What if…

Chapter 18

Aragorn had been having a good conversation with Boromir when he saw something that made him speechless. He had seen his sister and Legolas go exploring together but their return seemed much less casual. Legolas was carrying the sleeping Arianna! The elf took her over to the bed they had set up for her and lay her down. Then he went to his own and went straight to sleep as if nothing had happened!

"What exactly is going on here?" he asked Boromir. The man smiled.

"The same thing that's been going on since the journey started." He looked over and saw Aragorn's stormy face. He put a bracing hand on his arm. "Don't worry, friend. They have a good thing going and…" he chuckled. "And I don't think they even realize that there is anything going on!" Aragorn looked at him with a raised eyebrow; a trait he shared with his sister.

"Why don't you tell me all about it?" he asked, with all the innocence of an over protective brother. But Boromir was happy to do just that.

--

Arianna's internal clock woke her before dawn as it usually did. She rolled over and looked around, as she slowly remembered where she was. She sat up and looked around. The hobbits and Gimli were still snoring away but the rest of the group was waking up or already up and about. She stood and stretched, straightening her linked hands above her head.

"Good morning everybody." She said cheerfully. She then walked over and shook the hobbits awake one by one. While Frodo and Sam got up alright, slowly by surely, Marina and Pippin simply rolled back over. Arianna shook her head, smiling. She walked back over to her things, stepping around her sleeping companions and grabbed her new traveling clothes. Then she went over to Boromir and placed a hand on his arm. He looked at her and she nodded at the hobbits and dwarf.

"Make sure they actually get up." She said smiling. "We want an early start, and they'll want to be awake for the Lord and Lady's farewell."

"All I'll have to do for Gimli is mention said Lady and he'll be awake and ready for anything." He said smiling crookedly. She chuckled and strolled off. She went back to the hot springs where she had bathed the day before and quickly washed up. This would be the last hot water bath she had for who knows how long. She then shook out her new traveling clothes and put them on. She put on a loose white shirt and a pair of dark green leggings. A brown leather skirt covered her thighs, giving her outfit a more feminine look while being practical. She then put on a leather vest which had been dyed a deep green, and dark leather boots which went up to her calves. They had a small heel for riding, and wouldn't hinder her at all while walking or running. She pulled on a long coat of the dark leather next, it fell to her thighs so she wouldn't have to sit on cold ground directly, and it had small vines embroidered on the sleeves and around the neck. The ruffles of her shirt were visible at the ends on the sleeves and at the v-neck of the coat. A belt of the same dark leather as the coat and boots went around her waist, holding her sword, dagger and belt pouch. Finally she strapped on her wrist daggers, and put the knives in their sheaths.

She smoothed the fabric of the jacket. She didn't understand why Miria would never wear this outfit; it was comfortable, easy to move around in, and good looking all at once! But then she thought of all the dresses Miria had, and realized that her friend probably didn't have much occasion to need anything that required maneuverability. She wondered what her life might be like if she had grown up in a place like this. She suspected she might have gone mad with boredom. She always enjoyed her peaceful times in Rivendell but she liked to have something to do besides wander around aimlessly.

She was combing her hair when gentle hands took the comb from her. She turned around to see the Lady Galadriel. She went to bow but Galadriel simply pushed her head around so she was looking away from her. The Elf started to comb her hair.

"Please let's not be too formal now, it's too early." She said simply. Arianna grinned.

"Sorry m'lady but its not everyday you find your hair being done by a keeper of a ring."

"And unfortunately it doesn't happen often enough for me. Being a such a lady makes life a little too exciting sometimes. And I get to spend precious little time with other females." She finished combing and started doing something with her hair Arianna couldn't understand. In a few moments the top sections of her hair had been pulled back and braided straight down. The rest hung down in soft waves.

"I usually braid all of my hair m'lady." Arianna said as she turned around, "It keeps it from getting tangled."

