Thanks to Vanime! Hope ya'll like this one. I figured I needed a semi happy chapter before all the bad stuff starts happening.
Chapter Two:
It was completely quiet except for the eerily beautiful mourning songs of the elves.
It felt their grief keenly; not necessarily for Gandalf, because I hadn't known him, but for my new friends. I was familiar with grief, and I hated watching other people go through it, too.
Also, I grieved for my own family. Would I ever see them again? What were they thinking about me? Did they think I'd died?
Oh, if only listened to Dad! Then again, I thought, maybe it was better me than him. If he'd found the necklace, and he'd fallen into Middle Earth, then we'd be orphans. I was an adult, but Matthew was only twelve. He needed Dad, and while they'd miss me, I wasn't vital.
I could only hope that I'd get back someday, somehow.
"A lament for Gandalf." I heard Legolas say.
"What are they saying?" one of the hobbits asked.
"I have not the heart to tell you. For me, the grief is still too near." he replied.
I recalled what Galadriel had said about me. She hadn't said much; I wasn't nearly as important as Frodo or Aragorn, but I felt lucky for her to acknowledge me.
"Bliss, Aedinil, you are welcome here."
"Thank you, Lady Galadriel."
I felt awkward; I had no idea how to act around important people.
"You are wondering what brought you here." she said.
"Yes."
"It is not for you to ponder; what's done is done. It is good you have come, and that someone of pure heart now wields the Stone of the Dunedain."
I didn't reply; I felt that she was done with speaking to me. I was right; her eyes turned to Boromir, even though she spoke no words to him.
I glanced over at the hobbits, all of them now asleep.
I couldn't sleep. Not after all that had happened.
I thought about what Galadriel had said. 'What's done is done.'
Did that mean I was stuck here forever?
"Tired, Lady Aedinil?"
At first it didn't register that anyone was speaking to me; I wasn't used to their name for me. I turned around to see Aragorn. He sat beside me.
"Yes, but I won't get any sleep tonight."
"I have spoken with the Lady Galadriel about you."
"And?"
His soft eyes met mine.
"Since the stone you carry is a relic of my people, I am to be responsible for you."
"Responsible for me?"
"Well, yes. You have no male relative here to care for you, so you are now in my charge."
"Like a father?"
"Sort of. How do you feel about that?"
"I'm glad it's you if it had to be anybody." I said. "But I'm eighteen, not a child anymore."
"So young…"
"Where I'm from, you're an adult when you're eighteen."
"Aedinil, do you know nothing of elves?"
"Not really."
"Elves are immortal. They live for thousands of years."
"Oh. Well then, I suppose eighteen seems very young here. But you're not an elf, are you?"
"No. I am, however, a descendant of the Dunedain, and we live much longer than normal humans."
"How old are you?"
"Are all Americans so frank?" he asked with a half-smile.
"Yes." I replied, matter-of-factly.
"Eighty-seven."
"No way!"
He looked so young for his age! Thirty-five at oldest, not eighty-seven.
"Yes, I am. And so you will be, as long as you carry that stone."
"I can give it up?"
"Well, no. It can only be taken off of you if you're dead, if legends can be trusted."
"Oh. And, Aragorn, you mentioned something about powers…"
"Oh, yes. Forgive me. I am very busy, what with…everything…"
"I understand." I said.
"Anyway, Aedinil---"
"Bliss."
"Bliss, then. You have been given quite a gift. Why it came to you is a mystery, but it can't be undone, not even if you returned to your world."
"What's been done?" I asked, trying to mask my impatience.
"I'm sorry for stalling; you must be terrified, waiting for an explanation for this."
"A little." I admitted.
"That necklace---the Stone of the Dunedain, is thousands of years old. It was passed from queen to queen until it was lost many hundreds of years ago."
"And I found it? Oops, sorry. That was a dumb question."
"It's given you three very valuable powers. One, you can heal nearly any wound with the touch of your hand. Two, you're practically elf now, at least physically. You have their endurance, keen senses, strength, grace. And three, you can sway nearly anyone to do your will."
"How?" I gasped.
"Just by speaking. If you demand something, they'll do it, depending on how strong their will is."
