On the days went and the company was able to relax and simply be. They didn't have to worry about whatever mission they were on and they didn't think of what lay beyond the borders of the forest. The men took rest and grieved for their lost wizard.
Nancy could feel her body loosening as the days went by. She didn't need to worry about anything other than her new friends. The hobbits were her near-constant companions. One of them was often by her side.
Not only were the hobbits often with her but so was Eliril. The woman often brought her new treasures. She had brought her a few books in what was called the common tongue. She could read the words, but they somehow felt foreign. Almost like she shouldn't have been able to read them.
Between all of her new friends she hardly had a moment to herself. She appreciated their enthusiasm, but when she was able to get a moment of quiet, she cherished it deeply. Her mind would wander to her own world and what would have been going on there. How was her family getting on and what about Asha? Were they handling her disappearance alright? So many questions were constantly flooding her mind. Yet, it all brought her peace of mind. The more she thought the more she was able to think things through and to keep her mind off of the near future of her current world.
Wandering on an increasingly familiar path Nancy found her self walking with her eyes closed and taking deep breaths. The air was crisp, but not cold. It felt good against her skin. She knew that later on she would have to go and do some training, Aragorn insisted she do it, but until then she would take in the relaxing atmosphere of Lothlorien.
"Nancy!" The tinkling voice caught her attention and brought her gaze over to her elleth friend. "It is almost time for the midday meal, come!" Eliril was often making sure that the human girl ate at regular intervals and taking good care of her body otherwise. The elleth didn't even eat with them, yet she always found the human to remind her of their mealtimes. She might as well have been her mother.
The human in question waved her hand in acknowledgment before turning back to gaze over the city before her. There were plenty of elves going about their daily lives and it brought her a feeling of happiness. Everyone seemed to move so easily around each other and flowed so seamlessly that it was almost as though they were all one body. She wished one day she could be a part of something like that.
Gathering herself, Nancy raced back to where the group had settled in and found that the hobbits and Gimli had already demolished a good portion of the food that had been laid out for them. The group had been offered to eat with the elves, but Aragorn quickly refused. She figured it had something to do with a few of their members.
"We tried to save you some," Aragorn was offering her a plate with several portions of the food they had been eating. She wondered if they thought she would be able to eat that amount of food. "But this was all Legolas and I could manage." He rolled his arm and rubbed his shoulder as though he had been through a rough fight. She knew he was alluding to the fact that one always had to put up a fight for food when the hobbits and dwarf were around. His jokes made her chuckle and shake her head.
"If the lass would stay here instead of going off in her fairy world," At those words, Gimli's thick fingers began twirling around his head. "Then you wouldn't have to fight for her food. Survival of the fittest after all!" He laughed riotously as though he had told some amazing joke that she for the life of her couldn't figure out.
"Maybe if the company around here didn't just talk about food and fighting she wouldn't have to be in her little fairy world." Nancy sniffed and tried to make the most uppity face possible. Around her, the men went silent and she waited a few seconds before letting them breathe as she laughed loudly at the worried face Gimli had made. The dwarf was quite easy to get along with once you realized he was only interested in food and fighting. She knew there was more to him than those two things, but they were always likely to put him in a good mood.
Conversation was light and easy as the meal wore on. Pippin told the story of a time when he and Merry had stolen some crops from some old farmer and he chased them far out of their village. They were forced to hide out for three days afterward. When she had asked if that stopped them from stealing from the old man again they just looked at her as though she had lost it. Thinking back on it she was sure to them she sounded silly. Of course, they would continue, they enjoyed the thrill of it all.
As the meal ended Nancy made eye contact with Aragorn. The man had cleaned up well since their first meeting. He no longer looked like he was half dirt half man. Now he was only a quarter dirt. He had also become the person Nancy found herself gravitating to when she needed help. The hobbits were too inexperienced in the world outside of their village, Gimli was too rough, Boromir seemed to dislike everyone and her especially, and Legolas was a bit intimidating to approach.
The dark-clad man motioned for the small girl to follow him and they departed after short farewells. Based on the direction they were heading she knew he wanted to get their training over with sooner rather than later.
