"Never have I gazed upon an Elf so fair." Murmered Legolas, kneeling before Eglavilya.
"Uhh... You'll be wanting the Lady Galadriel then?" Asked Eglavilya. "She's over there."
Eglavilya pointed to an area a hundred meters away where the clouds had parted and the birds sang at a sound like a bell, which rang out as laughter from the red lips of a (quite frankly, very scary looking) slim female Elf who was playing with some Elf-children.
Legolas glanced over to Galadriel before returning his gaze to Eglavilya.
"Hers is the evening, but you are the morning sun." He said, taking her hand in his.
"Noo... Now you're thinking of the Lady Arwen." Said Eglavilya. "She, on the other hand is in Rivendell... but she's taken."
Legolas thought for a moment.
"You're not helping." He said finally. "I AM trying, you know."
"Yeah?" Replied Eglavilya. "Well, NEWSFLASH : I don't like you. Try getting that into your thick blonde Elvish head."
"No! I will not rest until you are in my arms." Proclaimed Legolas. "I shall win your heart yet!"
He ran away to find something to give as a gift to Eglavilya and she plopped herself down on the grass.
"This is gonna be a looong day." She said to herself, leaning back against a tree.
"Hey Eggy, wassup?" Asked Marigold, strolling over to greet her freind. "Legolas giving you crap?"
"No, he's just... oh, It's you Luinlome." Said Eglavilya. "I can't get used to you being in that body."
"Sorry." Replied Marigold. "And call me Marigold, It goes with the body."
"Well why don't you change back?" Asked Eglavilya. "And can't a call you Lui anyway?"
"Ok, but I can't change back." Explained Marigold. "This is the body that most suits the quest, this body I've been using for 5 years, so everyone knows it, and it is this and only this body that keeps Elrond from snatching me up and locking me away for himself like old Celegorm tried to do to Luthien."
"Cele-who?" Asked Eglavilya. "And what-ien?"
"Simplified for you because you're so young you don't know any of this, like some hormone-crazy Elf royalty tried to do to Tinuviel in the days of the first dark lord."
"Ah, Tinuviel." Said Eglavilya. "You could have said so."
"I did." Replied Marigold. "Luthien is Tinuviel. Don't you know ANY history?"
"Whatever." Said Eglavilya. "Hey, you'd know this right? Is it true that Aragorn and Arwen are a couple."
"Geez, how do you know? I thought they were keeping that secret."
"It's like the latest Elf hot gossip."
"Well yeah, It is true." Replied Marigold. "But do you know what's freaky? Aragorn, though he's a man, is distantly related to Arwen throgh the marriage of Earendil and Elwing, who sired Elrond and Elros. Elrond married Celebrian and had Arwen, but Elros married a human and is the anscestor of Aragorn."
"Gross." Answered Eglavilya. "But speaking of Elrond, here's something that will make you cringe. You know how Galadried is Elrond's mother in law?"
"Yeah?"
"Well she's also like his third cousin or something, so that makes her daughter whom he wed, his second cousin or something close to that."
"Gross!" Replied Marigold. "Seriously gross."
"So is Celebrian dead or something because I haven't seen her around?"
"I'm not sure." Replied Marigold. "It's make sense though. I'm here before them and I'll be here after them."
"Just like cockroaches."
"Heey!" Marigold hit Eglavilya upside the head with her flat palm. "So I reckon that since Elrond has been hitting on me again, like he did before he met Celebrian, and noone has seen her, then Celebrian must be dead."
"Wonder what happened to her?"
"Feh, who cares." Said Marigold. "So what did Leggless want then?"
"Uhhh... nothing."
A long silence followed in which Marigold discovered how many times she could playfully hit Eglavilya in the shoulder in one minute... several times.
"Okay okay okay!" Said Eglavilya. "I give in. Legolas is hitting on ME, if you want to know."
"Gah, that's gross."
"I know. Can't you turn me into a hobbit or something too so he'll go away?"
"No way, this is way too funny."
"Lui!" Eglavilya clenched her fists and tried to look annoyed but was unable to contain her laughter. "You planned this didn't you. You knew he would do this and you didn't do anything to stop it. Aven't I been your friend for long enough that you would alow me a little liberty from your powers?"
