"Elrond looked rather serious earlier, didn't he?" Ariel asked Frodo as they walked to meet up with the others.
"This is a serious matter. Surely there is a reason why Lord Elrond was grave," he replied.
"Well, I would have thought you knew why. You sure knew about this whole prophecy thing," she said rather coldly.
"What was I supposed to do? Lord Elrond himself told me not to say a word to you nor the others," he said, almost annoyed.
"Look, it just bothers me when I am not 'allowed' to know something. That's all… I'm not intending on sounding rude or anything, but…"
"You do not want to be left behind in all this," he finished.
She nodded and then sighed.
"Hey you two! Why so gloomy?" Merry asked. He and Pippin were walking down a nearby stairway, and caught up with Ariel and Frodo.
"What are you up to?" Pippin asked.
"We're going to see Lord Elrond at his request. Where's Sam?" Frodo asked.
"He's packing. Say's the wife and kids will worry soon if he doesn't go home," Merry explained.
"Will you be leaving soon, too?" Ariel asked them.
"Depends…" said Pippin.
"Depends on what?"
"Rather or not we feel like leaving… or if they tell us to leave…" Merry said.
"Makes sense… I guess…" Ariel shrugged.
"Of course it does," said Merry.
Shortly afterwards, Sam joined up with his fellow hobbits. Then, the hobbits headed into the room, on the bottom floor, in which Elrond, Aragorn, and Gandalf were waiting for them. They were the first ones to arrive, for once. Kaysie, Legolas, Ley, and Negolas entered next. It seemed the hostility between them had faltered, or perhaps left completely, Ariel did not know for sure. Sarah and Edro then came in last, nobody looked up at them. Past events still played in their minds.
Elrond stepped forward.
"We all know of the foretold shadows, that is why you four have returned. Because our enemy remains faceless, we have no real way of protecting you." He paused to look at each face in the room. Then he began again. "That is why the court of Lord Ellesar and my court have decided it best if you were to travel with my company to Rivendell."
The room was silent. Finally, Aragorn spoke up.
"I highly recommend that you leave with Lord Elrond. They offer nothing but the best in hospitality in Rivendell," Aragorn said with a grin.
"We have also set up a surprise for you in Rivendell," Gandalf smiled in a sly way.
"Surprise? What kind of surprise?" Ariel asked.
"Gandalf laughed. "Hopefully, one you will enjoy!"
"You will have time to think this over. We shall disembark this evening," Elrond concluded. He gave a stiff nod, signaling the meeting was over.
As they left the room, Ariel said, "Alright! Rivendell! I will finally get to see some normal elves!"
"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Kaysie, Ley, and Sarah exclaimed as the same time.
"Uh… well, if you were normal, you wouldn't take that into offense… yeah… so that means you must be wacko elves," she said as she backed away from the advancing, towering shadows.
"If you'll excuse us!" Frodo blurted. He grabbed Ariel by the wrist. "We must speak with Gandalf…"
He hastily led her away from the frightful elves (or at least they were frightful from a hobbit's point of view).
"You really ought to watch what you say," he warned her when they were a safe distance away.
"Yeah, but they know I'm joking… I think… well, they never take anything I say that seriously," she explained.
"Even so, what if one day they take your jokes the wrong way?"
"I guess you're right," she sighed. "Maybe I should lighten up a little. Seeing as how they aren't too happy with that Edro fellow."
"But he did seem to come out of nowhere," Frodo said.
"Not you too! I've yet to see him do anything wrong. I mean, pushing Legolas is one thing… but this world isn't going to disappear tomorrow because of it."
"So then, you are willing to trust him?"
"Hm. I suppose. Sarah's my best friend, and if she truly feels for this guy… er, elf, then I will stand beside her judgment; so as I will support Kaysie and Legolas, and Ley and Negolas. I'm happy whenever everyone else is happy too!" Her contentment had shown through her speech. Her bright smile aligned perfectly with the expression in her eyes.
"Alright then, if you are willing giving him a chance, then so will I," Frodo said.