"I won't be using that power." I shook my head.
"And why not?"
He looked at me calmly, but I think I'd struck a chord within him. I think he liked what I had to say.
"Because. Who am I to force someone to my will? They should be free. Free to do as they please. It's not like I even wanted powers in the first place."
Aragorn smiled, even though it did not reach his eyes.
"They were right about you. Gandalf and Lady Galadriel."
"Well, I'd never do anything to hurt anybody. I just want to help. You and your friends, ya'll saved my life in Moria."
"It was no trouble." he said. "I was afraid you were dying when you first glazed over, until I recognized the necklace."
"Glazed over?"
"Your eyes, Aedinil. They went opaque and turned the color of that stone. They're clear now."
"So that's what happened. I barely remember any of it. Just a peace that came with it."
"Peace?"
"Yes. Weird, isn't it? It just felt calm, joyful, right,"
"Blissful?" Legolas said as he came up behind us, his eyes locked on my face.
"Yeah." I said, suddenly feeling awkward and not knowing why.
"You will travel with us, yes?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know anybody else here. And didn't ya'll mention something about defeating Sauron? I can help with these powers."
"Have you ever fought with a sword before?"
"Well, no, but---"
"Then you must learn, if you are to travel with the Fellowship. Legolas, you're the elf. You teach her."
"Me? I've never taught anyone before."
"She is more elf than human. You're the better teacher."
"Well, if there is no better teacher for her, than I accept."
I wondered then why they were being so nice to me. They barely knew me, and the trusted me so readily. Did they really trust Gandalf and Galadriel that much?
"Why are ya'll being so nice to me?" I blurted.
"Excuse me, Lady Aedinil?" Aragorn asked.
"I'm a stranger to you."
"We should tell her." Legolas said. "If she's to understand."
Aragorn nodded.
"There is a bit of ancient Elven verse about Moria. It's never made any sense until we found you. Through Moria, land of mithril; in grief, find Bliss. It rhymes in the original Elvish."
"The verse goes on to speak of the good Bliss will do for the people. Most always assumed that the verse spoke merely of happiness." Legolas added.
"This is all so overwhelming."
"That's understandable. This is much to take in." Aragorn soothed, yawning.
"You haven't slept in three days, Aragorn. Get some sleep." Legolas said.
Aragorn nodded drowsily.
"Just for a few hours. Watch over Frodo." he instructed, and laid down on a pallet, snoring softly almost immediately.
"Do you need anything, my Lady?" Legolas asked.
Here was one perk about Middle Earth: the men were, for the most part, chivalrous.
"No. Thank you."
"Nothing more comfortable to sleep in? Or a bite to eat?"
I shook my head.
"I'm not even that tired, really."
"It must be the stone. Elves sleep little."
"Oh." I replied. Legolas stared out at the trees.
"What is your world like? If it's not too much to ask."
"It's very different from here." I said, trying not to think that I'd probably never get back.
"There are only humans. No elves, dwarves, Orcs, or hobbits. No magic, either."
"None?"
"No. And there never was any. There are millions of us humans."
"Millions?"
"Millions. And it's not like Middle Earth at all. It was, once. But now humans have figured out a lot of things."
"Like what?"
"Well, we can cure lots of diseases, and we have electricity."
"Electricity?"
I tried to think of a way that I could explain it to someone who'd never even heard about electricity.
"We've harnessed the power of …of lightning to keep our houses bright as daytime even at night. And we can keep ourselves cool in summer, and warm in winter without a fire."
"Incredible."
"Yeah. And if we have our phones, which is a tiny hand-sized box, we can speak to one other over thousands of miles."
"Miraculous. But how is all that achieved without magic?"
"Well…we've figured out how to do it. Not me, personally, but people who lived before me. What about this place? What about Middle Earth?"
"It must be learned through living it, Lady Aedinil."
Well, that's helpful! I thought, wondering if all elves spoke in vague riddles.
"Oh."
"And you'll have friends every step of the way." he added, seeing my disappointment at his answer. "To help you with all the things you don't know."
I yawned.
"You're tired now?"
"Yeah, it just sorta hit me all of a sudden."
