So sorry for the looong wait! I promise I haven't forgotten this story. If I ever plan to stop writing it, I will definitely make an announcement, but not today! :-)
The path of Caradhras was difficult for them all. Not only were there rocks to climb over and steep paths to scale the side of the mountain, but the snow and ice made conditions even more treacherous. The Fellowship made slow progress, heads miserably tucked beneath hoods as the wind howled in fury around them. The snow made everyone cold, and every night, they had difficulty preparing a campfire. More than once during the day, Celede had to reach out to catch a hobbit from losing balance. She caught Boromir instinctively once, but he quickly pulled away from her with an angry grunt. Even her own sure Elvish footing stumbled a few times. She usually managed to catch herself, but once she slipped and would have fallen ungracefully onto her hands and knees if a strong, stable hand hadn't grabbed her elbow and righted her. Celede turned to see Legolas, his hood tossed back and hair whipping around his face as he cautiously watched her for a reaction.
Ever since the crebain scare, Celede had kept her distance from him. She had not been cold or mean to him in any way but instead had tried to gradually drift away from him. They no longer sparred with each other or slept near each other. It tore at Celede's heart to move away from Legolas in such a way, but she had to set things right once more. She had promised herself and told Legolas that they could not be together. As much as she might hate it in the moment, her mission was first and foremost to Frodo and the destruction of the Ring. Celede had already decided to give up her chance at love to ensure Arwen and Aragorn continued their love, and it wasn't fair for her to lead Legolas on or take away any of his focus from Frodo to her.
Celede glanced down at the hand that still held her elbow. His fingers were so gentle and refined, and she could see the strength and skill in them as well…but she couldn't think like that.
"Thank you," she muttered with a curt nod. Legolas hesitated as if he were about to say something, but she pulled away and walked forward determinedly. She clutched her hood to her face so she couldn't see him and he couldn't see the sadness in her.
Celede was up ahead with Mithrandir and Gimli one day when she heard Aragorn call out Frodo's name. They had reached one of the smaller summits and were walking along a snowy plateau. The sun was warm on their faces, and for once Celede was enjoying the walk. Upon hearing Aragorn, she turned around to see that poor Frodo had fallen on the snow and rolled down to where Aragorn had been bringing up the rear. Aragorn gently helped Frodo as the hobbit scrambled to his feet. Frodo's hands searched his neckline, looking for the Ring, but Celede realized with a jolt that he had lost it in his fall. She cast her eyes along the snow, looking for it in sudden panic, but Boromir found it first. He leaned down and picked up the necklace holding the Ring. Boromir stared at the Ring as it dangled on the chain, seemingly entranced by the object. Celede felt a sense of unease.
"Mithrandir," she called warningly. Gandalf turned slowly to see what had transpired.
"Boromir," Aragorn said quietly, but Boromir ignored him, talking to himself.
"It is a strange thing," Boromir said, "that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing…Such a little thing."
As Boromir reached out to touch the Ring with his finger, Aragorn said his name, louder this time.
"Boromir!"
Celede saw Boromir visibly jolt out of his trance, looking shocked at what had happened. Celede felt a strange sort of pity for Boromir. She had felt the same way when Frodo had first shown the Ring to her.
"Give the Ring to Frodo," Aragorn commanded quietly. Still dazed, Boromir slowly walked towards Frodo, extending the Ring towards the hobbit.
"As you wish," he said. Frodo snatched the Ring back, and Celede took a deep breath of relief, realizing she had been holding it in. Boromir seemed to have completely recovered, and he tried to make light of what had happened.
"I care not," he said cheerfully. The he tousled Frodo's hair with a laugh and turned around to continue climbing, oblivious to the silent bystanders in front of him. Celede watched Aragorn's grip on his sword relax, as did Legolas's grip on his bow. Without realizing it, Celede noticed that she too had been holding her throwing knife in its sheath, but for what, she did not know. Could she have killed Boromir if he hadn't snapped out of his trance? She had killed orcs before, but never a person. Boromir was more than a person, too; he was a companion as well. Could Boromir be trusted?
Celede pondered these questions as they continued to climb, higher and higher into the mountain. Although they had been walking in a brief lull, the wind began to whip her hair away from her face once more, and snow began to fall from the clouds in the sky. The Fellowship wound their way around a steep cliff and finally reached a path that snaked along the edge of the mountainside. Above the path loomed rocks covered with mountains of snow, and below the path lay a dark chasm that would mean certain death to any who fell.
