This chapter deals with Aravad's point of view now. Please read and review. Do not forget that I do not own anything that has to deal with Lord of the Rings, just the Mountain elves and anything that has to do with them.
Chapter 2
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Aravad stood at the highest tower overlooking the kingdom of Eladrien. She stood there half-listening to the wind and half-thinking with her eyes closed. It was about six hours since her father and the Mountain elves have left Eladrien to bid Trimonitep a farewell in his journey to the Havens. She had stood there to see them journey to the Great River, which was many miles past the Western Gates of Eladrien. On this tower, which was also a watchtower for the elves, Aravad could see many leagues past the kingdom. A slight breeze blew past her face when one of her handmaidens came up to see what she was up to.
"Your highness, you have been standing here for quite a while. Do you not wish to come down and share a meal with us?" asked the elven maiden.
Aravad opened her eyes. She turned around to face her and said, "Yes, in a moment, Kiamarie. I am listening to the wind. It is telling me something, strangers are coming forth from the west, but I do not know when."
"Perhaps it will be long from now. The first thing you must do now is eat a meal. You have not done so since the grand feast. Come down from that platform and follow me," Kiamarie beckoned the princess to follow her, and, reluctantly, Aravad took one last look out the tower and stepped down to join Kiamarie to climb down the steps. Kiamarie was a very faithful servant of Aravad and was one of her first maidens. They were basically the same age and grew up together. Kiamarie was a tall, young woman with dark brown hair, which she always kept in a half-braid. Aravad and Kiamarie descended the steps of the tower and headed to the Great Hall of the kingdom, which was the hall where the king and his servants dine. It was a grand marble room with a long table, which could seat as many as three-dozen people. As they reached the path that led to the Great Hall, Aravad stopped suddenly.
"What is the matter, your highness?" asked Kiamarie, looking at her.
Aravad stood as if listening to something. "I hear troubled voices, down deep in the forest. Come, we must see what it is. Let us inform the others."
Aravad walked more quickly towards the Hall but stopped. Kiamarie was still standing on the same place. Aravad turned around and gave her friend a quizzical look. "Why are you still standing there? Do you not want to see what queer things happen at the foot of the Mountains? What is wrong?"
Kiamarie hesitated and then said, "I do not think we need to go down there. Your father had said for us to stay here, within the safe walls of Eladrien. It is better if we do not meddle in things that we cannot deal with, Aravad."
"Whoever said that I could not deal with trouble, Kiamarie? You of all people should know better that to say those words," said Aravad, and she began to walk away. "And besides, father left me to protect Eladrien, so I will do what I must, and that is to see what is going on."
"But Eladrien can be protected by the powers that behold it, Aravad. The elders created the protection by their own craft. So whatever it is, we will not be affected by it. Aravad, please, stay within Eladrien, do not go down there." But Aravad was not listening, for she had already entered the Hall. "Cursed your stubbornness, Aravad," muttered Kiamarie under her breath as she entered the Hall.
Aravad stood on the entrance of the Hall and said, "Maidens, we have an errand to do. I have heard of trouble at the depths of the forest. We all shall see what it is. Now I need all of your help, so stop what you are doing and come with me."
Aravad prepared to leave the hall when one of her maidens called to her. "Your highness, how are we to get there? And shall we arm ourselves?"
"Well, Morriana, we are to get there on foot. We shall dress ourselves in hunting clothes. We shall be clad in green and brown, just as the Silvans do," she answered. "Now enough of this, we must make haste."
Aravad went up to her chamber and got dressed in her hunting clothes, which were green to hide her in the trees and brown boots made out of the toughest hides in Middle-earth. She put her dark blue cloak, which resembled a starless night sky, over her clothes and armed herself with her bow and quiver, and an elvish dagger that was tied around her left leg. She left her chamber and went with her maidens at the steps leading down to the foot of the mountain. The maidens were almost all dressed similarly as Aravad, green and brown clothes armed in bows and quivers. As she approached them, Kiamarie spoke.
"Aravad, have you thought of any plans?"
"Yes, we will follow the voices wherever they will lead to, then we shall see what happens next," answered Aravad confidently, as she beckoned them to follow her.
"That is a very promising plan, Aravad. But I do dread what happens when we get there," Kiamarie said dryly. Aravad ignored her and continued to walk down the path that she had just chosen. She paused for a moment as if listening for distant noises and would sometimes change paths. She would stop and turn left or right if she had heard anything. The maidens were beginning to think that they were being fooled or, worse, lost.
Morriana grew restless and finally voiced out the thoughts that have been troubling the rest, "Your highness, we have been wondering for quite a while. Do you have any idea at the very least as to what we are looking for?"
"Voices, Morriana, I heard them. They need our help. We must find them," answered Aravad.
"But what if it is some creature like a deer that had just been preyed upon by a wolf? I do not think it will need our help for it was nature's intent," interjected Morriana.
Aravad stood dead as she said those words. Morriana, fearing she had said something to offend the princess, said, "Forgive me, Princess, what I meant to say was-"
But the princess silenced her by holding out her hand. "There's a different voice in the air, too different a voice. It came from that way. Let's go."
She took the opposite path of where she was standing and walked on following the sound of the voice she had heard. Her maidens quietly followed behind her. Suddenly, she stopped next to a tree and peered around. She saw two figures bending down next to a giant tree as if looking for something. One of them was tall and rugged, and the other, very small, almost childlike, it seemed.
"Strangers," she whispered to her companions. The maidens behind her looked at each other nervously. "Kiamarie, Dravas, and Ludaveil, you three come with me. The rest stay here and get your bows out. Do not do anything until I signal for you to. The same goes for you three. Do not do anything unless I tell you to. Now, come with me."
