Chapter 7: History and Prophecy

They joined the others on top of the walls and again they started carefully. There, Gandalf rode up to them on Shadowfax. They were now ready to go to Orthanc, to see Saruman. All would go to the steps. But only the chosen would go any farther.

Gandalf and Théoden went up the stairs. Aragorn went behind. Gimli and Legolas ventured forth being the only ones of their kin. Arway stood halfway up the stairs, separate from both groups, yet alike attached to them.

Saruman was called forth and he came to a window far above. There he used all his power to deceive the group with words. Everyone present heard the voice echo and become smooth as silk. Some there obeyed the voice. Others fought it. And still others blocked it from within.

Arway was one of these. She heard the voice begin and when she did, she dropped her ears from Middle-earth. And for a while, they resided in her memories, hearing events that had passed long ago. She did not remove them either, for they had landed in a peaceful time. A time when she was but a very young Elf and the whole of her existence stood before her. The time when she had not yet known who or what she as, a time before she had come to the fork in her path of life. Now, she wondered if she had chosen the right path. Is this the life she wanted? Or should she have taken the less difficult one?

When finally she pulled herself from her memories the events around her had changed. Saruman was now a puppet obeying Gandalf's commands. He was sent away by a higher being. The fall of evil began.

Then she heard it. Smooth glass falling through heavy air, a ball of clear crystal fell from far above. It hit the stairs without so much as a chip broken from it. It rolled down the stairs, and away with still no change in its exterior. As it rolled away from the bottom of the stairs Pippin ran after it. He saved it from its present doom.

Arway was right behind and as he bent to look into its depths, her shadow fell across the ball, blocking out anything underneath the cool exterior. She did not trust it. Even as it fell, something deep within her had been stirred. She surveyed him as he took the ball to Gandalf. And in turn, Gandalf reprimanded the young hobbit quickly, taking the globe from his grasp and hiding it from the view of all.

Then all turned and they headed back towards the gates. When barely they had passed through about a dozen Ents came into view. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas stared in wonder. The most ancient looking one turned to do the same to them.

"These are three of my companions." Gandalf stated.

Treebeard as he was called, looked upon the Elf, Dwarf, and Man. He conversed first with Legolas who promised to return and see his forest in the end, when the evil was destroyed. That was when the old Ent caught a glimpse of the she-Elf. "Ah Arway trying to hide from your old friend?"

"Never Treebeard for it has been long since these eyes have looked upon your face."

"The same might I add to you. But now is not the time to start on such matters. If things turn out well you must come see an old Ent."

"I will Treebeard, I will." Arway promised.

The sun was falling in the sky when the group left Isenguard. Merry was behind Gandalf, Pippin behind Aragorn. The sun left the sight of even the Elves, and the group still continued to ride. They did for many hours, when finally they halted. Their camp was off the road and under a group of low growing thorn bushes. Two guards were placed to watch and the remaining went to rest.

Legolas, Gimli, and Arway lay down with the others. Arway listened as Legolas and Gimli made plans to visit things together when the evil forces of Sauron were defeated. Soon though, exhaustion took the Dwarf. When he did so, Legolas pulled Arway a little way from the group. Before he could murmur a word, Arway began to talk, and he let her. There was some sudden need to her story.

"There were three created first; two females and one male. Now one of the females and the male came together to keep the line pure, so that this new race would continue on strong and pure. The second female fell in love with a mortal. And together they too had children. The children were both immortal and mortal. The mortal children grew as they should, but the immortal did not. Rather they would spend hundreds of days to hundreds of years at one age. They tried hard to stop this occurrence. But it was found that even with full blood Elves the immortal children aged the same unruly way. Now there were but a few of these unlucky Elves, which is a good thing. Being shunned so for something you have no control over is torturous."

Arway stopped something had gotten to her. Legolas could see in her eyes that it was not the story she told. But he could not read minds, all he had was a strong sense of thing, but this could not help him here. "What is wrong Arway?"

"I was told long ago that my death would come after a period of strong feeling. This feeling would be for the want of something I shall never have. This thing will be the destruction of me, for it is the destruction of most things that it meets. And never shall this thing be close to my grasp. But it will be the desire of the feeling. It will be a thing of beauty and power. It will be serene yet deadly. And if by chance I did grasp this thing, what is created with it may be horrible, if not more destructive then the thing itself. And in my dying, I will be close to this thing yet so far away. It is out there. The one ring. And I fear it is my death. Nothing else fits the puzzle. Nothing else could it be. Could it?"

Legolas looked down into the blue-green eyes. He had not thought of anything else but the ring while she had spoke. Yet, inside of him he felt that this was not the answer to her riddle. His had been tormenting, but hers was unbearable. The eyes were suddenly changed. They were no longer orbs of knowledge and life, the oldest thing about her. But gateways to her soul. They were large, lost, and lonesome, totally confused and afraid. He took her hand in one of his. And with the other he put out his pointer and middle finger, lightly bring them across her forehead, pulling down her eyelids, down her cheeks, and slightly down her neck.

"Sleep and forget your troubles if only for the night."

He placed his mouth next to her ear and sung lullabies of the Elven. Soon, he tapered off as the listener fell into sleep. And he watched as she slept for she was more beautiful in sleep then I wakefulness. He pondered too, because he knew Arway had read Merry's mind, he knew she was one of these nameless Elves, but what he did not know and what he wanted to know most, was why she was alone in Rohan. Why she did not live with any Elves. He was confused and through all his ponderings, he came to nothing. And as the night slowly slipped by, his eyes returned to Arway's face. Throughout the night, he saw tears squeeze their way from beneath the lids and run their tracks down her face. Each time he would wipe them away there was a tarring in his heart. Though much he did not know and understand, his heart went out to this being. Who courageous, beautiful, and graceful, she lived a horrid life. And he wondered how she did so.

As time passed and the tears began to subside, Legolas began to believe the worst of the night was over. Then a piercing cry rang through the air. Arway awoke with a start. Seconds before hand, she had been in the undying land of Lothlórien. But around her, the people and places were recalled and the present made sense once more. Except for the thing that had woke her. The cry. She had heard it in her dreams and so was torn from them.

"Was it real?" she questioned sitting up.

"Aye lady, quite real." Gimli answered. He too had been ripped from his sleep. And once so had made his way over to the two Elves.

"What happened?"

"Pippin looked into the crystal." Legolas stated quietly.