Until the Stars are All Alight by Dagstjarna  

Chapter 3- Parties Expected and Unexpected

Arwen had been born under the first full moon in Autumn. Elrond had been born on the first new moon of Autumn on the Autumn equinox- the very same evening, ten years later, that Earendil first bore the Silmaril up in Vingilot. Celebrian’s birthday fell five weeks later on the waning gibbous moon. Arwen loved her birthday, being nestled between her parents’ as it was, and every year they threw a big joint party on Arwen’s day to celebrate all three. That night they had music and dancing, playing harps and drums and singing themselves all hoarse. Sweet wine flashed in the firelight as it poured from silver flagons. They played charades and crackers and very fast dice games that ended in fits of laughter every round. And songs, mountain songs, night songs, cold songs, and snow songs for the end of the Summer, floated up with the woodsmoke to be caught up on the wandering wind. It had been a long time since Celebrían went West, but a melancholy had hung over them all ever since, and it was fair and free to see it lift for an evening beneath the gold burning stars. 

The next day everyone was nursing a hangover. Arwen and the twins were sitting in the garden outside Elrond’s room drinking tea and having buttery bread in the sunshine. Elladan groaned, laying on the ground. 

“I am so sore from dancing,” said he. 

“My head might as well split in two,” Elrohir mumbled into his cup. Elladan sat up to dig his fingers into Elrohir’s scalp to relieve his headache. 

“Oh me next,” Arwen pleaded. 

They had all woken up in the big garden where the party was held around a bonfire, now merely cinders, still in their party clothes, everything beaded with silver dew. Then the whole household bathed in the river, which of course was very cold at the start of October, puffing and laughing and squealing. Then they all sprinted back naked to the house to get warm with hot drinks. Arwen smoothed the folds in her soft, clean dress, pulling a blanket about her shoulders. 

A few Dunadain children skipped across the garden on business of their own. Away out of sight, she heard Glorfindel singing, probably sitting up on the roof watching the morning as he often did. 

“Good morning brighteye, chaser of mists 

Flinging off the gloom and catching her wrists, 

Tossing her up in a dance and a spin 

Like the foam and the sea, she asks for a kiss!” 

   Then Arwen heard the call of a hawk, keening away in the pines, and looked for it. She saw the silver fleck of it in flight far away, and a bird-shaped shadow gliding across the sheer face of a cliff. Her eye was drawn down to the switchback road into the valley, and there she spotted a handful of horses sauntering down in a row. She shadowed her eyes from the sun with her hand and- “Look, it’s Bilbo!” She cried excitedly. 

“What a nice surprise! I wonder if he knew it was your birthday,” The twins said, sitting up to look. 

“If he did, he’s a day too late!” Arwen laughed, already thinking how she might tease him for it. “He better have brought me a gift!” 

“It looks like he’s brought us something, but it’s elves,” Said Elrohir. “And I don’t recognize them at all.” 

     There were three elves steering their horses in the wake of Bilbo’s pony. Arwen did not recognize them either, but she thought they all looked alike, even at a distance. Right behind Bilbo was a gray horse, its rider dressed all in garnet and green, with gold beads in her hair and cuffs stacked on her ankles. Bringing up the rear on a tall brown horse rode an elf plainly dressed but for a silver necklace and ear hoops, her bare feet crisscrossed on the saddle rather than in the stirrups, armed with a bow and arrow as the rear rider often is. The rider in the center of the party had a long tumble of bluish black hair on a gold horse, her pink dress fluttering in the wind as she looked out across the valley. She turned her head and seemed to look right into Arwen’s gaze. 

They heard a scuffle inside, and Elrond suddenly came scampering out onto the balcony a moment later, hurrying right past them to the railing. 

A huge beaming smile spread across her face. 

“CELEBRIMBOR!” She called, waving. 

One of the elves’ heads jerked up, the one behind Bilbo with the gray stead. She smiled just as much, and cupped her hands around her mouth.

“ELROND!” 

For a moment they almost feared Elrond might jump right off the balcony, but she turned on her heel and sprinted back inside. Arwen and the twins followed after.