THE DAYSTAR
BY: GABRIELLA THE FAIR
CHAPTER 5
WHAT DOES MY HEART DESIRE?
"What was she like, how would you explain her?"
With a faraway smile, he looked up to the sky and answered, "She was the Daystar, lighting up the day during our darkest hour, warming the earth with her love."
"She is as clear as the moon, as fair as the sun, and as glorious as an army under one banner"
To most she was a loving friend,
her fairness lighting up the world,
no matter what the weather.
To some a companion,
and one a lover and dream.
Yet, many feared her
dignity in her footsteps,
power in her stride,
and authority in her eyes.
This is her story.
O_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_o
"What do you think they are talking about?"
"I don't know, but it's something important." Arwen answered, sounding tired.
Arwen was sitting in her chair on the terrace, Raquel beside her. It had been three days since the feast, Frodo was doing fine and Raquel still had made no decision. Elrond and Gandalf were below them, on the other floor talking. Raquel got up and went to the railing, overlooking the entrance to Rivendell.
"Someone is coming", she said, leaning forward over the railing, "No, wait a group."
"How many are there?" Arwen asked, getting up and coming to look, "Are they friend or foe?"
"Friend, I would presume, since there are only four of them, no one would attack with a number of four."
"True, when they come, will you go greet them? Father is busy and I do not feel like going, I do not feel well."
"Are you ill?" Raquel said, turning to her.
"Yes, it must be something I ate."
"Go to bed, I will make sure they get to their rooms and will tell Lord Elrond of their, then I will come and tend to you."
"Thank you Raquel, but I will stay long enough for you to bring them up here so I may talk to them, then I will go rest."
They went and sat back down, for the men were far off, and Raquel had spotted them with her keen Elvish eyes.
"Who do you think it is?" Raquel asked
"Probably more lords coming to see Father."
"You are most likely right."
Arwen leaned back and closed her eyes. Raquel got up and went back to the railing, watching Rivendell. How could she leave peaceful Rivendell and go to Mordor? What was her heart's desire? She sat there and thought hard, what was it? Well, her heart's desire must be what she wanted most in life, but what was that? The sound of approaching hooves reached her ears.
"Arwen" she turned from the railing, "I am leaving, they have come."
"Right," she said, sitting up again, "have fun." she added, grinning at Raquel.
Raquel rolled her eyes and muttered something before leaving. By the time she got down to the gate, the men had already dismounted and were looking around. There was one Man, one Elf, and two Dwarves She approached them and spoke.
"Hello, and welcome to Rivendell, where Lord Elrond dwells, though he is busy now and cannot come to greet you." she spoke in Common, "You have not announced your coming, so who are you and from where do you hail?"
The man was the first to step forward, "I am Boromir, son of Denethor, of Gondor,"
Next the Elf spoke, bowing with his hand over his heart, as custom, while he spoke "I am Legolas son of Thranduil of Northern Mirkwood, Lady".
Then one of the Dwarves stepped toward her and bowing, "I am Gloin son of Groin, of the Lonely Mountain and this is my son, Gimli." the Dwarf next to him bowed.
She looked at each of them and then nodded.
"Follow me, your horses will be taken care of " she then turned and led them to Arwen. When she got there she sat down next to her. Arwen got up and nodded to each of them.
"Welcome to Rivendell, I will get one of our servants to show you to your rooms, but first, tell me who you are".
They each again went through their introductions. When they were done, Arwen nodded and Raquel clapped. Ainanen, whom Raquel calls her Katriel, is one of the top servants of Arwen (other than Raquel), and a very good friend to Raquel, came over to them, bowed and spoke. "I will show you to your rooms, follow me"
Bowing one more time to Arwen and Raquel, each of them followed Ainanen. Raquel turned to Arwen.
"Go to bed, Arwen, I must go tell Lord Elrond of their coming, I will be with you I a second." "All right, I will, goodbye for now."
"Goodbye" They went in opposite directions, Arwen going up, and Raquel going down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Lord Elrond? It is me, Gilwen, may I come in?"
"Yes, the door is open."
Raquel opened the door and saw Elrond and Gandalf sitting across from one another. Gandalf smiled at her.
"Four more Lord's have come, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas of Mirkwood, and Gloin and Gimli of the Lonely Mountain."
"Yes, I know, but if you would Gilwen, tell them I wish to speak with each of them".
"Yes, I will, Lord Elrond." she bowed and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Take this, it will help the pain in your stomach, also, get some rest, the Counsel is tomorrow afternoon"
"Yes, all right, I will" Arwen leaned back against the pillows.
