Practically running, gasping the whole way and stopping to rest only once, we found ourselves entering the forest of Lothlorien.
The trees were so tall and silver that they shone against our faces, and the leaves that drifted down were golden. A quiet wind whispered through my tangled hair, and I took my first step into the elven wood.
With a sound that felt like a blow, an image of startlingly blue eyes flashed before me. "Welcome, Megan-child," a voice burned into my head. "You bring much evil here..."
I stumbled on the path. "Leave me alone," I muttered. "Leave me alone, Galadriel!"
The sound of arrows being drawn made me look up. We were surrounded by elves - elves with the same golden hair and fair skin as Legolas - only these elves looked us in the eyes with a cold threat. Great - I thought. We escape near death in the mines to be pumped full of arrows by Legolas' second cousins once removed. Just great.
"Haldir - " Aragorn said, bowing to the head elf, the only one unarmed. "Heru en amin, we need your protection, and your help." He nodded to Shannon, lying listlessly in Legolas' arms. "One of our own is wounded."
Haldir smiled, a tiny, cold smile that made me shiver. "Come," he said. "The lady of the wood is waiting for you."
"It doesn't look like we have much choice," Veronica muttered to Ann, who nodded, wide-eyed at the elvish bows.
It might have been seconds, or years, but the next thing I remember was standing in front of the Lady of the Wood.
She was the most beautiful woman I have every seen. Her golden hair was long and wavy in some places, and her skin was brilliantly white. Her blue eyes stared with an intensity that hurt, and her whole body seemed to glow.
She looked at each one of us in turn, slowly, digging through our minds. I can only guess what she said to others, but her voice in my head was harsh. "You bear much evil," she said, mind-to-mind. "Your quest stands on the edge of knife. Stray but a little and you will fail. The ring has begun to wear away at you, and at the others. It will betray him - you know of whom I speak. Be wary, and do not let your emotions lead you false."
I stood there puzzling. In the movie, she had been speaking about Boromir. But Boromir wasn't with us. In his place was ...
... Dan.
Galadriel then turned to Legolas, and looked him in the eyes. He shifted, and held Shannon closer.
The white lady took a step forward, looking down at Shannon. "She has suffered much, this foreign child," Galadriel said, brushing a strand of damp hair my friend's face. "But she will heal." Galadriel placed her white hand across Shannon's forehead.
Shannon moaned once, and her eyes flickered. Then she sighed and her head fell against Legolas. "She will heal," the lady of the wood repeated.
Lifting her head at looking at all of us, Galadriel blinked, slowly. "You must now rest, for you are weary from toil and much sorrow. Yet Aragorn I bid stay, to tell the tale."
Aragorn turned to the lady and began speaking softly in elvish, while the rest of us were led away.
Our camp was dark and quiet. Shannon was laid in a grassy clearing over to the right where she slept in peace, while the rest of us were underneath a huge tree and cloth canopies. (Well, not all of the rest of us. Aragorn was still speaking with Galadriel, and Legolas was with Shannon.)
I washed my face and arms in a nearby river, and laid my cool palms against the bruises underneath my mithril coat. Stumbling back into camp I laid down in the tree roots and tried to sleep.
"Hey," Peter came and sat beside me. I didn't answer, and he kissed my cheek. "You know, Megan," he whispered. "I've never felt like this before, but, I ..." he tried to kiss me again, and I snapped.
"Leave me alone!" I said, and my friends looked over in shock. "Just leave me alone!" The sun had set, and the ring was so cold against me. Peter drew back, astonished.
"Megan, I'm sorry, I - " he stammered.
"Just leave me... be..." I moaned, and sank into the tree roots. "Don't... come near..." the air grew dark in front of me, and I fell into a fitful sleep.
Veronica looked back at Ann and Molly and whistled, as if to say 'what got in to Meg?'. "You said it," breathed Ann.
Shannon thought she heard someone singing.
His voice was soft and low, and sweet. "Like the waves that crash against the shore," he sang,
"And whispered thoughts of nevermore,
Each sigh that breaks
From lips that wait
Tears my heart and pains me more.
Why have you come, your haunting eyes -
To brighten starlight in the skies
Then leave me here
To nurse the fear
That you have fallen - fearful lies!
Child of moonlight, wind and rain
Find the path to me again
I'll be waiting
My heart breaking
Thoughts of you - the sharpest pain.
Like waves that crash against the shore
And whispered thoughts of nevermore
Each sigh that breaks
From lips that wait
Tears my heart and pains me more."
Shannon sighed and felt a cool hand against her cheek. She struggled to open her eyes, then blinked at the dim moonlight. "Legolas?" she whispered.
"Shannon..." he murmured, and bent to kiss her -
"Shannon!" Veronica said, crashing through the bushes. "You're awake! We just came to see how you were doing and - " Veronica caught sight of Legolas, blushed, and keep turning. " - it looks like you're doing pretty well. We're going. Going. Now!" Veronica pushed Ann and Molly back to camp.
"But - what - ?" Ann asked.
"They're busy." Veronica said quickly.
"What?" Molly said, trying to look back over Veronica's shoulder.
"They're BUSY!"
Ann and Molly looked at each other and giggled, viciously. "OOO-oooh!" they said in unison.
Shannon slapped both hands over her face and muttered death threats while Legolas sat back and laughed, softly.
