Chapter 7: Poncy elves and magic mirrors

Disclaimer: Seeing as we have some very special guests this chapter, I'm going to let one of them do the disclaimer.
Will Turner: Do we have to?
Legolas: Milady, I would be more than happy to do the disclaimer.
Will: The task was appointed to me!
Legolas: No, no, I insist…
Random olliphaunt: OMG Will Turner and Legolas are arguing! *Dies of fangirling*
Martin the Nazgul: This is my chance to shine! The authoress owns nothing except her OCs.
*Erin's POV*
'Haldir!' Cat wailed, and burst into tears.

'What's wrong with her?' asked Legolas.

'Everyone has a different theory,' I sighed. Legolas gave me a weird look.

'I meant, why is she crying?'

'Oh. Ummm… Yes, Cat, tell the pretty elf why you're crying.'

'Everyone dies,' she sobbed. I patted her on the head.

'There, there. Who knows, we could be following the book canon… shit, did I say that out loud?'

'Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion.' Haldir said, after looking at me and Cat weirdly.

'Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien.' Legolas replied. Haldir turned to look at Aragorn.

'A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le amen.' He said.

'Haldir.' Aragorn responded, bowing.

'So much for the legendary courtesy of the elves! Speak words we can all understand!' Gimli growled.

'I'm with midget on this one,' I offered.

'Erin, we don't annoy people with pointy weapons.' Cat muttered.

'We have not had dealings with dwarves since the Dark Days.' Haldir sneered.

'And do you know what this dwarf says to this? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!'

'That was not so courteous!' Aragorn snapped, slapping the dwarf. Haldir raised an eyebrow, then turned to the pirates. 'Ah, Jack Sparrow,' he said icily. 'I see you have brought ... friends.'

'Haldir, mate! I see your hair's grown back. Sorry about that, by the way… and you've brought friends too! Excellent!' He nodded at the other elves that were all pointing bows and arrows at us. Haldir rolled his eyes, and then looked at Frodo. 'You bring great evil with you,' he stated.

'You can go no further.' He started to walk away, but Aragorn followed, arguing in Elvish.

'So, how did you end up in middle-earth?' I asked Elizabeth. She frowned.

'To be honest, I'm not really sure,' she said. ' We were on a ship, and then everything went white, and then we were here.'
'But Jack's been here before?'

'So it would appear –what are they doing?' I followed her gaze and saw Legolas and Will, who appeared to be arguing fiercely.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I should have realised. A bow and arrow must seem very complex compared your piece of sharpened metal.'

'This sharpened metal could cut off that hair of yours pretty easily…'

'NEVER THREATEN ELF HARI! AAGGGHHH!' Cat shrieked, and smacked Will on the back of the head. Everyone looked slightly freaked out by this. Just then Haldir appeared, looking sulky. 'You will follow me,' he said, sulkily.

'Aww, poor wickle grumpy elf.'

*Cat's POV*
After about an hour of walking, we reached the elven city. 'Caras Galadhon … the heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light.' Haldir proclaimed. We walked through it, marvelling at the trees that had grown into the shapes of graceful buildings.

We eventually came to the base of a huge spiralling staircase. Haldir and the other Galadhrim who had escorted us stood off to one side slightly. I could just make out two figures descending it. Celeborn and Galadriel, both clad in white and seeming to glow from within. The hobbits stared, open-mouthed. Aragorn bowed his head slightly.

'The enemy knows you have entered here.' Celeborn intoned. 'What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Ten there are, yet eleven there were, set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar.'

'Did he just say he wanted to sleep with Gandalf?' Erin whispered. I rolled my eyes.

'Speak with him.'

'Ohh. This scene makes more sense now.'

'Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow.' Galadriel said wonderingly. Celeborn looked disbelievingly at his wife.

'He was taken by both shadow and flame – a Balrog of Morgoth, for we went needlessly into the net of Moria.' Legolas's voice was filled with sorrow.

'Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose.' Galadriel said. 'Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your heart, Gimli son of Gloin, for the world has grown full of peril and in all lands love is now mingled with grief.' She turned to look at Boromir, who held her gaze for a few seconds before looking down, weeping silently.

'What now becomes of this fellowship? Without Gandalf hope is lost.' Celeborn asked.

'The quest now stands on the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the company is true.' Galadriel replied, in the same dreamy voice as before. 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace.'

oOo

Jack, Will and Elizabeth disappeared somewhere, and the rest of the fellowship were shown to a flet to rest on, but Galadriel held me and Erin back. 'I would speak with you, daughters of Alba.' We started walking through the forest again. 'You have fared well in this world since arriving here,' she continued.

'Wait, you...' I started to say.

'Yes. I remember your world. Saruman's trickery has not erased my mind.'

'Do you know why he brought us here?'

'I am not privy to all the decisions of the Valar.'

