A/N: I'll try to take suggestion about Ella becoming more powerful into
consideration this chapter. PLEASE!! Someone tell me how to do italics in
my story!
Ella returned to her room to bathe for the third time that day. She sent Terathil away, wanting solitude after the Council. She soaked in the luxurious tub and thought about her decision to join the Fellowship in their quest. She knew her decision was made almost without thought, but she had no regrets. If given more time, she would still be accompanying the Fellowship to Mordor. But she was plagued with thoughts of doubt about her value on such a perilous quest. Her magical studies were anything but complete, her swordsmanship rusty and unexceptional compared to that of her companions, and she was had no knowledge of forestry. She knew little about the people of Middle-Earth, and even less about the land and geography. What can I possibly do for the Fellowship? She thought despondently, her doubts clouding her mind and almost making her question her hasty decision.
She stepped out of the tub and was drying off when there was a knock at her door. Throwing on a soft robe, she went to answer it. In the doorway, Lady Arwen stood, resplendent in her full ball regalia, rubies glittering in her soot black hair and ear lobes, the black of her hair strikingly contrasting to the deep red velvet of her gown. More rubies adorned her neck and glimmered in her lobes. She stepped inside when Ella invited her in, and said, "We," gesturing to her maid, "are here to aid you in readying for the ball. I have brought some dresses with me that we can choose from. But we must hurry, otherwise we will be late."
"All right," Ella agreed, pushing her thoughts out of her mind for the moment. Arwen's maid revealed several dresses she was carrying and she hung them on the door of the wardrobe for Ella to see. They were all of the same basic pattern; three-quarter length bell sleeves, long full skirts, tight bodices and wide v-necks.
"I think you will look best in a green or a blue, but I did bring a yellow gown for you to try," Arwen said.
Ell first held up the green gown. It was long enough for her height. Its color was not that of an evergreen, but lighter, close to the shade of Ella's eyes. There were pale green leaves embroidered along the collar and hem of the gown. She looked in her mirror and admired herself. The color suited her, even Ella could see that much.
"I don't think I will even need to try on those others." she said, "I think this one is perfect!"
"I agree," Arwen said, smiling, "Now for the hair."
The final result of the maid's labors was a half up, half down style secured with an emerald clasp, with Ella's dark auburn hair left in its natural curls. Finally, Ella stepped into the dress, and slipped on her shoes. She was correct, the length was perfect, but frowned as she saw the height, or lack thereof, she thought, of the neckline. There was a knock on the door, and Arwen's maid opened the door precisely as Ella said matter- of-factly, "I think I'm going to fall out."
Legolas strode into the room, looking elegantly handsome in deep blue robes and said, "Fall out of what?"
Ella, desperately trying to think of something to say, knew she went beet red as she said, "Fall out of the. balcony. if I get too close." He looked at her appearance, and laughed. "You look fine," he said, leading her out, "In fact, more than fine. You will have all the other female elves jealous!"
"Right," Ella said caustically, "And then I'm going to beat you in a sword fight blindfolded."
"I will see you there," Lady Arwen called, as Ella and Legolas walked down the hallway.
Lord Elrond's hall was decorated with beautiful natural adornments, such as ribbons of green foliage strung together, and vines of flower buds. A light breeze ran through the hall, bringing in the clear smell of the outdoors. Light refreshments were served at the beginning of the evening, as well as drink. Ella and Legolas circulated around the room, talking to his elf friends. Legolas introduced her politely, and Ella liked all of them. They all made an effort to make her feel at ease and entertained. Some of them teased Legolas, but he had a sense of humor, and Ella thought it was good for him. Soon, dancing started up. The elvish music was as harmonic as the birds crooning at dawn.
"Would you care to dance?" Legolas asked. All evening, he had noticed the admiring looks Ella had received from all, and knew she would be dancing all night if she wanted to; he just hoped that some of that dancing would be with him. He could perfectly understand the admiration; she was not the most beautiful of women in the ballroom; Lady Arwen held that honor, but she was very attractive and charming in her own right.
"Small problem. I have no idea how to dance to this music," Ella said.
"'Tis no problem. I will teach you," he replied, seizing her hand and heading out onto a nearby balcony, "Unless, of course, you are worried you will fall?" he asked teasingly, earning a flinty green-eyed glare.
