Disclaimer: I must thank Tolkien for most of my characters & the setting for my storyline! Aurelia and Bomburdino are my own creations (although you can probably tell I got Bomburdino’s name from Tolkien; he is one of Bombur’s ancestors & I am not that creative when it comes to names). I hope you enjoy reading! Please feel free to comment; I would love to hear your feedback! I am pretty sure this is my most Tolkien-ish work yet.

Elrond and Celebrían had been happily married for several centuries. They lived in the lovely elf-town of Rivendell, which is located at the foothills of the Misty Mountains. A beautiful river runs nearby. They already had two young sons, named Elladan and Elrohir. Several years after that, Celebrían discovered she was expecting once again.
“Elrond, darling,” she said as they were snuggled up together in a hidden gazebo, trying to have some alone time, “I have something important to tell you.”
“What is it, my vision of loveliness?”
“I am going to give you another child!”
“Really?” Here he leaned over and gave her a deep, long kiss. “That’s wonderful! Do you think we shall have a daughter this time?”
“Silly! We won’t know until this child makes his or her first appearance.”
They lingered in the gazebo for several more minutes; trying to find time for just one another while having two young sons around was quite difficult.
Some time later, Celebrían gave birth to twin daughters. Both she and Elrond were ecstatic. They named one Aurelia because her fluff of hair was golden (like her grandmother Galadriel), and the other was Arwen, who was the exact opposite with dark fluff. They were beautiful babies, and as they grew they became lovely young elves. Arwen was every bit as beautiful as her grandmother Galadriel, even if she had the opposite complexion of raven black hair and dark eyes. Although Aurelia was pretty, she was not as lovely as her other female family members. Her locks remained golden and fell in soft waves, and her eyes were blue like the sky on a clear day.
Elladan and Elrohir loved their new sisters and everyone spoiled them as they grew.
Aurelia was much like her grandmother Galadriel and enjoyed sitting in a corner, reading a book, as well as going for walks in the early morning sunrise. However, she had more of an adventurous side than her sister, which sometimes caused her to get into trouble. Arwen, on the other hand, was more similar to her father’s side of the family. She was quiet also, but she enjoyed moonlit walks. They were both romantic in mindset.
Many times Aurelia would awaken early and go for long walks, often staying away for hours at a time. There were a few incidents where she disappeared for a number of days, simply walking in her beloved woodlands deep in thought. Elrond and Celebrían were quite upset when she came back from these escapades and punished her by making her stay inside and help in the kitchen, which she despised. Yet Aurelia could not seem to stop running off and pondering what her fate would be.

One day, Aurelia decided to explore the Misty Mountains. She arose before dawn and packed a sack of food, along with a change of clothes just in case something happened. Then she snuck off, leaving a note for Arwen in their favorite spot of the gardens at Rivendell. Thus she set off on the adventure that would change her life forever as well as reveal her fate. At first, the adventure was uneventful. She ended up crossing the Misty Mountains and coming to the other side of them, discovering something she had never seen before. A young dwarf was cleaning up his camp-it was midmorning, and he had overslept–appearing to be as solitary as Aurelia.
“Hello!” She called. “I’m Aurelia, and I mean you no harm. I do hope I am not trespassing!”
The dwarf looked up, startled due to not hearing her soft foot treads. “Good day to you, missy! No you are not trespassing as far as I know; I was just setting off on a little adventure before I have to settle down and go into the mining business.”
Now it must be understood that many dwarves and elves are not friendly toward each other. This animosity would grow later on when both tribes felt as though the other had deserted them in times of desperate need, but that is neither here nor there.
However, Bomburdino (this was the dwarf’s name) was rather different than most dwarves of his time, or of later eras for that matter. He had always been fascinated with the elves, their lovely homes, music, and unique qualities. So he was rather pleased that the first elf he had ever met happened to be an attractive young female. “Do sit down and have a chat with me! You are the first elf I have met and I would be pleased to share my food with you.”
“Thank you, kind sir! Actually, you are the first dwarf I have met! Wait, what is your name?”
“Sorry ma’am! Bomburdino at your service!” he bowed and kissed the hand she offered.
The unlikely pair shared a brunch and chatted. They both wanted to see the homes of the other, so Aurelia decided to visit Bomburdino first, knowing her parents would be furious with her and never allow her to leave again if they were to go to Rivendell first. Not to mention elves can be rather untrusting and harbor a dislike for new individuals that come into their realm without being blindfolded so that they could not come back by themselves.
It so happened that Bomburdino lived in the royal city of Dale, located at the foothills of the Lonely Mountain. He was not of royal blood but was not one of the poorest of the land either. Aurelia could not pass up this opportunity, yet she was worried about what her family would think. Thankfully, she knew the language of the wood thrushes and was able to communicate her plans to one who was sitting in a tree nearby and graciously offered to take the message to her father Elrond.
Aurelia and Bomburdino made their way to Dale. They had to travel through Mirkwood; the dark powers were not as prevalent in those days as they would be in the time of Frodo and the ring of power. Aurelia had kinfolk there who hosted the odd couple and provided them with safe passage as well as food and drink. Then at last they walked into Dale. Aurelia was impressed with the city, but was becoming fascinated with her guide and companion as well. She was falling in love with Bomburdino and the feelings were becoming mutual, though neither of the two realized this fact at this point in time. Even his family grew to love her, despite the misgivings they had at first. Her pleasant and adventurous spirit was appealing, but it also helped that she had faults and was not afraid to let anyone see them; after all, no one, not even an elf, is perfect. After two days in Dale, they insisted Bomburdino escort Aurelia home, not wishing to provoke the elves in any way, since their relationships were quite touchy. Aurelia also knew she needed to go home, since she had practically run away from her family.

