A/N - This chapter is really long, but that's only because Gandalf wouldn't shut up. Well, that and there wasn't really place to stop this until it was long. Also, I had to use this format because notepad couldn't hold this big a chapter. Sorry 'bout that. Hope no one minds...

Disclaimer - I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ALTERCATION AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER!!!!! I tried to stop them, but they just wouldn't listen! So, I had nothing to do with the argument! Got it? Good. =) Please read and review!

Chapter 26: Reunion

Elwing and Erestor sank into Fangorn, out of the sight and hearing of the Riders. They stopped to catch their breath, and Elwing grabbed Erestor's shirt and pushed him backwards into a tree. Hard.

"What's your problem?" she snapped irritably.

"I should ask you the same thing!" he snapped back, wiping bark off his shirt.

"You've been upset ever since the battle," she snarled, "and you were inexcusably rude to Eomer!"

"I'm sorry I was rude, but I've been upset since far before the battle," he growled. "I've been mad at you since we left Lorien!"

"Why?"

"Why not?" he retorted. "Ever since you found out you're a queen you've been trying to be the leader and you've been failing miserably."

Elwing stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean?" she asked, offended.

Erestor snorted. "Let's see, why are you a pathetic leader. First, you only listen to people's advice when you feel like it, even if they know more about something than you do. Second, leaders don't just run off and leave those they're supposed to be following a note saying 'do what you want, I'm off having fun.' Third, leaders don't just do what they want whenever they want. They think before they act. They make sure they're making the best decision for themselves as well as the group. And finally, leaders don't have to showoff to earn respect, they gain it through making wise decisions and not following their every whim. There's more to being a hero than fighting, you should know that."

Elwing stood staring at her feet, thoroughly chastened. Erestor sighed and shook his head.

"Look, I know it isn't easy to suddenly find out you're royalty and you have these cool powers," Erestor said in a normal tone. "And I know that you want to live up to your ancestry, but you're just a kid. Look at Aragorn, he's three times your age and he still isn't king!"

Elwing sniffed, trying to restrain the tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's not that simple," she whispered. "You say you know it's not easy, how would you? That's like telling Frodo you understand the burden he carries! How can you if you have never carried it?"

Erestor laid a kind hand on her shoulder. "You're right, I don't know what it's like, but I do know this; you don't have to go running around killing orcs and setting things on fire to prove yourself, just be yourself. You're already a hero."

Elwing laughed dryly. "Oh really? Would you care to explain how that is possible?"

Erestor smiled. "Sure. Just think. You were the one who find Aria in Moria and you were the one who saved my life. You were the one who convinced us that this isn't a story, that we're here for a reason and you convinced us that we could fight, that we could make a difference. You were the one who stood before the Elves and asked for permission to follow the Company, even though you were sure they would say no. You are the one who found the trail around Sarn Gebir, and you are the one who personally set four orcs to flight. You are the one who got us this far, who always encouraged us, who always told us we could do it, who always gave us courage when we needed it most. That is why you are a hero."

Elwing stood silently, contemplating everything that Erestor had said. "You're right," she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper, "I am a pretty pathetic leader, but I'll change that, one way or another. And thank you," she added, a tear slipping down her cheek as she glanced up at Erestor.

"Something's wrong," Erestor said quietly. "What aren't you telling me?"

Elwing paused. Should she tell him? Could she tell him? "Nothing," she said at last. He doesn't need to know, at least not yet. I'll tell him when I know there's no other way.

Erestor looked at Elwing closely. He didn't know what secret she held, but he knew she would not tell him. "Well, what do we do now?" Erestor asked, changing the subject.

"Well, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli will arrive tomorrow night following the Hobbits' trail. I suggest that tomorrow morning we find the Hobbits' tracks and go to where they met Treebeard. We can meet the others there."

"Why there?"

Elwing smiled mischievously. "That's where Aragorn and company meet Gandalf the White, and I always did want to surprise a wizard."

Erestor frowned. "Elwing, what are you up to?"

Elwing laughed. "Nothing bad, I promise!"

Erestor snorted. "Yea right. Now 'fess up Aurlach."

