Huge, huge thanks to my friend, Umbreon666 for helping me with this chapter. Again, wouldn't have made it through, or even this far, w/out her support.
Disclaimer: All rights and ownership to the "Lord of the Rings" franchise belong to J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson (I always include him because I kind of blend books with the movies in this), only the character Alice belongs to me. Sitria and Eletha belong to my two friends, Umbreon666 and Cali.
Fingolfin manages to get her just a few feet out the door when he feels himself being violently, yet unintentionally pushed away by Alice. She stands just a foot away from the last step, everyone else moves past her, not noticing how she stands, staring into the distance. Confusion mixes with her despair and sorrow. Out of the corners of her eyes, she sees the rest of the Fellowship, Sam sitting down, weeping, Boromir clutching to Gimli as the Dwarf vents his sorrow and anger, Frodo standing off by himself, Aragorn cleaning his sword, Legolas' confused expression, Pippin laying down on the ground, openly weeping while Merry holds him. She sees them in passing only, not truly even seeing them. She hears Fingolfin in her ears, whispering soft apologies for not being able to do anything, and she can feel his sorrow at the loss, though it is nothing in comparison to hers or the others, as he was not familiar with Gandalf. She doesn't hear the conversation between Aragorn and Boromir, but sees Legolas as he moves towards the two youngest Hobbits.
She walks forward, towards where Aragorn stands away from everyone else. He gets up Sam, and turns to shout something at Frodo, but it falls on her deaf ears. When she reaches him, he grabs her arm gently, and looks into her eyes. He sees the shock, confusion, anger, and sorrow all melding together. He pulls her into a soft hug, and she cries silently into his arms.
"It will be alright, mellonamin." He whispers to her, and it takes Fingolfin a moment to translate, as his sorrow conflicts with his will to aid her. When he finally tells her it means 'my friend', she looks up at the ranger.
"I'm glad we can be friends, Aragorn." He smiles down at her, kisses her forehead, and then releases his hold. She closes her eyes, wipes away her tears, straightens her shoulders, and looks back up at him resolutely. "Okay, I'm ready to go." He gives her a curious look, and she smiles grimly, "I've been hurt enough times to know how to internalize it." His look turns grim as well, and he nods before moving away.
Down the hills they go, everyone except Alice and Aragorn marches, the two of them keeping up a jog. They reach a rippling brook that opens up to a small lake about two inches deep. The two run across, and look out onto a golden-green wood.
"I've heard of forests that appeared gold and green," she says to the ranger softly, "But I've never seen it." He smiles, moving slightly as though offering up a small laugh.
"Welcome to Lothlórien."
Sometime later…
They run across a grassy field, and halt underneath the leaves of a tall forest. Some trees are thin; looking similar to birch trees, or are at least very young. Some are huge, a diameter so wide that Alice is certain she could not touch her other fingers if she tried to wrap her arms around the tree. But all of them seem to go up and up, not quite as tall as the infamous Sequoia trees from California back home, yet still, their height gives away their eternal age. Aragorn looks around cautiously.
"I don't like this…"
"What's wrong?"
"It's too… quiet."
"…a great sorceress lives in these woods, an Elf-witch, of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under her spell…" Alice does not fail to notice Frodo's sudden jump, and how he looks around as though someone spoke to him. "… and are never seen again…" Gimli finishes ominously. "Hey! He stole Gandalf's 'Grand Wizard' voice!" Frodo stops moving, and still looks around as though looking for someone, Alice stops to see what will become of this.
"Mister Frodo?" Sam asks, getting his attention.
"Well, here is one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" Alice sees the notched arrow in Gimli's face before he does, and resists the sudden urge to laugh.
"Don't laugh, we've got one on our left and right, too. Probably one behind us, as well."
"Damn it all!"
She glances around, and sees the two bows Fingolfin mentioned, as well as twenty other bowmen, all with bows out, and arrows at the ready. A tall, golden-haired Elf steps out from amongst the rest, his bow on his back, still.
"The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." She cracks a smile at Gimli's growl.
Sometime later…
The Fellowship stands on a leaf-shaped platform in the rustling foliage. Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas stand up front, Gimli between and just behind Aragorn and Boromir, and Alice just behind and between Boromir and Legolas. The four Hobbits stand behind her and Gimli. The Elf from earlier walks up to greet them and Fingolfin quickly translates everything.
"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion." The Elf says to Legolas, a hand over his heart, which he extends in Legolas' direction. "Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil."
"Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien." The Elf looks over at Aragorn. "Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien… I take that to mean his name is Haldir."
"A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen." "Oh, Aragorn of the Dúnedain, you are known to us."
"Haldir," Aragorn responds with a small bow.
"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves!" Gimli grumbles from behind the ranger, "Speak words we can all understand!" "He just doesn't know when to shut up, does he?" Alice quickly responds in the negative.
"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days." "Oh day-um." Alice and Fingolfin think at the same time.
"And you know what this Dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!" Gimli responds, and Aragorn spins around to grab the Dwarf's shoulder.
"That was not so courteous." Merry grabs Alice's arm and pulls her back a little.
"Do you know what they're saying?" He whispers into her ear.
"They're just greeting each other, trust me, you're not missing much." She whispers back, and Haldir addresses Frodo.
"You bring great evil with you." He then looks up to address Aragorn again, "You can go no further." He quickly turns and walks away, almost like he's nervous. Sam and Pippin turn to look at Frodo, who looks uncomfortable.
Aragorn walks away, and argues with Haldir away from everyone else. Alice stands next to Legolas, who turns and looks at Frodo. Uncomfortable, the Hobbit looks at Sam, who has a hurt expression and shifts his gaze away, and then he looks at Merry and Pippin, who likewise look away. Gimli sends a fast glance in Frodo's direction, but says nothing. Alice catches all of this, and then decides to go over and stand next to Frodo.
"Hey," she says to him softly, he looks up at her, and then looks away. "Hey," she says again, this time touching his chin and pulling his face towards her while crouching down, "I'm not sure what's dragging you down, but whatever it is, let go of it." Boromir comes over and stands behind her.
"Gandalf's death was not in vain," the Steward says softly, "Nor would he have you give up hope." Frodo looks up at him, "You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead." The Hobbit ponders this until Haldir catches his attention. Alice looks up, and stands up straight.
"You will follow me." The Elf says, less than happy. He swiftly walks away. Alice touches Boromir's shoulder as they begin to follow.
"Thank you, by the way, for helping." He nods, but says nothing. There's a pause, before she suddenly starts to giggle.
"What?" He whispers quietly.
"Is it just me, or does everything around here glow all by itself?" Boromir quickly glances around, and then smiles and nods. The smile drops off his face.
"Listen, when we have a moment to rest, I would like to talk to you… in private… about what happened in Rivendell." Fear grips her heart, but she refuses to show it. Instead, she simply nods, and slows her pace to go walk by Frodo.
They emerge from the glowing trees and back out into the sunshine. A caravan of Elves has walked with them, and leads them along a ridge down a tiny path, through the golden woods. Boromir glances at Alice and Frodo behind him, but she avoids his gaze. They come to the end of the high ridge and look out, a huge glade of trees rises above them.
"Caras Galadhon…" Haldir tells them with pride. "The heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."
Later…
The Fellowship climbs a winding stairway among the monstrous trees. It literally winds all around the bulk of the trees, leading up and up and up. They ascend the path until nightfall. Alice grumbles the entire away about never wanting to climb another single staircase again. Merry and Pippin giggle at her.
In the blue glow of a moonlit night, they climb a twisting stair around the trunk of a tree, past the glimmering lights of silver and blue. Alice imagines this is what the play; 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' should look like. All around them, she can see silver and blue lights across what must be hundreds of small platforms. Now she truly feels she is inside a fairy tale. Elves occasionally stop and stare at them, whispering soft things to each other. Not even Fingolfin can hear their words, so she has no idea whether they're saying kind or rude things about them… especially once they start staring openly at Alice's dress… or really, lack thereof. She's never felt more self-conscious about her pants (or trousers, really) than she does now.
Passing numerous platforms, they come to a great palace in the trees, lit with silvery lights. A curving walkway lies before them, leading up a low stair to an archway, which seems to be dusted gently with leaves. The nine of them turn slowly, and Haldir stands off to their side, towards the great archway before them. Aragorn stands in the center, two Hobbits on either side, with Legolas behind Frodo and Sam on his right and Gimli standing on the far side of the group, and Boromir standing on the far left side of the group next to Merry and Pippin. Alice stands behind the two youngest Hobbits, close to Boromir. She puts a hand on her sword hilt, ready for whatever comes next.
