May it Be
By Siren
Once again, I'd like to thank those who have reviewed. You guys are amazing and I just wanted to thank you all. So now that the Fellowship is formed, Lily gets to know everyone better. This chapter will focus mainly on the Fellowship. They will begin their journey on the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy the story. ^_^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May it be an evening star
Shines strong upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
-"May it be" by Enya
"Lily, you look absolutely beautiful."
Lily twirled in front of her mother, her face lit up with happiness. They were going to a wedding reception, and her mother had helped her with her hair and makeup. The dress billowed out as she spun, and giggled. The dress was a pale blue, her favorite color. "Thank you mom," she said and hugged her tightly. Her mother returned the embrace. "You look so grown up," she said with tears in her eyes. Lily smirked. "Me grown up? Yeah, right."
Lily's mother sat her down at the vanity, and they looked in the mirror. "Someday you're going to be a beautiful young woman, Lily. You have a beautiful soul, and you better remember that." The young girl smiled. "I won't forget." Her mother knelt down next to her. "You have your father's eyes. Such emotion in those eyes." She smiled softly. "I'm so proud of you honey." Lily smiled. "I'm proud of you too." Her mother drew her into another hug. "I never want you to change." Lily smiled. "I won't."
Lightening flashed and Lily's eyes snapped open. She sat up, her breaths coming in short gasps. A sheen of sweat covered her face and mixed with her tears. She put a hand to her chest, and felt her heart racing beneath it. Choking back a sob, she threw the covers off of her. She stood on trembling legs, and looked around. It was still late at night, and moonlight drifted into her room. She brushed the sweat off of her face, and shivered. She hated the memories. This one had felt more real than the last. She could still feel her mother's embrace, and fought to keep the tears at bay.
Stepping onto her balcony, she looked at the quiet paradise that was Rivendell. Everything was silent and peaceful, and the breeze was soft and cool. Her mother's soft voice echoed in her mind, and she shook her head to clear it. 'I never want you to change...' Her mother looked so proud of her that day. Lily let out a sob. But she had changed. She was empty now, and she didn't see any of the beauty that her mother did. Leaning against the railing, she suddenly felt very weary and worn.
She missed them dearly. The memories would never stop haunting her, and that brought sorrow to her heart. She would watch the memories over and over again, knowing that her mother would never hold her ever again. If her mother saw her now, she'd be disgusted. Her daughter, her pride and joy, was now an empty shell. "I don't know why I joined the Fellowship. I'm going to be nothing but a burden to them," she muttered to herself.
Sighing deeply, she wiped her tears away. She walked back into her room, and looked at her bed. Her body was tired and craved a good night's rest, but she knew that her heart would not allow it. Opening her door, she left her room, and walked down the empty halls. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet, but she didn't notice or care. A breeze drifted down the long corridor, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Walking out of the palace, she headed towards the woods. Touching one of the trees, she put her back against it and felt herself slide to the ground. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she allowed herself to cry freely beneath the moonlight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas blinked as the sun rose. Standing up, he stretched a bit. Yesterday had been interesting to say the least. The Fellowship was formed. Among them were four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, three humans, Aragorn, Boromir and Lily, a wizard, Gandalf, and a dwarf, Gimli. The dwarf was his least favorite. Elves were taught to dislike dwarves, but it was Gimli's personality that put him off the most.
Leaving his room, he walked down the hall to Lily's. They had formed a routine, it seemed, where Legolas would be there when she woke up. He had somehow managed to become her lifeline in her dreams. Why she had such terrible nightmares, he did not know. But she wasn't ready to talk about it and he wasn't going to push her. Opening the door, he stepped inside her room. He blinked when he saw the tossed covers in the empty room. But what frightened him the most was that Lily wasn't in it.
Excuses for her absence ran through his mind. Had she been kidnapped? Was she hurt? Was she dead? He turned to alert the guards, but was met by a very tired human. Protective anger flared in his eyes, and he grabbed her by the shoulders. "What were you thinking? When you weren't here I thought something terrible had happened to you, you foolish human!" Lily looked up at him, and he was surprised to see the emptiness in her eyes. "What happened?" he asked in a softer tone.
Lily shrugged his hands off and walked into her room. "Nothing happened. I just couldn't sleep." She sat down on the bed, and wrapped her arms around herself. He knelt in front of her and searched her eyes worriedly. "Was it the nightmares?" She nodded, and he felt his stomach churn. "Do you want to talk about it?" Again she said nothing but shook her head. "You look exhausted." She nodded. "I feel it." Standing up, he pulled the covers back a bit. "Lay down." Lily shook her head.