The steps were not complicated, and soon Ella managed to get through them, though nowhere near as gracefully as the elves. Legolas was the best partner she could have asked for, graceful as a jaguar. They danced on the balcony in silence for a couple of moments.
"I normally do not enjoy these affairs as much as I have tonight," he said, "Though I do feel slightly guilty stealing such a pretty partner for myself." Ella laughed. "You must want something for all that flattery," she said.
Legolas realized that Ella treated him like one would a brother, and liked the difference. There was no anxiety about relations between them. It was a comfortable friendship. Ella interrupted his thoughts when she announced, "I'm going to hit the hay," she said.
"Hit the hay?" he repeated, puzzled.
"Sorry. I'm going to go to sleep. We leave early tomorrow, and I want to be ready," she said. He offered to walk her back to her room, but she declined. Not wishing to return to the ball, he walked the halls and pondered her odd statement. It could be jargon from her village, but he didn't think so. He had traveled almost all of Middle-Earth in his wanderings, and never had he heard such a saying. There were other odd things she had said that didn't make sense, either. He decided to observe and talk to her during their journey to figure out what she was hiding.
In her room, Ella stripped off the gown. She had a wonderful evening, but was tired and knew tomorrow would be hard. During the course of the evening, she decided that she would work harder than ever to improve her skills. She refused to be a burden to the Fellowship. Gandalf would teach her more magic, but it was up to her to improve her physical skills. She fell into slumber wearied, but resolved.
Ella was awoken early the next day by a soft knocking at the door.
"Come in," she muttered groggily.
"My Lady, you must prepare for your journey. You asked me to wake you before the others," Terathil told Ella, bending over her bed to see if Ella was awake. Ella reluctantly swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
"I have your clothes here," Terathil said, "I have given up upon changing you into a proper young elf maid. There's a tunic, shirt and leggings. We have provided you with new boots for your journey."
"Thank you," Ella said gratefully. She hastily put on her clothes and strapped her sword to her waist after washing and pulling her hair back. She wanted to be on time, and if she was lucky, she wanted to drill with her sword before the Fellowship left. Ella wove through the hallways until she found a door leading to the outside, and jogged to the practice courts. Along the way, she randomly froze several objects, keeping her magic skills keen. Ella reached the courts and stretched, and started her drilling. She practiced all the movements that she knew once through then went to the kitchen to ask for some breakfast. The kitchen aides knew her from her first visit, and gladly provided her with fruit and bread. When she had finished, she didn't know where the Fellowship was meeting, and decided to head toward Gandalf's rooms and hope he would tell her. She was rounding the corner of a hallway, when she came face to face with Legolas.
Smiling, he said, "I did not wish to awaken you last night, so I was hoping to find you this morning. We are assembling in one of Lord Elrond's courtyards." He was dressed in his traveling clothes, and Ella thought he looked great, then scolded herself for noticing.
"Thanks for telling me, but I slept like the dead last night, so you could probably not have awakened me." Ella said.
"Then it is good I did not try. Let us go to the courtyard." Legolas said. He was carrying a pack of personal belongings as well as his bow and quiver of arrows. Ella had no personal belongings to carry, for she always wore the pendant that Gandalf had given her.
Ella and Legolas were first in the courtyard. Ella had learned last night of Arwen and Aragorn, and assumed that they were saying goodbye privately. Drawing her sword, Ella asked, "Scrimmage? I need all the practice I can get."
Agreeing, Legloas drew his sword, and instantly struck at Ella's defense. She hurriedly parried, and they continued, until Ella called a halt, panting.
"Is there anything you see that I'm doing wrong?" she asked.
"Actually, yes. When you block," he came over and took her hand, and Ella couldn't explain her sudden nervousness at his close proximity, "You come up to high and leave an opening." He again showed her, guiding her arm. Gimli stomped into the courtyard, and glared at Legolas.
"I am Ella," Ella said, introducing herself to cut away the tension.
"Pleased to meet you, I am," he replied affably for a dwarf. The dwarf seemed to hold no prejudice towards humans, or witches for that matter.
The hobbits all came into the courtyard, followed by Aragorn, Gandalf and Lord Elrond. While Bill the pony was saddled, Lord Elrond bid each of them goodbye. When he reached Ella, he pulled a book out of his robes.
"This is for you," he said, handing it to her. "We need all the help we can in this battle, and a well trained witch can be a great help. This is a book of spells, all of them useful. If you take the time to learn them, one may one day become useful."