"This is crazy- we can't travel here!" Celede called up to Mithrandir.
"We have no choice, my dear," Mithrandir responded. Celede didn't believe this though. Like Gimli said, they could go through the mines of Moria.
She looked at the group, and her heart ached to see them suffering. All of them were waist-deep in snow, trudging steadily along. As Elves, she and Legolas were the only two who could tread lightly on top of the snow, though that meant they were also more likely to fall off of the mountain
"How are you walking like that?" Pippin demanded, covered in snow. His nose was bright red, and snow clung to his hair, his clothes, and even his face. His eyes squinted blearily at Celede against the storm.
"I don't know," Celede admitted, "This is just how I walk."
She supposed if she really thought about it, she could walk with heavier steps and begin to sink into the snow like the others were, but that type of walking was unnatural to her. She and Legolas brought up the rear as Gandalf began to lead them up the path. Although acutely aware of his presence, she determinedly refused to look at him.
"Come here, Merry, Pippin," Boromir said, and he lifted them up into his arms in preparation for the path ahead. Aragorn did the same with Sam and Frodo, sheltering them from the cold as best he could. Frodo had one hand clutching the hood of his cloak over his face in a futile attempt at warmth.
Legolas made a sudden move forward, and Celede grabbed his hand to keep him from falling. He turned to look at her.
"I'm going to scout ahead with Mithrandir."
"Be careful," Celede said instinctively and with more fear in her voice than she intended. Legolas smiled and Celede hastily pulled away from him. What had she done?
"I promise I will be."
Celede watched as Legolas nimbly walked past the group to join Mithrandir at the head. He was walking along the edge of the abyss, and despite herself, Celede didn't start breathing again until he had fallen into line with Mithrandir. Suddenly, he stepped forward, his head tilted as if listening to something. Celede frowned and listened too. She heard the faintest whisperings of a deep voice chanting. Although the voice was vaguely familiar to her, she couldn't make out what was being said.
"There is a fell voice on the air," she heard Legolas say. Gandalf turned, listening.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf cried out. At his words, Celede looked up to hear a loud cracking sound, and her heart leaped to her throat as rocks fell loose of the mountain and came crashing down towards them.
"Get towards the edge!" she cried out, and the Fellowship leaned as far away from the mountains as possible. The rocks hit the edge of the path, and the sudden impact caused Celede to fall to her knees, suddenly wishing she was as buried in snow as the others were. She slowly rose to her feet after the impact and saw Legolas watching her. His brow had been furrowed, but relaxed with relief when he saw she was standing once more.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn cried, "Gandalf, we must turn back!"
Celede agreed wholeheartedly with Aragorn's pronouncement, but Gandalf was not ready to give up.
"No," Gandalf said vehemently as he used his staff to pull himself out of the snow. Then he began to speak to the mountain, and Celede could feel the power behind his words.
"Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho I 'ruith!"Celede understood his words: Sleep, Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!
The dark voice of Saruman continued, and a bolt of lightning struck the tip of the mountain above them, causing a cascade of snow to come flying down towards them. This time, Celede saw, the snow was heading straight for them. She heard Sam gasp as he looked up, but all she could do was throw herself against the side of the mountain as the snow hit them.
The weight of the snow knocked the wind out of her, and she collapsed under it helplessly. Her head pounded with the force of the impact, and she couldn't draw air into her lungs to soothe it. She couldn't open her eyes against the snow and felt the silent, deadly cold creeping into her system. In desperation she kicked her legs and flailed her arms, pushing herself in the direction she thought was up.
She broke the surface of the snow suddenly, gasping in the frigid air that burned her lungs but relieved her need for oxygen. She looked over to see that Legolas had already clambered out of the snow and was making his way back to her, helping pull the others out of the snow. After she was sure Frodo and everyone else had safely survived the avalanche, she shakily accepted Legolas's proffered hand. He pulled her easily out of the snow, and she leaned against the mountain behind her, breathing deeply.
"It's alright. Everyone's alright," Legolas told her soothingly.
"That was too close," she muttered, her voice hoarse from the cold. Legolas looked as if he wanted to pull her close to warm her, but Boromir began to speak and the moment was lost.