Raquel had gone around and spoke with each of the visitors. They all agreed and she brought the message back to Elrond. Then she went and tended to Arwen, where she was right now. All Arwen had was an upset stomach.
"I will bring you some food later, but sleep right now."
Arwen was already half asleep, so Raquel left, tired herself and needing to make a decision.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To clear her mind, Raquel grabbed her bow and quiver and went to the archery range. Before, she got out Artemis so she could graze. She needed to think, and the only way to do that was to shoot.
"What is the one thing I want most in life? What would I die for?" she thought.
Soon, she got frustrated, not knowing what she wanted. Why did he pick me? Why not Glorfindel? Or even one of his soldiers. Not long after that, that frustration turned into anger.
"Ahhh!" she yelled, shooting an arrow that missed because of her lack of concentration.
She reached back to grab another arrow, but her quiver was empty. She started to walk toward the target, when an arrow flies by her, hardly missing her ear. Suddenly she turned, drawing Sunstone as she did.
"Who are you and what do you want?" How could she be so deaf as to not hear an enemy behind her?
Suddenly she heard something to her left, she turned and there stood an Elf. She could not make out his face, for it was covered, and she did not recognize him.
"I have already introduced myself, two times actually, needn't you hear it again and I do not want anything, so sheath your sword?" he said more sternly, walking toward her. She made out the face of Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood.
Raquel could now see his face and marveled at it. She had not studied him at their first meeting, but now she did, for some odd reason. He was hardly taller than she was, with blue eyes and golden hair. He carried a bow and a quiver on his back, no sword or knife. He looked upon her keenly. She finally shook herself out of her thoughts.
"I have been watching you shoot and you are angry," he said more gently, "Why?"
"Why would you care?" she asked or, more said, regaining her pose and narrowing her eyes, still not sheathing her sword, but walking over to get her arrows. She then came back.
He faltered under her narrowed gaze, then spoke.
"Why do you hold sword to me? I am not here to challenge you, trust me." he then stared down at her, leveling her gaze.
"I have been taught to trust nothing that my heart is wary of ", she said, not narrowing her eyes as much.
"Then what does your heart tell you?" he questioned, raising his coal black eyebrows slightly. "Am I evil?"
She looked down and said in a small voice, "I do not know."
She then felt the sudden need to escape from there. She needed to go someplace where she would be alone, it would be quiet, and she could think in peace. She then let out a shrill whistled for Artemis, who came galloping minutes later toward her. "Great!" Raquel thought, "I will have to ride bareback".
"Wait, Lady," Legolas stepped toward Artemis who snorted, "you know my name, though I don't know yours."
"That is for me to know." Raquel replied, turning Artemis and riding off.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Raquel where are you, are you back?"
"I'm here, on the terrace."
Raquel had decided to go back to her room and sit on the terrace. She thought it would be quiet there and the stars would give her some comfort, but unfortunately, that didn't last long.
"Oh, the door was shut, so I did not know." Katriel walked out and sat down.
"The stars are very beautiful tonight, do you see a constellation?"
Raquel and Katreil had always loved looking at the stars, even when they were young. So on clear nights they could always be found together, pointing to certain stars and constellations.
"What is wrong, Raquel, you are very quiet." Katriel looked at her.
"I can not tell you, though can I ask you something?" Raquel never moved her eyes off the stars. "Yes, go ahead."
"What is the one thing you think I want most in life, what would I die for?"
Katriel didn't answer for a long time. They both stared at the stars, then she finally talked. "You want whatever is good for the people you love. You would give your life for Arwen, or Aragorn, or even Lord Elrond and Glorfindel. You would also die for us Raquel, the Elves." Katriel stopped, she seemed to be lost in thought, "do what you think is right, listen, don't try to search, just listen." Katriel then got up, "I can see you want to be alone now, it was nice to see you again, Raquel."
"Good-night Ainanen." she said, hardly thinking of what she was saying.
"Raquel, do not call me Ainanen, call me Katriel, you even came up with the name!"
"Oh, sorry Katriel, I was not thinking, I was listening."
Katriel laughed, "Now you're taking your own advice!" she left shaking her head.
"Well, I have a choice to make, I have delayed long enough, I must make this choice!" she whispered to herself. She sat back, wrapped herself with a blanket and stared at the stars. After many hours, (as it seemed to her) she got up.
"I have made my decision, for my heart speaks" she whispered to the stars.
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*
So, how was it? Tell me! I can't continue this fic without input! Next chapter, the COUNSEL OF ELROND FINALLY! I promise ill write it! I didn't even expect to write that archery part, but it was a last minute idea. comin soon to a theater near u- lol, Im gonna start on my little Elvish name dictionary. Which names do you like most? im still lookin for borders! have a dandy day every1! Yours, (*~*~*Gabi*~*~*(
"What was she like, how would you explain her?"
