmm." Galadriel turned to go back into the tree, calling behind her, "When you return from chasing the messenger, kindly stay out of my tree!"

Celeborn decided to head for Rivendell immediately. It would not take long if he rode without stop to catch up to the messenger that had left. Her horse was swift, but his could best her horse in a race, and he knew the path she would take. Tucking the precious items into the saddlebag, he mounted and led his horse out of the forest.

Books, scrolls, and maps were highly desired by the Eldar, though even with many scribes employed by each of the four Elven realms, two things were certain. Not every document could be reproduced, and sometimes reading the original was necessary. Since each king or lord had their own private messengers to send letters and packages across the land, it seemed to make sense to have one messenger responsible for conducting the lending system of the libraries, for not every messenger knew how to properly handle scrolls, or what to do if a book should happen to become damp during travel. Thus, a librarian had been chosen to take up the task, and she enjoyed the freedom of travel between the realms as well as the opportunity to constantly browse the collections in all of the Elfdoms.

She also enjoyed the freedom of not truly having to answer to anyone, not needing to report to work at a specific time, and being able to make impromptu stops in the middle of her day when it was needed, such as now.

Sitting against a tree, she watched a family of deer slowly grazing on the opposite side of the river, nearly hidden within a cluster of young birch trees. Her horse had found that the fare on their side of the river was to his liking, and munched on things here and there as he lazily enjoyed the unexpected break. He watched his mistress fold her hands into her lap and raise her voice in song.

I see, my deer, my deer, I see
Hidden within the silver tree
Along the river, the river runs along
And all the while I shall sing this song

Hiddle-fiddle, fiddle-dee-dee
Skiddle-skaddle, hiddle-lee-dee

I see my dear, my dear, I see
Hidden within the silver tree
I can see him, but he can't see me
Hidden within, the silver tree

Celeborn had easily caught up to the rider and had dismounted to approach her with the book and scrolls, but stopped upon hearing her voice. There was something enchanting about the words, and he kept far enough away so that she did not detect him. He watched as she sighed and picked at the grasses on the ground.

"We shall be home in only a few days time, Sûl-Maksalin." The horse snorted, and the librarian laughed. "Fine, then, I shall be home in only a few days time, and I promise a detour to Rohan when next we have the chance." This appeased the horse, and he crossed back over the water to nuzzled her shoulder. "It will be lovely to see the house again. And the gardens. And the twins - especially the twins. And Erestor. And the library. And Glorfindel. And Elrond - yes, and Elrond." She added as Sûl-Maksalin turned away with a shake of his mane. "I wouldn't have this job if he had not let me freely take it, I did have duties to fulfill, and he could have held me to them. I wouldn't have you, either, come to think of it."

Sûl-Maksalin paused, as if he was considering this, and Celeborn was fascinated at the intelligence the noble steed exhibited. Horse and rider seemed to communicate easily with one another, something he had seen only in rare cases, such as with Glorfindel and Asfaloth. He came closer, as close as he dared, listening intently.

"I will miss Lothlorien, that I cannot deny. The library is always so cozy and inviting, the archives are remarkable. I am truly amazed that so much was salvaged from Doriath and it is a blessing it has been kept so well here." She sighed once again. "I will truly miss Lothlorien." Sûl-Maksalin snorted, and the librarian scowled at him, but this was short-lived. "Fine, then. I shall miss the silver trees." She closed her eyes, knowing her horse was mocking her with head thrown and tail swished by the sound. "Yes, I know. Just the one silver tree, then."

Celeborn's jaw dropped when her heard the next word spoken, and he blinked in surprise as the horse seemed to nod his head. Backing slowly away from where he was, Celeborn crept back to his own horse and stood dumbly for a while. He dared not approach now, not after what he had heard. For though he felt it would not be wrong to interrupt her reverie to bring her the book and scrolls and ask her to take them with her to Imladris as well, he was not currently in a state that he could present himself in. `If only I had left my robes on over my shirt and breeches', he thought to himself, cursing as he stood at his mount, temporarily unable to even climb atop his horse.

He began to realize what Galadriel had been talking about earlier that day. It occurred to him as well that she had not discouraged the idea, or she would have insisted another rider take the items and try to catch the messenger librarian. Celeborn fumbled with the lead for his horse, deciding to hide away nearby until the messenger started for Imladris once more. He was not going to give the book and scrolls to her, he decided. He would take them to Imladris on his own, following behind, so that he could meet her there. In her home. Then he would ask for her to show him around, so that he could spend a bit of time with the intriguing messenger, and find out why she spoke the final word she had in the manner he had heard it spoken.