"We must get off the mountain! Make for the gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!"
"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard," Aragorn argued.
"If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria," Gimli said firmly.
Celede watched Gandalf, hoping that he had finally accepted that they couldn't travel on the mountain. She was surprised to see that in addition to doubt, there was fear in Gandalf's eyes as he considered the mines. She glanced at Legolas, but he was watching Gandalf intently. What is in Moria that is worse than this mountain?
Finally, Gandalf spoke.
"Let the Ringbearer decide."
Frodo looked taken aback by suddenly being given the responsibility of choosing the path.
"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir cried.
Merry and Pippin were watching Frodo. Both were pale and nearly blue from the cold, and they looked at Frodo with anxious expressions. Celede knew then that Frodo would choose the mines. She knew he could not let his friends suffer so when there was even the slightest chance of an alternative. Gandalf, however, seemed to hope Frodo would choose to continue their current path.
"Frodo?" he asked again.
"We will go through the mines," Frodo said firmly, and Gandalf's face turned somber.
"So be it."
Celede, however, closed her eyes in relief as the Fellowship turned and began traveling back down the mountain.
The trip down was easier than the trip up, but everyone was exhausted and cold when they finally reached the base. Pippin was too tired to keep up his usual chatter, and they walked in silence. Although Celede was also tired, she tried not to show it in front of everyone else. Frodo walked ahead of her, and Celede noticed he was walking tensely, as though stressed about something.
"Frodo," she called quietly, and he paused long enough for her to catch up to him.
"I think you made a wise choice, up there on the mountain," she said.
"I hope I do not come to regret it," Frodo replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"You made the best choice you could, given your options," Celede said, "Even if our journey through Moria ends badly, I want to make sure you do not blame yourself."
"It's not that easy, though, is it," Frodo said, "To tell yourself not to regret a thing doesn't mean you will be able to cast aside your feelings of regret so easily if all goes wrong."
"Frodo, come and help an old man," Gandalf interrupted from ahead. Frodo gave Celede an apologetic glance before he strode up ahead to help Gandalf. Celede felt strangely rebuked by the hobbit's words. Was regret what she had been struggling with these past few weeks? She was trying so hard to be the selfless martyr, but she couldn't seem to stop thinking about Legolas. With a slight shake of her head, Celede looked around at their surroundings.
The ruins of a huge aqueduct loomed far above them on the path. Celede stared at the stone structure in awe and fascination. Although the Elves in Rivendell had the most intricate statues and carvings, they did not build such grand, towering structures, preferring instead to build light and delicate artifacts.
"We will probably have to go around it to find the Dwarf doors," Legolas said, coming up behind her.
"I have never seen such a stone structure before," Celede said wonderingly, "It's magnificent."
Gimli, who was walking behind her, seemed pleased by her comment.
"And that's only a passage for water in and out of the city. The real wonders lie within," Gimli said smugly.
Legolas raised a slender eyebrow, not as impressed as Celede was by the aqueduct.
"Do you have such stone carvings in Mirkwood?" Celede asked him.
"We do not live underground, if that is what you are asking. My father does have a stone fortress, however, so I have seen Elvish craftsmanship in rock before."
"What is your father like?" Celede asked, surprised at her sudden boldness, "I have only met him once, and I fear I acted foolishly and naively then."
Legolas waved off her comment about her manners in the past, but took a moment to think before replying.
"He is a wise king," Legolas said at last, "But years of battle have left him weary and worn. In trying to rule the kingdom of Mirkwood and keep its residents safe, he cares first and foremost about anything within the borders. Sometimes he does not think of the consequences that changes in the outside world could have on his land."
"But he is wise enough to let you leave and travel where you wish," Celede said, trying to keep the sudden bitterness out of her voice, then guilt at thinking badly of her father. Legolas didn't seem to notice.
"He knows I am capable of defending myself," Legolas said. Celede's face fell, wishing her father trusted her so. Legolas looked at her downcast expression, startled.
"Oh, no, Celede, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything like that-"
"It's alright, Legolas."
"Princeling has lived longer than you, dearie," Gimli interjected, "He's faced greater foes and proven himself. You are still relatively untested. That's nothing against you, though. I'd wager you will face your share of battle before this journey is over."
The trio lapsed into silence. Then Gimli looked up and gasped in delight.
"The walls of Moria," he proclaimed.
