[Author's Note: So I decided that from now on I'm going to put link to music that helps me into mood as I write every chapter. Feel free to listen to them as you read on. Let me know what you think! Happy Reading]

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The brunette treaded along the forest floor, her soft hazel eyes scanning the surrounding area lazily for anything edible that grew at the outskirt of the realm of Imladris. Her mind was floating aimlessly. She was daydreaming of mama's homemade soup and was even tempted to whistle, but somewhere behind her consciousness she heard her old mentor telling her not to attract danger while being in an open space.

No matter how much the heart telling her that she's safe, her trained mindset was never really at ease. But still, that doesn't change the fact that she was very happy with her life now.

Wanda took one of the few wild berries that she gathered in her basket, gently cleaning it before popping some into her mouth. Her fingers and thumbs were adorned with several rings-too many to be acceptable in this world. But if she loses everything else-not that she was complaining- to hell with it, she was definitely keeping the rings.

"If you keep on munching, you'll end up coming home with nothing no matter how many fruits you collect at the forest," said a smooth male voice tainted with so much mischief and hidden agendas.

She used to get jumpy when Ro or Dan popped up behind her like that. After all, elves don't make any sounds when they walk. It was unsettling, but after living with their race for years now, she finally get used to it.

"Mind your own business," she said flatly, but the handsome elf noted the playfulness on her tone. She continued, "Which one are you anyway?"

Even without looking, Wanda could feel him smirking next to her.

"Still don't know how to differentiate both of us, do you? Do not fret, many people still can't. Even my own grumpy adar," muttered the elf rather smugly.

Wanda didn't bother slowing down nor turning to see him, but rather held out her hand, filled with a few berries in it. "How about a bribe?"

"I am a noble warrior," snorted Elrohir, "I don't do bribes," he declared while taking the berries from her hand and popping them into his mouth.

Wanda couldn't help but cracked a smile this time and looked at him. "You're full of shit, Ro," she commented lightly with that slight Russian dialect accenting her soft, smooth voice.

He didn't know if Wanda was just guessing or if she started to learn to differentiate him and his identical brother; but it seemed that the later was right.

"By merlin's beard, woman!" exclaimed Elrohir, surprised but not any less delighted, "You kiss your mama with that mouth? Where did you learn such filthy and unbecoming words for a lady?"

"My brother."

Elrohir looked at the pretty brunette, slightly surprised.

"You never talked about him before," said Ro, mischief absent in his pleasant voice.

"You never asked."

"Where is he?"

Wanda began to contemplate whether opening up a part of her was a bad move, but after the friendship that he extended to her, she reckoned he deserved to know it. "He's in a better place," she said with a wistful smile, "Probably somewhere he can run forever."

Elrohir put a hand on Wanda's shoulder, effectively stopping her in track. They locked eyes, and Wanda's smile grew as he saw Elrohir's confused, narrowed eyes. It used to bother her staring at such an inhumanly handsome elf, but now she could at least keep the eye contact long enough for a normal human being.

Elrohir, on the other hand, kept staring at her; weighing her words down. It was the first time that she even talked about her family. But then she also made it sounds like her brother was a passed away puppy.

"Are you pulling my leg, mellon?"

Wanda knew exactly what thought was going on under that perfect, beautiful raven hair of his. "No," she replied, but there was still a secretive smile etched across her face.

Elrohir still couldn't make up his mind whether she was telling the truth or simply was fooling around with him. Afterall, she was unlike anyone he ever met. It was hard to read her-one of the reason why he and his twin brother got along with Wanda. She could endure the twins' prank and mischief, and she kept him guessing.

"My brother loved to run," she finally gave in, prying her eyes away from the elf and continued walking. "I think, if the afterlife exist, if it is even a happy place..." There was a slight change in her voice, a little bit of grief that Elrohir caught slipping past her usually flat but mellow voice as she bent down to pick a few mushrooms near one giant tree, "I think my brother would go there. He would run and run and run and never gets tired."

The smugness and mischief that usually etched across his face had been drained to a look of genuine sympathy for her. "My deepest condolence, Wanda. You must loved him very much."

Wanda shrugged. "Probably as much as you love Dan. We were inseparable. We spoke the same language and we finished each other's sentences."