"Yes but all you'll be doing all day is paddling down a river. This way it's out of your face but it looks lovely. You don't have to be practical all the time."

"I wasn't practical last night." Arianna said defensively, though she didn't know why she was arguing. She usually prided herself on her practicality. "I was wearing a dress!"

"I saw the dress you were wearing." Galadriel said in a teasing voice. "It was very simple, in a color that wasn't to stand-outish, and was only long enough to cover your toes with no trail at all. That is practicality." She took Arianna's shoulders. "You don't have to be afraid to stand out."

"I'm a ranger; I don't like being the center of attention." Arianna argued feebly.

"But you have to admit, it's sometimes fun to catch the eyes of others." Galadriel smiled. "But for now, you best be getting back to your companions. This has been fun, Arianna, but now we have to go back to being formal with each other." Arianna smiled and nodded her head respectfully, but as she was leaving she turned and smiled cheerfully making Galadriel laugh.

When she got back she noticed a few looks from the others, and had to smile at herself. Such clothes were bound to make anyone look good. And she had to admit, it was kind of fun to know she was being looked at. Sadly she knew the clothes wouldn't look so nice for long. They would soon get dirty and torn and she'd eventually have to find something new.

Marina had already changed into her new clothing. Miria had made brown pants much like her old ones, but had given her a new top. Now she wore a sleeveless blue vest, laced up over a light blue blouse with loose sleeves. Her old cloak had been washed overnight and now revealed the simple embroidery once more. Marina was savoring the clean fabric and wondering how long it would last this time.

The group packed their things quickly; they'd had plenty of practice. A messenger came while they finished a small breakfast and they followed him to the river. They were each given a magnificent cloak of deep moss green, which would be pinned by a brooch shaped like a leaf with silver veins. They pulled them on, and the brooches were pinned by their elven hosts.

"Never before have strangers been clad in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Lord Celeborn said regally as they started to load the boats they had been given. Celeborn pulled Arianna aside quickly. "The further south you go, the more dangerous it will become. Mordor orcs now hold the eastern shore of the Anduin. Nor will you find safety on the western bank." He took her elbow and led her out of earshot and into the mist. "Strange creatures bearing the mark of the white hand have been seen on our borders. Orcs seldom travel in the open under the sun, yet these have done so." He had her full attention.

"But what can we do about it? The longer we stay, the more danger your people will be in. We must move on." She told him. She looked down to see him holding out a dagger. She took hold of it and unsheathed it to see elvish runes along the beautiful blade.

"You are being tracked." Celeborn told her gravely in his native language. She re-sheathed the dagger and looked up at him. "By traveling down river, you have a chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros."

"Thank you Milord, for everything you've done for us." She bowed and they walked back.

Marina was lifting a bundle into one of the boats while Pippin sat there when Legolas came over to join them. He opened one of the bundles to reveal what looked like flattened bread without a crust.

"Lembas bread!" he exclaimed and took a tiny bite off the corner. "One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." He explained, butting the rest back into the bundle and tossing it into the boat with the rest. As he wandered off Marina put her hands on her hips and looked at Pippin's guilty face.

"How many did you eat?" she asked, knowing without a doubt that he had eaten more than was probably good for him, especially if what Legolas said was true.

"Four." He said sheepishly and belched. Marina rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, I don't envy your stomach ache, Pip." She said and got back to work. Once the boats were all loaded, the group lined up again for Galadriel's farewell. Marina and Pippin were each handed a dagger, the hilt, sheaths and belts patterned with leafy vines. Marina unsheathed hers, admiring the blade. Pippin on the other hand didn't look like he wanted anything to do with the weapon. Galadriel told him not to fear and as she walked away Marina took his hand and squeezed it in comfort. Arianna watched as she gave Frodo a glass vial of light. Then she stopped at her twin.

"I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear." She told Aragorn. "For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar…will diminish." She finished in elvish. Aragorn answered in the same language.

