Chapter 17: Simple Truths.
Aireromen ran swiftly back to her house, she was amazed that time seemed to have never changed in the many days that she had been away. It was still early in the morning, and the sun was still not yet up, it was as though she had only been gone a few seconds.
She smiled, 'Gandalf, you really do think of everything' she thought.
Aireromen turned the corner and came to the front yard of her house; she stopped on the lawn to breathe. When she bent down to rest her hands on her knees, it was only then that she took notice that her appearance was not what she had expected it to be.
She gasped in shock, she wore a beautiful snow-white elven gown, the long sleeves flowed down and past her arms, to where only her fingertips could be seen. The back of the gown fell out about a foot and a half behind her. How could she have taken no notice of it? She must have been so wrapped up in the painful farewell that she did not realize that she was still an elf.
Her eyes widened. 'Am I still an elf?' she thought. 'No, no I can't be….can I?'
Slowly, Aireromen reached up with her hands and touched the delicate, pointed ears. She gasped and jerked her hand way, covering her mouth. She WAS still an Elf.
'Now what shall I do?' se thought. She could not easily hide her elven ears forever, nor could she hide the fact that she was much taller than any of her family, she was now at least six and a half feet tall.
Aireromen climbed through her window into her room, she found this difficult being that she was in a dress. She scrambled in and closed the window; it shut with a very loud thump.
She flinched at the noise.
Aireromen groaned when she heard a door in the house open and close not soon after the loud thud of her window. With her keen ears she could pick up the barely audible sound of her mother's footsteps upon the carpet in the hall. And before she knew it, there came a knock on her door.
Aireromen froze in place, her mind was blank, she did not know what to do, should she hide? No, her mother would panic seeing that she was not in the room. She would surly panic anyway once she saw her the way she was.
The door slowly opened and Aireromen flinched, awaiting the reaction her mother would make.
"Aire? Came the voice of her mother. She gasped at what she saw.
The figure before her was stunning, a beautiful and fair woman stood in the room, tall and slim, bright golden hair falling down her slender waist, piercing bright blue eyes, and smooth milky white skin. A light seemed to surround her, she appeared almost angelic.
Aireromen stepped to her, her eyes looking down into the dark brown eyes of her mother.
"Aire?" she said again, she recognized the blue eyes, but they seemed to hold such wisdom, they seemed to have seen many centuries pass. Yes, those were Aire's eyes, and the young woman before her looked like Aire as well, only much taller and older in a sense, though her body was young and had no sign of age upon it, save for her eyes.
"Yes, mother, it is me" Aireromen said. Her voice was soft and smooth.
Her mother stared in disbelief. "What……What has happened to you?" she whispered.
Aireromen looked to her window and then back down at her mother. "I believe you should sit down for this," she said with a slight smile.
Her mother slowly reached down and sat on the edge of Aireromen's bed, never once taking her wide eyes off of her.
Slowly, Aireromen told her mother all that had happened to her and of her life in middle earth and her true identity. Her mother hardly ever blinked.
When she was through, she stared deep into her mother's eyes, praying, and hoping against hope that she would believe her and understand.
There was a long and awkward silence after that, and Aireromen waited patiently for her mother's response.
Their eyes met, her mother still said nothing, she reached a trembling hand up and touched the fine smooth Golden hair of Aireromen, she moved it aside and stared at the pointed ears. She touched them, her eyes narrowed, as she concentrated, then her face softened, and she smiled at Aireromen.
"I believe you, I'm not sure why, but something in my heart tells me it's true." she finally whispered.
A wave of relief washed over Aireromen, she sighed and smiled. "I had so hoped you would." She wrapped her arms around her mother.
"Why did you come back?" she heard her mother ask.
Aireromen pulled away to face her, a perplexing look upon her face. "I thought you would be happy that I came back?"
"But are you happy?" she said back to her.
Aireromen opened her mouth to answer, but she could say nothing.
"I still am your mother, Aire" she said. "Maybe not in blood, but I know when my children are lying to me, you didn't want to come back here did you?" her mother looked at Aireromen with understanding.
"No" Aireromen said quietly, looking away from her mother. "No I did not."
"You love him very much," she said placing a hand on Aireromen's soft cheek.
"Yes, more than anything." Aireromen said as a tear formed in her eye.
"Then why didn't you stay with him?" she asked.
Aireromen looked up at her mother. "Because, I…because I felt guilty leaving you." She said truthfully.
Her mother smiled, "I don't want you to give up a life you love, or a person you love for me. I want you to be happy, and if that is where you will be happy, then that is where you must go."
"No, I can't leave you…. I will never forgive myself if I-" Aireromen was cut off by her mother.
"Aire, please, don't worry about me, or any of us, we'll be alright. I will miss you, but this is what you must do." She said.
"What will you tell dad?" Aireromen asked.
Her mother smiled. "Oh, I'll think of something." She laughed. "Now, you must go Aire, while there is still time."
Aireromen stood up, and smiled down at her mother, she kissed her on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too, now go." Her mother smiled.
Aireromen opened the door and looked back at her mother, "Goodbye" she whispered. She ran down the hall and through the front door. The cool morning breeze filled her lungs as she ran. The sky was now a dark blue, the sun was going to rise soon.
She ran down the street, and to the field, she saw before her, the small grove of willow trees ever growing nearer.
'I'm coming home' she smiled as she thought, 'I'm coming home.'