Their eyes met before Wanda uncomfortably darted her eyes away from his cool grey eyes.

"Valar. You and your brother were twins," concluded Elrohir, reading between the lines.

Wanda didn't mean to tell him that much, but she guessed that being a twin himself, Elrohir would be able to understand her feelings about her own twin brother in a wholly different level. She nodded. "I guess now you know how I could stand both of you."

Elrohir let out a small chuckle, but a look of sympathy still etched across the graceful plane of his face. Wanda gazed at him, seeing the kind expression on his face. Ro might be the most pain in the ass sometimes, even more than Dan, but he was also the most open, the kindest.

Wanda placed a hand on his bicep, feeling the hardness beneath the exquisite material of his tunic. She gazed deep into his eyes. "Do yourself a favor," her voice quivered a little as she looked at him, "When you find yourself in a battle, don't you take your eyes off of Elladan. Not even once," she warned with emotion cracked at her accented voice, "Because if you lose him, you'll lose a part of yourself that you can never recover."

With that, she resumed walking, leaving the stunned Elrohir a few steps behind her. Wanda took a silent, deep breath, wondering if she had delved into her past too much. Ro didn't need to know that much about her; but she knew how it felt to lose her own twin brother. To have that kind of bond severed-she simply didn't want Ro to feel what she felt.

"I never told you Dan's full name before."

That statement drew Wanda out of her mellow reverie. She paused her walk as Ro caught up to her. He watched her with a certain wariness. Silence befell them before Ro decided to voice his question.

"...Do you..."

"Yes," answered Wanda, answering Ro's unfinished question. "I figured it out for two years now."

"Just so we're clear, what exactly did you figure out?" tested Ro sneakily, drawing a smirk from Wanda.

"You said you and your brother are training to become patrol guards for Rivendell, yet you two dressed like a noble." At this, Ro glanced to himself; feeling suddenly conscious with what he wore. "You might go your way wearing the simplest clothing around me, yet they're still made up of some real exquisite material-material that worth more than all my wardrobe combined."

"That doesn't prove any-"

"You two might be pranksters, but you carry yourself with confidence-"

He smirked. "It's hard to resist my charm-" he winked, causing Wanda to pressed her lips together to contain her amusement.

"I'm talking about how you can handle yourselves. How you are always trained to study your environment. You're not a trainee. You're a seasoned warrior."

Elrohir stared at her with wide, cool grey eyes, dumbfounded. How'd she managed to get all that from just how he looked?

"I found out that the lord of Rivendell has two sons named Elladan and Elrohir. I'm guessing the long version of Dan and Ro."

"You knew this for two years now?" he gazed at her with wonder.

"Yes," Wanda said rather smugly, popping one berry into her mouth.

"You're not mad that Elladan and I lied to you for all these years?"

She shook her head. "No. I understand. You're born a noble elf. I am an immigrant human girl," she stated, subconsciously lowering her head a little in shame, "I'm sure you're not even allowed to spend time with someone like me. But I appreciate your friendship, so I play along."

An ice froze his heart at hearing the weight in her words. "Wanda... it's not like that. Do you think I lied to you about who I am because-?" Wanda cut him as he looked at her in disbelief, sadness swam heavily in his liquid grey eyes.

"It's okay. I'm not mad. This is just how the world works," she shrugged it off, trying to make Ro feel less guilty.

The elf grabbed her arm. His grip was firm yet gentle at the same time. "That's not why I hid myself and told Dan to do the same too," he told her dreadfully, "I thought I was doing it for your sake. But, oh Valar, I let you feel otherwise for two years?"

Wanda didn't answer and rather more interested in staring at the lovely silver buttons of his soft blue riding tunic. Her eyes wondered to a little bit of alabaster skin of his chest that peeked from the top of his unbuttoned shirt near his neck. She blushed.

He took her chin with his thumb and index finger, tipping her head up. Wanda could see the sincerity and sadness in his cool grey eyes. She began to feel uncomfortable for making Ro seemed so guilty. And she shouldn't think that Ro has such beautiful eyes now, should she?

"I am not ashamed of you, Wanda."

"It's alright, I promise."

