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Dragon Witch
By Nezumi
Chapter Twenty-two: Haldir vs.... Pip?

What is perfection? How can one be perfect? Is it flawless? But what is flawless? How are you pure? Pureness comes from the saintly and what is the opposite of the perfect? What is nearly perfect? The opposite of perfect cannot be flawed, because a flawed object only has a small portion of things wrong with it. And what if perfect meant that you accepted the world as it was? What if perfect was the simple acceptance that you are not perfect?

"Where are you going Master Legolas?" George asked loudly in the stables as two elves packed their bags.

They both whipped around, a finger to their lips. Haldir had no patience for hobbits. They lived short and those short lives were simple, they did not care about anything besides their garden and making certain everything was very orderly. They had a habit, despite not caring about the unknown, of being entirely too nosy-- especially Gamgees about the lives of elves. "Be quiet, George!"

"We're going to the East."

"What?!" the wee little hobbit nearly too his hair out. Then he straightened his shoulders and hopped atop a wooden box. "If you are going then I am going as well!"

Haldir scowled. This was going to be interesting... A hobbit trying to follow two elves. True he was probably just as light from lack of height, but a pony could never match an elven steed. If he had forced her back to Rivendell at the beginning of the Third Age then this would not be so! Why had he been so weak? So read to believe she knew what she was doing? Oh... this was all his fault. He had allowed this to drag on, he had watched as she assisted Sauron and Saruman. Her bishops in her twisted game of chess.

Two other small figures slid into the stables. "We're comin' too!" Pippin declared gesturing to himself and Merry. "Ya see, we told good ole' Sam we'd look after his boy, since he heard it was getting mighty fishy over here. And so we hafta... especially considering Legolas's mind isn't exactly... um... completely here anymore."

Legolas shot him a death look. "We can't take three of you."

"I'll take two," Amaryllis came forth with a horse. "Preferrably George and Merry."

"Ah... looks like I'll be stuck with Haldir!" Pippin strolled up to Haldir with a broad grin. "Dontcha just hate me?"

Haldir rolled his eyes mounted his steed, grabbed Pippin, jerked him up (rather roughly too mind you), whispered a word to his horse-- all in a matter of seconds. Personally, contrary to the popular hobbit, Pip found this quite exciting and didn't mind half as much anymore. After all, he and Merry often visited Rohan and elves were much more gentle than the Rohhrim in such matters. "You hobbits will be the death of me," the elf growled outloud.

"Oh do you have a personal vendetta against us because Gandalf went to the Shire so much and that's what made Grainne run away?" Pip asked conversationally. This probably wasn't the best conversation topic the hobbit could think up - after all, who made the best lembas would be much more interesting but the look on the elf's face was priceless. However, Pip was quickly worried he might be booted off the horse and he was ever so bored with his dreary life now-a-days.

"Perhaps," Haldir replied and looked to the East over the land.

"I'll have you know, Mr. Elf that according to YOUR own explanation that I am no regular hobbit. You said so yourself! You said that she cursed the name of The Shire, and I come from Brandybuck Hall, but she gave pardon to her two fondnesses... The Gamgees - which is George over there, probably why she humored him so much - and the Tooks. That's me! Merry qualifies too, seeing as his mum was my aunt and such. So you hold your tongue there. I took a fair likin' to her even if she is as evil as Her Lady of the Golden Wood claims," Pippin spat.

"Oh and you never even knew her before," Haldir rolled his eyes. He did not humor hobbits. They were bothersome. Did he think HE knew Grainne in the second age?

"I knew enough of her!" Pippin retorted hotly. Haldir once again rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me! She doesn't make as good as biscuits as Amaryllis but she makes the BEST caramel apples and anyone who makes food that heavenly is not completely evil."

"I never said she was evil!" Haldir argued back.

"No, but you made it sound as if I was wrong. And if I was wrong then you would be saying I was evil!" Pippin replied. "And if you remember correctly YOU said YOU had a vendetta against hobbits 'perhaps'.... therefore your opinion is biased!"