By nightfall, they had crossed the rocky plains and reached the walls. The plan was to rest once they entered the mines, so the Fellowship wearily pushed on, looking for the door hidden in the rock.
"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli said proudly. He then proceeded to tap on the rock with his axe as he wlked, as if he could find the door that way. Celede quickly turned away to hide her smile at the futility of his action. In doing so, she noticed they were traveling alongside a murky pool beside the wall. Although the surface was calm, Celede sensed something lurking beneath the water. She caught Aragorn's eye and motioned to the pool, silently cautioning him about the water.
"Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten," Gandalf replied from up ahead. Next to her, Legolas smirked.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Celede whacked him with her arm, and his smile widened. Gimli harrumphed at Legolas's words but did not notice the exchange between the two. Celede sighed; she fell into her old ways far too easily.
Gandalf finally stopped, leaning over to examine the rock in front of him more closely. After muttering to himself for a moment, he turned and looked up to the moon just as some wisps of cloud bathed the Fellowship in moonlight. Lines in the rock in front of Gandalf lit up to reveal the pattern of an elaborate door.
Celede was surprised to see that the message of the door was written in Elvish as Gandalf translated for the rest of the group.
"It reads 'The Doors of Durin-Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.'"
"Why is the message written in Elvish if it is a Dwarvish mine?" Celede asked Legolas quietly.
"Because long ago, the Dwarves and Elves had alliances with each other, just as Elves and Men once fought together," Legolas replied.
"How times have changed," Celede muttered under her breath, but Legolas still heard her and frowned.
"Why can't you get along with Gimli?" Celede finally asked him, "He seems like a decent Dwarf, and you shouldn't carry such prejudice against an entire race like that."
Legolas was silent for a moment.
"I used to think of Dwarves as inferior," he finally said, "But they proved me wrong and not for good reason. Let me treat Gimli as I will, Celede, and do not interfere."
Celede was curious to know what the Dwarves may have done to Legolas, but Legolas had shut her out and she didn't press the matter. She realized that she had been assuming up until that point that Legolas was trying to renew their relationship and she was the one solely preventing anything between them. Legolas's cryptic words showed her that perhaps he did not view her as closely as she had imagined. With a sinking heart, Celede wondered if her potential for a relationship with Legolas was purely her imagination. Although she knew that would be the best scenario, she couldn't help but feel upset about it. Gandalf jolted her out of her thoughts.
"Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen," she heard Mithrandir speak to the door. Doorway of the Dwarf-folk, listen to the word of my tongue.
Nothing happened, and Gandalf, frustrated, began to push against the stone.
"I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves, Men, and orcs," he muttered to himself.
"What are you going to do, then?" Pippin inquired. Gandalf grunted in annoyance.
"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words."
Celede's eyes widened with surprise. Mithrandir must have been very stressed, since he did not usually lose his temper like that, especially to inquiring minds. As a girl, Celede would constantly ask him questions during his visits. Although her father berated her, Mithrandir would only chuckle and patiently answer everything. Her mood further dampened by the memory of her father, Celede pushed past Legolas, shook Pippin's shoulder encouragingly, and went to stand by Gandalf. Frodo perched on a rock on Gandalf's other side. Gandalf looked up at her wearily as she approached.
"I am not as wise as you, but I can try to help you open the doors," Celede said meekly. She needed to occupy her tumultuous mind with something else. Gandalf's frown relaxed.
"Of course, my dear," he said, "Another mind against this problem is always welcome."
As Celede began trying to remember old Elvish unlocking spells, Legolas kept his distance. No matter how hard he tried, he found himself making mistakes in her presence. He had almost told her about an Elf he had admired long ago, whom he had followed against his father's will to fight a party of orcs and save a Dwarf. Blinded by his affection for her, he hadn't realized that she had begun to fall in love with the Dwarf. When presented with a similar choice, she had chosen to stay with the Dwarf instead of accompany him to fight. Legolas did not think Celede would appreciate hearing about Tauriel, however, even if Tauriel was long gone from his life now.
Without realizing it, he found himself looking at Celede as she stood in front of the doors, arms crossed in front of her, lost in conversation with Mithrandir. Her long silver-blonde hair fell in waves down her back, and weeks of traveling had not made her any less beautiful. All Elves were attractive, Legolas thought, but Celede had a fire in her that tugged at his heart. Her eyebrows were furrowed in determination above eyes that gleamed with life and energy, and her stance, with one leg propped up on a rock, revealed the power and skill within her that he knew could be unleashed at the slightest danger.