The trip back to Rivendell was uneventful, until their arrival at its borders. A furious Elrond met the couple as soon as they stepped into view of the perimeters.
“Aurelia, your grandmother Galadriel has told me where you went and with whom you were associating. If you wanted to go out exploring, you should have talked to me or your mother and we would have provided you a suitable escort. Since you have neglected to think of asking us, you will have to be punished. From this day forth, if I am to hear of your going somewhere without me, one of your brothers, or another suitable escort, you will be hereby banished from Rivendell and forced to find another place to live. Your grandparents will not provide you a home, nor will our relatives in Mirkwood. And, you will be required to help in the kitchen for a full week. As for you companion, he may rest here a couple of days and then must return from whence he came, never to come again to Rivendell or see you again.”
“Father, I’m sorry. I know I should have asked your permission before going out on my own. I deserve my punishment, but please take nothing out on Bomburdino. He has been a delightful companion and was a perfect gentleman the whole time we were together. The only thing I ask is that you let me bid him farewell before he leaves.”
“Go see you mother and she and I will talk about it,” Elrond replied. Although he was quite angry with his daughter, he was relieved to have her back in one piece and wanted to repair the relationship between them.
Celebrían was even more furious than Elrond. “Aurelia! Why on earth would you leave our lovely home without letting me know, just to associate with a dwarf? Go immediately to your room and contemplate your punishment.”

So Aurelia went to her room, quite dejected. She locked the door and landed on her bed, sobbing for the love she was about to lose. She knew now that she had let her heart do a very foolish thing by letting it fall in love with one of a different race, especially since a marriage to Bomburdino seemed quite impossible at the moment. Then she thought about how strange it was that one never hears of an elf marrying a dwarf; there are logical reasons for this, the chief being that although dwarves have a long lifespan when compared to humans, they are not immortal like the elves. Thus, if the two were to intertwine, the elf would be setting herself up for heartbreak when her beloved dwarf passed away from this life. However, Aurelia was not actually a full-blooded elf. Elrond and his twin Elros had a human parent and an elf parent. They were allowed to choose an elfish life or human life, and Elrond chose the former while Elros chose the latter. Aurelia could see no reason why she could not choose a mortal life as well, if only it meant she could spend her days with her true love. So right then and there she determined that she would return with Bomburdino and marry him if he would have her. She knew that honoring true love would be more satisfactory in the end, even if it meant leaving her family forever.
Soon there was a knock at her door. “Go away!” Aurelia sobbed.
“Aurelia, it’s me, Arwen! Please let me in. I want to talk to you.”
“Alright, come in, but don’t expect me to talk to you.”
Arwen slowly let herself in, then hugged her twin. “I’ve missed you. Won’t you please tell me what made you run away like this? And I’m sorry I had to tell Mother and Father; they were so worried when you did not return the night you left. I had to tell them in order to calm them, even if it only angered them.”
Aurelia sighed deeply. “All I wanted to do was explore the Misty Mountains! I just couldn’t stop, and then when I met dear Bomburdino and he offered to take me to Dale, I could not resist! I have always wanted to see what a dwarf town is like, and you know how I love exploring. Not to mention I could tell Bomburdino was kind and compassionate and would never hurt me. I feel sure he would have risked his life to save me if need be.”
“Aurelia! You do not mean to tell me you have fallen in love with this dwarf?”
Aurelia blushed bright red. “Arwen, I never could hide anything from you, could I? Yes, I love him and I plan to run away again and marry him, living a mortal life in Dale. However, you must solemnly swear you will not tell Mother and Father about this until four months after I have gone, just to give me plenty of time to get to Dale and marry my dear Bomburdino, that is if he will have me.”
Arwen gasped, shocked that her sister would consider leaving their beautiful home to marry one of another race. “You wouldn’t dare! Then we would never see each other again! Please do not leave me! What would we do without each other?”
“Arwen, you had better not try to stop me! I told you, I love him and I plan to marry him no matter what the cost, unless of course he does not want me. If that is the case you will have nothing to worry about, and I will live here in misery all my days. You just cannot understand because you have not yet experienced true love. Once you find that special someone, you will know exactly why I could consider leaving my home to wed my love.” Aurelia was angry now, and when she was mad nothing could change her mind.
“Oh Aurelia, you are right; I do not understand. Let us not fight any more if you are going to leave. I want our last few days together to be pleasant. And no, I will not tell Mother and Father until you have had plenty of time to arrive in Dale. You know, I have never been there either; why don’t you tell me all about it and its apparently attractive inhabitant?”
Aurelia now smiled; she could never stay angry with her twin for long periods of time. So she told her all about her adventure and companion.