"Then you really have turned elf. We don't feel fatigue until it overwhelms us."
"Just because I'm like one doesn't mean I am one."
"I meant it as a compliment."
"Thanks, but I'm still human. And anyway, I don't see that much difference in elves and humans besides a few abilities. And the ears, of course."
"I agree. We're all the same on the inside. Except for dwarves." He added wistfully.
"It's not fit for you to sleep here with the men. Lady Galadriel has arranged quarters for you in her home. It is a remarkable honor."
"I'm sure. She was like nobody I've ever met before."
"That's true even for most elves." he replied. "Come; I'll show you the way."
He glanced over his shoulder where the hobbits slept, and figured they were safe enough for him to leave for a few minutes.
He led me to a large crystalline dwelling built around a tree which was pretty much identical to all the other buildings.
"Good-night, Lady Aedinil."
I was too tired to ask him to call me Bliss. Or even plain Aedinil would be better than being called Lady all the time.
"Good-night, Legolas. Thanks."
"For what?"
"For carrying me through Moria." I swayed a little, fatigue getting the best of me, and he caught me.
"I'm sorry…" I slurred, and he carried me in and placed me under the covers of a soft bed, and so lightly I could barely feel his fingers, he tucked me in as I feel completely asleep.
"Good-night, Lady Aedinil." he whispered.
I woke up to the sounds of birds like I'd never heard before. They sounded almost too beautiful to be real.
I had a headache. I guessed it might be caffeine withdrawal, since I hadn't had any since yesterday morning. How would I make it here without the extra energy?
I ran my tongue over the back of my teeth. They felt gross, but I hadn't exactly brought a toothbrush or toothpaste in my backpack.
There was a bowl of steaming water with a towel folded next to it along with some soap that smelled like roses, and there was a dress folded at the foot of my bed, along with a forest-green cloak. I held up the dress and looked it over. It seemed to be just my size, and was a lighter shade of green than the cloak.
The note on top of it read: I think green might be your color, Aedinil. Galadriel's signature graced the bottom of the page.
So this was her doing. I liked her, even if she did seem a little creepy sometimes.
I undressed, washed off a little, scrubbed my teeth with the towel, and put on the dress. There was a full-length mirror in there, and I stared at myself.
The dress fit well, but I felt like I was in a Halloween costume. The billowing sleeves and gold chain around my waist were flattering in a medieval sort of way. My face felt bare and unattractive; all my make-up from yesterday had worn off and now I didn't have any!
And---I froze as I noticed. My eyes! They'd changed color! They were now the same color blue as the stone, the whole effect making them seem bigger than they were. I sighed. This was getting too weird.
My hair needed washed. I figured I'd just put it up into a ponytail until I figured out how people washed their hair here. Luckily, I'd had a ponytail holder around my wrist when I'd fallen through.
It was when I started putting my hair up that I noticed something even more disturbing than the eyes.
I had pointed ears now!
That stupid stone had made my ears pointed!
I didn't even look like myself anymore!
I held back tears as I realized there was nothing I could do about it. Man, if I ever got home, I'd have to join the circus!
There was a knock at my door.
"Are you decent, Lady Aedinil?" It was a male voice that sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.
"Yeah. Come on in." I tentatively touched the tips of my ears, trying not to be freaked out. What's done is done, I remembered Galadriel saying. What's done is done.
It was two of the hobbits.
"I never caught your names yesterday." I said quietly.
These two seemed unusually chipper for someone who'd just lost their friend.
"I'm Pippin, and this is Merry. Aragorn sent us to see if you were awake. And to give you this." He held up my backpack. "We can show you where to get breakfast, if you'd like."
"No thanks. I'm not really hungry."
"Oh. Well, is there anything we can---" the one named Merry offered, but I cut him off.
"No thank you."
"I thought you were supposed to be human." Pippin said, not unkindly, but merely curious.
"Pippin!" Merry elbowed him.
"No, it's fine." I replied. "I thought I was supposed to be human, too."
"It's the stone, isn't it? That what makes you look like an elf."
"I guess so." I replied.
"You're not really tall enough to look like an elf." Pippin said again, and I laughed in spite of everything.
