Chapter 3: Meeting with Galadriel
Gandalf rode on his horse Shadowfax to Lothlorien. The Golden leaves of the trees melted by in flashes, in this part of the forest the leaves were always gold. He saw the mark where the Elven city began, and he pulled the reins in and brought Shadowfax to a stop at the mark, guarded by a few Elves, all fair in hair, eyes, and skin, as were all the Elves of Lothlorien. One Elf bowed low,
"Mithrandir, it is good to see you again, but what business do you have here?"
Gandalf too bowed his head, " I wish to speak with the Lady Galadriel. It concerns personal matters." Stated Gandalf bluntly.
" As I suspected was your reason for coming here, for you never come to any place without good reason." The elf smiled and his green eyes shone with laughter.
Gandalf smiled back at the elf "Yes Maldire, I have good reason, now will you let me pass, for I am old and have not the strength to waste my breath on talking nonsense."
The elf bowed low and stepped aside allowing, the Wizard to pass. Gandalf now went at a fast trot into the fair city of Lothlorien, Elves all dressed in silver, white, or blue walked swiftly around, and young elves ran and played among the smaller trees. A few Elves waved to Gandalf, and the old wizard would smile and wave back. The buildings of Lothorien were wound around the trees, some were even underneath the roots, and doors in the trees lead downward to these buildings. Everything glowed with a silverish light, even the Elves themselves. They looked like angels, save for their pointed ears.
Gandalf rode up to the steps of a tall tree, and wrapped around it was a fair elvish staircase. It was pure white, and upon the sides there were railings, all carved and hand crafted by the elves, these particular rails looked like a long white gnarled and twisted branch, with narrow leaves sprouting out of certain places. He proceeded to climb this stair case, the trip was long and tiresome, around and around the tree he went, rising higher and higher into the tree, until he was now surrounded by the thick grey branches of the tree, and the wind rushed through the blue leaves. Upon reaching the top, he found Galadriel sitting in her chair waiting for him. She wore a white dress, that fit around her slim form, the tail of the dress dragged on the ground, the sleeves were snug around her arms until it reached her elbow, it then grew wider and covered almost her entire hand. She wore a silver necklace, and hanging from the silver chain was a brilliant blue leaf made of a rare crystal. Upon her head she wore a silver elvish crown that glittered and sparkled atop her noble head. She rose to greet him and he bent and kissed her soft hands.
"It is indeed a pleasure to see you again Mithrandir, I am told that you wish to speak to me." Her voice was deep and soothing.
"Yes my Lady, indeed I have ridden all the way from Mirkwood to bring you this news."
Galadriel's eyes were fixed intently upon Gandalf's face.
" I will not tarry on the subject, I have found your daughter, Galadriel. Indeed I have spent many years searching for her, she resides with the race of Man, and she looks as one. But she is regaining her knowledge of this world, and her memories have returned."
Galadriel's hands trembled. She fell back into her chair, eyes wide with shock, she gripped the sides of her chair hard and her entire body trembled in sorrow and relief. Her Daughter had been found! Her Aireromen, her last born. How she had prayed for this day to come. Her eyes watered, and she looked to the sky and then closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair and sighed.
"She has been found." She repeated to herself. "Oh how I have longed for this day for many years Mithrandir! I wish to see her, when will she come?"
Gandalf leaned on his staff, and his face was solem "I did not take her back with me."
Galadriel opened her eyes again, this time a look of confusion upon her face. "What?" she said, her eyes searching the wizard.
"She is unsure." Continued Gandalf. "I though that she should be allowed to chose the life that she wants, we owe that to her. She only knows that life which she is living now, to tear her away from it without letting her think things over and chose her self would be the worst thing to do to her, not to mention very traumatizing."
Galadriel nodded her head slowly. "Yes, we do owe her that. And as much as it grieves me to wait, I shall let her chose her path. I would not wish for Aire to return because she was forced to. But tell me Mithrandir, is she human? Is she mortal?"
The wizard nodded his head. "She is human, at least on the outside, but deep within her, within her soul itself, she is still Aireromen, Elven princess. And were she to come back to middle earth, she could become an Elf again."
Galadriel sighed. Her daughter a human? No. That was not the life she should have, her place was here with her people.
"When will you speak to her again?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"I will speak to her again in a few days, by then I hope she has made up her mind, though she may not have, in that case we shall wait as long as it takes." replied the wizard.
With that he bowed low and looked thoughtfully out the window. " I must leave you now my Lady, for I have other busineses to attend to."
Galadriel nodded her head and allowed him to leave, Gandalf was escorted back down the stares where an Elf was holding Shadowfax, Gandalf leaped onto the horse's back, turned and galloped off and out of the fair woods of Lothlorien.
