CHAPTER TWELVE

The Wise Words of Elves and Hobbits

Hello again! Look at that, another chapter- I'm on a roll.

Enjoy reading, and thanks again for the kind reviews :)

It was late. Outside, lights blinked throughout the Hidden Valley, but slowly each of them diminished.

Ariel was on her balcony, looking out over the valley. She didn't register any of it, though; her mind was, in fact, surprisingly blank.

The remainder of yesterday and subsequently today, she'd spent in solitude. She avoided familiar faces as much as she could, although that wasn't very hard. Lithir had practically disappeared, but Ariel supposed he had his own problems to deal with. From what she'd seen in lord Elrond's study, he had lost someone whom he loved dearly.

Bilbo she saw only at breakfast and at dinner, and luckily he didn't ask too many questions about her sudden sullenness. He distracted her just enough as they ate, talking about the weather, about more Elvish lore he assumed she was curious about because of her interest in that Ecthelion-elf, or about the book he was writing (though he was a bit ambiguous about it).

Dylis, however, was harder to avoid. After today's dinner, Ariel had gone straight to her room, aware of the footsteps that trailed after her. Only a few minutes after Ariel had closed the door of her room, a tentative knock had sounded.

It was now well past midnight, and since she had told Ariel about her being royalty, Dylis had come knocking at least five times throughout the days. And five times, Ariel had ignored her.

She looked down at the city covered by a blanket of darkness. Her breathing was even, steady, guided by the hand she had resting on her stomach.

She had been struck by a panic attack an hour ago, and for the first time in months she'd had no one who could pull herself out of it. This time, she had no Dylis and no Vincent to help her. This time, she had to do it all by herself. Now that she felt stable again, a part of her wanted nothing more than knock on Dylis' door. The other part, the more stubborn side of her, just wanted to leave this place.

With that thought she left the balcony. She changed into one of the warmer dresses, which was luckily easy to put on. Then she left her room and turned left, away from Dylis' room. She stopped for a second, suddenly unsure whether to turn back to her own room or not. But she knew that if she'd stay locked away for a second longer, her spiralling thoughts her only company, she'd go nuts.

At least while roaming the corridors, she could focus on walking, she could focus on her surroundings.

Her mind made up, she started walking as soon as her eyes were adjusted to the darkness. The utter silence in the halls made her aware of the loudness of her footfalls, and of the cricket choir outside. She could distinct the faint rush of waterfalls a bit farther away and the whisper of the breeze travelling through the valley.

She didn't know where her feet were taking her; she just took a right here and a left there, remembering too late to keep track of her little journey. Her fingers trailed the panelling of the walls, until she came upon a corridor where many paintings were hung, illuminated by the soft glow of lights on either side of each work of art.

Ariel stopped, marvelling at the sheer talent and artistry of the elves. The paintings depicted heroic scenes, elven swords emanating light as though sacred objects, long hair flowing in a wind Ariel could not feel. She wondered whether the depictions were fiction or based on real events. Dylis had once told her that the elves had fought in many battles and wars, both suffering defeat and emerging victorious.

As she was standing in front of this particular art piece with an elf with golden hair, a monstrous creature, and a burning city in the background, she was curious to know more of this scene.

"Beautiful, is it not?"

Ariel turned around so fast she stumbled over her feet. A hand shot out to steady her before she'd fall face-first to the ground.

"My apologies, my lady, I did not mean to startle you."

Ariel looked up at the face in front of her. His eyes were a startling stale grey in the soft glow of the hallway. She knew him— or she recognised him from the day before. He was one of the sons of lord Elrond, who she'd almost walked into in the lord's study.

The elf took a decent step back.

"No, that's OK," she said quickly, consciously brushing away the non-existing dust from her dress. "You just surprised me, is all." She peered up at him. "We've met before, but I haven't had the chance to introduce myself before. I'm Ariel."

"I know," he said, not unkindly. "My name is Elladan."

"Pleasure meeting you. My lord," she added quickly. It was easy to forget all those formalities. And then to think she was supposed to be royalty herself.

He just smiled. She expected him to ask what she was doing here, or why she was out of bed this late, but to her surprise he turned his gaze to the painting she'd been studying.

"Of all the paintings here in the halls of Imladris, this is my favourite," he said.

Ariel turned her eyes away from the elf to study the painting. "Why this one?"

