Chapter 13
"Jessi!" Jessica turned fully to face her friend, "Hello Helena." Helena stayed in the pool in amazement just treading water, not sure if she wanted to hug or strangle her friend. Jessica stood up and came toward Helena with a blanket. Wordlessly Helena climbed out and took it. For the first time Helena noticed that not only was Jessi just as tall, (if not taller) than Voronda, but also that she was clothed in a light silvery blue gown that almost floated. As soon as Helena wrapped the blanket about her Jessi kneeled down and embraced her friend.
As the two friends silently hugged Voronda, with wide eyes and barely able to speak, slipped out of the cave and into the starlit meadow. Lifting her eyes to the heavens she reached out to her beloved.
Legolas and Gimli had been carefully removing a shaft of crystal when Legolas's ears picked up Helena's scream. He strained to hear more but no sounds reached his ears. He turned quickly to Gimli, he hadn't hear her, "Gimli, what do you feel in the ground?" Gimli looked at him strangely but obligingly put his hand to the ground and closed his eyes, "peace, there is peace here but with an air of watchfulness." Legolas continued however, not convinced, "what of Tarin? Do you sense her at all?" Gimli reached out with more strength after hearing an edge of worry in his friend's voice, "she is confused but filled with joy. Why do you ask Legolas?" Legolas told him of what he heard and Gimli chuckled, "your wife must have played a trick on her." Legolas smiled and continued his work, "Nay, elves are not crafty schemers like some dwarves."
They had just finished extracting the column of crystal from the living earth when Legolas's head cocked up to the sky. Gimli noticed this and smiling to himself carefully wrapped the crystal and stowed it away, waiting for his friend to come back to him. Unexpectedly Legolas only stared at the sky for a few moments before his head swiveled to Gimli, "Nurhyandoien calls us, we need to go now." Gimli shouldered his pack mumbling, "calling us or calling you?" Legolas just smiled and the pair made their way back to the meadow. Nurhyandoien was waiting for them and greeted them, embracing her huband, "at last!" At the questioning looks from Gimli and Legolas she whispered, "Varda has returned."
Jessica spoke first to her friend; "It is good to see you again." Helena smiled and reached for her clothes, "you too Jessi, but it seems you got all the luck in this world." Helena shrugged into her clothes, "so how did you end up here? Does Switzerland just have a unique way of disposing of tourists?" Well . . . so much for my attempt at humor. Jessica's face remained emotionless finally she spoke, her voice flat, "I live here Tarin." Very slowly this new news sunk in. . shock, confusion, undertanding and acceptance played across her face. Helena nodded her head, "well . . . that explains a lot . . . I guess. But how-" Jessi cut her off, "let's go out, you're friends are waiting." Hmmm? What? Oh yeah I guess Helena and Jessica walked out of the cave side by side.
As soon as Legolas and Voronda spied the friends emerging from the cave their eyes grew wide. Nurhyandoien sunk into a deep curtsey and Legolas sunk onto one knee saying, "Amin naa lle nai Varda." (I am yours to command Varda) Gimli bowed down low to her but rose up again. Helena stared at Jessica, "Jessi what's going on?" Jessica smiled, "This world is my home, and here I am Varda, 'the lady of the stars' and high queen of the valar." Nurhyandoien bowed her head even further and murmured, "Creoso eska tariamin." (Welcome back my queen).
Helena threw her hands up in the air, "of course! Why not? My FRIEND decides to send me to a different WORLD in which I'm a DWARF and she's a goddess?" Helena ranted to Jessi and to the stars, and to the world in general, "at least I now know what deity it was that wanted to see me DEAD!" Exhausted Helena plopped on the ground and sulked. With a motion from her hand Jessica invited Voronda and Legolas to rise, then sat down next to her friend, "Tarin I never wanted you dead, I just brought you to where you would be most happy." Helena turned to her, "How do YOU know where I'd be most happy?! You have no way of knowing how and where I'd be happy!" She crossed her arms over her breast, as an afterthought she added, "and don't call me Tarin! My name is Helena!" Jessica laughed. . . She laughed! Helena turned to her in disbelief, choking back laughter Jessica replied, "Ahhh but Tarin I'm a goddess I do know some things you don't." She cast a glance at Gimli, "here is a good place for you. Don't be mad at me, many wouldn't call that a wise decision." Jessica turned to Legolas, Nurhyandoien and Gimli who stood watching the two, "Varlle mellonamin." (Protect my friend). Jessica turned to Helena and stood up, "Namaarie Tarin, Uuma ma' ten' rashwe, ta tuluva a' lle." With that Jessica wasn't there any more, she didn't vanish, or fly up into the heavens or disappear in a flash of light, she just wasn't there anymore.
The entire company stopped in amazement at what had just happened. Legolas stood in amazement because he had just beheld Varda. Nurhyandoien, able to see the truth in the goddess's words looked forward to seeing Helena's happiness come to bloom. Gimli seriously considered the charge laid upon him and accepted them with all his heart. And finally Helena, half accepting all of this but pinching herself to conclude finally that this isn't a dream. At long last Helena's voice whispered as if afraid to break the silence, "what did she say?" Legolas moved toward her and kneeled next to her, "she told us to protect you, her friend. And then she said farewell to you. The last she said was, do not seek trouble, it will come to you."
Helena slipped into an exhausted faint. Legolas wrapped her up in a blanket and sought a tree with Nurhyandoien. Gimli kept watch that night over her.