"I don't want to go back to sleep. I don't think I could even if I wanted to." The elf sat down next to her. "I'll be here," he said softly. Lily looked at him, and complied. She laid down, and Legolas pulled the covers over her. She curled up under them, her eyes still open and unblinking. Legolas walked around the bed and laid down next to her. Pulling her against him, he felt her sigh. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I just needed to get out of my room for a little bit."
Legolas nodded. "I understand. But the next time that you have a nightmare and can't sleep, I want you to come and get me, all right?" Lily nodded. Humming a soft elvish tune, he saw Lily's eyes droop, and felt her body relax against his. Once she was asleep, he brushed the hair away from her face. These nightmares were killing her, and he cursed himself for not being there for her this time. He had been there before when she had woken up from a nightmare, but it hadn't been this bad. From the look in her eyes, she hadn't slept that much at all.
"What haunts you so?" he asked softly, and tightened his grip on her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a few hours of rest, Lily opened her eyes. She had no dreams when she slept, and silently thanked Legolas for that. Feeling his arm around her waist, she placed her hand over his. He was like a lifeline to her, and she cursed herself for needing him so much. He was the only friend she had in this world, and despite her heart's objections, she depended on him. After living without having anyone, she suddenly found herself with a close friend. It was new to her, and yet so familiar.
She had had friends when she was young, of course. But after her family's death, they started disappearing. Sarah was the last one to give up on her. Her 'best' friend. She and Sarah were close, and she valued their friendship dearly. But after her loss, Sarah became more distant. She preoccupied herself with boys and making new friends. It was as though she were ashamed of Lily, and no longer wanted her to play an active role in her life. It hurt to see her friend pull away, but she didn't stop her. Her friend wanted to move on, and she refused to stand in her way.
After Sarah left, Lily was alone. Her foster family fed her, clothed her, gave her shelter and sent her to school. But she made no emotional attachments to them, and when she left for college she didn't leave anything behind. She had nothing to hold on to. But now she was here, and she had a friend. Someone cared about her, and it frightened her when she thought of losing him. Turning around, she faced him. His eyes were open, yet glazed over. He was wandering in the world of dreams.
Hesitantly, she touched his face. Despite what he told her about the ways elves slept, she still had to remind herself that he wasn't dead. Trailing her hand up his cheek, she suddenly found herself very curious about his ears. Elvish hearing was supposed to be amazing, but his ears didn't look that much different from her's, save the pointed tip. Brushing the blonde hair away from his ears, she traced the cartilage to the pointed tip. Her fingers than trailed to his earlobe, and she found her curiosity growing. What was it about the elves that made them so different?
Her hand went back to his face, where she traced his features. His forehead, his cheek, the bridge of his nose...she was searching for something but didn't know what. Stroking his cheek a bit, she looked at his eyes. The eyes were what made the elves different. They were so deep, so endless. The more she searched his eyes, the more lost in them she became. She saw him blink, and the glazed look faded. His eyes became alert, and he looked at her in confusion.
" 'Quel amrun," she greeted in the same tongue he had greeted her one morning. Legolas smiled. " 'Quel amrun," he replied. She looked a bit better than the night before, much to his relief. She glanced over him and at the window. "I think it's 'good afternoon' actually," she said with a smile. Legolas blinked and sat up. It was well into the afternoon infact. He looked over at Lily who was now standing. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Lily smiled at him. "Better. I didn't have anymore nightmares." Standing up, the elf stretched for a second time. "Are you hungry?" Lily nodded. "Absolutely." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily and Legolas walked into the dining hall, only to find two hobbits there. They saw the elf and human and smiled brightly. "Hello there Mr. Legolas, Lady Lily. How are you this fine afternoon?" Legolas smiled. "We are fine, Master Pippin. And how are you two fairing?" "We're fine. Just about to eat, actually. Would you like to join us?" Lily smiled. "Certainly, Master Pippin. Do you mind, Master Merry?" Merry shook his head. "Not at all, milady."