The book was bound in tough red leather, with gold lettering on the spine. She opened the book and discovered beautiful illustrations and borders decorating the yellowed pages. The great value of the book was evident in the quality of its craftsmanship.
"Thank you very much," Ella said, surprised at the generosity. She had no place to stow it for the journey, but Legolas offered to keep it among his things during the journey.
The Fellowship set out away from Rivendell, first crossing a stone bridge, with roiling waters underneath, and trees defining the skyline above. Gandalf led the group, with Ella following him, and close behind Legolas, Boromir, the hobbits, Gimli and Aragorn bringing up the rear. They hobbits were almost always enthusiastically talking, and several times, Ella found herself wanting to drop back and join in their conversation. Boromir talked to Ella several times, and she found her first dislike of him dissipating. He was a seasoned warrior, and had a dry sense of humor that appealed to Ella. But she talked to Legolas most of the time. She was astonished to discover his age.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to lie?" she asked teasingly.
"Of course," he replied seriously, "But I really have lived for over two millennia."
Ella took moved her hand up to his face and tilted it over toward her. "There are a couple wrinkles," she said analytically, and was a little disconcerted with the blue of his eyes boring into hers, and said "But I am afraid that Gandalf looks a little better."
"Ouch," Aragorn called, from the back of the group. Legolas turned to glare at him, but Gandalf had called a halt for the day in a small valley sheltered by trees. He didn't allow a fire, so they ate a cold meal of bread and fruit. Ella had never walked all day in her life, and knew she was going to be sore tomorrow. However, she resisted the urge to sleep where she fell, and went over to where Legolas ate.
"Can I have my book?" she asked, wanting to learn a spell before she slept for the night.
"Certainly," he said, and pulled it from his belongings. The sun was just setting, and was giving everything a rosy glow. Legolas thought it made Ella more beautiful then ever, with her hair glinting and her brow contorted in concentration. Her watched as her teeth nibbled her lower lip. Aragorn saw the way Legolas was looking at Ella, and stored the information away. He did not disapprove, for it was not his place to, but he liked Ella, despite exchanging few words with her. She was honest, and had a sense of humor.
Ella opened the book. There was just enough light left for her to learn a spell. Dismayed, she found that she did not understand the language the book was written in. Her face fell, and she felt a bitter disappointment.
"What is wrong?" Legolas asked, concerned.
"I can read, but I cannot understand this," she said unhappily.
"Let me see the writing," he said. Ella handed him the book, and he read aloud, "In order to enact spell of movement, you must concentrate upon the object to be moved." He closed the book and said, "This is in elvish, which you understand when spoken." He pulled another book out of his traveling packs. "Can you read this?"
Ella looked at the writing. Some of the words were archaic to her tongue, but she was able to read it. She read a line aloud. Legolas looked puzzled, "You can read High Elvish, but you cannot read more recent text. That is unusual. If you would like, I will teach you so that you can read your book."
"Yes," Ella said, "Please teach me. But would you read the spell to me for now?"
Legolas complied, and read the rest of the description of the spell as well as the spell itself to Ella. She muttered the words under her breath several times before she got them right. Then she decided what she wanted to move first, and fixed her concentration on a rock lying on the ground. Then she said the words out loud, and released her magic.
"Did you see the rock move?" she asked Legolas.
"No," he replied honestly. Ella scowled fiercely, and commanded him to read her the words again. She concentrated on the words even harder this time, and when she repeated them and released the magic, the stone wobbled upward into the air and floated there. Ella jumped up, excited that her spell had worked, and the rock abruptly fell back to the earth with a thud. She looked around, and saw the entire Fellowship watching her.
"My only talent." Ella forlornly told the group, "And even then, it still falls after a couple of seconds!" They chuckled at her joke, and Gandalf said, "The stone fell because you lost concentration. Try again." Ella did, and still couldn't get the rock to stop wobbling. Gandalf showed her, and for a moment she felt some of his power. He moved the rock so effortlessly, that Ella felt sure that she would never become so proficient or so powerful. She tried again, and soon had small objects flying around, still careening, but moving more or less where she wanted them to. She tired quickly, and stopped for the night soon after.
The rest of the Fellowship was unrolling bedrolls and blankets. Ella followed their example, and quickly fell into a deep sleep, satisfied with her progress of the Fellowship's first day of travel.