A glowing couple, hand in hand, descends from the staircase behind the archway. Everyone, with the exclusion of Alice who looks away out of mild jealousy of the woman's beauty, stares in awe. Fingolfin whispers for her to grow up in her mind, but she quickly quells him. Aragorn touches his forehead in greeting. The light dims, and the couple halts. The woman's eyes fixes on Frodo, but the man speaks.
"The Enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." His gaze shifts over the entire Fellowship, and Alice refuses to meet his eyes. "Nine there are here, yet ten there were, set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him." As he speaks, the lady's gaze shifts to Aragorn, who looks up at her. "I can no longer see him from afar." There is no pause; the woman immediately picks up where her husband left off.
"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow." Aragorn's nod is almost imperceptible. The man looks at the woman.
"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame: a Balrog of Morgoth." Alice has never heard so much venom in Legolas' voice, and hopes she will never have to hear it again, "For we went needlessly into the net of Moria." Gimli's head bows in shame.
"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his whole purpose." She looks at Gimli, "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart, Gimli, son of Glóin." The Dwarf looks up as her words. "For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands, love is now mingled with grief." Alice's grip on her sword tightens as the lady's gaze shifts now to Boromir, who looks up, blinking and swallowing. The two seem to have a momentary staring contest, which Boromir quickly loses, weeping. There's a brief pause.
"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." The man says, and Alice decides to finally speak.
"No." She says, defiance in her voice. "I refuse to believe that." The Elf man turns to look at her, and she fixes her steely gaze upon him as well. "The future is not set in stone. Frodo makes the Fellowship, not Gandalf. His death was a setback, and we mourn the loss of our great friend, but we press on, we move forward, and continue our quest." The lady looks at her, a soft smile on her features. She nods.
"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." Alice shifts her gaze to the woman, and sees Boromir do the same thing out of the corner of her eye, "Yet hope remains while the company is true." The woman now shifts her gaze again, this time looking at Sam, her smile returning. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace." Haldir goes to lead them away, but the woman speaks again, "Alice, daughter of Roxanne, stay a moment." She freezes. Boromir and Legolas both turn to look at her, both curious, and she gives a small shrug. She turns back around, and bows again before the lady. "You will stay in the rooms reserved for Lady Arwen. I know the two of you were friends. She would want you to have her room while you stay here." Uneasy, Alice looks away.
"I think I would rather stay with the Fellowship…" The lady nods.
"They need you more than they realize. You may stay with them until you go to retire, then go to Lady Arwen's rooms. Is this agreeable?" She thinks for a moment, then nods. The woman calls two women over. "This is Eletha Arabitylar, daughter of Nostalion, a descendant in a long line of healers who will tend to whatever wounds you may have, and Sitria, whose heritage is lost. She will keep you company."
Alice notices the strangeness of the second woman. Sitria has distinctly feline features. She even moves like a cat, her raven-black hair swaying as she shifts constantly from one foot to the other. Her fingernails, unlike any other Elf Alice has encountered, are long and sharp, coming to a point like a blade…. Or like a claw. Her eyes are a violet hue, or at least seem to reflect that way in the blue and silver light. She wears a modest purple dress, with grey robes over them as she has seen other Lórien Elves wear. The dress covers her feet so she cannot tell if the woman is barefoot as well.
It takes a second for her to peel her eyes off the strange woman so she can see the other. Eletha has bright blonde hair that's been put up in a braid with flowers, and goes down to her waist. She has intelligent, yet caring green eyes that seem to carry all the love in the world around inside them. Her features are defined, like most other Elves, but not to the extreme of the woman next to her, yet both are just as pale as the tall blonde woman that Alice has been speaking to. Both, however, are not as tall as the woman, but are still much taller than Alice.
"What may I call you, milady?" Alice says, turning back to the woman. She smiles softly.
"I am Lady Galadriel, and this is my husband, Lord Celeborn. We are the rulers of this realm." She curtsies.
"It was a pleasure meeting you both, thank you for your hospitality." Both nod in her direction politely, and then Sitria extends an arm in the direction the Fellowship went moments prior.
"Please, this way." Her deep, sensual, yet very quiet voice says. She notices that her words almost seem to purr when she talks. Sitria leads the way, and Eletha takes the rear, letting Alice walk in the middle again, not giving her very much time to observe the other Elves around her.
"Strange ones, these two."
"Should I keep an eye on them?"
"… No, I don't think so. Not, at least, on Eletha if she really is a healer. Unless she tries to give you something to drink. Sitria seems dangerous somehow, like a predator… But don't worry about it for now, let's just meet back up with the guys, eh?"
