(Author: Jennzah)
After the reunion, Leila was told that there would be a banquet for the Company, high up in the canopy of Lothlorien. She walked with Boromir to the canopy, and there the group sat and ate and rested.
The hobbits were all devouring the food, happy to be eating, while Gimli drank from his goblet and laughed with them. Aragorn sat quietly at one end of the table, while the elves sat together, eating little but watching everyone with amusement on their faces. Their hearts, though still heavy about the loss of Gandalf, were a bit lighter.
Leila had never been so hungry in her life. and there was so much good stuff to eat! She sat next to Boromir, and listened to him talk with Gimli about the olden days in Gondor. She found the stories interesting because she had never read them in any book.
She looked over to where the elves were sitting, and noticed that while Legolas was now in discussion with Aragorn, Jairah was staring over at her, scanning her face. She didn't like the look that the girl-elf was giving her, so she looked away, tried to listen to Boromir again. Minutes later she looked back over at Jairah, and the elf's gaze was still fixed on her. This time Leila stared back. What in the hell did she think she was looking at?
They sat there, staring at each other, until Legolas touched Jairah's arm and whispered something in her ear. Then Jairah retracted her gaze, and turned to Legolas and said something to him that Leila didn't understand. They both rose from their chairs and went out of the room, heading off into the trees.
After the dinner, everyone seemed to go off their own separate ways. Gimli had asked Boromir to accompany him on a walk, perhaps so they could talk. Boromir threw an apologetic glance at Leila, then departed.
Leila was following Pippin and Merry out of the hall, when she heard soft voices coming from below her. She looked down over the ledge of a spiraling staircase and saw the elves, Legolas and Jairah, their heads bent together, speaking rapidly to each other in that language that Leila did not understand.
Jairah stopped talking suddenly, and looked up to see Leila standing over the ledge, looking at them. Legolas looked up also, then took Jairah's head in his hands, kissed her forehead, got up and walked away.
Aragorn came up behind Leila and startled her. He apologized, then leaned over the ledge to and looked down at Jairah, who now was starting up the stairs towards Leila.
"What is her problem?" Leila said under her breath. "What were they talking about?" she looked at Aragorn for help.
"I cannot even say," he said to her. "They were speaking a language that is even unknown to me. It is that of their people, that of the Silver-Elves."
Jairah reached the top of the staircase. She was wearing another blue dress, long and flowing like the one Leila wore, though she did not have the full figure of a human woman.
"Aragorn," she said. "May I have a word with Leila alone, for a moment?"
Leila was shocked that she could understand what Jairah was saying.
Aragorn smiled and bowed his head to Jairah. "But of course." he said, smiling. "Goodnight, my Ladies."
Leila watched as he descended the stairs behind Jairah, then looked at her, apprehensive.
"Come," Jairah motioned to her. "Let us walk. It is such a lovely night."
They began to walk, past the canopy, down some stairs, and into the forest. Leila shivered though the night was warm. There was a small breeze coming through the trees and some golden leaves were sprinkled into the air.
It was in front of a sculpture of a woman, with long robes, that Jairah stopped and faced Leila.
"This is a statue of the Lady Galadriel," she said. "The most wisest and powerful of my kind. This forest is her home."
Leila stared at the statue for a moment, before speaking her mind to Jairah. She raised her hand.
Jairah's eyes widened, and she moved her hand to the bodice of her dress.
"How come I can understand you now?" Leila said to her, looking squarely at her.
Jairah's eyes softened, and her hand dropped to her side. "The Lady Galadriel performed a spell on you so that you might be able to understand the Common Tongue. It is what we all use to communicate with one another, Elf to Man, Man to Dwarf, Dwarf to Hobbit, Hobbit to Elf, and so on. So now you may communicate freely with all of us, not just of your kind." Jairah stopped.
Leila sat down on a rock, and Jairah followed suit.
"So why did you want to talk to me?" Leila asked.
Jairah smiled. "I like you well enough, Lady Leila." she said. "But i do not trust many of your kind. In fact, i do not trust but Aragorn fully. And ever since you came into our presence, you have baffled my mind, intrigued it."
Leila said nothing for a moment. "What are you talking about?"
Jairah continued. "We all have spoken about you, you know." she said. "We all find it quite odd that you know of everything that is about to happen to us, as if you have read it in some book. and i, well, i find it quite frightening. I wonder if you might not bring us all to destruction."
Leila looked at her hard. She knew that what Jairah was saying was true. But how could she explain how she knew what was going to happen, that it was all some fairy tale?
"I, i don't know what to say." Leila said. "I cannot tell you how i know of the future."
Jairah sat for a moment, quiet. then she said. "Do you know what is to happen next?"
Leila thought about that for a moment, then spoke. "No." she lied. She dared not tell Jairah of the scores of Orcs and the Uruk-Hai that awaited the company.
Jairah was looking at her, like she did not believe what Leila had said. "I hope, for your sake, that you are telling me the truth. I hope for the sake of all of us. I am here to protect Frodo, and he is not safe if you are lying."
Leila stared back at Jairah, tears had come into her eyes. She remembered that soon, Boromir was going to betray Frodo, that he was to come to his death. The feelings she had for him ate at the insides of her.
Jairah's eyes had softened when she saw the tears coming onto Leila's cheeks. "Have you ever been in love, Leila?"
Leila again was shocked at the question. "I think so," she answered, thinking of Boromir. "Why do you ask?"
Jairah moved and knelt next to Leila, taking her hand. "I ask because I know the throes of it. It is what brought me here, on this journey. Legolas begged me to stay in Rivendell, behind. But I could not. I am here to protect him as much as I am to protect Frodo. I protect what is dear to me, because I have the ability, I have the mind."
Jairah had taken Leila's hand and could now feel love inside her heart.
"I ask because, if you do feel love, you will do what you can to protect it, and this mission, all you can. But you must have the strength, you must have the mind."
Leila looked up at Jairah, who was still holding her hand, but had risen to her feet. She had turned her head towards the city again, and Leila could hear a soft voice calling Jairah's name.
Jairah turned back to Leila, and released her hand. "I must go now." she smiled. She turned again and walked off towards the call of her lover.
Leila sat on the rock for a long while, thinking about what Jairah said. Should she reveal what she knew to the Company? Should she tell them about the battles to come?
Most of all, could she prevent the death of Boromir? She didn't know
what to do, what to think.