Elwing raised an eyebrow. He had never used her Elvish name before. "Well Maethor," she replied with a sly grin, "Here's my idea...."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Aragorn sighed wearily as he climbed the rough steps ascending Treebeard's Hill. He, Legolas, and Gimli had been traveling hard ever since Merry and Pippin's capture. They were tired and sore, but they clung to a stubborn hope that the Hobbits were alive and unharmed. As he climbed, Aragorn examined the steps closely with his keen grey eyes.

"I am almost sure the Hobbits came up here," he murmured, almost to himself. "But there are other marks, very strange marks, which I do not understand. I wonder if we can see anything from this ledge which will help us to guess which way they went next?"

He stood up and looked about, but he saw nothing that was of any use. The shelf faced southward and eastward; but only on the east was the view open. There he could see the heads of the trees descending in ranks towards the plain from which they had come. He was so intent on finding signs of the Hobbits that he did not hear what his companions were saying. At last he was roused not by what Legolas said but by the tension in the Elf's voice.

"Look!" the Elf pointed. "Down in the wood, back in the way that we have just come. It is he. Cannot you see him, passing from tree to tree?"

"I see, I see now!" Gimli hissed. "Look, Aragorn! Did I not warn you? There is the old man, the same one we saw last night! All in dirty gray rags: that is why I could not see him at first."

Aragorn looked and beheld a bent figure moving slowly, not far from where they stood. It looked like an old beggar-man, walking wearily, leaning on a rough staff. His head was bowed, and he did not look towards them. In other lands they would have greeted him with kind words; now they stood silent, each feeling a strange expectancy: something was approaching that held a hidden power - or menace.

In her hiding spot, lying flat on a tree branch close to the three trackers, Elwing watched the old man's approach thoughtfully. She could sense his power, yet it was somehow hidden. If an old man can conceal great power, why not a small girl? she wondered. But a small voice in her heart nagged, Do you really have great power, or are you a weakling who can do petty tricks?

She shook off her doubt and turned her attention back to the three on the ground. The old man had climbed the rough steps and now stood before them, leaning on his staff and peering at them from under his hood.

"Well met, I say again!" he said at last, which made Elwing wonder how much she had missed. "And what may you be doing in these parts? An Elf, a Man, and a Dwarf, clad in elvish fashion. No doubt there is a tale worth hearing behind it all. Such things are not often seen here."

"You speak as one who knows Fangorn well," Aragorn said warily. "Is that so?"

"Not well," the old man replied civilly: "that would be the study of many lives. But I come here now and again."

Erestor shifted on his branch in a tree near Elwing's. I hope this is over soon, I'm not as at home in trees as Elwing, he thought, casting an envious glance at the girl resting comfortably on her branch. He turned his gaze back to the others as the old man replied to Aragorn's question of his name and what he whished to say.

"As for what I wished to say, I have said it: What may you be doing, and what tale can you tell of yourselves? As for my name!" The old man broke off, laughing long and softly. Erestor felt a shudder run through him at the sound, a strange cold thrill; and yet it was not fear or terror that he felt: rather it was like the sudden bite of a winter wind, or the slap of a cold rain that wakes an uneasy sleeper.

"My name!" said the old man again. "Have you not guessed it already? You have heard it before, I think. Yes, you have heard it before. But come now, what of your tale?"

The three companions stood silent and made no answer. Elwing grimaced and shifted to a more comfortable position. She shot a resentful glance at Erestor. He looks like he was born in a tree! she thought with a sigh. I hope this is over soon, I may be a Wood-Elf but I will not like being in the same tree all day.

The old man had stopped speaking and turned away, walking towards a heap of fallen stones and rock at the foot of the cliff behind. Immediately, as if a spell had been removed, the others relaxed and stirred. Gimli's hand went at once to his axe-haft; Aragorn drew his sword, Anduril; Legolas picked up his bow.

The old man took no notice, but stopped and sat himself on a low, flat stone. Then his greay cloak parted, and they saw, beyond a doubt, that he was clothed beneath all in white.

