Chapter 37: Go Your Own Way

If I could

Baby I'd give you my world

Open up

Everything's waiting for you

You can go your own way

Go your own way

-Fleetwood Mac

Sona whirled, heart racing at the elf's sudden arrival… and perhaps a little bit at being "caught" trying to hold Thorin's hand.

I wasn't trying to hold his hand. I was providing mutual comfort. Besides, our pinkies were barely touching.

"I'm sorry, who did you say wanted to speak with me?" Sona scrambled to focus on Lindir and not the grump muffin next to her. Because yeah, though she couldn't really blame Thorin for his prickly display, his grump muffin mood was most definitely showing. And Lindir? Well, he was a walking bucket of ice water spilling over them.

The elf just shuffled his feet looking as if he felt slightly gassy.

"Is it Lord Elrond?" Sona pressed. "Because he's been avoiding me for days, and I really need to talk to him about my, uh, travel issue."

Lindir's face just looked pinched and pained as motioned for her to follow him.

How did I ever think he was pretty? He's too snotty to be pretty.

Sona turned to excuse herself and say goodbye to Thorin only to find that the dwarf was already gone. She just caught a flash of his long wavy hair as he turned a corner. She remembered how it had felt against her face, so soft yet weighty. She could just smell a hint of cardamom on the air.

Stupid Lindir.

"Well," she forced a tight smile on her face as she turned back to face the elf, "I'm still in my jammies. Hope that's okay."

He nodded and beckoned her to follow.

The Lady of Lórien stood before her, inside an open-air atrium on a cliff face overlooking a stunning waterfall below. Well, at least it would have been stunning if the elleth hadn't been there for comparison. She was clad head to foot in pure shimmery white. Blonde waves of hair trailed to below her hips, and a silver wrought crown rested against her brow. Sona could not help the small gasp that escaped her as she took in the enchantress' powerful aura. She literally glowed.

"You… you're Galadriel."

The elleth nodded. And you're Sona Anand Jones. Musician. Teacher. Widow. Lost. "And friend to dwarves."

Sona blinked, needed a moment to realize only the last bit had been spoken out loud. "You're a friend to dwarves too."

A small smile passed over Galadriel's lips. "Indeed?"

"Oh boy… well, you're certainly going to piss Fëanor off."

The elleth's mouth curved up into the most stunning grin Sona had ever seen, and she felt her own blossom across her face as the memory of Gimli being gifted three of the silver gold hairs from the elleth's head. It was one of her absolute fave LotR moments.

Galadriel's grin slipped away and she raised an eyebrow as if surprised; Sona belatedly remembered the Lady of Lórien's ability to read minds.

Wait… she can read minds! Sona pressed her eyes closed, intended to blast all her memories of everything that was to come at the enchantress because maybe then everything would be back on track and—

"Stop."

"But—"

The elleth raised a graceful hand, and Sona snapped her mouth shut.

"It is not for you to tell me what is to come." Galadriel took slow, measured steps around the perimeter of the atrium, a long train practically floating behind her. "You would like to go home."

"Well…" Sona thought about this. Yes, indeed she would like to go home. She missed her family. And her house. And her students. And if she was being completely honest, Disneyland. She really loved Disneyland. "…yes. Eventually."

The last word had just popped out, and Sona realized it was true. While she did want to go back to California, she didn't necessarily want to go now. She wasn't ready. That thought both thrilled and scared her.

What the hell do I think I'm going to do here in Arda in the meantime? Travel with the dwarves? Her heart rate increased and Sona realized that's precisely what she wanted. Stop being ridiculous. You can't travel with them. They're going to face a dragon. DRAGON. Think furnace with wings.

She realized Galadriel was stopped before her, the same serene smile from before playing across her lips.

"Lady Sona of California, you may go home once you've found who you are looking for."

Sona scrunched up her face as she looked up at the elleth. "What does that even mean?"

But the enchantress merely gave her another knowing smile, and stepped away, up to the overlook on the edge of the atrium, clearly done with her.

Lindir was back at Sona's side guiding her out of the space before she was even fully aware of what was going on, and had she not turned to sneak one more peek at the Lady of Lórien, she would have missed seeing Saruman the White entering the atrium from the other end.

He looked up and met her gaze, eyes searing almost painfully through her.

Sona ran.

Call it a fight or flight instinct, but she ignored the calls of Lindir to wait and got the hell out of there. She most definitely did not want to be anywhere near that wizard.

