Dear Reader,
Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, etc.! The same goes to those who read this! You guys are awesome! If anyone is interested, there is a poll that you can take on my profile that involves the fate of this fan fiction! Also, please look at the author's note if you see a phrase that is bolded. It means that it is Elvish. The phrases will be translated there.
Another side note: I have been recently obsessed with a song called "Lothlorien" from the Lord of the Rings musical. :3 It makes me smile.
- Bane
~*8*~
They had been travelling for most of the day when they finally reached a farmland. No evil had threatened them yet, which made Andi feel at ease. She wasn't too keen on the idea of harming someone or something.
Although Andi suggested going around the fields of corn, Frodo and Sam thought that time was of the essence. They dove into the seemingly endless maze of corn with Andi following reluctantly behind them. The fact that she couldn't see everything around her unsettled her, but she still pressed on behind the hobbits. Very soon, she lost them among the corn stalks.
Suddenly, there was a cry from Sam. "Frodo? Mister Frodo? Frodo!"
Andi sprinted ahead, fearing the worst. When she came to a clearing in the corn, she found the two of them.
"Don't you dare leave me again!" Andi ordered. "And don't scare me like that!"
"Killeam, we're still in the Shire!" Frodo exclaimed. "What can possibly happen?"
He had spoken too soon, for as soon as he finished speaking, Pippin plowed into him. Merry also came through the stalks and toppled Sam. In their hands they held carrots, lettuce heads, and cobs of corn.
"Hey, it's our friends!" Merry declared to Pippin.
"Hello, Frodo!" Pippin smiled as he lifted himself off of his friend. As soon as they were up, they started gathering their vegetables.
"Let me guess," Andi said. "You're stealing produce and vegetables."
Merry and Pippin responded together. "It's not stealing."
"It's simply borrowing." Pippin stated.
The group spun around as they heard the sound of dogs. Pippin and Merry dove into the corn, dragging Frodo and Sam along with them. Andi followed behind. She had a fear of dogs. She soon outran the hobbits and she made a beeline for the end of the field. When she saw a giant cliff, she stopped suddenly and moved to the side.
"Watch out for—!" Andi shouted, but it was too late. The hobbits didn't look where they were running and they fell down, rolling down the steep hill. She shook her head while slowly and carefully maneuvering down the precipice.
It took her a while to get down. By the time she was down, the hobbits had found a patch of mushrooms and were standing over them like a pack of wolves looking at their next meal. Frodo kept on staring down the road. She walked over and stood next to him.
"What's wrong?" She asked. As soon as she asked, her mind was throwing pictures at her again. It was the same process that she had gone through when Frodo talked about his parents. There first was a picture of the road, then there was darkness and a pair of red eyes…
"Get off the road! Quick!" Frodo exclaimed.
Sam, Pippin, and Merry looked at him, puzzled. "Why would we—?"
"DO WHAT HE SAYS!" Andi shouted. She didn't have time for their questions. She heaved Merry and Pippin off of their feet and shoved them towards the familiar looking tree. They would be able to hide under its roots. Sam followed the two hobbits. Andi looked around and found a tree with a high branch. She was a particularly good climber, so it was a good place to hide. Sprinting, she went to the tree.
"What are you doing?" Frodo hissed.
"Stay there." Andi whispered. "I'll watch over you."
Before climbing up, she tossed her walking staff into the tree. Fortunately, it landed in a place where it wouldn't fall out. Heaving her body weight and the weight of her satchel, she pulled herself into the tree. She climbed until the foliage of the tree would keep her out of sight, but she could still keep her eye on the hobbits. Then, she waited.
It seemed like forever. Every passing second felt like an hour. Every minute felt like a day. Beads of nervous sweat beaded on Andi's forehead. Her breathing seemed unusually loud to her as she gripped her staff for dear life. From what she knew, the hobbits would go away unharmed, but with her presence, would anything change?
She stopped all of her thinking as she heard hooves. Holding her breath, she looked down at a giant rider. He was covered in black clothing from his boots to his head. His face wasn't visible, but there were beady red eyes that shone from the shadow of his hood. It was a Ringwraith and he was after the Ring. Andi prayed hard when the Rider got off of his horse and knelt over the root that the hobbits hid under. She could hear the sound of him sniffing. He was smelling the ring.
Okay, any second now Pippin is going to through a bag of mushrooms and he'll go away. Andi thought. She waited for this to happen, but it never did. Confused, she still waited. Nothing happened. Then the Ringwraith stood up. He looked like he was about to go down the hill! If he did, he would certainly see the hobbits! Andi searched through her satchel to find anything. To her delight, she found a head of lettuce that Merry or Pippin must have snuck into her bag. Standing up on the branch, she hurled the lettuce as hard as she could in the direction that the Wraith came from. There was a distant thud and the Ringwraith gave a bloodcurdling screech, darting towards his suspected prey.
She jumped from the tree as soon as he was out of sight, sprinting towards the hobbits who were already making a beeline to the bottom of the hill. When they all reached the bottom, they huffed and puffed for air.
"What was that?" Merry exclaimed.
Andi gasped for air. "It…was a…Black Rider." She took another breath, finally stabilizing herself.