"Saruman!" Gimli cried, springing towards him with axe in hand. "Speak! Tell us where you have hidden our friends! What have you done with them? Speak, or I will make a dint in your hat that even a wizard will find hard to deal with!"

The old man was to quick for them. Elwing watched in awe as he nimbly sprang to his feet and leapt to the top of a large rock. There he stood, grown suddenly tall, towering above them. His hood and gray rags flung away, his white garments shone dazzlingly bright. He lifted up his staff and Gimli's axe leapt from his hand and fell ringing on the ground. Anduril, stiff in Aragorn's motionless hand, blazed with a sudden fire. Legolas gave a great shout and shot an arrow high into the air: it vanished in a flash of flame.

"Hey, that's my trick," Elwing muttered as Legolas cried, "Mithrandir!"

"Well met I say again, Legolas!" said the old man.

They all gazed at him. His hair was white as snow in the sunshine; and gleaming white was his robe; the eyes under his deep brows were bright; piercing as the rays of the sun; power was in his hand. Between wonder, joy, and fear they stood and found no words to say.

At last Aragorn stirred. "Gandalf!" he cried. "Beyond all hope you returned to us in our need! What veil was over my sight? Gandalf!" Gimli said nothing, but sank to his knees, shading his eyes.

"Gandalf," the old man repeated, as if recalling from old memory a long disused word. "Yes, that was the name. I was Gandalf."

He stepped down from the rock, and picking up his gray cloak wrapped it about him: it seemed as if the sun had been shining, but now was hid again in cloud. "Yes, you may still call me Gandalf," he said, and the voice was that of their old friend and guide. "Get up, my good Gimli! No blame to you, and no harm done to me. Indeed my friends, none of you has any weapon that could hurt me. Be merry! We meet again. At the turn of the tide. The great storm is coming, but the tide has turned."

He laid his hand on Gimli's head, and the Dwarf looked up and laughed suddenly. "Gandalf!" he said, "but you are all in white!"

"Yes, I am white now," the wizard replied. "Indeed I am Saruman, one might almost say, Saruman as he should have been. But come now, tell me of yourselves! I have passed through fire and deep water, since we parted. I have forgotten much that I thought I knew, and learned again much that I had forgotten. I can see many things far off, but many things that are close at hand I cannot see. Tell me of yourselves!"

"Hmm, a far-sighted wizard," Erestor mused sarcastically, stifling a yawn. "He should have been called 'Gandalf the Long-Winded'!"

"What do you wish to know?" said Aragorn. "All that has happened since we parted on the bridge would be a long tale. Will you not first give us news of the Hobbits? Did you find them, and are they safe?"

"No, I did not find them," said Gandalf. "There was a darkness over the valleys of the Emyn Muil, and I did not know of their captivity, until the eagle told me."

"The eagle!" cried Legolas. "I have seen an eagle high and far off: the last time was three days ago, above the Emyn Muil."

"Yes," said Gandalf, "that was Gwaihir the Windlord, who rescued me from Orthanc. I sent him before me to watch the River and gather tidings. His sight is keen, but he cannot see all that passes under hill and tree. Some things he has seen, and others I have seen myself. The Ring has now passed beyond my help, or the help of any of the Company that set out from Rivendell."

"Perhaps not," Elwing murmured, thinking of Aria and Galareal. But no one heard her and Gandalf kept talking.

"Very nearly it was revealed to the Enemy, but it escaped. I had some part in that: for I sat in a high place, and I strove with the Dark Tower; and the Shadow passed. Then I was weary, very weary; and I walked long in dark thought."

If Gandalf could barely fight Sauron, what chance have I? Elwing thought miserably. But the conversation below went on, the speakers unaware of their extra audience.

"Then you know about Frodo!" said Gimli. "How do things go with him?"

"I cannot say. He was saved from a great peril, but many lie before him still. He resolved to go alone to Mordor, and he set out: that is all that I can say."

"Not alone," said Legolas. "We think that Sam went with him."

Through the trees Elwing and Erestor exchanged glances, grins on their face. I wonder how poor Frodo is taking the extra company? Erestor wondered, trying not to laugh. And still the talk continued with no looks going up towards the trees. Though it would not have availed them much, for Lady Galadriel had clad them in Elvish clothes, and even keen-eyed Legolas would have had trouble seeing them.