"Stop," murmured Elrohir, this time pulling her closer to him by her waist to silence her. Silence fell between them. "The first time I met you, you were so closed off. I told Dan and myself that we shouldn't scare you off because you seem shy, and that we should tell you once you're comfortable around us. But by then I keep on postponing that plan because I fear you would hate me of you find out I've been lying to you."

"I already hate you. Both of you are pain in my ass," said Wanda with a pretty, playful smile in her lips. How could she ever hate him? So pure, so kind, so funny...

For a while Elrohir couldn't help but stare at her beautiful lips, wondering how it would feel if he could just somehow taste her. At this point he could just lean down a bit and tip her head up a little more...

Neither of them dared to breathe. But eventually Wanda did, but it felt as if she forgot how to breathe properly. Elrohir gazed at her, eyes memorizing every curve of her face. Wanda relished the feeling of his slightly calloused archer hand on her cheek. His strong hands moved down and stopped at her neck.

"Do you really hate me?" he asked softly.

This went against all her common sense. Having someone holding her by her neck was the stupidest thing she could ever let anyone do. But she couldn't resist the fact that she trusted him, or the fact that his touch was gentle and mindful; she felt safe around him.

To answer him, Wanda only smiled a little bashfully.

Being much taller than the petite woman, Elrohir tipped her chin up some more with his thumb. He leaned down and captured her lips in a soft kiss.

It was magical, and the moment their lips touch, sparks fly between them-at least for Wanda. Both of them began to move together, finding their rhythm.

Her lips was just as he imagined: sweet and gentle, just like she was. He kissed her like he meant it, just like the way he had been daydreaming about.

"Don't," whisper Wanda as their lips parted. Her eyes still closed, but she could feel his lips hovering just above her.

"Don't what?" asked Elrohir, dread started to rise in his chest.

"Don't give me hope," she opened her mesmerizing hazel eyes-an autumn meadow he could get lost into- "Don't kiss me like that if you don't intend on keeping me."

Keeping her. Like she was one of the fancy objects in his father's house that he liked for now, only to throw away when he's bored with it later. Elrohir couldn't believe the message she was sending him between those lines. He studied her, feeling as if his heart was sliced open as he witnessed the dizzying mixture of emotions in those hazel eyes.

He still didn't know anything of her past. It was a mystery to him and Dan, and she refused to speak of it. Now he knew why: she was hurt before. To what extend, he didn't know, but he could see it as clearly as the day in her eyes.

"I can never hurt you," he vowed, gently caressing her cheek, "I will never."

She studied him, his expression silently begging her to believe him.

"Say something," he persuaded her softly.

"This better be not a prank," she mumbled rather accusingly. Elrohir had the decency to feign being somewhat offended.

"You make me sound like a moron that is unable to control himself."

The side of Wanda's mouth turned up into a smile. "Fine then," she smiled, peeking at him through her long lashes, "You may proceed."

The insides of Elrohir's stomach made a turn at hearing her low voice. He never heard her used that kind of tone before-he felt as if he was bewitched.

"Thank-thank you," he replied lamely, his wit had left him and he could do nothing but hide his nerves behind a grin.

Elrohir was always well spoken with his speech. That was her first time hearing him stutter. A soft giggle escaped Wanda, one that made his heart sing. This time both of them held on to each other tighter, the fruit basket fell carelessly near their feet as they kissed again.

Eventually, Elrohir was right. Wanda came home that day with almost nothing in her fruit basket. Etheriel, the ellith who practically adopted her into the family- her mama- knew that something was different about Wanda that day she came home.

She smiled more often, her gaze didn't seem as empty as it used to be. Wanda had come a long way since the first time she found her. She seemed happier. But now... she was glowing.

Etheriel might be just a lowly seamstress, not that educated, but as the mother of the family she knows when one of her girls was infatuated with someone-and being the nosy elf that she was, she intended to find out who Wanda's secret lover was.

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[Author's Note: Making a new fanfic while I still have two unfinished fanfic is bad idea. But then again I have to do this or else I'll go crazy. I still don't know where this fanfic is going to go, and if I'm stuck I might turn this into a bunch of one shots. What do you think of the chapter? Btw: Thanks you so much for reading!]