With a faraway smile, he looked up to the sky and answered, "She was the Daystar, lighting up the day during our darkest hour, warming the earth with her love."
"She is as clear as the moon, as fair as the sun, and as glorious as an army under one banner"
To most she was a loving friend,
her fairness lighting up the world,
no matter what the weather.
To some a companion,
and one a lover and dream.
Yet, many feared her
dignity in her footsteps,
power in her stride,
and authority in her eyes.
This is her story.
O_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_oO_o
"What do you think they are talking about?"
"I don't know, but it's something important." Arwen answered, sounding tired.
Arwen was sitting in her chair on the terrace, Raquel beside her. It had been three days since the feast, Frodo was doing fine and Raquel still had made no decision. Elrond and Gandalf were below them, on the other floor talking. Raquel got up and went to the railing, overlooking the entrance to Rivendell.
"Someone is coming", she said, leaning forward over the railing, "No, wait a group."
"How many are there?" Arwen asked, getting up and coming to look, "Are they friend or foe?"
"Friend, I would presume, since there are only four of them, no one would attack with a number of four."
"True, when they come, will you go greet them? Father is busy and I do not feel like going, I do not feel well."
"Are you ill?" Raquel said, turning to her.
"Yes, it must be something I ate."
"Go to bed, I will make sure they get to their rooms and will tell Lord Elrond of their, then I will come and tend to you."
"Thank you Raquel, but I will stay long enough for you to bring them up here so I may talk to them, then I will go rest."
They went and sat back down, for the men were far off, and Raquel had spotted them with her keen Elvish eyes.
"Who do you think it is?" Raquel asked
"Probably more lords coming to see Father."
"You are most likely right."
Arwen leaned back and closed her eyes. Raquel got up and went back to the railing, watching Rivendell. How could she leave peaceful Rivendell and go to Mordor? What was her heart's desire? She sat there and thought hard, what was it? Well, her heart's desire must be what she wanted most in life, but what was that? The sound of approaching hooves reached her ears.
"Arwen" she turned from the railing, "I am leaving, they have come."
"Right," she said, sitting up again, "have fun." she added, grinning at Raquel.
Raquel rolled her eyes and muttered something before leaving. By the time she got down to the gate, the men had already dismounted and were looking around. There was one Man, one Elf, and two Dwarves She approached them and spoke.
"Hello, and welcome to Rivendell, where Lord Elrond dwells, though he is busy now and cannot come to greet you." she spoke in Common, "You have not announced your coming, so who are you and from where do you hail?"
The man was the first to step forward, "I am Boromir, son of Denethor, of Gondor,"
Next the Elf spoke, bowing with his hand over his heart, as custom, while he spoke "I am Legolas son of Thranduil of Northern Mirkwood, Lady".
Then one of the Dwarves stepped toward her and bowing, "I am Gloin son of Groin, of the Lonely Mountain and this is my son, Gimli." the Dwarf next to him bowed.
She looked at each of them and then nodded.
"Follow me, your horses will be taken care of " she then turned and led them to Arwen. When she got there she sat down next to her. Arwen got up and nodded to each of them.
"Welcome to Rivendell, I will get one of our servants to show you to your rooms, but first, tell me who you are".
They each again went through their introductions. When they were done, Arwen nodded and Raquel clapped. Ainanen, whom Raquel calls her Katriel, is one of the top servants of Arwen (other than Raquel), and a very good friend to Raquel, came over to them, bowed and spoke. "I will show you to your rooms, follow me"
Bowing one more time to Arwen and Raquel, each of them followed Ainanen. Raquel turned to Arwen.
"Go to bed, Arwen, I must go tell Lord Elrond of their coming, I will be with you I a second." "All right, I will, goodbye for now."
"Goodbye" They went in opposite directions, Arwen going up, and Raquel going down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Lord Elrond? It is me, Gilwen, may I come in?"
"Yes, the door is open."
Raquel opened the door and saw Elrond and Gandalf sitting across from one another. Gandalf smiled at her.
"Four more Lord's have come, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas of Mirkwood, and Gloin and Gimli of the Lonely Mountain."
"Yes, I know, but if you would Gilwen, tell them I wish to speak with each of them".
"Yes, I will, Lord Elrond." she bowed and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Take this, it will help the pain in your stomach, also, get some rest, the Counsel is tomorrow afternoon"
"Yes, all right, I will" Arwen leaned back against the pillows.
Raquel had gone around and spoke with each of the visitors. They all agreed and she brought the message back to Elrond. Then she went and tended to Arwen, where she was right now. All Arwen had was an upset stomach.
