Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Chapter Four - Campfire Tales

"Aren't they beautiful?"

"Legolas, to the elves, all stars are beautiful," Aragorn pointed out, but then he relented. "They are beautiful though, I admit to that." He chewed thoughtfully on the stem of his pipe as he stared into the fire. Beside him, Legolas gazed up at the sky in wonder.

They were camped on the banks of the great river Anduin, not far from the borders of Lothlórien. Tomorrow they would enter Rohan and ride across it, heading for Cair Andros then onto Minas Tirith. Aragorn had made the journey many times and saw no trouble ahead.

Rhachsell was sitting on the outskirts of the camp to allow Faroth room to spread out. She was using him as a backrest, leaning against his side, watching the laughter and activity among the travellers. Faroth rumbled sleepily.

/"Why don't you go and join in?"/

/"They look busy,"/ Rhachsell replied. /"And my father is stargazing again. He won't talk any sense while doing that."/ For Rhachsell, stars were simply stars, useless for seeing with by at night and invisible by day. In this the Orcish side of her had triumphed and she found it impossible to understand the Elves' fascination with the twinkling lights.

/"I think they're quite pretty"/ Faroth remarked, raising his head to study the sky. The stars reflected in the facets of his eyes.

/"You find something that you can't eat pretty?"/ Rhachsell's tone dripped with mock-horror. /"Are you feeling well Faroth?"/

The dragon dropped his head to blow a cloud of hot smoke at her. /"Insolence! Go and speak to your father oh-impudent-rider of mine. He has hardly seen you all day."/

/"As you command master,"/ Rhachsell answered facetiously and in reply got another cloud of smoke in her face. "I'm going! Try not to eat anyone while I'm away."

/"Your father's horse has been giving me nasty looks. If you're not careful I'll eat him and let *you* explain it to Legolas."/

Rhachsell dramatically put her hand over her heart. "Oh! The fear! Faroth, you eat my father's horse and he'll roast you alive."

/"The horse doesn't know that."/

Shaking her head, Rhachsell got to her feet and walked into the camp, threading her way through the tents and people. Legolas and Aragorn were seated by the main campfire. As Rhachsell approached Gimli appeared by her side.

"Ah lassie, how have you been today? I haven't had the chance to speak to you, up there on that great black beast of yours. Tell me, is riding a dragon more comfortable than riding a horse?"

"Absolutely," Rhachsell answered without hesitation. "But it's cold that high up and you have to hold on tight. If you fall off a horse it usually isn't serious but a dragon is a different matter."

They arrived at the campfire side by side and Aragorn glanced up in greeting. "Hello Gimli, Rhachsell. Enjoying the trip so far?"

"What fool invented horse-riding?" Gimli demanded, wincing as he sat down. "We all have legs do we not? What's wrong with walking?!"

"But Gimli, at the pace you walk it would take us years to reach Minas Tirith," Legolas remarked casually and received the handle of Gimli's axe jabbed into his ribs. "Ouch!"

"Now Gimli, if you wish to disembowel Legolas, please do it in the morning when I have the energy to stop you," Aragorn murmured, lying back against his saddlebags. Gimli grunted in disgust but Legolas flashed a quick grin at him before turning to Rhachsell.

"How was your journey my daughter?"

"It was fine," Rhachsell replied. "It's nice to have the opportunity to fly beyond the boundaries of Mirkwood. I think Faroth needed the exercise as well."

"I would say the same for you Legolas," Gimli observed with a grin beneath his beard. "All that sitting around, eating and sleeping - if you'd stayed in your palace much longer you wouldn't be able to draw that bow of yours."

Legolas assumed an expression haughty smugness. "I have no need to reply to that my dwarven friend. No matter how out of condition I get, you know I'll be able to score higher than you in a fight."

"Hah!" Gimli responded. "That was a lucky fluke. I would have killed more Orcs if my chain mail hadn't been so tight. It restricted my swing."

"A bad workman blames his tools." Aragorn murmured around his pipe then quickly ducked away from Gimli's glare. "Perhaps I shouldn't get involved?"

"That may be wise," Rhachsell agreed with a smile and received glares from both her father and Gimli. "Merely an observation."

"Looks like the tents are all up," Aragorn changed the subject as he surveyed the camp. "I wonder where Arwen- ah there she is." He raised his hand to catch his wife's attention and she changed direction to walk towards them. Rhachsell shifted uncomfortably but remained seated.

Arwen was only a few paces away when she noticed Rhachsell, half hidden in the shadows beside the fire. The hesitation in her graceful step was barely noticeable, but Legolas caught it. A faint frown flickered across his face.

Arwen settled herself beside Aragorn, smoothing her skirts absently. "The horses are fine."

"So that was where you vanished too," Aragorn exclaimed, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "I thought you'd run away with one of these handsome guards Legolas insisted on bringing."

Arwen laughed. "No. I just went to see the horses."

/"She's lying,"/ Faroth commented. Rhachsell cast a startled glance back at his dark bulk on the outskirts of the camp.

/"What do you mean?"/

/"She was here looking at me. I would have eaten her"/ and the dragon's tone turned facetious. /"But you told me not to eat anyone."/

/"Looking at you? How?"/

"What does Faroth say Rhachsell?"

Flustered, the half elf glanced up to see Aragorn regarding her curiously. She opened her mouth, mind racing for a reply. She couldn't challenge Arwen Undómiel, especially in front of Aragorn.

"He's asking- he's asking if-"

/"I'm asking if there are going to be songs or if I can go to sleep."/

"- if there are going to be songs," Rhachsell finished. Aragorn raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why not. Legolas?"

"Of course there can be songs." The Elf-king paused. "What shall we sing?" "I don't know." Aragorn shrugged. "Does anyone know something we may not have heard before?"

