"You can go no further." I hear Haldir's voice ring clear. They have to see her. I don't think I will be able to do it on my own. About an hour goes by, of Aragorn and Legolas arguing for their continue, and solemn moods of the rest of the fellowship. I can hear some of their words, Aragorn's more than Legolas', and grip the branches around me a bit tighter. The guards of Lothlorien are protective over their lands, and over their Lord and Lady. They will not endanger them lightly. The stillness of the woods at night is unsettling to those who do not know it.
"Gandalf's death was not in vain." I hear Boromir speak, and shift from my position in the trees to catch sight of him speaking to Frodo. I worry for the guard of Lothlorien. They cannot afford to let any unknown visitor slip into their woods, especially if the enemy has skills to match my own.
"Nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden Frodo, don't carry the weight of the dead." Boromir tells Frodo, and I am grateful for his encouragement.
"You will follow me." I hear Haldir, and brighten my stance as he takes them to Caras Galadhon, its beauty beyond measure. I remember the first time I came here, with such naivety of peace and happiness. Now I realise, peace and happiness, can only be achieved. It is not simply given. I, as one of the oldest of the fellowship, know of the dangers of the world, the many dangers. But I know I am still young. An elf of only a century would never usually be so far into the dangers as I am, yet here I am.
"The heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of Lord Celeborn, and of Galadriel, lady of Light." He speaks of them in such a respectful way. His voice will be shattered after my visit.
They walk through the thick towering trees, taking in the high platforms and winding stairs, as I follow invisible to any eye. The fellowship is taken to see the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, to stand before their personal quaters. I take my mother's silver circlet from my inside pocket, and secure it over my head, the waters of the oceans reflecting in the gemstone. A bright white light shines onto them and I see flowing blonde hair and a white dress, descending to them.
"The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Eight of you are here, yet ten there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him." Lord Celeborn speaks, and there is a pause before any speak. "I can no longer see him from afar."
"Gandalf the grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow." There. I hear her voice yet her lips do not move. I see the thoughts of the fellowship, they think of Gandalf, but I can only think of her. She thinks of only of the present matter, with a question at the back of her mind. I sense the waters around me, and centre my power in the skies. Droplets start falling at my command, but a shield of light prevents the droplets from reaching any near the presence of the Lady Galadriel.
"He was taken by both shadow and flame. A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria." Legolas says clearly. Suddenly I sense another presence on the platform, one familiar, yet unknown to me.
"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose." Lady Galadriel speaks. "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 mingled with grief."
"And the other." The new presense steps out to be seen, and I recognise the flash of blonde hair.
"(Father)" Legolas speaks in Sindarin, obviously surprised.
"(Indeed. I received word of rumours spreading through the lands quite recently, and found them rather intriguing. It did not take long for me to put your behaviour in late together with them.)" His words are accusing, and I see a flicker of guilt pass Legolas' face, as his father catches it. "(You thought you could hide her from me, a peasant girl no one has heard of?)" Thranduil's words stun Legolas, yet he recovers.
"(It is not like that father. There are reasons-)" He says politely, before being interrupted.
"(Please enlighten my thinking, perhaps with an explanation, though I will most likely not be persuaded!)" Thranduil rants. This was not how I planned on meeting him. But I must focus on my task. Nothing must distract me.
"I too wish to know of this girl, Nenuial, an interesting name." Lady Galadriel says.
"I know that name, she has been here before." Haldir says strongly, and Lord Celeborn tilts his head to Haldir.
"She has been here before?" He asks.
"She crossed our borders yet I cannot sense her presence, it is blocked-"
"By me." I say clearly, and coldly, and all heads turn to my placement, behind the Lady, on the roof . The three nearest guards shoot arrows at me immediately, but all I do is a quick slide of my hand, and water turns to ice, blocking the arrows. Chaos appears, Boromir even readies his weapon, yet Aragorn and Legolas stay perfectly calm. All arrows thrown at me I deflect, and I jump down through the shield of light, between the fellowship and the royalty, and bring my arms down with me.