"But you enjoy it Cods." Marigold looked puzzled and Eglavilya raised her hand to shut her up, but Marigold interpreted her actions. "I know, I know. We agreed. No real names."
"Damn straight." Eglavilya replied. "I don't know why you're so lax about it. How many times have you got our cover blown?"
"Well I'm sorry." Said Marigold. "But truly, what harm has it done? I consider it enlightenment for them. How am I supposed to keep such a big secret from my lovers?"
"Gah, too much information!" Yelped Eglavilya. "I don't care how easy it is to wipe their memories, could you TRY to be a bit more careful?"
"Only if you stop making the supporting cast fall in love with you."
"Me? Do that?" Eglavilya looked innocent. "You don't talk, I don't nag you about your complete inability to keep a secret, Okay?"
"No deal, I think I may tell Legolas the truth about you."
"What? What truth?"
"That you're desperately in love with him but you're afraid of committment."
"Am not!"
"Okay, afraid of rejection. Don't you trust your powers, Egg? You picked that body specifically because it would appeal to Legolas. You should know he wouldn't reject you."
"I'm not like you though, Lui." Replied Eglavilya. "I can't just float around and cast spells on a whim, and fall in love with every blue-eyed hobbit that comes along."
"Why not?"
"Because you know..." Eglavilya cast her eyes down. "I don't... I didn't... believe as much as you. I... I can't trust my powers that much. You believed with all your heart and soul. I believed with a bit of bemusement. The only reason I'm here is because you gave me that additional pull."
"You want me to charge your powers?"
"It's not that... I mean, you're powers are unlimited and I... I can't even cast a reliable sleep spell sometimes."
"But I rely on you, Egg. You are reliable."
"But..."
"And don't worry about your powers so much. I haven't got half the psychic potential you have. We're a team, remember."
"A team?"
"That's right. I provide the fun and games, you provide the brilliant, practical motherly advice. Why, you've gotten me out of as much scrapes as I've for you."
A smile lit across Eglavilya's face. "Yeah. You're right. Why remember that time when..."
"Shhh!" Marigold stopped her. "Look!"
Marigold pointed and both saw the Lady Galadriel running from a hiding place behind them.
"She heard..." Started Eglavilya.
"We don't know how much she heard."
"Ulp. We're gonna have to... you know... again?"
"Yup. How about after Frodo has left? Then no-one will see us do it. No-one important, If not no-one at all."
"Deal. But he should be leaving right now. And I thought you were going with him."
"Ahhh nuts." Said Marigold. "Well I guess we'll have work that out later."
Marigold heard the swish of boats far off and she knew that Frodo had left.
"Summon Galadriel! Galadriel Harus Pergi Ke Di Sini!" Marigold called, and shortly after, Galadriel wandered up, looking terrified but not in control of anything but her eyes.
"No-one's looking." Said Marigold, materializing a laser gun into Eglavilya's hands. "You do the honours."
"Ugh, I hate doing this." Winced Eglavilya as she squeezed the trigger. A bolt of white light blasted Galadriel and Eglavilya dropped the gun. "That should do it."
"Right." Said Marigold, looking at Galadriel's crumpled body on the forest floor. "That should take about ten minutes. Whe she wakes up she won't remember anything she heard."
"Lui!" Eglavilya looked indignant. "I thought that was a real laser gun. You tricked me."
"Ah, what a good friend you are, Eggy." Said Marigold. "Such a person that would kill someone for me certainly is reliable."
"So her memory..."
"Yeah, It was only a memory wipe." Said Marigold. "I couldn't kill her, she's much too important to this age."
"You shouldn't have lied to me."
"Awww... I'm sorry Egg." Said Marigold. "But I'm gonna make it up to you."
"How?" Eglavilya pouted.
Marigold's face lit up with a grin. "I'm taking you with me." At that, Marigold snapped her fingers and the two reappeared a few hundred meters downstream, just out of sight of the boats, although Marigold could hear them cutting through the fast current.
Marigold grabbed her arm and they exploded out of the undergrowth and ran down onto the shore. "Hey! Wait! Wait!" Marigold yelled at them. "Wait! We want to come too!"
"Stop the boats." Rang Aragorn's voice deeply. "Over to the shore!"
They steered the three boats over to the girls and dragged them ashore, disembarking.
Aragorn was the first to talk. "You two wish to come with us?"