Once they were sitting, Pippin brought over two plates. One look at the food though, and she suddenly found herself not very hungry. The food looked and smelled delicious, but memories of the night before surfaced and she wasn't sure she could handle food. Seeing her uncertain face, Legolas handed her an apple. "If the dreams still trouble you than eat something small." Lily smiled gratefully and took it. "Why would dreams trouble you milady? Dreams are wonderful," Pippin piped in. He received a bop on the head from Merry. "She obviously had a BAD dream, Pip," he growled.
Lily laughed and ruffled Pippin's hair. "No, he's right. Dreams are wonderful. It's the nightmares that are bothersome." Pippin nodded. "I agree with you on that. I once dreamt that there was no food anywhere, and no matter how hard and far I searched, there was nothing. It was terrible!" Merry simply rolled his eyes and muttered 'hopeless hobbit.' Lily giggled. "I can only imagine how terrifying that was." Pippin sighed dramatically. "Oh it was horrible. There was no pie, no food, no ale. It was a hobbit's worst nightmare. What's your worst nightmare, Lady Lily?"
Lily looked away. "Um, I'm not sure. I guess that my worst nightmare would have to be of walking into my classroom naked with everyone looking at me," she lied. (A.N.- But it is SO true!) Pippin and Merry burst into laughter. "I would imagine that that would be quite frightening," Merry said between laughs. Pippin blinked. "I wouldn't mind seeing her naked." Merry whacked his head. "PIPPIN!" Lily smiled and stood up. Giving Pippin a kiss on the forehead, she smiled. "You're very flattering, Pippin," she said and left the dining hall. Pippin touched his forehead and grinned widely. "She kissed me! Merry, she kissed me!" "Out of pity, I'm sure," the other hobbit muttered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once out of the dining hall, Lily walked back to her room and changed into a pair of leggings and a short-sleeved shirt. Slipping on her boots, she walked outside. The sun was shining, and Rivendell was as beautiful as ever. Glancing up at the cloudless sky, she didn't see the person in front of her. She stumbled back with an 'oomph!' Looking up, she saw a somewhat annoyed Boromir. "She can't even watch where she's going, yet she wants to join the Fellowship."
Lily lifted an eyebrow. "Wants to join? I did join. I'm sorry that I bumped into you; I was busy looking at the sky. Isn't it beautiful?" Boromir's face softened a bit, and he nodded. "The sky is quite beautiful today, but I fear it shall become less fanciful when our journey begins." Lily saw his face darken a bit, and offered a small smile. "Well than, we'll just have to complete the journey quickly so that we can see the beautiful skies again."
Boromir smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, we shall. I must go to the armory, but I will see you soon, Lady Lily." He bowed and walked away. Lily blinked. "I've never been bowed to before." Shrugging, she continued her walk. Walking into the gardens, she was once again in awe of Rivendell's beauty. Flowers blossomed all around her, and the sweet scent of roses filled the air. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "It's a terrible stench, isn't it?" Opening her eyes, she saw Gimli standing before her, leaning on his axe.
"I think it smells wonderful," she said with a slight smile. Gimli frowned, his eyes filled with disdain. "You're fond of the elves I take it." Lily nodded. "They saved my life," she answered. The dwarf growled. "Elves are nothing but silly creatures who like to frolic about. They care nothing about the world around them." Lily frowned. "It's quite the opposite in fact. The elves care about everything around them. Why do you have such a grudge against them?" Gimli snorted. "They imprisoned my father." Somehow, Lily had a feeling that he deserved it.
"What did your father do?" Gimli shook his head. "Nothing. They imprisoned him because he was a dwarf." Lily frowned. "I doubt that." Gimli's eyes narrowed. "I have a feeling that we aren't going to get along." She shrugged. "That's sad to hear, but it's your loss." Growling, Gimli walked away, leaving Lily to herself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the day wore on, she met a few more people. Among them were Frodo and Sam. Both were very kind and considerate, and the bond between the two was obvious. Sam tried to teach her the art of gardening, but Lily soon gave up. Despite her lack of knowledge, Sam vowed to make a gardener out of her. Frodo was very quiet, but also very kind. He reminded her of her younger brother, Tom, and it pained her heart to see him so burdened.
Watching Frodo and Sam walk towards the dining hall, Lily heard a twig snap behind her. "His journey will be a difficult one," a deep voice said behind her. She turned to see Aragorn, his eyes locked on the retreating hobbits. "But we'll be there to help him, right? I mean, that's why we're traveling with him." He looked at her for a moment. "Legolas tells me that you're from another world. Is this true?" Lily nodded. "Perhaps you are the answer to our prayers," he mused.
