Aragorn sat on the doorstep of the great hall, his head bowed to his knees. He was thinking about many things, one person in particular. Arwen…
They had bid each other farewell earlier that day, while they still had time to say it. He spent most of his day in her company, making promises that neither of them knew he would be able to fulfill. But knowing that they might not be fulfilled only strengthened Aragorn's resolve to keep them. I do not want to prove our suspicions right…
The others were beginning to get restless. Sam stood beside Bill the pony, muttering something about rope; Bilbo and Frodo stood next to each other, the latter looking towards the deepening dusk with a hint of fear in his eyes; Merry and Pippin still managed to hold a rather cheerful-sounding conversation together; Boromir was toying with his sword-hilt; Gimli was looking closely at his axe blade; while Legolas simply looked apprehensive. They were all waiting for Gandalf, Camille and Eli to appear after Elrond had taken them into a nearby room to talk to them personally.
The sound of a creaking door caught his ears, and Aragorn looked up, watching as first Elrond, then Gandalf, and finally the Ladies walked out, expressions unreadable. As they stepped out, Aragorn noted a sheath sticking out of Gandalf's robes. It was the blade Glamdring; forged by the Elven-smiths of old, mate of Orcrist that lay now upon the breast of Thorin under the Lonely Mountain.
However, he was surprised to find out that the Ladies were armed as well. He knew that Camille could use a bow fairly well, but he hadn't expected that she could fight with a sword. A slightly curved scabbard hung at her waist, the wood graced with the gold device of a phoenix. Eli also carried a blade; it was of the same shape as Camille's, but was longer, and the device on the scabbard was a silver dragon.
The Ladies were also clad differently now. Camille was dressed like a Mirkwood archer, her clothes almost similar to Legolas', but her hair was done in a single braid down her back. Eli, on the other hand, was dressed like a Ranger. Like myself, Aragorn thought, amused.
He gazed on as Eli bid a fond farewell to Lord Elrond and his sons. She smiled at Elrond. ^You have my eternal gratitude for helping me so much, Lord Elrond. I join this quest now as a way of returning the favor you have done for me.^
^And to think that you were rather reluctant to go initially,^ Elrond said with a smile of his own. ^Take care of yourself, child. You and Camille are as daughters to me now, and like any father, I fear sending you off into a world where you may meet cruelty and suffering. May the stars shine upon your road and bring light to every path you tread.^
Eli nodded, and bowed in gratitude. She turned then to Elrohir and Elladan. ^I will miss you two.^
Elladan sighed heavily as he drew the girl into his embrace. ^Take care of yourself, as Father said. It would be a fatal blow to my heart if you were to die on this quest.^
Eli grinned slightly, and stood on the tips of her toes, brushing a fond kiss on Elladan's cheek. ^I will take care of myself, I promise.^
^You should, or else I fear that my brother will go mad with grief!^ Elrohir said jokingly, though his tone was not so hearty.
Eli nodded, and also gave him a peck on the cheek that made the Elf blush hotly. ^I will, I will. I would not have joined this quest if I did not feel I could handle the dangers that accompany it.^ With that, she pulled away from the two, and walked over to where Gandalf was standing.
Aragorn moved towards the Company, knowing that this was it. After the final farewells had been said, the Fellowship of the Ring moved out of Rivendell, taking the paths that led up and out of the valley where it lay, going on a mission that most likely meant their deaths.
* * *
Camille looked back at her companions from where she walked beside Gandalf, feeling more than a little worried. They had managed to get up and out of Rivendell, and were currently crossing a rather gusty area of wilderness. The path they were taking was rough and barren, and there was nothing to stare at for miles around except the ground and a few thorny bushes here and there.
She pulled her cloak closer to her as a wild blast of cold December wind hit her square in the face. She looked up to the sky, which was cloudy and gray, adding to the gloomy mood that everyone had at the moment. This is starting to get depressing.