"Well I was going to anyways." Said Marigold.
"No, no you weren't." Interrupted Frodo. "You were going to stay in Lothlorien so you don't get killed. It's too dangerous."
"He has a point, Miss Smallburrow." Said Aragorn. "The journey here onwards does not get any safer, It would be far to dangerous for a woman."
Marigold tapped a foot impatiently. "I've gotten this far, haven't I? I took out as many Orcs as all of you combined."
"Nonetheless, we cannot expect to be that lucky as we continue. Your luck may run out, Miss Smallburrow, and I would not wish to be responsible for the loss of such a fair hobbit when you mean so much to Frodo." Said Aragorn.
"Oh pshaw. Hobbits aren't fair and we're coming anyway." Replied Marigold.
"Umm... yeah, we're coming." Agreed Eglavilya. "And I don't believe you can do anything to stop us."
"Well," Began Aragorn. "Maybe we cannot stop Marigold, because of her powers, but you... are just an Elf."
"And I would not wish to lament for you, as well as Gandalf." Said Legolas. "Such beauty should not be deprived from the world."
"Besides..." Frodo searched for a good reason that they shouldn't come. "There's no room."
"Well, I think you could stand to leave Legolas behind... after all, He is just an Elf." Rebuked Eglavilya.
"I'm sure we could squeeze up." Said Marigold. "The boats of Lothlorien won't sink."
"So it shall be then, Miss Smallburrow." Conceded Aragorn. "If no other members of the party disagrees, the Lady Marigold and the Lady Eglavilya shall join the fellowship at this point."
Marigold cast a burning look at the eight members of the fellowship, and so not one of them uttered a word to break the silence.
"Then it is official, Ten there are now in the Fellowship of the Ring." Said Aragorn. "Let us continue and not delay any longer."
At his command, the Men, Dwarf, Hobbits and Elf helped the girls into the boats, before themselves getting back in. All were in the same boats as before, except now Eglavilya, much to her dismay, was sharing Legolas and Gimli's boat and Marigold, not so dismayed, that cheeky little hobbit, was squeezed up with Peregrin and Meriadoc. They pulled away from the shore and continued their jouney downstream, two members extra.
"Uhh... You'll be wanting the Lady Galadriel then?" Asked Eglavilya. "She's over there."
Eglavilya pointed to an area a hundred meters away where the clouds had parted and the birds sang at a sound like a bell, which rang out as laughter from the red lips of a (quite frankly, very scary looking) slim female Elf who was playing with some Elf-children.
Legolas glanced over to Galadriel before returning his gaze to Eglavilya.
"Hers is the evening, but you are the morning sun." He said, taking her hand in his.
"Noo... Now you're thinking of the Lady Arwen." Said Eglavilya. "She, on the other hand is in Rivendell... but she's taken."
Legolas thought for a moment.
"You're not helping." He said finally. "I AM trying, you know."
"Yeah?" Replied Eglavilya. "Well, NEWSFLASH : I don't like you. Try getting that into your thick blonde Elvish head."
"No! I will not rest until you are in my arms." Proclaimed Legolas. "I shall win your heart yet!"
He ran away to find something to give as a gift to Eglavilya and she plopped herself down on the grass.
"This is gonna be a looong day." She said to herself, leaning back against a tree.
"Hey Eggy, wassup?" Asked Marigold, strolling over to greet her freind. "Legolas giving you crap?"
"No, he's just... oh, It's you Luinlome." Said Eglavilya. "I can't get used to you being in that body."
"Sorry." Replied Marigold. "And call me Marigold, It goes with the body."
"Well why don't you change back?" Asked Eglavilya. "And can't a call you Lui anyway?"
"Ok, but I can't change back." Explained Marigold. "This is the body that most suits the quest, this body I've been using for 5 years, so everyone knows it, and it is this and only this body that keeps Elrond from snatching me up and locking me away for himself like old Celegorm tried to do to Luthien."
"Cele-who?" Asked Eglavilya. "And what-ien?"
"Simplified for you because you're so young you don't know any of this, like some hormone-crazy Elf royalty tried to do to Tinuviel in the days of the first dark lord."
"Ah, Tinuviel." Said Eglavilya. "You could have said so."
"I did." Replied Marigold. "Luthien is Tinuviel. Don't you know ANY history?"
