It had been several days since Aragorn entered the City of Gondor and assumed his place as King. It was currently the eighth of May, and the Riders of Rohan were preparing to depart for their own land in the company of the sons of Elrond. They rode off by the North-way, and all the road was lined with people to do them honor and praise them, from the Gate of the City to the walls of the Pelennor.
Before their departure, the Lady Elisabeth of the Blue Dragon, as she had come to be known in the City, had been loth to allow Elrohir to leave her behind, but they spoke with each other for many long hours, and at last the Lady allowed her beloved to leave her for the time being.
The Hobbits still remained in Minas Tirith, with Legolas and Gimli and Gandalf and Camille and Eli; for Aragorn was loth for the fellowship to be dissolved. "At last all such things must end," he said, "but I would have you wait a little while longer: for the end of the deeds that you have shared in has not yet come. A day draws near that I have looked for in all the years of my manhood, and when it comes I would have my friends with me." But of that day he would say no more.
In those days the Companions of the Ring dwelt together in a fair house with Gandalf, and they went to and fro as they wished. And for a time, all was happy in that house, until the day came when strange things began to happen to the two Summoners of the Great Spirits of Middle-Earth…
* ~ *
Eli turned around, stunned to find herself in a place of empty, inky blackness. Jeez, this is like the time when Byakko and Seiryuu were talking to me!
"Eli, are you there?"
Eh? Hoping against hope, Eli answered, "Camille?"
"Oh great! Good thing you're here, Eli!"
Eli nodded, though she knew that her best friend wouldn't be able to see her in this darkness. "I know. I'm glad you're here too." But the question is, what are we doing here in the first place? She knew this HAD to be a dream, but why would they get such a dream NOW? What do we need to do THIS time?!
"Forgive us for interrupting thy rest, Summoners."
Eli jerked. I know that voice. "Seiryuu?"
There was a soft chuckle deep in the darkness. "Aye, thou art correct, Elisabeth."
"What are you doing here? WHY are we here anyway?" Camille's voice seemed slightly edged with panic.
"We have a last mission to give to thee." The voice was different from the voices of Seiryuu and Byakko, so Eli figured that it had to be either Suzako or Genbu.
"What is that mission?" Eli queried.
Byakko's voice answered her. "Thou shall return to our Sanctuary, and there we shall give thy promised rewards."
Three wishes? We're to get three wishes? But for what? Eli was about to voice out the last question, but then, a brilliant flash of light emerged from the darkness, and she lost all awareness of time and space…
* ~ *
Camille's eyes shot wide open, and she gasped for breath. What the… She sat up in bed slowly, thinking about the dream she just had. That was some strange dream… Why would the Four Gods want to give us a reward? What did we do?
"Camille?"
Camille looked up, and saw Eli staring at her from her own bed. Their eyes locked, and Camille instantly read Eli's gaze. "You had the same dream, didn't you?"
Eli nodded slowly. "Yeah, I did." She was silent for a moment. "Do you know why the Four Gods would want to grant us three wishes? I never really figured out what we did to deserve that sort of thing."
"I have no clue either," Camille replied with a shrug. "Maybe they want to reward us for all our hard work during the War?"
"Maybe."
There was a pause, then Eli asked, "What are you doing to wish for? I mean, we can only have three wishes. We might as well agree on them and not waste them."
Camille grinned. "Well, I won't wish to get sent back to our world, because I'm happy here. Come to think of it, there isn't really much I want to wish for myself. All that I could ever wish for I'm going to get when I marry Legolas. The fact that I'm even ALIVE right now to marry him is my greatest dream come true."
Eli giggled. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." She turned to the window, and gazed out at the gardens thoughtfully. "But you know…they've done so much for us… Aragorn and Arwen and Gandalf and Gimli and Elrond and Thranduil…even all those other people we met but can't get their names straight. They deserve a LOT more than we do for what they did for Middle-Earth."
Camille raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. Does she intend to give up her wishes for Aragorn and the others? "Eli, are you saying that we're going to make our wishes according to what Aragorn and the others deserve?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Eli replied with a smile of her own.