"For today I would like to ask you a few questions." That was new. Normally Aragorn just tossed her around, told her what she was doing wrong, tossed her around some more, and then called it a day. "I would like you to tell me more about your world and how you learned to fight there. Here it is not so common to find a lady as skilled in fighting as you are." In that, he meant skilled at all because she was barely skilled at all and it was nothing to sneeze at.
"To be totally honest, in my world I'm more like a novice at fighting." It was embarrassing to admit after he had just said she was skilled. "There are a bunch of different fighting techniques in my world. I just took a few different lessons to learn how to defend myself. Men in my world are not nearly as courteous as the ones here, women like me need to learn how to defend ourselves from them." She had encountered one too many perverts to not take those classes and they had saved her one too many times.
Her words shocked the man if the look on his face was anything to go by. She knew that Aragorn was a gentleman and that he nor any of the men in their group would ever hurt her, but she was sure he had at least met some more unsightly fellows. She only hoped that being with the men around her would deter the creeps as much as possible. Nancy didn't know what was worse, orcs, or prowlers. Those who were obviously monsters or those who hid their monstrous side.
"If that is the case then do all women in your land know how to fight?" He looked even more confused when she shook her head. "So the men in your world are a danger to the women and yet those women are not taught how to defend themselves?" For some reason, she felt a sort of shame at the look of confusion on Aragorn's face as he processed her small shrug. Nancy had no clue how to explain her modern problems.
She tried to explain to him how men back home had a monopoly on most things and how not all women were ready to fight back. It was something that she understood and couldn't fault any of them for. They had lived so long one way and it was hard to change. Even for her, it had been. At some point though, it just became too much and she couldn't continue living in fear as she had. And it was not as though the men had a reason to teach them how to defend themselves. If women learned to fight back then what would become of the men?
The pair talked for while longer. They compared the similarities and differences between the two worlds and shared stories of things they had experienced. He was a good person to talk to and he was always happy to listen. He seemed as eager to listen to her stories as she was to tell them. He was even happy to listen to the not so happy and fun stories, which was what separated him from the others. His ear for listening was a great comfort to her.
"I have but one more question for you." His eyes were calculating as he stared her down. It was a look he often wore, though not usually aimed at her. She could feel her body tense as he continued to watch her. "You said that you wanted to continue with us rather than returning to your world. You may not know what our mission is yet I am sure you know it is perilous. Thus I must ask you, why?" He sure didn't beat around the bush with his question.
Looking down at her hands Nancy found herself rubbing them over and over again. She knew that the question would come eventually and yet she still had no answer to it. She had thought and thought on it, but could only come up with answers she knew would sound silly to the man. They were the only answers she had to give though so they would have to suffice.
"Back home I was a nurse, it pretty much means I was a healer. I would take care of patients day in and day out. That was what I did and what I loved. My only real hobby outside of that was caving. Those two had something in common that I think is the answer to your question." She took a deep breath and prepared to sound like a sap. "In both you never leave someone who is hurt or needs you. This group is hurt and maybe you don't need me, but maybe you do. Either way, I don't want to leave you, any of you." She meant it too. She found herself longing to stay with the group and see their quest through to the end.
Aragorn looked at her with a look in his eyes that she had never seen before. His lips twitched up just the slightest bit and he moved to rest a heavy hand on her clasped hands. This action stopped her incessant rubbing motion.
"I do not have full say over whether you may continue with us, but I will not vote against you young one." The small smile slipped from his lips as his hand tightened around hers. "Though, I must warn you that the road we face is full of dangers the likes of which you have never seen and is far more deadly than you could ever imagine. I do not say this lightly, but if you should continue with us then your life will be in grave danger." His words were barely spoken and yet they sent a shiver down her spine.
The only response she could muster was a short nod and a weak smile. It wasn't as though she didn't know any of what he had just said. She knew that well. But it was the first time that anyone had told her of what may come to face her upon their travels.
Before either of them could continue the most familiar chiming voice called out her name and drew their attention to the sweet elleth approaching them. Eliril was coming closer and a smile was stretched across her face as she waved at the two of them.
"Your friend is punctual as always." Aragorn joked a smile crossing his face as Eliril joined the two of them. "I shall take my leave then ladies. Enjoy the rest of your days." He gave a short humorous bow before leaving the two of them and striding off to do whatever he had lined up for the day.