"Right! No more fighting, just peacefulness!" She gave a childish laugh.
***
When everyone was packed and ready to go, they gathered at the main doors of the castle. Elrond and Gandalf were exceedingly pleased with their decisions to accompany them to Rivendell.
"My kingdom may not be as fair as Lord Elrond's, but… may I ask for a reason why you all are so eager to leave?" Aragorn asked them lightheartedly.
No one caught the joke and tried thinking of a way to explain. Arwen, who was also there to wish them a safe departure, nudge Aragorn and playfully whispered, "Not all of us can be as funny as you, dear."
Soon, the whole company appeared, mostly elves and dwarves.
"I didn't know this many people would be coming," Ariel said in awe.
"The world doesn't revolve around us, you know," Kaysie replied to her comment.
Ariel stuck her tongue out in reply.
As they stood outside waiting for the final preparations, Ley spotted an apple tree. While no one seemed looking, she went over and picked an apple off the tree.
"What is that for, Ley?" Negolas questioned as she placed it in her backpack.
"Just… something to snack on," she shrugged.
"How many elves does it take to get to Rivendell?" Gimli said aloud after some time of waiting.
Legolas and Negolas stood on each side of him.
"That depends on many factors, Master Dwarf," Legolas said.
Gimli looked at them both. "And what factors would that be?"
"Depends on how many dwarves decide to come along," Negolas said.
They laughed. Everyone was then set to go. Elrond stood in the center of the crowd to direct them.
"The first company I assigned will head out in a few minutes. Then my company will leave. Followed by the others I assigned. You know who you are."
Ariel watched as a group of warrior-like elves took off at full speed. Then she felt a tap on the back of her shoulder. She turned around and saw that it was Merry and Pippin.
"Hello there," they said in union.
"Hi! What's up?"
They both looked up into the sky.
"No, no. I mean, what's happening?"
"What a silly question. Haven't you been paying attention?" Pippin asked.
"No, I mean– "
"Well, you should just say what you mean then. You are a very hard egg to crack, so to speak," Merry said.
"She's shaped more like a banana. Or perhaps a twig," Pippin said.
"I'm not a fruit!!" she exclaimed.
Kaysie overheard this and took a few steps away from her.
"Nor a plant," Ariel said a little quieter.
Then she tried desperately to explain to Merry and Pippin what slang is.
In the distance, Sam and Frodo were saying their goodbyes.
"I'm afraid this is one adventure I can't accompany you on," Sam said, rather gloomy. "Though, I feel I should come along…"
"Don't worry, Sam. I fully understand. The people of the Shire are waiting for their mayor to return," Frodo said.
"I hope you will not forget about the Shire on your new adventure."
"Of course not," Frodo said, not taking Sam's comment seriously.
"And I hope, one day, you will come back… and perhaps with more than just yourself, if you follow…" Sam grinned.
"But… Merry and Pippin will be returning with– "
Sam laughed. "That's not what I meant, Mr. Frodo."
"What did you… oh?" Frodo laughed. "I see…" He looked over at Ariel, who was laughing at something Merry and Pippin were doing. "I would like that very much…" he admitted to Sam.
"Anyways, best be off, Mr. Frodo. No doubt my escorts want to get to their homes too," said Sam. "Though, I wish that I could come with you…"
"There are certain responsibilities you must attend to…"
"Yes, yes… take care, Mr. Frodo." He patted Frodo on the shoulder, and then walked over to his ever-faithful pony, Bill.
"Take care, Samwise!" Frodo called as he waved goodbye.
Then, he walked back over to the group and shortly after a small line of elves leading various horses and ponies came over.
"We're going to ride them?" Ariel asked to no one in particular.
"You've really been out of it today, haven't you?" Kaysie said.
"But… I don't know how to ride one of those!"
"What have you been doing for the last four weeks? Causing trouble, no doubt."
"The irony of all this was that I was once taller than you," Ariel said.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked impatiently.
"Never mind… Look, just be careful of Merry and Pippin…"
"What? Now what did they do? Or should I ask, what did you do?"
