Chapter 10
A Joyous Reunion
Meli slept soundly for the next two days with the aid of a potion Elrond gave her for calming. Her grief was immense, as she carried both hers and Frodo's. Both of their lives had been deeply touched by Gandalf's friendship and the loss was unbearable. To the relief of all involved, there were no more episodes for a while. Time had been granted for mourning.
On the third day Meli rose to find a light snow had fallen and the air was clean and crisp. Her mood was still heavy with sadness, but she was determined to be strong. As she dressed she mentally prepared herself for facing the world with determination; she would not let her fear and shyness lead the way. She knew her privacy would be respected by Elrond, Nilde and Adreal. However, everyone in Imladris now knew she had a secret and, as loving as these people were, she was sure she would be getting too much attention.
As she removed her gown, she noticed she was still quite sore from her experience. She grimaced as she looked down at her side and to her alarm there was a large blackish bruise there. At the top of her right breast there was a blood red imprint of circlets that had torn the tissue of her skin. Puzzled she examined it. It appeared as if she had received a blow into a chain mail shirt. With revelation, a smile crossed her face as she remembered the mithril shirt Bilbo had written about in his book.
"He must have given it to Frodo before he left," she thought. "I love you Bilbo" she said aloud. Then her gaze fell upon the old scar from the stab wound. Great sadness filled her heart to know that Frodo was still suffering.
Elrond sat down at his desk, a look of pain and frustration on his face. His thoughts were focused on his daughter Arwen of whom he had just left. He had become obsessed, more than ever, with the fall of Gandalf. Now the task of the Fellowship seemed doomed to fail. He feared for Arwen's safety and felt desperate to somehow get her to the Undying Lands away from this evil; into the longing arms of his beloved wife, Celebrian. There, he knew she would be safe.
He thought of Celebrian; her beauty, her selflessness; the wound she suffered that drove her to depart for the west. His love for her had not lessoned one ounce since her departure. Longing for her made him ache deep in his heart, and it hurt even more to know the agony Arwen would feel if she were to lose her true love. He knew she would never get over such a loss. But he could not forget Celebrian's pain; she would be devastated with the loss of her daughter. It was a tangled dilemma; he had given it deep thought, pleaded with his daughter; but she refused to go. Now, he wondered if he was being selfish; yet he knew he would never give up trying to convince her. Meli entered the room, and his anxiety increased; for his love for this little one was also as for a daughter.
Meli felt nervous as she entered the library. She was unsure of how Elrond now felt about the information she had withheld from him. She imagined he was quite angry with her. Upon seeing that she was alright he smiled slightly and his look softened some.
"Well, you are up and about now. I hope you are feeling better," he said.
She put on a brave front and smiled sweetly. She sat down across from him. "I want you to know how sorry I am if I upset you for not telling you everything, my Lord. It is just…well…you seemed so distraught and preoccupied. I did not want to burden you."
Before she could go on, Elrond stopped her and said, "Do not worry Melanna. Nilde has told me everything and I have forgiven you. You have been through enough without worrying about me and I agree with your reasons. Now that I know, I wish to help you in anyway I can. I fear for you Melanna. I feel you should leave for Aman. Perhaps the Valar could somehow break the spell and you could be spared the pain and risk."
Her eyes became wide. Had he no hope for Frodo? If not, she did not want to know; for she greatly respected his judgment. She would never lose hope. The notion had never entered her mind to leave Middle Earth to seek release from the spell. She thought deeply for a moment about all that she had been through. Though she could not feel Frodo's good feelings, she somehow knew deep within her that he would never give up. His resolve was obvious as he continued on, yet she felt the twinges of doubt that constantly entered his mind. Still, her every waking moment was a celebration within her heart that someday, he might love her; as she loved him. Elrond's eyes were locked with hers with determination as he patiently waited for her to answer.
She inhaled deeply and then replied, "No Lord Elrond. I can not do that. I will not leave until I know he is safe."
Pain once more crossed Elrond's face as he thought of his daughter Arwen and the very similar conversation he had just had with her. The spell flew through his mind and Nilde's words revealing Meli's love for Frodo brought the aching to new heights he had not thought possible. The words he used to try to convince Arwen echoed in his mind and he wondered if it would be selfish of him to repeat them to Meli.
Sensing his pain, she approached him and took his hand in hers. She kissed his cheek softly, holding her lips against his skin as she whispered delicately into his ear, "Thank you, my Lord for all that you have done for me."
Elrond's heart throbbed, selfish or not he did not want to lose Meli either. But before he could respond, she quietly walked away to face the others.
Meli tapped gently on Bilbo's door. Her nerves began to stir the grief inside her. The door opened and one look at his face told her of the full depths of his grief. No words were spoken, as their eyes told each other their thoughts and she earnestly put her arms about his neck and hugged his face close to hers.