A smile flashed across Legolas' face. "I remember a certain hobbit singing a song for a certain Dúnadan.."

Aragorn sat up, eyes wide, one hand raised. "No Legolas-" But the elf had already broken into song.

/"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not whither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be the blade that was broken The crownless again shall be king,"/

Rhachsell ducked her head to hide her smile at Aragorn's embarrassment. Arwen looked at her husband merrily, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"You didn't say Bilbo had written a song about you."

"How did you know that was Bilbo's song?" Legolas asked. Arwen shook her head.

"It has that Bilbo Baggins feel. I'll remember that one. Well sung Legolas."

/"It was too short,"/ complained Faroth. /"Sing something longer."/

"Faroth wants us to sing something longer," Legolas remarked, having overheard the black dragon's comment. "Arwen? Would you oblige?"

"Would you rather hear a tale of the Lamps of the Valar?" she asked. "Ada* was telling me of them last time I visited Rivendell. It is a beautiful story, although short for time has worn away some of the details."

"That sounds interesting," Aragorn commented. "I'd like to hear it."

There were murmurs of assent from everyone, including Faroth. Arwen sat up and leaned forward, blue eyes reflecting the flickering, dancing firelight.

"In the beginning, when the Valar walked Middle-earth...."

Eá 'the World that Is' was given substance . At this time, the "holy ones,", the Ainur, came, in part, to Middle-earth. Upon taking earthly form, they were divided into two peoples, the Maiar, the lesser powers and the Valar, the fifteen higher powers.

Among the Valar there was strife and discord, but it has been told that despite this, despite the war marring their work, both Valar and Maiar strove to shape the rough form of the World into the perfect beauty of the Vision. And so they created Almaren, the first kingdom of the Valar. It stood on an isle in the middle of a immense, uncharted lake in Middle-earth and for light it had the two, gleaming Lamps, Ormal and Illuin. None now know where Almaren once stood but the Lamps were reputed to stand at the far North and far South of Middle-earth, yet all in between basked in the glow of their light.

It was Varda, the Lady of Stars who filled Ormal and Illuin with the light that lit the world. She was most beautiful of all the Valar, still shining with the light of Illúvator. We Elves have named her Elentari and Elbereth, the 'Star queen' for it was she who created the stars. Her name dispels darkness with light.

Despite Varda's care of the Lamps and the peace and beauty of Almaren, there was one of the Valar who was discontent. He was named Melkor, "He who arises in Might" and his realm was darkness and cold. Like the World's nightmare he moved like a black cloud that brought fear to all who saw it. He brought corruption into the world and it was he who put out the fairest lights in the world when he destroyed the Lamps and plunged Middle-earth into darkness.

Because of Melkor's wars, the Lamps of the Valar are now lost to us, both where they once stood and the mysteries of how they were created. But it has been said that Varda, the Star queen, remains watchful over the ruins of her Lamps and will grant the deepest desire of the one who finds them again. A boon from one of the Valar is not a thing to be laughed at and in the name of this many people have searched Middle-earth only to fail. Middle-earth is too big for anyone to search thoroughly in one lifetime and there are many who would oppose a search. But the Lamps existed once and even Melkor's wrath cannot have erased them completely. The Lamps, or the ruins of them still stand, somewhere. And someday, someone will find them.

Arwen sat back to catch her breath as she finished. Legolas' eyes were wide with curiosity.

"All tales of the Lamps had been lost to us for decades," he said slowly. "How did Elrond find this out?"

"Some ancient writings deep in the cellars at Rivendell," Arwen replied and everyone stared at her in disbelief.

"Parchment would disintegrate," Aragorn pointed out, more than a little sceptically. "Are you sure the writings weren't merely a few centuries old, scribbled down by some over-imaginative scribe?"

"My father thinks they may have been re-written frequently by different people down the ages to preserve them because there were fragments of much older parchment nearby so they may be less accurate now than they were a thousand years ago, but they contained enough detail to be considered fairly correct," Arwen dismissed his doubts. "The Lamps still exist somewhere in Middle-earth but I doubt anyone will ever find them." Her eyes flicked to Rhachsell who frowned slightly at the icy blue gaze. Then the elf queen glanced away, back at the campfire.

"Well if we don't get some sleep tonight then we won't find Gondor because we'll be sleeping on horseback, never mind your legendary Lamps," Gimli pointed out, climbing to his feet. "Who has first watch?"

*

The next morning, Rhachsell was dozing on Faroth's back, having tied herself to his neck ridge first to make sure she didn't fall off. Not far beneath her, because Faroth didn't trust the rope and was staying fairly low, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn and Arwen were at the head of the line of horses and riders, eyes trained on the horizon.

Faroth's snort woke Rhachsell who started and nearly lost her balance. Faroth hurriedly tilted to one side to help regain her balance, flying in a tight circle. Once Rhachsell had regained her seat, he straightened out, lifting his head to watch the horizon. Following his gaze, Rhachsell caught a gleam of white in the distance.

/"Gondor,"/ said Faroth.

~

* Ada - Dad

A.N. Hey look, another chapter! Hope you liked this one, I didn't have time to check it because I was trying to get it up before college tomorrow. A very plot driven chapter this one, hopefully explaining the title somewhat. Most of this information (because although I have the Simarillion sitting on my shelf, I have yet to find the time to read it) came from the excellent reference book, 'Characters From Tolkien' by David Day. Beautifully illustrated and full of helpful information I'd recommend it to all Tolkien fans.

Bilbo's song about Aragorn was from 'The Fellowship of the Ring' - he sings/recites it in the Council of Elrond.

I'll try and get the next chapter up slightly quicker, but I can't promise anything. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, especially people who read 'Weyr of the Lost' and have been waiting for the sequel - big hugs to you all!