Authors Note: Sorry it's taken me a while to update - things have been
pretty hectic, but I've got a bit of a breather now. :) Thanks to those who
have reviewed thus far - I've been known to lose interest if no-one
reviews, so it's thanks to you that I've even gotten this far in the story.
Please keep the reviews coming!!! Now, without further ado, I'll get on
with the story. :)
Chapter 6: The Mission.
I eventually fell into an exhausted sleep but woke up what seemed like a short time later to the sounds of birds chirping. I grumbled into my pillow and reluctantly got up. My entire body felt stiff and sore, and as I looked at my still tear-stained face in the mirror, I gave out a long, resigned sigh -- today was, after all, the day that Galadriel was to tell Alex and I what our purpose on Middle Earth was.
I took my time getting ready - I didn't really want to leave my room, since I knew that would mean facing Alex and, even worse, Haldir. After I'd made myself look presentable, I stood in front of the door giving myself a silent pep talk, trying to sum up the courage to face everyone with a smile. Before I could finish, however, I heard a soft knock at the door.
"Lady Sarah?" came a barely-audible whisper. I took a deep breath and answered the door, already having a vague idea of who was on the other side of the door. There stood Haldir holding out a beautiful tigerlily in my direction - I could only presume that this was meant to be a peace offering. I couldn't meet his eyes but managed a shy smile as I took the flower and moved to place it in a ceramic vase that stood on a small wooden table beneath the mirror.
"Thanks," I mumbled. A sigh escaped my lips and I looked down at the ground awkwardly before facing him once again.
Haldir walked into the room and took my chin in my hand to force my eyes upwards. "I am sorry about last night, Lady Sarah. I did not mean to upset you so much, but I did mean what I said about you being special."
I could feel my cheeks starting to flush slightly. 'Why does he have to have this kind of an effect on me?' I wondered. I gazed into Haldir's eyes, and suddenly realized he was waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry too. I guess I shouldn't have read so much into it..."
Haldir chuckled. "Friends, then?"
I gave a genuine smile. "Friends. Always..."
Someone cleared their throat and we turned to see Alex trying to stand casually in the doorway. I could tell he was still feeling a little bit overprotective - even though his arms were crossed, I could see that his hands were balled up into fists and I knew he'd be ready to swing a punch if he thought I was being taken advantage of again. "Ready to go see Galadriel?" he asked.
I nodded, and, trying to ignore the butterflies that were zigzagging around my stomach, I followed Haldir and Alex out of the quarters.
Instead of going further up into the tree as we had yesterday when going to meet Galadriel, Haldir took us downwards, towards the forest floor. As we neared the ground, I caught sight of Galadriel sitting beside a bubbling brook.
She smiled warmly as we made our way to her, and once again I heard her voice in my mind. 'Do not be afraid, young Sarah. Your mission will be perilous, I cannot deny that, but your being here brings us all hope for a better tomorrow.' I tried to suppress a shudder from the sense of foreboding that her words gave me, but the shiver escaped nonetheless.
"Are you cold, Lady Sarah?" Haldir asked, noticing my shudder from the corner of his eye.
"A little. I'll be alright, though."
He clasped his cloak around my shoulders before bowing to Galadriel and leaving us to speak with her alone.
After Haldir had left, Galadriel took some of the water into a silver jug and walked to what looked like an old, stone birdbath with a silver basin in the center. 'Oh my God,' I thought, 'This must be the mirror that Frodo looked into... I hope the things we see within the mirror aren't too horrific.'
"What's she doing?" Alex whispered in my ear. I gave him an exasperated look before remembering that he hadn't read the story.
"It's a magic mirror that can reveal the past, present, and possible future," I whispered back. "I'm guessing she'll want us to look into it to find out what we're supposed to do."
"You are a very bright child," Galadriel said as she poured the water into the silver basin. "That is exactly what I want you to do. Now, come and look into the mirror."
We both stepped forward and looked into the water. "I just see my own reflec-" Alex started to say before our images started to fade and we could see something more. "Woah!"
I was just as impressed. We could see our parents and friends, followed by various elves that we had met the previous day on our journey to Lothlorien. We then saw a huge battle scene - I could almost hear the battlecries and clangs of metal hitting metal, and could almost smell the putrid stench of sweat and blood, before everything went black. I looked around and let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. My knuckles had gone white from the death grip that I had on the mirror, and I slowly released my grip.
"I know what you saw, for this battle has also been plaguing my mind. You two are key figures in this war that you have just seen. As two of Aragorn's and Arwen's descendants, you have been chosen to join the Fellowship and our allies in this battle that will determine the future of Middle Earth. Should you fail, then evil shall endure. If you succeed, then Aragorn and Arwen will be able to enjoy many happy years together. Without this happy union, you two will cease to exist. You must succeed."
'Now *that* is a mindgame...' I thought to myself. 'If we fail, we won't even be born. If we succeed, then we, and our other close relatives, get to live...' "I guess we'd better win this battle then," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt at that moment.
"You have a couple of weeks to train for battle," Galadriel stated. "Haldir and a few other scouts will remain with you until the battle is over."