Quietly (or as quiet as elves can get), they approached the two figures, whose backs were turned to them. Aravad hastily but carefully placed on her bow an arrow. She approached the tall figure of a man, which still stood there with his back turned unperturbed by her presence. She raised her bow up to the man's back and said in her own elvish language, which translates to, "Halt, stranger, what is one like you doing in this forest?"
The tall man stopped what he was doing. The arrow of Aravad was now touching his back. He turned around. Aravad saw a travel-worn man with a rugged face. He had taken a step back from her and said in the Common Tongue, "Kind lady, I have no intentions of hurting you so please put your bow down."
But Aravad continued to look at him with skepticism in her eyes. She remained how she was. Behind him the smaller figure, which seemed to be a boy with curly, brown hair, looked at her with wonder. Again, the man said, "I do not want to hurt you. Please, put your bow and arrow away."
When Aravad was about to speak, more strangers approached them. They were an unlikely company to her. Two more childlike people, a man, a small bearded fellow, and a tall, fair elf whom Aravad had all never seen before.
"Aragorn," said the elf, "we have not seen the plant of which you spoke off." He caught a glimpse of the four elven maidens. He looked at them curiously. A loud moan came from the giant tree.
Kiamarie said to Aravad (still in their language), "There is a young mortal who is hurt. Look. We must tend to him. We might not be too late."
Aravad put down her bow and approached the tree. She saw another one of the childlike people laying beside the tree, wounded. She handed her bow to Ludaveil and searched for the wound on the young man. As she found it, the young man was let out a cry of pain. Aravad turned to Kiamarie and said, "Kiamarie, Ludaveil, please take him up to Eladrien. There I will treat him. He does not have much time, so go quickly. Dravas, tell the others of what has happened. Come on, to Eladrien we go back."
Dravas bowed down and left them. Kiamarie and Ludaveil nodded and gently carried the young man, who was the wounded Samwise. They all began to walk away when one of the smaller strangers said,
"What are you doing? Where are you taking Sam?"
They halted. Aravad turned around to survey the young stranger, who was Frodo. She signaled the two maidens to go and said, in Common Tongue, to Frodo, "Do not worry, little one. We will take care of your friend in my kingdom. Come, if you must, for I will not harm you."
Aravad started walking again. Meanwhile, the Company looked at each other. At last Aragorn spoke, "Who are they? They look like elves, and most certainly act like some. Legolas, have you recognized any of them?"
Legolas looked at where the maidens had left. He said, "No, I have not heard of or seen any of them before. They are very strange to me for the language they had just used was a very old one. I have not heard of it for a long time."
"Well, are we not going to go after them? They have taken Samwise with them," said Boromir. He had already chosen to follow the path that had been set by the ladies. The hobbits soon followed him, led by Frodo. Legolas looked at Aragorn.
"I will be ahead to see what I can get out of the elves. I will try to ask them questions as to where we are." At that, he light-footedly ran ahead to Boromir and soon disappeared from their sights.
Aravad was slightly behind her maidens when somebody leapt in front of her. She was startled and was about to pull out her bow when she recognized the person as the elf she had seen with the strange company.
"Are your friends following us too?" she asked.
"Yes, they are way behind us. But tell me, my lady, you are an elf but I have never seen one such as you. Or my eyes had been deceived for there are so many elven maidens who roam around this forest," said the elf, Legolas.
"Your eyes have not been deceived. You are right, and I am an elf. It is not really normal for us to move about the depths of the forest. Now, if it is all right with you, kind sir, I rather not discuss these matters with you here. There are many ears inside a forest." With that, she strode on faster, leaving him behind. Soon after, the rest of the Company had finally caught up with him.
"Did you find out anything?" asked Aragorn.
Legolas shook his head. "She would not tell me anything."
They continued their walk. It wasn't a very short distance when they saw another elven maiden standing in their way. It looked as though she had been expecting them. She saw them and said,
"You all must be the strangers the princess was talking about. I am Morriana and my job is to take you to our kingdom. Come with me," said the elf, beckoning the Company to follow her. "It is not far from here, only about so many strides away. The rest of us have already gone home. I am sure that they are looking after your friend."
"Fair maiden, can you tell us where we are?" asked Aragorn.
"Yes, please tell, for it seems impossible for me to comprehend that there is a kingdom of elves around this place," commented Boromir.
"It is quite impossible, sir, for our kind to dwell around here. However, I am not in the right position to reveal anything to you without the princess's permission. I am sorry but you will just have to trust your instincts," answered Morriana. For a while, they walked and holding their questions only to their minds. At last, they reached a series of stone steps that led up the steep side of a tall mountain. It was tall and as they got nearer and nearer, they noticed the mountain had many towers that stood glittering and glimmering on the sunlight. Many buildings also lay bathed in sunlight on their splendors. It was truly a magnificent sight as the Company halted to stare at the wonders of the Mountain. Finally, the elven maiden beckoned them to follow her to a grand veranda where the sun's light flooded the marble benches that stood around the edges. In the middle of the veranda was a large stone table, which was at the moment bare. Morriana indicated them to sit down on the benches.
As they did, she said, "The princess wishes for all of you to remain here for now. Some food will be brought to you in order to refresh you. If you need anything, you can ring this bell on the doorway and I shall come and look after your needs. Again, I cannot answer any of your questions. Please wait here for the Princess."
As she prepared to leave, Aragorn stood up and called after her, "My lady, if it is not any trouble, but can you tell me what is the name of your princess?"
Morriana thought for a moment, as if debating to reveal this information. Finally, she answered, "I am guessing that it is not much of a trouble. After all, you must know that people you are trusting, even though they are reluctant to reveal much. Very well, sirs, our princess's name is Aravad, Aravad Soarmount."