Ella returned to her room to bathe for the third time that day. She sent Terathil away, wanting solitude after the Council. She soaked in the luxurious tub and thought about her decision to join the Fellowship in their quest. She knew her decision was made almost without thought, but she had no regrets. If given more time, she would still be accompanying the Fellowship to Mordor. But she was plagued with thoughts of doubt about her value on such a perilous quest. Her magical studies were anything but complete, her swordsmanship rusty and unexceptional compared to that of her companions, and she was had no knowledge of forestry. She knew little about the people of Middle-Earth, and even less about the land and geography. What can I possibly do for the Fellowship? She thought despondently, her doubts clouding her mind and almost making her question her hasty decision.
She stepped out of the tub and was drying off when there was a knock at her door. Throwing on a soft robe, she went to answer it. In the doorway, Lady Arwen stood, resplendent in her full ball regalia, rubies glittering in her soot black hair and ear lobes, the black of her hair strikingly contrasting to the deep red velvet of her gown. More rubies adorned her neck and glimmered in her lobes. She stepped inside when Ella invited her in, and said, "We," gesturing to her maid, "are here to aid you in readying for the ball. I have brought some dresses with me that we can choose from. But we must hurry, otherwise we will be late."
"All right," Ella agreed, pushing her thoughts out of her mind for the moment. Arwen's maid revealed several dresses she was carrying and she hung them on the door of the wardrobe for Ella to see. They were all of the same basic pattern; three-quarter length bell sleeves, long full skirts, tight bodices and wide v-necks.
"I think you will look best in a green or a blue, but I did bring a yellow gown for you to try," Arwen said.
Ell first held up the green gown. It was long enough for her height. Its color was not that of an evergreen, but lighter, close to the shade of Ella's eyes. There were pale green leaves embroidered along the collar and hem of the gown. She looked in her mirror and admired herself. The color suited her, even Ella could see that much.
"I don't think I will even need to try on those others." she said, "I think this one is perfect!"
"I agree," Arwen said, smiling, "Now for the hair."
The final result of the maid's labors was a half up, half down style secured with an emerald clasp, with Ella's dark auburn hair left in its natural curls. Finally, Ella stepped into the dress, and slipped on her shoes. She was correct, the length was perfect, but frowned as she saw the height, or lack thereof, she thought, of the neckline. There was a knock on the door, and Arwen's maid opened the door precisely as Ella said matter- of-factly, "I think I'm going to fall out."
Legolas strode into the room, looking elegantly handsome in deep blue robes and said, "Fall out of what?"
Ella, desperately trying to think of something to say, knew she went beet red as she said, "Fall out of the. balcony. if I get too close." He looked at her appearance, and laughed. "You look fine," he said, leading her out, "In fact, more than fine. You will have all the other female elves jealous!"
"Right," Ella said caustically, "And then I'm going to beat you in a sword fight blindfolded."
"I will see you there," Lady Arwen called, as Ella and Legolas walked down the hallway.
Lord Elrond's hall was decorated with beautiful natural adornments, such as ribbons of green foliage strung together, and vines of flower buds. A light breeze ran through the hall, bringing in the clear smell of the outdoors. Light refreshments were served at the beginning of the evening, as well as drink. Ella and Legolas circulated around the room, talking to his elf friends. Legolas introduced her politely, and Ella liked all of them. They all made an effort to make her feel at ease and entertained. Some of them teased Legolas, but he had a sense of humor, and Ella thought it was good for him. Soon, dancing started up. The elvish music was as harmonic as the birds crooning at dawn.
"Would you care to dance?" Legolas asked. All evening, he had noticed the admiring looks Ella had received from all, and knew she would be dancing all night if she wanted to; he just hoped that some of that dancing would be with him. He could perfectly understand the admiration; she was not the most beautiful of women in the ballroom; Lady Arwen held that honor, but she was very attractive and charming in her own right.
"Small problem. I have no idea how to dance to this music," Ella said.
"'Tis no problem. I will teach you," he replied, seizing her hand and heading out onto a nearby balcony, "Unless, of course, you are worried you will fall?" he asked teasingly, earning a flinty green-eyed glare.
The steps were not complicated, and soon Ella managed to get through them, though nowhere near as gracefully as the elves. Legolas was the best partner she could have asked for, graceful as a jaguar. They danced on the balcony in silence for a couple of moments.