He held her tightly as they fought back the tears and finally he said, "Yes, yes. "We shall all miss him dearly."
The elves of Imladris were kind to Meli, giving her respect and privacy, for they knew her manner. Occasionally she would receive a kind word, a gentle song, or a hug and it warmed her. It had been a week since that painful day and word had come to Elrond that the company had made their way to the woods of Lothlorien where they had found refuge among the people of Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel. He also learned that Gandalf's demise was from a fall in battle with a Balrog. New mourning began with this news and it especially frightened the elves, for those creatures were of the most fearsome of all of Morgoth's creations.
Having knowledge of them from the books she had read, Meli's anxiety for Frodo increased; she feared the dangers he would yet face, as his quest continued. Would they be just as bad, or even worse? And that fear intensified as word came that Orcs were increasing again in the southern woods of Mirkwood, at Dol Guldur. The sight of how Carasdolen looked after the attack on it, revived anew within Meli's memory. The taste of that horror returned as she wondered about their safety in Imladris. Elrond readied his armies to stand guard.
That night as she lay in bed she could not sleep as the Balrog haunted her thoughts. Now, for the first time, she allowed herself to put Frodo's fear aside and truly think about the danger she was in. She thought about her life, what it had meant and how it had unfolded so far. Simple, irresponsible, meaningless; she decided, for she did not see her own worth. Now here she was carrying this massive burden and for what good would it do anyone? Never before had she felt so alone, so useless, so burdensome for poor Elrond, Adreal and Nilde.
Her love for Frodo came flooding back into her present mind and she knew she would not be able to leave Middle Earth. She was willing to suffer, to experience possible agonizing death, just to know what fate was to befall him. She knew it was selfish and she felt shame for it. However, her love was strong and that sealed her decision; she would not leave the east. She began pondering a way to relieve the burden on her friends, wondering where she could go; a new place to reside alone taking sole onus for her dilemma; then, her thoughts turned back to Carasdolen. Surely the Orcs would have no need for a ruined, abandoned city, built far too small for their needs. Perhaps she could survive there once again, using her stealth and cunning. She pondered the possibility of it for a moment and decided it would be best. She would have to slip out of Imladris quietly and unnoticed.
Before her thoughts could scheme any further she slipped into a deep sleep; carried off into other whispers of her mind. As she slept Meli dreamed of a lady. Fair and wondrous she was with the deepest eyes ever to come to Meli's mind. The Lady stood with Frodo, near a beautiful basin; it was cut elegantly with a creamy white stone. Magnificent trees circled the area with grey thickness that left a sense of awe as they hovered in serene fortification. The Lady's dress glistened in the moonlight and her golden hair flowed willowy as it hugged her loveliness. Yet all Meli could see was Frodo; her heart whirled with longing at the sight of him. As the Lady poured water into the basin she invited him to see, if he desired. Frodo hesitated and then he stepped forward to look down into the water. Meli could see as though she was looking through his eyes and she saw her star; the one who had given her comfort so many times. Suddenly the vision changed and she saw a land, green and rich with tiny little doors in the sides of the hills. It stirred her emotion in its beauty; it was a land one would be proud to call home. It was the Shire, as Bilbo had described in his book! Slowly, relentlessly, dark shadow loomed over the land and it became riddled with horror, ruined and raped. Shock and immense anger boiled up in her as the distress shook her. The vision changed quickly and all became red; a flaming eye blazed all around the basin!
Fear ripped through Meli's body and she cried out in her sleep. "No! No!"
Suddenly the vision was gone and the serene peace of the great trees returned to her sight, yet the fear remained. A golden voice spoke, it was the Lady; her face grim and beautiful as she said to Frodo, "I know what it was that you saw, for that is also in my mind."
The next thing Meli knew she was being coaxed awake by Adreal. Startled she sat up just as Nilde and Elrond rushed into the room.
"What is it Meli? I heard you scream!" cried Adreal.
Meli replied shakily. "I am alright, it was only a dream. It was only a dream." She repeated the words hoping to make it true, but her heart told her she had foreseen something horrible in that mirror…something that may come to pass.
Just then one of the scouts came rushing down the hall. "Where is Lord Elrond," he cried to Nilde. He then spotted Elrond and quickly entered Meli's room. "My Lord, there are people approaching Imladris! There are very many of them!"
"Who are they?" asked Elrond. The scout hesitated as if he wasn't sure what to say, then pointing at Meli he said, "They are like her!"
Meli flew out of the bed and threw on a robe as she ran down the hall. All the way down the stairs her mind raced as she thought of the possibilities. By the time she reached the door the others caught up with her puzzled and curious as she was. As she entered the porch they came round the corner and her eyes fell upon the most wonderful sight of her life! It was her people! Her mother and father were among them! She shrieked as she ran into their arms, laughing, crying, kissing and hugging. All of the Colter elves gathered around them laughing merrily for they had not expected to find Meli there. Dirty and weary they were and their clothes were rags. Yet, this was the most beautiful sight for all to see and the elves of Imladris sang out in joyful song as many tears were shed.