"Alright."
It only takes a few minutes for them to reach the bottom, unlike the hours it took them to reach the top of the trees. Eletha and Sitria wait at the base of the stairs while Alice ventures out to see where everyone is.
"Alice!" Merry and Pippin call, seeing her at the same time. They both rush forward, leaving their pipes behind. Everyone turns to see Alice get knocked flat on her back.
"Ow! You two! Ugh, couldn't you have greeted me more cordially or something?" She says, trying to be angry, but laughing too hard as the two hug her. She hears the rest of the Fellowship chuckling. When she finally stands up, she sees Aragorn beckoning her, and she goes to sit with him and Gimli.
"What did the Lady want?" He asks, using a soft tone since Gimli's asleep. She shrugs.
"I was expecting a reprimand for having defied the judgment of Lord Celeborn, which, by the way, would have been nice if you guys would have informed these two were the Lords of this realm. I can only assume Haldir told you, but I must have not caught it." Aragorn just smiles, and begins sharpening his sword. "Anyway, no, the Lady wanted to give me Lady Arwen's personal rooms for my stay here." He stops mid-sharpen, and turns to look at her, shock clearly written on his face. Alice chuckles, "Yeah, that's what I said." He looks away, going back to his sword and shaking his head, his shocked expression turning into a smile.
"That is a great gift." She nods, and he abruptly smacks Gimli for snoring.
"Yeah, I got the feeling it was." There's a pause, and Alice leans her head on Aragorn's shoulder, making him stop sharpening. "I miss home. I miss my family, what very little I had. I miss Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen, and I even miss Gandalf, for as short a time as I knew them." The ranger doesn't say anything, but sits very still, listening. "I know I said that we have to press on and finish the quest, but… I'm scared, Aragorn. Back home, I never had to face anything like this before. I've never had to fight and kill. I can still see the head of every Orc Fingolfin has hacked off… I can still smell the blood." She looks up at him, tears in her eyes. "I just want to go home." He wraps an arm around her, and holds her for a moment, shushing her softly as the tears fall in silence.
"I am sorry that you had to be pulled along on this. You shouldn't have to be here, but it really is too late to stop that now. You are much too young for any of this. You shouldn't have to feel this kind of fear, or know this kind of hate." He holds up her chin to look at her. "But just know that if there's anything I can do to ease this new burden of yours, I will." She nods, and he wipes away her tears gently. "Now, why don't you go see what Boromir wants as I know he's been wanting to talk to you for some time, and about what I can pretty well guess. After that, say goodnight to Legolas and the Hobbits, come get me, and I'll walk with you up to your rooms. How does that sound?" She smiles up at him and nods again, wiping away a couple of more tears. "Be brave, Alice. There are still many miles ahead of us to go." He kisses her forehead, and she stands up, and wanders over to Boromir.
"Hey…" she says quietly to the Steward, coming over to where he sits on a large tree root by himself. He's been staring out into the distance, ignoring everyone, focusing on his thoughts. He turns sharply, surprised, and then stands up suddenly.
"H-… Hello." He says awkwardly, and then suddenly indicates to the tree root, "Care to join me?" He asks uneasily, trying to be casual but totally failing. She laughs, and nods. The two sit almost awkwardly close together, hips, thighs, and calves pressing against each other in the small space. He clears his throat after a pause, "What did the Lady tell you?"
"Oh, she um," she momentarily forgets, taken aback by how handsome he is with his face cleaned up at this close a distance, "She gave me a couple of rooms that were used by Lady Arwen, do you remember her? From Rivendell?" He nods, "Yeah, she had used them when she was here, and they're reserved for her, basically. So, since she's not here right now, Lady Galadriel decided to let me use them, somehow knowing it's what Arwen would have wanted." She says, shrugging at the end and grinning. He nods.
"Oh, that's good; at least you won't have to sleep on the ground like the rest of us." She grins bigger.
"There are advantages to being a woman." For the first time in a long time, he grins right at her, and she feels her heartbeat accelerate suddenly. She pats his cheek a couple of times. "I missed this." He looks curious, but still keeps smiling.
"Missed what?" She sighs, and looks into his eyes.
"This. You, when you're happy. You smiling at me, laughing with me, laughing at something I've said, some stupid little joke. It's been… weird. And I don't like it. I've been foolishly holding a grud-"he puts two fingers to her lips.