His eyes still on the piece of art, he took a small step backwards, as though wanting to look at it in the bigger picture. Ariel's lips tugged up a bit; she always appreciated a fellow art fanatic.

"The artist is an ellon from Lothlórien," he explained, "which makes the style so distinct from the others."

Now that he mentioned it, she started noticing the vivid colours, so vastly different from the pastel and more faded colours that were characteristic for most paintings here. It made the depiction much more spectacular— with its fiery orange and red of the flames, the brilliant golden tresses of the elf warrior, and the stark white of the partially burning city.

"I hadn't noticed," Ariel murmured appreciatively. "It's very impressive."

There was a slight pause, and Ariel could feel Elladan's gaze prick in her back.

"Is evaluating art the sole reason for your midnight stroll?"

Carefully worded. Not overly demanding or nosy. Somehow, Ariel knew the elf already had the answer to his own question.

"Is it yours?" Ariel countered casually instead of answering, turning around to face him.

The elf smiled. "No," he replied, unclasping his hands from behind his back. "Sleep eluded me."

"Well, same," Ariel said with a shrug.

Again, there was a silence. Ariel felt a bit awkward, not just because he wasn't saying anything, but because he seemed to wait for her to start talking. As though he knew Ariel's curiosity was burning, he just smiled at her, waiting for her to start asking questions.

Frankly, Ariel felt she was pretty ready to talk about it now— and since she didn't want to talk to Dylis yet…

"Did you know?"

It came out more blunt than she'd meant to, and the elf cocked an eyebrow. Instead of giving her an answer, he started walking. A bit confused, Ariel followed.

They walked away from whence she had come, and they must've been in some quarter she'd never been before since she didn't recognise the hallways.

Ariel wondered if he was even planning on answering, but just then he spoke up.

"Arwen told me and my brother about the visions she was having," he started. "She told us someone we once knew would return, but since that was quite imprecise, we left it at that. But then we saw you two ride in, and I thought I recognised the blonde. I didn't realise it truly was Dylis back then. Imagine my reaction when I suddenly found her in my father's study the next day."

Ariel turned her head sideways to look at him, eyebrows raised high. "You… you know Dylis?"

He contemplated the question. "It is a bit complicated, I suppose," he said. "Frankly, until quite recently, I believed she was dead."

"I don't understand," Ariel said, head dizzy from bewilderment.

They came upon what seemed to be a small courtyard, four pathways illuminated by small lights along the way, coming together in the centre. A large oak tree stood there, with four stone benches around it. Elladan led her to the one in front of them.

"I assume you have not heard the whole story then?" he asked as he sat down. Ariel followed suit.

"I sort of walked out after she dropped the bomb on me," she admitted. At the faint puzzlement on his face, she clarified, "I mean, I walked out after she told me I'm a princess of a dead kingdom in a world that's supposed to be fictional."

She loosed a breath. Saying those words herself instead of hearing them made this whole situation even stranger yet. And saying those words to an elf, who was sitting right next to her, made it absolutely absurd.

"Father told me about the books, yes," Elladan said softly. "A strange thought that our past, present and future have already been laid bare in books."

"An even stranger thought to set foot in that fictional world of those books," Ariel said.

"Who says they are fiction? Perhaps it is history?" he asked, but Ariel decided he was merely rhetorical, if only to save her from answering.

Ariel bit her lip, shaking her head. She didn't know what to think, what to feel, what to believe. Tentatively, she looked at the elf beside her. "Will you tell me?" she finally asked. "I mean, I know I could ask Dylis, but… I'm afraid I'll just get angry with her again."

What she didn't say was that she'd never dare lose her temper in front of an elf, let alone a lord's son.

Elladan looked at her, assessing her. Ariel shifted a bit.

"Arthedain was one of the three divisions that made up the realm of Arnor," he started. "Back then, Arnor was the greatest kingdom of Men, but it was the first to fall into darkness— by the hands of the Witch-King of Angmar." He glanced at Ariel briefly. "That is where you come in. Your father was King Arvedui, the Last-King of Arnor. Arthedain, the last remaining kingdom of Arnor, was continuously assailed by the forces of Angmar, and seeing the king falter in his fortitude, my father sent my brother and me to Arthedain's capital city with the purpose of making new alliances. We were also to help the King and his general expand their legions. Dylis was the daughter of the general and eventually became Captain of the Royal Guard, so she often was present at the meetings as well. That is how we met."