"Did he!" Gandalf said, a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face. "Did he indeed? It is news to me, yet it does not surprise me. Good! Very good! You lighten my heart. You must tell me more. Now sit by me and tell me the tale of your journey."

Erestor and Elwing groaned simultaneously and covered their faces with their hands. Those they watched did not hear them, and Aragorn proceeded to tell their tale. Elwing glanced around, following a path through the trees with her eyes. Then, moving with a speed and agility she did not know she possessed, Elwing slipped noiselessly through the trees until she came to rest on a branch next to Erestor. Erestor jumped slightly, but showed no other signs of surprise.

"How did you do that?" he whispered, quirking an eyebrow.

Elwing shrugged. "I am a Wood-Elf."

Erestor sat up and put his back against the trunk of the tree. "This is going to take awhile," he sighed, gesturing towards the small group below them, speaking softly so they would not hear.

Elwing nodded dismally. "Couldn't Aragorn chit-chat with him later? And as for Gandalf, why does he have to make everything so long? All he has to tell them is Saruman is a double traitor, Merry and Pippin are with Treebeard, and the Ents are getting really mad."

Erestor grinned. "Perhaps you should go down there and tell them that."

Elwing grimaced. "And risk Strider's wrath for interrupting his story? No thanks." Elwing stretched out on the branch like a cat, dozing lightly as the those below her talked. She felt a pang of sorrow in her heart as Aragorn told of Boromir's death, for she missed Boromir dearly and his death was still a fresh wound in her heart. He had been like a brother to her, and he had always made her smile when she grew sad thinking of home. Home! She had nearly forgotten about it since Lorien! Would she ever see it again? And now that she knew who she was, could she go back? She was about to start crying with despair when a comment from Gandalf jerked her our of her thoughts. The wizard had said: 'I am Gandalf, Gandalf the White, but Black is mightier still.'

Elwing frowned, why had this caught her attention? Then she remembered. She had thought it strange that the stone in the Sunstar crown was black and not green like the necklace, until she had come upon a passage in the Fire Book.

The Sunstar jewel changes color according to its bearer. If it is not being held by a Sunstar, it shines white. If a Sunstar holds it, it shines green. It has also been rumored that the jewel can shine black, but that only happens when the bearer is a Sunstar of great power who is using their power to fight the Dark Power. Because none have ever witnessed a confrontation between a Sunstar and Sauron, none know the truth of this and most consider it a myth.

Elwing pondered this, her heart troubled. She knew Gandalf's reference to black was for Sauron's darkness, but could it still apply to her? The old saying, 'fight fire with fire' ran around inside her head...

Suddenly she realized Gandalf had finished his tale of the Balrog and going to Lóthlorien and was giving the others their messages from Lady Galadriel.

"To Aragorn I was bidden to say this:

'Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar?

Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar?

Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth,

And the Grey Company ride from the North.

But dark is the path appointed for thee:

The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea.'

"To Legolas she sent this word:

'Legolas Greenleaf long under tree

In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!

If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,

Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.'"

After speaking the messages, Gandalf fell silent and shut his eyes.

"Then she sent me no message?" Gimli sighed, bowing his head.

"Dark are her words," Legolas said, giving the Dwarf a cold look, "and little do they mean to those that receive them."

"That is no comfort," Gimli retorted.

"What then?" Legolas asked, raising an eyebrow. "Would you have her speak openly to you of your death?"

"Yes, of she had naught else to say."

Legolas sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What is that?" said Gandalf, opening his eyes. "Yes, I think I can guess what her words mean. Your pardon, Gimli! I was pondering the messages once again. But indeed she sent words to you, and neither dark or sad:

"'To Gimli son of Glóin,' she said, 'give the Lady's greeting. Lockbearer, wherever thou goest my thought goes with thee. But have a care to lay thine axe to the right tree!'"

"In happy hour you have returned to us, Gandalf!" cried the Dawrf, capering as he sang loudly in the strange Dwarf-tongue, and Elwing found it hard to not laugh at him. "Come, come!" he shouted, swinging his axe. "Since Gandalf's head is now sacred, let us find one that is right to cleave!"