"Whatever." Said Eglavilya. "Hey, you'd know this right? Is it true that Aragorn and Arwen are a couple."
"Geez, how do you know? I thought they were keeping that secret."
"It's like the latest Elf hot gossip."
"Well yeah, It is true." Replied Marigold. "But do you know what's freaky? Aragorn, though he's a man, is distantly related to Arwen throgh the marriage of Earendil and Elwing, who sired Elrond and Elros. Elrond married Celebrian and had Arwen, but Elros married a human and is the anscestor of Aragorn."
"Gross." Answered Eglavilya. "But speaking of Elrond, here's something that will make you cringe. You know how Galadried is Elrond's mother in law?"
"Yeah?"
"Well she's also like his third cousin or something, so that makes her daughter whom he wed, his second cousin or something close to that."
"Gross!" Replied Marigold. "Seriously gross."
"So is Celebrian dead or something because I haven't seen her around?"
"I'm not sure." Replied Marigold. "It's make sense though. I'm here before them and I'll be here after them."
"Just like cockroaches."
"Heey!" Marigold hit Eglavilya upside the head with her flat palm. "So I reckon that since Elrond has been hitting on me again, like he did before he met Celebrian, and noone has seen her, then Celebrian must be dead."
"Wonder what happened to her?"
"Feh, who cares." Said Marigold. "So what did Leggless want then?"
"Uhhh... nothing."
A long silence followed in which Marigold discovered how many times she could playfully hit Eglavilya in the shoulder in one minute... several times.
"Okay okay okay!" Said Eglavilya. "I give in. Legolas is hitting on ME, if you want to know."
"Gah, that's gross."
"I know. Can't you turn me into a hobbit or something too so he'll go away?"
"No way, this is way too funny."
"Lui!" Eglavilya clenched her fists and tried to look annoyed but was unable to contain her laughter. "You planned this didn't you. You knew he would do this and you didn't do anything to stop it. Aven't I been your friend for long enough that you would alow me a little liberty from your powers?"
"But you enjoy it Cods." Marigold looked puzzled and Eglavilya raised her hand to shut her up, but Marigold interpreted her actions. "I know, I know. We agreed. No real names."
"Damn straight." Eglavilya replied. "I don't know why you're so lax about it. How many times have you got our cover blown?"
"Well I'm sorry." Said Marigold. "But truly, what harm has it done? I consider it enlightenment for them. How am I supposed to keep such a big secret from my lovers?"
"Gah, too much information!" Yelped Eglavilya. "I don't care how easy it is to wipe their memories, could you TRY to be a bit more careful?"
"Only if you stop making the supporting cast fall in love with you."
"Me? Do that?" Eglavilya looked innocent. "You don't talk, I don't nag you about your complete inability to keep a secret, Okay?"
"No deal, I think I may tell Legolas the truth about you."
"What? What truth?"
"That you're desperately in love with him but you're afraid of committment."
"Am not!"
"Okay, afraid of rejection. Don't you trust your powers, Egg? You picked that body specifically because it would appeal to Legolas. You should know he wouldn't reject you."
"I'm not like you though, Lui." Replied Eglavilya. "I can't just float around and cast spells on a whim, and fall in love with every blue-eyed hobbit that comes along."
"Why not?"
"Because you know..." Eglavilya cast her eyes down. "I don't... I didn't... believe as much as you. I... I can't trust my powers that much. You believed with all your heart and soul. I believed with a bit of bemusement. The only reason I'm here is because you gave me that additional pull."
"You want me to charge your powers?"
"It's not that... I mean, you're powers are unlimited and I... I can't even cast a reliable sleep spell sometimes."
"But I rely on you, Egg. You are reliable."
"But..."
"And don't worry about your powers so much. I haven't got half the psychic potential you have. We're a team, remember."
"A team?"
"That's right. I provide the fun and games, you provide the brilliant, practical motherly advice. Why, you've gotten me out of as much scrapes as I've for you."
A smile lit across Eglavilya's face. "Yeah. You're right. Why remember that time when..."
"Shhh!" Marigold stopped her. "Look!"
Marigold pointed and both saw the Lady Galadriel running from a hiding place behind them.
"She heard..." Started Eglavilya.
"We don't know how much she heard."
