Dusk Maiden
Chapter 7

I don't own the characters that Tolkien wrote about. My friends and I only own the characters we created.



Lomewen stared at the piece of veal in front of her. She wasn't hungry and she couldn't focus on anything that was being said around her. Arwen kept leaning over and whispering for her daughter to eat something, so Lomewen took the bread roll from her plate and nibbled a bit of the edge and set the roll back down. Her mother sighed, this wasn't what she had in mind, but her daughter obviously wasn't going to eat anything.

The dinner droned on. Elves and dwarves argued, Elrond tried to hush them, and Aragorn kept asking a question that no one answered. Lomewen's head was throbbing from the noise. She stood up, "My elders! Listen to yourselves. With all this arguing we might as well kill ourselves on the spot and leave this land to the new evil. Please, don't argue, we are all in this together." Lomewen turned from the dining hall and ran. Her short hair blew behind her whipping around with the gold ribbons hanging from the flower circlet around her head.

She burst out through the great doors and stood face to face with her brother, Elderan. "I was waiting for you to crack. I could hear all that was going on in there, and you aren't the type who can stand noise," He mocked. Lomewen scowled and pushed him aside trudging down the path. Lomewen wondered why her bother was mocking her; he was the wimp in the family. Lomewen thought back to a time when she was six. Her family took trips to Mirkwood to visit the wood elves. Lomewen and her sisters loved the giant spider webs and since she carried an Elven blade there was no real worry. The three sisters wanted to try and pass through a spider web by passing through openings. Her brother at the time was 12 and he just cowered behind Aragorn because he was scared of the giant spiders. Lomewen laughed to herself. She was the true warrior in the family.

It was dusk when Lomewen sat down on the grass. The important people were at the banquet so Lomewen was startled when someone gently laid their hands on her shoulders. She turned around and looked up at the familiar face. It was Aarivale, Elderith's twin. "Did I startle you, Lome?" She asked with an unusual soothing voice. Lomewen nodded. "Don't be frightened," Aarivale said, "I want to take you somewhere." Lomewen stood up and turned to face the elf. Aarivale motioned for Lomewen to follow her, and follow she did.

* * * *


"Where are you taking me?" Asked Lomewen. The girl clung to Aarivale's waist as they rode through the plains. Lomewen stared at her surroundings in wonder. They were familiar to her, although she had never rode in this direction. A rock formation appeared in the distance. "Weathertop," Lomewen whispered. She had never seen Weathertop before, but she knew what it looked like from paintings and stories. "Where are you taking me?" She asked again.

"To a place where they welcome outsiders with stories and news, and to a place where the Evil is not known of yet," Riddled Aarivale. Lomewen grumbled. She was not a hobbit and preferred answers and questions to make sense. Lomewen closed her eyes wearily and rested her head on Aarivale's shoulder, drifting off into a light sleep.

* * * *


"Lomewen, wake up. We've arrived." Lomewen blinked her eyes open to see Aarivale looking over her shoulder at the girl behind her. Lomewen sleepily slipped off the horse and marveled at her surroundings. The sun was just beginning to rise. Lomewen asked Aarivale if they had been riding all night. "All night and the three days that followed. You were asleep the whole time, something must have been tiring you out. Lomewen was shocked to find out that she had been sleeping for four days.
The young part-elf looked closely at the hills in front of her. She was so tired that she didn't notice that each hill contained a small, round, green door. "The Shire!" Lomewen exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, milady." A male voice replied behind her. Lomewen turned around in shock to find a short man. He was only about four and a half feet tall and he wore a green scarf around his neck. "The name's Peregrin Took, but my friends call me Pippin." Lomewen smiled. Hobbits, she had never met one in person, but she heard a great deal about them. The name Pippin was familiar to her. Then she pinpointed it. Pip was one of the nine in the fellowship. "Why don't you two lasses come and have some tea." Pippin started walking to a nearby hole; Lomewen stared at his large hairy feet. Aarivale sighed and grabbed Lome's arm and dragged her to Pippin's hole.

Lomewen sat at the small table in Pippin's kitchen. The hobbit puffed his pipe as his wife, Diamond, tended the kettle over the fire. "It was then," Pippin continued his story, "Gandalf stood near the middle of the bridge, holding his staff in one hand and a sword in the other he called out to the Ballrog, 'You SHALL NOT pass!' A bluish shield formed around Gandalf, protection him from the Ballrog's fire. The monster pulled out a fiery whip and advanced on the the bridge cracking his weapon. The bridge cracked and broke under his weight and he fell to his death. The Ballrog cracked the whip one more time and caught Gandalf around the ankle pulling him down as well."

Diamond smiled as she pulled the kettle from the fire, "You tell that story to all your guest, even if they have heard it before." Lomewen giggled at the joke and watched as Diamond poured hot water into her cup. Lome took a few tealeaves and dropped them into the water and watched as a light brown cloud seeped out of them. A knock at the door interrupted their silence.

Diamond opened up the door to reveal Aragorn. She bowed to the king and beckoned him in. Aragorn ducked under the low doorframe and walked into the kitchen, following Diamond. Aarivale and Pippin stood up and bowed as well. Only Lomewen remained seated. "Elderian told me that I could find you here, Lomewen. I rode off after you after the banquet was postponed for your concern."

"I always thought I was Elrond's favorite," Lomewen said shyly. Pippin looked dumbfounded not knowing he was in the presence of a princess.

"Fool of a Took," Aragorn said with a laugh, "Don't you think its strange when two elves show up in the Shire?" Aragorn asked. Pippin smiled and ran to hug his old friend. "I hope you don't mind if the King joins you for tea," Aragorn chuckled.

"No, oh no, not at all. I would be glad to share stories with you, but I'm afraid that all my good stories involve our adventure together, Strider," Pippin smiled taking a seat and Aragorn did the same.

"Strider?" Lomewen asked her father, never have heard the name before.

"It was my name when I was a Ranger," Aragorn replied, dropping tealeaves into his cup of water that Diamond poured for him. Aarivale rose from the table to leave, she felt as if she was no longer needed. Aragorn placed his hand on her arm, to stop her from leaving. "Stay," He said. The girl nodded and sat back down. She picked up her cup of tea and sipped the hot liquid.