"I normally do not enjoy these affairs as much as I have tonight," he said, "Though I do feel slightly guilty stealing such a pretty partner for myself." Ella laughed. "You must want something for all that flattery," she said.
Legolas realized that Ella treated him like one would a brother, and liked the difference. There was no anxiety about relations between them. It was a comfortable friendship. Ella interrupted his thoughts when she announced, "I'm going to hit the hay," she said.
"Hit the hay?" he repeated, puzzled.
"Sorry. I'm going to go to sleep. We leave early tomorrow, and I want to be ready," she said. He offered to walk her back to her room, but she declined. Not wishing to return to the ball, he walked the halls and pondered her odd statement. It could be jargon from her village, but he didn't think so. He had traveled almost all of Middle-Earth in his wanderings, and never had he heard such a saying. There were other odd things she had said that didn't make sense, either. He decided to observe and talk to her during their journey to figure out what she was hiding.
In her room, Ella stripped off the gown. She had a wonderful evening, but was tired and knew tomorrow would be hard. During the course of the evening, she decided that she would work harder than ever to improve her skills. She refused to be a burden to the Fellowship. Gandalf would teach her more magic, but it was up to her to improve her physical skills. She fell into slumber wearied, but resolved.
Ella was awoken early the next day by a soft knocking at the door.
"Come in," she muttered groggily.
"My Lady, you must prepare for your journey. You asked me to wake you before the others," Terathil told Ella, bending over her bed to see if Ella was awake. Ella reluctantly swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
"I have your clothes here," Terathil said, "I have given up upon changing you into a proper young elf maid. There's a tunic, shirt and leggings. We have provided you with new boots for your journey."
"Thank you," Ella said gratefully. She hastily put on her clothes and strapped her sword to her waist after washing and pulling her hair back. She wanted to be on time, and if she was lucky, she wanted to drill with her sword before the Fellowship left. Ella wove through the hallways until she found a door leading to the outside, and jogged to the practice courts. Along the way, she randomly froze several objects, keeping her magic skills keen. Ella reached the courts and stretched, and started her drilling. She practiced all the movements that she knew once through then went to the kitchen to ask for some breakfast. The kitchen aides knew her from her first visit, and gladly provided her with fruit and bread. When she had finished, she didn't know where the Fellowship was meeting, and decided to head toward Gandalf's rooms and hope he would tell her. She was rounding the corner of a hallway, when she came face to face with Legolas.
Smiling, he said, "I did not wish to awaken you last night, so I was hoping to find you this morning. We are assembling in one of Lord Elrond's courtyards." He was dressed in his traveling clothes, and Ella thought he looked great, then scolded herself for noticing.
"Thanks for telling me, but I slept like the dead last night, so you could probably not have awakened me." Ella said.
"Then it is good I did not try. Let us go to the courtyard." Legolas said. He was carrying a pack of personal belongings as well as his bow and quiver of arrows. Ella had no personal belongings to carry, for she always wore the pendant that Gandalf had given her.
Ella and Legolas were first in the courtyard. Ella had learned last night of Arwen and Aragorn, and assumed that they were saying goodbye privately. Drawing her sword, Ella asked, "Scrimmage? I need all the practice I can get."
Agreeing, Legloas drew his sword, and instantly struck at Ella's defense. She hurriedly parried, and they continued, until Ella called a halt, panting.
"Is there anything you see that I'm doing wrong?" she asked.
"Actually, yes. When you block," he came over and took her hand, and Ella couldn't explain her sudden nervousness at his close proximity, "You come up to high and leave an opening." He again showed her, guiding her arm. Gimli stomped into the courtyard, and glared at Legolas.
"I am Ella," Ella said, introducing herself to cut away the tension.
"Pleased to meet you, I am," he replied affably for a dwarf. The dwarf seemed to hold no prejudice towards humans, or witches for that matter.
The hobbits all came into the courtyard, followed by Aragorn, Gandalf and Lord Elrond. While Bill the pony was saddled, Lord Elrond bid each of them goodbye. When he reached Ella, he pulled a book out of his robes.
"This is for you," he said, handing it to her. "We need all the help we can in this battle, and a well trained witch can be a great help. This is a book of spells, all of them useful. If you take the time to learn them, one may one day become useful."
