A/N: Yay! So far rewrites are going quite well! Second chapter revamped!
"Anything in italics is what they call the 'ancient tongue' and no, it's not Elvish."
Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR, only my character.
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"It is good to know that you haven't changed… Lireal."
Lord Elrond remembered the face before him. She was fine featured, decidedly beautiful, but not delicate. She had high cheek bones and almost flawless alabaster skin, though her lips were currently pursed and her dark stormy grey eyes occasionally flashed with hidden lightening and emotion. Her dark mahogany hair was pulled into a braid save for the bangs that partially hid her eyes and the few shorter locks that escaped to frame her face, all of which were plastered back by a thick leather band wrapped around her head. Dressed as a warrior, it was simple to see she was more than capable of caring for herself if the blades on her waist and the bow on her back spoke for anything. Her armor was thick leather, well cared for and tooled with intricate design work. A warrior indeed and many would no doubt mistake her for an elf but for her rounded ears…and her temperament.
He sighed. "You most likely are here more because you know that the one you hunt will be drawn to the shadow. Though I have no doubt that you would not pass up the opportunity to lecture these younglings on the tragedies of war."
A mildly amused expression briefly flashed across her face. "My only objective is to complete my quest… though yes, I will enjoy tempering these children who think war is a game." She had seen too many deaths, too much sorrow, to miss out on lecturing them.
Lord Elrond gave her a mournful look before continuing down the pathway with her by his side. "Arwen will be pleased to see you." The two women had been close once, in years long gone to the weathering of time, a thing that saddened him to no end.
Lireal snorted. "Hardly." It was not that she did not wish to be friends with the elf, it was that she was a delicate lady, and she was a hardened warrior. She found it hard to believe Arwen would find joy in her presence.
He chuckled. "No, truly, she will be." Always the warrior doubted their bond, but he knew better. She would realize one day, he hoped, that the sisterly love the girls had once shared was still there, merely unrealized.
It was then that she could hold back her curiosity any longer. "Where is Gandalf? He left me with the impression that we would meet here." Her eyes narrowed in concern. This was worrisome; the wizard was not one to break promises. Perhaps she should track down those little ones and their guide and…question them.
The elf lord shook his head. "I have seen no sign of Gandalf. From what the hobbits tell me, he never met with them at the Prancing Pony as he promised them. I am worried for his sake." He allowed a slightest hint of concern to creep into his voice, perturbed by the lack of the wandering wizard.
Then, after a moment of silence, quietly, she spoke. "As am I." If such was the news from the others he was to meet, something must have happened. A something, that, as soon as she saw that god forsaken wizard, she was going to get out of him.
Lord Elrond glanced down, but her gaze was focused straight ahead. It was unlike her to admit her concern for others, and yet, it was not so strange, for she was so much closer with Gandalf than any other. The old wizard was a sort of fatherly figure to her, he always had been. The elf recalled the days when she used to follow the grey wizard everywhere, his traveling companion and pupil for a time.
"I will allow you to rest; it is a long journey from your home, and it seems to have been an uneventful one, unless I miss my guess. You are in your usual room, for the sake of tradition." With a slight incline of his head, the elf lord left her there to attend to some important business; he needed to check up on the young hobbit in his care.
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Lireal wandered alone in the gardens for a long while the next morning, pondering over what little information she had managed to get from Elrond. After he had left her, she had pulled her hood back up from habit before she had begun to roam. She ended up somewhere in the vast gardens. A tree of enormous girth grew there, obviously ancient. It was a giant of an oak, the remains of a distant age. She ran her hands over the rough bark, thinking. Memory began to steal her away, taking her to a different time when she had stood under this tree. She was interrupted by soft footsteps behind her.
"It is wonderful to see you again." A soft voice spoke, light, lilting and glaringly feminine, an unimaginably lovely voice belonging to an equally beautiful elven woman.
Lireal turned and greeted the voice's owner. "Arwen, it seems you haven't changed." She remarked, a light tone in her voice as her eyes softened towards the other woman imperceptibly.
The elf smiled gently. "I am glad to see you well and unharmed." It was then the woman noticed the tree Lireal was near. "It's a magnificent tree." She murmured. "It is such a shame to see it dying."
With a soft sigh, she returned to running her hands over the tree, furrowing her brows. Arwen was correct, it was dying. Lireal paused, and then nodded to herself. "Shall I apply my arts to it?" She inquired, glancing at the elven woman over her shoulder, seeking permission.
Arwen smiled again. That she should inquire was…unusual. But then again, she was probably just wasting time waiting for Gandalf, though she did recognize the tree must have had sentimental value to the dark haired warrior. The elven woman recognized that some small part of Lireal had remained the same, even as the rest of her was lost to time and drifted beyond their reach. "If you would, it would be a relief to my father and all of Rivendell."
Lireal focused, reaching out with her heart for the magic she knew was there. It chimed in her ears as a lovely tune, sweet and alluring, soothing her soul. She gently began to weave notes of the world around her, focusing on the dying life before her. She needed to change the tune from one of dying to one of growing. So focused was she, she failed to notice the growing audience. Her work consumed her, as her eyes became glassy, and she became deaf to all save the magic. She didn't hear the questions at the sudden change of language in the trees, or the soft gasps of fear and awe as her hands slowly began to sink into the tree as she became one with the magic, vanishing into the folds of it. She was born of magic, and could return to it if she so wished; and this allowed her manipulation over it. The dark haired woman was no wizard or sorcerer – she could not cast spells or enchant, her magic was more akin to that of the elves, it acted and influenced the natural world around her because of her communion with it.