She glanced at Eli, and noticed that her friend felt the same way too. The two of them looked at each other for a moment, and realized that they had to do SOMETHING to lift everyone's spirits up. Camille smiled as she thought up of something that might help. Lifting her head slightly, she began to sing "Journey to the Past", one of the songs from the movie "Anastasia"…
Heart, don't fail me now
Courage, don't desert me
Don't turn back now that we're here
People always say, "Life is full of choices"
No one ever mentions…fear
Or how the road can seem so long
How the world can seem so vast
Courage, see me through
Heart, I'm trusting you
On this journey…to the past…
Eli smiled back at her, and picked up the next stanza of the song…
Somewhere down this road I know someone's waiting
Years of dreams just can't be wrong…no
Arms will open wide I'll be safe and wanted
Finally home where I belong
Well starting here my life begins
Starting now I'm learning fast
Courage, see me through
Heart, I'm trusting you
On this journey…to the past…
Glancing back at the rest of the Company, Camille noticed that they were starting to smile a little. The Hobbits, in particular, seemed to have regained a cheerful spark in their eyes again. Knowing that they were doing the right thing, she and Eli continued to sing the song, this time as a duet…
Heart don't fail me now…
Courage don't desert me…
Home, love, family
There was once a time, I must've had them too…
Home, love, family
I will never be complete until I find you…
One step at a time, one hope then another
Who knows where this road may go
Back to who I was, on to find my future
Things my heart still needs to know
Yes, let this be a sign, let this road be mine
Let it lead me to my past
And bring me home…
At…last…
Their voices rose into the sky, and disappeared into the gloom above them. And then, for a while, it seemed that the clouds thinned a bit, and some light from the moon and stars shone through.
Gandalf turned to them with a smile. "A wise decision, my dears," he whispered to them. "I have to admit, that helped me think a little more positively about this quest." He halted, and turned around. "I think we can stop here to rest."
There was a collective sigh of relief as the others set about to making camp. Since they were not that far yet from Rivendell's borders, Gandalf allowed them a small fire to keep them warm – and to maintain the somewhat higher spirits the Fellowship had developed after the song.
The Fellowship sat down around the fire, and while Sam set about to making supper, Merry sighed, and remarked, "I'm beginning to wish that today were a holiday. I remember all the fun we had at the Shire, right, Pippin?"
Eli suddenly jerked her head up. "What day is it today?"
It was Gandalf who answered her question. "It is the twenty-fifth of December, according to the Shire-reckoning."
Twenty-fifth of December… Camille looked at Eli across the fire, and they laughed. "Oh my God, I don't believe it! It's CHRISTMAS, Eli! I can't believe we've forgotten!"
Eli nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Merry Christmas, Camille! Merry Christmas, everyone!"
Nine blank eyes looked back at them. "What is Christmas?" Frodo asked, and this set off a long explanation about the holiday. Of course, asking about other holidays in their world was inevitable, and so the two girls had to explain about Independence Day, New Year's Day, All Saint's and All Soul's Day, Easter, Valentine's Day, the Santacruzan, and all manner of fiestas. The latter three festivals captured the minds of those present. Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf and Legolas found it particularly charming that the people of another world would set aside a day especially for lovers, while Merry and Pippin practically drooled as Eli described the massive feasts laid out during the Santacruzan and fiestas.
Camille was feeling very chatty at that moment, telling everyone about the festivals she had been to during the course of her life. "Of course, there's the Tatarin Festival…whoops." She clamped her mouth shut, and turned away. Uh oh, NOT good!!
"CAMILLE!!!!" Eli cried. "WHY did you have to tell them
that?!"
"I'm sorry!" Camille exclaimed defensively as she raised her hands up in front of her. "It just…slipped out!"
But there was no stopping the questions now. The two girls were literally bombarded with them, their curiosity only heightened by Eli's outburst.
"Okay, OKAY, we'll tell you!" Eli huffed, and glared at Camille. "Since you started this, YOU'RE going to have to explain."