Lily shook her head. "I doubt that. You heard me yesterday. I have no fighting or healing skills. I'm useless in a fight." Aragorn smiled. "No one is useless, Lady Lily. Everyone has a valuable skill. You just need to discover your's." She smiled a bit. "We leave tomorrow morning. I suggest that you rest, milady. The journey will be a difficult one." She nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later, Aragorn." He smiled and walked away.
Walking back into Elrond's palace, her heart felt a bit lighter. Almost everyone she had met today was kind, except for the dwarf. She sighed. She couldn't fathom why he disliked elves. Elves were kind, pure creatures. Walking down the hall to her room, she stopped in front of Legolas's. Peering inside, she saw him reading something, his brow knitted in concentration. Walking inside, she made sure to be quiet. Sneaking up behind his chair, she peered over his shoulder.
The words were written in a language that she couldn't read, and she pouted. "It's written in elvish," Legolas said without looking up. Lily blinked. "How did you know I was here?" Legolas turned the page. "Elvish hearing." Pouting, she walked around him and sat down in front of him. A few minutes passed, and Lily grew weary of the silence. "What are you reading?" His eyes never leaving the page, he answered, "history of Mirkwood." Lily nodded. "Oh."
More silence. Grinning, Lily stood up and walked behind his chair again. "I've been wondering, just how sensitive are elvish ears?" She blew on the pointed tip a bit, and laughed when he fidgeted. "Very sensitive," he answered. She smiled. "Really?" She blew on it again, only to hear him sigh. "You're not going to let me finish reading, are you?" She shook her head. "Nope. Reading is boring, especially when I can't read the letters." Legolas turned around a bit in his chair. "If I taught you how to read elvish, would you let me read?" Lily nodded and grinned.
"Fine, fine. If it'll let me finish reading, I'll teach you." Holding the book with one hand, he took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Holding the book in front of him, he opened to the first page. "Elvish is very complicated. Are you certain you wish to learn it?" Lily looked at him with a small smile. "Do you ever want to finish reading this?" Legolas blinked. "Point taken," he said. Turning back to the book, he began to teach her, a smile never leaving her face.
A.N.- I know I didn't bring Gandalf into this one. I'll bring him into the next one, I promise.
Once again, I'd like to thank those who have reviewed. You guys are amazing and I just wanted to thank you all. So now that the Fellowship is formed, Lily gets to know everyone better. This chapter will focus mainly on the Fellowship. They will begin their journey on the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy the story. ^_^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May it be an evening star
Shines strong upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
-"May it be" by Enya
"Lily, you look absolutely beautiful."
Lily twirled in front of her mother, her face lit up with happiness. They were going to a wedding reception, and her mother had helped her with her hair and makeup. The dress billowed out as she spun, and giggled. The dress was a pale blue, her favorite color. "Thank you mom," she said and hugged her tightly. Her mother returned the embrace. "You look so grown up," she said with tears in her eyes. Lily smirked. "Me grown up? Yeah, right."
Lily's mother sat her down at the vanity, and they looked in the mirror. "Someday you're going to be a beautiful young woman, Lily. You have a beautiful soul, and you better remember that." The young girl smiled. "I won't forget." Her mother knelt down next to her. "You have your father's eyes. Such emotion in those eyes." She smiled softly. "I'm so proud of you honey." Lily smiled. "I'm proud of you too." Her mother drew her into another hug. "I never want you to change." Lily smiled. "I won't."
Lightening flashed and Lily's eyes snapped open. She sat up, her breaths coming in short gasps. A sheen of sweat covered her face and mixed with her tears. She put a hand to her chest, and felt her heart racing beneath it. Choking back a sob, she threw the covers off of her. She stood on trembling legs, and looked around. It was still late at night, and moonlight drifted into her room. She brushed the sweat off of her face, and shivered. She hated the memories. This one had felt more real than the last. She could still feel her mother's embrace, and fought to keep the tears at bay.
Stepping onto her balcony, she looked at the quiet paradise that was Rivendell. Everything was silent and peaceful, and the breeze was soft and cool. Her mother's soft voice echoed in her mind, and she shook her head to clear it. 'I never want you to change...' Her mother looked so proud of her that day. Lily let out a sob. But she had changed. She was empty now, and she didn't see any of the beauty that her mother did. Leaning against the railing, she suddenly felt very weary and worn.