Camille returned that smile enthusiastically. Well, at least we can settle the score now. She bounded over to Eli's bed. "So, what sort of wishes are we going to ask for them?"
* * *
Aragorn was surprised by what he just heard. "Are you certain? There is still one more errand that needs to be accomplished?"
Camille shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't put it in such grandiose terms as an errand, but yeah, this is just a loose end Eli and I have to tie up, and we wanted to tell you before we left where exactly we were going."
"Of course, if you want to come along that'd be perfectly fine," Eli said with a grin. She tilted her head sideways in a slightly teasing manner. "And hey, one more adventure for the Fellowship, right? I mean, come on, think about it: everyone's going to have to go their own way eventually, no matter how much you may want to keep them here. Think of it as one last get-together before we all go our own ways in life."
Aragorn sighed. They seem to have forgotten that I am needed here. "You have my leave to go, if you so wish, and the others as well, but I cannot leave. I have other matters that I need to attend to."
"Oh come on Aragorn, don't be such a spoilsport!" Camille exclaimed. "This is ONE LAST CHANCE for a thrill before you officially take over, and I thought you wouldn't pass it up! Besides, Faramir can stay here and handle things for you while you're gone. You won't be away for a long time, you know. Getting to the Shrine of the Four Spirits at Caradhras MUST be easier this time around without the Ring and all those Wargs and Orcs to bother us."
"She's right, you know," Eli said with a nod. "This is the
last chance we have to ride out together, and I thought that you wouldn't be
able to turn it down. Faramir is more than capable of handling the rebuilding
of Minas Tirith while you're gone." She put on a face that Aragorn could easily
compare to that of a wounded puppy. "You'll come along with us, won't you?
Please?"
Aragorn withstood her gaze for as long as he could, but eventually, he had to laugh as he threw his hands up in the air in a gesture of defeat. "Ah, you have won, Eli! With an expression such as the one you have worn, even the most lawful of judges would be hard-pressed to accuse you of murder though the evidence should point to you!"
Eli grinned teasingly at him. "Heh, I always knew the good old puppy-dog eyes trick would work on you. Just never had the chance to test it." Her face turned slightly serious. "So you'll come with us?"
How can I deny her, not after that trick she just pulled on me? Aragorn nodded. "Aye, I shall come with you."
* * *
And so it was that the last remaining members of the Fellowship set out for one final journey together. In that riding went the King Elessar; Gandalf the White; the Ringbearers Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee; the Hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took; the Elf-Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas; the Dwarf Gimli; the Lady Elisabeth of the Blue Dragon; and the Lady Camille of the Red Phoenix.
Rumors flew all throughout the White City when King Elessar announced that he and the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring would be making a sojourn together. Many said that some remnant of the Enemy yet remained, and that they were going to deal with it themselves; but some who claimed to have knowledge about what went on within the circle of the Companions whispered that this most recent mission involved the Summoners, and that it was closely linked with Mirkwood, Moria, and the King Elessar…
* * *
Frodo dismounted from his pony, and looked upon the door of the Shrine of the Four Spirits with a mixture of nostalgia and apprehension. He could still remember the first time he had been here, it had been during a troubling time for him. Now that it was a time of relative peace, the entire place exuded a relaxing atmosphere, encouraging deep thought and meditation. "This place feels so different from when we were here last."
Beside him, Sam nodded. "Indeed, Mr. Frodo. It doesn't seem half as frightening now as when we first came here."
"Well, the Spirits kind of had to keep a foreboding appearance up," Camille said as she came up from behind them. "That way, only those with true courage in their hearts would be able to go inside. And I suppose that it was kind of a trial in itself, before the real ones that the Spirits delivered."
Eli turned to them, and waved them over. "Hey Camille, Frodo, Sam! Come on over here now! We still have a long way to walk!"