`Well, now, that's just silly', he scolded himself. `You already know every inch of Imladris.' Celeborn settled under a pine, leaving his own horse to graze as he tried to think of another plan. Research. That was it, he could say he was doing research. He had asked to borrow a few items on Gil-Galad, he could easily say he was interested in a more in-depth look at the second age. No matter that he had lived through it, one could always use a bit of a refresher course from time to time.

`So, Celeborn the Wise will play Celeborn the Fool.' He snorted at himself, and his mare looked at him oddly. Celeborn stood and rubbed the horse's forehead in a comforting manner. If only there were something simple, something he truly did not have knowledge of.

Celeborn thought to the song that the messenger had been singing, and smiled immediately. Songs. Poems. His mind was filled with countless facts and endless stories, lore from ages past. But often there were gaps, for the lyrics of the bards did not often interest him. He did not care for the silly lines of the choruses, the `Tra-La-La-Lally's, and anything of that sort. For the first time, however, `Hiddle-Fiddle, Fiddle-Dee Dee' sounded positively charming, and he wished to know from whence it came. It would not be out of place for him to ask Elrond's permission to haunt the library for a few weeks time, and he would undoubtedly run into the messenger while there.

The Lord of Lorien sat himself happily beneath the pine once more, and closed his eyes, hearing his name whispered once more by the melodic voice down by the river.

After a two-day ride, the twins reached a little tarn not far away from where the river Mitheithel began. The brothers dismounted and loosened the wicker baskets from their horse's backs.

"I really don't understand why the ladies are so fond of these flowers," said Elrohir and wrinkled his nose. "They stink!"

"They smell sweet," corrected Elladan.

"They stink!"

"They smell sweet!"

"Say what you wish, but I say they stink!" insisted Elrohir.

"They are beautiful also."

"The ladies?"

"Of course the ladies are beautiful, but the flowers are beautiful as well," said Elladan while shaking his head and giving his brother an unnerved glance.

They took the wicker baskets and went down to the waterside where they stood for a while, counting the white water lilies. The scent of the flowers filled the air.

"You go first."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the older one."

"Doesn't that make me more valuable? I think it sho..."

"Nay, it just makes you older...that's all," interrupted Elrohir.

"But that is not fair! It should be some sort of advantage for me being the older one," Elladan whined.

"It is."

"And what would that be?" asked Elladan with a tone of weariness.

"You go first... just as always...like you did when we were born."

Elladan blushed immediately. "I had nothing to do with that," he pouted. "Something, or someone, had pulled me out by force. I am quite sure about that!"

Elrohir raised his hand. "No excuse!" he said. "We won't start messing up the right order, will we? You go first and I go second!"

"I will try to keep that in mind," Elladan snorted, then took a deep breath. "I am not sure if I really want to do this, brother. I have always disliked the dark water."

"But we must," sighed Elrohir. "Ada commanded us to bring home as many 'Nymphaea albas' as we could find here. The ladies are really fond of them."

"So...for the ladies then?" asked Elladan with a slight sound of desperation in his voice.

"For the ladies...and the ladies only," answered Elrohir solemnly, nodding his head.

Elladan gave his brother a last glance, then he jumped into the muddy tarn, but Elrohir didn't follow him as promised. He stood at the waterside, arms crossed, a broad grin on his lips, and watched Elladan as he crawled through the dark water.

When Elladan perceived that his brother wouldn't follow him to help with gathering the white water lilies, he swore he would get revenge for his brother's furtiveness, and he refused to talk to him for the rest of the day.

A week after the meeting, Forest still hadn't managed to prize any information from either Glorfindel or Erestor. Erestor, she could understand clamming up. But Glorfindel could be a fog-horn whenever he liked. Early one morning, Forest finally decided to try a different tactic to get the goods out of them. All that day, she had followed both of them around at different times, making sure she kept hidden. Eventually, after a large bout of paranoia, Glorfindel finally cracked.

"He what?"

Forest glared at the two Elves across the table, receiving a sigh from Glorfindel.

"Lord Elrond said that he thought it would be a good idea if we were to thank you in our own small way."

"Did he say exactly that?" asked Erestor, looking slightly confused.

Glorfindel shrugged. "Something like that anyway".

Erestor bit his lip. "I must have dozed off...uhm...must have been the...erm...heat...yes, that’s it! The heat!"

In sync, Glorfindel and Forest turned to look out of the open window at the torrential downpour that was currently drowning Imladris.