"I stand by what I said before," Gimli said from Legolas's elbow. Legolas looked down in irritation.
"And what is that, Dwarf?"
"She loves you, Princeling," Gimli said, knowing he was pushing Legolas's limits. But after the Elf's insult against his people, Gimli no longer felt any need to speak properly to the Elf. "And I would have to be blind to miss the looks you give her when you think no one is looking," Gimli continued.
Legolas scoffed.
"Have you forgotten our previous conversation?" Legolas asked, "The one where I told you she made her feelings for me, or rather lack thereof, very clear."
Gimli frowned. He did remember, and throughout the journey, he had thought about it as he came to understand more about Celede. He could come to only one explanation for her words to Legolas.
"I think that whatever she said, she said to protect you. Not because she meant it," Gimli confided. If only his father could see him now, giving advice on love to an Elf.
He continued, "I've noticed that lass is extremely devoted to those she cares about. She wouldn't turn you away, Princeling, unless she feared you would be hurt otherwise."
Gimli clutched his axe tightly, prepared for a round of insults from Legolas. Instead, Legolas was strangely silent, lost in thought. Gimli relaxed. Perhaps Legolas would take his words to heart. Although he didn't care much for the uptight Elvish Prince, he had come to care for Celede. She was always kind and generous to him, though he could see her pain at being away from home. Gimli wanted nothing more than to help her be happy again. The merry atmosphere of a feast with the Dwarves would help that, he thought with excitement.
Celede heard a splash and turned from the door to see Aragorn quickly stepping forward to stop Merry and Pippin from throwing rocks in the water, which had been the cause of the splash. She turned back to see Gandalf throw down his staff in defeat. Just as the wizard took off his hat in disappointment, a gleam came into Frodo's eye and he stood in front of the door.
"It's a riddle," he said, "Speak 'friend' and enter. What's the Elvish word for friend?"
"Mellon," Celede answered. With a crack and answering rumble, the stone doors swung open to reveal darkness and a musty odor from within. Celede tensed. Something was not right inside. Legolas came up next to her with an encouraging smile though, the tension gone from before. Celede smiled weakly back and followed Legolas into the mine.
Gimli seemed to be the most excited of them all.
"Soon, Lady Elf," he said to her, "you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin."
Celede refrained from telling him Elves did not eat meat unless absolutely necessary. Gandalf produced light with a crystal in his staff, and Celede gasped at the sight before her.
"And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimil continued with oblivious mirth.
In front of them lay corpse upon corpse of rotting and decaying bodies of Dwarves, many pierced with arrows and all covered in cobwebs that suggested no Dwarf had been there for quite some time.
"This is no mine," Boromir said in shock, "It's a tomb."
Gimli began to wail with grief, but Legolas silently moved away from Celede to pull out and examine an arrow from a fallen Dwarf. Celede resisted the sudden urge to call him back to her, wanting his comforting presence beside her if there was danger.
"Goblins!" Legolas said in disgust, throwing the arrow aside. As he nocked an arrow into his bow, he moved back towards Celede. With hidden relief, she nocked her own bow.
"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here," Boromir stated. He and Aragorn had drawn their swords.
"Now get out of here, get out!" Boromir cried.
As they backed away, Celede heard the hobbits scream, "Frodo!" and spun around as Sam cried, "Strider!"
She cursed in Elvish. They had been so cautious of what was in the tunnels that no one had paid attention to what lay in the water behind them. Merry and Pippin had disturbed the water, after all. Being the first to enter, she and Legolas were last to get outside. Frodo had been picked up by the ankle by the tentacle of some sea monster and was dangling in the air helplessly. Aragorn and Boromir charged into the water and began hacking at tentacles, trying to get to the one that was holding Frodo. Another tentacle began to wrap itself around Frodo's mouth, but Legolas took aim and released his arrow, which flew right to its target. The tentacle jerked away from Frodo.
Celede aimed and released her own arrow. It hit the tentacle at the point where it had latched around Frodo's ankle, but instead of letting go, the tentacle writhed in response and Frodo screamed. Another tentacle latched on to Frodo's wrist, threatening to pull him apart. Celede's hand went back to grasp her long dagger, preparing to plunge into the water, but Legolas put a hand on her forearm to stop her.