"I would have her leave these shores, and be with her people. I would have her take the ship to Valinor."

"That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make Aragorn… to rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness… with all that is left of your kin." She looked into his eyes and placed a hand on his cheek. "Farewell. There is much you have yet to do. We shall not meet again, Elessar."

Then Galadriel came to Arianna.

"You I may see again, although that depends on many things. You have too many choices in your future to clearly see it. I wish you luck in all of your endeavors, and offer you this one gift." She held out her hands, in them was a circlet. It was silver, with scrollwork swirling to a point at the base, an emerald shaped like a teardrop hanging off of it where it would rest in the middle of her forehead. "It would be wise not to wear it now perhaps, but you are a princess none the less. You always have been and always will be. You will discover that it has some special properties. The metal can change between gold and silver and the gem will change color to match what you are wearing. It may even change shape but I'm not sure what it will end up looking like. We shall make you a bit impractical yet I believe." Arianna looked up, amazed, into Galadriel's smiling face.

"It's beautiful." She whispered. She put it in her belt pouch and looked up again. Galadriel winked at her.

"Farewell, Estelwen." She said and then backed up. She said goodbye to the entire fellowship and they turned to get into the boats.

--

Legolas helped Gimli into the boat, and then settled down himself. He rowed calmly, smiling as he remembered the bow Galadriel had given him. He almost couldn't wait to try it out on something but hoped it would be a while before he had need to. They had been going down river for about an hour when Gimli sighed.

"I have taken my worst wound at this parting, for I have looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I shall call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me." The dwarf said decidedly.

"What was her gift?"

"I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three." Legolas smiled at his friend.

"So your beauty is of the day, while Aragorn's is of the night."

"I suppose that'd be true enough lad. That means that your beauty is of the earth then?" Legolas saw who the dwarf was pointing at, and felt himself blush.

"Now why would you think that? Arianna is…well…" he didn't really know what he was going to say. How could he say she wasn't beautiful when she was the loveliest girl he'd ever seen? The dwarf chuckled knowingly but didn't say anything more, leaving the elf to stew in his thoughts the rest of the day's journey.

The trip down river was uneventful. There wasn't exactly a whole lot to do. The hobbits soon made a game of throwing rocks. They would gather as many rocks as they could when they camped at night, and the next day they would challenge each other to hit certain targets, each only getting one throw. By the end of the second day Sam was complaining about his arm and how it was about to fall off. Arianna chuckled.

"I'll take your next throw Sam." She said and he turned around and handed her his rock gratefully. It was rather sharp on the edges and almost flat, but that's all they had been able to find along the cliffs. The next target was an old tree hanging off the side of the cliffs they were passing. How it managed to hold itself up there was a mystery to Arianna, it didn't even look like it was sitting on a ledge just clinging to the side. Marina and Pippin threw theirs quickly but Frodo took his time. The first two missed in their hurry, but Frodo managed to hit the tip of one of the branches. Arianna lifted her rock and aimed, then threw. The rest of the hobbits looked at her shocked when the sharp rock cleaved right into the side of the tree. It stuck there and Sam whooped seeing as it counted as his throw. The rest wanted her to join their game but she refused. She did however continue to take some of their throws when they needed a break.

That night when they camped, the hobbits started collecting more rocks for the next day. Legolas and Gimli collected fire wood and Arianna busied herself with building the fire. When it was going strong she looked up at Boromir. There seemed to be something bothering him. She stood and looked where he was staring, at a floating log across the river. Small gnarled hands pulled up a head with large luminous eyes which stared toward their camp.

"Gollum." She explained to him. "He's been tracking us since before we entered Moria. How he managed to get through there after us, I'll never guess. It must have been difficult after the way we stirred up the orcs. I had hoped that he wouldn't be able to follow us on the river but he's far too stubborn."