In the blink of an eye, the elleth had her arm wrapped around Nancy's and was pulling the girl off towards the bathing area. It had become something of a custom for Eliril to pick the other up and take her to clean up after a good beating.
As the two walked many people greeted them. Most of the greetings were for the elleth as she seemed to be quiet popular amongst the other elves. Many men had their attention aimed at her as well as a few friendly women. Eliril was always polite or friendly with the elves that they passed, but she never slowed or stopped to talk with any of them.
When the two finally made it to the bathing area Eliril was quick to strip and enter the pool of warm water. She would scoop up the water with a large ladle and pour it over her head. It was such a simple act, but coming from a beauty such as the elleth it was downright mesmerizing.
"You know you don't always have to come and get me in the morning." The moment she said the words she wished she could shove them right back into her mouth. Not only did she enjoy her time with her newest friend, but the look the other gave her reminded Nancy of a wounded kitten. "I just mean that you've already done so much for me and you must be busy! I see how the people look at you and talk with you when we pass them in the streets. You must have better things to do than to spend time with some human girl." It was like she couldn't stop talking.
"Not at all my friend." Eliril always remembered to call Nancy her friend when they spoke. "I am more than happy to spend time with you. I value you and our time spent together." There was no lie in her voice as Eliril swam closer and sat behind Nancy to brush out the knots that had formed in her hair. "But if you wish for me not to then I will leave you be." The disappointment was clear in her voice and Nancy could feel the guilt pool in her stomach.
"That's not what I meant." Nancy could feel her insecurities building in her throat and before she could stop it they spewed out of her mouth. "It's just that ever since the first day you have always been so kind and helpful to me. A friend, a girlfriend, when I really needed one. The thing is that I don't understand why? You don't owe me anything so none of this makes any sense to me." She felt silly for questioning the other, but people on earth were never as kind as Eliril especially if they didn't get anything in return.
Feeling herself being turned Nancy moved to face Eliril and almost had a panic attack at seeing the disappointed look on the others' faces. The elleth even took it a step closer and pulled Nancy in for a hug. This action set the other on edge. She wasn't against hugging, but it seemed more intimate than she was sure the other meant for it to be.
"I am sorry I haven't been very clear with you." The words were paired with a hand gently running over her hair before Eliril pulled away and looked at Nancy with a small smile on her face. "The first time I met you the look on your face reminded me of a scared little baby and I just wanted to help you and do whatever you needed. I suppose you could say I felt protective over you." Nancy could feel her cheeks heating up at the words her friend was saying. She hadn't expected to be called a baby, that was for sure.
"Nancy, you are the first human I have ever met, and yet from the first time you spoke to me, you have defied everything I thought I knew about humans. You spoke so sweetly your voice rough, but kind. Then I turn and find you filthy but wanting to bathe and cleanse yourself. And when you do clean up I find someone who is far more beautiful and attractive than I could have ever imagined a human to be. We may not have spoken much but I saw you there in that pool and I knew I had to be here by your side until you leave me." It almost felt like there was something more that Eliril wanted to say, but with the way the elleth smiled and turned her back around Nancy knew she was done talking.
Her heart was beating loudly and she was sure with her enhanced elf hearing that the other could hear it and was just too polite to say anything. Instead, both women sat silently and mulled over their thoughts. Nancy was thinking of what the elleth had said and she assumed the other was thinking about it as well.
After their conversation, the two were silent for the rest of their bath. Neither looked at or spoke to the other. Nancy was simply happy to have answers even if those answers left her with a few questions, she was also happy that her questions hadn't upset the other in any lasting way.
While dressing for the evening Nancy looked over and caught eyes with Eliril. The elleth gave her a smile that reassured her the two would continue as normal. It put her heart at ease to know that she had not ruined their friendship with her worries.
"You know I gotta say, Nancy, you always look so pretty in them dresses!" It was Pippin who had popped up at her left side as the women made their way back to camp. "Eliril is a miracle worker!" He laughed to himself before running off to join Merry who wasn't too far ahead of them but was laughing as well.
"Don't listen to him Nancy," Eliril comforted rubbing her arm in support. "You are very beautiful even without my help." Nancy knew she wasn't nearly as pretty as any of the elves, but Eliril was right. She was beautiful, even if it was in her own special way. "There's that smile I like to see!" Eliril seemed so proud, like a mother hen.