She missed them dearly. The memories would never stop haunting her, and that brought sorrow to her heart. She would watch the memories over and over again, knowing that her mother would never hold her ever again. If her mother saw her now, she'd be disgusted. Her daughter, her pride and joy, was now an empty shell. "I don't know why I joined the Fellowship. I'm going to be nothing but a burden to them," she muttered to herself.
Sighing deeply, she wiped her tears away. She walked back into her room, and looked at her bed. Her body was tired and craved a good night's rest, but she knew that her heart would not allow it. Opening her door, she left her room, and walked down the empty halls. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet, but she didn't notice or care. A breeze drifted down the long corridor, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Walking out of the palace, she headed towards the woods. Touching one of the trees, she put her back against it and felt herself slide to the ground. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she allowed herself to cry freely beneath the moonlight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas blinked as the sun rose. Standing up, he stretched a bit. Yesterday had been interesting to say the least. The Fellowship was formed. Among them were four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, three humans, Aragorn, Boromir and Lily, a wizard, Gandalf, and a dwarf, Gimli. The dwarf was his least favorite. Elves were taught to dislike dwarves, but it was Gimli's personality that put him off the most.
Leaving his room, he walked down the hall to Lily's. They had formed a routine, it seemed, where Legolas would be there when she woke up. He had somehow managed to become her lifeline in her dreams. Why she had such terrible nightmares, he did not know. But she wasn't ready to talk about it and he wasn't going to push her. Opening the door, he stepped inside her room. He blinked when he saw the tossed covers in the empty room. But what frightened him the most was that Lily wasn't in it.
Excuses for her absence ran through his mind. Had she been kidnapped? Was she hurt? Was she dead? He turned to alert the guards, but was met by a very tired human. Protective anger flared in his eyes, and he grabbed her by the shoulders. "What were you thinking? When you weren't here I thought something terrible had happened to you, you foolish human!" Lily looked up at him, and he was surprised to see the emptiness in her eyes. "What happened?" he asked in a softer tone.
Lily shrugged his hands off and walked into her room. "Nothing happened. I just couldn't sleep." She sat down on the bed, and wrapped her arms around herself. He knelt in front of her and searched her eyes worriedly. "Was it the nightmares?" She nodded, and he felt his stomach churn. "Do you want to talk about it?" Again she said nothing but shook her head. "You look exhausted." She nodded. "I feel it." Standing up, he pulled the covers back a bit. "Lay down." Lily shook her head.
"I don't want to go back to sleep. I don't think I could even if I wanted to." The elf sat down next to her. "I'll be here," he said softly. Lily looked at him, and complied. She laid down, and Legolas pulled the covers over her. She curled up under them, her eyes still open and unblinking. Legolas walked around the bed and laid down next to her. Pulling her against him, he felt her sigh. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I just needed to get out of my room for a little bit."
Legolas nodded. "I understand. But the next time that you have a nightmare and can't sleep, I want you to come and get me, all right?" Lily nodded. Humming a soft elvish tune, he saw Lily's eyes droop, and felt her body relax against his. Once she was asleep, he brushed the hair away from her face. These nightmares were killing her, and he cursed himself for not being there for her this time. He had been there before when she had woken up from a nightmare, but it hadn't been this bad. From the look in her eyes, she hadn't slept that much at all.
"What haunts you so?" he asked softly, and tightened his grip on her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a few hours of rest, Lily opened her eyes. She had no dreams when she slept, and silently thanked Legolas for that. Feeling his arm around her waist, she placed her hand over his. He was like a lifeline to her, and she cursed herself for needing him so much. He was the only friend she had in this world, and despite her heart's objections, she depended on him. After living without having anyone, she suddenly found herself with a close friend. It was new to her, and yet so familiar.
She had had friends when she was young, of course. But after her family's death, they started disappearing. Sarah was the last one to give up on her. Her 'best' friend. She and Sarah were close, and she valued their friendship dearly. But after her loss, Sarah became more distant. She preoccupied herself with boys and making new friends. It was as though she were ashamed of Lily, and no longer wanted her to play an active role in her life. It hurt to see her friend pull away, but she didn't stop her. Her friend wanted to move on, and she refused to stand in her way.
After Sarah left, Lily was alone. Her foster family fed her, clothed her, gave her shelter and sent her to school. But she made no emotional attachments to them, and when she left for college she didn't leave anything behind. She had nothing to hold on to. But now she was here, and she had a friend. Someone cared about her, and it frightened her when she thought of losing him. Turning around, she faced him. His eyes were open, yet glazed over. He was wandering in the world of dreams.