Aireromen ran swiftly back to her house, she was amazed that time seemed to have never changed in the many days that she had been away. It was still early in the morning, and the sun was still not yet up, it was as though she had only been gone a few seconds.
She smiled, 'Gandalf, you really do think of everything' she thought.
Aireromen turned the corner and came to the front yard of her house; she stopped on the lawn to breathe. When she bent down to rest her hands on her knees, it was only then that she took notice that her appearance was not what she had expected it to be.
She gasped in shock, she wore a beautiful snow-white elven gown, the long sleeves flowed down and past her arms, to where only her fingertips could be seen. The back of the gown fell out about a foot and a half behind her. How could she have taken no notice of it? She must have been so wrapped up in the painful farewell that she did not realize that she was still an elf.
Her eyes widened. 'Am I still an elf?' she thought. 'No, no I can't be….can I?'
Slowly, Aireromen reached up with her hands and touched the delicate, pointed ears. She gasped and jerked her hand way, covering her mouth. She WAS still an Elf.
'Now what shall I do?' se thought. She could not easily hide her elven ears forever, nor could she hide the fact that she was much taller than any of her family, she was now at least six and a half feet tall.
Aireromen climbed through her window into her room, she found this difficult being that she was in a dress. She scrambled in and closed the window; it shut with a very loud thump.
She flinched at the noise.
Aireromen groaned when she heard a door in the house open and close not soon after the loud thud of her window. With her keen ears she could pick up the barely audible sound of her mother's footsteps upon the carpet in the hall. And before she knew it, there came a knock on her door.
Aireromen froze in place, her mind was blank, she did not know what to do, should she hide? No, her mother would panic seeing that she was not in the room. She would surly panic anyway once she saw her the way she was.
The door slowly opened and Aireromen flinched, awaiting the reaction her mother would make.
"Aire? Came the voice of her mother. She gasped at what she saw.
The figure before her was stunning, a beautiful and fair woman stood in the room, tall and slim, bright golden hair falling down her slender waist, piercing bright blue eyes, and smooth milky white skin. A light seemed to surround her, she appeared almost angelic.
Aireromen stepped to her, her eyes looking down into the dark brown eyes of her mother.
"Aire?" she said again, she recognized the blue eyes, but they seemed to hold such wisdom, they seemed to have seen many centuries pass. Yes, those were Aire's eyes, and the young woman before her looked like Aire as well, only much taller and older in a sense, though her body was young and had no sign of age upon it, save for her eyes.
"Yes, mother, it is me" Aireromen said. Her voice was soft and smooth.
Her mother stared in disbelief. "What……What has happened to you?" she whispered.
Aireromen looked to her window and then back down at her mother. "I believe you should sit down for this," she said with a slight smile.
Her mother slowly reached down and sat on the edge of Aireromen's bed, never once taking her wide eyes off of her.
Slowly, Aireromen told her mother all that had happened to her and of her life in middle earth and her true identity. Her mother hardly ever blinked.
When she was through, she stared deep into her mother's eyes, praying, and hoping against hope that she would believe her and understand.
There was a long and awkward silence after that, and Aireromen waited patiently for her mother's response.
Their eyes met, her mother still said nothing, she reached a trembling hand up and touched the fine smooth Golden hair of Aireromen, she moved it aside and stared at the pointed ears. She touched them, her eyes narrowed, as she concentrated, then her face softened, and she smiled at Aireromen.
"I believe you, I'm not sure why, but something in my heart tells me it's true." she finally whispered.
A wave of relief washed over Aireromen, she sighed and smiled. "I had so hoped you would." She wrapped her arms around her mother.
"Why did you come back?" she heard her mother ask.
Aireromen pulled away to face her, a perplexing look upon her face. "I thought you would be happy that I came back?"
"But are you happy?" she said back to her.
Aireromen opened her mouth to answer, but she could say nothing.
"I still am your mother, Aire" she said. "Maybe not in blood, but I know when my children are lying to me, you didn't want to come back here did you?" her mother looked at Aireromen with understanding.
"No" Aireromen said quietly, looking away from her mother. "No I did not."
"You love him very much," she said placing a hand on Aireromen's soft cheek.
"Yes, more than anything." Aireromen said as a tear formed in her eye.
"Then why didn't you stay with him?" she asked.
Aireromen looked up at her mother. "Because, I…because I felt guilty leaving you." She said truthfully.
Her mother smiled, "I don't want you to give up a life you love, or a person you love for me. I want you to be happy, and if that is where you will be happy, then that is where you must go."
"No, I can't leave you…. I will never forgive myself if I-" Aireromen was cut off by her mother.
"Aire, please, don't worry about me, or any of us, we'll be alright. I will miss you, but this is what you must do." She said.
"What will you tell dad?" Aireromen asked.
Her mother smiled. "Oh, I'll think of something." She laughed. "Now, you must go Aire, while there is still time."
Aireromen stood up, and smiled down at her mother, she kissed her on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too, now go." Her mother smiled.
Aireromen opened the door and looked back at her mother, "Goodbye" she whispered. She ran down the hall and through the front door. The cool morning breeze filled her lungs as she ran. The sky was now a dark blue, the sun was going to rise soon.
She ran down the street, and to the field, she saw before her, the small grove of willow trees ever growing nearer.
'I'm coming home' she smiled as she thought, 'I'm coming home.'