He paused for a moment, patiently waiting for it all to sink in. Ariel was staring at one of the flickering lights along the pathway.

"Dylis was Captain of the Royal Guard?" she asked, her voice a bare whisper.

Elladan gave her a meaningful look. "Yes," he replied, "and she took her duty and position very seriously."

Ariel gave a half-hearted chuckle. "It seems she still does," she murmured, not sure she should scold herself for starting to see this story as the truth. Not sure she should scold herself for forgiving Dylis so easily.

The son of Elrond smiled a little at her change in demeanour. "She has never quite forgiven herself, you know," he said.

"Forgiven herself for what?" she asked confused.

He straightened a little and turned in his seat to face her. "There was an attack," he said. "It was different from the previous assaults; Angmar's forces had become stronger, and for the first time this became all too evident. I wasn't there myself; Dylis told us most of it."

So that was what Dylis had been doing these past few days. Explaining every detail of everything had happened.

And that was also why Ariel wasn't allowed to be there, too.

"Your father and mother," the elf continued, "knew it wouldn't be safe for you anymore. You were four when Dylis and her father were tasked with taking you to safety. However, during your journey, you and Dylis vanished in plain sight— and this we all heard from your brother, Aran—"

"I have a brother?" Ariel interrupted him, eyes wide.

For the first time this night, the elf looked rather uncomfortable. "Well," he said, "you had a brother. This all happened a very long time ago."

Ariel now shifted too, facing him fully. "How long?"

"One thousand and seventy-two years ago."

Ariel's mind went blank. "No."

"You do not believe me."

"I…" Ariel stopped, shaking her head. That was the point. She was starting to believe what he was telling and that was absolutely absurd. "If I was only four when I, you know, disappeared a thousand years ago," she started, "then how can I even be twenty-one?"

The elf shrugged, smiling apologetically. "That remains a mystery," he said.

Ariel now understood why Dylis had kept quiet: this was just too complicated to casually tell someone. Still, Ariel wanted to be angry with Dylis, angry at the fact that Dylis had kept her entire past a secret in the first place. But it was tiring to hold grudges.

She rubbed her eyes. "When I was young," she began, "I had a nightmare— a recurring one. In the nightmare, I'm chased by monsters, but I'm on a horse, and someone is seated behind me, holding me close to them. I… I think it was Dylis." She averted her gaze from that flickering light and glanced at Elladan. "But I also had nice dreams— sort of. Of faces I can't see because of bright backlight, but they'd talk to me, whisper sweet things, make me feel safe. I've never put much thought to them until now.

"Did you know my brother?" she asked Elladan.

"Yes, I did," he replied.

"Will you tell me of him?" Ariel asked hopefully, suddenly dying to know more. "And of my parents?"

The elf smiled kindly. "Another time, perhaps," he said. "It is late— in fact, dawn is likely merely a few hours away."

Ariel looked up at the sky, seeing the darkness pale ever so slightly in the east. Her shoulders sagged. "You are right," she relented. "I guess I should get at least a few hours' of sleep."

They walked back to her room, Ariel relieved she wouldn't have to find her way back on her own. Once Ariel was back in bed, she let her eyes drift close, feeling considerably less burdened and troubled.

o0o

"Bilbo?"

"Yes, dear?" the hobbit mumbled, not looking up from his red book as he scribbled the last words of a sentence down. He had gotten more inspiration lately, and was found writing in the Hall of Fire nearly at all times. "Come to ask more about ancient elves?"

Ariel sat down beside him, letting her eyes rake over the pages filled with his handwriting only briefly, otherwise he would snap that book shut with a scowl. She had come to learn Bilbo didn't appreciate people looking at his unfinished writings, and that the book was meant for one person only: his nephew.

"No," she said, smoothing the skirt of her dress. "I came to ask you about forgiveness."

He gave her a surprised and intrigued look. "What— forgiveness?" he repeated, closing his book and setting his quill aside. "Well, ask away, girl."

Ariel shifted a bit so that she was sitting cross-legged on the bench. He watched her with fond amusement. "Well, say someone has lied to you for… basically your whole life," she said, "but they say it was for your own good. Would you forgive them?"

Bilbo raised a single eyebrow. "This is hypothetical, isn't it?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"Absolutely."

