Chapter 10: Confrontation
Fae stared at the snow-covered ground, a long way down from where she was standing. A cold wind blew through her hair, making her lungs feel crisp whenever she inhaled.
"I mean honestly. What do you do if there are kids around here? Hope for the best?"
The very edge of the platform they were on was nearly touching the crown of the Mallorn, and there was at least a few dozen meters between it and the ground.
Most of the elves she'd met so far were quite fleet of foot, evidenced by the fact that Celebrían was able to keep up with her despite a rather serious injury.
But she doubted that they could survive a fall like this.
"So..." she said, crossing her arms. "What now?"
"...Fae?" Celebrían asked, standing only a few paces behind her and looking the tiniest bit alarmed at how close to the edge she was standing.
The elven lady would later tell anyone who asked that she most certainly did not flinch when the red-head spun around so suddenly her foot screeched on the wood.
Fae, however, simply stared up at Galadriel, a strange half-smile on her face. "I'm simply waiting for your mom to make up her mind, sweetie. Or rather, waiting for her to stop attacking my mind."
As Celebrían's head swiveled to stare at her mother in shock, Galadriel met Fae's gaze without blinking. "...Every stranger to enter our forest would receive the same treatment."
"As a security measure, I completely understand," she replied, holding her hands behind her back. "It is one of the less brutal methods for keeping your forest safe. But, in my case, it has long since gotten past the point of being cute."
"Your heart and mind are clouded from my sight. The only such defenses I have ever encountered were within the servants of the Enemy," the elven Lady said, her piercing eyes narrowed.
Whatever tension that had been quelled by Celebrían's awakening roared back in force, as nearly every elf present stiffened in anger, wariness or outright fear. Several swords slipped out of sheaths, their owners prepared for anything. Celeborn moved to stand with his wife, no longer content to sit on the sidelines.
Their daughter, on the other hand, moved to stand in front of Fae, her face set in a determined glare. "I do not believe that, mother."
"But do you not find it odd, Celebrían?" she asked, her gaze softening as she looked at her only child. "That as soon as you are waylaid and captured, this woman miraculously finds and rescues you?"
"She killed nearly a hundred Orcs on our way here!" the silver-haired woman protested. Galadriel shook her head.
"It would not be the first time he sacrificed his soldiers to accomplish a greater objective."
"But—" Whatever she was about to say was interrupted as Fae put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Celebrían," she said with a smile. "I can fight my own battles. I'm sure your mother isn't trying to be insulting. It's been a long time since anyone has tried that. I'm actually more impressed than anything."
Her single eye flicked over Galadriel, flickering with an inner radiance.
"But you are stepping close to the line, here, my Lady. Cross it at your own peril."
As the elves watched the two with bated breath, the leaves of the Mallorn around them began to shift, blowing in an unseen wind. The ruler of Lothlórien drew herself up, her entire form beginning to shine. Light and power began to concentrate around her right hand.
Very few times in her life had Celebrían been able to witness the power her mother wielded. Even when young, the daughter of Finarfin had surpassed many of her race in power.
And that was before she received her greatest gift.
Nenya. One of the Three Rings of the Elves, the most powerful of Celebrimbor's creations, only inferior to one other ring.
The amount of power gathered in her hand was not nearly the limit of what she was capable of, but it was still great enough that it made her entire arm glow with ethereal light.
"Mother, no," Celebrían whispered as several elves gently dragged her away from the two. Her silvery eyes shone with despair.
Galadriel, on the other hand, had eyes only for Fae.
"...So you really want to do this, hm?" the red-haired woman muttered, crossing her arms.
"I cannot trust someone who guards their heart so," the elf replied, before her gaze softened. "But I also would not be able to live with myself if I simply killed the person who saved my daughter's life. So I will give you a choice." She stepped down from the stairs and walked forward, until she was only a few meters away from Fae. Her sharp eyes were briefly filled with regret, before the steely mask replaced itself.
"Leave this forest and do not come back. Do not go to any other elven settlement and do not allow any elf to see your face again. Do this and you will not be harmed."
"No," Fae replied without hesitation. "No, I don't think I will. I have seen quite a few amazing places in my life and this city ranks highly among them. I want to experience what this world has to offer, from the greatest mountains to the darkest caverns. And to be perfectly blunt..."
She crossed her arms, an unnatural glow emanating from her emerald-sapphire eye.
"I like it here. I think I'll stay."
There was no sound in the forest of Lothlórien at that moment. No wind, no snow, no sound, no breath. It was like the whole world was waiting to see what would happen next.
"...So be it."
There was no fanfare. No warning.
Galadriel raised her arm, palm facing the red-haired woman, light shining from her Ring.
"NO!" Celebrían screamed, barely held back by her father and several other elves.
Energy shot from Galadriel's hand, nearly blinding everyone who looked at it. It hit Fae's head almost instantly, the blast shaking the Mallorn itself as an enormous cloud of smoke filled the area.
There was silence for a while.
Celebrían, no longer being held, fell to her knees, her tears reflecting the moonlight. "No..."
Though no one would ever know it, Galadriel felt her heart break a little at seeing her daughter in such pain. She closed her eyes and turned away, walking back up the stairs.
Celeborn stepped closer to his wife, reaching towards her shoulder. "Darling—"
"Do NOT—" she hissed, barely managing to keep a bitter curse from leaving her lips. "Do not... disturb me, husband. Just... see to the remains."
The elven lord simply stood there for a moment, arm outstretched. The silence stretched on for a few moments, as a small chuckle reached their sensitive ears.
"My liege..." an elf whispered from behind them.
The Lord and Lady of Lothlórien looked up, followed shortly by every elf there, and stared into the center of the thinning smoke.
Where Fae sat, laughing quietly. One knee was drawn up to her chest as she rubbed her forehead, where a blackened mark showed under the cloth she wore, that was oddly undamaged by the blast.
She glanced up, her eye spearing into Galadriel's, sending a cold shiver running down her spine.
"Well? Is that all you've got?"
A/N: My thanks for the many awesome reviews. They soothe my fragile ego.