"I have to leave the Shire." Frodo stated. "Sam, Killeam, and I must get to Bree."
Merry seemed to be thinking, and then he exclaimed. "Buckleberry Ferry! Follow me!"
They followed Merry through the woods. Thousands of prickle bushes later, they stopped in a glen. Before they all fell to the ground, exhausted, they pulled off all of the prickles that had attached to their clothes. Andi prayed that the Black Riders were nowhere near them. She felt like there was no energy left in her body as she stared at the sky. The sky was a bright, clear blue which was slowly changing colors from the sun setting. Fluffy clouds floated across it, taking on various shapes as the wind blew through them. She picked out the shape of a pig, then a scuba diver, and then...
What is that? Andi thought to herself. Weaving in and out of the clouds was a bird. She couldn't tell what kind of bird it was, but it had to be a bird of prey. Its wings were stretched wide, soaring in the air. It was circling around their area. That's odd. She thought. Maybe I'll look around and see what it's looking at.
"Where are you going?" Frodo asked as she stood up, grabbing the walking staff.
"I'm just going to take a look around." Andi replied. "I'm not going far. Here," She tossed him the knife that was at her belt. "Take this. If anything comes, scream."
"Scream what?" Sam asked.
Andi sighed. "Anything. Scream about flowers for all I care, just let me know if you're in trouble!"
As she walked away, Merry commented. "She seems flustered."
"I heard that." She said, and walked further into the brush.
She walked slowly, avoiding any leaves that were on the ground. Holding her staff ahead of her in defense, she searched the area. There wasn't anything that looked dead. Why would the bird be circling if there was nothing dead? Or for that matter, something that was small and easy to kill? Suddenly, she heard a twig snap. She stiffened and swung around, holding her staff out. Her eyes searched the foliage. There was nothing that she could see. Green leaves and bushes were all she could spot. Relaxing her tense shoulders, she sighed in relief. Panic shot through her body once more when she felt something sharp at the back of her neck.
A voice behind her hissed, "Man eneth lin?" When Andi didn't answer him, he asked another question, "Man sâd telil?"
Andi had no idea what the man behind her was saying. "I-I don't know how to speak Elvish. I'm sorry but I don't know what you're—!"
"Sedho!" The man growled, pushing whatever was at the back of her neck deeper into her skin. She winced as she felt it cut into her.
"Saeldur!" Another voice came from behind her. "Man carel le?"
"Do you speak Eng—I mean in the tongues of Men?" Andi asked, only to get stabbed in the back of the neck again.
"No dhinen!" The man named Saeldur hissed again.
"N'ndengina ho!" The man other than Saeldur exclaimed. He walked around the two of them to come face to face with Andi. He had long black hair which was slightly braided to keep hair out of his face. Green eyes stared into her brown ones. He was an elf, for his ears were pointed at the tips.
"What is your name, boy?"
"Thank…the Valar that someone speaks in the tongues of Men!" Andi exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. "My name is Killeam, son of Killund. I'm travelling with a band of hobbits. We seek Mithrandir."
The elf nodded. "We expected that you were, yet we were not certain. Forgive my friend. He is quick to act against threats."
Andi laughed. "Expect no threat from me. I hardly know how to use this thing!" She picked her staff up from the ground.
"Is that all you are protecting your travelers with? You will be killed quickly!" The elf exclaimed. "Come, stay with us! We have a camp not far off where you and your company can rest, eat, and be merry!"
"Thank you, sir." Andi said, bowing her head. "We would greatly appreciate that."
He bowed his head, putting his hand on his chest. "I am Gildor. There is no need to call me 'sir'."
Gildor and Andi, who were escorted by Saeldur, came into the glen where the hobbits sat. At first they were alarmed, but Andi reassured them that Gildor was a friend. She definitely knew he was a friend. From the book that she had read, he had helped Frodo. Once they had gathered their things, they set off towards the camp. Gildor and Frodo had a lively conversation in Elvish. Bilbo had taught Frodo much about the language. Gildor was impressed by how much Frodo knew. Andi was jealous that she didn't know the language. She wanted desperately to know what they were saying.
When they approached the camp, Andi heard music. The tune was mystical and light. As she listened, she smiled. The clear notes of the music were floating through the trees, making the other members of the party blissful as well. This was the song that they heard:
Gilthoniel! O, Elbereth!
Clear are they eyes and bright is thy breath!
Snow White! Snow White! We sing to thee
In a far land beyond the sea!
Andi looked over at same and chuckled to herself. He looked so mesmerized. She had heard from Frodo that he had an obsession with elves. It was a good thing that he couldn't tell what she was…
When they reached the camp, Andi saw about fifty elves. She was disappointed that there were hardly any women or girls there. For being dressed up as a boy for about three weeks, she was in desperate need of 'girl time'. At least she had a safe place where she didn't have to stay up all night again.
"Go and dine!' Gildor declared. "Fill your stomachs and drink to your heart's content!"
Merry and Pippin didn't have to be asked twice. They sprinted to the table and started grabbing food. Sam and Frodo followed behind them, but they had better table manners. Andi was beckoned by Gildor to take a seat next to him. She sat down, but she was afraid that he would ask questions.