Hesitantly, she touched his face. Despite what he told her about the ways elves slept, she still had to remind herself that he wasn't dead. Trailing her hand up his cheek, she suddenly found herself very curious about his ears. Elvish hearing was supposed to be amazing, but his ears didn't look that much different from her's, save the pointed tip. Brushing the blonde hair away from his ears, she traced the cartilage to the pointed tip. Her fingers than trailed to his earlobe, and she found her curiosity growing. What was it about the elves that made them so different?
Her hand went back to his face, where she traced his features. His forehead, his cheek, the bridge of his nose...she was searching for something but didn't know what. Stroking his cheek a bit, she looked at his eyes. The eyes were what made the elves different. They were so deep, so endless. The more she searched his eyes, the more lost in them she became. She saw him blink, and the glazed look faded. His eyes became alert, and he looked at her in confusion.
" 'Quel amrun," she greeted in the same tongue he had greeted her one morning. Legolas smiled. " 'Quel amrun," he replied. She looked a bit better than the night before, much to his relief. She glanced over him and at the window. "I think it's 'good afternoon' actually," she said with a smile. Legolas blinked and sat up. It was well into the afternoon infact. He looked over at Lily who was now standing. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Lily smiled at him. "Better. I didn't have anymore nightmares." Standing up, the elf stretched for a second time. "Are you hungry?" Lily nodded. "Absolutely." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily and Legolas walked into the dining hall, only to find two hobbits there. They saw the elf and human and smiled brightly. "Hello there Mr. Legolas, Lady Lily. How are you this fine afternoon?" Legolas smiled. "We are fine, Master Pippin. And how are you two fairing?" "We're fine. Just about to eat, actually. Would you like to join us?" Lily smiled. "Certainly, Master Pippin. Do you mind, Master Merry?" Merry shook his head. "Not at all, milady."
Once they were sitting, Pippin brought over two plates. One look at the food though, and she suddenly found herself not very hungry. The food looked and smelled delicious, but memories of the night before surfaced and she wasn't sure she could handle food. Seeing her uncertain face, Legolas handed her an apple. "If the dreams still trouble you than eat something small." Lily smiled gratefully and took it. "Why would dreams trouble you milady? Dreams are wonderful," Pippin piped in. He received a bop on the head from Merry. "She obviously had a BAD dream, Pip," he growled.
Lily laughed and ruffled Pippin's hair. "No, he's right. Dreams are wonderful. It's the nightmares that are bothersome." Pippin nodded. "I agree with you on that. I once dreamt that there was no food anywhere, and no matter how hard and far I searched, there was nothing. It was terrible!" Merry simply rolled his eyes and muttered 'hopeless hobbit.' Lily giggled. "I can only imagine how terrifying that was." Pippin sighed dramatically. "Oh it was horrible. There was no pie, no food, no ale. It was a hobbit's worst nightmare. What's your worst nightmare, Lady Lily?"
Lily looked away. "Um, I'm not sure. I guess that my worst nightmare would have to be of walking into my classroom naked with everyone looking at me," she lied. (A.N.- But it is SO true!) Pippin and Merry burst into laughter. "I would imagine that that would be quite frightening," Merry said between laughs. Pippin blinked. "I wouldn't mind seeing her naked." Merry whacked his head. "PIPPIN!" Lily smiled and stood up. Giving Pippin a kiss on the forehead, she smiled. "You're very flattering, Pippin," she said and left the dining hall. Pippin touched his forehead and grinned widely. "She kissed me! Merry, she kissed me!" "Out of pity, I'm sure," the other hobbit muttered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once out of the dining hall, Lily walked back to her room and changed into a pair of leggings and a short-sleeved shirt. Slipping on her boots, she walked outside. The sun was shining, and Rivendell was as beautiful as ever. Glancing up at the cloudless sky, she didn't see the person in front of her. She stumbled back with an 'oomph!' Looking up, she saw a somewhat annoyed Boromir. "She can't even watch where she's going, yet she wants to join the Fellowship."
Lily lifted an eyebrow. "Wants to join? I did join. I'm sorry that I bumped into you; I was busy looking at the sky. Isn't it beautiful?" Boromir's face softened a bit, and he nodded. "The sky is quite beautiful today, but I fear it shall become less fanciful when our journey begins." Lily saw his face darken a bit, and offered a small smile. "Well than, we'll just have to complete the journey quickly so that we can see the beautiful skies again."