"That will not be far to seek," said the wizard, rising from his seat. "Come! We have spent all the time that is allowed to a meeting of parted friends. Now there is need of haste."

He wrapped himself again in his old tattered cloak, but before he and the others could leave, a soft familiar voice behind them made them stop.

"Do you plan to runoff and leave us behind again?"

The group turned and stared, shocked by what they saw. Leaning idly with her back to a tree, arms folded, was Elwing, a smirk on her face. Beside her, one hand on his waist, the other on his sword hilt, stood Erestor. They were both clad in the Elven clothes given them in Lorien, and they both looked older, wiser, and thinner they when they had last been seen by the group now staring at them.

"Why are you doing here?" Aragorn asked when he had gotten over his surprise, his voice holding a low angry note.

Elwing grinned cheekily. "Waiting for you."

"Lady Galadriel said I might meet you," Gandalf said slowly, looking at Elwing thoughtfully.

Aragorn's eyes widened. "The Lady knew they were following us?"

"Indeed," replied Gandalf. "And she gave me a message for them:

'Fire may die out, and Warrior may fall,

But those who are wise remain standing tall.

The Darkness will not last, nor the Shadow continue;

You carry the key to our freedom within you.'"

Erestor and Elwing made no reply, but stood pondering the Lady's words. Finally Aragorn broke the silence.

"Gandalf, did the Lady allow them to follow us?" he asked.

"She did," Gandalf replied.

"But why?" Legolas asked. He did not know Elwing was the Sunstar, and he regarded her and Erestor as children that should be protected, not warriors who could fight.

"She had her reasons," Elwing said quickly, not wanting the Elf or Dwarf to know who she really was.

"Such as?" Aragorn pried.

Elwing looked straight in his eyes. "You know her reasons."

Aragorn stood for a moment returning her gaze. Finally he dropped his eyes and sighed. "Gandalf, surely you do not mean to let them come?"

"Can I stop them?" the wizard returned.

"Tell them to go back!" Aragorn said, for he was afraid for their safety and did not want them in danger.

"Does a captain give orders to a king?" Gandalf said, giving Aragorn a stern look.

Aragorn opened his mouth as if to say something, but changed his mind and closed it without uttering a word. Legolas and Gimli exchanged confused glances, not knowing what Gandalf meant. When Aragorn remained silent, Gandalf nodded, as if satisfied.

"Now come, we must hurry." The wizard turned and led them out of Fangorn to where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli had camped the night before. There was no sign of the horses Eomer had leant them.

"They have not returned," Legolas sighed, remembering the horses sudden flight. "It will be a weary walk!"

"I shall not walk. Time presses," said Gandalf. Then lifting his head he gave a long whistle. So clear and piercing was the note that the others stood amazed to hear such a sound come from those old bearded lips. Three times he whistled; and then faint and far off it seemed to them that they heard the whinny of a horse borne up from the plains upon the eastern wind. They waited wondering. Before long there came the sound of hoofs, at first hardly more than a tremor of the ground, perceptible only to Aragorn as he lay resting upon the grass, then growing steadily louder and clearer to a quick beat.

"There is more than one horse coming," Aragorn remarked casually, not rising from the ground.

"Certainly," said Gandalf. "We are to great a burden for one."

"There are three," said Legolas, gazing out over the plain. "See how they run! There is Hasufel, and there is my friend Arod beside him! But there is another that strides ahead: a very great horse. I have not seen his like before."

"Nor will you again," said Gandalf. "That is Shadowfax. He is the chief of the Mearas, lords of horses, and not even Theoden, King of Rohan, has ever looked on a better. Does he not shine like silver and run as smoothly as a swift stream? He has come for me: the horse of the White Rider. We are going to battle together."

"He sounds like a guy bragging about his car," Elwing muttered, watching as the great horse came striding up the slope towards them; his coat was glistening and his mane flowing in the wind of his speed. The two others followed, now far behind. As soon as Shadowfax saw Gandalf, he checked his pace and whinnied loudly; then trotting gently forward he stooped his proud head and nuzzled his great nostrils against the old man's neck.