Looking down at her dress Nancy had to admit that Eliril had picked out an especially pretty one that day. The white fabric felt so delicate and fine against her fingers and she couldn't help but rub the edge of the sleeves between them. She was nervous about ruining the white color but knew better than to argue with the elleth. She always had a reason for her outfits.
Nancy knew why she had picked such a pretty one for that day of course. It would be the night that they would speak with the Lord and Lady. That night the group would decide on what they were going to do. And the night that she would find out her fate with the group. It was Eliril's way of comforting her and showing Nancy that even if she wasn't physically there she would still be with her.
Eliril kept a hand wrapped around Nancy as they made their way back to the group. For the first time, it occurred to Nancy that maybe the elleth wasn't performing all the skinship just for the human's sake but for her own as well. She was latched onto the girl tighter than normal and was taking the long way about. She probably knew what the girl was planning on doing should the group decide to leave. And thus, she was milking whatever time they had left together.
"You know, back home this gown would look like a wedding dress." Nancy mused out loud looking down again at the fabric. She didn't want their time together to feel so heavy. Instead, she wanted to talk about something fun and silly. "I could just imagine walking down the aisle to meet my fiancé and we would smile and tell each other how good we look. I would look better of course." The girls laughed and joked and talked about weddings from their cultures. It was like the heavy talk earlier allowed them to feel even closer than ever before.
Taking the elleth's hand Nancy linked their arms and did a slow wedding march. Eliril giggled and played along walking at an even pace with the human. Both women were smiling and murmured in hushed voices to each other as they walked down the road to a tune only one could hear.
"Ah, Miss Nancy there you are!" Sam made his way over a jovial smile on his face as he reached her. "You look lovely as ever! And you as well Miss Eliril!" He blushed as he looked at the elleth. Nancy was always so adoring of how sweet and shy Sam was towards anyone outside of their group.
"Good to see you again Samwise." Eliril was always polite to the rest of her group, though she was somewhat sweeter to Sam than any of the others. She thought it had to do with how kind the little hobbit was. "I just came to drop off our dear friend, but now I will take my leave. Do take care!" The elleth gave Nancy a tight hug and a wave to Sam before strolling off to take care of her evening routine.
Sam didn't seem to think anything of Eliril's departure and came to tell Nancy that they would be leaving soon for the meeting. When she passed by the two mischievous hobbits She made sure to give them both light pops on the heads. Show them to tease her!
Nancy tried to control her heartbeat as they approached the home of the Lord and Lady. She had not seen or heard from them since the first evening almost a month before. It was hard to believe that it had been so long since they had arrived in the forest and even harder to believe that she had been in this other world for just a little longer than that. Everything seemed to be passing by in a blur and it boggled her mind to think about all of it.
When they reached the flet with the Lord and Lady, Nancy felt oddly wary of the Lady. She didn't think the elleth was bad, not at all, but she also wasn't keen on having another person in her mind either. Though she knew that she had no say in the matter.
What had caught her attention was the way that a few of the men stared at her when the Lord Celeborn offered to shelter those who wished to stay. Boromir sent her a withering glare and Gimli one of encouragement. Even the Lord himself seemed to assume that was her choice as he looked down upon her.
"They all resolve to go forward." It was the Lady who spoke she seemed to have a twinkle in her eye as she looked over them and her eyes landed on Nancy. She knew that the men would question her more when they returned and she took comfort in the fact that Aragorn at least was behind her.
Unsurprisingly the royal couple questioned about where the fellowship would go. What was surprising however is their answer of not knowing. Nancy had been under the impression that they all knew where they were going. Boromir said that he needed to go to Minas Tirith but Aragorn said that they had not yet decided on a route to take citing that he doubted even Gandalf knew which way to go.
Lord Celeborn gave them some advice and Boromir saw fit to agree with him and campaign to get the fellowship to do as he asked. Kindly enough while they were speaking the Lord offered them boats for safe passage along the river until they made their decision. It would still give the group a few days to decide as to which way to go.
"All shall be prepared for you and await you at the haven before noon tomorrow," Lord Celeborn told them to prepare. "I will send my people to you in the morning to help you make ready for the journey. Now we will wish you all a fair night and untroubled sleep." He wished them a good sleep though she questioned whether that would come to her
"Good night, my friends!" It was the Lady Galadriel. "Sleep in peace! Do not trouble your hearts overmuch with the thought of the road tonight. Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them. Good night!" Her words seemed to be foreboding.