He contemplated it for a second. "Well, if that person genuinely thought you would be better off without the truth," he said, "then perhaps you might want to ask why they thought so." He shrugged. "Then you can decide for yourself whether they deserve forgiveness or not."

She mulled over his words. "But what if that person always thinks she knows best and for that reason is difficult to listen to?"

Bilbo chuckled. "Then you don't forgive her," he simply said.

Ariel frowned. "But that would mean I would lose her, and I don't want that."

A smile spread over Bilbo's face. "Then you know what to do, don't you?" he said with a wink. He took his book and dipped his quill in the bottle of ink. When he saw Ariel hadn't moved yet, he made a gesture for her to leave. "Go on then," he said. "I won't have you sulking again come dinner!"

o0o

Thinking deeply about what to say to her, Ariel made her way from the Hall of Fire to Dylis' room, hoping she wasn't at another meeting with lord Elrond right now. On the other hand, if she couldn't find Dylis today, it meant Ariel could postpone being confronted with the whole truth another day.

But Ariel shook her head. No, she needed to do this— today. She needed to hear what Dylis had to say; she wanted to know the whole story. Only then would she be able to move on.

She stopped in front of Dylis' door. Drawing in a deep breath, she rapped her knuckles on the door.

It took exactly one second for the door to be yanked open.

Dylis looked like a wreck. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair was an absolute mess and her dress was all wrinkled, as though she'd only lain in bed. It seemed she was past caring, though, because she didn't even seem to realise the state she was in.

Dylis always— always looked put together, and seeing her like this had Ariel briefly stunned into silence.

"Have you been here the past two days?" she eventually asked by way of greeting.

Only now did the blonde hastily wipe her face, as if she'd just been crying. She looked up at Ariel, a nearly wary look in her eyes, unsure whether Ariel had come to yell at her or for another reason.

Ariel jerked her head to the room behind Dylis. "Can I come in?"

Somewhat stiffly, Dylis opened the door wider, stepping to the side to let Ariel in. Inside the room, they stood at an awkward distance, both of them not knowing what to do or what to say, or how to even hold themselves. It was weird to see Dylis fold her arms across her chest and then unfold them again— she was nervous, unsure of her stance. Part of Ariel wanted to make her feel more uncomfortable by dragging out the stretching silence, but she could barely bear this herself.

So she broke the quiet. "I came here because I… I realise I shouldn't have walked out on you earlier." She couldn't look at Dylis. Her fingers trailed the back of the chair near her, but she didn't sit in it. "I talked to Elladan the other day," she said. "He told me a lot." She looked up to Dylis, expecting her to ask what, but the blonde stayed silent. So Ariel continued. "He told me about Arthedain, and how it was attacked. He also said I had a brother."

"Aranarth," Dylis supplied with a small tug upwards in the corner of her lips. "That was his name."

Ariel cocked an eyebrow. "The names here are weird."

"It means 'noble King,'" Dylis said with a shrug.

"Was he?"

Dylis pursed her lips for a moment. "As far as I know, your father was the last king of Arnor," she said. "Your brother Aranarth was the first Chieftain of the Dúnedain, but I'm sure he was noble."

Ariel nodded slowly. "Elladan also said you were Captain of the Guard."

Dylis stiffened a little and nodded, the movement jerky. "I was."

Ariel took a small step closer. "Is that why you were so protective of me?" she asked. "Because you were supposed to bring me and my brother to… to the elves?"

Dylis looked away and swallowed thickly. "Ever since I brought you to Provincetown, I have vowed to look after you— as I promised your father and mother."

There was a brief but heavy silence. Ariel walked over to the bed. "But why didn't you tell me?" she asked, sitting on the bed and rubbing her face tiredly. "Why have you kept it all a secret?"

"I…" Dylis trailed off, shook her head, and started over. "At that moment it seemed the most logical thing to do. I had just found out about my life being part of supposed fictional books, and that our homeland had fallen only thirty years after our— our disappearance." She drew in a breath. "I had no hope of returning anymore. What use would it be to long for a kingdom that is out of reach? Why burden you with the knowledge there's a country with a king and queen who might be hoping their daughter will return one day?"

"I had a right to know," Ariel said sternly, though at hearing Dylis' voice break, her demeanour had already softened.

"I know," Dylis rushed to say, coming over to where Ariel sat. "And although it's not a good excuse, the main reason for not telling you is that… well, I was scared."