High up in the tree, Galadriel watched the wizard leave, when he was out of sight, she turned and walked silently down the long stairs, lost in thought. She made her way down from the city to the river that flowed near by, there she found the Lord Celeborn, her husband speaking to another male elf, Saldamir one of Celeborn's cousins. Celeborn was dressed in a silky pale blue robe, and underneath it he wore a white long sleeved shirt, and silver leggings. Celeborn glanced at Galadriel as she approached he saw the sorrowful look upon her face, and asked Saldamir to leave them in peace. Saldamir bowed to Galadriel as he passed and went away up the bank, Celeborn came to Galadriel and took her hand in his and kissed it.
"What seems to trouble you my Lady?" his voice showing concern for his wife.
Galadriel's eyes watered and for a moment she said nothing, then she fell into the arms of Celeborn and cried into his chest. He wrapped his arms lovingly around her and allowed her to cry for a while before pulling her face away from his chest and looking into her face, now stained with tears. He stroked her hair and again asked her:
"What is it that troubles you so my love?" he handed her a silk cloth to dry her eyes with and waited patiently for her answer.
Galadriel wiped her eyes with the cloth; she then looked up into Celeborn's face.
"I have spoken with Gandalf the Grey." She said "He came to speak to me personally, on a matter that concerns both of us, along with Mirkwood."
Celeborn looked curiously at Galadriel.
"He came to tell me-" she faltered for a moment. "He came to tell me that Aireromen has been found." Tears formed in her eyes again.
Celeborn blinked, he turned his head away to the west, and breathed in deeply, the sun was setting, casting a deep orange glow in the sky and upon the leaves and trees. It fell silent, all that could be heard was the sound of the rushing water behind them and the faint distant laughter and singing of the elves. He then turned his head back to Galadriel; she could see the tears forming behind his eyes. He had missed his daughter as much as she, and was nearly broken hearted when he found out she was dead.
"And what else did Mithrandir say?" his voice was soft and low.
Galadriel retold Celeborn all that was said between the meeting she had with Gandalf and the king stood silently as she spoke, when she had finished he looked up the bank.
"Then we must do as Mithrandir has said, we must wait. I agree that we should not force her to choose. I am sure that prince Legolas is taking this news harder than we."
Galadriel's eyes were thoughtful. "Yes, poor Legolas, he loved Aire so. This must be very difficult for him to bare."
They turned toward the city, Galadriel placed her hand in Celeborn's and together they walked up the bank to the city again.
Gandalf rode on his horse Shadowfax to Lothlorien. The Golden leaves of the trees melted by in flashes, in this part of the forest the leaves were always gold. He saw the mark where the Elven city began, and he pulled the reins in and brought Shadowfax to a stop at the mark, guarded by a few Elves, all fair in hair, eyes, and skin, as were all the Elves of Lothlorien. One Elf bowed low,
"Mithrandir, it is good to see you again, but what business do you have here?"
Gandalf too bowed his head, " I wish to speak with the Lady Galadriel. It concerns personal matters." Stated Gandalf bluntly.
" As I suspected was your reason for coming here, for you never come to any place without good reason." The elf smiled and his green eyes shone with laughter.
Gandalf smiled back at the elf "Yes Maldire, I have good reason, now will you let me pass, for I am old and have not the strength to waste my breath on talking nonsense."
The elf bowed low and stepped aside allowing, the Wizard to pass. Gandalf now went at a fast trot into the fair city of Lothlorien, Elves all dressed in silver, white, or blue walked swiftly around, and young elves ran and played among the smaller trees. A few Elves waved to Gandalf, and the old wizard would smile and wave back. The buildings of Lothorien were wound around the trees, some were even underneath the roots, and doors in the trees lead downward to these buildings. Everything glowed with a silverish light, even the Elves themselves. They looked like angels, save for their pointed ears.
Gandalf rode up to the steps of a tall tree, and wrapped around it was a fair elvish staircase. It was pure white, and upon the sides there were railings, all carved and hand crafted by the elves, these particular rails looked like a long white gnarled and twisted branch, with narrow leaves sprouting out of certain places. He proceeded to climb this stair case, the trip was long and tiresome, around and around the tree he went, rising higher and higher into the tree, until he was now surrounded by the thick grey branches of the tree, and the wind rushed through the blue leaves. Upon reaching the top, he found Galadriel sitting in her chair waiting for him. She wore a white dress, that fit around her slim form, the tail of the dress dragged on the ground, the sleeves were snug around her arms until it reached her elbow, it then grew wider and covered almost her entire hand. She wore a silver necklace, and hanging from the silver chain was a brilliant blue leaf made of a rare crystal. Upon her head she wore a silver elvish crown that glittered and sparkled atop her noble head. She rose to greet him and he bent and kissed her soft hands.