"I will bring you some food later, but sleep right now."
Arwen was already half asleep, so Raquel left, tired herself and needing to make a decision.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To clear her mind, Raquel grabbed her bow and quiver and went to the archery range. Before, she got out Artemis so she could graze. She needed to think, and the only way to do that was to shoot.
"What is the one thing I want most in life? What would I die for?" she thought.
Soon, she got frustrated, not knowing what she wanted. Why did he pick me? Why not Glorfindel? Or even one of his soldiers. Not long after that, that frustration turned into anger.
"Ahhh!" she yelled, shooting an arrow that missed because of her lack of concentration.
She reached back to grab another arrow, but her quiver was empty. She started to walk toward the target, when an arrow flies by her, hardly missing her ear. Suddenly she turned, drawing Sunstone as she did.
"Who are you and what do you want?" How could she be so deaf as to not hear an enemy behind her?
Suddenly she heard something to her left, she turned and there stood an Elf. She could not make out his face, for it was covered, and she did not recognize him.
"I have already introduced myself, two times actually, needn't you hear it again and I do not want anything, so sheath your sword?" he said more sternly, walking toward her. She made out the face of Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood.
Raquel could now see his face and marveled at it. She had not studied him at their first meeting, but now she did, for some odd reason. He was hardly taller than she was, with blue eyes and golden hair. He carried a bow and a quiver on his back, no sword or knife. He looked upon her keenly. She finally shook herself out of her thoughts.
"I have been watching you shoot and you are angry," he said more gently, "Why?"
"Why would you care?" she asked or, more said, regaining her pose and narrowing her eyes, still not sheathing her sword, but walking over to get her arrows. She then came back.
He faltered under her narrowed gaze, then spoke.
"Why do you hold sword to me? I am not here to challenge you, trust me." he then stared down at her, leveling her gaze.
"I have been taught to trust nothing that my heart is wary of ", she said, not narrowing her eyes as much.
"Then what does your heart tell you?" he questioned, raising his coal black eyebrows slightly. "Am I evil?"
She looked down and said in a small voice, "I do not know."
She then felt the sudden need to escape from there. She needed to go someplace where she would be alone, it would be quiet, and she could think in peace. She then let out a shrill whistled for Artemis, who came galloping minutes later toward her. "Great!" Raquel thought, "I will have to ride bareback".
"Wait, Lady," Legolas stepped toward Artemis who snorted, "you know my name, though I don't know yours."
"That is for me to know." Raquel replied, turning Artemis and riding off.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Raquel where are you, are you back?"
"I'm here, on the terrace."
Raquel had decided to go back to her room and sit on the terrace. She thought it would be quiet there and the stars would give her some comfort, but unfortunately, that didn't last long.
"Oh, the door was shut, so I did not know." Katriel walked out and sat down.
"The stars are very beautiful tonight, do you see a constellation?"
Raquel and Katreil had always loved looking at the stars, even when they were young. So on clear nights they could always be found together, pointing to certain stars and constellations.
"What is wrong, Raquel, you are very quiet." Katriel looked at her.
"I can not tell you, though can I ask you something?" Raquel never moved her eyes off the stars. "Yes, go ahead."
"What is the one thing you think I want most in life, what would I die for?"
Katriel didn't answer for a long time. They both stared at the stars, then she finally talked. "You want whatever is good for the people you love. You would give your life for Arwen, or Aragorn, or even Lord Elrond and Glorfindel. You would also die for us Raquel, the Elves." Katriel stopped, she seemed to be lost in thought, "do what you think is right, listen, don't try to search, just listen." Katriel then got up, "I can see you want to be alone now, it was nice to see you again, Raquel."
"Good-night Ainanen." she said, hardly thinking of what she was saying.
"Raquel, do not call me Ainanen, call me Katriel, you even came up with the name!"
"Oh, sorry Katriel, I was not thinking, I was listening."
Katriel laughed, "Now you're taking your own advice!" she left shaking her head.
"Well, I have a choice to make, I have delayed long enough, I must make this choice!" she whispered to herself. She sat back, wrapped herself with a blanket and stared at the stars. After many hours, (as it seemed to her) she got up.
"I have made my decision, for my heart speaks" she whispered to the stars.
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*
So, how was it? Tell me! I can't continue this fic without input! Next chapter, the COUNSEL OF ELROND FINALLY! I promise ill write it! I didn't even expect to write that archery part, but it was a last minute idea. comin soon to a theater near u- lol, Im gonna start on my little Elvish name dictionary. Which names do you like most? im still lookin for borders! have a dandy day every1! Yours, (*~*~*Gabi*~*~*(