Author's Note:
A huge thank-you to 'evil spapple pie' for editing this for me!
I wanted to address some comments from the previous chapter, which, I though were really good. Someone mentioned that the orcs would not overlook the hobbits in battle and so I went back and re-read that bit and this was my thinking when I wrote it, but I might have been a bit vague in expressing my vision for the scene.
See I was thinking that orcs have a certain inborn hatred for elves so they would be drawn to them before others in battle. As for the rest of the group, I think in a battle you try to get rid of your more challenging opponents, before taking out the weak, so hence why Aragorn, Boromir and Gimli might be more of a focus spot for enemies above the hobbits. When I wrote it I saw it as simply fewer challengers coming at the hobbits, but I did make it sound like none so sorry about that. Also I was under the impression that these orcs were just random ones from Moria with no knowledge of the ring, so there would be no reason for them to target the hobbits, but this might have been flawed logic on my part, lol.Secondly for the water escape. I have gone back to try and make that part believable. I wrote in an extra bit where the elves took out any orcs with arrows there might have been, so I hope that that makes all of that more believable.
Elvish is denoted by single 'quotations' while common speech is in the regular double "quotations".
Also the name of my OC character (who is a one shot deal) is a tribute to Athelas who has been one of my regular reviewers, like so many of you out there. She shared her elven name with me from one of those translator sites, and I used that as my OC name (hope you don't mind Athelas).
Chapter #7 ~ Healing & Departures
Someone was singing.
It was a soft song, one that floated on the air. There was a surreal quality to it, with a depth of extreme sadness, yet at the same time it was undeniably beautiful as well. It reminded Legolas of watching a morning sunrise, in the frosty winter dawns of Mirkwood, through a haze of mist, so that the splendour was somehow dulled, yet present none the less for those who looked to see. He wanted to hear more.
He tried to open his eyes, but they remained shut despite his attempts. Somehow the loss of that sense did not trouble Legolas overly much, and instead he simply contented himself with listening to the eerily beautiful tune. It was the final deciphering of the words that jolted Legolas fully back to himself, and with it his eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright.
It was an action he immediately regretted.
Pain lanced throughout his body, and he heard himself cry out softly. He sat in a soft bed, with blankets drawn up around him. He wore loose pants of pure white, and his hair had been washed and combed out straight. On his chest he wore nothing but a thick layer of bandages, which were wrapped tightly around his torso, and he shivered as a light breeze tickled across his exposed skin. The singer had also stopped singing and, as his eyes gradually became accustomed to the light, Legolas saw whom had sung.
The Lady Galadriel.
She shone more vibrantly then the stars in the skies themselves, and although Legolas had had the honour of looking upon her before, he was nearly consumed once again by her beauty. She rose deftly from the chair she had been sitting in, and approached him gracefully, before sitting down next to him on the bed. Her hand reached out, gently being placed on the centre of his chest, before urging him to lie back once more. He obeyed slowly, though confusion and pain left him shaking slightly. He felt young and awkward in her presence.
Her sapphire eyes looked into his and, although a part of him wanted to turn away and shield her from the darkness he knew she must be seeing within his soul, he did not. Instead, they silently gazed at one another for a moment that lasted an eternity.
'Young Prince. You are still in much pain. We have rid your body of the poison it carried, but it is still weak. You need rest, and time to heal.'
'Noblest of Ladies, how is it I have come to be here?' he said, and he was embarrassed by how young and scared his own voice sounded.
The Lady smiled, and brought one hand out to caress a cheek in comfort. 'Your companions brought you to us when they realized you were beyond their skill to aid.' A deep and profound sorrow filled her eyes then, but Legolas could already feel the lulling urge to sleep once again pulling him from her.
'You sing for Mithrandir,' he said, as his eyes started to glaze over. The knowledge that the fellowship was safe, and that he was healing, had lifted some of his worries from his shoulders, and he now welcomed the chance to sleep.
'Yes, I mourn a friend,' she replied dejectedly.
'I am sorry I could not save him. I have failed badly in this,' Legolas confessed.
'Do not carry the weight of the dead upon your shoulders, young one. Your destiny is heavy enough as it is without that extra burden. Mithrandir would not have blamed you for his fall. Rest easy here, and let your soul and body heal.' Galadriel then leaned over Legolas and kissed his brow tenderly, before standing. Legolas slept even before she had fully risen from the bed.
Galadriel stood over him for a moment, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She whispered a soft prayer of peace for him as she pulled the blankets up to cover him once more. She then turned and looked at her husband, who had been standing out on the balcony. Celeborn met her gaze levelly.