My laughing seemed to encourage him, because he added. "Or a human, for that matter. And you're too tall to be a hobbit. Are all humans in your world your size?"
"No. Most of them are taller than me, but there are some actually shorter than me. I'm five foot three, which is pretty average for a human girl."
"Really? We've never seen a human female before, so we wouldn't really know."
Merry, who was much more sharp than Pippin, noticed me touching the tips of my ears.
"The don't look bad at all, milady."
"Not at all. You're actually quite lovely. For a human." Pippin added with a grin, and I guessed I was supposed to take it as a compliment.
"Thanks." I said.
Merry groaned and hoisted my bag onto the bed.
"What's in here that's so heavy? If you don't mind my asking, milady."
"Survival gear. In case of an emergency."
"Like what?" Pippin asked curiously, so I unzipped my bag and started showing them some of it's contents.
"This is a flashlight. It lights up in the dark. And this is a first aid kit, it has bandages and medicine and stuff in it. These are just some extra snacks--"
"Snacks?" Pippin blurted, and his stomach growled.
I laughed.
"They're called cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. I baked them myself, but I'm not sure if you'll like them."
I opened the Ziploc bag and handed a cookie to eat of them.
"They're good." Pippin said, and Merry nodded in agreement.
"What else have you got in there?"
"Um," I dug around for something that might interest them.
"Chapstick, some bottled water, my lucky penny…"
"Yes?" They looked a tad confused at the mention of Chapstick, but didn't say anything.
"My camera!" I pulled it out, knowing they'd like to see it.
"Your what?"
"It takes pictures, see? Like an instant portrait."
I turned it on and showed them the pictures I'd already taken of Dad and Matthew. They were from last week, at home. We'd been playing around and making pizzas together, and I'd kept snapping goofy candids of all of us. At least I could see them until the battery ran out.
"This is my brother, and my father."
"Is it magic?" Pippin asked incredulously.
"No, it's not magic. It's a machine, built by regular humans."
I snapped a photo of their bewildered faces, then showed it to them.
"See?"
"Let's take another one!" Merry said, posing with a smile.
I laughed.
"That's all for today. I need to save it's batteries."
"Battery?"
"It's energy." I explained. "Any more questions?"
"Oh, now look what you've gone and done." Merry wailed good-naturedly. "Once Pippin starts asking questions, there's no stopping him."
"Sounds like my brother, Matthew."
"You were fond of your brother?" Pippin asked.
"I love him very much." I answered, and the two exchanged a sad look.
"Aragorn wants you to come to the wedding." Merry said, changing the subject.
"Wedding?"
"Just these two elves that he knows. You remember Haldir, from yesterday? He's marrying some elf girl."
Haldir? The grumpy one? Yeah, I remembered him. How was he getting married?
"When?"
"I heard Boromir say that elf weddings lasted all day long."
"And all into the night."
"There's gonna be feasting."
"And drinking." Pippin added.
I wasn't in the mood for merriment, and I doubted any of the rest of us were, but if Aragorn wanted me to go, I didn't want to let him down.
"What does somebody wear to an Elven wedding?"
Legolas stuck his head in the door, surprising us. Elves sure were stealthy.
"You're dressed appropriately." he said. "How are you today, Lady Aedinil?"
Merry and Pippin exchanged a funny look, and took a few steps toward the door.
"We'll just be going now, won't we Pip?"
"Yeah, we'll leave you two alone." Pippin said, and Merry elbowed him.
"Why do you always have to ruin it? Be slick, Pippin, for Valar's sake!"
I laughed, but Legolas didn't.
"They're funny. You have to give them that." I said.
Legolas nodded.
"I suppose I must." he allowed.
"Lady Aedinil, as your teacher, Aragorn has asked that I show you around Lothlorien until the wedding begins.
"Okay. But where is Aragorn?"
"He's with Haldir. He's preparing him to wed."
"Oh."
"Yes. Will you come?"
"Yeah." I replied, noticing for the first time how attractive he was.
Stupid, stupid! I chided myself. You fall through to another dimension and you're thinking about boys!
I pushed any sort of thought like that out of my mind and walked out of the room into the sunshine.