"Why, Dyl?" Ariel asked, looking up at her. "You know I'd never leave you."

Dylis hesitantly sat down on the bed, though not as close as they'd usually sit. "For the past two days, I feared I might have lost you," she admitted softly. Her eyes were glistening.

Ariel reached for her hand, scooting a little closer. "You didn't," she said with a small smile. "I admit, I was pretty angry, but… I just needed time to let it all sink in. And Elladan explained a lot."

A corner of Dylis' lips tugged up. "Lord Elladan," she corrected, and Ariel gave her a small, playful push. Dylis chuckled, but then she suddenly sniffed. She shook her head. "I wanted to tell you, I did," she said. "But the longer I put it off, the more I ensured you wouldn't believe once I did tell you everything. So I pushed it away, telling myself that it would only complicate your life. You were happy, independent, and no longer in need of my close protection. You deserved a carefree life.
"And then this happened." Dylis shrugged. "I knew straightaway that we were back home— our true home. I was so hopeful about preventing Arthedain's fall, bringing you back to the King and Queen, seeing my father again… Until I found out a thousand years had passed since our disappearance." Tears ran freely down her cheeks. "I knew I had to tell you then, but you were so disbelieving and sceptical about everything— I didn't know how to even broach the subject. I had no proof to give you, only my word."

Ariel gently stroke her thumb over Dylis' hand. "I believe you," she said, her voice nearly a whisper. "It's a… a bit strange, and, well, seemingly far-fetched, but I have no reason not to believe you." She paused for a moment. "And I forgive you."

Dylis' head snapped up, and she looked at Ariel with wide eyes. Then she broke down in sobs.

Utterly stunned, Ariel took her in her arms. For a brief second, she wondered if it was the first time she was comforting Dylis instead of the other way around. Even after the death of Brynn, Dylis' beloved mare, she hadn't been this emotional.

For the first time in her entire life, she realised just how much she meant to Dylis.

And how much Dylis meant to her.

For all of her life, Dylis had been there for Ariel. She was there to help her study or do her homework, she was there to get her though the panic attacks, to watch her grow up into the young woman she was now.

Ariel might well be the only person Dylis really had. Naturally, the Brookes had become something akin to family as well, but Dylis didn't have the same bond with them as she shared with Ariel. Their bond was special, intricate, and went deeper.

It was sisterhood.

Ariel couldn't remember how she had gone from hostile to warm, but an hour later she was lying on the bed with her head in Dylis' lap, Dylis' fingers gently stroking her dark hair. There was a comfortable, contend silence, and Ariel sighed blissfully.

"I ought to give this back to you, by the way," Dylis said, and opened her palm to reveal the ring she'd given to Ariel three years ago.

Ariel took it and hummed in satisfaction as she put it on. She had quite missed the strange habit of turning it around her finger.

She looked up at Dylis' face. "Will you tell me of your life?" she asked with big curious eyes, and for a second Dylis was brought back to when the brunette was still a little girl asking everlasting "why" and "how"-questions. "You know… before everything happened."

Dylis smiled softly and began talking. She told Ariel about her mother, how she'd always looked up to her, and how her father taught her swordplay after her mother died. She told Ariel of her ambitions to become Captain of the Royal Guard, the strife she'd had with fellow guards, and the people she'd met during her visits to Rivendell and Lindon.

With a tinge of red on her cheeks she told Ariel of Aeron, her once best-friend-turned-to-lover. With a dull ache in her heart, Ariel couldn't help but compare their relationship to Vincent's and hers.

They talked and laughed and cried until well into the night, and it seemed they had crossed some sort of barrier between them, had moved past some sort of stage in their sisterhood. The trust Ariel had briefly lost in Dylis was restored, and it felt good to be there for Dylis as she talked about her dad with tears in her eyes.

In the end, their voices lowered to soft whispers, only the occasional delighted shriek of laughter echoing through the corridors outside the room. When they closed their eyes, they slept more peacefully than they'd done in a long time.

I'm so happy with how Ariel and Dylis made up.

Anyway, next chapter, things finally start picking up! I just wanted to say, though, that this will end up as a Tenth Walker story, just a little different than most (I hope). This is a SLOW BURN romance, but not to worry, there will be more than enough crushes Ariel will suffer through (cue intimidating elves entering the room).

Don't forget to leave a review and favourite/follow the story if you like it!