"We can be more effective here," he said quietly.
The face of the creature, ringed by more tentacles, suddenly emerged from beneath the water. It opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth, in preparation for Frodo, which it dangled closer and closer to its maw. Celede shot an arrow at its mouth, but a tentacle intercepted it. With a cry, Aragorn finally reached the tentacle holding Frodo and sliced into it. Frodo was released and fell plummeting down towards the water with a cry. Boromir ran to stand beneath him and caught him easily. Without hesitation, he charged for the open door of Moria, still holding Frodo.
"Legolas!" he screamed. Legolas took aim as the others ran back into the mines. Celede stood with him as he fired an arrow into the creature's eye, causing it to bellow and fall back for a moment.
"Run!" Aragorn cried. Legolas grabbed Celede's hand and they ran into the darkness of the mine together as the sea monster pulled itself out of the water and tried to follow, tearing into the doors. Rocks fell from the roof as the Fellowship looked back at the final rays of moonlight swiftly disappearing behind falling stone.
Celede could see nothing in the blackness. She heard the gasps and heavy breathing of the group around her. Legolas remained silent by her side, but she could feel his fast pulse beneath her fingertips. Suddenly, light emanated from Gandalf's staff, and Celede hastily pulled her hand out of Legolas's. Why couldn't she just stay away from him? Conversely, her heart leaped as she realized Legolas had grabbed her hand. It wasn't completely her imagination.
"We now have but one choice," Gandalf said grimly, "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world."
Celede did not like the sound of that.
"Quietly now," Gandalf continued, "It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."
Afraid to talk, Celede simply stepped into line beside Legolas. She would go crazy if she kept fighting her urge to be with him, and so she made a sudden decision that in times of danger, she would be a little more relaxed towards him. It seemed natural to walk with him, even though they had not established what they meant to each other. She felt safer with Legolas, and that meant she was less afraid. Thinking that perhaps he had been the reason her fear had not yet triggered any spasms, Celede felt she needed his extra reassurance even more. She would be no help to Frodo if she was incapacitated. It was a legitimate excuse at the very least.
The path they traveled was often narrow, snaking along the side of the cliff. Ladders and buckets and pulleys littered the side of the abyss, providing evidence of the Dwarves' extraordinary mining abilities.
Gandalf became lost at one point, so the Fellowship stopped to rest. Celede and Legolas went to sit by Aragorn and Boromir. Aragorn sat with his sword propped in front of him, eating an apple. Boromir lay with his eyes closed as if asleep; his back was against the rock and his shield lay on top of him.
"How are you doing, Estel?" Celede asked Aragorn quietly in Elvish. He took a moment to chew and swallow.
"I am doing well enough."
"Do you miss her?"
Aragorn did not need to ask who Celede was referring to.
"There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of her," he replied longingly. Celede's heart was gladdened by this. Her mission still had purpose. Legolas watched her expression curiously.
"Why does it gladden you, Celede, that Aragorn is torn from the one he loves?"
"I am glad that he is still in love with my sister," Celede replied smoothly, "Their love has been able to withstand such separation, so their reunion will be even more meaningful."
Legolas looked at her with surprise.
"Lady Arwen is not traveling to the ships at the Grey Havens?" he asked uncertainly.
"She is," Aragorn affirmed, "I made sure of it. The Elves are leaving this land, and I would not be the one to stand in her way."
"It is her choice to leave or stay," Celede said calmly. She had faith in her sister to remain. "And not all of the Elves are leaving. At least not yet. Legolas and I are still here. My father and brothers are here as well."
"Many of the Elves of Mirkwood have not left as well," Legolas replied, "But I do not know why they would not, as Valinor is a land far more peaceful and plentiful than Middle Earth."
"They stay because Middle Earth is their home," Celede replied, "They stay because they have hope that we can rid this land of evil. Is that not why we are here, fighting for peace on this quest?"
Legolas paused, unable to come up with an answer, when Gandalf interrupted their conversation.
"Oh! It's that way," he exclaimed, gesturing with his head towards the opening of one stone corridor. The Fellowship slowly rose to their feet, trusting the wizard completely, and continued further into the mines.
There's quite a bit of direct movie quotes in this chapter. I don't own any of it whatsoever.