He showed me a lot of the prettier places in the city, and filled me in about everything that was going on with Frodo and the ring.
"That's pretty incredible." I said after all that back-story. Frodo seemed so vulnerable and delicate to carry something like the One Ring!
We were interrupted by an elf-maiden, who looked only a little younger than Legolas.
"I've been to Mirkwood and Rivendell, but I've never met this elf. Or even seen her." She said conversationally. "Who's your friend, Legolas?"
Legolas groaned lightly.
"Brith, this is Aedinil; Aedinil, this is my cousin Brith. Her curiosity is insatiable."
"Pleased to meet you, Brith."
She had Legolas's blonde hair and blue eyes, but she also had a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and she seemed to be a perpetual smiler.
"And you, Aedinil. Who's your mother? Do I know her?"
"Aedinil is human." Legolas answered for me.
"Human! Well, those ears could have fooled me."
She glanced over me casually, and I began to feel like a complete anomaly. Which was I? Elf or human?
"She is keeper of the Stone of the Dunedain." Legolas explained.
"Ah! So that's why she looks like one of us! Aedinil of---" she paused. "Where are you from?"
"America." I answered, and she wrinkled her nose at the strange name.
"Aedinil of America, I expect you and me to become great friends."
"Sure." I replied, and she beamed.
"The Fellowship is attending the wedding, yes?" she asked Legolas. "Adella will be crushed if our honored guests didn't attend!"
"We'll be there, Brith. But don't expect much from us. After all, it was only yesterday that---"
"Oh, yes, poor Gandalf! Of course, all the elves are grieving as well, but Galadriel said that Gandalf would rather have Haldir and Adella carry on with their plans."
Her glee fell a bit, but she perked right back up.
"Are you going to be a handmaiden?" she asked me.
"Oh, no, I---"
"Are you married?"
"No."
"Then you'll be a handmaiden." she turned a scolding glance on her cousin. "All unmarried ladies are to be handmaidens! You can't ignore tradition; you know better, Legolas!"
"Lady Aedinil is---"
"Unmarried, and therefore subject to tradition. You, too, Legolas, are a bachelor. You're supposed to be part of Haldir's procession!"
Legolas groaned.
"Fine."
"Wait." I said. "I don't know anything about Elven weddings. What if I mess it up?"
"Stick with me, Aedinil. I won't let you falter. Be gone, Legolas! Aedinil and I must get to the bride's apartments!"
"He can't come with me?"
"Brith…" Legolas warned.
"I'll take care of her! Handmaidens and groomsmen have to be separate before the ceremony."
"It's true." he told me. "Will you be alright by yourself for a while?"
I nodded, even though I wasn't sure.
Brith clasped her hand around my arm and led me toward the center of the city.
"Brith, if any harm comes to her---"
"Relax, Legolas." she rolled her eyes, and before long, she was introducing me to all the other unmarried girls in Lothlorien. There weren't very many; there were only about ten.
I immediately felt self-conscious among them; they were gorgeous and ethereal, and I was less than attractive, especially without my make-up.
Brith told them my story, and they started fawning over me.
One put her hands around my waist to measure it.
"How do you stay so small?" she asked enviously.
"And her hair!" another one exclaimed. "Have you ever seen that color before? It's like the last moments of a golden red sunset!"
I was red-headed, darker than most red-heads, and I'd never heard it put so poetically. It was however, better than being called a 'ginger', like Matthew and his friends always called me.
"No, Mirisial!" Another one argued. "Those words don't do it justice."
"My, but you'll have trouble keeping the elf-boys away!" Brith giggled, and I felt uncomfortable. I was more comfortable around boys, since I'd lived most of my life with only Dad and Matthew, and a handful of rowdy boy cousins.
"What is all this rabble about?" I heard a voice ask, and I looked up to see a woman only slightly less stunning than Galadriel.
"Meet your latest handmaiden, Adella! Isn't she stunning? She's traveling with Prince Legolas and the rest of his Fellowship." Mirisial explained, and Adella smiled.
"Aragorn told me about you, little one. You got here just in time. What an honor to have you as part of my wedding."
"The honor is mine, Lady Adella." I responded.