"So how did you come into a company of Halflings?" He asked. "Your apparel is that of a Ranger."
"I am a Ranger." Andi said, still using her manly voice. It came almost naturally to her now. "I was stationed up North until the death of my family. Mithrandir found me and asked me to accompany these hobbits."
"Where is their destination?" Gildor asked after taking a swig of ale. "We might be able to escort you there."
"Bree. Gandalf said he would be meeting us there."
"Ah," Gildor said, looking unhappy. "Unfortunately, we cannot take you farther than the border of the forest. We must get to the Western Shore by the end of Autumn."
"You don't have to escort us." Andi stated. "You would be backtracking. Why are you going to the Western Coast?"
Gildor looked sadly towards the sunset. "We will be sailing to Valinor."
Andi gasped. "Valinor? Why?"
"The darkness that is seeping from Mordor is filtering into our establishments. The elves are sensing the end and are making their journeys. We were considered outcasts for not going yet."
Andi scowled. "I think that's absurd. You're getting out casted for being brave. The ones that have left are cowards in my opinion." She folded her arms angrily.
Gildor looked at Andi skeptically, but then shook his head and ate what was on his plate. Andi also ate what was on her plate. Every so often, Gildor would glance at Andi. After a while, she became self conscious. After eating her food, she excused herself to the outskirts of the camp. She needed some time to think.
"Killeam?" She turned around. Gildor walked up next to her, looking at the stars along with her. "I want to ask you a question."
"What is it, Gildor?" Andi asked.
"May I see your face?"
Andi was taken aback. It wasn't the question that she had expected. She didn't know what to say. He had given her and the hobbits a place to stay, but Gandalf had strict orders not to show her face. What should she do? After a moment, she made up her mind. She trusted Gildor. When Andi pulled back her hood and pulled out her ponytail, Gildor gaped at her.
"You deceived me." Gildor whispered. "And here…all this time I thought you were a man."
"I had a feeling that you had suspicions that I wasn't man." Andi commented.
Gildor nodded. "Your comment about the elves leaving did make me skeptical, especially when you crossed your arms."
"I should probably be more careful about my body language."
"Indeed."
The two stared at the stars more. Andi couldn't believe that there was so many. They lit up the sky almost as bright as the moon could. After staring in awe at the stars, she glanced at Gildor. His facial expression made it seem that he was thinking.
"What's wrong?" Andi asked.
Gildor sighed. "I was thinking that you looked like someone I knew."
"Who?"
"Well, it was a long time ago. You are a human and you probably weren't even born then."
Andi whispered to Gildor. "I have a secret. I'm actually like you. I'm an elf too."
He cocked an eyebrow. "You can't be! You don't have the pointed ears!"
"I can't tell you the whole story," She confessed, "but I can tell you that my appearances will come back in time."
"Mmhm." He mumbled to himself. He seemed very confused.
"I'm sorry, it's a lot to take in." Andi said. "Even for me."
"How did you take it all?"
"Don't ask, because I don't even know myself." She laughed. "So…who do I look like?"
Gildor looked at her face again, almost to make sure he was thinking of the right person. "No offense, but you look like Arondial; or at least your eyes do. He was the—."
Andi gasped. "The governor of Lithadoren! Gildor, you have no idea how happy that makes me!" She was bursting for joy. It was an honor to say that she looked like someone in her family.
Gildor, again, was confused. "You're happy that you have similar eyes?"
"No! I know you're not going to believe this, but he's my father!"
Gildor's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Vanwa Hareth! The Lost Lady!" He was giddy with excitement. "Everyone said you died! Where have you been! Oh, wait till the Lady Galadriel hears—!"
Andi put her hand over Gildor's mouth. "I think now would be a good time to mention that all of this has to be a secret!"
When she removed her hand, Gildor asked. "Why? Elves have been waiting for your return!"
"According to Mithrandir, Sauron is apparently still looking for me." Andi stated. "I have to keep my identity a secret or else he will find me. He wants to kill me." She cringed. It was still weird to think that there were people plotting her demise.
Gildor put a hand over his heart. "I promise on the Valar, I will keep your identity a secret, upon pain of death!"
"Maybe not to death." Andi said, smiling. "But thank you."
"Let us get you to your resting place, my lady." Gildor declared. "You are tired and need rest." Andi nodded in agreement, realizing just how tired she actually was.
Gildor lead Andi back to the camp. Directing her to some beds, she laid down on one once Gildor had left. Immediately, amidst the leaves and moss, she fell into a deep sleep.
A/N: Translations~
Man eneth lin: What is your name?
Man sâd telil: Where are you from?
Sedho: Quiet!
Man carel le: What are you doing?
No dhinen: Be silent!
N'ndengina ho: Don't kill him.
Vanwa Hareth: Lost Lady
These translations are from and which are both very useful cites.
Also, there is a quote that I must cite. The song is from page 88 of The Fellowship of the Ring.
ANOTHER THING: I do not know when I can update again. I hope that it will be soon, but if it isn't in two-three days, please do not set your wargs on me (that means YOU Horserider 15)