"Yes, Erestor," Glorfindel said, grinning. "Just you keep telling yourself that!"

Erestor just pouted and laid his hands in his arms.

Meanwhile, back in the woods, Emerilian, otherwise known as Emmi rode her horse through the fading dusk to a very special clearing. Sliding down to the ground, she gracefully walked to where the water gently rippled and let her mare drink. Looking around, she smiled at the many happy times she had spent in these very woods and how many friends she had made since that day.

From across the clearing came a soft song and whisper. As it sent a tingle down her spine, Emmi glanced up to see her very favorite Elf, Rúmil, looking down at her from a branch above.

"You are late, fair lady!" he teased as he jumped to the ground. "Legolas was here earlier but got bored and left."

"Hmm..." Emmi sighed as she looked up into his eyes. "Am I supposed to feel bad about that?" she asked with a grin. "After all, it did leave us here all alone, and you know how very hard that is! What with your brothers, Legolas, and all of the other elder Elves, it's hard to find a moment's calm!" the young lady stated.

"Yes, my lady, but it does not pay to be rude! You will have to be punished for it." Rúmil grinned as he saw the sparkle that came to her eyes at the comment. "But first, how about riding with me for awhile?"

While Emmi waited for the handsome Elf to fetch his horse, Emmi turned her mare, Cherry, loose to wander freely until her return. When Rúmil had returned, he gently helped her mount and they rode through the forest towards the beautiful city of Rivendell.

"So, what ideas do you have for thanking me then?" Forest smirked.

Suddenly, Erestor's head came up and he stared intensely out of the window.

"Who's that?"

Forest and Glorfindel followed Erestor's gaze down to the ground where a horse and two riders were coming into the courtyard.

"Come on!" called Forest, running out to the courtyard. "You two look like you could use a shower!"

Emmi slipped out of the saddle and into the arms of the waiting Elf, who had dismounted before her.

Drenched from head to toe and feeling more than a little cold, she gave her friend a little smile before saying, "A long hot one, preferably!"

Catching sight of the other two Elves standing in the doorway to the dwelling snickering, Emmi rolled her eyes. "You two get your minds out of the ditch! Some of us think about other things, you know!"

Turning back to her friend, Emmi grinned, and Forest said, "I would give you a hug, dear friend, but I somehow doubt you would appreciate it. Now, what is this I hear about some secret meeting? Rúmil refuses to tell me anything."

With this, the party made their way into the warm dwelling and the ladies moved one step closer to finding out the answer to the question at hand.

The group wandered back along the corridors towards the dining hall. Forest looked Emmi and Rúmil up and down, frowning slightly at their unfortunate meeting with Mother Nature. "You two look positively soaked! I tell you what. Why don't you two go to the bathing room on the second floor? I'm sure you could use a wash 'n' brush up!"

"Are you sure?" Rúmil questioned hesitantly.

"Oh, yes. It's usually unoccupied at this time of day, so you'll be fine. Once you've finished in there, you're more than welcome to join us in the dining hall."

Forest looked apologetically at Emmi. "I'd come with you, make you feel welcome and all, but I really have to sort out something with these two." She gestured at the black and golden haired Elves behind her.

Rúmil smiled gratefully. "Thank you, m'lady. I know my way around fairly well, so we will join you in due course."

Forest nodded. "That is well then." She turned back to Glorfindel and Erestor and hauled them back into the dining hall.

"Come on, you two! I think a lesson in manners towards guests is well overdue!"

Nudging Emmi along ahead of him, Rúmil ascended the stairs and hurried to the bathroom. Once there, he firmly closed the door and leaned down to feel the warmth of the water. Finding it hot and steamy, he commented, "Mmm...wonderful. Lord Elrond runs a fine house and has the best staff. I imagine he knew we were coming before anyone else and had this bath set up for us. Would you like to soak first?" he asked, turning toward the slender blond lady.

Although feeling half drowned, Emmi still admired the elegant Elf standing in front of her. Reaching up, she brushed the fair hair away from his face before smiling up at him.

"Well...this chamber is warm, but not as warm as that water. The tub also looks big enough for two. Why waste such a perfect opportunity?" With that, she reached up and pushed the sodden cloak from Rúmil's shoulders and felt the heat radiating from his skin.

"My Lady, although we both know Elves do not feel the cold, I would gladly join you if that is your wish." Rúmil smiled before leaning down to kiss her gently. Clothing fell to the floor and it was sometime later before Emmi had the breath enough to ask about the secret council again.