"How is my dress, girls?" she asked, turning around for us to look at it. It was the basic design of all the other dresses here, but was made of a nicer, more radiant fabric; cream colored, and embroidered with gold thread.
She looked stunning.
"Time for the finishing touch." Brith reminded everyone, and one of the girls pulled a crown of flowers out of a basket and set it on Adella's head.
"Elanor flowers! How perfect!"
The others ooed and awed her with enthusiasm, and she pulled one flower out of her wreath.
"Turn around." Brith whispered in my ear. "She's gonna throw it, and whoever it lands near is her maid of honor."
I tried to protest, but there wasn't time.
Adella tossed the flower into my air, and all the other elves stood breathless and still to see who it landed near.
I hoped that it wasn't me, not wanting any extra attention, but those hopes were shattered as I heard Adella announce my name.
"It's our visitor, Lady Aedinil."
I looked at the others, but they didn't seem disappointed. I guess when you lived as long as they did, you'd have lots of opportunities to be someone's maid of honor.
"I'm not familiar with your customs." I said, but Adella wasn't about to let me back out.
"You just carry my train, and stand nearest me to witness to our vows." she explained, and tucked the elanor flower behind my ear.
"And you have to tell the first story at the feast." Mirisial added.
"And also, you have to give at least three dances to whoever Haldir's best groomsman is." Brith added.
"Who's his best groomsman?"
"Whoever is the last to show up to his preparations." Adella said, and I briefly wondered if it'd be Legolas. We were both late.
"And you'll be the first one to marry out of all of us."
Me? Get married? Highly unlikely. I didn't even have a boyfriend back on earth.
"Are you all ready to get started?" Adella asked.
"We're beginning so soon?"
"Yes. Elven weddings are swift; it's the party afterwards that take up all the time."
She stood, and I awkwardly held her train, trying to seem as graceful as the others. Aragorn said I was supposed to be graceful like the other elves, but I didn't feel like it. I guessed I was doing something right, because I heard Mirisial whisper to Brith,
"Have you ever seem a human move so elegantly?"
We walked about a mile, the procession growing longer and longer as more joined us, until we came upon a gathering of men in a clearing that had been filled with candles and flowers, and was unusually dim for daytime.
Lady Galadriel stood by Haldir, and Boromir stood next to him. He seemed to stare at me all the way down the aisle.
So he was Haldir's 'best groomsman'. Ugh. I was gonna hafta dance with him!
I spotted the hobbits, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli standing together amidst all the other elf men.
No one spoke, as we walked forward, and there was no music.
When we reached the front, I arranged her train as nicely as I could, and stood by Adella.
"My friends," Galadriel held out her hands in greeting. "We are here to bind together Haldir and Adella, who have found love together. May you live all the long years of your lives in happiness."
She took their Adella's hand, and placed it in Haldir's.
"You are now one." she said, and Haldir slowly placed a kiss on Adella's forehead.
That was it? That was how long an Elven wedding lasted?
Joined hand in hand, they led the entire procession to a bunch of tables under some trees, many of which were covered in food and drinks.
"Have you ever seen such a short wedding?" Boromir asked as he led me out by my arm.
I shook my head.
"In my world, they're at least an hour."
"In my home, in Gondor, the ceremony lasts four hours."
"Wow." I replied.
Everyone around us had erupted into excited conversation, except for the tiny Fellowship, who looked very somber, and sat to themselves at one of the tables. Me and Boromir sat with them.
"Maid of honor and best groomsman, eh?" Gimli asked in an amused tone, and playfully nudged Boromir.
"You're the next of us to wed, laddie."
Boromir rolled his eyes.
"A wife is too much trouble." he said.
"And you, Lady Aedinil, shall be the next to wed." Pippin teased.
I laughed hollowly, wishing I were back home.
Legolas's eyes bored into mine.
"I'm sorry Brith kidnapped you." he said.
"They were nice." I replied. "Real sweet girls, all of them."
Aragorn stared down at his hands. Merry whispered something to Pippin, and they got up and stared piling up plates with all sorts of weird looking foods.
Frodo and Sam didn't speak, either, just stared sadly at their cuticles like Aragorn.
