Author's Notes: I can't even begin to explain why this chapter is so delayed…so to make a long story short I'll say bad computer, holiday season, schoolwork, school musical, out-of-town visitors, and a history project. (Though I must say, my model of the Coliseum is very impressive, and though I may only be a dancer in our production of 'Oklahoma!' I'm the best darn dancer there! [note: not true. Blatant self-promotion])

THIS CHAPTER'S APPEARANCES: The shy Dimanna (created by Coriandra), the mysterious Aloria (created by AloriaMoonbeam:TheLastFae), and the scholarly Cestra Starlight (created by phoenixqueen)

Characters will most likely be used in multiple chapters, and if your characters wasn't in this chapter they will most likely be in the next. And they will probably be in the next even if they were in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, silly willy! I just obsess over them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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The Aragorn Files: Mystery in Lothlorien

Chapter One: In the House of Eruanna, Part 1

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The house of Eruanna was unlike any other house Aragorn had seen in wondrous Lothlorien. Instead of an enormous house in the very tops of the highest mallorns, Lady Eruanna had a small hut on the ground in a secluded clearing in the woods. This shocked him a bit, but he was okay with it, because a house on the ground meant he didn't have to climb 5,000 steps while trying not to look down.

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The morning after Frodo's attack, I arose and immediately woke Legolas. Did I mention I arose quite early? I had too, you see, because I learned from experience a long time ago that no matter what they say, Elves are NOT morning people. You have to plan on a least a half an hour to get them out of bed, and that's on a good day. And then they spend ages on that hair! Well, I guess when you're immortal time spent getting up and doing your hair doesn't matter. But you think they could speed it up a little when PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE AT STAKE!

Ahem. Sorry about that.

Lucky for me, Legolas understood that we should go with all possible haste to the house of Lady Eruanna, and he only spent forty-five minutes getting up and only half an hour on his hair, though I had to bribe him with cheese danishes to get him to move that quickly. And then I had to deal with Celeborn, but let's not get into that. I'll just say this: do not, ever, under any circumstances, take a cheese danish from a tired and rather grumpy Elf lord. Anyway…

"Aragorn, do you even know where Lady Eruanna is?" asked Legolas in a slightly whiny tone of voice. The two of us were walking deeper into the woods of Lothlorien without any idea exactly where we were supposed to be going.

"No!" I said. "But Haldir does, remember?"

"And do you know where Haldir is?"

I paused. "Uh…"

Legolas sighed. "This is going to be a long day, isn't it? I can tell already…"

"You know, he was probably already waiting for us but since you took so long on your darn hair, he probably thought we forgot about him," I said.

"Sure, blame it on the Elf. At least I care about my hair, unlike *some* people."

"You know, you don't have to help me save Frodo…"

"You talk like it is a privilege to be working with you!"

"It is!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not-"

"ENOUGH!" a loud voice screamed. "I can't take this foolish bickering anymore!"

Legolas and I turned toward the directions of the voice. "Haldir!" I cried. I ran over to him, Legolas at my heels. "Finally! What took so long?"

"I had to do my hair," said Haldir, as if this were obvious. Legolas looked at me with an annoying smirk on his face.

"Whatever," I said. "Let's go."

Haldir led us swiftly to the house of Lady Eruanna, a small hut on the ground. "That's it?" asked Legolas. "That's where the greatest healer in all of Lothlorien lives?"

"Do not be deceived," said Haldir. "Her dwelling is in sharp contrast to her powers of healing. She is quite skilled in all areas of medicine and healing. I am sure you will be impressed."

"We'll see," murmured Legolas. "We'll see…"

Haldir bade us farewell and said he would return at lunchtime. Then Legolas and I walked cautiously towards the small hut… (okay, go with me here, I'm trying my hardest to make this sound thrilling, mysterious, etc.) I knocked on the door and…

…

…

…

No one answered. I knocked again and…

…

…

…

"May I help you, sirs?" said voice behind the door.