Frodo obediently followed after Camille, and they began their long walk into the cave. He remembered the first time they had been there, when they had walked for quite a while in darkness. But now, it wasn't dark anymore. There were now torches stuck in the walls on either side of them, and the moment they stepped inside, they all flared up with a brilliant light.
Frodo glanced at Camille, who was shaking her head innocently. "It wasn't me, I swear! I didn't even KNOW that there were torches here now!" she exclaimed as she lifted her hands in a defensive position.
"Then if it was not you, who was it?" Pippin asked, and Frodo thought he heard a hint of fear in his voice.
Aragorn turned to Eli, and Frodo caught the concerned look in his eye. "Are there any ghosts, Eli?"
The girl shook her head. "No, I don't feel anything like that. And besides, I would've told you if I felt any of them, wouldn't I?"
Gandalf walked ahead of them then. "We do not have a lot of time to waste, my friends. Let us go to the Sanctuary in the center of this cave. Perhaps we shall find out answers there."
With that, Frodo and the rest of the Companions walked further and further into the cave, though they proceeded more easily now than what Frodo remembered. If my memory serves me right, we were always stopping to look if we were going the right way, or if there was an enemy ahead. But now, everyone seems to be more relaxed, like they know that nothing is going to come after them. And Frodo was very glad that the Ring was gone from him at last.
It took them less time than they thought to reach the Sanctuary. When he stepped in, Frodo could once more feel the power of the Spirits around him, and although it seemed soft and welcoming, it was still there, and made him feel a little uneasy.
He watched as Camille and Eli walked to the center of the room. Their voices when they spoke held quiet authority, as if they were in their own element, "Spirits, thou hast called us here, and we have appeared before thee to answer thy call. What is thy request?"
Four flickering balls of light appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and they took the shape of the four warriors Frodo remembered when Camille and Eli first received their powers. The one in red armor spoke then, "Thou hast served this world well, Summoners. Through thy valor and wisdom, Middle-Earth is at last at peace, and none shall trouble it for many long Ages to come. Now, we shall give thee thy promised reward. We give thee the power to ask anything of us, and we shall give it to thee. The only limit we impose is that we cannot raise the dead from their eternal slumber. Dost thou understand?"
Camille nodded. "We understand, Suzako, and we shall now put forth our wishes as thou hast asked us to." She took a deep breath, and said, "We wish that the Mines of Moria be cleared of all evil that lives there, that the Dwarves of Erebor be allowed to return to the ancient halls of their fathers, which the minions of Sauron have taken and defiled."
Gimli choked and sputtered at the mention of this wish. "But…but Camille, Eli, surely you have other things to wish for! There is no need for that!"
But Gimli was ignored as the warrior in red armor nodded. "Thy wish is granted, Summoner."
Now it was Eli's turn. "We wish that the land of Mirkwood be completely purified of all evil things, that the Elves of Mirkwood no longer be sundered from the rest of Middle-Earth."
This time, it was Legolas' turn to choke. "Eli, what was that for?! There is no need for such a wish!"
But like before, Legolas was ignored, and the warrior in blue armor nodded. "Thy wish is granted, Summoner."
"Thou hast but one wish left," said the one in white armor. "Choose well what thou should ask of us."
Camille and Eli looked at each other, and it seemed to Frodo that they had already agreed upon what they would wish for. Eli sighed, and turned to the warriors. "We wish that Aragorn, son of Arathorn, now known as King Elessar of Gondor, be granted passage to the Blessed Land of the Elves so that when the time comes, he may join his beloved, Arwen Evenstar, daughter of Elrond, in eternal bliss in the West. We also want to include in this wish Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, as a reward for their services during the War of the Ring."
This caused an explosion from Aragorn. "Camille, Eli, you should not wish for that! I do not need it! Why did you not wish for something for yourselves! Take that wish back!"
Camille smiled at him. "There's no going back on this one, Aragorn. Eli and I already agreed on what we wanted to wish for, and we thought that you deserved this one wish for yourself. Eli and I are happy with what we already have. We don't need to ask for anything anymore. But you…you need this. You've done so many things for Middle-Earth, and we believe you haven't been rewarded enough. This one is for you. We aren't going to take it back."