"Ulp. We're gonna have to... you know... again?"
"Yup. How about after Frodo has left? Then no-one will see us do it. No-one important, If not no-one at all."
"Deal. But he should be leaving right now. And I thought you were going with him."
"Ahhh nuts." Said Marigold. "Well I guess we'll have work that out later."
Marigold heard the swish of boats far off and she knew that Frodo had left.
"Summon Galadriel! Galadriel Harus Pergi Ke Di Sini!" Marigold called, and shortly after, Galadriel wandered up, looking terrified but not in control of anything but her eyes.
"No-one's looking." Said Marigold, materializing a laser gun into Eglavilya's hands. "You do the honours."
"Ugh, I hate doing this." Winced Eglavilya as she squeezed the trigger. A bolt of white light blasted Galadriel and Eglavilya dropped the gun. "That should do it."
"Right." Said Marigold, looking at Galadriel's crumpled body on the forest floor. "That should take about ten minutes. Whe she wakes up she won't remember anything she heard."
"Lui!" Eglavilya looked indignant. "I thought that was a real laser gun. You tricked me."
"Ah, what a good friend you are, Eggy." Said Marigold. "Such a person that would kill someone for me certainly is reliable."
"So her memory..."
"Yeah, It was only a memory wipe." Said Marigold. "I couldn't kill her, she's much too important to this age."
"You shouldn't have lied to me."
"Awww... I'm sorry Egg." Said Marigold. "But I'm gonna make it up to you."
"How?" Eglavilya pouted.
Marigold's face lit up with a grin. "I'm taking you with me." At that, Marigold snapped her fingers and the two reappeared a few hundred meters downstream, just out of sight of the boats, although Marigold could hear them cutting through the fast current.
Marigold grabbed her arm and they exploded out of the undergrowth and ran down onto the shore. "Hey! Wait! Wait!" Marigold yelled at them. "Wait! We want to come too!"
"Stop the boats." Rang Aragorn's voice deeply. "Over to the shore!"
They steered the three boats over to the girls and dragged them ashore, disembarking.
Aragorn was the first to talk. "You two wish to come with us?"
"Well I was going to anyways." Said Marigold.
"No, no you weren't." Interrupted Frodo. "You were going to stay in Lothlorien so you don't get killed. It's too dangerous."
"He has a point, Miss Smallburrow." Said Aragorn. "The journey here onwards does not get any safer, It would be far to dangerous for a woman."
Marigold tapped a foot impatiently. "I've gotten this far, haven't I? I took out as many Orcs as all of you combined."
"Nonetheless, we cannot expect to be that lucky as we continue. Your luck may run out, Miss Smallburrow, and I would not wish to be responsible for the loss of such a fair hobbit when you mean so much to Frodo." Said Aragorn.
"Oh pshaw. Hobbits aren't fair and we're coming anyway." Replied Marigold.
"Umm... yeah, we're coming." Agreed Eglavilya. "And I don't believe you can do anything to stop us."
"Well," Began Aragorn. "Maybe we cannot stop Marigold, because of her powers, but you... are just an Elf."
"And I would not wish to lament for you, as well as Gandalf." Said Legolas. "Such beauty should not be deprived from the world."
"Besides..." Frodo searched for a good reason that they shouldn't come. "There's no room."
"Well, I think you could stand to leave Legolas behind... after all, He is just an Elf." Rebuked Eglavilya.
"I'm sure we could squeeze up." Said Marigold. "The boats of Lothlorien won't sink."
"So it shall be then, Miss Smallburrow." Conceded Aragorn. "If no other members of the party disagrees, the Lady Marigold and the Lady Eglavilya shall join the fellowship at this point."
Marigold cast a burning look at the eight members of the fellowship, and so not one of them uttered a word to break the silence.
"Then it is official, Ten there are now in the Fellowship of the Ring." Said Aragorn. "Let us continue and not delay any longer."
At his command, the Men, Dwarf, Hobbits and Elf helped the girls into the boats, before themselves getting back in. All were in the same boats as before, except now Eglavilya, much to her dismay, was sharing Legolas and Gimli's boat and Marigold, not so dismayed, that cheeky little hobbit, was squeezed up with Peregrin and Meriadoc. They pulled away from the shore and continued their jouney downstream, two members extra.