"Oh nothing," she spoke as light as air. "I think I'll go bug Sarah now."
Kaysie quietly said to herself, "Oh great, now what are we in for today?"
"Oh Sarah!" Ariel called out, almost in a song.
As Ariel approached, Sarah seemed quite out of it herself. She was focused on the ring on her finger.
"Ah… Sarah?" Ariel tugged at her dress.
Sarah shook her head out of her daydream and looked down at the hobbit.
"What?" she said as if this reality wasn't good enough.
"I know you normally space out and all… but… what's with that ring? Ooh, I know! I bet Edro gave it to you, right?" Ariel was grinning from ear to ear.
"That's none of your business!" she exclaimed.
"Tsk, tsk. Touchy, aren't we? Or is this simply a mirage? You actually meant to say, 'Oh, I'm madly in love with him!' Am I right?"
Sarah blankly stared at her for a moment, and then shook her head.
"Riiiiiight… I'm going to… walk away," she said while backing up, away from Sarah. "I get no slack around here…" Ariel murmured to herself.
"There you are! I've found you," Frodo said.
Ariel turned around and said innocently, "Ariel has been found?"
"Yes, you have. Come on now, everyone is mounting his or her steeds… We must get going," he explained.
"But… I don't know how to ride a horse!"
"You won't be riding one," he laughed. "Ponies are much friendlier, I think. And, you can ride with me."
"What if I fall off?" She pouted at the idea.
"You won't," he said firmly, reassuring her.
"Okay…" she sighed. Couldn't we just take our time and walk to enjoy the scenery? she though to herself.
Everyone found their own mode of transportation, and soon Elrond's company (the one they were in) was off. They traveled till the moon was fully greeting them, and the songs of owls and other various nocturnal birds could be heard from miles away. Ariel, who had been a little jumpy all evening, was finally starting to nod off to sleep, though the path they took was not smooth sailing. And she would not be able to fall asleep this way.
The events that came next were a bit unclear. All Ariel remembered was of setting up camp and then falling asleep. The rays of the next day came all too soon. She awoke with the sun still rising and noticed only a few other elves were awake.
She watched them for a while as they completed their orders. Ariel also saw that Elrond was up already.
What a weird schedule, she thought to herself. Do they ever really sleep the normal eight hours of sleep?
She watched as all the other elves of the company got up and silently laughed as they all eventually did the same thing: yawn, stretch, and then rub their eyes.
Later, as everyone gathered for breakfast, there was a bit of a commotion. It seems Ley, Kaysie, and Sarah was mad at Ariel, for what, she did not know.
"What did you tell Pippin and Merry?!" Ley exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" she asked, rather confused.
"Do you know what they said to us earlier?!" Sarah shouted.
"Haven't a clue…"
"Merry first greeted us with, 'Wazzup, my homies?'!" Kaysie answered.
"Then Pippin said, 'Catch you guys on the o-side, cuz'!" Ley added.
"Oh sure, blame the little one first…" Ariel said jokingly.
"Well, we did suspect Sarah at first, but should would never say anything quite as… lame," Kaysie said.
"Yeah… and I would?"
"YES!" the three elves exclaimed at once.
Ariel grumbled something to her self, and then stood up. "Fine! Fine, I'll go talk to them. I'll tell them to cool it."
"No!" Kaysie said suddenly. "Tell them to stop completely."
Ariel sighed. "Whatever…"
So, she found Merry and Pippin talking to Frodo, hopefully not about slang. She must now unravel what she's done.
"Yo!" Pippin said as she joined them.
"Um… yeah, about this new terminology thingy… you gotta cool it a little, or at least simmer down on the whole thing… a lot," she told them.
"What do you mean?" Merry asked.
"Maybe you should talk how you usually talk. Until you learn when and where to speak like that," she reasoned. They looked confused still, so she tried another tactic. "Besides… all of your accents are so adorable! Why would you want to speak any differently?"
"You think so?" Pippin asked.
"She nodded and then laughed.
***
The company began its journey again. Elrond had spent the last few days observing 'the four chosen', and silently laughing at their awkward behaviors.