Frodo stared at them in amazement. They did not ask for anything for themselves? But…but…WHY?! "But you DO deserve these wishes for yourselves! Why did you give them up for our sake?"
The Spirits chuckled then, and Frodo focused his attention to them, as did Eli and Camille. The one in green armor spoke thus: "Thou art indeed selfless in heart, Summoners. Thou art given three chances to ask for anything, and yet thou hast given up thy chances for thy friends. And thy unselfishness shall not go without a reward, for we shall bestow a gift upon thee that should be most appropriate. Thy three wishes shall be granted, but this is a gift that we give to thee before we depart from this world and go elsewhere. May thou find true happiness in this gift, dear Summoners."
Frodo was about to ask what was going on, but then, a brilliant flash of light exploded from the spot where the two girls were standing. Letting out a cry, he lifted his arms to shield his eyes from the light. It was a long time before the light dissipated at last. Lowering his arms, Frodo looked around, and noticed that Camille and Eli were now sprawled on the floor.
Thinking that something terrible had happened to them, Frodo and the rest of the Companions ran over, worried beyond measure about the condition of Camille and Eli. Legolas, in particular, was quite troubled. He bent over Camille, and shook her shoulders gently to bring her out of her stupor. "Camille, awake, my love!"
The girl mentioned groaned, and opened her eyes slowly. She blinked rapidly, as if trying to clear her vision. "What…what happened? Where are the Spirits?"
"They are gone now. They disappeared with the light," Aragorn replied as he helped Eli sit up.
Eli shook her head then, as if trying to clear it of something. "Strange. I feel so…weird. I feel so light, but I don't think any of my strength's disappeared. And how come your voices are so loud all of a sudden?"
Aragorn's brows were knitted as he pondered on what Eli said, but his eyes widened all of a sudden, and his face paled. He reached out with one hand, and pushed Eli's loose hair back behind her ear. What he revealed made him gasp. "By the Valar…it is a small wonder why our voices sounded louder to you now! Elisabeth, you are an Elf!"
Frodo looked more closely, and uttered a loud gasp of surprise. "It is true, Eli! Your ears are pointed like an Elf's!" He turned to Camille, and reached up to pull her hair back. "And it is the same with Camille! She is an Elf too!"
Camille shrieked, and clapped her hands over her ears, rubbing them tentatively to discern their shape. After running her fingertips over her ears, she lowered them slowly, and said, "Okay, so I'm not dreaming…but how did it happen?!"
"The Spirits said that they would bestow a gift upon you for your selflessness," Gandalf said thoughtfully, "and that gift was to turn you into Elves. They granted you the gift of Elven form." He smiled brightly then. "Indeed, with your Elvish forms you can now find true happiness! There is nothing to bar your marriages any longer! And since you are Elves, you are granted the privilege to cross the Sea to the Blessed Land whenever you should so choose and live there forever in eternal joy!"
Legolas smiled happily then as he turned to Camille. "Well then, that eliminates all of our worries, my love! When we return to Gondor, I shall send word to my father, informing him that we are to wed."
Aragorn laughed merrily. "Come then, Master Elf! Let us leave this place now and return to Minas Tirith. The sooner we arrive, the sooner you can send word to your sire."
As they walked out of the cave and into the bright light of the outside world, Frodo looked with a smile at his companions, particularly the two new Elf-maidens. Everything is coming to an end…I am only too happy that it shall all end in a happy manner.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, you people didn't expect that, did you ^_~? It's just that I always wanted to give this story a happy ending, and the only way I would be able to accomplish that was if I turned the girls into Elves. And THAT'S how I did it ^_^. And of course, I didn't exactly want to leave Aragorn out of the whole deal either. I felt it was kind of sad that he and Arwen had to DIE at the end of the whole Trilogy, and I decided to "correct" that ^_~. But I won't end it JUST YET. There is still one more chapter to go, and then I shall draw this tale to a close. See you in the next chapter, folks!