AUTHOR’S NOTE: Do not blame this story on me. I very generously offered this plot bunny to Grey Wonderer during the Twelve Days of Christmas challenge. GW then turned right around and gave it back to me. I thought I would at *least* have until next Christmas to umm...forget about it or stick someone else with it..,I mean, plan for it, but *no*, GW then has to bring it up at ficsharing!

I am unfortunately one of those people who cannot ignore a challenge.

This story is *very* AU. There is absolutely no canonical reason to suppose that King Elessar *ever* came north prior to the visit in SR 1436, which is told about in the Tale of Years, nor that he ever was there at all while Paladin II was still Thain, and definitely no reason to think he did so prior to the Ban in SR 1427. Well, in this story he does. That’s the way the bunny hopped, what can I say?