Mourning in Lorien
Summery: The Company mourns the loss of Gandalf and meets
the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien.
Rating: PG
The city of Lorien was large and had many different
greens all about. The Company was escorted to one large tree in the middle
of a wide plain. A staircase of sorts lay in wait for them to climb. Haldir
stood to the side of it and gestured up. First to step foot on the first
step was Frodo, he began to climb wearily, but soon stopped.
"Are you coming?" he asked Haldir. The Elf shook
his head no. Frodo looked down to his comrades who urged him silently to
climb further up.
"Worry not, we will be right behind you," came
the soothing voice of Myra near the back of their group. Frodo again began
to climb; there were many levels to the tree and Frodo did not know where
to stop. There was a voice then in his head, soft and yet masculine at
the same time. He stopped suddenly at the fifth floor up where soft lights
welcomed him.
Two figures stood cloaked before him and he could
not see their faces, for the light surrounding them was too great. He did
not fear them, they lifted his heart like he never thought would be possible
after such events. He stood for a long while, how long he could not tell,
but he drifted back when a hand softly toughed his shoulder. He looked
over to see Aragorn eyeing him with worry.
"Are you all right, little one?" asked Aragorn.
The others stood behind him with like worry. Frodo turned forward again
to look at the figures. Now he could view their faces; the light had faded,
though lightly it was still there. Their hair was golden under their hoods
and they were clad in the purist of white.
"I'm fine," mumbled Frodo. The two elves stepped
forward and Aragorn bowed low, the others following suit. The male elf
took one more step forward then the female.
"I am Celeborn, Lord of Lothlorien. This is my
lady, Galadriel. You must be the Company of the Ring which we heard tell
of. But there are only nine of you, we heard from Rivendell there were
ten. Where is Gandalf the Grey, as you call him?" said Celeborn. Aragorn
waved a hand to tell the others to keep their silence, he would answer.
"I am most afraid that Gandalf has fallen into
darkness during our passing through Moria," said Aragorn. The elves behind
Celeborn and Galadriel bowed their heads when Galadriel had turned to them
to deliver the news. She then stepped to stand beside Celeborn with sadness
etching her timeless features.
"Take your burden off your shoulders here and
have rest, no harm has yet to cross the boarders of Lorien," said Galadriel,
then turned to the elves behind her and gave them orders in Elvish. Four
of the elves scattered off to do the Lady's bidding.
"Where are they going?" asked Pippin to no one
in particular.
"To get us a place to sleep and food to eat,"
Legolas answered. "It seems that we are most welcomed here."
"You had doubt that we would not be?" asked Boromir.
He stepped out of their group to look around at their surroundings, not
really expecting an answer from the Elf. The rest of them kept their eyes
on the Lord and Lady, who stood silent amongst the shadows cast by lanterns.
In a few minutes the Elves sent away by Galadriel
returned with food and drink, setting them before the group on a small
table. Celeborn and Galadriel excused themselves and left swiftly, promising
to return soon. The Elves that had brought the food and drink also left
though without much a word. The Company stood together in deafening silence
staring at the feast before them. Aragorn strode forward, no one following
after, to pour a glass of what seemed to be wine and drank out of it. The
flavor was sweet and fruity, most likely it was an elven made fruit drink
and not wine.
He poured another glass and passed it to Myra,
who excepted it and took a seat at the table. Legolas stepped forward to
take the next glass Aragorn held forward, afterward taking the seat to
the left of Myra. Boromir took the next glass and took the seat to the
right of Myra. The rest followed in the same fashion until only Aragorn
remained to pour more of the drink into his glass, pulling a seat at the
head of the table.
"It is safe here, isn't it?" asked Sam out of
nowhere. Legolas gave him a sharp look.
"Of course it is, hobbit-friend," said Myra before
Legolas could scold the hobbit for his thought. "Pass round the food, Legolas."
She motioned to the plates near by him. He picked them up, choosing for
himself a few products for his own before passing it to Myra. Each one
took at least enough to fill their plate and then some. They ate as if
they had not eaten for days, which indeed they had not; least not as well
as they should have been eating.
The rest of the meal was in silence for the most
part with only clank of silverware or the occasional ask for a refill of
their glass. When the meal was finished the hobbits had become rather the
curious lot, which they blamed on lack of smoke, and wandered off in search
of answers. However, they did not wander far, just to the edge of the floor
where it suddenly dropped to a hundred foot fall to the ground below. None
of them stood there long to stare down, too afraid they would fall.