No matter what the Lord and Lady said Nancy knew that they would not go and sleep straight away. The group would undoubtedly want to talk about what to do. Both with their path and herself.
The walk back was silent, but when they arrived at their clearing conversation on their path erupted. Most of the members wanted to go to Minas Tirith. She thought that they were trying to stay safe for as long as possible. Though she didn't know if that was such a good idea. Neither Aragorn nor Frodo were saying anything.
It was strange. While he was set to go back to Minas Tirith it seemed almost as though Boromir didn't want to go without Frodo, though he said he would. The way that the man stared at the hobbit was a bit unnerving. Even still when Nancy stared at the small male she could find nothing remarkable about him. But she could see how Frodo felt uncomfortable with his stare.
"I for one think that we should go to this Mordor place at once." That seemed to catch the attention of the whole group. "I mean sure if we go the other route we will be safer, but there will still be danger and we would be putting off whatever mission we have and in the end wouldn't that just make more danger?" No one was saying anything and it was putting her on edge.
Sudden laughter caused Nancy to look over at Gimli. He was laughing so hard his cheeks were nearly the same color as his beard. She furrowed her brows and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the hysterical dwarf.
"The lass seems to have more fighting spirit than any of you lads!" He jeered pointing at the men who wanted to go to Minas Tirith. At least he wasn't laughing at her. "I say we march to Mordor and show that old bastard what he has got coming for him!" Okay, maybe that approach would be a bit much but she loved his enthusiasm.
Gimli's proclamation seemed to set off another argument. Would Nancy be going with them or not? Boromir obviously said no and Surprisingly so did Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Boromir because she would be dragging them down and the other three because they didn't want to see her get hurt. The journey was no place for a lady they said. Chivalry was stupid.
At this point, Aragorn had come out of his funk and declared that he thought she should join. Gimli wanted her to come along for the ride, for some head knocking she assumed. And surprisingly Legolas voted that she come as well, he was practical in the idea that she was a trained healer so having her around would be good.
Everyone's eyes then turned to Frodo. It took a moment before he looked up and found the rest of the group staring at him. Wide eyes turned to Nancy. She could see the questions in them. Was she sure? Did she know what she was doing? Did she know what she was risking? All she could offer him was a small smile.
"I vote that Nancy comes along." Whooping happily Nancy threw herself at the tiny hobbit and hugged him tightly. She knew that if both Frodo and Aragorn said yes there was nothing else to be done. The rest of the group seemed to think similarly seeing as Gimli was cheering with a drink and Legolas gave them a small smile. The other three hobbits pouted a bit, but it was the last member of their group who simply could not be happy with the situation.
Boromir sat with a scowl on his face as he looked between Nancy and Frodo. He was once again staring at Frodo's chest. His gaze drew her own there and under the shirt, she could see a glimmer. It wasn't the mithril, not this time. This time it was gold and seemed to glitter in the firelight. Before Nancy could get a closer look Aragorn called for her.
"Now that you will officially be coming with our group I suppose it would be best if you packed what you can manage." He motioned towards her mound of clothing and trinkets. She smiled sadly at the things. "While these dresses are lovely they will not make for good travel gear." She knew he was right but it still made her sad.
With a short nod, she pulled away from Frodo and set about dividing her things. She pulled out all of the pants and tunics and other useful items and set them above her travel pack. Seeing all of the dresses set aside made her heart sad. Eliril had given her so many pretty dresses and she wanted to bring them all.
"Just this one couldn't hurt." Looking over Nancy found Legolas sitting beside her a small smile on his face as he handed her a dress. The dress was made of a thinner more silky fabric than the others and was light as air. "For when we win." He told her his smile growing ever so slightly.
Accepting the fabric she looked down at the dress in her hands and sighed. This was the first place she had felt safe and she was sad to leave it. Though she knew that she needed and wanted to go with the men she could still feel the ache in her heart.
"Thank you," She shoved the dress to the very bottom of the bag and stacked some of her other clothing on top of it. She made sure to pack her personal belongings from earth as well. "Not only for the dress but for voting for me to come." She reached out and squeezed his hand gently before drawing back.
