She saw him from afar already. Suddenly the heavy rain did not matter anymore. Rochlim started to gallop without any further command. "Ada!" she yelled from the top of her lungs. "Plinnlim!" he answered even louder, and then they reached each other and got off their horses. First they just stood there in the rain, looking at each other. And then her father hugged her. He held Plinnlim as if he would never let her go again.
"I had started to think that you wanted us to leave without seeing you again."
"You came looking for me?"
"Yes I did. But it seems you anticipated me." They laughed and Plinnlim turned to look down at the valley. Home.
"Ada! I am so happy to see you again! You can't imagine!"
When they walked down to Imladris through the rain, leading their horses on the bridles, her father put his arm around her and listened to her agitated talking. When she was telling about how she was almost lost forever in the snowstorm, he froze. Then he shook his head. "I can't tell you how sorry I am to do this to you, my daughter."
"Don't worry, Ada. We all made this decision together. It is good as it is. I will be fine. And I will never be that stupid again, so, no need to worry." She smiled encouragingly, but her eyes were sad. He noticed, of course, and squeezed her shoulder gently. When the horses were safe and dry in the stables again, Plinnlim and her father almost ran up the path to their home.
At the door, her father turned around. "Plinnlim. It is so good to see you! My heart was saddened when I thought you kept away on purpose. But then I realized it could not be so, and I saddled my horse. I am full of joy these dwarves saved your life. I would have been there too late."
"Forgive me my stupidity, Ada. I will take more care in future. And you shall be all calm in Valinor, and you will know that I am fine. You have Nana, and she has you. But how shall I ever be without you?" She sighed.
"You will never be without us. We will always be in your heart. And you in ours. But one day you might meet someone who will be even more important to you than us. And when that time comes, all will be easier for you as well. Just wait a century or two." He winked at her, and then he opened the door.
Her mother dropped the flower she was holding when they entered the house. "Plinnlim! Come into my arms, hên!" Plinnlim flung her arms around her mother and now the tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Nana! Dear Nana! I am so happy you have not left yet!"
"Stupid hên! We could not have left without you saying farewell, could we?" They sat down together and Plinnlim told them all her adventures. This time, she was much calmer and as oppose to before with her father, she told things in the order in which they actually had happened.
When she finally lay down in her own bed again, Plinnlim fell asleep at once. In her dreams, she was in Vindurhal again and saw Nogmeldir and the dwarves sitting together at their fire and talking about her. Everything seemed so clear and vivid, as if she was really watching them from above - and who knows, maybe she was.
The very next morning they started planning the departure. Plinnlim would live with hiril Mallenhadh from now on. Mallenhadh often had her students living with her, especially those whose parents were deceased or on far-away missions. At the moment, there were two other hiril living there, both much older than Plinnlim. They welcomed her warmly and helped her moving her things into her new room.
Afterwards she changed into her red dress for the Hall of Fire and went back to her old home where her parents had packed their most precious belongings and cleaned the house. On the table lay the Rivendell green dress her mother was wearing only for special occasions.
"Hên, I would like to leave this dress for you. I am sure you will look wonderful in it, it matches your green eyes."
Plinnlim blushed. "But, Nana, that is your favourite!"
Her mother smiled and replied: "Indeed it is. So it is the right thing to leave with you. I will be especially close to you when you wear it."
Plinnlim hugged her and whispered into her ear: "Really, you will regret that! It is too precious."
Her mother laughed and pinched the tip of her ear. Then she wrapped the dress in a large green piece of cloth of the same fabric and tied it up with a silvery lace.
"Now, go and dance, hên. Enjoy yourself and then come home to sleep in the house you were born, for the very last time." She kissed Plinnlim's forehead and touched her cheek with her fingertips. "I keep calling you hên, but I can see that you have grown into a fine hiril. I wish I was there for the celebrations when you come of age. But you will have Mallenhadh instead."
This time, it was with tears in her eyes that Plinnlim went down to the Last Homely House. Only blurred she saw the warriors who had assembled in front of the Hall and managed a nodded greeting. She wiped her eyes while entering the Hall of Fire and was glad to see a few familiar faces. Hîr Pendaen recognized her and his friendly words drove her sad thoughts away. Later she sat down at the stairs and listened to the lovely tunes of hîr Cuthilion's harp and finally she even felt inclined to dance.
When the first rays of morning light found their ways through the beautiful windows, she said navaer and walked out of the Hall - to run right into hîr Tahjun who was talking there to two friends, one of them being a human, as she noticed with astonishment. While when walking through the door she had been close to tears already, the friendly looks and words from hîr Tahjun showed her that there was no reason to cry. She would not be left alone. She had friends who cared about her and who had missed her while she was gone. With a smile on her face she walked up the path to what would be her home for a last time tonight.