"Careful," called Myra. Frodo turned from the
edge to see that several of the elves had appeared again, the table had
mysteriously disappeared and was replaced by several pillows along with
a good amount of blankets. Frodo did not question the new apparatus, but
wondered just how long he had stood by the edge staring down. Gimli motioned
with one hand for Frodo to join the Company while placing his ax by his
side with the other hand.
Frodo scampered to his group of friends with a
smile on his face. He was glad they had a safe place to sleep, if only
for a short time. The beds were scattered around the flat, all the hobbits'
away from the edges; it was the only way they would agree to sleep at such
a height. They all lay in silence, but none could sleep. The small voice
of Pippin came out from the dark.
"I miss Gandalf," he simply said. No one spoke
for a few moments, taking in what the young hobbit had said; they all felt
the same way. Frodo sat up on his bed to gaze about him. He only saw the
lumps of his friends, using his memory to know which was which. In what
moonlight could escape through the trees Frodo saw that another figure
was sitting up just as he was.
"Legolas?" he asked the figure. It stirred then,
letting out a laugh.
"I have indeed underestimated the sight of hobbits,"
replied Legolas. "Or were you guessing?"
"A little bit of both, I can see your eyes twinkle
in the endangered moonlight," explained Frodo, though he knew well that
Elves could sleep sitting up with their eyes open there had just been something
about the figure to make him believe it was awake.
"Mine are the only that do so?" asked Legolas.
Frodo saw from the corner of his eye another figure sit up, from the size
he knew it to be that of Pippin.
"Yours and the lovely eyes of Myra," said Pippin.
A soft chiming laugh came from nearby Legolas, Myra by the sound of it.
After this it took no time at all for the whole Company to once again have
the lamps lit. They sat around the western most part of their guest house
in a group, blankets bundled around them to keep them warm in the driving
wind.
They sat talking fondly of Gandalf; Frodo telling
stories that Bilbo had told him of his own adventure with Gandalf. Merry
and Pippin listened intently as everyone passed around stories until their
was no one but Myra to pass to. She had sat in silence the whole time taking
in the stories unmoving and unblinking. Frodo turned to her, vaguely surprised
she had not yet shared.
"You have known Gandalf longer than anyone here.
Why will you not speak of him?" said Frodo. She cast her brown eyes to
him without speaking a word and rose to walk to the edge of the platform;
eyes searching endlessly for some lost object. Boromir rose to walk to
her, but was stopped by Frodo who laid in the way. He looked down to the
hobbit; Frodo shook his head and motioned for Boromir to sit again. Slowly
Myra began:
"I met him long, long ago when we were both still
young, in a land far beyond Middle-earth where the Istari dwelt for thousands
of years. We had not yet even taken the shape of Men and there was no darkness
upon this land. I met him in the Hall of the Fates before he had become
Grey and was only Brown. We spent much time together in the far away lands.
He taught me to ride horses and to fight with a sword.
"When the evil began to spread upon Middle-earth
we were sent in the shape of Men to help and protect this land from tyranny.
It did not very much turn that way. Gandalf and I were separated during
the Last Alliance, not to see one another until many years later when he
told me of a Ring that was found by a hobbit in the Shire. I did not know
of what he spoke; all the Rings were accounted for but one. He left again
promptly to speak with Saruman the traitor, though if I had known he had
been I would have counseled Gandalf myself.
"Before he left he told me to travel to Imladris,
Rivendell you might say, as quickly as the quickest horse could carry me.
I rode day and night with no sleep until I reached there; the night before
you hobbits arrived. Gandalf greeted me and told me the tale of Saruman's
betrayal and of the finding of the One Ring. Most importantly, he told
me who carried it and who there was that traveled with him."
"So that is how you knew of our Quest?" asked
Boromir. Myra nodded ready to tell her tale of what occurred upon reaching
Rivendell. The hobbits, who love any kinds of story, scooted closer to
her. She put one arm around Pippin at her left side and one around Sam
at her right.