"It is indeed a pleasure to see you again Mithrandir, I am told that you wish to speak to me." Her voice was deep and soothing.
"Yes my Lady, indeed I have ridden all the way from Mirkwood to bring you this news."
Galadriel's eyes were fixed intently upon Gandalf's face.
" I will not tarry on the subject, I have found your daughter, Galadriel. Indeed I have spent many years searching for her, she resides with the race of Man, and she looks as one. But she is regaining her knowledge of this world, and her memories have returned."
Galadriel's hands trembled. She fell back into her chair, eyes wide with shock, she gripped the sides of her chair hard and her entire body trembled in sorrow and relief. Her Daughter had been found! Her Aireromen, her last born. How she had prayed for this day to come. Her eyes watered, and she looked to the sky and then closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair and sighed.
"She has been found." She repeated to herself. "Oh how I have longed for this day for many years Mithrandir! I wish to see her, when will she come?"
Gandalf leaned on his staff, and his face was solem "I did not take her back with me."
Galadriel opened her eyes again, this time a look of confusion upon her face. "What?" she said, her eyes searching the wizard.
"She is unsure." Continued Gandalf. "I though that she should be allowed to chose the life that she wants, we owe that to her. She only knows that life which she is living now, to tear her away from it without letting her think things over and chose her self would be the worst thing to do to her, not to mention very traumatizing."
Galadriel nodded her head slowly. "Yes, we do owe her that. And as much as it grieves me to wait, I shall let her chose her path. I would not wish for Aire to return because she was forced to. But tell me Mithrandir, is she human? Is she mortal?"
The wizard nodded his head. "She is human, at least on the outside, but deep within her, within her soul itself, she is still Aireromen, Elven princess. And were she to come back to middle earth, she could become an Elf again."
Galadriel sighed. Her daughter a human? No. That was not the life she should have, her place was here with her people.
"When will you speak to her again?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"I will speak to her again in a few days, by then I hope she has made up her mind, though she may not have, in that case we shall wait as long as it takes." replied the wizard.
With that he bowed low and looked thoughtfully out the window. " I must leave you now my Lady, for I have other busineses to attend to."
Galadriel nodded her head and allowed him to leave, Gandalf was escorted back down the stares where an Elf was holding Shadowfax, Gandalf leaped onto the horse's back, turned and galloped off and out of the fair woods of Lothlorien.
High up in the tree, Galadriel watched the wizard leave, when he was out of sight, she turned and walked silently down the long stairs, lost in thought. She made her way down from the city to the river that flowed near by, there she found the Lord Celeborn, her husband speaking to another male elf, Saldamir one of Celeborn's cousins. Celeborn was dressed in a silky pale blue robe, and underneath it he wore a white long sleeved shirt, and silver leggings. Celeborn glanced at Galadriel as she approached he saw the sorrowful look upon her face, and asked Saldamir to leave them in peace. Saldamir bowed to Galadriel as he passed and went away up the bank, Celeborn came to Galadriel and took her hand in his and kissed it.
"What seems to trouble you my Lady?" his voice showing concern for his wife.
Galadriel's eyes watered and for a moment she said nothing, then she fell into the arms of Celeborn and cried into his chest. He wrapped his arms lovingly around her and allowed her to cry for a while before pulling her face away from his chest and looking into her face, now stained with tears. He stroked her hair and again asked her:
"What is it that troubles you so my love?" he handed her a silk cloth to dry her eyes with and waited patiently for her answer.
Galadriel wiped her eyes with the cloth; she then looked up into Celeborn's face.
"I have spoken with Gandalf the Grey." She said "He came to speak to me personally, on a matter that concerns both of us, along with Mirkwood."
Celeborn looked curiously at Galadriel.
"He came to tell me-" she faltered for a moment. "He came to tell me that Aireromen has been found." Tears formed in her eyes again.
Celeborn blinked, he turned his head away to the west, and breathed in deeply, the sun was setting, casting a deep orange glow in the sky and upon the leaves and trees. It fell silent, all that could be heard was the sound of the rushing water behind them and the faint distant laughter and singing of the elves. He then turned his head back to Galadriel; she could see the tears forming behind his eyes. He had missed his daughter as much as she, and was nearly broken hearted when he found out she was dead.
"And what else did Mithrandir say?" his voice was soft and low.
Galadriel retold Celeborn all that was said between the meeting she had with Gandalf and the king stood silently as she spoke, when she had finished he looked up the bank.
"Then we must do as Mithrandir has said, we must wait. I agree that we should not force her to choose. I am sure that prince Legolas is taking this news harder than we."
Galadriel's eyes were thoughtful. "Yes, poor Legolas, he loved Aire so. This must be very difficult for him to bare."
They turned toward the city, Galadriel placed her hand in Celeborn's and together they walked up the bank to the city again.