"Golden rose, do not despair. For not all things are as lost as they may seem."

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Glorfindel lifted his head slowly, and the bright aura that encased her entirety finally gave way to reveal her beauty.
"My lady," He bowed his head once more in obeisance, haphazardly wiping the tears from his eyes. "We were not expecting your arrival so soon."
"Haste is required in such times as these." She replied gently, leaning down to stroke away a stray tear that fell from his eyes.
"Desperate times..." His voice drifted as he lowered his eyes once more. "I did not sense your presence within the palace."
"I do not come alone." Galadriel smiled in reply, placing a hand under his arm to pull him to his feet with effortless grace. Hurried footsteps could then be heard from within the hall, and without as much as a knock, Celebrian entered, shortly followed by her husband who was a little more dignified with his admittance.
Glorfindel looked to them surprised before Galadriel turned to face her equally astonished daughter.
"You did well, my daughter, to help them shield this from us for so long." Her voice lost its sweetness and was rather plain, almost disappointed. It was Lord Elrond's turn now to look to his wife, bewildered.
"Tell me you did no such thing!" Elrond held Celebrian out before him, searching her eyes for the truth he already knew.
"I did..." She admitted with a meek voice, her eyes downcast guiltily.
"Why would you pull the wool over our eyes?" He demanded of her.
"Because I thought that they would have the wisdom to fix this situation themselves, especially after I confronted them. And, I did not want there to be any conflict... of any sort." She replied truthfully. "Alas, even I underestimated how deep and tangled their relationship had become. Forgive me, melamin, I did not mean to betray you; any of you." She then looked at the others with remorse.
"Where is the Elvenking, Glorfindel?" Elrond asked, his scowl deepening. "For I would very much like to share words with him."
"He is not here," Galadriel replied for the golden-haired warrior, as she turned to look out the window, its sill caked in a thick blanket of snow.
Elrond looked back at Glorfindel who nodded in confirmation. "He disappeared a few days past, hiril vuin. I was told he was armed by those who witnessed him leaving, but for what purpose I do not know. Nor do I know where he has gone."
"And Legolas?"
"He, naturally, has gone in search of her," Celebrian answered then, her previous feelings of the prince having softened over the passing of days; she knew he was not to blame.
"Only Illúuvatar himself can know the anguish in the prince's heart. He blames himself for what has happened, and shamefully, I had blamed him too."
Elrond's gaze upon his wife deepened in sorrow, for now, the anger that had gripped him began to dissipate into despair.
"A dagger to the heart would not compare to the pain that ravages him..." Glorfindel's voice drifted.
"A dagger that is sheathed in us all," Elrond added. "We must find my daughter, I feel her essence slipping further and further from us."
"Not all is as lost as they may seem..." Galadriel repeated her earlier words, her gaze still focussed on something unseen out the window.
"Naneth, what is it you know? What is it you have seen?" Celebrian pleaded desperately.
"She will not allow us to find her."
Her mother's words hit her as hard as a hammer to an anvil, and Celebrian let out a long, bellowing wail. Elrond took her into his arms in an attempt to comfort her, but she was inconsolable.
"The water flows fast and hard, the ice is like a thousand knives, and yet I can no longer feel... The stars are fading into a deep abyss, and yet they are what burns in my heart..." Galadriel continued, looking to her daughter, the shimmer in her crystalline eyes ebbing away.
"My lady!" Glorfindel rushed to catch her before she hit the marble under their feet.
The lady of Lothlorien felt as if all her energy had seeped away by some deep, undiscovered chasm. "The children..." She breathed, as she stared up into Glorfindel's anxious eyes. "They..." But she could not continue, and she groaned as her body became tired and almost listless. Rushing to her side, her daughter brought her a chalice of water and raised it to her lips. After Galadriel had composed herself, she thanked her daughter and turned once more to the ellyn. "My lords, go out and help the prince search for her, even if it is only to help ease his heart with false hope for but a time. False hope will lessen the blow of the truth he cannot bear to hear so soon."
Elrond drew in a breath and with it the sob that had threatened to escape him. "Does she still live?" His voice was low and agonised.
"That, my dear, I am unable to tell."

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The frigid gale bit harshly at their faces, as they trudged begrudgingly through the thick snow blanketed wilderness. Yet, they could not falter for the Woodland prince and his party relied on their supplies and most importantly, their support.
Glorfindel peered out through the squalling winds from his position on the high stone outcrop, his golden locks whipping wildly about his austere features. He felt no cold, nor numbness in his bones from the weather, for is burning spirit was resolute and determined. Despite the blizzard that threatened now to engulf them, he spotted several small figures in the far distance, trailing the course of the Anduin river.
"Down there, along the shoreline." He called out to his comrades that were struggling forward behind him, and Elrond gave a signal that he had heard through the screaming winds.
It took at least another two hours for them to finally reach the enervated group. Through the unrelenting snows and the jutting rocks of the gully, there had been no way to signal them to wait; it would have been perilous to have had them stop in such weather.
Legolas had found a wide grotto cut into the gorge by the elements of time, and some of his comrades were haphazardly trying to start a fire with driftwood they had found within. Yet, their senses had become so numbed, they fumbled with their flints and had not even noticed their superiors entering with much-needed necessities.

"Your Highness, Prince Legolas?" Glorfindel called out in his usual cheery tone, causing the group before him to spin collectively. Glorfindel's presence was an instant ray of warmth in the dark, decrepit crave.
"Glorfindel?" Legolas rubbed his stinging eyes, pained by the sharp snows and tears that had stung at them for days.
"It is I." The golden-haired ellon confirmed with a feigned hubris. "I have brought with me much needed supplies and hands to aid you during this perilous time." He placed a reassuring hand upon Legolas' arm, and the prince reciprocated the gesture in kind. Behind the shoulder of his towering superior, he saw one whom he had now dreaded to meet.
"L...lord Elrond..." His voice shook as he took a step back from the Golden Haired Warrior.
Elrond looked upon him, his austere demeanor shrouding the despair within his heart.
"Hîr vuin... I am so sorry... all of this is my fault... if only I had just been kinder to her... she's gone..." Those final words broke him as he fell to his knees before her father, and wept relentlessly as he slumped down.
"I do not blame you, Legolas." Elrond bent down and placed a gentle hand upon the prince's head. "There is a darkness that has seeped into this forest and tainted the hearts of many..." His voice was flat as he spoke, as thoughts of the prince's father came to mind. Nevertheless, he kept himself calm as he continued, "I know how much you loved her. I cannot begin to imagine what this catastrophe has made you feel. Regardless of what you choose to do from now on, I will stay by your side."
Legolas looked up to him with a heart further pained. "Like my own father should be doing so..."
"The cloud has fogged many and threatens to suffocate more. It is blinding us, Legolas. Even those as ancient as we are, are struggling to evade its immeasurable grasp."
Legolas' gaze turned to one of concern, for he understood there was a deeper meaning to his superior's words. "Hîr vuin?"
"She is still my daughter. I must still try, even if all is futile."
"I will not give up until she is revealed to me, even if it takes till the end of days." Legolas returned.
Elrond put a strong hand of appreciation on the prince's shoulder. "Let us hope that it does not come to that."