Gandalf patted his shining neck fondly. "It is a long way from Rivendell my friend," he said; "but you are wise and swift and come at need. Far let us ride now together, and part not in this world again!"

Soon the other horses came up and stood quietly by, as if awaiting orders. "We go at once to Meduself, the hall of your master, Theoden," said Gandalf, adressing them gravely. They bowed their heads. "Time presses, so with your leave, my friends, we will ride. We beg you to use all the speed that you can. Hasufel shall bear Aragorn and Erestor, and Arod Legolas and Elwing. I will set Gimli before me, and by his leave Shadowfax shall bear us both. We will wait now only to drink a little."

"Now I understand a part of last night's riddle," said Legolas as he sprang lightly upon Arod's back, then stretched down his hand to help Elwing up. "Whether they fled at first in fear, or not, our horses met Shadowfax, their chieftain, and greeted him with joy. Did you know that he was at hand, Gandalf?"

The old wizard watched as the Elf prince gently lifted Elwing and placed her before him on Arod's back. "Yes, I knew. I bent my thought upon him, bidding him to make haste; for yesterday he was far away in the south of this land. Swiftly may he bear me back again!"

When they had all mounted, Gandalf spoke to Shadowfax, and the horse set off at a good pace, yet not beyond the measure of the others. Shadowfax raced across Rohan's plains, following no track, yet never faltering. As they went, Legolas spoke with Elwing.

"How long have you been following us?" the prince asked.

"We left Lorien a day after you," Elwing replied.

"Then how is it neither we nor the Riders saw you?"

Elwing smiled; Eomer had kept his promise. "Erestor and I cut straight across Rohan to Fangorn after going around Sarn Gebir," she explained. "We only stopped a couple times, and only for a few minutes; then we carried on running."

Legolas' eyes grew wide with shock. "You ran from Sarn Gebir to Fangorn without rest?"

Elwing nodded. "And as for the Riders not seeing us," Elwing paused. "Well, they didn't notice you at first, did they?"

"No," the Elf said slowly.

"Well there you go," Elwing said matter-of-factly.

Legolas raised an eyebrow. She obviously was hiding something, and Legolas had noticed that she and Erestor bore a good deal more cuts and bruises than should be acquired when traveling over an open land. Content to let the matter rest for awhile, the prince changed the subject.

"Do you know what Gandalf meant by, 'Does a captain give orders to a king'?" he asked, partly because he was curious, and partly because he did not know what else to ask.

Elwing did not reply right away, and Legolas began to think she was ignoring him. Then she said gently, "Gandalf often speaks in riddles, and those who understand are the ones who were meant to understand them."

Legolas regarded her thoughtfully. Her appearance had not greatly changed, yet she was nothing like the Elwing he had last seen in Lorien. She seemed more distant, as if she carried a great burden that was known only to herself. She also seemed older, speaking as one who has seen many things and lived many years, yet she was still considered a child even by lesser Men. Although he did not know it, this was due mainly to Elwing's reading of the Fire Book. It not only contained the history of her people, but the history of all the races and how they affected one another. It also revealed to her things that she knew she must face, and the knowledge of this weighed heavily on her. But she did not completely withdraw, and that was due to Erestor. She had been afraid and confused, unsure of how to handle what lay before her. Erestor had made her realize that she could not keep acting like a child waiting to be told what to do; she had to start making her decisions, smart ones. She had been given a great task, and she would not let herself fail.

"Aurlach?"

Elwing shook herself and looked over her shoulder. Legolas was eyeing her curiously, and she wondered how many times he had called her. "Yes?"

"You heard what befell Boromir, did you not?"

A lump formed her throat and tears stung her eyes, and Elwing merely nodded.

"He asked me to tell you this, and to tell you he was sorry he could not keep his promise."

Elwing gently took the ring Legolas handed her, tears running down her face. The ring consisted of two silver bands, twisting together like snakes, separating briefly to encircle a black stone before twisting again.

"Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, as she slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Your welcome," Legolas said softly, as the sun sank slowly into the West.

End Chapter 26.

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