[ElentariGreenleaf]

"Tell me, Elentari," said Aman. "How is it you have returned now, after so many years?"

"Patience, Aman. You did not tell my good friend here much about me. As you know, Finduilas, I am an elf. I have long blonde hair and green eyes. For most of the time I wear a green dress, the shade of green that colours the leaves of Eryn Lasgalen, if you ever saw them, and a golden necklace with my named engraved upon it in runes. With me I carry a staff and a sword, named Star, and my mount is a white mare named Moon. There is little else to tell.

"I have been on many adventures in my time, but now the evil of these lands has been cleansed; my home forest has been renamed from Mirkwood to Eryn Lasgalen, the Wood of Green Leaves. I once protected the forest, in its darker days. After I returned from one of my adventures, one to Cirith Ungol, I was given the title Spyder Slayer, a title once owned by the brace Maia named Arawil. However, now that the forest is free from its infestation of Spiders, I have no reason to be there. I left the Wood of Green Leaves and travelled south, to the fair wood of Lothlorien. Few elves remain there, so I did not stay long. An interesting idea formed in my head – to fellow the path that Aragorn had taken years before, during the war of the ring. The elves of the Fair Wood gave me a boat so that I could travel down the Anduin. Once I got past the trees, I could see for miles across the plains of the Riddermark, Rohan the land of the Horse-lords. While I was looking out across the plains, a strong wave that I had not anticipated capsized my boat." The elf laughed, remembering how cold the water ha been, for she had travelled in winter, as the Fellowship had.

"I had to continue for a while on foot, but by the time I reached Fangorn I had sent a message to the Wood of Green Leaves attached to the foot of a swift swan, for they are my favourite of the birds. The message asked for my horse Moon to be sent to Edoras. On my way to Edoras I visited Helm’s Deep, not wishing to follow the King’s path exactly, for he went to Edoras first. I did not see any point in travelling to Edoras twice. Helm’s Deep is the largest structure I had seen that has been made by mortal folk. It is impressive, but not as it once was. The scars of battle still show on its walls.

"Edoras is a beautiful place, with the Snowbourn running from it to the Anduin. I headed straight for the stables, for a magnificent horse like Moon would not have been allowed to run free. The Horse-lords would have cared for her, wanting to keep her for themselves, but knowing they couldn’t. They ha cared for her well, and I thanked them with both words and money. I explored Edoras thoroughly, but I was intrigued by the Golden Hall, so I spent most of my stay near to it. My stay was longer here than in Lothlorien, for the mortal race fascinate me. Little time have I spent with them, yet when I have it has been in times of danger, when you find out what they can really do. I have seen mortals pass into the realm of the dead before my very eyes, and it grieved my every time to see it happen. Their lives are so sort, so they could never see the things elves see; never see how the world changes." Elentari stopped. Her words were upsetting Finduilas, and the elf cursed herself for not stopping earlier.

"Forgive me," she said to the mortal. "I should not have talked so long of sight or of death. But, even though your sight has left you, you can learn to she the world in other ways."

"What do you mean?" asked Finduilas.

"Elentari," said Aman, "do you mean through other senses?"

"Yes." Elentari looked out of the window for a moment, then at Finduilas' name traced in the dust. "Using your sense of touch, you managed to trace your name in the dust on this windowsill. You pick up your staff after you have put it down by fining it with your hands. Your sense of touch helped you find this table. Through that sense you can build up a picture in your mind of where things are and what they are like. The same goes for hearing. If I were to move to another place in the room an talk, you would know where I stood."

Finduilas smiled a large smile.