[Mithalwen]

Elin smiled as she covered her daughter's sleeping form with one of the soft wool blankets. It wasn't that she loved Annie more when she was asleep, just that when she was awake she tended to keep her mother too busy to fully appreciate her. She smoothed a tendril of hair way from the dear little face and made sure that Isildur's ear wasn't trapped under the blanket - something he hated according to Angharad.

The toy rabbit was a poor thing really, Elin thought. She had worked it from a remnant of cloak felt to occupy her hands and distract her mind in the last fretful days before Annie's birth, when all was ready save the child herself. She had made other toys later with a more practised and less anxious hand but none had ever given the rabbit much competition for Annie's affections. And it was just as well that the child wasn't attached to many possessions given that they were travelling increasingly light. Some things had been lost when they abandoned Ithilien and most of her remaining possessions had gone back to Dol Amroth without her, while her cabin trunk was safe with the elves at Mithlond. Now they were down to a couple of bags one of which was just little satchel containing Annie's treasures.

She was tempted to stay in the little room, it was so cozy and comforting but Elin felt she should go and apologise to the hobbit who had spilt his beer. She was sure he must have noticed Annie and herself fail to muffle their giggles. Elin unbuckled her travelling bag and extracted her knitting - a half finished sock for Annie in bright blue wool and after a last check that Annie was still asleep she made her way back to the common room. With a bit of luck once she had made amends she would find a seat within earshot of the guest wing.