The book was bound in tough red leather, with gold lettering on the spine. She opened the book and discovered beautiful illustrations and borders decorating the yellowed pages. The great value of the book was evident in the quality of its craftsmanship.
"Thank you very much," Ella said, surprised at the generosity. She had no place to stow it for the journey, but Legolas offered to keep it among his things during the journey.
The Fellowship set out away from Rivendell, first crossing a stone bridge, with roiling waters underneath, and trees defining the skyline above. Gandalf led the group, with Ella following him, and close behind Legolas, Boromir, the hobbits, Gimli and Aragorn bringing up the rear. They hobbits were almost always enthusiastically talking, and several times, Ella found herself wanting to drop back and join in their conversation. Boromir talked to Ella several times, and she found her first dislike of him dissipating. He was a seasoned warrior, and had a dry sense of humor that appealed to Ella. But she talked to Legolas most of the time. She was astonished to discover his age.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to lie?" she asked teasingly.
"Of course," he replied seriously, "But I really have lived for over two millennia."
Ella took moved her hand up to his face and tilted it over toward her. "There are a couple wrinkles," she said analytically, and was a little disconcerted with the blue of his eyes boring into hers, and said "But I am afraid that Gandalf looks a little better."
"Ouch," Aragorn called, from the back of the group. Legolas turned to glare at him, but Gandalf had called a halt for the day in a small valley sheltered by trees. He didn't allow a fire, so they ate a cold meal of bread and fruit. Ella had never walked all day in her life, and knew she was going to be sore tomorrow. However, she resisted the urge to sleep where she fell, and went over to where Legolas ate.
"Can I have my book?" she asked, wanting to learn a spell before she slept for the night.
"Certainly," he said, and pulled it from his belongings. The sun was just setting, and was giving everything a rosy glow. Legolas thought it made Ella more beautiful then ever, with her hair glinting and her brow contorted in concentration. Her watched as her teeth nibbled her lower lip. Aragorn saw the way Legolas was looking at Ella, and stored the information away. He did not disapprove, for it was not his place to, but he liked Ella, despite exchanging few words with her. She was honest, and had a sense of humor.
Ella opened the book. There was just enough light left for her to learn a spell. Dismayed, she found that she did not understand the language the book was written in. Her face fell, and she felt a bitter disappointment.
"What is wrong?" Legolas asked, concerned.
"I can read, but I cannot understand this," she said unhappily.
"Let me see the writing," he said. Ella handed him the book, and he read aloud, "In order to enact spell of movement, you must concentrate upon the object to be moved." He closed the book and said, "This is in elvish, which you understand when spoken." He pulled another book out of his traveling packs. "Can you read this?"
Ella looked at the writing. Some of the words were archaic to her tongue, but she was able to read it. She read a line aloud. Legolas looked puzzled, "You can read High Elvish, but you cannot read more recent text. That is unusual. If you would like, I will teach you so that you can read your book."
"Yes," Ella said, "Please teach me. But would you read the spell to me for now?"
Legolas complied, and read the rest of the description of the spell as well as the spell itself to Ella. She muttered the words under her breath several times before she got them right. Then she decided what she wanted to move first, and fixed her concentration on a rock lying on the ground. Then she said the words out loud, and released her magic.
"Did you see the rock move?" she asked Legolas.
"No," he replied honestly. Ella scowled fiercely, and commanded him to read her the words again. She concentrated on the words even harder this time, and when she repeated them and released the magic, the stone wobbled upward into the air and floated there. Ella jumped up, excited that her spell had worked, and the rock abruptly fell back to the earth with a thud. She looked around, and saw the entire Fellowship watching her.
"My only talent." Ella forlornly told the group, "And even then, it still falls after a couple of seconds!" They chuckled at her joke, and Gandalf said, "The stone fell because you lost concentration. Try again." Ella did, and still couldn't get the rock to stop wobbling. Gandalf showed her, and for a moment she felt some of his power. He moved the rock so effortlessly, that Ella felt sure that she would never become so proficient or so powerful. She tried again, and soon had small objects flying around, still careening, but moving more or less where she wanted them to. She tired quickly, and stopped for the night soon after.
The rest of the Fellowship was unrolling bedrolls and blankets. Ella followed their example, and quickly fell into a deep sleep, satisfied with her progress of the Fellowship's first day of travel.