"Yes, I am Aragorn, and I have come to see Mister Frodo Baggins," I responded. "I was told he would be in the keeping of the Lady Eruanna…"

"Oh! You are Aragorn!" cried the girl, and flung the door open. "I am Cestra, one of Eruanna's assistants. Come in, come in!" She flattened herself against the frame of the door and Legolas and I went in. She followed behind us and shut the door. "Have a seat! You must be tired, it's quite early, isn't it? I'll brew up some tea…" She bustled around the room, which seemed to be part kitchen part sitting room. Legolas and I settled ourselves in stiff green armchairs. It was quite dark inside the hut, and there was no sign of Frodo.

"Excuse me, Lady," said Legolas as Cestra handed him a cup of steaming tea, "This is quite kind of you, but Aragorn and I need to see Frodo and Eruanna as soon as possible. Could you kindly tell us where she is?"

Cestra settled into a green armchair across from us. "I'm afraid that's not possible," she said simply.

"Why not?" I asked. "We need to talk to her!"

"Oh, yes, you can *talk* to her," said Cestra. "But it's quite impossible for you to *see* her."

"Why?" I asked, outraged.

"The Lady does not let anyone see her," said someone sitting in the corner. Legolas and I hadn't even noticed her. "Not even her assistants are allowed to see her."

"Why not?" I asked again. "And who are you?"

"In response to your second question, I am Aloria Moonbeam, another assistant of Lady Eruanna. And in response to your first question, I don't think visitors to this land and to this house should be so nosy."

Ouch. "You'd be nosy too if one of your friends was in the keeping of…of…the invisible Elf maiden!" I responded.

I expected her to backtalk, but instead she just shook her head, picked up a red velvet covered book , and continued to read.

"Alright, so we can't see Eruanna," I said. "May we at least be permitted to see Frodo? We're quite concerned about him."

"I'll ask," said Cestra, and she disappeared behind a curtain in the back of the room. After a few minutes she returned. "You are permitted to speak with Mister Baggins," she said.

"Good." Legolas and I got up and Cestra held the curtain open for us. We walked slowly into a room that was even darker than the one we had just left.

"I can't see anything!" I cried, now beginning to really get frustrated. "Where's Frodo?"

"He's over here," said Legolas. I slowly began to walk towards the sound of his voice. "You're almost here…keep going…"

Suddenly I felt someone grab my arm. I screamed. "Who's there?" I asked.

"My name is Dimanna," said a female voice. "I'm an assistant of Lady Eruanna."

"Another one?" I murmured. "How many of you are there?"

"Only three," she answered. "Aloria, Cestra, and myself. I'm sorry if I startled you, sir, but you were about to walk into a table."

"Legolas! Why didn't you tell me there was a table there?"

"I, uh, I didn't see it…"

I heard Dimanna laugh. "It is quite dark in here, isn't it?" she said. "I'll open the curtains." As the light poured into the room, I saw Frodo lying on a bed, terribly pale. Legolas was standing next to him. Dimanna stood next to an open window. She was…stunning. Certainly not as beautiful or stunning as my Arwen, but still quite fair. She had golden hair that reminded me of Galadriel's and deep blue eye's that reminded me of Legolas's but NOT IN THAT WAY!

"How's Frodo doing?" I asked.

"Oh, he's doing good- as good as be can be expected," said Dimanna with a smile. "I'm sure he'll recover quickly."

"It is true that Hobbits are made of stern stuff," I said. "Remember in Moria, Legolas? Remember the spear?"

"Yes, of course, I remember," said Legolas. "And even though Hobbits are rather strong- or at least Frodo is- he wouldn't have survived that attack were it not for the Mithril-"

The word caught in his throat.

"The Mithril shirt," I whispered quietly. I looked at Legolas, and I could tell that we were both thinking the exact same thing.

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A/N: This chapter is dedicated to shirebound, who is so sharp she can detect even the smallest of plotholes I was hoping no one would notice.