Boromir smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, we shall. I must go to the armory, but I will see you soon, Lady Lily." He bowed and walked away. Lily blinked. "I've never been bowed to before." Shrugging, she continued her walk. Walking into the gardens, she was once again in awe of Rivendell's beauty. Flowers blossomed all around her, and the sweet scent of roses filled the air. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "It's a terrible stench, isn't it?" Opening her eyes, she saw Gimli standing before her, leaning on his axe.
"I think it smells wonderful," she said with a slight smile. Gimli frowned, his eyes filled with disdain. "You're fond of the elves I take it." Lily nodded. "They saved my life," she answered. The dwarf growled. "Elves are nothing but silly creatures who like to frolic about. They care nothing about the world around them." Lily frowned. "It's quite the opposite in fact. The elves care about everything around them. Why do you have such a grudge against them?" Gimli snorted. "They imprisoned my father." Somehow, Lily had a feeling that he deserved it.
"What did your father do?" Gimli shook his head. "Nothing. They imprisoned him because he was a dwarf." Lily frowned. "I doubt that." Gimli's eyes narrowed. "I have a feeling that we aren't going to get along." She shrugged. "That's sad to hear, but it's your loss." Growling, Gimli walked away, leaving Lily to herself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the day wore on, she met a few more people. Among them were Frodo and Sam. Both were very kind and considerate, and the bond between the two was obvious. Sam tried to teach her the art of gardening, but Lily soon gave up. Despite her lack of knowledge, Sam vowed to make a gardener out of her. Frodo was very quiet, but also very kind. He reminded her of her younger brother, Tom, and it pained her heart to see him so burdened.
Watching Frodo and Sam walk towards the dining hall, Lily heard a twig snap behind her. "His journey will be a difficult one," a deep voice said behind her. She turned to see Aragorn, his eyes locked on the retreating hobbits. "But we'll be there to help him, right? I mean, that's why we're traveling with him." He looked at her for a moment. "Legolas tells me that you're from another world. Is this true?" Lily nodded. "Perhaps you are the answer to our prayers," he mused.
Lily shook her head. "I doubt that. You heard me yesterday. I have no fighting or healing skills. I'm useless in a fight." Aragorn smiled. "No one is useless, Lady Lily. Everyone has a valuable skill. You just need to discover your's." She smiled a bit. "We leave tomorrow morning. I suggest that you rest, milady. The journey will be a difficult one." She nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later, Aragorn." He smiled and walked away.
Walking back into Elrond's palace, her heart felt a bit lighter. Almost everyone she had met today was kind, except for the dwarf. She sighed. She couldn't fathom why he disliked elves. Elves were kind, pure creatures. Walking down the hall to her room, she stopped in front of Legolas's. Peering inside, she saw him reading something, his brow knitted in concentration. Walking inside, she made sure to be quiet. Sneaking up behind his chair, she peered over his shoulder.
The words were written in a language that she couldn't read, and she pouted. "It's written in elvish," Legolas said without looking up. Lily blinked. "How did you know I was here?" Legolas turned the page. "Elvish hearing." Pouting, she walked around him and sat down in front of him. A few minutes passed, and Lily grew weary of the silence. "What are you reading?" His eyes never leaving the page, he answered, "history of Mirkwood." Lily nodded. "Oh."
More silence. Grinning, Lily stood up and walked behind his chair again. "I've been wondering, just how sensitive are elvish ears?" She blew on the pointed tip a bit, and laughed when he fidgeted. "Very sensitive," he answered. She smiled. "Really?" She blew on it again, only to hear him sigh. "You're not going to let me finish reading, are you?" She shook her head. "Nope. Reading is boring, especially when I can't read the letters." Legolas turned around a bit in his chair. "If I taught you how to read elvish, would you let me read?" Lily nodded and grinned.
"Fine, fine. If it'll let me finish reading, I'll teach you." Holding the book with one hand, he took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Holding the book in front of him, he opened to the first page. "Elvish is very complicated. Are you certain you wish to learn it?" Lily looked at him with a small smile. "Do you ever want to finish reading this?" Legolas blinked. "Point taken," he said. Turning back to the book, he began to teach her, a smile never leaving her face.
A.N.- I know I didn't bring Gandalf into this one. I'll bring him into the next one, I promise.