'We fade, Galadriel. We can do no more for them. We have handed on the protection of Arda to the care of men. Do not let your heart be so troubled,' his soft voice said gravely.
Galadriel shook her head. She had not felt so helpless in many millenniums, and it was this guilt which had provoked her to tend for the Mirkwood Prince herself, and lay him in her very own bed. 'I think I must go and speak to them. If only briefly, before they leave us.'
'Do not, my love, for it will only torment you more. Stay here and care for this little one, if you must, but do not let yourself be any more caught up in the affairs of the outside world then you already are.'
'In this I cannot obey you. Please understand that I need to do this. I will be gone but two days, at most.'
'If this will lighten your spirit, then go with my blessing, but return whole to me Galadriel, and do not weep for the inevitable,' Celeborn said softly, in an attempt to comfort his distraught wife.
'Ai, I think I shall weep for many nights to come, Celeborn, for I love this world, and would not see its fate unfold, had I but the power to stop it.' Celebron wasted no time in crossing the room and drawing his wife into a comforting embrace.
'It is beyond our control now.'
'Things have unfolded differently than I had foreseen. Mithrandir was suppose to emerge victorious from his plight with the darkness and I cannot comprehend what transpired to change the fate of Middle Earth.'
'Some things are beyond out power to interpret. The power of the mirror shows but a single course the river might run. Nothing is carved in stone until it happens.'
'Will you see to the young prince in my absence? I think he will sleep heavily for many days while he recovers but incase he wakes while I am not here, I would have someone I trust looking over him. You will explain to him why we could not aid them?'
'I think it is the least we can offer him. Fear not for this young one's soul. I will tend to him personally.'
Galadriel nodded solemnly and leaned forward to kiss her husband tenderly. Their eyes met briefly, and the two shared their love through their gaze. They were bound to each other heart and soul for eternity, and even though their parting would be but a few days, they would miss the stability and comfort each provided the other.
~*~
The company emerged from the river wet and tired. For many miles they had swam down the river, trying to escape the orcs that had pursued them, and their efforts now left them drained of strength. Once safely on the bank they had taken count and, although the fellowship had lost none of its members, three of the elves had perished, and two more held serious wounds. It was a depressing scene, and even the picture of a soaking wet dwarf, with water leaking from every corner of his armour, could not lighten the hearts of those who had survived.
Haldir looked livid. He knelt next to his injured comrades, talking quietly to them in elvish, but each time his eyes fell upon a fellowship member his dark orbs would flare anew. As of yet he had said no words to them, but Aragorn knew it was only a matter of time before the March Warden would vent his anger.
The ranger could not fault the elf his rage. The loss of three immortal lives must be taking its toll upon Haldir, as it was everyone. Though it had not been intentional the fellowship had endangered the inhabitants of Lothlórien, as the orcs had been pursuing them.
"Aragorn, are ye badly injured?" Gimli asked.
The ranger blinked. He was certainly in a great deal of pain but he did not think anything too serious affected him, other than exhaustion. He glanced at the wound on his arm, and examined the large cut that now scared his body. The wound ran deep, but the water had cleaned it nicely, and so he merely tied a strip of cloth around the injury to keep dirt from it. Quickly taking count of the rest of his body, he concluded that everything was survivable, and would heal.
"No, Gimli. Nothing so bad. The cut on my arm is the worst of it, and even that is trivial enough."
The dwarf eyes him skeptically for a moment longer before he seemed to accept the given answer with a brief nod. "The rest of us are all in one piece, but we cannot continue as we have been. We need proper sleep, Aragorn."
"I know. Sleep now, all of you," Aragorn instructed, before turning back to the elves. Walking over, he joined them. 'Is there anything I can do?' he asked quietly in elvish.
'You've done enough already!' snapped Haldir dismissively.
Aragorn sighed, and decided that, for the moment at least, it might be wisest to leave the elves to their own devices. He wanted to help but did not dare push the issue. Glancing at his companions he calmly went back over to them and, following their example, tried to sleep.
Haldir sighed as he watched the human return to his friends. His anger boiled within him, and he felt so powerless as he watched Rúmil, his brother, try and aid the two injured. The elves stood in silence together, until the last of the fellowship slipped into slumber.
'That was not exactly fair of you,' stated Sówien. She was a stubborn creature who was skilled with the bow. She had been a member of Haldir's scouting party for only a century now and, although their personalities sometimes clashed, he held a deep respect for her. At the moment though her light eyes were narrowed in disapproval.
'Do not lecture me on my conduct, Sówien, for it is not your place to do so!' he snapped back.