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts the crossing will be much more dangerous." He said. "I think we should go to Minas Tirith. It would be a safer road." He turned to look at her. "You know it. We could regroup, and then we could set out for Mordor from a place of strength." Arianna shook her head.

"There is strength there, but none that would help us." She said in a matter of fact voice. Boromir seemed to snap, it seemed he was finally getting to what he really wanted to confront her about.

"You were quick enough to trust the elves." He said, his voice shaking slightly with suppressed anger. "Do you not have faith in your own people? There may be weakness and frailty, but there is also courage, and honor to be found in Men. But you refuse to see it!" Arianna didn't need a scolding and she turned away, heading back towards the fire but he grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. "You are afraid," he continued. "All your life, you have hidden in the shadows." Her eyes narrowed dangerously but he didn't seem to notice. "You're scared of who you are, of what you are. You're afraid." She pulled her am out of his grip, but turned back to him suddenly.

"I will not take the ring within a hundred leagues of your precious city." She said in a fierce whisper. Then she turned and went back to the fire, angrily poking it back to life with a stick. She was really getting worried about Boromir; he had been acting so strange lately. Very jumpy and quick to blame. She could only hope that it would get better soon, she didn't want to lose anyone else.

--

The next night they were making camp again. It had already gotten dark; they had gone a bit further today in an effort to lose the enemy. She was out gathering fire wood when she heard an odd squeaking sound. She searched for it until she tracked it to a large tree with an old wood pecker hole. She looked into the hole carefully, not knowing what she would find. The source of the squeaking noise was immediately apparent. On the floor of the hollow sat a tiny owl. It was surrounded by the remains of its own shell. Owls never laid single eggs, so what had happened to the rest of them? She looked down at the ground and found the body of what must have been its mother. It looked like it had been killed by a pine martin. It wasn't uncommon for incubating females to be killed by them. The other babies had probably been stolen by another predator. She stood again, and looked at the hungry owl. She looked toward the campfire and back. 'There's no way I can leave it here', she thought. 'All we're doing is rowing down a river anyway; the little thing won't be any trouble.' Her brain argued. Her heart won. She searched and quickly found a worm under a bush and fed it to the hungry owlet. Its eyes weren't even open yet! She gently picked it up and held in the palm of her hand. To know more she'd have to be able to see it properly.

She carried it in both hands but it was small enough to still be able to stroke its back with her thumb. It was maybe five inches in length, very small. She carried it into the fire light and saw that it was still relatively young as most of its feathers were chocolate brown, excepting its chest where they were lighter and its face where they were darker. It had been out of its egg for a few days it seemed but its eyes weren't open yet.

"Where's all that wood you were supposed to be bringin' lassie?" Gimli asked from where he sat smoking his pipe.

"It's in a pile back there, I found something that needed my attention a bit more." She answered. Pippin stood up and walked over, standing on his tip-toes to see what she was holding.

"It's a baby owl!" he said surprised. Sam stood and joined him. He reached out a finger and softly stroked its back. Arianna went closer to the fire and sat down on a large rock. She reached down and found another worm, and dropped it into the owlet's open beak. Gimli came back with her firewood and dropped it onto the pile. He came over and watched.

"So what are you going to do with the little thing?" he asked her.

"Well," she said hesitantly. "I'm going to look after it."

"Look after whom?" Legolas was coming back with the wood he'd gone to collect.

"Arianna's found herself an owl." Marina informed the elf.

"And Arianna is going to keep it and help it get stronger." The ranger said. She set the hobbits to a new task. Instead of looking for more rocks to throw, they were to find bugs.

"Bugs? Why bugs?" Pippin asked.

"Because that's what they eat. This little one won't be able to hunt for itself for a while yet. When it gets older it'll eat small rodents and things. But until it can catch its own food we have to help it." When they asked how she knew so much about owls, she explained to them how birds were often brought to her when they were sick, injured or homeless without mothers. Arianna enjoyed taking care of other things, nursing them back to health and setting them free again. She helped other animals as well but birds had been some of her favorites. They were so free and graceful. She continued feeding the little owl until it fell asleep, and she placed it on her pack where it hunched up.