"Nothing you have done has been foolish. At least, nothing I'm aware of." She thinks back to a couple of times when he saw her goofing off, and gives him a look of disbelief. He grabs both sides of her face softly, "Nothing, Alice. I, however, have been a great fool. No, not even a fool. A jealous, spoiled, bratty child." He grins at her laughter, and then takes her hands into his lap. "Yes, I was listening when you… told us what was wrong." She opens her mouth to apologize for yelling, and he puts two fingers on her lips again, "No, don't. I don't want to hear your apologies, because they are completely unfounded. You were absolutely right in everything you said. I-… I wanted to apologize that moment. That exact moment when you started speaking and made your presence known," he shifts his weight and sits on his knees in front of her, still holding her hands but letting them rest in her own lap this time, "I would have gotten down on my knees just as I am now and groveled before you. I would have kissed your feet if you had asked it of me. I would have let you humiliate me in any and every way you could think of. But," he sighs, and glances away, "You were so angry. I didn't think it would do any good. I don't-"he stops, almost like the words got caught in his throat, and he still avoids eye-contact, "I'm not very good with women. And I'm not very good with expressing my feelings. As far as I am concerned, there are no women in all of Arda except the one that sits before me, who has completely and utterly stolen my heart from right out of my chest. You were so angry that day, so I did the foolish thing and actually thought about what to do, which is a very dangerous thing for me to do, I'll have you know." She laughs again at his joke, "I thought that maybe you should have some time alone. You asked me to stay away, so I did just that. But I waited too long. Too fast the day came that we left for Rivendell, and I was unable to have you alone again to apologize properly. I wish I could go back in time, and take back my words. Stop myself from ever saying what I did about you. I just thought, again, dangerous, that since we had proclaimed our love for each other that that meant that I was yours and you were mine… I didn't even think about Legolas. And then when I saw you outright flirting with him at dinner the night before, I just… lost it. I'm so sorry for what I did and said. If you can find it in your golden heart to forgive me, then I shall be as a slave to you. When you want me, I shall drop all and come, and when you are done with me, I shall just as happily go away. No matter who, or what, you choose."
She claps a hand to her mouth, tears running over, unable to speak. Part of her really wants to just kiss him, but she's never kissed Legolas before Boromir, and so she thinks she owes it to Legolas to not kiss Boromir in front of him. Instead, she drops to her knees, and hugs the Steward. She chokes back the sobs as he quickly wraps his arms around her, squeezing her tightly, afraid to let go.
"You were forgiven the minute you quoted me, Boromir." She whispers between the sobs. He puts his lips against her shoulder, and breathes in her scent.
"Thank the Valar," he responds, also very quiet, "I don't know if I could have gone one more day knowing you were still angry at me. It's been killing me inside." She laughs, and the two sit there for several quiet moments. When she pulls back, she kisses his cheek very quickly. The two stand up after another minute, him helping her up. "You should get some rest, we've had an exhausting day." She nods, and wraps her arms around his neck one more time, and he quickly snakes his around her waist. "I've missed you too, Alice." She backs up, and smiles at him.
"Come see me tomorrow?" He grins, and wipes away the drying tears.
"Wouldn't miss it." She nods, and then walks away.
Legolas stands as soon as she goes back into the small clearing the male part of the Fellowship have established camp in. She sees him, and smiles at the fact that he's neither glaring over her shoulder or looking at her with disdain. His expression is happiness attempting to cover jealously. He quickly walks over to her and the two hold hands and pulls their faces in close together.
"You have forgiven him?" He whispers so soft she's almost not sure that he spoke at all. She nods after a minute.
"It was far past time." He nods, accepting this answer.
"I'm…" He takes a small breath, "I'm happy for you. It must have been a strain, being angry at him in Moria while still being in such close proximity." She's surprised by this, and looks up at him, revealing her shock, "I've come to accept that there is as much of a chance for you to chose him as there is for you to chose me, and that there is very, very little I can do that will sway your decision. So, I have decided that your happiness is more important to me than my own, so if he makes you more happy than I, then I not only want you to chose him, I want you to chose him knowing that you have my blessing, and wishes for eternal happiness." Her eyes get even wider, if that's possible.
"You're… you're serious about this?" He sighs, his eyes shut, before nodding once. She reaches up and gently touches his cheek. "I'm very proud of you, Legolas. Thank you. I very much needed to hear that." He nods again, and kisses her cheek.
"I will be whatever you need me to be, friend or lover, and I will be happy in either roll just as long as I can be in your life." She nods, one tear escaping, which he hastily wipes away. "Goodnight, a'maelamin." Fingolfin whispers to her that it means 'my beloved'. "I love you very much." He says before kissing her cheek again.