The rain splashes through the shattered shield, and I combine them to form flowing water, and bend it around the space, taking all the guards weapons into the stream of the water, leaving the guards slightly damp. I leave the weapons at my feet and lock eyes with Haldir.
"Come Haldir, I do not wish to harm thee." I say smiling at him, his perplexed face, as I smash the water into him removing his secret dagger from the inside of his tunic.
The water spaces out into its original droplets, and I suspend them in mid-air, as they had fallen. I stare up to the royalty, all speechless. I undo my plaited hair and let it flow freely, and recognition dawns.
"Four rings to the elves. But one forgotten." My voice comes out clear, confident. Not how I am feeling. I touch the gemstone on my mother's headwrap, and smile. "Assumed destroyed, but in truth, reset. And passed on to the next in line."
"Azuliel." Thranduil exclaims.
"Azthryth, daughter of Azuliel." I correct, and my gaze passes to Lady Galadriel. "Azuliel, killed by Galadriel." The silence fills the air, and shock dawn on all faces.
"You are not welcome here." Galadriel's voice comes out unstable, and afraid.
"That was not what she said, when you came to her." I scowl, watching her eyes water cruelly. "(You killed her, you left her to die!)" I shout to her in Sindarin.
"(I did not kill her! Orcs swarmed her home, the darkness took her home!)" Galadriel shouts back at me, but I retaliate.
"(No, they may have been the ones to slit her throat but she called for you! She asked for help but you didn't come!)" I shout back at her. She's not getting away with this. She knows she could've helped, and she didn't.
Tears were running freely down her cheeks now, and I felt nothing. I made myself feel nothing. I bend them easily, twirling them around my fingers.
"How could you do such a thing. T'is unspeakable, in every way. (To leave your family to die. Yet secrets must run in the family, as I was hers for the 10 months prior to her death.)" I see her mind, the wave of emotions washing through her, guilt, fury, sadness, disbelief.
"It was not my choice. I thought she could handle it herself, she should've been strong enough. She could overpower my mind easily-" She says, the rage gathering in her.
"Yet you somehow managed to forget the same blockage in your view as I came here. You should recognise your own blood. Or did you just stop caring." I say, standing firmly. Suddenly, a flash of dark blue appears in my vision, and her light streams from her, in a shade of bruising purple. The fellowship recoil but I stand strong, and bend the suspended droplets into a wall, protecting those around. I feel the guilt, buried for years burn through her. Her power stops, and I create a peak hole for me to see through.
"You know of nothing. You have no idea of the responsibilities I had. I couldn't help her, she should've protected herself!"
"You're arguing against yourself, you know what you did was terrible, you know she was asking for help." I say strongly, anger at her coursing through me.
"I had other things more important! She should've protected herself, her people, her home. But she lost against them, she let them take her as they fled through her home! She let them take her!" Her voice booms through my head, having stopped my barrier once we had started arguing, and the intense shouts rattle through my head, pain bursting through me. Millions of thoughts hit me at once, the pain indescribable as it rips me apart. I fall to the ground, having lost the will to stand as the pain tears at me.
"Stop it! You're hurting her!" I hear a voice, and see Frodo by my side, eyes wide with fear. As I fight to keep my consciousness, Legolas cups my face and whispers to me.
"Stay strong, melamin." Above me, I see Galadriel, and the darkness surrounding her subsides, leaving her exhausted of power and shocked. She backs away, taking in the actions she was not aware she was making. I gasp out in pain and see a flicker of Legolas' face. Now, a look of fear and sadness invades his face. I have never seen him look like that. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to feel the water droplets around me, try to control it, try to get the feeling back. I struggle as it splashes around, but with a last final push, I manage to sit up, and I breath as steadily as I can.
With as much power as I can muster, I stand up and glare at her. I'm out of breath, a pounding pain still residing in me, and I look upon her with disgust.