One day, when they had stopped for a break, Ariel had tired of counting the seemingly never-ending rows of trees and wildlife. She then realized that she had not been able to listen to any form of music in the past few weeks.
What torture… she thought to her self. So, she entertained herself by humming a song, not caring if anyone heard her.
"What are you humming?" Sarah asked her as she walked by and noticed Ariel humming.
"A really good song…you want to hear it?"
"No."
"Well, I'll sing it anyways…"
So, she began to sing aloud:
'His eyes, they closed
And his last breath spoke
He had seen all to be seen
A life once full, now an empty vase
Wilt the blossoms on his early grave
Walk away me boy, walk away me boy
And by mornin' we'll be free
Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear
And raise what's left of the flag for me…'
As she sung this verse, more and more elves began to gather.
'Then the rosary beads, count them
One, two, three
Fell apart as they hit the floor
In a garb of black,
We must pay respect
To the colour we're bourne to mourn
Walk away me boys, walk away me boys
And by mornin' we'll be free
Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear
And raise what's left of the flag for me!
In his place there grew an angry festered wound
Filled with hatred and remorse
Where I'd pick and scratch till the blood it matched
The silent rage now filled m' lungs
For there are many ways to kill a man they say
With bayonet, axe, or sword
But son, a bullet fired from a shapeless guise
Leaves but a shell of a Thompson gun…'
By this time, she had caught Elrond's attention and he watched from a far. And some elves even hummed along.
'From the East out to the Western shore
Where many men and many more will fall
But no angel flies with me tonight
Till freedom reigns on all
And curse the name
For which we slaved our days
Till every man shall his kingdom come
But sure as night turns day
Ends the passion play
Oh my God, what have they done?
With madman's rage
Well they dug our graves
But the dead rise again you fools
Walk away me boys, walk away me boys
And by mornin' we'll be free
Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear
And raise what's left of the flag for me!'
As the song ended, the small group applauded, and Ariel graciously bowed.
"Thank you! Thank you very much!"
"You sang off key," Ley told her as she stepped off her 'stage'.
"Well, that means I've done more than you have today," she simply replied.
"That's mean…" Ley said.
"You know what, you guys?" Ariel began.
"What?" Sarah asked.
"I'm hungry," she grinned.
"You're always hungry," Kaysie said.
Almost out of nowhere, an apple flew out and hit her on the head.
"Ouch!" Ariel cried. "Okay, who threw that?!"
Ariel looked from face to face to face. Ley looked the guiltiest.
"That was a perfectly good apple!" Ariel said as she rubbed her head.
***
As they entered the city of Rivendell, things seemed to take the feeling, and appearance, of being ancient. The trees were larger and time, it felt, began to slow down. They dismounted their horses and ponies, and were lead inside Elrond's castle.
"Young hobbit," Gandalf suddenly called to Ariel.
"Huh? Er… um… yes?" she stuttered as she was brought away from admiring the craftsmanship of the palace.
"I must speak with you, alone. Please, follow me."
"Okay…" she blinked, and then followed.
They stood for a moment in the corridor, waiting for the company to be completely out of site. The hallway was lit only by sunlight, and trees seemed to grow actually inside the castle.
"I'm afraid… I have a bit of bad news," he began.
"Really?"
"Yes. It is about the surprise you were promised…"
When Gandalf didn't continue, Ariel asked, "W-what about it?"
"The surprise was a meeting with your birth parents. But, as you already may know, hobbits rarely do any traveling."
"Right… you have, sort of, nudge them out the door. I understand. But, will I be able to see them?"
"Well, in order to meet your parents, you must travel to the Shire."
"When?"
"When you are well rested, I should think," Gandalf chuckled.
"Oh. So… is that where everyone is going now?"
"In a moment they will, yes."
"Can we go see how they react, please? I bet it'll be a real funny site to see!"
"Alright," he smirked, rather please she accepted the news so well. "If you wish to."
So, they caught up with the others. Ariel could hardly contain he laughter, for she now knew what the future held.