"I love you too, Legolas. I'll see you tomorrow." He nods, and then lets go of her hands so she can walk away.
She quickly walks over to the Hobbits to say goodnight, each one demanding a hug from her. Frodo comes up to get his hug last, she tells him to be strong in his ear quietly, and he nods when they pull apart. She walks back over to the center of the clearing, and sees the Boromir has finally come over to join them. She speaks loud enough for them all – and the singing Elves above – to hear.
"When we were in Imladris," she begins, catching everyone's immediate attention, including the Elves, "Gandalf often taught me things of this world, as I'm not very familiar with it. Through his instruction, I know a great deal. One day, after answering one of my thousands of questions, he asked me to sing something that reminded me of a story he had told me that morning. I don't quite remember the names, but it was about two young Men, I believe of Rohan. They set out from their home to go hunt a band of Orcs that had been raiding nearby villages. The band was small, which is why only two of them set out. They searched for days, quickly running out of food and water. On the last day they could be out hunting before they had to turn back, they found the Orcs. Starving and desperate, they quickly attacked them. They just barely survived, and one was severely injured in the battle. His friend had to carry him over four miles, with what could barely be called bandages on his wounds to stop the bleeding, to the nearest village so he could receive proper medical care. The entire way, his friend kept telling him to simply 'hold on', that they would make it through this. When they arrived, he had lost so much blood he was almost dead, and the healers told his friend that if he had stopped to rest even once, that the injured man would have died." She takes a deep breath, "After I sang the song, Gandalf asked me to sing it three more times. After the fourth time, he proclaimed, very loudly might I add, that it was his new favorite song. He told me while we were in Moria that if it wasn't for the need of silence so that we could go unnoticed, he would have probably asked me to sing it several times, just to cheer everyone up." She sighs, "It was the last thing he ever said directly to me. I would like to sing it for you all tonight, in his memory." She glances at Aragorn, as though for permission, and he nods his head once. She sucks in some air, and starts the song. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the ranger smack Gimli to get him to wake up.
"You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end
There's no place to go
You know I won't give in
No I won't give in" She looks over at Frodo.
"Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through" Her gaze washes over the Fellowship, giving each of them equal time.
"So far away
I wish you were here
Before it's too late, this could all disappear
Before the doors close
And it comes to an end
With you by my side I will fight and defend
I'll fight and defend
Yeah, yeah
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Hear me when I say, when I say I believe
Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny
Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" She sways softly with the next part.
"La da da da
La da da da
La da da da da da da da da
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through."
She cuts the song short, unable to continue, as she is reminded too much of how happy the song made Gandalf. The tears fall for the umpteenth time that night, but this time she wipes them away herself. There's silence, and one pair of hands start clapping. She looks to her left, and sees Frodo applauding her, his face unreadable. The other three Hobbits quickly pick it up, all applauding, but the tears also falling down their faces. When she glances at Legolas, she sees his smile. She looks over to see Gimli, Aragorn, and Boromir also applauding her. The singing Elves above resume singing, but instead of the lament, they sing her words of encouragement, making her smile.
"You did very well. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you, it means a lot."
Aragorn stands up from his place on his small cot, and walks over to her.
"Are you ready?" She looks around one last time, and he chuckles, "You'll see them in the morning." She laughs too.
"I know, but it'll be the first time since we left Rivendell that I haven't slept with nine loudly-snoring men around me. I've gotten kind of used to the racket." He rolls his eyes, and then grabs her by her arm.
"Come on, I'm sure you're going to be living in luxury while to the rest of us it will be as if nothing's changed." She laughs as he drags her along, and Sitria guides them back up the stairs to her rooms, the two mortals discussing anything and everything the entire way.
Ugh, my fingers are so sore, lol. Two 6,000 word chapters in two days. I had no idea this was going to be this long. Not even an inkling. Ah, well, I blame Boromir for it. Anyway, Alice's questions will be answer next chapter, as this was getting to be too long.
Luna - LOL! Ikr? The problem with having a guy and a girl in the same body is that it totally messes up your pronouns, lolol. Thank you! =D
Gwilwillith - Hahaha, thank you! I'm glad you like it. Fingolfin is da bomb, lolz, and Aragorn is just an all around kind of awesome. XD
Song credits: "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne.
30 reviews and I'll put up a new chapter! =D