The time to follow on that night was a mixture of emotions for all as the fate of the elves was revealed by a young Colter named Galadir. Meli recognized him immediately; he was the closest friend Giliath had had in childhood. Beside him stood beautiful elven lass, Kalë; who Meli had admired and longed to know for as long as she could remember. Meli's shyness seemed to always rule her life. Now she had regrets for the friendships she had not savored as she grew.
As Galadir spoke, grief filled the hearts of all as it was learned that the Colter Elves had been taken as slaves to serve the Orcs of Moria. They had experienced horror far beyond any imagination.
"We were forced to dwell in the deepest of the mines, cooking and crafting weapons for the horrible creatures. The beatings were frequent and many of us suffered injuries that healed with distortion. We do not know how we acquired our freedom. There was a loud crashing sound that echoed from far above us! We thought more Orcs were arriving from the eastern lands and had begun a fight. They came from time to time, but never stayed long. It was they who invaded our home and took us away, leaving us in the depths of evil. They were the vilest and darkest of creatures; far worse than the cave dwellers that tormented us thereafter."
Meli could almost taste the disgust in his voice and as he spoke her memory of the wicked creatures made her tremble.
Galadir continued excitedly, "There was much confusion as the drums of warning began their haunting songs far above the caves we worked in. The Orcs assigned to guard us became overwrought and anxious as the screams and shrieks far above grew swiftly into a panic. There was much confusion! They could not take it- the agitation and curiosity drew them away!"
He stopped a moment in reflection and almost laughed as he said, "It was as though one thought the other was staying behind to stand guard! We were dumbfounded for a moment, unsure of what to do. We knew we must act quickly! Everything was dropped where we stood and we ran gathering the women and children on the way! We headed straight for the passages where the sweet smell of winter could be breathed. They were long and the terror was overwhelming, for we knew not if this was the way out. But we had to try! We had to try!" The young man's voice broke as the memory of the fearful flight escaped through his words. Kalë took his hand and bowed her head to hide the tears she herself could not contain.
He paused to swallow and breathe in the fresh air of the mountain. He looked up and closed his eyes as though once again he were experiencing the newfound freedom. Then he continued. "Once we were outside we felt paranoid and wary of all surroundings. We did not trust this new freedom. Yet at the same time we were relieved to be finally free and the joy was overwhelming! We made our way carefully along the terrain, using every aspect of stealth we knew; for the Orcs did not take long to realize we were gone. We could feel the thickness of their anger as they searched for us and we could see they were making their way to Carasdolen!"
"Alas," cried one of the elder Colters, "Carasdolen is lost to us forever!"
Galadir took Kalë and sat down. One could almost see the weight those words put forth on his shoulders as he bowed his head into his hands. Meli longed to hug them all and hold them in the warmth of her heart. But the shock was burdensome and she could not move from the embrace of her parents.
Elrond knew right away it must have been the nine that caused the commotion Galadir spoke of. He began to tell them about the Fellowship of the Ring, leaving very little detail out. He spoke of the quest softly as though the very words could possibly be heard by Sauron himself.
"It must have been the Fellowship that distracted the Orcs long enough for you to escape." He said.
Elrond paused. Silence loomed for a long moment as he prepared the words he was about to give. He gently told the little elves of the fall of Gandalf; avoiding the harrowing fine details. With that there was great sorrow, for Gandalf was held dear by the Colter Elves. He had been like a wise old Grandfather watching over them, bringing their only news of the world, providing them council and loving advice.
Wearily they made their way to the Great Hall. The elves of Imladris pampered them with fruit, bread, cheese, and a light elvish draught. And best of all they were provided a bath to soothe their souls and tend their ailments. The hall was warm and golden in their eyes; a palace fit for a king! And with time, the joy of freedom overtook the sorrow as the timidity faded and blessings were abundant in the simplest things. Thankful they became from this day forth as every moment of life was cherished forever more.
Meli took her parents in to stay in her room and pampered them as well. It was easy finding clothes for her mother, as she was the same size as Meli, but all she could find for her father were some clothes from Bilbo. They were baggy, for Geren had become very thin and they swallowed him up like a tent. He chuckled at how silly he looked in them, and began dancing around her room merrily. They had a good laugh, of which they had not experienced in a very long time. Finally they settled down and supped on cold meats, cheeses and fruits. They sipped warm miruvor, the cordial of Imladris and talked well into the early morning hours, telling each other their experiences. However, her parents did not speak in detail of the horror they endured. Nor did Meli mention Frodo or the spell. She decided much needed sleep was necessary before she broke that news to them.