We were one pathetic Fellowship.
Brith pranced over and pulled me up to my feet.
"You have to tell the first story, Aedinil, and you have to tell the next one, Lord Boromir, or have you both forgotten?"
She stood up on the tabletop, which I thought was a very un-elf thing to do, and said loudly,
"The Lady Aedinil shall tell the first story!" All eyes turned to us.
"Brith! I don't know any stories!"
"You don't have stories in your world?" she asked confusedly.
"Yes, but---"
"Just tell the most exciting, best story your culture has to offer." she said.
My culture? I was Southern, and I supposed that the best story 'my culture' had to offer was probably "Gone with the Wind".
So I nervously told everyone the condensed version of the story, which took longer since I had to explain things about earth, and it felt like it took forever.
The audience seemed to like it very much, and they all applauded heartily when I sat down.
"Give us a song!" Someone shouted, but I shook my head.
"I don't sing. And anyway, it's Boromir's turn to tell a story."
Boromir looked helplessly at the rest of the Fellowship, then at all the elves.
"One moment, while I get my thoughts together."
"You prove a hard act to follow, Lady." he said to me.
Galadriel glided over to our table and beamed at me.
"You have a gift for story telling, little one. Perhaps you'd like something to drink after all that talking? Ale, perhaps, or wine?"
I shook my head.
"I don't drink." Pippin and Merry looked at me incredulously.
"Actually," Aragorn said, "None of us will be taking any of that tonight; we're in mourning, after all."
The two little hobbits and Gimli looked crestfallen.
"You must have something to drink. Tea, perhaps?"
"Tea would be fine, my Lady, if you insist."
Galadriel brought steaming mugs of tea out to us, and we thanked her.
When she left, I asked Aragorn,
"Is it traditional for her to serve us?"
"Yes. She is our hostess." he replied.
The smell of the tea was invigorating; what kind was it? I took a sip. It was delicious, and filled my body with a quick, tingling warmth.
I felt strangely giddy, and took another sip. I felt all my anxiety melt away as a weird euphoria flooded me.
The rest of the Fellowship drained their glasses, too, and Galadriel kept bringing us more, which we drank eagerly.
Before I even knew what was happening, we were all singing songs that the hobbits taught us, and I taught them a few songs, as well.
Legolas , Pippin, Merry, Aragorn, and me danced under the starry treetops, suddenly just as carefree as the other guests, if not more so, and even the previously solemn Aragorn told a few jokes. I didn't really get them, since I wasn't from Middle Earth, but I laughed along with the others, anyway.
Even after the other guests had left, and the tables and food had been put away, we sat in a semicircle in the soft grass, telling funny stories, and I even led them through their first game of truth or dare, which proved to be far too hilarious for words.
I learned a lot about the Fellowship I didn't really care to know, and they learned some embarrassing things about me that I never would have normally shared, like the story of how I'd walked smack into a glass door, or how I'd caught the kitchen on fire once when I'd tried to cook toast.
"A walk, milady?" Legolas offered me his arm, and I gladly accepted it. We were met with a few chuckles from the others, but Legolas seemed to be careless.
"What's a walk between friends?" he asked them.
"You've never offered to take me for a walk, Legolas!" Boromir hollered, falling into a fit of laughter.
"Me either!" Frodo laughed.
"Nor me!" Pippin added. "I want one!"
We left the mirthful Fellowship, and wandered into the denser part of the woods.
"It's a lovely evening."
"It is." I agreed. "And I'm really starting to feel like part of the Fellowship! It's so incredible here. Home is nothing like this at all; it's so boring there!"
"I know, right? Mirkwood is terribly droll."
Suddenly, we heard the Fellowship following us.
They couldn't quite recall the words to "Blinded by the Light", which I'd tried to teach them earlier.
That was the last thing I remembered of that hazy night before I woke up the next day with a splitting headache, back in the room that Galadriel had let me have.
~To Be Continued~
~Okay, so that was silly, but I figure something exciting had to have happened to the Fellowship during the whole month they spent at Lothlorien. And that Galadriel is a tricky one! Anyway, please review, they make me absolutely happy. More coming up soon!~