I guess Galadriel had been trying to comfort us slightly by saying this, since that would mean that we at least knew *someone* who would fight by our side. But even though Haldir and I had agreed to be on friendly terms again, I found myself feeling more than a little uneasy about him joining us, especially considering there was a possibility that he (and the rest of us) might not survive.
Chapter 6: The Mission.
I eventually fell into an exhausted sleep but woke up what seemed like a short time later to the sounds of birds chirping. I grumbled into my pillow and reluctantly got up. My entire body felt stiff and sore, and as I looked at my still tear-stained face in the mirror, I gave out a long, resigned sigh -- today was, after all, the day that Galadriel was to tell Alex and I what our purpose on Middle Earth was.
I took my time getting ready - I didn't really want to leave my room, since I knew that would mean facing Alex and, even worse, Haldir. After I'd made myself look presentable, I stood in front of the door giving myself a silent pep talk, trying to sum up the courage to face everyone with a smile. Before I could finish, however, I heard a soft knock at the door.
"Lady Sarah?" came a barely-audible whisper. I took a deep breath and answered the door, already having a vague idea of who was on the other side of the door. There stood Haldir holding out a beautiful tigerlily in my direction - I could only presume that this was meant to be a peace offering. I couldn't meet his eyes but managed a shy smile as I took the flower and moved to place it in a ceramic vase that stood on a small wooden table beneath the mirror.
"Thanks," I mumbled. A sigh escaped my lips and I looked down at the ground awkwardly before facing him once again.
Haldir walked into the room and took my chin in my hand to force my eyes upwards. "I am sorry about last night, Lady Sarah. I did not mean to upset you so much, but I did mean what I said about you being special."
I could feel my cheeks starting to flush slightly. 'Why does he have to have this kind of an effect on me?' I wondered. I gazed into Haldir's eyes, and suddenly realized he was waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry too. I guess I shouldn't have read so much into it..."
Haldir chuckled. "Friends, then?"
I gave a genuine smile. "Friends. Always..."
Someone cleared their throat and we turned to see Alex trying to stand casually in the doorway. I could tell he was still feeling a little bit overprotective - even though his arms were crossed, I could see that his hands were balled up into fists and I knew he'd be ready to swing a punch if he thought I was being taken advantage of again. "Ready to go see Galadriel?" he asked.
I nodded, and, trying to ignore the butterflies that were zigzagging around my stomach, I followed Haldir and Alex out of the quarters.
Instead of going further up into the tree as we had yesterday when going to meet Galadriel, Haldir took us downwards, towards the forest floor. As we neared the ground, I caught sight of Galadriel sitting beside a bubbling brook.
She smiled warmly as we made our way to her, and once again I heard her voice in my mind. 'Do not be afraid, young Sarah. Your mission will be perilous, I cannot deny that, but your being here brings us all hope for a better tomorrow.' I tried to suppress a shudder from the sense of foreboding that her words gave me, but the shiver escaped nonetheless.
"Are you cold, Lady Sarah?" Haldir asked, noticing my shudder from the corner of his eye.
"A little. I'll be alright, though."
He clasped his cloak around my shoulders before bowing to Galadriel and leaving us to speak with her alone.
After Haldir had left, Galadriel took some of the water into a silver jug and walked to what looked like an old, stone birdbath with a silver basin in the center. 'Oh my God,' I thought, 'This must be the mirror that Frodo looked into... I hope the things we see within the mirror aren't too horrific.'
"What's she doing?" Alex whispered in my ear. I gave him an exasperated look before remembering that he hadn't read the story.
"It's a magic mirror that can reveal the past, present, and possible future," I whispered back. "I'm guessing she'll want us to look into it to find out what we're supposed to do."
"You are a very bright child," Galadriel said as she poured the water into the silver basin. "That is exactly what I want you to do. Now, come and look into the mirror."
We both stepped forward and looked into the water. "I just see my own reflec-" Alex started to say before our images started to fade and we could see something more. "Woah!"
I was just as impressed. We could see our parents and friends, followed by various elves that we had met the previous day on our journey to Lothlorien. We then saw a huge battle scene - I could almost hear the battlecries and clangs of metal hitting metal, and could almost smell the putrid stench of sweat and blood, before everything went black. I looked around and let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. My knuckles had gone white from the death grip that I had on the mirror, and I slowly released my grip.
"I know what you saw, for this battle has also been plaguing my mind. You two are key figures in this war that you have just seen. As two of Aragorn's and Arwen's descendants, you have been chosen to join the Fellowship and our allies in this battle that will determine the future of Middle Earth. Should you fail, then evil shall endure. If you succeed, then Aragorn and Arwen will be able to enjoy many happy years together. Without this happy union, you two will cease to exist. You must succeed."
'Now *that* is a mindgame...' I thought to myself. 'If we fail, we won't even be born. If we succeed, then we, and our other close relatives, get to live...' "I guess we'd better win this battle then," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt at that moment.
"You have a couple of weeks to train for battle," Galadriel stated. "Haldir and a few other scouts will remain with you until the battle is over."
I guess Galadriel had been trying to comfort us slightly by saying this, since that would mean that we at least knew *someone* who would fight by our side. But even though Haldir and I had agreed to be on friendly terms again, I found myself feeling more than a little uneasy about him joining us, especially considering there was a possibility that he (and the rest of us) might not survive.