It would be so simple to let go and float away, to let the beautiful music carry her away, return to the magic, but at last her will kicked in. She gently pulled back from the notes, and began to return to the world around her, finished with her task. Lireal slowly extricated herself from the life around her, turning to face Arwen….and the group of elves that had arrived and were watching, but she ignored them.
"It is done." The mahogany-haired woman said coolly, still blatantly ignoring her uninvited audience.
Arwen smiled. "Many thanks, my friend. It is good to see you." The elf repeated the sentiments a second time, glad her childhood friend had returned to visit, even if only for business reasons.
With a soft 'hmph' Lireal strode away, leaving Arwen and the curious crowd behind. Though she dearly cared for the elven woman, she knew if she stayed she was in for a veritable interrogation. She found a secluded spot in the center of a maze in a rose garden, and settled there quietly. Here was where she would sit, on a stone bench, until Gandalf decided to grace her with his presence.
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The next day, and Gandalf had still yet to make his appearance. Lireal returned to the secluded are she was yesterday, the morning passing away quietly, with her lost in thought. Unfortunately, her peace was disturbed by two small children. Or at least, they looked like children. They were short with curly light reddish brown hair, and barefoot with hairy feet. These two were practically identical, and both were rather loud. She then recognized them as hobbits, most likely the ones from the road.
However, as soon as they saw her, they went quiet. Then, just as quickly, they were chattering again, obviously very gregarious and welcoming creatures.
"Hallo there, I'm Peregrin Took, but you can call me Pippin." The one on the left said.
"And I'm his cousin, Meriadoc Brandybuck. Most call me Merry." The one on the right said.
She couldn't help the amusement she felt, as the two went on about the fact the strange riders stopped them on the way, and they wondered which one their new friend was. These two, whom she met only moments ago, were threatening barriers put in place for many long years. She listened to the absentmindedly, she could get use to their presence easily. They were obviously good folk, and suddenly she was hit by a wave of sadness. One of these little ones had carried the Ring here to Rivendell. Such a shame that such a person should be injured for the sake of the greater good.
Suddenly, she was drawn back into the conversation by the two trouble makers – that much she had gathered by what she had already heard. "What's your name?" they both asked at the same time, smiling.
"Nobody of importance." Lireal replied, not in the mood to give her name away, but this gave her a new game to play while she waited for that insufferable wizard.
"Well then, Nobody, have you been to Rivendell before? Do you like it here?" Pippin asked, curious. The silly hobbit honestly thought her name was nobody. Merry even commented on the fact that Nobody was quite the odd name quietly in his cousins ear.
She shook her head. "I have, and it is…nice, I suppose." She was glad now she had an excellent poker face(as well as being hidden by her cowl) – she hadn't expected them to simply swallow and accept her contrary answer. She wondered how long their belief in 'nobody' being her name would last.
The two shared a glance, clearly expecting a better answer. With a shrug, the pair turned away, heading back the way they came, chattering to themselves quite merrily. She sighed softly, pleased to at last have some peace and quiet when….
"Are you coming?" Merry wondered. Both of the strange creatures had stopped and were gazing at her in confusion.
With a growl she stood up, stalking after the hobbits, extremely displeased about the whole turn of events, though it promised to be a very amusing day if she stayed with the little ones. It was then she heard a familiar voice, and she honed in on it. 'So he finally showed up', she thought to herself. And there, around the corner, was Gandalf, speaking to another light-haired hobbit. This one was much more….filled out than the two that had come to fetch her, though they were all quite well fed.
"Grey One, I have been waiting for you." She said, irritated at his late arrival, her brows quirking down into a frown. Back to their little game.
He blinked in surprise, before turning to her with a chuckle. "You have never been one for patience. I heard that you did quite a surprise act of kindness." He was well aware that the game was on once more.
"It was nothing more than a way to distill my boredom at having to wait for you." Lireal growled, displeased at the implications of his statement. She refused to acknowledge the other sentiments involved.
He full out laughed this time. "So you care nothing for the tree your father himself healed all that time ago?" Gandalf was not blind to this particular 'coincidence', as it would be. She was much more sentimental than she came off as.
"Coincidence, nothing more." She insistently replied, the two conversing over the heads of the hobbits. She was not going to let him get away with suggesting she had gotten all wishy-washy over some old tree.
"As you say." The wizard said, slipping back into common with a light chuckle. He would leave her be for now, he could rib her more later. "I suppose the Council has been postponed until Frodo wakes?"
She shrugged. "I know not, and I care not. I was merely waiting for you, Gandalf." Back to business, though her frown did alleviate some.
The wizard shook his head, a slight smile toying at his lips. "Naturally. You're only here for amusement and the possibility that a certain other might make an appearance. And naturally to give all the young ones a good tongue lashing. "
Lireal's eyes hardened as she corrected Gandalf. "Already has. On the road, they tried to ambush the hobbits and their companion."
This immediately caught Gandalf's attention. "Perhaps you had best explain." He glanced down at the curious little hobbits who were listening to every word, even if they couldn't understand them. "Later." No need to worry the small creatures, they had enough concerns with Frodo being ill. They had one enemy to deal with already, they didn't need another.
The dark-haired woman nodded. "It seems that I underestimated the desire for power in my prey." She couldn't help but add, noting on her own oversight.
With that, they parted ways, Lireal slipping back to her secluded hideaway, and Gandalf herding the hobbits to the infirmary to visit their injured friend, though the two trouble makers did kick up a fuss about the stranger – endless questions that were soon forgotten once they reached Frodo's room.