"It might be difficult to take care of the little thing while rowing a boat." Sam said as he dumped a handful of worms and things in the bag provided. He had found the most bugs and Arianna guessed it was because of his being a gardener. He knew best where to find them.

"I shouldn't think so. He'll probably sleep most of the way and I can always hand him to you to take care of." The hobbit blushed but nodded enthusiastically. The fellowship all settled down to sleep, Arianna keeping her eyes on the owl until she fell asleep.

When she awoke the next morning she opened her eyes to see the owl staring back at her. Its eyes had opened sometime in the night she guessed. That meant it was about ten days old. It turned its head sideways and fluffed its feathers, looking at her face as she lay there. She giggled and sat up. She held out her hand and it hopped onto it, gripping her fingers to keep from falling over. She grabbed the bag of bugs and fed it again. It gave a tiny chirp of happiness and gulped the insects down. When it was full, she placed the owl on top of the woodpile and packed up her bag. The boat ride that day was a bit more entertaining than usual. The tiny owl had found that it had a good view of things from her knee and sat there making its chirping noises. Sam fed the owl a few bugs at lunch time, after eating his own meal of course, but then placed it back in its favorite spot. Later while she, the men, dwarf and elf set up camp and kept watch, the hobbits searched for rocks and bugs at the same time.

That day set the pattern for the next week of river travel. Arianna had a fun time teaching the owl to fly, bouncing it up and down on her hand as it learned to flap its wings and they gained strength, until one day it stayed aloft. It flew happily around her with its little chirping noises until it landed on her head, much to the amusement of everyone watching. Arianna wasn't sure how she was going to teach it to hunt but was spared the task when it dived from a tree branch while she was building the fire. It came up with a small vole in its mouth and munched it happily. The hobbits were very happy that they were spared bug hunting, although Arianna kept a bag of a few larger bugs for snacks on the boat trips. Its coloring changed, and Arianna was finally able to identify it as a male. His face had lightened to white around the eyes fading to a black border for its mask. His body stayed light on the chest, but its wings had turned a beautiful light brown striped with a dull white. His eyes were bright yellow, and the way his feathers were arranged around them made him always look alert.

"He needs a name." Frodo said one night. "All you ever call him is 'owlet'." The group debated, while the subject of their discussion hunted for his dinner. Suddenly he dived straight down and pinned a mouse to the ground. He made short work of his meal and flew over to sit happily on Arianna's left shoulder.

"What about Aradan? It's elvish for noble." Legolas suggested. The bird looked at him and shook his head. Arianna giggled.

"You can tell he doesn't think much of that."

"Maybe Erynion? It means 'of the woods' in elvish doesn't it?" Frodo tried.

"Actually, I really like that." Arianna said. She looked at the bird on her shoulder who chirped and turned his head almost upside down. She laughed again. "I think we'll take that as a yes." So the owl became Erynion. Although by the end of the day, Arianna had already nicknamed him Ery to make things easier.

--

Almost everything I said about Erynion was true. I looked it all up. But he might be growing up a bit faster than he would have in real life. This type of owl is called a Boreal Owl. They don't open their eyes for 10 days after hatching, and are under the care of their mother for 30 to 32 days, until they can leave the nest. Even then however, they are under the care of their parents for 4-6 weeks. I know Ery matured really fast, but I needed him to so I could get on with the story. To see a picture of him go to my Bio page, there is a link at the bottom where you can see what Ery looks like. And yes, Erynion really does mean 'of the woods' in elvish. I looked that up too, lol.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Only one more chapter after this and then I can finally mark this one as complete and start Two Towers! Wow...its been ages hasnt it? Since I first started posting anyway. So go to my Bio page to see what Ery loks like, and please review!

Your Humble Authoress,

Whisperwings