"We should all be grateful that you wish to come along." He assured her. "We require a healer greater than myself or Aragorn. And you are offering yourself up at great risk to your own well being." For some reason his eyes looked sad as he looked down at her and it made her wonder if he was sad for her. Though that would be strange, as he had no reason to be. She chose her fate.
She sat packing while Legolas was with her silently watching. The elf had already packed what he would need. He was always ahead of the rest of the company. It was almost unnerving, but at the same time comforting. If he was one step ahead of them then they were safe for at least one more step.
"You know, before big caves Asha and I had this tradition where we would go out and get take out from our favorite Chinese restaurant and then we would go home and sit on the couch and veg out on some tv or a movie. I feel like I could really use a night like that right now." It was a silly wish, but she still wanted it to come true. She missed normalcy.
"I'm afraid I have no clue what any of those things are." She was sure it was hard for the other to admit. He was so well put together and seemed to have all the answers. She was sure he would be loath to admit the fact that he didn't know something. "Though perhaps I could help to ease your worries?" It was a question, and offer really.
Standing, Legolas offered Nancy a pale hand and pulled her to her feet. The touch was so fleeting that she hardly had time to register how soft his hands were, though she could feel the strength in them when he pulled her up like she weighed nothing.
He led her away from the group without another word. She might have asked where they were going had it been anyone else. She didn't want to ruin the moment, however. Nancy never got a second alone with the elf so she was excited to finally get one and that he was the one who had offered.
It felt like a little adventure. A fun one that is, not one like she was actually on that was filled with darkness and death. No, this little one was shone in the light of the elvish city and she was being led by a man with long flowing pale blond locks. She didn't struggle to keep up as he was kind enough to walk at her pace rather than making her run to catch up with his much taller frame.
Eventually, he stopped and turned to the side just staring at the sight in front of him. Turning to look at where he was Nancy found the view astonishing. It was the whole city in the trees. The view reminded her of the first time she had ever seen Lothlorien, but it seemed even more alive this night. She could see the elves in the streets and the lights twinkling around them. Everything was lit in a gentle glow. It brought a sense of peace to her that she hadn't known for so long.
She wondered how he had found such a place, but didn't want to break the silence surrounding them. She could tell that Legolas was also taking in the quiet peace of the space around them. The morning was going to bring them to a new step in their journey and would take them back into the world they left when they entered Lothlorien. This may have been one of their last moments of true peace for quite some time.
"This is a spot I have found to bring me comfort during my time here in the golden city." He finally spoke as he stared out amongst the flets. "I hope that it can also bring you some sort of comfort before we leave here as well." With that Legolas gently laid a hand on her shoulder before parting ways from the human.
Out of all her new companions, the elf was by far the most mysterious. All of the other men she could understand, but Legolas was ever the enigma to her. She wondered how he could be so kind and show her such a splendid place and then just leave her there. Maybe he thought she needed some time alone, but his company was more appreciated than the silence that engulfed her.
Instead of wallowing in her loneliness, Nancy took a seat and looked over the cityscape. It almost reminded her of a town from back on earth. Not a big city, but maybe a small one. There were many elves and so much light. It seemed as though Lothlorien itself were alive and breathing.
Looking over the city she knew that she had to do what she could for whatever it was her group was doing. There may have been evil in this world, those goblins proved that, but looking out on the elven city she knew there was also good in it. She thought of the fellowship and her dear Eliril. Those were the reasons she wanted to go on. She wanted to protect those that she cared for.
Taking a deep breath Nancy stared out at the golden lights for a few moments more before standing and dusting herself off. There was so much she still had to do. But the first thing she needed to do was get back to the clearing and throw herself on some pillows for a long rest. The next morning would bring Nancy and her boys on a new climb.
A/N: Hello, I am a monster. I have had this chapter done for over a year now and am just now posting it. With everything happening in the world these last two years I have been so scattered and just haven't been able to post. I apologize for that. I would like to try and continue this story not only for myself, but also for you. The coming chapters may seem different as I have grown in the lase bit, but I will try to stay true to my original style that you have come so far in. Thank you for your continued reading and as always let me know your thoughts! P.S. I had no clue elves weren't having children, that was my bad ha ha!