In this chapter I make a reference to Mithmír losing a sibling.  There will be a short story (i.e. one or two chapters) explaining this, when I get the time.  All you need to know is that Mithmír has lost a sibling as well as her father and, imminently, her mother.

Excuse the length, also.  Exams, ugh!

Read!  Enjoy!  Review!

***

'We're to ride now,' Tondfael said after a slight pause.  'Aragorn asked me to take his horse outside for him, and the other horses – those from the other stable – are already waiting outside."  He smiled a little in a meaningful way to Mithmír.  "Including the Lady's horse."

Mithmír didn't have to ask who the "Lady" was.  The tone of reverence in Tondfael's voice was enough; there was only one Lady; and also – not least, in her eyes – Legolas bowed a little momentarily, and cried out in an awed voice, 'A Galadriel, mín hiril fael, beleg calben-rîn o malthen-eryn!'  [lit. O Galadriel our fair and just lady, great light-elf queen of the Golden Wood (i.e. Lothlorien)].  Mithmír smiled at him.  The Elves showed great respect for the Lady Galadriel, who was probably the highest Elf alive now on Middle Earth; and in fact the Elves were very open in their respectfulness: not ashamed to fall on one knee before a packed company, for instance.   Mithmír understood the reverence, but not the excessive need to show it.  To Legolas, however, it was the most natural thing in the world to show the esteem in which you held someone with simple words and actions – though they were beautifully chosen and executed, of course.

'We had better leave too, then,' she said a little wearily.  Her body was as physically toned and ready as ever; but the last few days had emotionally drained her to a surprising extent – in Legolas' mind, a worrying one.  Mithmír called in Sindarin to Brialvastor and went to hold the door open for the stallion as he passed out.  Legolas walked out past her close to Arod, his hand on the horse's flank.  Tondfael went out last, accompanying no horse of his own: his own mare was in the courtyard, as Mithmír rightly supposed.  He did, however, take Aragorn's stead by the reins; face showing obvious disgust at the method of control; and led the beast out.  Mithmír closed the door behind them all and stepped out herself, sniffing the fresh air outside the caves with obvious relish.  The wind picked up her hair and engaged it in a whistling dance about her head.

Legolas turned back and looked at her, while Tondfael passed him and walked on to the group of travelers waiting below – among them the small band of Elves, mostly Galadriel and Celeborn with their accompanying courtiers and single Aratirith (not to mention Tondfael).  She was keenly, desperately beautiful up there, standing one and alone against the tide of the wind which was unusually strong that day.  It made him think of other ways that she was alone…  As much as he had sworn to always stay by her side, there were some ways in which he could never totally understand her, and never truly feel the depth of her grief.  He had never lost a parent or sibling, for one.  He had never been sick; and also – and he felt this strongly – he would never be torn in two, not in the way that she was so often.  He was an Elf and purely an Elf, there was no trace of Men in his blood.  There was no quarrel in his heart as to whether he would cross the Sea or no – and that very struggle seemed to be tearing Mithmír apart more and more recently.  He often caught her humming songs about the Sea: both Elven ones of the journey and Valinor, and the songs of Men about how Elves "disappeared across the water".

'Why do you wait?'  He called up to her, his voice a strong dart of sound not wavering in the breeze.

Mithmír's eyes focused on him finally, and she began to follow him down the slight slope to the others.  Legolas' would have liked to wholly attribute her actions to his call, but he was wise enough to see that Brialvastor's impatient whinny had awakened her as much as anything.  Before the Quest of the Ring onto her – all too young – shoulders, she had been famed as a horsewoman rivaling even the very best of the Rohirrim; and she loved her Elven stallion too dearly to let him suffer any discomfort, or want for anything.

'I'm coming, Legolas,' she said as she caught up with him.  She angled her head towards him and her bright eyes sparkled with excitement.  'You can't leave me behind that easily.'

'I wouldn't want to,' he assured her softly.  'I would never, ever want to.'