"Quel du, little one," he said, kissing her forehead. Shannon sniffled, rolled over, and slept.
The trees were so tall and silver that they shone against our faces, and the leaves that drifted down were golden. A quiet wind whispered through my tangled hair, and I took my first step into the elven wood.
With a sound that felt like a blow, an image of startlingly blue eyes flashed before me. "Welcome, Megan-child," a voice burned into my head. "You bring much evil here..."
I stumbled on the path. "Leave me alone," I muttered. "Leave me alone, Galadriel!"
The sound of arrows being drawn made me look up. We were surrounded by elves - elves with the same golden hair and fair skin as Legolas - only these elves looked us in the eyes with a cold threat. Great - I thought. We escape near death in the mines to be pumped full of arrows by Legolas' second cousins once removed. Just great.
"Haldir - " Aragorn said, bowing to the head elf, the only one unarmed. "Heru en amin, we need your protection, and your help." He nodded to Shannon, lying listlessly in Legolas' arms. "One of our own is wounded."
Haldir smiled, a tiny, cold smile that made me shiver. "Come," he said. "The lady of the wood is waiting for you."
"It doesn't look like we have much choice," Veronica muttered to Ann, who nodded, wide-eyed at the elvish bows.
It might have been seconds, or years, but the next thing I remember was standing in front of the Lady of the Wood.
She was the most beautiful woman I have every seen. Her golden hair was long and wavy in some places, and her skin was brilliantly white. Her blue eyes stared with an intensity that hurt, and her whole body seemed to glow.
She looked at each one of us in turn, slowly, digging through our minds. I can only guess what she said to others, but her voice in my head was harsh. "You bear much evil," she said, mind-to-mind. "Your quest stands on the edge of knife. Stray but a little and you will fail. The ring has begun to wear away at you, and at the others. It will betray him - you know of whom I speak. Be wary, and do not let your emotions lead you false."
I stood there puzzling. In the movie, she had been speaking about Boromir. But Boromir wasn't with us. In his place was ...
... Dan.
Galadriel then turned to Legolas, and looked him in the eyes. He shifted, and held Shannon closer.
The white lady took a step forward, looking down at Shannon. "She has suffered much, this foreign child," Galadriel said, brushing a strand of damp hair my friend's face. "But she will heal." Galadriel placed her white hand across Shannon's forehead.
Shannon moaned once, and her eyes flickered. Then she sighed and her head fell against Legolas. "She will heal," the lady of the wood repeated.
Lifting her head at looking at all of us, Galadriel blinked, slowly. "You must now rest, for you are weary from toil and much sorrow. Yet Aragorn I bid stay, to tell the tale."
Aragorn turned to the lady and began speaking softly in elvish, while the rest of us were led away.
Our camp was dark and quiet. Shannon was laid in a grassy clearing over to the right where she slept in peace, while the rest of us were underneath a huge tree and cloth canopies. (Well, not all of the rest of us. Aragorn was still speaking with Galadriel, and Legolas was with Shannon.)
I washed my face and arms in a nearby river, and laid my cool palms against the bruises underneath my mithril coat. Stumbling back into camp I laid down in the tree roots and tried to sleep.
"Hey," Peter came and sat beside me. I didn't answer, and he kissed my cheek. "You know, Megan," he whispered. "I've never felt like this before, but, I ..." he tried to kiss me again, and I snapped.
"Leave me alone!" I said, and my friends looked over in shock. "Just leave me alone!" The sun had set, and the ring was so cold against me. Peter drew back, astonished.
"Megan, I'm sorry, I - " he stammered.
"Just leave me... be..." I moaned, and sank into the tree roots. "Don't... come near..." the air grew dark in front of me, and I fell into a fitful sleep.
Veronica looked back at Ann and Molly and whistled, as if to say 'what got in to Meg?'. "You said it," breathed Ann.
Shannon thought she heard someone singing.
His voice was soft and low, and sweet. "Like the waves that crash against the shore," he sang,
"And whispered thoughts of nevermore,
Each sigh that breaks
From lips that wait
Tears my heart and pains me more.
Why have you come, your haunting eyes -
To brighten starlight in the skies
Then leave me here
To nurse the fear
That you have fallen - fearful lies!
Child of moonlight, wind and rain
Find the path to me again
I'll be waiting
My heart breaking
Thoughts of you - the sharpest pain.
Like waves that crash against the shore
And whispered thoughts of nevermore
Each sigh that breaks
From lips that wait
Tears my heart and pains me more."
Shannon sighed and felt a cool hand against her cheek. She struggled to open her eyes, then blinked at the dim moonlight. "Legolas?" she whispered.
"Shannon..." he murmured, and bent to kiss her -
"Shannon!" Veronica said, crashing through the bushes. "You're awake! We just came to see how you were doing and - " Veronica caught sight of Legolas, blushed, and keep turning. " - it looks like you're doing pretty well. We're going. Going. Now!" Veronica pushed Ann and Molly back to camp.
"But - what - ?" Ann asked.
"They're busy." Veronica said quickly.
"What?" Molly said, trying to look back over Veronica's shoulder.
"They're BUSY!"
Ann and Molly looked at each other and giggled, viciously. "OOO-oooh!" they said in unison.
Shannon slapped both hands over her face and muttered death threats while Legolas sat back and laughed, softly.
"Quel du, little one," he said, kissing her forehead. Shannon sniffled, rolled over, and slept.