"You know big words for such a little creature," Haldir commented monotonously. "It must fill in for the lack of common sense in your brain."

"Hrmph!" Pip proclaimed. "That isn't a retort, so I shan't take it is such. And I shall tell you that I have won this confrontation."

"I hardly call it a confrontation when I am six foot five inches tall and you are hardly four and a half," Haldir responded.

"Well, you know what they say about big people don't you? They're all so stupid that tell can't see what's in front of their face because their heads are in the clouds!"

"You, my little friend, are looking to get thrown off of a horse."

"That should be quite an adventure I suppose."

*

Arwen sat outside the place staring into the far east. Farther than Mordor had ever been. Sauron only a pawn? Highly unlikely. And since her aunt was half Galadhrim, quite literally in fact, she may not lie but she could beat around a poisonous bush. It did not strike her as odd any longer that her grandmother and aunt should be so alike. Two elves bound for power even if those powers were on the opposite sides of the playing field.

Why do you deny your nature?

"And who is there?" Arwen asked aloud. Was she going mad? Were the forests of Mirkwood, lingering in darkness, causing her to lose her sanity? Was all lost?

Why did you give up your immortality for some stupid man. He is only a man.

"Is that you? My aunt? Grainne the ever-so-terrible? Can you not face me in person? You are coward!" she felt the wind whisk by her ear and drew her sword just in time to protect her skull from the blow. "Nice to meet you too."

"And what do you know of cowardice?"

"Enough to know that it applies to you!"

"Hold you tongue," she hissed.

"Who are you to lecture? You have forsaken your people!"

"As have you! For love, and what pithy thing that is. Love, not so close to hate in many ways." But Aragorn is such a gentleman, more so than some elves, even his friends that are elves. And you know your father was quite a barbarian—

"Shut up!" the dark-haired woman yelled at someone Arwen could hear, a different voice. "Damn Haldir. Meddler. Always has been! Tell them to stay at home! They come for me but what if I will not go? Ask them that. They come for their deaths. I have no qualms about killing Haldir." He was the only one I could run to. I convinced him to come with me. To come with to the east. The east! The land where our dreams are realized! Then he went back half-way to Mirkwood. I was abandoned alone. And Mirkwood… the destruction of Mirkwood eased my pain. Do you understand? Do you forgive me? "Do not listen to her," the other voice informed Arwen. "She is mad. Mirkwood always makes her insane."

And Draekon found me. Wounded. And he tapped into everything, and he took my soul so that I would become his queen. With promise of power. Mother always valued power. It was all for her. I thought, if I became powerful enough that she would allow me back into her world. I thought, I thought I could receive Narya. I thought so much. I thought and thought and I blame myself entirely. I went insane with Celebrian… Your mother she died… She love me too. And Draekon was such a—

"He showed me how the world works," Grainne, the Dragon Witch struck again. And the clash went up into the night, Grainne's tongue lashing out at her niece. Taunting in a language that heeded all evil. Arwen was quite satisfied to realize sweat beaded on her brow. "You look like me. Funny thing that is." It was not the voice that had been speaking to her and it momentarily stunned her. Then the fire reignited in Grainne's eyes and she swiped. Blood. "You never fight with me, child. You lose."

"Would you kill me your own flesh and blood? Who killed my mother? Your sister? Do not displace yourself from your relatives."

"I do not know who killed my sister," Grainne's voice was hushed and the pointed tip was only a increment of air before her heart.

And the star of the night let out a cry of horror, as a blade descended. "NO!"

.-*-.

A.N. Wooeee! Does it feel good to be back! After taking away a short period of time from my obsession! (LotR) I have come back with my wonderful Mary-Sue-ish fics! Haha! Anyway, I try not to make them horrible Mary-Sues as we will see in the next chapter. Hopefully. 10 months to update. Is that a record? LOL! Anyway, please R & R and then check out some other stuff and kick me in the butt to finish it too!