Camille sighed. I kind of saw that coming. She took a deep breath, and began to explain. "The Tatarin is a special kind of festival only for women. It happens during the third or fourth week of August, and lasts for that same span of time." She stopped, and turned away, feeling her blush rising to her cheeks. Oh God, I can't go on anymore…
"Please continue, Camille," Gandalf requested. He was just as curious as everyone else.
Camille gulped, and turned back to face them, certain that her face was as red as a tomato. "You see, this festival is very old. No one knows how or why it began, but the rationale is quite clear. Its main purpose is to set women free from the conventions of their existence, particularly those of…ah…SEXUAL nature.
"During the first night of the festival, women gather around an old tree in the outskirts of the town. There, they select one of their number to be the high priestess of sorts…and that's when the 'orgy' begins."
Boromir's eyebrow shot up in question and slight shock. "Orgy?"
"Uh huh. They say that the moment the priestess is chosen, the spirits who live within the tree go out and bring pleasure to the women, the high priestess in particular. For the duration of the festival, if any woman goes to the tree at any time, it is certain that the spirits will pleasure her, or entice a male to do it for them. If the girl is a virgin, however, the spirits are the ones who do it. USUALLY. Sometimes they will get a man to do it whether the girl is a virgin or not.
"If any one man wants to get near a woman while she is in that 'state', they will have to get down on their knees and kiss her foot, to pay homage to her as being his equal and occasionally more powerful consort. For one week, the women are freed from their obligations to their husbands, boyfriends, parents, what-have-you…and are allowed to do whatever they want, and be whoever they want to be. But at the end of that week, the women go back to normal; everything goes back to normal. That is, until the next year, of course. Then the festival starts up again."
Silence for a long time. Camille ducked her head, and rubbed her cheeks, trying to get rid of her blush.
Gandalf was the first to recover. "Indeed, that is a rather strange festival you celebrate."
Gimli snorted. "Scandalous and lewd is more like it. What sort of women would attend such a 'celebration', if it can be called that?"
Camille sighed. "It's just a way of release, Gimli. Believe me, if I was repressed the way women were once, then I'd probably do worse things than what are done in the Tatarin. Oh sure, there are still conventions I have to conform to, but not to the point that I'm not allowed to be who I really am."
"It's been waning, though, the power of the Tatarin Festival," Eli added. "The way I see it, the less repressed a woman is, the less the hold of the spirits on her. In our time, women are quite liberated and free to do what they want to do, so the Tatarin no longer holds the same power it did before." She grinned evilly. "But in this world, the women are still bound down and fettered, so if we were to replicate the Tatarin here, then I bet that it'd be pretty wild."
"What do you mean by 'liberated'?" Aragorn asked curiously.
"Well, it means that we're free to do what we want to do – within reason and the law, naturally. Women don't have to sit around the house, just being good wives and mothers. Almost anything a man can do, we can do too. Fight in an army, lead a country, whatever…women can do it," Camille explained.
Just then, Pippin yawned, and said, "If the Ladies will excuse me, I'll go off to bed now." With that, he stood up, and trudged over to a small patch of ground, curling up in his cloak and falling asleep in no time.
Those who were still awake laughed softly amongst themselves. Camille yawned as well, and smiled. "Looks like I'll have to plead Pip's excuse too. My dream spirits are starting to call." She got up, and didn't look back as she called a "Good night" to everyone. Finding a comfortable-looking spot a few steps away from Pippin's place, she lay down, and curled up in her cloak, sliding into a comfortable sleep.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, that was weird and a little pointless. I just felt like tossing in a little interlude in the space of time between the part wherein the Company leaves Rivendell and reaches Hollin – to be attacked by the crebain. And as for the Tatarin thing…I was inspired by a movie of the same name, but didn't watch. All the info I got on it is based on the trailer and the movie reviews I saw in the newspapers. And the whole explanation about it was partly made-up, and partly true. Whatever details I couldn't remember I simply made up. Next up – crebains attack! But before that, Eli and Camille prove to everyone just what they can do with those swords of theirs… See you in the next chap!