"Make all the excuses you wish, there will always be blood on your hands." I say, my eyes upon her snidely. The feelings I read in her were of sadness, and guilt, yet also knowledge. She looks upon with the feeling that she knows something I do not. Anger erupted in my head, but I kept myself controlled as confusion at her feelings mixed with the anger. And I am always one to think before acting. The knowing glance she gave me, shook me, but I turned away from her.
I look upon King Thranduil, and bow my head. This was not how I planned on meeting you, forgive me. But I assure you, we will meet again. I speak into his mind, but he just stares at me perplexed and still shocked. I walk to Legolas, and kiss him gently on the cheek. I place a hand on Frodo's shoulder momentarily, and walk to my brother, standing just behind. I am alright, I will meet you the other side of the river. She is not safe, I can't trust her.
And with that last thought, I run to the edge of the platform and skydive off, water streaming behind me, disappearing into the woods.
I stand next to the river, the place I fled after my encounter with my mother's killer. I breath in and out deeply, trying to calm myself from the pain I withstood. But I know my eyes are wide and awake, yet the heavy circles under my eyes say otherwise. It is late into the night, and no one will be wandering through the city, especially as a lament for Gandalf echoes through the woods. I am proud of myself, to have gotten this far. I did not expect my meeting with Galadriel to go any particular way.
The amount of secrecy I had to keep in order to meet with her like this, accusing, and full of humiliation, was great. Lord Elrond knew not of my mother, as I was taken to him with Aragorn when our father died. The only ones who knew were Aragorn and Legolas.
Things got a little more complicated with Legolas. I knew he had duties to Mirkwood, and my secrecy forced him to keep secrets against his own father. I cannot imagine how King Thranduil is feeling right now. Angry perhaps, that his son lied to him for the sake of a maiden. Dare I say it proud, that the maiden was of my importance, to both elves and men. I would not know, for I am not him.
As I tuck my hair behind my ear, I feel the dirt on my face from the fellowship's journey, and for once wish that I had a nice bath waiting for me. I would say a soft bed as well, but I am aware that Legolas was given temporary quarters, and I plan on visiting him tonight. I wander to a most secluded part of Lothlorien, towards the north of Caras Galadhon, where there are no inhabitants. I have stopped by still pools of water where the river slows, and look around nervously. There is no one around anywhere. Patrols and guards are further out of Lothlorien, and orcs and such never venture here. There is no life here, other than the tall mallorn trees.
I take of my clothes, and slide into the surprisingly lukewarm water in my large undershirt and underwear. I cleanse myself of dirt and mud, and wash through my hair, riding it of grease. The relaxing water calms me, and I wonder whether I am trying to wash away my problems. It at least gives me enough peace of mind to think soundly. The rage a feelings buried deep within her from all those years ago. That is what she used on me. I have never felt such pain, physically or emotionally.
The physical, was burning through my blood, through my body searing my nerves. The emotional… I dare not remember it. The power of her mind could kill, but it would only do so after any living creature had begged for mercy, had screamed out in the utmost pain. It could almost be described as the worst form of torture. I try to tear my mind away from such negative thoughts, but even in my mind, the evil calls for attention.
As I climb out of the gentle pools, I bend the water out of my underwear and undershirt, and off my body, changing into my clean travelling clothes from my pack. When I see the moon high up in the sky, I walk back to Caras Galadhon.
As I climb onto the beams on the trees, I step down onto the roof of Legolas' quarters. I drop down and slip through his door quickly, and before I can even look around his arms are around me, holding me in an embrace. A deep sigh leaves me, and I feel safer from my previous thoughts.
"Are you alright Azthryth? You were gone for longer than I anticipated." His voice is full of worry, and I lean further into him, tightening my arms around him, holding on, never wanting to let go.
"I am alright. I think."
Please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome. I rewrote this chapter as I thought the original was definitely a little unrealistic, and thank you to the reviewers who helped me out!