"Jessi!" Jessica turned fully to face her friend, "Hello Helena." Helena stayed in the pool in amazement just treading water, not sure if she wanted to hug or strangle her friend. Jessica stood up and came toward Helena with a blanket. Wordlessly Helena climbed out and took it. For the first time Helena noticed that not only was Jessi just as tall, (if not taller) than Voronda, but also that she was clothed in a light silvery blue gown that almost floated. As soon as Helena wrapped the blanket about her Jessi kneeled down and embraced her friend.
As the two friends silently hugged Voronda, with wide eyes and barely able to speak, slipped out of the cave and into the starlit meadow. Lifting her eyes to the heavens she reached out to her beloved.
Legolas and Gimli had been carefully removing a shaft of crystal when Legolas's ears picked up Helena's scream. He strained to hear more but no sounds reached his ears. He turned quickly to Gimli, he hadn't hear her, "Gimli, what do you feel in the ground?" Gimli looked at him strangely but obligingly put his hand to the ground and closed his eyes, "peace, there is peace here but with an air of watchfulness." Legolas continued however, not convinced, "what of Tarin? Do you sense her at all?" Gimli reached out with more strength after hearing an edge of worry in his friend's voice, "she is confused but filled with joy. Why do you ask Legolas?" Legolas told him of what he heard and Gimli chuckled, "your wife must have played a trick on her." Legolas smiled and continued his work, "Nay, elves are not crafty schemers like some dwarves."
They had just finished extracting the column of crystal from the living earth when Legolas's head cocked up to the sky. Gimli noticed this and smiling to himself carefully wrapped the crystal and stowed it away, waiting for his friend to come back to him. Unexpectedly Legolas only stared at the sky for a few moments before his head swiveled to Gimli, "Nurhyandoien calls us, we need to go now." Gimli shouldered his pack mumbling, "calling us or calling you?" Legolas just smiled and the pair made their way back to the meadow. Nurhyandoien was waiting for them and greeted them, embracing her huband, "at last!" At the questioning looks from Gimli and Legolas she whispered, "Varda has returned."
Jessica spoke first to her friend; "It is good to see you again." Helena smiled and reached for her clothes, "you too Jessi, but it seems you got all the luck in this world." Helena shrugged into her clothes, "so how did you end up here? Does Switzerland just have a unique way of disposing of tourists?" Well . . . so much for my attempt at humor. Jessica's face remained emotionless finally she spoke, her voice flat, "I live here Tarin." Very slowly this new news sunk in. . shock, confusion, undertanding and acceptance played across her face. Helena nodded her head, "well . . . that explains a lot . . . I guess. But how-" Jessi cut her off, "let's go out, you're friends are waiting." Hmmm? What? Oh yeah I guess Helena and Jessica walked out of the cave side by side.
As soon as Legolas and Voronda spied the friends emerging from the cave their eyes grew wide. Nurhyandoien sunk into a deep curtsey and Legolas sunk onto one knee saying, "Amin naa lle nai Varda." (I am yours to command Varda) Gimli bowed down low to her but rose up again. Helena stared at Jessica, "Jessi what's going on?" Jessica smiled, "This world is my home, and here I am Varda, 'the lady of the stars' and high queen of the valar." Nurhyandoien bowed her head even further and murmured, "Creoso eska tariamin." (Welcome back my queen).
Helena threw her hands up in the air, "of course! Why not? My FRIEND decides to send me to a different WORLD in which I'm a DWARF and she's a goddess?" Helena ranted to Jessi and to the stars, and to the world in general, "at least I now know what deity it was that wanted to see me DEAD!" Exhausted Helena plopped on the ground and sulked. With a motion from her hand Jessica invited Voronda and Legolas to rise, then sat down next to her friend, "Tarin I never wanted you dead, I just brought you to where you would be most happy." Helena turned to her, "How do YOU know where I'd be most happy?! You have no way of knowing how and where I'd be happy!" She crossed her arms over her breast, as an afterthought she added, "and don't call me Tarin! My name is Helena!" Jessica laughed. . . She laughed! Helena turned to her in disbelief, choking back laughter Jessica replied, "Ahhh but Tarin I'm a goddess I do know some things you don't." She cast a glance at Gimli, "here is a good place for you. Don't be mad at me, many wouldn't call that a wise decision." Jessica turned to Legolas, Nurhyandoien and Gimli who stood watching the two, "Varlle mellonamin." (Protect my friend). Jessica turned to Helena and stood up, "Namaarie Tarin, Uuma ma' ten' rashwe, ta tuluva a' lle." With that Jessica wasn't there any more, she didn't vanish, or fly up into the heavens or disappear in a flash of light, she just wasn't there anymore.
The entire company stopped in amazement at what had just happened. Legolas stood in amazement because he had just beheld Varda. Nurhyandoien, able to see the truth in the goddess's words looked forward to seeing Helena's happiness come to bloom. Gimli seriously considered the charge laid upon him and accepted them with all his heart. And finally Helena, half accepting all of this but pinching herself to conclude finally that this isn't a dream. At long last Helena's voice whispered as if afraid to break the silence, "what did she say?" Legolas moved toward her and kneeled next to her, "she told us to protect you, her friend. And then she said farewell to you. The last she said was, do not seek trouble, it will come to you."
Helena slipped into an exhausted faint. Legolas wrapped her up in a blanket and sought a tree with Nurhyandoien. Gimli kept watch that night over her.