"It was harsh travel, though tired I was I could
not sleep, but wished to see the Ring-bearer. I first met Bilbo Baggins,
who I had been told would be staying in Rivendell for a while. He told
me the story of how he came across the Ring in the Mines of Moria. Gandalf
came upon the two of us then, saying that Frodo had arrived in the city.
He said that you," at this point she looked over to Frodo and continued,
"had been stabbed by a Nazgul and were in desperate need of Elvish medicine.
I could not see you until you were ready. When I got the chance you had
not woken yet. I spoke with you, though I suppose you have no memory of
it."
"I in fact do not. How I wish I did! Surely it
was your soft voice that woke me. I do not remember it, that is true, but
my mind must have heard and force my eyes open so I would know who spoke
so beautifully to me. I guess my eyes were too stubborn," answered Frodo.
"Confusing as it is, I did not see you there and
never did I leave Mr. Frodo's side," said Sam then. He furrowed his brow
in thought.
"Are you saying that the Wizardess is not speaking
the truth, Sam Gamgee?" asked Gimli. Unseen by all save Legolas, Gimli
brought his hand to his ax on the ground beside him. Legolas immediately
placed a hand softly on the hand that drifted above the ax.
"Do not be foolish as I was to jump to attack.
It does more harm than good," said Legolas to the dwarf. He turned to Sam
and spoke calmly: "Are you sure you did not leave Frodo's side, Sam?"
"Not once, Prince Legolas, not once. I barely
slept unless it was in a chair right by his side, honest," said Sam. Beside
him Myra gave a adoring smile to Sam when he looked up to her. "Not that
I wish to call you a liar, indeed no."
"You do not lie, Sam. You never saw me because
you slept when I visited Frodo. My voice soothed you into deeper slumber
instead of wake you, my silly little hobbit," answered Myra. This seemed
to comfort Sam almost, to know that such a powerful being had been watching
over not only Frodo, but him as well. Sam nudged closer to Myra, snuggling
against her side.
The Company sat in silence for what could have
been hours. Each were set into their own particular thoughts and none paid
any mind to any else. Though there were some around whose thoughts dwelt
on fellow Company members. Sam thought of Frodo and wonder to himself if
he were truly all right. Both Legolas and Aragorn had their minds on Myra,
asking questions about her they dare not ask out loud. There was one who
sat, his mind bent to the Ring on its chain around the neck of Frodo.
As time past the Company, each to their own, began
to drift into sleep. The hobbits curled up about the legs of Myra on their
soft mattresses while Myra smiled and sang to them a sweet Elvish song.
Legolas sat intently listening to the words of the song, it was the same
the Elves of Lorien had been singing early. It was a lament for Gandalf.
Frodo understood little of the song, but it carried him away into the land
of slumber in such a peaceful manner he did not care what the words were.
When she knew the hobbits to be asleep she finished
the song and sat in stoic silence for a moment. Legolas watched her from
afar in the dying light of the lamps in the boughs of the trees. Her face
was lit by the fading embers, the picture of a sunset on the face of a
young maiden. Yet Legolas had the distinct feeling that she was not young
if she had known Gandalf long before any called him such a name. It was
possible that she was older then even Legolas himself.
Darkness mixed with time floated by Legolas who
sat with his back straight and his legs hidden from view under a gold and
white blanket. A chill breeze wafted through the trees which he paid no
attention to, but Myra shivered at. On either side of Legolas slept one
of his companions; to his right, Boromir and to his left, Aragorn. Gimli
was beside Aragorn sleeping with no worry. The same could not be said perhaps
for others. Legolas not once, but twice saw Frodo roll and let out a terrified
moan. As the Elf saw Myra begin to slip into sleep, Legolas heard from
Frodo Gandalf's name.
It was as though a spirit had come and splashed
water upon Frodo. He sat up gasping, looking around and calling out for
Gandalf. Soon he realized that he had only been dreaming and despaired.
With still some sleep in his muscles he pushed himself off the ground and
walked to the edge of their quarters. He stared down as if mesmerized by
what he saw. There was for a horrible moment that Legolas believed Frodo
would forgo all circumstance and jump right there and then. Instead the
hobbit raced to the stairs and ran down quickly. Once he was out of vision
Legolas stood and looked over the edge to see a figure clad in gleaming
white. It was the Lady Galadriel, Frodo giving her chase.
TBC...
Next Chapter: The Mirror of Galadriel
R&R, please!! :)