"What is so funny?" Forest put her goblet down and stared curiously at the two Elves sniggering.

"Nothing, love!" Erestor smirked. Glorfindel leant towards Erestor and whispered something in his ear. Erestor snorted into his salad and dissolved into laughter again.

Sighing, Forest got up from the table, causing both Elves to raise their heads in question.

"Where are you going?" asked Glorfindel with a raised brow.

"I am going to speak with Lord Elrond. He seems to be in an undoubtedly sober state of mind, unlike you two!"

With that, Forest wandered over to where the Lord of Imladris was seated.

Gradually shaking herself out of her contentment, Emmi looked over her shoulder at Rúmil.

"Hmm...do you think we are being missed yet?" she asked sleepily.

Rúmil shook his fair head. “No, my lady. I very well doubt that, as I am sure the Lady Forest is still giving them hell. I really don't think we will be missed until much later."

"Still, I think it is time to join the others," Emmi said regretfully. "After all, it would not do to take advantage of our host's generosity." With a small sigh, Emmi stepped out of the bath and began to dress after drying herself off.

"Besides, I still have not heard about this secret council that you refuse to talk about, and by now, I am sure Forest has found out something!" she said with a mischievous grin.

Rúmil muttered to himself about something that sounded like "interfering ladies", but got himself dressed in record time. Opening the door, he led her down the same stairs they had come up on and toward the dining hall.

"May I speak with you, my Lord?"

Elrond looked up. "Of course. What troubles you?"

"Nay, nothing troubles me, I just wanted to warn you that the bathroom on the second floor is currently occupied by some guests that have just arrived."

"Oh," replied Elrond. "Why was I not informed of their arrival?"

"I must apologize for that, my Lord. You see, they were soaked to the skin and I felt it best they cleaned up before making a public statement of their arrival in Imladris. Hence why I am informing you now, as soon as it was possible to do so."

Elrond nodded. "That is well then. May I inquire as to who our guests are?"

"Emmi and Rúmil," replied Forest.

"In that case," said Elrond, looking up, "you will not have to wait long for their arrival here." He set his goblet down. "I think I shall take my bath now."

With that, Lord Elrond stood, having spotted Emmi and Rúmil enter and came to greet the two guests, wandering over to where they had just come in.

"Welcome to Imladris," he smiled. "I trust your stay will be a pleasant one."

Forest hurried over to her friend. She couldn't help but grin as she saw the flushed faces of Emmi and Rúmil.

"Must have been very steamy in the bathroom today, then!" she smirked.

Chancing a sideward glance, she saw that both Erestor and Glorfindel had promptly dissolved into tears of laughter again.

 After being assured that Forest had seen to the comfort of the newly arrived guests and that both were in good health, Lord Elrond pulled Rúmil to the side.

"Has the lady questioned you?" Seeing Rúmil's nod, Elrond shook his dark head. "What I would like to know is how they found out about the council. I can only imagine it was one of those hobbits! No one respects the fact that secret councils are supposed to be just that! Secret!"

Commiserating with the lord, Rúmil shrugged his shoulders.

"I do not know what has occurred so that they know, but know they do. The only good thign is that they haven't yet figured out exactly what it is we are doing," the fair Elf said.

Wandering over to join Forest where she stood, Emmi conferred quietly with her.

"So, what have you managed to find out?" she whispered, all the while looking over her shoulder at Rúmil and Lord Elrond. "Rúmil is being as closed lipped as a clam!"

Forest smirked at Erestor and Glorfindel then turned back to Emmi.

"Well, these two aren't exactly clams" she whispered, gesturing at Glorfindel and Erestor. "More of, shall we say, loudspeakers!"

"But have you found out anything?" hissed Emmi.

"Oh, yes," replied Forest. "Apparently, the council was discussing those experiments we conducted and have decided to try their hand at Valentine's Day. On us!"

Forest watched as her friend's expression changed from curious to worried in the blink of an eye.

"Oh great! Now we're the guinea pigs! So, what do you think they'll do?"

Forest glanced at the two Elves seated opposite. They had overheard the girls’ whisperings and were now considerably paler than usual. They also kept glancing at Lord Elrond and Rúmil, concerned expressions on their faces. Forest grinned and turned back to Emmi.

"I don't know what they have planned, but I hope whatever those two decide to do, will be satisfactory!" Forest froze as she felt a pair of hands settle on her shoulders. She felt the warmth of someone's breath against her ear and she shivered slightly.

"Indeed it will be, love," whispered Erestor. "Indeed it will be!"

To Be Continued...