'Shame on you, Haldir! They are not to fault for the crimes of orcs, and to hold them accountable for such is childish and ignorant!' the she-elf replied just as heatedly.
The two glared at each other pointedly. Their tempers having risen to the point where speech was difficult. Haldir opened his mouth to retort but Rúmil stood suddenly.
'A horse approaches!'
The rest moved into action almost instantaneously. Drawing bows and notching arrows they turned towards the closing sounds, but even as they prepared for battle a sense of calm descended on them, and they felt themselves dropping from their defensive stances even before they could see the intruders.
It was in this state that Galadriel found them.
She slipped from the back of her mare in a single, fluid motion. She wore white pants and a silver tunic, with a belt resting lightly at her hips, armed with both sword and daggers. She looked both the image of beauty, but also carried the appearance of a warrior and queen. She was perfection.
She approached them silently, offering no words, to kneel on the ground next to the injured. Her eyes slowly took in their wounds, before scanning the rest of the company. Sorrow filled her expression when she realized that some faces would never be seen again.
'They will heal, my Queen," Rúmil said lightly. 'Though their injuries, in all appearance, look bad, it is nothing that our healing abilities cannot fix with time. We will lose no more people this day.'
'Have you no escort, my Lady?' Haldir asked aghast, as he realized no other elves approached them.
'Nay, Haldir, for none were needed,' she replied, though she knew he would be unhappy with her answer.
'Orcs have broken into our forests, Lady, and run freely! Already the blood of our people stains the soil! There is much need for protection in these dark days.'
'This I know well, March Warden,' she replied, standing and drawing herself up to her full height. Their eyes met, and Haldir immediately withdrew from his challenge, ashamed of his outburst. 'You are weary, Haldir. I appreciate your concern for my well being,' she assured him gently, with a fond smile.
Then she looked over at the fellowship members who, in their fatigue, had not woken at her approach. She smiled slightly as her gaze passed over the company. They were all such noble souls. Calmly she walked over to where they slept, and sat down lightly to await their wakening.
I would be really interested in hearing how you thought I did in writing Galadriel. She is an amazing character and I wanted to portray her wisdom and compassion while still displaying that queen image that she does so well. Let me know in your reviews, because next chapter is her messages to the fellowship so any insight would be appreciated when I do the touchup's for it.
I cannot believe how long this story is becoming. On my computer it is already more then fifty pages. When I wrote the first chapter I never dreamed of it becoming so long. I am in the middle of writing chapter 12 at the moment and all I want to do is post so that I can get feedback, lol. This is addictive.
Reviewer Notes:
Cheysuli
~ LOL! A Gollum moment, that is original. I *loved* Gollum in TTT! I thought he was brilliant. I remember reading him in the book and not really connecting with him on any level but in theaters… I was awed by him. Yep, Pippin is all around a cool hobbit (and my personal favorite of the four).Goma-Ryu
~ Yeah, I love ff.net for letting me post my writing but it can be irritatingly slow at times. Maybe with the site being divided into two areas now things will quicken up. *crosses fingers in hope* LOL, yeah, orcs in general piss off our fellowship but I think they handled themselves pretty well.holyfree
~ Thanks for the insights! I really appreciate the feedback!! I really want to make my fiction believable and accurate so please feel free to be as honest with my writing as you wish to be! I am glad you are still enjoying it despite the few errors and I hope you keep coming back!! I hope my earlier comments addressed all your concerns! =)merrylyn
~ I am glad you liked it!! I really do want to try and give each of the fellowship a moment of focus because they are all such great characters. As the story progresses I will probably focus in on certain points of view but I want to give the most balanced outlook as I can right now. I like Sam and his devotion to Frodo is so moving. I am glad I was able to write the battle in a way which kept you interested. I was pretty pleased with it but I am glad you guys agree! Thanks for coming back!evil spapple pie
~ Haldir is really cool. I wish he had a bigger part in my fic because he is rather fun to write. No, he was not injured (I figured Peter Jackson was hard enough on him without me adding to the injuries, lol). LOL, stuff Aragorn? Not a fan of our ranger are you? =)Athelas
~ Pippin is my favorite of the four hobbits which is probably why I have given him a bigger focus in the stories above the others. I am glad you like the way I am writing him. I hope my future plans for my stories meet all your expectations. I also hope you don't mind me using your elven name for my OC character… I didn't ask you but I didn't think you would mind too much.Saki
~ If you ever come back to keep reading I just wanted to say that I appreciate your candid opinion. Thanks so much for reviewing me!