'Um, no offence Galadriel, but I'm pretty sure it was Saruman who sent us here.' Erin said. Galadriel smiled her mysterious-all-knowing-elf-queen smile. 'Saruman was but a puppet,' she said. 'He sent you here, but it was only with the powers of the Valar that he was able to accomplish such a feat.'

'But why do they want us here? Why would the Valar help Saruman?'

'That I do not know. But it was by the grace of the Valar that you were sent here, and it is by the grace of the Valar that you will be sent back.'

We had stopped near a large basin, into which Galadriel poured a jug of water. 'Will you look into the mirror?' She asked.

'What will we see?'

'Even the wisest cannot tell. But perhaps for you, it will show you your home.' Erin and I exchanged glances, then stepped up to the mirror.

At first, I saw nothing, but then the water rippled and what looked like a newspaper appeared. Search continues for missing girls, read the headline. After that, more images flashed up, too quickly for me to see them properly. The site where Cathorn apartments used to be, now nothing more than charred rubble. Mum speaking to policemen and reporters, looking tearful. Posters with a photo of me and Erin on them, stuck up around the town where we lived.

I looked up from the mirror and glanced over at Erin,who was staring in shock at Galadriel. 'We have to go back,' she said.

'It is not your choice to make,' Galadriel said gently. 'I am sorry.' Then she gestured to another flet, close to the one where the fellowship was staying. 'This flet has been set aside for you. Go, rest now.'

'Oh good, can we go have baths now?' Erin said happily. 'I smell like a dead animal that drowned in it's own menstrual blood.'

'OK, Erin, time to stop talking now.'

oOo

We bathed, changed into silvery tunics and then went to join the rest of the Fellowship. The elves' singing echoed through the trees. 'A lament for Gandalf,' Legolas said softly.

'What do they say about him?' Merry asked.

'I have not the heart to tell you,' Legolas replied sadly. 'For me, the grief is still too near.'

'I bet they don't mention his fireworks,' Sam said. He stood up and recited, 'The finest rockets ever seen, they burst in stars of blue and green, and after thunder, silver showers,' Gimli snored loudly. Aragorn looked over and smacked him. 'Came falling like a … rain of flowers… oh, that doesn't do them justice.' He sat down again. Aragorn got up and went over to talk to Boromir.

'Remember when we learned the Lament for Gandalf last year?' Erin asked. I nodded. 'How did it go again?'

'Umm...' Erin paused for a moment, then started singing, 'A Olórin i yaresse, mentaner I Numeherui, Tirien I Romenori...'

'Melme nóren sina , núra ala,Eäro…' I joined in.

'Maiaron i Oiosaila, Manan elye etevanne Nórie i malanelye? ... What comes next?'

'No idea.' Everyone sat in silence for a bit (except for Gimli, who was still snoring). Then Erin suddenly said, 'I wonder if what Galadriel showed us has already happened, or if it's going to happen in the future.'

'Galadriel showed you her mirror? That is a great honour.' Legolas said. 'What did you see?' When me and Erin both remained silent, he added hastily, 'Forgive me. If it was personal to you, then i should not have asked.'

'No, it's fine,' i said. ' We saw our own world, where we're missing. Our mum's worried sick.'

What of your father? You speak little of him.'

'That's cos our real dad died when we were babies,' Erin explained. 'Mum remarried when were little, but then she and our stepdad got divorced about six years ago. We haven't seen our stepfather since he left.'

'When mum threw him out, you mean.' i snorted.

'Why did she do that?'

'Because e mfff oo mff mmf uh.'

'They weren't getting along.' Erin said, after clamping a hand over my mouth. Legolas looked at us both for a few seconds.

'You're lying.'

'No I'm not.'

'Then you are not telling the whole truth.'

'Your face isn't telling the whole truth.'

'That doesn't make any sense.'

'Neither does your face.' Legolas raised an eyebrow. I poked Erin.

'Erin? Erin? ... She's fallen asleep.'

'No Draco, don't do it! The vampires are too many!'


Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion. = Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil.
Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien. = Our fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien.
A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le amen = Oh, Aragorn of the Dúnedain, you are known to us.
Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul! = I spit on your grave!
A Olorin i yaresse… - Olórin who once was…
Mentaner i Numeherui – Sent by the Lords of the West
Tírien i Rómenóri… - To guard the Lands of the East…
Melme nóren sina – Our love for this land
núra ala – Is deeper than the depths
Eäro… - Of the sea…
Maiaron i Oiosaila, - Wisest of all Maiar,
Manan elye etevanne – What drove you to leave
Nórie i malanelye? – That which you loved?

Review now, or I send Boromir to kill you in the night…
Boromir: But I don't want to-
Random olliphaunt: Shut it, Boromir, and put on this assassin costume already!
Boromir: But-
R.O: Go! Stand not upon the order of thy going, but go!