Coming Home

"How about this one, darling?"

Galadriel dangled a yellow ribbon before her little daughter's face, smiling as Celebrian snatched at it with both hands.

"Ribbon! Ribbon!"

"This one, then," she laughed, tying it deftly about the slender braid twirling down the side of her daughter's face. "Now turn and face me! I wish to see my lovely daughter."

Celebrian jumped to her feet and spun around, giggling in delight as her dress swirled about her legs. Galadriel laughed as well, steadying her carefully and looking her up and down with pursed lips. Celebrian stood still, watching her mother with a worried expression in her blue eyes, but her face broke into a happy smile as Galadriel nodded contentedly.

"I am sure your ada will not recognise you when he returns, you have grown so!" she exclaimed. "I will have to watch you carefully, in case you are swept away by crowds of admiring ellyn, hmm?"

Celebrian giggled, hugging her mother's knee as she jumped up and down. "I am not leaving you and ada ever. You will need me!"

"So we will," Galadriel agreed with a smile, but it widened as she heard footsteps outside the door. "Is that your ada now, darling?"

Celebrian scampered for the door, her ribbons forgotten as she tottered precariously on tiptoe to reach the knob. It turned before her groping fingers could grasp it, though, and the door swung inwards and almost knocked her over. Galadriel's involuntary gasp was lost in her daughter's scream of delight as she beamed up at the intruder.

"Ada! Ada!"

It was Celeborn, but to Galadriel's eyes he had never looked more completely spent than he did now. It was all he could do to manage a smile for his wife before his attention was torn away by the dancing elfling clutching at his knees.

"Who in Arda can this be?" he asked in wonderment, crouching stiffly so he could meet his daughter's eyes. He glanced back up at Galadriel. "You did not tell me so lovely an elleth would be staying with us, my angel!"

"Ada! Do not be an..." Celebrian paused as she searched her memory for the word her mother had taught her that evening. "... ill-illit-erate...?"

Celeborn's eyebrow flew up before he recovered and returned it to its normal position above his eye, but he did not say a word. Celebrían's eyes widened and threatened to overflow, her plump lips trembling ominously. "You... you do know who I am? I am not too old, Ada?"

"Of course I know who you are, sweetheart," Celeborn assured her, pulling her into his arms for a hug. Celebrian gave an exaggerated sigh of relief before she surrounded her father's neck in a strangling grip, almost knocking him backwards.

"Val... ar..." Celeborn gasped, loosening her arms with an effort and regaining his balance at the same time. Galadriel smiled as Celebrian stepped away from him, but her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She had not missed the flash of pain that crossed her husband's features, and one would have to be blind not to notice his exhaustion.

Hiding her concern, she crossed the floor swiftly and leaned down to help Celeborn up. He met her questioning gaze with a grimace, and nodded warningly towards their daughter. Celebrian now sat on the floor digging in his pack, handling his daggers with supreme interest.

"Nana!" She let out a howl of delight. "Knives!"

Galadriel was already on her knees, carefully setting the daggers on the table well out of Celebrían's reach. Celebrian scowled, but her interest was soon peaked by the quiver of arrows that lay beside the pack. Celeborn sighed, leaning down to pull that, too, from his daughter's hands.