Sona slammed the door to her room, cursing under her breath over it not having a lock.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Not that a lock would do anything to stop a wizard.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Not that he was actually following her.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Not that he actually even cared one wit about who she was or why she was there.

Sasha whined from her place atop Sona's bed.

"Oh, are you done playing with Fíli, then?"

The dog simply rolled on her back, exposing her underside for Sona to rub.

"If you think you can get back in my good graces that easily…" But Sona was already scratching the lab's belly. "I can't stay mad at you, goofball."

As she ran her fingers through Sasha's hair her mind returned to Galadriel's parting words to her.

You may go home once you've found who you are looking for.

"And just who am I supposed to be looking for?"

Sasha let out a loud sigh, the air escaping her mouth fluttering her upper lip.

"You said it, girl." Sona scrunched up her nose in irritation. "Would it have killed her to tell me whoI'm suppose to find? And then she wouldn't even let me tell her about the ring and Gollum… Gollum!"

She froze, hand resting on Sasha's chest, mind racing. "We need to find the dwarves and go with them when they leave—"

"Your companions have already left."

Sona whirled. Arwen was standing gracefully in the doorway, the same serene smile her grandmother had on her face. Sona was starting to hate that smile.

"What?"

"They took advantage of the distraction Gandalf is providing them now by tying up the White Council, and left."

Sona goggled at her. "But if you didn't want them to leave… you could have easily stopped them. I don't understand…" Her voice trailed off as Arwen stepped into her room fully, Sona's pack held in one of her elegant hands as if it weighed nothing.

"I took the liberty of packing for you." She indicated the wardrobe across from Sona's bed. "And I set out some new traveling clothes for you. I hope that is alright." She gave Sona an almost shy smile, and in that moment Sona was struck with how very young the elleth appeared. For all Arwen's long years of life, Sona still felt as if she was older, if only in experience.

"No, that's more than alright." Sona gave her friend a wide smile. "That's awesome!"

Ten minutes later, just as the sunrise was pinking the edge of the sky, Sona was ready.

She was clad in sturdy brown wool leggings that actually fit her so perfectly Sona suspected Arwen had made them specifically for her. Soft suede boots laced up to her mid calf, and she wore a purple, thigh length kurta atop it all. Well, she decided to call it purple, though she suspected in sunlight it would be closer to royal blue in color. She also had a new cloak, so dark it appeared nearly black, though Sona was certain this was also blue in color—navy to be specific. Arwen had quietly mentioned she'd done the gold top stitching herself.

She'd debated asking the Arwen what had possessed elleth to dress her in Thorin's colors, but it had all been such a rush to leave, and after she'd changed into her travel clothes, Arwen had quietly said that the colors suited her, and left it at that.

Sona resolved to guard her thoughts more carefully around her and her grandmother.

The elleth had also tried to plait Sona's hair, but she waved her off, saying there was no time, and it would just fall out of the braid anyways. Sona would deal with it later. For now, she was anxious to catch up with her friends.

The one thing Arwen had forced on her was a set of delicate gold bangles.

"I can't take these. You've done too much for me already."

"Nonsense. They are mine to give as I please." The elleth slid them up Sona's left arm, until three full inches were covered with the bracelets. "I know how much you like pretty things."

"But… but they'll make so much noise and, oh…" Sona shook her arm to demonstrate how loud they were, and all that emanated from them was a soft tinkling that sounded like a light spring rain. "But what if they get caught on something?"

Arwen gave her another serene smile. "There is a small bag for you to store them inside of your pack should you desire to remove them for any reason."

Argument lost—Sona really did love the bangles—she strapped Sasha's side pouches on the dog, which were full of elvish treats and kibble for the lab to snack on between meals.

"Is there anything else you require, Lady Sona?"

She turned and took in the ethereal beauty before her, wondering if she'd met Aragorn yet.

Arwen's going to be an awesome queen.

Then she thought about the journey ahead and all that might happen, and a few things she knew for certain would.

"That depends." She gave the elleth a sly grin. "How well can you forge your dad's handwriting?"

A/N

I know I've messed with the movie's timing of Gandalf seeing Galadriel directly after his conversation with Elrond, but whatevs. I think we've already established that I DO WHAT I WANT. Not to mention in my mind the fact that Sona's there instead of Bilbo is slowly changing things. Even something as innocuous as a simple meeting between 4 of the oldest and wisest minds of Middle Earth.