Elerian: Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the final chapter of Can I Drop In? It's been fun, and I've certainly learned a lot. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'll be sad to go, but that is the way life works, with meetings and partings happening for the best or worst. Please enjoy.
Note: Only Aniron and Elerian are ours. The rest belong to Tolkien. If we have mangled them in any way, my sincerest apologies.
17. Awaken
Days passed, and tension in the fellowship did not lessen. Aniron and Legolas still went everywhere together, and Aragorn tended to go off alone. The time finally came for us to depart, and we ate our last with the elves in the silver-green of Lorien in the winter. Galadriel bestowed upon us the gift of Elven cloaks, beautiful and valuable, then to each of us in turn gave a gift. To Aragorn she gave a sheath for his sword that would protect against rust and breaking and a brooch. Boromir received a golden belt, and Merry and Pippin received silver belts. Legolas was given a bow and quiver of the Galadhrim. She gave Sam a box of plain grey wood with a silver G set in its top, filled with earth that would make his garden bloom like Lorien in the summertide. Gimli requested only a single hair from her head, and in her generosity she gave him three. Next, she turned to Aniron and I. "And now the elf-maidens. Maidens who have come from nowhere, wish to return there, and travel through great peril to a place that is not at all their home. What would such ladies want?"
Lowering my head, I spoke. "What would be dearest to my heart would not be within your power to give, milady. To come along on this quest was certainly reward enough for me, and to be shown the hospitality of the Lady of the Galadhrim was more than I had ever hoped for. I do not ask anything of you." She could not grant friendship, or trust, and there was nothing that I desired more. Surely she recognized this, for when I raised my head her eyes were full of sympathy.
"And what of your companion?" The Lady looked towards Aniron, who looked hopeful.
"I would not presume to ask anything of you." The look that passed between them seemed to finish the statement: perhaps she would not presume to ask, but that did not mean that she did not want to.
"I would not want you to be alone among the company without gifts." She stood silent and regal for a moment. "I thought you might not know. I believe I may have something for you." She beckoned to one of her handmaidens, who stepped forward bearing two glinting strands. When she stopped, the strands were revealed- two thin silver chains on which hung tiny crystal stars. They appeared identical, but when they came closer one of the stars was of palest golden hue, the other of pale grey. Galadriel hung first the gold about my neck, then placed the silver-grey on Aniron. Speaking no more, she moved to Frodo, to whom she gave a phial of light from EƤrendil's star. He bowed politely, and we passed on into the boats and down the river to the singing of Galadriel.
Once in the boats, each of us was left to our own thoughts. Even Aniron and Legolas did not stare at each other, but thought alone. My mind wandered down paths through fields and sun, and soon I slipped into dreams.
I awoke sharply in the dark as my awareness of the rocking of the boat slipped away. Somehow I was not in the right place. There were no water, no trees, no boats, and no fellowship. Blinking, I realized that I was once again in Aniron's living room, on her couch as the television screen showed blue. Next to me, Aniron sat up, shook her head, and looked around confusedly. "Weren't we just on the Anduin?"
"So you dreamt that too?" I was glad that it was just a dream. Or was it? Simultaneously our hands flew to our throats where the star necklaces should have hung. We had no necklaces on.
"Yeah. Weird, that we would fall into Middle Earth and end up messing up our friendship like that. But we would never really let a guy come between us."
"No." I paused. "You thirsty?"
"Yeah. Want a Coke?"
"Sure." We stood up, stretched, and walked into the kitchen. When I opened the cupboard to get out glasses, I noticed something glinting on the counter. Two star pendants lay there, one gold, one silver, on thin silver chains.
~~~~~
And so ends our tale. I hope you liked it. Thank you for taking the time to read it, whether it ended well or not.
